April 9: 1 Chronicles 17

(Posted on behalf of Pastor Scott.)

April 9, 2010
1 Chronicles 17

USA Today on Wednesday Jan 10, 2007 carried a headline article on the Gen Y generation.
Gen Y’s are people 18-25 years old. When asked what their top life goal is the answer was clear and resounding: They want to be rich and famous.

81% said their life goal is to get rich.
51% to become famous.
30% to help people who need help
22% to be leaders in their community
10% to become more spiritual
God received 5th place and 10% of their priorities.

1 Chron. 17:1 After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under a tent."

The first question we must ask is why would the creator of heaven and earth need a place to live? Couldn’t God just speak a word and an 18 room mansion would appear anywhere on earth. Of course he could, but he chooses to see how much of a priority this would be in David’s life.
The same is true today. God doesn’t dwell in a building of mortar and stone anymore, he resides in our hearts. The question is how much time, attention, money and effort are we committing to making him feel welcomed in our hearts. Are we putting in endless hours of work and effort to build our physical homes while ignoring our hearts? According to the research in USA Today that is exactly the case. We are living in the lap of luxury while ignoring the far greater spiritual priorities? There is nothing wrong with living in a nice house, don’t go out and damage your home after reading this. The concern for us is spending so much time and energy on a house that will not be standing in 50 years while ignoring our spirit which will be alive for all eternity.

The compelling question is: How much of my time each day is devoted to maintaining my home and how much is spent on maintaining God’s?