Foreigners Welcome in God's Temple

Acknowledging God

Follow in My Ways

There Is No God Like You

2 Chronicles 6:28-33 The Message

28-31 When disasters strike, famine or catastrophe, crop failure or disease, locust or beetle, or when an enemy attacks their defenses—calamity of any sort—any prayer that’s prayed from anyone at all among your people Israel, their hearts penetrated by disaster, hands and arms thrown out for help to this Temple,
Listen from your home in heaven, forgive and reward us:
reward each life and circumstance,
For you know each life from the inside,
(you’re the only one with such inside knowledge!),
So they’ll live before you in lifelong reverence and believing
obedience on this land you gave our ancestors.
32 And don’t forget the foreigner who is not a member of your people Israel but has come from a far country because of your reputation—people are going to be attracted here by your great reputation, your wonderworking power—and who come to pray to this Temple.
33 Listen from your home in heaven
and honor the prayers of the foreigner,
So that people all over the world
will know who you are and what you’re like,
And live in reverent obedience before you,
just as your own people Israel do,
So they’ll know that you personally
make this Temple that I’ve built what it is.

For Reflection

Ah yes, the human condition. We, humans, know only human things. It is difficult for us to perceive things un-human. To further complicate matters much of what we comprehend is filtered by our experiences and our attitudes, beliefs and values. We are indeed, separated physically, emotionally, and intellectually from each other and, most importantly, from God. As a preference for scientific thought advanced, the choice for other forms of discovery have wained.

Scientific methods are insufficient means for us to penetrate and understand the spiritual nature of our existence. Science and spirituality are not opposites. They are complimentary.  Scientific discovery has provided a continually improving standard of living for all peoples.  Without a spiritual counterpart, there is a compelling presumption to use modern advances selfishly.  For all sorts of reasons, economic, political, or social, we have not solved the problems of the grossly inequitable distribution of the increases provided by science and technology.

It's not that we don't know how to improve the human condition. We fear the consequence of human justice.  Attention Christians, to what extent are people attracted to the living God because of our great reputation, our wonderworking power?  Who is attracted to pray at our temple of unconditional love?  

Pray

Perhaps the greatest gift one can give to God is a prayer.  Not of supplication, not of lamentation, not of thanksgiving, not of intersession but of action. Pray, not only with your lips. Pray also with your hands and feet.

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