TEXT TO REFLECT
“Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
Where is the house you will build for me?
Where will my resting place be?
2 Has not my hand made all these things,
and so they came into being?”
declares the Lord.
“These are the ones I look on with favor:
those who are humble and contrite in spirit,
and who tremble at my word.
ISAIAH 66:1-2
REFLECT
Some years ago, I admonished a church leader whose life was in a mess, to take time off 'ministry' to devote time to working out his problems. He was a gifted man and I admired his enthusiasm for ministry, but his life was crumbling. He angrily retorted, "How dare you stifle my service for the Lord? How do I account to the Lord for the time not spent in His work? How can you tell me to stop using His gifts?"
This gentleman clearly felt the urgency to do God's work, especially when He had been endowed with many spiritual gifts. To him, service was both a duty as well as a privilege, and he felt He owed it to God to achieve much with what he had been given.
This encounter made me think about what really is important in our brief lives on earth. As Singaporean Christians, many of us grew up with a strong work ethic. Whether in our jobs or in church, we believe strongly in doing a good job. And as we grew in our devotion to the Lord, we felt also the drive to excel in our service. But as our hard work bore fruit and we looked at how our church or Christian organisation had grown through our dedication, a nagging question remained: how much of this really matters to God?
In the passage for reflection today, God bluntly told His people, "I sit in heaven and rest my feet on the earth, tell me what sort of house on earth would you like to build for me? And haven't I already done that?" God could not have put the situation in better perspective. All the toil and expense that the people put in building a splendid Temple for God, the "best in the world", was superfluous. The Temple, however grand, was too small to accommodate God whose throne was in heaven. The largest and grandest temple anyone could build would not be big or grand enough for God. In that sense, their hard work was futile. The Temple was of little value to God.
But what God wanted and valued were the hearts of people. He wanted people who were humble, contrite, and who treasured what He said. Humility, contrition, and attentiveness to what the Other says, is what constitutes Love in a relationship.
A love relationship grows when partners are humble towards each other. The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippians calls his followers to "humbly regard each other as more important than yourselves", and "to regard others' needs as more important than your own" (Philippians 2: 3-4). A humble heart enables a person to place the other person's esteem and needs above their own. Few things are more effective in building a relationship than when we feel respected and admired, and our needs are considered by the other.
Contrition is the willingness to acknowledge wrongdoing. A contrite heart allows a person to take responsibility for the wrong that has taken place, thus restoring and healing the relationship.
And attentiveness is essential for a relationship to grow. Persons who are attentive to each other, listen carefully to what the other person says and does, thus fostering deeper growth and trust in the relationship.
In short, God treasures, above all, persons who want to develop loving relationships with Him and with each other. All other 'necessary' things such as church budgets and buildings, will have their place. We need to keep in perspective that God has more than enough of these to supply us. But what we need to focus on as a goal in relating to God and each other, are humility, contrition, and attentiveness.
REST
Listen to this calming hymn "You are Mine" by David Haas
I am hope for all who are hopeless
I am eyes for all who long to see
In the shadows of the night,
I will be your light
Come and rest in Me
I am strength for all the despairing
Healing for the ones who dwell in shame
All the blind will see, the lame will all run free
And all will know My name.
Do not be afraid, I am with you
I have called you each by name
Come and follow Me
I will bring you home
I love you and you are mine.
Chiu Ming Li
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