The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask! What shall I give you." And Solomon said ... "Give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil."
1 Kings 3:5-6, 9
Near the beginning of Solomon's reign, God approached the young king with a proposal: Ask Me for anything you want. Much to God's delight, Solomon didn't ask for great riches, respect among world leaders, or an invincible nation. Solomon asked for wisdom, and God answered abundantly.
The Bible tells us that the Lord gave the king "wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore," and that his wisdom exceeded that of any other man. Solomon's expansive mind explored the disciplines of botany, zoology, and music, and pondered topics ranging from economics to communication to love. The wisdom of King Solomon helped Israel to prosper greatly. Solomon himself amassed wealth greater than all the kings of the time.
But by the end of his reign, this brilliant king somehow forgot the first principle of wisdom: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom." (Psalm 111:10). Only wisdom energized by a vibrant walk with God makes godly leaders.
- Taken from "Leadership Promises For Every Day" by John C. Maxwell, p. 313.
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Coming from a small church, I've had the priviledge of having all types of leadership roles thrusted onto me. Some days it's easier but at times, especially recently in the past year, it has been frustrating and somewhat bitter. Leading a congregation that doesn't want to be at their own church is one of the hardest things to go through. It's even worse when I myself don't want to be at my own church.
However as the scripture says, the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. I need to learn to fear the LORD more - not to be afraid of Him, but to trust that He is sovereign; that no matter what happens at my home church, He's got it under control.
On a side note, if there is one thing I've learnt, it's that leaders aren't meant to take charge and direct things - that's God's role. Leaders are there to equip and enable others around them to be able to do God's work, and most importantly to build and develop others into becoming leaders themselves.
I encourage everyone to ask for wisdom in order to lead those around them, even in the smallest of capacities.
- Jono
I remember vividly a passage that was shared to me during my retreat about solomon and his choice for wisdom. I remember vividly reading Ecclesiastes where Solomon just goes ranting "EVERYTHING IS MEANINGLESS" To quote my bible, "I said to myself, " Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them." So I worked hard to distinguish wisdom from foolishness. But now I realize that even this was like chasing the wind. For the greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow." - Ecclesiastes 1:16-18
Doesnt seem the best.
The pastor (Gideon Tsang) then brought out a comparision.
he said.
Solomon was a man after great wisdom.
David was a man after God's own heart.
That challenged me. We go through school, gaining wisdom and knowledge. but are we really chasing the wind? or chasing God's heart? Its something I struggle with and I challenge you all to examine yourselves and see what you are chasing.
Girls?
Wisdom?
Money?
Knowledge?
Companionship?
Fun Times?
all these are meaningless unless you chase after God's own heart.
- Jacky
PS. WRU COMMENTS
kinda late.. but I really liked this devo. Cause I find in our day in age now, it's soo easy to get caught up on the materialistic things in life. For me, one of the hardest things to overcome is comfort. I find many of the things I'm doing now is pushing for that 'comfortable' lifestyle.
But we must remember that through knowledge comes power. I hope and pray for not just myself but for all of us, that we fear the Lord. For if we don't, we will never understand Him and we will just walk a path further away from Him. And in doing so, we'll miss out on the greatest treasure in the world, Christ.
- Brian Yee
This devo was a little unclear, but what Jacky said brought it into.. my scope of understanding. But yea i was just discussing this, we really do need to make sure that we are chasing the right things. Living our lives for the right reason. Im struggling with it, and hope that I can count on you guys to help me out. I'll do the same as best I can for all of you as well. Thats what we're here for aren't we? (MSG not... here... HERE HERE... everything/everwhere here. annnnd... yea......... )
-drew
o.0 andrew's post was a lil weird at the end.. but yea..
The first time i ever read about Solomon asking for wisdom.. and God granting his request... i thought.. oo boy.. i'mma ask God for wisdom too so i can be smarter than everyone. But then again.. i'm pretty sure Solomon didn't achieve his wisdom over night... it must have required hard work, and dedication to things and an overall good perception of things. Maybe God gave solomon the gift of Learning quickly. Who knows...
From a non-christian point of view... they can justify that oh, the guy is wise only because he worked hard, and studied hard himself. He doesnt need God, cause he did everything himself. Like we as Christians, we believe that what the bible said is true and whatnot, and that it was God who gave him the wisdom (possibly provided him opportunities to attain wisdom).. but a non-Christian would justify that as opportunities create themselves kinda thing.
But yea.. those are my thoughts
-Jon
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