Following Christ

Numbers 9: 15-23 “The cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire. Whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped.”

O: The Lord directed his people through this cloud. It was that simple. When the cloud lifted they would set out. When it settled, they would camp. All they had to do was obey the Lord’s order and follow the cloud. Sometimes I wish it were that easy for us as followers of Christ to follow God’s lead. A cloud would be so convenient…..no worrying about where to go, what to do, who to reach out to, etc.

A: The past few days have been life changing for our family. We had baby #4…little Levi Edward who has brought an incredible amount of joy into our lives. My inlaws from Michigan arrived and are living with us. Our children are adjusting to all of these changes and their response is tons of enthusiasm and hyperactivity. My physical body is recovering and not as quickly as I’d like. With all of these changes in the past few days, I suddenly felt overwhelmed last night and impatient with everyone around me. I took a moment to evaluate why I was having such a bad attitude and realized that in the hustle and bustle of life these past few days, I haven’t spent time alone with the Lord. This is crucial for me. God soothes my soul. He brings peace, joy, security, purpose and passion to who I am as a person. He is my identity. I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t taken the time to pause. I’ve been focused on myself and the people around me that I’ve stepped out from being under the cloud of God’s grace.

P: Father, I’m constantly reminded of my need for you. I’m completely dependent on you as my source of life. Thank you for loving me so much that you always draw me near and pull me to yourself. Where you lead, I will follow. You are the cloud that guides and directs my every step. Thank you for caring for the small things in my life. Love you much!

Hebrews 11:19

Scripture:

"Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and in a manner of speaking he did receive Issac back from the dead." Hebrews 11:19

Observation:

God had told Abraham that his descendants would come from Issac and yet God also told him to go and sacrifice his son. Rather then question God on how it would all work out, Abraham responded in faith. He didn't discount the promise that he had received from God but rather reasoned that if this was what God wanted then he was just going to raise Issac from the dead. He didn't drag his feet and wait around for God to tell him to stop, he had already gone to the place of full obedience in his mind that when God did say to stop, it was as if Abraham was receiving Issac back from the dead.

Application:

When God speaks to me to do something I hope that my response will be the same as Abraham's, especially in the times when a sacrifice may seem to cancel out a promise. I need to remind myself that I don't always, if ever, see the whole picture. Fortunately God does see the whole picture and I can trust that the things He has me do, is exactly where I need to be.

Prayer:

Lord I pray that I would respond to challenges that come up in my life with the same faith that Abraham had. I hope to be a risk taker that even though I don't see the whole picture or how something will end up, I can take a leap of faith and trust that you'll catch me. Help me to be fully obedient to do the things that you ask of me so that I can live a life that honors you.

Focus

S - ""I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved." Psalms 16:8

O - David declared that when he sets  the Lord before him, he shall not be moved.. He shall be able to stand  against  what ever comes his way. His insight was when you put God as the focus you will be able to withstand anything.  I remember the first time paddle boarding, no insightful instructions were given on how to  balance and paddle. So I was  flipping and flopping trying to keep my balance on the board and paddling at the same time. Then I saw a young boy just gliding along, frustrated with myself I yelled out, "How are you suppose to stand on the board?" The young boy said,"The way you stand up and paddle is by looking at something in front of you and focus on that object". What was I doing was looking at the board and water at the same time which didn't work out.  So when I did it(focusing on an object) things got better, the flipping and flopping got less and less.

A - I am reminded that in order to have a balanced life I need have one focus which is Christ. Don't  look all around but straight forward and when I do this I will have a balanced life.

P - Lord, help me not to not lose focus of You. That way,  I won't be flipping and flopping in life. Give me your grace more and more each day.

Remember that you were slaves!

S-Deuteronmoy 24:¹⁹ When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. ²⁰ When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. ²¹ When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. ²² Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.

O- Once we have accumulated stuff it is so easy to fall into the temptation of hoarding or looking at all of it and justifying in our minds how much of it we actually need and how much of it we can share with others. I am sure that the Israelites had the same feelings when God told them to leave extra crops unharvested so that the less fortunate could have an opportunity to gather some crops for themselves.

(I also had some observations on the redistribution of wealth, making the poor work for their charity, and weather we should make a distinction on which type of poor people we choose to help, but I will stay away from those controversial topics.)

What I loved most about this scripture is that God reminds them that He is their deliverer and he is the one that provided them with what they have so looking down on those who don't have things is just like saying that I worked hard for everything I have and I am my provider instead of Jehovah Jireh. We have two choices when we have come out of a bad situation in our life. We can either have compassion for those that are in similar situations or we can look down on them for not rising above it like we did. If we choose option two we are overrating ourselves and our ability and downplaying God's role in our life. It reminds me of the story of a little girl that helped her mom cook dinner by adding some salt to the pot of food that she was cooking and when her dad came home she says, "Daddy, I cooked dinner for you." How often are we like the little girl when God is working everything together for the good for us yet we perceive it as our own personal success story?

A- I want to to recognize and remember what God has done in my life and also I want to be compassionate toward those who struggle with what I used to even if it seems like they are taking longer to get delivered from it than I did. I need to realize that God was my deliverer and not my work ethic. I want to show my gratitude for what God has done by helping those who are struggling in areas that I no longer do I also want let go of my natural tendency to hoard and to accumulate security so that I don't have to rely on God as much. Finally, I need to be able to discern what I "need" and what God wants me to give to others less fortunate than I am.

P-Lord, Please help me to do all of the aforementioned things because I can't unless you help me to do so. Amen.

Possessing Wealth

TITLE: The Assets of the Priests
DATE: February 28, 2011

SCRIPTURE: Leviticus 25:32
“So the property of the Levites is redeemable… because the houses in the towns of the Levites are their property among the Israelites.”

OBSERVATION: I am always learning something new as I read the Word. This time it is about ownership of possessions. I always thought the Levites had no inheritance of land or property that was personally owned. (Deuteronomy 1:9; 14:29; 18:1,2) But this verse clarifies the issue. It states that they possessed personal property, assets and material ownership, and, if, given up as collateral for debt, would have it reverted to them in the Jubilee. Why the seeming contradiction? Could it be that they didn’t have a defined border of inheritance as each of the 12 tribes possessed but had personal property IN and AMONG the tribes, not separately.

APPLICATION: This insight more completely frees me from the misconception that priests are to be paupers, waiver rights to wealth and property ownership. What is true for church members is true for pastors, but we need to LIVE AMONG the people. How do we do this? By understanding their struggles, addressing their needs and interceding on their behalf. I must never feel apart or beyond the people, but live with a servant heart for them.”

PRAYER: “Make me a better steward of Your blessings & always have Your people’s needs upon my heart.”

S -
Leviticus 25:17 - Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God.
Leviticus 25:36 - Do not take interest or any profit from them, but fear your God,
Leviticus 25:43 - Do not rule over them ruthlessly, but fear your God.

O - There are three instances in Leviticus 25 where God says to fear God. In all three instances he starts by saying a command of how to deal with people. One thing might be that a healthy fear of God is manifested in correctly and righteously dealing with people; maybe a good diagnostic test for our own fear of God. A second thing is that these three commands are specific examples, but the principal in all of them is that in our dealings with people, we are to fear God and treat people fairly.

A - In all my dealings with people, let me always remember to fear God. And whenever I find myself treating someone unfairly or unrighteously, I must ask myself if I am fearing God at that point. If not, by God's grace let me repent, heaven forbid God should have to lead me through an event to fear him.

P - God, thank you that you are so involved with and connected to humans like a family that a healthy fear of you would lead to right conduct among humans. Further, help me to live right as son in your family should.

The Independent Spirit

As leaders, we are all subject to this spirit. Please read this well and evaluate your heart. This was written while I was hurting and trying to make sense of a very gifted leader falling away from God. Authority in this blog can relate to natural, or spiritual authority. This deals with heart motive more than outward action.

The Independent Spirit
And the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods knowing good and evil. Genesis 3:1

HOW AN INDEPENDENT SPIRIT GETS A FOOTHOLD IN A HEART.
1. Brings into question the motives of their authority. The foothold of the spirit of independence is mistrust. Satan made Eve question whether God really wanted the best for her. If God didn't want the best for her, she couldn't trust Him. She would need to be independent and take care of herself.

2. Desires to know more than their authority.  Knowledge alone, never made a leader great. Knowledge is not wrong, but knowledge without love puffs up. A desire for knowledge should be rooted in love for others and love for God. We should never want to know more as a staple of authority or a badge of superiority.

3. A desire to be like or be better than their authority. This desire was in the heart of satan before he was kicked out of heaven. Satan said in Ezekial "I will be like the Most High". The independent spirit gets a foothold with mistrust but it's goal is to form someone into the image of satan.

A Dependent Spirit
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name. Philippians 2:5

Jesus, (Being God) showed the exact opposite character of independence.
1. He trusted the Fathers motive and intentions. Even when being crucified, he never doubted the motive of the Father.

2. He didn't strive to know more or do more than the Father. "Only the Father knows the times" "I don't do anything unless the Father does it, I say anything unless I hear the Father say it."

3. He didn't want to be equal to or better than his Father. Satan wanted equality, Jesus didn't care to be equal. The character of Christ is one that doesn't want to be better or even equal but instead is a servant. Jesus didn't become a servant IN SPITE of being God, He was a servant BECAUSE He was God. God's nature is that of a servant.

To summarize;
The spirit of dependence starts with Trust in God and it's end goal is to mold us into the image of Christ. The spirit of independence starts with mistrust and it's end goal is to mold us into the image of satan.

Obey them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you. Hebrews 13:!6

Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 1Peter 5:5