2 Chronicles 7 - 4.15.25
SCRIPTURE: 2 Chronicles 7:1-3 "When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it. When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord saying, "He is good; His love endures forever."
OBSERVATION: Solomon's prayer was answered in a very powerful way!
The Israelites responded by saying, "He is good, His love endures forever". I'm pretty sure that would not have been my response! Even though I know God is good and loving, I probably would have be terrified seeing that, and just started running as fast as I possibly could!
The priests could not enter the temple because the glory of the Lord filled it! Can you picture how awesome/scary that must have been to see fire coming down from heaven, and the glory of the Lord above the temple!
Fire is one of the most powerful symbols used throughout the Bible. It has been used to represent God's holiness and judgement. In the Old Testament God used it to reveal Himself to Moses in the burning bush. God also used it to symbolize His wrath when He rained down fire on Sodom and Gomorrah. In the New Testament fire is used to represent purification, the Holy Spirit, and judgement. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit appeared as tongues of fire as it rested on the disciples, empowering them to spread the Gospel. Fire also symbolizes eternal judgement, as in the lake of fire prepared for the devil and his followers. The imagery of fire reminds us of God's greatness and His desire to make us holy, righteous, and pure.
APPLICATION: God cleanses, refines, and purifies our heart's. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9).
The fire that God sent which was continuously burning under the altar of burnt offering symbolized God's presence. When we were born-again, God's abiding presence, and continual purifying power came into our lives.
PRAYER: Thank You Lord for hearing our prayers, and for the awesome ways You demonstrate Your power through our prayers. I praise You and thank You Jesus for Your purifying power that makes us able to stand before Father God pure and holy because of what You did for us on the cross. I pray Holy Spirit that You will put a fire in my heart that burns away everything that is not of You. Just as Your eyes and Your heart were on the temple that Solomon built and dedicated to You, Your eyes and Your ears are attentive to the prayers which I offer up in faith from the temple of my heart that I dedicate to You.
- Robin Orefice
Psalm 73 - 4.14.25
Scripture
Psalms 73:2-3 NIV
“But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”
Observation
This is a psalm of Asaph, but it could very well be a psalm of my youth because it seems Asaph was struggling here with what I was going through when I was 18-23 years old.
In this psalm, Asaph writes about how he almost fell from his faith because he was jealous of all the wicked people around him. Here Asaph was trying to do good, trying to do the right thing, but he found himself struggling in life. Meanwhile, the wicked and arrogant who totally went against God’s ways seemed to be living the “good life”.
But at the end of the day, Asaph is reminded of what happens to the wicked:
“Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked. Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.” -Psalms 73:17-18
Application
Life on earth is as good as it will ever get for the nonbeliever. For the believer, life on earth is as bad as it will ever be. The best is yet to come for those who follow Jesus!
It’s part of my testimony and is what caused me to rededicate my life back to Jesus. I too was in Asaph’s shoes. I tried living a godly life, only to find struggle after struggle. Then, I looked around me and saw people living ungodly lives, living worry free and blessed in riches. I hate to admit it, but it caused me to stumble. I rebelled and tried living that ungodly life. It wasn’t until one day, I was at a house party, and I looked at the people around me. I felt the Holy Spirit say, “This is the best as it is going to get for these people here. This is the highlight of their day. They spend their hard earned money to just waste it on drugs and alcohol and they repeat this cycle day after day.” I knew God wanted more for me. He told me that day, “I have more in store for you if you follow me.” And literally the next day I rededicated my life to Jesus. Within a year, I went from being in a dead end job, to finding a career. I went from being single and lonely, to starting a courtship with my future wife and the rest is history. And guess what?! The best is yet to come!
“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”-Psalms 37:3-4
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You so much for never giving up on me, for calling me back to You when I went astray. You have blessed and protected me throughout my life. I am humbled that I get to be called Your child and get to inherit Your Kingdom because of my faith in Jesus. I pray that I can tell others the story You gave me. May it give them hope. May it bring them salvation because of their willingness to put their faith in Jesus’ name. I pray these things in Your Holy Name Jesus, Amen. 🙏🏽
-Moses Gaddi
Matthew 27 - 4.11.25
Scripture: Matthew 27:46
About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”)
Observation
Jesus is on the cross and moments away from his death when he cried out to God. Jesus was made sin for us. God had to turn his back on his son because he is Holy, in him there is no sin, and in that moment Christ took the sin of the world upon him.
Before the cross, Jesus was one with the Father as we see in John 14:9-11
“Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.”
Jesus was in a time of suffering but his Father turned his back. As a father myself, I cannot comprehend being in that position. This is one of those situations where it is hard to understand that God can’t be one with sin and had to turn away from Jesus on the cross.
Application
We are a week away from Resurrection Day or what we call Easter. We really need to take some time and try to comprehend how a perfect sinless Jesus took our place on the cross. Our destination was eternal death and Jesus made a way for us to have fellowship with God. Jesus had a perfect redemption plan and we get to celebrate eternal life with our Savior.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Christmas is a time to celebrate Jesus’ birth here on earth. On Good Friday Jesus went to the Cross for us. Sunday is Resurrection Day and we get to celebrate Jesus’ redemption through the cross for all who believe.
Prayer
Jesus, Lord and Savior, I praise, honor and glorify your name, Jesus. You made the ultimate sacrifice for my sin on that cross. Because of your redemption plan, you have saved me from eternal darkness. Your love for me is priceless. Thank you, in Jesus name, Amen.
- Robert Oberg