Sunday, July 04, 2010

Your kingdom come, Your will be done


1 Kings 6:38 - 7:1
"He took seven years building [the temple]. It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace."

In the Lord's prayer, Christ taught us to pray that God the Father's kingdom would come, His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We pray it every week at my church and I attempt to pray a variation of the prayer every night before I go to bed, at least to remind myself that God has chosen me, along with the rest of His people, to be part of His advancing kingdom. But as I read about Solomon, wise King Solomon whose splendor is legendary, I am reminded of how easily I fall into placing my kingdom above Gods. Certainly I pray and I speak of God's glory, praising Him for the things He has given me, but I am so often side tracked by yearning for praise that my efforts are soiled. Motivation is as important as action, and I find myself wanting to be godly because it will earn the praise of those around me, rather than earning praise for the One who is refining me, the One who died so that I could be redeemed in the first place. I am just like Solomon and his palace, building up that which is for me rather than using all of my efforts for that which will glorify God. I am so thankful for this story, for the warning to flee from such frivolous pursuits. Like Solomon's palace, the kingdom I build will vanish one day, blown away never to be remembered, but God's kingdom is eternal, God's kingdom will carry on. My prayer is that I will work to advance His kingdom and not my own, and by His mercy and grace my motivation will begin to change.

7 comments:

Anglican Mama said...

Hi Courtney. :) My name is Jen, I found your blog simply by clicking "next blog" on bloggers header (but found we have more in common--including girls' youth ministry). Your thoughts were perfect for me tonight, as the Lord has been dealing with my heart about this lately: I'm allowed to make an idol out of Him.

It was a blessing to stop by, newfound sister. :)

Cioara Andrei said...

Foarte interesant subiectul deybatut de tine.M-am uitat pe blogul tau si imi place ce am vazut, cu siguranta am sa mai revin o zi buna!

John said...

Great post although I don't totally agree that motivation is more important than action. If a man feeds a starving child because he wants his picture in the paper, his motivation is poor but his action saved a child. God can use all kinds of people, even those with poor motivation. :) I am teasing you, really enjoyed the blog.

celiselott said...

Thanks for your comments guys! They are always appreciated. I do agree with you John, that motivation and action are equally important, I just wanted to highlight how often we try to build our own kingdom instead of Gods. Hope y'all continue to read!

Mike said...

Thank you for your latest post.

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@Mike, I'd be happy to do an interview. Just send me the info.