Weekly Devotion

The Israelites were camping on the border of the Promised Land, ready to go in and possess the land. But God told Moses that he won't be able to go with them into the Promised Land due to his disobedience at the waters of Meribah. Moses pleaded with God to let him enter the Promised Land with the people, but God said no. It is quite sad for me. Moses did so many things right and only because he did this one thing wrong, he couldn't enter the Promised Land. It feels so unfair. Poor Moses had to put up with so much from the Israelites and due to this one act, he wasn't allowed into the Promised Land.

But it seems to me that God expects so much more from those to whom He gave more. The same principle is demonstrated in the parable that Jesus told about the loaned money. I am sure you all know it. The master went on a long trip, but before he went, he gave 5 bags of gold to his one servant, 2 bags to the other servant and one bag to the third servant. He asked them to invest it for him while he was gone. The first one worked with the gold and had a 100% return, instead of 5 bags he now had 10 bags. The second servant also had a 100% return, instead of 2 bags he now had 4 bags. But the third servant did nothing with his gold and had a 0% return. When the master returned, he was pleased with the first two, but displeased with the third one because he didn't even try. From the one given 5 bags, much was expected, but from the one given 1 bag, not a lot was expected. The master didn't expect him to have 10 bags all of a sudden, but he expected at least some form of return.

More is expected from those to whom a lot is given. Moses experienced God like no other man after him. He lived in such close proximity to God, his face even glowed. And therefore God expected him to act accordingly and to obey Him in every command given. And when he didn't, the discipline he received was more severe than what another Israelite would have received.

And today it is still the same. God expects more of mature Christians, than He would of Christians who are still infants in the faith. That is why Paul gets so angry with the Corinthian church. They were supposed to grow in the Lord and they were supposed to show this through acting like mature children of God. But they didn't:

"I had to talk to you as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life. I had to feed you with milk and not solid food, because you couldn't handle anything stronger. And you still aren't ready, for you are still controlled by your own sinful desires." 1 Corinthians 3:1-3

The longer you are a Christian, the more is expected of you. Sins that didn't bother you before will start bothering you now. I have experienced this in my walk with God. Sin that I used to do a few years ago, bothers me so much now, I cannot do it anymore. And God expects me to let it go. It is very difficult to do, but if one wants to grow, that is one of the growing pains we need to endure.

The more you grow in Him, the more He expects you to be the light to the world and to be an example to other people. By your actions you are suppose to win people for Christ and not lose them. That is why God takes your actions so seriously. May God help you in this journey and may He give you the strength to resist temptations that might be detrimental to your relationship with Him and other people.

Father please give us the strength to honor and obey You. You are our God and our King and we want to exalt Your Name on high. Please give us the strength to do just that and to grow into the mature Christians You want us to be. In Jesus Name. Amen

The Israelites were on the verge of entering the Promised Land. They were camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan river, across from Jericho. God then told Moses to take a census of the people. The last census was done thirty eight years ago. Thirty eight years ago there were 603 550 Israelite men older than 20 years and this time there were 601 730 men older than 20 years old.

Now the reasons for the census range from having the correct count in order to divide the land equally among the tribes, to Israel being able to form a military strategy based upon the number of men they have. But another reason I think is to show the people how God had looked after them. They didn't dwindle in numbers even though they had to suffer in the wilderness. If it wasn't for the people killed due to their rebellion against God, they would actually have increased in numbers. And that just shows God's provision. He looks after His children. Deuteronomy 8:4 states:

"For all these forty years your clothes didn't wear out, and your feet didn't blister or swell."

God looked after them. It was a miracle in itself. He provided food for them, water for them and He looked after their physical needs like clothing and shoes. He is a miraculous God. Many miracles are stated in the book of Numbers, but this is one often overlooked, the miracle of God's provision.

I don't know about you, but I have often wished that I can see a miracle. I have experienced two in my life that really stand out for me, but other than that I wish to see more. But after reading this, I realised that there are miracles in our everyday life too. Every day is a miracle from Him. Jesus is the Sustainer of the universe and we wouldn't even be able to get out of bed if He doesn't will us to.

"Jesus sustains the universe by the mighty power of His command." Hebrews 1:3

He speaks life over us every day, He sustains us and every breath we take is a miracle from Him. Our friends, our homes, our work, our family, our health, all of it come from Him. We shouldn't take it for granted. It is a special gift from God, our amazing God and King. And therefore we should also not stress about the future. God will provide, He always has and He always will. He will work all things for the good of those who love Him. Your spiritual wellbeing is His prime concern and He will do what is best for you to grow as the mature Christian He wants you to be. Look out for His every day miracles all around you, you will be amazed and praise His Name even more.

Thank you Father for the miracle of life. Thank you for granting it to us each day. You are our God and Savior and we love and praise you. In Jesus Name. Amen

Balaam had told the King of Moab to entice the children of Israel through sexual sin. The sexual sin led to the men of Israel attending Moabite festivals to the honor of their gods and it was not long before they started to worship Baal of Peor. They did just that and soon enough they were led astray. Israel was already worshipping other gods and they haven't even entered into the Promised Land, filled with pagan gods as yet.

Needless to say, God was very angry with them.

"Seize all the ringleaders and execute them before the Lord in broad daylight, so His fierce anger will turn away from the people of Israel." So Moses ordered Israel's judges to execute everyone who had joined in worshiping Baal of Peor." Numbers 25:4,5

And even while this was going on, an Israelite man had the audacity to bring a Moabite woman into the camp and into his tent right in front of Moses and all the people. Phinehas, the priest and grandson of Aaron, saw this and godly anger rose up in him. He went into the man's tent, took a spear and thrust it through both of them, killing them instantly. And God was pleased with him:

"So tell him that I am making My special covenant of peace with him. In this covenant, he and his descendants will be priests for all time, because he was zealous for his Lord and made atonement for the people of Israel." Numbers 25:12,13

Godly anger is justified it would seem. Jesus also got very angry when He saw that His Father's temple was used as a means of cheating the poor and of making money out of law abiding citizens:

"In the temple area He saw merchants selling cattle, sheep and doves for sacrifices; and He saw money changers behind their counters. Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and oxen, scattered the money changers' coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold the doves, He told them, "Get these things out of here. Don't turn My Father's house into a marketplace!" John 2:14-16

Jesus never sinned, so we can know with certainty that His anger here was not sin either. He was justified in getting angry that His Father's ways were being manipulated and used for personal gain, instead of using it to glorify His Name.

We can learn from Jesus and Phinehas, not to justify murdering someone and turning over tables, but that we are allowed to get angry when God is laughed at and when His ways are scorned and not followed. We are allowed to get angry at corruption, we are allowed to get angry when widows and orphans are treated with contempt, we are allowed to get angry when God's Name is used in vain, we are allowed to get angry if His Word is twisted and turned to suit moneymaker's schemes. We are allowed to get angry. And then we must do something about it and obviously pray about it. We should expose corruption where we see it manifesting, we should help orphans and widows where we can, we should speak up when God's Name is used in vain etc. God is our first priority and His glory and ways are to be strived after and held in high esteem. Give God your all and live for His dreams in our broken society.

Father, our hearts break when we see all around us the shame and contempt with which Your ways and Word are treated. Please help us Lord to stand up and make a difference right there where we are. In Jesus Name. Amen

As you've seen over the past few weeks, King Balak of Moab was scared of the Israelites and what they might do to his country and his position in particular. He wanted them cursed and as we've seen, he asked Balaam to do it. Balaam did follow the lure of money and tried to persuade God that he can curse the Israelites, but God said no. He wanted to bless them and therefore no one should curse them.

Now King Balak tried to entice Balaam to curse them from three different viewpoints, but every time Balaam blessed them. King Balak was so angry and told Balaam to go home without a cent in reward. Balaam gave up riches and did the right thing. He allowed himself to be a vessel of God and didn't let the lure of wealth deter him.

And today you must also know, that when you stand up for the right thing, it might not be the most popular choice. It might cost you promotions, it might cost you friends, it might cost you advances in the short run, but at the end of the day, God is pleased with you. We need to stand up for what is right. As a Christian it is not a choice we have, it is something we have to do, in every part of our lives no matter how hard. We need to be honest with our tax return, we need to abide by the rules even though everyone else is breaking it, we need to pay our bills on time, we shouldn't flirt with our married colleague, we shouldn't swear at the taxi in front of us, etcetera etcetera. I think you get the point. We need to take a stand for what is right and we shouldn't get tired of doing it like Balaam did.

Now let's get back to Balaam. Up and until here it would seem as if Balaam was now converted and following God's ways, in other words, doing the right thing. But later in God's Word we read of the sly plan Balaam came up with later on. Balaam realized that God won't allow him to curse the Israelites, but he still wanted the wealth promised to him. He then came up with an ingenious plan to show Balak how to turn the Israelites against the ways of the Lord.

"You tolerate some among you who are like Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to worship idols by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin." Revelation 2:14

Balaam was very clever. He knew that if he could get the people to rebel against God's ways that God would need to discipline them and that they in turn would lose the land promised to them. And it was the love of money that caused him to ignore the commands of the Lord:

"They have wandered off the right road and followed the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved to earn money by doing wrong." 2 Peter 2:15

"Like Balaam, they would do anything for money." Jude 1:11

Don't be like Balaam. Don't compromise and fall for the lust of money. Don't follow the right ways of God for a while and then slip back into your old ways. It is detrimental to your relationship with God. Don't allow anything to come between you and God, especially the lure of money. Your relationship with God is worth more than all the gold and treasures of the world. Nothing can buy it and nothing can replace it. The world today follow the ways of Balaam, it is prevalent to see. Don't fall in line and do the same. You will lose much more than you gain. Balaam lost his life at the end of the day in battle with the Israelites, not long after his 'ingenious plan' (Numbers 31:8). I think if he knew that his life would end that way, he would not have pursued his greed. Let that be a lesson to all of us.

Father, please help us to stay away from the lure of money. Please forgive us if we fall for it now and again, but rather help us to stay pure and to stay on Your path. In Jesus Name. Amen

Balak, King of Moab, took Balaam to three different viewpoints of the Israelites camped out below. He hoped that Balaam would curse them from there, instead he blessed them. He blessed them, because God took hold of him and wouldn't allow him to curse them. Balaam wanted to curse them, because he wanted the riches King Balak promised him, but God wouldn't tolerate it. And as we saw last week, God wouldn't allow them to 'twist His arm', so to speak. God doesn't change His mind through people trying to manipulate Him. He will never allow that. But interestingly enough there are a couple of instances in the Bible where God did change His mind, concerning things.

In the first place, let's look at the instance in King Hezekiah's life. He became deathly ill and God sent Isaiah to tell Hezekiah that he was going to die. Hezekiah was devastated and cried out to the Lord:

"Remember, O Lord, how I have always tried to be faithful to You and do what is pleasing in Your sight." 2 Kings 20:3

God saw his tears and heard his prayer and added fifteen years to his life.

Another example is where God was very angry with the Israelites for worshiping the golden calf. He told Moses:

"I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are. Now leave Me alone so My anger can blaze against them and destroy them all. Then I will make you, Moses, into a great nation instead of them." Exodus 32:9, 10

But Moses pleaded with the Lord not to do it. And God withdrew His threat and didn't bring the disaster against the people.

Given these two examples it would seem that God does change His mind sometimes. He didn't change His mind with Balak and Balaam, because they didn't repent and humble themselves before the Lord and they also didn't ask a humble thing of Him. They wanted to curse His nation and God wouldn't allow it. God loved Israel and wouldn't agree to have curses spoken over them.

But in the other two examples God did listen to the humble pleadings of His children. He does listen when we pray, that is why prayer is so powerful. He does extend a hand when we need it. He is patient and He is kind. He will listen to our requests and He will do what is best. He will do what is best, not only for us, but for His Kingdom as a whole. We need to remember that we are part of a whole, we are part of the Body of Christ, His Bride. We are not supposed to function individually, but as a group, serving God. And He will do what is best for the group. He will do what is best for the new creation within each of us. We might not always understand, but we can know that He works to our best interest. Our part to play is to pray. There is power in it, more than we can know, as we've seen in the examples above. But then we need to leave it in God's capable hands. He truly knows best.

Father, we have so many requests. We have so many things we wish can be different and we do not always understand why things don't work out the way we want it to. But thank you that we can know that You know best and we can rest in Your presence. Amen

Balak, the Moabite King, wanted Balaam, the sorcerer, to curse Israel. He believed that those that Balaam curse, are cursed and those that Balaam bless are blessed. God told Balaam not to curse Israel for He had decided to bless Israel. But Balaam didn't listen. The lure of the money promised by Balak was one too many and in the end Balaam did go to Balak in the hope of 'twisting God's arm' and cursing Israel. Balak took Balaam to Bamoth-baal, from where he could see the Israelites spread out before him. There he wanted Balaam to curse the Israelites with a nice 'bird's eye view'. Balaam then told Balak:

"Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven young bulls and seven rams for a sacrifice." Balak followed his instructions, and the two of them sacrificed a young bull and a ram on each altar." Numbers 23:1,2

Then Balaam went to consult the Lord again to ask if he can curse Israel. He had hoped that the offering would have helped to change God's mind. Of course it didn't. God refused to allow Balaam to curse the Israelites. Instead God caused Balaam to speak a blessing over them. Balak was needless to say, very angry with Balaam. But he didn't give up. He took Balaam to yet another place, the plateau of Zophim on Pisgah Peak. He hoped that maybe God would allow Balaam to curse the Israelites from there. Again they built seven altars and offered a young bull and ram on each altar. Balaam again consulted with God. And God again refused and caused Balaam to bless Israel instead. Balak was very angry at the turn of events, but he didn't let that deter him. He took Balaam to yet another place, to the top of Mount Peor in the hope that God would allow him to curse the Israelites from up there. Again the same ritual was followed. Seven altars were built and a bull and a ram were offered on each. Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Balaam and he started prophesying many blessings over Israel. This time King Balak was beside himself with anger.

"I called you to curse my enemies! Instead you have blessed them three times. Now get out of here! Go back home! I had planned to reward you richly, but the Lord has kept you from your reward." Numbers 24:10,11

I smile when I read this event in the Bible. How silly of King Balak and Balaam to try and change God's mind. They must have thought the sacrifices will please God and cause Him to change His mind over the state of Israel. And to make matters worse, they didn't offer it once or twice, but three times, thinking that the God of the Universe will change His mind if they do 'good'. But they were trying to 'buy' God's favor so to speak in order to commit evil in cursing the Israelites. What they didn't realize is that God's favor cannot be bought.

And today we must realize it as well. God's grace and favor cannot be bought. He will not give us 'extra points' if we help out at church. He will not heal us, just because we gave an extra offering this month. He will not bless you financially, just because you are serving on the church financial committee. All these things are wonderful things to do, don't get me wrong, but don't think it will buy God's favor. It won't. God loves you for who you are, and His grace is in abundance. And He will bless your faithfulness and your dedication to Him, but not always in the way you think, but in the way He knows is best. Beware of religion and doing things for Him because you think it will please Him. Rather follow the leading of the Spirit in your life and do what He tells you to do, not what you think is best.

Father please forgive us for thinking that doing good things for You is the way to win Your heart. Loving You is the most important thing, more important than doing things for You. Lead us where we need to work for You, but help us also to have the wisdom to know Your Voice. Thank you that we can know that You love us, no matter what. In Jesus Name. Amen

Last week we spoke about how Balak, the king of the Moabites, wanted Balaam, a sorcerer, to come and curse the Israelites in the hope of defeating them in battle, but God told Balaam no. He cannot curse those that God has blessed. But the lure of money was too tempting for Balaam and he decided to go to King Balak, in the hope that he can still 'twist God's arm' on the way and curse them. God was furious with Balaam and He sent the angel of the Lord to stop him from going. But on the way to Balak something strange happened. Now as it turned out, Balaam's donkey saw the angel standing in the road with his sword drawn to kill Balaam. The donkey tried to prevent it from happening and bolted off the road into the field. Balaam didn't know what was happening and was very angry at his wayward donkey. He beat his donkey to return to the road, which it subsequently did. But this incident didn't deter the angel. He went to stand further down the road where it narrowed. This time the donkey squeezed past the angel, crushing Balaam's foot in the process. Needless to say he was furious yet again. Then the angel moved even further down the road where the road was so narrow there was no escape this time. This time the donkey simply lay down and refused to move any further. Balaam was beside himself with rage at the turn of events and beat the donkey very hard this time. And then something strange happened, the Lord caused the donkey to speak:

"What have I done to you that deserves your beating me these three times?" It asked Balaam. "Because you have made me look like a fool!" Balaam shouted. "If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!" But I am the same donkey you always ride on," the donkey answered. "Have I ever done anything like this before?" "No," he admitted. Then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam fell face down on the ground before him." Numbers 22:28-31

Wow, that must have been quite something to see. A donkey that can speak, saving his master from certain death! It just shows you how God can use anyone, anywhere, even a speaking donkey.

Today I think this real life story illustrates two things to us. Number one, there are many things going on in the spiritual realm that we cannot see. The things we cannot see is just as real, even more real than the things that we do see. God is constantly at work in our lives. Either disciplining us like Balaam here, or protecting us from evil onslaughts or leading us away from the wrong paths unto the right paths. But you can be assured that God is constantly at work in your life, even if you cannot see it in the natural. I think the amount of activities going on in the supernatural would astound us if we were able to see it.

Number two, God can use anyone, literally anyone. So think before you lash out at someone like Balaam did, maybe God is in fact using them to protect and help you. Balaam's pride was hurt by the actions of his donkey and that is why he reacted so severely, but he later realized that it was so unnecessary. We can learn from it and should stop to think before we act. Maybe God wants to help you in the situation. For example someone might be driving very slowly in front of you on your way to work, but because you drove so slowly you missed the accident a few blocks down the line. Who knows. Be patient and see your life in God's hands. And know that He can use you too. Maybe next time, you are the one protecting others from getting hurt.

Father, thank you very much that You are in control. Thank you for leading and guiding us. Help us to be patient with Your leading and with those people you use. We know that You know best. Amen

The Israelites had conquered the Amorites and they had conquered King Og of Bashan. They were on a winning streak and it felt good to be making some progress beyond their wilderness existence. They camped east of the Jordan river and King Balak of the Moabites were terrified when he saw them. They were as many as the sand on the sea shore and he had heard what they had done to the Amorites and King Og and he was scared out of his wits. And the first thing he did was to run to a sorcerer, Balaam. Balaam was famous for the fact that those people that he blessed seemed to be blessed and people that he cursed seemed to be cursed. And now Balak wanted Balaam to come and curse the Israelites on his behalf in the hope that it would work. He sent his officials to Balaam with money to try and persuade him to come and curse the Israelites. Balaam was flattered by the offer and told them that they should sleep over so that he can hear from God. God did in fact appear to Balaam that night and told him not to curse the Israelites, as He had already blessed them.  Balaam informed the officials of what God had said and they then returned to Balak with the bad news.

But Balak didn't let that deter him. He sent even more distinguished officials and promised even more money if Balaam would just come and curse them. Now instead of telling them to leave as God had already told him to, he was flattered by the distinguished officials and the lure of money and told them that he would ask God once again in the hope that He would change His mind. He was in fact basically telling them that he would try and 'twist God's arm'. Now of course God doesn't allow anyone to 'twist His arm' on matters and He was displeased with Balaam for allowing the lure of money to entice him to sin.

And today we must also stand strong against the lure of money. It is so easy today to twist God's Word to mean something totally different than what it meant to say, in order to gain popularity and to make some money in the process too. Many use the Bible to justify their actions. Popular opinion and the selling of books have become a big industry for Christian leaders too, especially in America. Unpopular, though biblical, opinions are not voiced and not penned down in the fear of losing wealthy members in their congregation and out of fear that their book sales will decline. God's Word is not to be twisted. Sin is always wrong, no matter what it is and to try and rationalize it in order to be 'in' with popular opinions is not God's way. God's way may not always be the popular route, in fact, it is mostly the difficult route to take. But we shouldn't be like Balaam who sold his soul for status and money (2 Peter 2:15). We should stay on the right path and should take a stand for what is right.

Money and status is the name of the game in our society today. But God is not impressed with it. What counts for Him is what we do on this earth to promote His Kingdom. His Kingdom will last forever and the effect we have on it now, will last forever too. Our reward is there. We are royalties, citizens of the new Jerusalem to come and we shouldn't jeopardize that for the fleeting pleasures of this world.

Father please help us not to be like Balaam. He fell for the lure of money. Help us to look past the alluring wealth of this world towards our true treasures that lie with You. Amen

The Israelites were on their way to their Promised Land. They came to the border of the land of the Amorites. They asked politely once again to pass through their land without making even a dent, but they were once again denied access. However this time they were not only rudely denied entry, they were attacked by the king of the Amorites, King Sihon. This time they had no choice but to engage in battle. And God was with them. They defeated the Amorites and captured all their towns and settled there. Next on the list was King Og of Bashan. Now King Og was a force to be reckoned with. He was the last of the feared giants named, Rephaites. His iron bed was more than thirteen feet long and six feet wide. He had sixty fortified cities in his kingdom, with high walls and barred gates. But God comforted them and said:

"Do not be afraid of him, for I will give you victory over Og and his entire army, giving you all of his land. You will do the same to him as you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon." Numbers 21:34

Now it is interesting to note, that this was exactly the kind of enemy that the spies feared when they went to spy out the Promised Land. They said that they won't be able to enter the land, because there were giants living there in fortified cities, impossible to breach. And yet, this time the Israelites didn't murmur and complain. They had learned their lesson. They trusted God for the outcome and attacked King Og without any doubt and without dwelling on the past. And they were victorious! Not a single survivor remained. God was with them.

We need to learn from this. We need to learn not to dwell on the past like the Israelites did. They didn't fret about the past and they didn't dwell on their past mistakes. They learned from it and moved on and obtained victory. We need to use our past also as a good learning school and move on. We need to let the past go and we need to trust God with our future. Simply learn what needs to be learned and move on.

God helped the Israelites. If you think about it, they never had any military training. They were never trained on how to attack and conquer a fortified city. They were slaves all their lives and further wandered aimlessly through the wilderness, but God was with them and that was enough. When God tells you to do something, don't think about how unqualified you are and how you messed up in the past. No, keep your focus on the task at hand, give it your best shot and watch how God will help you in your weaknesses. Because if He says He will help you, He will. Trust Him and not your own abilities and witness the victory in your life.

Father thank you that we can know that we are never alone. Thank you that You are always there for us. Help us to follow in Your ways and to stand up for what we believe to be true. Help us in our weaknesses and aid us in our walk with You. In Jesus' name. Amen

Easter is a special time of year for all. Not only Christian celebrates it, but in fact the whole world comes to a standstill. Of course they do it for different reasons; they enjoy an Easter egg hunt or two and love the break they get from work. But for us as Christians it is a very special time as it commemorates Jesus' death and resurrection.

This Easter reminded me of one thing in particular again. It reminded me that Jesus came to give us a new beginning. It was His whole purpose in coming, God the Father wanted to start anew with each one of us. We are all sinners, doomed to die. Not one of us is righteous enough to be able to enter into God's presence on our own. We have been separated from Him, because of our sins. He is holy, righteous and true and cannot have sinful people in His presence. A curtain separated us, it kept us apart, and it was not what God had in mind when He created Adam and Eve. He wanted fellowship with them, He wanted to walk with them, talk with them and share in their lives. But alas it was not to be.

And now Jesus came. He took our sinful natures and crucified it on the cross. He alienated us from our sinful selves and in its place gave us a new beginning. We were given the privilege of being born again. The moment we accept Jesus in our lives a new person are born inside of us. There are so many beautiful Scriptures about this, but I just want to share a few with you today.

"You have died with Christ, and He has set you free from the evil powers of this world." Colossians 2:20

"You have been raised to new life with Christ." Colossians 3:1

"...you are a new person, created in God's likeness - righteous, holy and true." Ephesians 4:24

"...those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!" 2 Corinthians 5:17

We are new. Jesus died so that our sinful natures can make way for the new. What wonderful news! We are new and because we are, we can enter into the presence of God, we can fellowship with Him, we can bring our requests to Him, and we have the privilege of calling Him Father. None of the Old Testament believers had this privilege, only the High Priest once a year on the Day of Atonement. How honoured we are to have this bestowed upon us. And not because we are wonderful, but because Jesus suffered for our sakes.

Yet it is sad to notice that we often take this honour for granted. A number of us don't make the time to enter into His presence. We rush around frantically in this life and are too tired at night to make a real effort to spend time at His feet. I think we have become so used to this honour, that we take it lightly sometimes. My wish for you all and myself included is that we stand in awe again of Who He is. We need to be so grateful that we can enter into His presence and spend time with Him, that we make sure that we do. The wonder of the new creation needs to pulsate within us all. Stand in wonder of the fantastic plan of God. He created us anew so that we can be holy and blameless before Him. He created us anew because He longs to spend time with us, longs to hear our voice, longs to hold us in His arms.

Get up on Friday morning and praise His Name that you are a new creation. Praise Him for His favour and for counting you worthy enough and make a renewed commitment to spend quality time with Him. Nothing in the world is more important than that. Enjoy the time with Him, it is priceless and life changing.

Dearest Father, thank you so much for sending Jesus to take our sins away and to make way for the new creation within us all. Thank you so much for the gift of Your Holy Spirit too. We are so grateful for all that You have done. We praise Your Name and exalt You on high. We want to spend more time with You and to make You the first priority in our lives. Please help us in this regard and give us the strength to say 'no' to activities that take Your place in our lives. We want to give You the number one spot once again. We love You. Amen