Sept 18 THE GOLDEN INCENSE ALTAR:HEAVENLY PRAYER
LIFE WITH JESUS IS HEAVEN ON EARTH.
YOU’RE A WALKING MIRACLE.
A Verse to Remember:
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, …Ephesians 2:6
Gospel Story: Jesus How do we pray? Like 11:1-13
Today’s Scripture: Hebrews 9:11-15
11 So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come.He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. 12 With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.
13 Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. 14 Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds[f] so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. 15 That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.
Reflection:
The Golden incense Altar reflects the mystery of prayer. Prayer connects us with Heaven. The Book of Revelation supports this idea.. In heaven, we are told, the Golden Bowls of Incense, “are the prayers of the people” (Rev 5:8). The Psalmist reflects this point too, “let my prayers be counted as incense before you,” Ps (141:2). Even the words of the Lord’s Prayer convey the profound reality that when we prayer to “Our Father in Heaven”, heaven and earth connect. Words seem incapable of capturing the power of prayer in the Spirit. May I never loose sight of the profound gift Jesus has allowed me to have with God. Prayer, my conversations with God, is a Heavenly thing.
So often Heaven is associated with things being perfect and without pain, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” Revelation 21:4. But we forget that the very thing that makes those things all disappear is a life totally absorbed in and by the presence of God. The Kingdom of God is “near you now” Luke 10:9 Jesus says.
Two years before settling in town God revealed that our family would move to Drayton. A mission team member sees a baby they will meet and hold and pray for in Peru months before the trip. Christian martyrs from the past would know when to stop running from their pursuers for their time to die for Christ had come. Children have had Holy Spirit revelations of siblings in Heaven unaware of mom’s miscarriage or pregnancy. God continually meets with us as we meet with the challenges, joys and hardships that come with doing life on earth. How privileged are we to be able to daily experience the very real presence and reign of God daily. His Presence is the very thing that makes heaven so glorious. And we get a taste of that while on earth. Come on!!!!!!
To personally have access to the presence of God, not just once a year but daily, may we never loose the wonder. With faith in Jesus we are a walking miracle. The old way has past and the new has come. Let’s help our kids develop a wonderful, powerful, relationship with God, now and forever. Their time spent in God’s presence, prayer not just to God but with God, is a Heavenly thing. It’s Spirit and Truth-real worship and devotion—a life of prayer—time in God’s Presence.