Skip to main content

Leaving Something Behind



          What do you do when people say “no” to you?   Generally speaking, most people react in one of two ways:  Either they get mad or they pout.  King David chooses a third option and that choice changes everything.

            In 2 Samuel 7:2, David states, “Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent”.  He decides to fix that problem by building a place to worship God.  In fact, he wants to build a temple that is so beautiful that everyone will know, just by looking at it, how wonderful God is and how good he has been to his people. 

            There was just one problem with David’s plan:  God says “no”. 

            In fact, God says that David has shed too much blood in war, so the job of building this temple was going to fall to David’s son, Solomon, instead (1 Chronicles 22:8).  David’s reaction to this news is not only Godly, but I think it is also a reminder to God’s people for all time.  Rather than saying, “Well, I tried!” and quitting, David decides that he is going to gather all the material for the temple so that Solomon’s job is easier. 

            1 Chronicles 22 states that, “David gave orders to… prepare dressed stone for building the house of God. He provided a large amount of iron to make nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, and more bronze than could be weighed. He also provided more cedar logs than could be counted…  [David also gathered] a hundred thousand talents of gold [that is approximately 3,450 metric tons], a million talents of silver [about 34,500 metric tons], quantities of bronze and iron too great to be weighed, and wood and stone” (Verses 2-4 and 14).

            I love the fact that David was able to think “long term” and that he was able to be generous so that others could benefit.  He gave extravagantly to build something that he would never even see.  He gave his best and that helped the next generation to find and worship God.  I imagine that every time Solomon went to the temple, he remembered, not only his God, but his Dad’s faithfulness, as well. 

            David spent the last part of his life making sure that the next generation knew and remembered the God who loved and cared for them.  He left a legacy of faith that was real and visible.

            That all makes me wonder:  What is our legacy going to be?  What are we leaving for the next generation?  What will we be remembered for?

            You can be “David” for someone.   

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

 What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly.  https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s    
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This: What is so Great About Grace?

If you were to drive by our house, you would see that Sara loves plants.  Our yard is full of flowers, and Sara lovingly tends every one of them. Which is why I was so afraid when she left town and put me in charge of keeping things alive. She must have been a little concerned, too, because she sent me two videos with specific instructions on how to water, when to water, and what to do.  Honestly, those first two videos helped, but the third one she sent was the one I liked most.  In that one, she said, “Please do your best. I want the yard to look good for the family reunion in two weeks.  However, if something dies, we will dig it out and pretend that it never existed!” That is what grace looks like!  Try your best, do what you can, but if it goes wrong, it will be ok. Sometimes we talk as though grace and effort are opposites.  That is not true.  They are partners. In one place, scripture asks, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone c...
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This: Press The Button!

  Consider This:  Press the Button! My favourite TV game show is Jeopardy.  I used to like it even more when my kids were younger, because I could easily beat them and look smart.  These days, after they have grown up and gone to university, it is much more difficult.  However, Jeopardy is still the only game show I will watch. In a book I read, a contestant who did very well on the show shared the secret to his success.  He said (and I am paraphrasing here), “You must press the button before you know the answer.  Everyone on Jeopardy is smart. Everyone knows the answer. The key to winning is to act.  You must jump in and press the button, assuming that your brain will catch up and supply the answer.  If you wait until you are sure, you will be too late!” Press the button! Too often, we hesitate, not because we do not know what to do, but because we do not want to do it.  Sometimes, we fail to act because we are not sure how the situatio...
Post a Comment
Read more