First Things First

"In the first month of the first year of his reign,

he opened the doors of the temple of the LORD

and repaired them."

2 Chronicles 29:3

Hezekiah had his priorities right.  His first order of business as newly crowned king of Judah was to bring people back to God.  There are hundreds of other concerns he could have addressed, decrees he could have issued, or problems he could have tackled.  Instead, he chose to focus his attentions on restoring worship in the temple of God.

Likewise, there are many choices I make each day.  I am often faced with making decisions on how to spend my time, where to place my attention, and what most needs my efforts.  How often do I choose godly pursuits?  It is time I do as Hezekiah did and put first things first.

Open Temple.  Before anyone could walk through the threshold of the temple, the doors had to be opened.  Hezekiah's father, Ahaz, had previously sealed up the temple, further leading the people away from God by setting up altars on street corners in Jerusalem, encouraging improper worship and unfaithfulness to God (2 Chronicles 28:24-25).  By simply opening the doors, Hezekiah provided a way for people to get back to the Lord.

Since I am the temple of the living God and His Spirit dwells within me (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), I can either shut myself off from the rest of the world, denying my faith to a world who needs such truth, or I can open up the doors, allowing others a glimpse of His magnificent love.  

When I live out loud for Jesus, revealing my allegiance to Him, I am showing others the abundant life He offers.  As I live authentically before others, refusing to hide my weaknesses, mistakes and tumbles, I am presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ in a tangible way, showing others I am free from condemnation, guilt and fear (Romans 8:1, 1 John 4:18).  In this way I am proving my belief that the good news of Jesus Christ is a powerful, life-changing gift from a God who loves us (Romans 1:16).

My first priority is to open others up to the Gospel of Jesus Christ by living authentically before them.

Repair Temple.  I never wanted to place a bumper sticker on the back of my car, fearing my driving would be a horrible witness for Jesus Christ.  If I cut someone off in traffic, whether it be intentional or not, the other driver would see my life as no different than all the others who are willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead.  How would this draw people to Jesus?

Since I am the temple of the living God, I must ask myself where my testimony is broken.  Not that I need to live a perfect and pristine life, but that others must know that I am forgiven completely based on what Jesus has done.  It is easy to give others the impression that my status as child of God is reliant on my actions.  If I'm unwilling to admit to my faults, or refuse to reveal my sinful ways, they will never see the process of repentance, forgiveness and restoration that is freely mine in Christ (1 John 1:9).  

The world is a cold and unforgiving place.  As I dwell there, I learn to harden my heart against those who hurt me, shutting off God's love to many who desperately need it.  I also grow prideful as I forget how sinful I am, choosing instead to focus on the transgressions of the world around me, pointing an accusing finger at others' faults.  If my testimony is going to mean anything, I can never forget my true identity as sinner saved by grace (Romans 3:23-24, Ephesians 2:8-9)

My next priority is to repair my testimony where it has begun to deliver a gospel of works or cheap grace.

Consecrate Temple.  Ahaz did much damage to the temple of God.  He shamelessly and recklessly used the holy temple treasures as enticement to gain the king of Assyria's help, later destroying and removing temple furnishings, furthering desecrating the temple of God (2 Chronicles 28:21-24).  When his son, Hezekiah, took the throne, his main priority was to undo what his father had done.  Consequently, he set to work consecrating the temple, cleaning it, removing what didn't belong and returning what did.  The temple again became a place that pleased God.

In order to do the same in my own temple, I must set aside my life as a living sacrifice, removing everything that dishonors God and adding that which pleases Him (Romans 12:1).  This means offering myself completely to Him, wholeheartedly dedicating my attentions to obeying His calling on my life.  It also means I must take His Word seriously enough that I allow it to penetrate my heart, altering the way I think which in turn changes my behavior (James 1:25).

My subsequent priority is to consecrate my life for Jesus, making it a living sacrifice for Him.

There is so much to take my attention away from what is truly important.  I can take a lesson from Hezekiah and choose to open myself up as a testimony for Jesus Christ, repairing whatever is not pointing others to Him, and setting myself aside for God's glory alone.  In doing so I'm putting first things first.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can get my priorities straight.

When do I attempt to prove my allegiance to Christ by trying hard to live right, thus drawing attention to myself and my own efforts?

How is my life as a living sacrifice crawling off the altar?