April 17

1 Chronicles 23:2-5 He also gathered together all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites. The Levites thirty years old or more were counted, and the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand. David said, "Of these, twenty-four thousand are to be in charge of the work of the temple of the LORD and six thousand are to be officials and judges. Four thousand are to be gatekeepers and four thousand are to praise the LORD with the musical instruments I have provided for that purpose."   Colossians 3:17 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.   In his last years as king, David made preparations for the temple of the Lord to be built by his son Solomon. He gathered 38,000 Levites and gave them assignments. Building and maintaining the temple were monumental tasks that required a lot of materials, hard work, and coordination. David had a desire to be the one who built this temple for the Lord. But yesterday we read that God told him that it would not be so. It was God's plan that Solomon be the one to build His house. This must have been so disappointing for David.   I am amazed at how David responded to this news from God. He could have easily felt self pity, isolated himself, or refused to have anything to do with the temple. But he didn't. His heart longed to please God, even if that meant letting go of something he desired. He spent the last years of his life preparing for the construction of the Lord's temple, a temple he would never live to see.   I started to think about how easy it is for me to forget the reason behind why I do anything. Colossians 3:17 says that no matter what I do or say, I need to do it for God. How different would my days be if I held on to this verse all the time? Waking up in the morning, driving to work, answering the phone, cleaning my house, taking care of my dog, talking with my family, neighbors, and friends, cooking dinner, playing keyboard at church, writing a blog entry for a Bible reading group... all these things are opportunities for me to bring glory to God. If that is my motivation, then even if I encounter something that is difficult, disappointing, or hurtful, then I will have the strength to keep going.   I encourage you to think about what motivates you. If it's anything other than God, than you are setting yourself up for disappointment. But if you do everything in the name of the Lord, then no matter your circumstances, you will find fulfillment and peace in Him.