Seeking the kingdom of God and working for the temple of God will help us to get all other blessings of God in our life
The Devotional Bible
Today's Devotion: "when we have a real concern for the temple of God (the kingdom of God ) He will bless us more.”Central Thought: Seeking the kingdom of God and working for the temple of God will help us to get all other blessings of God in life.
Bible Reading :
Author: Rev. Dr. Marcus Devasahayam Thomas
Today's Scripture: 1 Chr 17:1, “After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under a tent."
Dear brothers and sisters,
Loving greetings to all of you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we have a concern to build the house of God we will be greatly blessed by God. The easy way to please the heart of God is by doing the necessary things for the service of God. David did many things for the proper worship of God on this earth in his lifetime. He composed songs and made proper singing groups and the worship leaders to worship and praise the lord in the temple. He also made good musicians to accompany the songs and made provisions to offer sacrifices to the name of the lord. He had a concern to build the temple of God on his own
The prophet Haggai prophesied in Hag 1:4, "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?" Because most of the people who regularly go to the church also not having a concern for their church like David had as in 1 Chr 17:1. Since he had a thought to build the temple of God in a magnificent manner God blessed him. If we read in 1 Chr.17: 7 - 8, here we see God is blessing David who was earlier an ordinary shepherd in the wilderness for following Him with real devotion from the heart and soul. The bible says that God took him and made him a ruler of his people. Do we have a concern for the work of God today? David got so many blessings because of the concern he had for the temple of God and its services. Let us see about them.
The main blessings of God can be understood from 1 Chr 17:8 and 2 Sam 7:9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth.
• I have been with you wherever you have gone, - [this is a great blessing that we can also get from the Lord]
• I have cut off all your enemies from before you. – [God went and cut off all his enemies before him in all the places where David went to fight. So that he could always have a victory. ]
• Now I will make your name like the names of the greatest men of the earth. – [God promises to make him the greatest person on this earth. 1 Chr 18:6 He put garrisons in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to him and brought tribute. The LORD gave David victory wherever he went. Also the same is told in yet another place in 1 Chr. 18:13 He put garrisons in Edom , and all the Edomites became subject to David. The LORD gave David victory wherever he went. David could rule successfully as we see in 1 Chr 18:14 David reigned over all Israel , doing what was just and right for all his people.]
But if we are not having any concern for the things of God and if we keep doing our own work without taking any time for the work of God then the bible says about the curses which may even ruin our lives and all the hard efforts we are taking to succeed in life.
How a curse is working in our lives as in Hag 1:6:
• You have planted much, but have harvested little.
• You eat, but never have enough.
• You drink, but never have your fill.
• You put on clothes, but are not warm.
• You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."
• Hag 1:9, "You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little.
• What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the LORD Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house.
• Hag 1:10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops.
• Hag 1:11 I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands."
How to come out of these curses?
Hag 1:8, “Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the LORD.”
May the Lord help each one of us to understand the importance of following the lord steadfastly with love and concern for His work. When we keep thinking and seeking the kingdom of God first we will be blessed more as in Mat.6: 33, all other blessings of God in life will also be added unto us. When we long to serve God He will honor such people as He was with David and grant victorious and blessed experiences in our life. Amen.
What can we learn from this story?
King David was also a person like us. He was living an ordinary life but because of his genuine concern and love he had for God and His Kingdom, he grew into success in life. He had a real concern to build the temple of God when God told you need not build it and let your son build it. Still he gathered all the things, which are needed for the building of the temple with all his heart. So God blessed him very much if we do not have any concern for the things of God we will be cursed as the prophet Haggai said.
Devotional Prayer: Lord I want to have a real concern for your kingdom and work in this world for you. Give me the anointing of the Holy Spirit so that I can have the power to do some thing for your kingdom. I want to honor you on this earth by working for you. Help me to take adequate time to serve you. In Jesus precious name I ask this. Amen.
4. For Further Bible Study
Neh 4:20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!"
Exo 13:18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea . The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle.
Exo 13:19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear an oath. He had said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place."
Num 10:9 When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the LORD your God and rescued from your enemies.
Num 10:10 Also at your times of rejoicing--your appointed feasts and New Moon festivals--you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before your God. I am the LORD your God."
Num 21:33 Then they turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and Og king of Bashan and his whole army marched out to meet them in battle at Edrei.
Num 21:34 The LORD said to Moses, "Do not be afraid of him, for I have handed him over to you, with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon."
Num 21:35 So they struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army, leaving them no survivors. And they took possession of his land.
Num 32:27 But your servants, every man armed for battle, will cross over to fight before the LORD, just as our lord says."
Num 32:29 He said to them, "If the Gadites and Reubenites, every man armed for battle, cross over the Jordan with you before the LORD, then when the land is subdued before you, give them the land of Gilead as their possession.
Deu 20:2 When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army.
Deu 20:3 He shall say: "Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them.
Deu 20:4 For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory."
Josh 11:19 Except for the Hivites living in Gibeon , not one city made a treaty of peace with the Israelites, who took them all in battle.
Josh 11:20 For it was the LORD himself who hardened their hearts to wage war against Israel , so that he might destroy them totally, exterminating them without mercy, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Yours in the kingdom of God’s service,
Rev. Dr. T. Marcus Devasahayam.