David's long and tumultuous reign is coming to end. As he prepares to die, he begs his son Solomon to continue the work - most of all by obeying God and walking in His ways. David recognizes that real power and blessing flow from a life in harmony with God. He should know - for during his life he was guilty of many sins - adultery, murder, treachery being among them. But he was always truly repentant and his heart always belonged to God. He learned many spiritual lessons the hard way - by pain, suffering, failure, and humble repentance. But as we follow the story further a sad tale unfolds, for Solomon's heart strayed away from God and eventually disaster came upon his kingdom. Focusing our heart on God and sincerely striving to walk in His ways will bring us blessing and happiness even though we will fall short of our goal. It is important to try our best and not to give up.

Travel lightly and stay on the move - that seems to be the instruction that Jesus gives to his disciples. There is a sense of urgency in his voice: the time is short and there is so much to do. The early Christians did not expect the world to last much longer. We are still here after 2,000 years but the urgency is just as great. We face so many challenges in the world. But we need to rely more on the power of God. It is God's work, not ours. When we labour with absolute faith God will give us the power and strength that we need.