Title
Potential Over Experience
Scripture
“...King David said to all the assembly: ‘My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced; and the work is great...’”
(1 Chronicles 29:1)
Devotional
One might question why God would choose Solomon, a young and inexperienced man, to build the temple of worship where hundreds of people would eventually gather. Although Solomon didn’t necessarily have the experience needed to govern and build God’s Temple, God believed Solomon was the man for the job. God looked at Solomon’s potential more than his experience. The youthfulness and inexperience of Solomon actually made him a prime candidate for leadership. God chose Solomon for the things he was going to accomplish not the things he had already accomplished. For the most part, this method is contrary to our methods of choosing and/or hiring. We look for skills; God looks for teachability. We look for connections; God looks for how we treat others. We look for experience; God looks for potential. The mechanics to govern can be learned but the character to govern comes from God. Remember, “...man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”(1) Maybe, just maybe, God’s review process is better than ours.
(1) 1 Samuel 16:7
Text For The Day
: 1 Chronicles 29:1: King David said to all the assembly: “My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced; and the work is great….”
Thought For The Day
“You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.” Henry Ford (1863–1947)
Questions To Ponder
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Consider all those God had chosen in the Scriptures to do His work: most were either shepherds, fisherman, or youth.
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Is potential of greater value than experience?
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Does your potential outweigh your experience?
Morning Study Guide
Defining: “Potential”: Latent ability, that which God sees before it is manifest. Every man has the potential to be saved, forgiven and made righteous. It is the ability to be obedient to God in every circumstance.
Referencing: “If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen,” 1 Peter 4:11.
Applying: Has God called you to a task? Remember, you therefore have the potential to be obedient to that task.