Pastor Gary's OYB Devotion Archive for February 20

MOTIVES MATTER TO GOD

From: February 20, 2024

‘And Aaron said to Moses, “Behold, today they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord, and yet such things as these have happened to me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, would the Lord have approved?” And when Moses heard that, he approved’ (Leviticus 10:20 ESV).

At the very first worship service in the newly ordained Tabernacle, the Lord was so pleased that He caused His glory to appear, and sent fire that consumed the offering that Aaron had placed on the altar. The people let out a great shout at this display and fell on their faces in worship before the Lord.

However, it was at this time that two of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, drew attention to themselves, by offering their own fiery display. Not only was their activity “unauthorized,” it was distracting from God’s glory. Their motive for this wrong worship was not named, but the Lord’s response was revealing. For the same fire that went out from the Lord to consume the offering on the altar, now went out and “consumed” Nadab and Abihu.

Moses had the bodies of Aaron’s two sons removed from the Tabernacle. But Aaron and his other two sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, were told not to leave the sanctuary. For they had been anointed and clothed for the worship of the Lord and had to remain to finish. If they left, they too would die.

After a time, Moses inquired of the sin offering that Aaron and his sons were to have eaten in the holy place. When he saw that it was burned up and had not been eaten, he was angry and rebuked Aaron’s sons. But Aaron stepped in and defended them. For he questioned whether the Lord would really have wanted them to eat on the day that the deaths of his two sons had befallen him.

Moses approved his answer. And clearly, the Lord did too, for He did not act against Aaron and his remaining two sons. The Scripture does not explain why the Lord disciplined Aaron’s two older sons so severely for ad-libbing their own worship, while not responding at all to his two younger sons for failing to do that which was prescribed. Perhaps it was because the older sons were motivated by a desire to share in God’s glory, whereas the younger sons were distracted and overcome with grief.

We must be careful in our worship not to draw attention to ourselves and steal the Lord’s glory. For as the prophet Isaiah heard the Lord say, “I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another” (Isa.42:8).

PRAYER: Dear Father, we want to worship You wholeheartedly. Yet, our hearts must be purified by Your Spirit. Help us to offer our worship for Your approval alone, and not to be seen or appreciated by others. You know our motives even better than we do. For You look on the heart. Cleanse our hearts, so that we may worship You fully. In Jesus’ names, amen.

HOW BIG IS YOUR GOD?

From: February 20, 2023

‘The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”’ (Mark 4:41 NLT).

The disciples were afraid of the storm outside the boat until they awoke Jesus. Then, they feared the One inside the boat. We say that we believe and trust Jesus fully. Yet when life’s storms come, we discover the true measure of our faith. The disciples thought they knew the size of Jesus’ power, but it took a terrifying tempest to enlarge their understanding. Even the wind and waves obey Him!

PRAYER: Dear Father, teach us to trust You when life’s storms come. We lift our eyes to You rather than focusing on the storm. For we have learned that You are greater than the wind or the whirlwind. You are bigger than anything that comes against us. For You alone are God. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them” (Mark 5:20 NLT).

From: February 20, 2022

THE POWER OF ONE WITNESS

In the region of the Gerasenes, on the Eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus encountered a man who was beset by a “legion” of unclean spirits. He commanded them to leave and the man was restored to his right mind. Afterwards, the man wanted to go with Jesus, but Jesus told him to go home and tell his people what God had done for him. So he did just as Jesus had commanded him.

The man preached throughout the “Decapolis,” which means the “Ten Cities,” or “Ten Towns.” Apparently his preaching was very effective, for when Jesus returned to the area later, great crowds followed HIm (See Mark 7:31-36 and Matt. 15:30). The Ten Towns were very Hellenistic in culture and very few Jews chose to live in the area. The fact that there were pigs in this account shows that Jesus was visiting a non-Jewish area (Jews don’t eat pork).

Many of the Ten Towns are familiar to the New Testament reader: Damascus, Philadelphia (modern Amman), Scythopolis (Beth Shean), Gadara (Gadarenes), Pella, and Gerasa (Geresenes). Ironically, after the fall of Jerusalem in 70AD, this area became the center of early Christianity. It’s amazing to consider the possibility that the witness of the man that Jesus set free from a “legion” of demons may have laid the foundation for this gospel movement.

There is life-changing power in the gospel. And there is power in the witness of even one person who is willing to go and tell others what Jesus has done for them.

PRAYER: Dear Father, we are reminded that it is Your gospel that has the power to change human hearts. Strengthen us to proclaim it everywhere we go. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“So he went out and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and they were all amazed” (Mark 5:20 HCSB).

From: February 20, 2021

THE POWER OF ONE WITNESS

In the region of the Gerasenes, on the Eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus encountered a man who was beset by a “legion” of unclean spirits. He commanded them to leave and the man was restored to his right mind. Afterwards, the man wanted to go with Jesus, but Jesus told him to go home and tell his people what God had done for him. So he did just as Jesus had commanded him.

The man preached throughout the “Decapolis,” which means the “Ten Cities.” And apparently his preaching was very effective, for when Jesus returned to the area later, great crowds followed HIm (See Mark 7:31-36 and Matt. 15:30). The Ten Cities were very Hellenistic in culture and very few Jews chose to live in the area. The fact that there were pigs in this account shows that Jesus was visiting a non-Jewish area (Jews don’t eat pork).

Many of the Ten Cities are familiar to the New Testament reader: Damascus, Philadelphia (modern Amman), Scythopolis (Beth Shean), Gadara (Gadarenes), Pella, and Gerasa (Geresenes). Ironically, after the fall of Jerusalem in 70AD, this area became the center of early Christianity. It’s amazing to consider the possibility that the witness of the man that Jesus set free from a “legion” of demons may have laid the foundation for this gospel movement.

There is life-changing power in the gospel. And there is power in the witness of even one person who is willing go and tell what Jesus has done for them.

PRAYER: Dear Father, we are reminded that it is Your gospel that has the power to change human hearts. Strengthen us to proclaim it everywhere we go. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“So when Moses heard that, he was content” (Leviticus 10:20 NKJV).

From: February 20, 2020

MOTIVES MATTER TO GOD

At the very first worship service in the newly ordained Tabernacle. The Lord was so pleased that He caused His glory to appear to all the people, and sent fire that consumed the offering that Aaron had placed on the altar. The people let out a great shout at this display and fell on their faces before the Lord. It was at this time of appropriate and authentic worship, that Nadab and Abihu drew attention to themselves, by offering their own fiery display. Not only was their activity ill-timed and distracting from God’s glory, it was against the training and instruction they had been given as priests. Their fire was “profane,” not taken from the altar as was prescribed, but lit from their own fire, and placed in their own censer. Their motive for this wrong worship was not revealed, but the Lord’s response is revealing. The same fire that went out from the Lord to consume the offering on the altar, now went out and “devoured” Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron.

Moses had the bodies of Aaron’s two sons removed from the Tabernacle after the Lord had struck them down. But Aaron and his other two sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, were told not to leave the sanctuary. For they had been anointed and clothed for the worship of the Lord and had to remain to finish. If they left, they too would die. So Aaron held his peace and he and his two other sons continued their priestly duties.

After a time, Moses inquired of the sin offering that Aaron and his sons were to have eaten in the holy place. When he saw that it was burned up and had not been eaten, he was angry and rebuked Aaron’s sons. But Aaron stepped in and defended their actions. He told Moses that they had done everything just as the Lord instructed concerning the offering, except eat it. For he questioned whether the Lord would really have wanted them to eat on the day that the deaths of his two sons had “befallen” him. He said, “If I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been accepted in the sight of the Lord?”

Moses was “content” with this answer. Clearly, the Lord was too, for He had not acted against Aaron and his remaining two sons. The Scripture does not explain why the Lord disciplined Aaron’s two older sons so severely for ad-libbing their own worship, while not responding at all to his two younger sons for failing to do that which was prescribed. Perhaps it was because the Lord saw something in their motives, something in their hearts. The older sons may have been trying to steal some of God’s glory, while the younger sons may have been made absent minded by their grief.

Motives matter to God. Actions matter too, but the heart’s motives precede the hand’s actions. For the “Lord looks on the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7).

PRAYER: Dear Father, we want to worship You wholeheartedly. Yet, our hearts must be purified by Your Spirit. Help us to offer our worship for Your approval alone, and not to be seen or appreciated by others. You know our motives even better than we do. For You look on the heart. Cleanse our hearts, so that we may worship You fully. In Jesus’ names, amen.

‘The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”’ (Mark 4:41 NLT).

From: February 20, 2019

HOW BIG IS YOUR GOD?

The disciples were afraid of the storm outside the boat until they awoke Jesus. Then, they feared the One inside the boat. We say that we believe and trust Jesus fully. Yet when life’s storms come, we discover the true measure of our faith. The disciples thought they knew the size of Jesus’ power, but it took a terrifying tempest to enlarge their understanding.

PRAYER: Dear Father, teach us to trust You when life’s storms come. We lift our eyes to You rather than focusing on the storm. For we have learned that You are greater than the wind or the whirlwind. You are bigger than anything that comes against us. For You alone are God. In Jesus name, Amen.

“But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water” (Mark 4:37 NLT).

From: February 20, 2018

JESUS SOMETIMES LEADS US INTO A STORM

Jesus told the disciples that He wanted to take the boat to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. So, they pushed off and Jesus lay down to sleep in the back of the boat after a long day of ministry. Soon a fierce storm came up and threatened to sink the boat. Fearful, they awoke Jesus and He stilled the storm with a simple command. Then, asked them why they were afraid and why they lacked faith.

Four observations:

1) Jesus led them into the storm.

2) Jesus was with them, but was sleeping.

3) Jesus had the power to still the storm.

4) Jesus made a point to question why they chose fear over faith.

What can we learn from this story?

“Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord” Leviticus 10:1-2 NKJV).

From: February 20, 2017

After days of instruction and training, and seven days of consecration, two of the newly minted Aaronic priests decided to offer their own version of worship to the Lord before the people of God. This was the first worship service in the newly ordained Tabernacle. The Lord was so pleased that He allowed His glory to appear to all the people, and sent fire that consumed the offering that Aaron had placed on the altar. The people let out a great shout at this display and fell on their faces before the Lord. It was at this time of appropriate and authentic worship, that Nadab and Abihu drew attention to themselves, by ad-libbing their own fiery display. Not only was their activity ill-timed and distracting from God’s glory, it was against the training and instruction they had been given as priests. Their fire was “profane,” not taken from the altar as was prescribed, but lit from their own fire, and placed in their own censer. Their motive for this false worship was not revealed, but the Lord’s response is revealing. The same fire that went out from the Lord to consume the offering on the altar, now went out and “devoured” Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron.

The Lord would not allow His priests to vary from His worship order, especially at the inaugural service of the Tabernacle. If He allowed such self improvisation from the beginning, how far might the people stray after a time? Every detail of the worship service had been revealed to Moses, so that the people would be prepared for its future fulfillment in the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Any variation, whether subtraction or addition, would garble the message that pointed to Jesus.

There seems to be a similarity between the deaths of Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10 and that of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. In both cases, they are at the beginning of a new era. The sons of Aaron, offered “profane fire” at the first worship service of the Mosaic Covenant and the Lord struck them dead. And Ananias and Sapphira offered a false offering just as the Church age commenced following Pentecost, and they both fell dead for it. The Lord seemed to be setting a precedent, that those who would worship Him must worship in “spirit and truth” (John 4:24). False worship would not be accepted.

And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him” (Mark 5:6 ESV)

From: February 20, 2016

The demoniac who lived among the tombs of the Gerasenes must have been a startling welcome as he ran, screaming and crying, down the hill towards Jesus and his disciples as they came ashore. Having just experienced a life-threatening storm on the Galilee and witnessing Jesus command the wind and the waves to be still, I’m sure the disciples’ knees were still shaking as they climbed out of their boat. And then, to be greeted by the hair-raising screams of a wild man running straight at them must have been terrifying! Yet, Jesus responded just as He had to the storm. With the same sense of confident authority He commanded the “legion” of demons out of the man and into the pig herd on the hillside. And just as the wind and waves had obeyed, so did the unclean spirits. The tortured soul of the wild man was suddenly at peace.

“…By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified…” (Leviticus 10:3 NKJV)

From: February 20, 2015

When the Tabernacle was completed and its furnishings and priests were consecrated, Aaron and his sons made the first worship offerings. It began as a day of celebration with God’s glory appearing to all the people (Lev. 9:23), but it ended as a day of mourning. For two of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, took it upon themselves to offer worship contrary to God’s instruction and God judged them for it. The fire of His glory went out from the Lord and devoured them and they died. This was a hard lesson for Aaron and the Levitical priests to learn. For those who are called to lead in worship are held to high account. When we answer the call of God and take His Name upon ourselves, we become His servants, His representatives, and we are to live lives of worship in the way He commands. As Jesus said, “To whom much is given, much is required” (Luke 12:48). Our worship must not draw attention to us, but to the Holy One, so that He is the One glorified before the people.