S)"9 So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?"
1 Kings 3:9 (NASB)
O) King Solomon has always been quite the enigma to me. If you consider that he was the author of Ecclesiastes, as I do, then it may also leave you wondering sometimes if this man ever made it to heaven... Certainly, it would seem he loved God and wanted to do His will, but then he just had all these existential issues (again, it would seem, if he wrote Ecclesiastes as suspected). Then, if we consider the simple fact that God promised to bless his throne and offspring like God blessed David, if only Solomon would walk in the ways of the LORD, and yet Solomon's kingdom was immediately divided upon his death later, with his son only taking the throne of Judah and a usurper taking the throne of Israel... For a man who had so much wisdom, he sure did seem to screw that up... then I look back to this verse. Is it possible that Solomon asked for the wrong thing? Is it possible that he valued the prosperity and justice kept in his kingdom so much that he overlooked his own salvation? Is it possible that he was given all the wisdom he wanted - but only as it applies to ruling a kingdom and not as it applies to loving God? I don't know the answer for sure, but I know what to do about it.
A) If Solomon did, in fact, have his priorities skewed, then it should be my goal to keep my own priorities from getting twisted. It's good to seek wisdom, and to ask for wisdom from God (see James 1:5). But, the application of that wisdom must be put in order. I must first ensure that my relationship with God is exactly as it should be. I must find wisdom so that I am able to avert sin, repent quickly, study Scripture, speak with Him daily, and worship truly. I must second ensure that my relationships with my wife, then my children, are how they should be also. I acknowledge that, on my own, I am unqualified as a husband and father. I must have wisdom from the LORD in order to lead my family. And then whatever else I have to do, whatever other responsibilities I have, I should apply all wisdom that I may have to them. If I consider that I only have as much wisdom as I am requesting from the LORD, then I need to be sure I am requesting wisdom for the right things. If I consider that He's depositing wisdom into me, then I need to be sure I am spending it in the right areas. I need to have wise spending habits.
P) Father, I confess that I don't even always know how to love You correctly. On my own, I am a complete mess and I would utterly fail at loving You or serving You. Thank You for grabbing hold of my heart and not letting go. Holy Spirit, thank You for tracking me down, and relentlessly calling my name in the voice of my Father. Please continue to chisel me and discipline me as I learn Your wisdom in how to maintain this relationship with You. Help me to keep this at the forefront as the single-most important thing I can ever do, since I know that every. other. thing. that I can do is dependant on my relationship to You. I don't want to gain the whole world and lose my soul. Give me wisdom in our relationship, Father. Only after that, God I ask You for wisdom in my marriage. Continue to educate me and open my eyes to see how my marriage should operate, how I should love my wife, how I should talk to her, how I should lead her. Father, give me wisdom in my fatherhood. Continue to educate me and open my eyes to see how my parenting should operate, how I should love my children, how I should talk to them, how I should lead them. Finally LORD, I ask for wisdom in how I minister to others. From giving to the poor to teaching a class, I want to do it with Your direction, Your insight, Your justice, Your methods. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment