All Knowing, All Powerful / King of All, Father / Yahweh, Guide, Speaking

If God Calls You, He Already Has A Plan

If Jehovah calls you to do something, no matter how difficult or  intimidating to you, He already has a plan for how you will succeed. You will not have to do it alone. He will be with you. Sometimes, He intervenes directly and supernaturally. Other times, He will provide the support and talents that you need personally and in those around you to be successful. When He instructed Moses in all the detail of the Tabernacle, Jehovah had already created and placed the skilled craftsmen to do the work He commanded.

Exodus 31:1-11

The Skilled Craftsmen

      1Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3“I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, 4to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, 5and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship. 6“And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill, that they may make all that I have commanded you: 7the tent of meeting, and the ark of testimony, and the mercy seat upon it, and all the furniture of the tent, 8the table also and its utensils, and the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, 9the altar of burnt offering also with all its utensils, and the laver and its stand, 10the woven garments as well, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, with which to carry on their priesthood; 11the anointing oil also, and the fragrant incense for the holy place, they are to make them according to all that I have commanded you.”

When God calls us to do something for Him and for His kingdom, we do not have to do it alone. Trust in Him to direct your path and provide you with the resources you need.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Abortion, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Repenting from Sin

Stop the Lies. Save the Children.

Today we are highlighting a serious issue which has become all too common in our society and across the world today. Abortion. The brutal murder of unborn children. Before we get too far into the topic, let us take a moment to recognize that some have already made this mistake or helped someone else to do so. Jesus Christ can forgive all our sins when we approach Him humbly and with repentant spirit. Please visit our web page, Crisis Help: Stop Abortion, which is dedicated to helping people learn about and stand firm against abortion and even seek counseling if they have previously participated in an abortion.
 
Many children are murdered daily across the world, and in most cases, it really boils down to simply the convenience of the mother. It is an act of ultimate selfishness and lack of accountability for one’s actions. Many adults allow themselves to be deceived about this act as if somehow it were acceptable because the world embraces it. It is a lie from Satan himself… just like he deceived Eve in the garden.
“Is the baby growing inside you really alive?”
The answer is a resounding “YES, it is alive! It is a separate life from the mother.” God finds it detestable to kill the innocent, even before they are born.
It is amazing today how many use excuses such as “women’s health” or lies like “it’s a woman’s body” as excuses for supporting the murder of innocent unborn babies. They defy all logic and science, not to mention God’s instruction, in denying that these unborn babies are indeed alive and human.
Right away, let’s shatter one of those lies. The baby’s body is not the same as the mother’s body. It is not the “woman’s body”. It is a separate body within her… a separate person. Pretending it is ok to kill the baby inside the mom but not outside the mom after it is born is to say that it becomes a human life with value only based on where it is located. If one makes the case based on the baby’s ability to survive on its own outside the mom, then baby’s at birth will also not be protected. How old do children really need to be to care for themselves? Some older than others, but certainly none are able at birth. That is why God designed reproduction to be in the confines of marriage where two parents, a man and a woman, can take care of the child.
Let’s touch on the second… “women’s health”? Really? As an excuse to kill a baby? How does killing the baby inside a mom help the mother’s health? It is only in very rare situations where that there may be concern for the mother’s life. Even in these situations, however, let us pause and consider more carefully. If two lives are in danger, do we typically just choose to kill one? or do we try to save both if at all possible? Conceptually it is not that different than a doctor or hospital staff having to decide which person needs help most urgently in the emergency room after a major accident with multiple serious injuries. They do not just decide to kill one to save others… they evaluate the situation and make the best decisions they can to save as many as they can. What if a mother is stressed and ill after a baby is born and taking care of the baby would make it harder for her to get well? Would anyone defend killing the child in the name of helping the mother’s health? Of course not! That is absurd.
How big a problem is abortion? Huge. By numbers, much bigger than the ruthless extermination of the Jewish people during World War II by Hitler. According to the World Health Organization, every year an estimated 45 million children are killed inside their mother’s womb by someone carrying out an abortion.  

God clearly tells us life begins in the womb in Jeremiah 1:4-5

      4Now the word of the LORD came to me saying,

      5“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
And before you were born I consecrated you;
I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

And again in Psalms 139:13-16

      13For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.

      14I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.

      15My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;

      16Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

Medical science today undeniably confirms what God told us thousands of years ago. Birth begins at conception and the human life grows inside the mother’s womb. We can watch the baby breath and move and monitor heartbeat while he or she is still inside the womb. The baby is defenseless and without a voice, but clearly a separate individual human life inside the mother.

If you or someone you know is considering abortion.  Please choose to save the life of the child, even if it is a hard situation. Reach out for help from God and fellow Christians.

Similarly if you or someone you know has already been involved in an abortion then you know how devastating it is emotionally for the mother. Remember that God is filled with grace.  He can forgive you if you turn toward Him with repentant heart and seek forgiveness. If you are struggling in grief, please reach out to God and to fellow Christians for help.

Let’s work together to stop abortion!

I have listed a few resource links below. If you know of Christian organizations that are effective in this area, please Contact Us  and let us know so we can add them to our site as resources.

  • Heartbeat International works to inspire and equip Christian communities worldwide to rescue women and couples from abortion through the development of neighborhood pregnancy help centers, maternity homes, and adoption services. These ministries provide life-saving help in a truly life-changing way by assisting women who are at risk for abortion with the life-affirming, practical support they need to choose life, then prepare them to parent or to place for adoption.
  • 40 Days for Life is a community-based campaign that takes a determined, peaceful approach to showing local communities the consequences of abortion in their own neighborhoods, for their own friends and families. It puts into action a desire to cooperate with God in the carrying out of His plan for the end of abortion. It draws attention to the evil of abortion through the use of a three-point program including: prayer and fasting, constant vigil, and community outreach
  • SilentNoMoreAwareness.org  is a Campaign whereby Christians make the public aware of the devastation abortion brings to women and men. The campaign seeks to expose and heal the secrecy and silence surrounding the emotional and physical pain of abortion.
  • DoveChristianCounseling.com provides online, email, or phone counseling to help those who have been involved in abortion or may be considering abortion.
  • I also encourage you to seek out a local Christian organization near you.  It is helpful to have someone you can meet with face to face who shares your Christian view on life and can help you through this difficult issue.   Jesus wants us to work together as the body of Christ to conquer abortion.

This is a serious and difficult topic for all involved, but we must not sugar coat it and make it out to be ok when it is a detestable custom before the Lord. Forgiveness is available to all who may have struggled in this area. Seek forgiveness through Christ and seek to help others avoid abortion.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Church / Body of Christ, Father / Yahweh, Guide, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Holy, Holy / Set Apart, Speaking, Through Prophets

Let Us Not Misuse What God Has Prepared For His Purposes

Jehovah expressed in great detail many practical aspects of how His people were to relate to Him. He was not random. He is intentional. Each detail has a purpose. We should take care to seek to understand His purpose and to apply it in our lives.

In Exodus 30, Jehovah reveals to Moses great detail in preparation of the anointing oil and incense for use in the tent of meeting. The anointing oil and incense were meant to symbolically make holy the tent of meeting. This means it symbolically shows that they are set apart for God’s use. They are special and not common. They have specific purpose. God demonstrated this should be done with excellence and great skill, not just throw together something that “smells nice”. God further insisted that it is not to be used for other common purposes. What He directed to be holy should not become common by being used for other purposes.

Exodus 30:22-38

The Anointing Oil

      22Moreover, the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23“Take also for yourself the finest of spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, two hundred and fifty, and of fragrant cane two hundred and fifty, 24and of cassia five hundred, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin. 25“You shall make of these a holy anointing oil, a perfume mixture, the work of a perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. 26“With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony, 27and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, 28and the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the laver and its stand. 29“You shall also consecrate them, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them shall be holy. 30“You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister as priests to Me. 31“You shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations. 32‘It shall not be poured on anyone’s body, nor shall you make any like it in the same proportions; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you. 33‘Whoever shall mix any like it or whoever puts any of it on a layman shall be cut off from his people.’”

The Incense

      34Then the LORD said to Moses, “Take for yourself spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, spices with pure frankincense; there shall be an equal part of each. 35“With it you shall make incense, a perfume, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. 36“You shall beat some of it very fine, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; it shall be most holy to you. 37“The incense which you shall make, you shall not make in the same proportions for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for the LORD. 38“Whoever shall make any like it, to use as perfume, shall be cut off from his people.”

If God takes that much care in the detail of creating incense and oil, imagine how much more He is interested in how He creates each of us as beings made in His image! Imagine the great care and attention as He knits together our genetic code to make each of us completely unique in all the world.

Psalm 139:13-14

      13For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.

      14I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.

We each have different gifts and abilities and weaknesses. He has specific purpose for each of us. We are to seek it out and live it. We are to develop the skills He has given us and use them for His purposes rather than our own.

If your gift is to sing, then sing to the glory of God. If your gift is in administration, do so to the glory of God. You get the idea. We are to set ourselves apart for His use and His service rather than for our own purposes. Pray that He would help you identify the gifts He has given you and seek wise counsel from those you trust around you as well to understand what you are good at and what you are not.

Then seek to live your life as an offering to our heavenly Father, a sweet smelling aroma like finely crafted incense.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Father / Yahweh, Holy, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Repenting from Sin, Sin, Speaking, Study the Word, Through Prophets

Why Was It Important For Aaron To Wash His Feet?

There are sections of scripture which I often am tempted to read over quickly because the significance is not always clear to me. I find it a different way to read the Bible to break it into small pieces daily and refuse to skip over these sections, but instead read, reread, and study in some of the Biblical commentaries to understand their significance more clearly.

Reading through Exodus 30, I found myself tempted  to do so for some of the rituals about which God instructed Moses for Aaron and his sons. But if we take time to dig even a little below the surface we will often find some significance that reinforces the gospel message even today. That is because our God has not changed. How He wants to relate to His people and guide them has not changed.

Exodus 30:17-21

      17The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 18“You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base of bronze, for washing; and you shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it. 19“Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet from it; 20when they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they will not die; or when they approach the altar to minister, by offering up in smoke a fire sacrifice to the LORD. 21“So they shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they will not die; and it shall be a perpetual statute for them, for Aaron and his descendants throughout their generations.”

Certainly it seems a bit intimidating as to why God indicated that Aaron and his sons would die if they failed to wash their feet and hands before approaching Him. We could probably spend a bit of time here, but it would appear clear that this was important to our Father in heaven and He was making that clear to Aaron and his sons.

It is very unlikely that Jehovah was just concerned about dirty hands and feet or germs. So much of His instruction is for teaching the people about how to properly relate to Him. We should remember that Jehovah is a holy God. There is no sin in Him. We are sinful people. To be cleansed of sin once, such as when we come to Christ or when Aaron and his sons were made priests, is not enough. We must daily seek to cleanse our spirit from sin and repent and seek to become clean in order to maintain close relationship with the Lord. As Aaron and his sons were instructed to cleanse themselves daily, so too we can remind ourselves that we must choose to obey and follow our Lord daily. We must be cleansed of sin and rebellion if we are to develop a close relationship with the Father.

There is no power in water and soap to do this type of cleansing. That was a ritual to remind the priests. However, by accepting Jesus as Messiah and repenting from our sins we can be cleansed. This is not a one time activity but rather an ongoing part of our daily lives. Let us never grow complacent that “we accepted Jesus a long time ago. nothing else is required”. Accepting and submitting to Jesus is part of every day in our journey as a disciple of Christ.

Ask yourself, “How often to I consciously choose Christ in determining my attitudes and activities? Do I ask forgiveness often? Do I choose to repent from wrong behavior often? Do I test everything I do against the scripture or just accept what local community or church culture defines as acceptable? “

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Father / Yahweh, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Guide, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Repenting from Sin, Sin

Jehovah Has Not Changed

The details Jehovah shares with us in Exodus about the tabernacle and the ceremonies He instructs His people to perform are not random, ancient, obsolete traditions. They were His instructions to His people for a reason. The details communicate much about sin and our relationship with our Father in heaven which we still can learn from, if we take time to study them.

Exodus 30:11-16

    11The LORD also spoke to Moses, saying, 12“When you take a census of the sons of Israel to number them, then each one of them shall give a ransom for himself to the LORD, when you number them, so that there will be no plague among them when you number them. 13“This is what everyone who is numbered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as a contribution to the LORD. 14“Everyone who is numbered, from twenty years old and over, shall give the contribution to the LORD. 15“The rich shall not pay more and the poor shall not pay less than the half shekel, when you give the contribution to the LORD to make atonement for yourselves. 16“You shall take the atonement money from the sons of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the sons of Israel before the LORD, to make atonement for yourselves.”

Of course, we know that we can not “buy” our forgiveness and redemption with money. The half shekel was symbolic. It reminds all the people, rich or poor, that they are sinners in need of redemption. Further, because the atonement money is put to use to support the tent of meeting, it points the people toward God for redemption. It further reminds us that all are equally sinners. No one was to pay more or less. All needed atonement and all need atonement equally.

Our true atonement for sin comes only through accepting Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives. We receive forgiveness through His death and resurrection. We can not buy it. There is no longer a tent of meeting even to use the atonement money if it was still collected.  However, the principles Jehovah was teaching His people are timeless… while they apply to Jehovah’s people thousands of years ago, they still apply to Jehovah’s people, disciples of Christ, today.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Father / Yahweh, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Guide, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Offering Sacrifices, Prayer

Bring Prayers Before Our Father As Fragrant Incense

There is much symbolism imbedded in the detailed plans Jehovah provided for the tabernacle in Exodus. Surely some have looked to hard and identified some symbolism that was not intended, but I can say with as much confidence that our Father was thoughtful in His plans. The tabernacle was intended to help His people understand how to relate to Him. As we explore the altar of incense in Exodus 30, let us remind ourselves that incense is compared as a metaphor elsewhere in scripture for prayer.

Psalm 141:2

      2May my prayer be counted as incense before You;
The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.

Let us also consider that before one could approach the altar of incense, you would have to first pass by the altar where sacrifices were made to atone for sins. So too, we can be reminded that we must first repent for our sins and accept Jesus as Messiah before we are to approach Jehovah in prayer. The tabernacle is symbolic of Jehovah’s relationship with His people… then and still today.

Exodus 30:1-10

The Altar of Incense

      1“Moreover, you shall make an altar as a place for burning incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. 2“Its length shall be a cubit, and its width a cubit, it shall be square, and its height shall be two cubits; its horns shall be of one piece with it. 3“You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and its sides all around, and its horns; and you shall make a gold molding all around for it. 4“You shall make two gold rings for it under its molding; you shall make them on its two side walls—on opposite sides—and they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it. 5“You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 6“You shall put this altar in front of the veil that is near the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is over the ark of the testimony, where I will meet with you. 7“Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it; he shall burn it every morning when he trims the lamps. 8“When Aaron trims the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense. There shall be perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations. 9“You shall not offer any strange incense on this altar, or burnt offering or meal offering; and you shall not pour out a drink offering on it. 10“Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year; he shall make atonement on it with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once a year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD.”

The incense was not offered once and neglected. It was offered multiple times a day, every day. So, too with prayer. We are to keep in close relationship with our Creator through prayer. Prayer is more than just asking forgiveness or asking for God’s help in petition, though both of those are important. Prayer is listening. Prayer is praising and thanking our Father. These things are like a fragrant offering to the Lord.

Let us repent, or turn away, from wrong behaviors and attitudes. Let us humbly ask forgiveness. Yes we can bring our petitions before the Lord, but let us also bring praises and a thankful heart.  Let us do so every day, and do not be confined to just once a day by convention or habit. Come before Him as often as you can.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discerning / Judging, False Prophets / Teachers, Study the Word

Turn Away From Those Who Teach Contrary To The Scripture

We are not to just trust anyone who claims to teach the word of God. We are to test them and what they teach against the truth of scripture. Many will come pursuing their own appetites and with flattering and smooth speech to deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. We are to study and understand scripture ourselves and use it as a constant measure to discern who is a false teacher who claims to come in the name of Jesus. We are to seek out those who teach truth and follow them and help them to remain accountable to God’s truth.

Romans 16:17-27

     17Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. 18For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. 19For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil. 20The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

      21Timothy my fellow worker greets you, and so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen.

      22I, Tertius, who write this letter, greet you in the Lord.

      23Gaius, host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer greets you, and Quartus, the brother. 24[The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.]

      25Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, 26but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith; 27to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.

There are many, even today in churches who teach false doctrine. We are still to test them against the word of God and reject those who teach false doctrine, for they lead us away from the truth of God’s word. Pray for wisdom from God and remain in His word personally so as to learn truth from deception. Beware… the deceptive teaching usually seems flattering and pleasant as a lure to lead you down a path more devoted to self than the path that leads to God Himself. But it is God’s path that brings joy and peace and right relationship with our Creator. Let us each choose wisely.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Holy, Holy / Set Apart

Holiness Matters To Jehovah

Holiness matters to Jehovah. To be holy is to be set aside to serve Jehovah. Consecration is a process He laid out by which we are made holy. In Exodus 29, our Father clearly demonstrates that the priesthood is not to be taken lightly. He created a specific ceremonial activity to consecrate Aaron and his sons to His priesthood. They were to take their role seriously, and so were the people they led.

This is a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ as He replaced the earthly priesthood and now serves as our high priest and intercessor with the Father. Jesus was and still remains holy, set aside for service to Jehovah.

Exodus 29

Consecration of the Priests

      1“Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them to minister as priests to Me: take one young bull and two rams without blemish, 2and unleavened bread and unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil; you shall make them of fine wheat flour. 3“You shall put them in one basket, and present them in the basket along with the bull and the two rams. 4“Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. 5“You shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the tunic and the robe of the ephod and the ephod and the breastpiece, and gird him with the skillfully woven band of the ephod; 6and you shall set the turban on his head and put the holy crown on the turban. 7“Then you shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him. 8“You shall bring his sons and put tunics on them. 9“You shall gird them with sashes, Aaron and his sons, and bind caps on them, and they shall have the priesthood by a perpetual statute. So you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.

The Sacrifices

      10“Then you shall bring the bull before the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull. 11“You shall slaughter the bull before the LORD at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 12“You shall take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; and you shall pour out all the blood at the base of the altar. 13“You shall take all the fat that covers the entrails and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and offer them up in smoke on the altar. 14“But the flesh of the bull and its hide and its refuse, you shall burn with fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering.

      15“You shall also take the one ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram; 16and you shall slaughter the ram and shall take its blood and sprinkle it around on the altar. 17“Then you shall cut the ram into its pieces, and wash its entrails and its legs, and put them with its pieces and its head. 18“You shall offer up in smoke the whole ram on the altar; it is a burnt offering to the LORD: it is a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD.

      19“Then you shall take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram. 20“You shall slaughter the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the lobes of his sons’ right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet, and sprinkle the rest of the blood around on the altar. 21“Then you shall take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and on his garments and on his sons and on his sons’ garments with him; so he and his garments shall be consecrated, as well as his sons and his sons’ garments with him.

      22“You shall also take the fat from the ram and the fat tail, and the fat that covers the entrails and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them and the right thigh (for it is a ram of ordination), 23and one cake of bread and one cake of bread mixed with oil and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread which is set before the LORD; 24and you shall put all these in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons, and shall wave them as a wave offering before the LORD. 25“You shall take them from their hands, and offer them up in smoke on the altar on the burnt offering for a soothing aroma before the LORD; it is an offering by fire to the LORD.

      26“Then you shall take the breast of Aaron’s ram of ordination, and wave it as a wave offering before the LORD; and it shall be your portion. 27“You shall consecrate the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering which was waved and which was offered from the ram of ordination, from the one which was for Aaron and from the one which was for his sons. 28“It shall be for Aaron and his sons as their portion forever from the sons of Israel, for it is a heave offering; and it shall be a heave offering from the sons of Israel from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, even their heave offering to the LORD.

      29“The holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him, that in them they may be anointed and ordained. 30“For seven days the one of his sons who is priest in his stead shall put them on when he enters the tent of meeting to minister in the holy place.

Food of the Priests

      31“You shall take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place. 32“Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket, at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 33“Thus they shall eat those things by which atonement was made at their ordination and consecration; but a layman shall not eat them, because they are holy. 34“If any of the flesh of ordination or any of the bread remains until morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire; it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.

      35“Thus you shall do to Aaron and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded you; you shall ordain them through seven days. 36“Each day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement, and you shall purify the altar when you make atonement for it, and you shall anoint it to consecrate it. 37“For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it; then the altar shall be most holy, and whatever touches the altar shall be holy.

      38“Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two one year old lambs each day, continuously. 39“The one lamb you shall offer in the morning and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight; 40and there shall be one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering with one lamb. 41“The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, and shall offer with it the same grain offering and the same drink offering as in the morning, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD. 42“It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the doorway of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there. 43“I will meet there with the sons of Israel, and it shall be consecrated by My glory. 44“I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar; I will also consecrate Aaron and his sons to minister as priests to Me. 45“I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God. 46“They shall know that I am the LORD their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them; I am the LORD their God.

We are to take Jesus seriously as our high priest. It is not to be a casual relationship between ourselves and Him. He is holy and set aside for service to the Father. So too, we should take seriously the role of earthly teachers and ministers who are called to be holy, to be set aside for the service of the Father. In fact, all who disciple themselves after Jesus should set themselves apart to be used by Jehovah rather than just blending in to society “like everyone else”. To be holy is a good thing. We should all strive to be holy in our service to our Father. Seek to do things His way. Set yourself aside to serve Him rather than do things your own way. Pray for His guidance and support.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Creative, Father / Yahweh, Fear / Reverence for God, Guide, Holy, Holy / Set Apart, Obeying God, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Approach Jehovah With Reverance And Respect

Our Father encourages us to approach Him with our thanks, our problems, our desires… just as a good earthly father does for his children. However, we should take note that He also values reverence and respect. While we are welcome to approach Him informally in honest and direct communication, let us not forget with whom we are speaking and listening.  He is the Creator of all things. Let us remember to hold Him in reverence and respect. He is holy and due glory and honor.

Exodus 28

Garments of the Priests

      1“Then bring near to yourself Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the sons of Israel, to minister as priest to Me—Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. 2“You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. 3“You shall speak to all the skillful persons whom I have endowed with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister as priest to Me. 4“These are the garments which they shall make: a breastpiece and an ephod and a robe and a tunic of checkered work, a turban and a sash, and they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister as priest to Me. 5“They shall take the gold and the blue and the purple and the scarlet material and the fine linen.

      6“They shall also make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of the skillful workman. 7“It shall have two shoulder pieces joined to its two ends, that it may be joined. 8“The skillfully woven band, which is on it, shall be like its workmanship, of the same material: of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen. 9“You shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, 10six of their names on the one stone and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, according to their birth. 11“As a jeweler engraves a signet, you shall engrave the two stones according to the names of the sons of Israel; you shall set them in filigree settings of gold. 12“You shall put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of memorial for the sons of Israel, and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders for a memorial. 13“You shall make filigree settings of gold, 14and two chains of pure gold; you shall make them of twisted cordage work, and you shall put the corded chains on the filigree settings.

      15“You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, the work of a skillful workman; like the work of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen you shall make it. 16“It shall be square and folded double, a span in length and a span in width. 17“You shall mount on it four rows of stones; the first row shall be a row of ruby, topaz and emerald; 18and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire and a diamond; 19and the third row a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst; 20and the fourth row a beryl and an onyx and a jasper; they shall be set in gold filigree. 21“The stones shall be according to the names of the sons of Israel: twelve, according to their names; they shall be like the engravings of a seal, each according to his name for the twelve tribes. 22“You shall make on the breastpiece chains of twisted cordage work in pure gold. 23“You shall make on the breastpiece two rings of gold, and shall put the two rings on the two ends of the breastpiece. 24“You shall put the two cords of gold on the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece. 25“You shall put the other two ends of the two cords on the two filigree settings, and put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, at the front of it. 26“You shall make two rings of gold and shall place them on the two ends of the breastpiece, on the edge of it, which is toward the inner side of the ephod. 27“You shall make two rings of gold and put them on the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on the front of it close to the place where it is joined, above the skillfully woven band of the ephod. 28“They shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that it will be on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece will not come loose from the ephod. 29“Aaron shall carry the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment over his heart when he enters the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually. 30“You shall put in the breastpiece of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the LORD; and Aaron shall carry the judgment of the sons of Israel over his heart before the LORD continually.

      31“You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. 32“There shall be an opening at its top in the middle of it; around its opening there shall be a binding of woven work, like the opening of a coat of mail, so that it will not be torn. 33“You shall make on its hem pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet material, all around on its hem, and bells of gold between them all around: 34a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, all around on the hem of the robe. 35“It shall be on Aaron when he ministers; and its tinkling shall be heard when he enters and leaves the holy place before the LORD, so that he will not die.

      36“You shall also make a plate of pure gold and shall engrave on it, like the engravings of a seal, ‘Holy to the LORD.’ 37“You shall fasten it on a blue cord, and it shall be on the turban; it shall be at the front of the turban. 38“It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall take away the iniquity of the holy things which the sons of Israel consecrate, with regard to all their holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.

      39“You shall weave the tunic of checkered work of fine linen, and shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash, the work of a weaver.

      40“For Aaron’s sons you shall make tunics; you shall also make sashes for them, and you shall make caps for them, for glory and for beauty. 41“You shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him; and you shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, that they may serve Me as priests. 42“You shall make for them linen breeches to cover their bare flesh; they shall reach from the loins even to the thighs. 43“They shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they enter the tent of meeting, or when they approach the altar to minister in the holy place, so that they do not incur guilt and die. It shall be a statute forever to him and to his descendants after him.

Jehovah clearly values glory and beauty, but I do not believe it is just so He can feel important or appreciated. He cares most about our attitude when we come before Him. He reminds us as His people that we should not become complacent in our relationship with Him. Let us remember He is worthy of honor and respect. We are right to prepare ourselves before approaching His presence when at all practical… especially in our spirit and attitude. The outward appearance, clearly important from today’s scripture, is an outward reflection of our inward attitude toward our Father. Do we take Him so casually we can’t even be bothered to look nice and respectable when we come before Him? Do we always choose time to approach Him when we have nothing else to do or do we set aside planned time to enter into His presence and prepare? God wants us to come to Him even informally at times, but we should also remember to approach Him with consideration for the glory that is due.

Evaluate your attitudes and behaviors in coming into Jehovah’s presence whether it be personal prayer time or going to church to worship with other believers. Pray He would show you areas where you need to make changes to avoid complacency and truly show your love and respect for our heavenly Father through your preparation and attitude as you come into His presence.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Father / Yahweh, Guide, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Jesus (hearing from God), Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Love, Obeying God

Who Is God And What Does He Want From Me?

Trying to fully understand our Creator is a challenging and rewarding task. He is infinite. We are finite. We may never fully understand all aspects about Him or what His will may be for us and those around us in this life. It is important to accept that and be comfortable with it. However, as our loving Father, He did make quite an effort to help us to know Him and to know His will.

Jesus provides a powerful summary of the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, in John 14. In doing so He also shares a very simple summary about the will of God and how we show whether or not we believe in and love God, truly.

John 14

Jesus Comforts His Disciples

      1“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2“In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3“If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. 4“And you know the way where I am going.” 5Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” 6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

Oneness with the Father

      7“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”

      8Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10“Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. 11“Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. 12“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. 13“Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14“If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

      15“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

Role of the Spirit

      16“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.

      18“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19“After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. 20“In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” 22Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?” 23Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 24“He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.

      25“These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. 26“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. 27“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. 28“You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29“Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe. 30“I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me; 31but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let us go from here.

There is only one way to the Father and that through Jesus Christ. He is not one of many ways. All religions are not equally correct and do not deserve equal consideration. There is one way… one truth.

Jesus is one with the Father and points to the Father. To know Jesus is to know the Father. At the same time Jesus demonstrated how we are to relate to the Father and how we are to do the will of the Father. We are to obey the Father and all His commandments to do His will and show we love Him. We do not pick and choose what we accept from Him anymore than we pick and choose whether we want to acknowledge that there are birds in the sky and fish in the sea. The truth exists, whether or not we choose to believe in it and follow it.

The Holy Spirit is God in the form of a helper, who dwells inside true believers. He is teacher and guide. The Spirit points to Jesus Christ.

As God saw fit to repeat it in scripture above, I will repeat it here as we close… if we are to believe in Jesus, then we are to follow His example. If we are to follow His example, we are to do as the Father commands, not as we desire. That requires submission and faith and the will to choose His way instead of our own.

31but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let us go from here.

 There have been many times in my life now where I have learned to choose God’s ways for major life decisions about career or family or where we should live. I now have a beautiful record where I can look back and see His hand at work in my life and the lives of others around me. Inevitably the most meaningful choices which led me closer to Him and allowed me to serve others more effectively in His name were not my choices, but rather built upon a foundation He laid. I look back and see Him active in my life, often reflecting to myself, “I would never have chosen that based on my desire or preference.”

Spend time in prayer considering if you are submitting to and doing the will of God in your life. It starts with laying down your plans and desires and focusing on His.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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