Introduction
1. An expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget. As this man stood in front of t> efforts fulfilling - does your jar seem full or empty?
Teaching
1. Solomon had just been anointed king and his father David had just died. God comes to Solomon in a dream and in that dream He says to Solomon "Ask for whatever you want me to give you?’
2. Solomon’s answer would reveal to God what the rocks in his live really were. That which was most important.
3. If God were to come to you today and say "Ask for whatever you want me to give you", what would your answer be? Good health, a good job, a husband or wife, money? What is it you long for the most in your life?
4. Solomon’s answer is based on a number of things. We will look at these things that determine his answer and as we do, ask yourself if these things are true about yourself as well.
5. First of all, Solomon loved the Lord. Vs. 3 tells us that Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the statutes of his father David. Those statues could be summed up by what David had told David in 1 Kings 2:3:
"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,"
One of the big factors of what we live for is whether or not we love God. The evidence of that love will be a desire to live according to His word.
6, Now we need to be honest here. The text might make it seem that Solomon was almost perfectly obedient. But it also makes David seem so. Solomon says that David was righteous and upright in heart. And we know that David committed some terrible sins - even murder and adultery. And we read that Solomon married an Egyptian. God had forbidden inter-marriages. And he worshipped God on the high places where Baal had not been worshipped. Both Solomon and David had divided hearts.
7. But they loved the Lord and sought to live for Him. And especially as we know with David, there was repentance and deep sorrow over their sin
8. Do you love God? Do you strive to live for Him? When you sin are you truly sorry for your sin, because you know you have sinned against the one you love?
9. Second, in order to make our priorities right we need to have a correct view of God. We need to know God. Solomon says:
1 Ki 3:6 "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David,.... You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day."
10. Solomon knew that God was a God of great-kindness. The word for great kindness means mercy and favour. It refers to God’s covenant favour and mercy. It means that God is faithful to His promises.
11. In order for us to place our priorities in the right order and to live according to these priorities, we need to know God’s promises and that He keeps His promises. That means that we know that God will work out things for our good. It means that He will bless us when we walk according to His word. And that He is merciful when we sin and turn back to Him. That means that we do not need to spend our lives striving for our rights and for possessions. It means that we live thankful lives and trust God in all things. It means we can live for Him rather than ourselves.
12. Do you know God’s great kindness? Do you know that He has given you promises? Promises He has kept and will keep in the future?
13. Solomon also understood his role in life. That is important to prioritize what is most important. A teacher’s role is to teach and the priority of what she or he does is in the classroom is based on that. Just as a my role as a minister. I need to keep my priorities straight, remembering my role as your pastor and shepherd.
14. Solomon states his role in verse 7:
1 Kings 3:7 "Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David.
He tells us three things about his role.
First - his role has been defined by God - YOU MADE HIM King
Second - he has a role toward God - he is God’s servant and all that he does should be done in order to serve God
Third - he has a role which defines specifically how he is to serve God. That role is to be king - to govern the people.
15. Each of us has been given a role. Given to us by God. To make Him known among the nations. To be his prophets. Our role is to serve and glorify Him in this. And that role will mean specific differences for us - as we have different jobs, different roles within families and different roles in the church
16. We need to look at ourselves and our situations:
* - what are my circumstances?
* - am I single?
* - am I a parent?
* - am I retired?
* - what gifts and talents do I have?
* - what opportunities to give of my time?
* - whom has God placed in my life?
* - what needs do I see around me?
17. We can so easily get busy with our day to day routines and the little things like sand or gravel, that we forget to see the important things, rocks. And if we fill our lives with too much gravel, we will have no room for the rocks. And so each one of us must stop every so often and ask God to let us see what our role is - to confirm our role or to make changes. And when we see our role, to then do that role realizing that it has come from God and that we are to serve Him in it. So we can have no regrets later in life that we failed to follow the Lord in this.
18. One of the reasons we may fail to fulfill the role that God has given us is a sense of inadequacy. Solomon says vs. 3:
But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties.
19. How can I teach VBS, I’ve never done it before? What difference can I make, I’m only one person?
20. I remember when I was elected a deacon years ago. I was fearful, how could I do this important work. And I felt the same when I was ordained an elder and later a minister of the word. These feelings are normal and they are necessary. They are feelings shared by Moses
Exo 3:11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"
And by Jeremiah:
Jer 1:6 "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child."
21. The good news is that god does not usually choose superstars to do his work.
1 Cor 1:27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
22. You see when we come to God and admit we are inadequate to do the work then He can work with us. I have been involved in the hiring of many people over the years- bank staff, accounting staff, ministers, camp director. When I interview someone I want to see that they have qualifications for the position. But when that person thinks they are perfectly qualified they are showing a cockiness that concerns me. For that kind of a person would not be teachable. And so I look for humility and an admission of weakness and areas in which to grow.
23. When we humbly offer ourselves to God in service, then we are open to His teaching us and shaping and moulding us to be the kind of servant that he wants us to be. And He does that through circumstances, through others and of course, through His word
24. Brothers and sisters in the Lord, we may feel that our lives are full - we have no time to do anything else. But I ask you two things?
25. First, what are your priorities? What or who comes first? For me my order is God, Margaret, my children, my friends and fellow believers, my work and so on. What is your order? If you are a believer - God should be first. Is He?
26. You may say yes, but I also ask you today to look at your life. What is it full of? What seems to be most important? What are the rocks that seem to fill your life? If it is not God, is there any room left over for Him. For you will be filled with sand or gravel.
27. If it is God, then there will be room for the other things as well.
28. Another way of asking you what your priorities are, as we said before, is to ask how you answer God when He says "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." Solomon replied "Give me a discerning heart to govern your people." To serve you and to do the task you have given me.
29. This morning we have seen that Solomon could answer in this way because he loved God and showed that love in seeking to live according to His word. He knew of God’s covenant faithfulness, trusting more in God than in himself. He understood his role toward God and toward others. And he humbly offered himself to fill that role.
30. But that is not all. This evening we will see that there are a few more factors that will help us to get our lives in order and to set our priorities.
31. Let us pray.
