Thursday, February 9, 2012

Free Will Offering


King James Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message TitleFree Will Offering
Date: Thursday February 09, 2012Today's ChaptersNumbers 7

Hello My Friend,

We will all stand before Christ one day and one of two things will happen, Jesus will say, “
Well done, thougood and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” - Matthew 25:21, and you will join Him in His Kingdom. Or He will say, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” - Matthew 25:41b, and you will be cast into the lake of fire. “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” - Revelation 20:12-15.

As Christians we truly have no idea how blessed we are, I do not think we fully understand how merciful God is until we get into a situation where we are dependent solely on God. Every day that goes by I feel wretched and unworthy to even be in His presence let alone to know that I am still forgiven and have escaped hell through my faith in Christ alone. Let me tell you, the closer you get to Jesus the more wretched you feel and truly understand what He did to save you. The best thing any of us can do to thank God for what He did is to offer ourselves to Him. “
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” - Romans 12:1,2.The Tabernacle was all set up, the people were told what they needed to do, the time had finally come for the Jews to be able to show God how dedicated they were to Him by giving the offerings God explained. After Moses sanctified the Tabernacle prince of each of the twelve tribes stood before the tent with their offerings and every day for twelve days the same offering was offered. “And it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up the tabernacle, and had anointed it, and sanctified it, and all the instruments thereof, both the altar and all the vessels thereof, and had anointed them, and sanctified them; That the princes of Israel, heads of the house of their fathers, who were the princes of the tribes, and were over them that were numbered, offered: And they brought their offering before the LORD, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen; a wagon for two of the princes, and for each one an ox: and they brought them before the tabernacle. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take it of them, that they may be to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and thou shalt give them unto the Levites, to every man according to his service.” - Numbers 7:1-5.

One by one, each prince brought their offerings to be presented before God, cheerfully and of their own free will. God loves a cheerful giver, He delights in seeing His people acknowledging Him, seeking forgiveness, and giving thanks to Him for all He has done for them. “
But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:” - 2 Corinthians 9:6-8.

Now, God knows that we are not going to be cheerful all the time, and that we are even going to be a little slothful from time to time, He accepts that, in fact, He will even tell us when we are overdoing things and need to rest. Yet, even when we are not cheerful we can give ourselves completely to Him, in fact, God will bless us even more for pressing forward through the trying times in our lives. “
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.” - 1 Peter 4:12-14.

After the princes presented their offerings, Moses presented them to God on their behalf. “
This was the dedication of the altar, in the day when it was anointed, by the princes of Israel: twelve chargers of silver, twelve silver bowls, twelve spoons of gold: Each charger of silver weighing an hundred and thirty shekels, each bowl seventy: all the silver vessels weighed two thousand and four hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary: The golden spoons were twelve, full of incense, weighing ten shekels apiece, after the shekel of the sanctuary: all the gold of the spoons was an hundred and twenty shekels. All the oxen for the burnt offering were twelve bullocks, the rams twelve, the lambs of the first year twelve, with their meat offering: and the kids of the goats for sin offering twelve. And all the oxen for the sacrifice of the peace offerings were twenty and four bullocks, the rams sixty, the he goats sixty, the lambs of the first year sixty. This was the dedication of the altar, after that it was anointed.” - Numbers 7:84-88.

Moses was the mediator, the middleman, the one who presented the offerings before God, in a sense he was like a lawyer defending his client. He stood before God, the judge, presented his case, all the evidence, and pleaded before his clients life to be spared. If the judge saw that the offering was sincere He pardoned that man or woman for the sake of the one pleading for their lives. Today, Jesus is our mediator, He presents our case before God and pleads with Him for us, all we have to do to be spared is ask Him to save us. “
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” - 1 Timothy 2:3-6.

God knows our hearts and whether or not we are wholeheartedly devoted to Him or really have no interest in Him. Count it a blessing that even if you are not wholeheartedly devoted to Him Jesus wholeheartedly devoted Himself to you by giving His life for you. You only have to go before Him once and you are pardoned forever. Even if you never do anything ever again for Him you are saved, but just imagine the blessings you will receive not only here on earth, but up in heaven when you get there simply by giving some of your time to Him. Jesus said, “
He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” - Revelation 22:11-14.Today's Psalm: 32:5 - “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
Today's Proverb: 23:26 - “My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.
Today's Prayer: God, I offer myself freely to You. May my actions not be based on man’s changing words or the standards of my brothers and sisters, for I know we are frail and subject to faulty thinking. I want the standards of Your unchanging, living Word to be an anchor for my soul judging the thoughts and attitudes of my heart so that I will keep moving forward in my Savior Jesus Christ. Help me to be watchful for those who are veering off course so that I can encourage them in the faith and be prayerful for their wandering souls. In Jesus' name. Amen. 
Enjoy the rest of your day/night. God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going To Heaven? You Can Be. Visit: God's Price
Missed A Devotional? VisitThe King James Bible Study Blog
Subscribe To This Devotional Through Google GroupsKing James Bible StudyVisit The Official Site Of: I'm Following Jesus
Like Us On FacebookI'm Following Jesus

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.