COMM UNIT Y BIB L E RE AD IN G
Week 21
Weekly readings
20 May 2024 1 Kings 6:1–7:22 John 4:27–54
21 May 2024 1 Kings 7:23–8:53 John 5:1–23
22 May 2024 1 Kings 8:54–10:29 John 5:24–47
23 May 2024 1 Kings 11–12 John 6:1–21
24 May 2024 1 Kings 13–14 John 6:22–59
25 May 2024 1 Kings 15–16 John 6:60–7:9
Devotional
Speaking up – John 4
Because we convince ourselves that people won’t accept our testimony about God’s work in our lives, we’re
not usually ready to share it. We might prejudge their reactions or simply lack con dence. Soon, staying silent
becomes a way of life. We become accustomed to the monotony and forget our calling in the world.
But we’re called to action. Our words have power, and not because of our own storytelling talent or our
ability to tap into others’ emotions. God can and will use our words to draw people to Him through His
Spirit—perhaps without our even being aware of it. In John 4:27–42, Jesus uses a Samaritan woman with a
tarnished reputation to bring Samaritans (people whom the disciples and the Jews looked down upon) to
faith. Like the disciples, we have to realise the urgency of the good news. We have to show others that the
kingdom of heaven is at hand.
We are called to action. Verbalising, with humility, what God has done for us is an important part of faith.
We shouldn’t shy away from it or doubt that He will use it to bring others to Himself. This should bring us to
a place of con dence and humility. And it should compel us to speak.
Fields and Temples – 1 Kings 7
The building of Solomon’s temple and the growth of the kingdom of God are similar: Both require extensive
labor. Both bring miraculous results. And in both efforts, the dredging and toil can proceed for weeks, months, or
years before the fruits of the labor become apparent.
When the Bible describes the building of God’s temple, it mentions features and materials that would have been
incredible at the time: “He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon … It was covered with cedar above … There
were three rows of specially designed windows … All of the doorways and the doorframes had four-sided casings”
(1 Kings 7:2–5). Consider the logistical, expediting, and procurement hurdles that Solomon must have faced.
How could one leader build a project that required the nest materials and the most highly skilled craftsmen from
all over the known world, all in his lifetime? That it was completed is nearly miraculous. Even today, major
architectural feats often take longer than a lifetime (e.g., Gaudi’s cathedral in Barcelona).
Like the construction of Solomon’s temple, what we as Christians build into other people’s lives is meant to
happen miraculously. We labor for it, but the fruits are not ours—they are often unexplainable. Jesus once
remarked, “The kingdom of God is like this: like a man scatters seed on the ground. And he sleeps and gets up,
night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows—he does not know how. By itself the soil produces a crop: rst the
grass, then the head of grain, then the full grain in the head. But when the crop permits, he sends in the sickle [a
tool for harvesting crops] right away, because the harvest has come” (Mark 4:26–29). We must continue to labor,
knowing all the while that the results will be different than what we expect. We must rely on the Spirit for the real
work.
Prayer
Our Father, we thank you for the incredible privilege that you – the God of the universe – have chosen to
involve us in your work. Give us both determination to share the good news of what you have done and the
trust and patience that you will work in and through us as we do, all for you glory, Amen.
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