‘And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places’ -1Kings 3:3(KJV).

Love is the greatest virtue. It is the creator of every lasting creation. For Bishop David Oyedepo, ‘Love is the key to every door. It is the highway to every high place’. Love is the key to any lasting prosperity. It is the key to great legacies. Love is superior to faith (risk) and hope. It is the most sought-after virtue by mankind. Love is the most banal word among humankind. It produces wise and understanding heart, discernment, riches, honour, long life, and good success.

It has been said that the secrets of great men are in their stories. Undeniably, King Solomon was a great man. His greatness surpassed all kings, those before him and those after him. He was marvelously rich in health, wealth, knowledge, and wisdom. Solomon, for example, wrote 3,000 proverbs and 1,500 songs. He researched and studied into, taught and preached on every earthly thing including ants. He enjoyed more pleasurable life than any person on the face of this earth. The only secret to Solomon’s feats is that he loved the Lord. Solomon demonstrated his love for God through strict obedience and sacrifices. He diligently studied and walked in the laws of God.

However, although Solomon has been the wisest king on earth, he among other things did the most unwise things on earth. He for instance had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Besides, he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places. This means that he disobeyed God’s laws through his decisions and acts. Thus King Solomon unconsciously started behaving foolishly when he started walking outside the laws of God. We only demonstrate foolishness when we walk outside God’s laws. Knowledge outside God only leads to madness and folly, and vexation of a person’s spirit.

Education, health, wealth, long life, fame and so forth do not make a person successful. Success is more than being the richest person on earth. It is more than being a global celebrity. Success transcends knowledge and wisdom. It has been said that success is when God is with you. In other words, true success is when you have the presence of God with you. The presence of God is full of joy and pleasure. His presence guarantees security, victory, freedom, true prosperity and good success. It therefore goes without saying that any success outside God is a bad success. Noah, Enoch, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Daniel, Elijah, Peter and Paul were successful in their various endeavours because God was with them. They diligently sought for God’s presence and found it. In addition, they dwelt there throughout their life time. They were more successful than King Solomon. True success is fully walking in God’s laws or Word.

Therefore, any person who has the presence of God always is greater than King Solomon. You can only have His presence when you abide in His tabernacle and dwell on His holy hill. A person can ascend this hill through righteous living such as love, truthfulness and integrity towards God and humankind. These qualities can only be found in Jesus Christ, God’s Word. Any person who has accepted Christ as that person’s Saviour and Lord has the Spirit of God that enables a person to live all the qualities in Jesus Christ. God is always present in His laws.

Richard Obeng Mensah, author of right your writing. borncapy@yahoo.com/ www.richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com