Temple Construction

Grand Sweep Daily Reading: I Kings 4, 5, 6

I Kings 5:5-6 (NIV)
5 “I intend, therefore, to build the temple for the Name of the Lord my God, as the Lord told my father David, when He said, ‘Your son whom I will put on the throne in your place will build the temple for my Name.’” 6 “So give orders that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. My men will work with yours, and I will pay you for your men whatever wages you set. You know that we have no one so skilled in felling timber as the Sidonians.”

Good morning!

Our boy Benjamin loved playing with Lego erector sets when he was just a tiny little guy. I was sure this kid was going to grow up to be an architect – he had an eye for the unusual. When we were expecting our youngest son, David, Benjamin was only four years old – not quite old enough to be in school like his older sister. Because I had to take it easy during this pregnancy, Ben spent many days on the floor in front of the sofa building villages while I lay on the sofa watching him in awe.

How can a four year old figure out how to snap these tiny little pieces together with meticulous ease? Benjamin would erect entire cities, with movable doors and open windows and skylights for every ceiling. His imagination would take him places that I could only begin to grasp. Busy little hands spent hours popping tiny pieces together forming an entire community, simply by vision. If Mommy touched it, the structure was sure to fall. “Don’t touch it, Mommy!” Benjamin would exclaim in emphatic tones. He knew what would happen if I tried to help. I confess that I am not gifted in Lego Building 101.

King Solomon had a job to do, and he wasted no time getting started. It was Solomon’s dream to finish David’s vision by building a temple to honor the name of the Lord God Almighty. Solomon looked to Hiram, King of Tyre, for the building materials. In exchange for cedar and pine logs, Solomon gave the King twenty thousand cors of wheat as food and twenty thousand baths of pressed oil, year after year. Solomon knew that by feeding his neighbor, he could obtain the materials he needed to fulfill his father’s work. And the bond of brotherly love brought peace and harmony to their land.

We can make a difference when we reach out to each other in love. We are stronger together. The Lord calls every one of us into action every day. He enlists our help to share the love of Jesus with people of every faith and nation. You may be feeling a bit overwhelmed by the task that has been passed on from generation to generation. I am only one person – what can I possibly do to effect kingdom work? You have no idea what God can do inside of you until you reach out your hand and try. If the Lord is pressing upon you to speak, to act, to pray, and to love, allow the Holy Spirit to fill your imagination with the endless possibilities that Jesus can give to a humble believer with mustard-seed faith and a desire to make a difference.

Where can you plug in today? Will He send you to visit your next-door neighbor? Will you offer to watch the children across the street for an hour while their mom runs to the store? Can you provide a carpool for your neighbor’s school-aged children to and from class? Maybe you’ll share a sandwich with a co-worker who forgot their lunch (or maybe doesn’t have the money to go grocery shopping.) You can be a hero to someone by the tiny acts of kindness that you offer in faith through Jesus Christ. There are many ways to tell His story. How will you share the love of Christ this morning?

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding
www.songofdeborah.com

Pray for: mustard seed faith to explode in your heart and mind today. God planted something very special inside of you. Reach up today and ask Jesus to send you out on a mission. If you trust Him, He will use you to construct a place where people can find His saving love. Are you willing to try?
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© Copyright 2007, Deb Spaulding
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