In 2 Chronicles God asks Solomon what He should give him. Solomon says “…grant me wisdom and knowledge so that I may lead these people…” God gives Solomon what he asked for, but He acknowledges that Solomon could have asked for much more.
God said to Solomon, “Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you did not ask for wealth, riches, fame, or even the death of your enemies or a long life, but rather you asked for wisdom and knowledge to properly govern my people— I will certainly give you the wisdom and knowledge you requested. But I will also give you wealth, riches, and fame such as no other king has had before you or will ever have in the future!” (Verse 11-12).
When faced with the choice of anything he wanted, Solomon chose something that would benefit everyone. God saw this and rewarded him for it.
God sees our heart in the choices we make. He sees how we interact with others, how we live out our life for Him.
We often think that in order to get ahead in life we have to look out for just ourselves. We have to get what’s ours and stay in our lane. But what if it isn’t about getting ahead in this life? What if, instead, we shift our focus to getting ready for eternity.
Jesus calls us to be different than the world, to put others before ourselves.
Philippians 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
That’s what we see Solomon doing here. He puts the needs of his kingdom first, and for it God rewards him.
It’s easy to agree with this as a concept, but much more difficult to live it out. And while we may not see the reward immediately like Solomon did, we can know that God sees our heart for Him and people will see Him through our actions.
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13
Always,
Emily
Always Emily 