Daily Devotional for Monday, February 12

David’s Collection

“And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the Lord must be exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death,” 1 Chronicles 22:5.

When I was in high school, I worked in the fast-food industry. I often helped close the restaurant on the weekends. We cleaned the lobby and grills, washed the dishes, cleaned the floors, prepped food and did whatever else was required to get the restaurant ready to serve customers the next day. My boss always said that the next day’s crew should be able to walk in and go right to work. His argument was that they should not have to worry about anything from the previous day. They should not have to clean up our messes or worry about food preparation. As an ignorant sixteen-year-old teen, I initially thought that it was unfair that I was not only cleaning up the messes we had made that day, but I was having to prepare the store for the next crew. Of course, now I understand that every shift in a restaurant does things to ensure a smooth operation for the next group. Ultimately, we were all working towards the same end which was to satisfy customers and paychecks.

God did not allow David to build the Temple. He had commissioned that responsibility to David’s son Solomon (2 Samuel 7:13). Even though God did not want David to build His Temple, David understood he could do many things to help the process. He could gather materials, and he could have men prepare those materials. David was comfortable with God’s plan. He could have been a hindrance to the work or otherwise he could have been selfish. He could have refused to help, but David had the right perspective. “This is the house of the Lord God” (1 Chronicles 22:1). David knew it was not about him.

JUST A THOUGHT
Are you willing to help out in your church, even if it does not benefit you?

Chris Floyd