PRINCIPLES OF PRESERVATION IN DIFFICULT TIMES
No. 10, Part 1, YOUR NUMBER ONE REQUEST!
If God was to ask you through a vision, or a dream, to name only one request that you would like to receive from God, what would you ask? Would you ask for health, wealth, long life, power, fame, success, happiness, peace, pleasure or something very exotic like traveling to far flung places?
Perhaps you have already prayed about this and made your request to God. If you have not, why should you expect God to bless you in a special way? I believe that whether we have a vision or dream, or not, we should all have one chief desire that we request of God. This is not to say that we will not have secondary or subsequent desires that we need God to meet in our lives.
Solomon’s special request is found 1 Kings 3:14, “Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, ‘Ask! What shall I give you?’”
Solomon’s request pleased God immensely and in verses 11-13 we read, “God said to him: ‘Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.’”
If your No. 1 request pleases God, you will receive not only your main request, but a whole lot of side benefits as well.
The same principle is taught in Matthew 6:32-33, “For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” To receive all the blessings, we must put His kingdom and His righteousness first in our lives.
Solomon was so grateful to God for the promises God made to Him that He went on from Gibeon, where he had offered 1,000 burnt offerings to God, to offer up more sacrifices and peace offerings at Jerusalem, where the Tabernacle of David stood, covering the most holy Ark of the Covenant (1 Kings 3:15).
Solomon’s very generous giving to God promoted a very generous response from God, a fact that is often overlooked when this story is told. We can never out-give God. Jesus said in Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
When times are tough, and when there is a lot of opportunity to help those who have lost homes and belongings, in what way have we “measured out” to help? In times of tornados, floods and economic disasters, are we generous or stingy? We all want God to provide for us, protect us, and yet we have done so little to help others. Many people want the government to intervene in their lives. They also want God to intervene, but they do nothing themselves to intervene. Something is wrong with the picture.
Next message we will look at David’s No. 1 desire that provides him with all the side benefits of preservation in difficult times.
COLIN CAMPBELL
Colin will continue to give you biblical principles for preservation in difficult times. To receive these messages, go to: http://bit.ly/MeatForMenDevotional
Colin is the husband of Nancy Campbell, Editor of Above Rubies www.aboverubies.org
Colin can be contacted at 615 948 5958 for speaking engagements.
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