https://esv.literalword.com/?q=eze+41%3B+psalm+116%2C+117%3B+proverbs+8
Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Sunday, 8 October 2023:
Ezekiel 41 – “This is the Most Holy Place.”
God had a very precise plan for the place where He would live among His people and where the people would come to worship and give gifts to Him. The plans placed the temple at the highest point and to make the entrances to the parts of the temple increasingly narrow as one approached the Most Holy Place where God lives. What does this suggest about the ways of God and about how He relates with us?
The Bible says, that you are now His Temple. Are you a most holy person which stands out for God’s glory?
Ezekiel 41:3-5 — Then he went into the inner room…. And he said to me, “This is the Most Holy Place.”
Ezekiel was taken to the outer sanctuary, but the angel did not take Him to the inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place, because Ezekiel couldn’t enter the Holy Place as an unholy, unrighteous sinner. However, Hebrews 10 reveals that, through the blood of Jesus, we now have access to the Most Holy Place, having been covered over by the righteousness and holiness of Jesus — “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:19-22) Now that you have access, live in that close relationship with God, and remain pure in His presence. The motto is “Semper Fidelis Coram Deo” which means “Always Faithful Before the Face of God.”
Ezekiel 41:21-22 – The doorposts of the nave were squared, and in front of the Holy Place was something resembling an altar of wood, three cubits high, two cubits long, and two cubits broad. Its corners, its base, and its walls were of wood. He said to me, “This is the table that is before the Lord.
Incredible detail is planned for the furnishing of the Holy of Holies, a place only the High Priest is allowed to see. God demands our very best where only He can see, our hearts. Only you and God can enter your heart to see what is really there. It must be the most beautiful and holy place of the Temple.
Psalm 116:1 – I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy.
You will be as loving as you are grateful for God’s mercy and grace. The more merciful and gracious you are to others, the more you will receive love from others.
Psalm 116:5 – Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful.
God imparts justice, mercy, and grace. Justice gives you what you deserve; mercy doesn’t give you what you deserve; and grace gives you what you don’t deserve. God provides all these things together through Jesus. Meditate on that for a while and marvel.
Psalm 116:6 – The Lord preserves the simple.
You don’t have to be smart, just faithful.
Psalm 116:7 – Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
Faith in Jesus should give you rest and peace. God’s historic faithfulness should give you faith for today. Hope is faith projected forward to the future, having confidence in God’s continued faithfulness. You can trust God completely with your future, so relax and enjoy His blessings today.
Psalm 116:9 – I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
The Christian life is walking with Jesus today, one day at a time – truly walking with Him.
Psalm 116:12-14 – What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord, I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.
How do we show our gratitude to God, and how do we worship Him? We do this by proclaiming the Good News to everyone, by glorifying Jesus before people, and by obeying Him (paying our vows).
Psalm 116:16, 17 – You have loosed my bonds. I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord.
Our sacrifice to the Lord is thankfulness and obedience.
Psalm 116:12 — What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me?
The truly humble Christian realizes that no gift is worthy the LORD, and nothing can compare to the free gift of grace we have received through Christ. It is a truly humbling experience to receive and incredible gift with no ability to reciprocate. How should we respond? With awe, gratitude, joy, love.
Psalm 117:1, 2 – Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!
Psalm 117 is the shortest Psalm in the Bible and is also the middle chapter of the Bible – short, succinct, powerful! Are you exited to praise the Lord this morning? It is all about perspective, your perspective on God and His love.
Jeremiah 1:7, 8 — Do not say, “I am only a youth”; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you.
Proverbs 8:2 – At the crossroads she takes her stand.
At the crossroads of life, you will choose to listen to wisdom or folly. Both are available to anyone and everyone.
God will take you out of your comfort zone and empower you to do what you could normally not do because He wants to show both you and the world what He can do, not what you can do. He wants to bring glory to Himself, not to you.
Proverbs 8:13 – The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil.
Anyone with a right understanding of the Holiness of God, must hate evil. You cannot love God without hating evil, the thing He hates most. All sin hurts, destroys, and separates from the Holy God. Out of love, God cannot tolerate sin. If you tolerate sin, you lack true love. Today, our twisted world says that tolerance (of sin) is somehow a loving thing to do, and Christians are accepting that lie more and more.
In pride, people twist God’s words in order to accommodate sin. This is the same trick used by Satan in the Garden of Eden – “Did God really say…?” Today churches are doing what the Bible expressly condemns, arguing that modern times require a new interpretation of God’s truth. God will not tolerate that.
Proverbs 8:35, 36 – For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.
God expects you to put forth the effort to diligently study His word to understand His truths. The wisdom of God is not just magically revealed to you.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 8 October 2023: Walk with Jesus today, truly walk with Him. The world says, “Don’t just stand there, do something!” But God’s word says, ‘Don’t just do something, stand there.’ Wait on Him to show you what to say and do. Don’t get wrapped up in the worries of the world today and get distracted and reactionary. Be led by the Holy Spirit within you, guided by the word of God. Begin the day with a commitment to deny self, to take up your cross (suffering for sinners), and to follow Jesus. (Psalm 116:9)
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 