Okay, I have to start today's devotion with something my old pastor and mentor, Pastor Garland, taught us years ago.
He always said- Surround yourself with people who can do what you can't do and even people who can do what you do better than you can. And always be training your replacement.
I've carried that with me for years.
And when I got to today's reading, I thought
There it is right there.
We've spent days talking about David gathering the stones, Preparing the people, Guarding the doors, Handing Solomon the blueprint, And finally opening his hands and letting go. Then yesterday, we watched Solomon make his own choice to seek God.
And now...They're actually building the temple. But Solomon isn't standing there trying to do everything himself. He can't.
Back in chapter 2, Solomon specifically asked for a highly skilled craftsman. Now in chapter 4, we see Huram doing the bronze work and creating pieces for the temple.
Solomon had wisdom.
Yes, He was king and He had the blueprint and the resources.He had God's assignment. BUT he still needed somebody who could do something better than he could.
Sometimes we get this idea that if God called me to something, then I have to do all of it.
And I'll just speak for myself here first...
Sometimes it's hard to hand things over. It's hard to watch someone else do something you've always done. And sometimes it's really hard when you realize they might actually do it better than you. But that doesn't diminish my calling. Their gift isn't a threat to mine. Actually, their gift just might be part of God's provision for my calling.
Solomon needed Huram. And Huram's skill didn't make Solomon less of a king. Solomon's leadership didn't make Huram's craftsmanship less important. They had different assignments. But they were building the same house.
I think we desperately need that reminder in the Church. We're not competing ministries. We're not competing callings. We're not competing gifts. We're supposed to be building the Kingdom together. If you can do something I can't do, I need you. And if you can do something I can do, but you can do it better, I still need you! I really need you. And you need me. I don't want to be so insecure about my place that I miss the people God sent to help me build.
And then I thought about the other thing Pastor Garland always taught us, Always be training your replacement. That's not a direct command from 2 Chronicles 3-4, but after everything we've just read about David and Solomon, it's hard not to see the wisdom in it.
David spent the end of his life preparing someone else to carry what he couldn't.
He didn't just gather building materials. He prepared Solomon too. And then he stepped aside.
And That's Hard to do.
If I'm training someone who can eventually take my place, I have to accept that one day they just might. And maybe they'll do things differently. Maybe they'll see something I didn't.
Maybe they'll go farther than I did. They'll get to build with stones I spent years gathering. But that is supposed to be the goal.
As a mother, I understand that. I don't want my boys to spend their entire lives needing me to tell them every next step. I want them to take what we've poured into them and go further than we ever did. I want them to know God for themselves. I want them to have wisdom I didn't have at their age. I want them to avoid some of my mistakes. So Why wouldn't I want the same thing for the people God allows me to pour into?
That's discipleship! And we need more of that in the body of Christ.
We aren't supposed to create people who can't function without us. We're supposed to equip people who can carry the work after us.
And there's another detail in today's reading I don't want to miss. Solomon builds the temple on Mount Moriah. This ground already had a story. It was connected with Abraham's surrender in Genesis 22. And 2 Chronicles specifically connects the temple site with the place where God appeared to David at Ornan's threshing floor, the place where David had sinned, repented, sacrificed, and experienced God's mercy.
And now, They're building there.
Sometimes the ground where God teaches us surrender becomes the ground where He eventually builds something. David had already learned that lesson. And now Solomon was building on it. Literally.
Then Solomon puts two enormous pillars at the front of the temple. He names them Jakin and Boaz, names meaning God establishing and giving strength. They were a reminder to not forget who actually built the Temple.
Yes, David prepared for it and Solomon led the way to build it, Huram crafted important parts of it and thousands of people helped build it. But ultimately God established it.
We don't have to be afraid of someone else's gift. Because this was never supposed to be about making ourselves needed. It's about making Him known to others.
I want to be the kind of leader who looks around and says You're better at that than I am. Come help me. And eventually one who says, You're ready. Go do it. And hand it over.
Love Pastor Mandy
MandiesDandies / Ark of Hope
Add comment
Comments