Standards of measurement . . .

 

Last night I finished watching a documentary that asks a question related to a current issue that is ruining the lives of our children. This morning, still feeling sick with the power of evil in our world, I read this story:

The curator in the Louvre Museum in Paris overheard two men discussing a masterpiece. One man said to the other, “I don’t think much of that painting.” The curator, feeling obliged to reply to this statement, said, “Dear sir, if I may interrupt, that painting is not on trial; you are. The quality of that painting has already been established. Your disapproval simply demonstrates the frailty of your measuring capability.”

The devotional author goes on to say that in the same way, Jesus is not on trial before people; we are on trial before Him. He has already been approved by God the Father. Those who arrogantly dismiss Him as unworthy of their devotion simply demonstrate their inability to recognize the most precious treasure of all.

That documentary I watched was filled with the same kind of arrogance in people who had no sense of how to measure genuine worth or truth. Their lives, filled with sin and blinded by it, are so far from reflecting the image of God in which they were created, that dubbing them with “frailty of measuring capability” is an extremely polite way of describing their condition. They cannot see, never mind appreciate, the holiness of God nor the precious value of Jesus Christ.

I am thankful to know Jesus, and realize that it is only by grace that I, or anyone else, is saved. He is precious indeed, and I’m humbled to be here instead of being like many people in that documentary.

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. (1 Peter 2:4–8)

By God’s standards, Jesus is the perfect cornerstone. The leaders of Israel had a faulty standard and even though they inspected Him, they rejected Jesus because He didn’t fit their concept of a Savior. Sadly, millions of men and women throughout history have followed their lead, choosing their own way and sin as a better option. For some, that rejection shows up in self-effort that appears successful but no one is saved by doing good deeds. For others, the rejection puts them on a slippery slope that makes their lives a mockery of all things good. Either way, Christ is rejected.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:1–11)

PRAY: Jesus, hearing of what happens in the lives of those blinded by sin feels like a kick in the gut. It motivates me to intercede, but also to bow before You in gratitude for giving me life in You, for rescuing me from certain judgment. I love You, Lord. And I need to pray for those who have measured You by their own willfulness rather than seeing You as their precious Savior who forgives sin and delivers us from its clutches.

 

 

Building a place of worship

READ Exodus 37-40

Yesterday I watched a fashion show from Italy. It’s theme was patchwork but these garments were not anything like the traditional or even modern versions seen at quilt shows. The fabrics ranged from ordinary to lame, metallics, fur, satins, everything and every color. Some models wore boots of brilliantly colored leathers in patches. Some carried lavish patchwork handbags. The caption said viewers would love it or hate it. I loved it. Even the background and the ramp they walked on looked like a fine patchwork quilt.

Then I read from Exodus this morning a detailed description of what was used to make the OT tabernacle. It was just a tent, but materials used put that fashion show down a peg.

Wood base for furnishings: Acacia, a deep brown color with attractive natural grain, durable, water-resistant and will not warp readily, resistant to fungus, not out of sight in price but more expensive today than most hardwoods.

Furnishings: Overlaid with pure gold for the furnishings and bronze for the utensils. Today, gold is about $1800 an ounce. It was not cheap back then either. Imagine a layer of it on tables, lampstands, the mercy seat and other structures inside a tent covered with rough animal skins!

Utensils: Bronze was necessary for utensils; it withstand heats, something gold does not do well. It can be grinded and buffed and is a wonderful metal to sculpture or make anything that features hard, sharp edges and precise shapes. Bronze also resists corrosion, perfect for these utensils.

Fabrics: The curtains and other fabrics used in this structure were fine linens and yarns, woven and embroidered, some with gold threads and all embellished with “skilled designs” including the garments of the priests. When all of this was constructed, the parts were brought to Moses and assembled precisely as God commanded.

Thoughts of three NT passages run through my mind

If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. (1 Corinthians 3:17)

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19–20)

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Matthew 5:8)

God’s OT temple points to the NT temple, to the value and suitable materials He uses to build our lives, to make us pure and holy, our hearts a place of worship. The bottom line is also similar:

And he erected the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work. Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys. (Exodus 40:33–38)

The fashion show filled me with delight. The image of the temple is even more glorious for it points to a life filled with the Spirit and glory of God, led by Him day by day, and experiencing His presence throughout my journey. I know I have been ransomed from my futile ways . . . not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. (1 Peter 1:18–19)

I am in awe of You, Lord Jesus. Without You, I am a mere stick, a tin pot, a rag, overlaid with selfishness and unable to withstand the heat of life’s pressures. You are with me always and have bought me with an incredible price. I am so incredibly blessed. Thank You is not nearly enough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVjAtPiW3MQ&t=176s