December 25, 2024 1 Kings 12:25-33

December 25, 2024 1 Kings 12:25-33

²⁵ Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel. ²⁶ And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David. ²⁷ If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” ²⁸ So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” ²⁹ And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. ³⁰ Then this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one. ³¹ He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites. ³² And Jeroboam appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made. ³³ He went up to the altar that he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month that he had devised from his own heart. And he instituted a feast for the people of Israel and went up to the altar to make offerings.

Of all days for this group of verses to land on, the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus.  But maybe it is a good thing that they fell today.  Every single day we go out into the world and face those that would put things in our path that distract us from God.  When we get our eyes off Jesus, we stumble. 

Do you have people in your life like Jeroboam that would do anything they could to put stumbling blocks in your path?  That person that invites you to go out to places you shouldn’t be, doing things that you know are not glorifying to our Lord?  Sometimes we have to make decisions about who to spend time with, and who to avoid based on where we are in our walk with Jesus. 

We all need encouragers in our lives.  We all need to have people we know will be praying for us and help us stay strong in our walk with the Lord.  We also have people in our lives that bring us down.  Yes, they need Jesus.  You might be the one that needs to tell them about Him, but you also might need to step back and pray for them and for the right opportunity to share with them.  I often pray that God would send that person into the lives of those I love to share with them because there are people that won’t listen to me but might listen to someone else.  God knows who can reach them.  Don’t give up, but also don’t fall into the trap of hanging out with them if they will be encouraging you to compromise and make decisions that aren’t in your best interest.  Pray about it.  God will guide you.