OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: Sunday 18th November 2018
THEME: An Altar of Memorial
HYMN 11: O God, our help in ages past
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
2
Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defence is sure.
3
Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.
4
A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.
5
Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.
6
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while life shall last,
And our eternal home.
*Memorize:*
After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 1Corinthians 11:25
*Bible Reading:* Exodus 17:14-16, Luke 22:17-20 (KJV)
14 And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.
15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah Nissi:
16 For he said, Because the Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
Read: Luke 22:17-20 (KJV)
17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:
18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.
19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.
*Message:-*
An altar could mean a lot of things depending on who built it and the purpose for which it was built. Here in today’s Bible reading, we realize that an altar might be built not only to worship and sacrifice to the Almighty God, but also to serve as a memorial. Man is susceptible e to forgetting what the Lord has done in times past, and for this reason, an altar can be built as a means of remembering God’s works and faithfulness. Many times, God commanded the children of Israel to never forget Him, His ways and His works (Deuteronomy 8:18, Exodus 20:8, Psalm 105:5-6). May you and your children never forget God or what He has done for you in Jesus’ Name.
Not only do altars of memorial bring us to remember what God has done in the past, they also bring God to remember His promises and covenant with His people, especially when they are at crossroads. After securing victory over the Amalekites, Moses built an altar for the peculiar reason stated in Exodus 17:15-16:
”And Moses built an altar; and called the name of it Jehovah Nissi: For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
Generations after, we see God remembering what He had sworn to do against the Amalekites. 1st Samuel 15:2 says
“Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. Now g0 and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.”
I pray that God will remember His covenant and promises to you today in Jesus’ Name.
Beloved, as Christians, we need to build memorial altars. One classic example of a memorial altar is the altar of the Holy Communion. Our Lord Jesus Christ instructed us to continually partake of it in remembrance of Him. When we do this, we remind Him of His finished work on the cross of Calvary, and this activates His power against anything that negates this finished work in our lives. Do you partake of this meal? Do you call to remembrance the death and resurrection of our Lord in your home by sharing this meal with your family? If you have not been doing so, begin to do it from today and watch God arise to enforce His covenant over your life.
*Action Point*: Call God to remembrance over anything in your life and family that negates the benefit of the sacrifice that Jesus Christ offered with His Body and Blood.
*Bible in one year*: Ezekiel 11-12, Luke 22:63-23:17