Double Heart

Double Heart

Today’s Reading – 1 Chronicles 11 – 12 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers Read – John 11 – 12; Psalms 46 – 50; Proverbs 10)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 47:1

Read the “0510 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Read a previous post from this passage – “God Spotted Him First

“Of Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, with all instruments of war, fifty thousand, which could keep rank: they were not of double heart.” (1 Chronicles 12:33)

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. (James 1:5-8)

1 Chronicles 11 and 12 tell us about all of the brave and mighty men that recognized the call of God upon David, and followed him as he lead the people of God. In a previous post from this passage, I discussed the fact that it took a long time for the nation of Israel to realize that God’s hand was upon David. It actually took about twenty years from the time that Samuel anointed David to the time that the people anointed him as their king. However, there were some men from all of the tribes of Israel that God raised up to follow David, and these men were known as “David’s Mighty Men”. They were strong, brave, and well trained and equipped for the battles. They were also fiercely loyal to David, because they knew that David was God’s anointed.

1 Chronicles 12:33 contains an interesting description about the men of Zebulun that followed David. It says, “they were not of double heart”. That is a great phrase. It means that these men were not wishy-washy in what they believed and where they stood. They were completely committed to their cause. They loved and served David because they knew that he was the man ordained of God to lead the people, and they were not ashamed of him.

In this passage, David is a wonderful picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. As Christians, we serve Christ, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Our loyalties ought not be divided. We need to fully commit and surrender  to the Lord. Let’s not be double-hearted, or double-minded. Let us yield to Him completely, wholly. There are so many things in this world that lure our loyalty away from the Lord. We need to be more like these men of Zebulun, completely devoted to our King.

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” (1 John 2:15-17)


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What Have They Done?

tough-decisions-ahead

Today’s Passage – 1 Chronicles 19 – 22 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

Second Milers also read – John 17 – 18; Psalms 61 – 65; Proverbs 13

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34:6

Read the “0513 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Read previous posts from today’s passage in 1 Chronicles – “Get Busy” and “The Threshingfloor of Ornan

“And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel. And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it…. And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel.” (1 Chronicles 21:1 – 2. 7)

“Go and tell David, saying, Thus saith the LORD, I offer thee three things: choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Choose thee: Either three years’ famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the LORD, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me. And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall now into the hand of the LORD; for very great are his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man.” (1 Chronicles 21:10 – 13)

“And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, O LORD my God, be on me, and on my father’s house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued.” (1 Chronicles 21:17)

In our reading passage today from 1 Chronicles 21, we see that David made a very bad leadership decision to number the people of Israel. His purpose for doing this was to determine the strength of his army. God was very displeased with this decision because David was not supposed to trust in the strength of his numbers and the size of his military force; he was supposed to trust in God. David should have known better. He had already seen many miraculous victories wrought by God even when Israel was facing substantially superior forces. David should have known that it didn’t matter how many people he had on his side, because if God was with him, he had all that he needed.

David’s decision resulted in the deaths of 70,000 people. My thought from this is that the decisions made by leaders affect many people and therefore ought to be taken very seriously. David was even warned by Joab not to number the people, but he did it anyway. He yielded to Satan (v. 1), instead of listening to wise counsel and submitting to God. People who are given a position of leadership must not take their responsibility lightly. They need to make sure that every decision they make is according to the will of God. It would do leaders well to stop and pray before making any major decisions, and wait until they are sure that they have the mind of God.

You and I are all leaders in some respect. I lead a church, and a family. Nearly everybody will be called upon to lead others in some capacity. We need to be very careful about the decisions that we make. I have already made many bad decisions in my ministry that have hurt people, but I don’t want to hurt anybody else. I need to heed my own advice here and take very seriously my position, and very prayerfully make decisions that will be a blessing to the people I love and minister to.

By the way. If the decisions of our leaders are so important, and can affect our lives in such tangible ways, it would certainly be good for us to pray for our leaders, and encourage them to follow God in everything they do. We have many people that lead us in all areas of our lives. There are leaders in the family, in the church, and in our government. These folks will decide things that will either help us or hinder us, so we had better help them by praying for them, and supporting them as they follow the Lord.


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Who Were The Nethinims?

 

Today’s Reading – 1 Chronicles 9 – 10 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers Read – John 9 – 10; Psalms 41 – 45; Proverbs 9)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34:6

Read the “0509 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Read another post from this passage – “Too Big for His Britches

 “Now the first inhabitants that dwelt in their possessions in their cities were, the Israelites, the priests, Levites, and the Nethinims.” (1Chronicles 9:2)

I decided to do a little study on these people and I discovered that the Nethinims were a group of people that were actually slaves or servants to the Israelites. The Gibeonites were such a people (see Joshua 9). Apparently these folks were assigned to serve the Levites in the temple. These folks are mentioned by name several times; but only in two other books of the Bible: Ezra, and Nehemiah. It is apparent that the books of the Chronicles were actually written after the captivity years, and may have actually been written by Ezra. Nevertheless, it appears that these Nethenims existed as bondservants before the captivity, early in Israel’s history; and then chose to retain their position as servants in the temple when the Israelites returned to the land from Persia.

These Nethenims must have been a dedicated people to willingly be slaves to the God of Israel and servants to the Levites in His temple. I would like to be that kind of a servant. Not the guy with the robes on that is always in front of the people; but the guy who just loves and humbly serves the Lord; the Lord’s House; and the Lord’s people. Would to God we had more Nethenims today in our churches who are willing to work behind the scenes; people who are willing to quietly serve the Lord without the applause and honor of men.

 


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We Thank Thee, and Praise Thy Glorious Name

Today’s Reading – 1 Chronicles 28 – 29 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers Read – Acts 1 – 3Psalms 76 – 80Proverbs 16)

Scripture Memorization for May – Romans 10

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –  Psalm 92:1

Read a great article by Pastor Cary Schmidt – “Unbelieving Believers

Read the “0516 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Read a previous post from this passage – “Preparing for the Next Generation

“Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.” (1 Chronicles 29:10-13)

“But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. … O LORD our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own.” (1 Chronicles 29:14, 16)

In our reading today, we see King David making all of the final preparations for the building of the temple and for the transition of power to his son, Solomon. David wanted to build the temple himself, but because of the blood that he had shed through the many battles he fought for Israel, God would not permit it. It was God’s will for Solomon to build the House of God. However, this did not stop David from doing everything he could to prepare for the construction. David prepared for it, planned it, and provided all of the materials and manpower that would be necessary for Solomon to finish it.

Notice, however, in the verses above, David’s prayer to God. Though David had been very busy doing the work necessary for the preparation of the Temple, he still gave all of the glory to the Lord, and did not attempt to steal any of the praise that was due to the Lord. David was willing and faithful to obey and serve the Lord, but in the end it was God who worked through David. Notice that David said that all of the materials that were given to build the temple had been given to them in the first place by the Lord.

Everything we have, we were given by the Lord. Everything we do, we do because the Lord has equipped us, and enabled us to do it. Everything we are, we are because of the Lord. He deserves all of the praise, honor, and glory. I often tell our church, when we mess up it’s our fault; but when we get things right, it is simply because we got out of God’s way, and let Him work through us.

“Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” (Psalms 29:2)

“Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.” (Psalms 66:2)

“I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” (Isaiah 42:8)


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Many Members, Working Together as One Body

Today’s Reading – 1 Chronicles 26 – 27 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers Read – John 21,  Psalm 71 – 75Proverbs 15)

Scripture Memorization for May – Romans 10

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –  Psalm 89:1

Read a great article by Pastor Cary Schmidt – “Unbelieving Believers

Read the “0515 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Among these were the divisions of the porters, even among the chief men, having wards one against another, to minister in the house of the LORD. (1 Chronicles 26:12)

In today’s passage we see the list of countless names of people who labored behind the scenes in the temple, and in the kingdom during the reign of David. When we think of the temple, we think of Solomon primarily, because it was he whom God chose to assemble it; or we may think of David, because he was the one who made most of the preparations for it. However, we can see from these passages that there were literally thousands of people laboring behind the scenes that made the ministry that went on in the temple possible, as well as in the rest of the kingdom.

In a local church, we sometimes think that it is primarily the pastor who makes everything happen. While the office of the pastor is an important position, he is just one member of a body made up of many. He may be the most visible, but there are so many other people whose participation is necessary in order to accomplish the work of God. Our church is small in number, but even in a church our size, there are many people laboring, some completely behind the scenes, who are vital parts of the ministry. Think with me for a moment about all of the different duties that must be performed in order for our church to function as it should. There are soul winners who get the message of the gospel to the community; disciplers who mentor and instruct those who have trusted Christ; there are Sunday School teachers, ushers, greeters, audio/vidio people, choir members, song leaders, musicians, bus drivers and workers, maintenance people, and administrators. These people and the work that they do are all important to the cause of Christ.

Romans 12 talks about some of the gifts given to us by the Lord that are to be used by us in His service:

“For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.” (Romans 12:4-8)

1 Corinthians 12 also instructs regarding the different members of the body, though many of the individual gifts spoken of in this chapter were sign gifts that were given to believers during the transitional period in the first century, and are no longer available today:

“Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6)

” For the body is not one member, but many.” (1 Corinthians 12:14)

“But now are they many members, yet but one body.” (1 Corinthians 12:20)

“Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” (1 Corinthians 12:27)

God has something to do for everyone in the local church. I was recently criticized for preaching too much about what we need to do for the Lord, but as I see it, there is a lot that needs to be done. Yes, it is God which works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure, but we still need to be submissive and obedient to His plan for our life. We often quote from Ephesians 2:8 & 9 regarding the fact that it is solely through the grace of God that we are saved, but the next verse teaches us that we are saved and equipped to work.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)

Christian, let me encourage you to find out what your unique gifts are, and also admonish you to use those gifts for the glory of the Lord Jesus, in the service of the local church.

“Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;” (Philippians 1:27)


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Check With God First

Today’s Reading –  1 Chronicles 16 – 18 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers Read – John 15 – 16;Psalms 56 – 60; Proverbs 12)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –  Psalm 51

Read the “0512 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“Now it came to pass, as David sat in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in an house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD remaineth under curtains. Then Nathan said unto David, Do all that is in thine heart; for God is with thee. And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying,” – (1 Chronicles 17:1-3)

In our text this morning, in chapter 17, we read about King David’s desire to build a permanent temple for the Lord in Jerusalem. Up until this point the ark of the Lord, and the corporate worship of God by the nation of Israel took place in a tabernacle, which was basically a tent. The tabernacle was built during the time of the wilderness wanderings of Israel after God brought them out of Egypt. The tabernacle dwelt in Shiloh for a while, and then it was eventually moved to Jerusalem. David’s desire was to build the temple, and this was a good desire. His heart was right; he wanted to do something to please the Lord. He inquired with Nathan the prophet in order to find out if it was the will of God. Nathan thought that building the temple was a good idea too, so he told David to “Do all that is in thine heart”. However, we see that God had a different plan.

My thought this morning is that we ought to check with God first before we make big decisions. In our story Nathan gives David the green light for building without having asked God about it. Nathan never would have done this if what David was asking was a bad thing or even a questionable thing, but because it was a good thing, he didn’t feel the need to go to God. What happens? God has to go to him, and tell him to go back to David and tell him that he will not be building a temple for him. God did want a temple built eventually, but he didn’t want David to do it. Solomon, his son, would be the one to build the temple for the Lord.

The bottom line to my thought this morning is to challenge us to ask before we act. If you have a decision to make, and the thing that you want to do is not against the revealed will of God (the Bible), check with Him before you do it, just to be sure it is His perfect will. If after you ask Him He doesn’t stop you, then you can go ahead with your plan; but be willing to let Him close the door whenever He wishes. It has been my experience here at Jersey Shore Baptist Church, that I have gotten myself into more trouble because I have done “good” things that were not God’s perfect will.


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Valiant Men

Today’s Reading – 1 Chronicles 7 – 8 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers Read – John 7 – 8Psalms 36 – 40Proverbs 8)

Scripture Memorization for May – Romans 10

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –  Psalm 34

Read a great article by Pastor Pastor Cary Schmidt – “Stop Worrying

Read the “0508 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“And the sons of Tola; Uzzi, and Rephaiah, and Jeriel, and Jahmai, and Jibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their father’s house, to wit, of Tola: they were valiant men of might in their generations; whose number was in the days of David two and twenty thousand and six hundred.” – (1 Chronicles 7:2)

1 Chronicles 7 contains the genealogies of several of the tribes of Israel, and lists many of the heads of the families that were alive when the Israelites were moving into the Promised Land during and after the time of Joshua. As you will recall, this land was full of the enemies of God’s people, and they all had to be removed from the land. In addition to the above verse, four times in this passage of Scripture the phrase “men of valour” is used to describe these men. I looked up the word “valour” in the dictionary, and it defines it as great courage in the face of danger. Some of the synonyms listed in the thesaurus for the word “valour” are bravery, courage, pluck, nerve, and fearlessness. I admire men who rise to the challenge and are willing to risk their lives for a greater cause than their own personal safety. God raised up these “men of valour” in Israel at a time when the people of God were facing incredible obstacles while claiming the inheritance that God had given them.

I remember the daring assault by the US Navy Seals in Pakistan which resulted in the removal of Usama bin Laden. These Seals are incredibly brave men, who are often asked to put their lives in great danger for the cause of liberty. I am very thankful for men who will lay their own safety on the line so that my family is kept safe. In a few weeks we will be observing Memorial Day. For many years this holiday meant little to me. For the most part it was a day for hamburgers, hot dogs, and potato salad; and a time to have barbecues or picnics with friends and family. But as I get older, and I look at my children and the opportunities they have here in this great nation, my mind is forced to think about the brave men and women who made it all possible for us. I would like to thank all of you who might be reading this thought this morning, who may have served our nation in the armed forces. You are truly men and women of valour.

As I was reflecting on my admiration of the men from this passage, and my appreciation for the men and women in America who keep us free, I was also challenged to consider what my contributions have been to make our country a better place. What sacrifices have I been willing to make so that life could be better for my family and neighbors? I want my life to make a difference as well. I don’t think that I will ever be called upon to go into a physical battle against some opposing army, but perhaps I can do some spiritual battle with the forces of darkness. I can also sacrifice some of my time, talent, and treasures to help people in a tangible way. Maybe there is something that you can do as well.


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His name is “Mudd”

Today’s Reading – 1 Chronicles 1 – 2 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers Read – John 1 – 2Psalms 21 – 25Proverbs 5)

Scripture Memorization for May – Romans 10

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –  Psalm 18:3 & 46

Read a great article by Pastor Pastor Cary Schmidt – “Stop Worrying

Read the “0505 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

I must be completely honest with you and tell you that it was a little bit challenging finding a thought to write about from today’s portion of Scripture. The first few chapters of 1 Chronicles contain some very necessary information regarding the genealogical record of Israel. Though this information is important, it can also be very tedious to wade through; but we must not skip over passages of Scripture such as these. If you are searching for a nugget of truth, God will always get one to you, even in passages like this. So hang in there. By the way, eventually 1 Chronicles will become a very exciting book to read.

My thought this morning comes from chapter 2 and verse 7. In the middle of the genealogical record, there is a comment made about one of the listed men, Achar. He is called here “the troubler of Israel”. The story behind this man can be found in Johsua 7. He is called Achan there; and we find that he is the man that stole some gold and silver and a “goodly Babylonish garment” from the city of Jericho during Israel’s invasion of that city. The problem was that God told the Israelites that they were not supposed to touch anything in that city, but Achan could not resist. As a result, God’s judgment fell upon the whole nation of Israel, and they lost the next military battle with many innocent men being killed in the battle. Later, when Achan’s sin was discovered, he and his family were all put to death. The bottom line to this whole story is that Achan was probably a good man who yielded to a temptation, and the result was death and sorrow for a lot of people, and a reputation that will follow him for all eternity. His name will forever be “Mud”.

I want to challenge all of us to consider for a moment our own reputation, and the affect that our reputation will have on our family members. I understand that none of us is without sin, and I am not trying to rub salt on old wounds; but I am trying to get us to carefully consider the affect that some future sin will have on our reputations. When people here your name in the future what will they say about you? Will they say that you were a moral, honest, hard-working individual; or will their be negative thoughts that surround your reputation? By the way, if your reputation is less than perfect today, you still have time to change it.

Interesting side note on the expression “his name is mud”. It seems to have become popular as a result of a doctor named Samuel Mudd (pictured above) who treated and helped John Wilkes Booth after he broke his leg jumping down from the balcony in the Ford’s Theater, after his assassination of President Lincoln. Mudd was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, though he was later parolled by President Andrew Johnson.


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Preparing for the Next Generation

Today’s Passage – 1 Chronicles 28 – 29

Second Milers also read – Acts 1 – 3; Psalms 76 – 80; Proverbs 16

Scripture Memory for May – Psalm 51

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 51

“Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people: As for me, I had in mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and for the footstool of our God, and had made ready for the building:” – (1 Chronicles 28:2)

In today’s passage in, 1 Chronicles, we see David making all of the preparations for the building of the temple in Jerusalem. David would not be the one who would assemble all of the pieces together and produce the final product, as that job would be given to his son, Solomon. But David did everything else. When Solomon took over as king he had everything that he needed in order to complete the project.

In these two chapters we have seen that David did the following in order to prepare for the building of the Temple:

1  He planned it. David supervised over the drawing of the blueprints for the Temple

“Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat, And the pattern of all that he had by the spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things: Also for the courses of the priests and the Levites, and for all the work of the service of the house of the LORD, and for all the vessels of service in the house of the LORD.” – (1 Chronicles 28:11-13)

2  He provided for it.

David provided for all of the gold, silver, brass, wood, and other materials. Everything that was needed to build the temple was provided for by David. Solomon did not have to gather any of the building materials, they were all ready to go.

3  He prayed for it.

Notice David’s prayer for Solomon and the temple in 1 Chronicle 29:10 – 19.

I think the temple should be called David’s temple. He did all of the hard work. Solomon really had the easy part. Why should he get all of the credit?

I see in this passage a picture of what God wants us to do for future generations. We are to plan, provide, and pray for the generation that is following behind us. When they arrive, they can then build upon the foundation that we have laid. Too bad Solomon didn’t continue building after he built the temple. If you study Solomon’s life you will see that he will eventually start squandering all of the things that were handed to him. He will forsake many of the things his father fought and worked for to provide for him. What a shame. We need to remember to take the things that others have built for us, and preserve them; and then build upon them so that we can deliver them to the next generation.


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Working Behind the Scenes

Today’s Passage – 1 Chronicles 26 – 27

Second Milers also read – John 21, Acts 1; Psalm 71 – 75; Proverbs 15

Scripture Memory for May – Psalm 51

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 48:1 & 2

In today’s passage we see the list of countless names of people who labored behind the scenes in the temple, and in the kingdom during the reign of David. When we think of the temple, we think of Solomon primarily, because it was he whom God chose to assemble it; or we may think of David, because he was the one who made most of the preparations for it. However, we can see from these passages that there were literally thousands of people laboring behind the scenes that made the ministry that went on in the temple possible, as well as in the rest of the kingdom.

The picture above is of my wife Cindy. She was working the visitor center during the “Are You Happy?” campaign last year. Her labor helped make that big day possible. There were many other people who labored that day as well. There people who greeted, and there were ushers. There were people who worked the sound booth, and people who controlled the screens in the front of the church. There were people who sang in the choir, and peple who played the instruments of music. There were people who passed out invitations all over town, and people who invited their friends and neighbors. There were people who cleaned the building, and people who made sure the grounds and parking lot were just right. These people all labored behind the scenes that day, and without their effort, none of it would have been possible. We may not notice all of the people who labor behind the scenes, but as we can see from this passage, God doesn’t forget them.


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