As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands the intention of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. Realize now that the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary. Be strong and do it.” 1 Chronicles 28:9-10 HCSB
Then David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God is with you. He won’t leave you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the LORD’s house is finished. 1 Chronicles 28:20 HCSB
David loved the LORD. He was considered to be a man after God’s own heart. But when he wanted to build a temple for the LORD, God told him no. He told David that his son Solomon would be his successor on the throne and would build the temple. God showed David how He wanted the temple built, perhaps through a vision, and David made all the preparations for it. Solomon was young and inexperienced when he became king, but God had given David a blueprint so to speak and had laid out how everything should be done. David had given Solomon the plans for the temple. He had also gathered all the materials and workers. All Solomon had to do was act. He had to get the job done. David knows this will be a massive undertaking. He also knows that God will be right there walking with Solomon through the building of the temple. He is telling Solomon that all has been laid out for him, but he must see to it that the job gets done.
We too are called to build a temple. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 says, “Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s sanctuary and that the Spirit of God lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s sanctuary, God will destroy him; for God’s sanctuary is holy, and that is what you are.” In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 it says, “Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought for a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body.
Our pastor reminded us yesterday that the building in which we gather to worship is the church house. We, the members are the church. Jesus resides in our hearts and our bodies are God’s holy temple. Building a temple is a monumental task, but God doesn’t ask us to do it without His help. He has given us written instructions through His Holy Word. He has provided all we need. But we must do the work. We must trust in Him. We must be obedient. He has given us clear instructions. It’s up to us to follow the instructions and get the work done.
God also sent His Son, Jesus Christ to model Christian behavior and be an example to show us how to get the work done. Back in Exodus, chapter 20, God gave us the Ten Commandments. These are the rules we should follow. In Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus tells us to remember to love Him with our whole heart and love others as we love ourselves as in doing so, we will keep the Ten Commandments. He is tempted. He resists temptation by standing on God’s word. He lives a life without sin. But most importantly He died on the cross to save us from our sins.
Just as David did all the groundwork for Solomon and laid the plans out for him to follow, God has done the same for us. Building a temple is a big job and a very important one. We are not called to do it alone. We need God’s help. We need to accept Christ as our Savior and trust in Him. We need to have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us. We need to be His sanctuary. We are live our lives striving for righteousness. We build the temple by faith by trusting in Him and obeying His commands. We reach perfection and construction is completed when we are in heaven for eternity with God. Here on earth, we will always be a project under construction. We must never stop building.
You are called to build a temple. So, I ask you today, how’s the construction going? If it’s not going so well, turn to God today. He will help you. You need only ask.
Have a great day!