Isaiah 2:2-3
In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.
Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
When the temple was established in Jerusalem, no gentile could ever enter it, no matter how devout they were. Temple worship was the exclusive right of the nation of Israel.
Things are different now. Because of what Christ has done, all nations may now enter the invisible, holy temple of God. We can now climb the heights to His very presence. What was formerly impossible is now accessible by grace.
It is now possible to sit at the feet of the Lord and allow Him to teach you His ways. Even when the temple was open to Israel, only the priests had that privilege. Now, because of the cross, we can all experience the move of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Make that climb today, to the top, to the mountain of God’s temple. Approach the majestic presence of the Creator of all things. Worship at His feet, for He is worthy to receive it. Wait on Him, for His Spirit to move upon your heart. Lives are forever changed up on that mountain. Let yours be one of them.
Tags: accessible, Bible, calling, changed lives, Christ, Christian, cross, devotion, disciple, encouragement, fellowship, glory, God's temple, higher, holy, Holy Spirit, holy temple, holy worship, intimacy, invisible, Jesus Christ, mountain, power, praise, prayer, presence of the lord, revival, temple, victory
2 Samuel 22:31-37
“As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory; you stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn.”
It is God who blesses us with all good things. It’s always the right day to give thanks for the beautiful sunrise, for that parking spot close to the door, and for the the large tax refund. A prayer of thanksgiving is always appropriate when you see the night sky that seems to stretch on and on forever before you, taking your breath away.
Most people are so ungrateful to God. Something big has got to happen to them in order for them to praise the Lord. We need to learn to praise Him for all things, big and small. We need to acknowledge that He is our victory in every problem and situation that arises. It is the Lord who guides us forward down the clear, broad path at our feet.
All these things and more come from our heavenly Father. Take the time today to thank Him for some things you don’t usually think of throughout the day. It will make the day ahead that much more awesome.
Tags: Bible, Christian, devotion, encouragement, God's faithfulness, God's love, gratefulness, praise, prayer, protection, strength, testimony, thank God, thankful, thanks, thanksgiving, ungrateful, victory
Joshua 8:30, 34-35
Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel…
Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law – the blessings and the curses – just as it is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the aliens who lived among them.
Moses left instructions for the Children of Israel to complete after he died. Joshua was to take them to Mt. Ebal. As they came into that area they were to climb the sides of two mountains that faced each other.
The words of the entire law of Moses were then to be read aloud to them. In this way they were to hear the law again and reaffirm their commitment to God and to His law.
It is always important to review what God has called us to. From time to time we must come to a point in our lives where we can remember what was spoken to us. Then, with faith rekindled, we reaffirm our commitment to see it through. Sometimes all that is called for is a quiet, out of the way place to review where we have been and where we are going.
Is there some unfinished business between you and the Lord? Go to Him today. Let Him know, once more, that you are standing firm and will see your calling accomplished. If you have been ignoring it, now would be a good time to pick it back up again. Take some quality time today to talk with God.
Tags: Bible, Christian, destiny, devotion, disciple, encouragement, faith, God's will, Holy Spirit, intimacy, Joshua, Moses, mountain, overcoming, praise, prayer, prepare, presence of the lord, reaffirm, remember, testimony, trust, unfinished business, victory
Psalm 19:1-5
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
The heavens declare who God is. He is perfect, orderly, and consistent. Night and day, new moon and full; summer and winter; creation is so precise that we live our lives governed by it. It is amazing that because of this perfection, we can predict things like high tides and solar eclipses years in advance. There is a dependability that God has built into the universe.
When I am hiking and spend the night on the trail, my watch is for informational purposes only. I find that my body adjusts to the rhythm of Creation. When it is light I am up, when it is dark I sleep. Together, the sun, moon, and stars are God’s great timepiece in the heavens.
We stand in awe of what the Lord has done. Truly, all of creation praises God and testifies to His greatness. Only through willful ignorance do we reject such testimony.
Praise the Lord for His greatness today. Thank Him for the gift of the heavens that He has given us to enjoy. Look to His lordship and plan for the path of your life. We should consider ourselves truly blessed that we know the source of universal order.
Tags: Bible, Christian, consistent, dependable, devotion, encouragement, glory, God's faithfulness, heaven' heavens, moon, orderly, perfect, praise, prayer, presence of the lord, stars, sun, testimony, trust
Psalm 42:5-8
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you…Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.
By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me – a prayer to the God of my life.
We all have times during which we get downcast. Confusion, weariness, and depression all come knocking at our door from time to time. If we give in, we lose without a fight.
There is one bright hope through it all – that is if we can remember to place God into the equation. When we merely focus in on the problem, it is easy to forget what God is able to do on our behalf.
It seems that whenever I meditate upon what the Lord has done for me in the past, I once again realize how good God really is. In this mindset I am aware of His presence to a greater degree than at any other time. It is very easy, then, to put God back in control of my situation.
Don’t waste the opportunity that your time with the Lord offers for the refreshing of your spirit. Use this time to strengthen your fellowship with Christ. Remember the victories He has brought you through in the past. He is still on the throne. He is well able to meet your need today.
Take those things that are burdening you down and turn them over to the One who can truly meet all your needs. Then you will be able to leave that downcast spirit at the foot of the cross and come away with a fresh and healthy new attitude.
Tags: Bible, burdens, Christ, Christian, confusion, cross, depression, devotion, disciple, distractions, downcast, encouragement, faith, glory, God's faithfulness, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, overcoming, power, praise, prayer, presence of the lord, problems, remember God, trust, victory, weariness
Isaiah 44:3-4
For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams.
When I go hiking, I always prepare by reading what the trail guide says about the area. Many times I find these words concerning a campsite. “The spring may not be reliable in dry seasons.” Practically speaking then, what good is it? At the very time you’d need it the most – it’s gone.
Some of our friends are like that. Just when you need them the most they’re not around. Or, along the same lines, they promise to be somewhere to help you and then never show up.
This is not so with the Lord. He is the friend that “sticks closer than a brother.” He is always right there when you need Him. As a matter of fact, the Word says that He even knows what you need before you ask Him.
He is that spring in the wilderness that is always flowing, always reliable. Even in the driest point in your life, you can draw cool, refreshing water from that living well. He promised “never to leave us nor forsake us” and “He is not a man that He should lie.”
Draw life-giving water from that well today. Spend some quality time in His presence being renewed, refreshed and refilled. Avail yourself to the resources only the Lord can provide. You will find your walk with Him to be much more enjoyable.
Tags: Bible, Christian, devotion, dry season, encouragement, faith, God's faithfulness, Holy Spirit, living water, overcoming, praise, prayer, presence of the lord, refill, refresh, reliable, renew, revival, spring, strength, unreliable, victory, water, wilderness
1 Samuel 15:22
But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”
In this passage, the prophet Samuel is rebuking King Saul. He had disobeyed a direct command of God for “religious” reasons. Saul said that he was going to give God a sacrifice instead. In his rebuke, Samuel gives us a principle that we would do well to remember.
Obedience to God is always better than any sacrifice we can make. It doesn’t matter whether you’re putting money in an offering plate or offering up a “sacrifice of praise.” Obedience trumps sacrifice every time.
The reason is that sacrifice can be manipulated. It can be motivated by self-will or arrogance. Obedience, on the other hand, honors God by putting Him directly in the center of what we’re doing. Usually, total obedience to God can only be accomplished through the work of the Holy Spirit in us. Not only is God the focus, but He is also the One who strengthens us.
A good example of this is Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. As He cried out to God He said, “If it is Your will, take this cup [dying on the cross] from me.” Then He told the Father that it was not His own will that was important, but the Father’s. The Lord’s prayer that day was in accordance with the principle of Samuel. What Jesus wanted didn’t matter – it was the Father’s will that was supreme.
Our “cup” and God’s will are two totally different things until we allow the Lord to merge them. Our highest goal should be to know God’s will and obey it. More than any other part of our lives, this is our highest call.
Tags: arrogance, Bible, calling, Christ, Christian, devotion, disciple, encouragement, Garden of Gethsemane, God's will, highest call, honor God, obedience, offering, praise, prayer, prepare, sacrifice, self-will
What is your view of God?
Isaiah 6:1
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.
Isaiah is an interesting Old Covenant prophet. He lived during uncertain times. In this passage he tells of a life-transforming vision he had of the Lord. It causes me to take a step back and ask myself how I view and serve God.
Probably the most important point is when this encounter took place. Isaiah said that it happened in the year king Uzziah died. Uzziah was a great king. He served God with all his heart. He renewed the temple worship of Judah. Because of his devotion to God, he was victorious in his battles against the enemies of Israel. The borders were secure and their cities and towns were returning to their former glory. It was a wonderful time.
Then one day, because of pride, Uzziah tried to worship God in a way that was only reserved for the priesthood. At that point he was struck with leprosy until the day of his death. Now the future of Israel was in the balance.
This was a turning point in their history. The people were slipping back into complacency. Their devotion to God was waning. It’s in this climate that Isaiah saw this vision. He got a glimpse of the majesty of the Lord – enthroned in the heavenlies.
We live in uncertain times. The economy, politics, weather, and a host of other issues scream for our attention. What is your stability in all of this. We need the same vision as Isaiah.
GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE!!!
Don’t let the events around you, rob you of your peace and joy. We are the children of God. Nothing is beyond His knowledge or ability. As a matter of fact, He knows what is going to happen before it does. Nothing takes Him by surprise.
See the Lord on the throne today. Lay your burdens and cares at His feet. Trust Him to guide you through these days in victory and joy. Then we can truly be people of vision.
Tags: Bible, burdens, cares, Christian, devotion, encouragement, faith, glory, Isaiah, joy, majesty, peace, praise, prayer, prepare, presence of the lord, prophet, uncertainty, Uzziah, victory, view of God, vision
Job 38:28-30
Does the rain have a father? Who fathers the drops of dew? From whose womb comes the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens when the waters become hard as stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen?
Water has some very amazing properties. I think about it when I see a rainbow in the sky after a storm has passed. Sometimes I am dazzled by sunlight reflecting off of a field covered with morning dew. I have gotten a other-worldly feeling as I’ve walked through a crystal forest after an ice storm.
God has provided an incredible variety of sights and sounds all related to precipitation. It is wonderful to wake up in the morning and see a world changed by the weather of the night before. It is in times like these that praise to God, the Creator, just seems to burst from my heart.
It is God who established the physical laws that govern the seasons. It is God who set down the properties that all of the various elements and substances (including water) exhibit. It is God who programmed us to respond emotionally to the beauty we see around us.
Praise Him today for His marvelous handiwork. Take the time right now to show Him your appreciation for His love and care for us in giving us such a beautiful world to live in.
Tags: beauty, Bible, Christian, devotion, encouragement, faith, glory, God's faithfulness, holy worship, ice, joy, praise, precipitation, presence of the lord, rain, rainbow, storm, water
Romans 1:20-23
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
The first part of this passage is why I love the outdoors! To see the beauty of a mountain vista, fall colors, lake, sky, and wind. They all combine together to give a sense of awe and wonder. All of Creation seems to cry out that it is the work of someone vastly more intelligent and powerful than you or I.
This verse reminds us that not everyone credits God for His work. There are those who see a vastly different picture. Evolution and chance are the gods of this world. There are many people who overlook the obvious in order to avoid giving account of themselves to God. The fact remains that God has revealed Himself in the context of His Creation.
What about God’s people? How should we respond to the world that we see around us? One thing I do know is that we must not be found guilty of the sin of ungratefulness. Never take the majesty of the Lord’s Creation for granted.
Make sure that you give God praise today. Thank Him for the beauty of His Creation. Thank Him for allowing us to share it with Him. And thank Him for His marvelous presence that helps us to enjoy His handiwork all the more.
Tags: Bible, chance, Christian, creation, devotion, encouragement, evolution, glory, God's faithfulness, God's love, holy worship, mountain, outdoors, praise, prayer, presence of the lord, thankful, ungratefulness
The Spirit and the Word 