Keys for Successful Living

Keys for Successful Living
1 Kings 1-5
“Keep the charge of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn.”
How do we navigate through a confusing and volatile world? Every day, we see more and more hostility in our nation as conflicting values and worldviews collide. In a world of conflict, we need wisdom.
As David reached the end of his life and reign, again, political intrigue, manipulation, and the quest for power brought Israel to the brink of another civil war.  Adonijah was manipulating the political and religious scene to gain control.  However, at the birth of Solomon, we see the first hint that God had chosen him to be the one through whom the promise of a line of kings would come.  At this birth, God sent word through the prophet Nathan that a son would be named Jedidiah, which means beloved of the Lord.  However, as David was getting old and his influence waning, Adonijah sought to gain power by manipulating the people to follow him.  In response, David appointed Solomon to be his successor.  As Solomon took possession of the crown, he had the taunting task of unifying the country.  
In chapter 2:3, David advises Solomon on how to lead the nation.  In his advice, he does not tell Solomon to gain the support of the military leaders or obtain the people's allegiance.  Instead, Davip points Solomon in a different direction.  The key to Solomon’s success would be obedience to God’s commands. In chapter three, we see the remarkable response of Solomon. God appears to Solomon in a dream and gives Solomon an opportunity that was an opportunity a person could only dream about.  The God of the universe provides Solomon a blank check: “Ask what you wish Me to give you.”  In a remarkable display of spiritual insight, instead of asking for power and victory over his enemies, Solomon asks that God give him “an understanding heart to judge Your people” 3:9.  Solomon recognizes that the one thing he needs most is wisdom.  Wisdom is more than just the ability to make good decisions; wisdom is the ability to make decisions grounded in God’s moral law.  Knowledge is knowing God’s moral law; wisdom is applying that knowledge rightly to one’s decisions and actions.
In these two statements, we discover the key to successful living.  The ability to make wise decisions in life is impossible without the proper foundation for determining right and wrong.  This foundation is the law of God.  But the knowledge of God’s law is useless if we do not understand how to relate that knowledge to the events and circumstances of life.  This is where wisdom comes in.  The key to life success comes from knowing God’s word and seeking God to give us the wisdom to apply His word to our daily lives.  To discover success in life, we need to start by embracing the truth of God’s Word as the foundation for life.  Then, as we go through the day, we need to ask God for the wisdom to apply His Word to our decisions and actions.  The failure to do so will lead to a wasted and distorted life.  Begin each day by reading the Bible to understand God’s moral truth.  Then spend time asking God to give you the wisdom and ability to apply His truth to the circumstances, issues, and decisions you will be making today.  When we start each day this way, we are on the road to a well-lived life.