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Day 92, or April the 2nd. We constantly need

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reminding. Our thoughts today are from 1 Kings

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8, verse 9. There was nothing in the ark except

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the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in

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it at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with

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the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.

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Now the big picture surrounding this verse. It's

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all systems go on project temple. It takes seven

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years to complete it. Seven, the perfect number

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in Judaism. Then it takes almost twice as long

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for Solomon to finish his own house. Thirteen

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years, to be absolutely accurate. The house was

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about four times the size of the temple. Need

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I go on to show how Solomon was slipping away

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from God's standard? The ark is installed with

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all the other items of furniture, and the Shekinah

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glory of the Lord fills the temple. It was so

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full that the priests couldn't gain access, as

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Solomon preached and prayed as the people rejoiced.

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And now today's action step. The ark of the covenant,

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which Solomon carefully placed in the new temple

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in Jerusalem, was not all that it used to be.

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When he was in the tabernacle, it contained the

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Ten Commandments, Aaron's rod, and a jar of manna.

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Now, it only contained the Ten Commandments,

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the two magnificent reminders of God's faithfulness

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to them, as they escaped from Egypt and survived

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forty years in the wilderness. Aaron's rod and

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some manna were both missing. Israel was still

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founded on the solid foundation of the Word of

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God, as we must be too. However, they seem to

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have forgotten the amazing works of God and the

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miracles of the budding rod and the daily supply

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of manna for forty years. The reminders had gone.

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If we forget how good God has been to us in the

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past, the Word of God can become an academic

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exercise if we're not careful. Remind yourself

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regularly just how good God has been. Count your

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blessings, name them one by one, and it will

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surprise you what the Lord has done. Name one

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now.