July 2

Solomon had it all. In 1 Kings 10 and 2 Chronicles 9, we read of his unmatched wisdom, wealth, influence, and admiration—even the Queen of Sheba is overwhelmed by his splendor. Everything looked like success from the outside. Yet just one chapter later, everything begins to unravel.

1 Kings 11 reveals the quiet collapse of a great man’s heart. Solomon’s downfall wasn’t sudden—it was a slow drift through misplaced affections. “His heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God” (1 Kings 11:4). Despite all his wisdom, Solomon failed in the most essential thing: undivided love for God. He let his many wives, his riches, and his political alliances turn his heart. He still had power, but he lost presence—God’s presence.

Paul echoes this theme in 1 Timothy 6. He warns against the love of money, not because wealth is inherently evil, but because it so easily draws our hearts away from contentment in Christ. “But godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim. 6:6). The chapter ends with Paul urging Timothy to “fight the good fight of the faith” (v12) and to “guard what has been entrusted” to him (v20). In contrast to Solomon, Timothy is called not to build a great kingdom, but to guard a pure heart.

This reminds us: a life can be outwardly impressive and inwardly divided. We are not called to accumulate greatness but to pursue godliness. Faithfulness, not fame. Devotion, not distraction.

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