The wisest man to ever live was King Solomon.
In 1 Kings 3:5, “At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, ‘Ask what I shall give you.'”
Most of us have fantasized about what we would do if we were given three wishes from a genie.
Solomon would receive his wish, not from a genie, but from God Almighty.
So what would Solomon wish for? Power? Being a great King? Wealth? Health?
We hear what Solomon wanted in verse 9.
“Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”
I wish I could say I would have requested the same thing, but I’m not so sure I would have.
It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.
~1 Kings 3:10-14
David Ponder Sees King Solomon’s Wisdom In Action
David sees what happens after Solomon returns to Jerusalem in verse 16.
David Ponder arrives on the second leg of his journey during the events of 1 Kings 3:16-28 ESV, the quarrel between two mothers over who is the mother of the living baby.
We see in verses 24 and 25, “And the king said, ‘Bring me a sword.’ So a sword was brought before the king. And the king said, ‘Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.'”
This caused the true mother to scream out for the other woman to take the baby and the nonmother to wish for the baby to be cut in half.
After the king states he would not harm the child, he has the baby given to the first woman.
As Solomon leaves the throne room, David Ponder follows him into an adjourning room.
The Second Decision: The Guided Decision
The Guided Decision is all about seeking wisdom.
Andy Andrews writes, “Most people mistake wisdom for education like a high school diploma or college degree.”
The problem with that is wisdom is NOT the same as knowledge, but “knowledge IS a precursor to wisdom.” (emphasis added)
Andrews teaches us that there are three simple things that we can do, starting today, on our life-long search for wisdom.
- Read
- Take the counsel of others
- Serve others
Wisdom Is Open To All, But Few Seek Wisdom
Anyone who wishes to gain wisdom can do so. The problem is that so few people actively search for wisdom.
Wisdom “can’t be battered or sold; wisdom is a gift only for the diligent, because only the diligent can find it. The lazy person doesn’t look in the first place.
In addition to the three simple things to do listed above, one thing that we must do is be mindful of who we associate with.
Will we surround ourselves with diligent or lazy people?
For those of us that are parents, we know that our children are heavily influenced by the people they are around.
At what age are we no longer influenced by our company? The truth is until we die, the people we associate with will impact us.
If we associate with people that believe full-time self-employment is risky, unpredictable, and too hard, we will see it as such.
If we associate with people that believe full-time self-employment allows for freedom (time and financial), offers unlimited income potential, and provides one to truly express themselves, we will see it as such.
Exercises To Do
The first exercise is to review the people you are closest with and list their names. After their names, put an upward arrow (↑) next to those that are stretching up or a downward arrow (↓) who are hindering our growth.
The second part of this exercise is to carefully consider who you need to spend more or less time with based on their impact on you.
The next exercise is to create a list of ways you can serve others.
This does NOT need to be a herculean task. Include things like holding the door for a person. Let them cut in line even if they took the on-ramp all the way to the end before merging onto the highway.
If you want a list of books I would recommend you read, here is a list I made back in 2020: 13 Books Everyone Should Read.
Whatever you do, start something today!
