"Royal Subject"

"For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof." (Psalms 102:14)
This is a verse that takes me back quite a few years; maybe it was back to the very first Men's Retreat that I went to, back in about 1986 or 1987. If I remember right, the topic of the retreat was about David and Goliath; but more specifically, it was about walking in the Spirit. I can remember a couple special parts of the weekend's messages, so don't be disappointed if I leave something out. One of the main points that I remember was the part about David's attention being drawn to Goliath, and how it could be that this giant of a man would dare to even think about challenging the Creator, the God of Israel. Sure, the guy was big, but compared to God, he was nothing at all. If I remember correctly, the point was about our perspective, with or without the Holy Spirit guiding our lives. With the Holy Spirit guiding us, our view of opposition and worldly matters are less than they otherwise would be; with the Holy Spirit guiding us, things that upset God will be things that upset us, things that make God happy will make us happy also. We tend to forget, David had already been anointed king by Samuel; it was privately done, but none the less, the Spirit of the LORD had come upon David. (1 Samuel 16:13) What a difference a little right perspective can make on any situation! The second thing that I remember, was about the subject the stones verses mortar; stones being those that are the ones who continually walk in the Spirit, mortar being those that continually walk in the flesh. I think it was a question as to whether or not Saul will wind up in heaven, seeing how he disobeyed God. It is really not a question of if we disobey God or not, because none of us are perfect, none of us can honestly say that we have never sinned. It's more about the question of if we were ever really one of God's children; because if we were, then we are assured that there is a place for us in heaven. That blessed assurance is not based upon our performance or our obedience, but upon the obedience and performance of Christ Jesus. Jesus paid the price for our inability to be perfect; Jesus took the penalty for our disobedience. If I remember correctly, the stones are those that shine in the Temple. They are left whole and made for all to see. The mortar, although stones themselves, are those that have been ground into powder; not so important as the stones, but the mortar still is needed for the building of the Temple. It might paint a grim picture, at least for those that can't quite get it together. But, one way or another, we make it into the House of God...
""O Lord our God, you brought lasting honor to your name by rescuing your people from Egypt in a great display of power. But we have sinned and are full of wickedness. In view of all your faithful mercies, Lord, please turn your furious anger away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. All the neighboring nations mock Jerusalem and your people because of our sins and the sins of our ancestors. "O our God, hear your servant's prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake, Lord, smile again on your desolate sanctuary. "O my God, lean down and listen to me. Open your eyes and see our despair. See how your city -the city that bears your name -lies in ruins. We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy. "O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for your people and your city bear your name."" (Daniel 9:15-19) NLT