YOU DID WELL TO HAVE THIS IN YOUR HEART
I Kings 8:17,18 My father David had it in his heart to build a temple for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. But the Lord said to my father David, “Because it was in your heart to build a temple for my Name, you did well to have this in your heart.”
I Chronicles 28:3 tells us that God would not let David build the temple, because he was a warrior and had shed blood. I Kings 5:3 tells us that he could not build the temple until the Lord had put his enemies under his feet. Whatever reason it was David could not build the temple for the Lord, but he did add greatly to the building of it. I Chron 20:2-9 says, “With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God - gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze or the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble - all of these in large quantities. Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God now I give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple: 110 tons of gold (gold of Ophir) and 260 tons of refined silver, for the overlaying of the walls of the buildings, for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is willing to consecrate himself today to the Lord?
Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly. They gave towards the work on the temple for God 190 tons and 185 pounds of gold, 375 tons of silver, 675 pounds of bronze and 3,750 tons of iron. Any who had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the temple of the Lord in the custody of Jahiel the Gershonite. The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly Because of what was in David’s heart and his own willingness to give wholeheartedly to the building of a temple to the Lord, he inspired great things within other great people! We may not always be able to do great on our own merit, but through us God can and wants to do wonderful things. Sometimes it only takes a person with a desire to do something that is worthwhile. Then with a simple act of faith on the part of that person, others catch the dream and great things can come about.
I recently found out about a wonderful lady that even though she may not have had the means for ministry had in her heart a desire to help those needing a touch of hope in their life. Catherine began giving flowers to people that she knew needed a touch from Jesus in their life. Sometimes in life we don’t need to hear a sermon, or have a finger pointed our way saying, “I told you so!” What we do need is to know someone cares. We know that Jesus cares, but at certain times in hurt, disappoint, sorrow, frustration, loneliness and even despair we could use a glimpse of hope just knowing we are not alone and that someone still cares!
This is why I believe that God put this ministry on Catherine's heart. Jesus wanted to do this for people, he just needed a heart big enough to touch people with the love of Jesus. Catherine has touched many hearts for Jesus, and I know that her labor of love has only just begun. I also believe that possibly many of you might be inspired to begin your own ministries to bring hope to others as well. Maybe you could get groceries, take someone to the doctor, shovel their walk or whatever. I believe that for every need in the church there is a gift given. Is God calling you to inspire others by showing someone hope for tomorrow?
If you would like to help Catherine with her ministry of Random Acts of Hope providing flower arrangements free of charge, you can contact her at Rock Church phone number 309-699-4762. There are many ways you can help her help Jesus. I believe that Jesus is telling Catherine that she did well to have this in her heart. Don’t you?
Prayer: Thank you Lord for your children that faithfully reach out to serve, and help others for you. Thank you for using Catherine and others like her to inspire others too. We love you Lord.
