Read 1 Kings 8: 41-43, 60-61

Outside of the first century A.D., in today’s day in age, Christianity has been looked down upon more than any time before. When you say the name of Jesus, people look at you differently. If you take the time to think about it, our world is full of people who speak out against anything that they disagree with and many Christians are just like that. The problem is we speak out to the point of judgment and condemnation. People look at us and judge us because we can be so hateful with our words and proclamation.

We are called to love people, not hate them. Our call is to be a people that attract others to Jesus, not deter from Him. As we look through Scripture, we see that this is a common theme throughout the book of 1 Kings.

In chapter 8, Solomon dedicates the temple to God. He speaks to people outside their nation that came to the temple and prays that, when they come to this holy temple, they would meet God. He prays that they would be amazed by the answering of prayers from Heaven and that, through this answering of prayer, people will know that this temple was built in the name of God.

As Christians, it is our job to create an environment worth visiting. It is God’s job to work through them for life change, but it is our job to be attractive. Are we acting in a way that invites people to visit our church? Are we acting in a way that shows people we are different and that difference is Jesus?Are we acting in a way that causes other people to want the hope that we have?

So what are we supposed to do? Verse 61 gives us a pretty good idea; we need to let our heart be fully devoted to the Lord and fully committed to His plan for humanity no matter what walk of life they are in. Also, it tells us that we need to continue to have a favorable walk with God. We need to be an example to people of what it looks like to love God and love people, so that we may have the opportunity to lead them to salvation.

A good next step is subscribing to www.everydaywithgod.com so that you may be spiritually fed and can then impart that on others. If you haven’t been plugged into a Grace Group, it is a perfect way to grow closer to God while also growing closer to others.

Jake Lawson