Anglican Devotional 11 September 2022 – Life Is A Choice

The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 11 September 2022 – Life Is A Choice

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TOPIC: Life Is A Choice

READ: 1 Kings 3:5-12 (NKJV)

5. At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”
6. And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as [it is] this day.
7. “Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I [am] a little child; I do not know [how] to go out or come in.
8. “And Your servant [is] in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted.
9. “Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
10. The speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing.
11. Then 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,
12. “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.

THE MESSAGE:

Life is designed by choice. Our lives depend mainly upon the choices we make. God after creating man gave him the willpower to make his choice of life and it is based on the choices that life plays. Every day that passes offers us the opportunity to make our choices and the choices we make – life or death, good or bad – mar us or make us. Solomon was asked to make a choice of what he wanted God to do for him and anything he asked would have been granted. He made a good choice of wisdom over other material things. As we are day-by-day confronted by choices to make, let us depend upon God so as not to destroy or miss out on God’s plans and will for us.

Consequently, some people’s lives are where they are today because of the choices they made. In the passage we read, Solomon responded to God by counting God’s generosity towards his father and himself. He took a humble stand before God that he did not possess the required wisdom for the position he found himself as King over God’s people. His humility is fitting to guide our appetite and deal with our ego. We must also learn to depend on God for everything, not trusting on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). Let us always seek and choose that which is more profitable, which are His Kingdom and His righteousness and every other thing will be added to us (Matthew 6:33).

PRAYER: Oh God I’m nothing without You, give me an understanding heart in all I do so as to choose to live and work for You in Jesus’ name. Amen.