HGTV or MTV’s Cribs?

This past Sunday led us from Acts ch. 16 to 2nd Chronicles. It’s worth the journey, I promise.

It’s pretty hard to look out at the world we all live in right now without some sort of reaction. That reaction could be passionately choosing a side, passively choosing to ignore or actively trying to figure it all out using our human understanding. It’s a lot; and it’s exhausting.

If you are an HGTV fan or perhaps MTV Cribs is more your style the first few chapters of 2 Chronicles will blow your mind. It’s where Solomon decides to build a house that God would want to live in. A place that would be good enough, grand enough, big enough, decorative enough, holy enough that God would choose to exist there. Again, if you are a fan of opulence & TV shows that walk you through an amazing place leaving you inspired or sad (ha) read the first few chapters of 2 Chronicles as if it were an HGTV show. Or perhaps if you’re old enough as if Robin Leach from “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” were narrating. I promise you have not seen a structure or a home like you will see described in the first few chapters of 2 Chronicles

In chapter 7 – this “HOUSE” was dedicated to God through great sacrifice and God told Solomon that He would be there; that He would hear the prayers that came out of that place. And then he said these words in ch 7 v 14 –

“if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Maybe you’ve heard this before, maybe you’ve read it 100 times, maybe you just glossed over because it’s in the Old Testament but I would encourage you to spend a minute with that verse. Not just read it to know it, not just intellectually figure it out, but spend a minute with your heart and your soul, asking God what that verse says to you.

See we are so busy fixing, judging, avoiding, figuring out the the land around us that seldom do we acknowledge the land inside of us. We have this idealistic ability and weakness to think that if the world around us got fixed, our world inside of us would change.

It starts with us. Ourselves. It starts with each of us, acknowledging our own selves, taking ownership for how we live life and how we love others – that the land would be healed from the inside out.

Notice the ingredients for “land healing” that God himself gave to Solomon for the people. Humility, prayer, seeking him, and turning away from evil. Often in Christian spaces we don’t encourage any of this because it’s unpopular. Jesus died on the cross for our sins, grace upon Grace, all of this is covered in our agreement, so why read the fine print?  But what I see a lot of is people genuinely trying to live out the Christian experience without self sacrifice, without humility, without prayer, without genuine community, without actively seeking his face, and without turning away from our wicked ways.

It’s as if we were given this recipe for life and even though over and over again it doesn’t bake the right cake – we use the same recipe. Sometimes it looks good and decorative, but tastes horrible. Sometimes it tastes OK but doesn’t last. Heck, sometimes it doesn’t turn out right at all! But we come back choosing faith in a faulty recipe rather than faith in God’s word (His recipe for our lives). Time after time we use influence from the world for our recipe, and then sit confused when the dish flops. Feel slightly crazy yet, or is it just me? Bottom line – there is no “MY LIFE + JESUS” that will “work”. The Bible is very clear on what will ultimately satisfy us – surrender to His will. Surrender in our individualistic, you can have everything culture is the secret ingredient most often left in the cupboard.

So what now? Figure it out? Map out how you will live your life from now on? Decisions? Surrender? Maybe – or maybe for now just a prayer. If you’re unable to find the words for your own, here is mine.

If you got this far – thank you. Thank you for pursuing God enough to. Your pursuit will return a reward – He says so. I love promises that come true. Don’t you?

This isn’t meant just for you – it’s meant for others to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Prov 34) so please PLEASE go and tell the world about this Story that is changing yours from the inside out.

Jared