Fear / Reverence for God, Submitted / Servant, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Honor God With Your Best

Most of us will not be involved with building a temple like that of Solomon or even a place of worship of any kind. We could easily look at the surface of the text in 2 Chronicles 3 and say, “that is nice”, but not really appreciate how to apply it in our lives. Look beyond the temple itself to the heart and minds of those building it. Consider they put forth their best effort and attitude to honor and glorify Yahweh. They did not give Him their “leftovers”. He was their main focus and got prioritized.

As you read, ask yourself, “Do I give God my best, my first fruits of time and effort and attention and money, or do I fit Him in when I have time?”

2 Chronicles 3

The Temple Construction in Jerusalem

      1Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 2He began to build on the second day in the second month of the fourth year of his reign.

Dimensions and Materials of the Temple

      3Now these are the foundations which Solomon laid for building the house of God. The length in cubits, according to the old standard was sixty cubits, and the width twenty cubits. 4The porch which was in front of the house was as long as the width of the house, twenty cubits, and the height 120; and inside he overlaid it with pure gold. 5He overlaid the main room with cypress wood and overlaid it with fine gold, and ornamented it with palm trees and chains. 6Further, he adorned the house with precious stones; and the gold was gold from Parvaim. 7He also overlaid the house with gold—the beams, the thresholds and its walls and its doors; and he carved cherubim on the walls.

      8Now he made the room of the holy of holies: its length across the width of the house was twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits; and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to 600 talents. 9The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. He also overlaid the upper rooms with gold.

      10Then he made two sculptured cherubim in the room of the holy of holies and overlaid them with gold. 11The wingspan of the cherubim was twenty cubits; the wing of one, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house, and its other wing, of five cubits, touched the wing of the other cherub. 12The wing of the other cherub, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house; and its other wing of five cubits was attached to the wing of the first cherub. 13The wings of these cherubim extended twenty cubits, and they stood on their feet facing the main room. 14He made the veil of violet, purple, crimson and fine linen, and he worked cherubim on it.

      15He also made two pillars for the front of the house, thirty-five cubits high, and the capital on the top of each was five cubits. 16He made chains in the inner sanctuary and placed them on the tops of the pillars; and he made one hundred pomegranates and placed them on the chains. 17He erected the pillars in front of the temple, one on the right and the other on the left, and named the one on the right Jachin and the one on the left Boaz.

Solomon made honoring God his focal point to build the temple. He was not just “doing it on the side” or “fitting it in” to his schedule. We each need to ask ourselves if we are doing the same. I will admit there is more I can do to prioritize prayer time. For example, sometimes when I am setting aside time, I allow distractions. I am not completely focused on Him. It is good to come to Him even if I am distracted, but it is better to set aside time where I am not distracted to come to Him.

Ask God to help show you where you are not putting him first and help you to make changes to do so. He is worthy of our best.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, thank You for Your patience with me when I come to You even with distractions. Help me to set time aside undistracted to focus on You and come before You in prayer and study of Your word. Help me to joyfully give You my best in attitude, heart, time, effort and money. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Church / Body of Christ, Wise

Wisdom to Lead

Solomon was a man of great wealth and also great wisdom. Scripture reveals a pattern where he is very adept at working with others to accomplish complex objectives. It is like he is putting together a puzzle, seeing what each party has to offer and how to make it worthwhile for them. He is not simply throwing money around. He is not relying only on his own abilities and gifts, or even those of Israel. He gets the most out of the team.

I can look at my own life and all too often I would like to solve my challenges myself. How much more successful and joyful it can be when I bring others’ gifts and abilities to supplement my own. When we work together as the body of Christ we can accomplish things more effectively than working alone.

2 Chronicles 2

Solomon Will Build a Temple and Palace

      1Now Solomon decided to build a house for the name of the LORD and a royal palace for himself. 2So Solomon assigned 70,000 men to carry loads and 80,000 men to quarry stone in the mountains and 3,600 to supervise them.

      3Then Solomon sent word to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, “As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedars to build him a house to dwell in, so do for me. 4“Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, dedicating it to Him, to burn fragrant incense before Him and to set out the showbread continually, and to offer burnt offerings morning and evening, on sabbaths and on new moons and on the appointed feasts of the LORD our God, this being required forever in Israel. 5“The house which I am about to build will be great, for greater is our God than all the gods. 6“But who is able to build a house for Him, for the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain Him? So who am I, that I should build a house for Him, except to burn incense before Him? 7“Now send me a skilled man to work in gold, silver, brass and iron, and in purple, crimson and violet fabrics, and who knows how to make engravings, to work with the skilled men whom I have in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided. 8“Send me also cedar, cypress and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber of Lebanon; and indeed my servants will work with your servants, 9to prepare timber in abundance for me, for the house which I am about to build will be great and wonderful. 10“Now behold, I will give to your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, 20,000 kors of crushed wheat and 20,000 kors of barley, and 20,000 baths of wine and 20,000 baths of oil.”

Huram to Assist      11Then Huram, king of Tyre, answered in a letter sent to Solomon: “Because the LORD loves His people, He has made you king over them.” 12Then Huram continued, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, endowed with discretion and understanding, who will build a house for the LORD and a royal palace for himself.

      13“Now I am sending Huram-abi, a skilled man, endowed with understanding, 14the son of a Danite woman and a Tyrian father, who knows how to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone and wood, and in purple, violet, linen and crimson fabrics, and who knows how to make all kinds of engravings and to execute any design which may be assigned to him, to work with your skilled men and with those of my lord David your father. 15“Now then, let my lord send to his servants wheat and barley, oil and wine, of which he has spoken. 16“We will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you on rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may carry it up to Jerusalem.”

      17Solomon numbered all the aliens who were in the land of Israel, following the census which his father David had taken; and 153,600 were found. 18He appointed 70,000 of them to carry loads and 80,000 to quarry stones in the mountains and 3,600 supervisors to make the people work.

Solomon does not just force people to do the work. He offers a trade that will be valuable for both parties. Everyone wins. Everyone works hard toward a coordinated objective.

Prayerfully reflect on your own approach to how you solve challenges and pursue your objectives. Do you try to do it all alone? Do you leverage others? When you do leverage others, are you finding a way that everyone feels good about what is being done?

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please grant me wisdom to see how to accomplish small and complex things that you call upon me to do. Help me pull people together with wisdom and leverage the talents of others in addition to my own. Help the body of Christ to work together effectively and bring glory to You! Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Blessed, Learning To Pray Effectively, Seeking God, Submitted / Servant

Seek Relationship with God and Blessings Will Follow

We all want blessings from our Father, however often we do not know how or do not choose to invest in our relationship with our Father. I observe in 2 Chronicles an interesting sequence in Solomon’s interaction with the LORD.

First, Solomon worships the LORD. He brings sacrifice. He did not just check a box. He offered a thousand burnt offerings.

Second, the LORD approaches Solomon to ask what blessing he would want. Although we can seek the LORD and ask Him, we can also see that Solomon did not even pursue this request. He simply pursued God.

Third, when asked by the LORD, Solomon choose unselfishly. He chose a gift that would help him lead others and glorify God through His people. God really liked his attitude.

Fourth, the LORD blessed Solomon abundantly.

It is a good reminder that we should pursue the LORD and not just pursue blessings from Him. He is not a vending machine for our personal desires. He is our Creator and Father.

2 Chronicles 1

Solomon Worships at Gibeon

      1Now Solomon the son of David established himself securely over his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him and exalted him greatly.

      2Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds and to the judges and to every leader in all Israel, the heads of the fathers’ households. 3Then Solomon and all the assembly with him went to the high place which was at Gibeon, for God’s tent of meeting was there, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness. 4However, David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place he had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem. 5Now the bronze altar, which Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, was there before the tabernacle of the LORD, and Solomon and the assembly sought it out. 6Solomon went up there before the LORD to the bronze altar which was at the tent of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

      7In that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.”

Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom

      8Solomon said to God, “You have dealt with my father David with great lovingkindness, and have made me king in his place. 9“Now, O LORD God, Your promise to my father David is fulfilled, for You have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. 10“Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this great people of Yours?” 11God said to Solomon, “Because you had this in mind, and did not ask for riches, wealth or honor, or the life of those who hate you, nor have you even asked for long life, but you have asked for yourself wisdom and knowledge that you may rule My people over whom I have made you king, 12wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings who were before you has possessed nor those who will come after you.” 13So Solomon went from the high place which was at Gibeon, from the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem, and he reigned over Israel.

Solomon’s Wealth

      14Solomon amassed chariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem. 15The king made silver and gold as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamores in the lowland. 16Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue; the king’s traders procured them from Kue for a price. 17They imported chariots from Egypt for 600 shekels of silver apiece and horses for 150 apiece, and by the same means they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram.

Take some time to prayerfully reflect on your primary focus in seeking the LORD. Are you pursuing Him? or something you want from Him? It makes a difference in our attitude and reflects what is in our hearts. It is fine to ask Him for help, but that should not be our only focus in seeking Him. Ask Him to help you with that, so that your heart would truly seek relationship with the LORD and not just avoiding hell or getting something to help in this life.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please give me a heart that desires to pursue You. Thank You for the blessings You do provide for me. Thank You for salvation and forgiveness through Christ when I don’t deserve it. Please help develop in me whatever talents and gifts You want me to have to bring glory and honor to You. Amen. 

Obviously, we can and should pray for others in this way as well.

Shalom.

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Guide, His Timing Not Ours, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Purposeful / Intentional, Submitted / Servant

Focus on God’s Plans Rather Than Our Own

No matter how great the man, even if he is a man after God’s own heart and a mighty leader, he is here for a limited time. Only the LORD is unchanging and eternal.  In Him, we should put our trust rather than mortal men. Similarly, we should not put our whole focus into our own pursuits but rather the pursuits of God.

Psalm 146:3-4

3Do not trust in noblemen, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation. 4His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.

David made a very deliberate effort to prepare Solomon to be king and prepare the nation to accept him. David made significant preparations for the mission God had chosen for Solomon, to build a temple. David put his focus and efforts toward glorifying God and put himself secondary. He did not get prideful when he was told not to build the temple himself. He did not hold on to power until he died. He prepared his son and handed over the keys to the kingdom to help ensure the work of God on the temple would continue.

1 Chronicles 29:22b-30

Solomon Again Made King

       And they made Solomon the son of David king a second time, and they anointed him as ruler for the LORD and Zadok as priest. 23Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king instead of David his father; and he prospered, and all Israel obeyed him. 24All the officials, the mighty men, and also all the sons of King David pledged allegiance to King Solomon. 25The LORD highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed on him royal majesty which had not been on any king before him in Israel.

      26Now David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. 27The period which he reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned in Hebron seven years and in Jerusalem thirty-three years.

Death of David

      28Then he died in a ripe old age, full of days, riches and honor; and his son Solomon reigned in his place. 29Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are written in the chronicles of Samuel the seer, in the chronicles of Nathan the prophet and in the chronicles of Gad the seer, 30with all his reign, his power, and the circumstances which came on him, on Israel, and on all the kingdoms of the lands.

I see at least two parallels for many of us.

  • Do we put our focus and efforts into the plans of God, or the plans of men (including our own)?
  • Are we preparing others to continue God’s work after we are gone?

I would encourage each of us to prayerfully reflect on these questions and ask the Spirit to enlighten us as to any changes that should be made in our lives.

Father, please help me to be unselfish and focused on Your plans rather than the plans of men or even my own plans. Your plans are different than mine, but Yours are the ones that will endure and have lasting value. Your plans will bring glory to Your name rather than my own. Help me to truly prepare my children to follow You and whatever plans You have for them. Help me to act now to prepare them for those plans as You reveal them to us. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Giving, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Money / Finances / Wealth, Provider, Thankfulness

Honor the LORD Joyfully and Generously

Let us remember to honor the LORD joyfully and generously with what He has given us. It helps to remember that all we have was provided by Him. We are simply giving some of it back to honor and glorify Him. Let us do so in celebration and not resentment. Let us do so willingly and not reluctantly or out of obligation. Consider the attitude of David and his leaders under him when preparing the temple. It is reminiscent of the generous donations that the people were bringing to Moses when building the Tabernacle.

1 Chronicles 29:1-22a

Offerings for the Temple

      1Then King David said to the entire assembly, “My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is still young and inexperienced and the work is great; for the temple is not for man, but for the LORD God. 2“Now with all my ability I have provided for the house of my God the gold for the things of gold, and the silver for the things of silver, and the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood, onyx stones and inlaid stones, stones of antimony and stones of various colors, and all kinds of precious stones and alabaster in abundance. 3“Moreover, in my delight in the house of my God, the treasure I have of gold and silver, I give to the house of my God, over and above all that I have already provided for the holy temple, 4namely, 3,000 talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and 7,000 talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the buildings; 5of gold for the things of gold and of silver for the things of silver, that is, for all the work done by the craftsmen. Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day to the LORD?”

      6Then the rulers of the fathers’ households, and the princes of the tribes of Israel, and the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with the overseers over the king’s work, offered willingly; 7and for the service for the house of God they gave 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold, and 10,000 talents of silver, and 18,000 talents of brass, and 100,000 talents of iron. 8Whoever possessed precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the LORD, in care of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9Then the people rejoiced because they had offered so willingly, for they made their offering to the LORD with a whole heart, and King David also rejoiced greatly.

David’s Prayer

      10So David blessed the LORD in the sight of all the assembly; and David said, “Blessed are You, O LORD God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11“Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. 12“Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone. 13“Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name.

      14“But who am I and who are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as this? For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given You. 15“For we are sojourners before You, and tenants, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope. 16“O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided to build You a house for Your holy name, it is from Your hand, and all is Yours. 17“Since I know, O my God, that You try the heart and delight in uprightness, I, in the integrity of my heart, have willingly offered all these things; so now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here, make their offerings willingly to You. 18“O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, our fathers, preserve this forever in the intentions of the heart of Your people, and direct their heart to You; 19and give to my son Solomon a perfect heart to keep Your commandments, Your testimonies and Your statutes, and to do them all, and to build the temple, for which I have made provision.”

      20Then David said to all the assembly, “Now bless the LORD your God.” And all the assembly blessed the LORD, the God of their fathers, and bowed low and did homage to the LORD and to the king.

Sacrifices

      21On the next day they made sacrifices to the LORD and offered burnt offerings to the LORD, 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams and 1,000 lambs, with their drink offerings and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. 22So they ate and drank that day before the LORD with great gladness.

David and his leaders are inspirational. It is important, however, to remember we are called to be good stewards of what the LORD has given us (Matthew 25:14-30). That means we should not blindly give our resources to someone in God’s name, but rather test and use discernment and seek counsel to ensure we invest wisely in the kingdom. It often is not just writing a check to the local church.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, thank You for all You provide for me and for Your people. Help me to be joyful in giving to honor You. Help me remember that all I have comes from You, even my life itself. Let me have an attitude of celebration when giving and not one of obligation. Help me to be a good steward and choose carefully where I invest in Your kingdom. For those who receive gifts and resources in Your name, please help them to use them wisely to bring honor and glory to You and not to themselves.  Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Courage / Fear, Faithful, Guide, His Timing Not Ours, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Purposeful / Intentional, Seeking God, Submitted / Servant

Know, Love, and Serve the LORD for His Glory

David’s address about the temple in 1 Chronicles 28 is full of meaning. Though David was told he would not be the one to build the temple, which he wanted to build, he worked diligently to prepare the plans, his son and the people so that all was ready to go for Solomon. We should all seek to have such a productive response when God does not grant us the things we ask for or desire.

1 Chronicles 28

David’s Address about the Temple

      1Now David assembled at Jerusalem all the officials of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the commanders of the divisions that served the king, and the commanders of thousands, and the commanders of hundreds, and the overseers of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, with the officials and the mighty men, even all the valiant men. 2Then King David rose to his feet and said, “Listen to me, my brethren and my people; I had intended to build a permanent home for the ark of the covenant of the LORD and for the footstool of our God. So I had made preparations to build it. 3“But God said to me, ‘You shall not build a house for My name because you are a man of war and have shed blood.’ 4“Yet, the LORD, the God of Israel, chose me from all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever. For He has chosen Judah to be a leader; and in the house of Judah, my father’s house, and among the sons of my father He took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel. 5“Of all my sons (for the LORD has given me many sons), He has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel. 6“He said to me, ‘Your son Solomon is the one who shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be a son to Me, and I will be a father to him. 7‘I will establish his kingdom forever if he resolutely performs My commandments and My ordinances, as is done now.’ 8“So now, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God, observe and seek after all the commandments of the LORD your God so that you may possess the good land and bequeath it to your sons after you forever.

      9“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. 10“Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be courageous and act.”

      11Then David gave to his son Solomon the plan of the porch of the temple, its buildings, its storehouses, its upper rooms, its inner rooms and the room for the mercy seat; 12and the plan of all that he had in mind, for the courts of the house of the LORD, and for all the surrounding rooms, for the storehouses of the house of God and for the storehouses of the dedicated things; 13also for the divisions of the priests and the Levites and for all the work of the service of the house of the LORD and for all the utensils of service in the house of the LORD; 14for the golden utensils, the weight of gold for all utensils for every kind of service; for the silver utensils, the weight of silver for all utensils for every kind of service; 15and the weight of gold for the golden lampstands and their golden lamps, with the weight of each lampstand and its lamps; and the weight of silver for the silver lampstands, with the weight of each lampstand and its lamps according to the use of each lampstand; 16and the gold by weight for the tables of showbread, for each table; and silver for the silver tables; 17and the forks, the basins, and the pitchers of pure gold; and for the golden bowls with the weight for each bowl; and for the silver bowls with the weight for each bowl; 18and for the altar of incense refined gold by weight; and gold for the model of the chariot, even the cherubim that spread out their wings and covered the ark of the covenant of the LORD.

      19“All this,” said David, “the LORD made me understand in writing by His hand upon me, all the details of this pattern.”

      20Then David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished. 21“Now behold, there are the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of God, and every willing man of any skill will be with you in all the work for all kinds of service. The officials also and all the people will be entirely at your command.”

For David, it was all about God and God’s glory, not about himself. I ask God to help me to be more like this in my attitude.  I want to come back over a few verses for emphasis.

      9“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. 10“Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be courageous and act.”

This is guidance we should all follow, no matter what He calls us to do:

  • Know God and serve Him with whole heart and willing mind. The LORD knows and cares about our intentions and attitude. He cares about “why” we do something, and not just “what” we do.
  • If you seek Him, He will let you find Him. Do not expect full revelation of God from one brief encounter. To seek Him is an active and ongoing action in our lives. It takes time to build relationship with anyone, and God is no exception.
  • If you forsake Him, He will reject you.
  • Whatever God calls each of us to do, be courageous and act. We must take action and in many cases it will require some courage. Do not expect what He asks you to do to be easy.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help myself and all Your people to know and serve You with our whole heart and willing mind. Help us be hungry to seek You and to find You. Thank You for revealing Yourself to us. Let us not forsake You, either when times are good or bad. Give us courage to act and fulfill whatever You call us to do. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Study the Word

Study the Word

Study the Word

The world pushes non-Christian and false Christian values. As Christians we are called to reject the world and seek and follow Jesus Christ. We are to be set apart for God, to be holy. To do this effectively we must develop a clear understanding of God’s word and then submit to it. This requires that we do more than just go to church once a week.

God wants us to study His word daily to know Him more intimately. He provides the scriptures, inclusive of Old and New Testament, to tell us how we should live and how we should relate to Him and each other. We show love to Him by obeying His commands. How can we obey, if we do not clearly understand? How can we understand clearly if we do not study continuously? We must also allow ourselves to be teachable, that is to accept what scripture says even when it contradicts what churches teach or culture accepts. Only in this way can we actually change our behaviors to honor YHWH more faithfully.

Jesus demonstrated personally the importance of studying scripture and He learned it well. In fact, it is a clear understanding of scripture that allowed Him to avoid Satan’s deception when Jesus was tempted in the desert.

As a community of Christians, we can work together by sharing resources that help guide us to more deeply understand God’s word.

I have included in the subpages associated with this page books and other resources I personally recommend to help you study God’s word more deeply and to help you live in a way that honors God. It is very important to remember, however, that all we learn and study about God must be tested against the word of God in both the Old and New Testament and against the life of Jesus Christ, who was the word of God become flesh to dwell among us. All other resources, including our website, are subject to errors and must be tested against the proper interpretation of scripture.

We must not be lazy in avoiding the study ourselves, just trusting one teacher or another. Instead, you can seek out good teachers, validating them against the truth of scripture. Testing what they teach to the truth of God’s word. These are just tools to help. Ultimately only God’s word is without error.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please give me a passion for studying Your word, discernment to know the truth, and courage to change what I should, even when others will argue against me because common teaching and understanding of Your word is wrong. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Arrogance, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Learning To Pray Effectively, Merciful, Pride

Pray Humbly and Wholeheartedly for Personal Repentance

For those of us who wish to truly submit to Yeshua and follow him, we must be willing to humbly admit our faults in order to change them. Yeshua provides a wonderful example of a sinful man who genuinely comes before YHWH for repentance and contrasts that with someone who is praying in a noticeably prideful manner. I encourage each of us to thoughtfully and humbly read the scripture from Luke and then come before our father in genuine humility, admitting our sins, and ask for genuine forgiveness with wholehearted commitment to repent and sin no more.

Luke 18:9-14

9And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11“The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13“But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14“I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

All of us remain sinful, no matter where we are in our journey. Take time to identify an area in which you need change and come before YHWH with pure motive and pure heart, privately, and ask forgiveness and ask his help with repentance. Then work consciously to change your wrong behavior and he will help you. Avoid the trap of just asking forgiveness and then continuing in your sin, without repentance and change on your part. If you refuse to change, that is not true repentance and acknowledgment that you are wrong. There is a distinction between having difficulty changing and refusing to change or not trying. Often we will need his help to change our ways as it is difficult for us.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Church / Body of Christ, Compassion, Encouragement, Grace / Patience, Help / Serve Others, Humility, Kindness / Gentleness

Order and Structure Among the People Is Important

It may seem obvious when talking about military, but order and structure among the people is important. Today we read about the military, but this follows reading about musicians and Levites and priests, all which had order and structure about how their work was to be done, when and by whom. So, too, in our community and across the body of Christ it is important to have order and structure so people have clarity of who is doing what. It is no good to have all soldiers and no musicians and priests, or the other way around. Seek to value what each part of the body of Christ provides. Seek to value what each person in our community provides.

Perhaps one example I could highlight is the garbage collectors. Most people overlook them, but if they were not collecting the garbage, then surely everyone would notice. Their role is important.

1 Chronicles 27

Commanders of the Army

      1Now this is the enumeration of the sons of Israel, the heads of fathers’ households, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and their officers who served the king in all the affairs of the divisions which came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year, each division numbering 24,000:

      2Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel had charge of the first division for the first month; and in his division were 24,000. 3He was from the sons of Perez, and was chief of all the commanders of the army for the first month. 4Dodai the Ahohite and his division had charge of the division for the second month, Mikloth being the chief officer; and in his division were 24,000. 5The third commander of the army for the third month was Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada the priest, as chief; and in his division were 24,000. 6This Benaiah was the mighty man of the thirty, and had charge of thirty; and over his division was Ammizabad his son. 7The fourth for the fourth month was Asahel the brother of Joab, and Zebadiah his son after him; and in his division were 24,000. 8The fifth for the fifth month was the commander Shamhuth the Izrahite; and in his division were 24,000. 9The sixth for the sixth month was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite; and in his division were 24,000. 10The seventh for the seventh month was Helez the Pelonite of the sons of Ephraim; and in his division were 24,000. 11The eighth for the eighth month was Sibbecai the Hushathite of the Zerahites; and in his division were 24,000. 12The ninth for the ninth month was Abiezer the Anathothite of the Benjamites; and in his division were 24,000. 13The tenth for the tenth month was Maharai the Netophathite of the Zerahites; and in his division were 24,000. 14The eleventh for the eleventh month was Benaiah the Pirathonite of the sons of Ephraim; and in his division were 24,000. 15The twelfth for the twelfth month was Heldai the Netophathite of Othniel; and in his division were 24,000.

Chief Officers of the Tribes

      16Now in charge of the tribes of Israel: chief officer for the Reubenites was Eliezer the son of Zichri; for the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of Maacah; 17for Levi, Hashabiah the son of Kemuel; for Aaron, Zadok; 18for Judah, Elihu, one of David’s brothers; for Issachar, Omri the son of Michael; 19for Zebulun, Ishmaiah the son of Obadiah; for Naphtali, Jeremoth the son of Azriel; 20for the sons of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Azaziah; for the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joel the son of Pedaiah; 21for the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo the son of Zechariah; for Benjamin, Jaasiel the son of Abner; 22for Dan, Azarel the son of Jeroham. These were the princes of the tribes of Israel. 23But David did not count those twenty years of age and under, because the LORD had said He would multiply Israel as the stars of heaven. 24Joab the son of Zeruiah had begun to count them, but did not finish; and because of this, wrath came upon Israel, and the number was not included in the account of the chronicles of King David.

Various Overseers

      25Now Azmaveth the son of Adiel had charge of the king’s storehouses. And Jonathan the son of Uzziah had charge of the storehouses in the country, in the cities, in the villages and in the towers. 26Ezri the son of Chelub had charge of the agricultural workers who tilled the soil. 27Shimei the Ramathite had charge of the vineyards; and Zabdi the Shiphmite had charge of the produce of the vineyards stored in the wine cellars. 28Baal-hanan the Gederite had charge of the olive and sycamore trees in the Shephelah; and Joash had charge of the stores of oil. 29Shitrai the Sharonite had charge of the cattle which were grazing in Sharon; and Shaphat the son of Adlai had charge of the cattle in the valleys. 30Obil the Ishmaelite had charge of the camels; and Jehdeiah the Meronothite had charge of the donkeys. 31Jaziz the Hagrite had charge of the flocks. All these were overseers of the property which belonged to King David.

Counselors

      32Also Jonathan, David’s uncle, was a counselor, a man of understanding, and a scribe; and Jehiel the son of Hachmoni tutored the king’s sons. 33Ahithophel was counselor to the king; and Hushai the Archite was the king’s friend. 34Jehoiada the son of Benaiah, and Abiathar succeeded Ahithophel; and Joab was the commander of the king’s army.

Take time to reflect on who is playing a role in your community, your church, or even your family that you may overlook sometimes the value of what they do. Pray for them. Encourage them. Ask the LORD to help you see people as He does, to see their value, even those who are under appreciated.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me to see through Your eyes. Help me to see and value others. Help me not to overlook people. Help me to see the value each person brings, not just in what job they do,  but also in the talents and personality that they have. Let me not look at myself as above others, but rather to see each of us in eyes of God focused on the individual value each person brings.  Amen.

 Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Thankfulness

Embrace Those Who Bring Music and Praise for the LORD

Bringing praise and worship before the LORD corporately as a people should not be an afterthought. It is important. Let us value and encourage those who are musically inclined to develop their talents and use it to honor the LORD.

1 Chronicles 25

Number and Services of Musicians

      1Moreover, David and the commanders of the army set apart for the service some of the sons of Asaph and of Heman and of Jeduthun, who were to prophesy with lyres, harps and cymbals; and the number of those who performed their service was: 2Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah and Asharelah; the sons of Asaph were under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the direction of the king. 3Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah and Mattithiah, six, under the direction of their father Jeduthun with the harp, who prophesied in giving thanks and praising the LORD. 4Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti and Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, Mahazioth. 5All these were the sons of Heman the king’s seer to exalt him according to the words of God, for God gave fourteen sons and three daughters to Heman. 6All these were under the direction of their father to sing in the house of the LORD, with cymbals, harps and lyres, for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman were under the direction of the king. 7Their number who were trained in singing to the LORD, with their relatives, all who were skillful, was 288.

Divisions of Musicians

      8They cast lots for their duties, all alike, the small as well as the great, the teacher as well as the pupil.

      9Now the first lot came out for Asaph to Joseph, the second for Gedaliah, he with his relatives and sons were twelve; 10the third to Zaccur, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 11the fourth to Izri, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 12the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 13the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 14the seventh to Jesharelah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 15the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 16the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 17the tenth to Shimei, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 18the eleventh to Azarel, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 19the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 20for the thirteenth, Shubael, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 21for the fourteenth, Mattithiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 22for the fifteenth to Jeremoth, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 23for the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 24for the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 25for the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 26for the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 27for the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 28for the twenty-first to Hothir, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 29for the twenty-second to Giddalti, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 30for the twenty-third to Mahazioth, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 31for the twenty-fourth to Romamti-ezer, his sons and his relatives, twelve.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, help me to value and desire to participate in praise and worship. Help those whom You have chosen to develop those talents and use them to bring honor and glory to You. Help others to appreciate the value they bring to the body of Christ. Amen.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Sharing God's word through devotionals and other resources. Helping you study the Bible and apply it to your life. Helping young children to enjoy the Bible at our Kid Zone.