Our Fire-starter comes from 2 Kings 12. Our Fire-starter thought is: it
cost to make repairs but the reward is sweeter.

This past Saturday night my alternator went out. We were able to get one
yesterday but the one we got had an issue with it so we are going once
again this morning to get another one. The whole thought behind this is
it cost to repair things. We serve a God that knows what it cost to
repair things and God has provided for the need and I praise him for it.
I’m not telling you this so you will feel bad for me but for an
illustration for the devotional. Here in our text Jehoash is king and he
told them to take the money that  was dedicated and make repairs to the
house of God. It was going to cost them to repair it. By the way,
sometimes we get tired of money being brought up in church but if we
look at it this way we could have understanding why it takes money to
operate. Where there is people there will always be something that needs
to be fixed!!!!! It cost but oh the sweetness of it being fixed. The
Spiritual application to this is: we must realize in order to serve
Jesus it will cost you but the reward is sweeter. It will cost you time,
talent and treasures.  Time spent serving Jesus is not wasted time its
invested time, money spent serving Jesus is not wasted money but
invested money. Talents given to Jesus is not wasted talents its
invested Talents!!!! It will cost you!!! In order for us to be willing
for God to use us he must break us and we will have to be willing to be
broken and willing to pay the price. Alot of times we do not want to pay
the price but it is worth it. We may have to give up some things, we may
have to throw some things away that are precious to us but the reward is
alot sweeter. May we look at the cost and see the construction!!!!
Hope you have a wonderful day today and remember God is still on the
throne!!!

2 Kings 12:1-21 KJV
In the seventh year of Jehu Jehoash began to reign; and forty years
reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beer-sheba.
[2] And Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all
his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him. [3] But the high
places were not taken away: the people still sacrificed and burnt
incense in the high places. [4] And Jehoash said to the priests, All the
money of the dedicated things that is brought into the house of the
Lord, even the money of every one that passeth the account, the money
that every man is set at, and all the money that cometh into any man’s
heart to bring into the house of the Lord, [5] Let the priests take it
to them, every man of his acquaintance: and let them repair the breaches
of the house, wheresoever any breach shall be found. [6] But it was so,
that in the three and twentieth year of king Jehoash the priests had not
repaired the breaches of the house. [7] Then king Jehoash called for
Jehoiada the priest, and the other priests, and said unto them, Why
repair ye not the breaches of the house? now therefore receive no more
money of your acquaintance, but deliver it for the breaches of the
house. [8] And the priests consented to receive no more money of the
people, neither to repair the breaches of the house. [9] But Jehoiada
the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it
beside the altar, on the right side as one cometh into the house of the
Lord : and the priests that kept the door put therein all the money that
was brought into the house of the Lord. [10] And it was so, when they
saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king’s scribe and
the high priest came up, and they put up in bags, and told the money
that was found in the house of the Lord. [11] And they gave the money,
being told, into the hands of them that did the work, that had the
oversight of the house of the Lord : and they laid it out to the
carpenters and builders, that wrought upon the house of the Lord, [12]
And to masons, and hewers of stone, and to buy timber and hewed stone to
repair the breaches of the house of the Lord, and for all that was laid
out for the house to repair it. [13] Howbeit there were not made for the
house of the Lord bowls of silver, snuffers, basons, trumpets, any
vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money that was brought
into the house of the Lord : [14] But they gave that to the workmen, and
repaired therewith the house of the Lord. [15] Moreover they reckoned
not with the men, into whose hand they delivered the money to be
bestowed on workmen: for they dealt faithfully. [16] The trespass money
and sin money was not brought into the house of the Lord : it was the
priests’. [17] Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against
Gath, and took it: and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. [18]
And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat,
and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated,
and his own hallowed things, and all the gold that was found in the
treasures of the house of the Lord, and in the king’s house, and sent it
to Hazael king of Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem. [19] And the
rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, are they not written in
the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? [20] And his servants
arose, and made a conspiracy, and slew Joash in the house of Millo,
which goeth down to Silla. [21] For Jozachar the son of Shimeath, and
Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, smote him, and he died; and
they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Amaziah his
son reigned in his stead.