Based on Ezekiel 45:1-3 (New King James Version)
“Moreover, when you divide the land by lot into inheritance, you shall set apart a district for the Lord, a holy section of the land; its length shall be twenty-five thousand cubits, and the width ten thousand. It shall be holy throughout its territory all around. Of this there shall be a square plot for the sanctuary, five hundred by five hundred rods, with fifty cubits around it for an open space. So this is the district you shall measure: twenty-five thousand cubits long and ten thousand wide; in it shall be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place.”
There is a detail in this passage that gives us great direction to what involves following the Lord, and that is that we need to give the Lord His proper place. This passage applies to when the people of Israel were coming back to their land after being punished by the Lord because they were unfaithful. And their unfaithfulness was so that God allowed after many years and generations of patience, for their enemies to come upon them, and for them to be destroyed, and the few that survived were either transported as slaves or remained as servants in Israel to cultivate the land that remained. The great sin that Israel committed was spiritual adultery or idolatry, by having a divided heart between God and paganism. Their idolatry was such that they had filled God’s temple, their cities, and their homes with different idols that belonged to the same people they conquered and those that surrounded them. And of course, they practiced everything that had to do with that idolatry, thereby profaning what is Holy and abolishing God’s law. So, what does God look for in the end?
We see first of all that the Lord told them to separate a portion of the land (not all of it) for the Lord, and that the sanctuary and the Most Holy Place would be in that place, and of course, that it should be located in the heart or the center of the land, in Jerusalem. So, does God want it all? Yes and no. We know that everything belongs to God, all of the universe, not just this world. But, interestingly enough, within what is practical, He did not ask for everything, but rather, for a portion. So then, it is on completely accurate what some people think, that the only way to glorify God is to give him everything. But also, it is not like how many also think that you can live a religious life, for example like those that go to church and think that because they give a little bit of time, some money, and maybe a little bit of help to someone, that everything necessary is done and that they could live in a destructive and sinful way with the rest. There are many that have their moments of holiness per se and then they live like if they don't know God. That is not what following the Lord is about either. So then, what does God look for in us?
There is a first place that the Lord looks for. There is a priority. The word of God says this: “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.” Mark 12:29b-30. Does God want lands and money and material things? Not necessarily. We can draw a line from today's passage to what we were talking about and that the Lord wants the portion within us that is most intimate, the heart. What God looks for the most is for the heart of man, and He desires for man to love him. This is the most important, the utmost, the all of God for man. And of course, He wants for the heart to reign over everything else, like the soul, mind and strength. In the same manner, He looks for our lives to be submitted to Him, and that we allow ourselves to be guided by Him so that we can know how to deal with everything that surrounds us, with our families and our loved ones, with our jobs, our businesses and studies, with our neighbor, and even with our enemies. In the end, everything should be under His direction. And this is quite practical and logical. If there is life only in God and He is the greatest Being, the most powerful and wise in all of the universe, at the very least, would it not be convenient for us to be guided by such a Being, and to take His advice for every aspect of our lives? Who knows more or is more powerful than God? And of course, who can love us more than God? This subject of following the Lord should be logical to a person that has any kind of reason. The problem is that most people think that they are more intelligent and capable than God, and they show that through their actions.
Now then, how can a person live practically this faith on a daily basis? This is the council of God's word: “Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:22-24. We have to do all kinds of things in this life. We have to take care of our families and our loved ones. We have to work. We have to take care of the things we have. It is necessary to love our neighbor also, and that can involve doing good to them when they need it. In other words, there must be action. This is what the word says also: “Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?’ But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, ‘Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money.’ So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, ‘Whose image and inscription is this?’ They said to Him, ‘Caesar’s.’ And He said to them, ‘Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’” Matthew 22:15-21. This will sound strange, but when honoring and respecting the authorities, even those we don’t like, we are honoring God. We have to pay taxes. We need to respect the authorities. We need to respect our bosses and supervisors. God is not in favor of revolutions or rebellions. Despite Rome being a harsh and cruel empire, with a desire to rule the world, the Lord did not promote any kind of rebellion against it. So then, we fulfill God’s will when we simply do everything like unto Him, allowing ourselves to be guided by Him.
And here we arrive at the last point: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” Matthew 7:21-23. We must simply do the will of the Father in everything in our life, and not allow ourselves to be guided by our opinion, but rather, looking for His opinion in everything, looking to do what He wants us to do. That is how we can serve the Lord, by allowing ourselves to be guided by Him, and giving Him the priority in everything. There is a place for everything in this life, as well as time, but we should always look to love the Lord and to put Him in first place in our lives, always consulting Him for His will, and doing as He commands. So then, are you giving the Lord His appropriate place in your life for your own good? Lord bless! John