Thought for October 4

History:

• 1537: William Tyndale and Miles Coverdale publish first complete English Bible--Matthew Bible
• 1675: Pocket watch patented
• 1883: Orient Express leaves Paris for Istanbul on first official journey
• 1915: Dinosaur National Monument established
• 1948: World Council of Churches formed
• 1957: "Leave It to Beaver" premiers
• 1957: Russia launches Sputnik I
• 1990: "Beverly Hills 90210" premiers
• 1999: Faith Hill releases "Breathe"
• 2006: WikiLeaks is launched
• Born: Rutherford B Hayes, Frederic Remington [sculptor], Damon Runyon, Buster Keaton, Charlton Heston, Dick Tracy [per the comic strip], Sam Huff [Football HOF], Jackie Collins, Anne Rice, Tony La Russa, Susan Sarandon, Sarah Fisher [racer], Dakota Johnson, 
• Died: Rembrandt, Catherine Booth [co-founder Salvation Army], Frederic Auguste Bartholdi [Statue of Liberty],  Max Planck [physicist], Janis Joplin, Secretariat, 

Thought:

Continuing this morning to consider the story of David in 2 Samuel 7. Yesterday, David decided that the Lord needed a Temple to hold the ark. Then God sent Nathan to ask, "Are you the one who should build?" Notice what God says to David:

• God has not dwelt in a house--He has dwelt with the people as they traveled [7:6] Boy! Do I need to hear that. Our great God does not dwell in a house made with hands. If He wanted a house, He could speak one into existence. I want Him to have a house so I will know where He is--the church building. So when I go to the church building, I say the right things, have the right attitude, sing the right songs, read the Bible---but when I leave His house, I can think and do as I please. We don't go to church, we are the church. And the Lord inhabits His church wherever it is. Our bodies are His temple. He is always present. I cannot put Him on a shelf on a certain day and then walk in my own way. As I read this story, I wonder if God really even wanted a Temple. 
• God did not ask for a Temple. Notice what God says in 7:7--have you heard Me asking, "Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?" This strikes home, for I find myself giving to God the things I have decided He needs or wants. Repeatedly God has said that He does not seek burnt sacrifices. He has said "I don't need anything from you." God made everything and everything is His--what can I give Him that He really needs. Think about that person you have to buy for at Christmas--they have everything, need nothing. As a parent and grandparent you know the feeling--you just want time with your children and grandchildren, time to talk, time to know each other, time to recall and dream. You don't want another tie, shirt, book, or slippers. God is our parent our Father--He wants us to spend time with Him, talk to Him, remember with Him, dream with Him. 
• God reminds David of where he came from and who is responsible for the fact that he is king [7:8-9]. Has God ever done that with you--He has with me. I get to thinking about all I have accomplished, the things I have done---then He says Larry really? You were a poor kid in a lower middle class neighborhood whose parents never went to college. Your house was on concrete blocks on the corners and you had no car. You kept the grocery money in a Skippy Peanut Butter Jar [$20 per week]. You could not afford to go to college. And on and on. All of you have had something like this happen. And then all I can say is thank you Lord. It was all You--You did a miracle--You opened doors that were sealed---You provided resources from nothing---It was all You!

What does God ask of man--to love mercy, seek justice and walk HUMBLY with God. Maybe that is what God was saying to David--who killed Goliath? A kid with a rock and slingshot or a kid who trusted God to guide the rock to the only spot on Goliath's body that could strike a fatal blow. And maybe that's what I need to hear again this morning. Lord all I have and all I am are from You and You alone are worthy or all praise.

Blessings

Larry