Weekly Pursuit – Week 3 of August
Verses:
Phil. 3:10 “To know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”
Excerpts:
Looking at the plot plan of the temple, we can see that no matter through which gate we enter, we will arrive at the altar. When God comes from the temple to meet man, He likewise arrives at the altar. Therefore, the altar is not only the center of the universe but also the meeting place of God with man and of man with God. God and man met together on the cross in the way of death. The death of Christ on the cross was a wonderful release to God and a wonderful termination to us. We all need this vision of the altar. The riches of God were released [on the cross], and all the negative things were terminated there.
Throughout the holy building of God, we can see the cross—at the main gate, on the pavement, at the boiling places in the corners, and at the tables in the inner court. The cross, therefore, is not only the center but also the circumference. The cross spreads in every direction and to every corner. After we have been saved, we will meet the cross everywhere. We do not experience the cross once for all—we experience the cross again and again. Those who pursue the Lord will meet the cross at every turn. They [may] meet the cross through their children, their spouse, or through illness, [through] the church or through the co-workers. The reason that the cross is everywhere is that we must go through the cross in order to contact God. Thank the Lord that God gives us the cross and that the cross gives us God. The ones who love God the most and experience Him the most are the ones who have gone through the cross. (Life-study of Ezekiel, msg. 21)