Press the arrow to listen to “Open the Eyes of My Heart” by Mercy Me while reading today’s devotion.

Scripture

And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. 1 Kings 4:29

Observation
A truly great leader is a master of many subjects, not so that he can do everything, but so that he can lead those who do. His understanding should be expanding and increasing with every wave of technology and new best seller. Most of all he should have an ever deepening perception of the word of God and how it applies to life.

Leaders are learners. To lead is to learn. Solomon was an extraordinary example. He was a king, architect, engineer, builder, botanist, zoologist, scientist, scholar, philosopher, poet, and more. He was not just smart, he was wise because he knew how to apply what he knew to everyday life. What was the secret of Solomon’s great wisdom (other than the fear of the Lord)? Was he a naturally good student with a brilliant mind?

The reason the Bible gives for Solomon’s knowledge and wisdom was not the cleverness of his brain but the largeness of his heart. His heart seemed large enough to store the stand of all the sea shores. That’s big. For the Jews, the heart was not the place of love but of choice. The heart was to Hebrews the seat of the will. The heart meant more than feeling to them, but action. The feelings in the heart were more than emotion in Jewish thought, but more like passion that brings result.

Solomon had a passionate heart about leading his nation well, therefore he wanted to learn about everything that affected his nation. He wanted to know about every animal in the borders. How did plants grow, what stones made the best foundations, and how could ice be supplied to the palace in the summer time? He studied these thoughts and a million more like them. Solomon learned because he had a heart to learn.

As I’ve taught students through the years, I’ve often thought that every student is bright in some way, but it is the heart and not the mind that hinders their learning. It is the passion to learn that opens the way to learn. When a student loves life then he will want to learn whatever subjects are necessary to live life to the fullest.

Application
Solomon loved his people and so he had a heart to learn everything of benefit for them. If I am to lead well the people I oversee, then I must have more than just an inquisitive mind, I must have a heart that loves them.

Prayer
Father, grant to me an ever enlarging heart that learns widely because it loves deeply. Grant me a wide and wise heart. Amen.