Today’s Podcast
Today’s Scriptures
Today’s Bible reading plans include:
Ready – 1 Chronicles 28:8-21
Set – 1 Chronicles 28; Psalms 91; 1 Thessalonians 5
Go! – 1 Kings 1; 1 Chronicles 28; Psalms 91; 1 Thessalonians 5
1 Chronicles 28:8-21
David: 8 To you, my officials, follow the laws of the Eternal One your God as a witness to your neighbors (all Israel who are the assembly of the Eternal) and in the sight of our God so that you will retain this land and be able to pass it to your descendants forever.9 To you, my son Solomon, maintain a relationship with the God of your father and serve Him with a complete heart in all your thoughts and actions. The Eternal searches all hearts for their desires and understands the intentions of every thought. If you search for Him as He searches you, then He will let you find Him. But if you abandon Him, then He will reject you forever. 10 Realize that the Eternal has chosen you to build a temple as a sanctuary. You must be resolute and do it!
11 After instructing Solomon, David gave him blueprints of the temple porch, its buildings, its storehouses, its upper rooms, its inner rooms, and the holy of holies for the covenant chest. 12 And David also gave Solomon the plans he had in mind for the courts of the temple of the Eternal, all the surrounding rooms, the storehouses of the temple of God, and the storehouses of the dedicated gifts. 13 David also provided lists of the divisions of the priests and Levites and the work of the service they would perform in the temple of the Eternal. David also described how the priests and Levites would treat all the utensils of service in the house of the Eternal: 14 the ideal weight of gold for all the golden utensils for every kind of service, the ideal weight of silver for all the silver utensils for every kind of service, 15 the ideal weight of gold for each of the golden lampstands and their golden lamps, the ideal weight of silver for each of the silver lampstands and their silver lamps, 16 the ideal weight of gold for each of the tables of unleavened bread, and the silver for the silver tables, 17 the ideal weight of pure gold for the forks, the basins, and the pitchers, the ideal weight of gold for each of the golden bowls, the ideal weight for each of the silver bowls, 18 the ideal weight of refined gold for the altar of incense, for the model of the chariot, and for the winged guardian whose wings covered the covenant chest of the Eternal.
David (to the assembly): 19 All of these instructions and details were written for me by the Eternal, who was guiding me.
(to Solomon) 20 Be strong, courageous, and effective. Do not fear or be dismayed. I know that the Eternal God, who is my God, is with you. He will not abandon you or forsake you until you have finished all the work for the temple of the Eternal. 21 You will be helped in finishing this service by the divisions of the priests and the Levites and by every willing man of any skill. The officials and all the people will be at your disposal for the completion of the temple.
Today’s Devotional
From today’s background scripture God might say:
David would soon pass from this life to the next. Before he did, he passed on some important lessons to Solomon, the next king of Israel. One of those instructions was, “If you search for Him as He searches you, then He will let you find Him. But if you abandon Him, then He will reject you forever.” I don’t hide from you. I’m not one who disappears and tries to stay hidden in the mist so that you can’t find Me. I tell you often in My word that when you look for Me, you will find Me.
I want you to look for Me though. I want you to make some effort to reach for Me. It doesn’t take much effort to find Me, but it does take some. I expect you to at least open your eyes and look at My creation. I expect you to at least ask some questions. I want you to at least desire Me enough to search a little so that I know you want to worship Me, to have a relationship with Me.
Think about our relationship this way. If in your relationship with others you initiate every call, you send every card, you provide every gift, you make every move, how healthy is the relationship? If the relationship is that one-sided, is there a relationship? That’s why I want you to seek Me. It’s not that I don’t love you, I’ve already proven that in creation. I’ve already shown that by giving you breath. I’ve proven My love for you in My death on the cross. So show Me your side of the relationship by seeking Me with your heart.
What effort will you give to find Me in the places you go? To whom will you give a cup of water to find Me in them? How will you look at creation to see My handiwork? Where will you find My strength today? When will you see Me high and lifted up among the lowly around you today? I am not far from you. I want to be found. Seek Me and I will reward your efforts.
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