Walk in the Word with Dr. James MacDonald
“Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.’” – Revelation 11:1-2
God has made a commitment to protect His people. Nothing will thwart that. Now that’s good news. It’s a great thought to keep in mind when you are listening to all the bad news that’s out there!
This word measure in Revelation 11:1 isn’t about God finding out how big the temple is. God knows how big it is. That term measure is also used in Ezekiel 40 through 48. An angel there measured the temple with a ten-foot rod. It pictures God’s intent to establish and protect His people. “Measure it” is a way of saying “All right. This is what belongs to Me. These are My people. This is what’s on My heart.” God was instructing John to mark the people under God’s protection.
Revelation 11:1 also says, “…but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out…”. In other words, God’s not going to protect the heathen; God’s going to protect His own people – the people within the household of faith. “…For it is given over to the nations and they will trample…” it. They will desecrate it.
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“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”
James 5:16 (New International Version)
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
Today God Is First by Os Hillman
“And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” – Matthew 5:36-37
Imagine for a moment that you are living in Jesus’ time. It is before Jesus has begun His public ministry. He is a carpenter in your local town of Nazareth. You have asked Jesus to make a table for you. You’re on a deadline and you must have it in a week. You agree on the price of $100 for the table and the date of one week for completion. A week later you arrive to pick up the table. You lay your money down on the table and Jesus says, “Mr. Johnson, I am sorry but the table is not ready. I ran into complications. Also, I can no longer honor the price I gave you. It is now $150 instead of $100.”
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Lord, make me to know my end and [to appreciate] the measure of my days–what it is; let me know and realize how frail I am [how transient is my stay here].
Behold, You have made my days as [short as] handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing in Your sight. Truly every man at his best is merely a breath! Selah [pause, and think calmly of that]!
Surely every man walks to and fro–like a shadow in a pantomime; surely for futility and emptiness he is in turmoil; each one heaps up riches, not knowing who will gather them.
And now, Lord, what do I wait for and expect? My hope and expectation are in You.
Deliver me from all my transgressions; make me not the scorn and reproach of the [self-confident] fool!
This is a devotional excerpt by Pastor James McDonald. I read this a while back and I’ve found myself going back to it and re-reading it about once a month or so. Hopefully it means something to you as well …
Here are four truths that can act like a spiritual compass, to help us when we feel lost or perplexed.
First: God always has a plan. He is not surprised about anything. He has never paced the floor. He is in complete control, with His feet up. You can rest in the knowledge that God has a plan.
Second: God’s timing is always perfect in life. He has never been late; He has never been early; He is always right on time. Now we don’t see God’s perfect timing when we are in the midst of it, because our sense of timing is right now. But I’m sure you can think of numerous stories from days gone by that show how God’s timing has been perfect in your life.
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