Hezekiah was one of the bright lights among the dim bulbs of Israel and Judah's kings. An account of him begins in 2 Chronicles 29. Right from the get-go, he whips everybody involved in temple worship into shape: "Listen to me, Levites! Sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and carry out the filth from the holy place."
We all have places that we keep holy and undefiled. It may be your hour at church. Or time with your spouse at the end of the day. Maybe it is a long commute, or when you have a mid-afternoon cup of coffee. It is quiet, peaceful, and empty. At the same time, it is a time to be filled again with reflection, prayer, sorrow, or joy. When we neglect this holy place, our lives are depleted of any sense of God, of gratitude and dependence, and we begin to shoulder more and more responsibility for everything and everyone in our lives.
As we began our study of Paul's letter to the Colossians, Jessica reminded us of something powerful. We may struggle to guard our holy places and quiet times. But in Christ, we are a holy place constantly under his care. God doesn't only come to us in peaceful mini-sabbaths. He lives in us now. He isn't only with you when you watch a sunset or when you pray. He has made you a holy place. You are the temple. All of the Old Testament proclaims this good news of Jesus Christ. It is in the tabernacle of Exodus. It is in the temple of 2 Chronicles. God's presence with us, and in us, is fulfilled in Jesus Christ once and for all. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews gasps at this: "For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds," he also adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more." (Hebrews 10:14-17)
For the Saints. As we begin this series that will lead us through June, how should we respond to this? First, that which is for the saints is more than a piece of mail from the Apostle Paul. It is the gift of sanctification - of constant union with our Lord Jesus that will extend beyond the grave. Second, we can ask God that our sanctification will bear fruit. As Peter puts it, we are sanctified by the Spirit "to be obedient to Jesus Christ." (1 Pet. 1:2) Who can you forgive today? Who can you have compassion on? Whose day do you have the best chance of improving? What burdens can you lay down right now? May we realize that sanctified people have an abundantly loving God - there isn't a whole lot we need to cling to or protect.
Reflection Questions:
1) In his book, The Shack, William Paul Young writes that "freedom is an incremental process." Name a person, discipline, memory, or something in your life that makes you a little more free each day to be Christ's servant.
2) When is your quiet time when you can be with God one on one? What are the greatest threats to this time and how can you take greater steps to protect it?
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