Daily Devotion, July 8, 2020

Devotion: Read 1 Chronicles 11:1-9.

For Jesus, Jerusalem was the place his family traveled to each year to celebrate the Festival of Passover. (Luke 2:41)

During Jesus’ times, Jerusalem already had a long history. I Chronicles 11 tells us how it all begins with David being anointed as King. Then David and all the Israelites conquered the city of Jebus, which became the City of David or Jerusalem. I Chronicles 13 adds that it was very important to David that all of the tribes of Israel gather there to be united and to give a sacred place for the Ark of the Covenant. And this is where David’s son, Solomon built the temple. Through the generations, even during times of other empires’ ruling, Jerusalem has remained a holy city and place.

If it were just about its map’s location, the distance in miles from our city, its present population numbers, or its current weather report, it wouldn’t be any different than any other city. But it holds the stories of God’s work and faithfulness among God’s people through the generations. AND it is the place where Jesus was crucified, and rose from the dead to offer salvation for everyone in the world! Jerusalem is where we remember God’s work through past generations, we experience God’s grace afresh and anew today, and we live with the hope of God’s redemptive and saving work forever.

There are also “holy places” where God has worked in our lives in very special ways.

Some of those places nearer to us might be places like Lake Junaluska, NC, where the Holston United Methodist Conference is held each spring. Or a holy place for some might be for those who have attended camp each year, such one of our Holston Conference Camps, in particular, Camp Lookout! During this pandemic, our homes have become “holy places”, but we’ve also become more thankful for the places we can gather all together in person to worship!

King David wanted the people of God to be a beacon of light for others, to bring glory to God and to be a place of thanksgiving for God’s faithfulness.

Adult Challenge:

Where are the “holy places” in your faith stories? How did you sense God’s presence with you in those places? Pause and give God thanks for those places in your life today. How can you help to make those experiences possible for others?

Youth Challenge:

“ When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, he made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel, as the Lord had promised through Samuel.” Here we see David setting himself apart for God. In return God anointed David and was with him. What would it mean for you to be set apart for God?

Children's Challenge:

What You Do

This is the beginning of Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel. It became a special place to the nation of Israel and to Christians as well.

Share within your family some “beginnings” that became special over the years. (births, places, etc)

Spend time thanking God for all the opportunities to start new.