Putting first things first

May 13, 2013 Bible Reflection Mark McIntyre 2 Comments

When David was giving final instructions to his son Solomon he said this:

“Now set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God. Arise and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God may be brought into a house built for the name of the Lord.” (1 Chronicles 22:19, ESV)

Notice the order of the commands. Prior to building the temple, Solomon is instructed to set his mind and heart to seek God. More specifically, he is instructed to seek the Lord God. The ESV, along with most other translations, follows the Jewish tradition of using the word Lord in place of the covenant name of God which is Yahweh or Jehovah. Solomon is not enjoined to pursue spirituality, he is encouraged to seek a relationship with the God of the Bible.

It is out of the relationship with God that the service to God is to flow.

Many churches, with their emphasis upon service, have unknowingly pushed people toward getting this backward. I have been in churches where the pastor, from the pulpit, would verbally reprimand those who were not “about the Lord’s work.” The danger in this is that people serve out a sense of obligation or guilt.

Instead, we are called to be in relationship with Jesus. That relationship should shape the activities we pursue and change our desires. This change will result in the desire to serve God. Service with this motivation is a far different thing than service out of obligation or guilt.

God does not need my service to accomplish his will, nor does he need yours. In his grace, he allows us to participate with him in the accomplishment of his will.

Do not allow a church leader or anyone else manipulate you into service out of a sense of guilt or obligation. Chances are that the ministry for which the pastor is begging people to serve is not one that God thinks important. I have seen too many “ministries” that are put on life support that should have been allowed to die. Resist the urge to keep an outdated ministry alive.

Relationship then service. Keep the first thing first.

More than I can handle

One of the Christian platitudes that I find most irritating is “God will not give you more than you can handle.” Try telling that to Gideon and the 300 men with him as they moved toward a battle with the entire Midian army. Try telling that to Job who, in addition to experiencing the loss of health, wealth and family, had to endure the empty and sometimes harsh words of his so-called friends.

When treated like a servant . . .

The bottom line is that I don’t need to be validated by others when I am a servant of Jesus Christ, because Jesus gives me the ultimate status as a child of God.

The real cost of the win-at-all-costs mentality

In America we like people and teams who win. We like winners, but what does the win-at-all-costs really cost us? Can we afford to continue down that tunnel?

Philip Yancey on the problem of pain

A quote taken from Where is God When it Hurts? by Philip Yancey speaks to those who are “smoldering with rage” at God for allowing pain and suffering in the world.

The Skill of the Craftsman

I was reading Augustine’s Confessions this morning where he mentions a treatise by Cicero called Hortensius as the means by which God began to change Augustine’s heart. Thinking that it would be interesting to read this work, I searched for a copy only to find out that Hortensius is a lost work. My initial reaction […]