1 Chronicles

Whole and Willing

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And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.

1 Chronicles 28:9 (ESV)

As one of his last acts as king of Israel, David urges his son to follow in his father’s footsteps. God knew David’s heart and David’s heart was in the right place.

I often have to take a look at my own heart. When I wake up Sunday mornings, more often than not, I’m looking forward to an afternoon nap more than I am to the church service that comes first. Where is my heart?

When I stand on the stage, am I giving God my whole heart or just a part of it? Am I serving with a willing mind or is it wandering, trying to make it through the service?

Church aside, where are my heart and mind through the week? Does God have my whole heart all the time? With a willing mind, do I read His Word and pay attention to His teachings?

I take no small amount of encouragement in the second part of this verse, “If you seek him, he will be found by you.” God doesn’t play games with our hearts or minds. He is always faithful and sure. He will not leave us or forsake us even if we don’t approach Him wholeheartedly or completely willingly. He meets us where we are so long as we take that step. Jeremiah 29:14 says, “I will be found by you, declares the Lord.”

When I think of us searching for God, I think of playing hide and seek with a kid. We’re the one seeking and God is the kid hiding in plain sight, breathing heavy, talking the whole time, impossible to miss.

God wants us to find Him. And, when we know that God wants to be found, it makes it easier to search for him with all of our hearts and with a willing mind.

Daily Bible reading: 1 Chronicles 28-29; John 11:47-57

Ability

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How do you get good at something? For some of us, it comes naturally. For others, they need to work at it. How do you get really good at something? I believe that, for everyone, hard work is in order. To achieve excellence, commitment and work are required no matter what it is you want to be good at – a trade, a sport, a game, a craft, a career.

I firmly believe that the Church should be the world’s thermometer for excellence. When unbelievers want to see how things should be done, they should be able to look at the Church.

Why?

Because we have the Spirit of the Living God inside of us. Working with us. Guiding us. Showing us how to do things. Because whatever we do, we work heartily as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord we will receive the inheritance as our reward. We are serving the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:23-24 [ESV])

Read through 1 Chronicles 26 and you’ll see verse after verse talking about people who were good at what they did.

  • they were men of great ability (vs. 6)
  • able men (vs. 7)
  • able men qualified for the service (vs. 8)
  • able men (v. 9)
  • a shrewd counsellor (vs. 14)
  • men of ability (vs. 30)
  • men of great ability (vs. 31)
  • men of ability (vs. 32)

And what happened because they were good at their jobs? They got promoted.

When we view our work – no matter what type of work we do – as doing it for God and not for the men/women who are over us in authority, there should be a greater sense of urgency not only to do our work, but to do it well.

Whether it’s your career or a voluntary position, work for the Lord. Be known as a man or woman of great ability. Not only is there opportunity for earthly reward, but a heavenly one as well.

Daily Bible reading: 1 Chronicles 26-27; John 11:18-46

Turn on

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I can safely say, on the authority of all that is revealed in the Word of God, that any man or woman on this earth who is bored and turned off by worship is not ready for heaven.

A.W. Tozer

I can guarantee that I’m not the only worship leader who often steps off the stage feeling discouraged by the numerous people sipping coffee, checking their phones or wandering in when the last song is winding down.

It’s a cultural thing, I’ve heard. Whose culture? Not ours. Our culture has no problem whatsoever worshipping whether it be celebrities, sports teams, video games, or new phone apps. When more attention is given to the fact that the barista got your coffee wrong than seeking the presence of God, a giant warning light should go off.

With them were Heman and Jeduthun and the rest of those chosen and expressly named to give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever.

1 Chronicles 16:41 (ESV)

When King David brought the ark of the covenant back into Jerusalem, he chose a worship team and gave them a permanent position at the tent. He picked the best musicians and singers for the job. Why? So he could have the coolest sounding band in town? No. Because God’s steadfast love endures forever. David picked the best so that they could give God the best simply because He deserves it.

David went so far as to trade his royal robes for those of a priest as he ushered the ark into the city. He gave worship a greater place than his status as king.

I believe that in public worship we should do well to be bound by no human rules, and constrained by no stereotyped order.

Charles Spurgeon

Corporate worship is a regular gracious reminder that it’s not about you. You’ve been born into a life that is a celebration of another.

Paul David Tripp

I could list quote after quote from the Bible and great men and women of faith both current and those who have gone before us. There is a great truth to all of it – worship is not about us and how we feel (comfortable or not). Worship is our response to who God is and who we are in light of Him.

Surely that which occupies the total time and energies of heaven must be a fitting pattern for earth.

Paul E. Billheimer

Daily Bible reading: 1 Chronicles 14-16; John 9:24-41