THAT I MAY KNOW HIM(Phil.3:10)! 🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥 Theme: The Call To Righteousness (1Cor.15:34)! 🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥 DAVID'S BROKENNESS; THE FOUNDATION OF SOLOMON'S TEMPLE ! 🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥 Extra Readings (1Chro:21-18-26,2Chro.3:1,Isa.61:3,Ps.30:11,Ruth 1:3-6,19-21,Lam.2:15,Gen.4:8,16,25). Broken dreams and shattered hopes,is the subject of interest in today's discourse. I'm not sure,I have heard or known of anyone on earth,whose desire for life is to suffer, except Jesus who divinely came to suffer in order for you and I not to suffer (Isa.53:1-end). Rather,man in his mind(after he was birthed),had a bright and a wonderful picture of a fulfilled life safely stored away in his memory bank.Certainly, this applies to us all. However,as the years rolled by,he discovers the contrary enveloping his life.Painfully, taking an inventory of his life,he is now conscious of high expectations beginning to dampen, dreams become broken,hopes shattered,and the good life once envisaged becomes a mirage, while VISIONS become mere ILLUSIONS! Why? Something has definitely gone wrong. This"Gone wrong something", may be wrong choices or decisions, e.g,Cain killing Abel,and David in his sleeping with his Captain's wife which ultimately became a prelude to murder! It can also be someone dropped him like Mephiboshet(2Sam.4:4,9:8). Maybe, someone that wasn't supposed to die, died or better still, someone who was supposed to care and love him forever, suddenly develops"cold feet",and for no just cause,decides it's best if he didn't exist,e.g,Paul in Acts 22:22-end. In all these,I believe it's even more painful and saddening, when it's self inflicted like Eve and Naomi, even including David etc. Whichever way it happened, the truth is; life has presented most of us with more than our fair share of disappointments, pains,grief, many tears and setbacks. All these pains(self Inflicted or not), naturally leave us vulnerable and confused, not knowing why they had to occur at all! With the unexplainable occurrences of seemingly evil fortunes in our lives; the visioneer becomes visionless, likewise the dreamer and the hopefuls.Thus, when "Promises remain Proposals",and dreams are shattered, inevitably,hearts are broken. Yet,in all these the Truth pops out that tears are a part of human life.Pain must come, not caring if you are old or young,rich or poor, black or white,etc.It's an equal opportunity experience. Trouble will come knocking on your door, sooner or later, invited or not. But the attendant trauma caused by these life afflictions is this; while some come out and get away without injury,many are not only wounded,but frustratingly end up in the grave! Still, many suffer with their injuries all life long, wishing for death. It is at points like these,if allowed, that the Lord God comes in. Listen, great disappointments emanate from great expectations. When things are moving anticlockwise in our lives,it kills the spirit(rhetorics),makes one a recluse (loner), losing interest in life, which by implications can lead to mental retardation and even death eventually,if God doesn't intervene.These aren't certainly the best of times for any believer! Yet,this is the time for that God's child to prove his worth as a believer. It's not the time to mope, but a time to realize our hopelessness without God. Yes, we need to reappraise our relationship with the ONE WHO alone knows how to deal with the manufacturer of our pains (Satan), for HE created him,and can uncreate him should HE desire to! It's only the MASTER who can turn our pains to become a conduit for power. THE ONLY CHRIST JESUS WHO CAN REVERSE THE IRREVERSIBLE, THE GOD WHO CAN FETCH WATER WITH A BASKET! Oh my God,I am excited! HE is more than capable to use what was meant to destroy us to become a stepping stone to our victory.(Rom.8:28) When we surrender our torn, empty and broken life to God,HE STEPS IN TO CREATE A MASTERPIECE OUT OF OUR MESS ! Truly,yes, truly,if only we can give the Lord unhinged access to our lives (total submission),HE is absolutely ready to make us MESSENGERS out of our MESS. You know,we like "FULL, but God likes EMPTY".(Gen.1:1-3,2Cor.12:9.This the exact situation where HE gives BEAUTY for ASHES.In 1Chro.21:18-26,and 2Chro.3:1,IT WAS UPON THE ASHES OF DAVID'S BROKENNESS (burnt offerings for sin committed,) THAT THE GREATEST TEMPLE(ANY CHURCH AUDITORIUM) WAS ERECTED. DAVID'S BROKENESS WAS THE FOUNDATION OF SOLOMON'S TEMPLE. You know what, God is in the business of always looking for the ashes of brokenness to build upon.(Ps.51:17). Come, dear brethrens, let's give HIM ours,HE is ever and effectively ready to accept and transform them into beauty! Just imagine God lovingly calling on Adam as if nothing has happened, whereas He already knows that Adam has bowed to sin's creator , the devil. Even at that , He didn't smite him... rather , in pity of the consequences of the wrong choice he made, HE CLOTHED THEM TO FIT INTO THE NEW ENVIRONMENT, THEY SOLD THEMSELVES INTO. What will be your image of our Lord and Saviour, Christ Jesus in pains beyond what words can describe, yet PLEADING, FATHER FORGIVE THEM FOR THEY NOT WHAT THEY DO! Yes, even satan was caught off guard. He NEVER in his wildest imagination that THE ALMIGHTY CREATOR AND SELF SUFFICIENT EVERLASTING GOD CAN SO HUMBLE HIMSELF TO DIE LIKE A COMMITTED CRIMINAL, JUST TO SAVE YOU AND ME FROM THE DEVIL'S CLAWS. That was why,in Matt.4 he asked,*If thou be the Son of God!* Christ Jesus hasn't abandoned that mission,that desire to save as many souls as possible. No matter how wretched our lives may have become, He is a Specialist in Fixing up our broken pieces. All He desires is for us to hand them (broken pieces) to Him. Delay is dangerous...do it now, and you will blame yourself for having wasted so much time away. God bless us🙇🙏Amen!