2 April
2 Chron. 2:4
The purpose of God’s house
Here in this passage King Solomon states the purpose
of his temple
(2 Chron. 2:4). The temple is built for the Lord’s Name and
is dedicated to Him for worship (2 Chron. 2:4). This is the primary
purpose
of all church buildings (cf. Is. 56:6-7; Matt. 21:12-13). Therefore,
any Church building that is not used for this purpose is not being
used properly. It is not acceptable for the Church building to be
used for
any contrary purpose (see Matt. 21:12-13). We must ensure that the
Church building serves this divine and sacred purpose alone (Matt.
21:12-13).
However, under the New covenant, this rule extends beyond the physical
building to the believer’s body or heart. The believer’s
body or heart now replaces the physical building as the temple of God
(1 Cor. 3:16-17; 1 Cor. 6:19-20; 2 Cor. 6:16). Therefore, the believer’s
body or heart must serve the same purpose as Solomon’s temple.
The decree is everlasting (See 2 Chron. 2:4; cf. Rev. 4:8).
PRAYER: 1. Father, please consecrate me fully unto
you.
2. Father, please let my life serve no other purpose than yours.
3 April
Lk.1:24-25
The Lord fulfills His word
What the Lord foretold (Lk.1:13) is fulfilled (Lk.1:24-25).
Elizabeth, Zechariah’s wife, became pregnant as the Lord promised (Lk.1:13,
24-25). She who was barren became pregnant according to the Lord’s
own word (Lk.1:13, 24-25; 1 Sam. 2:5). The word of the Lord came to pass
for Elizabeth, exactly as the Lord spoke it (Lk.1:13, 24-25). Therefore
the word of the Lord never fails. The Lord never ever speaks without
bringing it to pass (Jos.23:14;Matt. 24:35). Every word of the Lord is
potent and efficacious. No word of the Lord ever failed to be fulfilled
(Is. 55:10-11). The Lord’s word never passes away without reaching
its fulfillment (Jos.23:14;Matt. 24:35). The Lord will certainly fulfill
all His promises to His true children (cf. 2 Cor. 1:20). True believers
should never give up on God’s word, since it will never fail
to come to pass at its appropriate time.
PRAYER: 1. Father, please let all your promises come
to pass in my life.
2. Father, please enable me to put my trust in your word.
4 April
Deut. 32:47
God’s words are living and active
In his final address to the Israelites before his
death, Moses urged them to take to heart the words of the law that
he spoke to them (Deut.
32:45-46). He told them that the words were not just idle words,
but their very life (Deut. 32:47). Their long life depended on their
obedience
to these words (Deut. 32:47; cf. Deut. 28:1-14). Many take God’s
words as idle and ordinary words. But as Moses discovered and told the
Israelites, God’s words are living and active (Heb. 4:12; cf. 1
Pet. 1:23). They are not ordinary or human words, but God’s (1
Thess. 2:13). Therefore they are potent and efficacious (Heb. 4:12).
They are the words of life indeed. There is no life outside of God’s
word. And only God’s word has this quality. It is not only the
physical life that is guaranteed by God’s word but eternal life
as well (Jn. 6:68). We must not treat God’s word as idle or ordinary
words, but as God’s words that they are (1 Thess. 2:13). What we
need to do to God’s word is to obey and trust them, not to doubt
or disobey them. No one will ever be disappointed by obeying and trusting
God’s words (see Rom. 10:11).
PRAYER: 1.Father, please let your word come to pass
in my life.
2. Father, please enable me to obey and trust all your word.
5 April
Ps. 12:5
The Lord arises for the weak and needy
Here the Lord promises to arise on behalf of the weak
and needy (Ps. 12:5). Their oppression and groaning have not gone without
His notice
(Ps. 12:5). In fact, it is due to their oppression and groaning that
He promises to arise (Ps. 12:5). To arise for them means to protect
them from those who malign them (Ps. 12:5). This is what the Lord does
for
all the weak and needy (see 1 Sam. 2:8; Ps. 35:10; Ps. 69:33; Ps. 72:12-14;
Ps. 140:12). He even commands us to be open handed toward them instead
of oppressing and exploiting them (Deut. 15:7-11). In the Lord the
weak and the needy will not be disappointed if they look up to Him
and put
their trust in Him (Rom. 10:11).
PRAYER: 1. Father, please arise for me always.
2. Father, please enable me to look up to you alone for my deliverance.
6 April
Jos. 3:7
God Exalts His Obedient Children
God promised to exalt Joshua in the eyes of all Israel
(Jos. 3:7). He did exactly as He promised (Jos. 4:14). He exalted
Joshua by drying
up the Jordan for the Israelites to cross (Jos. 3:1-4: 24). This promise
does not belong to Joshua alone. God is the one who exalts all His
obedient children (see 1Sam. 2:7; Ps. 75:6-7). Therefore the promise belongs
to
all God’s obedient children (1Sam. 2:7; Ps. 75:6-7). For example,
He exalted David (see 2Sam. 22:48-49; 2Sam. 23:1; Ps. 89:19-20) and Solomon
(1Chron. 29:25). He exalted our blessed Saviour Jesus Christ (see Acts
2:33; Acts 5:30-32; Phil. 2:9-11). As He exalted Joshua and others mentioned
above, He will exalt all His obedient children as well. The requirement
is the same for us today as it was for Joshua. Consecration comes before
exaltation (see Jos. 3:5; cf. Lk. 14:11; Lk. 18:14; Phil. 2:5-11). The
proper response to God’s exaltation is praise and more consecration.
Anyone who desires God to exalt him must wait on Him to do so (see
Ps. 37:34). No one can exalt someone except God (see Ps. 75:6-7).
PRAYER: Father, please exalt me in the eyes of all
people.
7 April
Lev. 20:7
God Requires our Full Consecration
God requires all His children to be fully consecrated
to Him (Lev. 11:44-45; Lev. 20:7; Eph. 1:4; 1Pet. 1:15-16). This
is His goal for
His children even
before creation (see Eph. 1:4). His holy nature demands it (Lev. 11:44-45;
Lev. 20:7).
Full consecration opens the way for an intimate, one on one relationship
with God (see Num. 12:6-8). It is a mark of sound, cordial relationship with
God.
Without it no one can please God or have a sound relationship with Him
(see Heb. 12:14; Rom. 8:6-8). Besides, full consecration comes with
God’s blessings
(see Deut. 28:1-14). It actually opens the way for God’s blessings (see
Deut. 28:1-14). On the contrary, an unconsecrated individual is not an object
of God’s blessings (see Deut. 28:15-68; Ps. 1:4-6). Every true Christian
must be fully consecrated to God. No true Christian can do without it.
But only God can consecrate us unto Himself.
PRAYER: Father, please consecrate my fully unto yourself.
8 April
1 Kgs. 8:22-23
God Alone is God
According to the Scripture, God is the only God in
heaven above and on the earth below (1Kgs. 8:22-23). This means that
throughout creation and from
everlasting, He alone is God (Is. 37:16; Is. 44:6). There is none like
Him (1Chron. 17:20).
There is none but Him (1Chron. 17:20). There is none beside Him (Is.
43:10-11; Is. 44:6). He alone is the ever-living God (Ps. 90:2).
He alone made all
things (Jn. 1:3; Is. 37:16). It further means that all other gods are not
God at all
(see Acts 19:26). He is the Almighty God (Gen. 17:11).
In view of this, we must worship and serve Him only (Matt. 4:10; Deut.
6:5, 13; Gen. 17:1). We must never turn away from Him to worship other
so called
gods.
He does not tolerate it at all (Exod. 20:3-6). We must trust in Him alone
for all things (see Ps. 127:1-2; Jn. 15:4-6; Phil. 4:19).
PRAYER: Father, please show that you alone are God
in heaven above
and on the earth below in everything that concerns
me.
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