Devotion - Monday May 18 - Gather and Hear

Text: Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, 17 and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.” – Exodus 3:16-17

Devotion: God speaks to Moses in our passage out of a burning but not consumed bush in the middle of the wilderness.

Moses is understandably freaked out but after testing God a couple of times he finds a clear instruction for the beginning of his ministry. Gathering the leaders of Israel together to tell them of God’s promises.

At its most simple this is the command that we all been following since then. When we gather together elder or not, we gather to listen to the promises of God. That’s the simplest purpose of why God’s people get together. We listen to the promises of our God. And in the church, we listen to the promises of God that have found their yes and amen (2 Cor 1:20) in Jesus Christ.
Right now, we, along with many other churches around the world are preparing to re-gather with one another. This provides us with a great opportunity to refresh the why behind our gatherings.

Would you ponder for a moment this great truth?

We gather together to remember the promises of God that are all true in Christ Jesus.

Questions:

What do you understand the purpose of our gatherings to be?
Does this simple explanation fit with your understanding?
Do you rejoice in this meaning?
What is the most encouraging promise of God for you?
Who do you need to remind of God’s promise today? Do it!