Let Love have its Way
Hebrews 2:1-3: “So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished. So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak?” Remember, this was written to believers.
In a practical sense, prudence can be defined as taking a step back when confronted with an issue and asking the Lord, “Lord, what is Your take on this?”
This step, once cultivated with the gifts of discernment, wisdom, and revelation, will lead us successfully on the path of righteousness. But the Lord also exercises prudence; He always considers our point of view, not tempting us beyond what we can endure, and endeavouring to gain His perspective, without always spelling it out for us.
When we look at Solomon, called Jedidiah by the Lord, and at their very close-knit relationship, we can glean a precious truth from their encounter at the tabernacle on Mount Gibeon.
Let’s read 2 Chronicles 1:7-12 “That night, God appeared to Solomon and said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!” Solomon replied to God, “You showed great and faithful love to David, my father, and now you have made me king in his place. O LORD God, please continue to keep your promise to David my father, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth! Give me the wisdom and knowledge to lead them properly, for who could possibly govern this great people of yours?” God said to Solomon, “Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you did not ask for wealth, riches, fame, or even the death of your enemies or a long life, but rather you asked for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people properly - I will certainly give you the wisdom and knowledge you requested. But I will also give you wealth, riches, and fame such as no other king has had before you or will ever have in the future!”
Like Solomon, we will all face such an encounter, where the Lord will ask, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!” And this is crucial for us to stay focused on what is really important for us to be effective kings and priests of the Living God. We are kings of the King and priests in Him after the order of Melchizedek. So we do not come without standing and acceptance; in fact, we are encouraged to realise that we can come boldly when we do so!
So bringing these two thoughts together. The writer in Hebrews exhorts us to focus, to listen very carefully, but also to discern when we encounter the truth, for we will hear many voices in our devotion to God, and then, once understood, our loving obedience is the demonstration of our sincere love for Father-God and our Lord Jesus Christ. If we lose the ability to operate simultaneously in both the spirit and the natural world, we will default to an autopilot mode. And that is what the writer is warning us about, for then we will drift away from the foundational truth of the message of salvation, not just the moment of redemption, but the call to transformation.
The same writer later exhorted, Hebrews 12:1-2, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.” in keeping with his call, in chapter 2.
So, imagine the Lord asking you, sometimes daily!, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!” and it comes with a subtle test or examination from the Lord, desiring to know what is really important to you. Do you truly live out of your first love? Still seeking first, above all else, the Kingdom of God and His righteousness? Then what is it you would ask from Him? The one in Whom we have our life. For He will most certainly answer the prayer, as He is generous at all times. And yet, may we ask for that gift that would bring Him the most glory as we seek to enrich His Body and effectively represent Him at all times. This, while we enjoy the fullest measure of drinking in the intimate moments with Him, every moment of every day!
Blessings
Ben
Our thanks to Ben for this month’s Blog contribution
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