My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul. - Psalm 108:1
Today's passage in Exodus, describing the tabernacle and the Holy of Holies, is a reminder of all that God has done to make it possible for us to have fellowship with Him. In the tabernacle, the veil separated the holy place from the most holy place. And into that Holy of Holies went the high priest once a year.
This veil was the very one that was torn from top to bottom when Jesus Christ died on the cross, indicating that the way now was open for the likes of you and me to enter into that close, intimate communion with God that for centuries was reserved for the high priest alone. It took the death of the Son of God to make that intimate fellowship possible.
Another special feature in the temple was a courtyard enclosed with hangings of the finest linens. The court was fifty yards long and twenty-five yards wide. This was the court David longed for and into which the people of God entered with praise and thanksgiving. The court could only hold a few worshipers.
But thanks be to God, in the New Testament times the enclosure was taken down, and today there is room for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus.
Tomorrow, when your alarm goes off, remember that Jesus Christ died to make it possible for you to come directly into the presence of the Lord, a privilege that once was reserved for a special few. Thank God that today there is room for every heart that longs to enter the place of prayer.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for that most precious of privileges--the priesthood of the believer, that gives me perpetual access to Your holy presence. Amen.
Many Christians are missing out on one of their greatest privileges as children of God--a daily quiet time with their Heavenly Father.
O How I Love Jesus
1. There is a name I love to hear,
I love to sing its worth;
it sounds like music in my ear,
the sweetest name on earth.
Refrain:
O how I love Jesus,
O how I love Jesus,
O how I love Jesus,
because he first loved me!
2. It tells me of a Savior's love,
who died to set me free;
it tells me of his precious blood,
the sinner's perfect plea.
Refrain:
O how I love Jesus,
O how I love Jesus,
O how I love Jesus,
because he first loved me!
3. It tells of one whose loving heart
can feel my deepest woe;
who in each sorrow bears a part
that none can bear below.
Refrain:
O how I love Jesus,
O how I love Jesus,
O how I love Jesus,
because he first loved me!
Daily Smile:
Have you heard about the sidewalk joke?
It’s around town.
Why did the teachers tie their students’ legs together?
They were taking a class trip!
In The News:
New York Appeals Court Nixes Defense of Marriage Act
A divided federal appeals court in Manhattan struck down the Defense of Marriage Act Thursday as unconstitutional, joining an appeals court in Boston in rejecting the law that defines marriage as between one man and one woman, WORLD Magazine reports. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued its 2-to-1 ruling just weeks after hearing arguments Sept. 27 on a lower court judge's ruling that DOMA was unconstitutional. The majority opinion, written by judge Dennis Jacobs, rejected a section of the law that defined "marriage" as only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife and "spouse" as only a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife. The Supreme Court is expected to take up the case in the next year.
Trial of Pakistani Christian Girl Accused of Blasphemy Postponed, Persecution Continues in Region
The juvenile court hearing of Rimsha Masih, a 14-year-old Christian girl arrested for blasphemy in mid-August and released on bail three weeks later, has been postponed until November 14, Asia News reports. The ruling came after Rimsha's lawyer filed a petition stating that the blasphemy charges were false and baseless, demanding the case be dismissed and Rimsha be released since there was no offense. The lawyer added that the local imam who deliberately desecrated the Quran to frame Rimsha fabricated the story in order to force out minority Christians from their homes and seize their assets, and that if anyone committed blasphemy, it was him, according to the testimony of three witnesses who, however, later retracted. The imam remains free on bail, and his lawyers are trying to delay proceedings. Prosecutors have indicated they are not planning to try him on blasphemy charges, which, critics point out, is an example of how the blasphemy law is used arbitrarily against minorities and adversaries. Meanwhile, persecution targeting Pakistani Christians continues, with attacks on churches in Karachi and Faisalabad over the weekend.
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