“And he measured the length of the building over against the separate place which was behind it, and the galleries thereof on the one side and on the other side, an hundred cubits, with the inner temple, and the porches of the court;” (Ezekiel 41:15)
In this passage, God leads Ezekiel around the Temple measuring, comparing, taking notes for posterity on this most holy Building. To be honest, I have always struggled reading all the details – the cubits, the opposite-dimensional design pattern, all the descriptions. Perhaps if I were a building engineer I would find it interesting – maybe even fascinating.
I am an idea guy. Sitting around daydreaming, planning, scheming. Building business models in my mind. If there was a way to monetize my daydreams I would be a multi-gazillionaire! But wait, there is! It’s called discipline and work. And that’s the problem I have.
Growing up in the sixties and seventies, one of the prevailing messages of the church was, “Let go and let God.” This was very prevalent within the Spirit-filled community. Preachers taught that we really didn’t have to do anything because God already did it all. While the premise is correct, the outworking of it was lacking. No, we don’t work to earn our salvation, but we do work because we are saved. James wrote, “Show me your faith by your works…” and “Faith without works is dead, being alone.” Jesus paid for our sins, He paid for our salvation, He paid for our healing, He paid for our deliverance – true. But we are expected to walk out that salvation. In the early years of many denominations, pastors taught about the second working of grace – sanctification. That’s where we find ourselves now – lacking the discipline to go in the power of Jesus and live the lives He called us to.
It is one thing to go forward and ask for prayer to quit drinking or doing drugs. It is quite another to leave that place and choose to not purchase them and use them anymore. It is one thing to confess to your accountability partner that you have a weakness around women (or men, if you are a female), but it is quite another to walk past those pretty eyes, that pretty smile, and a flirtatious advance. This seems to be out of sync with the discussion today, but it is right there.
Reading the Old Testament accounts of the spikes for the tent (Tabernacle), the posts, the length of the tie-down ropes, the description of the different animal hides used gets BORING. Yet, if even one of those pegs, or posts, or tie-down ropes is missing, the Tabernacle becomes unstable. There is an old saying, “The devil is in the details.” I don’t necessarily like that quote; however, there is some truth to that. We are tempted to cut corners, to leave out some of the little things because “nobody will notice.” Yet when the winds of life come, those become the most important parts of the whole structure.
The same is true with you and me, my friend. We can handle the big stuff – looking the part of a Christian, talking the right way, attending church regularly. But it’s the small things (in our minds) that God notices and they are the vcry ones that will allow our Tabernacle to fold under duress. If my personal life is in disarray, eventually it will show through to my outer life. We must be built according to God’s plan. Our lives must be constructed in such a way that no wind or wave can take us down. If I get accustomed to taking shortcuts and trying to do things my way instead of the way God commands, I will fail.
What about you, dear one? What areas are weaknesses in your life? Where have you shaved a few corners to appear grown? When life gets hard (and remember, Jesus promised that in this world we would have tribulation), where do you turn? From where do you gain your strength? I remember years ago as a supervisor on a construction site I had to fire one of my friends for being a thief. It took a long time to figure out who was doing it, but when the time came I just couldn’t pull it together to let him go. I like Richard – he was a good guy. But this was his downfall. As I sat at my desk pondering how I could do this to my friend, another worker came in who was familiar with the whole situation. Seeing my distress, he offered me a Marlboro. At the time I smoked a pipe, so I told him I didn’t think that would make a difference – I just had to man up. He finally persuaded me to just try it. Wow! Within minutes, I would have had my own mother arrested! From that moment on for the next eleven years I was a three pack a day Marlboro man. See how easily we can fall apart? Just a little demon about four inches long became my source of strength. Sheesh! Do you turn to the bottle when you feel the pressure? Maybe your vice is that (now) legal weed. Or pills. Maybe it’s sleep or overeating. I don’t know what it is, but we all struggle with different things in our lives.
Today I challenge us all to search out our hearts. Ask God to help us see those areas where we have let the details slip or left out an important piece. Allow the Holy Spirit to not just point out the what but also the why? Why do you find comfort in that thing? What does it give you that God has already promised to provide? How can you turn it over to God and allow Him to become more in your life? Trust me, this is more than just theory, more than just a theological discussion. This is, quite literally, life and death! Please don’t just read this and go on. Allow God time to speak to you about it. The time is short and God needs us to be standing tall and strong in the world.
Be blessed, my friend.
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