28 Days 2020: Day 8
AUTHORIZED
Jesus has authority
Luke 4:14-20
Something happened before Jesus began His ministry, what was it? See Luke 3:21-22, Luke 4:1 and 4:14.
Jesus has a mission
28 Days 2020: Day 6
STEPS TO CONSECRATING YOURSELF BEFORE GOD
28 Days 2020: Day 5
STEPS TO CONSECRATING YOURSELF BEFORE GOD
28 Days 2020: Day 4
STEPS TO CONSECRATING YOURSELF BEFORE GOD
Related
28 Days 2020: Day 3
STEPS TO CONSECRATING YOURSELF BEFORE GOD
28 Days 2020: Day 2
- Exodus 32:29 (NCV) Then Moses said, “Today you have been (consecrated) given for service to the LORD. You were willing to kill your own sons and brothers, and God has blessed you for this.“
- Leviticus 20:7-8 (CEV) 7 Dedicate (consecrate) yourselves to me and be holy because I am the LORD your God. 8 I have chosen you as my people, and I expect you to obey my laws.
- Joshua 3:5 (NIV) Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you.”
- Joshua 7:13 (NIV) “Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: That which is devoted is among you, O Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove it.
Consecrated to serve God
- Read Exodus 29
- Exodus 30:30 (NIV) “Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so they may serve me as priests.
The priest’s first obligation was to minister to the Lord and please Him. If they forgot their obligation to the Lord, they would soon begin to minimize their responsibilities to the people, and the nation would decay spiritually.
That God chose Aaron and his sons to minister in the priesthood was an act of sovereign grace, because they certainly didn’t earn this position or deserve it. But, that God should save sinners like us, make us His children, and form us into a “holy priesthood” is also an act of His grace, and we should never lose the wonder of this spiritual privilege. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you” (John 15:16, nkjv).
God’s people today must remember that our first obligation is to please the Lord and serve Him. If we do this, then He will work in us and through us to accomplish His work in this world. When Jesus restored Peter to discipleship, He didn’t ask “Do you love the ministry?” or even “Do you love people?” His repeated question was, “Do you love Me?” (John 21:17) Just as a father’s most important obligation is to love his children’s mother, so the servant’s most important obligation (and privilege) is to love the Lord. All ministry flows out of that relationship.
(1) they gave the priests “dignity and honor” (Ex. 28:2, niv) and set them apart, just as a uniform identifies a soldier or a nurse;
(2) they revealed spiritual truths relating to their ministry and our ministry today; and
(3) if the priests didn’t wear the special garments, they might die (vv. 35, 43). Bible Exposition Commentary – Be Delivered (Exodus 25-20).
28 Days 2020: Day 1
DAY 1: CONSECRATION
Hezekiah succeeds his father Ahab to the throne. Ahab was a wicked and idolatrous king. He did not follow God’s commands. Now along comes Hezekiah and his first act of rulership is to assemble the priests who have been out of commission because of his father.
I like what the sequence…
Hezekiah realizes that they have sinned and they are under a curse not God’s blessing. He recognizes his place is not to be king and priest, but to be king. The king sets the moral tone but the priests performs the spiritual duties. So instead of trying to act as the priest he gathers the priests who have been inactive and speaks vision to them. This was the way that God had set it up and Hezekiah’s father had disobeyed God.
Hebrews tells us that God rewards those who passionately seek Him. The consecration is the beginning of that diligently seeking Him.
Only after the priests have consecrated themselves did they go into the temple to purify it and to do what God had commanded them to do.
What does it mean to consecrate ourselves?
In a general sense, the term “consecration” refers to the act of dedicating oneself to a specific purpose or intention. To “consecrate” yourself essentially means to wholly dedicate yourself to something of greatest important.
It means to be set apart, to be holy, to show oneself holy, to treat as holy, to dedicate, to be made holy, to declare holy, to behave, to act holy, to dedicate oneself.
- The Lord set aside Aaron and his sons, consecrated them, and made them holy for the priesthood (Ex. 29:21).
- The altar was made holy, and anything coming into contact with it became holy (Ex. 29:37).
- The Tabernacle, the ark, the table of showbread, the altar of burnt offering, and all the smaller accessories and utensils used in worship in the Old Testament were anointed with a special anointing oil so they became holy. Whatever came in contact with them became holy (Ex. 30:26-29).
- The men accompanying David as his military were declared holy (1 Sam. 21:5)
So consecrated things are set apart to be holy and anything coming into contact with them was made holy. Think about that for a moment and what are the implications for you and your life.
Ecclesiastes 1
ScriptureEcclesiastes 1:2-3 “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” What advantage does man have in all his work which he does under the sun?
Observation-What does it say? The author of Ecclesiastes is King Solomon, the second son of David and Bathsheba. Solomon was given the name of Jedidiah by God, through the prophet Nathan, which means “God’s beloved.” (2 Samuel 12:25) In the opening of this book, Solomon sets out his point of the book using the literary device of pessimism. Here he begins by stating how fruitless the pursuits of this world are, only to later show the contrast of a fulfilling life found in God.
Understanding-What does it mean? It’s interesting that Solomon opens with what should be glaringly obvious to us, we spend a lot of time trying to distract ourselves from how broken we are. In following sports teams, shopping, fitness, whatever it is that distracts us from chasing after Jesus is a fruitless pursuit. But how do we find a meaningful life?
I recently read an article by a guy named Rob Shaul, a gym owner and graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard academy, about being fulfilled in life. He starts the article by saying there are no shortcuts in life, and that you don’t really want to take the shortcut anyway. Shaul went on in his article to discuss that fulfillment was found in commitment and discipline. This sentiment is something that has been repeated in the writings of several elite level coaches. Another coach, Dan John, who was one of the oldest U.S. Olympians competing in the discuss into his forties, stated that the road to success is simple but it isn’t easy. In his writings, he also highlights the importance of discipline in order to achieve success.
While Solomon isn’t interested in worldly success, and the coaches aren’t necessarily concerned with our spiritual well being, the truth seems to ring true. If you are looking to find meaning in life, it requires discipline, and meaning in the Christian life requires disciplining our life to the word of God. Throughout the Bible we are given notions of true love being found when we are disciplined to God’s word. Deuteronomy 6 tells us that we should bind the commandments to our forehead, and study them day and night. In Colossians 3, we are told to do everything as unto the Lord. But how can we do things for Him, unless we know what he has asked us to do? That knowledge can only come from reading God’s word, which requires discipline.
Life Application Jesus, I don’t want to waste my life aimlessly trying to distract myself. Help me to find your joy in the discipline of Your commands, and in studying your word daily. Like Paul, help me to train myself like an olympian, but with the knowledge that my reward is everlasting life spent with You.
Matthew _10
Scripture
Mark 10:21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Observation
Mark 10:1 Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them.
Understanding
Total dependence on God
Mark 10:15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
Children totally depend on their parents for their well being food, love, warmth, and joy. They should depend on them, after all, they know better, they will provide the best care for them and give them what they need in all aspects of life. Us humans fall so short in parenting but how much more is our perfect Father in heaven going to give us what we need.
He will take care of me as I follow him on his journey that he’s invited me to join.
Our “riches” are what we need and have come to depend on.
We find it difficult to let go of our “riches” because we find it’s difficult to let go of our “self”. No one comes to the Father except through Jesus (John 14:6) and we must deny our self and take up our cross daily and follow Him (Matt. 16:24).
Jesus said that even the food he eats is to do the will of the father (John 4:34)
Application
Let it go
What “riches” are we holding onto that is keeping us from following after Jesus?
You may say, “I follow Jesus, I follow the 10 commandments and I go to church”. The rich man did all the right things too! (Mark 10:17-22) When Jesus was talking to the rich man, he said for him to let go of everything, then come follow Him. Even though he did all the right things and followed the commandment, Jesus wanted to take him on a journey. And sadly that’s where a lot of us fall short.
What is keeping you from following Jesus on the journey he has specifically for you?
Father, we need you! Holy Spirit show us what things are standing in the way from wholeheartedly following after Jesus. Search our hearts and reveal to us! We want to move into this new year with a decrease of ourselves and an increase of Jesus! We want to move with Him! In Jesus name, Amen!
Deborah Lee
Psalm 115
Happy New Year 2020!
SCRIPTURE
Psalm 115:3-4
“Our God is in the heavens, and he does as he wishes. Their idols are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands.”
OBSERVATION-What does it say?
This psalm is all about giving God all the glory, honor, and praise! This psalm reminds us of God’s faithfulness. It reminds us that God is our helper and shield. It reminds us that God will bless those who put their trust in Him. It reminds us that there is no other that compares to our God!
