MAY 5, 2025

  "Are you capable of forgiving and accepting in love a world which has disappointed you by not being perfect, a world in which there is so much unfairness and cruelty, disease and crime, earthquake and accident? Can you forgive its imperfections and love it because it is capable of containing great beauty and goodness, and because it is the only world we have?...And if you can do these things, will you be able to recognize that the ability to forgive and the ability to love are the weapons God has given us to enable us to live fully, bravely and meaningfully in this less-than-perfect world?” 

― Harold S. Kushner, When Bad Things Happen to Good People

1 KINGS 10-11

1King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. 2They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. 3He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. 4As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 5He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. 6So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.(11:1-6)

LUKE 24:1-35

1On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8Then they remembered his words.

9When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

JOURNAL 

When we look at Solomon’s life in 1 Kings 11:1-6, we see a clear picture of how easily even the wisest among us can get distracted. Solomon had it all—wisdom, wealth, and God's favor—yet he still drifted into relationships and eventually worship of foreign gods. Despite clear warnings, his heart wandered, showing us how fragile our commitment to God can sometimes be.

David’s story, found in 2 Samuel 11, is similar. Although David remained devoted to God, his choices brought painful and unnecessary consequences. Both Solomon and David remind us that no matter who we are, we all struggle with chasing after things that seem fulfilling at the moment but ultimately lead us away from God.

Thankfully, these stories don’t end there. In Luke 24:1-12, we encounter a totally different kind of story—the story of an empty tomb and a risen Savior. When the women approached the tomb expecting death, they were instead met with an incredible message: "He is not here; He has risen!" (Luke 24:6). This moment changes everything. It shows us that God's power is greater than any of our mistakes, shortcomings, or failures.

The Apostle Paul knew exactly what this felt like when he said, "Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me…Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:21-25). Paul's struggle is our struggle, but his victory through Christ can also be ours.

Ultimately, all of this leads us back to the heart of God's message to us, captured beautifully in Deuteronomy: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" (Deuteronomy 6:4-7). This isn’t just a rule to follow; it's a call to live fully connected to God. It’s a daily reminder to anchor our hearts in Him, trusting not in ourselves, but in His power that overcame death itself. Embracing this truth each day transforms our weaknesses into opportunities for experiencing God's incredible grace.

4Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.^a 5Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

DEUTERONOMY 6:4-7