Solomon's Loose Grip on Stuff

The wisdom of King Solomon isn't just a myth. His wisdom is evident in the appropriate balance he brought to his life.

Solomon was the most powerful man of his time. And he was the richest. But he had the right perspective. When he prayed to God, he didn't ask for more money or power. He asked for wisdom so he could appropriately fulfill his role as the leader of the nation of Israel.

I don't know about you, but if I knew I could ask God for anything I wanted, I'm not sure I'd have the wisdom to ask for wisdom.

I think Solomon was an even keeled soul. Not only did he ask for the right stuff in his prayer to the Heavenly Father, he was an incredible steward of the resources at his fingertips.

In Solomon's stewardship, I find a balance that not only tells a good story in the Bible, but a balance that also informs how wise women and men today should live their lives.

Solomon invested extravagantly in a home for himself and in treasure. BUT, at the same time, Solomon invested extravagantly in building a home for God. That home was the great temple in Jerusalem. Although that temple was torn down by man, Solomon made a financial investment in his faith commensurate to the investment himself.

Can we say that in our own lives? Can we say we equally (or at least significantly) invest as much in things that are important to God as we do things that are important to us?

Solomon understood that how he invested his resources was (and is for us) an outward sign of the inward investment we have made spiritually.

In 2 Samuel 1, Solomon talks about how God owns everything that we have. We're just stewards of all this stuff.

The more loosely we hold to the things of this world, the more tightly we can grasp the eternal, spiritual, and more deeply meaningful things of God.