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A few years ago, I attempted to visit a school on the north side of Atlanta. I was unfamiliar with the area, and as I exited the interstate, the sign for the right-hand lane I was in read, “Exit Lane Keep Moving – Do Not Stop.” I had never read a sign like that before, but I thought, I’ll figure this out. As I looked at my exit lane and the entire off-ramp ahead, the road lines for the lane I was traveling in were painted solid white. It seemed promising, but I wasn’t entirely convinced I was okay. I took my foot off the gas to play it safe and looked further to my left, and I saw cross traffic quickly approaching and moving fast. From my viewpoint, I thought by the time I reach the top of this off-ramp, they could enter my lane. As my brain finally figured out I was in a protected lane, and the cross traffic would be in a lane separate from my vehicle, I hit the car in front of me. Apparently, they did not believe the sign either because they came to a complete stop. The sign told me not to stop, but I didn’t trust it. I took my eye off the road and shifted my focus. The gentleman in front of me also disobeyed the sign and fully hit his brakes. Neither of us trusted that sign. Ultimately, we collided, and I also missed an important meeting that day that could not be rescheduled.   

The Lord was clear to Solomon multiple times that adding foreign wives would lead him to destruction. While it took many years and the situation slowly devolved, Solomon’s initial mistake was taking his primary focus off the Lord. His heart became increasingly divided, and ultimately, the Lord allowed the nation of Israel to become divided into two parts after Solomon’s death. 

Reflection: Where is your heart and focus today? After you complete this devotional, there are things to complete, but is your heart divided? Is something getting the attention in your heart that belongs to the Lord?

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