Leviticus 19:1 – 20:21; Mark 8:11-38; Psalm 42; Proverbs 10:17
MY Sabbath and MY Sanctuary
Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord. – Leviticus 19:30
One little (huge) Word in this verse struck me this morning. MY. God doesn’t say THE sabbath or THE sanctuary. He says MY sabbath and MY sanctuary!
It is sad how few of us keep His sabbath and give reverence to His Sanctuary. Preaching to myself here!!! Some say it is just a building, and that is in some ways right, but most church sanctuaries were set apart for the Lord when they were initially built. Over time they have changed. But even if it were true that it is just a building or part of the building, the way we treat God’s house (the building) is very representative of how we keep God’s house (our heart). You say, well, His Sabbath is actually on Saturday. It is just a day. But then Saturday or Sunday, if we keep His Sabbath day by treating it as just another day, it very likely an indication of how little time is given to God every day.
This passage hits home for me and brings me conviction. I am more apt to revere His sanctuary (the building) than my heart, His Sanctuary. Do we treat our hearts and what goes in our hearts with reverence? Do we regularly clean out anything that is not in line with His Word and His Way? In the same line, keeping His Sabbath, as He created His Sabbath to be, has become less and less a day of rest and worship and more like just an hour or two at church before we go out to lunch and then head off to other things of this world. If we keep on the path of slowly eliminating one thing and then another that we think doesn’t matter, eventually there will be only shells of the church but no real church. It is not just a building. If we aren’t gathering together, we are scattered abroad. When I see old churches that are closed down, I often wonder where the people are now.
God help me to keep your instructions, even as You told us in our Proverb today, that I might be on the correct path – the Way of LIFE. Help Your church, Father!!!
Keep – To hold to; retain in one’s possession; not to lose or part with; to preserve; to retain; to tend to.
Reverence – Fear mingled with respect; to regard with respect and affection. We reverence superiors for their age, their authority, and their virtues. We should reverence God, His Word, and His ordinances; an act of respect such as a bow or a curtsy.
Whosoever will come after Me…
And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34
Deny yourself- to refrain from satisfying one’s desires or needs; practice self-denial
Take up your cross – to hold, grasp or grip; pick up; receive and accept willingly
Follow Him – to come after; to conform to, comply with, obey; to imitate or copy; to go in pursuit of
Who Do You Say That I Am?
And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am? And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets. And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ. And he charged them that they should tell no man of him. – Mark 8:27-30
We each have a personal relationship with Jesus. He asks each of us, Who do you say that I am? Jesus is not interested in you saying what you heard the person next to you saying. He is not interested in what you read on the internet. He wants to know who you say He is, what is in your heart regarding Him.
Thirst
My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? – Psalms 42:2
Thirst is a hard thing to bear. Thirst, if left unfulfilled, can cause desperation and panic. This verse makes me ask myself, am I thirsty for God? Am I desperate to appear before Him, to draw close to Him and know Him? Help me, Lord, to thirst for You!!!
Keep His Instruction
He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth. – Proverbs 10:17
Keep His instruction, and you will be on the right path; refuse it, and you will lose your way.
Erreth – to go astray in thought or belief; be mistaken; be incorrect; to deviate from the Truth
a lamp and a light 