Are you daily entering Jesus’ presence through the veil?

 31 Jan 26

Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year One

Readings:

Exodus 25

Exodus 26

Matthew 21:1-22

Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). 

Are you daily entering Jesus’ presence through the veil?

God instructs Moses about the many details concerning the construction of the tabernacle in Exodus 25-31. He says, “You shall make a veil woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen” (Exodus 26:31). The veil separates the Holy Place where the priest ministers daily from the Holy of Holies, which the High Priest only enters once a year. When Jesus dies the veil is ripped from top to bottom, signifying that all people have access to God’s presence. The writer of Hebrews exhorts us with the following invitation: “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh” (Hebrews 10:19-20). 

Employment Point: Let’s boldly enter into Jesus’ presence daily through the veil.

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Reflections

The Holy of Holies, which is deemed the most sacred place opens doors to everyone once Jesus died for all. The place which used to be for high priest to come to the Lord’s presence once a year, is now opened for 24/7 access! We are privileged to be living in this time and not in ancient times where it was so different.

“Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you. See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”Exodus‬ ‭25‬:‭9‬, ‭40‬ ‭NIV‬‬

• the Lord told Moses the full details of how the tabernacle should be and he ends his instructions with a reminder to Moses that he ought to make it according to the pattern shown to him on the mountain. 
• The Lord placed such great emphasis on the making of the tabernacle, ensuring each and every part is explained and how it all comes together.
• It made me realise that our Lord is a Lord of great details. He looks into the smallest part of things, ensuring that nothing is missed out, everything being taken care of, etc. He does the same to us and for us. Planning and charting our lives and journey ahead, ensuring that everything and every component is being taken care of. We may not see all that He does but from this aspect, we should know that He cares and ensures nothing is missed out. So in the same way, when we are faced with doubts of whether the Lord knows or hears us, we ought to be comforted knowing that our Lord is with us, He never leaves us or forsake us. Praise the Lord

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Abiding Reality

BY OSWALD CHAMBERS

January 31

Set apart for the gospel of God . . . —Romans 1:1

The one abiding reality is the gospel of God. Other things may be real; the gospel is reality itself. We are brought into this reality through the redemption; the cross is our bridge and our entry point. Our access to it is a gift, purchased for us by Jesus Christ. We cannot get at it through any action of our own.

This is a crucial thing for us to understand. The reason God calls us is so that we will proclaim his gospel. God isn’t asking us to go out and play the part of holy men or holy women. Personal holiness is an effect, not a cause. If we place our faith in our own holiness, we will stumble when the test comes.

In Romans 1, Paul doesn’t say that he set himself apart from his previous life; he says that God set him apart. Paul doesn’t need to take the credit. He isn’t hypersensitive about his character; he’s unconscious of it, recklessly abandoned to God. As long as our eyes are fixed on our own holiness, rather than Christ’s, we’ll never get to the reality of redemption. It’s as though we’re asking God to keep us away from the ruggedness of human life as it is, away from the filth and decay and corruption and mess, so that we can spend time in our own perfectly ordered company and be made more desirable in our own eyes.

If this is what we want, it’s a sign that we ourselves are still unreal—the gospel hasn’t begun to touch us. When it does, when we enter into reality, then we are able to abandon all to God.

Exodus 25-26; Matthew 20:17-34

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

When a man’s heart is right with God the mysterious utterances of the Bible are spirit and life to him. Spiritual truth is discernible only to a pure heart, not to a keen intellect. It is not a question of profundity of intellect, but of purity of heart.

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Reflections

Reality is that we are chosen people. God was there first.. and not the other way around.

I think sometimes we have this thinking that we are the one who choose our religion. It may be true for the others but for Christianity it is different. Because Christianity is not a religion, it is a way of life and how we walk on earth.

Oswald is stressing on the importance of knowing that we come to God flawed and sinful. None of us has the ability to come to God as a perfect person. If we think we are perfect, we are in fact far from it. Pride is likely to have gone ahead of us and ran ahead of us.

Becoming Christians is something that requires us to come to the Lord, recognising that we are never enough, realising that we need His grace more than anything. It was never about our skills, what position we hold, what awards we have, how well we had done in school or about our performance at work. It is also not about how well we do as a parent or how filial we are as children. It is never about how complete we feel we are or at peace we are. We can be broken, depressed, lonely, handicapped, or anything that the society may make us feel any lesser than ourselves but you know what, in Him, we are perfect. Fearfully and wonderfully made, in the likeness of Christ!

We are not called to be become holy men or women because holiness, like what Oswald says, comes from within. Coming to Christ requires our surrender the knowing of ourselves and to relearn about ourselves what the Lord wants to make out of us. He reshapes our character to be like Him and the person we are now, if we are truly abiding will show up differently in time, transformed and definitively more Christ-like than before.

If you have friends or family tell you that you changed.. (of course for the better), it is an affirmation that you are on the right track. If it is the opposite, do not worry as well for the Lord is gracious and has always been waiting for us to come to Him. Learn His ways. He will make us new