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!
Thursday, January 18, 2018
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!
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