How are you? How is your week going? Have you prayed for the foreigner and the unbeliever this week?
I attended a pretty big high school. We had around 1,000 students per class. My high school of 3 grades was bigger than my college of 4 “grades!” It was nice, because we would win most of our sports games. We would make it into states all the time, and sometime we would make it into nationals.
Unfortunately, due to its size, there were so many various groups and cliques. The Korean group of students was split into two groups: the 2nd generation Korean Americans and the fresh-from-Korea Koreans. It is sad that these two groups weren’t really fond of each other, even though they were both Korean!
This division taught me a valuable lesson that still sticks with me today: we like the people who not only look like us but who talk like us as well. Or at least, it is easier for us to be friends with the people that are most like us. It may take a little more effort to connect with people who come from different cultures, religions, classes, languages, and hobbies.
However, we as the people of God are called to be a blessing to all peoples, especially those that don’t know Jesus.
We saw that truth this past Sunday when King Solomon dedicated the temple by praying for the foreigner and the outsider. He hoped that through the blessing of the temple, these foreigners and outsiders might become part of the family of God!
This looked forward to Christ who was the ultimate temple that was broken down for the ultimate blessing of man: our salvation. He broke down the wall of hostility between people groups, and he allowed us (no matter how different we may be) to be one body and one people under His Lordship. As priest, He presented Himself as the most perfect sacrifice, but not only that, He prays for His people today.
Because Christ is in us, we are now the temple of God. We are the blessing to the foreigner and the outsider. We are to share Christ with those that don’t know Jesus, so that in the same way, they may know Christ and be part of the family of God. We are called to pray for them as Christ has prayed for us. This is how we are the blessing to the world.
Have we prayed for our non-Christian friends and family this week? Have we prayed for the unbelieving world? Have we been a blessing to our communities and cities by sharing and being like Christ?
Take a moment and meditate on Christ, the ultimate blessing to the world. He was broken so we may be restored. He was cursed so that we may be blessed. He prayed and prays for us. He is in us, so we have the power to be a blessing. May you be the temple of God in Christ this week!
See you at Lord’s Day Worship this Sunday.
It’s our last Topical Study for this month! It has been a blessing going through Hosea and Joel. We will cover Amos and Obadiah this Sunday! Hope to see you there.
In Christ,
Pastor Tim
PS- Please pray for those involved with ROP this Saturday. Pray that we may be that blessing to the world through this event!
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