Who Has The Reigns in Your Life?

O. T. #950  "Who Has The Reigns in Your Life?"
March 27, 2017
2 Chronicles 9-Part 2
verse??

LET IT GLOW

Who has the reigns in your life and mine? Horses are guided by the turn of the reigns. Are we allowing God to turn us His way or are we turning our own way? When we know which direction we are to go, do we  allow God free reign to guide us? Or are we in charge of where and what we do? Solomon had that problem.

It appears that Solomon does as verse 25 tells of his 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots and 12,000 horsemen. He stationed them in chariot cities. The horses were imported from Egypt. At that time, chariots from Egypt could be purchased for 600 pieces of silver and horses for 150 pieces of silver.

The king knew that he was forbidden to multiply his horses according to the Mosaic Law, yet he did.
(Deuteronomy 17:14-20) Also, kings were warned not to multiply chariots, wives, and gold.
(1 Kings 10:14, 26, 28)

One of the most impressive things at Megiddo is the ruins of the stables that Solomon had there. And there are runs of his stables in several other areas(McGee)

What was happening here? Was his heart and mind being turned to material things instead of God? Seems that way. Gradually his hart turned way as he began to worship the idols of his foreign wives.
The worse part is that Solomon led the nation into idol worship, too.

Are we keeping our relationship with God as strong as ever? Beware, lest materialism and wealth creep in.  Just saying, prosperity often causes people to ride that horse farther and farther away.

LET IT GROW

Solomon's splendid empire:

• included land from the Euphrates River in the north to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt in the south, with his ruling over those kings;
• silver made as plentiful in Jerusalem as stone; (He collected taxes from the people and the 12 tribes of Israel.)
• valuable cedar timber was as common as sycamore-fig trees that grow in the foothills of Judah; (a reddish lumber that was fragrant)

Gold came to Solomon from tolls and tariffs from traders, revenues from loyal administrators, and taxes from Arabian kings ho used caravan routes un der his control.  (MacArthur)

Are we keeping our relationship with God alive and strong? Or have we allowed circumstances to cause our faith to waver.

LET IT GO

Give God the reigns in my life.

Keep materialism and wealth in its right place.