2 Chron 1:6-7

“And Solomon went up there before the LORD to the bronze altar which was at the tent of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it. In that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.”

I have long been aware that God offered to grant any request King Solomon made.  Solomon was rewarded for requesting wisdom and given much more. But what I was not aware of, is the part of our passage this morning which comes just prior to God’s offer.

Like Solomon, I have often asked for wisdom. But in reading this passage I realize my heart may not have been like his.  Apparently, the king spent an entire day and a significant amount of money just glorifying God with 1000 burnt offerings. He never asked for anything… This is apparently an important event, as it is recorded in 1 Kings 3:4 as well. 

I am not sure how much each offering cost or how long they took to burn but Solomon spent a significant amount of time and invested substantial resources worshipping God. He was praising God for what He had done not asking Him to do anything else … In fact, it was God who asked Solomon what He could give him. 

And that is the convicting point this morning…. What is the longest I have ever spent on my knees just praising God? When is the last time I prayed… thanked Him for all He has done for me… and then went about my day? To be honest with you I don’t know if that has ever happened.  Instead of “hallowed be thy name” I usually open with take care of me, bless me, protect me. “Thy will be done” is often polluted with “My will be done”.  When I bow my head, it is almost automatic for me to start asking for things…. maybe not always things for me but asking and petitioning all the same.  

What would God’s response be if we invested a full day and significant resources in just worshiping Him and not requesting anything? Are we capable of that? Perhaps today we should simply make the request for the ability to pray without making requests.

“Prayer is not a means of getting what we want, but of becoming what God wants us to be.” - A. W. Tozer

Proverbs 8:22 2/17/2026

“The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old.”

The “me” in this verse, references wisdom. Wisdom predates all the riches of God’s creation. Prior to beachfront ocean views, prior to the majesty of mountain ranges, before there were starry constellations, or powerful rain clouds…wisdom was there. 

What does that mean? Lots of people have opinions about that question. Some struggle because “me” could be referring to Christ, and the Hebrew verb “qanah” accurately translated here as “possessed” is sometimes translated as “created”.  There is a rabbit hole there, that some have fallen into and landed in heresy.  

This passage has multiple applications but one is that it poetically describes wisdom as an attribute of God prior to creation. And when you don’t seek God’s wisdom, or worse reject it, you are denying the very substance of what is an eternal reality.  

We believe we determine what is wise. But when you begin speaking of your own truth, your own reality, or your own wisdom, you’re existing in an imaginary world.  Wisdom is not owned or defined by us. It is not debatable, nor does it seek our validation. It is static, established and clearly illuminated in the Living Word of God.  He has revealed what has eternally been part of Himself in order to help us navigate the life He has given us. 

Yet instead of embracing wisdom we try to reshape it. The problem is that it predates us and was instrumental in our design. Our attempts to remodel wisdom are as foolish as thinking a painting can change the painter…it only works the other way around.

Wisdom is established and essential. Scripture says, “…whoever finds wisdom, finds life and obtains the favor of the Lord.” Obtaining the Lord’s favor should be your priority, so seeking wisdom should be a common practice, and true wisdom is only found in Scripture … Stop trying to change wisdom to fit your lifestyle and start changing your lifestyle to fit wisdom.

Knowledge is important. Even after you graduate, never stop pursuing your education… But filter everything you learn through the eternal, unmovable, precise standards recorded in the Word of God. That is your pathway to wisdom, and if you find that, you find life and obtain favor from the Lord. 

"To know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom." - Charles Spurgeon

2 Thessalonians 3:11-12 2/10/26

“For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.”

Some of us are all too eager to reprimand our brothers. You know who you are, so don’t use this entry as an excuse to be harsh.  But to the rest of us, this passage illustrates that, in order to make disciples, we must not only encourage, support, and model… but at times, admonish as well.

Our culture doesn’t respond well to correction.  If I disagree with someone, I hate them… If I don’t embrace sin, I’m judgmental.  If I say someone lacks discipline (as Paul does here) I’m a bully. We embrace scripture when it makes us “FEEL” better, but we balk at it when it demands we “BE” better.

As a coach, I loved my players, and I focused on encouraging. But I didn’t hesitate to correct problems.  I didn’t waste time sugarcoating – I just pointed out problems and expected them to be corrected. 

As a Christian, I’m not only urged in Matthew 18 to point out sin – I’m commanded to do it. In 2 Timothy it says, “all Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting …”. Yet, rebuking and correcting aren’t considered acceptable in our culture, nor in many churches.

The opposition argues that we are commanded to speak the truth “IN LOVE”.  That is true, and it is good that we  major on love, but we cannot minor on truth. Scripture makes no distinction of importance between the two when issuing the command.  In fact, they are indivisible. I cannot love you without telling you the truth. 

People’s feelings matter, but their eternal destiny matters more…  If you enjoy reprimanding people, then you’re doing it wrong. Reprimanding is difficult and it must be motivated by love and concern for the one being reprimanded… and though it is hard, the verse after this passage tells me to never tire of trying.  Happiness is not our target, Holiness is… We are instructed to point out sin wherever we see it… whether it’s in our brother, or in our mirror.

"In the long run, the most unpleasant truth is a safer companion than a pleasant falsehood." — Theodore Roosevelt

1 Chron 28:10 2/3/2026

“Consider now that the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary. Be strong and do it.”

In this verse we get some “coach talk” from David to his boy.  He tells Solomon that God has got a job for him to do, so he needs to get busy. Then ten verses later,  in case Solomon missed it, David repeats himself,  “Be strong and courageous and do it.” 

David is being the kind of father we need more of today, sending the message that when God gives marching orders the question is not “IF”, but “HOW” to do it. And that question cannot be allowed to linger too long. The correct response to God’s instructions is to boldly take the first step and trust Him for the second.

Unfortunately, we seldom do that. Our culture suffers from paralysis by analysis.  Our standard operating procedure is to talk any dilemma to death. We have become afraid to act. As parents we negotiate instead of discipline. As consumers we search the web endlessly before we purchase even meaningless items.  As managers we have committees to discuss committees. If our forefathers had this life approach we would still be in England, wondering what happens when you sail over the horizon. 

Let me be clear, research is important for making solid decisions. And it’s wise to consider your options prior to implementing a plan… But once the plan is in place, you need to saddle up or go home.  Plans don’t fix problems -  The courageous implementation of plans does. 

When making life decisions there is really only one question that needs to be answered… “Is this what God wants me to do?”  And that’s a very important question. Research it, pray about it, seek godly counsel…. but once you’ve decided what God wants you to do  – stop all the hand wringing and second guessing – and just be strong and do it! 

The longest journey starts with one step. Being afraid to take that step often prevents us from achieving the incredible things God has planned for us. Consider what the Lord has chosen for you. Confirm it through scripture, prayer, and wise counsel – then get out of your comfort zone, pull the trigger, and get it done. 

“Risk is the antithesis of mediocrity and the certain sign that you’re not infected by it.” - Craig D. Lounsbrough