The Tabernacle retorted, "Alas, I am the most important! The bread of life is on my top! The wine of Christ is placed upon me to be blessed and purified. Without me, no one partakes in the blood and body of Jesus. I hold the church together, so it must be me!"
They continued to converse back and forth until a pew in the very back of the church spoke up. "Um excuse me?"
The pulpit fuming at this point acknowledged the small pew. "What do you want? Can you not see we are discussing important matters here?"
"I'm sorry I just overheard your conversation. Aren't we all important in glorifying God? The building itself, the instruments, the hymn-"
The pulpit and tabernacle burst into roaring laughter. The tabernacle replied "Spare us your ignorance and keep quiet. No wonder you're in the back and WE are up here!"
Several days later the pastor at the church got a call from a manufacturer. "We got the new furnishings your congregation ordered. We'll bring them by this week."
So one by one the equipment in the church was hauled off to a burn pile, As the ashes burned away the wood, they floated into the skies up towards the heavens.
The tabernacle was given his body in heaven, which was a banister sitting in the far back of God's throne room for which the stairs leading up to the next floor were built. The pulpit also had changed, and became two floorboards in the back corner that an end table sat on.
The pew came back as well, but it was far more extravagant than before. It become a beautiful royal throne seated at the very front of the worship hall. It was a pearly white color with jewels encoded up and down its exterior. The seat was placed just a little to the right of another throne that had an inscription on the very top reading, "I AM THAT I AM."
When the worship service began, The Lord God sat in the very middle, and to the throne on the right Jesus Christ came and took His seat.
The pulpit(formerly) was astounded. "Why must I be a pair of boards while that pew becomes a throne. I was a pulpit on earth! People admired me!"
Jesus heard the statement, and calmly replied. "As it is written, the greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." (Matthew 23:11-12)
***
Are you living as a pulpit or a pew?? Sometimes in our frantic lives, we lose focus on the identity of Jesus Christ. When He came to earth, He became the greatest servant among men, ultimately giving His life up for us. Now when we meet Him again in His heavenly dwelling, He will be exalted at the right hand of the Father. Boasting to our peers or declaring our authority among men does not lead us to the foot of the cross. Humility and an attitude of a servant will guide us to grace. John the baptist stated it the best when He pointed to Christ and said, "He must increase but I must decrease." (John 3:30) Pointing our lives to God results in more people achieving the joy only brought through the love and peace provided by our Savior. Fall in line with Jesus, lay your life down for Him, and become a living sacrifice, giving all your glory to God.
God Bless,
Hank ☨
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