Be Strong and Do It...

I Chronicles 28:10 "Take heed now; for the Lord hath chosen thee to build a house for the sanctuary: be strong and do it."

Here in our scripture today we are given the wonderful look at some fatherly advice from David, King of Israel, to Solomon his son, concerning the Temple which Solomon was to build for the Lord.  For years, David had a strong desire to build a house to honor the Lord with. However, the Lord would not allow David to what he desired to do, because he was a man of war.  David had chosen Solomon to follow after him as the next king.  As he is preparing the people around him for the transition of power, he is also preparing the heart of Solomon.  Here in the text verse David tells Solomon that God has chosen him to be the one to build the sanctuary.  At the end of the statement, David admonishes Solomon by telling him to, "be strong and do it"  David goes on to explain how it should be done, and in the end Solomon did indeed complete the project given to him by the Lord and his father. All because he stayed strong.

I could not help but think as I read that verse about the phrase, "be strong and do it."  I wondered about how many tasks God has chosen for me to do that I was not strong enough to complete the assignment given to me...hmmm??  That's too convicting, let's move on :)

34 times through out the scripture we can find the statement "be strong."  Here are few:

•  I Corinthians 16:13 says, " Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong"
•  Ephesians 6:10 says, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his     might." 
• II Timothy 2:1says, "Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."

We may never be chosen to build a house for God, but I want to remind you of something.  Any task that we are chosen to do for God is of utmost importance.  We must remain strong and get the job completed the way that He wants it done. Have you quit because you didn't think you were strong enough to get it done?  If God has chosen you, remember that he has also equipped you with the ability to finish.  Don't let your flesh and the devil deceive you into thinking that you can't, because you most certainly can.

Be strong and do it.