Leviticus 26
Food for Life:
Leviticus 26
"But (God) if you will not listen to Me..."(26:14), "But (God ) if they will confess their sins and the sins of their fathers..."(26:40).
But God. Remember? God is the game changer. When He 'shows up', when He intervenes, when we consider Him, God changes everything. God never changes, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. But God. He changes you, me, situations, outcomes, results, the journey, the heart. God is the Original Transformer; not transforming Himself (for He is Perfection), but changes you and me.
Remember God. Actually, that is what is being said in this chapter of Leviticus. God is letting the Israelites know how they were made to live, which would result in great blessing. It is quite logical in many ways. We were designed by God. We are God's Image Bearers. God knows precisely how we are made to live so that we blossom, grow, thrive, remain in joy, and bring Him Glory.
God also knows when we don't remember Him; when we don't follow Him, how destructive and harmful it is for us, for those around us, and even for those who are our inherit-ants. The Lord shows us how going off course from Him causes us to crash and burn (not always immediately, but inevitably); God also shows us, as He did the Israelites, time and time again, how to get back on course - 26:40 reveals that to confess our sin/repent/ turn/ renounce the disobedience/ and that "of our fathers", we will receive forgiveness, refreshing, revitalization. 1 John 1:9 is like this revelation - "If you confess your sin, He is faithful and just to forgive your sin and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness."
What about the sins of "our fathers?" This reveals the reality that what we do effects those that come after us; and we are effected by those who went before us - our parents, grandparents... . Why confess their sin? Because in so doing, the power of the sin, the curse if you will, is broken - we can be set free of the destructive generational patterns (you know what I'm talking about) - and begin afresh and anew.
"THank You Lord for showing us Yourself and The Way. Thank You that we don't have to sin, that it isn't our destiny, and that through the Power of the Cross and the Holy Spirit, we can break the destructive patterns that came before us and we can walk in freedom - not passing them on down one more generation. Hallelujah! Thank You for Your great Love with which You love us..."
Showing posts with label obedience. Show all posts
Showing posts with label obedience. Show all posts
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
BUT GOD
Acts 13
Leviticus 10
Food for Life:
Leviticus 10
Food for Life:
Acts 13
But God. This is one of my favorite and most meaningful phrases. Why? Because it (He) changes everything that comes before it! "But God raised him from the dead" (13:30). Paul explains in this chapter how God sent Jesus to His people, the Jews in order to save them - the Messiah for whom they were waiting and looking. Yet, the Jews condemned Jesus instead, even this fulfilled the Scripture (13:27) which they read every Sabbath. Then Paul exclaims, BUT GOD raised Jesus from the dead, and He walked among those who traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem! The Jews rejected Jesus, so Paul and his companions now turned to the Gentiles (all non-Jews!) with the message and gift of Jesus. "He came to His own and His own did not receive Him, but as many as believed, as many as received Him, He gave the right to be called 'children of God', such as we are" (John 1:11,12).
BUT GOD reminds me of the phrase Joseph used when telling his brother his perspective (in retrospect) and God's regarding their severe mistreatment of him..."what the evil one meant for evil, God meant for good!" (Genesis 50:20). Joseph continued to "entrust himself to a faithful Creator in doing what was right, and in due time God rewarded him" (1 Peter 4:13). He went through unbelievable situations, caused from a human perspective, by his brother's (jealousies, being forgotten in prison, lied on by a selfish/vindictive woman) and others; yet he continued to walk with God and the Lord showed him after many years, that the evil one's schemes behind the actions of people were used of God for great good!
BUT GOD...do you have situations in your life that are unbelievable (all of us have, currently do, or will)? Are your loved ones going through incredible hardship? BUT GOD. Are you looking at what is going on around the world with disbelieve? BUT GOD. Are you looking at today's American culture in shock and maybe fear? BUT GOD.
God is the 'game changer.' He is the One who takes what is or seems to be, and works it out for His purpose...which is ALWAYS best and good!
I pray today, "Lord, give me, give us Your eyes to see beyond what my eyes, what our eyes see. Help us look with eyes of faith, calling on You, trusting You in the midst of the situation; the heartache; the turmoil; the evil! Help us to see, even as Paul recited, Joseph experienced, Jesus was our Chief example - how You are working all things out for the good, for those who love You, for those who are called according to Your purpose. Help us to be like Joseph....entrusting ourselves and our loved ones, to You, the Faithful Creator, and for us to continue to do 'what is right'....BUT GOD You are the One who makes all the difference. Thank You Lord!" Even so, come Lord Jesus, come.
But God. This is one of my favorite and most meaningful phrases. Why? Because it (He) changes everything that comes before it! "But God raised him from the dead" (13:30). Paul explains in this chapter how God sent Jesus to His people, the Jews in order to save them - the Messiah for whom they were waiting and looking. Yet, the Jews condemned Jesus instead, even this fulfilled the Scripture (13:27) which they read every Sabbath. Then Paul exclaims, BUT GOD raised Jesus from the dead, and He walked among those who traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem! The Jews rejected Jesus, so Paul and his companions now turned to the Gentiles (all non-Jews!) with the message and gift of Jesus. "He came to His own and His own did not receive Him, but as many as believed, as many as received Him, He gave the right to be called 'children of God', such as we are" (John 1:11,12).
BUT GOD reminds me of the phrase Joseph used when telling his brother his perspective (in retrospect) and God's regarding their severe mistreatment of him..."what the evil one meant for evil, God meant for good!" (Genesis 50:20). Joseph continued to "entrust himself to a faithful Creator in doing what was right, and in due time God rewarded him" (1 Peter 4:13). He went through unbelievable situations, caused from a human perspective, by his brother's (jealousies, being forgotten in prison, lied on by a selfish/vindictive woman) and others; yet he continued to walk with God and the Lord showed him after many years, that the evil one's schemes behind the actions of people were used of God for great good!
BUT GOD...do you have situations in your life that are unbelievable (all of us have, currently do, or will)? Are your loved ones going through incredible hardship? BUT GOD. Are you looking at what is going on around the world with disbelieve? BUT GOD. Are you looking at today's American culture in shock and maybe fear? BUT GOD.
God is the 'game changer.' He is the One who takes what is or seems to be, and works it out for His purpose...which is ALWAYS best and good!
I pray today, "Lord, give me, give us Your eyes to see beyond what my eyes, what our eyes see. Help us look with eyes of faith, calling on You, trusting You in the midst of the situation; the heartache; the turmoil; the evil! Help us to see, even as Paul recited, Joseph experienced, Jesus was our Chief example - how You are working all things out for the good, for those who love You, for those who are called according to Your purpose. Help us to be like Joseph....entrusting ourselves and our loved ones, to You, the Faithful Creator, and for us to continue to do 'what is right'....BUT GOD You are the One who makes all the difference. Thank You Lord!" Even so, come Lord Jesus, come.
Leviticus 10
"Aaron remained silent" (10:3b). This is my reaction as well. He was instructed to stay before the Lord (10:7). This is my instruction and stance as well. In reading this, I, we, are on Holy ground. I might want to protest a little as to why God would consume them with fire (a loving God?). I might want to shake Nadab and Abihu for their grave disobedience (what were you thinkin'!!!). BUT GOD. I have need to remain silent before the Lord...allowing the Holy Spirit to work within me so that I am able to grasp (as much as possible within my finiteness) God's perspective on this situation. This is where my relationship, perspective, understanding, and trust of God and who He is matters. BUT GOD.
Aaron's sons were flagrantly disrespectful and disobedient. God had just instructed them on how to approach Him, and they were not obedient. Acts such as these - the son's blatant disobedience, as priests and leaders of God's people; and God's act, cause sober attention. This is one example of why we are to "fear the Lord" as the beginning of wisdom. God is Holy and worthy of our obedience. God was clear and precise, not to leave them guessing. The sons of Aaron were leaders - they were chosen to lead God's people in the things of God. They had set an example of disobedience that could have caused many people to stumble and fall.
BUT GOD. "Lord, help me to gain a deeper reverence for You. Help me to drink deeper in relationship with You so that I might see more of the way You see. You are God. I am not. You Loved me first. Help me to Love You more. Thank You God. I love You."
BUT GOD.
"Aaron remained silent" (10:3b). This is my reaction as well. He was instructed to stay before the Lord (10:7). This is my instruction and stance as well. In reading this, I, we, are on Holy ground. I might want to protest a little as to why God would consume them with fire (a loving God?). I might want to shake Nadab and Abihu for their grave disobedience (what were you thinkin'!!!). BUT GOD. I have need to remain silent before the Lord...allowing the Holy Spirit to work within me so that I am able to grasp (as much as possible within my finiteness) God's perspective on this situation. This is where my relationship, perspective, understanding, and trust of God and who He is matters. BUT GOD.
Aaron's sons were flagrantly disrespectful and disobedient. God had just instructed them on how to approach Him, and they were not obedient. Acts such as these - the son's blatant disobedience, as priests and leaders of God's people; and God's act, cause sober attention. This is one example of why we are to "fear the Lord" as the beginning of wisdom. God is Holy and worthy of our obedience. God was clear and precise, not to leave them guessing. The sons of Aaron were leaders - they were chosen to lead God's people in the things of God. They had set an example of disobedience that could have caused many people to stumble and fall.
BUT GOD. "Lord, help me to gain a deeper reverence for You. Help me to drink deeper in relationship with You so that I might see more of the way You see. You are God. I am not. You Loved me first. Help me to Love You more. Thank You God. I love You."
BUT GOD.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
In Your Image
Leviticus 8
Acts 12
Food for Life:
Leviticus 8
'So Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord commanded through Moses." During the ordination ceremony of Aaron and his sons (he and his descendants chosen by God to be the priests, and Aaron the high priest (who is now Jesus - Hebrews 7:26-28)), did EVERYTHING just as the Lord commanded. They were obedient to the tee...which as we see in reading Leviticus, was no small task!
Would it be today, that empowered by the Holy Spirit, we would be obedient to the tee. Not as a way of earning God's love, or position or favor with God, not to be self-satisfied or pleased with ourselves, not to lord it over others....but because God is worthy, and to honor the Lord because of who He is and what He has done for us...because of the lavish Love God has and does pour out over us - because He first loved us, we want to show our love for Him.
"Lord, we can't be obedient unless You move in and through us, empowering us to do so. Lord, we thank You for Your grace that covers us, even as a bird is covered with feathers, does Your Presence and Love cover us. Fill us with the desire to say 'yes Lord to Your will and to Your way.' "...everything that does not come from faith is sin" (Romans 14:23). Lord, You guide us through Your Word, and You speak through our conscious' - so that our conscious is clear and not filled with guilt, as we act upon the measure of faith in Jesus that You give us - for Your Glory, our good, and the good of others, that whoever will, will come. Thank You Lord."
Acts 12
Reading this chapter, I am in awe! In awe of the Lord! God sent His angel to release Peter from prison...as God's people prayed God's prayers on behalf of Peter, "So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him" (12:5). I am also in awe that as Herod came to speak, the people "shouted, 'This is the voice of a god, not of a man. Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died" (12:22,23).
Wow - because when Herod was given glory, actually he was hailed as BEING god...the voice of god..."he did not give praise to God" he was killed. He was not killed because the people (ignorantly, with pride, filled with the devil...we are not given the reason why the people glorified Herod as god) credited him as the voice of god...he was killed because when the people did this, Herod did not give glory to God - Herod allowed them to hail him as god...
That is jarring, isn't it (to put it mildly)? I'm thinking about how easy it is as people, for us to credit to other people or ourselves, with whatever good comes from us. We are given the example of Herod (granted he was actually beheading Christians...no good in that...!) to make it clear that giving Glory to anyone but God, is a death report.
There are many reasons for this. The foremost is because God is the Only One worthy of Glory.
Another reason is because as people, it is so easy for us to be prideful and end up worshiping ourselves, the created, instead of the Creator (see Romans 1...and look around us and...within ourselves...).
Think about it - can you remember a time when the Lord did something through you or when you accomplished something great, wonderful, good, or awesome? Or when someone you know did? How easy is it to start feeling puffed up, or maybe even jealous of the other person and his/her accomplishment? If we stay with those thoughts, and if we were to follow them to their conclusion...well, ruin is sure to come. That is because we are limited and finite and at some point, in and of ourselves, we fail or fall. Proverbs says, "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" (16:18).
This is reality, and the Lord reveals this to us for His Glory and for our good and for the good of others. This is how we are formed. We didn't form ourselves, we didn't give ourselves the gifts, abilities, and talents we possess (and each one of us DOES have at least one gifting, ability, and talent(!)) and we aren't responsible for the origination of 'good works' or their results. If we were, eventually, we would fail....
BUT GOD - God is the One who formed us (Psalm 139), God is the One who has deposited gifts, abilities, talents within us (Ephesians 2:10a) and God is the One who prepared the good works for us to walk in (Ephesians 10:b).
So, give God the Glory for who you are (wonderful and good :)), for the gifts, abilities, and talents you possess, and for the good works, the fruit that comes from you as you are connected to the Vine (John 15)!!!
Let's not be like Herod, who was silent in the face of others' enamoration (new word :)...enamoredness - of him...and he was struck down.
"Lord thank You that You have created us in Your Image; thank You that You have filled us with Your Spirit, thank You that You have deposited gifts, talents, abilities within us to be used for Your Glory, our good, and the good of others. Thank You Lord that 'every good and perfect gift comes down from You, the Father of lights in whom there is no variation or shifting shadow (James 1:17). Thank You that we can say 'thank you and praise God' whenever we are commended/complimented by others and when we are tempted to 'compliment' ourselves."
Bless You Lord! Thank You!
Acts 12
Food for Life:
Leviticus 8
'So Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord commanded through Moses." During the ordination ceremony of Aaron and his sons (he and his descendants chosen by God to be the priests, and Aaron the high priest (who is now Jesus - Hebrews 7:26-28)), did EVERYTHING just as the Lord commanded. They were obedient to the tee...which as we see in reading Leviticus, was no small task!
Would it be today, that empowered by the Holy Spirit, we would be obedient to the tee. Not as a way of earning God's love, or position or favor with God, not to be self-satisfied or pleased with ourselves, not to lord it over others....but because God is worthy, and to honor the Lord because of who He is and what He has done for us...because of the lavish Love God has and does pour out over us - because He first loved us, we want to show our love for Him.
"Lord, we can't be obedient unless You move in and through us, empowering us to do so. Lord, we thank You for Your grace that covers us, even as a bird is covered with feathers, does Your Presence and Love cover us. Fill us with the desire to say 'yes Lord to Your will and to Your way.' "...everything that does not come from faith is sin" (Romans 14:23). Lord, You guide us through Your Word, and You speak through our conscious' - so that our conscious is clear and not filled with guilt, as we act upon the measure of faith in Jesus that You give us - for Your Glory, our good, and the good of others, that whoever will, will come. Thank You Lord."
Acts 12
Reading this chapter, I am in awe! In awe of the Lord! God sent His angel to release Peter from prison...as God's people prayed God's prayers on behalf of Peter, "So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him" (12:5). I am also in awe that as Herod came to speak, the people "shouted, 'This is the voice of a god, not of a man. Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died" (12:22,23).
Wow - because when Herod was given glory, actually he was hailed as BEING god...the voice of god..."he did not give praise to God" he was killed. He was not killed because the people (ignorantly, with pride, filled with the devil...we are not given the reason why the people glorified Herod as god) credited him as the voice of god...he was killed because when the people did this, Herod did not give glory to God - Herod allowed them to hail him as god...
That is jarring, isn't it (to put it mildly)? I'm thinking about how easy it is as people, for us to credit to other people or ourselves, with whatever good comes from us. We are given the example of Herod (granted he was actually beheading Christians...no good in that...!) to make it clear that giving Glory to anyone but God, is a death report.
There are many reasons for this. The foremost is because God is the Only One worthy of Glory.
Another reason is because as people, it is so easy for us to be prideful and end up worshiping ourselves, the created, instead of the Creator (see Romans 1...and look around us and...within ourselves...).
Think about it - can you remember a time when the Lord did something through you or when you accomplished something great, wonderful, good, or awesome? Or when someone you know did? How easy is it to start feeling puffed up, or maybe even jealous of the other person and his/her accomplishment? If we stay with those thoughts, and if we were to follow them to their conclusion...well, ruin is sure to come. That is because we are limited and finite and at some point, in and of ourselves, we fail or fall. Proverbs says, "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" (16:18).
This is reality, and the Lord reveals this to us for His Glory and for our good and for the good of others. This is how we are formed. We didn't form ourselves, we didn't give ourselves the gifts, abilities, and talents we possess (and each one of us DOES have at least one gifting, ability, and talent(!)) and we aren't responsible for the origination of 'good works' or their results. If we were, eventually, we would fail....
BUT GOD - God is the One who formed us (Psalm 139), God is the One who has deposited gifts, abilities, talents within us (Ephesians 2:10a) and God is the One who prepared the good works for us to walk in (Ephesians 10:b).
So, give God the Glory for who you are (wonderful and good :)), for the gifts, abilities, and talents you possess, and for the good works, the fruit that comes from you as you are connected to the Vine (John 15)!!!
Let's not be like Herod, who was silent in the face of others' enamoration (new word :)...enamoredness - of him...and he was struck down.
"Lord thank You that You have created us in Your Image; thank You that You have filled us with Your Spirit, thank You that You have deposited gifts, talents, abilities within us to be used for Your Glory, our good, and the good of others. Thank You Lord that 'every good and perfect gift comes down from You, the Father of lights in whom there is no variation or shifting shadow (James 1:17). Thank You that we can say 'thank you and praise God' whenever we are commended/complimented by others and when we are tempted to 'compliment' ourselves."
Bless You Lord! Thank You!
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