Day 6:Service

“There was an abundance of burnt offerings, along with the usual liquid offerings, and a great deal of fat from the main peace offerings. So the Temple of the LORD was restored to service.” 2 Chronicles 29:35

Service [sur-vis] noun

an act of helpful activity; help; aid: to do someone a service.
the supplying or supplier of utilities or commodities, as water, electricity, or gas, required or demanded by the public.

verb

to make fit for use; repair; restore to condition for service: to service an automobile.
to supply with aid, information, or other incidental services.

Have you ever endured the breakdown of an appliance or other convenience at your home?

About one year ago, we purchased a new washing machine. Shortly after we bought it, it malfunctioned so I called the service department number. Unfortunately, the service department was going through a computer upgrade and as a new customer my information had not yet been entered into the old or the new system. I was assured it would happen the next day, and they instructed me to call back then. This same scene played out every day for 5 days. My impatience and anger grew as large as my mountain of unwashed laundry on the basement floor. My out-of-service washing machine was doing me no good.

Well, during the reign of King Ahaz, the people of Judah had an out-of-service problem too, but it wasn’t an appliance; it was much more serious than my inconvenience. They posted an out-of-service sign on the door of the Temple. It closed due to the people’s freefall into idolatry and sin.

When Hezekiah became king, he reversed this slide into sin and, as we saw on Day 2, began cleansing the temple. The temple was cleansed, the people were cleansed, and sacrifices and burnt offerings were made. Today’s verse may seem a bit odd, talking about burnt offerings, liquid offerings, and fat ( well, then again, maybe not with Thanksgiving next week!), but then the writer of this books slips in this sentence, “so the Temple of the Lord was restored to service.” Now we see that this verse is actually cause for great celebration. For years the Temple had been closed. No worship, no cleansing of sins, no restoration. But now the out-of-service sign is ripped off the door and once again mercy and forgiveness are flowing.

Pray for Service

As we’ve already talked about this week, as New Testament Christians, we are temples for the Holy Spirit. What kind of signs are we hanging on the doors of our temples? Do they say “Out of Service” or “Open for Service”? I have to ask myself, do my attitude and actions draw people to the Lord or am I driving them away? Am I only concerned with my needs, or am I setting aside time to do

All around us are acts of service just waiting to happen. Can we each bring one to life this week?

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Day 2:

Cleansing

“These men called together their fellow Levites, and they all purified themselves. Then they began to cleanse the temple of the Lord, just as the king had commanded. … The priests went into the sanctuary of the Temple of the Lord to cleanse it, and they took out to the Temple courtyard all the defiled things they found.” 2 Chronicles 29:15-16

cleansing [klenz] verb

to make clean
to remove by or as if by cleaning “to cleanse from the soul.

Thanksliving: Cleansing

Being clean is something that many of us take for granted. Running water and soap make it relatively easy to wash away dirt. It doesn’t take too many days of camping, however, before we have a new appreciation for a hot shower and a dishwasher. A few years ago my son went on a fundraising hike across America to raise money for the burn unit of a local children’s hospital. As he backpacked his way from California to Florida, he often went several days without a shower or being able to wash the few clothes he had. Dirt was a fact of life, and as his mom I was dismayed at what became acceptable standards of “cleanliness” to him.

A clean body can help protect us from disease and discomfort. A clean home makes for a healthy environment for family and friends. Likewise, regularly confessing our sin keeps our hearts clean before God. Jesus is the One who purifies us permanently from our sin by taking that punishment upon Himself. Being thankful for His sacrifice is a wonderful way to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Pray for Thanksliving cleansing.

After the fall of man due to sin, God instituted many rules that the people had to follow to purify themselves from defilement and sin. In today’s verses, King Hezekiah of Judah purges the nation from idolatry and reintroduces the people to true worship. As you can see, this begins with a major cleanup of the people and The Temple of the Lord, as per Old Testament rules. Today please take a moment and give thanks to God for the cleansing He provided for us through the cross and the blood of Christ.

Just as Hezekiah purged the Temple of the Lord from the idols that the people had brought in, we may have to get serious about our temples. In 1 Corintians 6:19, God tells us that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and that we are not our own. Jesus bought us for a very expensive price — His own life. Keeping that in mind, we may need to throw out some junk to make room for the holiness God desires.

Pray and ask God to show you if there is a habit or pattern of sin in your life that needs to go.
Find a verse of scripture that pertains to this struggle and begin praying it into your life.
Thank God for how He is already at work cleaning up and redeeming this area of your life.

More Thanksliving: Cleansing

If you’d like to explore this theme further, please read The Cleansing of My Temple.

Comment

Please leave a comment below in the Speak Your Mind section on what God teaches you today about cleansing.

Previous Links

“cleansing.” Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 16 Nov. 2014. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cleansing>.

W4, L2 jpeg

We are so glad you have joined us for Week 4, Lesson 2 Take Your Time of our journey to greater spiritual and physical health. Listed below is your Faith & Fit work for today. Please click on the links or the play buttons to access each resource. Remember to leave a comment about your experience at the Speak Your Mind section at the bottom of the page. In Christ, we can grow stronger. Let’s do it!

Everyday Faith Teaching Video:

Everyday Faith Bible Study

Please click on the link below to access Faith & Fit Scripture Reading!

Week 4, Lesson 2 Bible Study

Everyday Fit Physical Challenge:

Week 4, Lesson 2

This week we continue to focus on walking. You can choose to walk indoors or outdoors. Weather permitting, my preference is to be outdoors enjoying the fresh air and sunshine (get that Vitamin D!). We will also give you options to supplement with some other types of exercise in Extra Fit for those who would like to.
For those of you who prefer to walk indoors, you can use a treadmill, or I would recommend Leslie Sansone’s Walking DVDs. Her DVDs are available for purchase in stores like Target and Walmart, on her website, for live streaming on Walk TV , and some for free on her site when you sign up (free) for her Walk Social Club.

One fun way to track your walking is to use a pedometer and aim for a certain number of steps per day. The American Heart Association recommends 10,000 steps each day. We will work up to that. Ten thousand steps is approximately 5 miles, but that is based on an average stride being 2.5 feet. Your total may differ from that based on the length of your stride.
Pedometers can be found in just about any sports or discount store and range in price from about $10 to $125 for more elaborate ones with additional features. I use a Fitbit to track my steps each day. It also tracts flights of stairs climbed, calories burned, miles walked, hours slept, and the time. It also allows me to set a silent, vibrating alarm. It syncs with an website, which includes many more features.

Basic Walking Guidelines

Begin your walk with a warm up. This basically means start walking slowly for a few minutes, giving your body time to warm up. Save any stretching for the end of your walk, as you should not stretch cold muscles. If you have body parts that are very tense and need to be stretched before your main walk, do your warm-up first and then stretch them. You should also still follow your walk with a stretch at the end.

The Walking Site has some wonderful stretches for walkers, and here is a link to their stretching page.
As you are walking, walk tall, pull in your stomach and tighten your bottom.
When you have finished your exercise for the day, be sure to let the Faith and Fit group know by posting on our Facebook page. Great job!

Beginner Level Exercise:

For Lesson 2, we are going to set the goal of walking 1.5 miles or the rough equivalent of 3000 steps. If you wear a pedometer all day long, this is in addition to the total that is already showing on your pedometer. So, when it is time to log your walk, check your pedometer and note how many steps/miles you have already walked that day. Add 3000 steps or 1.5 miles to that total and begin walking. When you get to that total you may stop. If you are fairly fit and would rather choose the goal of two miles, then aim for 4000 steps on your pedometer or another 2 miles on the total.

Experienced Level: Today make it your goal to walk for 60 minutes. Walk at a pace you are comfortable with and that your are able to carry on a conversation. By the end of your walk you should be sweaty and tired but not exhausted. As always, check with your doctor before beginning any physical workout to be sure you are up for the challenge!

For an extra challenge try jogging today! If you have never jogged before set your goal to walk a half mile and then jog for a half mile. If you are an experienced jogger run your usual route and up it by a half mile! you can do it! Please join Coach Dan for Day Four Lower Body Focus!

Rainy Day? Too hot? No worries! click on the link below for a great indoor workout with Leslie Sansone!

Five Fast Miles!

Everyday Fit Food Challenge:

Take Your Time

Today we are going to further explore the importance of families regularly eating meals together. It’s so important for healthy relationships for families to interact with each other over shared meals. This website has some wonderful information on why it is important as well as lots of suggestions and resources on how to implement it with kids of all ages: The FamilyDinnerProject.Org. Be sure to check out this site.

I’d also like to share a quick, nutritious main meal recipe for those busy days when there just isn’t much time to fix a meal. I was inspired to try this from the precooked chickens that you can pick up at most grocery stores these days. This recipe couldn’t be simpler.

Slow-cooker Chicken

1 whole free-range chicken

Olive oil

herbs and spices (I like garlic, rosemary, and thyme)

sea salt

1/4 cup water

Remove the neck and gizzards from the inside of the chicken if they are stuffed inside. Place the chicken (breast side up) in the slow cooker. Rub 1 or 2 tbsp. of olive oil around the outside of the chicken and sprinkle with 1 tsp rosemary and 1 tsp thyme and sea salt to taste. Mince 1-2 cloves of garlic and rub that on the outside of the chicken. Pour the water around the edges of the cooker and cover. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. This makes a tender, juicy chicken.

This recipe is easy to customize. Instead of olive oil, use honey to coat the chicken and sprinkle with lemon pepper, garlic, and sea salt. Or try using just barbeque sauce for a tangy chicken. You can also add some whole red potatoes to the pot and they will cook right along with the chicken. Enjoy!

Extra Faith:

Need a little extra spiritual challenge added to your day? Take advantage of the following resources!

Today we are going to explore how to fast safely with a guide by CRU. Fasting is a discipline that has been used for thousands of years by Christians. The idea is to replace food with prayer; fasting is often used by people who need a spiritual or health breakthrough in their lives. If you have medical issues or are on medication, be sure to check with your doctor before attempting a fast. Keep in mind you can ease into fasting by trying the following fasts:

Fasting for just one meal a day
Fasting from desserts
Fasting from social media, TV, etc.

If you have any tips on fasting, please share below or on our Facebook page.

Extra Fit

Need an extra challenge? Get your abs in shape with Team Beachbody Coach and Founder of Team Let’s Go Fitness at Dan Vukmirovich. Dan’s videos are short, effective and productive! Let’s go!

Let us know how you’re doing in this challenge. Be sure to post your comments, thoughts, recipes, prayer requests, and fitness tips on our Facebook page!

Just as Jesus needed to cleanse the temple before His crucifixion, we need to ask Him to cleanse our temples–our bodies. To do the devotion, The Cleansing of My Temple, please click on the link.

Image: africa / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Ever since the beginning of history, God has made provision to fellowship with man. He has promised that even if we have sinned, He has made a way for us to fellowship with Him. To find out how God has covered our sin, please click on the link!

Jane VanOsdol

As we begin this holy week of Easter, I’d like to focus on some of the activities that happened between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. I’m not necessarily addressing them in the order they happened; just reflecting on these events and why they seem important.

Mark 11:15-17 (Chronological Study Bible NKJV)

Well, first of all it helps to understand a bit about the temple. The temple where the Jews worshipped had four different courts. Each court was restricted to only certain people who could worship in it. The large outer court that everyone could attend was the Court of the Gentiles. This was the only court that the non-Jews could worship God in. The next court was the Court of Women. Both Jewish women and men were allowed here. The third court was the Court of Israel. Only Jewish men were allowed to worship in this court. Finally, the most restricted court was the Court of Priests. Only the Jewish priests could enter to offer sacrifices for the people.

Look for another Easter week topic tomorrow and until then, pray on!

The 12 Days of Thanks Giving: Day 6 Service