‭‭Psalms‬ ‭100‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

‭‭This week we have been sharing worship songs that have Old Testament meaning. In reading Leviticus through the Bible Recap I realized that God first sacrificed animals in Genesis to clothe Adam and Eve. The blood is an atonement for our sins. This practice continues through Exodus and we read in ‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — The priest shall then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense that is before the Lord in the tent of meeting. The rest of the bull’s blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

The Apostle Paul instructs us that without these ritual offerings there is no forgiveness of sins as we read in ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭9‬:‭22‬ ‭NIV — In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.‬‬

Take a moment to think about the blood of Jesus atoning for our sins and how every day we are able to enter into the Holy of Holies as you listen to Take Me In by Kutless. Some of the lyrics sing, “Into the holy place past the brazen altar. Lord, I want to see Your face. Pass me by the crowds of people and the priests who sing Your praise. I hunger and thirst for Your righteousness.”

Thankfully we live on this side of the cross. We don’t need to travel with a tabernacle and go before the mercy seat. We have the gift of the Holy Spirit living in each of us. 

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for sending Your son Jesus to die for my sins. I desire to enter Your gates with thanksgiving and praise. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

@biblegateway @youversion

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭25‬:‭17‬-‭22‬ ‭NIV — Make an atonement cover of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends. The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover. Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law that I will give you. There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.

‬This week we continue sharing worship songs that have Old Testament meaning. Today I will share about the Ark of the Covenant, where the mercy seat sits. The mercy seat is where God’s presence rests. The details are of such significance as the details are repeated in Exodus 37:6-9 NIV. It is also foreshadowed by the Apostle Paul in ‬‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭9‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.

Take a moment to listen to Mercy Seat by Kim Walker Smith. The Chorus sings, ”Back to the mercy seat, Lord, I am running, I’m running back to simplicity. You are enough for me.” As you sit in God’s presence today, bask in all His glory. Humbly remind yourself of His simplicity. Are you living as if God is enough for you? Are you running back to Him or towards worldly things? 

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for the simplicity of Your love. I humbly give You my heart and ask that You mold me towards Your perfect will for my life. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

@biblegateway @youversion

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭14‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

‭‭This week we have been sharing worship songs that have Old Testament meaning. Today I share how God delivered Moses and The Israelites out of Pharaoh’s captivity. Take a moment to listen to Pharoh, Let My People Go by Brandon Lake. Some of the lyrics sing, “My God is a God of freedom. Don’t underestimate His strength.” 

We have confidence in God, that through His strength we can do all things through Him. That includes God fighting our battles for us. In the chorus, Brandon sings to let the people go from fear, worry, shame, pain, depression, addiction, division, and the Devil. What battle are you facing? Take time to be still in God’s presence and let Him fight for you as well read in ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭14‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You that I can stand firm in the confidence that You know the battles I am facing. I surrender them to You and ask that You fight my battles for me. In the Name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

@biblegateway @youversion

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭49‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬ — Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. You are a lion’s cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.

‭‭This week we have been sharing worship songs that have Old Testament meaning. Today I want to highlight Judah, who is Joseph’s half brother. Judah’s widowed daughter-in-law, Tamar tricks Judah into sleeping with her. She conceives twin boys, the firstborn named Perez. Judah, Tamar, and Perez are in the lineage of Jesus. You can read about them, starting in Genesis 38. In today’s key verse, we read the familiar Name of God, The Lion of Judah, a powerful Name that comes from a story of brokenness. 

I encourage you to listen to the song, Lion by Elevation Worship, featuring Chris Brown and Brandon Lake. Some of the lyrics sing, “God of Jacob, Great I Am. King of angels, Son of Man. Voice of many waters. Song of Heaven’s throne. Louder than the thunder. Make Your Glory known.” Isn’t that powerful? Will you shine God’s glory through your brokenness? 

The Prophet Micah foreshadows the the lineage to Jesus in ‭‭Micah‬ ‭5‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.

We all have lion-sized hallelujah in our lungs. Let’s pray and worship through the song Gratitude by Brandon Lake.

@biblegateway @youversion

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭37‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him.

This week we will be sharing worship songs that have Old Testament meaning. Today I want to highlight the story of Joseph and his ornate robe known as the coat of many colors. Joseph was the son to Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel.  The robe symbolizes God’s love, grace, and how we are His favorite, chosen people. Just like Joseph’s robe was dipped in blood, Mark tells us Jesus wore a purple robe on His journey to the cross.

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭37‬:‭31‬ ‭NIV‬ — Then they got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.

‭‭Mark‬ ‭15‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him.

Take a moment to listen to The Coat Of Many Colors by Brandon Lake. Some of the lyrics sing, “Red was the blood that saved me. White was the light that pulled me from the dark. Gold was the crown You placed upon my head that showed me who You are. With mercy and grace, I’ve been embraced like no other. I  gave You my heart, You gave me a coat of many colors.”

Many of us have childhood memories of Dolly Parton’s, Coat Of Many Colors. Some of the lyrics sing, “Made only from rags But I wore it so proudly,” I was rich as I could be in my coat of many colors.”

We should all feel rich in God’s mercy, grace, and love. Are you proudly wearing the love of God for all to see His glory? 

Let’s pray. Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your mercy, grace, and love that You have so lavished on me. Help me to wear that love proudly for others to know You and Your glory. In the Name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

@biblegateway @youversion

In Matthew 6:16-18 NIV Jesus said — When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Join us on our YouTube Channel as we finish out the week on fasting.

The sermon mentioned in today’s video can be found at Oneplace.com. We encourage you to listen to “When You Fast” by Pastor, Philip Miller with Moody Church.

In is not a coincidence that Deborah just finished a week on fasting and Julie is starting a week on music and worship. A great way to tie those two weeks together is by listening to Dr. Mark Batterson with National Community Church serises on Beauty For Ashes as he preaches on Hard Fought Hallelujah.

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭14‬:‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

Join us for See You Saturday as we wrap up our week on sharing our blog story and what it means to be Waterwalkish.