I’ve been reading a book lately called “Practicing His Presence”. It’s about two men who’s sole goal in life became to stay in God’s Presence every single moment. They still worked, slept, had friends, lived “regular” lives, but this practice made their lives become anything but regular.
In one chapter, one of the men (who lived in the 1600’s) described his hopelessness in submitting everything to God. This was a time in his life before he began this 24/7 practice of His Presence. But now that he was staying constantly in the Presence of God, he saw his past with new eyes.
He writes:
“I decided to sacrifice my life with all its pleasures to God. But He greatly disappointed me in this idea, for I have met with nothing but satisfaction in giving my life over to Him.”
Today I want to share a secret of the Kingdom. I’ll keep it short and sweet. There’s eternal wealth to be found here, but there’s only way you can find it, and it’s very costly. What you’ll receive in return is so much more than you could have ever imagined, but you must first give without any reserves.
The secret is this:
Every Altar you build before the Lord becomes a Table.
I was reading in Ezekiel the other day. As I was reading through chapter 41, verse 22 just hit me.
There was a wooden altar three cubits high and two cubits square ; its corners, its base and its sides were of wood. The man said to me, “This is the table that is before the Lord .”
The man talking with Ezekiel in this vision is describing the dimensions of the Altar in the Holy of Holies. He then tells Ezekiel that the Altar in the Temple is the Table that is before the Lord.
This word “Table” in this passage means a few things; A table, A kings table for private and sacred uses, and A table spread out (by implication) a meal.
The sacrifices that Israel was making was setting the Lord’s Table.
Now in the new covenant, we no longer need to make animal sacrifices, but we get to sacrifice ourselves before the Lord. We get to lay down our lives on the Altar, and as we do, we get invited to the Table of the Lord.
This also reminded me of what Jesus tells us in Luke 18:29-30,
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”
Everything we put on the Altar to the Lord in this life, becomes a new Table where we get to meet with Him. Whatever we sacrifice, actually becomes better than we ever could have asked for.
It may hurt to lay it down at first, but the Consuming Fire will refine everything and make it new.
As I lay down my indifference, He sets a Table of Love. As I lay down my fear, He invites me to a Table of Bravery. When I lay down my future, He spreads the Table of my calling. When I lay myself on the Altar, He seats me in who I really am
