“Then David continued, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. He will see to it that all the work related to the Temple of the Lord is finished correctly.”
1 Chronicles 28:20 NLT
David reminded Solomon that he had a task to complete—a huge task—because David had plans. A read-through of 1 Chronicles 28 gives you an idea of the scope of how large this building project was and would be.
It was a place for the habitation of God.
And today, Peter still reminds us that God is building His spiritual temple and that we are the “living stones.” To be identified as Christ’s living stones means that we are in union with him and share his nature, for he is the Living Corner Stone upon which we are built.
“Jesus has commissioned us to make disciples. If we make disciples, Jesus will take those “living stones” and place them in the spiritual temple that He is building.”[1]
The word “living” is translated from the Greek word “zoe” meaning, not just human existence but, the absolute fullness of life—including spiritual and eternal life.
Our human frailty has us with our heads down, buried in circumstance, afraid or worried. At times, our view is of all the wrongs in the world—forgetting to “lift up our eyes.”
“But you are God’s chosen treasure—priests who are kings, a spiritual ‘nation’ set apart as God’s devoted ones. He called you out of darkness to experience his marvelous light, and now he claims you as his very own. He did this so that you would broadcast his glorious wonders throughout the world. For at one time you were not God’s people, but now you are. At one time you knew nothing of God’s mercy, because you hadn’t received it yet, but now you are drenched with it!”
1 Peter 2:9-10 TPT
You have a story to tell!
His glorious wonders—you’ve been drenched in mercy! These two ideas work together so that more living stones are added to His temple. Can you imagine all of us as His living stones? He can.
“As we enter 2022, we have a task to complete, and that task is to make disciples. But we don’t do it on our own—he has promised to empower us by His Spirit in the task.
In spite of the uncertainty that 2022 may bring, we can be strong and we can live without fear—because the Lord is with us, and He has promised to enable and empower us in the task of making disciples!”[2]
You have many glorious wonders to share and you have more than kindness to give—you know something of God’s mercy!
We’d like to share the following encouraging read with you—igniting hope within you to share your story!
Why the Hearts of Desperate People are Opening for God
- https://acop.ca/facing-2022-with-confidence-anticipation/—by Rev. Wes Mills
- Ibid.