Getting Spiritually Even

UV 908/10,000 Spiritually Even “Who despises the day of small things? Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. These seven are the eyes of the Lord which range throughout the earth. Zechariah 4 v 10 Today is the day of small things. We should not despise the day and think that we cannot do much in a day. For the Lord declares today to be the day of salvation. He asks us to forget the past, however joyful or bitter and to live in the present and to rejoice in the Lord as the birds rejoice in greeting the new morning with much chirping and singing. The birds and other creatures live as if only today matters, as if their life consists of just this one day. We too need to be faithful to the day. For when we keep doing what we can, we will end up doing what we cannot. Everything cannot be built in a day but everything can be lost in a second. The metaphoric seven eyes of the Lord are the seven spirits or seven angels of the Lord who move to and fro across the earth looking for people who are willing to repent and set right their hearts and their lives in accordance with the plumb line of the Lord. The eyes of the Lord are everywhere and sees all that men do, both the good and the evil. No detail escapes His attention. Just as in nature, there are seven days in a week, seven seas, seven continents, seven notes in music, seven colours of the rainbow, in the supernatural the Word speaks of seven eyes of the Lord, seven horns of the slain and now risen Lamb Jesus, seven seals of history, seven lamps and seven golden pipes conducting oil to the lamps, seven churches, seven trumpets and seven angels of the churches. Jesus also spoke of the need to forgive our fellow human beings, seventy times seven. The number “ seven” means “ spiritually even” or perfect or consummate or complete. The Lord consummates or completes us. We might look small and insignificant today but we are all part of His great design, part of a much larger and meaningful work. Zerubbabel mentioned in the uni-verse is a personification of the person who is faithful in this day and time to God and His mission of building the church just as Zerubbabel, a direct descendant of King David, was faithful in his day and time to re-building the temple at Jerusalem. We are to be a king and priest in the eyes of God in this day and time. The plumb line of the Lord which is held tightly in our hands is the Word of God. A plumb line is of little use unless it is used. Similarly, the Word is of little use unless we put it to daily use in our lives. We are to constantly align our thoughts, our words, our intentions, our emotions, our actions and reactions, indeed our entire being with the plumb line of the Word. The Lord is waiting to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are perfect towards Him or whose hearts are in sync with the Word. This implies that He is eager to bless externally and strengthen internally those who repent, straighten their lives and are faithful to Him and His Word. When a part of us juts out or is looking jarring or out of sync or alignment, the Mason takes the edge of His shovel and strikes it to break it and makes us spiritually even or perfect in symmetry and one piece with the rest of His work. He will patiently chip away at our angularities and strive to give us a perfect, smooth, even finish. The Lord is a builder. He builds His temple from within us. Though our beginnings are small, He has a great plan for our lives. He revealed to us in a time of prayer, “ When we prepare to build, we first dig a huge pit. That pit might look ugly. But it is necessary for strong foundations to be laid deep in the bedrock. But once the structure is up, it will look beautiful.” Much of our lives and our experiences might look dismal and miserable but the Lord uses it to strengthen us, to correct us , to re-align us with His purpose and His Word. We need to submit ourselves as clay to the potter, as wet mortar in the mason’s hands. We might be placed neatly on the shovel of the mason and expect that we are going to rest there. But suddenly, we will be thrown with a force onto the wall to cement some part of the wall, to make it even and perfect. Stephen Covey and many others speak of the need for seven habits. Most people even after reading his book, “ Seven Habits” are not able to recall all seven habits and hence, how would they practice it. Instead, this uni-verse focusses our need to cultivate one habit of constantly checking ourselves against the plumb line of His Word. Once the plumb line is in place and we are constantly evaluating ourselves against it, everything else will fall in place. We need to ask ourselves continually, “ Are we spiritually even in all areas of our lives? How do I get ‘plumb line perfect’ and aligned in the area of my thoughts, my emotions, my finances, my family, my speech,my talents, my purpose, my actions, my contribution and lifestyle?” Prateep V Philip