“And Solomon, my son, get to know the God of your ancestors. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and with a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and understands and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. So take this seriously. The Lord has chosen you to build a Temple as his sanctuary. Be strong and do the work” (2 Chronicles 28:9-10 NLT).
…King David’s parting words to his son.
…King David’s life lessons presented in a short lecture.
…King David’s heartfelt desire for his son—the prince.
David did not assume his love for God would be inherited by his son. He did not conclude, because young Solomon had watched him worship, that his son knew, deep down, the reason and the exhilaration of worshiping himself. David did not assume the family would continue in godliness. He never took for granted that personal relationships with Yahweh would be carried on with the family name. David knew, and thus instructed; a relationship with God was not instinctive. He knew the drawing, the luring, the pull of the flesh.
So he made the effort to mention it to his son. He took the time to present the facts and push for the outcome he so desperately prayed for. He didn’t mind stepping on toes and pushing the envelope in an effort to instill godliness in his son.
And us? We need to heed the same advice:
…get to know God.
…worship Him with all you’ve got.
…serve him with all you can.
…understand He knows all about you.
…look for Him and expect to find Him.
…leave Him and you’ll lose.
…take a relationship with God seriously.
…you’ve been chosen to build yourself as a temple for Him to indwell.
…be strong.
…do the work.
Malinda Edgell
Illinois
PRAY TOGETHER: Today is Day 6 of 40 days of Prayer and Fasting with International Missions. Ask God to strengthen our Free Will Baptist churches around the world. Pray the fruit of the Spirit will be manifest in individual lives. Pray for discernment, purity, and honesty in every aspect of their lives. Ask God to make each congregation a lighthouse of His glory and grace.
“And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God” (Phillippians 1:9-10).
