1 Kings 12:7-8 “And they spoke to him, saying, “If you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.”
There is a common trend witnessed today, often seen among the homelessness and drug abusers. The coping mechanisms required to find some level of meaning in an otherwise hopeless situation is a pattern all too familiar. Even though a person may wonder through the streets subsisting on survival tactics for finding shelter, safety, or food, it is the intake of manufactured substances into their system that gives a temporary reprieve from the brokenness of life.
I wondered why anyone would be drawn into a pattern of such neglect and hopelessness, until I realized how a mindset of failure is accepted when nothing else seems possible.
When a man or woman is introduced to the hope that is in Christ Jesus, the first thought is often “What can Jesus do for me?” If the gospel message is only about the giving of God’s love then people perceive God as just another handout. It is imperative that we share the whole gospel, and that we share it in a way that gives people a right understanding of God’s love.
Once someone understands why they need Jesus as Lord of their life, (not just to receive a magic genie that grants them their every wish) they will recognize their sin and the inevitable consequences that follow those who reject God’s grace.
The transformation that happens in those who trust and believe in Christ is where true life begins, a life the world does not know.
John 1:4 “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
Trouble follows those who struggle in accepting how God has a purpose for life, it’s hard to see how He could lift them up from the mire and set their feet on a ground that never was stable.
When moving from a position of trusting self to a position of trusting in Christ, requires a radical change….death. Not a physical death but a spiritual one.
John 12:24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.”
Every person who has ever lived has to face death. The Lord has provided everyone a choice for life, but death is all they’ve ever known. From a spiritual point of view it can be quite confusing. Anyone can grow wise to the world, but to walk in the wisdom of God requires salvation.
In the days of King Solomon, the kingdom of Israel had enjoyed prosperity like no other time in history. It was said that there was so much wealth that it was as common as stones…1 Kings 10:27 “The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills.”
When Solomon died, his son Rehoboam took over the throne but the wisdom of Solomon did not pass down to his son.
The days of Rehoboam
All Rehoboam had to do was continue the practices of his father. If he had gained any wisdom from Solomon, now was the time to put it to good use. Instead, Rehoboam decided to disregard the wisdom of the elders and instead listened to his friends.
1 Kings 12:7 “And they spoke to him, saying, “If you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.”
When he increased the taxes on the people it created hardship. Undoubtedly his pride got in the way and the sense that he could do better than his father created rebellion among the people that continued for generations. The kingdom was split and once it was weakened it became vulnerable to attack.
Rehoboam ruined the prosperity and success that Solomon built by quickly forgetting what led to success…honoring the Lord.
Like Rehoboam, we can either be found faithful or ruin the opportunities God has given us.
Neglecting wisdom is a good way to fail.
If someone has proceeded you who had success, consider what brought the success.
It’s one thing to attempt to refine or slightly improve something but if there has been tremendous success, sticking with the original plan is typically the best policy.
Jeremiah 6:16 “This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths: ‘Where is the good way?’ Then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it!’
There is a common tendency when someone first comes out of college and enters the workforce to think they have a new solution for making everything better. Whether it’s an idea for an invention or a way to improve outcomes, new graduates often assume no one has ever thought about a particular idea they think will revolutionize the field. Some of it is naivety and some of it is simply foolishness but in time they realize there is a reason experience is worth considering before thinking a process has never been attempted.
Hold onto pride is another recipe for failure.
I can only speak for what I know and pride in health care is a set up for failure. Act like you’re above reproach and you’ll soon make a mistake that erases all doubt. The sense of taking each situation seriously and watching for trouble is the mark of wisdom, humility, and experience. Proverbs 30:13 “There is a generation—how haughty are their eyes and pretentious are their glances.”
Whatever your role, take anything too lightly and you place yourself or others at risk. I recently met a guy who fell 18 feet from a ladder that wasn’t properly secured. He fractured his back and ruined his career and health for the rest of his life. It doesn’t take much to change the course of your direction.
Not listening to good counsel will lead one astray.
For whatever reason, Rehoboam chose to listen to his contemporaries than take the sound advice he learned from his father. The more unfamiliar the environment, the more necessary it is to heed the advice of counsel. If counsel doesn’t make sense or seems contrary to good judgement, ask someone else who is trustworthy.
The way to recognize good counsel when you hear it is determined by learning to follow God’s Truth.
Proverbs 14:6 “A mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.”
Pray and ask God to give you the wisdom for making right decisions and He will open your eyes to the right approach.
Refusing to accept failure can lead to repeating the failure.
If you make a bad decision, it requires humility to accept the mistake. Many continue in bad decisions even to their own detriment for fear of diminishing their pride before others.
James 4:10 “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
The first step of humility is repentance, it allows God’s grace to bring the correction needed to move on. By humbling yourself before others, you garner respect and brings honor. For those who act like they never make mistakes, they paint an impossible image that lacks truthfulness.
The ones who refuse to admit guilt become untrustworthy. Anyone who acts for their own benefit presents an image of selfishness and people will look elsewhere for guidance.
The path of wisdom is the pathway of success.
Wisdom is found with the Lord, it begins and ends with Him and then progresses into a right evaluation for life.
1 Corinthians 1:20-25 “Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
Every good house will have Jesus as the foundation it is built upon. If you want your way to succeed, let Jesus be the One who guides you.
The Lord is the Creator of all that is good…why not start with Him first in your endeavors?
Dying to self is to place our priorities before God in faith and trust. Wisdom begins by acknowledging God’s position as sovereign, common sense allows wisdom to be applied through obedience.
Beginning with prayer is critical for any path. It places your lack of knowledge at the feet of the Savior and declares your allegiance.
*Honor Christ first in your life and you are well on your way to making right decisions, you will then reap an abundance of blessing.
U.T. 