February 11 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

Elijah's name is his mission: "My God is the LORD." Elijah teaches us the meaning of repentance by the removal of idolatry. Unless we obey the Word, God's blessings don't descend. Instead, the land will experience a terrible drought.

Bible Reading:

1 Kings 18:30–35

Bible Text:

Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come (1 Kings 18:31).

Devotional:

Elijah is going to restore true worship to Israel. And worship centers on the altar. Therefore Elijah, the reformer of the Old Covenant church, rebuilds the altar using twelve stones to represent the twelve sons of Jacob, whom God chose.

At this time the nation was divided into a northern kingdom of ten tribes, called Israel, and a southern kingdom of two tribes, called Judah. But God's nation is composed of twelve tribes—so the altar must have twelve stones.

Elijah's altar is a protest against the division of the nation. It condemns sectarian factions. Its message is: The LORD's people are indivisible because the LORD is one God.

Worship is personal, but never private or independent. In the New Covenant we worship the Father of Jesus Christ, who built his church on the testimony of the twelve. God is not the God of your denomination but the Head of the one holy and universal church.

Christians today must relearn the meaning of the word catholic. It refers to the one church that reaches back as far as Pentecost and spans the width of the world. The church is holy because it belongs to God. It is catholic because it is age-old and worldwide.

God's church in every age needs reformers, but those who would reform the church must follow Elijah's example and use twelve stones. For the church is one and indivisible.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.