February 5, 2012 (Exodus 39-40; Psalm 15; Acts 12)
From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:
Scripture: “Who may worship in Your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter Your presence on Your holy hill?” Psalm 15:1 NLT
Observation: David wants to know who can worship in God’s presence, in His sanctuary? Here’s his answer, “Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking truth from sincere hearts. Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. Those who despise flagrant sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the Lord, and keep their promises even when it hurts. Those who lend money without charging interest, and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent. Such people will stand firm forever.”
Application: The Bible tells us that God is a Spirit and those that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. In our world today, we have turned God’s holy place into just another place. People enter into buildings we call churches with no reverence or fear whatsoever, totally disrespecting the God they go to worship. It has become easy for us to disrespect God’s church house because we have willingly and openly defiled His true house, our bodies. Our standards for living should not come from our evil society but rather from God. The standards David named above are not burdensome to the true follower of Christ, they are embraced and reveal the depth of our relationship with Him.
Prayer: Dear Father, thank You for this day You’ve made. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that protects and provides for me daily. You are the awesome God of heaven and Your deserve to be reverenced and respected. Cleanse me from all unrighteousness and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Help me to live the standards David outlined in Psalm 15. Teach me Your ways, guide me into Your truth, and protect me with Your righteous right hand, in Jesus name, Amen!