I'd like to say that I am so amazed at how God chooses to use things to open our eyes and hearts, from the mundane, to the spectacular. However, my favorite way is when it comes directly from the Old Testament. I love that it points us to Jesus in the here and the now. Of course, naysayers, and there are PLENTY of them out there, would argue that the Old Testament is no longer valid, and just meant to amuse us.
I know better.
Recently I had gone on a pilgrimage to the International House of Prayer, seeking some insight into certain areas of my life, and a need to connect with the Lord in a deeper, more intimate way. Now I would love to say that the whole weekend was fraught with Golden nuggets of truth, and incredible words of knowledge pertaining to specific areas of need in my heart, and that fire came down upon me causing my face to glow like it did for Moses that day. Enter reality! What did happen was, I came away trying to figure out if anything I was hoping for had actually happened to me. Now, there were for others, that unfolding of events that brought them to a totally new place of trust and healing, a transforming that can only be brought about by God. Oh don't misunderstand, I did come away touched by Him. He spoke to me several times, words of love, even a picture of Him placing a beautiful robe on me, unique in design and in color, meant only for me. But what I was hoping for did not transpire until after I came back. I think one of the challenges to coming away from a wonderful weekend of worship, teaching, prayer, and more worship, is NOT in what took place THERE, but what takes place after.
And the answer to what I was looking for this past weekend was found in the Word of God........go figure.
" Thus says the LORD of Hosts: "These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord....Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while THIS house lies in ruins? Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes." Thus says the LORD of hosts " Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house , that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified," says the LORD. " You looked for much, and behold it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?" declares the Lord of hosts. " Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house." Haggai 1:2-9
Upon reading this, all sorts of light bulbs began coming on, understanding filled my heart and mind, it was exciting, yet challenging. Exciting because it was what I was longing for this past weekend, and it's challenging because,it's what I do with what I have been shown that makes the difference. I am reminded also of another scripture from Psalm 127:1, ( hat tip to Keith Green for putting this to music.)
Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain.
Hopefully I can pull all this together to make sense and not be jumbled all over the place. Let me take this verse from Psalm and break it down a little. Bear with me also please because I know that all who read this probably have already built a solid foundation upon this word of Truth and I am now just getting it!!
1. Unless the Lord builds the house - I get this image of our bodies like this house and unless God has been given permanent residence within it, then he really isn't welcome to build anything at all , this is why the second part, " They labor in vain who build it" is so vital, it's impossible to allow God to reside within us when we try to live life our own way, on our own terms, in our own strength, and especially without Him. Let me paint another picture for you. Say I ask you to come and live with me, only, nothing of yours is allowed, nothing to indicate that you live there too, so when I have friends or guests over, they have no clue that I don't live alone. It's the same way with God. It's in HIS building you from the inside out that counts. No good thoughts or good deeds make you a Christian. It's from accepting the gift that HE alone can give of His life through repentance, receiving from Him the Life He gives as we surrender ours, to Him. Putting up pictures all over your house, even crosses, which have lost their true meaning in our society, DO NOT make you a Christian. People will just think you like to have pictures of God and crosses in your house. When God is invited in, he begins to build His Life, His Image, His House, within us, and that is with His Word, with Prayer and personal and corporate worship. These have to be done every day, like tending to a garden, if you don't water it, then the life you started will die. When Jesus walked the earth before His death on the cross, He constantly promoted the Father, everything he said and did was to Glorify the Father, and He left us an example, WE TOO have to promote the Father/Son. If a person labels themselves a Christian but serves only themselves then I question their relationship with Christ. He left us His word for a reason, even Jesus studied the scriptures AND quoted them, prophesying with them. We are far too concerned about our leisure, our being entertained, we are lulled by the enemy of our souls into this false security of this false " Christianity". And if we are not so wholly devoted to His word day and night, to seeking him day and night, to worshipping Him day and night, then a time will come when we will fall away because there was no solid foundation built from the beginning. A house that does not fall apart when the storms come is one that was built upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Only Jesus Christ can do this.
That's where the third verse comes in " Unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman keep awake in vain"
By an active, living and breathing relationship with Jesus Christ, we become a solid fortress, having allowed Jesus to have HIS way within us...in our hearts, through his word implanted, which is able to save our souls. ( James 1:21)
And He will if we let him, implant it all over within us, it's what will guide us, save us, FREE us!!
Believing Jesus is who He says He is isn't enough, even the demons believe and shudder.( James 2:19) There has to be death of ourselves, to the flesh, to the self, losing it to gain HIS that makes the difference. I didn't experience a regeneration until I declared within my heart " If it kills me I will follow you". THAT is what God is after! Ceasing from my vain human efforts to do anything that I feel might be pleasing to God when there is no relationship, no covenant partnership, is a DEAD effort. His Life, His Blood, His Word, His Spirit, these are the things that God wants and demands, and is it too much for him to ask?? NEVER!!! The sacrifice he paid for me was more than I could have ever dreamed of to be able to walk with Him, talk with Him, LIVE with Him. It's all about Jesus, no other thing, no other person.
And the scripture from Haggai, this is such an incredible picture, for us today the Old Testament points to Jesus, to His Temple, which you are if you are truly born again from above. ( 1 Cor 3:16) Again, this temple within us is for His Spirit, His presence to reside. And I can just see it, as long as we are devoted to ourselves, pampering this sin-ridden flesh, and indulging in entertainment that shuts Him out and walks hand in hand with darkness, we cannot and WILL NOT see the Kingdom of Heaven. Why do you think Jesus drove the money changers and merchants out of the Temple? Because there wasn't enough space for Him to walk around?? It's because the Temple should be kept pure and Holy.....and it's only made that way BY HIM.
So now I am thinking alot of this particular temple and what is kept in it, what's on the walls in this temple, what I choose to bring into this temple. Every Human that stands before God will have to answer to God for what they did with this temple, either they completely rejected letting Him come in and reside, or they made one little corner in the temple a shrine to remember God from time to time, OR they got rid of the doors that kept Him out and allowed Him full access to every part of their inner temple DAY AND NIGHT, and His word is found everywhere within, His presence is found everywhere within. I am presently unhinging all my doors......
