THE TARGET OF OUR DEVOTION

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon. He said to them, “Is not the Lord your God with you? And has He not granted you rest on every side? For He has given the inhabitants of the land into my hands, and the land is subject to the Lord and to His people. Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God. Begin to build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the Lord.”

1 Chronicles 22:17-19

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Life presents many things to dedicate our time to. Live long enough and you’ll definitely come to see this. One might compare it to dining at a buffet but the difference between a restaurant and life is that you’ll never be able to fully partake of all the offerings the world puts on the buffet line. And frankly, some of those options, you wouldn’t - or at least shouldn’t – want to partake in.

So what do you devote your time to in life?

Is it your work? Your family? Making lots of money? A hobby? Sports? Music? Or maybe yourself?

It’s definitely a question worth asking – and honestly answering.

So what does God’s word have to say about this matter. What should be the target of our devotion?

In the closing verses to Chapter 22 of 1st Chronicles, we find David addressing the leaders of Old Testament Israel,  while the Lord addresses us today, with the answer. Look at what he had to say:

Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon. He said to them, “Is not the Lord your God with you? And has He not granted you rest on every side? For He has given the inhabitants of the land into my hands, and the land is subject to the Lord and to His people. Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God. Begin to build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the Lord.”

Did you catch the money words from David to his leadership team?

“Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God.”

The answer to the question regarding the target of our devotion is the Lord. It really is that simple.

We are to devote our heart and soul to the One who gave us a heart and soul. We are to give our all to the One who gave, is giving, and will continue to give His all for us. We are to seek Him and when we do we will know we will find Him.

The Lord and the Lord alone is to receive all our devotion as well as all our honor, glory, and praise.

David reminded his leaders of how much the Lord had done for them already, highlighting the following:

1. The Lord was with them.

All of Israel’s successes and victories had come as a result of the Lord first granting them. Indeed, the Lord had brought them this far and the only way Israel would succeed in the future was if He was still with them.

2. The Lord had granted the Israelites rest.

The Lord had promised to subdue the enemies of Israel and did so to the extent that no one really wanted to challenge Israel anymore, leaving them at rest. And instead of attacking, leaders of surrounding nations sent tribute to David which only built up the coffers of Israel even more. The Lord’s blessings begat even greater blessings.

3. The Lord had given the Israelites land and its inhabitants but all of it was still subject to Him.

This was a key point. Yes, the Lord had blessed Israel with a great deal of land and people but all of it was still His. Everything then, everything now, and everything in the future will always be subject to Him. Period.

This is why the Lord and the Lord alone is to be the target of our devotion and in turn, the target of our worship. To ensure that happened, David commanded his leaders to commit themselves and their people to build the sanctuary of the Lord so the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the sacred articles belonging to God would have a dwelling place.

Now, we might never physically build a temple for the Lord but consider this passage from the Bible as we close this devotion:

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?

1 Corinthians 6:19

Our bodies are temples where the Lord will reside when we receive Him and His Holy Spirit. And our greatest form of worship within our temple comes when we make the Lord the full target of all our devotion, now and forever more.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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