Can you think of any reason that would cause a person to turn from God? King Solomon had a thousand of them! In 1 Kings 11:1-4, we read about how his love for his hundreds of pagan wives with their foreign gods eventually outgrew his love for God. It cost him dearly, and his people paid a heavy price for his errors.

But Solomon is not the only one with a thousand reasons for turning from God. Most of mankind invents those with ease. Even when Jesus Christ was on the earth, working miracles and wonders, no more than a handful of followers truly changed their ways.

What are our reasons for doing what we know or suspect is not right and good? “God understands”? “Nobody will know”? “I’ll get to it later”? “I have too much to do right now”? We can all add more excuses to the list—not only in our interaction with God, but also with our spouses, children and friends.

Because Solomon spent so long ignoring God’s commands concerning marriage and paganism, God decided to tear the kingdom of Israel out of the hands of his son. How long will it take us before we change our ways and turn back to God?