A Wish Worth Pursuing….

If you could wish for any thing in the world, knowing it would be granted, what would you wish for? Beauty, to be desired by many. Popularity, to be recognized wherever you go. Fame, to be given special treatment because of your accomplishments. Power, the ability to do any thing you want. Money, never having to worry about providing for all in your household, without holding back. Solomon got that opportunity from God Himself. Of all these things, Solomon chose wisdom. This pleased God so much, that God gave him all the rest of the aforementioned stuff. Solomon chose wisdom because he knew he had to lead God’s chosen people. He knew his responsibility was greater than he was capable of delivering. Solomon was honest enough with himself to admit his weaknesses and knew his only chance at success was being dependent upon God. God wants our honesty, but more importantly, he wants our ability to act on our honesty. There’s a huge difference. You can be the most intelligent person in the world, but it doesn’t guarantee you’ll always behave properly. It all starts with humility. Even though Solomon started well, he crashed and burned throughout his life, all because he didn’t act on what he knew to be true. Truth matters more than anything else. And when we act on it, following the One Who is Truth, we are granted all the blessings that God intended us to have from the beginning. Now that’s a wish worth pursuing.

1 Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and married one of his daughters. He brought her to live in the City of David until he could finish building his palace and the Temple of the Lord and the wall around the city. 2 At that time the people of Israel sacrificed their offerings at local places of worship, for a temple honoring the name of the Lord had not yet been built.3 Solomon loved the Lord and followed all the decrees of his father, David, except that Solomon, too, offered sacrifices and burned incense at the local places of worship. 4 The most important of these places of worship was at Gibeon, so the king went there and sacrificed 1 ,000 burnt offerings. 5 That night the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!”6 Solomon replied, “You showed faithful love to Your servant my father, David, because he was honest and true and faithful to You. And You have continued Your faithful love to him today by giving him a son to sit on his throne.7 “Now, O Lord my God, You have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who doesn’t know his way around. 8 And here I am in the midst of Your own chosen people, a nation so great and numerous they cannot be counted! 9 Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern Your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of Yours?”10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom. 11 So God replied, “Because you have asked for wisdom in governing My people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies–12 I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! 13 And I will also give you what you did not ask for–riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life! 14 And if you follow Me and obey My decrees and My commands as your father, David, did, I will give you a long life.”15 Then Solomon woke up and realized it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem and stood before the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, where he sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then he invited all his officials to a great banquet. 1 Kings 3:1-15