Being Useable

OK ... so I have really been contemplating what kind of Christian I am ... my works look (from a purely earthly perspective) pretty good ... but, I am afraid that aside from corporate study on Sunday at church and a Friday night Bible study that I do not sit and read God's Word. I have a number of excuses. There's, I am so busy - there is just not time in the day. Or, I can't find a Bible study group that I want to join. How about ... I just can't seem to persevere and have follow through. Do you recognize any of them?

Before I go any further let me begin by saying that the works part is important ... but, only when they are in response to a deep, personal relationship with Christ. I have a personal relationship with Christ, what I lack is the deepness that comes from sitting with Him ... sometimes without even speaking a word ... and studying His Word. The two should be intimately linked and should spur each other on.

I have written a rather long, unpublished blog about this very thing ... but had not reacted to what God had shown me until now. You see after writing it, God spoke to me through two different Pastors on the same subject. He told me through me .. then two others. Then the name Zechariah came to mind and I turned there ... a word immediately jumped off the page ... encouragement. And, as this word landed in my soul, I just knew that this was the book that I would study without any other companion than God. (And you ... as I share whatever lands upon my heart to share.)

I started today ... beginning with a quick history lesson involving a people (God's chosen people) that were called to return home from exile to rebuild God's temple ... who built a foundation, but then in fear failed to finish. About a God, who waited patiently for 16 years ... and then sent two new messengers to His people to remind them of their charge. One of which was Zechariah and the other Haggai. Haggai actually delivered God's message to the Jewish people first and they once again began the work of building the temple. It was after they were doing so that God used Zechariah to speak to them again ... only this time in a call to repent and return to Him ... with the promise that He will in turn return to them.

There are a few things that in this that is important for us as followers of Christ.

First, God called them to do His work on the temple before he called them to repent and return to Him. God chose to use them in spite of their sin and not because they had repented from it. Let me interject here .. that God did call them to repent ... just as He will us ... the amazing part is that He chose to use them first ... even in their sin. Just as He will us if He chooses.

Second, and don't miss this part. They were already rebuilding His temple ... and were told, "Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.’" v2 You see, He chose to use them to do His work and fulfill His plan and they were ... but even so He made it clear that if they chose not to return to Him in repentance, He would not return to Him. This holds a pattern of action for us if we are to truly experience God and His hand in our lives as completely and deeply as He desires. There are times that all of us feel separated from God. But, He will not return to us ... until we return to Him ... and if we do not then we miss out on His presence as He completes His plan through us.

Finally, God waited for His people to return to building the temple for 16 years. They had failed Him out of fear, but he waited and gave them another chance. How many times have I failed Him out of fear? I am so very thankful that He chooses to ask again.

There is one other really cool thing that I learned in studying this passage and reading a few commentaries to check my understanding. Something that just makes me love how purposeful God is. How He really leaves nothing to chance. Zechariah identifies Himself as "Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo." As we all know the meanings of names in the Bible are often important and revealing ... as they are in this case ... you see
Zechariah means "God remembers"
Berechiah, his father's name, means "God blesses"
and Iddo, his grandfather's name, means "At the appointed time."

Put it together and we have: God remembers and God blesses as the appointed time ... which the commentator identified as one of the major themes of this book.

Amazing God we have friends ... simply amazing.

Lisa