At
the heart of the rebuilding of the Temple, there was worship -"With
praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: 'He is good; His love to
Israel endures for ever" (Ezra 3:11). Those who worship the Lord are
set within the context of a world that refuses to worship Him: "The
rest of mankind ... did not stop worshipping demons" (Revelation 9:20).
Even when the call to conversion is sounded out clearly and often, we
must reckon with the fact that many will refuse to come to Christ for
salvation. His way is still the narrow way, while many take the broad
way that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). Part of God's Word to
today's world is a word of rebuke: "If you have played the fool and
exalted yourself, or if you have planned evil, clap your hands over your
mouth!" (Proverbs 30:32). Stop answering back! Stop protesting against
the Lord! Start listening to the Lord! Listen to His Word! The Lord
has much to say to this generation, if only the people would listen. If
the word of rebuke is heeded, perhaps, there will be a real opening
for the word of salvation.
Psalm 48:1-14 Lord, we worship You in the place of worship – “Within Your Temple, we meditate on Your unfailing love.” Help us to go out from there, and play our part in seeing that Your praise “reaches to the ends of the earth” (Psalm 48:: 9-11). How will other people know of Your love, if we don’t tell them? How will they find their way to Your House, if we don’t invite them? When we share Your Word with others, help us to remember Your promise: “My Word… will not return to Me empty, but will… achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).
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