DESPISE NOT SMALL THINGS Devotion 2 of 24 Part of God's great salvation is the "renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Tit 3:5). There is a freshness and vitality that accompany life in the Son. This renewal begins with regeneration, and is carried forward by the Spirit in the continual change from one stage of glory to another (2 Cor 3:18). – Tomorrow:
"Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying: "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know That the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you. For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see The plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the LORD, Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth." Zechariah 4:8-10, NKJV
There came a time in the life of Samuel when renewal was required. It began when they made Saul king, and was considered to be a time of fresh beginning. Of that occasion Samuel said, "Come, and let us go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there" (1 Sam 11:14).
After he had plummeted from lofty heights, David fervently prayed, "renew a right spirit within me" (Psa 51:10). The prophet Isaiah affirmed those waiting upon the Lord would "renew their strength" (Isa 40:31). With a compassionate cry God said to Israel, "Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment" (Isa 41:1). When Israel had been chastened of the Lord, Jeremiah cried out to God, "renew our days as of old" (Lam 5:21). Renewal and fresh beginnings have always played a key role in the lives of God's people.
Part of spiritual life is the renewal of the inner man "day by day" (2 Cor 4:16). In doing spiritual battle, it is imperative that we be "renewed in the spirit" of our mind (Eph 4:23; Rom 12:2).
The "newness of life," into which we have been raised (Rom 6:4), provides no place for deadness, dullness, or monotony. There is no call from God summoning His people to adjust to the times by settling back or lessening their pace. Our hearts are not to be weighed down by our surroundings, but rather challenged by them to seek new and fresh things from God. It is the manner of the Kingdom!
God has spoken concerning new things happening in stale times, and freshness breaking out in the midst of dry and thirsty times and places. "I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water" (Isa 41:18). And again, "Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert" (Isa 43:19).
If the times are spiritually impoverished, and there seems there is little hope for vital renewal, let us remember the Israelites in the wilderness. "And they thirsted not when He led them through the deserts: he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: He clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out" (Isa 48:21). Again it is written, "He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river" (Psa 105:41).
And will our Lord do less for those who are joined to His Son? Can He not bring water to us in a "dry and thirsty land, where no water is" (Psa 63:1)? Indeed, He can! That is what this series of devotions is all about: assuring our hearts that new beginnings can take place in our time! We are joined to holy history, but we are not anchored to it! Our anchor is in the future, not in the past! It is firmly fixed in heaven, within the veil, where we are being led by Christ Himself (Heb 6:19). We are saved by "hope," not by past history (Rom 8:24-25).
The historical accomplishments of our Lord have been presented in the heavenly realms. That is why they are effective. Jesus entered into "heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us" (Heb 9:24). This is precisely why newness can be experienced again and again! It is because of the present activity of the Savior.
Our faith is not in a record, but in the God of the record! It is the One who made the history that sustains us, and not the history itself. Our faith takes hold of the accomplishments of Christ Jesus in history with one hand. With the other, it takes hold of the Savior Himself. Our face is set steadfastly toward heaven, where our citizenship resides (Phil 3:30). That is why we can speak confidently of new beginnings. That is why we do not need to adjust to the present, or allow circumstance to cast us down!
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I ask for freshness in every area of my life where staleness and a lack of pleasing fruit it now found.