May 18, 2006 - I Chronicles 4-6 and John 6:1-21
As we continue reading in the genealogies of I Chronicles, we come to the prayer of Jabez. I wonder why the Holy Spirit decided to drop it into the middle of all of these names? Could it be that only the diligent Bible student would find it here? Could it be a special treasure for those who read the whole counsel of God? Whatever the reason for its location here, it has been a great blessing to me as I have meditated on this prayer and prayed it over and over. I have seen God honor the sincere desire of the heart expressed in these words. I hope you will find a blessing here, too.
The rest of the passage gives us insights into Jesus' family, the tribe of Judah, as well as several other tribes. Then, we come to the family tree of the tribe of Levi. God chose the family of Levi to do His service in the Temple. It was not as simple as just doing sacrifices, even though that was the main activity. There was much work to be done, and there was much worship to be promoted. I believe that is why God set aside the musicians to work in His house. Music promotes worship. It is not worship in and of itself, but it leads our hearts to praise the Lord and to glorify Him in a way that is unique. God desires our worship, so He appointed musicians for His service. Today, all believers are priests. What is your job in God's house? Are you up in the front or behind the scenes? Are you a musician? Are you a prayer warrior? We must all find our appointed place and fulfill our service or something will be left out. It is not what we want to do, but what God has gifted us to do in His sovereign will. We will never be fulfilled in life until we fulfill our ministry to the Lord.
John 6 records the feeding of the 5,000 plus people on the mountain side. Most of the time we emphasize the great miracle, which is good. However, did you notice that in John's account his emphasis is different? He wants us to see that the whole thing was a test for the disciples to see how much faith they had. Jesus knew their faith level, but He wanted them to see their lack of faith, or their small amount of faith. That is why there were 12 baskets of left overs. That is why He came walking on the water later. He was trying to stir them up to have more faith. How about you? How is your faith level? Has Jesus given you any tests lately? I am sure He has, but you may have missed them. I pray that we will all realize that Jesus desires for our faith to increase continually until we are with Him in heaven and our faith is complete.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Chronicles 7-9 and John 6:22-44.
The rest of the passage gives us insights into Jesus' family, the tribe of Judah, as well as several other tribes. Then, we come to the family tree of the tribe of Levi. God chose the family of Levi to do His service in the Temple. It was not as simple as just doing sacrifices, even though that was the main activity. There was much work to be done, and there was much worship to be promoted. I believe that is why God set aside the musicians to work in His house. Music promotes worship. It is not worship in and of itself, but it leads our hearts to praise the Lord and to glorify Him in a way that is unique. God desires our worship, so He appointed musicians for His service. Today, all believers are priests. What is your job in God's house? Are you up in the front or behind the scenes? Are you a musician? Are you a prayer warrior? We must all find our appointed place and fulfill our service or something will be left out. It is not what we want to do, but what God has gifted us to do in His sovereign will. We will never be fulfilled in life until we fulfill our ministry to the Lord.
John 6 records the feeding of the 5,000 plus people on the mountain side. Most of the time we emphasize the great miracle, which is good. However, did you notice that in John's account his emphasis is different? He wants us to see that the whole thing was a test for the disciples to see how much faith they had. Jesus knew their faith level, but He wanted them to see their lack of faith, or their small amount of faith. That is why there were 12 baskets of left overs. That is why He came walking on the water later. He was trying to stir them up to have more faith. How about you? How is your faith level? Has Jesus given you any tests lately? I am sure He has, but you may have missed them. I pray that we will all realize that Jesus desires for our faith to increase continually until we are with Him in heaven and our faith is complete.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Chronicles 7-9 and John 6:22-44.