Scripture

But the Lord said to my father David, “Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for My name, you did well that it was in your heart. Nevertheless you shall not build the temple, but your son; He shall build the temple for My name.”
(1 Kings 8:8,9)

Devotional

We are to serve the Lord with all our hearts. It is good to have a heart for the things of God, and dream great dreams. However, there are callings and endeavors that we cannot achieve ourselves. We must learn to pass our skills, talents, and dreams on to others. We must be willing to pass the baton. Much of life is as a relay race; each person is to run a certain leg. Knowing how to pass the baton, and knowing to whom it must be passed will fulfill the race of life. Many great men never physically saw their dreams come to fulfillment. However, they did see them. They saw them so clearly that they passed their dreams on to others so that the work would be completed. They ran the race in such a way that others were prepared to receive their dream and they were prepared to pass it.

Text For The Day

1 Kings 8:18, 19: “But the Lord said to my father David, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for My name, you did well that it was in your heart. Nevertheless you shall not build the temple, but your son… he shall build the temple for My name.’”

Thought For The Day

“The baton was passed from Moses to Joshua, Abraham to Isaac, Isaac to Jacob, David to Solomon, Paul to Timothy, and Jesus to us. To whom are we passing the baton?” Tony Foglio, Founding Pastor of Sonrise Community Church

Questions To Ponder

How is the good news of the kingdom passed from generation to generation?
What are the traditions used to do so?
To whom are you passing the batons of your life?

Morning Study Guide

Defining: “Passing the baton of life” is as simple as sharing what you know with another. It is teaching our sons and daughters what we know and how to do the things of life. It is mentoring those who would replace us in life’s endeavors.

Referencing: “You, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord,” Ephesians 6:4.

Applying: Make it your goal to mentor someone to not only fill the void you will leave in life, but to do so in a greater way.