Declare!

Declare!

1 Chronicles 16:24 KJV

[24] Declare his glory among the heathen; His marvellous works among all nations.

As I read the entire chapter from which the verse above is taken, I again acknowledge the truth that God will always punish sin, no matter in whom it is found. God has laid down the standards for worship and service in His sanctuary, as well as the rules of engagement for coming into His presence to make or offer sacrifices. Right from the days of the priest Aaron and his sons, God would not take or accept anything less than the standards. We saw Him kill the two sons of Aaron who offered unholy fire before Him. We saw Him destroy Korah, Dathan, and Abiram and their families due to their rebellion. We even saw Him deny Moses entry into the promised land due to Moses' disobedience. Connected to the verse above is the killing of a young man who touched the ark of God as it was being transported by a cart and oxen. The man would have thought that he could help because the oxen stumbled, but God would not break the rule for anyone, not even with the best of intentions. 

With God, you cannot get away with anything less than His standard. It is in this light that the verse above wants us to know God. He is an amazing Father who loves and cares for us, but He also has rules of engagement and interaction with Him. If we want to enjoy the best of Him, we have to give our best to Him. The incident that led to the death of Obed-Edom eventually led to David doing the right thing by adhering to the standard of worship and sanctuary service as laid down by God. Those who had been set apart by God to offer service in relation to the ark of covenant were again brought in and  sanctified to offer acceptable sacrifice to God. Please do not ever think that any kind of service is acceptable to God. I cannot do it my way and expect it to turn out God's way. As we see from the story of Solomon, God can bless a man beyond any limits, but the man must never forget how he has been helped. It does no good if man becomes complacent and careless, to the point where the sacred or the Holy becomes desecrated. 

When I am settled in my recognition of who God is and what He wants from me, there is no doubt or contention about what I need to do. David in the verse above also knew what God desired and deserved, as we know from his life story that David knew God personally and knew what God wanted. As far as David was concerned, he would make the name of the Lord known to all. He is a glorious God, and He deserves the praise and honour that is due to Him. The world may not know this God, and it is my duty to ensure that the world comes to know Him. My life is the template that displays the glory of this God. My life has to be the best expression of the amazing grace of God, and the awesome possibilities that a life has, if it is in the hands of God. Am I willing to let God work in me, so that His power and ability can be made manifest in and through me? Would I allow Him do what He alone can do, so that the world can see what a surrendered vessel can achieve in the hands of God? I stand and declare God's mighty works in my life. As far as God takes me, I pray that my life will be a loud testament to His glory and grace. God's time of favour is here.