Seize the Moment – Day 933

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06
Oct '22

Seize the Moment – Day 933

Posted on Oct 6, 2022 by Jerry Ingalls in Devotions, General |

06
Oct '22

Go for the Gold!

2 Chronicles 4

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, October 6.

 

In the Olympic Games, the top three athletes are awarded medals – gold for first, silver for second, and bronze for third. The better the athlete’s performance, the higher the placement, the more precious the building material of the medal. You will often hear athletes encourage one another by saying, “Go for the gold!” They are not telling one another to go mining for precious building materials, they are saying, “Give it your best!”

 

This same mindset is found in the construction of the temple. They are using only the best of building materials with the most precious materials reserved for the inner chamber. One scholar explained the significance of this progression of the costliness of building materials, “They illustrate the principle of gradation, whereby the costlier metal represents a greater degree of holiness.”[1] There are two summaries of temple furnishings in 2 Chronicles 4, one for the works of bronze in verses 11-18, and one for that of gold in verses 19-22. Whereas bronze was used around the temple entrance, gold was prioritized for the interior.

 

This concept is brought into the New Testament by the Apostle Paul who says to us in 1 Corinthians 3:12-13,
 
“Now if any man builds on the foundation [of Christ] with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.”
 
The principle of gradation is at work once again, but this time with how you express the holiness of God with your life, because the Holy Spirit has made you “a temple of God” (14-16; cf. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).  

 

Seize the moment and go for the gold with your life – give God your best by offering up right sacrifices to Him with all that you think, say, and do (1 Peter 2:5; Romans 12:1-2).
 

God bless you!

 

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YOUTUBE:

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FOOTNOTES:

 

[1] Martin J. Selman, 2 Chronicles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 11, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 329.

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