Tag: Travis Peterson

Revelation 9:20-21 – The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
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We ought to be very careful not to underestimate the ability of humanity to ignore the truth of God for the sake of evil. In the book of Revelation, God allows John to see how he will pour out his judgment upon the world of evil men who persist in rebellion against him. The judgment is terrible, and most certainly reflects just how much God hates human sin.

You would think, in the light of the terrible judgment that God executed on the sinful, that those who survived would recognize their sin and turn from it to seek God’s grace. However, learning from our mistakes is not really a part of human nature. This text shows us that the natural human response to the reality of God is to actually continue in their rebellion. No one naturally comes to God.

I think that there are two lessons that we should learn from this text. First is the fact that God truly hates sin. The list of rebellions in the verses above are things that brought out God’s wrath against those who practiced them. Sin is serious, very serious. Let us never forget that sin has horrible consequences. Let us not take God’s grace for granted, continuing in sin because we expect to be forgiven. Let us learn to hate the things that God hates, and let us turn from them to please him.

Second, we also should remember that people do not, on their own, naturally turn from sin. Instead, human nature is to continue in rebellion, shaking their fist at the God who reveals himself to them. This truth should make us approach evangelism with prayer, because only God can truly open the heart of a rebellious sinner. We also should allow this truth to make those of us who are saved be truly thankful. We would not have come to God had God not opened our rebellious hearts to his love. So, let us thank God for his wonderful kindness in our salvation.

Dear Lord, I look at this text, and I am reminded of your perfection and holiness. You hate sin, and rightly so. I pray that you will help me to stay far from sin and from the activities that displease you. I also pray that you will help me to warn others against such destructive behaviors. I also want to thank you for saving me. I could never have come to you without your first doing a great work in my heart. Without your moving in my soul, I would have been as rebellious as those in the verses here in Revelation. Thank you for your mercy on me. I pray also that you will help me to spread that love and mercy to others by preaching to them the true Gospel of Christ.

2 John 10-11 – If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.
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Almost any person’s parents have let them know that we are known by the company we keep. The reputations of those with whom you surround yourself will eventually become your reputation. Their character may even become yours. And these thoughts may very well explain the reasoning behind these verses from the last apostle, John.

John warns the church not to receive, not to welcome, any person who comes to them not bringing the true teaching of the gospel. The church is neither to greet, welcome, or even share a meal with a person who brings false doctrine and false teachings. To do so, john argues, would be paramount to joining and supporting the false teacher in their ministry. Since our purpose is to glorify God, and we accomplish that purpose by spreading the truth about Christ, we must never, under any circumstances, align ourselves with those who preach a false gospel.

John’s warning should ring in our ears today, in this culture of false and forced religious tolerance. Too often people eagerly welcome those whose views are not only a little different, but downright heretical. We fear so much that we will be thought intolerant and unloving that we slide too far to the other side, failing to stand firm for the word of God. We must be careful, because we in no way want to align ourselves with those who preach a false Christ, a false salvation, a false gospel.

Today, take a little inventory of your relationships and associations. Are you greeting and welcoming those who preach a false gospel? Are you offering support to people who actually preach falsehoods? Are you, in the name of tolerance, actually accidentally supporting the spread of teaching that you could never biblically support? Rethink your associations, and be sure that you are very careful about what they say about who you are and what you believe. Remember, building relationships for the sake of evangelism is one thing, but allying yourself with false teachers is entirely something else.

Dear Lord, I pray that you will make me aware of any associations or friendships that I have which detract from the teaching of the true gospel. Please do not allow me to compromise the truth in order to simply be thought of as tolerant. Let me not welcome those who do not teach truth, so that I might not take part in their wicked works.

1 John 5:2-3 – By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
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Have you noticed that there is an entire world out there that tells us that, if we as Christians want people to find Christianity appealing, we need to get rid of our focus on the commandments of God? Sadly, many churches and believers have adopted such a mentality. They assume that the way that people are really going to love God is for them to think about the benefits they receive in him without so much focus on commands, rules, and requirements. Like many arguments, this seems to make sense to our logical minds, but it fails the test of scripture.

To love God is to keep his commandments. There is no way that any person is living a Christian life or truly loving God if they are not actually obeying the commands of God. As we have said before, this does not indicate sinless perfection on the part of the children of God. None of us are perfect yet, and so we will fail on occasion to do what we should. At the same time, if we love God, we will obey him more often than not. We will feel great sorrow when we fail to obey him, and we will repent, turning to obedience from disobedience. This is not some rulesy and legalistic way of thinking about Christianity, it is what the Bible says is the love of God.

And, before we hang our heads and sadly give in to scripture even though we do not like this talk of obedience to commands, let us also see the truth of the end of verse three. God tells us that this commands are not burdensome. For the one who is in Christ, to love, obey, and serve God is no burden; it is a joy. God created us to love him. He designed us to serve him. When we actually do what he made us to do, we have true joy in our hearts. We have satisfaction in our souls. Obedience is not the down side of following Christ, because the commands of God are not burdens. Instead of being burdens, God’s commands are our path to true soul satisfaction and joy.

Dear Lord, I pray that you will help me to love you. Help me to obey you. Help me to find my soul’s deepest satisfaction and joy in following your commands. Let me never look at your commands as burdens. Instead, help me to see your words as life.

1 John 3:6, 9-10 – No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. . . . No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
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It is very wise for those of us who claim to know Christ to make occasional self-examinations to see if we truly find ourselves in the faith. This is not to say that we ought to look for opportunities to doubt our salvation or the completeness of the grace of God. However, it is possible, and seems likely in many churches, that those who claim Christianity may actually have no genuine saving faith. Many people rely on their memory of an emotional experience as the bedrock of their assurance of salvation. But if we look to the scriptures, we will see a very different test.

John writes for us in 1 John 3 a very simple way to check ourselves, to examine ourselves, to see if we are in the faith. John asks if our lives have been changed from those which practice sin to those which practice righteousness. In 1 John 3:6, John writes for us an incredibly simple statement that many Christians do not want to hear. No person who continues in or practices sin is a believer. In verse 9, he expands the discussion to explain that, because all believers have been converted and have the abiding Spirit of God within them, it is impossible for genuine believers to keep on practicing sin. And John takes this point farther in verse 10, where he makes it plain that he is giving us criteria whereby we may test ourselves. Failing to practice righteousness and to love fellow Christians are also marks of a lack of salvation.

Notice two things here. First, see that John only gives for us in this section negative tests. Just because a person does good deeds does not make them a believer. Too many people in this world believe that their good behaviors are what will get them into heaven. They feel that their goodness will make God be kind to them and let them into his heaven when they die. Such a view is not that revealed to us by God in the scriptures. No person will ever be made right with God by doing good deeds (Romans 3:20). The only way to be made right with God and forgiven of your sins is to come to Jesus and receive salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

Second, Notice that God shows us that behavior is a fair indicator of a lack of salvation. If your life is marked by continual practices of sin, you have cause to question your salvation. If your life is not marked by righteousness, you have reason to be concerned. If you do not have in yourself a love for the church of God—the people of God with all their flaws and good points—, you need to really check your soul to see if it truly has been changed. It is impossible to have Christ and to not be changed. Once you have salvation, one way that your life will give evidence of salvation is that you will no longer continually practice sin. You will be changed because you are saved, but you can never be saved because you change.

Whether you are a brand new believer or someone who has walked long in the faith, you would be wise to ask if you have truly changed. Has your life become different in a significant way since you met Christ? Is your life marked by righteousness and love for God and his people, or is it marked by continuing practices of sin? Of course, all of us will struggle against sin until the day we die or Christ returns. John even points to this issue throughout chapters 1 and 2. But, our lives must not be marked by continual practices of the same sin. To continue in sin with no hint of repentance is a sign that you are not truly a believer. So, ask yourself if your life is marked by a fight against sin—a fight that includes victory. Or, is your life marked by an intentional practice of sinful behavior. The former is the life of a believer. The latter is the life of a lost person, regardless of how emotional an experience you recall.

Dear Lord, I pray that you will help me to look into my own life and see the true evidence of the state of my soul. I recognize that none who are changed by you will continue in sinful practices. I certainly do not want to be continuing in sinful practices. I long to please you. I want to do your will. I pray that you will challenge me in my spirit to please you in all that I do. I also pray for anyone who reads this, that they would have open spiritual eyes to see what you have truly done or not done in their hearts. Let us all examine ourselves to see if we are truly your children.

Psalm 77:10-15

10 Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
11 I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will ponder all your work,
and meditate on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is great like our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
you have made known your might among the peoples.
15 You with your arm redeemed your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph.
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This psalm is a great example of how a person who is struggling with despair ought to respond to the Lord. In verses 1-9, the psalmist expresses his distress. He fears that God has abandoned him. He wonders if God has “forgotten” to be gracious. His personal experience is such that it no longer seems that God is kind, merciful, and loving. And so, this man is in deep distress.

How he chooses to respond to that distress, however, is where the lesson is for us. He responds, not by simply allowing the feeling of distress to grow. He does not continually complain about his problems or compare his circumstances to those of others. Instead, the psalmist finds healing in remembering the past faithfulness of the Lord. Even though things are tough at present, the psalmist looks back—back to the scripture, back through his own personal experience—in order to see the beautiful past faithfulness of God. As he remembers God’s faithfulness in the past, he also recognizes that it is foolish to think that God will not be faithful in the future as well.

Today, do you find yourself distressed? Do you find that your circumstances make it hard for you to see the goodness of God. If so, do what the psalmist did. Look back in the scriptures to again see the faithfulness of God. Look back over your own life to find the points where God has blessed you, been kind to you, and shown himself faithful to you. The God who has always been faithful in the past will remain faithful in the present and future. Read of God’s faithfulness in the scriptures. Meditate on his wonderful works. Look to his word to remember his character, and you will find hope in times of distress and despair.

Dear Lord, I thank you for your word, because it reminds me of your faithfulness. Though life’s circumstances can be difficult, frustrating, and discouraging, you are never unfaithful. You have always accomplished your will. You have always done what is right. And you promise that you will work all things together for the good of those who love you and who are called according to your purpose. I pray that you will constantly remind me of how faithful you have been in the past and how faithful you promise to be in the future.

Deuteronomy 17:16-20 – Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the LORD has said to you, “You shall never return that way again.” And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.

And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.

2 Chronicles 9:5-7 – And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, half the greatness of your wisdom was not told me; you surpass the report that I heard. Happy are your wives! Happy are these your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!”

2 Chronicles 9:13 – Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold,

2 Chronicles 9:17-19 – The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with pure gold. The throne had six steps and a footstool of gold, which were attached to the throne, and on each side of the seat were arm rests and two lions standing beside the arm rests, while twelve lions stood there, one on each end of a step on the six steps. Nothing like it was ever made for any kingdom.

2 Chronicles 9:25-28 – And Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. And he ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah. And horses were imported for Solomon from Egypt and from all lands.
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Second Chronicles 9 contains in it an account that I see as a major downfall in King Solomon’s reign. The Queen of Sheba came to Solomon, and asked him hard questions to find out if the accounts of his wisdom were true. When she met him and saw his kingdom, she was overwhelmed. She gushed with praise for Solomon and his wealth, and it appears that the flattery that she bestowed upon King Solomon had on him a major impact.

It is immediately after the flattery that Solomon received from the Queen of Sheba that we have the chronicler write for us about Solomon’s wealth and some of the extravagant ways that he lived. Above, I have cut out just a few of the verses that tell of Solomon’s flashing of his wealth, and his breaking of God’s law in the process. First, look at the gold and silver. Solomon received a tribute of 666 talents of gold annually. This is an extreme amount of gold, and I can not help but notice the ugly number attached to it. Also, Solomon made silver so common that no one even valued it. These are in direct violation of the commands in Deuteronomy 17.

In Deuteronomy, the law charged the King to write down his own copy of the law, and to not elevate himself above his brothers. However, Solomon made a throne for himself the like of which the Bible says never existed in any other kingdom. It was an ivory throne overlaid with gold. This is a guy who is propping himself up at an extreme level.

Also, Deuteronomy called Israelite kings not to amass horses from Egypt. Solomon did exactly what he was commanded not to do.

And, let us remember that the text of Deuteronomy 17 also forbids kings of Israel from taking many wives for themselves. The Queen of Sheba, however, declared Solomon’s “wives” to be blessed. We know from other passages that Solomon had nearly a thousand women as either wives or concubines.

With all that said, I want to take for us two lessons that we can follow. The first is obvious: obey the commands of God. Solomon started ignoring the law of God, and we know from reading the history of Israel that this did not turn out well. By the time of Solomon’s death, the kingdom was ready to split apart, as it did shortly after Solomon’s unwise son took the throne. Whenever you disobey the commands of God, for whatever reason that you can come up with, you put yourself in certain danger. Solomon lived against the commands of God, and it hurt him, his family, and the entire nation.

And the other thing I want you to notice is the need that we have to be very careful about how seriously we take the flattery and compliments of other people. Solomon heard the words of the Queen of Sheba, and it honestly looks as though, from that point forward, he began to think far too highly of himself. The more often you allow anyone to tell you or even hint to you that you are great, the more likely you will come to believing them. The fact is, we ought not allow ourselves to start believing our own press clippings. We must not allow ourselves to treasure the kind words of others. We can not allow ourselves to believe what others say about our greatness. We are all the same, sinners in desperate need of the grace of God. That is what we must believe about ourselves.

I once heard a pastor who was applauded at a conference tell those who applauded him, “I don’t need much of that.” The pastor was telling the people that too much applause is a temptation for a leader to become too full of himself, too confident, too selfish, too arrogant. Solomon even wrote proverbs for his children telling them this truth. But sadly, Solomon did not take his own advice. He reveled in the applause and accolades of others, and his heart turned inward instead of Godward. Let us not make the same mistake.

Dear Lord, I thank you for your word and its honesty. I thank you that you record for us some of the mistakes of your people so that we can learn from them. I pray that you will help me to treasure and follow your word above all things. I also pray that you will help me never to seek the applause and accolades of others. Help me to be conscious that I do not need too much applause. Help me to have a heart that is turned Godward instead of inward. Help me to live for your glory, and not for my own.

John 9:1-3 – As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
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So often, the hearts of men can not see beyond the pleasantness or unpleasantness of circumstances. Jesus’ disciples saw a man born blind, and they immediately assumed that his circumstances were a punishment from God. Their only confusion was whether or not the man was being punished, or the man’s parents. So, you can imagine their surprise when Jesus told them that his blindness was no punishment at all.

Jesus made it plain, when speaking about the blind man, that he had been born blind in order that the works of God might be revealed in him. This man had a condition that relegated him to beggar status. He was looked down on by the society around him. People felt sorry for him, but they assumed that he had somehow earned his misfortune or was paying for the evil of his parents. But no one saw the bigger picture. No one but Jesus could simply see that this man’s weakness, his struggle, his disability was the means whereby God was going to show his glory.

In your life and in mine, I would guess that we all have things that we do not like. Perhaps you have some sort of disability. Perhaps you have some sort of problem you wish you did not have. Maybe you are not as smart as you wish you were. Maybe you are not shaped in the way you want to be. Perhaps you can not speak in front of groups, can’t sing, or can’t do math. Or, perhaps you have really tragic circumstances that have surrounded you for all of your life. If so, now would be the time to recognize that Jesus’ words to his disciples is applicable to you too. Your weaknesses exist, not as a punishment for your parents’ sin, but as a means whereby God can display his glory.

In my own life, I deal with blindness; so this story is closer to home for me than for many. Just like the man in this story, I recognize, because of the teaching of Jesus, that my own limitations exist, not as a punishment, but as an opportunity for God to be glorified. If everything about my life was easy and perfect, people might tend to glorify me when good things happen. If I preach a good sermon or write a clever blog (a rare occurrence to be sure), people could look at me and think that I am just talented. However, when people recognize that I am blind and still do what I do, they often recognize that God has done something amazing in my life. He has given me the tools that I need in order to be used by him. He shows himself to be strong through my weaknesses. He accomplishes the work, people see that fact, and God is glorified. And, so , I am willing to happily live with my limitations, because it is better to be used to glorify God in your weaknesses than it would be to have no weaknesses and only glorify yourself.

Today, look at your life and recognize that your weaknesses are there. This is no call to think, “O boy, I’m so glad I have this problem.” But, it would be a fine time to recognize that your struggles, your weaknesses, your circumstances serve as an opportunity for you to glorify God as you trust him and allow him to accomplish his will through you anyway. Remember, we do not live for the comforts of this life. We were created by God for his glory, and we are most satisfied in life when we do what we were created to do. So, allow God to glorify himself through your weaknesses, and find your heart satisfied, even in the midst of trying circumstances and personal weaknesses.

Dear Lord, I know that this message is a tough one for many to hear, but I pray that you will help it to make sense. You created us for your glory. Nothing will satisfy our souls so much as when we glorify your name. I pray that you will be glorified in my life, even through the circumstances that are difficult. Show yourself strong in my weaknesses. Use me, in whatever way you desire, to bring honor to your name and to expand your Kingdom for your glory.

Malachi 4:4-6 – Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.
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The words above are the last words in the Old Testament. God said these things to Judah sometime around 425 BC, and then he remained silent until just before the birth of Jesus when he sent Gabriel to declare the coming of the Messiah to Zacharias. So, one thing we would expect is that God’s words here would be pretty important, since they were the last thing that Judah would hear from him for quite a while.

At the end of the passage, there is a clear call for the nation to repent and turn in their hearts (fathers to children and children to fathers). But what has my attention is a theme that has been running through my reading almost daily. Notice that the first thing God says to the people as he prepares to close off communication for four hundred plus years is that they should remember his law, his written word. God let the people know that, although he was not going to be speaking through any prophets for a while, they lacked nothing that they needed to live a godly life. They had his written word, and that was enough for them to obey him, to know him, and to serve him faithfully.

Today, we again find ourselves in a world where God has not spoken through prophets in a long, long time. The canon of divine revelation was closed with the final verses in the book of Revelation. Since then, God may well have guided many people, but there is no evidence that anyone has received the kind of revelation that God spoke in the scriptures. So, like the people of Judah, we are living on God’s written word. His Holy Spirit inspired the writing of his word, and the Spirit helps us to understand that word. And, according to 2 Peter 1:3, God has given us everything that we need for life and godliness.

So, without question, we need to recognize the immense value of the holy scriptures. God has spoken to us in the Bible. The Bible is where we look to get to know God. In his perfect, infallible, and inerrant written revelation of himself, God has given us what we need to know him and please him.

Do you value the scriptures as God’s sufficient revelation of himself? Do you look to his word in order to find him? Do you trust the Bible more than your own thoughts, feelings, and experiences. If so, you are looking and trusting in the right direction.

Dear Lord, thank you once again for your holy word. The Bible is a true treasure. You have revealed yourself to men in your word, and I could never give you thanks enough for such a wonderfully gracious gift. Please help me to treasure your word, and to study it more faithfully to know you more.

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John 8:23-24 – He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”
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I recently heard that a Christian teacher told his or her students that Jesus would never come to you and point out your sin. The goal of this was, I am sure, a desire to show Jesus to lost students as gentle, kind, and appealing. The teacher likely thought that the best way to help students to become Christians would be to show Jesus as their friendly supporter, not as one who would ever call them sinners. (I also have to say that, since this is a second-hand story, I could also have been given an unclear representation of the teaching.)

Regardless of what happened in that particular situation, one thing is clear: no presentation of Jesus that does not include pointing out that we are sinners is not a fair presentation of Jesus. Here, where Jesus was speaking to the Jewish leaders, he made it quite plain that they not only were sinners, but were going to die in their sins if they did not believe that Jesus is “he.” So, our own Lord Jesus told people that they were sinners, were in danger of dying in those sins, and that the remedy for their sin was to believe that Jesus is “he.”

In the issue of our sinfulness, we have to recognize and declare with honesty that we are all sinners, and Jesus knows it. There is no way to present the gospel without presenting man’s sinfulness. To call someone to salvation without presenting to them from what they must be saved is an empty, ineffective, and dishonest call. Christ never called people to come to him for forgiveness without expressing that they needed that forgiveness because of their sin. Likewise, Jesus’ disciples in their writings are unabashedly clear that we need Christ because we are sinful before him. The good news of the gospel is not that we are not sinners or that we are all OK, the good news is that God loved us so much that he sent his Son to die as payment for our sins if we will simply place our faith in him.

The other point of interest is that the way that people are saved is to believe that Jesus is “he.” Sadly, today’s Crosswalk reading cut off the passage before the end of John 8. At the end of the chapter, Jesus makes the clear statement for us to know exactly who he is. Besides telling us that he was the one sent by God, Jesus tells us, “Before Abraham was, I am.” In that simple statement, we realize that the “he” that we must believe is that Jesus is God. He existed before Abraham was. He applies to himself the permanent present of “I Am,” and that is a title that only points to God (see Exodus 3). Jesus believed himself to be God, and he demands that we see him as God to be saved.

So, what is the gospel, the good news? The good news is that you are a sinner who is in danger of dying in his or her sin. God, however, out of a desire to show himself glorious and gracious and loving toward you sent his Son, Jesus, who is God in flesh, to pay the price for your sins. Now, if you will put your faith in the person and finished work of Jesus, you will be forgiven. You are not forgiven by being a good person, you are forgiven by God’s grace as you place faith and faith alone in Jesus Christ.

Would Jesus ever come up to you and call you a “sinner?” He most certainly would. If he would not call you a sinner, he would not love you. Love demands that Jesus tell the truth about the danger you are in before God until you place your faith in him and his finished work to save your soul. He would call you a sinner so you could recognize your danger and come to him for forgiveness. He would never call you a sinner just to call you names or to hurt your feelings, but he would most certainly call you one to lead you to salvation. So, let’s not present Jesus as anything other than who he is, the perfect, loving, and honest Son of God who tells us who we really are in order to bring us to himself.

Lord Jesus, I thank you that you are never going to affirm me falsely. I thank you that you have always declared the truth about who I am before you, even when that truth was that I was a lost sinner before you. I know that I am a sinful person who has no hope on his own. My only hope is that you are God, and that you died to pay the penalty for my sin and to reconcile me to God. I trust in you and your finished work for my salvation. Thank you for your grace that makes me(not a good person, but ) a sinner saved by grace.

1 Chronicles 29:9 – Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly.
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The scene in 1 Chronicles 29 is a very impressive one. David is at the end of his reign as king. However, before he stepped down, he provided all of the building materials and blueprints needed for building the temple of God. And, as a sort of last royal action, David gave away his treasury for the building of the house of God, and he led others to follow him in giving freely for the building of the temple. Many people gave, and the treasure of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and precious stones to be used in the temple grew greatly.

What is beautiful to see is what is stated in verse 9 above. David and the people celebrated, rejoicing greatly, because they had all given freely to the Lord. No one held back. No one worried about their personal finances. All gave, and gave freely, so that the temple of God might be built.

Interesting, isn’t it, that people could on the same day give away all their gold and celebrate doing it? This teaches us something that the secular world will never understand. There is a true joy in giving, even sacrificially, to the work of the Lord. When a child of God gives freely to the work of God, that child of God is overjoyed. It is a true privilege to be allowed by God to give to his cause. He does not need us. He could accomplish his work just fine without us. But the fact that he includes us and allows us to give all that we have to him and his glory is a marvelously glorious blessing from God.

Check your own heart today. Do you have joy when you give of your time, money, or skills to the service of God? Does your heart find joy in sacrificing freely for the glory of God? If not, you need to take your heart to God for repairs, because the heart of one truly devoted to God will find joy in giving freely to him.

Dear Lord, I thank you that you have given me the opportunity to sacrifice and serve on your behalf. I acknowledge full well that you do not need me. I know that you can accomplish infinitely more than I can, and that you do not need my services to do your will. I also know that I am not worthy to know you or to give anything to your cause. However, you have graciously chosen to allow me to participate in your kingdom work, and for that I give you great thanks. Please allow me to serve you with all that I have. Please rejoice my heart when I give freely to your glory. Help me to know how and when is best to give to accomplish your purposes.