It Is Not Building Churches

"Today in history class, we are going to learn about viking burial rituals..."

Hmmm...okay...

But really, did you know that when vikings were buried, all of their belongings were buried with them?  This obviously included precious valuables but also food, weapons, and jewelry (Matador Network).  

When life came to a close, what was important for them?  Possessions, belongings, things...

...stuff.  

And the reality of it is that they will never see those things again.  So if "stuff" isn't important, what is?

King David had just witnessed an amazing offering for the soon-to-be-temple.  He knew his reign and life were coming to a close and he offered a beautiful prayer to the Lord.  Below is just a snip-it of the prayer in its entirety, but take notice of what one word sticks out:

1 Chronicles 19:17-19 - 17 Since I know, O my God, that you try the heart and delight in uprightness, I, in the integrity of my heart, have willingly offered all these things; so now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here, make their offerings willingly to You.  18 O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, our fathers, preserve this forever in the intentions of the heart of your people, and direct their heart to You; 19 and give to my son Solomon a perfect heart to keep Your commandments, Your testimonies and Your statutes, and to do them all, and to build the temple, for which I have made provision. 

You see, David knew what was important.  Unlike the vikings, he didn't talk about material things - not about the wealth I'm sure he had accumulated, not about his weaponry or the wars he had won, and not about food (the good or the bad).  He talked about the heart.

First, he acknowledges the truth of the matter:  God knows and tries the heart.  The Hebrew word for 'try' is bachan - "to examine, try, prove" (Strong's H974).  Let's take a look at the English definition of 'prove': "to establish the truth or genuineness of, as by evidence or argument" (Dictionary.com).  God will establish the genuineness of our hearts - He can see ALL of the evidence...  This is fact and David knew it.

He then goes on to confess the integrity, or uprightness, of his own heart - in my opinion, to show that he was sincere (Strong's H3476), the whole time knowing that God would see the truth anyhow.

Then he brings his own people before the Lord, the people that he had ruled over, fought with, and cared for.  He doesn't ask that they be kept safe or that they have great wealth...he asks that the Lord preserve the intentions of their heart and direct their hearts toward Him - "Since it is from Thy grace that Thy people have such willing minds, continue that grace to them, that they may persist in the same generous disposition towards Thee and Thy worship" (Wesley).  Matthew Henry expounds further: "...that what good God had put in their minds He would always keep there, that they might never be worse than they were now, might never lose the convictions they were now under, nor cool in their affections to the house of God, but always have the same thoughts of things as they now seemed to have."  While David's prayer was not this lengthy, I do believe that all of this is what he had in mind.  This prayer should be a regular one among believers.  It would be the ultimate in building one another up!  And think of the effect this prayer could have on your children!

And lastly, he lifts up a prayer for his own son, Solomon.  Again, notice that he doesn't ask for Solomon to have wealth or that he would live a long and healthy life.  He only asks that Solomon would have a perfect, or whole, heart for the Lord and His work (Strong's H8003).  David knew that the Lord had blessed the work of the temple - but he also knew that Solomon's heart had to be in the right place: "It is not building churches that will save us if we live in disobedience to God's law" (Henry).

In the end, it would do the people (including Solomon) no good if they build the temple and forgot where their hearts belonged.  That is the key!  God does not look at the temples we build or the work we do...He looks at our heart!

I challenge you today to examine your life.  Are you doing the Lord's work?  Are you building up His church (and I do not mean the building)?  Are you serving Him in any capacity?  If so...is your heart in the right place?  Because if not...all of the former will have been in vain.

A True Reason to Rejoice

In our society we are taught to receive willingly.  Let's take a look:

• Have you seen how many people are on our welfare program?  4,300,000.  Or the number of people using food stamps? 46,700,000.  And what about unemployment? 5,600,000. I'm not trying to get into politics here.  The programs have good intentions but they can definitely be abused.  I just want to point out how many people are willingly (and probably joyfully) receiving (Welfare Statistics).
• People my age seem to think they should get a huge paycheck for doing the bare minimum.  Show up, get paid.  That's how it works right?
• Christmas has become almost entirely about receiving.  Yeah, we say we know the true meaning of Christmas.  But when we don't get gifts, we are a little (if not a lot) disappointed.

The list could go on.  I just wanted to give a visual of how we LOVE to receive, and how we do so willingly and joyfully.

1 Chronicles 29:9 - Then the people rejoiced because they had offered so willingly, for they made the offering to the Lord with a whole heart, and King David also rejoiced greatly.

We are not talking about tithe here.  We're talking about going above and beyond their tithe.  These people were rejoicing over the fact that they gave so willingly!  Did you catch that?  They didn't receive, they gave...and rejoiced because they did so.

That is quite the opposite of our society.  Maybe even ourselves.  For my husband and I, going above and beyond tithe is a stretch.  It makes the budget tight...really tight.  Though we don't stress about it anymore, and it often makes my heart happy, I'm not sure that I would use the word "rejoice" when I'm writing out that check.

Then why did it come so easy to these people in Chronicles?  Two things.  First, rejoicing was "an affect of God's grace in them" (Wesley).  They had a whole heart when they gave.  "Whole" in the Hebrew is shalem - it can also be translated as "complete, safe, peaceful, perfect, whole, full, at peace" (Strong's 8003).  What can we get from all of that?  Their heart was in the right place.  They weren't giving to look good, they weren't giving to get something, they weren't giving because they felt guilty.  They were giving out of their hearts.  And God blessed that.  His grace provided the joy they needed for giving so willingly.

And because they gave, they had joy in knowing that the Lord's house would be built, that His work would be done.  When we give with a whole/perfect/complete heart, we should be confident in knowing that the Lord will use it to fulfill His purposes.  That should bring us true joy!  With our giving, His work is being done!

I challenge you today to focus more on giving than receiving.  Instead of receiving so willingly, try to give willingly - but make sure your heart is in the right place.  If it is, God's joy will emanate through your soul and give you a confidence of accomplishing His work - a true reason to rejoice!

The Worst He Can Say is "No"

Have you ever known anyone that has had cancer?  In today's world, it feels like cancer lurks around every corner.  If you don't directly know someone who has or had cancer you know someone who knows someone.  It doesn't seem fair.  But that's the thing about cancer and sickness and death - no one is exempt.

2 Kings 20:1-6 - 1 In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill.  And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, "Thus says the Lord, 'Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.'"  

2 Then he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, 3 "Remember now, O Lord, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart and have done what is good in Your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.  

4 Before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 5 "Return and say to Hezekiah the leader of My people, 'Thus says the Lord, the God of your father David, "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you.  On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord. 6 I will add on fifteen years to your life, and I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake and for My servant David's sake."'"

Sickness and death are not picky.  It doesn't matter who you are, you are susceptible.  Anyone of us could fall ill or die tomorrow - "Neither greatness or goodness can exempt us from sickness" (Henry). The other truth about death is that no one knows for sure when it will happen.  Hezekiah is the only man we are aware of that was ever given a time from God.  You see, "God has wisely kept us at uncertainties, that we may be always ready" (Wesley).  Unfortunately, for some reason, we don't feel the need to be ready.  According to Frederick Beuchner, "Intellectually we all know that we will die, but we do not really know it in the sense that the knowledge becomes a part of us.  We do not really know it in the sense of living as though it were true.  On the contrary, we tend to live as though our lives would go on forever."  

Thank goodness for prayer, or more accurately, thank God!  Without it, we wouldn't have access to Christ or salvation.  We wouldn't have hope of life after death.  And prayer always brings healing.  It may not be physical, but it is always spiritual, and sometimes emotional.  When Hezekiah receives his death sentence, what is his first response?  To pray - "He had now received the sentence of death within himself, and if it was reversible, it muse be reversed by prayer" (Henry). Some say his prayer was simply meant to calm his anxiety or fears, others say it really was for healing (though he never asks for that outright).  Not every prayer is answered with a "yes" or a "you have been healed" but the truth to learn here is that "we have not if we ask not" (Henry).

God can change circumstances!  He did it for Hezekiah and He did it for many others...and He will do it for you!  God is bigger and better than sickness.  And He is MUCH bigger and better than death!  God IS life!  It doesn't mean He will always run to the rescue - His plans are much bigger than ours and there is this tiny thing called "free will" that tends to make a mess of things sometimes.  But He is there.  And you will never know if the answer is "yes" or "no" unless you ask.  My parents always reminded me growing up: "The worst thing they can say is no."  I didn't really understand it when I was really young, but as I grew, it made more and more sense.  If you don't ask, you are stuck in your situation.  If you do ask, there is at least a chance things will change!  And the worst that could possibly happen is that you would be in the same boat you were before.  This, most certainly, applies to prayer.

I believe, sometimes, that God is just waiting for you to ask Him, to trust Him.  After all, wasn't it God's own messenger, Isaiah, that told Hezekiah he was going to die?  You see, God never "says and unsays; but upon Hezekiah's prayer, which He foresaw and which His Spirit inclined Him to, God did that for him which otherwise He would not have done" (Henry).  Essentially, what Henry is saying here, is that if Hezekiah wouldn't have prayed, God wouldn't have healed him...he still would have died.  Sometimes we have to be the ones to reach out.

Is God waiting on you?  Have you come to Him with your situation?  Whether it be sickness, finances, or something else...have you asked Him for help?  Maybe that is all He is waiting for.  After all, the worst He can say is "no."

We Cannot Get Away with Murder

Our secrets are not secret.  I've used the illustration of the Mom with the eyes in the back of her head.  But you see, it doesn't quite do God justice.  He sees ALL and He knows ALL.  We can hide nothing from Him, absolutely nothing.  He knows the magicians secrets, He knows what lies at the bottom of the sea, He knows what lies in the back of our mind and in the depths of our hearts.  He knows.

2 Kings 5:26-27 - 26 The [Elisha] said to [Gehazi], "Did not my heart go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you?  Is it a time to receive money and to receive clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female servants? 27 Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever."  So he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.

This man, Naaman, had gone to the prophet Elisha in order to be healed from his leprosy.  After being healed, he went to offer a present for his thankfulness.  Elisha honorably refused and sent Naaman on his way.  Gehazi was working for Elisha and in seeing this all happen, his greed got the best of him.  In seeing Naaman walk away with all of this treasure, Gehazi "ran after him" in order to "take something from him" (vs. 20).

Upon his return Elisha asks Gehazi where he has been and he replies "Your servant went nowhere" (vs. 25).  Elisha, being the prophet of God, the eyes of God, knew differently.  Elisha knew what he did and knew what he was going to do: "Gehazi intended to purchase [olive trees, sheep, etc.] with this money: and therefore the prophet names them, to inform him, that he exactly knew, not only his outward actions, but even his most secret intentions" (Wesley).  Gehazi thought he had gotten away with it.  But in reality, God had seen everything he had done and God knew his heart, what he intended to do with his new found riches.

It is so true though isn't it?  We think that the sins we commit in the absence of human witness are unseen.  But that is so far from the truth it isn't even funny!  If you haven't figured it out yet, God sees all and know all.  He sees what we do and He knows the intent of our heart!  And He does have the final say.  Gehazi did not get away with what he had done - he was punished with leprosy.  We, quite literally, cannot get away with murder...or anything else for that matter.  

I challenge you today to confess your secrets.  God knows everything already but take a moment today to confess those things to Him out loud.  Let Him know that your heart is ready to change and that you don't want to try and "hide" things from Him any longer.


"Nothing done, said, thought, by any person, in any place, at any time, is out of the reach of God's cognizance" (Henry on 2 Kings 6:11).

Guard Your Heart

Sometimes we forget what is best for our heart.  How many of you have experienced heart break at some point?  We gave too much of ourselves away to what we thought was that special someone, only to have our hearts shattered like a broken mirror.  Or what about giving our heart away to the sin that plagues our thoughts? 

Like Solomon, the Lord has told us to observe what he has commanded, to not turn our hearts away from Him.  'Observe' in the Hebrew is shamar, meaning "to keep, guard, observe, give heed" (Strong's H8104).  We are to guard His commandment to not turn our hearts away, we are to guard our hearts!

1 Kings 11:1-4, 9-10 - 1 Not King Solomon loved many foreign women... 2 from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the sons of Israel, "You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods."  Solomon held fast to these in love.  3 He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away.  4 For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been... 9 Now the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, 10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the Lord had commanded.


In those 6 verses, "heart" is mentioned 6 times!  I truly believe that the overall message to be conveyed is to guard your heart.

First, we are to guard our heart in regards to marriage.  In verse 2, you see what the Lord told all of Israel, including King Solomon.  Just because he is king does NOT mean he is exempt from the commands of the Lord.  He did not want them to associate (let alone marry) foreign women who worshipped other gods for they would turn their hearts away from the Lord.  Likewise, we are told in 2 Corinthians 6:14 - Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?

I always refer back to an illustration I read when I was much younger - Sunday Sally represents a believer.  Foolish Freddy represents an unbeliever.  Sally stands on a chair while Freddy stands beside her on the ground.  She cannot pull him up to stand next to her, no matter how hard she tries.  But the minute Freddy tries to pull Sally down next to him, she falls right off the chair.  It is much easier to pull someone down than it is to pull someone up.  God knows that.  He has made that perfectly clear in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament.  While we may not have to deal with other "gods," unbelievers today can still certainly turn our hearts away from the Lord.  Therefore, guard your heart.  Know your morals, your standards, and don't settle for anything less!

Next, we are to guard our hearts for the sake of others.  Solomon should not have had that many wives, princesses, or concubines to begin with.  Deuteronomy 17:17 says - He shall not multiply wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away...  Yes, Solomon sinned in marrying foreign women (multitudes of them) but he also sinned when he began "multiplying wives."  'Multiply' comes from the Hebrew word rabah meaning "be or become great, be or become many, be or become much, be or become numerous" (Strong's H7235).  Who's to say when a number becomes 'great' or 'much' or 'many,'  but I think it is safe to say that 1,000 qualifies.  But where did Solomon get this idea for multiple wives?  David set this example.  Which may have caused Solomon to believe that it was okay, you see, "One bad act of a good man may be of more [harmful] consequence to others that 20 of a wicked man" (Wesley, Henry).  David was, overall, a very good man.  So it would make sense for Solomon to look to him for guidance.  His thought process might have gone something like this, "If it was okay for David, whom God loved, to have multiple wives, than it should be okay for me right?"  

We have to remember, when we are believers, when we are leaders, when we are good friends...that people are watching us.  One tiny sin of mine could be a major fall for someone I know.  We must guard our hearts against sin for the sake of others.  I do not want to be responsible for the fall of my brother or sister in Christ.

And last, but certainly not least, we must guard our hearts against the sins of the world.  That sounds like an obvious one doesn't it?  But sometimes, we need to be reminded of the obvious things.  It is easy to justify homosexuality these days since it is "the new normal."  But just because something is 'normal' according to societies standards, does not make it right.  Solomon could have easily justified his multiple wives because of the world around him.  But it still didn't make it right.  Also, it should be pointed out that, "Solomon deserved more punishment for his worship of Ashtaroth than any of the Sidonians did, though they performed precisely the same acts.  The Sidonians had never known the true God; Solomon had been fully acquainted with Him" (Clarke).  

Sin is "a willful transgression against the known law of God" (I believe that is Wesley...but I'm not sure.  I had to memorize that definition for school).  If someone does not know God and His law, they cannot be held accountable for the wrong they do.  But we do know God and because we know God we are supposed to know His law.  Therefore, our sin is sin.  No questions asked. 

I challenge you today to guard your heart in this fallen world.  It isn't easy, but it is essential.  Keep God and His word close - it is a matter of life and death.

For the Whole of Time

Known fact: Mom's have eyes in the back of their head.  And not just when your little.  Recently my mom was whipping up some of our family recipe "Christmas Salad":  Cool Whip, Pudding Mix, and Mandarin Orange goodness.  As she went to the cupboard to get a container for the finished product, back turn towards me, I stuck my finger in the mix for a tiny taste.  Without missing a beat or turning around, "Brianna, get out of the Christmas salad!"  The only possible explanation: those mysterious hidden eyes in the back of her head.  She is always watching me.  hehe.

But even more than that, she is always caring for me.  Even when I lived over 1200 miles away, her affection was apparent.  From the numerous phone calls to the nice care packages to the surprise visits.  She was always thinking of me, caring for me, loving me.

1 Kings 9:3 - The Lord said to him, "I have heard your prayer and your supplication, which you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built by putting My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually."

Solomon had just finished the dedication of his infamous temple.  This was God's response.  Isn't it wonderful? 

Thanks to some wonderful commentaries, I was able to see how drastically this applies to you and I.  Today, we don't have a dwelling place for God.  The church is simply a building for our community to come together as one body in order to worship the one true God.  Today, God dwells within us, we are God's living temple: 

1 Corinthians 3:16 - Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

1 Corinthians 6:19 - Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 

Just as the temple was consecrated, so we have been consecrated)  If we "apply [this verse] to persons, the living temples...have His eye, His heart, His love and care...perpetually" (Henry).  As His temple, we have His eyes, "[His] watchful and gracious providence" and His heart, "[His] tender affection" or love and care as Henry puts it (Wesley).  And all of this we have forever and always!  'Perpetually' is actually translated from two separate Hebrew words, kol, meaning "the whole" and yowm, meaning "time" (Strong's H3605, Strong's H3117).  So we have God's watchful and gracious providence as well as His tender love and care for the whole of time.  Neat to think about isn't it?

I challenge you today to rest in the beauty of this truth.  Whatever baggage you are carrying whatever mountain you are climbing, lay it at His feet and rest in His presence.  We don't do that often enough.

The Plague of the Heart

The Black Plague, otherwise known as the Bubonic Plague, is something that everyone has at least heard about.  Why?  Because it was a significant historical event.  In 1347 the Plague killed one-third of the human population!  Talk about deadly!  It is even believed that this was a significant turning point for European economic development because such a large number of the working class was lost (Wikipedia). 

A plague is "a highly contagious disease that spreads quickly" and "causes high mortality" (Dictionary.com).  From chills and fevers to swelling and seizures, a plague is not something you want to "catch" - it affects your entire body and could possibly result in death.

1 Kings 8:38-39 - 38 ...whatever prayer or supplication is made by any man or by all your people Israel, each knowing the affliction of his own heart, and spreading his hands toward this house; 39 then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive and act and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know, for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men... 

The condition of your heart matters.

Take a look at the word "affliction" in verse 38.  Nega' is the Hebrew word used here, meaning "stroke, plague, disease, mark, plague spot" (Strong's H5061).  So really this is saying that each man knows the plague of his own heart.  Many versions even refer to it this way, including the King James (Parallel Bible).  We can assume that sins are the "plague of the heart, because that is both the principle seat of sin, and the fountain from whence all actual sins flow" (Wesley).  Now go back to our discussion of a plague - it spreads quickly, affects the entire body, makes you feel absolutely miserable, and could result in death - it is even contagious.  That is sin!  Sin starts at the center of your being, your heart, and spreads quickly throughout your entire being.  It makes you miserable emotionally, spiritually, and yes, sometimes even physically.  Sin can be very contagious at times.  And if not treated, it will most definitely end in death.  Sin, like the plague, has quite a high mortality rate.

But this plague, these sins - "Every Israelite indeed endeavors to know these, the he may mortify them and watch against the risings of them...These drive him to his knees, drive him to the sanctuary.  Lamenting these, he spreads forth his hands in prayer" (Henry).  When we notice the beginnings of these sins, this plague, we need to come before God with a sincere prayer.  Sincerity is expressed in these verses through the expression of "spreading his hands toward the house."  This would put their faces toward God, in a manner of speaking.  It made them vulnerable and open to Him.  We have to be sincere in our prayers if we want the Lord to hear us, as Solomon is asking here. 
But even without spreading their hands toward His house, God knows their hearts.  He knows our hearts.  He knows not only the plagues but the wants and burdens, the sincerity or the hypocrisy.  He knows what the condition of our heart is and He will only listen if we are truly sincere.  

The condition of your heart matters!

I challenge you today to examine your heart.  Is it plagued by sin?  Take a piece of paper and write down all that you need to ask forgiveness for.  Is your heart sincere when you approach the Father?  Take the time today to put everything else aside, clear your thoughts, and show the Lord your heart, stretch your arms toward His house - be open, honest, and sincere.  

He will hear and He will forgive.