Friday Devo
Scripture:
1 Chronicles 29
10 Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly:
“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. 12 Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.
13 “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! 14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! 15 We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.
16 “O Lord our God, even this material we have gathered to build a Temple to honor your holy name comes from you! It all belongs to you! 17 I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously.
18 “O Lord, the God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make your people always want to obey you. See to it that their love for you never changes. 19 Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands, laws, and decrees, and to do everything necessary to build this Temple, for which I have made these preparations.”
20 Then David said to the whole assembly, “Give praise to the Lord your God!” And the entire assembly praised the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they bowed low and knelt before the Lord and the king.
10 Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly:
“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. 12 Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.
13 “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! 14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! 15 We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.
16 “O Lord our God, even this material we have gathered to build a Temple to honor your holy name comes from you! It all belongs to you! 17 I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously.
18 “O Lord, the God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make your people always want to obey you. See to it that their love for you never changes. 19 Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands, laws, and decrees, and to do everything necessary to build this Temple, for which I have made these preparations.”
20 Then David said to the whole assembly, “Give praise to the Lord your God!” And the entire assembly praised the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they bowed low and knelt before the Lord and the king.
Commentary:
29:10–19 David’s great prayer of praise and supplication marks the climax of his reign. Israel’s king praises God for his universal kingdom and recognizes him as the source of all wealth and strength (vv. 10–13). Indeed, even the generosity of David and the people in providing for the temple comes from God himself (vv. 14, 16). They depend entirely on God for their security and well-being, and even in the Promised Land they are strangers and sojourners before God (v. 15). David then reflects that God examines the human heart for uprightness or integrity (v. 17), a further indication that the Chronicler cares above all for the inner reality of faith. David concludes by praying that God will keep the people in the same purpose and mind as they have shown this day, and will give to Solomon a whole heart in obedience to God’s commandments (vv. 18–19).
29:18 Wholehearted commitment comes ultimately with the perfection of Christ (Heb. 10:7–10) and the change of the heart that he works in us in the new covenant (Heb. 10:16–17).
29:18 Wholehearted commitment comes ultimately with the perfection of Christ (Heb. 10:7–10) and the change of the heart that he works in us in the new covenant (Heb. 10:16–17).
Questions:
- The bottom line is, our DEVOTION determines DIRECTION. We've talked a lot about where we give from, and how it's all about what's in our hearts. We should constantly be examining our heart's direction and reconsecrating ourselves to the Lord. The challenge on Sunday was, "ALL ALL IN..." not some giving all or all giving some, but ALL of us ALL IN. Our church is a story of how groups of people have come together at different points in our history to give their all in order to see the Lord move in and through us. It's time for a NEW core group of people at The City that are filled with DEVOTION for their God and that are willing to get uncomfortable and give their all. We all want to get to the end of our lives and know that we did more than just pay bills, occupy space and consume resources. God has given us all a desire to live for something bigger than us.. that is, the glory of God! What is He speaking to you today? Is there a lack of trust in God when it comes to money? Does there need to be a shift in priorities? Where are you holding back? And what are you going to do about it?
- Clayton had us all read a generosity prayer out loud together on Sunday. Pray this prayer as you close your time today:
Heavenly Father, there is nothing we have that You have not given us. All we have and all we are belong to You, bought with the blood of Jesus. To spend selfishly and to give without sacrifice is the way of the world, but generosity is the way of those who call Christ their Lord. So, help us increase in generosity so that there is no needy person among us, we can equip the saints in our church and the gospel can go to all nations. Help us be trustworthy with such a little thing as money that You may trust us with true riches. Above all, help us to be generous because You, Father, are generous. May we show what You are like to all the world. Amen.
Prayer Topics:
- That God would continue to transform your heart when it comes to generosity.
- That you would show the world what God is like.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
2. Are there sources outside the Bible that confirm the Biblical account of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead? Many Roman and Jewish historians have confirmed that the apostles died as martyrs for preaching that they saw Jesus risen from the grave. No one dies for something they know to be a lie.
(Luke 1:1-4; Acts 26:26; 1 John 1:1-4, Josephus, Clement, Hegesippus, Tertullian, Origen, Polycarp)
(Luke 1:1-4; Acts 26:26; 1 John 1:1-4, Josephus, Clement, Hegesippus, Tertullian, Origen, Polycarp)
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