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| Skateboarding competition in Shoreham, UK 2012. |
God said to Solomon, “ 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
A
determined athlete herself, my mum used to say as long as I remember:
'Do exercises, muscles have memory. This is the best thing you can do for
your body.' Exactly right. I'm so grateful to her for that. It appears that
King Solomon's parents, both believers in one and true God, installed a vital
quality in him:' Delight in the Lord and live!' Little wonder they knew the price of sin after so
much pain and suffering that they both had endured by putting their own desires first. I believe there
is a lesson of great depth in that for contemporary believers. No one can
discard the Bible saying that it is an ancient book, no
longer relevant today. Can't be further from the truth!
Someone had said:' Sin will keep you longer than you want to stay & cost
you more than you are prepared to pay!' This saying could have easily come from
the lips of King David& Bashsheba.
In order to be good at skate
boarding these qualities are needed: good
balance, courage, dexterity & a high threshold of pain.
Those are crucial qualities
& without their presence it will be a waste of time if someone wants to be really good at it.
Often such qualities come in your gene. We only have to look
at famous skateboarders around the world to be sure of that. The same
is true for musicians: consider Mozart, Bach or Chopin. Solomon had inherited a lot of
godly qualities from his father, a man after God'heart, perhaps not in his gene, but through the legacy that David built to pass on: he thrived to please God and when he failed, he made it right. (At times God had to speak really loud through the prophet, but compare to other wicked kings that Jewish people had, David stands out) Having such a
great advantageous start in life, the Lord enabled Solomon to pray according to
His will. Not surprisingly that blessings had followed. What is interesting in this verse is God's promise 'to
lengthen his days.'
A friend of mine, who is double my age, inevitably comes to mind.
He had 'the qualities that a potentially good skateboarder would have'
naturally, but he also gave his life to the Lord. Now, almost 80 years old he
prospers in everything that he does for the Lord, giving Him all the glory.
Anywhere he goes he makes Jesus known: among high officials or waitresses; his
deep love for the Lord is simply contagious. A true Christian must desire to
leave a contagious legacy even after he/she is long gone. Listening
to his stories, hanging out just for an hour with him makes you spiritually recharged and massively encouraged somehow. While diagnosed with cancer, he was at the doctor's office for
a check up. A doctor looked at him and said:' You are a lucky man to be alive.'
My friend who has been not ashamed of Jesus for almost half a century turned
around and said:' 'Lucky' isn't in my vocabulary. Everything I have has been given
to me by God.' That kind of faith and confidence in
God no matter what is a real prosperity. When someone insists that you must be rich, famous and
healthy to prosper, they've missed the essence of Christianity.
Fascinating how today a lot of young men are seeking riches, cool looks (half naked on the
stage), lottery and loud music with shallow lyrics: girls like them for it! I
can see how secular culture influences my children. That's why knowing that
Solomon didn't become godly over night, I try to use every opportunity to shape
my children's heart, brain and soul, to help them form a character of
integrity. When I feel really tired, I push myself to read them a Bible story,
have a chat about things, and ask them about their day. Most parents want their
children to excel academically, develop their talents which is perfectly
justifiable, but where does building up character comes in? This is the core of
a person, but the hardest area to build. And I think one child is just as hard
as 5 or more to bring up right. John MacArthur in his book on parenting points
out that a parent has to deal with a child's attitude because that's where it
all starts, before forming into an action. I can't tell enough how grateful I'm
for this insight. Saved me a lot of grief.
There are many parents who think they are doing
a splendid job raising their children. They are content to exclude God from their lives though.
When things go wrong later in life, they wonder surprised: 'Why?' The Scripture
strongly warns even a believer: 'Be sober-minded; be watchful.
Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to
devour.' 1 Peter 5:8. By excluding God there is no chance of escaping the
powerful paws of Satan. It is rather presuming to assume that we, as
humans, could stand up to Satan on our own strength. Let's not be fooled, he has been
deceiving for thousands of years; he is terribly good at it. He is a
supernatural being, one of the finest that God ever created before the fall and
exceedingly more powerful than any man. That's why there is a Delilah in even
every Samson's life. Especially
'Samsons' must watch out because Satan loves to defeat those who fight
the most, before he takes down anyone else.
I've tried to invite a
young man from Skate Park to our church Youth Group. He seemed to be so busy:
every day he was doing something after school. Another thing that caught my
attention was that while he was on his own he was willing to listen, but once
all his mates came over, he was embarrassed. He is very popular and physically
able boy, one of
the best in the park. This image already started to cost him because he is not
confident in his choices - if others approve he is o'k, if not, he is embarrassed.
He just joined High School, so what can I say about his character? I felt I could do
nothing, but just to leave him alone.
Believers know that God will protect them, but Satan doesn't
easily give up. If he can't destroy a believer ultimately, he will try to vex
his/hers walk with the Lord. Often it is too easy because sinful humans are
self- destructive: they tend to dig their heels and often exclude God from
major decision making points or possibly let God in, but on their own
terms.
The knowledge that there are 50
million abortions every year around the glob, says that not many 'Solomon' are
walking around. Yes, we must remember how King Solomon got involved with too
many foreign women and they turned his heart away from the Lord. That's also a
good lesson to learn from. Our relationships with the Lord must be fresh and
vital, like manna - daily. After the Lord brings
multiple blessings in our lives, it is important to remember the source. This
is a picture of modern England. The country was so blessed in the past by the
Lord, with outstanding men and women of God, but today the new generation
prefers the gifts rather than the Giver.
It is shocking to watch Youtube videos of multitudes of gullible people who flock to the prosperity churches in huge numbers. Do they ever read these portions of the Scriptures? They are hoping that God will make them rich, prosperous and healthy. The Scripture above is so clear: 'I give you also what you have not asked..' Solomon has not asked for riches. I remember at one point one of my son's used to say: 'When I grow up I will be a bank manager.' In his little mind he connected two things together: surely bank managers make a lot of money! Well, it is o.k. to think like that when you are growing up, but hopefully you will grow out of it. Some never do, sadly.
When someone desires sincere
wisdom, discernment, integrity in his/her life, it is not
because of the desire to be great, but primarily because everyone
around will be blessed. Outstanding skills are used for the benefit of others.
How much more the Lord can use them when they are submitted to His will?
Before my husband became a Christian he was travelling the world to
pursue his selfish ambitions. Now this ability turned into a blessing for
so many.
A friend that I had mentioned
often says:' The Lord had told me...' To have this intimacy with the Lord takes
many hours spent in His presence. How can this precious bond between you and
the Lord be replaced with anything that the world can offer? The reason
why people pursue the world is because they have no idea how surprisingly
pleasant it is to belong to the Lord. The Bible says: 'Oh, taste and see that the LORD
is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!' Psalm 34:8.
All males in our family are crazy about Vans. They don't one pair,
but several. Since I do not skateboard, I didn't think too much about vans
shoes. I've never owned a pair. At last I was given one by my generous husband.
They probably are the only pair that I put on and walked out comfortably. A
vivid memory from my childhood pops up about my mum pouring a glass of vodka
into her new high heels to stretch and soften them.
This illustration is also true concerning the Lord. Father&Son&Holy Spirit desire to reveal that they are ultimately the best thing
in this life. Triune God is the only one who can make anyone walk victoriously
in good old age.
But let all who take refuge in
God rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over
them, that those who love Your name may exult in You.
For you bless the righteous, O
LORD; you cover him with favour as with a shield.
Psalm 5:11-12
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