Note From The Board – Rod Robison – April 2024

This coming August my wife and I will be empty nesters for the first time in over 40 years. We have five children with about 20 years between our first born and our youngest. Our last two children were adopted. So, we have a special place in our hearts for underprivileged kids who need someone to show them God’s love in very tangible, even sacrificial, ways. Someone to mentor them to become all God wants them to become. That’s one reason why we support Unite 4 Africa and why I’m a board member.

Three thousand years ago a father gave us an example of that kind of sacrificial love and mentoring when he took his son aside and challenged him to do the seemingly impossible. It’s not only applicable to those of us raising our own kids, but to any child whom God uses us to help lead a God-honoring life.

Nothing like it had ever been accomplished before. The boy was young and inexperienced — scared to death, no doubt, that he would never be able to complete this monumental task to his father’s satisfaction.

I can just imagine King David with his arm around his son Solomon. His other arm stretched out, the king points to a small flat mount just above the city named for him –The City of David. That spot, right over there, where the huge flat, rocky outcropping juts from the ground – that’s where it will be built. Tradition had it that it was the same spot where another father had taken his son many years before. Abraham, father of their people, stood prepared to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice atop that rock.

God had seen fit then to make the impossible possible. And David was sure that God would again honor his word.

The task David challenged Solomon with that day is preserved for us in the book of First Chronicles chapters 28 and 29. David was growing old. As his last great act as King, David desperately wanted to show his love for his God by building a Temple. It would be a grand and opulent monument that could be seen by everyone in the surrounding countryside — a reminder to them of God’s faithfulness. And a place where they could gather for worship. It would also house their most sacred artifact, the Ark of the Covenant. But because David was a man of war, God would not allow him to build the house of worship. However, he would allow David’s son, Solomon, the honor.

As David showed the drawings to Solomon, the future king might well have felt overwhelmed. The detail was enormous. Everything had been thought through from the dimensions of each room to the weight of the gold forks and countless other implements to be used by the priests. Even the job descriptions for each of the Temple staff were listed.

But David did not simply turn over this massive job to his son that day and walk away. In the coming days he went to great lengths to give Solomon every possible support he could. And that’s where the story begins to offer parents and others who mentor children some priceless lessons. Let’s listen in to David’s advice to Solomon to see what we can learn from this father who, though he had plenty of failings, can teach us a lot about how to help children achieve great things for God.

“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.”

David started out by reminding his son that God, not the task at hand, was to be the center of his devotion. And he was to serve God willingly, out of love, not out of compulsion, because God looks on the heart, not on the outward appearance. That’s a great reminder for us to teach our children to live their lives from the “inside out.”

“If you seek Him, he will be found by you…”

God’s wisdom is always available to our children as they face life’s many confusing decisions.

“The Lord has chosen you to build a temple as a sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.”

What a privilege we have as mentors to challenge children to do great things in life. God has chosen each one of them to accomplish something significant for Him. But He expects them to work at it. That’s why it’s so important for us to instill a strong work ethic in children. And to remind them that learning to work is learning to serve God effectively.

The Bible then says, “Then David gave his son Solomon the plans…”

David went to great lengths to lay out detailed instructions for Solomon. How often do we forget that life’s little details we take for granted our children may be just beginning to learn. What may seem like “no brainers” to us, were learned through years of trial and error. Now we have the blessing to pass our experience on to them.

“All this I have in writing from the hand of the Lord upon me, and he gave me understanding in all the details of the plan.”

God has given the children we mentor loads of wisdom in His Word. Let’s not forget to consistently direct them to the Source of all wisdom. No advice we give them is of value unless it’s founded on God’s Word.

“Be strong and courageous…Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work…is finished.”

Encouragement is a vital ingredient to our children’s upbringing that we cannot give too much of. It needs to be daily. It needs to be honest and sincere. And it needs to be focused on not just the child’s ability but, far more importantly, on God’s ability to work through their weakness.

Finally, David led by example. “The task is great…With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God…I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple…Now, who is willing to consecrate himself today to the Lord?”

David could have simply handed the plans to Solomon and walked away, hoping that his son wouldn’t let him down. But instead he gave it everything he had. We can’t expect children to follow our words only. The instructions for life we give them need to be backed up with consistent examples on our part.

We are all called to help children build their own Temple. The Bible calls it the Temple of the Holy Spirit. And it’s far more valuable than any building that crumbles with the ravages of time. It’s a Temple that lasts forever.

But, again, this biblical example is not just for those of us who have kids of our own. So much from this passage is applicable to the work Unite 4 Africa and all of us who support that work do in the lives of orphans and other vulnerable children. In the Book of James we’re told that one of the hallmarks of a “pure and undefiled” faith is to care for orphans. The children Unite 4 Africa works with and provides for are not just given a “handout.” They are mentored to grow in God’s grace, knowledge, and love. To develop a God-honoring work ethic and learn skills that will sustain them for a lifetime. And to understand that the lives they are building are Temples that God can and will use for His glory.

Thank you for choosing to be a “Temple builder” with every child reached through your support of Unite 4 Africa. .