Category Archives: Holy / Set Apart

Am I on the path?, False Prophets / Teachers, Father / Yahweh, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Holy / Set Apart, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Worldliness

Do Not Love the World

The physical world is all around us. It is what we see, hear, touch, smell, and taste. It shouts to get our attention. All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father… but is from the world. All of these will pass away.

Followers of Christ are called to turn away from worldliness and turn toward the behaviors and attitudes of Christ… of the Father. Setting ourselves apart for the purposes of God is making ourselves holy.  Those who do the will of God live forever. It is about more than saying we believe in Him. If we truly believe in Him, then our behaviors and attitudes will show it.  It is a life of self control, discipline, and submission leading to joy and peace and eternal life.

1 John 2:15-24

Do Not Love the World

      15Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

      18Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. 19They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us. 20But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. 21I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also. 24As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.

The scripture is very clear on this subject… those that deny Christ are called antichrist. Denying Christ is serious rejection of the Father as well for they are one.  We can not fool the Father by saying we accept Christ and going to church, but not changing our lives to turn away from worldliness and turn toward holiness. We must actually submit our hearts and minds and lives to Him fully. Our life will change as a reflection of that submission. We will not make it perfectly, but He will help us. We walk with Him through this life and He helps us through the Holy Spirit, who dwells inside believers.

Ask the Father to reveal to you areas in your life in which you still “love the world” and have not submitted to Him. Ask Him for help to change and draw nearer to Him. Fight the urge to just assume you have it all worked out just perfectly and everything is comfortable for you “as is”. All of us do well to draw nearer to the Father and to continue addressing areas of sin and lack of submission in our lives.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Addiction, Adultery / Sex Outside Marriage, Anger (unrighteous anger), Arrogance, Bad Habits, Bitterness / Resentment, Controlling Thoughts, Doubt / Lacking Faith, Drunkenness, Envy / Jealousy / Coveting, Faith / Trusting God, Father / Yahweh, Fortune Telling, Gluttony, Greed, Guide, Holy / Set Apart, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Homosexual Behavior, Hypocrisy, Idols / False Gods, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Lying / Deceiving, Mockers, Murder, Pride, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin, Revenge, Righteous, Self Control, Selfishness, Sloth / Laziness, Stealing / Theft, Tongue / Gossip / Slander, Wickedness / Evil

Shall We Continue to Sin So That Grace May Increase?

It is a very important concept for followers of Jesus Christ to understand. When we ask Jesus to be our Lord and accept His offer of salvation by grace through faith that He died for our sins, we must also recognize that we are not to abuse that grace. For us to abuse grace by intentionally continuing to sin is to not truly submit to the lordship of Christ over sin and self. It is to not truly accept His offer of salvation.

We all sin, but let us never embrace it intentionally under the excuse that His grace will cover our sins. Instead let us seek to repent from sin, to turn away from it and toward the Father. Let us die to self and sin and rise in Christ to a new life. We need His help and He will provide it to those who truly invite Him in to be Lord of their life.

Romans 6

Believers Are Dead to Sin, Alive to God

      1What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7for he who has died is freed from sin.

      8Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 10For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

      12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

      15What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! 16Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? 17But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, 18and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.

      20For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. 22But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I can well remember a variety of sinful habits that I seemed unable to break on my own power. The more I turned my life over to the Father, the more I sought to learn and understand His word and apply it in my life, the more the Holy Spirit has revealed Himself in my life to guide me and strengthen me in my daily walk… in rejecting sin. I have been able to turn away from habits and behaviors that had me beat and stay away. However, temptation remains a challenge, trying to draw us in. Remain vigilant and focused. Choose righteousness over sin. The rewards in this life and beyond are priceless.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Holy, Holy / Set Apart, Obeying God, Offering Sacrifices, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin, Through Prophets

Sin Is Still Ugly, Even When It Is Unintentional

There is much symbolism and cultural context we could study throughout Leviticus. However, as I read Leviticus 4 today, something much more basic shouted at me from the text. Something that many of us understand, but many still do not take ownership for. Sin is sin… even if it was unintentional. When we sin unintentionally, it may seem as if it is not as bad as intentional sin, but it is still sin. It still may hurt us or others. It still separates us from the Father. We are called to repent of our unintentional sin once we become aware of it… just as we should repent of intentional sin.

Leviticus 4

The Law of Sin Offerings

      1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If a person sins unintentionally in any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, and commits any of them, 3if the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer to the LORD a bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed. 4‘He shall bring the bull to the doorway of the tent of meeting before the LORD, and he shall lay his hand on the head of the bull and slay the bull before the LORD. 5‘Then the anointed priest is to take some of the blood of the bull and bring it to the tent of meeting, 6and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the LORD, in front of the veil of the sanctuary. 7‘The priest shall also put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense which is before the LORD in the tent of meeting; and all the blood of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering which is at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 8‘He shall remove from it all the fat of the bull of the sin offering: the fat that covers the entrails, and all the fat which is on the entrails, 9and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys 10(just as it is removed from the ox of the sacrifice of peace offerings), and the priest is to offer them up in smoke on the altar of burnt offering. 11‘But the hide of the bull and all its flesh with its head and its legs and its entrails and its refuse, 12that is, all the rest of the bull, he is to bring out to a clean place outside the camp where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire; where the ashes are poured out it shall be burned.

      13‘Now if the whole congregation of Israel commits error and the matter escapes the notice of the assembly, and they commit any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, and they become guilty; 14when the sin which they have committed becomes known, then the assembly shall offer a bull of the herd for a sin offering and bring it before the tent of meeting. 15‘Then the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the LORD, and the bull shall be slain before the LORD. 16‘Then the anointed priest is to bring some of the blood of the bull to the tent of meeting; 17and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD, in front of the veil. 18‘He shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before the LORD in the tent of meeting; and all the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering which is at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 19‘He shall remove all its fat from it and offer it up in smoke on the altar. 20‘He shall also do with the bull just as he did with the bull of the sin offering; thus he shall do with it. So the priest shall make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven. 21‘Then he is to bring out the bull to a place outside the camp and burn it as he burned the first bull; it is the sin offering for the assembly.

      22‘When a leader sins and unintentionally does any one of all the things which the LORD his God has commanded not to be done, and he becomes guilty, 23if his sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring for his offering a goat, a male without defect. 24‘He shall lay his hand on the head of the male goat and slay it in the place where they slay the burnt offering before the LORD; it is a sin offering. 25‘Then the priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering. 26‘All its fat he shall offer up in smoke on the altar as in the case of the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him in regard to his sin, and he will be forgiven.

      27‘Now if anyone of the common people sins unintentionally in doing any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, and becomes guilty, 28if his sin which he has committed is made known to him, then he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without defect, for his sin which he has committed. 29‘He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slay the sin offering at the place of the burnt offering. 30‘The priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and all the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar. 31‘Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat was removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar for a soothing aroma to the LORD. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.

      32‘But if he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he shall bring it, a female without defect. 33‘He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slay it for a sin offering in the place where they slay the burnt offering. 34‘The priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and all the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar. 35‘Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offerings, and the priest shall offer them up in smoke on the altar, on the offerings by fire to the LORD. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him in regard to his sin which he has committed, and he will be forgiven.

Sin is ugly, whether intentional or not. Do not let yourself make excuses like “I did not mean to.” The Father still calls us to repent, change our ways, and ask forgiveness. Let us not excuse our sin, but rather ask forgiveness for it and strive to do better and sin less.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

False Prophets / Teachers, Help / Serve Others, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Holy / Set Apart, Hypocrisy, Jesus (hearing from God), Lying / Deceiving, Obeying God

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Often appearances can be deceiving. We may be impressed by someone’s outer appearance as they say long prayers or receive respectful greetings, but what are they really like? Not everyone who gives the appearance of following God and loving others truly does so. In fact, sometimes, they are complete hypocrites.

Mark 12:38-40

     38In His teaching He was saying: “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market places, 39and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, 40who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation.”

Do not focus too much on the appearance someone may portray that makes them look important. Seek instead to judge them by their actions and motives. A pastor of a large church may seem impressive in his slick suit and big smile, but is he teaching scripture correctly or is he just tickling peoples ears with what they want to hear so he can feel important and popular and respected?

Not only should we pay attention to this scripture as we seek to identify genuine leaders from false ones, but also we must challenge ourselves to focus on what is important to God rather than just putting up good appearances before people… lest we be the ones who receive greater condemnation.

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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.

Controlling Thoughts, Holy / Set Apart, Peace / Rest

Dwell On These Things

I have heard it said… “You are what you eat”. To a certain extent, there is some truth to this statement, so long as you don’t take it too literally. What we eat, whether good and nutritious or poisonous or just unhealthy, affects our health and our personal condition physically. So too, one could say… “You are what you think about”. If we focus on temptation and sinful thoughts, we will be drawn toward that behavior. If we focus on what is good and honorable, then that, too, will shape our attitudes and behaviors. Let us make conscious and deliberate effort to control our thoughts as we are instructed by the holy scripture.

Philippians 4:8

8Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

When we focus on these things, we can indeed gain much peace from God. We can focus on His blessings rather than our challenges and trials. We focus on His love even in difficult times. Our thoughts affect our whole attitude and even lead to influencing our behaviors. Do not accept that you can not influence or control your thoughts. Instead make a conscious choice to train yourself to focus on what is honorable, pure, lovely, and worthy of praise. It can transform you life!

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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.

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.

All Powerful / King of All, Father / Yahweh, Hearing from God, Holy, Holy / Set Apart, Prayer, Through Prophets, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Those Who Consecrate Themselves To His Purposes Will Draw Near To Him

Those who come closest to Jehovah are those consecrated to Him… that is to say dedicated and set aside for His use for His purposes. Jehovah reveals to us this truth through scripture as we see examples of those who dedicate themselves fully toward His purposes are often those whom He calls to serve as prophets or missionaries or leaders for His people. In Exodus, Jehovah calls forth Moses and Aaron, who are called to His purpose. He also calls for the priests to consecrate themselves, dedicating themselves to His purposes. The rest of the people remain at a greater distance from Him.

Exodus 19:18-25

The LORD Visits Sinai

      18Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. 19When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder. 20The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. 21Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, so that they do not break through to the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish. 22“Also let the priests who come near to the LORD consecrate themselves, or else the LORD will break out against them.” 23Moses said to the LORD, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You warned us, saying, ‘Set bounds about the mountain and consecrate it.’” 24Then the LORD said to him, “Go down and come up again, you and Aaron with you; but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, or He will break forth upon them.” 25So Moses went down to the people and told them.

Whether we discuss priests and prophets in scripture or those who follow Jehovah today, the principle is the same. Those of us who separate ourselves from the world and dedicate ourselves genuinely and wholeheartedly to our Creator will be allowed to see and experience more of Him. Those who refuse to die to their own desires and the ways of the world but claim to follow Him will remain at a distance from Him.

Prayerfully and humbly pray to Jehovah that He would help you to dedicate yourself to His purposes, surrendering your desires and preferences and living out His instead.

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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.

Character of God, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Family, Hearing from God, Holy / Set Apart, Idols / False Gods, Obeying God, Thankfulness, Traditions / Holidays

Let Your Family Be Set Apart For God’s Purpose

We join Jacob and his family as they follow God’s instruction to move to Bethel in Genesis 35:1-8. Jacob had previously settled and remained among ungodly people. In His daughter, Dinah, was raped and then the man who did so came and asked for her in marriage as if his behavior was normal.  Jacob’s sons responded violently in Genesis 34. Now Jacob feared the people of the land would be hostile to him.

Jacob Moves to Bethel

      1Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 2So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments; 3and let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which they had and the rings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak which was near Shechem.

      5As they journeyed, there was a great terror upon the cities which were around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. 7He built an altar there, and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed Himself to him when he fled from his brother. 8Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; it was named Allon-bacuth.

God personally replied to Jacob in his time of distress. God provided specific directions and Jacob, to his credit, obeyed. Jacob built an altar to show he was thankful to God. However we also see evidence of Jacob’s failure as head of his household.

2So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments

Jacob not only settled and remained among the pagans, putting his family at physical risk as we saw in Genesis 34, but he further had allowed his household to blend with the pagans putting them at spiritual risk. He did not keep them set apart for God, or holy. He was aware, or became aware, that they had foreign gods among them and needed purification. Why had he not taken notice and addressed this earlier? Why only now that they were leaving? Why only after Dinah had been raped?

We don’t know for sure, but I suspect that we are all at risk of rationalizing and accepting pagan practices that dishonor God. It starts by making excuses to accept that they are not bad or “not all bad”. Perhaps they seem “fun”. Then we may start to participate in some way. Then our household just starts to accept them. God does not want us to make excuses and rationalize why the pagan practices of the ungodly can be considered acceptable. He wants us to remain holy… set apart for His service and purpose.

We see insight into the character of God in this scripture as well. Despite his mistakes, Jacob was a man of faith and obeyed God’s direct instructions when he heard them. God protected Jacob and delivered his family to Bethel. God does not give up on us because we make mistakes. So long as we wholeheartedly seek Him and submit to Him, He will remain with us. What a merciful and loving God! Praise God for His patience in our weakness. However, as with Jacob’s family, we still face consequences for our mistakes.

Are there any idols or worldly activities that you are accepting in your family? Idols are not always statues, but may be other things like sports, money, fame, traditions, or other things we place in importance before God. Most of us immediately say we don’t do that, but look closely at how you spend our time, money, and talent. Is God really first? or do you just fit Him in once a week for church?

Separate from idols, false gods, and close relationships with ungodly people. Pray God would reveal to you what you need to purge from your family’s life now. Don’t wait until something bad happens as did to Dinah in Genesis 34. The decisions you make today may affect generations in your household to come.

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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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