Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Caring for the Poor
Verse of the day: Leviticus 19:9-10 “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am the LORD your God.”
Caring for those that are poor and needy is a command that is given to us in both the Old Testament, and the New Testament. Here in this chapter, God gave Israel the guidelines for farmers, so that the poor person’s needs would be met, using the abundance supplied by God. The Lord was not asking the farmer to give something that came from him, but that which God gave him; that which came from God, as He is the One who gives the increase. Today, it is no different. God blesses many of us with much, but it is not for us to keep selfishly. God will meet the needs of our families, but He also desires that we give of our abundance, regardless of how little or much that might be, to those who have genuine needs. This does not mean that we have to give it all away, and it does not mean that we are obligated to give to those who are “crying wolf”, and simply expecting a handout because they are lazy, do not want to work, and being deceitful about being poor or needy. We, as born again believers, who serve a God who was not indifferent to our needs, and gave it all by sending His Son, cannot be indifferent toward those whom God values, the poor. God said of King Josiah, in Jeremiah 22:16, “He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Was not this knowing Me? says the LORD.” Proverbs 14:31 tells us, “He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.” Our God takes our lack of concern for the poor seriously. Ezekiel 16:49 tell us about Sodom, “Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.” In the New Testament, we are told, in 1 John 3:16-18, “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” Here, we are reminded that God showed His love for us by meeting a desperate need; therefore, we too must love in the same manner, by giving to the needs of others, when God presents us with the opportunity. James tells us that when we do this, we prove our faith. James 2:14-18 reads, “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” There may be times when we may not have much, and even be living pay check to pay check, and God will put someone before us who has even less than that. He may call us to be a blessing to that person by giving of the little that we have. When we give to the poor and care for the needy, regardless of how much we have at that moment, we do not do it as a way of earning salvation, or a way of gaining favor with God. When we do this in Christ, we are simply doing that which outwardly demonstrates our trust and faith in Christ. One of the greatest ways we show our gratitude for all that God has given us in Christ, is by giving, without begrudging, to those who are less fortunate than we are, in the Name of Jesus, and for His glory.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Nothing Is To Be Refused
Verse of the day: Leviticus 11:46-47 “This is the law of the animals and the birds and every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth, 47 to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.”
In this chapter, Israel received the law pertaining to the diet they were to follow in respect to what animals they could eat, or not eat, based on whether they were clean or unclean. Sadly, today, there are those who consider themselves more spiritual, godly, or walking closer to God, because they teach, and practice, that these dietary rules are still in place for us who are in Christ. However, based on New Testament Scriptures, we are not under the constraints of this law, as we are not under the constraints of the Law as a whole. Romans 6:14 clearly tells us, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” Furthermore, we are told in Galatians 3:10-12, “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.’ 11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for ‘the just shall live by faith.’ 12 Yet the law is not of faith, but ‘the man who does them shall live by them.’” In other words, if we are going to be adamant that a certain Old Testament Law must be followed, as a Christian, then we must follow ALL of the Law, and we are no longer living and operating under the law of grace in Christ. In Acts 15, it was determined, by the Jerusalem Council, that a Christians was not obligated to follow Mosaic Law. Under the Law of Liberty, we are told in Romans 14:1-4, “Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 2 For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.” Colossians 2:16-17 also tells us, “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” While there are health benefits to eating certain foods and avoiding certain foods in excess, we are no longer under the rule of law that says we cannot eat certain foods. The bottom line is that we can choose to follow the guidelines given, as a personal conviction or preference, but to say that all of us as Christians must follow them, when Scripture has released us from it, is to be legalistic, and based on Romans 14:1, causes “disputes over doubtful things”, or “quarrels over opinions”. 1 Timothy 4:1-5 clearly states, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, 3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; 5 for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.” To insist that we are supposed to keep the dietary laws of the Old Testament in order to be right with God is equivalent to “giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons”. As God’s children, we should want to do our best to take care of our bodies, as it is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), by having a proper diet and exercising. If we desire to have a good quality of life, so that we can serve the Lord with energy and vigor, then we ought to do our best to take care of the body God has given us. However, this is to be done out of preference and personal conviction; for there have been some who have eaten the right things, and exercised, and still suffered from terminal illnesses and even died due to sudden, unexplained reasons. Rather than quarrel over what we should be eating or not eating, it would be more profitable to work on becoming the godly people we are supposed to be in Christ. “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.” (1 Timothy 4:8) The best rule to follow in what we eat is to avoid the sin of gluttony (Proverbs 23:2, 20-21; Proverbs 28:7); and not be a stumbling-block to other in our eating and drinking habits. “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.” (1 Corinthians 10:31-33).
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Monday, February 26, 2018
Always Righteous and Just
Verse of the day: Leviticus 10:6 And Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons, “Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the people. But let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD has kindled.”
In this chapter, we read about the death of Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron. God killed them both for their presumptuous approach, and burning of strange fire before the Lord. Their motivation for doing what they did was not specified, but they came before God in a way, and at a time, not authorized by God. The consequence for what they did may seem harsh, and even unfair, but it stressed the importance and seriousness of disobeying God or failing to approach Him with reverence. However, what I would like us to focus on today is the severity of the punishment God imposed on them. So often, we sin, and then we complain about how severe, and unfair, the consequences are for what we did, when someone else’s consequences might not appear to be as severe, for doing something similar. In 2 Chronicles 26, King Uzziah, in his pride, entered the Temple to burn unauthorized incense on the altar, and rather than kill him instantly, he was struck with leprosy for the rest of his life. In the New Testament, Ananias and Sapphira were killed for lying to the Holy Spirit, in their attempt to look like they had given the church all the proceeds from the sale of their land, when in reality they had only given a portion. We read throughout the Scriptures that God decides what the consequences are for each person, and each occasion, that someone sins against Him; and even though it may not seem fair to us in comparison, know this, God is righteous in ALL His judgments. Stop and imagine how any one of us would have felt if it was our sons who were killed, but then we were forbidden to mourn for them. How would we feel about God? How would we feel about continuing to serve Him? In this instance, Aaron was expected to continue in the service of God in the Tabernacle, and not take time mourn the loss of his sons, lest he also be put to death. Many of us today would think this heartless, unfair, and unbearable. However, God is always just in what He allows and how He judges. He knows each of us, and know exactly what to allow in our lives to get our attention and get us to put our eyes back on Him. Psalm 119:137 tells us, “Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments.” Psalm 145:17 reads, “The LORD is righteous in all His ways, gracious in all His works.” Revelation 15:3 reads, “They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: ‘Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!’" Before we sin against God, we need to stop and ask ourselves, “Are the consequences that may come out of this worth doing this?” “Is it worth hindering my relationship with the Lord, violating His holiness, and possibly dealing with a lifelong consequence?” The bottom line is that God desires that we honor Him, and serve Him, with our lives. He desires intimacy with us. His desire is to not have to discipline us with such severity, but His righteousness demands that He not overlook sin. He has already given us far more than we deserve in giving us His only begotten Son, so that we do not perish in our sins (John 3:16), but He will allow severe consequences in our lives, if that will keep us on the straight, and narrow, path. When King David committed adultery, and plotted the murder of Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, God told King David that the sword would not leave his house (2 Samuel 12:10). Sadly, his son Amnon raped his own sister Tamar, his other son Absalom killed Amnon as revenge (2 Samuel 13-15), and Absalom is later killed because of his rebellion against his own father, King David (2 Samuel 18). It was a costly price to pay for the sins he committed, but a just judgement handed down by a Just and Righteous God. We may not like the consequences God allows for our sinful actions, but the best way to avoid those consequences is to do our best to live a right, holy, life before the Lord. Whenever we think it is unfair that God is allowing something tragic to come out of our moments of sinfulness, stop and think of how unfair it was that God had to torture, and put to death, His only begotten, perfect, and innocent Son, as payment for our sins. Rather than complain and rebel any further, let God used those consequences to draw us nearer to Him, and put us on the path to living a life that will exalt Jesus and His wonderful, amazing, forgiveness, mercy, and grace.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Sunday, February 25, 2018
Confronting with Truth
Verse of the day: Leviticus 5:1 If a person sins in hearing the utterance of an oath, and is a witness, whether he has seen or known of the matter—if he does not tell it, he bears guilt.
Here is something we do not often think about as Christians. In the Old Testament, if a person witnessed, or knew about a wrongdoing, and did not act to correct it, by testifying against it, God considered that person just as guilty as the person who committed the crime or offense. Today, society is so far from practicing this principle, even amongst God’s people. We have become of society of “minding our own business” to the point that we allow wrong and evil to flourish because “we don’t want to get involved”. Fear of what might happen if we speak up has caused us to overlook so much of what we should be confronting, as God’s people. Obviously, if we ever find ourselves in a position to have to testify in court, or be a witness in any other proceedings, as God’s children, we should always testify to the truth, regardless of what we think the outcome might be. God hates a false witness (Proverbs 6:19). However, let us bring that even closer to home. What if we witness, or find out, that our brother or sister in Christ, a good friend, or family member, is involved in some type of sinful activity that violates God’s Word; what do we do? Do we just ignore it? Do we continue to fellowship with a person who is living in a way that goes against the holiness of God? The Word of God tells us that as born again believers, we are not only accountable to God, but to one another. Now, this is where we must be careful, and wise, as to how we approach one another when it comes to dealing with sin. Too many Christians use Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” As a loophole for not being confronted about sin, and not confronting sin. This is not what the passages is saying. What we are not to do, is approach others with a judgmental attitude when confronting sin. Galatians 6:1-3 tells us to approach with the goal of restoration, but examining ourselves before we approach, so that we do so with humility. James 5:19-20 tells us, “Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” If necessary, once we have addressed the sin, if the person insists on forsaking it, we have biblical instructions, and options, for dealing with the sinning brother/sister. If the issue is one that can be resolved privately, then, do so (Matthew 18), and if the person refuses, we can bring others with us in an attempt to correct and restore (Matthew 18). If necessary, the guilty party should be rebuked publicly, in love, so that they will turn from their erring ways (1 Timothy 5:20). As a last resort, if the person persists, then it would be appropriate to break fellowship with them (1 Corinthians 5:11; Ephesians 5:11-12; 2 Thessalonians 3:14). Here is where we go wrong in confronting sin. We rebuke in a mean-spirited manner. We fail to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), and we outcast the person to the extent that they are pushed further away from God and the church, with no desire of being reconciled. 2 Corinthians 2:6-8 reads, “This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man, 7 so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. 8 Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him.” The bottom line is that we, as Christians, must not be fearful, and must be adamant about confronting, and testifying to the truth, when it comes to dealing with sin. If we witness it, or know about it, we must do all that we can, in love, to deal with it, and bring whoever that person is, back into fellowship with Christ and the church. It can be a painful process, and sometimes a disappointing one, when the person we are trying to help turns their back on God, and us. If we fail to confront sin and error, the consequences can be devastating, as it will affect others, especially as it pertains to spiritual things. The Apostle Paul confronted the Apostle Peter for his hypocrisy in Galatians 2:11-13. It reads, “Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.” We are not to ignore, excuse, or justify evil, sinful, or hypocritical behavior. We are to be witnesses to the truth. Let us do so in a way that honors God.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Saturday, February 24, 2018
Truly Seeking His Forgiveness
Verse of the day: Leviticus 4:1-3 Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a person sins unintentionally against any of the commandments of the LORD in anything which ought not to be done, and does any of them, 3 if the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, then let him offer to the LORD for his sin which he has sinned a young bull without blemish as a sin offering.”
The sin offering served as a way to repent and confess the sins committed by God’s people. There is an important distinction between sins committed unintentionally, and presumptuous sins. Numbers 15:30 says this about presumptuous sin, “But the person who does anything presumptuously, whether he is native-born or a stranger, that one brings reproach on the LORD, and he shall be cut off from among his people.” Presumptuous sin is sin committed by those who stand defiantly against God and His Word. The only remedy for a person whose heart is hardened against God and His ways, is for he/she to call upon Christ for eternal salvation. This person is lost and needs Christ so that he/she does not perish eternally. The person who commits unintentional sin is the person who loves God but has been caught up in sin by a choice they have made, stumbled in a temptation, and is now repentant and seeking God’s forgiveness, as they have a genuine desire to live right before God. 1 John 1:8-2:1, was written to Christians. It states, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. 2:1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” As born again believers, we are not exempt from stumbling in our walk with the Lord. Our flesh, the world, and the devils work against us so that we are discouraged from walking with God. However, Jesus has defeated death and sin, and in Him we have victory over sin. In those moments that we stumble, we have a recourse to put us back on track. Galatians 6:1-3 tells us, “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” Let me caution all of us here. Let us never take for granted that fact that God’s grace reaches farther than our sins can ever take us. Romans 6:1-2 reads, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” In this chapter in Leviticus, the greatest detail, in bringing the sin offering before God, is given in respect to the sin(s) of the priest. They were a representative of the people before God, and held to a higher standard, as today’s leaders will give the greater account before God for what they taught God’s people, not just in word, but also in deed (James 3:1). In verses 5-7, we see the process by which the priest must use the blood of the bull in seeking God’s forgiveness. The sprinkling of the blood on the veil was a picture of sin being an offense against the holiness of God. When we sin, our sin is against God, regardless of who we have sinned against, humanly speaking (Psalm 51:4). Blood applied to the altar of incense was symbolic of how our sins hinder our prayer life (Psalm 66:18). The blood applied to the altar of the burnt offering is symbolic of how a blood sacrifice is required for the forgiveness of our sins. Jesus was the ultimate Sacrifice, and it is by His Blood that we are washed, cleansed, and forgiven. However, that does not exclude the fact that we still must come before God with mourning, repentance, and confession of our sins (James 4:8-9). Finally, in the prescribed process for bringing the sin offering, God is making it clear to the Israelites, and to us today, that He wants us to come to Him, seeking to be reconciled, seeking true forgiveness, without selfish motives. In verses 8-12, the fat, which is the best part of the sacrifice, belongs to God, while the all the other worthless parts of the bull are burned outside of the camp. Interestingly, the parts of the bull, which were usually profitable to man, the hide and the meat (good for making products for profit or personal use, and for food), were also burned, as worthless, outside the camp. God wanted, and wants, His people to come before Him, truly seeking to be right with Him, and counting everything else as worthless, in comparison to having His forgiveness. When we sin, let us ask God to examine our hearts when we come before Him so that we are sure we are coming before Him with the right intentions, truly seeking Him, and nothing else (Psalm 139:23-24).
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Friday, February 23, 2018
Fellowship of Peace
Verse of the day: Leviticus 3:1 “When his offering is a sacrifice of a peace offering, if he offers it of the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD.
Contrary to what we might think, the peace offering was not for the purpose of making peace with God. The sin offering played that part in the sacrificial system. The peace offering was a sacrificial offering made to symbolize fellowship with God. The fat and blood of the animal was offered to God, while the meat was shared between the priest and the family bringing the offering (that is why no mention is made in respect to burning the meat portion on the altar). The fat was considered to be the best of the animal; therefore, it belonged exclusively to God. Blood was what was required for atonement, and was used by pagans in the worship of their heathen gods, as a drink offering (Psalm 16:4), and therefore it was forbidden that the Israelites eat fat, or suet (this is not the fat that was intertwined with the meat, but the fat of the inward parts of the animal) or drink the blood (v. 17). Today, Jesus is our Peace Offering. Romans 5:1-2 tells us, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” There is a difference between making peace with God and being at peace with God. We made peace with God in Christ. When we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, He was the Prince of Peace that reconciled us to the Father. Now, as we continually go before the Father, in Christ, with repentance and confession of sins, we keep that peace intact. Not to be misunderstood, for there is nothing that we can do, in and of ourselves, to make peace or find favor with God. All the peace that we have is found only in Christ. However, we can disturb that peace within ourselves when we sin, backslide, or allow the enemy to convince us that God no longer loves us or will no longer forgive us. The devil will use the shame of our failures to make us feel guilty and unaccepted before God. The peace we have in Christ cannot be taken from us, but we can give it away. If we have no peace in our relationship with God, it is not because the Lord has withdrawn it; it is because we have allowed something or someone to take it. Jesus clearly told us in John 16:31-33, “Do you now believe? 32 Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” The same peace that Jesus had in His hour of abandonment by those who walked with Him, is the same peace that we have in Him, when we feel rejected and abandoned. The Father was with Him in His darkest hour, and He will be with us in our darkest hours. Philippians 4:6-7 promises, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” However, this peace will escape us if we do not come before Him being completely transparent. The offering of the fat (which was taken from deep within the animal) was symbolic to having fellowship with God, without pretense, pouring out our hearts in prayer, and not holding back what God can already see deep within us. This is the only way we can have true, intimate, peaceful, fellowship with God, and this is what He desires. John 10:10 tells us, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” The devil wants to steal God’s worship, kill our testimony for Christ, and destroy our lives, since he can no longer destroy our souls as born again believers. Instead, he now seeks to steal the peace we have in Christ, and get us to worship someone or something other than God. He wants to kill our fellowship with God, and destroy our earthly lives so that we are worthless ambassadors for Christ; as he wanted to do with Peter, by sifting us as wheat, and leaving us as useless as the chaff (Luke 22:31). The bottom line is that the devil will use others, the trials, tribulations, earthly worries, and our own guilt, to disturb the peace we have with God. Let us come before God with thanksgiving and praise, knowing that the peace that has been purchased for us is non-refundable. Let us be careful to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12), putting off the old person we were before Christ, putting on the new person, by God’s grace (Colossians 3; Ephesians 4:22-24), and fully enjoy the peaceful fellowship we can have with God in Christ Jesus.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Thursday, February 22, 2018
It’s About Trust
Verse of the day: Leviticus 2:14-15 “If you offer a grain offering of your firstfruits to the LORD, you shall offer for the grain offering of your firstfruits green heads of grain roasted on the fire, grain beaten from full heads. 15 And you shall put oil on it, and lay frankincense on it. It is a grain offering.”
The firstfruit offering was to be brought differently than the grain offering. It was considered a freewill offering. It was not required by law. In essence, the firstfruit offering was a test of the Israelites’ faith, and said a lot about their trust in God. The firstfruits were offerings of fine flour, made from wheat, before it was ripe, burned and beaten. What is significant about it is that by giving this grain before it was completely ripe meant giving of their crops without the assurance that the ground would produce more grain for them and their families. It required faith and trust in knowing that God would provide for them, in some way, whether from that same ground or by some other means. How willing are we to trust God that much? How many of us, if we did not have the means to buy more food, would be willing to give all the food in our home to the homeless and the hungry, in the Name of Jesus? How many of us, in our service to the Lord, would give away all our money to help the poor and the needy, not knowing when, or how, we were going to have more money? What material belonging would we give in our service to the Lord, not knowing whether or not it was going to be replaced? This is the kind of trust that was being asked of the Israelites. This firstfruit offering was an offering that could be given by both the rich and the poor. In Mark 12:41-44, Jesus used the example of the poor widow who gave two mites (two copper coins worth a fraction of a penny) to teach His disciples what it means to give in accordance to how much we trust the LORD. Why did Jesus hold her in such high esteem? Today, there are some who would be ashamed to give so little. However, we must stop and think about what she really gave. Jesus pointed out that everyone else gave out of the abundance of their treasure, while she gave everything she had. In other words, if we have fifty dollars and give ten, we have given out of our abundance. If all we have is two pennies, and we give two pennies, we have given it all. There is a big difference between giving out of our abundance, and giving in accordance to our abundance. If we give out of our abundance, we give ten out of fifty dollars. If we give in accordance to our abundance, we might give forty eight, or even fifty, out of our fifty dollars. When we compare how much she gave, in comparison to what everyone else gave, she proved that she had greater faith and trust. When we give God our best, and when we give it abundantly, as a way of saying thank you and as a means of worshipping God, we show great trust and faith. What we are saying to God is, “Lord, I trust you completely to take care of me and my needs.” There will be times when we will be moved, by the Spirit of God, to give something that is precious to us, whether it be our time, our talents, our monies, our material belongings, or anything else God asks for, and it may not make any sense to us. However, Proverbs 3:5-6 tell us, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” The first part of the next verse, verse 7, tells us not be to wise in our own eyes. The firstfruit offering was to be prepared with oil and frankincense. In a previous devotional we said that this represented the Holy Spirit, and Jesus, because all that we give God, whether by our own free will, or out of obedience, must be done in the Spirit, and in Christ, if it is to be worthy of heavenly reward or value. However, the adding of oil and frankincense also made this offering more valuable (earthly-speaking), and more sacrificial, in that it would require more from those who did not have much to begin with. In other words, we should always be willing to give to God, even if it means we have to sacrifice to give it. Our walk with the Lord, if we are truly walking with Him, depends on faith and trust; trusting that He will take care of us no matter where He leads us, or what He requires of us. We show that trust when we freely offer the best of ourselves and the best from what He has allowed us to have. When we see what this poor widow gave, it also eliminates that excuse, “But I don’t have much to give.” It does not matter how much we have to give, just give whatever you have. The little boy who had five loaves and two fish witnessed a great miracle and blessing on the day He gave Jesus his little lunch (in its entirety). With the little he gave, Jesus did something great…He fed five thousand men and their families (Matthew 14:13-21). What kind of blessings are we missing out by not trusting God with what He has asked us to freely give Him, as a way to show Him how much we truly trust Him?
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Obedience Preferred
Verse of the day: Leviticus 2:1, 11 “When anyone offers a grain offering to the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour. And he shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense on it. 11 No grain offering which you bring to the LORD shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey in any offering to the LORD made by fire.”
Although the grain offering represents us coming to the altar in thanksgiving, both Christ and the Holy Spirit are represented here also. The oil, a picture of the Holy Spirit in us, and the frankincense as a picture of Christ’s intercession; both making us acceptable in the presence of the Father. The requirements/instructions set for offering the grain offering involved the restriction of mixing leaven or honey with this offering. This is significant in that leaven is pictured as sin in Scripture (Matthew 16:6; Mark 8:15). A small piece of leavened dough from an old lump, added to a new lump, permeates the entire lump, and causes it to rise (Galatians 5:9). Honey, commonly used for idol worship, and in the process of fermentation, is sweet to the palate, but if too much is eaten, it will become bitter in the stomach (Proverbs 25:16; 27). In essence, what we have here is a picture of us today bringing our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving before the Lord. Hebrews 13:15 reads, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” Note that we are to bring this sacrifice “by Him”. Again, in and of ourselves, what we offer is not good enough; and outside of Christ, it is impossible to bring true praise and thanksgiving in the midst of trials and tribulations. When we come before God to bring our praise and thanksgiving, we are to do it with pure hearts and a clear conscience. Leaven here pictures both pride and hypocrisy, which both, if unchecked, will permeate our attitude and affect how we view ourselves, and treat others; sins that the LORD abhors. Honey is a picture of lust, and how it is sweet to the taste, but has a bitter end, as it leads us to fornication and adultery; again, sins that the Lord abhors. In 1 Samuel 15:22, Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.” In verse 23, he equates rebellion and stubbornness to witchcraft and idolatry. Samuel said this in response to King Saul’s disobedience in not annihilating the Amalekites as God had commanded. In Matthew 6, Jesus condemned the “religious” actions of that day’s religious leaders, calling them hypocrites, because they did that which was honorable before God, but did it only for the purpose of looking good before men. In other words, their pride made them hypocrites. They fasted in a manner that brought attention to themselves, giving the impression that they were spiritual and intimate with God. They publicly prayed their fancy prayers, even though their hearts were far from God. They gave for everyone to see; only to impress the people, once again, with how spiritual they were. God does not want our vain facades. He wants us to bring our offering, and sacrifice, of praise and thanksgiving, with clean, pure, hearts; and this is only possible in Christ Jesus. Far too many Christians put on a show for all to see, but their pride and hypocrisy outshine their testimony for the LORD. They harbor secret lusts and affairs, but judge and criticize others for doing the same. In verse 13 of this chapter, God tells them that every grain offering is to be seasoned with salt, and none should lack it. Salt was used as a preserving agent, and added flavor to the offering. This is both a picture of how we are preserved in Christ, but also how we are to add flavor to the lives of those that God places us in. Are we a welcoming sight to those who do not know Jesus, because we not only tell them about Christ, but we truly show them the love of Christ? Do we add flavor to the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ who struggle and need encouragement? Do we add flavor to the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in need? Are we the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13-16)? Is our attitude, words, and deeds, seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6)? The bottom line is that far too often we bring our praise, and our sacrifices, whether giving thanks, fasting, praying, or giving, but take little care to make sure that our attitude and inner self is right with God. We bring them filled with pride, hypocrisy, sinful lusts, and pretending to be someone we are not, as if we can fool God, or bribe Him with our worthless sacrifices. Let us be mindful of Proverbs 21:3, “To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.”
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Best, Second Best, Leftovers
Verse of the day: Leviticus 1:3 “If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the LORD.”
The Book of Leviticus contains the laws God gave Israel through Moses, with the exception of a few historical accounts. The very first law we see gives direction concerning the burnt offering. In it, we see a clear picture of our Savior. We see from God’s instructions/requirements that He will not accept a sacrifice that is blemished. In Malachi 1:8, the prophet rebukes Israel for the sub-standard sacrifices they were offering the LORD, so it is with us. Nothing we offer God is good enough because we are all blemished, marred by sin (Romans 3:23). Prior to accepting Christ as our Savior, nothing we did, regardless of how sacrificial it might have been on our part, or how righteous, fell short because all our works of righteousness outside of Jesus are like filthy rags to God (Isaiah 64:6). This is the reason God would only accept Jesus, His only begotten, perfect, Son, as a Sacrifice that was sufficient to pay the price for the sin-debt we owed (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 2:2). Not only is the sacrifice to be without blemish (the best), but is should be given freely, and always before the Lord. The offering was washed, and burned completely, indicating a purity of heart, and complete surrender to God. How do we bring this down to us, as life application and our walk with Christ? The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” As living sacrifices, we must first be acceptable in that we have no blemish. This is only possible as a born again believer, because we are declared not guilty (or justified) only in Christ; whose righteousness is imputed on us (2 Corinthians 5:21). A sacrifice was killed, and therefore, what was offered on the altar was an animal that was dead. How then can we be a living sacrifice? In Christ, we are called to be dead to the world and its ways, and alive to God. It means taking up our cross daily (Luke 9:23), crucifying the flesh and its desires, and being alive in Christ. Galatians 2:20 puts it this way, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” What this also means is that we must be willing to give of ourselves, our time, and of our resources, freely. God expected the best set aside for Him first. How often do we give God our second best? We give Him the leftovers of our time. We do not pray or read our Bibles unless we have time leftover from doing the “other” things in our lives that we have made a priority. This results in us falling asleep when we finally get to reading our Bibles and praying, if at all. Why, because we refused to give Him the best of our time, when we were fresh and alert. Instead, we chose to give Him the “leftover” time, when we are exhausted and have not energy to pick up our Bibles. Sadly, we probably dedicate more time to watching television or being on our computers or phones, posting nonsense on social media, and then claim that we did not have time to spend with God because we were too busy. We go to church, as long as there is nothing else going on during that time, like a sporting event for our kids (or one we participate in personally), a Sunday morning fishing trip, etc. We pay tithes and offerings, if at all, from our leftovers, only after we have paid our bills, and put money aside for the thing we want (not really need), then claim that we cannot afford to give tithes and offerings. God forbid that we should have to rearrange our schedule to prepare to teach or help out in the local church, or be there for someone who would require just a little of our time, or be called upon to give our monies or other material resources to help someone who is in need. Just like bringing a burnt offering to the LORD was part of Israel’s worship to the LORD, so is giving God the best of who we are and what we have. When we do give it, how we give it is just as important. God wants us to give, whatever we give, freely and with a cheerful heart (2 Corinthians 9:7). The bottom line is that God want us to surrender our lives to Him, in Christ. He wants our best, not our second best, or our leftovers. He wants us to give of ourselves, and our resources, with a pure heart, and give it freely. If we were to stop right now, and examine how we spend each day, what we do first thing each day, what we spend most of our time and resources on, could we say that we are giving God our best? Would we find that we are serving someone other than the LORD? Would we find out that we are really our own god because we have set aside the best for ourselves and given God what was left over, if we have anything left over at all?
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Monday, February 19, 2018
The Cloud and the Spirit
Verse of the day: Exodus 40:34 Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
How often have we read the Bible and thought to ourselves, “If only God would show Himself like that now, how much stronger my faith would be.” “If only I could see Jesus, and walk with Him physically, I would be so much more faithful.” If I had to guess, and be honest, I would say that none of us would be more faithful than we are now. Stop and think about this for a moment with me. The Israelites saw the presence of God in a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire that guided them, protected them, and parted the Red Sea (Exodus 14). Yet, once they got across and did not have water to drink, or later when they did not have food to eat, what did they do? Did they call on God with faith to provide for them? No, they did not. They murmured against God and Moses (Exodus 15:24; 16:2-3). Later, even though they could see the cloud atop Mount Sinai, while Moses was with God, in God’s presence they committed idolatry and worshipped the golden calf (Exodus 32). After all that they had seen God do, and after God dwelling with them in a pillar of cloud, as we see here, the Israelites still failed to trust God to bring them into the Promise Land. What caused them to falter, even though they could see God’s presence? The put their eyes on the giants that were already living in the Promise Land, and compared them to themselves, rather than to the God who had made Himself physically present with them and showed them, with great power, what He could do (Numbers 14). 1 Corinthians 10:1-5 reads, “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.” Even though they dwelt in the very presence of God, their lack of faith displeased Him. Stop and think about Jesus’ ministry. Even though He came and dwelt among His people, He was rejected (John 1:11). He performed miracles; yet, that did not soften the hardened hearts of the unbelievers. Even Jesus’ own disciples faltered in their faith even though they were physically with Him for three years. I say all that to say this…today, we have the greater blessing. Jesus said this to Thomas when he doubted Jesus’ resurrection in John 20:29, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” We may not have a pillar of cloud or be able to see Jesus physically, but we do have a faith and ministry that is far greater because we, as born again believers have the Holy Spirit of God indwelling us. Moses could not enter the Tabernacle when the glory of God filled it (v. 35). The same occurred with the priests in the Temple that Solomon built; they could not continue ministering because God’s glory filled it (1 Kings 8:11). Today, this same glory seals us and indwells us. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 tells us, “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” Unlike the pillar of cloud that could leave the Tabernacle, the Temple, and the presence of the people, or unlike the physical presence of Jesus, that left and went to be with the Father, the Holy Spirit indwells us and never leaves us (John 14:15-18; Hebrews 13:5). The same Spirit that took part in creation, who raised Jesus from the dead, who is God Himself, indwells us (Romans 8:10-11). 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 reads, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” The glory of God indwells us, secures us, and is always with us. He leads us. This is the proof that we have that we are God’s children. Romans 8:14 tells us, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” He uses the Word of God to guide us. Psalm 119:105 also tells us, “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.” What this means for us today is that we are never alone and capable of having an intimacy with God that was not possible before Jesus came. How do we reflect this in our lives today? Can the world see that glorious power manifested in us by the things we say, our attitude toward God and others, or by the things we do in serving God and others? Let us make the glory of God visible to others by the way we live and represent God here on earth.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Sunday, February 18, 2018
His Precious Stones
Verse of the day: Exodus 39:8-9 And he made the breastplate, artistically woven like the workmanship of the ephod, of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and of fine woven linen. 9 They made the breastplate square by doubling it; a span was its length and a span its width when doubled.
In the breastplate, we have two beautiful pictures. We have the Tribes of Israel, as one, in Christ, and for us today, a picture of the church united in Christ. The breastplate was made of gold that held twelve gems (v. 12-14), each one with the individual name of the Twelve Tribes. Romans 12:5 reads, “So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.” 1 Corinthians 12:27 put it this way, “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” Like the Tribes of Israel, we are each individually in Christ, but make up one body, the church. Although we may be part of a local church, we all together make up the body of Christianity. Therefore, as one body, we must seek to be unified in Christ, both locally and over all, and not allow the silliness that divides us hinder the work that needs to be accomplished in proclaiming the Gospel message. Along with this picture of unity, we see a picture of the finished product that God desires, not just for Israel, but for His church as well. A gem, in its natural state is rough and not as glamorous, shiny, or valuable, as the finished product. It must go through a refining process to become a precious stone. The Apostle Peter, when we read the Gospels, was a gem in the rough. Jesus, upon meeting Peter, called him a stone/rock (John 1:42). However, Peter was far from that when he first met Jesus. He was more like hardened clay with some very rough, sharp, edges. Eventually we read that Peter becomes a great preacher and servant to God (Acts 2:14-42). Later, when Peter writes his epistle, he writes in 1 Peter 2:4-5, “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” The process for creating and processing precious stones is one of combining elements, heat, pressure, cutting, grinding, water flow, and careful observation so that the gem is not ruined. This is a process that the Lord puts us through called sanctification. The Holy Spirit works in us, using the Word of God, and many of the trials and circumstances God allows us to go through in order to transform us from clay to a precious stone that makes up the body of Christ. The process is one that is both individual and corporate. It begins with us being first in Christ, where He then begins to work in us to make us more like Himself; while at that same time, He uses us within the local church to help us refine one another. As individuals, He will use our personal struggles with sin, persecution as we publicly proclaim Him, attacks from our enemy the devil, and the pains and sorrows of life, to mold us and shape us. Just as the gem cutter carefully cuts the rough edges, grinds the gem to shape it, and uses flowing water to keep the gem from overheating and cracking, the Holy Spirit, our Living Water, is with us and sees us through this painful, yet glorious, process, so that we come out as the precious stones God desires us to be. As if dealing with our own issues is not enough, God puts us in the midst of other Christians going through the same process, and calls us to get along, encourage each other, and be united in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:10; Ephesians 4:11-13; 1 Peter 3:8; Hebrew 10:24-25). If this does not test our Christianity, I do not know what will. The process can be discouraging at time, and we can easily lose sight of what the ultimate goal is in this process. However, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 reminds us, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” We are all precious in the sight of God, and His desire is that we, as His children, grow in our knowledge of Him, grow in our intimacy with Him, grow in our walk with Him, and become more like Him. As born again believers, we are not to remain as individuals who are still hardened clay in the rough, but cooperate with Him in the process of being transformed into the precious stones that make up the church, the body of Christ; for in Him, the Rock and Foundation of our faith, we are held together (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Saturday, February 17, 2018
Let Him Carry the Burden
Verse of the day: Exodus 39:2-3 He made the ephod of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and of fine woven linen. 3 And they beat the gold into thin sheets and cut it into threads, to work it in with the blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and the fine linen, into artistic designs.
The ephod, to put it simply, was vest-like and worn over the priestly robe, covering both front and back. It was intricate and colorful in design. It was made of two parts, had two straps that held it together by golden clasps and two onyx stones. The onyx stones each had six names of the Tribes of Israel inscribed on them. As the priest served the Lord in the Tabernacle, these two onyx stones showed that the priest was representing Israel before God, and was symbolic of Jesus Christ, as our High Priest, representing us before our Heavenly Father. The placement of the onyx stones on the shoulder straps was symbolic of one who was carrying the burdens of Israel, just as Christ came to bear our burdens. This serves as a wonderful reminder of what Jesus has done for us, and continues to do for us. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” The high priest was tasked with bringing the sacrifice for the forgiveness of Israel’s sins. Jesus was, and is, the Perfect Sacrifice for the payment of our sins (1 John 2:2). Now, He calls us to come to Him and bring our burden of sins, one that is far too heavy for us to carry, and leave it with Him. Far too many people are trying to work their way into God’s favor and earn their way into heaven. The Word of God is clear that there is nothing we can do to earn eternal life, and no amount of works or religious rituals will gain us the kind of favor that will make us acceptable before the Father (Isaiah 64:6). Salvation is by grace alone (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-5; Colossians 2:13-15). Not only has Jesus relieved us of the burden of finding forgiveness for our sins by our own efforts, but also as born again believers, He has relieved us of carrying the daily burdens the world puts on us, and we put on ourselves. For many it has become more difficult to obtain the things that were once easily accessible, or available, to us. Things that are necessary for daily living and survival. Food, clothing, transportation, and other necessities are becoming more expensive, while in many places jobs are either scarce or the wages we receive not enough to pay for food and shelter, especially if we have to support a family. God has promised that in Christ, He will provide all our needs. Matthew 6:25-34 reminds us that we need not worry about what we will wear or what we will eat. Our primary concern should be to seek the Kingdom of God. In other words, put our eyes on the Lord, seek Him daily, serve Him daily, and let Him take care of our daily needs, because He already knows what we need even before we ask (Matthew 6:8). Sadly, what happens far too often is that God does provide what we need, but we start looking around at what others have, that we think is better or newer, and we begin to covet that which God has already decided we do not need. Hebrews 13:5-6 tells us, Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” If we live on earth any number of years, we all know that none of us are exempt from facing trials, tribulations, and if we are faithfully serving the Lord, persecution. However, Jesus told us in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” He wants us to bring the burdens associated with the trials of this life to Him, because He truly cares for us. In 1 Peter 5:6-7 we are told, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” This humble submission in bringing our burdens to Him is assurance that He will protect us and give us victory over the attacks of our enemy, the devil. The bottom line is that the ephod is a wonderful reminder that we have a Savior who has already shouldered the burden of our sins, wants us to give Him the burden of our needs, and of our trials.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Friday, February 16, 2018
The Light of His Presence
Verse of the day: Exodus 34:29 Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him.
Does the glory of God shine in us, and through us, today? Do we spend the kind of time before God that translates into others recognizing that there is something different about us, and that we have been in the presence of God? Has having Christ in our lives made a glowing difference? Moses spent forty days on Mount Sinai with God, and upon his return there was an obvious indication in his countenance that he had been in the presence of God. Although Moses had been without physical nourishment for forty days, his countenance did not show the effects of not having been physically fed. The spiritual nourishment he received shone through in his physical being. Sadly, there are far too many of us Christians today who are far more concerned with feeding our bodies (and in many cases with food that is not good for us) than we are in feeding our spirit. Jesus said in Matthew 4:4, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” If we were as careful to feed ourselves with God’s Word, as we are to feed ourselves with the junk we eat, we would accomplish for more in the world for the cause of Christ; and we would probably live far healthier lives that would enable us to serve God with more fervor. Upon Moses return, he was unaware of the fact that his face was shining. Even as he was made aware of it, his response says a lot about who he was as a servant of God. I am afraid that today if men’s faces physically shone brighter than others, they would use it for their own benefit and glory. We already see how many are filled with pride because they have gained knowledge, or can speak eloquently, and have misused their God-given talents and abilities for their own selfish gain and following. It is obvious from reading this passage that Moses was a humble servant. He considered the glory of God to be so great that he did not even notice that his own countenance now shined. It is a privilege for us to shine the light of Christ in a dark world. We are called to be light in this world, but we must do so with humility, realizing that this light is not our own (Matthew 5:14-16). Philippians 2:14-16 reminds us, “Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.” Moses did not boast of his position or look down on the people because of this supernatural event. He did not use this as an opportunity to go before God with selfishness in his heart. Instead, he sought to intercede for the people. The extent of his humility was such that when he had the opportunity to take Abraham’s place in becoming the one from whom a great nation would come, he humbly turned it down and preferred that his name be blotted out of God’s book, rather than that the Israelites perish (Exodus 32:9-14, 31-32). When I read this passage, two New Testament examples came to mind. In Acts 4:13, we read what was said of Peter and John, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.” We also read in Acts 6:15 in respect to Stephen when he was accused of blasphemy, “And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.” This accusation came in response to him preaching Christ, being filled with faith and power, and doing great wonders and signs, among the people (Acts 6:8). Whether we consider Moses, Peter, John, or Stephen, the bottom line is that this was all possible because of God’s presence. Moses shone not his own glory, but God’s. He did not use this shining light for his own fame and glory, but for God’s. Peter, John, and Stephen were noticed not because of themselves and who they were, but because Peter and John had been with Jesus, and Stephen was shining forth the light of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:10). The reason Moses wore the veil was twofold. First, he did it out of humility, but secondly, he desired that the people not be enamored by the fading glory of the law he brought to them, which would be replaced by the greater glory of Christ (2 Corinthians 3). Today, we possess this glory in Christ Jesus. We are to shine in this dark world, by the Holy Spirit working in us and through us. 2 Corinthians 4:5-6 clearly tells us, “For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Dangerous Alliances
Verse of the day: Exodus 33:11-13 Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I am driving out from before you the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. 12 Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a snare in your midst. 13 But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images
We already know that the Lord is being very specific with Moses about the sin of idolatry because this is the sin that the people have just committed. However, as we read this passage, and these verses, it is very applicable to life today. There are two extremes that many of us take in our walk and relationship with Christ. We either become Pharisaical or worldly in our Christianity. Neither extreme will prove to be beneficial to us in our desire to serve the Lord effectively. On the one hand, in our attempts to not be influenced by the world, we will close our circle of influence, and only surround ourselves with other Christians, failing to befriend any unsaved people. Who then do we lead to Christ? Sadly, another byproduct of living like this is that we become extremely judgmental, and take on that “holier than thou” attitude that only reveals our hypocrisy when we become blind to our own faults. The other extreme is that, for the sake of “winning the lost” and not being too offensive, we live so much like the world, using their language, practicing the things they do, that no one can tell the difference between us, who have Christ, and those who do not. Our testimony is garbage at best, and people get the idea that they can become a Christian and not change their behavior. Christianity is about balance. How do we find that balance? Well, it begins with Christ. When we read this passage, God is very clear that He does not want His people to be intimately intermingled with the idolatrous people of that land He is leading them to. Today, we take little care to protect our Christian walk, thinking that we will be the influence in a circle of unsaved friends. The Apostle Paul made it clear in 1 Corinthians 15:33, “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.’” We must not forget that God was not only clear with the Israelites as to what He expected from them in return for what He was going to do for them, but He was also clear with us as to how we are to represent Him here on earth once we receive eternal life in Christ. We are in this world, but not of this world (John 17:14-15). We are here physically, but the world’s values and morals are not to be ours. In 2 Corinthians 6, the Apostle Paul quotes Old Testament Scripture when he writes to them and says this in verses 16-18, in respect to being unequally yoked with unbelievers, “And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’” 17 “Therefore, ‘Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. 18 I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.’” Here, he is quoting Leviticus 26:12; Jeremiah 32:38; Ezekiel 37:27; Isaiah 52:11; Ezekiel 20:34, 41; and 2 Samuel 7:14. What does this mean for us in our relationships? Does it mean that we cannot interact with any unsaved people? No, it does not. We will encounter unsaved people every day of our lives. Many of our co-workers will be unsaved. Rather than isolate ourselves, and come across as if we are unapproachable and better than everyone else in our workplace, we can make our testimony shine by being one of the best workers in our place of employment. We can be responsible and diligent. We can be the one person who refuses to use foul language or cheat our bosses of time we are supposed to be utilizing to get work done, by arriving on time, leaving when we are supposed to, and finishing the work we are being paid to do. We can intermingle with those who we work with, as far as having lunch together, using that opportunity to seek openings to share Christ, or at the very least find out what is going on in our co-workers’ lives so that we can let them know that we are praying for them, or even offer help. Our workplace can be our mission field. We can take the same approach in times when we have the opportunity to interact socially. Some of us have opportunities to attend weddings, family gatherings, and other social events where we can attend, and be a testimony for Christ. This means not cussing like everyone else or drinking to get drunk like everyone else. These are just a couple of examples. The bottom line is that we can be in the world, enjoy some of the opportunities to interact with others, using those occasions for open doors to share Christ, yet not pollute ourselves with the ways of the world. We must have our most intimate relationships with those who are of like faith, but have enough unsaved acquaintances that we give ourselves opportunities to win some to Christ while we are here, for this short time, on earth.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
All-sufficient, Merciful, and Gracious
Verse of the day: Exodus 34:6-7 And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”
God, in this portion of Scripture, now reveals Himself to Moses, not just as Jehovah, but Jehovah-El, or LORD God Almighty. During the burning bush experience, God identified Himself as Jehovah, I AM, in order to communicate His ability, and power, to deliver the Israelites from their Egyptian bondage. Here, He identifies Himself with the Name that communicates who He is as the Giver of mercy, forgiveness, goodness, and patience. This is what they now need, as they seek forgiveness and reconciliation for their sin of idolatry. This is where we rob ourselves of the blessing of getting to know our God personally. As He did with the Israelites, God will reveal who He is in our lives as He meets our daily needs, whatever that need might be. When we are too busy trying to take control of our own lives, make our own decisions, and be our own provider of all things, we miss seeing God reveal Himself in so many ways. He already knows our needs before we even ask (Matthew 6:8). If we focus on, and make, the Kingdom of God our priority, He promises to take care of our essential needs (Matthew 6:25-34). Our God is all-sufficient, and not only is He all we need, but He also takes care of all that we will need, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Interestingly, you see a couple of conflicting aspects, which are not conflicting if we truly think about them, in how God describes Himself. He tells Moses that He is merciful, gracious, longsuffering, abounding in goodness and truth. Yet, He goes on to say that He will, by no means, clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children. How do these two conflicting statements fit together? In comparing Scripture with Scripture, we see in the Book of Joel that God is both merciful, gracious, forgiving, and just in not clearing the guilty. In Joel 2:12-13 we read, “Now, therefore,” says the LORD, “Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” 13 So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm.” As in dealing with the Israelites, God is always willing to forgive those who turn to Him in true repentance and confession. He will only hold those guilty who harden their hearts and refuse to turn back to Him. Even though we deserve eternal condemnation, in His goodness, and love for us, God has provided eternal life, and forgiveness of sins, when we turn in repentance to Jesus, and put our faith and trust in Him for eternal salvation (John 3:16). As we walk with Him and have our moments of stumbling in our sins, He has provided an Advocate, and Way of receiving His forgiveness, so that we can continue to walk with Him (1 John 1:8-2:2). Those who harden their hearts, and reject Christ will face the guilty sentence that will not be removed. Hence, God will not clear the guilty if they reject the salvation that is freely being offered in Jesus (John 3:18). When God saw the repentance of the Ninevites, He stayed His anger and chose to forgive them (Jonah 3:10-4:2). Jonah become angry because God was so merciful and gracious toward a people who were wicked and deserved God’s punishment, making reference to Exodus 34:6 in relation to God’s goodness. We must be careful that we not become bitter because God is good toward someone who we think deserves to be punished, as we, if we are to be honest, need God’s forgiveness continually for the things we say and do on a daily basis. Finally, in the Book of Ezekiel, we see that God answers this puzzling question about the sins of the fathers visiting their children. Ezekiel 18:19-20 reads, “Yet you say, ‘Why should the son not bear the guilt of the father?’ Because the son has done what is lawful and right, and has kept all My statutes and observed them, he shall surely live. 20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.” Once again, it is all about the repentant heart. God will not clear those who remain in their sin, or those who follow in the sins of their fathers. In other words, we cannot, and should not, use our parents’ sinful actions, or behavior, as an excuse for not living a life of righteousness before, and obedience to, the LORD. We are not only free, in Christ, from our own sins, but also from the guilt and sins of our parents. Our God is a just God, who is fair in all His judgments, and will show mercy to whomever He chooses as we are told in Romans 9:14-16, “What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! 15 For He says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.’ 16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.”
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Tablet of Our Heart
Verse of the day: Exodus 34:1 And the LORD said to Moses, “Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke.”
Once again, we come face to face with God’s grace. The original tablets, which were hewn and written by the very hand of God, were broken by Moses when he returned from Mount Sinai and found the people worshipping the golden calf (Exodus 32:15-19). After pleading to the LORD on Israel’s behalf, God promises that He will go with them, as they continue their wilderness journey toward the Promise Land (Exodus 33:12-17). Here, rather than producing the tablets with His own hands, as He did at first, God instructs Moses to hew the tablets, and He (the LORD) will rewrite His commandments on them. We see a picture here of how our hearts had the Law of God written on it, but sin marred our hearts, requiring that they be rewritten with the Blood of Jesus. Romans 2:14-16 read, “for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) 16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.” Whether we acknowledge it or not, God’s Law is already etched in the hearts of men. We know this when our conscious is pricked, upon doing wrong, without anyone telling us that what we did was wrong. However, our sin nature fights against it, and by the Law that was both written on the tablets and on the pages of our Bibles, our sin nature is revealed, showing us our desperate need of a Savior. As born again believers, Jesus has made us fellow benefactors with Israel of God’s promise that with the new covenant His laws would be put in our minds, and written on our hearts (Hebrews 8:10). The LORD put it this way in Ezekiel 36:26, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” Note that this time around, although God was rewriting the Commandments, Moses cooperated in hewing the tablets. So it is in our relationship with Christ Jesus. Our salvation comes by faith alone. There is no work, or amount of works, that will earn us our salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). However, as Christians, we are still responsible for working out our salvation, with fear and trembling, or reverence and humility (Philippians 2:12-13). Although God’s Law was put in our minds, we must now renew our thinking and not be conformed to this world (Romans 12:2). How do we do that? We renew our minds by revamping our belief system using the Word of God. This is effort on our part. This means that we must choose to actually pick up our Bible, read it, study it, and actively put our new belief system to practice. Although we are not subject to the Law, in respect to the sacrificial or ritualistic system of the Law, we are still responsible for carrying out the moral law. Jesus has enabled us to carry this out by the new commandments He gave us, which encompass the whole Law. In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus said, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Our Christian walk is one of cooperation. As we discussed in the previous devotional, “More than Just God”, our cooperation should not just be out of duty, but out of a desire stemming from a friendship relationship with Jesus. The Spirit will produce His fruit (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; Galatians 5:22-23), but in order for that fruit to be seen, we must cooperate with the Spirit by not quenching Him (1 Thessalonians 5:19-25), and by choosing to put them to practice. This is not so that we can boast about how good we are, for there is none that is good except Jesus (Luke 18:19; Romans 3:10-12). The bottom line is that when we truly love God, and our neighbor, as Scripture commands, we will make a cooperative effort to put the Law that is written in our hearts on full display for the glory and praise of our Heavenly Father, through Christ Jesus (Matthew 5:16).
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Monday, February 12, 2018
Rewarded Efforts
Verse of the day: Exodus 33:13, 18 “Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.” 18 And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.”
What a beautiful conversation is taking place, here, between the Lord and Moses. Moses’ only desire, at this time, is to know God’s way, so that He can know God, and find grace in God’s sight. Oh that we, God’s children, would have as great a desire to know our God and His ways. However, before he makes his request known, he rehearses God’s own words back to Him, regarding God knowing him and God’s grace toward him. Christian, may I remind us that in order to rehearse God’s promises to us, in prayer, we must first know what His promises are? The only way we can do that is if we spend the kind of time, in God’s Word, necessary for us to learn them and know them (2 Timothy 2:15). We must meditate on His Word, and His promises, day and night (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 119:15-16; Philippians 4:8). Note that Moses is not selfish with God’s grace. In other words, because he has found favor with God, as a friend of God, he is now using this opportunity to intercede for the people of God (v. 12, 15-16). Our efforts to draw near to God should not be selfish. As we develop our relationship with the Lord, let us not just pray for ourselves; let us pray for others, for the salvation of the lost, the growth and needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ, and even for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44; Romans 1:9; 12:14; 1 Timothy 2:1). Moses’ pleading, and genuine seeking, to know God, and His ways, was profitable to both him and the Israelites. When we fail to pray, and spend intimate time with the Lord, we rob others of the blessing of being prayed for. We may even find that while we are praying, God will use us to be part of that answer God wants to give someone else who is praying, and desiring to draw near to God. He may use us to lead someone to Him, and disciple them, or provide a need that someone else has, just as He uses others to encourage and provide for us at times. Once Moses has obtained God’s promise to be with him and God’s people, he goes on to make a very bold request. Keep in mind, that even though he asks something that requires boldness, he does it with humility. In Christ, we have been given permission to come boldly before His throne of grace in our time of seeking mercy and grace in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16). His request was to see God’s glory. God graciously denies his request, but does not reject it completely. Although no one has ever seen the Father, only Jesus (John 1:18), Moses was allowed to see only a shadow, or visually obscured form of God (Numbers 12:8). No man can see God’s glory and live (v. 20). The disciples, and the people of Jesus’ day, saw God in the flesh. We today, although we cannot see Christ in the flesh, can vividly see Him in His Word. We can feel and know His presence. God needs to become real in each of our lives. There needs to be an honest, concerted, effort, on our part to seek the Lord. Too often we read God’s Word, He speaks to us about something, and we go on without praying or even praying about what He has just spoken to us about. Instead, we pull out our laundry list of wants, and ignore the conversation Jesus desires to have with us. If we put forth a genuine effort to know the Lord, and His ways, that effort will be rewarded; and that reward will be an intimacy that we have never experienced before with the Creator of the universe, the One True God. What greater reward could there be for a child of God?
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Sunday, February 11, 2018
Personal Influence for Christ
Verse of the day: Exodus 33:11 So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.
Once again, in this verse, we see the personal, intimate, fellowship between God and Moses. He talks with him as a friend talks to a friend, openly, freely, without restraint. However, let us make another observation. It is unknown why Joshua the son of Nun remained at the tabernacle while Moses went back to speak to the people. However, what we see is an influence on Joshua, by Moses’ relationship with God, which seems to motivate Joshua in his service to both God and Moses. What kind of influence are we having on those around us? Do we live in such a way, as born again believers, which motivates others to draw near to God and serve Him; or do our words, actions, and deeds repel people from Christianity? Does the way we live discourage and kill other believers’ desire to draw near to God? As Christ’s ambassadors, how are we representing Him here on earth? An ambassador is someone who is entrusted with authority to represent the country he/she is from in a foreign land. We are pilgrims and strangers here on earth, as our real home, in Christ, is Heaven (1 Peter 2:11). We have been entrusted with the Gospel message. We are called to bring that message to every creature (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20); however, the way we live out the Gospel, and our service to the Lord, will either work with us or against us in carrying out this command. We know that as ambassadors we will have to deal with two sides of a coin. On one side, there will be persecution from those who reject the message, and those who will seek to discredit the truth of the Gospel (Matthew 5:11; John 15:18-17). Therefore, it should be no surprise when we suffer rejection, insults, and even martyrdom, for the sake of spreading the Good News. How we respond to this persecution can make the difference in whether or not someone changes their mind about the Gospel, and chooses to turn to Christ. There is also another side. There is that side of the coin that says, “Follow me as I follow Christ”. The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 4:16, and 11:1, urged the Christians at Corinth to follow his example; not because he was perfect, but because he was imitating Christ. If others were to imitate us in the way we live, would they be imitating Christ or Satan? If they spoke the words we speak, had the attitude we have, did the things we do, especially in secret, would they be imitating Christ? Does our life, and relationship, with Jesus, motivate others to know Him on a more personal level? Do our fellow Christians, who know us personally, desire to draw closer to God when they see our personal relationship with Him? This is not to say that we walk around filled with pride because others follow our example, or hold our lives up as one to be emulated, in our walk with Christ. This is about being a true ambassador for Jesus. It is about pointing people to Him. It is about being like John the Baptist who desired that Jesus would increase in his life, and he would decrease (John 3:30). This is about people seeing more of Him in us than seeing more of us. Moses, and his relationship, his friendship, with God, seemed to have had a positive effect in the life of Joshua, whom the Lord would later choose to lead the people after Moses’ death. What kind of influence are we having in this world for Christ and His Gospel? Are we doing all we can to influence others to not just serve God, but seek a true personal relationship, and friendship, with Jesus Christ?
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)