1 Chronicles 28:20
Then David continued, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged by the size of the task, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you…”
Solomon was born into privilege, but he was also born to work. God had given his father, King David, very specific plans. Now, Solomon would build the Temple where the Ark of the Lord’s covenant would be housed. It was a mammoth task, but God promised to be with this very able young man and he would have a permanent inheritance (v. 28:8) if he lived a God-honoring life.
We live well when we recognize that work is our inheritance. We were created to do what needs to be done with Godly flexibility. It doesn’t matter what stage of life we’re in, or how many priorities we’ve built. God has a plan that includes our participation. We have temples to build. It’s our opportunity to build a life worth sharing and to make a mark on the world.
David told his son to “be strong and courageous and do the work”. To get the work done, Solomon had to have a singleness of mind. He had to be taught to recognize the good it would do to commit his mind, hands, and treasures to God. He would learn to worship and serve God wholeheartedly and take his relationship with God seriously (v. 28:9-10).
We must do the work of building our temples by:
- Attending to our emotional health and well-being
- Making life-honoring changes to our lifestyles
- Choosing to spend time in prayer and reflection
- Embracing a more positive, forward-thinking attitude
- Building our intellectual acumen
- Acting on long-held, soul-boosting dreams
- Forgiving the one we simply couldn’t forgive
- Saying “no” to the diverting actions and “yes” to those that fuel our vision
When we do our work, it’s our active dedication to the kind of change and transformation that truly honors God. It’s not easy work- and most people don’t stretch themselves this far- but it’s work that makes space for Him. He can use us to build beautiful, life-altering temples when we commit to doing the strong, courageous work.
Prayer
Lord, Thank you for designing productive work for each of us. Help us to get to the business of doing what you want us to do. Please direct our steps and provide what we need for every day and each task.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen
Live well,
Michele