Category Archives: Trinity

Faith / Trusting God, Father / Yahweh, Fear / Reverence for God, Grace / Forgiveness, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Obeying God, Study the Word, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

The Same God

Many find it hard to reconcile the Old Testament and New Testament. To some, the Old Testament seems harsh and too fiercely regulated. It may seem legalistic. On the other hand, many go astray chasing a misunderstanding of the New Testament… claiming that forgiveness by grace through faith in Jesus means we can ignore and rebel against God… claiming that we can do whatever we want but claim His name and we are in good standing with Him. But it is the same God… the same Jehovah throughout both and He does not change.

If we find ourselves with difficulty reconciling the Old and New Testaments, that means we need to continue to study and pray and seek the truth that God has provided in scripture… the entirety of scripture in the Bible.

Hebrews 12:18-24

Contrast of Sinai and Zion

      18For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, 19and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. 20For they could not bear the command, “IF EVEN A BEAST TOUCHES THE MOUNTAIN, IT WILL BE STONED.” 21And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I AM FULL OF FEAR and trembling.” 22But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, 23to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.

We can certainly be encouraged that we are indeed welcome and in invited to seek Jehovah through Jesus Christ. We can look forward to the heavenly Jerusalem, the angels, the general assembly and the church in heaven and to Jehovah, Himself. We can embrace Jesus and disciple after Him and give thanks for the offer of salvation by grace through faith because of His death for our sins. But let us also take care… Jesus routinely in His earthly ministry points back to the Old Testament as permanent part of God’s revelation to His people. Let us also seek to understand that part of what He reveals to us. Let us remember also to approach God with great reverence and respect. He is the same God that met His people at Sinai. He has not changed.

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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.

Compassionate, Faith / Trusting God, Father / Yahweh, Fear / Reverence for God, Help / Serve Others, Holy, Interceding for Others, Loving / Kind, Merciful, Speaking, Through Prophets

Moses Intercedes Again For The People

If you read the preceding chapters you will refresh yourself on the sin and rebellion of God’s people against God when Moses went up Mount Sinai to be with Yahweh. Moses interceded with God on behalf of the people and God spared them by not destroying them. There were consequences and the people were kept at a distance from God due to their sin. God remained close Moses and Joshua, the righteous.

Now we see Moses intercede again on behalf of the people, that they would have the continued presence of God among them.

Exodus 33:12-23

Moses Intercedes

      12Then Moses said to the LORD, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people!’ But You Yourself have not let me know whom You will send with me. Moreover, You have said, ‘I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’ 13“Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight. Consider too, that this nation is Your people.” 14And He said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15Then he said to Him, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. 16“For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?”

      17The LORD said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.” 18Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” 19And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” 20But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” 21Then the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; 22and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. 23“Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”

Moses found favor in the sight of God. Moses was a righteous and faithful servant. As such, he drew near to God and God to him. When he interceded on behalf of the people, God listened because of this relationship and favor.

If we choose not to seek after God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, do not expect to be able to effectively intercede for others. When you do draw near to God and wish to intercede, remain focused not only on the people, but also on God and His name… His kingdom… His glory.

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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.

Consequences of Sin, Father / Yahweh, Holy, Justice / Judgment, Repenting from Sin

Sin Separates Us From God

Sin separates us from God. This theme is repeated consistently throughout the Bible. When we choose to sin, we create distance between us and our loving Father in heaven. We may still seek Him, but He is a holy God and will not tolerate being close to sin. We must repent and turn back to Him asking forgiveness.  Even so, there are still consequences we may experience because of our choice to sin.

In Exodus 33, God removes Himself from amongst the people after they chose to turn away from God’s instruction and worship a golden calf while Moses was with God on Mt Sinai.

Exodus 33:1-11

The Journey Resumed

      1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Depart, go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give it.’ 2“I will send an angel before you and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite. 3“Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, because you are an obstinate people, and I might destroy you on the way.”

      4When the people heard this sad word, they went into mourning, and none of them put on his ornaments. 5For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the sons of Israel, ‘You are an obstinate people; should I go up in your midst for one moment, I would destroy you. Now therefore, put off your ornaments from you, that I may know what I shall do with you.’” 6So the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward.

      7Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp. 8And it came about, whenever Moses went out to the tent, that all the people would arise and stand, each at the entrance of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he entered the tent. 9Whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; and the LORD would speak with Moses. 10When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent. 11Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

God did not reject or pull away from the righteous, such as Moses or Joshua. He was still present with them. However, even though the people now mourned for their mistakes, there were still consequences. God continued to keep His promise to the people to deliver them to the promised land, but now the people had to keep a distance from God, even while God approached Moses and Joshua.

How do I apply this in my life today? Consider that when we choose to sin we create separation from God. Even if or when we repent and seek forgiveness, we may still experience real consequences that affect our life. We should strive to draw near to God and not rely on His grace or forgiveness as an excuse to go on sinning.

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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.

Demons, Faith / Trusting God, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Obeying God, Repenting from Sin, Salvation, Satan

What Does It Mean To “Believe In” Jesus?

John 3:16 is often referred to as a wonderful summary of the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and in many ways this is true. However, many allow themselves to be misled or become complacent in reading this popular verse.

John 3:16

  16“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

For those who read this at a surface level given the common English translations, a lot hinges on the meaning of “believe in”.  This is not simply to acknowledge the historical nature that God became man and walked among us thousands of years ago and then go about doing anything we want, rejecting and rebelling against God, but still  expecting God to give us eternal life.

Even Satan and the demons “believe” in Jesus. In fact, they recognize Him instantly… much more readily than people seem to.

Mark 3:11

11Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, “You are the Son of God!”

Luke 8:27-28

27And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. 28Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.”

Matthew 4:1-11

      1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. 3And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’”

      5Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple,

6and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written,
‘HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU’;
and
‘ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP,
SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.’”

7Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.’”

      8Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” 10Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’” 11Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

Are we to conclude that just by acknowledging in our minds that the historical figure of Jesus is God we will be saved from the punishment we are due for our sin? The simple answer is … absolutely not. Satan and demons acknowledge and know Jesus.

Let us expand beyond John 3:16 to get better definition of context for the application of the words “believe in”.

John 3:16-21

  16“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17“For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18“He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20“For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21“But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

Note in the broader context we get a much clearer perspective.  There is a very big difference between “believing about” Jesus and “believing in” Him. To believe in Jesus is much deeper than just acknowledging a historical reality, but rather it is reflected in our actions. To acknowledge that aerodynamics work and planes can fly is interesting, but may not affect my life at all. Many may acknowledge planes as a means of travel but be deeply fearful and choose never to use them. If I believe in aerodynamics and planes, I will likely use them as a means of transportation.

The broader context of the scripture shows us that truly believing “in” Jesus as God, or not believing,  will be reflected in our actions. Truly believing that He died for our sins and rose from the dead means we will practice the truth and come to the Light. Not believing will be reflected by a life filled with evil and ungodly living.  Believing “in” Jesus  It is so much more than just believing “about” Him.

Sometimes a lot hangs on proper understanding of context of even small words.  Pray that God would help you to grow in your faith and believe deeply “in” Jesus as Messiah and not grow complacent just acknowledging the historical reality of Jesus. Believing in Him should be reflected in our behaviors and attitudes. It should affect everything we do and how we do it.

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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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Put Your Faith In Jehovah Rather Than Your Religious Leaders

Jehovah tells us to put our faith in him rather than men, even when men may be righteous and in leadership roles. Now that is not to say we should not be respectful and honor those in leadership over us, we should. However, men fail or even when they do not fail, we may lose sight of them. Eventually they die. If our faith is in men, then we will surely have our faith tested and fail. If our faith is in Jehovah, He will never fail us.

Consider the Israelites, who were led out of slavery in Egypt by God through Moses.

Exodus 32:1-18

The Golden Calf

      1Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2Aaron said to them, “Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” 5Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.” 6So the next day they rose early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

      7Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. 8“They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and have sacrificed to it and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’” 9The LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. 10“Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation.”

The people put their faith in Moses rather than God! Thus when he was out of sight for awhile, they grew nervous and failed in their faith very quickly.

    1Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”

The people had not learned to trust in God directly, but relied on having an intermediary, a go-between, to communicate between God and man. Moses was even righteous… he did not fail in this case, but still the people were separated from him and their faith failed. When it did, they acted boldly in rebellion to God’s instructions by creating and worshipping an idol. They worshipped God the way they saw Egyptians worshipping their gods. They had not drawn near to God, but rather relied on Moses to do so on their behalf.

God invites each of us to draw near to Him in personal relationship and to put our faith in Him and Him alone. Let us each accept this generous invitation from the Creator of all things and put our faith where it belongs!

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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.

All Knowing, All Powerful / King of All, Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Father / Yahweh, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Idols / False Gods, Justice / Judgment, Speaking, Through Prophets, Traditions / Holidays, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Do Not Turn Aside From God’s Commands

Most of us who have followed Yahweh for awhile have had the opportunity to see His hand at work in our lives. I have marveled that He takes such an interest in someone so insignificant as me, but nonetheless He does! He loves each of His children. As we get to know Him more closely, we more easily recognize His hand at work in our lives.

We must take heed, however, and not turn away when we feel distant from Him or when we do not feel His presence. At those times, we must continue obeying His commands and His ways, faithfully believing that He is there, even if we do not see His hand at work. Often we can point back to events in our lives where He intervened to encourage us to remember Him. Do not turn from Him.

Consider His people as they left Egypt. Yahweh delivered them from slavery through many mighty miracles. There were ten plagues, parting of the Red Sea, defeat of Pharaoh’s army, God appearing as fire  and smoke to lead them, manna and water miraculously to meet their needs in the dessert. Surely we would think that generation could never turn from God, but they did.

Exodus 32:1-10

The Golden Calf

      1Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2Aaron said to them, “Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” 5Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.” 6So the next day they rose early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

      7Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. 8“They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and have sacrificed to it and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’” 9The LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. 10“Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation.”

I think we can all see clearly that Yahweh was not pleased with His people for making this idol and worshipping it. He was going to destroy them and start over. Let us consider carefully what happened. If we read to quickly we may conclude, as many have, that the Israelites were worshipping an idol of a false god and that is why Yahweh was upset… but this is not the case.

Look closer. Indeed they had created an idol and began to worship it, but in fact they were using the idol to represent Yahweh Himself. Consider the following verses:

“This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” 5Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.”

In fact, the people were worshipping Yahweh, and He was very upset! Why? Yahweh does not want His people to worship Him in the way that the pagans worship their false gods. It disgusts Him. He wants us to worship Him in the way He tells us.

Deuteronomy 12:30-32

30beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?’ 31“You shall not behave thus toward the LORD your God, for every abominable act which the LORD hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.

      32“Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.

The Israelites may have been worshipping Yahweh, but they were doing so in like manner to how the Egyptians worshipped their false gods by making idols.

While this may seem like it does not apply today, it certainly does! Yahweh has not changed His opinion on what is good and what is bad. He still does not want us to worship Him with idols or with any of the manners or traditions with which the pagans worship false gods. If we take the time to study our common Christmas and Easter traditions (and other traditions as well), we will certainly find the history of many of these traditions are derived not from God’s word, but from pagan worship practices. Christians have created new meanings for many of these traditions, but they still are derived from pagan worship. Yahweh is not pleased, even if we say it is He whom we are worshipping.

Do not repeat the error of the Israelites, which drew great anger from Yahweh. Instead, learn the history and true origin of the traditions you practice. Reject the ones that are derived from pagan worship. Instead, study and learn the practices and worship that Yahweh instructs us in His word. There is so much to learn!

I feel like I have been on an archaeological dig for a decade to understand and lay down traditions rooted in pagan worship and instead to focus on and adopt practices and traditions that are commanded in God’s word in the Old Testament.

I encourage you to invest time to get to know Yahweh. If He is Lord, then you should take time to learn His ways and reject the ways of the pagan worship… even if done in Yahweh’s name.

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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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“You Shall Surely Observe My Sabbaths”

Many argue today that Sabbath is obsolete and no longer relevant. However, to abolish the Sabbath is to ignore not only what Jehovah commanded, but also to reject Jesus’ example of how we should live and His teaching, which constantly pointed back to the prophets and law of Moses as authority and instruction from the Father.

Matthew 23:1-3

  1Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, 2saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; 3therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them.

At first, this scripture is not entirely clear, until you understand that when the Pharisees sat in the chair of Moses, they read only the scriptures, such as the law from God given through Moses. Jesus clearly distinguishes the law of Moses, which is to be followed, from the actual behavior of the Pharisees, which is tangled up with man made laws and traditions that distract from or contradict the law of God given through Moses.

Jesus even clearly stated that He did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. He emphasized the importance of keeping and teaching God’s commandments!

Matthew 5:17-19

    17“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Our Father speaks many times definitively about the Sabbath. One such time is in Exodus 31.

 Exodus 31:11-18

The Sign of the Sabbath

      12The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 13“But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘You shall surely observe My sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you. 14‘Therefore you are to observe the sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. 15‘For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall surely be put to death. 16‘So the sons of Israel shall observe the sabbath, to celebrate the sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.’ 17“It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed.”

      18When He had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.

The Sabbath is a sign between the Father and His people, that we may know that He is the Lord who sanctifies us. The Sabbath is holy, that is to say that it is set aside for the purposes of Jehovah. As evidence from the punishment commanded by the Father, He was serious and this is an important matter. It should not be discarded.

We can have a good discussion on how reconciliation for sin has changed, not in its core principles, but in its administration. We no longer go through an earthly priesthood for forgiveness of sin but rather through Jesus Christ. With new administration of Christ, the punishments laid out in this scripture no longer apply. However, the purpose and principle of Sabbath have not changed. The Father set forth this example even from the beginning after creating everything.

We should remind ourselves further, that the Sabbath rest is for us… for man. Why should we discard it?

Mark 2:27

27Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.

My personal experience with observing the Sabbath has been great. At first, for even a month or two, it felt awkward and even left me frustrated at times that I did not have the day to do my work or chores. However, as I adapted my behavior and that of my family to obey scripture and continued on that path it started to change. Now I found I had time to spend resting and with my wife and children that I had not had before… because there is always some chore that can be done. I have more time available to spend with God. The day is already set aside, every week. My children look forward to it and generally are very joyful when Sabbath comes because they know it means a day of rest and quality time with Dad.

Seek prayerfully for the Father to confirm for you the importance of observing the Sabbath. I encourage any of you who observe the Sabbath to continue… well done! Others, who may not observe Sabbath at this time… try it. Just start observing Sabbath and continue for at least a month. It takes a bit of getting used to but is powerful in providing us the rest and time with God and family that we need to live the way the Father desires.

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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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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.

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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.