Key Verse: 1 Kings 7:51
So all the work that King Solomon had done for the house of the Lord was finished; and Solomon brought in the things which his father David had dedicated: the silver and the gold and the furnishings. He put them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.

At this time of King Solomon’s life, God was in His rightful place…FIRST PLACE! Only one wife is mentioned, the daughter of the ruler of Egypt. Solomon’s full attention was on the rule of his kingdom and on the task of building God’s Temple (here is a link to give you a good idea of how the Temple may have looked). This building project was a job left for Solomon by his father, David. Later in his life, Solomon married many other wives, built temples to their gods, and his attention was not on the Lord God of Israel. It’s sad but true.
Jesus said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). May this be the case throughout all the periods of our lives, not just for the first few years. As we read in today’s reading about the intricate details of the construction projects, let us recognize that God did indeed add “all these things” to Solomon and the Kingdom of Israel. As we will see, the Kingdom of God became diminished and the kingdom of Solomon increased. The end result will not be glorious. The country will be torn apart. Eventually the Temple will be destroyed and all the beautiful vessels in the Temple taken by a foreign invader. However, in the intervening period of God’s blessing, we can also be blessed as we read ahead.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord God, grant me even more wisdom than You gave Solomon. I ask for enough wisdom to last me an entire lifetime, not for just the first few years. I need You 24/7! In the Name of another Descendant of King David, Jesus, my Saviour and Lord, Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:
For some reason I’m thinking of building projects in which I have been involved in a leadership role. The first was a new roof on a little church building in Castleton, Ontario. The next was a new church building in Deep River, Ontario. Then there was the construction of another church building in Sudbury. All these projects were built under budget and paid for in short order. But then 25 years later came the necessity of building a new 143,000 square foot studio and office building for Crossroads Christian Communications Inc. I was confident that we could once again build for less than the estimated costs, but the project went considerably over cost. It took lots and lots of fervent prayer, much sacrificial giving, and the daily pressures of also paying regular operating costs in order to prevail. There was no overlay of gold, just drywall, brick, and the most reasonable materials available. Nevertheless, the former Chairman of Canada’s Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, Keith Spicer, did pronounce the Crossroads Centre in Burlington the finest TV production facility in Canada. Every day, we sought to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.” And through the amazing investment of God’s people in the purchase of mortgage certificates and in giving so very generously, the charity, Crossroads, became free of debt in ten years. It may seem foolish to draw any comparison to the Temple of Solomon, but it seems to me the same principles are involved, i.e. putting God first!

Yours for seeking first the Kingdom of God,

David