DAY 16
Preparation and the Glory of God
If we want to experience an increase of the glory of God, we need to realise there’s much preparatory work needed!
2 Chronicles 5 begins with these words:
When all the work Solomon had done for the temple was finished…
– 2 Chronicles 5:1a
– highlighting that before we reach the mountaintop worship experience at the end of the chapter, we need to look back to the previous chapters. These are full of details concerning the design, the materials, the workforce and the finances for the temple – it reads much like a blueprint for a giant building project! It highlights that God is both the God who fills the temple AND is very much present in the building of the temple.
So how can we make the very best preparations in our own lives, so that we too will know moments when the glory of God comes in our own individual times meeting with the Lord but also in our gatherings together as the people of God?
Notice how Solomon instructed the finest craftsmen and collected the finest materials. He was determined to bring the Lord the very best – and we can do the same. Whether in gatherings worshipping together or in our own daily lives, we can prepare a place for the glory of God, when we bring our best to Him. Like King David said in 2 Samuel 24:24, ‘I will not bring that which costs me nothing’, we are called to live lives of sacrificial worship before the Lord.
Daily devotional
by Martha French
So how does this apply to us?
First, by remembering that as individual temples of the Holy Spirit, we are to live the whole of our lives, as an act of worship to the Lord. This starts with offering our bodies as living sacrifices (see Romans 12:1) and is to include everything we do, and everything we think:
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
– Colossians 3:17
Secondly, by recognising that as the collective temple of God, we must give of our best to the house of the Lord. This involves: our time – prioritising regular worship services and community meetings; our talents – using our gifts to build up his ‘temple’; our treasure – bringing our tithes and offerings into His storehouse.
Take time to reassess your life before the Lord:
- Are you offering your body as a living sacrifice? Are you living every part of your life – in your family, your place of work or education, your community - as an act of worship to the Lord?
- Are you dedicating yourself to building up His house – by giving the first and best of your time, talents and treasure?
worship song
A Thousand Hallelujahs