Morning by Morning—Daily Prayer Journey with Tommy Hays

Wednesday, March 04, 2020

Morning by Morning, March 4 - Deeper Intimacy with God as the "Descendants of Zadok"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Order my steps, align my mind, guide my heart to walk in Your ways today. ...

"He said to me, 'This chamber that faces south is for the priests who have charge of the temple, and the chamber that faces north is for the priests who have charge of the altar; these are the descendants of Zadok, who alone among the descendants of Levi may come near to the Lord to minister to Him'" (Ezekiel 40:45-46).

Among the Levitical priests, those called and set apart to serve in the temple of God, some were called to "have charge of the temple" and some were called to "have charge of the altar." Those called to "have charge the altar" were those called out from among all the other Levitical priests to a deeper, more intimate calling. Among all the other Levitical priests, only these were allowed the honor and authority, along with the responsibility, to "come near to the Lord to minister to Him." These were "the descendants of Zadok."

Under our New Covenant in Christ, we are all Your priests, servants of God, as well as sons and daughters of God (Romans 8:16). "To Him who loves us and freed us from our sins by His blood, and made us to be a Kingdom, priests serving His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever" (Revelations 1:5-6). "(We) are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that (we) may proclaim the mighty acts of Him who called (us) out of darkness and into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9).

In our priesthood of servanthood, to "have charge of the temple," under the New Covenant in Christ the temple is now the Body of Christ, just as our bodies are now the temple of the Holy Spirit. "(Our) body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within (us), which (we) have from God, and (we) are not (our) own" (1 Corinthians 6:19). And at the same time, You invite us closer still; You call us deeper still -- to "have charge of the altar," to come near to the Lord to minister to Him," even as "the descendants of Zadok."

Yes, we serve; but we first serve You. Yes, we are holy, set apart, consecrated unto You for service in Your Kingdom; but our first service is to You. We shall have no other gods before You (Exodus 20:3) -- not even the good things or the God-ordained things, such as tending to the temple, to the needs of the people, to make disciples and grow disciples, to minister healing and freedom, to help grow them up to maturity, equipped in every good work for the glory of the King and the Kingdom. Even those great and godly things must not be first.

You must be first. Our ministry to You must be first. Our response to Your calling and invitation "to come near the Lord to minister to Him" must be first.

Come, Holy Spirit of God. We can be as near to God as we desire to be. As Your Word invites every one of us, "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you" (James 8). "Abide in Me, as I abide in you" (John 15:4). "Anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him" (1 Corinthians 6:17).

I desire to be as near to You, Lord God -- God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit in every dimension of Your Being -- as I can possibly be. I desire to come near to You, to come to know You, to become one with You, "to come near to (You) to minister to (You)" first and foremost, before all others and before all things. In that sense of deeper surrender, deeper intimacy, deeper relationship, deeper experiences and encounters with You, I desire to be one of Your called-out ones, one of Your chosen ones, one of Your most intimate ones, one of Your "descendants of Zadok" (Ezekiel 40:46; 43:19; and 44:15). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

My Friend, may you be stirred in your spirit by the Holy Spirit of God to draw as near to God as you possibly can, in deeper intimacy with Him, to know Him and become one with Him in every dimension of His Being as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!