Monday's Devotional

Each morning, we would begin the day singing worship songs. On Monday, our in-country leader shared a study on the Ark of the Covenant. We discussed that three of the elements in the ark were the 10 Commandments (God's agreement with them), Aaron's budding rod (God chose the high priest), and manna (God will provide).

The mercy seat was where God's presence would come dwell with the ark of the covenant when a blood sacrifice was offered. In Hebrews (9:7-11, 23-24), it talks about that as great as the Ark was, it was only a copy, not the real thing.

In I Sam. 5, this copy Ark was stolen by the Philistines and placed in their temple. The Ark was so powerful, it had power against God's enemies, and their idol gods fell down and their hands and head fell off in its presence. The people also broke out in boils and cancer.

He told us that WE are the Ark of the New Covenant. Ezek. 36:26-27 talks about God giving us new hearts (of flesh not stone) and that He will give us the Spirit to dwell in us. God writes His law on our hearts. Eph. 2:4-5 talks of how we are chosen by God, even while we were dead in sin, and our rod is made to come alive. John 6:48-51 talks of Jesus being the real Bread of Life that allows us to live forever.

Col. 1:21, 22, 27 says that even though we were once enemies of God, believers have Christ in them...this means the mercy seat is in us...this means Christ dwells in us!

Why does this matter today? Because we must realize that as Arks, we are to bring access to God to those villages we are to visit. We are to remember that because God dwells in us, we bring God with us when we enter those villages. Like priests, we are to be channels to God. Where God is present, there is holy ground...how amazing to think we can turn the enemy's turf into holy ground just by being there!

Here was the summary statement we repeated each day: Because of Jesus, I am the Ark of the New Covenant. Therefore, I have access to God and power against Satan.