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By Mike Caton

Exodus 28:29, “Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the LORD.”

It is important to remember that the priest, the one who ministers before the Lord, is ministering for the people. And the fact that Aaron, as the first priest, is carrying the names of all the tribes on his body, on his clothing is to be a constant reminder of this. Everything he does is so that the people can draw nearer to God. As he lights and tends the lamps, replaces the showbread, offers the sacrifices, performs the rituals for their purification, prays, teaches, burns incense, and whatever else he does he is doing it to draw the people closer to the Lord.

We would do well to remember this in our lives as well. 1 Peter 2:9 tells us, speaking to all Christians, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” Peter tells us that all of us, as followers of Christ, are a royal or holy priesthood. We no longer need an intermediary to go before us and speak to God on our behalf, Jesus has made the way for us to approach the throne of grace boldly, Hebrews 4:16. And so, we are the ones who are to be leading others to the Lord.

Certainly, we need to make sure we are close to the Lord as well. We cannot neglect our own spiritual condition, and we need to be strong and faithful to lead others. But in this lost and dying world, people need to see the hope, they need to realize there is a God who loves them, they need to see that God has reached out to them, made a way for them to come to him. And as followers of Jesus, that is our responsibility. But if we do not have these people in our hearts, it is very unlikely that we will ever reach out to them.

Father, give me the heart for people that you have. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Mike Caton is the preacher at Mount Olive Church of Christ in Belhaven. He volunteers at the Ponzer Fire Department and works as a full time AEMT with Hyde County EMS. Follow Mount Olive Church of Christ on Facebook for more devotions.

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