-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Today I am reading day 309 of Joseph Prince’s Devotional:
Day 309
Jesus’ Blood Is On The Mercy Seat
Leviticus 16:14 14He shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side; and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.
If you have watched the movie, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, you would remember that when the lid of the ark was lifted, strange-looking creatures floated out and destroyed the people around it. Interesting as it may be, this is biblically inaccurate — the ark of the Bible did not contain strange-looking creatures. What were the things inside it then?
There were three items in the ark: the golden pot of manna, Aaron’s rod and two stone tablets on which God had written the Ten Commandments. (Hebrews 9:4) These items are actually symbols of man’s rebellion. The golden pot of manna represents man’s rejection of God’s provision. The rod of Aaron represents man’s rejection of God’s leadership and the two stone tablets of God’s commandments represent man’s rejection of His standard of holiness.
But because God delights in mercy, He had these items put away in the ark and covered with the mercy seat, which had two cherubim on it. (Hebrews 9:5) And once a year, the high priest would enter the holy of holies where the ark was and sprinkle the blood of the animal sacrifice on the mercy seat. This means that God’s eyes, represented by the eyes of the cherubim, did not see the symbols of man’s rebellion. As long as the blood was there on the mercy seat, He saw only the blood and accepted the people.
Today, Jesus is our High Priest and He Himself has sprinkled His own blood on the true mercy seat in heaven — the throne of grace. (Hebrews 9:23–26) Interestingly, the number of times that the Old Testament high priest had to sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat — seven — speaks of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice. And because His sacrifice is perfect and He is perfect, we who are in Christ have perfect standing forever before God!
My friend, as you come to God today, don’t worry about falling short of His standard of holiness. He does not see your sins. (Hebrews 8:12, 10:17) He sees His Son’s blood on the mercy seat. You have perfect standing before Him forever!
Thought For The Day
God does not see your sins. He sees only His Son’s blood on the mercy seat.
Today I am reading day 272 of Joseph Prince’s Devotional:
Day 272
Our Help In Time Of Need
Hebrews 4:16 16Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
If you are facing a challenge right now, I want you to know that you have a standing invitation from your heavenly Father to come boldly to the throne of grace to “obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need”.
The phrase “help in time of need” means that you get healing when you are sick, provisions when you are in lack, restoration when your relationship with a loved one breaks down, and favor when news of job cuts or bad prospects are rife.
“Pastor Prince, how can I come boldly when I have been a lousy Christian?”
You can come boldly because you come to God by the blood of Jesus Christ and not by how you have lived your life. So whenever you come into God’s presence, you don’t have to be afraid that your sins will be exposed because the blood of Jesus has removed every one of them. God does not see even one speck of sin in you because He sees only the blood of His Son, which has been shed for your total forgiveness and acceptance.
My friend, when you have failed and need mercy, God’s Word assures you that you will find mercy when you come boldly to God. Mercy means that you don’t get the bad things you deserve, such as condemnation, poverty, failure, loss and even death.
And mercy is not the only thing that you will obtain when you come boldly to God. You will also find grace. Grace means that you get the good things that you don’t deserve, such as health, protection, anointing, favor, good success and life more abundant.
So come boldly to the One who loves you passionately, unconditionally and with an undying love. Come boldly to Him who knows everything about your situation and has the solution. He has wisdom far beyond that doctor you highly respect, that lawyer you greatly honor and the best experts you can consult. Beloved, come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and grace to help in your time of need!
Thought For The Day
Come boldly to God who knows everything about your situation and has the solution.
Today I am reading day 362 of Rick Warren’s Daily Devotional:
God Chose You Before You Chose Him
1 Peter 1:2-3 God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace. All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation,
God chose you long before you chose Him. God took the initiative. The Good News translation puts it this way: “You were chosen according to the purpose of God.”
Why would God choose you or me to be a part of his family? Because he is a God of love; he is a God of grace. The more you understand grace, the more you’re going to be amazed by it.
God chose you. Did you deserve it? Not a chance. Do you deserve to go to Heaven? No way! Are you good enough to be in God’s family? No. He just chose you. And that’s good news.
On what basis did He chose you? First Peter 1:3 says, “For it is His boundless mercy that has given us the privilege of being born again so that now we are members of God’s own family.”
God chose you based on his mercy, not your performance. You’ll never earn it. You’ll never deserve it. You couldn’t work hard enough for it. You couldn’t be perfect enough.
It’s only because of God’s grace and mercy that the Creator of the universe says, “I want you in my family.” If that doesn’t encourage you, you’d better check your pulse.
Today I am reading day 347 of Rick Warren’s Daily Devotional:
Don’t Be Reluctant to Show Mercy
2 Corinthians 2:7 Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement.
Colossians 3:13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
In Biblical fellowship, people will experience mercy. Fellowship is a place of grace, where mistakes aren’t rubbed in but rubbed out. Fellowship happens when mercy wins over justice.
We all need mercy, because we all stumble and fall and require help getting back on track. We need to offer mercy to each other and be willing to receive it from each other.
It’s impossible to have biblical fellowship without forgiveness because bitterness and resentment always destroy fellowship. Sometimes we hurt each other intentionally and sometimes unintentionally, but either way, it takes massive amounts of mercy and grace to create and maintain fellowship.
The Bible says, “You must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” (Colossians 3:13 NLT)
The mercy God shows to us is the motivation for us to show mercy to others. Whenever you’re hurt by someone, you have a choice to make: Will I use my energy and emotions for retaliation or for resolution?
You can’t do both.
Many people are reluctant to show mercy because they don’t understand the difference between trust and forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past. Trust has to do with future behavior.
Forgiveness must be immediate, whether or not a person asks for it. Trust must be rebuilt over time. The best place to restore trust is within the supportive context of a small group that offers both encouragement and accountability.
Today I am reading day 318 of Rick Warren’s Daily Devotional:
God’s Unfailing Love
Psalm 23:6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Like goodness, God’s unfailing love follows us in life.
King David says it pursues us! Picture a parent following a little child around picking up after them. When we’re struggling with hurts, habits, and hang-ups, God is coming right alongside us, helping to pick up our messes and telling us that his unfailing love is always there.
This means, rather than entering into the future with a question mark, you can do it with an exclamation point!
God will be with you no matter what happens. He will help you out: “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6 NLT)
God’s goodness will provide and protect. God’s mercy (unfailing love) will pardon and forgive. God’s goodness will supply. God’s mercy will soothe. God’s goodness will help. God’s mercy and will heal.
Goodness is the fact that God gives us good things in life that we don’t deserve. Mercy means God holds back the condemnation we deserve.
Today I am reading day 135 of Rick Warren’s Daily Devotional:
Don’t Be Reluctant to Show Mercy
2 Corinthians 2:7 Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.
Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
In Biblical fellowship, people will experience mercy. Fellowship is a place of grace, where mistakes aren’t rubbed in but rubbed out. Fellowship happens when mercy wins over justice.
We all need mercy, because we all stumble and fall and require help getting back on track. We need to offer mercy to each other and be willing to receive it from each other.
It’s impossible to have biblical fellowship without forgiveness because bitterness and resentment always destroy fellowship. Sometimes we hurt each other intentionally and sometimes unintentionally, but either way, it takes massive amounts of mercy and grace to create and maintain fellowship.
The Bible says, “You must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” (Colossians 3:13 NLT)
The mercy God shows to us is the motivation for us to show mercy to others. Whenever you’re hurt by someone, you have a choice to make: Will I use my energy and emotions for retaliation or for resolution?
You can’t do both.
Many people are reluctant to show mercy because they don’t understand the difference between trust and forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past. Trust has to do with future behavior.
Forgiveness must be immediate, whether or not a person asks for it. Trust must be rebuilt over time. The best place to restore trust is within the supportive context of a small group that offers both encouragement and accountability.
Lord, lead me everyday 