Verse of the Day 9/16
Jeremiah 7:3-4 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. 4 Do not trust in these deceptive words: 'This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.' English Standard Version (ESV)
I read this passage in my devotions this morning and the words that caught my attention was "amend your ways and I will let you dwell in this place". We go to the church (building) to worship, but it should be an outcropping of what God has been doing in us and our response to Him throughout the week, coming to completion in corporate worship. This was not case in Jeremiah's time or in Isaiah's time (see Isaiah 1) and sad to say it is not very common in our time. Many, if not most, come to the house of God to be filled, like the gas tank on a car, that has been drained all week and now needs filling.
Verses 5 - 7 give us an idea of what needed to be done then and now, "start treating each other with justice;6 only if you stop exploiting foreigners, orphans, and widows; only if you stop your murdering; and only if you stop harming yourselves by worshiping idols. 7 Then I will let you stay in this land that I gave to your ancestors to keep forever."
Worshiping involves surrender, submitting to God and living, abiding in His presence.
All to Him I freely give
I will ever love and trust Him
In His presence daily live
Humbly at His feet I bow
Worldly pleasures all forsaken
Take me Jesus take me now
I surrender all
All to Thee my blessed Saviour
I surrender all
Make me Saviour wholly Thine
Let me feel the Holy Spirit
Truly know that Thou art mine (Israel Houghton)
Jesus spoke of what true worship looks like in John chapter 4:
John 4:24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." English Standard Version (ESV)
David spoke of this heart, this longing, this worship of God when he wrote:
Psalm 27:4 One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple. English Standard Version (ESV)
It is not a one day a week thing, it is daily seeking His presence in His Word and in prayer, and living it.
-- In Christ, Mike Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace. NIV
Jeremiah 7:1-8 New Living Translation (NLT)
Jeremiah Speaks at the Temple
7 The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, 2 "Go to the entrance of the Lord's Temple, and give this message to the people: 'O Judah, listen to this message from the Lord! Listen to it, all of you who worship here! 3 This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says:
"'Even now, if you quit your evil ways, I will let you stay in your own land. 4 But don't be fooled by those who promise you safety simply because the Lord's Temple is here. They chant, "The Lord's Temple is here! The Lord's Temple is here!" 5 But I will be merciful only if you stop your evil thoughts and deeds and start treating each other with justice;6 only if you stop exploiting foreigners, orphans, and widows; only if you stop your murdering; and only if you stop harming yourselves by worshiping idols. 7 Then I will let you stay in this land that I gave to your ancestors to keep forever.
8 "'Don't be fooled into thinking that you will never suffer because the Temple is here. It's a lie!
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