14 Now the weight of gold which came in to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, 15 besides that from the traders and the wares of the merchants and all the kings of the Arabs and the governors of the country. 16 King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold, using 600 shekels of gold on each large shield. 17 He made 300 shields of beaten gold, using three minas of gold on each shield, and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. 18 Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with refined gold. 19 There were six steps to the throne and a round top to the throne at its rear, and arms on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms. 20 Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps on the one side and on the other; nothing like it was made for any other kingdom. 21 All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None was of silver; it was not considered valuable in the days of Solomon. 22 For the king had at sea the ships of Tarshish with the ships of Hiram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold and silver, ivory and apes and peacocks.

23 So King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. 24 All the earth was seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart. 25 They brought every man his gift, articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year.

26 Now Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; and he had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 27 The king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamore trees that are in the lowland. 28 Also Solomon’s import of horses was from Egypt and Kue, and the king’s merchants procured them from Kue for a price. 29 A chariot was imported from Egypt for 600 shekels of silver, and a horse for 150; and by the same means they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of the Arameans.
1 Kings 10:14-29

Dear God, but how would he have done if he were coaching Kansas State? You know I’m a college football fan and I can’t help but think about a parallel with this story and college football. Nick Saban is largely considered to be the best college football coach, but his last three college coaching jobs have been at Michigan State, LSU, and Alabama. Major schools with resources.

Bill Snyder, on the other hand, took over what was literally considered to be the worst program in the NCAA in the late 80’s and turned it into a consistent winner. True, he never achieved the success that Saban has achieved, but could Saban have done any better at Kansas State than Snyder did? Would he have even tried?

I say all of this because I really do wonder what kind of king Solomon would have been if he had been given the job under Saul’s conditions. Or even his fathers. What kind of a judge would he have been? Would he have been equally great for those times, but the results wouldn’t have shown up in the box score, so to speak, like they do for him after he inherited a strong kingdom from his father, David? Was he a Bill Snyder happened to be handed an Alabama?

One temptation we all have is we look on the outside and make our judgments based on what we see with our eyes. I am given a lot of credit for the organization that I currently run, but the truth is that I am here today because of the years and years of sacrifice that the founding director and countless others gave to make this place possible. I haven’t volunteered one hour for this organization. I have always been paid. Sure, I’ll work outside of my assigned 40 hours, but it’s not the same as the years of sacrifice that a lot of other people have given.

So my job now is to be the best steward I can be of this work that I can be, and I need to do it under your leadership. I’m not comparing myself with Solomon in wisdom, stature, or anything like that, but I am, on a much smaller scale, the beneficiary of a lot of hard work from a lot of people. The best thing I can do it remain faithful to you throughout the process and submit all of this to you. Then I can ask for your blessing for the benefit of those we serve. I’m sorry for ever taking any glory for any of this. It’s not my intention, but sometimes my insecurity gets in the way. This work is all yours. Help me to be your man through it.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen