Priest to meet you (1)

Back in Old Testament days, priests were employed by God to keep the connection between himself and his people as open and healthy as possible. Within the temple's courts, the priests met, and ministered to, people who'd come to worship. Inside the Holy Place of the temple, priests would worship God in front of a special lampstand that filled the room with light (Exodus 27:20-21). Only once a year, the High Priest would go behind the curtain on his own into the place where God's presence literally resided, the 'Holy of Holies' (2 Chronicles 7:1-3). This was where the presence of God was so powerful that priests would fear for their lives.

Amazingly, God tore that very curtain in two when Jesus died on the cross (see Matthew 27:51). This means we can now all stand in God's presence, because of Jesus. Also amazing is that Jesus' sacrifice turns us into 'a Kingdom of priests for our God' (Revelation 5:10 NLT).

So God wants us to be serving people as his representatives, and he wants us to spend dedicated time filling our lives with the light of his word (= read our Bible and ask him to shine light on who he is). And, crucially, he wants us to come to him, ask him for his presence, and bask in the most perfect light for our lives: him.



So what now? Make time this week to spend time in God's presence, just being with him. Then go out into the world and serve people for him.





— SCRIPTURE —

'[You] have made us kings and priests to our God.' Revelation 5:10 NKJV
— SOULFOOD —

Acts 1:1-3:10, Matt 2:1-12, Ps 127, Pro 10:19-21