(Today's reading - Leviticus 4-6; Matthew 25:1-30)
Our NT reading contains a couple of parables that communicate principles of the Kingdom. The first one deals with faithfulness and says that we need to be alert and prepared in our lives at all times. We need to live in such a way that demonstrates that we are ready for His return. Clearly, some who were once prepared, gave up and when He returned they were left out. The second parable deals with fruitfulness and calls on those in the kingdom to be good stewards of what God has given us. What is that you say? Someone once told me that we have received three things... time, talents and treasure. God expects a return on His investment. What if I don't use those properly... you read it for yourself... Matthew 25: 26-30. It doesn't sound good.
In our OT reading in Leviticus, it's more sin and more sacrifice. God gives more rules dealing with the type of sin and how that sin is to be dealt with through sacrifices. One thing that caught my eye was the idea of "unintentional sin". Over and over, it is made perfectly clear that sin is sin, whether intentional or not and it came with a penalty. That might seem unfair to us, but to God, guilt for breaking His law doesn't flow from intent. Like I learned early on in my life... ignorance of the law is no excuse. :)
One short verse made the biggest impression on me as I did my reading. It deals with the fire on the alter.... A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out. Leviticus 6:13 God tells Moses that the fire that burns the sacrifice is to burn continuously; it shall never go out. Why would the fire need to burn 24/7/365? If there were no sacrifices to burn, why not save the wood? Why keep someone busy working the fire all night? Let's think about that for a moment. Thinking......
A few of things come to my mind... Readiness, the fire continuously burning would be a reminder to His people that they were to always be ready to deal with their sin, their guilt. No matter where you were in the camp, the smell of smoke and the visible plume would be evidence of their sinfulness and the need to deal with it... always. It would also say to His people that He was always ready to forgive them. They didn't have to make an appointment, he stood ready at any hour to grant pardon for their sins. He is always ready to hear from His people, day or night, the fire is burning and His people are to be ready to deal with their sin.
Next, I think that the presence of the fire was a reminder of their sinfulness. If a fire needed to burn all the time, they had to understand that their lives were sinful. Sometimes it is easy to get busy and forget that we break His law on a regular basis, in thought or in deed. John reminds of this in 1 John 1:7, But if
we walk in the light, as
he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the
blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. Just like the smell of the smoke reminded them of their sinfulness, John reminds us that our fellowship with the Son, our ongoing relationship with Him provides the continuous cleansing that we need. He calls on us to recognize that we are ongoingly sinful and that we have an ongoing need for forgivness, it's never once and done ... read verses 8-10 in 1 John.
Lastly, the continuous fire burning on the altar is a clear representation of the sufficiency of the sacrifice of His Son. If the alter was to always be burning, then it's continuous nature would be evident to everyone and it's ability to deal with sin was perpetual. The same is true with Jesus. The Hebrew writer puts it this way... But when Christ appeared as a high priest of
the good things that have come, then through the
greater and more perfect tent (not
made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered
once
for all into the holy places, not by means of the
blood of goats and calves but by
means of his own blood, thus
securing an eternal redemption. For if the
blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the
ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh,
how much more will
the
blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered
himself without blemish to God, purify
our conscience from
dead works to
serve the living God. (Hebrews 9:11-14)
That's is a few of the things that came to my mind. I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Those are my best efforts and I know that I am often wrong, so straighten me out. ;) Peace and love.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Sacrifices
(Today's reading - Leviticus 1-3; Matthew 24: 23-51)
And so it begins... Leviticus. The one book of the Bible that most people never actually read. Sure we start it, but we just are not able to stay with it. So, that said, I will try to stay engaged this time through. So, as we start, the first thing that grabs me (lol) is the detail that God gives His people in the offering of sacrifices. What can we learn from this? About Him? About us? Why is He so particular about how an animal is to be treated when it is offered to Him? Why is He so particular about the animal that is to be offered to Him? Why the detail on the grain offering?
The first thing for us to notice is His requirement that they were "to offer a male without defect" from the herd or flock. Not a female. Not a crippled critter. Not a sick animal. The best that the person had was what God required. Why? Why would God ask for the best of the flock or herd? I think this is one of the best arguments for the authenticity of scripture, if man had been the author, he would not want to give up his best. Obviously, the simple answer is that God demands to be first in our lives. The first Command deals with His requirement to be first. After all, He did create us and everything in the universe.
Secondly, it is clearly foreshadowing of His giving His perfect Son as a sacrifice for us. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. (1 Peter 1:18-19) In the Old Testament, the head of the household would place his hand on the head of the animal to be sacrificed and transfer his guilt on the animal and then offer it as a sacrifice for his and his family's sins before God, pointing to us placing our guilt on the Son.
Lastly, I want us to consider that God has always been and continues to be very specific. He doesn't leave us wondering about the details. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:2-4) He has given us what we need. He doesn't leave out anything! If He is specific with His command, then our obedience can be judged.
So, what can we learn about Him? About us? He is very specific in His word. He requires the best that have to offer. He gave His best, His perfect Son for us. That is a lot to learn about His nature. What can we learn about us? We need Him to be very specific. Without specifics, we would never know if we were doing His will. Without His requirement of our best, we would offer something less. Our own self-interest would kick in and we would rationalize that giving less was acceptable. And, we need a way to have our guilt removed, our sins forgiven. Under the Law of Moses, people transferred their guilt to an animal that was about to be offered in their place. Now, Christians have the perfect sacrifice of Jesus to remove their guilt.
I encourage you, you encourage me and together let's get through Leviticus and learn what we can about our Creator and about ourselves. Also, maybe we can gain some major appreciation for what we have under the Law of Christ when we examine what His people were required to do under the Old Law. At the very least, Leviticus will open our eyes to the blessings we have through our Wonderful Savior! Dig in.
I am doing a youtube version of my blog. Check it out and let me know if you think it is worth the effort. :-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em5PVn-mHNc
And so it begins... Leviticus. The one book of the Bible that most people never actually read. Sure we start it, but we just are not able to stay with it. So, that said, I will try to stay engaged this time through. So, as we start, the first thing that grabs me (lol) is the detail that God gives His people in the offering of sacrifices. What can we learn from this? About Him? About us? Why is He so particular about how an animal is to be treated when it is offered to Him? Why is He so particular about the animal that is to be offered to Him? Why the detail on the grain offering?
The first thing for us to notice is His requirement that they were "to offer a male without defect" from the herd or flock. Not a female. Not a crippled critter. Not a sick animal. The best that the person had was what God required. Why? Why would God ask for the best of the flock or herd? I think this is one of the best arguments for the authenticity of scripture, if man had been the author, he would not want to give up his best. Obviously, the simple answer is that God demands to be first in our lives. The first Command deals with His requirement to be first. After all, He did create us and everything in the universe.
Secondly, it is clearly foreshadowing of His giving His perfect Son as a sacrifice for us. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. (1 Peter 1:18-19) In the Old Testament, the head of the household would place his hand on the head of the animal to be sacrificed and transfer his guilt on the animal and then offer it as a sacrifice for his and his family's sins before God, pointing to us placing our guilt on the Son.
Lastly, I want us to consider that God has always been and continues to be very specific. He doesn't leave us wondering about the details. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:2-4) He has given us what we need. He doesn't leave out anything! If He is specific with His command, then our obedience can be judged.
So, what can we learn about Him? About us? He is very specific in His word. He requires the best that have to offer. He gave His best, His perfect Son for us. That is a lot to learn about His nature. What can we learn about us? We need Him to be very specific. Without specifics, we would never know if we were doing His will. Without His requirement of our best, we would offer something less. Our own self-interest would kick in and we would rationalize that giving less was acceptable. And, we need a way to have our guilt removed, our sins forgiven. Under the Law of Moses, people transferred their guilt to an animal that was about to be offered in their place. Now, Christians have the perfect sacrifice of Jesus to remove their guilt.
I encourage you, you encourage me and together let's get through Leviticus and learn what we can about our Creator and about ourselves. Also, maybe we can gain some major appreciation for what we have under the Law of Christ when we examine what His people were required to do under the Old Law. At the very least, Leviticus will open our eyes to the blessings we have through our Wonderful Savior! Dig in.
I am doing a youtube version of my blog. Check it out and let me know if you think it is worth the effort. :-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em5PVn-mHNc
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
The Unknown Hour
(Today's reading Exodus 39-40; Matthew 24:1-22)
The disciples ask Jesus two questions in Matthew 24. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (v 3) And so He gives them two answers. His answers are a source of confusion for many people. First we must understand that Jesus is dealing with two events; the destruction of Jerusalem (which occurred in A.D. 70) and His return. Once that is firmly in place in our minds, the text becomes clearer and easier to understand.
He gives them lots of "signs" to look for when the destruction of Jerusalem is near. He tells His disciples that when they see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’, they are to leave Jerusalem at once. No packing your bags, no grabbing a coat, no taking household items; He tells them to hit the road. He says that it will be difficult for pregnant ladies and nursing mothers. He tells them that hopefully it will no come in winter time. It is recorded that the Christians in Jerusalem remembered His admonitions and left the city in plenty of time to make an escape. This event forever established Christianity as a separate religion from Judaism. No longer was Christianity viewed as a sect of the Jewish faith.
The answer to the second question (what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?) is found in verse 36 (I know, you had to read ahead). He tells them that "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father". Jesus makes it clear that even He doesn't know when the Father will send the Him back to end the age. He tells His disciples to live everyday in expectation of His return. "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come". He says, "stay ready"! Many people run around predicting His return; they use the verses that deal with the destruction of Jerusalem to justify their claims. If Jesus doesn't know, who do they think they are to try to give dates for His return?
Here's the message for us. He is coming back! Hallelujah! At just the right time, the Father will turn to the Son and say... "It is time, go get your people and bring them home". That day is sure, it will come and the Apostle Paul tells us that it will go like this...
According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thess 4:15-17)
There it is... the clearest scripture we have that deals with what will happen on the day of our Lord's return. He will come down. The dead in Christ will rise... first. Those that are alive will join those resurrected and meet the Lord in the air. And we will be with Him forever. That is fairly simple and very clear. Whatever you have been taught in the past; if it conflicts with this, you need to discard it. Paul is very concise and clear and leaves no room for misunderstanding. Write this promise on your hearts. Make it a daily execise to think that this might just be the day that Jesus takes you home with Him. Live like today is your last day to do something for Him. (I am talking to me firstly)
What kind of life would you live if you knew this was your last day here? What would you say to those you love the most? What fence would you mend? Think about it... and then do it. As Micheal Jackson put it...
I'm Starting With The Man In The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways
And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself, And Then Make A Change
Make a change... today.
The disciples ask Jesus two questions in Matthew 24. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (v 3) And so He gives them two answers. His answers are a source of confusion for many people. First we must understand that Jesus is dealing with two events; the destruction of Jerusalem (which occurred in A.D. 70) and His return. Once that is firmly in place in our minds, the text becomes clearer and easier to understand.
He gives them lots of "signs" to look for when the destruction of Jerusalem is near. He tells His disciples that when they see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’, they are to leave Jerusalem at once. No packing your bags, no grabbing a coat, no taking household items; He tells them to hit the road. He says that it will be difficult for pregnant ladies and nursing mothers. He tells them that hopefully it will no come in winter time. It is recorded that the Christians in Jerusalem remembered His admonitions and left the city in plenty of time to make an escape. This event forever established Christianity as a separate religion from Judaism. No longer was Christianity viewed as a sect of the Jewish faith.
The answer to the second question (what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?) is found in verse 36 (I know, you had to read ahead). He tells them that "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father". Jesus makes it clear that even He doesn't know when the Father will send the Him back to end the age. He tells His disciples to live everyday in expectation of His return. "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come". He says, "stay ready"! Many people run around predicting His return; they use the verses that deal with the destruction of Jerusalem to justify their claims. If Jesus doesn't know, who do they think they are to try to give dates for His return?
Here's the message for us. He is coming back! Hallelujah! At just the right time, the Father will turn to the Son and say... "It is time, go get your people and bring them home". That day is sure, it will come and the Apostle Paul tells us that it will go like this...
According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thess 4:15-17)
There it is... the clearest scripture we have that deals with what will happen on the day of our Lord's return. He will come down. The dead in Christ will rise... first. Those that are alive will join those resurrected and meet the Lord in the air. And we will be with Him forever. That is fairly simple and very clear. Whatever you have been taught in the past; if it conflicts with this, you need to discard it. Paul is very concise and clear and leaves no room for misunderstanding. Write this promise on your hearts. Make it a daily execise to think that this might just be the day that Jesus takes you home with Him. Live like today is your last day to do something for Him. (I am talking to me firstly)
What kind of life would you live if you knew this was your last day here? What would you say to those you love the most? What fence would you mend? Think about it... and then do it. As Micheal Jackson put it...
I'm Starting With The Man In The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways
And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself, And Then Make A Change
Make a change... today.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Is Your Cup Clean?
(Today's reading - Exodus 37-38; Matthew 23:23-39)
I have never really enjoyed doing the dishes. I still help out sometimes, but not nearly as much as I should. I find dishwater gross and handling other peoples dirty plates and utensils... nasty. (I know I need to grow in this area) But as bad as doing the dishes is to me, the thought of drinking from a dirty cup makes me want to... well barf! There, I said it; it turns my stomach. When I get a glass in a restaurant, I always look it over closely and I have been known to send it back if I see anything at all that looks suspect.
Jesus uses this part of our human nature to communicate a principle to us. He is speaking to the religious elite of His day when he tells them...“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. (Matthew 23: 25,26) He tells them that just because something looks good outwardly, doesn't necessarily mean that the inside is clean. The outside of a cup is always easier to clean that the inside. The outside is easier to see and easier to wash, but the inside takes some work. Getting into those corners and reaching the bottom isn't always easy.
The same is true for us, spiritually speaking. Getting our outside presentable isn't all that difficult. A good bath, a haircut and some decent clothing and the world sees a respectable person. Understand, Jesus isn't minimizing the importance of our outward appearance, rather He is calling on us to understand that outward appearance is no guarantee of inward purity. (I know this all too well) I can put on a pretty good show when things in my life really stink! He wants us, as His followers to be "clean" inside and out. He wants us to start with who we really are, inside; because He knows if the inside is right, the outside takes care of itself.
What about you? Do you struggle with getting the inside clean? He says the struggle is against greed and self-indulgence. Deep in those corners, down at the bottom, He says we think about what we want and what makes us happy and we act in our own self-interests. He tells us to get that washcloth out and scrub and scrub until the cup is clean. How do we do that? Start with a big squirt of His Word, next run a sink full of warm relationships and pick up the washcloth of prayer and immerse yourself and allow the cleaning to begin. This isn't needed just once, this is a lifelong effort. Who drinks from a cup that was washed two weeks ago and has been used daily since? Is your cup clean?
I have never really enjoyed doing the dishes. I still help out sometimes, but not nearly as much as I should. I find dishwater gross and handling other peoples dirty plates and utensils... nasty. (I know I need to grow in this area) But as bad as doing the dishes is to me, the thought of drinking from a dirty cup makes me want to... well barf! There, I said it; it turns my stomach. When I get a glass in a restaurant, I always look it over closely and I have been known to send it back if I see anything at all that looks suspect.
Jesus uses this part of our human nature to communicate a principle to us. He is speaking to the religious elite of His day when he tells them...“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. (Matthew 23: 25,26) He tells them that just because something looks good outwardly, doesn't necessarily mean that the inside is clean. The outside of a cup is always easier to clean that the inside. The outside is easier to see and easier to wash, but the inside takes some work. Getting into those corners and reaching the bottom isn't always easy.
The same is true for us, spiritually speaking. Getting our outside presentable isn't all that difficult. A good bath, a haircut and some decent clothing and the world sees a respectable person. Understand, Jesus isn't minimizing the importance of our outward appearance, rather He is calling on us to understand that outward appearance is no guarantee of inward purity. (I know this all too well) I can put on a pretty good show when things in my life really stink! He wants us, as His followers to be "clean" inside and out. He wants us to start with who we really are, inside; because He knows if the inside is right, the outside takes care of itself.
What about you? Do you struggle with getting the inside clean? He says the struggle is against greed and self-indulgence. Deep in those corners, down at the bottom, He says we think about what we want and what makes us happy and we act in our own self-interests. He tells us to get that washcloth out and scrub and scrub until the cup is clean. How do we do that? Start with a big squirt of His Word, next run a sink full of warm relationships and pick up the washcloth of prayer and immerse yourself and allow the cleaning to begin. This isn't needed just once, this is a lifelong effort. Who drinks from a cup that was washed two weeks ago and has been used daily since? Is your cup clean?
Monday, February 4, 2013
Are Your Phylacteries Wide?
(Today's reading - Exodus 34-36; Matthew 23:1-22)
In our Old Testament reading, God writes the ten commandments on the stone tablets. Of course they are important! They form the basis of what we, as Christians hold to today. Jesus tells us that the essence of the commands are found in two of them and that in the keeping of the two, the others are also kept. The two He singles out are commands that actually change who we are and not just what we do. “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22: 37-40)
Think about it... I can keep the commandments and not love my neighbor. I can "worship" God and not love Him. Jesus moved obedience from an outward action to inward motives. No more was it about what we did, now it is about why we did it. In Matthew 23, Jesus pulls no punches as He deals with those that are outwardly righteous, but inwardly are wicked people. He says, "they do not practice what they preach". Their words sounded good; they made great speeches and told everyone else what God expected, yet they lived unaffected by their own message.
“Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them Rabbi.’ (Matthew 23:5-7)
Everything they did was done to be seen by those around them. Their actions were premeditated for the praise they would receive. Their clothing was selected to get attention. They wanted to have the best seats in the house and wanted the praise of others. Jesus says this about them, "You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness." I don't know about you, but that gets my attention. He says we can look great to those around us, yet be "wicked" and "hypocrites".
The solution to the problem? Love God and love people. Move from self-centered to God-centered. Move from self-serving to serving others. Today's reading brings us face to face with our motives. Do we serve God in order to... rather than because of? God "so loved us", do we so love Him? God "so loved the world", do we so love our neighbor? He calls us to become like His Son and in the doing of that, what we do and how we live... changes. His priorities become our priorities. His love becomes our love.
May we never allow "religion" to become our God... the keeping of commands a substitute for love. Jesus came out swinging against that kind of "religion" and called on those that would follow Him to replace it with "relationship". God is now our "Father". We have been adopted into His "family". Families don't operate by a list of commands, they operate out of love for each other. As the song says, We're part of a family that's been born again; Part of a family whose love knows no end.
Let's be that family!
In our Old Testament reading, God writes the ten commandments on the stone tablets. Of course they are important! They form the basis of what we, as Christians hold to today. Jesus tells us that the essence of the commands are found in two of them and that in the keeping of the two, the others are also kept. The two He singles out are commands that actually change who we are and not just what we do. “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22: 37-40)
Think about it... I can keep the commandments and not love my neighbor. I can "worship" God and not love Him. Jesus moved obedience from an outward action to inward motives. No more was it about what we did, now it is about why we did it. In Matthew 23, Jesus pulls no punches as He deals with those that are outwardly righteous, but inwardly are wicked people. He says, "they do not practice what they preach". Their words sounded good; they made great speeches and told everyone else what God expected, yet they lived unaffected by their own message.
“Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them Rabbi.’ (Matthew 23:5-7)
Everything they did was done to be seen by those around them. Their actions were premeditated for the praise they would receive. Their clothing was selected to get attention. They wanted to have the best seats in the house and wanted the praise of others. Jesus says this about them, "You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness." I don't know about you, but that gets my attention. He says we can look great to those around us, yet be "wicked" and "hypocrites".
The solution to the problem? Love God and love people. Move from self-centered to God-centered. Move from self-serving to serving others. Today's reading brings us face to face with our motives. Do we serve God in order to... rather than because of? God "so loved us", do we so love Him? God "so loved the world", do we so love our neighbor? He calls us to become like His Son and in the doing of that, what we do and how we live... changes. His priorities become our priorities. His love becomes our love.
May we never allow "religion" to become our God... the keeping of commands a substitute for love. Jesus came out swinging against that kind of "religion" and called on those that would follow Him to replace it with "relationship". God is now our "Father". We have been adopted into His "family". Families don't operate by a list of commands, they operate out of love for each other. As the song says, We're part of a family that's been born again; Part of a family whose love knows no end.
Let's be that family!
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Make Me a Sanctuary
(Today's reading - Exodus 25-26; Matthew 21: 1-22)
The LORD spoke to Moses and told him that He would come dwell with His people. "Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst" (Ex 25: 8) God wanted to dwell with His people; He wanted to be near them and let them be near to Him. I like that. Not some far off God that doesn't care about His people, rather a near God that wanted to to share life with those that love and serve Him. More on that later.
I find verse 9 to be very enlightening. He tells them to build Him a home and then he tells them that they must build it exactly as He specified. Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it. (Ex 25: 9) As an engineer/ designer/ builder, this verse speaks directly to my core being. When I design a structure and put it in the hands of a contractor to build, I want it built by my plan. Nothing else will do. If I find something that does not meet my specifications, it is removed and replaced. God speaks of the same intent. He wasn't going to live in just any house. It had to be built by His plans and nothing else would do. If He was to live there, it was to be a structure that He designed.
The following two chapters are amazing in their detail. Take a moment and read chapters 25 and 26. Incredible isn't it. God, the Architect revealing His plans and specifications for His house. Why the detail? Why does God want things just so for His dwelling place? The human side of things would say, "what difference does it make?". God says, "it makes a difference". Moses knew it made a difference and so he made it "exactly" as God had specified. Would God have come to live there if the plans had not been followed exactly? I don't know. Maybe. But, Moses wasn't willing to risk it, so he did just as he had been told to do.
What can we learn from this? God is a detail person? For sure. We need to follow His directions as exact as possible? You betcha. God wants to live with His people? Absolutely. All of this is a prelude to what we get in on in now... no longer does God dwell in building or sanctuaries to be near His people; no, now he dwells in His people. We are now the temple that He lives in...
As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2: 4,5)
For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people". (2 Cor 6:16)
The lesson for us is pretty clear... God expects us to follow His pattern, exactly! When we look at His word to find out how we become His temple, we must be exact, just like Moses! His plan must be followed if we expect Him to move in and take up residence in us. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Timothy 4: 15-16)
The LORD spoke to Moses and told him that He would come dwell with His people. "Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst" (Ex 25: 8) God wanted to dwell with His people; He wanted to be near them and let them be near to Him. I like that. Not some far off God that doesn't care about His people, rather a near God that wanted to to share life with those that love and serve Him. More on that later.
I find verse 9 to be very enlightening. He tells them to build Him a home and then he tells them that they must build it exactly as He specified. Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it. (Ex 25: 9) As an engineer/ designer/ builder, this verse speaks directly to my core being. When I design a structure and put it in the hands of a contractor to build, I want it built by my plan. Nothing else will do. If I find something that does not meet my specifications, it is removed and replaced. God speaks of the same intent. He wasn't going to live in just any house. It had to be built by His plans and nothing else would do. If He was to live there, it was to be a structure that He designed.
The following two chapters are amazing in their detail. Take a moment and read chapters 25 and 26. Incredible isn't it. God, the Architect revealing His plans and specifications for His house. Why the detail? Why does God want things just so for His dwelling place? The human side of things would say, "what difference does it make?". God says, "it makes a difference". Moses knew it made a difference and so he made it "exactly" as God had specified. Would God have come to live there if the plans had not been followed exactly? I don't know. Maybe. But, Moses wasn't willing to risk it, so he did just as he had been told to do.
What can we learn from this? God is a detail person? For sure. We need to follow His directions as exact as possible? You betcha. God wants to live with His people? Absolutely. All of this is a prelude to what we get in on in now... no longer does God dwell in building or sanctuaries to be near His people; no, now he dwells in His people. We are now the temple that He lives in...
As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2: 4,5)
For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people". (2 Cor 6:16)
The lesson for us is pretty clear... God expects us to follow His pattern, exactly! When we look at His word to find out how we become His temple, we must be exact, just like Moses! His plan must be followed if we expect Him to move in and take up residence in us. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Timothy 4: 15-16)
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Freedom and the Law
(Today's reading- Exodus 22-24; Matt 20:17-34)
The children of Israel had lived as slaves for hundreds of years. Think about that for a moment... their lives were not their own. They did as they were told, they went where they were told to go, they ate what they were told to eat; everything in their lives was determined by someone else. Their sense of right and wrong was given to them by a wicked ruler.
Moses comes to town and leads them out of slavery. They were still the same people, their moral compass had been established under the yoke of slavery and its' abuses. So, God gave them the Law of Moses. No longer were they to live by Pharaoh's distorted view of life, now they were to live as God intended. His law was to govern their lives and they were to be a model society for the rest of the world.
When we read theses sections of the Old Testament, sometimes it seems boring or even nonsensical to us. But, when we put ourselves in the shoes of these freed slaves, we see the importance of such a thorough legal system. They came from a place that had warped their consciences and they needed a system that would change their actions and then (hopefully) their hearts. The New Testament puts it like this... Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (Gal 3:24)
Paul tells us the the Law was a tutor. Its' purpose was to prepare the Jew for a faith that was to come through Jesus. All these rules and regulations were to serve to prepare a people for a time that their lives would no longer be ruled by external regulations; rather they would live by faith. Their actions would be ruled by love, not by the letter of the law. Jesus tells us in the 5th chapter of Matthew that it is no longer about the outward action, now it is about the intent of the heart. We can hate someone and not kill them; but Jesus says we are guilty if our hearts condemn us.
God wants us to allow Him to change us on the inside. He wants us to be changed, not just obedient. The Law of Love is far superior to the Law of Moses. Paul puts it this way in Romans...For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, (Romans 8:3) No one could ever keep the Law perfectly, so by being lawbreakers, all were condemned. And the Hebrew writer tells us... The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God. (Hebrews 7: 18-19) The Law had its' purpose, it was to prepare a people for the coming of His Son.
His people came out of bondage and into freedom. They still do. We can learn a lot from the Old Law. We can see easily what God hates and learn the things that please Him. He is the same God, so understanding conduct that shames us and displeases Him should be something that we care about. Has the Old Law been done away with? Absolutely and thanks be to God! But it can still serve as our tutor and help us to understand the blessings we have in our Savior. Dig in, read it over and over again and gain understanding of the mighty God that we serve. Let it change your conduct... and your heart.
The children of Israel had lived as slaves for hundreds of years. Think about that for a moment... their lives were not their own. They did as they were told, they went where they were told to go, they ate what they were told to eat; everything in their lives was determined by someone else. Their sense of right and wrong was given to them by a wicked ruler.
Moses comes to town and leads them out of slavery. They were still the same people, their moral compass had been established under the yoke of slavery and its' abuses. So, God gave them the Law of Moses. No longer were they to live by Pharaoh's distorted view of life, now they were to live as God intended. His law was to govern their lives and they were to be a model society for the rest of the world.
When we read theses sections of the Old Testament, sometimes it seems boring or even nonsensical to us. But, when we put ourselves in the shoes of these freed slaves, we see the importance of such a thorough legal system. They came from a place that had warped their consciences and they needed a system that would change their actions and then (hopefully) their hearts. The New Testament puts it like this... Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (Gal 3:24)
Paul tells us the the Law was a tutor. Its' purpose was to prepare the Jew for a faith that was to come through Jesus. All these rules and regulations were to serve to prepare a people for a time that their lives would no longer be ruled by external regulations; rather they would live by faith. Their actions would be ruled by love, not by the letter of the law. Jesus tells us in the 5th chapter of Matthew that it is no longer about the outward action, now it is about the intent of the heart. We can hate someone and not kill them; but Jesus says we are guilty if our hearts condemn us.
God wants us to allow Him to change us on the inside. He wants us to be changed, not just obedient. The Law of Love is far superior to the Law of Moses. Paul puts it this way in Romans...For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, (Romans 8:3) No one could ever keep the Law perfectly, so by being lawbreakers, all were condemned. And the Hebrew writer tells us... The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God. (Hebrews 7: 18-19) The Law had its' purpose, it was to prepare a people for the coming of His Son.
His people came out of bondage and into freedom. They still do. We can learn a lot from the Old Law. We can see easily what God hates and learn the things that please Him. He is the same God, so understanding conduct that shames us and displeases Him should be something that we care about. Has the Old Law been done away with? Absolutely and thanks be to God! But it can still serve as our tutor and help us to understand the blessings we have in our Savior. Dig in, read it over and over again and gain understanding of the mighty God that we serve. Let it change your conduct... and your heart.
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