CHRIST OUR HIGH PRIEST

Most of us know the story of how Hannah ( wife of Elkanah, mate of Peninnah)got her son Samuel after being thought to be drunk by Prophet Eli.  The bible text for today: 1st Samuel Chapter 1 which tells us the persecution Hannah faced and how she got the solution to her problem, let's note verse 3 which says And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.

Chapter 2 verse 12 tells us who the sons of Eli really were, Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD, this means Elkanah was giving his sacrifice to Yaweh under the supervision of priests who do not know Yaweh, year - in,  year - out and so, all Elkanah's sacrifices did not reach its intended recipient. .....Yaweh. Not until the prayers and supplication was done with the authority of a Godly Priest that the prayers were answered in Chapter 1 verse 17:Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.

I ask you today, who is the priest supervising your worship and sacrifice of praise to God, is he still in the faith or he no longer knows God Almighty but only serves his stomach/pocket. The death and resurrection of Christ has given us a High Priest Who is one with God and will always take our supplications to God. He is the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the father except through Him.  He is the solid rock that will never sink us unlike other god's who are sinking sand.

Let us forsake our efforts in futility by channeling our prayers through Jesus Christ who is The Way and our High Priest; then, will we "ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find,knock and the door shall be opened to you" "...for His hands are not too short to save nor His ear too dull to hear...."

Prayers to/through Christ can only be answered if you are of Christ's household; are you with Him? Anyone who is not for him is still outside the fold, He awaits you with open arms. Come home, His heart yearns for you, He wants to bless you, He wants you with Him in eternity...Come Home.

Shallom!

ADVISE WITH LOVE

Happy New Year 2016 to us all, this year will be a year of fruitfulness to us all in Jesus mighty name, Amen.

The bible says that the power of life and death is in the tongue; today we see how Koran and Jethro fared in advising/accusing a prophet. Some of us are bible scholars in our own right and are so passionate about God that we want to add our "2 cents" to any discussion about Him; we know what should be or should not be done at every situation and we have taken it upon ourselves to be vicious about it in the guise of "being truthful".  Let's not forget 1 Timothy 5: 1 Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; But Koran and Co did not heed this. God Himself asked parents not to provoke their children (This goes to all elderly persons to their younger countrparts)because he knows that such is the case sometimes but He still did not permit us to dis - honour them.

Numbers 16:1-3 Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men.And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown. And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord?

Being a priest, Jethro knew that no matter how young Moses was, as God was using him to lead israel,he is the highest authority and so cannot  be spoken to anyhow; so Jethro adviced Moses; not accuse nor commanded, he advised Moses with love and prayed for him.

Exodus 18:17-20 And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good. Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.

This write - up is to inform us that God qualify those He calls and if you had what God was looking for, He might have called you; don't cause the wrath of God  on yourself and household  by rising against God's chosen, he might pray Moses' prayer of verse 30 on you (invent a new punishment) which will teach others a lesson and you will have no time to repent which means hell. May God use us for good wonder and not bad and in any way you are rising against God ordained authority, there is still time to repent now. "Next time" Might be too late.

Shallom!