Lena Journals 2 Chronicles 7 Today

Solomon means peace, wholeness, soundness, completeness. Is there peace in the Lord’s temple? Who is the Lord’s Temple, anyway? Where is that place of peace?
The Hebrew greet one another with “Shalom” stating a wish of wellness, and wholeness in the living temples of God Most High.
There are temples of God Most High in live form. Are there sacrifices being offered there to God continually? If so, what kind? Do they involve repentance, changes of heart and mind, and decisive humility? Becoming different than one started out to be, on purpose, as though we are an important course of life that we will be tested on, intent on passing the death or life test?
Fire changes the state of what it touches. It, many times, consumes whatever is in its pathway. Depending on the hardness of the object and the heat of the fire, fire changes, consumes, alters the present state of being of a thing.
Our God is a consuming fire.
The people themselves offered sacrifices, they dedicated themselves to the Lord. They stood and positioned themselves inside of the assembly of the righteous.
How much sacrificing is just too much to ask? The thing is God is not asking, He may be offering or telling us we can, or showing us how, but the amount is up to us and how full our love bank is.
Do we feel like God or His leaders are asking too much of us? That shows the condition of our hearts. He gave so much and still gives us all we need. This is a lifelong eternal relationship. We will never stop giving and sacrificing if we love God, and one another. It is a never ending relationship. There should be expected change on a continuous basis, and sacrifices galore offered daily in abundance, because of love.
Is our life dedicated to God or not? Have we given our lives, or not? How much of it, just what we believe He’s asked of us, or do we go beyond what is asked to what we can give? All for All. It says they dedicated themselves. One cannot do that because they feel they have to, the “have-to’s” would take away form the dedication of all.
Do you ever feel like “your altar” cannot contain the sacrifices you want to make? That you’d have to “build a bigger place to contain the God you see you are to carry, or the responsibilities you’d like to fulfill for Him?
There is always a place to increase your capacity for His Spirit in each of us and His will to be accomplished by and through us. It happens through steps of faith and of obedience.
Do you want to be burned up, and consumed? Fire will be the judgment of all men, either the eternal fire of hell or the cleansing power of God to change a life and make it pure. The fire one gives his own life to will not destroy him eternally, but will rather preserve him. The NT says it’d be better to enter eternity marred by fire than not go at all, yet one who gives his life a living sacrifice now will be as refined silver or fine gold, though tried by fire, not destroyed, not marred. All of this is up to us. If rebellious, then marred, if submitted to the process now, then cleansed and purified.
Jesus said no man takes my life, I give it up as a ransom for many. This should be our own lifestyles also. It may seem men are taking our lives, yet if our attitude is to give it up anyway, this is where we are submissive to the character development of Christ.
What have we planned to do? Pray more, worship more, go to church more? Are we accomplishing that, or have we procrastinated at doing it? Solomon (Shalom Peace) completed all he had set out to do for the Lord.
When we live this way, windows of heaven open up! God says to one who has set himself into a lifestyle of wholeness, “What do you want from Me?” He offers His resources and who He is on our everyday situations and circumstances.
If circumstances overwhelm a people, God is asking us a question to see how much of our whole hearts are in Him…..”Will you again give yourselves……in all your blessedness, and comfy coziness…….will you repent for the wrongs you did not even do……will you consider digging deeply and seeing if there’s any area at all that can still be swept clean in your own life……will you who have overcome so much and have gone so far submit yourself to My will…..my deep well??? Will you Pray for others, get down on your knees, fast, dress differently, even in shame to show the seriousness of what I call serious?” Will you?
A glorious, magnificent temple, a place completed, seems to need no more work done, except maintenance. IF one does not maintain what he has obtained, he’ll lose what he gained. The Lord is serious about taking what He’s given for granted. The relationship gained, must be honored and valued enough to guard and keep it. All positions given men, are given by God. These cannot be taken for granted, they can be given to another as easily as they were given us. God decides according our willingness to accept and walk out our responsibility before Him.
"As for you, if you follow me as your father, David, did and obey all my commands, laws, and regulations, then I will not let anyone take away your throne