Temples and Palaces

The Dallas Cowboys played their first regular season game in Cowboys Stadium last Sunday. The stadium, which cost over 1 billion dollars to build, is such a marvel that many sportscasters are calling it the “Palace in Dallas”. It is reportedly the largest domed structure in the world with the largest sliding glass doors and the largest video screen to ever hang over a sporting event.

God had the King Solomon and the Israelites build a well known building back in the day known as the temple. Solomon had 70,000 people carrying materials and 80,000 cutting stone with another 3,600 serving as foremen (2 Chronicles 2:18). The foundation, main hall, ceiling beams, doorframes, walls, and doors were all overlaid with gold (2 Chronicles 3-4). The amount of gold to overlay the Most Holy Place was about 21 metric tons (42,000 pounds) of gold. The sea God had Solomon create for the temple held 17,500 gallons of water. There are many other amazing features of the temple, yet God’s people were separated from the Most Holy Place by a curtain of blue, purple, and crimson yarn and fine linen.

A woman said to Jesus “Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place we must worship is Jerusalem.” Jesus replied to the woman saying “A time is coming when you will worship your Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” He also told her that “God is spirit and his worshipers must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4-20-23) After Christ died on the cross for our sins God ripped the temple curtain from top to bottom...symbolizing a new era where God’s people have direct access to Him (Mark 15:38). We are told “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore, honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) God has given us as Christians the privilege of being temples for the Holy Spirit. Is the next decision you are about to make going to bring honor to God and His temple or desecrate His temple?

So Close, Yet So Far Away

You may have heard that Michael Crabtree is the only first round draft pick from the 2009 NFL draft that is still unsigned. He is threatening to hold out an entire season and re-enter the 2010 draft. Mr. Crabtree had the opportunity to show the world his talents during his college career and was rewarded as being the 10th overall pick in the 2009 draft. At this point, the only thing separates him from being on a NFL roster is signing a contract.

Have you ever been so close to a goal and turned away with only one thing remaining in your way? The rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16-23). Jesus told him “If you want to enter life, obey the commandments”. The ruler replied that he had kept all these commandments and was likely shocked when Jesus said “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

It may be that only you and God know what your one thing is that is keeping you from complete surrender. God is not satisfied with being a spare tire or a nice “part” of our lives. Jesus said “If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me he can do nothing” (John 15:5). Jesus told us that “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in His love” (John 15:10).

Look Before You Leap

Have you ever made a decision and only later realized how much the decision cost you? How about the worker who was talking about cheating the company he works for only to find out that his boss is right behind him? Or what about the woman who racks up a huge credit line on her family’s credit card only to find that her family can’t pay the bills at the end of the month? Consequences may not always be immediate or severe, but they will come when we put our own desires first.

God told Moses to “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out water” (Numbers 20:8-12). Moses instead struck the rock twice with his staff. God told Moses that he and Aaron would not enter the promised land because of their disobedience. Talk about a huge disappointment after wandering in the desert for 40 years! Esau gave up his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew (Genesis 25:29-34)...talk about buyer’s remorse! The prodigal son took his inheritance to live the good life in the city only to lose all of his inheritance and long to go home to be a servant for his father (Luke 15:11-32). All of these scenarios show us what can happen when we leap before we look.

Luke 14:28 says “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?” It is easy to criticize others for failing to plan for the end result at the beginning of a process. Let us learn from our own mistakes (and others’) and look at the potential consequences of our actions before we leap.

Letting Go of Your Clunker

Today, it was reported that approximately 700,000 clunkers were traded in for new vehicles during the government’s “Cash for Clunkers” program. People who brought their clunkers into dealerships as trade-in value for a new vehicle knew they were giving their vehicles up to be destroyed and that they would never be able to get them back. How then can we as Christians better get rid of the “clunker” aspects of our old life and grasp the new creation we are in Christ? (2nd Corinthians 5:17)

One thing we can do is to turn our focus to God. We are reminded that “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe” (Proverbs 29:25). Jesus also told us “...do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him” (Luke 12:4-5).

Focusing on God also allows us to let go of worry when we believe God’s promises for us. Jesus told us “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:33-34).

We need to let go of the “clunkers” in our life on a moment by moment basis. Focusing on fearing God more than man and remembering His promises are the keys to doing this. We have a great God who declares “For I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). Are you ready to give up your “clunker” for God’s hope and future for you?

Standing Firm Against Giants

It seems everyone in the media is talking about Brett Favre this week, so I’m not going to talk about his comeback with the Minnesota Vikings (whoops...I just did). This past week Y.E. Yang stared down the golfing “immortal” Tiger Woods and beat him in the PGA Championship (one of the four major championships of the year). It wouldn’t have been unusual if Yang would have wilted against Tiger since Tiger was 14-0 in major championships when leading going into the final round before facing Yang this past Sunday.

David was a small shepherd boy when he was sent to the battlefield to provide food for his brothers. He likely had no idea that God would move him to fight the giant Goliath (1 Samuel 17). Yet God provided David with all he needed in a slingshot and 5 stones. Later in life he was on the run from the Israeli king Saul due to Saul’s being jealous of David’s popularity with the Israelites. David had at least two opportunity to kill Saul and end his harassment, but knew that it was not God’s will for him to do so. Likewise, Shadrach, Meschach, and Abendnego refused to bow down to their king’s idols because they served the one true God (Daniel 3). Yet another example is when God used Elijah to show the nation of Israel the one true God against 450 prophets of Baal (1st Kings 18:20-40)

So, we have examples of Christians who were willing to stand firm for their faith against what the world would view as giants. We are told that “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea.’ and it will obey you” (Luke 17:6). So, do you believe that your God is able to slay giants? What do your actions say?

Lessons From Failure

You may have heard about Josh Hamilton having a relapse from his battle with alcoholism. The actual incident occurred in January, but the photos were released this past Saturday (story on MLB.com). Unfortunately, this is all too vivid a reminder that “nothing concealed will not be known or brought out in the open” (Luke 8:17). So, what are we to take away from Mr. Hamilton’s night “off the wagon”?

1. We are all vulnerable - The great apostle Paul said “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (Romans 7:15). Paul had a remarkable change from being Saul of Tarsus responsible for killing Christians to being a major influence in spreading the gospel of Christ to the Gentiles. If a man as great as Paul still struggled with sin after such a dramatic change, why should we expect to be any different.
2. The story doesn’t have to end in failure - Samson was given great strength by God that enabled him to kill a 1,000 men with the jawbone of a donkey (Judges 15:13-15) . Yet over time he gave into his desires for Delilah, telling her that the secret of his strength was his hair (Judges 16:17). Once the Philistines learned his weak point, they shaved his head, seized him, and gouged out his eyes (Judges 16:19-22). Samson prayed to the Lord to return his strength and was able to kill more Philistines in his death than during his life (Judges 16:28-30). There are many other examples as well including: 1) Peter denying Christ 3 times (Luke 22:34, 54-60) and still being allowed to preach a sermon where 3,000 were saved and 2) David committing adultery with Bathsheba and then orchestrating the murder of her husband, yet being called a “man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). This is because “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Certainly Mr. Hamilton has people that believe his recovery isn’t real because of this relapse. Fortunately, Mr. Hamilton’s wife is firmly in his corner and her faith in God is quite evident in her responses to critics (Katie Hamilton article). Paul did not want to take Mark on a second mission trip after Mark had deserted them on a prior trip (Acts 15:37-40). After a sharp disagreement, Barnabas decided to part ways with Paul and take Mark with him. Later, Paul said “Get Mark and bring him with you, he is helpful to me in my ministry” (2nd Timothy 4:11). This doesn’t mean that any one person will have such a dramatic turnaround...although we can certainly hope, pray, and encourage them.

Special Treatment

There are stories about players being so talented that their teams felt it necessary to give special treatment. Barry Bonds had his own corner of the clubhouse when he played for the San Francisco Giants. When Manny Rameriz was with the Boston Red Sox, the phrase “Manny Being Manny” was said on a regular basis to reflect the superstar’s unique behavior. Both of these players have posted great numbers in their careers, but the favoritism they received may have cost their teams greater success.

We are also told not to play favorites in our lives as Christians (James 2:1). We are told not to judge by appearances or by monetary riches (James 2:2-3). In fact, Jesus said that we should seek to hold dinners for the poor, crippled, lame, and blind rather than for friends, family, and the rich who can repay the invitation (Luke 14:12-14). Furthermore, even slave owners were told not to show favoritism towards the treatment of free men versus their slaves because God is our Master and there is no favoritism with Him (Ephesians 6:9).

We serve a God that “...accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right” (Acts 10:34). Furthermore, God told Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height...Man looks at the outward appearance,but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). So, let us practice loving each other regardless of ability, charisma, or stature.