Relooking at a familiar text this week in my private reading. Spoke on it, wrote on it, and taught it in small groups. The facts are the same, the question to ponder and challenge is the same, but this time when looking at 1Chronicles 29 the Lord placed this question on my heart… selfishness and selflessness. Here is where we see David planning his dedication to the Temple his son will eventually build for God. David laid out plans, prepared finances, and secured land for what he wasn’t to do. He had a faith-forward heart. He wanted God lifted up, even after his own death. What a challenge to all of us!
Focusing in on verses 10-13 the Bible says— “Wherefore David blessed the Lord before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.”
First thing we can learn from David is: Give. In verse 7 it says he— “…gave for the service of the house of God…“ How much exactly? A lot! In total it was: 188 tons of gold; over 375 tons of silver; 675 tons of bronze; and over 3750 tons of iron. In US Dollars, in today’s market value, that’s $64,821,184,000.00 in giving. This testimony evidently stirred-up others to give as well in verses 8-9. Works that way doesn’t it? Someone needs to be the catalyst. Lord use me this way. How can you out-give God?
Next we see what David did beyond the finances. In verse 10 it says— “Wherefore David blessed the Lord.” Blessings should never be a one way street. We should be pouring our thanks, recognition, and humble dependence out upon our living, giving God. An open and broken heart of praise blesses Him. How can you out-bless God?
In verse 11 he continues his blessing with a public prayer— “Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty…” Let’s break down this dynamic public prayer. 1) Greatness: There is none greater than our Lord. 2) Power: at the breath of just a word spoken He can instantly align the universe. 3) Glory: He is incomparably superior, stunningly beautiful, and absolutely perfect. 4) Victory/Majesty: He has conquered all and rules over all, for all eternity.
We are so transfixed on self today. It’s beyond wrong, it’s beyond embarrassing, it’s beyond lame… it’s sin. So selfish. It’s the antithesis of Jesus. It’s the spirt of antichrist pressed upon us so very naturally. My struggles? Who cares! God has all of them under control. Trust Him. Set them down. And worship! Once we get off of ourselves we can finally take a hard look at God’s unparalleled grandeur. Do it, and then prepare to drop your jaw! God is unimaginably awesome! See His majesty, His Glory, His victory, His Power and His greatness… He is God!
Verse 11 continues this thought with “…for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine…” True worship involves recognition that He is in control. Some details here: “Head above all”; “Riches and honor come from thee.” (12); “To make great and give strength.” (12). Folks… everything is His! We are but managers for the King of all Kings. We are servants. We are not majestic, nor are we awesome… He is!
The sooner we recognize He is in control of it all, the better off we will be. The easier it will be to praise Him for it all. Just as David we must— “…thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.” A truly humble heart is a thankful heart. Make His glorious name famous — Brag on God. He deserves it doesn’t He?
Notice back to verse 10 how all of these responses are under the umbrella of: Go public! He did this— “…before all the congregation…” Yes, go public. Stop being ashamed. Be a fool for Jesus. Tell others just how great He is. Make a public declaration every day of just how you really feel about Him. Or… maybe this is already evident in how we feel, really, when we don’t go public. God help me to be a David at heart; help me to bless you in any way I can, because you deserve it.
I have a question you might consider pondering on the rest of this week:
What problems are currently distracting you from being blown away by God’s greatness?
4 thoughts on “Bless You”
Today someone on my team thought it would be fun to give everyone nicknames and mottos based the thing that identifies them the most. What they came up with for me was based on my faith and trust in the Lord. While it is great that others around me know that about me, how does that help them know Jesus more?
This message is a great reminder that I need to share more with them about how great He is. We don’t know how much of an impact it could have on others and how many people around us could be saved because we weren’t ashamed to declare His greatness publicly. Thank you for sharing what the Lord placed on your heart.
God will give you the courage. Lean on Him.
Pastor, Pondering the question you have asked here. I come up with the same cause to my distraction problems. The Answer is Always Me.
When I remove the word (me) from the equation I am no longer blinded by myself through my selfishness but can see again thanks to His selflessness.
Without selfish eyes I can see His Power, Glory, Victory and Majesty!
He is worthy of All Praise! Thank The Lord for His Mercy and Grace!
As we strip away self, it’s remarkable that all that’s left is Jesus.