October 2019 Newsletter

Solomon’s Paradox

This fall we’re studying the life of King Solomon from 1 Kings 1-11. Solomon is known for his wisdom. He solved his subjects’ conundrums, rattled off proverbs, and shared sage advice with neighboring royals. His wisdom is legendary.

However, even as Solomon is celebrated as ‘wisdom personified’ he behaved in confounding ways. Though he could identify the wise choice for others, he struggled to make the wise choice for himself and ended life poorly.

You may have noticed this tendency in yourself. Have you ever felt like you gave good advice to a friend but later, faced with a similar situation, you made a terrible decision?

The ability to reason more sensibly about someone else’s problems than our own happens frequently enough that psychologists have dubbed it “Solomon’s Paradox.” Research shows that when we are personally removed from a situation, when our ego is not a factor, we make better decisions (Source: Grossman and Kross, Exploring Solomon’s Paradox, 2014). In other words, we tend to give better advice to others than make life-decisions for ourselves.

The solution to Solomon’s Paradox requires wisdom and a bit of humility. First, the wisdom. We must take the Bible’s word that our hearts are deceitful (Jer 17:9). Our heart will find ways to justify and rationalize to obtain what it really wants. Solomon himself said that “a plan in the heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding draws it out” (Prov 20:5). The wise person asks himself why he wants what he wants; why she feels the way she feels.

It’s been said that when you give other people advice, you look at the problem through a telescope. You see the big picture. You focus on the two or three most important criteria and so clarify the wisest course of action. But when we make our own decisions, we tend to look at it through a microscope. We focus on the minutia, multiply observations, and obscure the most important criteria in order to get the result our heart really wants.

It takes humility then to permit others to weigh in on an important decision. Solomon knew this. He was fond of saying, “Plans go wrong for lack of advice; but many advisors bring success” (Prov 15:22). Of course, the advice of a mature Christian should be weighed most heavily for they presumably will take the Bible into account. Humility also presents the big decisions to God early and often. Ask God to lead you and your deep-water heart. Ask God to help you consider others more important than yourself and God’s glory more than vainglory.

For me, Solomon’s Paradox was a depressing discovery. It’s more evidence of the depravity of sin common to us all – even the wisest among us. But God has warned us. Solomon has shown us. And if we’re willing to compensate for our bias, we can make wise decisions that please God.

-Pastor Richard

Women of Faith

Mark your calendars for these events. Details for each will follow!

Faith Kids

How has God PROVIDED for you? This is a fairly simple question and we can all come up with many ways God has PROVIDED for us. For the last few weeks I have had the opportunity to teach the elementary age children in Faith Kids Worship. We have been discussing Elijah and all that God did for him and through him. God PROVIDED food and water for Elijah during a severe drought. God PROVIDED for the widow and her son through miracles Elijah performed. God PROVIDED life to the widows son after he had died. But the most important PROVISION we have discussed is JESUS!! We discussed how God takes care of us everyday but the best thing God ever PROVIDED was His son to take away our sins! Your children our learning these important truths every Sunday!! Ask them...how had God PROVIDED?

Faith Youth

Youth Group is in full swing at this point and we have had a blast reconnecting with our kids and hearing about their summer! For our first event of the year, on October 18th we will be heading up to Cherry Crest Farm in Lancaster. If your child is interested they can sign up here!

Impromptu Youth Sunday School breakfast at Tom Jones this past Sunday!

May you take some quiet moments during this change of season to sit with our glorious Creator and marvel at the beauty of His hands!