Worshipping the Lord

Ezekiel 8:3-18 "3 ... In these visions from God, the Spirit carried me between heaven and earth. He took me to Jerusalem, to the entrance to the north gate of the inner courtyard of the temple. That was where an idol that stirs up God’s anger was located. 4  There I saw the glory of Israel’s God as I did in the vision that I saw in the valley. 5  God said to me, “Son of man, look toward the north .” So I looked toward the north, and there in the entrance to the north gate beside the altar, I saw the idol that stirs up God’s anger. 6  He asked me, “Son of man, do you see what the people of Israel are doing? The people of Israel are doing very disgusting things here, things that will force me to go far away from my holy place. But you will see even more disgusting things.” ... 9  He said to me, “Go in, and see the wicked, disgusting things that the people of Israel are doing here.” 10  So I went in and looked. I saw that the walls were cover...

In Christ, we have the victory: “they have conquered Satan by the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 12:7-12). God is calling us beyond the conflict. He is calling us on to victory. We don’t live in a perfect world. We’re not perfect people. We wish things could be different – but they’re not! Not yet! We pray, “Your Kingdom come” – but we’re still waiting for God’s complete answer to this prayer. The Book of Revelation provides us with a vision of God’s coming Kingdom. As we await His Kingdom, the words of Habakkuk 2:3 are very helpful to us: “the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.” * There is conflict with the world. We commit ourselves to living for Jesus Christ. There are plenty of other people who don’t want to have anything to do with Him. This is something we must live with. “We do not lose heart” when we face opposition. We give thanks that...

Lord, we come to You in weakness. You come to us in power. Our faith is weak. Your power is great. What is our faith? It is faith in Your power – the power of Your love. It’s not faith in ourselves. It’s faith in You. You are our God. We put our trust in You. May we know, in our hearts, that You are absolutely trustworthy – the God who will never fail us.

"Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls ... Now Judas and Silas, themselves being prophets also, exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words ... Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord" ( Acts 15:24 , 32 , 35 ). There was a problem. There needed to be a response. Whenever God's people are being "troubled" and "unsettled" by those who speak their own "words" rather than the Word of the Lord, what are we to do? We must pray that God will raise up "prophets" who will preach the Gospel and teach the Word of God, strengthening the faith of God's people and leading them into a closer walk with God.

Great things can happen when ‘earnest prayer’ is ‘made to God by the church’ - God ‘is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think’ ( Acts 12:5-7 ; Ephesians 3:20). Give all the glory to God. Herod ‘did not give God the glory’. He accepted the praise of the people - ‘This is the voice of a god, not of a man’. Herod’s sudden death - ‘an angel of the Lord struck him down’ - is a warning ( Acts 12:22-23 ; Proverbs 29:1). ‘Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows that he will also reap’. ‘Walk humbly with your God’ (Galatians 6:7; Micah 6:8).

Numbers 16:1-50 In this chapter, we read about the judgment of God upon those who sinned against Him. God is perfectly holy. He calls us to be holy. This is not to be a pretence. It is to be real. Those who came under God’s judgment claimed to be holy (Numbers 16:3). God saw what they were really like. This very challenging. It’s a reminder that we must not take God lightly: “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Alongside this, we should also remember that Christ’s hands were pierced for us. He waits to welcome all who return to Him, fleeing from “the wrath to come.”

This name means 'lover of God.' As we read God's Word, may our love for Him grow stronger and stronger.

"Blessed is the person whose disobedience is forgiven a nd whose sin is pardoned. ... The Lord says,  “I will instruct you.  I will teach you the way that you should go. I will advise you as my eyes watch over you. ... Be glad and find joy in the Lord , you righteous people. Sing with joy, all whose motives are decent." (Psalm 32:1,8,11). Forgiveness, Instruction and Joy Our joy comes from the forgiveness of our sins. Our joy grows as we feed upon the Word of the Lord and discover more of the riches of God's salvation.

"His feet do not slip ... They will be kept safe forever" (Psalm 37:31,28). Our  feet are slipping. Things are getting out of control. Out of whose control? - Out of our control. Not out of God's control. He keeps us safe. He keeps our feet from slipping.  "Wait on the Lord, and keep His way" ( Psalm 37:34 ). How do we keep on walking in the way of the Lord? It is the Lord who keeps us walking in His way. Before we can "keep His way", we must "wait on Him." If we are to keep on walking with the Lord, we must keep on waiting on Him. "Wait on the Lord" - This is faith. It is looking away from ourselves to the Lord. Left to our own devices, we will wander away from the way of the Lord. We are not left to our own devices. We can "wait on the Lord and renew our strength" ( Isaiah 40:31 ). As we keep our eyes on Him, looking beyond our present situation to His eternal salvation, He will keep us walking in Hi...