January 12, 2020, 1 Kings 8:14-21 – Post 3 – ISSL Reflection

VII.
We hear Solomon “bless the Lord” and …

“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who with his hand has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to my father David … the Lord said to my father David, ‘… you shall not build the house, but your son … shall build the house for my name.’ … for I have risen in the place of my father David; I sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised, and have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. There I have provided a place for the ark…”

VIII.
There’s a whole lot of Solomon saying, “I have …”

Is he calling attention to himself and what a great servant of the Lord he is? Or, is he pointing out how powerful and blessed he is to be the one who builds the Temple? Or, is he acknowledging that he the Lord has called him to that time and place and provided the means necessary to fulfill the task his family has been called to, to provide “a place for the ark”?

IX.
I wish I could ask Solomon.

But, then again, I just as well ask myself a question or two on that same line.

How do I balance a “pride” in my work with a humility about what I God calls me to and equips me for?

I know I don’t have an answer for that perfectly nailed down. But then, if I did, maybe that would be due to my pride and lack of humility.

Just some questions I need to ask myself. I don’t know where you are but you might ask about how you find your own balance in such ponderings.

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}


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