But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
The Amplified version says it this way;
But I have trusted and relied on and been confident in Your lovingkindness and faithfulness; My heart shall rejoice and delight in Your salvation.
To trust is to wholly surrender to the promised security of the Lord's love and kindness towards us.
To trust is to stop seeking other paths of security and comfort or to hedge our position by making provision for our security on our own.
From this place of trust, even when the Lord's deliverance is not readily visible, our hearts will find true joy and delight in the Lord when His great salvation is revealed.
Amen.
Friday, January 06, 2023
OUR FATHER WHO CAUTIONS US AGAINST THE FOLLY OF FORMING IDOLS IN OUR LIVES
Isaiah chapter 44 verse 19 says this;
No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, “Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals,
I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”
The Amplified version says it this way;
No one remembers, nor has knowledge and understanding [enough] to say [to himself], “I have burned half of this log in the fire, and also baked bread on its coals and have roasted meat and eaten it. Then I make the rest of it into an repulsive thing [to God]; I bow down [to worship] before a block of wood!”
This verse records the Lord incredulously considering the mindset of a person who had made an idol out of a log of wood.
The person does not have the presence of mind to recall that from half of the same log that he burned to cook his bread and roast his meat, he fashioned an idol to which he bows down.
If one end of a log fulfils the mundane purpose of being burned to cook food, how can the other end that is left over have any sacred value worthy of bowing down too?
Generalized to the rest of our lives, are there any mundane things that we partake in to sustain us which we then elevate to the status of idol in our hearts?
Amen.
Thursday, January 05, 2023
OUR FATHER REQUIRES REPENTANCE FOR HARBOURING IDOLS IN OUR HEARTS AND FOR CLINGING TO WICKED STUMBLING BLOCKS
One day, a number of the elders of Israel came to Ezekiel's home and sat in front of him.
They wanted to inquire of the Lord through the prophet but the Lord, seeing their hearts, said to Ezekiel these words in the book of Ezekiel chapter 14 verse 3;
“Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?
The Lord informed Ezekiel that the men had come with two conditions; they had idols in their hearts and they had wicked stumbling blocks before their faces.
The Lord, in verse 6, instructed Ezekiel to advise the men with these words;
“Therefore say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!
The two conditions the men of the elders of Israel needed to repent from were harbouring idols in their hearts (which are any alligiances that are held to anyone or anything that are prioritized over the Lord) and having stumbling blocks before their faces ( which are any sinful distractions that draw their attention away from God and towards satiating their lusts or ambitions).
In such a state, one cannot draw near to God and hear from Him. The Lord cannot forcefully interject himself onto a person's affairs in order to displace an idol or a stumbling block that has been incorporated into that person's life.
Such things must be willingly repented of and turned away from before the Lord can be accessible to those who call upon His name.
Amen.
Wednesday, January 04, 2023
OUR FATHER OF WHOM ONLY WE BOAST
The apostle Paul was controverting the notion that had emerged among the people of the church at Corinth, that there was some significance attached to the apostles who served the people there. Some of them had taken to boasting about the human leaders in their midst which Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 5;
What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task.
Paul asserted here that there was no value to fostering loyalties to any specific servant of God who had worked among them.
Each person who participated in the endeavour of bringing them to salvation was simply doing the task to which they were assigned by the Lord.
To boast of affiliation with particular ministers of the gospel incorrectly ascribed credit to servants that should have been exclusively given to the Lord.
Amen.
Tuesday, January 03, 2023
OUR FATHER WHO SECURED US FOREVER
Hebrews chapter 10 verse 14 says this;
For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
The Amplified version says it this way;
For by the one offering He has perfected forever and completely cleansed those who are being sanctified [bringing each believer to spiritual completion and maturity].
This profound verse contrasts the repeated daily sacrifices that the priests had to perform under the old covenant with the singular sacrifice that Jesus Christ offered by dying on a cross to perfect and cleanse us forever.
Whereas the blood of bulls and goats could not cleanse from sin or from a guilty conscience but rather served only as a reminder of sin, the blood of Jesus was able to permanently cleanse from sin and cleanse the conscience of those being made holy.
How precious the sacrifice of our Lord is for it forever secured those who in faith believed.
Amen.
Monday, January 02, 2023
OUR FATHER WHO MIRRORED HEAVEN ON THE EARTH FOR THE OLD COVENANT
In the earthly tabernacle built under the old covenant, there was an inner section that was veiled by a curtain. This section was called the Most Holy Place and it contained a number of items that are listed in the book of Hebrews chapter 9 verses 4 - 5;
which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover.
The Most Holy Place and the articles it contained were copies or representations of the architecture of heaven and the mechanics of heavens interactions with the earth.
The Most Holy place represents heaven where God dwells. The golden altar of incense represents the altar of praise before God that ascends from His people to Him.
The ark of the covenant is an earthly representation of the dwelling place of the presence of God.
Contained within the ark of the covenant was the gold jar of manna which represents the bread of life for those in the spirit. Aaron's staff which budded represents the tree of life in heaven.
The stone tablets with the ten commandments represent the perfect law of God which is the law of love which is also written on the hearts of God's people.
The sculptures of the cherubim on the ark represent the actual cherubim in heaven who surround and shield the presence of God. The atonement cover of the ark represents the throne of mercy from which mercy is granted to those for whom atonement by blood is made.
Amen.
Sunday, January 01, 2023
OUR FATHER WHOSE COMMANDS WE KEEP WHEN WE KNOW HIM
We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.
The apostle John continues on to says this in verses 4 - 6;
Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
When we are saved by believing that Jesus died on the cross for us and is able to save us, the process of getting to know the One who saved us begins.
We grow in the knowledge of Him as we learn His word and as we walk in the spirit with Him and we find we are increasingly are able to keep God's commandments as our spirits gain strength and our flesh loses dominance over us.
Our knowledge of God has been given to us by the Lord Jesus as 1 John chapter 5 verse 20 says;
We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.