"Now, my son, may the LORD be with you and give you success as you follow his directions in building the Temple of the LORD your God. And may the LORD give you wisdom and understanding, that you may obey the Law of the LORD your God as you rule over Israel. For you will be successful if you carefully obey the decrees and regulations that the LORD gave to Israel through Moses. Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or lose heart!" 1 Chronicles 22:11-13 (NLT)
... It was a father's advice given to his son. In fact it was King David, the King of Israel speaking to his son Solomon. "Follow His directions", "obey the Law of the LORD", "be strong and courageous" ... those words could be very wise counsel given to any of us as we consider how we submit our lives and ourselves to allow the Lord to build His temple in us. Like that great temple that Solomon would build as a place to be inhabited by the Lord's presence, we too have influence in His Kingdom as He comes to inhabit us as His own possession... How are we using it?
"But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light." 1 Peter 2:9 (NLT)
If we're His priests, I wonder, how well we're representing Him? If we're His holy nation, how are we known while standing in the world of men? - Does the the world even recognize us as being different, or do we just look like the rest of the world? And if we're His own possession, do we bear His mark - do our lives reflect that holy seal? Who are we really, given that regardless of what we might say, our God knows and sees the truth of the matter? Are we painting the same picture of ourselves in our own minds that God sees with perfect righteous clarity? He's letting us hold the brush for now, ... while we still have time to correct it.
"Don’t excuse yourself by saying, “Look, we didn’t know.” For God understands all hearts, and he sees you. He who guards your soul knows you knew. He will repay all people as their actions deserve." Proverbs 24:12 (NLT)
The questions I'm posing are potentially challenging to some honest hearts, but then honesty is one of those traits that we know our God possesses perfectly. So if our lives are to reflect His presence, then honesty is one of the traits we too should value highly and possess. We live now in a world full of pretenders, liars and deceitful people and deception's become so common that some aren't even concerned by it. In fact some having become so lulled by it, have become adept at even deceiving themselves. But there's one who's never been fooled and has always known the truth... and it's Him that we'll have to stand before in the end. Father God's omniscient - all seeing and knowing the truth of all things.
I see days ahead, and not far off, that will challenge us in ways that we've not experienced in our lives as Christ followers so far. So it's time that we make sure that we're being honest with ourselves about who we are and who we're serving - whether it be ourselves or our God, but most certainly it's time to be honest with our God. Our provision and protection has never come from ourselves or from any man ultimately, but from the God who created us. So our connection to, and our relationship with, our sovereign and omnipotent God has got to be our first priority in everything - for provision, security and safe passage - always. But there's a bigger reason...
My own confidence comes from knowing who God is by what He's preserved of His own word for me to find. What he's revealed by His declarations and His acts allows me to know His heart - not only in general, but toward me personally. He does not change, so what He's said in the past helps to reveal who He is now. As I serve His direction obediently, I can know His heart for me clearly - not by fragments and snippets of what He's revealed in His word - potentially taken out of context, but by the magnitude of His essence that I find in its entirety...
...And to know Him truly is to desire Him completely.
We may read the words in our bible and be nearsighted spiritually as we do, but every one of those words is a brush stroke - painting a masterpiece that reveals the essence of the Spirit that He is. Put those brush strokes together and you begin to know Him in all of the righteous wonder, awe and power that He is, but above all of those things,... you'll come to know both what and who LOVE is. If you haven't experienced Him in close intimate relationship, submitting yourself completely, then you have absolutely no idea what you're missing. Submission ... it's a big word in a world obsessed with individual freedom, but it's the open door to the freedom to enjoy the God who created you for Himself from the overflowing abundance of His love. Know Him while you can.
Individual brush strokes, like individual verses, can be revealing, ... but the masterpiece that is our God is breathtaking and astounding!!! PLEASE the take time to study and take Him all in.
The single, most important thing we do in all of our lives is respond to God.
"No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8 (NLT)
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