for the LORD our God is He who brought us and
our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and who did
these great signs in our sight and preserved us through all the way in which we
went and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed. "The LORD drove out from before us all
the peoples, even the Amorites who lived in the land. We also will serve the LORD,
for He is our God."
Insights: These Israelites in today’s
verses began to recall various Ebenezer’s from their past regarding God’s
activity in their lives. Ebenezer’s are
spiritual markers we can point back to and say, “I remember when . . . .” There may have been a time you were
financially desperate and God revealed Himself to you as Jehovah-Jirah, the
Lord God our Provider. Or there may have
been a time you were experiencing great stress and God revealed Himself to you
as Jehovah-Shalom, the Lord God our Peace.
It is good for us to remember these times and encounters with God. As I state this truth about remembrance, it
is also true we are not to remember for the sake of getting lost in the
past. In other words, we don’t remember
those past experiences to cripple us from moving toward the future. We use these Ebenezer’s as a way of giving us
strength to tackle new missions into which the Lord is leading us. For the next few days, I am going to take us
on an Ebenezer journey regarding Jesus.
The first remembrance about Him is He is our Savior. Titus 3:4-6 states, “But
when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us,
not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own
mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he
poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior (ESV).” Notice in Paul’s words, JESUS saved us. We did not save ourselves. Our righteous acts did nothing for us. Salvation was granted purely because of the
mercy of Jesus. It was out of His
goodness and loving kindness that salvation was extended to us. As a result Jesus is our Savior. We go through this world so often and take
this truth for granted. O, Beloved, may
we never take for granted the gift of eternal life found in Jesus alone. May we always strive to express gratitude for
His grace. Remember Jesus!
Questions:
- What are some of the Ebenezer’s in your life?
- Do they give you the comfort and strength necessary to press on to the task God has called you?
Prayer: Gracious Father, thank You for the many times You have displayed
Your presence and power in my life.
Those encounters give me the confidence and assurance of Your involvement
in my life regarding the future. Thank
You for Your love. Amen.
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