Key Verse: 1 Kings 3:9
Therefore, give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?

Solomon had a great start to his reign, but he did not finish well. We’ll cover his failures in a later reading, but for now, there are good choices to consider. One of the most important requests that anyone could make of God was made by Solomon. God offered him anything he desired. He could have chosen wealth, fame, or long life, but instead he asked for that which would be best for others. He asked for wisdom. Solomon’s deep love for God is evident. He deeply appreciated the fact that his father, David, for most of his life, had served the Lord God faithfully. We need to check up on our lives, asking ourselves, “How would we respond given a similar opportunity by God?” Because Solomon asked selflessly, God was not only pleased to fulfill his request but also to give him the other blessings he had not requested.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Dear Lord God, because of Your love for me, You have offered me, in the promises I find everywhere in the Bible, many blessings. Grant me a selfless attitude, an outlook on life that is “others” centred. May I focus on Your will and not mine. I pray these mercies in Jesus’ Name. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:
I would like to simply rejoice with Solomon, but I know what is coming later in his life. It could have been so different if he had made the right choices consistently. The previous book in our readings was the Apostle Paul’s letter to the people of Galatia. I’m reminded of a very sad comment Paul made about those people. Paul wrote, “You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?” (Galatians 5:7). God has blessed me greatly with His Salvation in Jesus Christ, with a wonderful family, and with many ministry opportunities. I must be so very careful to make wise decisions in my old age. It would be so easy to sit on the couch watching TV (other than 100 Huntley Street, the news and some other wholesome programs) and be inundated by the world, the flesh, and the devil. Oh, it wouldn’t be deliberate on my part, but ever so gradually, spiritual strength would drain away, leaving me weak and almost helpless in the face of life’s challenges. I am more determined than ever to make the right choices, to pray fervently each day, to read God’s Word each day, and to share Jesus, as the opportunity arises. By having a Christian will, my wife and I do not intend to leave anything to the government. Yes, we are remembering our children, but God’s work is a priority. We want those causes that God has called us to support to continue to prosper. It would be fine if my epitaph read, “He ran well, and he kept on running well!”

Yours for doing well and finishing well,

David

P.S. May I suggest an extra reading of one of Solomon’s wise writings: Proverbs 3.