II. Use the resources

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from the book: "God Knows You’re Human"
by Terry Virgo

‘I have taken great pains to provide for the temple of the Lord’ (1 Chronicles 22:14). David had fought hard in battle and now he was giving the spoils of those battles to his son to build the temple. He had amassed ‘a hundred thousand talents of gold, a million talents of silver, quantities of bronze and iron too great to be weighed, and wood and stone’ (1 Chronicles 22:14).
You can imagine David’s words being spoken to you by Jesus: ‘Now, My child, I have with great pains made available to you everything you need for the house of the Lord.’ Jesus has conquered death for you, provided at terrible cost everything that you could possibly need to get the job done. ‘From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another’ (John 1:16). The supply will never run out.
It all seems so difficult, until you realise that Jesus’ resources are available to you without limit. No longer do you need to say, ‘I can't, I'm inadequate’ or ‘Surely we're stretching ourselves too thinly.’ No! There’s no limit. However many times you go back for more, there’s never any lack of supply. All you need is there on site.
David said further, ‘You have many workmen: stonecutters, masons and carpenters, as well as men skilled in every kind of work’ (1 Chronicles 22:15). Not only has God given us a superabundance of grace, He has also given skilful people to work with these resources, You must draw both on God’s grace and on the talented people whom God has put with you to teach you how to build His House.
On the one hand, Jesus has given you grace, On the other hand, He has given His whole Body, the Church, gifted people.

‘He gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers.’
(Ephesians 4:11)

He gave skilful people because he wanted them used to build His House.
Pastors, are you encouraging the release of spiritual gifts in your church? Are you using the gifted people God has given you? Have you asked a gifted and experienced ‘master builder’ if you are building on the right foundation?
Maybe you know that your church is on a good foundation, You are enjoying the family atmosphere, release in worship and the exercise of spiritual gifts. You are already recovering a New Testament style of church life. But are you evangelising your town? Or are you essentially inward-looking? Have you called an evangelist to provoke and train you to go out with the gospel?
The Church must be built according to God’s blueprint - through those whom He has chosen and gifted for this task. If you fail to use them, you are despising the gifts of the ascended Lord.

Apply yourself to the task

‘Devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God’
(1 Chronicles 22:19)

.., David went on. He repeated this exhortation later, as if to emphasise its great importance to success.

‘And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind ... If you seek him, he will be found by you.’
(1 Chronicles 28:9)

God had a plan and purpose for Solomon, but he had to apply himself to seek to know God's will.
God has a plan for you.

‘“I know the plans I have for you,“ declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”’
(Jeremiah 29:11-13)

Note the progression — call, come, pray, seek and seek with all your heart.
God promised Elijah, ‘I will send rain on the land,’ but Elijah still prayed fervently that the rain would come. ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know’ (Jeremiah 33:3). Do you believe this? if you do, you will give yourself to prayer.
So start praying and learn by doing. Pray in large and in small groups. Make room for people who are anointed to pray. Call on God and see what He will do, and give Him no rest until He makes Zion a praise in the earth.

“God Knows You’re Human” by Terry Virgo on Amazon

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