Good morning one and all
The European sun chasers have sprung forward at long last. (So, for those who communicate with me …). Today’s Holy Nougat invites us to engage with another kind of Son chaser.
“Solomon decided to build a Temple to honor the name of the Lord, and also a royal palace for himself.” 2 Chronicles 2:1 NLT
His father David had grand intentions for the building of the temple. It seemed right for him to offer God a sanctuary; but; despite David”s desire he was not authorized. Ironically, his son had the authorization, the connections and the passion to make it happen.
Perhaps his desire was fueled by his father. David was very clear that honoring God in that manner was to be Solomon’s priority. But, Solomon still had to make that decision for himself. He chose to prioritize worship at a time when all was well in the kingdom.
You and I, we also have a choice. So many life decisions are before us. Some related to tangible assets (like house and property and cars, etc); others related to the acquisition of capital (social, emotional, political or fiscal) to realize the acquisition of assets. It is good to desire such. It is also good to pursue such desires.
The challenge becomes real when in our narrow vision, we perceive that we must do one OR the other. Pursue our dreams or build a worship center for God – and yes, the building of worship centers is very urgent for each of us, unless we are satisfied with the state of the worship centers of our hearts.
Solomon shows us that the choice can be ‘both … and’. It is possible, desirable even, for any of us to pursue both desires – worship AND acquisition of assets and/or capital. Oh yes. Provided worshipping God is our priority.
And yes, building and maintenance of the physical temple is important. Equally important is attending (iron sharpening iron and all that). But when we determine to build that temple within and keep it functional – ongoing personal prayer and praise – oh la la! We would have tapped into God’s desire for us. And likely to be in full alignment with God’s will. That’s when we can expect God things to happen!
God guarantees that.
So as we chase after sunlight; let us choose to be very intentional about choosing to allow God’s Son to Light up our lives and world by ensuring that the temple within is ready for worship.
In Christ’s love and grace . . .
