30 Finally, they made the sacred medallion—the badge of holiness—of pure gold. They engraved it like a seal with these words: HOLY TO THE LORD. 31 They attached the medallion with a blue cord to Aaron’s turban, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
If we believe God to be the sovereign creator of the Universe, the One who rules all that is in existence, and One whose heart overflows with affection for His creation, how can we not have a seal upon us that declares Holy To The Lord? Once I am convinced of who He is, surrendering to His sovereignty, giving myself fully to His governance should be what naturally follows. How can I embrace His identity and then deny my own? Once I am convinced of His identity, what sort of self-perception can I possibly have except to live in complete surrender to Him?
What majestic garments God chose to adorn Aaron and the priests. Each component, although individually unique and symbolically distinctive, all shared one ultimate expression: God is God and man's great privilege is to serve Him. This idea of "holy" as inscribed on the medallion attached to Aaron's turban means to be set apart, consecration. For what and for whom have you set your life apart? What medallions do we wear: promiscuity, gluttony, bitterness, self-promotion, greed, anger, lust, addiction, apathy, profanity, drunkenness, laziness, isolation...? Who gave those medallions to us? Why do we insist on keeping them?
In Ephesians 6, the Apostle Paul speaks of the helmet of salvation. What medallion do you think is attached to that...an Exodus 39 seal...Holy To The Lord! I want to challenge you to consider something. What are your struggles? Possibly I listed some above. Cut out some round pieces of paper and write on them a word or two that describes an area of sin in your life that is a constant struggle. You might have several. Now shop around an find a coin, a medallion, something that can represent to you a commitment to be Holy To The Lord. What is actually on the coin or medallion doesn't matter...it may say OBX or South of the Border, some trinket you picked up on vacation. What matters is how you see it, how you will use it, how it will begin to re-shape how you see yourself...Holy To The Lord! Put those other paper medallions in something that is safe to burn, put on some of your favorite worship music, talk to God about your desire to live a life that is set apart to Him and Him alone, and then put a match to them!
Keep that coin with you for the next month and every-time you face a temptation that you are endeavoring to conquer, reach for that medallion and say, "I am Holy To The Lord." Do you know what 1 Peter 2:9 says about you and me?
But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
Living in the Gap (Psalm 124:1)
Pastor Fred
No comments:
Post a Comment