March 23 - I Kings 7-9
Solomon used the peace and prosperity with which God had blessed him to build many homes and other buildings as well as the Temple. He built each one in a very ornate fashion, and he furnished each one completely. With the help of Hiram, the craftsman, he was able to create a beautiful place for the Lord and for himself to live and work. I believe Solomon did all of this with the sincere desire to please the Lord. He wanted to do everything he did to the best of his ability. That is an excellent way to conduct our lives. Always remember that all we do should be an offering of worship to God and we should give Him all the glory for being able to do it.
Once the Ark of the Covenant had been brought into the Holy of Holies, Solomon led the people in a prayer of Dedication for the Temple. He humbly knelt and with his hands outstretched to God, He asked for God to respond to the prayers of the people for any need when they acknowledged His presence by praying toward this Temple. He recognized the need to follow the Lord and to repent of sin in the process of asking for God's blessing. He seemed to be in genuine awe that the all-powerful God would come to live in this house, which he had built for Him, but he was glad that God had chosen to fill the place with the glory of His presence. In fact, Solomon even realized that this Temple was not just for Israel. It was meant to be a sign to all people that God was the only true God, and all people should worship Him alone.
In response to his prayer God appeared to Solomon a second time. He told him that he would honor his prayer as long as he and the people were obedient to Him. There is that word again. How vital it is for all of us to realize how much God is looking for our trust to follow Him in obedience all the time. We must see that God gives us the ability to choose to trust Him on a daily basis, and he responds in a very positive way to our faith. In fact, without faith it is impossible to please Him, today, tomorrow, or at any time. God saw Solomon's heart of faith as he completed the Temple and prayed in dedication of the building, but what about tomorrow? Would Solomon continue in that faith? Will we continue in our faith? It is a daily matter of walking with God. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We cannot know the way, truth or life without being connected to Him by faith.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Kings 10-12.
Once the Ark of the Covenant had been brought into the Holy of Holies, Solomon led the people in a prayer of Dedication for the Temple. He humbly knelt and with his hands outstretched to God, He asked for God to respond to the prayers of the people for any need when they acknowledged His presence by praying toward this Temple. He recognized the need to follow the Lord and to repent of sin in the process of asking for God's blessing. He seemed to be in genuine awe that the all-powerful God would come to live in this house, which he had built for Him, but he was glad that God had chosen to fill the place with the glory of His presence. In fact, Solomon even realized that this Temple was not just for Israel. It was meant to be a sign to all people that God was the only true God, and all people should worship Him alone.
In response to his prayer God appeared to Solomon a second time. He told him that he would honor his prayer as long as he and the people were obedient to Him. There is that word again. How vital it is for all of us to realize how much God is looking for our trust to follow Him in obedience all the time. We must see that God gives us the ability to choose to trust Him on a daily basis, and he responds in a very positive way to our faith. In fact, without faith it is impossible to please Him, today, tomorrow, or at any time. God saw Solomon's heart of faith as he completed the Temple and prayed in dedication of the building, but what about tomorrow? Would Solomon continue in that faith? Will we continue in our faith? It is a daily matter of walking with God. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We cannot know the way, truth or life without being connected to Him by faith.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Kings 10-12.