Daily Devotion: Choose Wisely

Scripture:
1 Kings 3: 1-15

Main Verses:
1 Kings 3: 10-12
The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for {wisdom}. So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.

Observation:
King Solomon was considered the wisest among all the kings of Israel. When God appeared to him in a dream, he chose to ask for a discerning heart rather than ask for riches or long life or the death of his enemies. Solomon told the Lord that he was young and the land that he had to rule is too great; therefore, he asked the Lord for wisdom so he could lead Israel. The Lord was pleased with him and gave him his heart's desire and more: the Lord made him the wealthiest king of Israel. And God fulfilled His promise, too. All throughout the history of Israel, there was never anyone like King Solomon.

Wisdom is sometimes mistaken as simple knowledge. But the two aren't interchangeable. You may be knowledgeable about many things, but you may or may not be able to make good judgment or sound decisions based on what you know. This is what you call wisdom. King Solomon chose wisely. As king of Israel, he knew that the task of leading a great country would be too much for someone young and inexperienced like him. So when the opportunity to converse with God happened in a dream, he took the chance to ask for wisdom.

Application:
In our everyday lives, we make a lot of decisions. Some are simple ones; others would require us to apply our knowledge and sound judgment. That is why we need to always ask the Lord to guide us and to give us a discerning heart and mind, so we can make wise decisions. And when we pray or ask something from the Lord, the Lord is more pleased when we choose to ask for intangible things--things that may never be taken away from us. Riches may be taken or stolen from us. Our possessions may be lost or burned. But wisdom is something that we will have for the rest of our lives. Solomon chose the right gift from God. Let us also choose wisely and choose wisdom.

Prayer:
Lord, even before we ask, you already know what our heart desires. Only you can see what my heart wants. Lord, please give me a discerning heart, a heart that truly knows right from wrong, a heart that can make reasonable, responsible, and rational decisions. In Jesus' name I pray. AMEN.