1Chronicles 15-29

Have you ever seen extravagant buildings; churches, homes, etc. and thought to yourself, why is so much money spent on aesthetics when there is a lot of work to be done? To carry out God’s work is not merely to engage in religious exercises. Even if you don’t have the opportunity to teach; God can use you in ministry. What needs to be done? Cleaning, serving, singing, planning, administering? Look for ways to minister to God’s creation every day. If you live in luxury while God’s work needs your help, take action to correct the imbalance and be willing to move according to God’s timing. Many people use God as a good luck charm; they go to church on holidays, pray when they’re desperate, follow part of God’s word and ignore what doesn’t suit their best interests. People use “religion” as a scapegoat; an excuse to continue living according to their selfish ways and preaching to others they are “religious”. Even the word religion causes problems. What is important is that you follow Christ with all your heart, all your mind, and all your body. Studying God’s word and living it, rather than turning God’s word into a parade for power and profits. Since when did the word “Christian”mean judging others, occult practice and hypocrisy? That is the man-made aspect of religion. When people try to take out “religion” out of decision making; in politics, relationships, business and so forth, what you should really consider is they are excluding God; which is impossible. The concept we understand as right versus wrong would be excluded as well because morality was created by God. God is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent; who are we to think we could ever take Him out of anything? Being a Christian means accepting Christ as your savior in your HEART and walking with the Lord; talk is cheap.

Let’s look at David’s prayer to God; King David who accomplished much greatness and victory humbly gives all glory and credit to God. “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? You have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men, O Lord God. What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant, O Lord….There is no one like you, O Lord, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.”(1Chronicles17:16-20) David prayed humbling himself, praising God, recognizing God’s blessings and accepting God’s decisions, promises and commands. It is so important to take the focus off what we don’t have and what we think we want and taking the time to praise God and to count our blessings and affirm our commitments to what he has already said for us to do. David had victory after victory; it would’ve been easy to have an enormous ego for all the power he had; but it shows that David took no credit. Don’t take credit for the work that God does. What has God given you? Dedicate your gifts to him and allow him to lead you in the ways he wants to use the gifts he gave you; the first step is your will. In surrendering your power and allowing him to Father you; your life will be full and your quest for “self-discovery” that is probably directing a self-centered and selfish life, will be transformed. To know God is to know yourself because we were created in God’s image. Seek Him and you will find Him and you.

There is a story about Hanun misreading David’s intentions and therefore brought disaster upon himself. This is a great lesson; Hanun was overly-suspicious. We have a tendency of misreading intentions all the time in our skepticism and over-suspicion. Because of past experiences, it is easy to be overly suspicious of others; questioning and second guessing motives. Even though it is important to be cautious and wise in dealing with others, we should not assume their every action is ill-intended. Hanun also spent enormous amounts of money and did whatever he needed to cover up a mistake instead of seeking forgiveness. Rather than becoming defensive, seek forgiveness and reconciliation as soon as you realize your mistake; you will save yourself and others a lot of pain and trouble.

The Bible says that Satan incited David to take a census (census not like in the Book of Numbers, but so David could take pride in the strength of the army). Can Satan force us to do wrong? The answer is No. Satan tempted David with the idea, but David DECIDED to ACT on the temptation. Since the Garden of Eden, Satan has been tempting people into sin. From David we can learn that an action in and of itself may be wrong if motivated by greed, arrogance, lust or selfishness. We should consider our motives before we act. If we feel self-sufficient and put confidence in ourselves apart from God, we soon fall to Satan’s schemes. When you are tempted to do something, examine your inner desires to understand why the external temptation is so appealing. When David realized his sin, he took full responsibility, admitted he was wrong, and asked God to forgive him. Sin has a domino effect; God will always forgive our sins and will often intervene to make their bitter consequences less severed, but the scars will remain. Thinking before acting can help save us much pain and suffering.

David made an offering, “I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing. “(1Chronicles 21:22-24) The word sacrifice implies giving something that costs the giver in terms of self, time or money. To make a sacrifice requires more than a gift. Giving voluntarily pleases God; giving what costs nothing does not demonstrate commitment. This is an important concept to consider even in our relationships with others. Compromise is different from sacrifice. A good match is not made if your life is spent compromising because your views, beliefs, morals, hobbies, etc are so mismatched; rather sacrifice for those we love is a measure of our unconditional love for them.

When David wanted to build the temple, he graciously accepted God’s “no” and made preparations for his son Solomon who was chosen by God to build His temple. We should take steps now to prepare the way for our children to find and fulfill God’s purpose. Eventually, our children will have to make their own decisions, but we can help by supplying them with the proper tools: showing them how to pray and study God’s word, the difference between right and wrong, and the importance of giving service. Aspiring to be a man or woman of God is a profound description; it means that one’s life reflects God’s presence, priorities, and power.

Order and structure in our lives can free us to respond to God. When we have wisely planned in advance, such order brings glory to God as we experience the joy, freedom and calm that come when we plan ahead. Utilize this idea in our decisions regarding our businesses; are we working to survive in the rat race with little time to devote to God and our families, or are we building assets to pass down through generations that allow us the time and freedom to give to God and to others.

There is more to prophesying than predicting the future. Prophesy also involves signing God’s praises and preaching God’s messages. Prophets could be musicians, farmers, wives or leaders- anyone who boldly and accurately spoke out for God and tried to bring people back to Him.

The teachings of Scripture are the keys to security, happiness, and justice, but you’ll never discover them unless you search God’s word. The gifts God gave to us are not for us; they are to serve others; most of us hold our gifts to ourselves.

“The Lord searches every heart…” (1Chronicles 28:9) Nothing can be hidden from God. He sees and understands everything in our hearts. It makes no sense to try to hide any thoughts or actions from an all knowing God. God knows even the worst about us and loves us anyway. Fear can immobilize us. Don’t focus on fear; get to work. Getting started is often the most difficult and scary part of a job. For instance, a church doesn’t have to be a building with a pastor; church means people. How can your life be better used to tell the world about God? Example is the best way to open the eyes of others.