"Designed by God" May 21 Readings: 1 Kings 7-8, John 4:46–54, Psalm 65:8–13, Proverbs 13:15-16

 

 

Reading the Bible in 2023

Each day this year we will read a selection from the Old Testament, the New Testament, a portion of the Psalms, and part of Proverbs. By the end of the year, you will have read the entire Bible. We read this way to give you a bit of variety. In reading four portions of God's word in a day, one of them is bound to speak to your life!

NOTE: if you get behind, do not give up. Read today's readings and try to catch up when you have a chance. The goal is not to "accomplish a task" but to meet God in his word. Read the word. Also, if you are short on time, READ GOD'S WORD and skip my devotional!

Bible Readings: 1 Kings 7-8, John 4:46–54, Psalm 65:8–13, Proverbs 13:15-16

    Scriptures linked to Bible Gateway in ESV version 

Daily Devotional: Designed by God 

Solomon built a magnificent structure. The temple in Jerusalem was by all accounts among the more impressive buildings of the time. And Solomon was clearly among the most impressive people. His fame spread far and wide. He was rich, powerful, honored; the wisest man on earth.

And this magnificent temple was his creation. His people did the work. What part had God played in it all? Scripture records no miracles during the building. It did not spring suddenly from the earth. There was no divinely empowered reversal of Jericho - where the walls came a tumbling UP! No, it was hard work - the blood, sweat, and tears of thousands of nameless men who produced this house of worship.

And yet, as it was being completed, Solomon prayed a prayer in which he sought God's blessing and gave God the credit. In 1 Kings 8:15, he says,

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who with his hand has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to David my father.

He is giving thanks to God and praising him. He continues throughout the chapter to give honor and glory to God for all that he has done. Why is Solomon so careful to give God credit for that which he himself built? He realized something important. 

He understood that ultimately, the temple's design was initiated by God for the purposes of God. This was something that originated in the heart of God. The only projects in life worth doing are those that originate in the heart of God. He only blesses that which he begins. Solomon knew that the temple was a GOD-project and that even though his own labors had contributed, ultimately it was something that was birthed in the heart of God. 

The things you are doing, the goals of your life, your purposes, and projects - where did they begin? If they are your own, they will have no eternal impact or import. Only that which begins in the heart of God is significant. 

Solomon also understood that his project was worth nothing unless God inhabited the temple. As the glory of the Lord dwelt in the Tabernacle, he desired that the fire would fall on the temple. As with Moses and the tent in the wilderness, he did everything "just as God commanded." And in this passage, he seeks the blessing and presence of God to come among his people and to guide them. And we will see that God does, in fact, send his glory into the temple. 

God sends his presence and power among the obedient and accomplishes his will through them. Are God's power and presence dwelling among you? Are you walking in submission and obedience that he might use you in his work? 

When our lives are lived on God's agenda and we are walking in obedience to him, the glory of the Lord descends upon us and we are changed, empowered, and used for his purposes. As God inhabited the Temple in Jerusalem, may his glory inhabit and empower us. 

This is what Solomon knew that caused him to seek God. Yes, he built the temple. But he knew that without the presence of God, without the glory of the Lord, it would all mean nothing. 

Father, fill me with your glory as I walk in submission to you!

 

Consider God's Word:

Did one of these passages speak strongly to you today? Which one? 

Is there sin in your life that needs to be confessed and dealt with that was revealed in one of these passages? 

Is there a struggle in your life that one of these passages spoke to? 

What is God's agenda for your life?
Remember that your life must be constructed by him, designed by him.