- And Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord, for there he offered the burnt offering and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar Solomon had made could not hold the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat. 2 Chronicles 7:7 – Remember those things called offerings plates we used to pass around on Sunday morning before COVID? At least in the church I’m a part of we haven’t used them in over a year now, but I do remember over the years never seeing them a certain way. I never saw them so overflowing that they had to get another plate to take in all the offerings. That though is an image of what’s happening in the passage. Due to God’s people giving so much back to God they had to prepare another place to take in the offerings. That’s the image we should have every time we gather to worship God. That the church is giving everything of themselves back to Him that the plates can’t hold, the pews can’t hold, the walls can’t contain the level of worship the church is giving to God. Where that begins is with you and your heart. While what you can give may not fill an offering plate does it leave you empty because you gave all you had to God? Remember this isn’t just money being spoken of here, it’s our heart. Keep in mind when we empty ourselves before God it gives Him more room to refill. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1521
- …if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. 2 Chronicles 7:14-15 – Much like yesterday’s passage, our verses today speak of the promise of our God when we turn back to Him. Yesterday’s passage was king Solomon speaking, today though it is the Lord Himself. If the people of God would humble themselves, pray, seek God’s face, and turn from their sin, God would rescue and forgive them. What though do we see is a first step in this turn back to the Lord? A humbling of ourselves. We must remember we are not God, and the only one who is God is the Lord. This humbling will look like an acknowledgment that our ways aren’t the paths we must follow. It will look like accepting what God says is sin as sin, and not our viewpoint of such things. This humbling will acknowledge God is God, and He deserves to be worshipped as such. How then today might you humble yourself before the Lord? Is there a path you’re going in life that is more a you path than a God path and we need to give that to God? Is there a sin you proclaim is fine, but God proclaims is wrong, and a submission to God’s word here needs to take place? Our culture today doesn’t push humility like this. Accepting there is a greater power than ourselves and we ought to exist in submission to it pushes back so much against the message of this world. Yet we see clearly in scripture there is a greater power than us and we see clearly in life we need such a power in our story. Let us then humble ourselves before the Lord and find ourselves experiencing the promises our of God. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2596
Daily DEVO 