A Lesson to Live By 1 Kings 3:3-14

<sup>1 Kings 3:3-14

3</sup> And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.
⁴ 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. 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. ¹³ 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. ¹⁴ So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”

As we read this passage this morning, it was so refreshing and encouraging!  Solomon was given an opportunity to have anything he so desired and he asked for wisdom.  Understanding to discern justice.  Wow!  What a man of character!  Of course, Solomon had a man of character who set an example before him... his father, David.  Though David had his own faults, he truly was a man who loved and desired to serve The Lord.  His example had made an impact on his son, Solomon.  There were several points presented through this passage that I was challenged with personally, and it went hand in hand with the pieces of the sermon I heard this morning.  (My 11 month old was being a bit of a handful.) 

In verses 3-5, I was challenged in the example David had set before Solomon.  How do I encourage my kids to love and serve The Lord?  My attitude often does not reflect the desire of my heart.  Far too often, I get caught up in the temporal and neglect to point them to the eternal.  Yes, I take them to church.  We're there every time the doors are open!  They have been instructed, though not always obedient, how to sit quietly through a service, stand and sing, and be respectful of others.  But why?  Is it all for my own personal sake?  To make me look good?  Or is it truly my desire to see them honor and serve The Lord so that they will continue all the days of their life?  I do believe in public worship.  I believe it is an outward demonstration of our love for Jesus and His people.  It is also beneficial for us to surround ourselves with godly influence to encourage us and help steer us in the ways of truth.  However, we cannot depend on the church to teach our children about Jesus and all He has done for us.  That is our job as parents.  We are to train them at home, as well as in public worship.  For as you see in verse 5, it was while Solomon was worshipping that he had his dream and the ultimate question asked of him.  God honors and uses public worship to draw men and women to service for him.  It's through those services He calls some to be missionaries, evangelists, preachers, and teachers.

In verses 6-9, Solomon shows what a man of character he truly is by the way he answers.  One thing I noticed is that he does not answer right away!  Instead he reminds The Lord of his own unworthiness to be considered a king.  He recognizes his own inability and his dependence upon God.  How often do I depend on my own ability to control certain situations.  I think I have the answers and wish to impart my own opinion and beliefs upon others.  Solomon was quick to turn the attention back to the one he was dependent upon.  Today, our society is very me driven.  "I need some me time.  It's all about me."  If we are not in the spotlight, then we just won't participate.  We tend to have an "I'll show you" attitude.  Instead of holding the spotlight for others, we demand it to be held for us.  How appalling!  Is this the attitude God is pleased with?  Instead of desiring to be the sun, we need to be more like the moon and reflect the "Son".  Solomon, as a king, was a dictator.  He could have chosen to demand the attention of those under his authority.  Instead, he submitted to God by asking Him for the one thing he needed most... wisdom.  Just this morning, as Sunday mornings are sometimes difficult, things were not going as they should.  And instead of asking for God's help, I tried to get things done in my own power.  (And you moms know exactly what I mean!  We sometimes allow Sunday mornings to be the roughest.)  We need to be more like Solomon in seeking God's help over every situation and allowing Him to work in us and through us for His will to be accomplished.  This is done first by recognizing our dependence upon Him and then asking for His continual guidance. 

Then in verses 10-14, I was reminded of how God sees our heart.  He was pleased with Solomon's request and honored it.  Though it would be nice at times, God is not interested in our lip service.  We can sing praises like we have it all together, but if our hearts are not right, all we do is in vain.  Ouch!  There have been times I have went to church and taught Sunday School, sang in the choir, and even kept nursery when my heart was far from right.  All of those moments were pure vanity.  How often does The Lord look at your heart and reject the "praise" you offer?  Solomon was humble and God not only granted him what he asked for, but much more!

What about you?  What kind of example are you setting for future generations?  Is life all about Y-O-U?  Or are you pointing others to Jesus by having a servant's heart?  And what about your heart?  No one can see it but The Lord.  Is it pure?  Are your motifs righteous or selfish?  I'll close with a quote from an old hymn that challenges me every time I hear it.  Oh to only be able to not only sing it, but claim it word for word... "All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to HIS blood". 


On a side note, our teacher asked a question this morning that I thought I had an answer for.  However, he made a very thought provoking point I'd like to include.  The question was, how are blessings and obedience related?  My thought was that they go hand in hand.  If you're obedient, you'll receive blessings.  His statement was that we are all blessed, but when we are obedient, we can see those blessings more clearly.  Wow!  I have certainly been blessed.  I just forget how much when I am consumed with my selfishness.

Spiced Cider

What a delicious way to entertain this season!  Your house will smell wonderful, and your guests will have a warm, flavorful drink to sip on.  Grab your crock pot and a jug of cider and call your friends over for a night of fun and laughter!

1/2 gallon apple cider
1/4 c. red hots
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. allspice
oranges (optional)
2-3 cinnamon sticks (optional)

In a small saucepan, combine 2 cups apple cider, red hots, and brown sugar.  Bring to a boil stirring constantly.  Add cloves and allspice.  Mix with remaining cider in a crock pot and add cinnamon sticks and orange slices.  Serve warm!

Pineapple Salad

This is a recipe I created while working at the coffee shop.  It is great on pumpernickel or white bread, but I love it served as a dip with ginger snaps!  Perfect for Christmas parties!

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 c. powdered sugar
1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 tsp. vanilla (optional)  *I add vanilla when using this as a dip.

Mix all of the ingredients well with an electric mixer.  Chill before serving. 

Pumpkin Roll

I discovered this recipe on the inside of my can of Libby's pumpkin!  It is pretty as well as easy!

A beautiful, edible decoration! 

Cake
1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)


Filling
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 box powdered sugar, sifted
1 stick butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar (optional)

1. PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle towel with powdered sugar.
2. COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.
3. BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.
4. BEAT cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Hint: 
When you make this dessert, you will have leftover pumpkin as well as frosting.  Use the leftovers to make Pumpkin Cream Muffins!  They are delicious!
http://clharding.blogspot.com/2010/11/pumpkin-cream-muffins.html

Pumpkin Cream Muffins

This recipe was passed to me from a lady in our church.  She knows how much I love pumpkin and thought I would enjoy these.  They are incredible!!!  As a side note... I had made a pumpkin roll earlier in the week and had frosting left over; so I decided to top them with a dollop of cream cheese frosting as an added bonus.  However, these muffins are delicious without frosting!

1 pkg. spice cake mix

1 pkg.  (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 pkg.  (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1   egg

 

HEAT oven to 350ºF.
PREPARE cake batter as directed on package. Add dry pudding mix and pumpkin; mix well. Spoon into 24 paper-lined muffin cups.
BEAT cream cheese with mixer until creamy. Blend in sugar and egg; spoon over batter.
BAKE 18 to 21 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool 5 min.; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.

Hint:
1.  I did not have a spice cake mix on hand and decided to use a yellow cake mix instead.  To add the "spice" into the batter, I added 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, and 1 tsp. vanilla. 

2.  I filled the recommended 24 muffin cups, but the muffins rose too high and it took much longer to cook.  You should line 30 muffin cups or use the leftover batter (after your 24) to make a mini loaf. 

3.  You can make this at the same time you make a pumpkin roll.  Between these two recipes you will use the whole can of pumpkin and frosting!  Then you'll have 2 desserts!  Desserts are always better when shared with a friend. 

Sweet Potato Crunch

Sweet potato recipes rate among my favorite.  And this recipe is one I look forward to eating every year on Thanksgiving!  I double this recipe and take it, along with dressing, to our family Thanksgiving lunch each year.  I hope you will enjoy this as much as we do!

3 c. baked sweet potatoes (See recipe below.)
1 c. sugar
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 c. evaporated milk (Or regular, if you prefer.)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla

1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick butter, melted
1 c. chopped pecans, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 13x9 inch baking dish with no stick cooking spray.  Mash sweet potatoes in an electric mixer.  Add sugar, melted butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla.  Mix until thoroughly combined. Pour into prepared dish.  Sprinkle yellow cake mix on top of sweet potatoes.  Drizzle melted butter on top of cake mix.  Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes.  (If you choose to use pecans, mix your cake mix and pecans in a gallon size Ziploc bag before sprinkling over sweet potatoes.)

Baked Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes
butter
cinnamon sugar
aluminum foil

Scrub sweet potatoes under cold water to wash excess dirt.  Dry.  Poke holes in the sweet potatoes with a fork.  Rub outer skin of the sweet potato with butter.  Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over butter and wrap in foil.  Repeat until all potatoes are wrapped.  Place on a cookie sheet lined with foil.  Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft when squeezed.  (The softer, the better!)  If using for the sweet potato crunch, unwrap and allow to cool.   

Hint:  These baked sweet potatoes are delicious when served alone!  You can slice them open and top with honey butter, marshmallows, cinnamon sugar, or brown sugar for an added sweet taste.  (If you choose to top with marshmallows, toss them back in the oven for 10 min. or until marshmallows brown. 

The above recipe will use approximately 6 sweet potatoes.  After baking and cooling, they should be peeled before mashing.

Dressing

It's almost time for Thanksgiving, and that means Turkey and Dressing!  My Granny Griffin taught me how to make this southern dish; and over the past several years, it has been my one of my contributions when we go to visit our family on Thanksgiving day. 

Cornbread (I buy Martha White cornmeal and make the traditional recipe in a cast iron skillet.)
7 slices white bread, toasted on both sides
1 sleeve saltine crackers
1 stick butter
2 c. celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
Turkey parts  (for stock... see instructions below)
7 c. turkey stock (You could supplement this with store bought chicken stock.  If you choose to do this, you won't need the turkey parts.)
salt & pepper to taste
5 eggs, beaten  (My Granny boils these and chops them before adding.  However, I do not like boiled eggs and choose to add them this way.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine crumbled cornbread, crumbled white bread, and crumbled crackers.  Set aside. 
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the celery and onion and cook until transparent.  Pour the celery and onions over the cornbread mixture.  Add the stock, mix well.  Taste and add salt & pepper to taste.  Add beaten eggs and mix well.  Pour mixture into a greased pan and bake about 45 minutes or until cooked through.  Serve with turkey!

Turkey Broth
turkey parts (I prefer turkey wings or legs.)
8-10 c. water
season salt, pepper to taste
1/2 stick butter

In a large pot, bring the turkey and seasonings to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium high and boil until turkey is cooked.  (About 30-40 minutes.)  Reserve the broth for dressing.  Dressing calls for 7 cups of broth, but I always reserve the leftover broth just in case my dressing is not as juicy as I'd like for it to be before baking.  I do not like a dry dressing!  Also... I like to de-bone the turkey wings or legs and add some of the meat to my dressing.  If you prefer not to add to dressing, you'll have a nice snack to eat while cooking! 

Tips:
I make this dish ahead of time (leaving out the eggs) and keep in the fridge until time to bake.  (This is when the extra broth can be helpful.  Sometimes the breads soak in the allowed 7 cups and more is needed.)  If you choose to do this, allow the dressing to stand for about 1 hour at room temperature before adding the eggs and or remaining broth.  Then bake and enjoy!