Joshua 3: 16-17
The waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap a great distance away at Adam (15 miles upstream)...completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho. The Priests (not the Kohathites who usually carried it) who carried the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground, until all the Nation had finished crossing the Jordan.
So the Lord caused the River to stand up like He had done with the Red Sea. The Priests carried the Ark, and the people had to be at least 3,000 feet away from it at all times (see verse 4), so they crossed up- and down-stream 1,000 yards from the Ark. They always had to be protected from the dire effects of God having rested on it, on the Mercy Seat between the Cherubim.
4 :18
...The waters of the Jordan returned, and went over its banks as before.
Just like the Red Sea had collapsed suddenly on the Egyptians, drowning them with no chance to escape; now the Jordan River also is suddenly released to flow normally again. Just like God stopped it with His hand, then took His hand away again. No natural explanation fits, it was obviously God.
4: 14
On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; so that they revered him, just as they had revered Moses all the days of his life.
God made sure that the people would listen to this new leader, so they wouldn't be scattered like sheep without a shepherd. (We are like sheep, aren't we!)
4: 24
That all the peoples of the Earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.
God wants all the peoples of the Earth to know Him, and love Him, and live by His ways! He always did.
When God first made Man upon the Earth, they all knew Who He was, and when they turned away from Him they incorporated a lot of what they knew about Him into their own religions and sacred writings. That's why there are some similarities between them and God's Word. But only God's Word is trustworthy and can be depended on to tell us Truth without any error.
Our Creator and Maker is a God of Truth, and He wants us to know the Truth, because only His Truth can set us free from the chains and addictions of this life (John 8:32).
I know, because He set me free from my relationship addiction five decades ago, and that addiction has never returned, regardless of the varying circumstances in my life all those years. God is faithful to me, and I want to be faithful to Him, too.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Faith's Rewards
Joshua 2: 11b
The Lord your God, He is God in Heaven above and on Earth beneath.
This is Rahab's faith, the hotel owner who concealed the Hebrew spies when they were checking out Jericho. Verses 8-11 record what she told them: That God had given them the land, and everyone was terrified of them, because the Lord had dried up the Red Sea for them, and how He gave them victory over the powerful kings who lived on the East side of the Jordan.
Hearing the news of how God had done these things convinced her, and she completely renounced all the gods and idols she had previously worshiped and put her faith in the God of Israel as the only True God Who is worthy of worship.
And she proved her faith by putting herself in danger by helping the spies.
God rewarded her for her faith by saving her and her family from death when, "the walls come a'tumblin' down" and the Israelites each walked straight in and conquered the city (6:20).
And she was even granted to be in the direct line of Messiah! She married Salmon, and gave birth to Boaz, who then married Ruth and had Obed, who was the father of Jesse, who's youngest son was King David (Matthew 1:5-6; I Samuel 16:6-13).
God knows who are His in every Nation, every tribe, every family; and every person who recognizes Him for Who He is and puts their trust in Him fully, God will call to repentance and faith (John 3:16-17). Even back then, when Israel was the only Nation to worship God, individuals from other Nations would come to know Israel's Lord God and renounce their local gods and idols to put their faith in the Great YHWH (Yahweh or Jehovah), the Lord God in the Old Testament Who we know as Jesus.
Rahab and Ruth were both foreigners who put their faith in the Lord God of Israel, and they are both in Jesus' ancestry.
God knows how to reward His children for their faith. He will never leave us on our own, He's always here with us to show us the way.
I want to get to know Him so well that I will have no doubt or hesitancy in following Him. I know He has a plan for my life that is so much better than anything I can think of, and I don't want to miss out on any of the blessings He wants to give me, no matter how scary the path may seem at times. I want to persevere and carry on, until I reach the end of my Earthly road, when He calls me home or I meet Him in the air.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
The Lord your God, He is God in Heaven above and on Earth beneath.
This is Rahab's faith, the hotel owner who concealed the Hebrew spies when they were checking out Jericho. Verses 8-11 record what she told them: That God had given them the land, and everyone was terrified of them, because the Lord had dried up the Red Sea for them, and how He gave them victory over the powerful kings who lived on the East side of the Jordan.
Hearing the news of how God had done these things convinced her, and she completely renounced all the gods and idols she had previously worshiped and put her faith in the God of Israel as the only True God Who is worthy of worship.
And she proved her faith by putting herself in danger by helping the spies.
God rewarded her for her faith by saving her and her family from death when, "the walls come a'tumblin' down" and the Israelites each walked straight in and conquered the city (6:20).
And she was even granted to be in the direct line of Messiah! She married Salmon, and gave birth to Boaz, who then married Ruth and had Obed, who was the father of Jesse, who's youngest son was King David (Matthew 1:5-6; I Samuel 16:6-13).
God knows who are His in every Nation, every tribe, every family; and every person who recognizes Him for Who He is and puts their trust in Him fully, God will call to repentance and faith (John 3:16-17). Even back then, when Israel was the only Nation to worship God, individuals from other Nations would come to know Israel's Lord God and renounce their local gods and idols to put their faith in the Great YHWH (Yahweh or Jehovah), the Lord God in the Old Testament Who we know as Jesus.
Rahab and Ruth were both foreigners who put their faith in the Lord God of Israel, and they are both in Jesus' ancestry.
God knows how to reward His children for their faith. He will never leave us on our own, He's always here with us to show us the way.
I want to get to know Him so well that I will have no doubt or hesitancy in following Him. I know He has a plan for my life that is so much better than anything I can think of, and I don't want to miss out on any of the blessings He wants to give me, no matter how scary the path may seem at times. I want to persevere and carry on, until I reach the end of my Earthly road, when He calls me home or I meet Him in the air.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, January 29, 2018
Be Strong, Courageous, and Careful
Joshua 1: 7-8
Only be strong and very courageous, be careful to do according to all the Law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it, for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
Here it is. This is how God designed this World to work. He gave us all the particulars of how to cooperate with the Design of this environment so that we will reap its bounty, and be prosperous and have success in every area of life.
To know God and to study His Word, to be thinking about it day and night, and to reason through why God would say what He said, to connect the dots--that's what I've been doing, and this is how I realize that God wants us to do well, and gave us everything we need to know and apply in His Word.
The World has gotten hold of God's design of how things work here, but they leave Him out of it, and say to "ask the universe," instead of asking the God Who made the Universe. To follow His ways will bring prosperity (not just money), but even if you gain the whole World, what will you profit, if in the end you've lost what's most important, the eternal.
I want you, my dear reader (yes, you are dear to me), to know God, to realize how much He loves you, and that He has already taken care of your greatest need, the eternal, spiritual debt that you can't pay.
And He's laid out in His Word how we can align with how He made this World to work--loving Him and loving one another. We all know right from wrong, and we make choices every day based on what we think is right. But we still mess up. That's why we need to consult Him in every decision we make, recognizing that He is with us all day every day; and follow His leading.
Then, even when things don't happen like we want or expect, we can still trust Him in everything. He is our Good Father, Who teaches us and guides us, and even protects us, seeing our futures, around all the corners where we can't see. So He sees the Big Picture, we only see a part. We must trust Him.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Only be strong and very courageous, be careful to do according to all the Law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it, for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
Here it is. This is how God designed this World to work. He gave us all the particulars of how to cooperate with the Design of this environment so that we will reap its bounty, and be prosperous and have success in every area of life.
To know God and to study His Word, to be thinking about it day and night, and to reason through why God would say what He said, to connect the dots--that's what I've been doing, and this is how I realize that God wants us to do well, and gave us everything we need to know and apply in His Word.
The World has gotten hold of God's design of how things work here, but they leave Him out of it, and say to "ask the universe," instead of asking the God Who made the Universe. To follow His ways will bring prosperity (not just money), but even if you gain the whole World, what will you profit, if in the end you've lost what's most important, the eternal.
I want you, my dear reader (yes, you are dear to me), to know God, to realize how much He loves you, and that He has already taken care of your greatest need, the eternal, spiritual debt that you can't pay.
And He's laid out in His Word how we can align with how He made this World to work--loving Him and loving one another. We all know right from wrong, and we make choices every day based on what we think is right. But we still mess up. That's why we need to consult Him in every decision we make, recognizing that He is with us all day every day; and follow His leading.
Then, even when things don't happen like we want or expect, we can still trust Him in everything. He is our Good Father, Who teaches us and guides us, and even protects us, seeing our futures, around all the corners where we can't see. So He sees the Big Picture, we only see a part. We must trust Him.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, January 28, 2018
Vengeance
Deuteronomy 32: 35, 41
Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, in due time their foot will slip; for the day of their calamity is near, and the impending things are hastening upon them.
When I sharpen my flashing sword, and My hand lays hold on justice, I will render vengeance on My adversaries, and repay those who hate Me.
God says that vengeance belongs to Him. Whenever we want to "get even" or "get back" at our adversaries, we are taking what belongs to God.
We can't handle it, it's way too powerful and dangerous to our psyches. It would make us bitter, negative people who can't receive any of God's goodness into our lives.
God is the only One Who can safely administer that kind of justice. And He will. He will even all the odds, pay back every debt, settle every dispute. We can trust Him to take care of all of it.
Our part is to love those people back to God, so that they will realize what harm they've done, repent, and turn their lives around. And if they don't, we are to love them anyway, and persevere in praying for them.
I was one who did much harm to people's relationships and marriages. I deserved great retribution. But God had pity on me, drew me to Himself, and let me know that my debt was paid in full.
That's when I became a Christian, a "little Christ." Jesus took my place, in taking upon Himself the death I deserve, and then God wiped my debt out of His Book, washed me in the Blood, and made me completely clean and pure; and gave me His own Holy Spirit to live in my spirit to seal me as His own. Now nothing can separate me from His love (see Romans 8:35-39), His Seal will hold me firmly in His grasp, to never again be "lost."
God will save every person who realizes they need Him, and turn around to seek Him (John 3:16-17). No matter how far they have strayed, how wicked their deeds have been, how many lives they have destroyed; if they come to know that they deserve God's wrath and repent, then God will let them know that He put all His wrath they deserve on Jesus on the Cross. That's why He was born.
But we must put from our thinking any ideas that we want to punish someone who has hurt and harmed us. God has forgiven us, and He wants us to forgive others, too. It's not easy, but with His help, we can. It may take time, and we may need to forgive them repeatedly, but we must persevere; and when you can think of that person and what they did without any more pain, then you will be free of that millstone around your neck!
We don't forgive for their benefit, but for our own. To hold on to it only hurts us further, without touching them. That's why we need to keep on forgiving every time we remember it.
I hope those families that I harmed all those years ago were able to let that negativity go. There's nothing I can do now except to pray for them. They're in God's hands. I trust Him to do what is Right for all of us, so I don't need to worry.
If you find yourself holding on to some grudge against someone who genuinely harmed you, then decide to free yourself and let it go.
You won't be sorry--you'll be free!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, in due time their foot will slip; for the day of their calamity is near, and the impending things are hastening upon them.
When I sharpen my flashing sword, and My hand lays hold on justice, I will render vengeance on My adversaries, and repay those who hate Me.
God says that vengeance belongs to Him. Whenever we want to "get even" or "get back" at our adversaries, we are taking what belongs to God.
We can't handle it, it's way too powerful and dangerous to our psyches. It would make us bitter, negative people who can't receive any of God's goodness into our lives.
God is the only One Who can safely administer that kind of justice. And He will. He will even all the odds, pay back every debt, settle every dispute. We can trust Him to take care of all of it.
Our part is to love those people back to God, so that they will realize what harm they've done, repent, and turn their lives around. And if they don't, we are to love them anyway, and persevere in praying for them.
I was one who did much harm to people's relationships and marriages. I deserved great retribution. But God had pity on me, drew me to Himself, and let me know that my debt was paid in full.
That's when I became a Christian, a "little Christ." Jesus took my place, in taking upon Himself the death I deserve, and then God wiped my debt out of His Book, washed me in the Blood, and made me completely clean and pure; and gave me His own Holy Spirit to live in my spirit to seal me as His own. Now nothing can separate me from His love (see Romans 8:35-39), His Seal will hold me firmly in His grasp, to never again be "lost."
God will save every person who realizes they need Him, and turn around to seek Him (John 3:16-17). No matter how far they have strayed, how wicked their deeds have been, how many lives they have destroyed; if they come to know that they deserve God's wrath and repent, then God will let them know that He put all His wrath they deserve on Jesus on the Cross. That's why He was born.
But we must put from our thinking any ideas that we want to punish someone who has hurt and harmed us. God has forgiven us, and He wants us to forgive others, too. It's not easy, but with His help, we can. It may take time, and we may need to forgive them repeatedly, but we must persevere; and when you can think of that person and what they did without any more pain, then you will be free of that millstone around your neck!
We don't forgive for their benefit, but for our own. To hold on to it only hurts us further, without touching them. That's why we need to keep on forgiving every time we remember it.
I hope those families that I harmed all those years ago were able to let that negativity go. There's nothing I can do now except to pray for them. They're in God's hands. I trust Him to do what is Right for all of us, so I don't need to worry.
If you find yourself holding on to some grudge against someone who genuinely harmed you, then decide to free yourself and let it go.
You won't be sorry--you'll be free!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, January 27, 2018
Be Strong And Courageous
Deuteronomy 31: 7-8, 12
Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel: "Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the Land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance.
And the Lord is the One Who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.
Moses was not going to be their leader any more. In order for the people to not be scattered like sheep without a shepherd, he commissioned Joshua in front of all the people so that they would know that they could follow him, and that God had given him authority like He had Moses to lead them, to conquer this Land.
And he also made it clear that God would be the One Who would subdue these peoples that were bigger and stronger and more numerous than Israel. So that they would all look to Joshua and trust God as they entered this Promised Land. And to encourage Joshua to pick up this mantle of authority confidently.
...Be careful to observe...
And they all, Joshua included, were to pay attention and be careful in their thinking processes so that they wouldn't be seduced by all the attractive ways of these peoples who already live here. That's why they were to destroy not just the people who would convince them, but also all the altars, all the idols, all the totems, all the things that were used in the worship of these false gods, these demons.
We must all pay attention to ourselves to be "in the moment" and recognize how we're thinking to make sure that we are not drifting away from the Lord's ways. We are all vulnerable when we're not being careful. We are also seduced by all the attractive ways of the World around us.
Our enemy has convinced by deception so many around us, that we (in America, at least) are eating what are not even food, but chemicals and plastics and Franken-foods. No wonder we are suffering with all these auto-immune diseases. And he has convinced so many to think in a scarcity mode, to think that for one to have more, he has to take it from one who has less. When God has put everything here in abundance, so that every person can have all we need, and make wealth by providing good things to others, enriching them, too.
Whenever God gives, it's always in abundance, far more than just basic necessities. When Jesus made the water into wine, it was a week's worth of beverage for the whole party. When He multiplied the 5 loaves and 2 fishes for the 5000, they had twelve huge baskets full left over. God is generous, giving to us out of His great riches (Philippians 4:19).
We never need to feel that we're in need. We never need to feel that we are deprived or denied. God has already given us everything in abundance in this Earth. We only need to know His ways and order our thinking along His lines, and decide to do life His way. In purity, and in honesty, and in generosity. In considering other before ourselves, and giving God the credit.
That's how He designed it to work.
God didn't want the Israelites to be seduced away from their "Husband," and He doesn't want us to be seduced away from our "Bridegroom." He loves us, and wants us to enjoy the life He provides.
So let us ask Him, seek Him, knock on the door of His ways, as He tells us to do (Luke 11:9-10). Let us continually be aware of His presence with us and in us, to cooperate with how He made this World; and we will enjoy the benefits as we give Him the glory. A win-win.
Even so,come, Lord Jesus!
Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel: "Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the Land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance.
And the Lord is the One Who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.
Moses was not going to be their leader any more. In order for the people to not be scattered like sheep without a shepherd, he commissioned Joshua in front of all the people so that they would know that they could follow him, and that God had given him authority like He had Moses to lead them, to conquer this Land.
And he also made it clear that God would be the One Who would subdue these peoples that were bigger and stronger and more numerous than Israel. So that they would all look to Joshua and trust God as they entered this Promised Land. And to encourage Joshua to pick up this mantle of authority confidently.
...Be careful to observe...
And they all, Joshua included, were to pay attention and be careful in their thinking processes so that they wouldn't be seduced by all the attractive ways of these peoples who already live here. That's why they were to destroy not just the people who would convince them, but also all the altars, all the idols, all the totems, all the things that were used in the worship of these false gods, these demons.
We must all pay attention to ourselves to be "in the moment" and recognize how we're thinking to make sure that we are not drifting away from the Lord's ways. We are all vulnerable when we're not being careful. We are also seduced by all the attractive ways of the World around us.
Our enemy has convinced by deception so many around us, that we (in America, at least) are eating what are not even food, but chemicals and plastics and Franken-foods. No wonder we are suffering with all these auto-immune diseases. And he has convinced so many to think in a scarcity mode, to think that for one to have more, he has to take it from one who has less. When God has put everything here in abundance, so that every person can have all we need, and make wealth by providing good things to others, enriching them, too.
Whenever God gives, it's always in abundance, far more than just basic necessities. When Jesus made the water into wine, it was a week's worth of beverage for the whole party. When He multiplied the 5 loaves and 2 fishes for the 5000, they had twelve huge baskets full left over. God is generous, giving to us out of His great riches (Philippians 4:19).
We never need to feel that we're in need. We never need to feel that we are deprived or denied. God has already given us everything in abundance in this Earth. We only need to know His ways and order our thinking along His lines, and decide to do life His way. In purity, and in honesty, and in generosity. In considering other before ourselves, and giving God the credit.
That's how He designed it to work.
God didn't want the Israelites to be seduced away from their "Husband," and He doesn't want us to be seduced away from our "Bridegroom." He loves us, and wants us to enjoy the life He provides.
So let us ask Him, seek Him, knock on the door of His ways, as He tells us to do (Luke 11:9-10). Let us continually be aware of His presence with us and in us, to cooperate with how He made this World; and we will enjoy the benefits as we give Him the glory. A win-win.
Even so,come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, January 26, 2018
In Your Heart
Deuteronomy 29: 29
The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us, that we may observe all the words of this Law.
All that we don't know yet, God knows. The things we've been able to know, through God's revealing them to us or through scientific study of this Earth and the Universe it's in, belong to us, to use for our benefit.
God has given us life that lives through our physical bodies; when this life leaves our bodies, we're dead. That spiritual part of us is what uses our brains to think and have emotions and a will to decide. None of these things are physical. Dead bodies don't think, emote, or choose. They don't do anything.
So where should we go to learn what we need to know to prosper? I want to prosper in every way--emotionally, physically, relationally, intelligently, and especially spiritually. And even a little financially.
30: 14
But the Word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.
We don't have to travel, or enroll in some University, or get on the internet around the world to know what we need to do to live our lives--our own consciences, if they are trained properly, can lead us, but are they trustworthy? What if they are deceiving us? Our own hearts lie to us (Jeremiah 17:9).
But God can never lie or be mistaken. We can fully trust what He says. And His Word is given to us to guide our hearts and train our consciences. His ways for us are simple, but not easy. When we're thinking properly, they make sense.
God wants to bless us. He wants us to live our lives in harmony and prosperity. He's told us how to think (Philippians 4:5-8) so we can reason along with Him; He's given us His Love so that we can love Him back and love one another (I Corinthians 13); and this Love underlies all the rules, commandments, and precepts, so we can understand the principles and how to apply the knowledge we have. He's given us freely everything we need to know to do, and the strength and ability to do it. And He's given us all the foods we need naturally in this Earth, so we can nourish our bodies into good health, prospering physically.
So all we need is already there in our hearts. Now we need to "pay attention" and "be careful" to actually observe these ways, and live them in our daily lives. By practicing these things, we can form new habits, to do what is right instead of our old ways of messing up. Whenever we're not paying attention, we can easily slide back into old, unproductive ways. We have to put forth the effort and persevere in doing what we know is right.
John wrote, For all that is in the World, the lust of the flesh [sensuality], the lust of the eyes [materialism, accumulating things], and the pride of life [reputation, popularity], is not of the Father, but is of the World (I John 2:16). Any or all three of these things can be idols to us, drawing us away from the pure joys of His ways.
Whatever we consider first in our thinking and our choices is our god. If I consider my own pleasure before any other consideration, then I am my own god. If I think first of what people will think of me, then pride is my god. If I want more money and things, then I will never have enough money and things, and materialism is my god. None of these will ever satisfy me, they are all just tools, not ends in themselves. I am to use the tools I have, in seeking to do what I perceive to be right.
I need to pay attention to what God has taught me so far, and be "in the moment" to not slide into any error or mistake that "misses the mark" (sin). And I hope you too, dear reader, will seek His wisdom to know what is right for you to do, so you can prosper in every way, also.
And because God has planned it to work out that way, then He will receive all the credit when it does work out. And we will get the benefits, and He will get the glory.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us, that we may observe all the words of this Law.
All that we don't know yet, God knows. The things we've been able to know, through God's revealing them to us or through scientific study of this Earth and the Universe it's in, belong to us, to use for our benefit.
God has given us life that lives through our physical bodies; when this life leaves our bodies, we're dead. That spiritual part of us is what uses our brains to think and have emotions and a will to decide. None of these things are physical. Dead bodies don't think, emote, or choose. They don't do anything.
So where should we go to learn what we need to know to prosper? I want to prosper in every way--emotionally, physically, relationally, intelligently, and especially spiritually. And even a little financially.
30: 14
But the Word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.
We don't have to travel, or enroll in some University, or get on the internet around the world to know what we need to do to live our lives--our own consciences, if they are trained properly, can lead us, but are they trustworthy? What if they are deceiving us? Our own hearts lie to us (Jeremiah 17:9).
But God can never lie or be mistaken. We can fully trust what He says. And His Word is given to us to guide our hearts and train our consciences. His ways for us are simple, but not easy. When we're thinking properly, they make sense.
God wants to bless us. He wants us to live our lives in harmony and prosperity. He's told us how to think (Philippians 4:5-8) so we can reason along with Him; He's given us His Love so that we can love Him back and love one another (I Corinthians 13); and this Love underlies all the rules, commandments, and precepts, so we can understand the principles and how to apply the knowledge we have. He's given us freely everything we need to know to do, and the strength and ability to do it. And He's given us all the foods we need naturally in this Earth, so we can nourish our bodies into good health, prospering physically.
So all we need is already there in our hearts. Now we need to "pay attention" and "be careful" to actually observe these ways, and live them in our daily lives. By practicing these things, we can form new habits, to do what is right instead of our old ways of messing up. Whenever we're not paying attention, we can easily slide back into old, unproductive ways. We have to put forth the effort and persevere in doing what we know is right.
John wrote, For all that is in the World, the lust of the flesh [sensuality], the lust of the eyes [materialism, accumulating things], and the pride of life [reputation, popularity], is not of the Father, but is of the World (I John 2:16). Any or all three of these things can be idols to us, drawing us away from the pure joys of His ways.
Whatever we consider first in our thinking and our choices is our god. If I consider my own pleasure before any other consideration, then I am my own god. If I think first of what people will think of me, then pride is my god. If I want more money and things, then I will never have enough money and things, and materialism is my god. None of these will ever satisfy me, they are all just tools, not ends in themselves. I am to use the tools I have, in seeking to do what I perceive to be right.
I need to pay attention to what God has taught me so far, and be "in the moment" to not slide into any error or mistake that "misses the mark" (sin). And I hope you too, dear reader, will seek His wisdom to know what is right for you to do, so you can prosper in every way, also.
And because God has planned it to work out that way, then He will receive all the credit when it does work out. And we will get the benefits, and He will get the glory.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, January 25, 2018
God's Reputation And Promises
Deuteronomy 9: 7-29
In Verses 7-24 Moses recounts all the things the people did to anger the Lord while they were in the desert.
And Verses 25-29 tell us that God got angry enough to destroy them, and offered Moses the opportunity to found another Nation! But Moses interceded for them, to remember the Patriarchs and to consider His own reputation.
V. 28
Otherwise, the land from which Thou dost bring us may say, "Because the Lord was not able to bring them into the land which He had promised them and because He hated them He has brought them out to slay them in the wilderness."
God will always safeguard His own reputation, and He will always keep His promises.
Moses knew God, so he knew He would listen to this prayer, and answer.
If I know God and understand His ways, then I'll know what God wants for me, and that He can give me what He wants me to have (an if-then proposition); He will always answer those prayers.
I don't bargain with God, I don't threaten Him, I don't do any of the manipulative manuvers people try in order to get what they want. I only want what He wants for me, because I know it would be much better for me than anything I would think of.
Even if it means I will be going through hard times or grief or some other disaster in the mean time, because I trust Him through anything He would allow me to face. He will strengthen me, and carry me through it all. And the Joy of the Lord will be my strength.
I know that God will direct all the affairs of this World to complete all His purposes for this Earth, and He has given me a small role, a bit part, in this great Theatre.
And He will be praised for all He has done.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
In Verses 7-24 Moses recounts all the things the people did to anger the Lord while they were in the desert.
And Verses 25-29 tell us that God got angry enough to destroy them, and offered Moses the opportunity to found another Nation! But Moses interceded for them, to remember the Patriarchs and to consider His own reputation.
V. 28
Otherwise, the land from which Thou dost bring us may say, "Because the Lord was not able to bring them into the land which He had promised them and because He hated them He has brought them out to slay them in the wilderness."
God will always safeguard His own reputation, and He will always keep His promises.
Moses knew God, so he knew He would listen to this prayer, and answer.
If I know God and understand His ways, then I'll know what God wants for me, and that He can give me what He wants me to have (an if-then proposition); He will always answer those prayers.
I don't bargain with God, I don't threaten Him, I don't do any of the manipulative manuvers people try in order to get what they want. I only want what He wants for me, because I know it would be much better for me than anything I would think of.
Even if it means I will be going through hard times or grief or some other disaster in the mean time, because I trust Him through anything He would allow me to face. He will strengthen me, and carry me through it all. And the Joy of the Lord will be my strength.
I know that God will direct all the affairs of this World to complete all His purposes for this Earth, and He has given me a small role, a bit part, in this great Theatre.
And He will be praised for all He has done.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Manna And Clothing
Deuteronomy 8: 3-5
He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
Jesus quoted this verse in response to Satan's tempting. This manna was not anything this Earth produces. God sent it miraculously to the Hebrews in the Desert (Matthew 4:4). Psalm 78:23-25 tells us that this was "the grain of Heaven; men ate the bread of Angels."
Moses also ate this manna. He tells the people that God sent it to teach them that life comes not from what we eat, but from what comes from the mouth of God, His Word, which is Spirit.
Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.
I'll bet that the people didn't even notice this detail: they wore the same clothes every year, and their sandals didn't wear out for forty years! Same old, same old, never needed replacing.
Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.
Feeding them, not letting their clothes wear out; this is discipline? We think of discipline as more or less punishment, but this sounds more like the academic definition, which is, Teaching.
Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in His ways and revering Him.
The conclusion here is for them to learn to apply God's commands in their lives and thinking processes, and to consider only God to be deserving of reverence, adoration, and worship. He alone is God. He alone is our Source. He loves us with a love that is deeper, wider, longer, higher than any other imaginable love. That's why He is the only one who merits our honor and obedience.
And when we obey His ways, we will receive the effects--the benefits of what He's built into this World system. And he gets all the glory.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
Jesus quoted this verse in response to Satan's tempting. This manna was not anything this Earth produces. God sent it miraculously to the Hebrews in the Desert (Matthew 4:4). Psalm 78:23-25 tells us that this was "the grain of Heaven; men ate the bread of Angels."
Moses also ate this manna. He tells the people that God sent it to teach them that life comes not from what we eat, but from what comes from the mouth of God, His Word, which is Spirit.
Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.
I'll bet that the people didn't even notice this detail: they wore the same clothes every year, and their sandals didn't wear out for forty years! Same old, same old, never needed replacing.
Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.
Feeding them, not letting their clothes wear out; this is discipline? We think of discipline as more or less punishment, but this sounds more like the academic definition, which is, Teaching.
Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in His ways and revering Him.
The conclusion here is for them to learn to apply God's commands in their lives and thinking processes, and to consider only God to be deserving of reverence, adoration, and worship. He alone is God. He alone is our Source. He loves us with a love that is deeper, wider, longer, higher than any other imaginable love. That's why He is the only one who merits our honor and obedience.
And when we obey His ways, we will receive the effects--the benefits of what He's built into this World system. And he gets all the glory.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Not Because
Deuteronomy 9: 4-6
After the Lord has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, "The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness." No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is going to drive them out before you.
It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.
God is making very clear to these Hebrews that God is not doing this for them because they deserve it, because they don't; they are a "stiff-necked people." But they are not wicked like the people who live there.
God wanted them to eradicate those societies that practiced all kinds of disgusting and dangerous rites in worshipping their idols. He didn't want them to learn to do any of these horrible practices.
Because He loves His people, He wants them to live their lives to be healthy in every way, and prosperous in every way. That's why He gave them His Law.
We have the record of what happened when they followed the Lord and when they didn't.
We also are "stiff-necked" in our thinking and our lifestyles, we don't deserve God's blessings, either. But God decided to love us, anyway, so He gave us His Word to learn about Him and His ways. And He gave us His own Son to be that Sacrifice that fulfills and completes all the sacrifices listed in the Old Covenant. So we don't slay animals on a stone altar any more.
But we are still vulnerable to the thinking processes of those pagan peoples. We just express them in a different way today. Instead of taking a knife and bleeding out an animal, we send women to a "doctor" to take the life of an innocent child even before they can be born. These are no less sacrifices to demon-idols.
And we also say to ourselves, "By the strength of my hand and the intelligence of my mind I have gotten these things." When we go by His ways, but don't acknowledge Him, we will still reap the results, gaining wealth; but Jesus said, What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8:36-37).
To get the Whole Picture, we need to seek God and learn His ways in order to order our thinking processes related to our bodies, our relationships, our businesses, every part of our lives: Physically, emotionally, psychologically, relationally.
But first we need to come to God, seek Him, realize we don't deserve any of His blessings, and let Jesus be your Savior, taking your place in death. Then learn His ways, and He will then be able to bless you, in every way. His mercy is not giving us the wrath we deserve, by putting it on Jesus instead. And His grace is giving us all the good that we don't deserve, because we are His children.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
After the Lord has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, "The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness." No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is going to drive them out before you.
It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.
God is making very clear to these Hebrews that God is not doing this for them because they deserve it, because they don't; they are a "stiff-necked people." But they are not wicked like the people who live there.
God wanted them to eradicate those societies that practiced all kinds of disgusting and dangerous rites in worshipping their idols. He didn't want them to learn to do any of these horrible practices.
Because He loves His people, He wants them to live their lives to be healthy in every way, and prosperous in every way. That's why He gave them His Law.
We have the record of what happened when they followed the Lord and when they didn't.
We also are "stiff-necked" in our thinking and our lifestyles, we don't deserve God's blessings, either. But God decided to love us, anyway, so He gave us His Word to learn about Him and His ways. And He gave us His own Son to be that Sacrifice that fulfills and completes all the sacrifices listed in the Old Covenant. So we don't slay animals on a stone altar any more.
But we are still vulnerable to the thinking processes of those pagan peoples. We just express them in a different way today. Instead of taking a knife and bleeding out an animal, we send women to a "doctor" to take the life of an innocent child even before they can be born. These are no less sacrifices to demon-idols.
And we also say to ourselves, "By the strength of my hand and the intelligence of my mind I have gotten these things." When we go by His ways, but don't acknowledge Him, we will still reap the results, gaining wealth; but Jesus said, What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8:36-37).
To get the Whole Picture, we need to seek God and learn His ways in order to order our thinking processes related to our bodies, our relationships, our businesses, every part of our lives: Physically, emotionally, psychologically, relationally.
But first we need to come to God, seek Him, realize we don't deserve any of His blessings, and let Jesus be your Savior, taking your place in death. Then learn His ways, and He will then be able to bless you, in every way. His mercy is not giving us the wrath we deserve, by putting it on Jesus instead. And His grace is giving us all the good that we don't deserve, because we are His children.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, January 22, 2018
The Ability To Produce Wealth
Deuteronomy 8: 10-18
When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land He has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe His commands....Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large, and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, Who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. ...
You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me."
But remember the Lord your God, for it is He Who gives you the ability to produce wealth....
When we accumulate wealth and abundance in our lives, we also become vulnerable to thinking that we are "self-made" men. That's when we need to pay attention to what we're thinking, and realize that God really is the One Who gives us our health and our families, and everything we enjoy; we could do nothing for ourselves if He had not given us the ability.
God is the One Who got the idea to even have a Universe with an Earth in it. He's the One Who planned out how everything would operate, and how it would all work out. He's the One Who is sovereign over everything He made, and our "free will" is only operable within the perameters He sets on us, so there is nothing evil men can do to disrupt or nullify His Plan of the Ages that is working toward its conclusion.
We can profit and get the benefits of cooperating with God in how He designed us. Or we can harm ourselves by refusing to acknowledge Him and go our merry way into destruction. Our choice.
Either way, God will have all the glory, because only He is God, and He has accomplished all His will.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land He has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe His commands....Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large, and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, Who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. ...
You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me."
But remember the Lord your God, for it is He Who gives you the ability to produce wealth....
When we accumulate wealth and abundance in our lives, we also become vulnerable to thinking that we are "self-made" men. That's when we need to pay attention to what we're thinking, and realize that God really is the One Who gives us our health and our families, and everything we enjoy; we could do nothing for ourselves if He had not given us the ability.
God is the One Who got the idea to even have a Universe with an Earth in it. He's the One Who planned out how everything would operate, and how it would all work out. He's the One Who is sovereign over everything He made, and our "free will" is only operable within the perameters He sets on us, so there is nothing evil men can do to disrupt or nullify His Plan of the Ages that is working toward its conclusion.
We can profit and get the benefits of cooperating with God in how He designed us. Or we can harm ourselves by refusing to acknowledge Him and go our merry way into destruction. Our choice.
Either way, God will have all the glory, because only He is God, and He has accomplished all His will.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, January 21, 2018
When They Obey
Deuteronomy 7: 7-8
The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were fewest of all the peoples; but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers....
God chose the Nation of Israel when He chose individual men: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So they weren't even a Nation when God decided to love them and chose them to be His own.
This shows us that God doesn't choose us for anything He sees in us, but only because He has decided to love us and make us His own. Period.
7: 12-14
When they obey, then the Lord God will pour out His lovingkindness and love you and bless you, and multiply you and your fertile ground for your grain and wine and oil, and your herds and flocks. Blessed above all other peoples, with no one barren among people or animals.
If only they would have obeyed and followed all the stipulations, then God would have blessed them more than any other Nation anywhere in the World, so much that the peoples of the other Nations would have wanted to also know and worship their God, the God over all the World.
V. 15
And the Lord will remove from you all sickness; and He will not put on you any of the harmful diseases of Egypt which you have seen there; but He will lay them on all who hate you.
This shows that following all the rules and regulations and precepts and laws that God gave them would also be very healthy for them, in having robust good health in not getting sick or miscarrying or having any kind of illness or disease. They didn't know about germs, or the necessity of fully cooking the meats, but if they followed the Lord's commandments, they would be protected from all these unseen dangers.
God is our Maker; He is our Parent, our Father/Mother; He is our Lover, our Spouse, Who loves us passionately as a newlywed husband is enamored with his new bride.
He gave His Law to Israel, to follow every detail in every part of their lives, to live a godly lifestyle. Unlike the others around them, who worshiped their gods with aberrant sexual acts and disgusting sacrifices to eat. Both of which are unhealthy and damaging to our bodies and psyches.
Today our sciences have provided extensive discoveries and knowledge of all kinds of lifestyle choices and foods and practices to keep us healthy. But with all this, we still have sicknesses and diseases and physical conditions that are far from ideal.
Now we are told to think God's thoughts (Philippians 4:5-8), cultivate the fruit of His Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and do everything we do in love (I Corinthians 13). When we live our lives like this, in accordance with the ways we learn from Scripture, then we can expect to have long, healthy, productive, and prosperous lives.
And we will give Him all the credit, all the glory, for having planned it all to work this way.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were fewest of all the peoples; but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers....
God chose the Nation of Israel when He chose individual men: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So they weren't even a Nation when God decided to love them and chose them to be His own.
This shows us that God doesn't choose us for anything He sees in us, but only because He has decided to love us and make us His own. Period.
7: 12-14
When they obey, then the Lord God will pour out His lovingkindness and love you and bless you, and multiply you and your fertile ground for your grain and wine and oil, and your herds and flocks. Blessed above all other peoples, with no one barren among people or animals.
If only they would have obeyed and followed all the stipulations, then God would have blessed them more than any other Nation anywhere in the World, so much that the peoples of the other Nations would have wanted to also know and worship their God, the God over all the World.
V. 15
And the Lord will remove from you all sickness; and He will not put on you any of the harmful diseases of Egypt which you have seen there; but He will lay them on all who hate you.
This shows that following all the rules and regulations and precepts and laws that God gave them would also be very healthy for them, in having robust good health in not getting sick or miscarrying or having any kind of illness or disease. They didn't know about germs, or the necessity of fully cooking the meats, but if they followed the Lord's commandments, they would be protected from all these unseen dangers.
God is our Maker; He is our Parent, our Father/Mother; He is our Lover, our Spouse, Who loves us passionately as a newlywed husband is enamored with his new bride.
He gave His Law to Israel, to follow every detail in every part of their lives, to live a godly lifestyle. Unlike the others around them, who worshiped their gods with aberrant sexual acts and disgusting sacrifices to eat. Both of which are unhealthy and damaging to our bodies and psyches.
Today our sciences have provided extensive discoveries and knowledge of all kinds of lifestyle choices and foods and practices to keep us healthy. But with all this, we still have sicknesses and diseases and physical conditions that are far from ideal.
Now we are told to think God's thoughts (Philippians 4:5-8), cultivate the fruit of His Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and do everything we do in love (I Corinthians 13). When we live our lives like this, in accordance with the ways we learn from Scripture, then we can expect to have long, healthy, productive, and prosperous lives.
And we will give Him all the credit, all the glory, for having planned it all to work this way.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, January 20, 2018
Be Careful
Deuteronomy 6: 3-12
Listen and be careful to do ... that it may go well with you ... and mutiply greatly, in a land flowing with milk and honey.
God wants us to listen to what He actually says, not our own ideas or what we want Him to say. And to be careful to do all that He commands. This is for our own good! When God can give us all the good things in life, it's a testimony to the other peoples of how good our God is and they will be drawn to Him.
Verses 10-12 tell us all the good things God is giving them to enjoy: Cities, houses full of good things, cisterns of good water, vineyards, olive groves, plenty to eat, drink, and enjoy.
Then Verse 12 says, Then watch yourself lest you forget the Lord....
When everything is going great, don't forget that it is the Lord God's blessings that have prospered us, we didn't do it ourselves! This is when we are vulnerable and really need to be careful.
The whole book of Judges tells us how Israel worshipped God and He blessed them. Then when things got going well for them, they got arrogant, and thought they'd gotten it all themselves, and started to honor the local gods. So God had their enemies gain control over them. So they cried out to God, and He raised up a judge, a military leader, to throw off the tyranny, and they worshipped God again.
This cycle repeated over and over. This is what happens when we're not careful. Our own flesh draws us away from the Lord and His ways. So we need to make the constant effort to remember God's ways, because we will never "slide" into righteousness; when we're on automatic we will slide into sin. It takes effort to stay on the righteous path. That's why God says over and over to "Be careful" to actually do what we know is right. Think about every choice, deliberate over every decision; consult with our Father on every thought, word, and action.
God has given us His own Holy Spirit to live inside each of us who are His, so we have no excuse. I have to train myself to constantly be aware of His presence, and commune with Him continually; like Brother Andrew learned to "practice the presence of God" in everything he did.
God made this Earth for us, and designed how the World would work, and it was all based on Love. God is Love. Everything He does comes from His Love. So when we tune our thinking processes to align with how He made everything, and think His thoughts instead of our own, then He will direct our ways to be prosperous, as He designed this World. He put an abundance of everything we need right here, and when we realize that, then we won't find a need to be greedy or to hoard; we are free to love one another and be generous with what we have, knowing there is always more out there.
It is our enemy who wants to destroy us that tells us there isn't enough.
God's plans for us according to His ways are for us to think His positive thoughts, say His encouraging words, and do His good works to benefit one another, always recognizing that He is the One Who did it all. And we get the benefits and He receives all the glory.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Listen and be careful to do ... that it may go well with you ... and mutiply greatly, in a land flowing with milk and honey.
God wants us to listen to what He actually says, not our own ideas or what we want Him to say. And to be careful to do all that He commands. This is for our own good! When God can give us all the good things in life, it's a testimony to the other peoples of how good our God is and they will be drawn to Him.
Verses 10-12 tell us all the good things God is giving them to enjoy: Cities, houses full of good things, cisterns of good water, vineyards, olive groves, plenty to eat, drink, and enjoy.
Then Verse 12 says, Then watch yourself lest you forget the Lord....
When everything is going great, don't forget that it is the Lord God's blessings that have prospered us, we didn't do it ourselves! This is when we are vulnerable and really need to be careful.
The whole book of Judges tells us how Israel worshipped God and He blessed them. Then when things got going well for them, they got arrogant, and thought they'd gotten it all themselves, and started to honor the local gods. So God had their enemies gain control over them. So they cried out to God, and He raised up a judge, a military leader, to throw off the tyranny, and they worshipped God again.
This cycle repeated over and over. This is what happens when we're not careful. Our own flesh draws us away from the Lord and His ways. So we need to make the constant effort to remember God's ways, because we will never "slide" into righteousness; when we're on automatic we will slide into sin. It takes effort to stay on the righteous path. That's why God says over and over to "Be careful" to actually do what we know is right. Think about every choice, deliberate over every decision; consult with our Father on every thought, word, and action.
God has given us His own Holy Spirit to live inside each of us who are His, so we have no excuse. I have to train myself to constantly be aware of His presence, and commune with Him continually; like Brother Andrew learned to "practice the presence of God" in everything he did.
God made this Earth for us, and designed how the World would work, and it was all based on Love. God is Love. Everything He does comes from His Love. So when we tune our thinking processes to align with how He made everything, and think His thoughts instead of our own, then He will direct our ways to be prosperous, as He designed this World. He put an abundance of everything we need right here, and when we realize that, then we won't find a need to be greedy or to hoard; we are free to love one another and be generous with what we have, knowing there is always more out there.
It is our enemy who wants to destroy us that tells us there isn't enough.
God's plans for us according to His ways are for us to think His positive thoughts, say His encouraging words, and do His good works to benefit one another, always recognizing that He is the One Who did it all. And we get the benefits and He receives all the glory.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, January 19, 2018
Life-Blood
Leviticus 17: 11
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.
Hebrews 9: 22
And according to the Law ... all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Genesis 9: 3-6
Every moving thing that lives shall be meat for you; even as the green plant have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, you shall not eat. And surely your blood of your lives will I require; whether of a beast or of a man I will require it; and at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made He man.
Blood represents the life of the creature. It's life is in its blood. That's why blood tests reveal what is going on in the health of one examined by medical people.
The shedding of blood refers to the death of the one whose blood is spilt. When God gave Noah animal meat to eat, in addition to the crops and orchards, He warned him not to eat the blood.
And whether man or beast kills a person, the killer must pay with his own life, because man is made in God's image.
God gave the blood of the beast on the altar to make restitution to God for sins. This demonstrates that we all deserve to die, since a life must be paid in substitution for our life, for our sins to be forgiven and covered by the animal's blood (see Leviticus chapter 1).
Jesus has now come to be the Lamb of God to shed His Blood on His altar, the Cross, which does more than just cover the sins that are there. The precious Blood He shed is God's own Blood, with endless power to actually wash away all our sins and cleanse us of every stain.
So when someone realizes that he deserves death, and lets Jesus take his death on the Cross, that is trusting Him to be Savior. Just to ask Him to save you won't make you a Christian; you must repent and believe. Turn around your thinking, and depend on Jesus to be your personal Sacrifice to die for you. Then God will be able to forgive you and make you His child.
Then God raised Jesus from the dead, and He was alive again, with a new life, that could go through locked doors. This Resurrection proved that God accepted His sacrifice. It also proves that Jesus is Who He said He was, God's own Son, and the Lord God of the Old Testament.
So put Your faith, your trust, in Jesus as your Savior, your personal Sacrifice. He will take away your sins and you will receive that new life, that Resurrection life, in the Person of the Holy Spirit Who will live in your spirit, making it alive and able to communicate with God.
And you will be one of His sheep, that He will call by name to go out, and be with Him forever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.
Hebrews 9: 22
And according to the Law ... all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Genesis 9: 3-6
Every moving thing that lives shall be meat for you; even as the green plant have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, you shall not eat. And surely your blood of your lives will I require; whether of a beast or of a man I will require it; and at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made He man.
Blood represents the life of the creature. It's life is in its blood. That's why blood tests reveal what is going on in the health of one examined by medical people.
And whether man or beast kills a person, the killer must pay with his own life, because man is made in God's image.
God gave the blood of the beast on the altar to make restitution to God for sins. This demonstrates that we all deserve to die, since a life must be paid in substitution for our life, for our sins to be forgiven and covered by the animal's blood (see Leviticus chapter 1).
Jesus has now come to be the Lamb of God to shed His Blood on His altar, the Cross, which does more than just cover the sins that are there. The precious Blood He shed is God's own Blood, with endless power to actually wash away all our sins and cleanse us of every stain.
So when someone realizes that he deserves death, and lets Jesus take his death on the Cross, that is trusting Him to be Savior. Just to ask Him to save you won't make you a Christian; you must repent and believe. Turn around your thinking, and depend on Jesus to be your personal Sacrifice to die for you. Then God will be able to forgive you and make you His child.
Then God raised Jesus from the dead, and He was alive again, with a new life, that could go through locked doors. This Resurrection proved that God accepted His sacrifice. It also proves that Jesus is Who He said He was, God's own Son, and the Lord God of the Old Testament.
So put Your faith, your trust, in Jesus as your Savior, your personal Sacrifice. He will take away your sins and you will receive that new life, that Resurrection life, in the Person of the Holy Spirit Who will live in your spirit, making it alive and able to communicate with God.
And you will be one of His sheep, that He will call by name to go out, and be with Him forever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, January 18, 2018
He Knows Us
Exodus 35: 30, 34
See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel .. and Oholiab ...
Psalm 147: 4
He determines the number of the stars, and calls them each by name.
John 10: 3
...The sheep listen to His voice. He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out.
God made us, He knows who and what He made, and He calls us all by our individual names. He knows each of us intimately, He knows how He has gifted each of us with the personalities, gifts, abilities, propensities, every detail about us. He knows where we came from, and what His plans are for us.
He told Moses that He had endowed these two men with extraordinary skills and knowledge and understanding of all the fields of workmanship that would be needed to put together and fashion this Tabernacle to be exactly like the "pattern," the Original in Heaven that God showed Moses on the mountain. And He also equipped them to teach others how to do all the intricate work, so that everything would get done properly.
God even knows all the stars, far more in number than we even today have been able to determine. He calls each one of them by name, too.
And He also knows each one of us today. He knows you and me, and He has given us each what we need to fulfill all His plans for each of us and for all of us. He has individually gifted us differently with a whole array of abilities and skills and personalities, so that we would work together to get everything done so we can all live together in peace and prosperity in every way: socially, relationally, physically, emotionally, politically, spiritually. And also financially, if needed.
When God designed this Universe with our Earth, He could see all Time from the beginning to the end. So He planned for all of us to form societies so we could help one another to be all He wants us to be. And He gave us each different and varied qualities so that we would be able for the strong to help the weak in every area, and to love one another as He loves us.
So when we get to know ourselves, and we open up ourselves to others so that they can know us (being vulnerable), then we are in the best position to discern what our neighbor needs, and use our own resources and abilities to help him.
And he will also be able to help us with our needs. So that there will be no gaps in the fabric of Time that He is weaving with each of us.
We are all planned by Him and are being used by Him in all our choices and decisions we make "freely." For all His purposes will be accomplished in the time He has planned it. All our families, our clans, our tribes, our cities, states, provinces, districts, and nations are all moving toward the great culmination of Time.
Jesus will return, will rule, and then Time as we know it will end, when this whole Universe will implode and explode again to form a whole new Universe, that King Jesus will rule forever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel .. and Oholiab ...
Psalm 147: 4
He determines the number of the stars, and calls them each by name.
John 10: 3
...The sheep listen to His voice. He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out.
God made us, He knows who and what He made, and He calls us all by our individual names. He knows each of us intimately, He knows how He has gifted each of us with the personalities, gifts, abilities, propensities, every detail about us. He knows where we came from, and what His plans are for us.
He told Moses that He had endowed these two men with extraordinary skills and knowledge and understanding of all the fields of workmanship that would be needed to put together and fashion this Tabernacle to be exactly like the "pattern," the Original in Heaven that God showed Moses on the mountain. And He also equipped them to teach others how to do all the intricate work, so that everything would get done properly.
God even knows all the stars, far more in number than we even today have been able to determine. He calls each one of them by name, too.
And He also knows each one of us today. He knows you and me, and He has given us each what we need to fulfill all His plans for each of us and for all of us. He has individually gifted us differently with a whole array of abilities and skills and personalities, so that we would work together to get everything done so we can all live together in peace and prosperity in every way: socially, relationally, physically, emotionally, politically, spiritually. And also financially, if needed.
When God designed this Universe with our Earth, He could see all Time from the beginning to the end. So He planned for all of us to form societies so we could help one another to be all He wants us to be. And He gave us each different and varied qualities so that we would be able for the strong to help the weak in every area, and to love one another as He loves us.
So when we get to know ourselves, and we open up ourselves to others so that they can know us (being vulnerable), then we are in the best position to discern what our neighbor needs, and use our own resources and abilities to help him.
And he will also be able to help us with our needs. So that there will be no gaps in the fabric of Time that He is weaving with each of us.
We are all planned by Him and are being used by Him in all our choices and decisions we make "freely." For all His purposes will be accomplished in the time He has planned it. All our families, our clans, our tribes, our cities, states, provinces, districts, and nations are all moving toward the great culmination of Time.
Jesus will return, will rule, and then Time as we know it will end, when this whole Universe will implode and explode again to form a whole new Universe, that King Jesus will rule forever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Moses' Face Shone
Exodus 34: 29, 33, 35
...Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him.
When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.
The sons of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone. So Moses would replace the veil over his face until he went in to speak with Him.
Being in the presence of our Lord God as He proclaimed His Name and all that He revealed about Himself, infused into Moses' face an impression of His Glory, that made his face shine, glow! So Moses had to cover his face with a veil. (See also II Corinthians 3:13-16.)
Has your face ever glowed after worshipping in the presence of the Lord? You probably wouldn't know, unless someone else saw and told you. Moses didn't know until they told him. So he probably didn't feel any different physically.
Actually, you might say that our bodies glow now, with our body heat. Those heat-seeking cameras show living bodies as sources of light.
But I think that when we worship in the presence and close intimacy with the Lord even today, our faces can glow, too.
May we all who know Him seek His face so deeply that we will glow with His Spirit shining out of our "clay pots" (II Corinthians 4:6-7).
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
...Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him.
When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.
The sons of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone. So Moses would replace the veil over his face until he went in to speak with Him.
Being in the presence of our Lord God as He proclaimed His Name and all that He revealed about Himself, infused into Moses' face an impression of His Glory, that made his face shine, glow! So Moses had to cover his face with a veil. (See also II Corinthians 3:13-16.)
Has your face ever glowed after worshipping in the presence of the Lord? You probably wouldn't know, unless someone else saw and told you. Moses didn't know until they told him. So he probably didn't feel any different physically.
Actually, you might say that our bodies glow now, with our body heat. Those heat-seeking cameras show living bodies as sources of light.
But I think that when we worship in the presence and close intimacy with the Lord even today, our faces can glow, too.
May we all who know Him seek His face so deeply that we will glow with His Spirit shining out of our "clay pots" (II Corinthians 4:6-7).
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
"Be Careful"
Exodus 34: 11, 12, etc.
...Be sure to observe...
...Watch yourself...
All through the Bible, everywhere God is cautioning us; He repeats: "Be careful," "Watch yourselves," "Be sure to observe," "Take for yourselves." God always has required personal responsibility on the part of each one of us, individually.
And we each will give account to the Judge of the Earth for every thought, attitude, decision, word and action we have ever done.
He has done everything He can to show us Who He is, how His character is perfect, how He has made this Earth and designed how the World is to operate on it. He has given us all the Laws of Nature, as well as all the moral laws.
He has shown us that He is Love. Everything He does comes from Love. And when we know this Love, and return it to Him, and love one another with this Love; then we will not have to be concerned with all the details, because we will be obeying His Law by loving one another.
We still are living in our flesh, though, which tries to draw us away from God and His ways. That's why we need to "be careful" to "watch ourselves" to make sure we're doing it His way and not our own. Whenever we slide, it's away. We have to "watch ourselves" constantly.
We are drawn away by the World, the flesh, and even the devil. But God has given us His Spirit to whisper into our spirit when we're about to stray. So we have no excuse. If our life is so noisy that we can't "hear" His whispers, that's our fault. And we will be called to account.
But when we allow ourselves to sit in silence with His Word, then we can have that two-way conversation with Him that is so helpful and productive. He will teach us, He will lead us and guide us, He will show us the right path, and strengthen us to take it.
We just need to trust Him to do it. When I can't see around the corner, I can trust Him to take me around that corner without fear, because He loves me.
And He loves you, too. Trust in His love. Even if it may hurt to learn the lesson, it will be a "good hurt" that will help and heal. He will never harm you. You can trust Him in this, and in everything He allows to touch you.
O my Father, thank You so much for Your Love. I may never in this life comprehend how high, how deep, how wide, how immense is Your Love for me, but I know I can trust it, because I trust You, and I know that Your plans for me are for my good, to prosper me in every way. Because that's how You designed it to work, so You receive all the credit, all the glory, when I cooperate with You. And we will celebrate together Your goodness and greatness and Love.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
...Be sure to observe...
...Watch yourself...
All through the Bible, everywhere God is cautioning us; He repeats: "Be careful," "Watch yourselves," "Be sure to observe," "Take for yourselves." God always has required personal responsibility on the part of each one of us, individually.
And we each will give account to the Judge of the Earth for every thought, attitude, decision, word and action we have ever done.
He has done everything He can to show us Who He is, how His character is perfect, how He has made this Earth and designed how the World is to operate on it. He has given us all the Laws of Nature, as well as all the moral laws.
He has shown us that He is Love. Everything He does comes from Love. And when we know this Love, and return it to Him, and love one another with this Love; then we will not have to be concerned with all the details, because we will be obeying His Law by loving one another.
We still are living in our flesh, though, which tries to draw us away from God and His ways. That's why we need to "be careful" to "watch ourselves" to make sure we're doing it His way and not our own. Whenever we slide, it's away. We have to "watch ourselves" constantly.
We are drawn away by the World, the flesh, and even the devil. But God has given us His Spirit to whisper into our spirit when we're about to stray. So we have no excuse. If our life is so noisy that we can't "hear" His whispers, that's our fault. And we will be called to account.
But when we allow ourselves to sit in silence with His Word, then we can have that two-way conversation with Him that is so helpful and productive. He will teach us, He will lead us and guide us, He will show us the right path, and strengthen us to take it.
We just need to trust Him to do it. When I can't see around the corner, I can trust Him to take me around that corner without fear, because He loves me.
And He loves you, too. Trust in His love. Even if it may hurt to learn the lesson, it will be a "good hurt" that will help and heal. He will never harm you. You can trust Him in this, and in everything He allows to touch you.
O my Father, thank You so much for Your Love. I may never in this life comprehend how high, how deep, how wide, how immense is Your Love for me, but I know I can trust it, because I trust You, and I know that Your plans for me are for my good, to prosper me in every way. Because that's how You designed it to work, so You receive all the credit, all the glory, when I cooperate with You. And we will celebrate together Your goodness and greatness and Love.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, January 15, 2018
Moses' Anger
Exodus 32: 19, 20
...Moses' anger burned and he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain.
While Moses spent time on the mountain with the Lord, the people gave up on him and had Aaron make an idol out of the gold earrings they gave him, against the Laws they had just agreed to before Moses went back up the mountain.
We again see Moses' anger. He knew that they all deserved death for this gross idolatry, so he allowed himself to throw this temper tantrum and broke the God-inscribed tablets of the Law that the people broke.
But God is long-suffering, so this is what Moses did:
And he took the calf which they had made and burned it with fire, and ground it to powder, and scattered it over the surface of the water, and made the sons of Israel drink it.
The Sun shining on the water through the powdered gold would give it the appearance of red blood! So the people all had to drink this blood-looking water, admitting that they deserved to shed their blood for this sin.
God commanded that they never eat or drink the blood of their sacrifices, because the life is in the blood. When someone "shed blood," it meant taking a life. This water wasn't blood, it just looked like blood. Medicine has shown that gold will not harm the human body. God knew this, so that's why He had Moses handle the situation this way.
But now Moses had to carve out two more tablets for God to write on, because the Law cannot be broken, it still stands; we can only break ourselves on it.
O my Father, thank You for Your great patience and mercy and grace upon us. Thank you for Your goodness and kindness and gentleness with me. Thank you for recording all these events, telling us of all these people who lived before us, so that we could learn from their mistakes, and even more, their successes.
Thank You, Father, for showing us Who You are, and for being there for us. You made Moses to be meek, but his temper cost him dearly. Help us to overcome our shortcomings, so we can be more like You, and enjoy Your blessings.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
...Moses' anger burned and he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain.
While Moses spent time on the mountain with the Lord, the people gave up on him and had Aaron make an idol out of the gold earrings they gave him, against the Laws they had just agreed to before Moses went back up the mountain.
We again see Moses' anger. He knew that they all deserved death for this gross idolatry, so he allowed himself to throw this temper tantrum and broke the God-inscribed tablets of the Law that the people broke.
But God is long-suffering, so this is what Moses did:
And he took the calf which they had made and burned it with fire, and ground it to powder, and scattered it over the surface of the water, and made the sons of Israel drink it.
The Sun shining on the water through the powdered gold would give it the appearance of red blood! So the people all had to drink this blood-looking water, admitting that they deserved to shed their blood for this sin.
God commanded that they never eat or drink the blood of their sacrifices, because the life is in the blood. When someone "shed blood," it meant taking a life. This water wasn't blood, it just looked like blood. Medicine has shown that gold will not harm the human body. God knew this, so that's why He had Moses handle the situation this way.
But now Moses had to carve out two more tablets for God to write on, because the Law cannot be broken, it still stands; we can only break ourselves on it.
O my Father, thank You for Your great patience and mercy and grace upon us. Thank you for Your goodness and kindness and gentleness with me. Thank you for recording all these events, telling us of all these people who lived before us, so that we could learn from their mistakes, and even more, their successes.
Thank You, Father, for showing us Who You are, and for being there for us. You made Moses to be meek, but his temper cost him dearly. Help us to overcome our shortcomings, so we can be more like You, and enjoy Your blessings.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, January 14, 2018
Distinguished From All Others
Exodus 33: 11, 13, 16
Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend.
This is why Moses is called "the friend of God," because he is the only one who God spoke with on a regular basis so intimately.
"Now, therefore, I pray Thee, if I have found favor in Thy sight, let me know Thy ways, so that I may find favor in Thy sight."
May He teach all of us His ways, to learn His rules of how to love Him and one another.
"For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Thy sight, I and Thy people? Is it not by Thy going with us, so that we, I and Thy people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the Earth?"
How will all the people of all the other Nations of the World discern that God had chosen this family? By God's dwelling in their midst. God is like no other--no other god that is worshipped or honored is anything like our God, because only He is God.
Today, since Christ Jesus has come, He has fulfilled the letter of all these Commandments and Precepts and Laws; has died on His altar, the Cross, fulfilling all the sacrificial rules; and has risen from the dead, proving that God accepted His payment on our behalf for the debt we each owed.
Now God has not chosen a Nation, but individual persons from each Nation, each region, each language, each tribe and family, to be His own. And He does dwell with us now, not as a glorious Light among us, but as His Holy Spirit inside each of us. His Spirit is the Spirit of Light, of Life, of Truth, of Love. He is God Almighty actually living in each of our spirits, making our dead spirits alive, capable of communing with Him, even more intimately than face to face with Moses.
What a priviledge! Who would ever have even conceived in their imagination that the Lord God, Creator, Almighty King over all, would choose to come to each of us individually to live in our spirits to teach us and strengthen us and lead us gently into the path He has chosen for each of us.
Now others will know we belong to Him by the love we have and display for one another, as we learn how to love God, and how to love others with His unconditional love. This is not the love the World knows. It surpasses even Mother-Love, probably the most pure love we can have naturally.
So do others see this love in me?
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend.
This is why Moses is called "the friend of God," because he is the only one who God spoke with on a regular basis so intimately.
"Now, therefore, I pray Thee, if I have found favor in Thy sight, let me know Thy ways, so that I may find favor in Thy sight."
May He teach all of us His ways, to learn His rules of how to love Him and one another.
"For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Thy sight, I and Thy people? Is it not by Thy going with us, so that we, I and Thy people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the Earth?"
How will all the people of all the other Nations of the World discern that God had chosen this family? By God's dwelling in their midst. God is like no other--no other god that is worshipped or honored is anything like our God, because only He is God.
Today, since Christ Jesus has come, He has fulfilled the letter of all these Commandments and Precepts and Laws; has died on His altar, the Cross, fulfilling all the sacrificial rules; and has risen from the dead, proving that God accepted His payment on our behalf for the debt we each owed.
Now God has not chosen a Nation, but individual persons from each Nation, each region, each language, each tribe and family, to be His own. And He does dwell with us now, not as a glorious Light among us, but as His Holy Spirit inside each of us. His Spirit is the Spirit of Light, of Life, of Truth, of Love. He is God Almighty actually living in each of our spirits, making our dead spirits alive, capable of communing with Him, even more intimately than face to face with Moses.
What a priviledge! Who would ever have even conceived in their imagination that the Lord God, Creator, Almighty King over all, would choose to come to each of us individually to live in our spirits to teach us and strengthen us and lead us gently into the path He has chosen for each of us.
Now others will know we belong to Him by the love we have and display for one another, as we learn how to love God, and how to love others with His unconditional love. This is not the love the World knows. It surpasses even Mother-Love, probably the most pure love we can have naturally.
So do others see this love in me?
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, January 13, 2018
Blood Pollution
Numbers 35: 33-34
So you shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it.
And you shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the Lord am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel.
God was dwelling in the land of Canaan with the Israelites, and He is holy. He could not dwell in a polluted land, that had been defiled by blood.
That's one reason why He had His people conquer the peoples who were already there by eradicating some of the towns and cities.
And He gave rules for menslayers who didn't premeditate the killing.
God knew how enticing the World's ways are, to seduce His people away from their Lord Who loves them. He warned them repeatedly to not pay any attention to those people, to not accept their friendship or marry their women or give their daughters to marry their sons. It's just too dangerous.
And we today are warned to be aware of how God's ways are not the World's ways, and our fleshly nature rebels against Him.
Our enemy has never changed his tactics: he still tells us that we can make our own decisions, we're smart, we don't need anyone to tell us what to do.
So we go our merry way, but things don't turn out like we thought. We were deceived. That's when we need to repent, turn around, change our thinking processes to get our focus off ourselves and our surroundings and see Jesus, arms out, waiting for you to fall into His embrace.
God told the Israelites that He would go before them to conquer those peoples. And He will also go before us in our lives, to prepare the way before us; when we decide to follow Him, doing things His way, instead of our own way.
I wonder how much blood will need to be shed to expiate our own land, to cleanse it of all the innocent blood that has been shed here. When our Lord and King returns, He will cleanse the whole world of all its unrighteousness and evil. He will return this Earth to the pristine state it was in before sin messed everything up.
And He will judge the Nations.
May God forgive us and enable us to do His righteousness in our Nation.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
So you shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it.
And you shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the Lord am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel.
God was dwelling in the land of Canaan with the Israelites, and He is holy. He could not dwell in a polluted land, that had been defiled by blood.
That's one reason why He had His people conquer the peoples who were already there by eradicating some of the towns and cities.
And He gave rules for menslayers who didn't premeditate the killing.
God knew how enticing the World's ways are, to seduce His people away from their Lord Who loves them. He warned them repeatedly to not pay any attention to those people, to not accept their friendship or marry their women or give their daughters to marry their sons. It's just too dangerous.
And we today are warned to be aware of how God's ways are not the World's ways, and our fleshly nature rebels against Him.
Our enemy has never changed his tactics: he still tells us that we can make our own decisions, we're smart, we don't need anyone to tell us what to do.
So we go our merry way, but things don't turn out like we thought. We were deceived. That's when we need to repent, turn around, change our thinking processes to get our focus off ourselves and our surroundings and see Jesus, arms out, waiting for you to fall into His embrace.
God told the Israelites that He would go before them to conquer those peoples. And He will also go before us in our lives, to prepare the way before us; when we decide to follow Him, doing things His way, instead of our own way.
I wonder how much blood will need to be shed to expiate our own land, to cleanse it of all the innocent blood that has been shed here. When our Lord and King returns, He will cleanse the whole world of all its unrighteousness and evil. He will return this Earth to the pristine state it was in before sin messed everything up.
And He will judge the Nations.
May God forgive us and enable us to do His righteousness in our Nation.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, January 12, 2018
All Your Heart And All Your Soul
Deuteronomy 4: 29
But from [other lands] you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.
God is waiting for us to want Him with all our reasoning capacity and all our emotions. No matter where we are in this whole World, even to the furthest corner of the World, God is there, waiting for us.
II Peter 3: 9 tells us that The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
This is why He hasn't returned yet, He's still waiting for everyone who will come to Him to turn around their thinking (repent) and realize that they deserve death, as the paycheck for their sins. And turn to Jesus as His death paid their debt, individually. There are still people He is waiting for, but He won't wait forever.
Habakkuk 2: 3 tells us that These things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.
God told Habakkuk that everything He had planned would take place, just as He determined it would. He determined when it would all take place, and He is never late.
He waited for the right time for Jesus to come the first time, (Romans 5: 6) You see, at just the right time, (when we were powerless) Christ died for the ungodly. This means that God waited for the perfect moment in history for Jesus to come, and to die for, in the place of, those of us who know we are living away from God and His ways, and deserve the death He died for each of us.
And when He returns to this Earth, then the time will be over for choosing Him to be our Savior. That's why God has given us all this time. It's been over 2000 years so far, and we don't know how many years He will tarry. But He has set the specific Day when Jesus will return, and it will not be late. It must be very soon, so please don't delay coming to Him in faith, and doing whatever you can to grow ever closer to Him as your Father, your Savior, your Redeemer, your Best Friend!
He will not tarry, don't you. Today is the Day of Salvation (II Cor 6:2). How will we escape if we neglect this Great Salvation? (Heb 2:3-4).
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
But from [other lands] you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.
God is waiting for us to want Him with all our reasoning capacity and all our emotions. No matter where we are in this whole World, even to the furthest corner of the World, God is there, waiting for us.
II Peter 3: 9 tells us that The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
This is why He hasn't returned yet, He's still waiting for everyone who will come to Him to turn around their thinking (repent) and realize that they deserve death, as the paycheck for their sins. And turn to Jesus as His death paid their debt, individually. There are still people He is waiting for, but He won't wait forever.
Habakkuk 2: 3 tells us that These things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.
God told Habakkuk that everything He had planned would take place, just as He determined it would. He determined when it would all take place, and He is never late.
He waited for the right time for Jesus to come the first time, (Romans 5: 6) You see, at just the right time, (when we were powerless) Christ died for the ungodly. This means that God waited for the perfect moment in history for Jesus to come, and to die for, in the place of, those of us who know we are living away from God and His ways, and deserve the death He died for each of us.
And when He returns to this Earth, then the time will be over for choosing Him to be our Savior. That's why God has given us all this time. It's been over 2000 years so far, and we don't know how many years He will tarry. But He has set the specific Day when Jesus will return, and it will not be late. It must be very soon, so please don't delay coming to Him in faith, and doing whatever you can to grow ever closer to Him as your Father, your Savior, your Redeemer, your Best Friend!
He will not tarry, don't you. Today is the Day of Salvation (II Cor 6:2). How will we escape if we neglect this Great Salvation? (Heb 2:3-4).
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, January 11, 2018
Fire From The Lord
Leviticus 9: 24
Then fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.
As soon as Moses finished setting up the Tabernacle for the first time, Then the Cloud covered the Tent of Meeting because the Cloud had settled upon it, and the Glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle (Exodus 40:34).
Then Moses ordained his brother Aaron and his sons to be the Priests of God. This was a very serious and important concept, to prepare and set aside this man and his sons for God's own ministry took a long and involved process to accomplish. (See Leviticus 8.)
Then Chapter 9 recounts how they began their priestly ministry, with the first sacrifices to be offered on the new altar.
When everything was prepared fully, Moses and Aaron went into the Tent of Meeting. We're not told how long they were in there, or what went on inside this Tent of Meeting, but When they came out again, they blessed the people; and the Glory of the Lord appeared to all the people.
That's when the fire came out from before the Lord.... This is the fire that the altar was lit with, the Holy Fire of the Lord, that consumed everything that was being offered on the altar. This fire was to never be allowed to go out, but was to be continually kindled, night and day, for the Lord's sacrifices (Leviticus 6:12-13).
And all the people saw it, and they were so startled that they cried out and fell on their faces. It must have been really dramatic and even theatrical. Very impressive. No one can outdo our God Almighty!
May I also "fall on my face" when I behold His Magnificence!
Then the next thing that happened right away was that Aaron's two older sons, now newly ordained, took it upon themselves to offer some incense to the Lord, but didn't take into account that the fire that was acceptable to Him was His own Fire, and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to His command. So Fire came out from the Presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.
Moses then said to Aaron, "This is what the Lord spoke of when He said, 'Among those who approach Me I will show Myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.'" Aaron remained silent (Leviticus 10: 1-3).
We're not told when God said this to Moses and Aaron, maybe when they were in the Tent of Meeting before the Fire came out. But Aaron understood this much about God's holiness, and had nothing to say in defense of his sons. Now instead of four sons, he only had two left. His Order of Priesthood was just cut in half by number. But numbers are not important to God, faithfulness is.
O my Father, Thank You for showing me Your priorities. We tend to focus on all the wrong things. We think that our success in ministry means great numbers of followers. But You have shown over and over in Your Word that You don't need large numbers, or great people, or strong and worldly-wise workers; You are looking for the meek, the humble, the ones who know that they can do nothing without depending on You to do it in and through them.
Father, please help me to always remember this. Help me to continually lean on You, and depend on You to show me each time I think a thought, or say a word, or do a work. I can do nothing on my own, in my own flesh. Only in the power and ability of Your Holy Spirit in me am I able to do or say or even think anything that pleases You.
And I pray for my blog readers. May each one be precious to You, Father, and not take my words here, even though I strive for them to be Your words, I am still human, and am prone to err. May each reader search for him/herself, to look up the references in Your Word for themselves, and be confident in their own minds that this is what You are teaching them.
And if I have gotten anything the least bit off from Your Truth, Father, prompt them to let me know, so that I can also learn from them.
And may You draw each of us ever closer to You, Father, in Your lovingkindness and mercies.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Then fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.
As soon as Moses finished setting up the Tabernacle for the first time, Then the Cloud covered the Tent of Meeting because the Cloud had settled upon it, and the Glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle (Exodus 40:34).
Then Moses ordained his brother Aaron and his sons to be the Priests of God. This was a very serious and important concept, to prepare and set aside this man and his sons for God's own ministry took a long and involved process to accomplish. (See Leviticus 8.)
Then Chapter 9 recounts how they began their priestly ministry, with the first sacrifices to be offered on the new altar.
When everything was prepared fully, Moses and Aaron went into the Tent of Meeting. We're not told how long they were in there, or what went on inside this Tent of Meeting, but When they came out again, they blessed the people; and the Glory of the Lord appeared to all the people.
That's when the fire came out from before the Lord.... This is the fire that the altar was lit with, the Holy Fire of the Lord, that consumed everything that was being offered on the altar. This fire was to never be allowed to go out, but was to be continually kindled, night and day, for the Lord's sacrifices (Leviticus 6:12-13).
And all the people saw it, and they were so startled that they cried out and fell on their faces. It must have been really dramatic and even theatrical. Very impressive. No one can outdo our God Almighty!
May I also "fall on my face" when I behold His Magnificence!
Then the next thing that happened right away was that Aaron's two older sons, now newly ordained, took it upon themselves to offer some incense to the Lord, but didn't take into account that the fire that was acceptable to Him was His own Fire, and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to His command. So Fire came out from the Presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.
Moses then said to Aaron, "This is what the Lord spoke of when He said, 'Among those who approach Me I will show Myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.'" Aaron remained silent (Leviticus 10: 1-3).
We're not told when God said this to Moses and Aaron, maybe when they were in the Tent of Meeting before the Fire came out. But Aaron understood this much about God's holiness, and had nothing to say in defense of his sons. Now instead of four sons, he only had two left. His Order of Priesthood was just cut in half by number. But numbers are not important to God, faithfulness is.
O my Father, Thank You for showing me Your priorities. We tend to focus on all the wrong things. We think that our success in ministry means great numbers of followers. But You have shown over and over in Your Word that You don't need large numbers, or great people, or strong and worldly-wise workers; You are looking for the meek, the humble, the ones who know that they can do nothing without depending on You to do it in and through them.
Father, please help me to always remember this. Help me to continually lean on You, and depend on You to show me each time I think a thought, or say a word, or do a work. I can do nothing on my own, in my own flesh. Only in the power and ability of Your Holy Spirit in me am I able to do or say or even think anything that pleases You.
And I pray for my blog readers. May each one be precious to You, Father, and not take my words here, even though I strive for them to be Your words, I am still human, and am prone to err. May each reader search for him/herself, to look up the references in Your Word for themselves, and be confident in their own minds that this is what You are teaching them.
And if I have gotten anything the least bit off from Your Truth, Father, prompt them to let me know, so that I can also learn from them.
And may You draw each of us ever closer to You, Father, in Your lovingkindness and mercies.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
The Ten Commandments
Deuteronomy 4: 2
(V. 2) You shall not add to the Word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it; that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.
God has given us everything we need to know in order to live our lives in a godly manner (II Timothy 3:16). Anything we would add to it would only distort it. And anything we would take away from it would leave an opening for wrong to fill the gap. Both has been done.
"The Jews," the Jewish leadership in Jesus' day, had added so much to God's Law that Jesus accused them of being "whitewashed sepulchres" (Matthew 23:27) for adding to the Law all kinds of extra rules that would benefit themselves, at the expense of the people they were supposed to lead.
And the Christian church in the Middle Ages subtracted the Second Commandment by combining it with the First so they could introduce idolatry by putting statues in the church buildings to be prayed to instead of God. This and other atrocities ("doctrines of demons") precipitated the Reformation.
Let's see what these 10 Commandments are:
Deuteronomy 5: 6-21
[Since] I am the Lord your God . . .
(1st) You shall have no other gods before (or besides) Me.
(2nd) You shall not make for yourself an idol (statue) in the form of anything (anywhere) . . .
(3rd) You shall not misuse the Name of the Lord your God (use for no purpose, like an expletive) . . .
(4th) Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy . . .
(5th) Honor your father and your mother . . .
(6th) You shall not murder.
(7th) You shall not commit adultery.
(8th) You shall not steal.
(9th) You shall not give false testimony (lie) against your neighbor.
and,
(10) You shall not covet (anything that belongs to your neighbor).
We cannot "break" these laws, we only break ourselves over them when we disobey them.
I can give you many examples of how we are breaking our society over these Laws by disobeying the principles underlying them, but I'll only give one for each.
(1) We have priorities above or in addition to wanting to please God.
(2) There are statues in churches that the people are encouraged to pray to and light candles in front of, elevating these "saints" and "angels" into the position of God.
(3) People all over, and even children, say, "O my God!" when it means nothing because it is not meant to be taken as a serious oath.
(4) How many people work every day, not taking off a day each 7 in order to maintain their own good health and well-being or acknowledging God at all? Very common.
(5) People seem to have little respect for the elderly, instead devaluing them as past their ability to "contribute" to the society in which they live.
(6) What about all the pre-born babies that are discarded as being inconvenient, or not "perfect"?
(7) Many marriages are destroyed by disobeying this one.
(8) We say, "Let the buyer beware" and "Finders keepers, losers weepers" and consider anything not against the civil laws to be okay, not considering the morality of the "business proposition."
(9) How many stories have I heard about people being paid to say what the payer wants them to say?
(10) So much of the adultery and legal stealing is the result of disobeying this commandment to not covet. Very prevalent all over.
I am sure you can think of many more examples of how our societies all over the World are disregarding these principles of righteousness, this moral path that God designed this Creation to operate by. It is the cause of every problem we have, every injustice and cruelty that is perpetrated against vulnerable people everywhere.
Let us "be careful" to know, remember, and live according to these guidelines. We cannot "break" these laws any more than we can "break" the Law of gravity--we only break ourselves and destroy our societies over them.
O my Father, please help us: Help Your children in every family, every language, every tribe, every region, every society to follow Your path, even in the face of strong opposition. Protect Your children who are in the public eye as they proclaim Your righteousness: May all the weapons forged against them fail.
Strengthen us to be courageous and not fear the opposition as we live our lives according to Your good ways, the path You have set each of our feet upon. Help us, O Lord, to continue to know Your Word and Your ways; and to go forth into the World scattering, broadcasting, the seed of Your Gospel, Your Good News for all people everywhere. To release the captives, heal the broken, and rescue the perishing.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
(V. 2) You shall not add to the Word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it; that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.
God has given us everything we need to know in order to live our lives in a godly manner (II Timothy 3:16). Anything we would add to it would only distort it. And anything we would take away from it would leave an opening for wrong to fill the gap. Both has been done.
"The Jews," the Jewish leadership in Jesus' day, had added so much to God's Law that Jesus accused them of being "whitewashed sepulchres" (Matthew 23:27) for adding to the Law all kinds of extra rules that would benefit themselves, at the expense of the people they were supposed to lead.
And the Christian church in the Middle Ages subtracted the Second Commandment by combining it with the First so they could introduce idolatry by putting statues in the church buildings to be prayed to instead of God. This and other atrocities ("doctrines of demons") precipitated the Reformation.
Let's see what these 10 Commandments are:
Deuteronomy 5: 6-21
[Since] I am the Lord your God . . .
(1st) You shall have no other gods before (or besides) Me.
(2nd) You shall not make for yourself an idol (statue) in the form of anything (anywhere) . . .
(3rd) You shall not misuse the Name of the Lord your God (use for no purpose, like an expletive) . . .
(4th) Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy . . .
(5th) Honor your father and your mother . . .
(6th) You shall not murder.
(7th) You shall not commit adultery.
(8th) You shall not steal.
(9th) You shall not give false testimony (lie) against your neighbor.
and,
(10) You shall not covet (anything that belongs to your neighbor).
We cannot "break" these laws, we only break ourselves over them when we disobey them.
I can give you many examples of how we are breaking our society over these Laws by disobeying the principles underlying them, but I'll only give one for each.
(1) We have priorities above or in addition to wanting to please God.
(2) There are statues in churches that the people are encouraged to pray to and light candles in front of, elevating these "saints" and "angels" into the position of God.
(3) People all over, and even children, say, "O my God!" when it means nothing because it is not meant to be taken as a serious oath.
(4) How many people work every day, not taking off a day each 7 in order to maintain their own good health and well-being or acknowledging God at all? Very common.
(5) People seem to have little respect for the elderly, instead devaluing them as past their ability to "contribute" to the society in which they live.
(6) What about all the pre-born babies that are discarded as being inconvenient, or not "perfect"?
(7) Many marriages are destroyed by disobeying this one.
(8) We say, "Let the buyer beware" and "Finders keepers, losers weepers" and consider anything not against the civil laws to be okay, not considering the morality of the "business proposition."
(9) How many stories have I heard about people being paid to say what the payer wants them to say?
(10) So much of the adultery and legal stealing is the result of disobeying this commandment to not covet. Very prevalent all over.
I am sure you can think of many more examples of how our societies all over the World are disregarding these principles of righteousness, this moral path that God designed this Creation to operate by. It is the cause of every problem we have, every injustice and cruelty that is perpetrated against vulnerable people everywhere.
Let us "be careful" to know, remember, and live according to these guidelines. We cannot "break" these laws any more than we can "break" the Law of gravity--we only break ourselves and destroy our societies over them.
O my Father, please help us: Help Your children in every family, every language, every tribe, every region, every society to follow Your path, even in the face of strong opposition. Protect Your children who are in the public eye as they proclaim Your righteousness: May all the weapons forged against them fail.
Strengthen us to be courageous and not fear the opposition as we live our lives according to Your good ways, the path You have set each of our feet upon. Help us, O Lord, to continue to know Your Word and Your ways; and to go forth into the World scattering, broadcasting, the seed of Your Gospel, Your Good News for all people everywhere. To release the captives, heal the broken, and rescue the perishing.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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