1 Chronicles 22:19, John 7:16-18

David had prepared the way for Solomon to reign in several ways. He had subdued the enemies of Israel. He asked the leaders to assist Solomon, and as we saw yesterday, he prepared everything for the building of the Temple. There was one last thing Solomon needed. David gave him the single most important thing he needed to reign. That was the instruction to devote his heart and soul to seeking the LORD. Unless that was done, all the other preparation would not help him.

If our heart’s great desire is to know the LORD and His will, it is devoted to seeking the LORD. That only comes about when we value the things of God more highly than the things of the world. It is always an exercise in faith, for it is the desire for the unseen versus the visible. David asked Solomon to set his compass toward the LORD.

The second great burden on David’s heart was to see the Temple built, so he charged Solomon to get started. Once the Temple was built the Ark of the Covenant could be placed and the sacred articles. The presence of God would fill the place, and the people’s hearts would turn toward the LORD.

Every group of worshippers needs the same thing. They need leadership who have devoted their hearts to seeking the LORD. Since they are the temple, they need the presence of God in them. They need the tools (gifts and abilities), with which to carry out that which God would direct, to be placed in the hands of those who are directed to use them. Are all of those things in place in those with whom you worship? If not how can you work toward that end?


Evening

Jesus answered, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. (John 7:16-18 NIV)

The Jewish leaders were amazed that Jesus could speak with such depth and yet he did not study with any of the great rabbis of that day. Man puts so much emphasis on his own educational system with each generation thinking theirs is the correct and complete one. Jesus doesn’t point to His miraculous birth, or His hours of study, or even His eternal existence; He says what we need to hear. Our teaching should not be our own. It should come from the One who sent us. Are we hearing His voice? Is the Word alive to us by the power of the Holy Spirit?

How do you change from the perspective of men and their pride in their brain cells, to a person whose ear is opened to the Spirit of God? Choose to do God’s will. Choose to glorify God and not self. If you choose to do God’s will, you must first lay aside your own goals of self-importance, the right to autonomy. That is taking up your cross. When the will is then submitted to your Creator, His voice can come through. You are no longer seeking your glory, but the glory of the One that sends you. In doing His will, you realize that His ways are the fruitful and productive ones even though the world may not understand. Your eyes become opened to a design that goes deeper than the visible.

This is the difference between a speaker and a preacher. The speaker may stir your emotions, but a genuine preacher of the Gospel will bring glory to God and not self. You will leave thinking the speaker is a wonderful person, but you leave the preacher’s message thinking about the glory of God. Born again souls will find that the Holy Spirit will put His finger over their lips when they slip into expressions that exalt self.

Used with Permission