Category Archives: Righteousness / Serving God

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Jehovah Provides A Way for Us To Be Cleansed From Our Sin

I will humbly admit that I do not clearly understand the full or intended meaning of Numbers 19. I recognize that my limited understanding of the Jewish people and their culture at the time the events in Numbers 19 occurred probably contributes to this lack of clarity. I do pray the Spirit opens the meaning of the scriptures to me and I take time daily to study, but the depth of the meaning and value in the Biblical text is incredible. It is worth looking hard for the treasure buried within.

I read a few commentaries on Numbers 19 for possible insight. Here are a few thoughts that seem appropriate to share. I encourage each of you to pray as well daily that the Spirit would open up your eyes to the meaning of scripture.

Sin leads to death. Thus, death can be a potent reminder of sin. When the people had to handle people or animals that had died, they were deemed ceremonially unclean. This can remind us that when they sin, it defiles them before God. Further, it is not simply that we become instantly clean again after a particular episode of sinning has ended.   It takes time and it takes some action on our part in accordance with God’s instruction. It also takes the death of another, one without flaw… a perfect one, to cleanse us of our uncleanness. In the case of Numbers 19, it is “an unblemished red heifer”.  Truly this looks forward to the death of Messiah for our sins. The only person to live a perfect, sinless life. We now look back on Messiah and His sacrifice. Rather than an animal sacrifice which foreshadows the cleansing of our sin through Him, we now seek cleansing and forgiveness directly in Jesus Christ based on His death which paid the penalty of our sin.

Jehovah provides a way for His people to be cleansed of sin and forgiven, drawn back in relationship with Him.

Our society today denies God and tries to eliminate the concept of sin. More and more, sinful behaviors and attitudes are deemed righteous. Society would rather paint being a follower of Christ who believes strongly in living according to the Bible as a “sin”. That is deemed worth attacking and hating, but not the sins we are called to reject by its teaching. We would do well to more clearly emphasize sin, and the need to be cleansed from it, in our society today.

Numbers 19

Ordinance of the Red Heifer

     1Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2“This is the statute of the law which the LORD has commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the sons of Israel that they bring you an unblemished red heifer in which is no defect and on which a yoke has never been placed. 3‘You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, and it shall be brought outside the camp and be slaughtered in his presence. 4‘Next Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. 5‘Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight; its hide and its flesh and its blood, with its refuse, shall be burned. 6‘The priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet material and cast it into the midst of the burning heifer. 7‘The priest shall then wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward come into the camp, but the priest shall be unclean until evening. 8‘The one who burns it shall also wash his clothes in water and bathe his body in water, and shall be unclean until evening. 9‘Now a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place, and the congregation of the sons of Israel shall keep it as water to remove impurity; it is purification from sin. 10‘The one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; and it shall be a perpetual statute to the sons of Israel and to the alien who sojourns among them.

      11‘The one who touches the corpse of any person shall be unclean for seven days. 12‘That one shall purify himself from uncleanness with the water on the third day and on the seventh day, and then he will be clean; but if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean. 13‘Anyone who touches a corpse, the body of a man who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD; and that person shall be cut off from Israel. Because the water for impurity was not sprinkled on him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is still on him.

      14‘This is the law when a man dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent shall be unclean for seven days. 15‘Every open vessel, which has no covering tied down on it, shall be unclean. 16‘Also, anyone who in the open field touches one who has been slain with a sword or who has died naturally, or a human bone or a grave, shall be unclean for seven days. 17‘Then for the unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the burnt purification from sin and flowing water shall be added to them in a vessel. 18‘A clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the furnishings and on the persons who were there, and on the one who touched the bone or the one slain or the one dying naturally or the grave. 19‘Then the clean person shall sprinkle on the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify him from uncleanness, and he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and shall be clean by evening.

      20‘But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself from uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD; the water for impurity has not been sprinkled on him, he is unclean. 21‘So it shall be a perpetual statute for them. And he who sprinkles the water for impurity shall wash his clothes, and he who touches the water for impurity shall be unclean until evening. 22‘Furthermore, anything that the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening.’”

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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.

Bitterness / Resentment, Complaining, Contentment, Discipline / Correction, Discipline / Guidance From God, Faith / Trusting God, Fear / Reverence for God, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Obeying God, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Thankfulness, Through Prophets

Accept All Things That Come From The Lord With Joy and Without Grumbling

What a tremendous moment for Zacharias and Elizabeth… the birth of John. Zacharias was unable to speak for months, tongue tied by the Lord. Now with the birth of his son, and his final step of obedience to the Lord in naming his son John, he is able to speak again. He had quite a lot to say.

Was he grumbling and complaining about “being punished” for making a mistake when the angel told him about John? Was he saying it was “unfair” what happened to him. Certainly not! Zacharias took the sign as confirmation of all the angel had said and burst forth with confidence to prophecy over his son. I get the picture in my head that he was positively joyful in celebrating this moment and in serving the Lord.

Any of us may receive some difficulty at the hands of the Lord, as Zacharias did. Are we ready to receive it as correction or guidance from a loving Father? or are we so focused on ourselves that any inconvenience or difficulty makes us angry and impatient for it to be removed?

Luke 1:57-80

John Is Born

     57Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. 58Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.

      59And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, after his father. 60But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but he shall be called John.” 61And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.” 62And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. 63And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “His name is John.” And they were all astonished. 64And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God. 65Fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea. 66All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him.

Zacharias’s Prophecy

     67And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

      68“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,

      69And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of David His servant—

      70As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old—

      71Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES,
And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US;

      72To show mercy toward our fathers,
And to remember His holy covenant,

      73The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,

      74To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,

      75In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

      76“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS;

      77To give to His people the knowledge of salvation
By the forgiveness of their sins,

      78Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,

      79TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

      80And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

When each of us receives discipline or guidance from the Lord by way of difficult circumstances, let us pray for the Spirit to help guide us in our response… that we would be filled with joy nonetheless and focus on our Lord and His desires and that He loves us enough to discipline us as His children. Let us accept all things from the Lord with joy and without grumbling.

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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.

Abortion, All Powerful / King of All, Blessed, Courage / Fear, Faith / Trusting God, Free Will, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Obeying God, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Thankfulness

Be A Joyful Servant of the Lord

Mary is an intriguing figure. Some make statues of her and pray to her, and this is clearly wrong. She is not God. Only God answers prayers. However, we should take care that we don’t dismiss her too quickly just because of how people have put too much emphasis on her. She is, in fact, a wonderful example of a servant of the Lord who submitted her life and her plans to the Lord, even when it was disruptive to her life and could have resulted in breaking up her engagement to Joseph and possibly disgracing her in the community and with her parents. This was a big deal in the culture at that time for an unwed girl to become pregnant. Only those to whom God revealed the truth would believe that she was made pregnant by the Holy Spirit and not her own indiscretion.

We can see how she is filled with joy and counts herself blessed over the situation as she visits Elizabeth during her pregnancy. Isn’t it wonderful that the Lord provided Mary with Elizabeth, who was also made pregnant with God’s help… though in a different way in that God “opened her womb” and allowed her husband to make her pregnant. She had previously been barren.

Let us also not miss that God provides us with a very clear example of the baby in Elizabeth’s womb being very much alive and responsive to the outside world… before birth. Some just can’t seem to grasp that obvious biological concept that babies are humans from the moment of conception and should be treated as such. Abortion is abominable.

Luke 1:39-56

Mary Visits Elizabeth

     39Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, 40and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43“And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? 44“For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. 45“And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”

The Magnificat

     46And Mary said:
“My soul exalts the Lord,

      47And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

      48“For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave;
For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.

      49“For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name.

      50“AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION
TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM.

      51“He has done mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart.

      52“He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has exalted those who were humble.

      53“HE HAS FILLED THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS;
And sent away the rich empty-handed.

      54“He has given help to Israel His servant,
In remembrance of His mercy,

      55As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and his descendants forever.”

      56And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home.

I encourage you to pray for the Spirit to fill you with joy as you serve the Lord, even as He asks you to do something you feel is very hard. Check yourself if you find yourself complaining about how hard something is that He wants you to do. Trust in Him. He is able. Joyfully and willingly embrace what He calls you to do. If you are submitted and obedient, He will work through you with His power to accomplish what He calls you to do.

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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.

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Nothing Is Impossible With God

All things are possible with God. We need simply seek Him and submit to Him, then watch Him use us to His glory. Mary remains a glorious example of a humble servant submitting to the Lord.  Surely this was disruptive to her life. She was about to get married, and God’s plan on the surface would certainly seem to create potential disruption to that plan if Joseph were to think she had been unfaithful. She trusted in the Lord.

The Lord even gave her an independent sign that He was at work, by telling Mary about Elizabeth as well. I would think that being able to connect with Elizabeth provided moral support and encouragement for Mary at those times when perhaps her parents may not have believed it was the Spirit that impregnated Mary.

Luke 1:26-38

Jesus’ Birth Foretold

     26Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 34Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. 36“And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37“For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

What is the Lord asking you to do that you may be hesitant to obey? Seek clarity from the Spirit, confirmation in the written word, and ask God’s help for you to obey boldly and with strong faith. Remember, when Mary accepted the Lord’s will and plan, she had no way of making it happen on her own. She was fully trusting in the Lord. We should strive to do likewise.

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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.

Angels, Fear / Reverence for God, Miracles, Miracles, Study the Word, Teachable

Find the Treasure Hidden in the Detail of Scripture

Some elements of scripture are so familiar that we already know the story, but it can be all to easy to gloss over the magnificent detail and meaning within. I find the record of the birth of John the Baptist to be one of these. I am familiar with the story, but there are details throughout that are worth pausing to spend time considering.

  • The Lord chose to use Zacharias and Elizabeth, a married couple who “were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.”
  • Despite both Zacharias and Elizabeth being righteous and wanting children, the were very advanced in years and had not had any. Living righteous lives before God does not mean life is easy and we get all we want, but rather we find our joy in the Lord and what He provides.
  • The fact that the scripture states “Elizabeth was barren” implies she could not have children, but God opened up her womb so to speak for His glory and in answer to their prayer.
  • Zacharias heard from the Lord’s messenger while coming before God in His service as He was instructed by the word.
  • Angels are often depicted as pretty young women, but this is clearly not aligned with scripture. The most typical response when even a righteous person meets an angel is fear. Clearly angels are more powerful and intimidating that that.
  • What an incredible report to hear about your child to come… that he will be “he will be great in the sight of the Lord”.
  • The angel also provided instructions to them that the child will be named John and he will not drink alcohol.
  • All these plans were set by the Lord for this child who had not even been conceived yet! Our Lord clearly is present in the past, present, and future with full knowledge of all that is , was, and is to come. He is in control of all. (By the way, they all come true as prophesied.)
  • Note that John”will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb”. Another example of a person being truly alive even while in the womb, every bit as real as after birth. A person is a person from conception and should be treated as such.
  • It is after mention of John’s being filled with the Holy Spirit that we find more about what John will do… “And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17“It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” It is the Spirit working through John that enables this to happen… not John on his own effort.
  • Zacharias was a righteous man. He served the Lord. Even he was overwhelmed by this encounter and all this news. He essentially asked for a sign, in spite of the angel standing in front of him talking to him. He got one… I am sure he second-guessed that conversation a few times before John was born and he could talk again. It is interesting to ponder, however, as Gideon under similar circumstances asked for a sign twice and received it. Gideon, however, had a different history with his relationship with the Lord than did Zacharias and he was called for a different mission. The signs Gideon received were not as difficult for him as what Zacharias received. Both were likely helped by the signs in following the call God had given them.

Wow! There is a lot of stuff packed into this collection of verses.

Luke 1:5-25

Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

      5In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 7But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.

      8Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, 9according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering. 11And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him. 13But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. 14“You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15“For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. 16“And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17“It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

      18Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.” 19The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20“And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”

      21The people were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he kept making signs to them, and remained mute. 23When the days of his priestly service were ended, he went back home.

      24After these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, 25“This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men.”

I hope this can encourage you to dive in deep to every scripture you read. Challenge yourself to explore the treasures hidden in the details and not just skim over chapter after chapter taking in only what seems to be the main story or summary. Then, as always, ask the Spirit to help you apply it to your own life.

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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.

Can I Trust the Bible?, Seeking God, Study the Word, Teachable

Searching for And Verifying The Truth of God’s Word

It is too easy for us to overlook how careful the writers of the Bible were in recording the history of God’s relationship with His people. Let us not miss that they took this very seriously. Whether through oral tradition or in writing it down, they were careful to record the historical events accurately. It was a passion. As believers that fervently followed the Lord, they did not consider this “just a book” or “just a letter”. It was their role in serving the Lord and doing what He called them to do.

Luke 1:1-4

Introduction

     1Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, 2just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, 3it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; 4so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.

Luke was a very careful and detail oriented man who was careful to research and document the events of his time. We can find much encouragement in knowing that he investigated to verify what was true. He was also inspired by the Spirit in the writing of the gospel of Luke.  Luke was not some blind zealot just writing propaganda. He was a doctor who meticulously researched and recorded true historical events.

We do well to follow Luke’s example. Do not just accept everything or anything that people tell you about the Bible or what God teaches us in it. Do not accept without questioning what people tell you about holidays and traditions or what culture tells you about what is right and wrong. Seek the truth through prayer and study of the scripture. It takes careful investigation to truly get past the lies and deceptions of our culture including what is taught in many churches and find the treasure which is the truth of God’s word. It is a treasure worth the effort to find!

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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.

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God Calls Each of Us To A Mission and Provides What We Need

Jehovah makes it clear that He set aside Aaron and his sons to serve as priests and set aside the other Levites to a different role in support of God’s holy place and services. Each had specific roles and was not to do the role of the other. It strikes me as a good reminder that even today He calls us as believers to different tasks or missions. We are not all skilled in the same way and we are not all called to the same mission. Let us be content with what He calls us to do and let us be joyfully obedient… beyond content. Do not covet the calling of another, but support them if called to do so. What great ministry or church would succeed with only the one pastor or evangelist? God calls some to support those He puts in the lead. It is a worthy calling.

I am also reminded that He provides for those He calls. He did not call the priests and Levites to full time service and then also expect them to provide their own food or care for their own land. They are provided for by God and they need not get distracted with working their own land to survive, which would significantly divide their attention.

Truly all we have belongs to the Lord, but He calls each of us to give of our first fruits and best fruits for His kingdom. Even those who are called to His full time service are still instructed to tithe. The attitude of giving our first and best to the Lord is a great way to focus on Him as our Lord and provider and avoid getting distracted thinking only of ourselves.

Numbers 18

Duties of Levites

     1So the LORD said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s household with you shall bear the guilt in connection with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the guilt in connection with your priesthood. 2“But bring with you also your brothers, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be joined with you and serve you, while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. 3“And they shall thus attend to your obligation and the obligation of all the tent, but they shall not come near to the furnishings of the sanctuary and the altar, or both they and you will die. 4“They shall be joined with you and attend to the obligations of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the tent; but an outsider may not come near you. 5“So you shall attend to the obligations of the sanctuary and the obligations of the altar, so that there will no longer be wrath on the sons of Israel. 6“Behold, I Myself have taken your fellow Levites from among the sons of Israel; they are a gift to you, dedicated to the LORD, to perform the service for the tent of meeting. 7“But you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and inside the veil, and you are to perform service. I am giving you the priesthood as a bestowed service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”

The Priests’ Portion

     8Then the LORD spoke to Aaron, “Now behold, I Myself have given you charge of My offerings, even all the holy gifts of the sons of Israel I have given them to you as a portion and to your sons as a perpetual allotment. 9“This shall be yours from the most holy gifts reserved from the fire; every offering of theirs, even every grain offering and every sin offering and every guilt offering, which they shall render to Me, shall be most holy for you and for your sons. 10“As the most holy gifts you shall eat it; every male shall eat it. It shall be holy to you. 11“This also is yours, the offering of their gift, even all the wave offerings of the sons of Israel; I have given them to you and to your sons and daughters with you as a perpetual allotment. Everyone of your household who is clean may eat it. 12“All the best of the fresh oil and all the best of the fresh wine and of the grain, the first fruits of those which they give to the LORD, I give them to you. 13“The first ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to the LORD, shall be yours; everyone of your household who is clean may eat it. 14“Every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours. 15“Every first issue of the womb of all flesh, whether man or animal, which they offer to the LORD, shall be yours; nevertheless the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem. 16“As to their redemption price, from a month old you shall redeem them, by your valuation, five shekels in silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs. 17“But the firstborn of an ox or the firstborn of a sheep or the firstborn of a goat, you shall not redeem; they are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar and shall offer up their fat in smoke as an offering by fire, for a soothing aroma to the LORD. 18“Their meat shall be yours; it shall be yours like the breast of a wave offering and like the right thigh. 19“All the offerings of the holy gifts, which the sons of Israel offer to the LORD, I have given to you and your sons and your daughters with you, as a perpetual allotment. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the LORD to you and your descendants with you.” 20Then the LORD said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land nor own any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the sons of Israel.

      21“To the sons of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they perform, the service of the tent of meeting. 22“The sons of Israel shall not come near the tent of meeting again, or they will bear sin and die. 23“Only the Levites shall perform the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, and among the sons of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 24“For the tithe of the sons of Israel, which they offer as an offering to the LORD, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance; therefore I have said concerning them, ‘They shall have no inheritance among the sons of Israel.’”

      25Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 26“Moreover, you shall speak to the Levites and say to them, ‘When you take from the sons of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present an offering from it to the LORD, a tithe of the tithe. 27‘Your offering shall be reckoned to you as the grain from the threshing floor or the full produce from the wine vat. 28‘So you shall also present an offering to the LORD from your tithes, which you receive from the sons of Israel; and from it you shall give the LORD’S offering to Aaron the priest. 29‘Out of all your gifts you shall present every offering due to the LORD, from all the best of them, the sacred part from them.’ 30“You shall say to them, ‘When you have offered from it the best of it, then the rest shall be reckoned to the Levites as the product of the threshing floor, and as the product of the wine vat. 31‘You may eat it anywhere, you and your households, for it is your compensation in return for your service in the tent of meeting. 32‘You will bear no sin by reason of it when you have offered the best of it. But you shall not profane the sacred gifts of the sons of Israel, or you will die.’”

Let us embrace joyfully that which we are called to do. Each of us may have different roles but the whole body of Christ, working together, is useful to glorifying the Lord, which is our purpose and calling overall.

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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.

Faith / Trusting God, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Hope, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Peace / Rest, Protector / Deliverer, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, Strong in Our Weakness, Temptation/Tempting

Our Struggle Is Not Against Flesh And Blood

12For  our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.  (Ephesians 6:12)

In Ephesians 6:10-18 Paul provides us important guidance about the reality of spiritual warfare.  Too often Christians dismiss spiritual warfare and focus only on the things we can see and touch. This leaves us vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. If we do not recognize the true enemy, we will struggle to win against him.

     10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,  15and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

      18With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 19and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Some key points upon which to reflect:

  • Our strength comes from the Lord, not ourselves
  • The devil is real and he has strategies he uses to lie, cheat and destroy. He will use more than one strategy against us.
  • Warfare does not always take place in physical world, sometimes it is in the spiritual world. Don’t believe me? Read the book of Job.
  • Just putting on one or two pieces of the armor of God is not enough, we need to put on all of them.
  • Prayer and a relationship with Jesus is necessary! Jesus tells us to pray daily and to pray specifically to not let us yield to temptation, and to be rescued from the evil one. Matthew 6:9-13
  • We are to stay alert and pray for others in addition to ourselves. Pray for those preach the gospel that they would preach boldly!

Let’s explore what it really means to put on the full armor of God.

Truth can simply be defined as the real facts about something.  Surprisingly the world today proposes that truth is relative when it comes to God or how we live… “True for you but not for me”, etc. This is no more accurate than saying “If I do not believe in gravity, I will not fall off a ladder.” Gravity is true whether or not I believe in or accept it. God lovingly and in great detail shares truth in the Bible and reveals it in the world around us. There is absolute truth.

Righteousness is characterized by living consistently with God’s standards of morality, justice, virtue, etc. As God’s standard is Himself, it is a lofty bar. We will never achieve it to perfection but He is the standard and reference point none the less. We should keep our eyes on Jesus and seek help from the Holy Spirit and thus keep changing to be more like Him.

The peace that comes from knowing the good news is not a promise that we will avoid conflicts and trials, but rather an affirmation that when we have relationship with Jesus Christ we know He is with us in this life and that we have eternal life on the other side of this world. We can have peace through the mightiest storms.

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1. In this context Paul reminds us that we must trust in God even when we are under attack by Satan. Just because we can not recognize how God is working in the situation does not mean that He is not there. We can be confident He is with us.

Salvation is deliverance from sin and its consequences, which is death. It is not enough to know or acknowledge Jesus Christ. Even Satan and his demons due that. By asking and accepting Jesus into our  lives and repenting from our sinful ways we receive salvation through grace.

The sword of the spirit, or word of God, is what Jesus Himself used to defeat Satan when He was tempted in the wilderness. Matthew 4:1-11. We must know the word of God before the attack comes just as a soldier must train and be prepared before he goes to battle.

To be effective we must understand and use all of this equipment daily. It ceases to become “something we do” and becomes “how we do everything” in our lives.

Remember to heed Paul’s warning and guidance for prayer. The battle is not ours alone, but the Lord’s!

      18With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

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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.

Children, Marriage, Parenting, Share the Good News

Follow God’s Plan For Family and Work Relationsips

Paul takes us back to basics with a message on the Christian family. Considering how many homes are broken homes due to divorce or sex before marriage leading to children out of wedlock, “broken homes” are common. This does not even touch on families which are formed by same sex couples, which is a new, growing kind of broken home in our culture.

If that is not enough we also have culture constantly trying to tell us that a man and woman in marriage should have all the same roles… both be joint leaders in the home, both work, both do everything. The world would have us believe that this is how we should structure the family. But is that how God tells us to structure the family? Even before we open the Bible to ready what God says, a  logical consideration of God’s design for men and women shows any sensible person that there are significant differences.

As disciples of Christ one very effective way we can be a light to others, drawing them to Christ, is through a healthy and godly family relationships. But we have to let go of what our culture tells us about family and seek, even embrace joyfully, what God tells us.

If you think the part about “slaves” no longer applies, consider it could still apply to “employees”, as “masters” would then apply to “bosses” or “managers”.

Ephesians 5:22-33

Marriage Like Christ and the Church

     22Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

      25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. 28So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30because we are members of His body. 31FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. 32This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 33Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.

Ephesians 6:1-9

Family Relationships

     1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise), 3SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH.

      4Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

      5Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; 6not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. 7With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.

      9And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.

Evaluate your family and work relationships carefully and honestly. Pray for the Spirit to show you where you need to change to be more set apart for God and His ways to be a light to others who do not know Him.

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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.

Bitterness / Resentment, Complaining, Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Envy / Jealousy / Coveting, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Grace / Patience, He Appears Before You, Help / Serve Others, Interceding for Others, Justice / Judgment, Merciful, Mercy, Miracles, Offering Sacrifices, Repenting from Sin, Through Prophets, Tongue / Gossip / Slander, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Do Not Choose To Complain When God Calls You To Repent

Korah lead a rebellion in the beginning of Numbers 16. The Lord punished him and his family and those who also led the rebellion. They were swallowed up by the earth in a sign that could only be of the Lord. It was public and visible. One would assume then that the rest of the people who had been spared would be humble and repent before the Lord for their rebellion against Him. They did not. Instead they grumbled and complained, again jealous and blaming Moses and Aaron and never looking inward to judge the hardness of their own hearts in a way that could lead to repentance.

While it seems quite amazing, if you think about it in the lives of people around you every day, even those who say they believe and follow Jesus, you will see it is quite common. People have a tendency to excuse or overlook their sin and rebellion to God and blame others when things do not work out how they like. They do not internalize this issue of rebellion as originating with them… as their fault.

What an amazing response by Moses and Aaron… rather than just stand there and let God wipe out the rebellious people, they spring to action and make an intercessory offering and prayer on behalf of the sinful people. Though the people did not repent, the intercessory prayers of the righteous were enough for God to spare the people further destruction. What a great example of how we as God’s people should respond to those who struggle in their relationship with the Lord. Let us not be vengeful, but rather gracious in seeking to pray on their behalf before the Lord.

Numbers 16:41-50

Murmuring and Plague

     41But on the next day all the congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You are the ones who have caused the death of the LORD’S people.” 42It came about, however, when the congregation had assembled against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tent of meeting, and behold, the cloud covered it and the glory of the LORD appeared. 43Then Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting, 44and the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 45“Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them instantly.” Then they fell on their faces. 46Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer and put in it fire from the altar, and lay incense on it; then bring it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone forth from the LORD, the plague has begun!” 47Then Aaron took it as Moses had spoken, and ran into the midst of the assembly, for behold, the plague had begun among the people. So he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. 48He took his stand between the dead and the living, so that the plague was checked. 49But those who died by the plague were 14,700, besides those who died on account of Korah. 50Then Aaron returned to Moses at the doorway of the tent of meeting, for the plague had been checked.

When God calls you to repent, do not choose to complain instead. Take care not to be like those who sin and then grumble, always blaming the righteous for what goes wrong and never internalizing your own sin and relationship with the Lord.

Look also for the opportunity to pray for others, even those who would do you harm or say bad things to and about you. What a way to be a light to the world!

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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.