1 Kings 7

In 1 Kings 7, after completing God's house, Solomon turns to his own palace complex, a massive endeavour that takes 13 years to bild, far longer than the temple's seven-year build. If our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit (as in 1 Corinthians 6:19), what "interior decoration" habits like prayer, healthy living, forgiveness, and choices such as wise media consumption or acts of kindness are we craving today to honour God's dwelling place? Child of God, Solomon continued to build with clear precision and enviable materials, sourcing the finest cedar, gold overlays, and bronze to create spaces worthy of God's presence. In verses 13-14, he brought in Huram, a skilled artisan from Tyre with wisdom, understanding, and expertise in bronze work. Huram descended from a widow of Naphtali and a Tyrian father. The Lord provided specialists for His purposes.

It's true that Solomon built the Temple for the Lord and also a palace for himself, but he didn't do it all by himself, he understood the value of using gifts and talents from others to enhance what he was building. If we are the temple of God, and the dwelling place of His Spirit, how much can we tap from each other's gifts and talents to help us build our temple? As 1 Corinthians 12:12 reminds us, "Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ," and Romans 12:4-5 says, "For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." We must make the most of each other's gifts whether teaching, encouragement, service, or craftsmanship and build God's Temple collectively, fostering unity and growth in the body of believers.

Solomon didn't try to build it all by his own hands, putting bricks upon bricks, instead, by God's wisdom, he utilized the gifting of others, leading to an enviable result that glorified God and inspired awe. May we look around us, see beyond just individuals in the flesh but know them for who God has made them to be as 2 Corinthians 5:16 says, "So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view" Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer."

That way, we can see beyond the flesh and tap into their gifts and talents to help us build a temple enviable in the eyes of all, radiating God's glory in our lives and communities. And together, a celebration of collaborative artistry, child of God, if we can allow God shape us even when we think we are building for him then HE is actually building us, and that way, we peer past facades beyond the weary coworker or the quirky neighbour to the divine blueprint of God in our life: the encourager, the visionary, the healer. In an age of isolation, this is revolutionary worship- vulnerability as the true "enviable material for building", where admitting "I need your gift" becomes our finest offering. Child of God, tapping into each other’s talents doesn't diminish us, it elevates us. Imagine churches, families, communities making the most of what we all have within us to build for his glory. Ask yourself, in what ways am I underutilizing the gifts of those around me, and how can I intentionally partner with others this week to strengthen my spiritual "temple" and contribute to the broader body of Christ?

Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for reminding us through 1 Kings 7 that Your dwelling place, whether a physical temple or our very bodies, deserves our best efforts, precision, and collaboration. Help us to crave habits and choices that beautify our inner temples, honouring the Holy Spirit within us, Oh Lord Jesus. Grant us wisdom like Solomon's to recognize and utilize the gifts in others, building Your kingdom together in unity and oneness. Open our eyes to see people as You do, beyond the flesh, and empower us to create something enviable for Your glory. In Jesus name, Amen.