Back-Up Plans/topic: faith

READING: Num. 10,11; Ps. 27; Mark 1

SCRIPTURE: Num. 10: 29-32 Now Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, "We are setting out for the place about which the LORD said, 'I will give it to you.' Come with us and we will treat you well, for the LORD has promised good things to Israel."

He answered, "No, I will not go; I am going back to my own land and my own people."

But Moses said, "Please do not leave us. You know where we should camp in the desert, and you can be our eyes. If you come with us, we will share with you whatever good things the LORD gives us."

OBSERVATION: This is an odd situation. Moses, man of faith and favor with God, shows what seems to be an incredible lack of faith here. Doesn't he have God Himself showing him and the Israelite nation where to camp in the desert? How much more clear can God's direction be than a visible column of smoke during the day and fire by night? Yet Moses seems to want a "back-up" plan by having his brother-in-law, Hobab, be a guide to them because he has lived in the desert his entire life. (By the way, this scripture also lets us know that Moses has taken another Midian wife, other than Zipporah, his first wife. Jethro was his first father-in-law, and he had only daughters).

APPLICATION: Well, the great Moses has his lapses of faith just as I do! I love the fact that the Bible includes the human frailties of the heroes of the faith. I know how much Moses was used by God and praised by God. And God used him despite his having imperfections and sin in his life. The key was that Moses was humble. The Bible tells us, in fact, that he was the most humble man ever to have lived (up to that point, anyway). So, God can use me, in spite of my sins and lapses of faith. It is comforting to know that.

PRAYER: Father, thank you for having grace with me. Thank you for allowing me the privilege of being used to further your Kingdom in spite of all my human frailties. May I always depend on your grace and never believe the lie that the enemy of my soul tries to get to believe; that I am somehow disqualified to expect you to work miracles through me because I sometimes falter in my faith. And also, Lord, I want to learn to fully depend on Your guidance with no "back-up" plans of my own. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T/ topic: attitude toward authority

READING: Lev. 26,27; Acts 23

SCRIPTURE: Acts 23:2-5 At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing newar Paul to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!" Those who were standing near Paul said, "You dare to insult God's high priest?" Paul replied, "Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: 'Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.' "

OBSERVATION: Wow! Paul rightfully rebukes the high priest for being a hypocrite who has the audacity to judge Paul according to the law while he himself does not obey the law. Yet, when Paul finds out his harsh words have been directed to the high priest, he apologizes immediately. Even though his criticism was correct, his attitude in speaking to an authority figure was not.
god takes a dim view of speaking disrespectfully to or about those in authority.

APPLICATION: This is a difficult pill for Americans to swallow. In our extremely individualistic culture where freedom of speech is considered the paramount right, we consider it almost a duty to question authority and even deride them if we disagree with what they say or do (example: comics who belittle and make jokes at the expense of politicians). It's nothing for children to back-talk and scorn their parents or teachers. Adults bad-mouth bosses and public leaders quite often. But we must be missing something important because God stresses respect for authority of all kinds (God, religious and civil leaders, employers and parents) in a number of scriptures in the Old and New Testaments. Apparently, God is BIG on respect! Could it be that He knows that our lives would be better if we operated with respect toward those over us, even when they do things wrong? I think so. Does this mean we can never point out when an authority figure is blowing it or being hypocritical? No. God gives instructions in His Word for how to properly confront leaders with a respectful attitude. It's something we need to practice.

PRAYER: Father, keep my heart pure and pleasing to You. Let me know in my spirit immediately when I am about to "cross the line" in making disrespectful jokes or comments about leaders that I don't like or agree with. May I work with those You have placed over me in my life and receive the blessing that comes from You when I live in harmony with Your ways. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Silence is not Golden/ topic: relationships

READING: Lev. 18,19; Ps. 13; Acts 19

SCRIPTURE: Lev. 19:18 Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love
your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord your God.

OBSERVATION: In Lev. 19, God has a whole list of "do's and don'ts" for us to follow to make our lives better and to enhance our relationships to Him and to others. The second half of the verse is quoted by Jesus in the New Testament as the second greatest commandment after "Love the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength". The first half gives us a practical way to fulfill this command to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. It ends with the Lord reminding us that this is important because He, the LORD, says it is! He is not to be argued with.

APPLICATION: This verse struck me because of dealing with a recent situation in my own family where the advice in this verse was not followed. When we bear grudges against one another in the name of family peace ("I didn't want to make a scene" or "It wasn't a big deal" or "I let it go because I know it's just the way you are"), we end up storing garbage in our souls that usually winds up coming out in some sort of completely unreasonable reaction when that person does something to irritate us later on. And no matter how extreme our reaction is, we feel justified in it because we have a backlog of "wrongs" this person has committed, and they are left wondering what just happened. We often lie to ourselves that we have let go of the perceived "slights" someone else gave to us. I say "perceived", because often, if we would discuss it with whomever offended us, we would discover we misunderstood them, and need not to have been offended. Even if they were being a jerk, we should deal with it then and not "bank" it. If we don't follow the command in this scripture, we rob the "offender" of learning a valuable lesson on how they are being perceived by us that would help them grow as a person (if they are open to it) and we damage ourselves by holding on to seeds that cause a root of bitterness or anger to grow in us. When it comes to solving problems with others, silence is definitely not golden, nor is it noble!

PRAYER: Father, help me to see clearly and not to deceive myself when I am offended by what others do to me. May I always keep short accounts with people and forgive them from my heart. Help me to do right by having the courage to speak the truth in love when I have been offended. Help me also, when someone has obviously held a grudge against me, to respond in a way that I become a peacemaker. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Oh, What a Picture!/ subject: ministry

READING: Lev. 7,8,9 and Acts 15

SCRIPTURE: Lev. 8:7 He put the tunic on Aaron, tied the sash around him, clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him.
Lev. 8:30 Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood from the altar and sprinkled them on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments.

OBSERVATION: In verse 7 I noticed that Aaron could not dress himself. Moses dressed him and his sons in their fancy robes, turbans, sashes and the jeweled ephod. Verse 30 describes the anointing process. Aaron and his sons were sprinkled with anointing oil, representing their being chosen and approved by the Holy Spirit for their ministry tasks and also sprinkled with blood from the sacrifice, signifying their need for cleansing and forgiveness from their own sin.

APPLICATION: What a picture these verses give us! First, none of us, even the most anointed ministers among us, can do our jobs alone. Our call is always one that involves community. Just as Aaron and his sons could not dress themselves, we cannot fulfill God's call on our lives independent of others in the Body of Christ. We need one antoher to reach our spiritual potential. Second, the anointing of Aaron and his sons is the most concise picture of man's glory and depravity. God specified how the robes were to be made that Aaron and his sons were to minister in, and they were grand beyond even what the Pope wears today. Strands of gold woven into the fabric, gold bells on the hem, a jeweled ephod and a golden diadem with "Holy to the Lord" worn on the head of Aaron. All this for the stated purpose of giving them "honor and dignity". God created us for high purpose and in His glorious image, and these garments are signs to us that we should never forget our high calling. And yet, the depravity of our sin nature and our need for cleansing from must not be forgotten either. So these gorgeous robes are stained, permanently, for all to see. They are stained with anointing oil, to remind us that we need the Holy Spirit to fulfill our call from God. Then they are stained with blood from animals sacrificed to pay the price for the sin of these priests.

PRAYER: Father, help me to always keep in mind that I bear Your image. You created me for greatness; for serving You in community with others. And also keep me mindful of the great price paid for the forgiveness of my sin. No longer do I need animals to die for me, but the precious blood of Jesus cleanses me once and for all time. May I never forget that I need You to anoint me and that I need to maintain a grateful heart for the sacrifice of my Lord. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

But God Has Shown Me

SCRIPTURE: Acts 10:28,29
He said to them: "You are all aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection."

OBSERVATION: "But God has shown me...", what powerful words! Peter had the ingrained theological prejudice against Gentiles that he had been raised with. It was inconceivable to him that God could want salvation to extend to the heathen Gentiles. Salvation was for the Jews! But God works outside of the boxes we put Him in. Peter thought his understanding of God was correct and he had God's plan all figured out. He was wrong.

APPLICATION: Like Peter, if I think I have God and how He works all figured out, I am wrong. If I am growing in my faith, I can expect God to regularly show me areas where my understanding of Him has been wrong or misguided. "But God has shown me..." should be a regular experience of my spiritual journey. In fact, if it isn't, I need to question whether I'm spending enough time listening to God with an open heart.

PRAYER: Father, Your ways are far above mine. You are so much bigger than I yet understand You to be. Help me to keep my heart open to You. Be magnified in my understanding. i want to see Your "bigness" increasing in my life. In Jesus' Name, Amen