The bitter, holy night that I surrendered, it felt like loss. Dreams, slaughtered on the altar.
(There was no angel to stop me, and all around the thornbushes were bare.)
I did not stay to watch the blood collect in pools, did not wait for it to curdle in the heat of the coming day. Though, when I turned away, that knife-twist of pain--the final heart-spasm of mourning.
(Having not-quite forgotten, yet not-quite the ability to believe: I never give anything to my God that He does not return a thousand times over.)
After years of holding on, it took only a moment to let go. And from that dead seed I buried, in awe I watched a garden grow.
Showing posts with label Sacrifice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sacrifice. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Dwelling Place.
Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a temple as a sanctuary. Be strong and do the work, (1 Chronicles 28:10).
And he did. Overlaid with pure gold. Covered with fine gold. Adorned with precious stones. Carved cherubim on the walls. Blue, purple and crimson yarn and fine linen, (2 Chronicles 3:4-7, 14). He made the golden altar; the tables on which was the bread of the Presence; the lampstands of pure gold with their lamps; the gold floral work and lamps and tongs; the pure gold wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes and censers; and the gold doors of the temple, (2 Chronicles 4:19-22).
With precise measurements and only the most valuable of materials, Solomon built a place on Earth for the God of Heaven to dwell.
Yet the wise king himself admitted, "The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods. But who is able to build a temple for Him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain Him?" (2 Chronicles 2:5-6). For the Most High does not live in houses made by men, (Acts 7:48).
But we have an even higher calling. God has chosen us, not to build a temple for Himself, but to be a temple for Himself. What could not be contained by a man-made building of pure gold and precious stones now dwells in our God-formed bodies of weak flesh and brittle bone. Jesus, our cornerstone--Emmanuel, God with us. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple to the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit (Ephesians 2:21-22).
This is the most beautiful mystery. That our fickle and wayward hearts are more desirable to God than forty-six thousand pounds of pure gold. That the spark of color in our wandering eyes is worth more to the Father than the rarest of gemstones. That when we were powerless to enter the Most Holy Place, He brought the holiness to us. Almighty God, who alone is worthy of offerings, made the offering for us; the sovereign Creator, who alone is worthy of sacrifice, bound the sacrifice upon the altar for us.
This is our price. Our value. Our worth. This is who we are--for God has deemed it so. The very breath of His Spirit in our lungs--the very blood of His Son in our veins. There is no higher calling--there is no greater gift.
We are His Temple. We are the collision of Heaven and Earth. We are the place where He dwells.
And he did. Overlaid with pure gold. Covered with fine gold. Adorned with precious stones. Carved cherubim on the walls. Blue, purple and crimson yarn and fine linen, (2 Chronicles 3:4-7, 14). He made the golden altar; the tables on which was the bread of the Presence; the lampstands of pure gold with their lamps; the gold floral work and lamps and tongs; the pure gold wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes and censers; and the gold doors of the temple, (2 Chronicles 4:19-22).
With precise measurements and only the most valuable of materials, Solomon built a place on Earth for the God of Heaven to dwell.
Yet the wise king himself admitted, "The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods. But who is able to build a temple for Him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain Him?" (2 Chronicles 2:5-6). For the Most High does not live in houses made by men, (Acts 7:48).
But we have an even higher calling. God has chosen us, not to build a temple for Himself, but to be a temple for Himself. What could not be contained by a man-made building of pure gold and precious stones now dwells in our God-formed bodies of weak flesh and brittle bone. Jesus, our cornerstone--Emmanuel, God with us. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple to the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit (Ephesians 2:21-22).
This is the most beautiful mystery. That our fickle and wayward hearts are more desirable to God than forty-six thousand pounds of pure gold. That the spark of color in our wandering eyes is worth more to the Father than the rarest of gemstones. That when we were powerless to enter the Most Holy Place, He brought the holiness to us. Almighty God, who alone is worthy of offerings, made the offering for us; the sovereign Creator, who alone is worthy of sacrifice, bound the sacrifice upon the altar for us.
This is our price. Our value. Our worth. This is who we are--for God has deemed it so. The very breath of His Spirit in our lungs--the very blood of His Son in our veins. There is no higher calling--there is no greater gift.
We are His Temple. We are the collision of Heaven and Earth. We are the place where He dwells.
Monday, July 22, 2013
These Thorn-Laced Crowns.
"If you are to sit with Christ upon His throne, you must go with Him through His Gethsemane." -A. B. Simpson
We are James and Johns, every one. We want the glory without the sacrifice. We want the revival without the repentance. We want the resurrection without the death. And Jesus' response to us is the same: "You don't know what you're asking. Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" (Matthew 20:22).
And eagerly, naively, we echo the cry of the brothers who so boldly sought the throne-room: We can!
No, we don't know what we are asking. We are far too pampered to truly grasp the implications of the One who said, Sell everything you have. Hate your mother and father, your sons and your daughters. Take up your cross, daily. And follow Me. If we understood the weight of these words--of what it means to be a living sacrifice, our bodies laid upon His altar--we'd start running in the opposite direction.
But Jesus looks at our naive, eager hearts with love. He does not turn us away. He only says, with compassion spilling over in His eyes, "You will indeed drink from My cup," (Matthew 20:23).
Because, while the cost is great, the reward is greater. So though we don't know what we are asking, I pray He gives it to us anyway. For the glory of our Father's name. That His Kingdom may come, His will (not ours) be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Dear Jesus. Give us the grace to follow You.
We are James and Johns, every one. We want the glory without the sacrifice. We want the revival without the repentance. We want the resurrection without the death. And Jesus' response to us is the same: "You don't know what you're asking. Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" (Matthew 20:22).
And eagerly, naively, we echo the cry of the brothers who so boldly sought the throne-room: We can!
No, we don't know what we are asking. We are far too pampered to truly grasp the implications of the One who said, Sell everything you have. Hate your mother and father, your sons and your daughters. Take up your cross, daily. And follow Me. If we understood the weight of these words--of what it means to be a living sacrifice, our bodies laid upon His altar--we'd start running in the opposite direction.
But Jesus looks at our naive, eager hearts with love. He does not turn us away. He only says, with compassion spilling over in His eyes, "You will indeed drink from My cup," (Matthew 20:23).
Because, while the cost is great, the reward is greater. So though we don't know what we are asking, I pray He gives it to us anyway. For the glory of our Father's name. That His Kingdom may come, His will (not ours) be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Dear Jesus. Give us the grace to follow You.
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