God's Thoughts are not Our Thoughts - I Chronicles 16-18 and John 7:28-53
When David became king of all Israel, and he brought the Ark up to Jerusalem, he was putting God first. That was great! He set up the regular worship. He wrote the many psalms like the one in this passage. His heart was to build God a house, but God said no. That was not what God was thinking. That was David's thinking. God had a much grander scheme for David and his family. Even though God already knew what would happen to David and his family in the future, it was His plan to set up David's family on the throne forever. What an honor! David would never have dreamed of such a thing. All he wanted to do was build a Temple. God knew David's heart as a true believer. He knew his heart for worship, too. However, God saw David as a great king, and it was God's idea to have David's family to be the rulers of His people forever. The fulfillment of this was Jesus coming as a descendant of David. Jesus is the King of Kings forever. Believe me, David would never have thought like that. What if he had not listened to God? What if he had just gone by his own thoughts? He would have missed the ultimate blessing of God. David did not do that. He put his emphasis into being a great king. He still promoted God's worship, and he still wrote the psalms, but he followed God's plan for him to be a great king.
In Jesus' day there was much confusion about Him. Was He The Prophet Moses spoke about? Was He the Messiah? Was He a false prophet? Everyone wanted to know, and they were trying to figure it our themselves. He was telling them the truth, but they were missing it, because they were going by their own thinking. At the feast Jesus stood up and told them His plan. His plan was to fill anyone who came to Him with rivers of living water. What was He talking about? He was referring to the Holy Spirit. They did not have a good conception of everyone receiving the Spirit and the power of what that would bring. Therefore, those who went by their own thinking missed His plan. Those who accepted His words experienced Pentecost. A small group of 120 people were filled with the Spirit and 3,000 people were brought to faith in Christ in one day. That was God's way. That was God's thought. How would they have done it by themselves? I am not sure, but I know it would not have been anything like God's way or God's results. Let's not limit God to our way of thinking. Let's ask Him to show us His thoughts, and then, let's trust Him.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Chronicles 19-21 and John 8:1-27.
In Jesus' day there was much confusion about Him. Was He The Prophet Moses spoke about? Was He the Messiah? Was He a false prophet? Everyone wanted to know, and they were trying to figure it our themselves. He was telling them the truth, but they were missing it, because they were going by their own thinking. At the feast Jesus stood up and told them His plan. His plan was to fill anyone who came to Him with rivers of living water. What was He talking about? He was referring to the Holy Spirit. They did not have a good conception of everyone receiving the Spirit and the power of what that would bring. Therefore, those who went by their own thinking missed His plan. Those who accepted His words experienced Pentecost. A small group of 120 people were filled with the Spirit and 3,000 people were brought to faith in Christ in one day. That was God's way. That was God's thought. How would they have done it by themselves? I am not sure, but I know it would not have been anything like God's way or God's results. Let's not limit God to our way of thinking. Let's ask Him to show us His thoughts, and then, let's trust Him.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Chronicles 19-21 and John 8:1-27.