Monday, July 22, 2019

Mon.’s Devo - Dedicating the Temple

Read: 2 Chronicles 6:12-8:10; Romans 7:14-8:8; Psalm18:1-15; Proverbs 19:24-25
Solomon stood on a bronze platform he had made before the bronze altar, spread forth his hands and prayed. He knelt before God in the presence of all Israel and prayed. He gave glory to God for being the only God and there was none like him. God loved his people and had kept all his promised to them. He proclaimed that he knew this temple could not contain God but prayed that it would be a place of receiving mercy and forgiveness. He prayed that God would hear every prayer prayed from this place and save his people when they repented.
When Solomon finished his prayer, God responded with fire consuming the burnt offering and the sacrifices. The glory of the Lord filled the temple and the priests could not enter the temple because the glory was so thick. The people saw the fire and worshipped the Lord and offered so many sacrifices that it took the whole seven days of the festival to burn them. This was the Feast of Tabernacles and when it was over, Solomon sent the people home.
Solomon completed the temple and his own palace and God spoke to him and told him that if the nation fell into sin and was being punished by a plague or famine that all they had to do was to seek Him and pray for forgiveness and He would heal their land. He told Solomon to continue to walk before him as David had and he would never fail to have a man to rule over Israel.
In Romans. Paul describes the war against sin under the law. It was a war to do what was right because everything about the nature of man was to sin. But, we don’t live under the law, we live under grace which is the power of the spirit. Under the Spirit our minds have been renewed and we by nature want to do what the spirit wants. Living according to the spirit brings life and peace.
Lord, help us to live under grace and not be tempted to be deceived by religion.

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