POTD
Month: December 2020
POTD
“Today Is The Saviour’s Day
Reflection on Exodus 27:1-28:43
Scripture
“Insert the Urim and Thummim into the chest-piece so they will be carried over Aaron’s heart when he goes into the Lord’s presence.”
Application
This is a beautiful picture of the High Priest carrying God’s will in his heart. The Urim and Thummim were used to determine God’s will in specific issues. They were part of the High Priest’s ceremonial clothing.
Jesus is our High Priest. He did not carry the Temple title or role, but the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews gives Him this title.
Out High Priest carried God’s will in His heart. Everything He did was to please the Father.
The night before He was killed to pay the price of our sin, Jesus prayed, Father if possible please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet not my will but yours be done.”
We also are priests under the great High Priest. Therefore, the will of God should always be in our hearts. Above all other things, we should be wanting to say to God, “Not my will but yours be done.”
How do we live in the will of the Father? We must read the Bible daily to have God’s instruction in our heart. We must also cultivate the habit of listening to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer
Father, I desire in my heart to place your will over all other things. Please help me to make this a reality in my life every day. Amen.
POTD
Reflection on Exodus 26:1-37
Scripture
“Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the Ark of the Testimony behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.”
Application
The Tabernacle, and later the Temple, had a graduated series of areas that kept sinful people away from the glorious presence of the Lord. So gentiles, women, men, and priests could only advance so far.
Only the High Priest could enter the Most Holy Place, and then just one each year on the Day of Atonement.
By contrast, we Gentiles, who were once far off, have been grafted into God’s people. And in Christ we can enter the Holy of Holies, the place of God’s presence, at any time.
We need no elaborate cleansing rituals and sacrifices. All of this has been done for us in Christ.
We are all priests in God’s kingdom. Therefore we have not only a privilege but a responsibility to draw near to God, to pray and interceded for the lost- not just one day a year, but every day.
The curtain of the Temple was torn at the time of Christ’s death. The barrier to entering the presence of the Lord is gone.
So let us enter boldly to the throne room of the King of Kings.
Prayer
Holy God, thank you for pulling down every barrier between you and me. Thank you that in Christ you have provided the sacrifice for my sins. Amen.
POTD
Ephesians 4:1
Here is my commentary on Ephesians 4:1 . I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au
Ephesians 4:1
“As a prisoner of the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” [ literally, the calling to which you have been called.]
Paul is a prisoner of the Lord ( or for the Lord), as was discussed previously. This was his calling at the time. He had gone from being an Empire traveller to being locked down to one location for the sake of Christ. The Ephesians were not called to the same calling of imprisonment, but they were called to live in a particular way .
The rest of Ephesians is devoted to the particular principles of following our calling in Christ.
The church is the ekklesia, the “called out ones”. So this idea of being called is central to the faith.
We are called by God, chosen by Him to be His representatives in the world. In Roman Society, the ekklesia were the called out ones, the assembly of people who represented the community and had authority to make decisions for the community.
As christians, our responsibility is to represent Christ to the world – that is our calling. This means that we are to live lives that are holy and honourable and which demonstrate at every level the love of Christ for the world.
Whether we are, like Paul, suffering for our faith or living in freedom, we are to live a life worthy of this calling to represent Christ.
We are to be holy first of all. This means that we must conquer the power of sin in our lives. In Romans 6, Paul tells us that in Christ we have died to sin. We must no longer allow ourselves to be slaves to sin, but rather be slaves to righteousness. The choice is ours, depending on what we choose to obey.
Holiness is not legalism. It does not mean learning a long list of what is and is not allowed. It means allowing the Holy Spirit to change our affections and priorities .
To be holy means to be set apart for God’s purposes. In the same way that sacred vessels in the temple we’re not put to ordinary purposes, we should make sure that our lives are dedicated to glorifying the Lord alone.
A life that is worthy of the calling we have been called to is one that is marked by love for other people. In simple terms, this means that we place the needs of others above our own desires. We look to serve them rather than ourselves .
Paul writes in later chapters how this principle of love should work out in normal relationships.
We should note here that love is a primary calling for all who follow Jesus. The Old Testament principle was to love your neighbour as you love yourself. Jesus gives us a new commandment – that we love one another as He loved us. This is sacrificial love .
Love is laying down our lives for the sake of others. Love is caring for people who can offer nothing in return. Love is standing up for those who are the victims of injustice .
Throughout history, Christians have had the reputation for going beyond the normal sense of duty to a neighbour. In ancient times, when people fled a town on the arrival of plague, christians stayed to minister to the sick and dying at the risk of their own lives. When unwanted babies were abandoned in Roman times, it was christians who recued and adopted them.
These two characteristics of holiness and love guide us in living a life that is worthy of the calling to which we have been called .
Key points in this verse:
- Each Believer has a calling that is both unique and which is shared with other believers
- We are called to a life of holiness that goes beyond legalismWe are called to a life of love for our neighbours which goes beyond society’s norms.
- Love means laying down my life and my personal desires for the sake of other people.
Reflection on Exodus 25:1-40
Scripture
“Be sure that you make everything according to the patterns I have shown you here on the mountain.”
Application
I have to confess that I don’t get very excited about the items in the Tabernacle. Some people get great revelations about the shape and design of the various items. I am not wired that way.
But Moses was told to make everything according to the pattern that God showed him on the mountain.
According to Ephesians, we are temples of the Holy Spirit. Therefore it is essential that we build our lives on God’s pattern.
This means that we are to be holy- dedicated to God’s purposes. All of our ambitions and plans need to be surrendered to Him.
It means we are to be obedient. When we receive guidance from the Holy Spirit, we should follow Him and not our own thoughts. When we read something in the Bible we should obey it.
We are meant to be clean. That means we should not indulge in sin.
The Tabernacle was the place in the wilderness where people met with God. We should be the places where people come and find the living God because of our words and lifestyle.
Prayer
Lord, please make me into a living holy vessel for your purposes. Amen.
POTD
New Life Narrabri 