With the excitement building around our upcoming ground-breaking celebration this weekend this is a great devotional. I can sense that God has begun to build THE church, while we build a church and I can’t wait to see US when He is done with us. Some of you right now are experiencing things that are unexpected but know that God is in control and is still on the throne. This weekend is going to be awesome! This may sound like I'm repeating myself and it's because I am. “So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the temple of the LORD." 1 Kings 8:63 (NIV)
What do we mean when we say dedication? To one person it may mean giving up a part of a football game to come to church on Sunday mornings, to another it may point to a decision to begin giving some of their money to the Lord's work, while to another it may add up to leaving all that they know to serve the Lord as a missionary in a foreign country. What does it mean to dedicate a temple, a church, a child... a life - to dedicate them to the Lord. In I Kings 8 Solomon dedicates the great Jerusalem Temple to the Lord, and in so doing teaches us some important lessons about the character of dedication.
Dedication means Open Declaration
Dedication is a public announcement of your intentions and commitments. Many see dedication as some inner commitment that no one can really see or understand. Not true... it is expressed in public commitments and public actions. Do you know when dedication begins to happen? When you begin to place your faith on the line in terms of public commitments. It's that willingness to declare to others that adds up to dedication.
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship." Rom 12:1 (NIV)
Dedication means Sacrifice
They sacrificed an unbelievable amount that day! 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats. That's a lot of T-bone steak and legs of lamb! Why? What could be the purpose of such sacrifices? What did sacrifices do for men that were so important to the Lord? Sacrifices are “A gift of trust to the Lord.” As they sacrificed they declared that they trusted God to take care of their needs. They were saying, “Instead of hoarding and declaring my trust in myself, I’ll give to you Lord to declare my trust in you.”
Dedication will inevitably involve some sacrifices. Sacrifice is ultimately an expression of trust in the Lord. You're willing to give something up because you trust Him more then that something.
Dedication means Praise
A significant part of dedication is praise to God. Solomon’s praise as he dedicated the temple centered on the fact that God had kept His promise. There is a specific praise that not only expresses, but actually increases our dedication to the Lord. The specific praise that grows our dedication is "Thank You Lord for your Faithfulness.” It is a praise that recognizes that all that we have comes as a result of God's promises to us... as a result of His faithfulness in our lives.
That type of praise recognizes that I can be dedicated to God because God is dedicated to me! He is dedicated to my joy, my peace, my growth. God has dedicated Himself to my personal happiness and fulfillment. How dedicated is He? "He who did not spare His own Son, how He not also along with Him will freely give us all things." (Romans 8:32)
"Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven and said: "O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below--you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way." 1 Kings 8:22-23 (NIV)
Dedication means praise and sacrifice and open declaration. Today we learn one final truth about dedication from King Solomon
Dedication means Ministry
What do we mean when we say dedication? To one person it may mean giving up a part of a football game to come to church on Sunday mornings, to another it may point to a decision to begin giving some of their money to the Lord's work, while to another it may add up to leaving all that they know to serve the Lord as a missionary in a foreign country. What does it mean to dedicate a temple, a church, a child... a life - to dedicate them to the Lord. In I Kings 8 Solomon dedicates the great Jerusalem Temple to the Lord, and in so doing teaches us some important lessons about the character of dedication.
Dedication means Open Declaration
Dedication is a public announcement of your intentions and commitments. Many see dedication as some inner commitment that no one can really see or understand. Not true... it is expressed in public commitments and public actions. Do you know when dedication begins to happen? When you begin to place your faith on the line in terms of public commitments. It's that willingness to declare to others that adds up to dedication.
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship." Rom 12:1 (NIV)
Dedication means Sacrifice
They sacrificed an unbelievable amount that day! 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats. That's a lot of T-bone steak and legs of lamb! Why? What could be the purpose of such sacrifices? What did sacrifices do for men that were so important to the Lord? Sacrifices are “A gift of trust to the Lord.” As they sacrificed they declared that they trusted God to take care of their needs. They were saying, “Instead of hoarding and declaring my trust in myself, I’ll give to you Lord to declare my trust in you.”
Dedication will inevitably involve some sacrifices. Sacrifice is ultimately an expression of trust in the Lord. You're willing to give something up because you trust Him more then that something.
Dedication means Praise
A significant part of dedication is praise to God. Solomon’s praise as he dedicated the temple centered on the fact that God had kept His promise. There is a specific praise that not only expresses, but actually increases our dedication to the Lord. The specific praise that grows our dedication is "Thank You Lord for your Faithfulness.” It is a praise that recognizes that all that we have comes as a result of God's promises to us... as a result of His faithfulness in our lives.
That type of praise recognizes that I can be dedicated to God because God is dedicated to me! He is dedicated to my joy, my peace, my growth. God has dedicated Himself to my personal happiness and fulfillment. How dedicated is He? "He who did not spare His own Son, how He not also along with Him will freely give us all things." (Romans 8:32)
"Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven and said: "O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below--you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way." 1 Kings 8:22-23 (NIV)
Dedication means praise and sacrifice and open declaration. Today we learn one final truth about dedication from King Solomon
Dedication means Ministry
We cannot be dedicated to God without being dedicated to meeting the needs of the people He has made. Solemn dedicated this temple to the needs of the disappointed, depressed and the defeated, those besieged by sin and by loneliness, those involved in the battles and the prisons of life.
Too many make dedication the most impractical of things. It could never be lived, only talked about. Theirs is a dedication made up of myths and fables pie in the sky and dreams.
If you're striving to become more dedicated to the Lord it doesn't take you long to discover that there is a whole subculture in the Christian Community which says dedication is made up of spiritual sounding words, religion and rutuals. Dedication is built out of trusting God with the practical needs of your everyday life.
Dedication is expressed in ministry. It is expressed in what you choose to DO with your life to serve the Lord and the heart to serve the people He has made.
Family Discussion Question: What sacrifice would REALLLLLY stretch your dedication? Can you think of one simple ministry your family could do this week?
Children’s activity: Do a simple ministry project with your children this week. (Write a card to encourage someone, make cookies for somebody, go out an do something for someone who could never do anything for you in return or _________________________ you fill in the blank.)
Too many make dedication the most impractical of things. It could never be lived, only talked about. Theirs is a dedication made up of myths and fables pie in the sky and dreams.
If you're striving to become more dedicated to the Lord it doesn't take you long to discover that there is a whole subculture in the Christian Community which says dedication is made up of spiritual sounding words, religion and rutuals. Dedication is built out of trusting God with the practical needs of your everyday life.
Dedication is expressed in ministry. It is expressed in what you choose to DO with your life to serve the Lord and the heart to serve the people He has made.
Family Discussion Question: What sacrifice would REALLLLLY stretch your dedication? Can you think of one simple ministry your family could do this week?
Children’s activity: Do a simple ministry project with your children this week. (Write a card to encourage someone, make cookies for somebody, go out an do something for someone who could never do anything for you in return or _________________________ you fill in the blank.)
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