Thursday Reflection, November 26, 2020
Thursday Reflection
November 26, 2020
Thanks and Praise to the Almighty (Part 1)
And now, our God, we give thanks to you and praise your glorious name. 1 Chronicles 29:13
Good day friends!
Stop! Pause what you’re doing for a minute. Think about this phrase by King David in verse 1, “The work ahead of him is enormous, for the Temple he will build is not for mere mortals—- IT IS FOR THE LORD GOD HIMSELF!”… The church [whether our bodies or the physical building] is not for us mere mortals to do as we please, but it is for God himself. Speaking to Solomon, his son, and the entire assembly that had gathered to hear David’s final set of instructions, before Solomon is named King, David highlights the importance of the Temple and the vast amount of work needed to complete the Temple. David knows that the responsibility to build the Temple is not his, but he wanted to play his part and make the work a bit easier for Solomon.
David pledged all of his fortune to the building of the Temple in addition to all the other materials that he previously collected. After giving his gold and silver, David encouraged the rest of the assembly to follow his example and give, not to the Temple, but to the Lord. Other families, leaders of the tribe of Israel, generals and captains of the army, and the King’s administrative officers all gave WILLINGLY. We are told of something amazing in verse 9, “Then the people REJOICED because these had given WILLINGLY, for with SINGLE MIND they had offered FREELY to the Lord; King David also REJOICED greatly.” David then praised God in the presence of the assembly, giving God thanks and noting that everything comes from God and what the people possess was given to them by God in the first place.
Friends as we look at this text there are so many teaching points that we can develop, but what is current through the text is that everything belongs to God.
- The Temple belongs to God. Whether it is our bodies or the place we worship, it hosts the presence of God. It is not ours, but God’s and we must treat it as such. It is not ours to do as we like or desire. We cannot manipulate the church, we cannot treat it as our own personal possession, and we cannot degrade it for it hosts the presence of God. We MUST give an account of how we deal with God’s possession. We must give an account of the places we go, the things we say, the actions we carry out, the life we live, our interaction with people and how we treat God’s Temple. We must give an account, because it does not belong to us!
- Our possession belongs to God. David was able to freely and willingly give because he knew that everything he owns belongs to God in the first place. His gold and silver belong to God so he was just giving back to God what belongs to God. This thought of giving back to God surpasses our finances and includes our time, talent, our investments, our family, our friends, and our prized possession. Everything belongs to God.
With this knowledge David praised the Lord and gave him thanks. It is God who allows us to share with him what He has given us, so let us give him thanks and praise. There is more I want to say on this topic but I will leave it part two.
Shalom
Christopher Euphfa