Lessons From The Line Of David 1 Kings 15:1-3  1. Our Bad Habits Are Easily Passed Down Abijah reigned for three years in Judah (ca. 913–911 BC) as an evil king who “committed all the sins his father had done before him,” which included many idolatrous acts. There was constant conflict and war between Judah and Jeroboam and the northern kingdom of Israel during his reign. Abijah seems to have had some military savvy and led several successful military campaigns. Abijah had 14 wives who bore him 22 sons and 16 daughters. God has charged you with the raising of the next generation to change this world. Do you live a life that is worthy of that honor? 2. Our Half-Hearted Approach To God Will Cause Our Kids To Want Nothing To Do With God His heart was not fully devoted. The “not fully devoted” heart typically refers to that of a person who was an idolater—who accepted and even practiced worship of false gods. A person does not have to give outward respect and honor to an image to be guilty of idolatry.  Idolatry can involve prioritizing anything in place of the one true God. David’s heart was described as fully devoted to the Lord because he never turned to other gods. To have a fully devoted heart does not imply moral perfection but rather a heart that follows wholly after God. The historian is interested in commenting on the character of kings. That his heart was not fully devoted to God means that he was double-minded and unstable. It is only when a ruler is in the right relationship with God that the promise of succession can be fulfilled. James 1:8 NLT "Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do." If we do not want to be in a half-hearted relationship, why is that what we offer to God?  God does not want half of your heart; he wants all of it or none at all. 1 Kings 15:4-5  3. God Is Faithful Even When We Are Not Why, then, does God allow him to rule at all? Why does God abide Judah’s existence? Again, the answer lies in the Lord’s grace and covenant with David. The Lord will continue David’s dynasty and protect Jerusalem because of David’s faithfulness. Certainly, David sinned in the Bathsheba/Uriah incident, yet he never turned to idols as Solomon, Rehoboam, and now Abijah have done. God keeps his promises even when David’s descendants do not. “Lamp,” as used here, means that God had determined never to end David’s family line or forget his covenant with David to keep the kingship in his family. The lamp has finally become “the light of the world” in the person of Jesus Christ. God is not looking for perfection; he is looking for faithfulness. What are our transformational moments? Do you have some habits that you do not want your kids to repeat? Does God have all of you or some of you? Do you need to lay down the pursuit of perfection and start pursuing faithfulness?