POTD
Author: newlifenarrabri
Reflection on Exodus 24:1-18
Scripture
The glory of the Lord fell on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day, the Lord called Moses from inside the cloud.
Observation
The Lord instructs Moses to come up to the mountain with Aaron and the seventy elders.
Moses goes to the people with all of the instructions the Lord had given him. He builds an altar and makes a sacrifice on behalf of the people.
Moses then goes up to the mountain with the elders. There they see the glory of God. They eat a covenant meal in the presence of the Lord.
The cloud of God’s presence covers the top of the mountain. After six days, the Lord calls for Moses to come up into His presence.
Application
Mount Sinai was a holy place because the Lord chose to reveal His glory there. The elders saw the Lord, and they were not killed by the experience.
Moses was called to go up and spend forty days in the glory cloud of the Lord. This is not something done lightly.
It is worship and holiness that allow us to enter into the hidden places of the glory of God.
Worship allows us to enter into God’s presence. In fact real worship- not just singing worship songs- attracts the presence of God. When we set our hearts in proclaiming the awesome nature of God, then it is like heaven inhabiting the earth.
Holiness is a heart totally sold out to living according to God’s plans for us. It is not about rules and lists of do’s and don’ts, but about so wanting more of God that He becomes the focus of our thinking and our desires.
Prayer
Father, help me to devote my whole life to you- my thinking and my doing. May I walk in the glory of our presence. Amen.
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Today’s sermon
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Ephesians – Half-Time
Here is my commentary on Ephesians . 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- Halftime
As we come to the half- way point on this journey through Ephesians, it is good to review what we have seen so far.
As in most of his letters, Paul start with the big picture issues such as the nature of salvation, Jesus, God, the church and so on. Only after talking about these issues does he move on to the practical issues such as relationships in the church, and how to relate to others in the light of what has gone before. In other words, we need good theology to establish good practice.
A few things stand out in the first half of Ephesians.
Firstly, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. There is nothing that the Father would hold back from us. In fact, He can do more for us than we can ask or even imagine. We need to walk in the knowledge that He is a good Father.
Secondly, our relationship with God is His doing, not ours. We were chosen and predestined, and God sent His Son to be our Saviour. All we can do is believe and receive His gift.
Thirdly, God is building His church. In Christ, He has united Jews and Gentiles by providing the one means of salvation, that is, the cross of Christ. The church is the household of God, the temple of the Lord.
Fourth, the Good News of Jesus Christ is a new revelation. In the past, it was a mystery to be revealed. It was clear that we needed a remedy for sin, but nobody could imagine how it would come to pass. There were hints and unclear pictures given in the Old Testament, but after the death and resurrection of Jesus, it became obvious at last.
Finally, in his prayer at the end of chapter 3, the concept of the measureless love of God becomes the focus. We can be rooted and established in this love, and we can gain an appreciation for it. As we learn to receive this love, we can be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Reflection on Exodus 23:1-32
Scripture
You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working. This gives your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It also allows your slaves and foreigners living among you to be refreshed.
Application
This chapter has laws relating to justice and religious requirements, including the sabbath and the great festivals of Unleavened Bread, Harvest, and Final Harvest.
Our society has completely abandoned the concept of sabbath. The idea that businesses and shops should shut down for one day a week seems quaint and old fashioned.
I live near a railway line, and it amazes me that even on Christmas Day and Good Friday, freight trains leave Narrabri laden with grain or coal. Really? We cannot stop moving non-perishable goods for even one day or two days in a whole year?
Of course, Covid has brought about forced sabbaths for many people because of lock downs and other restrictions. Many people have discovered the restfulness of avoiding the daily commute as they worked form home. Perhaps the Lord is using this pandemic to remind people of the need to rest.
Human beings need the weekly reminder to slow down and rest. We are more than work units or economic consumption units. There is a need for each of us to stop for one day a week, and rest.
Sabbath is trusting God to supply enough in six days to satisfy the seventh. In the wilderness He produced manna that lasted two days, but only on the day before the sabbath.
Prayer
Lord, help me to trust you for my needs, to put you at the centre of my working life, and to worship you in my sabbath rest. Amen.
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