I read and studied this passage of the Bible this morning. It blessed my soul so much that I want to share it with you. I pray that you get blessed by it more than I did.

The passage is found on Deuteronomy 12:4-7. It reads, “You must not worship the LORD your God in THEIR WAY But you are to seek the place THE LORD YOUR GOD WILL CHOOSE from among all your tribes to put his Name there for HIS DWELLING. To that place you must go; there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. THERE, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, BECAUSE the LORD your God has blessed you.” (Capitalization is mine to make emphasis)

Moses was giving these instructions to the Israelites because they were about to enter the Promised Land. Here he is giving them how and where to worship God and in what way. And he told them how the people who lived in the land were worshiping their gods in the way they wanted to. But God’s people should worship God in the way God wanted them to worship Him, at the place He chose. If they go to “that place” that God chose for them to go to offer up their worship, burnt offerings and sacrifices, God promised that He would receive them and their offerings and bless them and their whole household.

What if they choose their own way of going to God? Forget it. God won’t receive anything from them and He won’t bless them.

And at the place God chose, guess who else is going to be present? God Himself!

I mean, think about it. There, at His presence, is where they find all God’s blessings, not only to themselves but to their whole household. The blessing of all blessings is God Himself and they find Him there!

Don’t you want go there? I do!

But the truth is this: “NOW something greater than Jonah is here. – – – NOW something greater than Solomon is here” (Read Matthew 12:38-42, emphasis is mine.)

God chose a specific place of worship to His people; He chose the way His people had to come through to meet Him.

Guess what? In the same way, God chose a place and a way for us today. That something that is greater than Jonah and Solomon is the place of worship for us; it is the way that God chose for us to come through to meet Him. And that “something greater,” the place of worship and the way God chose for us today is called Jesus Christ!

May His name forever be praised!

Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

Wow! No one!

No one comes to the Father except through Jesus Christ. Any worship, devotion, prayer, supplication, offering and gift, given through Jesus Christ are acceptable before God. This Way, this “set-apart” place of worship is the place where God is found. In this Place, God’s presence is everywhere.

“The Son [Jesus Christ] is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” (Hebrews 1:3)

“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation.” (Colossians 1:15 NLT)

Wow! Jesus Christ. He is the Place I to go to meet with God. Jesus, He is the Way I go through to go to God. And since Jesus lives in my heart, I don’t need to go anywhere to find Him. Since He lives in me, God’s presence is always with me. God actually made me His temple, the place His Spirit dwells in because of what Jesus did for me on the cross. (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:6; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

What can we say about this truth?

Nothing except to resolve to rejoice in Jesus and to praise and worship God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit for the rest of our lives! ///