Today the Church places before us two hearts.

One belongs to a king — Solomon —
chosen by God,
blessed with wisdom,
given peace and prosperity.

The other belongs to a foreign woman —
an outsider,
with no share in Israel’s promises,
no status,
no power.

Yet the king falls. And the woman is praised.

Why?

Because what matters most before God
is not position,
not knowledge,
not privilege — but whether the heart is wholly given to Him.

Scripture says of Solomon: “His heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God.”

That is the tragedy.

Solomon did not suddenly reject God.
He did not declare himself against the Lord.

He simply allowed other loves to grow stronger.

He loved comfort.
He loved alliances.
He loved foreign wives who worshipped other gods.

Little by little,
what should have been first
became second.

And when God is no longer first in the heart, disorder follows.

That is how spiritual decline usually happens.

Not through dramatic rebellion — but through gradual displacement.

Something else takes the central place.

Our Lord teaches that the greatest commandment is this:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.”

Not partially.
Not when convenient.
With all.

God is not meant to be one part of life among many.

He is the centre that gives order to everything else.

When that centre shifts —
even slightly —
the rest eventually unravels.

Now look at the woman in the Gospel.

She is not part of the covenant people.
She has no claim on Christ.

Yet she comes in need.
Her daughter is possessed.
And she begs for help.

Our Lord’s first response sounds hard: “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

He is speaking of order.
God’s promise was given first to Israel.
God works in an ordered way.

But listen to her reply.

She does not argue.
She does not accuse.
She does not walk away offended.

She says: “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

That is humility. And humility is simply truth.

She knows she depends entirely on mercy.

And because she is humble — she is open.

Our Lord responds: “For saying that, you may go;
the demon has left your daughter.”

She receives what Solomon lost.

Not because she had more knowledge.
Not because she had status.

But because her heart was rightly ordered.

Here is the principle: When we love God above all things,
everything else finds its proper place.

When we do not,
even good things become disordered.

Solomon’s problem was not that he loved too little.

He loved wrongly.

He allowed lesser goods to take the place of the highest good.

The woman had one desire fixed in the right place: she trusted Christ.

And so the question for us is simple:

Not — do I still call myself a believer?
Not — do I avoid obvious sins?

But: What is first in my heart? What truly directs my decisions?

Reputation?
Security?
Comfort?
Approval?

Or the will of God?

It is possible to speak of faith while slowly arranging life so that God
no longer governs it.

That is what happened to Solomon.

It is also possible
to feel unworthy,
even outside,
and yet cling firmly
to Christ.

That is what the woman did.

And notice something consoling:

She asks only for a crumb.

And the crumb is enough.

Why?

Because even the smallest grace
comes from God Himself.

When it is received with humility,
it is powerful.

The Lord does not demand greatness before He acts.

He asks for a heart that is not divided.

A heart that says: You are first.

The kingdom was torn from Solomon
because his heart was divided.

The daughter was restored
because her mother’s heart
was fixed on Christ.

Today the Word of God invites us to examine ourselves quietly.

Is God truly first?

Or has something gently
taken His place?

The Lord resists pride
because pride closes the heart.

But He draws near to the humble
because humility opens it.

And when the heart is open —
even a crumb of grace
is enough
to restore order,
to heal,
to strengthen.

The real battle
of the spiritual life
is not outward first —
it is within.

If the heart is rightly ordered,
life follows.

So let us ask for one grace today:

Not success.
Not comfort.

But an undivided heart.

For when God is first,
everything else
finds its place.