Daily Reading
Daily Thought
“So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular remembrance before the Lord” (Exodus 28:29). The Hebrew high priest sacrificed daily offerings to God, a routine reminder of the way it is supposed to be.
We become accustomed to the way things are.
In the movie Grand Canyon, a car breaks down in a bad part of town, and five hoods threaten a tow-truck driver doing his job. “Man,” says the driver, “the world ain’t supposed to work like this. Maybe you don’t know that, but this ain’t the way it’s supposed to be. I’m supposed to be able to do my job without askin’ you if I can. And that dude is supposed to be able to wait with his car without you rippin’ him off. Everything’s supposed to be different than what it is here.”
The work of the priests presents the difference, “And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty” (Exodus 28:2). For glory and for beauty, the way it is supposed to be. The way it was in Eden; the way it will be in the “kingdom come, your will be done” (Matthew 6:10).
This is the call of the Christian in this world, to be “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1Peter 2:9). To follow Jesus is to be a marvelous light, a reminder that this life is not the way it’s supposed to be, a beacon displaying something better, something good, something glorious and beautiful, that “they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God” (Exodus 29:46).
Daily Prayer
My God, my Father in heaven, Creator of all that is, what a wonderful world. The world you created; not the part my sin has spoiled. Deep inside me, your image, the memory of eternity is buried. Thank you for uncovering it. Thank you for sending your Son to show what was, what is, and what is to come. You are God, the beginning and the end. Sin is messing with the middle, but you sent a Savior.
God, made in your image, I shall reflect your glory. Forgive me, because I fall short. Teach me to walk in your ways, so others will see the way to You. Change me, dress me up, make me holy for your glory, displaying your beauty, your handiwork, proclaiming your excellencies, reminding the world that this is not what it is supposed to be, pointing the world to your kingdom come.
Amen