He Reigns

But the priests, the Levites, shall come near to me to minister unto Me. Ezekiel 44:15 Many can enjoy working among people in the outer court, but how many of us give time to draw near to God in the Holy Place? Watchman Nee Oftentimes in these writings I'll question whether it's something He would have me write on. If it is, He always brings some kind of confirmation, which is what He did concerning this one. Last week I'd been contemplating writing about how many of us professing believers spend most of our corporate gatherings that we call worship in the outer court without ever entering into the Holy Place, just as Nee said. That I should was confirmed by the message I heard last Sunday about the veil of the Temple tearing and giving access to a Holy God through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. The outer court was a part of the Temple. It was where His people would gather to carry out the business of the Temple. It's where most Jews dwelt. Only the priests had access to the Holy of Holies, and then it was only the High Priest. That all changed with with death and resurrection of Christ, when the thick veil was torn asunder, and the barrier between fallen men and a holy God was removed and all who had believed upon the work of Christ on the cross now had access. We are all, through faith in Him, now priests of the Lord. We all have access to "the Holy Place," to His Holy Presence. Sadly though, too many of us continue to dwell in the outer court. We have full access to His Presence, but we invest ourselves in the business of the church and His Kingdom, but we miss Him in the investing. Think about this. Think about how much time we may spend on church activities. They can be important activities, as much that was done in the outer court of the Temple was important. We can do a lot of good things in the outer court, but we settle for the good and miss the best. And all the while our spirits wilt, our hearts fail us, and we serve Him out of duty, not from a heart passion. We rarely, if ever, leave the outer court of activity for Him for the wonder of intimate relationship with Him. Not just one day a week, but every day of the week. I challenge each of us to really meditate upon how much of our time is spent in working for Him instead of living with and in Him? How much of our walk is religious activity rather than passionate worship? Burnout is a serious problem in the church, and not just with pastors. We're active in His Body but we never really connect with His heart. We know what we're to do, but we don't really know Him. If some part of this is true for you, make this day the day that starts to change. You have free access to the Holy Place. Come in from the outer court and into His Presence. Breathe the atmosphere of heaven. You can only experience that in His Holy Place.