9 “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. 10 Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a temple as a sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.”

1 Chronicles 28:9-10  (NIV)

As King David passes the responsibility of the throne to his young son, Solomon, he challenges him to acknowledge God in everything and to serve him with his whole heart. He reminds him of the importance of seeking God in order to find him. He assures him that to reject God is to be rejected by God. David then reminds Solomon of the one thing that is most dear to David’s heart – that the LORD himself had chosen Solomon to build a temple for God’s sanctuary. David challenges him to be strong and to carry out the task set before him.

King David knew he was nearing the end of his life; and as part of the inaugural ceremonies for King Solomon, David shared from the depths of his heart what he knew was the most important aspect of a successful reign as King over God’s people. What would you consider to be the most important advice you would want to pass on to the next generation? Would your deepest concern for your descendants be for them to seek the Lord with all their hearts (as you have/should have done), or would you be giving them advice on how to get ahead in life (as you might have done)? What are you telling the next generation through your everyday example?

Compare King David’s advice to Solomon with the kinds of advice our national leaders seem to pass on one to another. Consider what the most important traits are for our leaders to possess today. Are King David’s words still good advice for our leaders today?

Father God, we need your wisdom today more than ever. Increase our hunger and thirst to know you. Help us to seek you with all our hearts so that we will know without a doubt that we have truly found you. And then, dear God, enable us to serve you with such sincere and total devotion that our enriched lives will serve as a legacy that will inspire our descendants to trust you fully.

Copyright © 2008 by Janice Green

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.