Sun.’s Devo - To Know Christ

Read: Isiah 66:1-24 Philippians 3:5-21; Psalm 74:1-23; Proverbs 24:15-16 God declares that his throne is all of heaven and earth is his footstool so how can man build a more wonderful temple. I wonder if he didn’t say that because he knew that man’s Temple would be torn down three times. God blesses those who have humble and contrite hearts and tremble at his Word but he hates those who do their own thing. He doesn’t accept their sacrifices or acts of worship. They deliberately sin and choose to do what they know He hates. The people who choose to worship the Lord are always despised by those who don’t. They don’t realize that it is them who will be put to shame. God will take vengeance against them from his Temple. In one moment of time, Jesus was born and a nation was birthed. In another moment of time, the people of Jerusalem became an official nation in 1948. Herod could not kill Jesus and the governments couldn’t stop Israel from becoming a nation. I have watched Israel become a prosperous nation in my lifetime. When it is time for the new heaven and the new earth, the old one will be destroyed by fire. It was destroyed in the time of Noah by water, but it will be destroyed the last time with fire. It was prophesied that John the Baptist came to baptize with water but Jesus was coming to baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. It will be both spiritual and physical. Before it is destroyed, the gospel will go out to all nations and many will return to the Lord. Physically, many will return to Jerusalem to live. This new kingdom will be forever and the judgment of the wicked will be an eternal judgment. Paul was by man’s standard the most self-righteous person on the earth. He was born a Jew, raised a Pharisee and obeyed the law and yet when he met Jesus he realized that all his efforts were nothing. He no longer depended on his own righteousness of obeying the law but rather he became righteous through faith. Paul’s goal was to know Christ and experience his power. Paul made it clear that he hadn’t achieved this yet but he was pressing on to possess the perfection that Christ possessed for us all. He did this by forgetting his past mistakes and always looking forward to his future. One day, our weak mortal bodies will be changed into glorious bodies like Christ and his power will bring everything under his control. Lord, thank you for your promises that are faithful and true. We want to know You and experience your power in our lives. Thank you for making that possible.