Slices
Prepare
Repent of anything that you would prefer to hide from the Lord. Ask for God’s forgiveness and turn back to him.
Bible passage
The Lord appears to Solomon
9 When Solomon had finished building the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had achieved all he had desired to do, 2 the Lord appeared to him a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3 The Lord said to him:
‘I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there for ever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
4 ‘As for you, if you walk before me faithfully with integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws, 5 I will establish your royal throne over Israel for ever, as I promised David your father when I said, “You shall never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.”
6 ‘But if you or your descendants turn away from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. 8 This temple will become a heap of rubble. All who pass by will be appalled and will scoff and say, “Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?” 9 People will answer, “Because they have forsaken the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshipping and serving them – that is why the Lord brought all this disaster on them.”’
Explore
After Solomon has prayed over the Temple and the people, God chooses to appear to Solomon and respond to both the prayers and the completed building project. At first, it sounds as though God is pleased (vs 2–5), but then there is a warning for both Solomon and his descendants (vs 6–9). Again, God reminds Solomon to ‘do all I command and observe my decrees and laws’ (v 4). After the joyous celebrations, this could be seen as a bit of a dampener. But there is something very encouraging about how the Lord reminds Solomon. God tells Solomon to ‘walk before me faithfully with integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did’ (v 4, italics added). If we read the story of David, we know that he started out with the best of intentions and remained faithful until one day when he gave in to temptation. God doesn’t mention that. God refers to David as a man with ‘integrity of heart’.
What are we to make of this? If God looks back on David as someone with integrity, then we can have hope that God will forgive us when we stray and restore us as people of integrity.
Respond
Has God been reminding you of something recently? Thank God that he stays faithful, reminds us of what we need to hear and forgives us when we turn away.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Deuteronomy 10,11; Romans 1
Pray for Scripture Union
Give thanks for all those who faithfully support the work and enable our vision to reveal Jesus to the next generation to become reality. Pray that they will feel that they are partners in this vital work and may be encouraged.
Equipping the church to reach the next generation
Across England and Wales, increasing numbers of children and young people are asking big questions about life, faith and meaning. Many are more open than we might assume – curious, thoughtful, and ready for conversations about Jesus, even when church isn’t part of their everyday world. For churches who have a heart for the next generation, this presents a real and hopeful opportunity.
Many leaders carry a deep desire to help the next generation encounter Jesus, but with full diaries and many responsibilities, knowing how to respond – or where to begin – can feel uncertain. That’s why we’ve created the It’s Time to Act guide.
It’s a simple, encouraging resource designed to help churches take thoughtful, realistic steps towards revealing Jesus to the next generation. Rather than offering big programmes or quick fixes, the guide focuses on what’s possible now – small, achievable actions that can grow over time. Inside, you’ll find practical ideas shaped by real church life that work alongside busy schedules and varied contexts. So, whether your church is just beginning to explore this opportunity, or already taking steps, the guide aims to meet you where you are and help you discern what comes next.
Our hope is that It’s Time to Act feels less like another initiative, and more like an invitation – to notice where God is already at work, and to take a next step, one step at a time.
If you’d like to explore the guide and see whether it could support your church, you can order a copy here.add
