A Better Sanctuary

These summer days remind me of when I played Little League baseball.  We had two leagues, minor and major, in our league.  I remember getting a call to play on a major league team.  They gave me a uniform (Farm’s Exchange was my team) consisting of the jersey, pants, stir-up socks, the whole deal.  I had made it!!  We practiced and played hard, at least most of us did.  For at least one guy, it seemed he was there more because his parents expected him to be rather than a desire to play baseball.  In fact, in one game, he was playing in the outfield and as a high fly ball was hit towards him, he was bent down looking through the clover around his feet.  What should have been an easy out for our team, ended up a triple for the other team.  When at bat he would stand in the batter’s box, rarely taking the bat off his shoulder, and three pitches later walk back to the dugout, another strikeout.  He would have actually helped our team by sitting in the stands and cheering us on than in the line-up.  

Some might think I am being too critical of a pre-teen baseball experience, but all the rest of us had bought in, practiced hard, played hard and wanted to do our best to win.  He just wanted to get through the season as quickly as possible with as little effort as possible.  

Sunday we looked at Jesus being a better sanctuary.  In looking at the set-up of the Old Testament Tabernacle, everyone lived in close proximity to the presence of the Lord.  All those in the twelve tribes would call themselves God’s children.  They had everything laid out for them and the access was easy and close.  Yet, as we see their history, having it laid out in front of you, easy access provided does not produce desire or effort on the part of the people of Israel.  They still rebelled, got distracted and showed little devotion to the Lord.  In God’s economy this results in discipline and punishment not just for the offending individual, but for all the people.  On our Little League team, it caused us frustration, and lost games.

But in both cases, the faithful remained faithful. The people of Israel devoted to the Lord, remained faithful and devoted.  And on our team, we practiced and played just as hard, even though winning was made more difficult. What’s the take away here?  Your faithfulness is dependent totally upon you; don’t use others as an excuse to love, care, serve and worship as if it all depends on you for everyone else.  You never know who you will influence or encourage with your faithfulness.  And besides, the Lord deserves your very best regardless of what others say or do.  Hebrews 12:1-2 reminds us “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Pressing on…

Ron Tipton, Senior Pastor