Hopeful Heart

Our hope is in Jesus. His temple, His body was broken and His blood poured out for us so we could become the temple of the Holy Spirit. 

“Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord…Joash said to the priests, “Collect all the money that is brought as sacred offerings…Let every priest receive the money from one of the treasurers, then use it to repair whatever damage is found in the temple. But by the twenty-third year of King Joash the priests still had not repaired the temple…they paid those who worked on the temple of the Lord—the carpenters and builders, the masons and stonecutters…The money brought into the temple was not spent for making silver basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls…it was paid to the workers, who used it to repair the temple. About this time Hazael king of Aram went up and attacked Gath…Then he turned to attack Jerusalem. But Joash king of Judah took…all the gold found in the treasuries of the temple of the Lord and of the royal palace, and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram, who then withdrew from Jerusalem.”  2 Kings‬ 12

The most important aspect of the life of the ancient king Joash is the same thing that had the power to transform our lives. Creating space for the presence of God. Repairing the temple in ancient times was their way of making room for their Maker. For Joash, this was what guided his days and his lasting legacy. Is it yours? Is practicing the presence of God, being filled with the Holy Spirit, your life’s work? 

Within the story, there are key insights. Even though Joash wanted to be faithful and build the temple, 20 years in the work had not been done. Joash realized he had to course correct. He had to change the way he was doing things or the temple would not ever be built. 

Two main reasons are revealed as to why there was a delay in doing the work. The people had spent the money on themselves and on buying more stuff. As soon as they stopped spending their money on their own wants, and instead invested in people, the work was completed. What are you spending your money on? How are you stewarding your resources? Are you investing in the kingdom of God? 

Joash so valued the presence of God and peace in community that he gave up all the gold in the temple treasury. This took true faith and trust that God would provide for his tomorrows. Have you ever stopped to consider what your legacy will be? Have you thought about how the way you are stewarding resources reveals the depth of your trust in God? 

“In you, Lord my God, I put my trust. Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant. Who, then, are those who fear the Lord? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose. They will spend their days in prosperity…The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. My eyes are ever on the Lord…May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord, is in you.” Psalms‬ 25

Hope and trust. We love those words. We see them in our music and then we celebrate them because we know they matter. But what do they mean to us? How does hope change how you live? How does one measure trust? Are you hopeful? Do you trust God with everything? 

For David, hope helped him through hard times. The song was not written during summer time while he was relaxing by a pool.  David was praying for God to deliver him from darkness and difficulty. Holding on to hope and walking in humility with the expectation that his Heavenly Father would speak, show, guide, and provide for him, helped him through all he faced. He knew that God saw him and he said God, I know your ways are always faithful and loving. 

Think about how Joash showed that he trusted God by giving up all that he held on to so that peace and God’s presence would be the center of his life and the community. His trust could be measured.  It was tangible, and the truth is, your checkbook and your calendar tell God a lot about how you trust Him. What do yours say about you? 

“Desire without knowledge is not good— how much more will hasty feet miss the way! The one who gets wisdom loves life; the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper. A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will perish. A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense. A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass. Whoever keeps commandments keeps their life, but whoever shows contempt for their ways will die. Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done. Discipline your children, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to their death. Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs‬

God gives us wisdom so that we would walk in his ways. He spoke through Solomon so that we could have eyes to see and ears to hear. Solomon started the passage by asking us to consider our own hearts. He said desire without knowing whether it aligns with God’s will or His purposes is not pleasing to God. We know this to be true. How many times have we allowed our own desires to lead us away from God? 

God loves to bless. He wants to make you wise and give you life. But the process He uses to guide us is to grow us then give to us when we are ready. The order of operations matters to the Almighty. He wants our heads and our hearts to be right alignment with Him. He wants to develop our character before He fills our coffers. Are you willing to let go of your plans so that God’s purposes will be accomplished? God says those who help the poor will be repaid. He said those who discipline their children will help develop the character of the next generation that will allow the blessings to flow in your family. 

“Wherever I banish them, all the survivors of this evil nation will prefer death to life, declares the Lord Almighty…Why then have these people turned away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return. Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But my people do not know the requirements of the Lord. From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit…I will take away their harvest, declares the Lord. What I have given them will be taken from them.” Jeremiah‬ 9

One thing about the prophets like Jeremiah is that they spoke the truth whether others wanted to hear or not. As we read through the Bible, we see time and again where people have turned away from putting their hope in God and trusting Him. People have turned from the true to the false and chased personal gain more than pursuing the presence of God. 

God said stop building temples to yourself and twisting the truth. He said all are greedy and practice deceit. He said I want to do a new thing in you, but not until you give me your heart. Think about how this relates to the world we live in.  Think about what you see on social media. Is your feed full of people who focus on building the temple for the Lord and bringing the kingdom of Jesus? Or do your eyes desire worldly wealth? What do our practices say about whether we want more of God and to follow His ways?

“Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He consented…Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.” So they prepared the Passover. After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you…Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles Lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Luke‬ 22

Jesus did not simply repair the temple; He became the true temple. Through His death and resurrection, He made a way for the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. Notice how Jesus lived. He prepared a place for worship. He served. He prayed when others slept. He surrendered His will to the Father. Every moment of His life reflected complete trust that His Father, was like David sang, faithful and good. 

We saw a very clear contrast in the passages today. Joash used money to repair the temple, Judas took a bribe to destroy it. Money makes us do crazy things. It can rule our hearts and wreck our lives. But money in and of itself has no power. It is a tool.  How we choose to see it is what makes all the difference. 

This is where the fear of the Lord is meant to guide our steps. Do I have an abundance or a scarcity mindset when it comes to resources? When I see all that I have including my own salvation as from God, it is easy to be generous. If I believe that the One who made the heavens and the earth has the ability to provide for my tomorrow, I can trust Him by sharing with others.  

What are you building with your time, talent, and treasure? Are you building a monument to yourself, or are you preparing a dwelling place for the Lord? Every decision and every dollar, either opens the door of your heart to more of His presence or crowds it with lesser things. Which will you choose today? 

Make all of your life about Jesus and live like He did. Make Him the center as you seek God. Prepare room for His presence. Expect Him to teach you, correct you, provide for you, and transform you from the inside out. As you practice His presence and trust your life to Him, your hope will grow stronger, your faith will multiply, and your time on earth will turn into a testimony that the Lord is faithful and He is loving in all His ways.