“WELCOME” – GOD
Suggested Reading: Mark 15
(click scripture link to read online)
Here I placed my Bible, open to Mark chapter 15, on the actual paving stones that Jesus would have walked on while carrying His cross. Through the centuries the city has been built up over the road, but the original stones can be seen in the lower area of the Sisters of Sion convent.
GOOGLE MAPS – To see where Reynold took the photo, click HERE.
Key Verse: Mark 15:38
Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
In our readings over the next few weeks, we will visit the books of Exodus and Leviticus. The origins of the “veil” are in these books. The “veil” was a symbol of the separation between a holy, all-powerful God and His sinful, weak people. Entrance to the Holy of Holies was restricted to once a year, when the High Priest would go beyond the veil to make atonement for the sins of the people. When Jesus died, the veil was torn open from top to bottom – from God to man – by an act of God. As a result, we can “COME BOLDLY BEFORE THE THRONE OF GRACE” (Hebrews 4:16). The Holy of Holies stood open, an invitation to all to approach the Throne of God through the blood of Jesus which He, as our High Priest, sprinkled on the Mercy Seat in Heaven. Please find the time today to read Hebrews chapters 9 & 10. Our minds will be illuminated and our hearts moved by a greater understanding of what happened in Heaven at the moment Jesus died here on earth.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Dear Heavenly Father God, because of the torn veil, Jesus’ body, I come boldly into Your immediate Presence. Jesus’ death has made this possible. This is the greatest honour I could ever have. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! I’m not asking for anything. I’m filled with awe as I soak in Your Presence. Amen! and Amen!
100 PERSONAL WORDS:
The photograph for today of “Gabatha,” the paving stones which formed the floor of the Roman Governor’s court yard, bring a special memory to me. Norma-Jean and I first walked on these stones in 1968. Our guide for the convent was a Nun who was quite cold and distant. The next time we came, the same Sister was radiant and began to sing while standing on those stones, “He is Lord. He is Lord. He is risen from the dead and He is Lord.” I said to her, “What has happened to you? The last time we were here you were very formal, but you’ve changed.” She replied, “Oh, I know Him now.” There was a charismatic prayer meeting weekly for those who lived on the Via Dolorosa, and she had been born again and baptized with the Holy Spirit, speaking in other tongues as the Holy Spirit gave her utterance (John 3:3 & 5 and Acts 2:4). An encounter with the Holy Spirit changes everything.
Yours for living in the immediate Presence of God,
David
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Today’s picture struck me. Imagine, Jesus walked on these very stones! Isn’t it awesome that we serve a living Jesus who once walked among us and not some mythical creation of man? The theme of rocks and stones figure prominently in scripture. I found a scripture that I thought was in keeping with today’s picture theme, it’s taken from the 1 Peter 2:4 of the New Century Version of the Bible. “Come to the Lord Jesus, the “stone” that lives. The people of the world did not want this stone, but he was the stone that God chose, and he was precious.” AMEN!
The nun in today’s blog reminds me again that there is a difference between knowledge and experience. I have many relatives overseas whom I have never met. Although I am related to them, and know things about them, I have no emotional connection to them because feel like strangers rather than family because I have not experience them in my life. Likewise, some Christians know about Jesus, know they are connected to Him in some way, but they have not experience Him personally. For those Christians, like this nun, Jesus was merely a relative she hadn’t met yet, but when she did, He became family in every sense of the word.
Hebrews 9 & 10 are powerful readings, timeless in style and so relevant to Mark 15. Hebrews 9:16-17 talks about a Will, enforced only when somebody has died, not when they are living. A New Covenant, a promise for eternal inheritance … Christ’s sacrifice, once, for all!
Yes, Hebrews 9 and 10 really spoke to me and I wrote down in my journal which i started on July 19 because the Lord was speaking to me in so many different ways that I wanted and needed to keep track of it. I must say I have so blessed already by doing this. One verse in Hebrews 1o really spoke to me today. It says that we need to hold fast to our confession of our hope without wavering for You who promised is faithful.(23) It also spoke to me about Jesus’ soon and coming return which David wrote about yesterday. We must keep the faith and keep going forward for Him and this blog is helping me to do this. Thanks be to God for David doing this for us.
Yes, I totally agree!
Our Redemmer Lives and He is Lord…..
Thank you God for the torn veil from Top to Bottom….From you to us
Thank you Jesus for the Blood you shed so we could come into the court with Praise & Thanksgiving…asking for nothing but to Seek your Face……
Love that can not be measured….Keeps on Giving…His Grace, How Blessed we are….. He is Enough……
David have a wonderful day…….
so awesome seeing these stones and visualizing Jesus walking on them.
The story of the nun makes me think of the difference in head knowledge and heart knowing. Thank you David and Reynold for sharing these things with us.
all I can say is FANTASTIC! The Holy Spirit’s work in our lives makes all the difference! Praise Him!!!
Thankyou