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The Right Thing First
Weekly Edition #64: April 15th, 2026
Verses I Like:
“And God said to him, ‘Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.’”
Weekly Dose
Roughly 70% of lottery winners go bankrupt within a few years.
Astounding.
Why is this the case?
When you receive the byproduct before you’ve done the work—before you’ve become the person capable of producing it—you aren’t equipped to keep it.
You’re not ready for the reward, or the responsibility that comes with it.
The outcome may show up in less time, but there is no foundation.
It is harder, yet far more sustainable, to build the capacity first.
Become someone who can produce the byproduct. Don’t receive it prematurely. The consequences could be dire.
Quotes I Like:
“The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is a knowledge of our own ignorance.”
“Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”
“Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise; seek what they sought.”
Mane Message
Proper orientation—and the right order of virtue—is seen clearly in none other than one of my favorite bible characters, Solomon.
In 1 Kings 3, Solomon has just taken the throne after his father, David.
The weight is new. The responsibility is real.
And the Lord appears to him. And He makes an offer to Solomon.
Ask. For anything.
Solomon could have asked for long life. For wealth. For the defeat of his enemies.
Instead, he asks for wisdom. For discernment. The ability to rightly govern what has been entrusted to him.
And because of this—because his request was Good—God responds in a way that is revealing.
Not only will Solomon receive wisdom beyond any king before or after him.
But Solomon is also to receive what he did not ask for.
Wealth. Honor. Influence.
The things most people would have asked for first.
Solomon did not chase the outcomes haphazardly, but aligned himself with what supersedes them.
And in doing so, he received all he could have hoped for.
Weekly Ponder
What if the order, not the effort, is what is really off?
If you got what you wanted instantly, would you even be the person who could manage it yet?
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