- All these were of the sons of Obed-edom with their sons and brothers, able men qualified for the service; sixty-two of Obed-edom. 1 Chronicles 26:8 – Let’s focus on the “qualified for service part.” What qualified them here? Primarily their physical strength. This job would have been almost like a military guard posting and they needed to be strong to fulfill their duty well. What then qualifies you for the calling you’ve been given by God to share His love with people? Nope, not your strength or how long you’ve attended church or even if you were extra holy and sang at home during the livestreams of church services these past few months. What qualifies you is Jesus and Him saving you. So if you’ve placed your faith in Jesus, you’re qualified for God’s service. Of course, as we see clearly throughout even this chapter, we all have different ways God calls us to carry out that calling. And yes, the more you do things like attend church, pray, and read scripture you better your readiness for the calling. Just don’t sit there thinking you’re not qualified in God’s eyes for this calling. If you’ve placed your life in Jesus’ hands, you are more than qualified to step into this mission of telling people about God’s love. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1389
- These divisions of the gatekeepers, corresponding to their chief men, had duties, just as their brothers did, ministering in the house of the Lord. 13 And they cast lots by fathers’ houses, small and great alike, for their gates. 1 Chronicles 26:12-13 – What exactly was the role of a gatekeeper? While yes, a portion of their job was opening and closing the gates to the temple at the right times, a key part of their role as gatekeepers was to ensure order and reverence for the house for God. They would make sure nothing unholy would enter into the temple area, and they would also make sure nothing was taken out that shouldn’t be removed from the temple. This was such an important role, for the temple grounds were a holy place, and say if a gentile or someone with leprosy entered in, this could have disrupted worship greatly. Let’s then bring this into our life. We are now considered the house of the Lord for the Holy Spirit of the Lord dwells within any who have placed their faith in Jesus. While we don’t have little Levites standing guard of our heart and mind, we do have the Holy Spirit. He is our gatekeeper. He is sanctifying us and making us holy. He is guiding us away from unholy things and protecting our hearts. Can we refuse to listen to our gatekeeper and allow sinful things to come into our lives? Absolutely, but we now have God’s Spirit speaking into our story and opening our eyes to the sin that we were blinded to before. Know today you have a gatekeeper of your life in the Lord. He is watching over you, ensuring your holiness, and keeping you safe. As we find ourselves ever closer to Christmas, let us thank the Lord for this gift of our gatekeeper. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2579
Daily DEVO 