In Ezekiel 44-46, we read about the worship of God.
The emphasis is on holiness. The place of worship is described as "the
holy place" (Ezekiel 44:1). When we move into the New Testament, the
emphasis is on the people. We are to be the holy people of God - "You
are chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, people who belong
to God." Why does God call us to be His holy people? - "You were chosen
to tell about the excellent qualities of God, who called you out of
darkness into His marvellous light." As we do this, there's something we
must never forget - "Once you were not God's people, but now you are.
Once you were not shown mercy, but now you have been shown mercy" (1
Peter 2:9-10).
We read about Elijah in his high-points of strength - the triumph over the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:36-39) - and his low-points of weakness - he is ready to give up: “I’ve had enough now, Lord” (1 Kings 19:4). How did Elijah get into such a mess? He forgot this: “The Lord’s power was on Elijah” (1 Kings 18:46). In all life’s ups and downs, we must hold on to this: The Lord has sent His Spirit of power to live in us (2 Timothy 1:7). How are we to live in the power of the Spirit? We need to feed on the Word of God and drink in the Word of God (1 Kings 17:4). We need to pray that the Lord will send His showers of blessing (1 Kings 17:14). We are to live our life “according to the Word of the Lord” (1 Kings 17:16). For our life of faith to be strong in the Lord, we need to listen attentively to the preaching of God’s Word (1 Kings 17:24).
Comments
Post a Comment