And the Lord magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed upon him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel. 1 Chronicles 29:25.
Solomon, who had once solemnly charged the people at the dedication of the temple, “Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God,” chose his own way and in his heart separated from God. He might have linked himself with God and have received more and still more of the knowledge of God, but he betrayed his trust and wandered farther and farther from God....
Looking upon this picture, we see what human beings become when they separate from God. One false step prepares the way for a second and a third, and every step is taken more easily than the last. Let us beware of imperiling the soul by departing from the principles of integrity. There is no safety in tampering with the divine safeguards of peace and righteousness.
Did the Lord make a mistake in placing Solomon in a position of so great responsibility? Nay; God prepared him to bear these responsibilities and promised him grace and strength on condition of obedience. “Then shalt thou prosper,” David said to him, “if thou takest heed to fulfil the statutes and judgments which the Lord charged Moses with concerning Israel: be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed.”
The Lord sets people in responsible places, not to act out their own wills, but His will. So long as they cherish His pure principles of government, He will bless and strengthen them, recognizing them as His instrumentalities. God never forsakes the one who is true to principle.
Let those in positions of responsibility remember that we are approaching the perils of the last days. The whole world is passing in review before God.... Let none make erring, finite beings their guide. God is the one who stands behind mortals, the one from whom all receive the wisdom and knowledge that enable them to do anything good. And God is willing to help everyone. He is no respecter of persons.
Let those upon whom the Lord bestows rich gifts be guarded, lest pride and self-sufficiency obtain the control. The person who exerts a wide influence, the one that people are willing to follow, needs to be constantly prayed for and admonished by other workers. Let them pray that he or she may be kept from pride and self-exaltation.—Manuscript 164, 1902.
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