Building An Altar To The Lord

Today’s Word of Encouragement from Wayne

“Then Noah built an altar to the Lord”

Genesis 8:20

As soon as Noah and his family exited the ark and were on dry ground "Noah built an altar to the Lord." Noah’s first act was to create a place where he would worship God. The first act of the first man after the flood was to build an altar, to worship and minister to God. Noah was a saved man in a new life, just as we are new creations in Jesus Christ, saved, with a new life in God. So let us immediately build our altar to the Lord too. But wait, for the truth is, when you and I received Jesus Christ as our salvation, that God made us a new creation with an altar of worship already within us. "For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said. ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them" (2 Corinthians 6:16).

God has made it for us so that, just like Noah, you and I may also begin our new life with "an altar to the Lord," but ours is on the inside. As a kingdom of priests, ministers to our Lord, we have ready and steady access, all the time, to enter our inner temple and worship at His altar (Revelation 1:5-6, 5:9-10, 1st Peter 2:5-9). Just as Noah’s “ark rested upon the mountain of Ararat” (Genesis 8:4), so too do you and I rest upon the mountain of God, in victory and safety, in our ark of salvation, “seated in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). Every time we worship at our alter within, we are building our altar up to the Lord and, even though we are within, we are also on the mountain, realizing our high position in Jesus Christ.

Thank God for salvation. Thank Him for being your ark of safety, for taking you out of and above this world of sin and death, so you might rest safely with Him on the mountain. Yes, worship at your altar today and thank God for giving you a new life, with Him, in Jesus Christ. Praise His holy Name. Hallelujah!