Skip to main content

The Altar is broken down

Elijah repaired the Altar of the Lord before offering the sacrifices.

What a joy it would have been to the Lord. After a long time, He is receiving the rightful worship. Amidst all the jargon and beating around the bush and shouting and crying, He should be now stooping down to Elijah after the correct preparation. God would want to listen to what Elijah was about to say.
Setting up the Altar is the rate limitting step in worship and prayer. I was thinking what is the Altar in our lives? Does it denote a particular place of worship, a destined place where you sit everyday to talk to Him? Does it denote a rightful attitude of awe and reverence as you worship? Does it denote repentance and reinstating with God, before submitting your supplications? Does it denote church (both the monument and the body of Christ)?
All these are really important. That is when my wife asked me: "What happens in the Altar?" (As we all agree; The wife is always right)
This triggered a thought process in me. What happens on the Altar is of utmost importance in Jewish worship. Sacrifice for the penalty of sin. That is the key to all of your worship and praise and prayers that are to be answered.
As we approach a holy God, sin has to be dealt within us. Within our hearts. Pardon for sin is the initiating act of worship. That is why Elijah repaired the Altar before worship or asking God to answer.
But for us, the broken down altar has been permanently restored right? The cross, has for life, dealt with my sin. But how often do I remember the Saviour dying on the cross instead of me?
Let me ask something. It is directed to me all the more. Within the past 24 hours, how often have we remembered the act on the cross? We are busy with submitting our supplications with praise and thanksgiving even worshipping and praising Him with songs, before repairing the Altar. Remembering the sacrifice that Jesus paid on the cross is the repairing that He desires. In our busyness, in our running around, we tend to forget what our Saviour has done. The essence of it all we tend to forget. Let us repair.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Christ in me

Now as always. Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or death. Phil:1:20 As long as Christ lives in me; as long as I proclaim to be a child of God - it is Christ who will be exalted in me. Do not try to claim the praises to yourself. Weak as I am, I am able to do the things that I do through Christ who strengthens me. Secondly through my life, do I exalt Christ or do I defame Him? With selfish ambitions, through marred motives. This is a privilege as well as a warning. A responsibility as well as an admonition. An honour as well as a caution. It is a prayer as well. Because of the reality that I can do nothing out of my own but only through Christ who lives in me. And I would reflect Christ alone. I am unable to do with right motives and this helpless realisation would bring me to repentance humbling myself. That I will be equipped to give Him the glory. Why do I seek glory when I deserved nothing? When I did absolutely nothing? Image credit: https://eubieblog....

Be a man.

1 Cor:16:13 Be on the alert, stand firm in faith; act like men; be strong. Watch out. Look out. Be on the alert. Stand firm in faith. That is what men do. Be strong. Stay strong. Dwindling in your trust in God is what children do. Act like the man you are. Be a man. Stay strong on your faith. No matter what happens, hold fast to your God. That is mature faith. Do not let go to fear or anxiety. Be strong. Faith is trusting God, the Father despite what the circumstances look like. Knowing fully that He is in control. That He will take care and thats enough. He is enough. Image credit; https://www.freepik.com/premium-photo/hand-holding-fist-symbol-determination_139829368.htm

Worthy

Phil:1:27 Whatever happens conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Live a life that is worthy of the precious gospel you have received. Live your life with love, with peace, with joy, with kindness, with humility - as you have received a treasure. Reflecting the One who called you. Why are you downcast O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God For I will yet praise Him My Saviour and my God. Ps:42:11 Worrying and fretting is not living a life worthy of the gospel. Where is the smile? Where is the excitement that you are expected to have because of the gospel.  He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Phil:1:6. He has got it in control. He has got the whole world in His hands. So when disturbing thoughts come (for they will come for sure), I will focus on His beautiful face, my Saviour who loved me and think of the ways He had led me this far. How from the fiery hell He has save...

Finishing line

Phil:3:13-14 Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead. I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. What is past is past. You can't change it. But you can course correct. Brooding over your past mistakes; regretting over your past sins will never take you anywhere. When the Holy Spirit convinces you, correct your track and look forward and run in the right direction. Press on towards the goal. The goal is not to win the prize. But to finish the race well. Your job is to set your eyes on the finishing line and finish the race. It is God's job to give the prize. Why do athletes still run, even after they know somebody else has already won the prize. The goal is to finish the race, even if they have pulled a muscle or tore a ligament, their country has sent them to finish the race. They cannot say, if Bolt is there, there is no point in me contesting, and so I quit. Do not look at others as yo...

Pray

Eph:6:18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. And pray for me too. This is like summing up of all that Paul had to tell them. Guys. Just pray. In the Spirit.  Rom:8:26. And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying. For the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will. To pray in the Spirit is to agree and acknowledge what the Holy Spirit would pray for you. We do not know what we should pray for ourselves. But the Spirit in us pleads for us and the Father knows what the Spirit is saying. It is like, you pray through the filter of the Holy Spirit. In the Holy Spirit, you pray. At all times and in every occasion. It is the helplessness that will lead you ...

Garbage

Phil:3:8 Yes everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord. For His sake I have discarded everything else counting it all garbage, so that I could gain Christ. How do you value knowing the unending Christ? When you were saved, your eyes were opened. Praise the Lord for the revelation. That was life changing and precious. But after that? How have you grown in the knowledge of Him? What excites you most in this life? Everything else is garbage in comparison to knowing God? Is it really? And how do you know God unless you spend time with Him? What is your sole desire? V:10. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. What is your ambition? What is your utmost desire? Then what do you do about it? Yes it is grace. Even to desire Him.  Lord my efforts would lead me nowhere, I admit. Show mercy upon me. That I would desire for you. That I may know you in a deeper way Image courtesy: ...

Family

Eph:5:22 - 6:4 Wives submit to your husbands as the church submitted to Christ. Husband's love your wives as Christ loved the church.  Children obey your parents in the Lord  Father's, do not exasperate your children. Unless God is in the centre of your family. There is no hope. You can do all these things without being Christ centred. You can be good parents, good husbands, good wives and good children. But to reach the fullness of the purpose of your life, Christ has to be in the center of all relationships. Pray. Obey the word precisely. Teach and discuss God's word. Family prayer. Family Bible studies. Without these you can definitely be a good family. But will not be the epitome that God has planned. Image courtesy; https://www.shutterstock.com/video/search/family-five-silhouette