DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- A HEAP OF ROCKS

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – A HEAP OF ROCKS

"Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, 'Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.' " (Matthew 24:1-2)

It is not as though Jesus had never seen the temple before. From the early age of 12 He had come to Jerusalem and had seen the beauty of the temple. But for some reason, His disciples thought it was important to draw His attention to the magnificence of the the temple buildings. They were enamored by the beauty of physical structure. Jesus brought them back to reality. These were just clay stone laid one on top of the other, and someday they would all be just a pile of stones. He was not impressed with their grandeur. But that is human nature. We are impressed by big – whether a big car, a big house, a big person, or a big paycheck.

It is so easy to be distracted from what is important by the magnificence of human achievement. This not to say that we should not have a beautiful things and even beautiful churches. After all, God gave the instructions for building the tabernacle and later the temple, and He made it glorious – furniture inlaid with gold and silver, beautiful linen brocades, ornate designs of capstones and pillars. God made wonderful things for the eye to behold that draw attention to the Great God that it honors. Just consider a beautiful rose or a sunset. But if it is only the largess of the building that we are impressed with, we have missed the point of bringing honor to God.

The truth is, everything in this world will end up on the junk pile someday. If we put our affection on these things, our affection will also end up on the garbage heap. That is why it is so important to keep a clear eye when it comes to things. As the Scripture so clearly says, "The world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever" (I John 2:17). The New Living Translation puts it this way: "And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. "

There's noting inherently wrong with big and beautiful. I just need to make sure that the things I truly crave are God-honoring and God-pleasing.

Love, Dad