June 15

“Then Solomon offered burnt offerings unto the LORD…” 2 Chronicles 8:12

Solomon, in the first half of his dominion as king of Israel had reigned well. He trusted God, built the most magnificent temple to God’s honour and worship, conquered and set up cities in the strength of the Lord. He dealt wisely and properly with the people of his nation, not enslaving or taking tribute from them, but only from the remnants of the surrounding heathen nations who were in his kingdom. Most of all he continued in His personal obedience and worship of Yahwah. He did not cease his offerings unto God, at the sumptuous sacrifices he made in the beginning, on the occasion of the opening of the temple. He continued faithfully to worship the Lord and giving Him place in his life, with due deference and regard. He maintained all the prescribed feasts and sacrifices associated with them, along with the sacerdotal orders, his father David had set up. At this time in his life Solomon was true to God and served Him according to His will. There are many lessons we can draw from the life of this man and His prolific, God-inspired writings. The simple lesson here for us, is that of consistency and steadfastness. Doing righteousness is not a once only or once every so often requirement. It should be our goal, choice and desire to not only begin well, with joy and passion to serve and worship God, but also to continue well, and if anything, perfect the way and manner in which we serve and honour our Lord. All aspect of our lives can become opportunities for worship unto God. The way we conduct ourselves, how we deal members of our family, the attitude and manner we have towards others, the way we use our finances, or take care of needs and much more, all present us with occasions for bringing glory, honour and worship to God. Remaining humbly faithful and consistent in all aspects of our relationship with Jesus is at the core of the Christian walk and experience. There are some enemies to this beautiful and appropriate connection we can have with God. Among them are some, which are more subtle and that can creep in without us realising it. For instance feeling like close family with God is great and comforting, but familiarity if unchecked, can rob us of a sense of awe and respect for God, undermining the quality of our relationship with Him. A sense of doing God’s righteousness is wholesome and strengthening, but pride can make us forget we need the Lord in all things, and make us feel like we know what to do, have done it before and therefore need not enquire from the Lord. Becoming proud and self-sufficient even in righteousness, destroys the dependence we have on God and divides us from Him. Discipline is necessary to maintaining a consistent and continuous flow of service unto God, but we should never become so formal and accustomed to our organised schedule of ‘doing’, that we forget the Object of our service, His leading and that our main motive in service must be to love the Lord wholeheartedly! Let us not merely begin well, but by aligning with God’s Word and Spirit every day, continue throughout our lives to bring God glory and honour through holy and humble service and worship!

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

Apr 14

“His own hands shall bring the offerings of the LORD…” Leviticus 7:30

Under Old Testament ceremonial law, offerings and sacrifices were to be made unto Yahwah for various reasons. Some of these were animal sacrifices, brought to the priests to be slaughtered, and offered as sin offerings unto the Lord. The priest placed certain portions of the offering, into the hands of the individual whose offering it was, and in turn he would ‘wave’ them before the Lord. This was significant of relinquishing the gift unto God and of abandoning the sin associated with the sacrifice. Portions were then burned, and other portions became food for the priests and their families. The entire sacrificial system was set up by God for Israel, to foreshadow the ultimate sacrifice of Christ at Calvary. It was in a type, to represent the offering of the ‘Lamb of God’, which takes away the sin of the world. As we come to the cross, inspect its horror and yet admire its glory, we recognise that it is through Jesus alone that our sins can be forgiven, covered and taken away! Like the offering giver of old, we must relinquish, not so much the offering, for that has been given by God, on our behalf, but ourselves.  It is in this willing abandonment of our desires, preferences and self to God that we are able to take upon us the salvation, the Saviour has supplied for us. This giving over is known as repentance in the Bible. It is a willing turning away from our sin and ways and accepting the path God has set for us. Repentance is the surrender of the reins of our lives to God, and turning away from the sins which have beset us. By this action we are saying that we will no longer insist on our wants or the desires of our flesh, but that from here on we will observe and obey the law of God and do His will. No one else can do this for us, we must come before the Lord ourselves and ‘with our own hands’ so to speak, bring this offering of self, unto the Lord. Repentance precedes the forgiveness of our sins in the waters of baptism, and the regeneration and new life we are imparted through the infilling of the Spirit of God!

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion