As you all probably know, King Solomon built the first Temple
for God. His father, King David desperately wanted to build the
Temple for God, but God said no, he had shed too much blood in the
process of securing the safety of Israel. God said he could help
his son prepare for the Temple, but he wasn't going to built it.
King David's heart was in the right place, and started to prepare
for the Temple even though he knew he was never going to build it
or see the end result. He collected all the gold, silver, bronze,
iron and wood as well as great quantities of precious stones for
the Temple. And at the end of his life he gave all of his own
private treasures as well - 112 tons of gold and 262 tons of
silver. David also encouraged the other leaders to do the same and
they gave 188 tons of gold, 10 000 gold coins, 375 tons of
silver, 675 tons of bronze, 3 750 tons of iron and numerous
precious stones (1 Chron 29:2-8). And they gave it willingly and
wholeheartedly to God (1 Chron 29:6, 9). King David laid the
foundation for his son, and made it so easy for him to start.
And that is our lesson for today and one I had to learn many
times over in my life. Sometimes we are only the ones laying the
foundation for others to continue. Many times we won't even see the
growth of the seeds we planted and never see the end result. This
might discourage us. I know, because it has happened to me often. I
have started many groups, that I had to leave before it really grew
into a 'success' story. I have sent messages to people that I feel
led to, never to hear from them again. I have prayed for people
that I never again saw in my life. I have given money to people
that I never knew what happened afterwards. I have given some of my
books to people in hotels, trains etc, and I never know if it meant
something to them or not, I just felt led to give it to them. And
so I can go on and on. And then I get despondent sometimes feeling
as if I do not make such a big difference, as I seldom see the end
result. And then I feel like giving up and not follow the
promptings of His Spirit as it sometimes feel as if it leads to
nothing. But the Lord placed the following strongly on my
heart:
"You don't need to see success, the end result of lives being
changed, but I do. You are My hands and feet, reach out and do your
part and I will take it further. Do not allow the devil to lie to
you and tell you that your part do not make a difference, it does.
You are integrally part of the process, part of the change that I
want to see in this world. Embrace it and follow the prompting of
My Spirit. Then you cannot go wrong. Never ever feel insignificant,
never feel that what you are about to do won't make any difference,
it will. I am with you and will lead you unto new paths and new
opportunities. Do My will and make Me proud. You are just as
important as the 'famous' one finishing off what you started."
I then knew without a doubt that we need to do our part. We need
to prepare to build the 'temple'. Sometimes we will experience
success and see the end result, but mostly we won't. Mostly we will
never know what happened in the end. But that is when we need to
trust in God, trust that He knows best. Who knows, maybe your kind
action that day led someone to the Lord and he became a great
missionary, changing thousands of lives. Maybe another person
prayed to God for a sign that He cares and then you showed up and
paid for their groceries. You might never know, but live with
expectancy that all your actions make a big difference. Expect that
God will use it for great things. Live with an expectation of good
and never ever give up doing good! Don't ever become despondent.
Instead be excited. Look forward to today and see all the
opportunities that present itself to further the Kingdom of God. Go
out and be His hands and feet and make a difference in this
world.
Thank you Father that You have a plan for each of us. Thank you
so much for all Your goodness and grace. Give us the courage and
the sensitivity to listen to Your Spirit and to go out and make a
difference in this world. You are so good and we are excited to be
part of Your plan. Amen