Daily Scripture: 1 Chronicles 28:9 “As for you, Shlomo my son, know the God of your father. Serve him wholeheartedly and with desire in your being; for Adonai searches all hearts and understands all the inclinations of people’s thoughts. If you seek him, he will let himself be found by you; but if you abandon him, he will reject you forever. 10 See now that Adonai has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; so be strong, and do it!”
20 Then David said to Shlomo his son, “Be strong, be bold, and do it! Don’t be afraid or become discouraged! For Adonai, God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or abandon you until all the work for the service in the house of Adonai has been finished.
Reflection Questions:Israel's King David dreamed of building a temple for God, but believed God did not want his blood-stained hands to do that (cf. 1 Chronicles 28:2-6). Instead, he gathered the materials and treasure needed for the task. Then he charged his son, Solomon, to be brave and build the awe-inspiring Jerusalem Temple. Notice that, even in an absolute monarchy, David sensed that building the Temple would take courage and determination.
- David's charge to Solomon ("Be strong and courageous…Don't be afraid or discouraged") had many parallels in Scripture (cf. Deuteronomy 31:7-8, Joshua 1:5-9, 1 Corinthians 16:13). Does doing what God calls you to do still require strength and courage, even in tolerant 2015 America? How can you stay open to the inner strength you need to respond to God's call on your life?
- David also urged Solomon to "acknowledge your father's God and serve him with enthusiastic devotion, because the Lord searches every mind and understands the motive behind every thought." What does (or would) serving God with "enthusiastic devotion" look like in your day-to-day life? If God understands the motive behind every thought, what does that suggest about the value of learning to understand your own motives as clearly as possible?
O God, give me spiritual "ears" to hear your leading, courage to respond to your calling, and clarity to follow you for the right reasons. Amen.Insight from Donna Karlen
Donna Karlen serves in Communications at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection.
At our groundbreaking worship celebrations this past weekend, I moved back and forth alongside the construction fence capturing on camera the moments when people tied their prayer ribbons to the chain links. Young or old, big or small, by themselves or with a crowd of family or friends, everyone seemed eager to participate. It was pretty cool to see. (Check for photos and videos at #rezbuilding)
As I focused my camera in on some of the blue, turquoise and white ribbons flapping in the winter wind, the words written on one of them caught my eye. On the side where we were told to write a prayer for how God might use our church, someone had written: “I pray this church offers a place for someone who feels lost.” And on the side where we were to write the names of those we hoped the church would help was the simple word: “Me.” And next to it in parenthesis: “See other side.”
I had no idea which service the person who wrote this might have attended, but my eyes darted from face to face of those nearby – wondering was it that teenage girl or this elderly woman or the man heading out to his car? I said a silent prayer for this person – wishing I could do more – as I walked towards the church.
When I reflected later on the message written on that ribbon, I felt a helpless sadness. Then I thought about it in light of a sentence in today’s Bible passage: “If you seek him, he will be found by you.” The ribbon said: “I pray this church OFFERS a place for someone who feels lost.” And in that one present tense verb was this person’s hope – pure and raw – that he or she would findthe answer to their prayer at The Church of the Resurrection.
If you’re the person who wrote it – or maybe you’re feeling the same way – please know that Jesus came to save the lost. When you seek him, he WILL be found by you! (Resurrection would love to help you with your seeking. If you don’t know someone to talk to, you might start with www.cor.org/care.)
On my ribbon at the last groundbreaking worship celebration, I decided to write: “I pray this church offers a place for someone who feels lost.” And for the names of those who might be helped by Resurrection, I wrote: “See other side.”Church of the Resurrection
At our groundbreaking worship celebrations this past weekend, I moved back and forth alongside the construction fence capturing on camera the moments when people tied their prayer ribbons to the chain links. Young or old, big or small, by themselves or with a crowd of family or friends, everyone seemed eager to participate. It was pretty cool to see. (Check for photos and videos at #rezbuilding)
As I focused my camera in on some of the blue, turquoise and white ribbons flapping in the winter wind, the words written on one of them caught my eye. On the side where we were told to write a prayer for how God might use our church, someone had written: “I pray this church offers a place for someone who feels lost.” And on the side where we were to write the names of those we hoped the church would help was the simple word: “Me.” And next to it in parenthesis: “See other side.”
I had no idea which service the person who wrote this might have attended, but my eyes darted from face to face of those nearby – wondering was it that teenage girl or this elderly woman or the man heading out to his car? I said a silent prayer for this person – wishing I could do more – as I walked towards the church.
When I reflected later on the message written on that ribbon, I felt a helpless sadness. Then I thought about it in light of a sentence in today’s Bible passage: “If you seek him, he will be found by you.” The ribbon said: “I pray this church OFFERS a place for someone who feels lost.” And in that one present tense verb was this person’s hope – pure and raw – that he or she would findthe answer to their prayer at The Church of the Resurrection.
If you’re the person who wrote it – or maybe you’re feeling the same way – please know that Jesus came to save the lost. When you seek him, he WILL be found by you! (Resurrection would love to help you with your seeking. If you don’t know someone to talk to, you might start with www.cor.org/care.)
On my ribbon at the last groundbreaking worship celebration, I decided to write: “I pray this church offers a place for someone who feels lost.” And for the names of those who might be helped by Resurrection, I wrote: “See other side.”Church of the Resurrection
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224 United States
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