Solitary Refinement

Reading of the Day: Leviticus 16-18

Leviticus 16:17: And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.

There is something so beautiful & comforting about being a part of a congregation. The children of Israel went through so much together, and that unity in The Lord brought them strength...they were not only a family, but God's chosen people...and while this is something to be cherished, we are not saved by the crowd we associate with. God desires to have a personal, one-on-one connection with each and every one of us! Our church family is important, with all of the prayer warriors, needful messages and encouragement to keep fighting the good fight of faith, as well as the emphasis on the Truth of salvation and reaching our dying world. But if we don't fall in love with Jesus first, purposing it in our hearts to come before Him in prayer for ourselves & those we love, then we have truly lost the reason we were blessed with our loved ones in the first place! God did not give us our friends & families as replacements for a relationship with Him, but as reminders of the importance of a relationship with Him! We can't save our families. They cannot live off of our prayers alone. But we sure can bring their precious names to the throne so God can intervene! Just like the Scripture above! Aaron came in alone, no one with him or around him, and made an atonement in the holy place. Jesus has made a way for us to visit that holy place daily in prayer! Our relationship with Jesus comes with the fellowship of our brothers & sisters, but it is meant to be sacred, solitary and special first and foremost. Something unique to you! God did not create any one of us the same, and for that reason we each get a special prayer & devotion time with Him...and being solitary does not mean "solitary confinement." It means solitary REFINEMENT! There are some things God can only transform in us in a moment alone with Him! Think about it-Moses was called up alone into the mountain. Jesus went alone to pray. Special things happen when we set aside sacred time with The Lord...and then we have the privilege to tell others all about it! We will surely be saying, "Look what The Lord has done!"