Ok, so sometimes I am a little geeky when it comes to the Bible. I notice simple details that get me really excited. For instance, I was reading the book of Ezekiel. God was speaking to Ezekiel at a time when the people had lost their land and their temple. God told Israel that he would bring the people back to their land and give them a new temple. God was very detailed in the description of the new temple and how the people were to worship in the temple.
Towards the end I ran across this neat detail in Ezekiel 46:9. God said, "When the people of the land come before the LORD at the appointed festivals, whoever enters by the north gate to worship is to go out the south gate; and whoever enters by the south gate is to go out the north gate. No one is to return through the gate by which they entered, but each is to go out the opposite gate."
You might be thinking, what's so cool about that? Well, to me I hear God saying, "Don't leave the same way you came in." We come to worship to be refreshed, refocused, renewed. We come to be transformed by the love and grace and vision of God. The goal is that we leave different than we came in - that we leave new people who live in new ways.
Before I preach, I say a prayer. I close the prayer with these words: "May none of us leave this place the same as we came in." How cool would it be if we approached worship with this thought: "God I do not want to leave worship the same way I came in. Change me. Mold me. Help me to leave looking more like you."
Share your thoughts, comments, and application ideas...
Great observations! I hope I can maintain a positive attitude to emerge a better person than when I entered.
ReplyDeleteSadly, my imperfect human nature drives me to think in terms of how others might benefit from an open mind and heart. Rather, I should develop a receptive attitude for further spiritual growth and understanding.
I believe we are equal parts spirit, mind and body. In some cases, we receive the gift of the spirit by God's will, though I also think we receive the spirit through our own receptive attitude, which is within our control. This same receptive attitude, IMHO, is required for us to emerge a better person than when we entered. Not easy, but worthwhile.