Be Alert and Pray

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Discerning, Imitator of Christ, Power of Prayer, Righteousness, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 26.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Matthew 26:40-41 (GW)

40 When he went back to the disciples, he found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you stay awake with me for one hour?

41 Stay awake, and pray that you won’t be tempted. You want to do what’s right, but you’re weak.”

 

Matthew 26:74-75 (GW)

74
Then Peter began to curse and swear with an oath, “I don’t know the man!” Just then a rooster crowed.
75 Peter remembered what Jesus had said: “Before a rooster crows, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” Then Peter went outside and cried bitterly.

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

When Jesus went into the Garden of Gethsemane on the night He was betrayed, He asked the contingent of disciples that followed Him there, to stay at a given point while He went on a little further to pray. As in any prayer meeting, you would think that the disciples would have also entered into a time of prayer seeing that Jesus was so burdened about something that He went in to pray privately. Instead, the disciples fell asleep. On Jesus’ return He shared with the disciples His disappointment and reiterated to them that it was important that they stay alert and pray while He went to…. Friend, likewise Jesus has left us to be alert and pray until His return. Alert for what you might ask? This means that we are to be aware of the possibilities of temptation (look at verse 74 to see what Peter faced shortly after Jesus’ warning that they be alert and pray), and we are to be sensitive to the subtleties that will occur if we are unprepared and unequipped to deal with them spiritually. Temptation will come when we are most vulnerable and most often we can’t resist it alone. Prayer is the key to seek God’s strength and presence, and it is only with these essentials that we can be assured of our defenses and equipped to deal with the power of Satan. Imagine if our military was as unprepared as we are at times; imagine if they were as ill equipped as we are times. Friends, we must be alert, always seeking God’s presence to defend us against the enemy.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Lord Jesus, please help me to always be in a state of readiness to defeat the vileness of Satan. Please help me to obey Your Word so that I will be closely in tuned with You and empowered by You to defend against the temptation and/or subtleties of Satan that may directed at me each day. I need Your power in my life to stay strong and ready for Your return. Only in You can I find that power, and the peace in knowing that I am safe and secure. Please forgive me for seeking this through any other means. Thank You for reminding me of where my true strength comes from, especially at those times that I’m tempted to do otherwise.

Do You Have Judas Traits?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Eternal Life, Faith, Imitator of Christ, Obedience, Pleasing to God, Reflecting Christ, Repentance, Righteousness, Separation, Thank You JesusLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 26.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Matthew 26:14-15 (NLT)

14 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests

15 and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver.

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

Although a familiar passage, I was reminded this morning about how little it takes for us to betray Jesus. We look down our pious noses at Judas, call him a traitor and all sorts of bad things, but which of us are better today? Stop and think about this friend, Why do we have so many church members that never see the doors of a church week after week? Could it be that they accepted the bribes of worldly pleasure, or bribes from family to spend more time with them, or the bribes of Satan that this is the only day for them to rest, or the only day for them to do what they want to do? In my opinion, this betrays the love of, and dedication for, Jesus in return for these types of bribes/excuses. Have you asked the question that Judas asked recently – “what will I benefit from turning away from God (betraying Him)?” Money/greed was the motive behind Judas’ betrayal. What’s your motive/excuse for betraying Him today?

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, with everything You had to offer, You showed Your love for me, You sacrificed everything so that I might live eternally with You. Please help this child of Yours to stand firm on the decision I made some 35 years ago, and to follow You wholeheartedly each and every day. In fact, may I follow Your ways and Your commands so closely that non-Christians would recognize You in me and in my actions. More importantly, may You find me faithful, worthy to represent You to the unsaved that I come in contact with, and encouragement to those that have accepted You as Lord of their life. Lord, please correct my attitude and/or actions long before I ever get near enough to even think about betraying You. Thank You for loving me, now may I love You in return without any hint of betrayal.

It Will Be Worth It All

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Celebrate God, Christian, Encourage, Faith, God Cares For Us, God Reigns, Hope, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Peace, ProtectorLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE: Exodus 39-40.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Exodus 40:38 (NLT)

38 The cloud of the Lord hovered over the Tabernacle during the day, and at night fire glowed inside the cloud so the whole family of Israel could see it. This continued throughout all their journeys.

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

This last verse of Exodus sums up how the people of Israel had maintained their faith in spite of all the challenges they faced during their stint in the wilderness. In fact, the book begins by telling us of their slavery in Egypt, but as we can see from this verse, it ends in glory by telling of God’s presence being evident during the day and the comfort of knowing that His presence was there during the night. During our Christian walk we encounter ups and downs like the Israelites encountered. I know that our challenges have been, and probably will be much different to anything we read in Exodus, and depending on how we look at those challenges, many of us will probably even say that ours were a lot greater than anything the Israelites faced. Friend, if we truly know and trust God then we will agree that we are on the winning side, the victorious team, with a bright future ahead of us, regardless of the circumstances we have come through or find ourselves in the middle of at this time. I love that song, “It Will be Worth It All“, for whatever I may go through here on this earth, it will be worth it all when I see the face of my Jesus, and live forever in His presence singing praises to Him. While here on this earth, I must learn to look beyond my challenges and see what victories will result for Jesus because of my circumstances. It’s all about Him friend of God! My challenges, or even what I may see as my setbacks, are all for His glory. What am I learning from these circumstances and how am I being made stronger because of these, should be my points to ponder, not crying the blues because of what appears to be heartaches and trials to challenge me. Thank You Father for being by my side and holding my hand each and every day!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, please help me to look at each day as a victory for You. Many days may appear to be normal and filled with challenges that may make me question if You were even there with me, but as a child of God, I know that You love me and that You hold my hand through all of life’s ups and downs. Please help me to not lose sight of Your presence and your promises to hold my hand each and every day. Please help me to be Your obedient servant by placing my hand in Yours each day so that I may stay connected to the power source and the source of encouragement, strength, guidance, protection and love that I need every day. I am on the winning side, and I have You as my Savior, Lord and soon coming King. There is nothing more that I need dear Lord! Thank You!

Do It All for God’s Glory!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Evangelism, Faith, God our Helper, God our Provider, God’s Word, Imitator of Christ, Our Help comes from God, Pleasing to God, Reflecting Christ, Servants of God, Work Til Jesus ComesLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 25.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Matthew 25:34-36 (NLT)

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.

35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.

36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

Matthew 25:40 (NLT)

40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

Matthew 25:45 (NLT)

45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

There is such a tremendous lesson in this passage that teaches us several things, or at least it has taught me:

  1. God has given us each gifts that we should use for His glory;
  2. These are attributes that may not cost us a dime financially;
  3. God demonstrated these attributes for us to follow, and He is the only one that we truly need to imitate;
  4. I need not look at a need and think about WHO should meet that need. If it was laid on my heart, then I need to follow through in meeting that need;
  5. No one is exempt from unmet ‘needs’ in their lives, so I should never exempt a person due to their financial status or the denomination of the church they attend or if they attend any church at all;
  6. The only praise that may result from the things I do is from God himself, but then He is the one that I want to always please anyway.

Oh to hear the words from my Master’s mouth, “Well Done Thou Good and Faithful Servant”! This is my desire friend, I hope that it is your prayer and daily desire also. Let’s make it our daily goal!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, I thank You for all that You have blessed me with. Please help me to use each and every talent, each and every gift, for Your glory. Please make me very sensitive to the needs of other and help me to do my part without prejudice as to who they are or what church they may attend, or even if they attend no church at all. They are all your children in need of a touch from the Master. May I be Your hands extended in human form!

Those with a vested interest, Give!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Faith, Giving, God our Provider, Imitator of Christ, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Thank You Jesus, TithingLeave a comment

Scripture: Exodus 35-36.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Exodus 35:29 (NLT)

29 So the people of Israel—every man and woman who was eager to help in the work the Lord had given them through Moses—brought their gifts and gave them freely to the Lord.

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

I know that anytime there is a sermon on ‘giving’ someone will leave disgruntled, because they don’t appreciate anyone telling, or reminding them about their giving, or lack thereof. But before I talk about the verse above, let me just remind us that if we are to be imitators of Christ, we should never choose which attributes to imitate, otherwise we will miss imitating Him in all things! Let’s remind ourselves about how much God gave, and quickly remember that He gave it all – His one and only Son, Jesus, so that we may have life eternal. Now, can we really qualify why we shouldn’t give at least 10% of the money that God has blessed us with the health, knowledge and wisdom to earn in the first place? Can we disqualify God’s teaching about giving at least 10% for the ongoing work of the church? I thought it was extremely eye-opening to read the above verse this morning and note that for those with a vested interest, in other words they were anxious to help in the work of the Lord, and so they gave freely! Wow, does that speak to us today? You bet it does. When we become interested enough to give back to God in thanksgiving for all that He gave to us, then we will not only give of our talent and hard work, but we will freely bring our gifts to further His work. This is the method and teaching in 2 Corinthians 9:7, that we give cheerfully to the work of the Lord, not from a guilty conscience. If you are vested in the work of the Lord, you will give!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Thank You Father for giving so much to me. Especially I want to say thank You for giving Your only Son upon the cross so that I might accept that free gift and live eternally with You in heaven when You see fit to end my time here on this earth. Thank You for giving me health and strength each day to be able to work and earn a living. Thank You for blessing me with a job, especially during these days when I look around and see so many who are jobless. Thank You for doing such an awesome job in helping me budget the 90% of my salary that I am left with to meet my expenses. Thank You that I have always been able to honor my financial commitments. I realize that there are many times that I wish I had 150% of my salary, but those are times when my ‘wants’ are in overdrive, however as long as I stick with my ‘needs’ then I have no trouble. Thank You for being God and for being so very special in my life, especially in my financial affairs.

Are You Ready?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Eternal Life, Faith, God Reigns, God’s Word, Imitator of Christ, Obedience, Reflecting Christ, Repentance, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

Scripture: Matthew 24.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Matthew 24:30 (NLT)

30 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Matthew 24:44 (NLT)

44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

I believe that just how folk today may feel they are prepared and ready for a disaster in different ways – which would bring varying degrees of results, so it is with God’s people. Let me explain: In preparation for the unexpected hurricane or natural disaster that could destroy our home, many may be able to purchase insurance on their home, but some will just close the doors and travel away from the scene when a hurricane approaches, not overly concerned about whatever damage that may occur, because they have insurance. Others will go the extra mile to board up their homes to protect glass windows and they will stick around to constantly protect their home as danger approaches, even though they have insurance. In life, some have seen fit to walk the isle of their church, shake the preacher’s hand and let him pray for them. They feel like their ‘ticket’ is punched and they are bound for heaven, so then they return to their normal life of sin without any regard for the ways of God as taught throughout His Word. But they feel like they have ‘purchased their insurance’. I can’t help but believe that if this type of decision has not made an impact on your life, to the extent that you are looking more and more like Jesus every day in your actions and demeanor, then your ‘insurance policy’ is not very valuable to you. When we accept Jesus as Lord of our life, that begins a new journey in life where you allow His Word to speak to you through daily scripture reading, and prayer to the ‘new’ Master of your life. You allow Him and His Word to redirect your life so that you could live a life worthy of the King of all kings. Please don’t fool yourself into a sense of false security, know with assurance that you are a child of the King, and that your daily life displays the true character of the Christ that dwells within you. Heaven is our reward for living the life of which I described here. Think of your decision to accept Christ as a covenant between you and God, not as a ticket punching event. He wants to recognize you by your Godly character, not by Him tending heaven’s gate to see your ‘ticket’. If you need help understanding and/or accepting this Savior whom I speak of and know personally, please respond to this posting and I would be thrilled to introduce you!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Lord Jesus, You went to the cross to provide a way for me to enter heaven’s gate. You made the ultimate sacrifice so that I may have forgiveness of my sin. You have said in Your Word that unless I accept that gift and follow You, there will be no forgiveness of sin. I have accepted Your Gift (Your Son) and am committed to follow Your ways and Your commands every day of my life. While I don’t need to accept You every day, I do need You every day to take my hand and lead me through the challenging times, and protect me from the Evil One, and shine through me like You did on Moses’ face when He came down from the mountain. May You see Christ in my talk and in my walk, and may it be evident to all those that I come in contact with. I long to one day be with You in heaven, but until the day You call me home, may I be found faithful!

God’s Presence Sets Us Apart

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Draw Me Close to You, Faith, Fruit of the Spirit, Imitator of Christ, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Reflecting Christ, Things that make God angryLeave a comment

Scripture: Exodus 32-33.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Exodus 33:15-16 (NLT)

15 Then Moses said, “If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place. 16 How will anyone know that you look favorably on me—on me and on your people—if you don’t go with us? For your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all other people on the earth.”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

In the preceding verses we see where God had really gotten angry with the Israelites for melting their gold jewelry and making a golden calf to worship, while Moses was up on the mountain spending time with God and not babysitting them. In fact, God became so angry until He decided to prepare the path for the ongoing journey of Moses and his people, but that He would not personally go with them – primarily because He didn’t want to lose His patience with them. I love the plea of Moses, and wish that I could take more actions similar to this during my leadership of God’s people. Moses pleaded with God for His divine presence with and through His people, otherwise he (Moses) was afraid that they would lose their identity with other people of the land. This sounds so much like where we are at today, it seems like the church (God’s people) has lost its flavor, its identity, its character. In fact, lost its first love, and therefore does not appear to the world to be anything like the Jesus they have heard us preach and teach about. There is little evidence that would set us apart from the people of this wicked world in which we live. Oh my, this is so sad, because God teaches us all through His Word about His character and the characteristics that we are to imitate in order to be more like our Father. Unfortunately, we have chosen to accept many of the precepts of the world instead, so we look more like them than we do the Father. Oh, how it must sadden my Lord when He sees His stubborn people who refuses to humble ourselves, pray and seek to serve Him wholeheartedly so that He might dwell among us and set us apart as His chosen people for a time such as this in which we live.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Lord, I am called by Your name. Please help me to: humble myself and pray often; Seek Your face in all that I do; Turn from my wicked ways and follow Your ways daily, so that You may claim me as Yours, use me as Your servant and heal me of my weaknesses and indecision, and in turn heal this land in which I live so that our eyes may be opened to Your love and Your truth, with anticipation of the day that You will call us home to be with You in Heaven. In other words, please help me to be all that I can be for You while here on this earth so that I can look into Your welcoming face and recognize the pleasure that You will have in being in my presence without anger. Thank You for loving me enough to encourage me through Your Word to live a life worthy of the Lamb of God! I need thee every hour, dear Lord!

Obligations from Generation to Generation

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Allegiance to the Lamb, Bible Believing, Celebrate God, Christian, Imitator of Christ, Servants of God, Surrender, Work Til Jesus ComesLeave a comment

Scripture: Exodus 30 – 31.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

7 “Every morning when Aaron maintains the lamps, he must burn fragrant incense on the altar. 8 And each evening when he lights the lamps, he must again burn incense in the Lord’s presence. This must be done from generation to generation. Ex 30:7-8 (NLT)

 

10 “Once a year Aaron must purify the altar by smearing its horns with blood from the offering made to purify the people from their sin. This will be a regular, annual event from generation to generation, for this is the Lord’s most holy altar.” Ex 30:10 (NLT)

 

30 “Anoint Aaron and his sons also, consecrating them to serve me as priests. 31 And say to the people of Israel, ‘This holy anointing oil is reserved for me from generation to generation. 32 It must never be used to anoint anyone else, and you must never make any blend like it for yourselves. It is holy, and you must treat it as holy. Ex 30:30-32 (NLT)

 

13 “Tell the people of Israel: Ex 31:13 (NLT) ‘Be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation. Ex 31:13 (NLT)

 

16 The people of Israel must keep the Sabbath day by observing it from generation to generation. This is a covenant obligation for all time. 17 It is a permanent sign of my covenant with the people of Israel. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and was refreshed. Ex 31:16-17 (NLT)

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

I was truly amazed and touched by the number of times in these two chapters that God told Moses how important His instructions were at the time, and how important it was that these instructions be carried on from generation to generation. While we hear from a lot of scholars, that claim to know a whole lot more than I do, that we are living under the New Testament, I can’t help but believe that these commands were placed appropriately in God’s Word for even us. Here are some things that I feel God said to me through these verses, and each bullet will represent each of the above sections:

  • It seems to me that God wants us to be a disciplined people. To follow His commands, without looking for excuses or trying to justify ourselves about how different we are today. In a movie I watched Saturday night it showed where the first steps in teaching karate is discipline, and even though the young man saw no reason in taking his jacket off about 1,000 times and doing various disciplined things each time he took it off, he later found that it was all for a good purpose. Likewise, we must believe that God has excellent reasoning in mind when He demands that we follow his commands. In this particular instance, we are to make His meeting place very special and give of our very best in respect to the presence of the universe.
  • At least once a year purify the temple and God’s people – I saw where this was done recently at revival services in a neighboring county and God worked in miraculous ways. There is nothing ‘ordinary’, or ‘traditional’ about coming into the presence of the Almighty. It is for a prepared people in a prepared place.
  • Anoint the leaders and helpers of the church – wow, if this was done at least annually, what an impact and encouragement this would have on our workers! To know that we have the prayers and support of the people we serve would be overwhelming encouragement and blessing.
  • Our Sabbath day has become anything but ‘holy’, and where is it getting us? I believe that we each can tell from the local, national and international news how chaotic life has gotten and how out of control crime and unrest has become. I see the opposite of this being a peaceful, loving, serving, giving, servant-led people, and only through God’s grace and us calling on Him daily, and finding ourselves in the right place at the right time, will we ever see such achievement.
  • God not only gave his commands, He went on to explain why He gave them. The Sabbath, a day to stop and reflect on the holiness of our Father, and to refresh ourselves. Two things so very critical in our lives and so badly needed to help our state of mind, and our relationship with our heavenly Father.

So with the above explanations, I believe that I can see where much of this is still very applicable to us today. Additionally, I believe that God’s Word is still true and deserves my undivided attention, not just certain parts of it. Praise be to God for His Holy Word!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father I thank You for providing Your Word as a lamp unto my feet. A Guide for me, and commands to direct my path each and every day. You know that my heart’s desire is to be more like You every day, and I thank You for providing me the insight and Guide book to do just that. Please give me the boldness and wisdom to follow these steps even in the sinful, evil world in which I live. May I always be a true example of You each and every day.

Prepare for God’s Blessing

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, God Cares For Us, God our Provider, Listen to the Word of God, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Righteousness, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

Scripture: Matthew 23; Exodus 29.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. Matt 23:37 (NLT)

… I will meet the people of Israel there, in the place made holy by my glorious presence. 44 Yes, I will consecrate the Tabernacle and the altar, and I will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. 45 Then I will live among the people of Israel and be their God, 46 and they will know that I am the Lord their God. I am the one who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I could live among them. I am the Lord their God.
Ex 29:43-46
(NLT)

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

My daily devotional normally takes me across one or more chapters in the Old Testament and perhaps one or more chapters in the New Testament. God spoke to me on the verse in the New Testament, about how He not only blesses me each day, but how He is looking to even bless me more – if only I would surrender myself to Him and allow Him to do all for His child that He wants to. This made me think about how I feel sometimes like a parent. We want to do so much more, but we need our child to do their part in order not to spoil them. Sometimes we want to do more but they rather try and do it themselves. I never stopped to think that we are doing the same thing to God when we take the reins and try to do things ourselves. We often mess up, but God is the designer and creator of this complex body that we live in, the creator and designer of this world with all of its intricacies, so why would I withhold from Him? I have nothing to gain. Total surrender to Him can bring blessings beyond anything I can ever imagine! Then in the Old Testament reading I saw where He did so much for the Israelites, including several chapters explaining every detail about how God detailed the material and design of the temple, then the same for the dress and ordination of Aaron and his sons as priests, then in the verses above it sounds like He just sat back and looked at all He had done and felt relieved that now He could meet with His people in the temple, made holy because of His presence. Now the people will recognize Him as their God who brought them out of Egypt and now they might accept Him as the Lord their God. Wow, what love displayed here and what an awesome father-figure shown here. God loves us so much and wants so badly to bless us beyond anything we could ever imagine, and our part is to just let go and let God. He’s our Father, He wants to do this for His children!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, often life seems so complex, and so often I realize that the challenges are way more than I could ever handle alone. Thank You for reminding me that You are very capable, and willing to handle these challenges and direct my paths. I am convinced that You want nothing more than to love on me; to protect me from the things of this life intended to harm me; to guide me through those challenging times of uncertainty, especially when I don’t know which way to turn next. Please help me to daily recognize that You are God, in fact You are my God and the same love shown towards the Israelites, is the same love that You would love to shower on me, if only I will let go of self and let You have Your will and way in my life. While this is my personal prayer, I also pray for my brother and my sister who may read this devotional and perhaps going through the same challenge, and ask that they too may receive a touch from You today and be reminded of Your love, protection and guidance. Thank You for being such an awesome, powerful, yet a super loving God!

God, Provider of All Our Needs

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, God Cares For Us, God our Helper, God our Provider, Our Help comes from GodLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE: Exodus 27-28.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

29 “In this way, Aaron will carry the names of the tribes of Israel on the sacred chestpiece over his heart when he goes into the Holy Place. This will be a continual reminder that he represents the people when he comes before the Lord. 30 Insert the Urim and Thummim into the sacred chestpiece so they will be carried over Aaron’s heart when he goes into the Lord’s presence. In this way, Aaron will always carry over his heart the objects used to determine the Lord’s will for his people whenever he goes in before the Lord. Ex 28:29-30 (NLT)

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

In Chapter 27 there were great pains in explaining how the temple should be built by the Israelites, now in chapter 28 great pains to explain every detail about who the priests would be and what they should wear. While this sounds very archaic, it reminded me about the respect we should have for God’s house and for His priests/preachers/pastors. These details were given to a people who wandered in the wilderness without food or water of their own. With all the details about the fancy building and contents we may wonder where the money was coming from to pull something like this off. However, when we consider that God provided food and water for a crowd, well over one million in size, each and every day. When we consider that He parted the waters to allow the Israelites safe passage across, then collapsed the ridge of water at just the right time to drown the enemy who was chasing them. Is there any wonder WHO would provide the means for them to build such a temple? Today we are so used to whining about everything that we really have trouble seeing through those things that seem impossible to us humanly, and seeing all that God can do as owner of all things and provider of all things. When we worry about how the church building will be funded, how the repairs will be funded, how the pastor will be paid, how the budget will be met, etc, etc, we must stop, drop and pray. The same God that provided all this for the Israelites, is the same God that we serve, and the same God that can provide for us out of situations that seem impossible to us. He made it all and He can provide even more – a lot more than we can ever imagine. As He shows us what to do, let’s never question where the funds, or means will come from. Let’s remember, we serve a Mighty God!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Lord, thank You for opening my eyes this morning to be reminded that You are God and God alone of this universe. You own it all! You will guide us into what You would have us do to spread Your Word and win the lost for You. To accomplish that, You will provide the means. Ours is not to question, but to obey and follow Your commands. Thank You Jesus for being my King, my Provider and my Shepherd. May I always lift You up as such and obey You in all things!