Seize the Moment – Day 898
Motivated for a Cause!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, September 1.
Good leaders motivate people to accomplish important tasks by connecting them to a larger cause the people value. You can’t expect people to give or volunteer simply because it’s the right thing to do, they need to believe the cause is worth their sacrifice and service.
We know that it was David, as his first order of business as the new king, who conquered the Jebusites and took claim of Jerusalem as his capital city (2 Samuel 5:6-10). But, very interestingly, to motivate the tribe of Benjamin to work hard alongside the tribe of Judah, the Chronicler emphasizes their tribal heritage with the city of Jerusalem twice in their expanded genealogy of 1 Chronicles 8:
- “These were heads of the fathers’ households according to their generations, chief men who lived in Jerusalem” (28).
- “Mikloth became the father of Shimeah. And they also lived with their relatives in Jerusalem opposite their other relatives” (32).
Ezra laid the foundation for why the tribe of Benjamin should rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, leveraging not only their national pride, but also their tribal loyalties. He needed them to believe that Jerusalem was not only the city of David, but also the heritage of the Benjamites.
Seize the moment and remember the great cost of your salvation through the indescribable gift of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 9:1-15). There is no sacrifice of time, talents, or treasures you could give that compares with God’s gift of His one and only Son for you to be a part of His Kingdom and share in His righteousness (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Matthew 6:33).