Measure Twice

I just moved in to a little one bedroom house.

I found myself imagining the great furniture I'd buy to make it working, useful, and comfortable place to spend my time. I looked online, and walked through furniture sections of various stores and office furniture suppliers.

In my head a table would go here, and shelf would go there, a table would be useful here. And I wanted a wing back chair to sit in and read (like the ones you see in a library). But walking through the furniture section of various stores, I was inundated with choices, colors, styles. Many useful, many quite good looking.

So my first purchase was a tape measure.

I needed to measure the wall and the height agains which the table would fit, and the space to the window and how much did the stairs protrude into the living room. And even before picking my furniture a checking had to happen, similar to an the wise carpenter's adage: Measure Twice, Cut Once. I measured each space to make sure the right furniture was chosen, that all would fit together.

This made me think of THE work going on right now. In the heavenly Sanctuary.

The thoughtfulness and consideration I had put into my humble dwelling made me wonder about God's thoughtfulness and care in fashioning a place, not only for Himself to dwell, but also that He was fashioning something for His Son, Whom He cares for deeply.

The deliberateness of measuring each space and then measuring each furniture, piecing them together made me think of the command given in Revelation to measure the city (Rev 11:1). This intentional work of judging, of measuring the people, was to make sure they fit. Because He needs a fit people for the finishing of the work. For the High Priest was to take the transgressions of the people in all their sins and put "them upon the head of the [scape] goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:" (Lev 16:21)

Making sure the people measured up. That they were meet (suitable, fit, proper) for His Son. That they were the helpmeet for Christ. (Eph 5:27). That His church would be a suitable, proper and fit bride for the Son. And a suitable and fit dwelling for the Sovereign of the Universe, the Majesty and Source of all that is Good, Righteous and Pure.

All I had to was measure and find the furniture. I didn't have to trim, cut or lengthen.

Christ's work is more difficult. He's preparing a people. A people that fit. And He is measuring every part.

So the question comes: Will you let God do His loving work, the work of measuring every part to make you fit? That you can be fitted to the body of Christ?

"From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." - Ephesians 4:16