By Tanya Jolliffe
I co-led a youth discipleship program at my church for nearly a decade. The purpose was for teens to examine their faith before committing to membership with the church community. One of the aspects we stressed in the program was the importance of making your faith their own by examining who God is, how Jesus offers them a personal gift of salvation, and how the Holy Spirit guides throughout the believer’s life. At the end of the program, participants stood before family and friends and presented a prepared statement regarding where their faith stood. Some admitted to accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and were seeking to live a life for him. Others stated that they weren’t sure about God at all.
The essence of a Christian discipleship journey lies in a personal understanding of one’s faith. Recently, I revisited the life of Solomon, a powerful reminder that blindly adhering to a set of rules, even if they come from a trusted source like a parent or spiritual institution, can lead us astray from God’s plans and purposes.
In 1 Kings 2, King David gives his son Solomon great advice as he charges him as his successor. “So, be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go” (1 Kings 2:2-3 NIV).
King David’s advice to Solomon is invaluable, much like guidance a parent offers a child as they graduate and step into adulthood. However, it’s crucial to understand that a list of do’s and don’ts, while beneficial, may not equip us with the necessary tools to navigate the obstacles and temptations that life often presents. Ultimately, our discernment, understanding of God’s will, and relationship with Him empower us to make the right choices.
Solomon recognized his immaturity and lack of life skills for his position and responsibility. He told the LORD, “I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong” (1 Kings 3:7-9 NIV).
“The LORD was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, ‘Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have you 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. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for — both riches and honor — so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings'” (1 Kings 3:10-13 NIV).
“God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore” (1 Kings 4:29 NIV), and his heart desired that the LORD would be with him as he was with his forefathers. But no matter how much he wanted to follow the do’s and don’ts his father and the LORD provided, Solomon had hundreds of wives and mistresses that led him astray. “They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, ‘You must not intermarry with them because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.’ Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart to other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David, his father, had been. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done” (1 Kings 11:2,4,6 NIV).
Solomon provides a good reminder to each of us regarding the importance of staying close to the LORD and not allowing anyone to cause us to stray, especially those we love. In all his wisdom, when he departed from closeness to the LORD, he strayed from God’s will for his life.
In a season when many families are divided, we can become weary and tempted to give in to the requests of others to make amends or fit in. Regardless of how tired or tempted you feel, remember what we are taught in Galatians 6:6, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
The proper time IS coming. Do not lose heart because “though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV). Hold on, and keep on doing good and walking with the LORD because “we live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV) and the proper time is on its way.
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