Read Deut 28 to 30
Deut. 30:15-20 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. ........ 19This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live
What is with God? He has to tell people to love him and follow his ways, over and over again? What kind of god commands people to love and praise him?
We all know people with inferiority complexes that have to have people around them constantly telling them how many people love them. We usually think there is something wrong with people like that. So how about our God? Is our God like the wicked queen in Snow White, who stood before the mirror and said, “Mirror, mirror the wall, who is fairest of us all?”
It that the kind of God we have? If so, I seriously suggest you stop your Bible reading today and join a 1960’s hippie commune. There are still a few up in Vermont.
Consider for a moment.... have you ever seen a great movie, read a fantastic book or visited a wonderful vacation spot? What do you instinctively do when you finish that experience? You tell everyone what you have just experienced. You don’t have to tell a young man to praise the virtues of his girlfriend. That’s doing what comes naturally. You don’t have to tell a hiker to praise the countryside or a sailor to praise the sea. People always praise what they enjoy.
What God is telling us to do here is to choose to enjoy him. You can’t force anyone to love anyone else. Love is a choice. And we have the opportunity to choose to love and enjoy our God. When we do that we will experience life and prosperity.
God is the only person who will satisfy the longing and thirst of our souls. Nothing on this planet can take his place.
William Temple, archbishop of Canterbury (1942-1944) said this:
“Worship is the submission of all of our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness, nourishment of mind by His truth, purifying of imagination by His beauty, opening of the heart to His love, and submission of will to His purpose. And all this gathered up in adoration is the greatest of human expressions of which we are capable.”
This is where life is found…. Submitting to, quickening by, purifying of, opening to and adoring of God.
St. Augustine: Thou hast made us for Thyself and the heart of man is restless until it finds rest in Thee.
Francis Schaeffer: Man, made in the image of God, has a purpose ‑ to be in relationship to God, who is there.
Man forgets his purpose and thus he forgets who he is and what life means.
Choose life today.... choose to love God with all your heart. You will find your purpose on earth.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
March 6
Blessings and Curses
Leviticus 26
You have finished the book of Leviticus!!! Congratulations!!!
Principles for the blessing of a nation: If the Israelites obeyed God and followed his Word there would be peace in the land. If they disobeyed, disaster would follow. God used sin’s consequences to draw them to repentance, not to get back at them.
Here is a list of the blessings of a nation following God:
1. Rain for the crops
2. Abundant harvests
3. Peace and safety in the land
4. Chasing away of enemies
5. God walks with them
6. They walk with heads held high
Here is a list of the curses of a nation that refuses to follow God:
1. Fear of sudden terror
2. Disease drains away life
3. Enemies defeat them
4. No strength for life, live in fear
5. Poor harvests
6. Cities in ruin
7. The nation eventually perishes
There is hope in these verses... verses 40-42 “'But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their fathers ...... I will remember the land.”
When God’s people realize that God is in the disaster, and they humble themselves before him, then God will hear from heaven and heal the land. There is hope for every nation. Our hope lies in our relationship with God. Only 10 righteous people could have saved Sodom and Gomorrah. The greatest danger we face in the USA is that the people of God are not calling the nation to repentance. I do not expect our President to say to the nation, “It is time to pray.” I do expect that every Christian will say this. There is no hope for our nation coming from Washington. The hope for America lies in its churches.
2 Chron. 7:14 If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
It is time to pray!!!
Leviticus 26
You have finished the book of Leviticus!!! Congratulations!!!
Principles for the blessing of a nation: If the Israelites obeyed God and followed his Word there would be peace in the land. If they disobeyed, disaster would follow. God used sin’s consequences to draw them to repentance, not to get back at them.
Here is a list of the blessings of a nation following God:
1. Rain for the crops
2. Abundant harvests
3. Peace and safety in the land
4. Chasing away of enemies
5. God walks with them
6. They walk with heads held high
Here is a list of the curses of a nation that refuses to follow God:
1. Fear of sudden terror
2. Disease drains away life
3. Enemies defeat them
4. No strength for life, live in fear
5. Poor harvests
6. Cities in ruin
7. The nation eventually perishes
There is hope in these verses... verses 40-42 “'But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their fathers ...... I will remember the land.”
When God’s people realize that God is in the disaster, and they humble themselves before him, then God will hear from heaven and heal the land. There is hope for every nation. Our hope lies in our relationship with God. Only 10 righteous people could have saved Sodom and Gomorrah. The greatest danger we face in the USA is that the people of God are not calling the nation to repentance. I do not expect our President to say to the nation, “It is time to pray.” I do expect that every Christian will say this. There is no hope for our nation coming from Washington. The hope for America lies in its churches.
2 Chron. 7:14 If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
It is time to pray!!!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
March 5
Lev 19 Deut 20
The Small Stuff Matters
Our passage today completely shakes up our “God in the Box” view of an angry and hostile God. The heart of God and his desire for his people to be kind and compassionate is revealed. Look at these incredible laws...
-Take care of the mother birds
-Don’t cut down fruit trees
-Treat the alien with respect and dignity
-Show esteem for the handicapped and elderly
-Have compassion for the poor
-Feed the less fortunate
-Take care of the orphans and widows
When we traveled to Russia in 1994 one of the top conversations we had with people were the steps necessary for them to become like the USA. They all wanted St. Petersburg to become the next New York City. We talked about the differences between capitalism and socialism. What I discovered was they had an inadequate view of the strengths and weaknesses of capitalism. They believed that if you just plugged in a capitalistic form of government you would get instant prosperity. But capitalism only works when you have moral and compassionate people practicing it. Capitalism cannot change the hearts of people to be kind and compassionate, only God can do that. The ugly side of capitalism has the rich taking advantage of the poor and the inevitable class envy that develops. Our founding fathers realized this and spoke to the importance of this moral foundation.
John Adams in a speech to the military in 1798 warned his fellow countrymen stating, "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion . . . Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
Benjamin Rush, Signer of the Declaration of Independence said. "The only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be aid in religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments. Without religion, I believe that learning does real mischief to the morals and principles of mankind."
Noah Webster, author of the first American Speller and the first Dictionary said, "The Christian religion, in its purity, is the basis, or rather the source of all genuine freedom in government. . . . and I am persuaded that no civil government of a republican form can exist and be durable in which the principles of that religion have not a controlling influence."
Right now we are in a period where people are reacting to the abuses of capitalism. The political solution is for the US to become socialistic. The spiritual solution is for the US to experience a revival and for us to become kind and compassionate people. We stand at the crossroads this very day. Choose carefully what pathway you want to go down.
Thought for today.... Take 5 minutes out of your day and show compassion to someone. Maybe it will be buying a cup of coffee for someone, making a phone call, stopping by someone’s house to say “hello.” God has called his people to be compassionate.
The Small Stuff Matters
Our passage today completely shakes up our “God in the Box” view of an angry and hostile God. The heart of God and his desire for his people to be kind and compassionate is revealed. Look at these incredible laws...
-Take care of the mother birds
-Don’t cut down fruit trees
-Treat the alien with respect and dignity
-Show esteem for the handicapped and elderly
-Have compassion for the poor
-Feed the less fortunate
-Take care of the orphans and widows
When we traveled to Russia in 1994 one of the top conversations we had with people were the steps necessary for them to become like the USA. They all wanted St. Petersburg to become the next New York City. We talked about the differences between capitalism and socialism. What I discovered was they had an inadequate view of the strengths and weaknesses of capitalism. They believed that if you just plugged in a capitalistic form of government you would get instant prosperity. But capitalism only works when you have moral and compassionate people practicing it. Capitalism cannot change the hearts of people to be kind and compassionate, only God can do that. The ugly side of capitalism has the rich taking advantage of the poor and the inevitable class envy that develops. Our founding fathers realized this and spoke to the importance of this moral foundation.
John Adams in a speech to the military in 1798 warned his fellow countrymen stating, "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion . . . Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
Benjamin Rush, Signer of the Declaration of Independence said. "The only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be aid in religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments. Without religion, I believe that learning does real mischief to the morals and principles of mankind."
Noah Webster, author of the first American Speller and the first Dictionary said, "The Christian religion, in its purity, is the basis, or rather the source of all genuine freedom in government. . . . and I am persuaded that no civil government of a republican form can exist and be durable in which the principles of that religion have not a controlling influence."
Right now we are in a period where people are reacting to the abuses of capitalism. The political solution is for the US to become socialistic. The spiritual solution is for the US to experience a revival and for us to become kind and compassionate people. We stand at the crossroads this very day. Choose carefully what pathway you want to go down.
Thought for today.... Take 5 minutes out of your day and show compassion to someone. Maybe it will be buying a cup of coffee for someone, making a phone call, stopping by someone’s house to say “hello.” God has called his people to be compassionate.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
March 4
March 4, 2009
Leviticus 11
Leviticus 11:47 You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.
I am a member of the Jewish Community Center and every time I walk into the gym, I pass the deli. On the front of this deli is the word “Kosher.” This means they serve food in line with these dietary laws we read today. It is clear that these laws drew a distinct line between “clean” and “unclean.” Now I don’t know all the reasons for these distinctions, some of them are for health reasons, The Maker’s Diet is a book about the benefits of these laws. I thought the book was great until the author recommended I eat dirt. There are also spiritual reasons for the laws because God wanted his people to avoid the dietary practices of the pagan in Canaan. Whatever the reason, the laws were a constant reminder that Israel was to be separated from the uncleanness of the world.
How does this apply to us as we live in 2009? Should we say “no” to those delicious pork chops that will be cooking on the grill soon? What about the way we prepare our meals, no cooking meat in milk? What sets us apart from the world today?
Here are the words of F. Lagard Smith, “What sets us apart from a godless world might be our dress, or perhaps food and drink from which we abstain. Modesty and sobriety and self-control are increasingly rare virtues. Yet dressing oddly doesn’t necessarily make us separate – only odd. And eating strangely doesn’t make us separate – only strange. If we truly want to be seen as separate, it will come in our conversations and values, in our material possessions and financial priorities. In what we listen to and what we watch. Interesting, isn’t it? Even today there’s a recognizable difference between “clean jokes” and “dirty jokes,” between “good clean fun” and “just plain filth.”
Do you ever consciously distinguish between what is “clean” and “unclean”?
Today would be a great day to throw out some of the dirt in our lives.
Leviticus 11
Leviticus 11:47 You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.
I am a member of the Jewish Community Center and every time I walk into the gym, I pass the deli. On the front of this deli is the word “Kosher.” This means they serve food in line with these dietary laws we read today. It is clear that these laws drew a distinct line between “clean” and “unclean.” Now I don’t know all the reasons for these distinctions, some of them are for health reasons, The Maker’s Diet is a book about the benefits of these laws. I thought the book was great until the author recommended I eat dirt. There are also spiritual reasons for the laws because God wanted his people to avoid the dietary practices of the pagan in Canaan. Whatever the reason, the laws were a constant reminder that Israel was to be separated from the uncleanness of the world.
How does this apply to us as we live in 2009? Should we say “no” to those delicious pork chops that will be cooking on the grill soon? What about the way we prepare our meals, no cooking meat in milk? What sets us apart from the world today?
Here are the words of F. Lagard Smith, “What sets us apart from a godless world might be our dress, or perhaps food and drink from which we abstain. Modesty and sobriety and self-control are increasingly rare virtues. Yet dressing oddly doesn’t necessarily make us separate – only odd. And eating strangely doesn’t make us separate – only strange. If we truly want to be seen as separate, it will come in our conversations and values, in our material possessions and financial priorities. In what we listen to and what we watch. Interesting, isn’t it? Even today there’s a recognizable difference between “clean jokes” and “dirty jokes,” between “good clean fun” and “just plain filth.”
Do you ever consciously distinguish between what is “clean” and “unclean”?
Today would be a great day to throw out some of the dirt in our lives.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
March 3, 2009
Here's some thoughts on todays reading:
Personally, i've been enjoying reading some of these laws, especially todays. When you read the bible there are times when you sit there and ask your self: how in the world can i relate? these people seem like they are nothing like what we are today. Todays reading brings that back to reality. These people dealt with all kinds of diseases. To be honest with you, these people were pretty dirty. The fact that it was instructed to wash themselves rather than it just being a normal instinct tells you some of the ways they lived. On the other hand a lot of the things that they faced, we still deal with all the time. Since then until now, the treatments have changed drastically (thank the Lord). Let's face it, who wants to stand outside of Stamford for seven days until you are clean, then have pastor Taylor evaluate you. To top it all off, he could potentially send you back out to the outer skirts for another seven days.
These people were powerless. What i mean by that is, they did not have the technology that we have now. All they had was God and a priest. Today we are often so slow to pray to God to help us with our daily needs, including our body needs. These people were quick to pray and found it necessary to follow all of the instructions God has shown them, that included standing isolation.
Nowadays, we don't have to stand in isolation, however, that does not excuse us from prayer. Praying is a very humbling thing. Although once you realize that it is not a chore, but rather a simple way of communication no different, and even better than todays technology. You will learn to appreciate the humbling act of prayer. The Israelites were not perfect and we sure aren't either. We need God and we need prayer!
Hope my thoughts made sense and were helpful to you.
Monday, March 2, 2009
March 2
Today is accountability day. Send me an email with your status.
The bulk of the verses come from Leviticus 18 and 20
Sexual Boundaries
Leviticus 18:24 Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled.
Things have changed a lot in my lifetime. In my high school days the TV regulators did not allow you to show the belly button of “I Dream of Jeannie.” The revealing of a women’s belly button was considered indecent. Over the next 40 years all of the sexual boundary fences have been knocked down and labeled as out of date. It is now impossible to even make people blush anymore. We have labeled ourselves free, but I wonder if what we have today is bondage? Is it possible for us to remain faithful to one person for a lifetime?
God is very precise on the sexual boundaries. He does not hesitate or mince words on the topic. He is so precise that our reading today ends with God’s clear command not to cross dress. How about that for a current topic?
Now why is God so down on our sexual freedom in the year 2009? It is because he loves us. God’s plan is for one man and one woman to be committed to each other and enjoy a lifetime of sexuality within the boundaries. He is not down on sex, he invented it!!! He just wants to protect it.
There couldn’t be more of a contrast between God’s view of sex and the worlds. The world says it is just an act… just like drinking water... God says it is a covenant. From God’s perspective sex must be connected to a promise. Without the promise it is just lust. With the promise it is love. One is for a night the other is for a lifetime.
Inside all of us we are longing for a lifetime of love. When we follow God’s boundaries we will discover it.
Lord, protect all of us from the lies of the world. We trust in your wisdom and your plan.
The bulk of the verses come from Leviticus 18 and 20
Sexual Boundaries
Leviticus 18:24 Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled.
Things have changed a lot in my lifetime. In my high school days the TV regulators did not allow you to show the belly button of “I Dream of Jeannie.” The revealing of a women’s belly button was considered indecent. Over the next 40 years all of the sexual boundary fences have been knocked down and labeled as out of date. It is now impossible to even make people blush anymore. We have labeled ourselves free, but I wonder if what we have today is bondage? Is it possible for us to remain faithful to one person for a lifetime?
God is very precise on the sexual boundaries. He does not hesitate or mince words on the topic. He is so precise that our reading today ends with God’s clear command not to cross dress. How about that for a current topic?
Now why is God so down on our sexual freedom in the year 2009? It is because he loves us. God’s plan is for one man and one woman to be committed to each other and enjoy a lifetime of sexuality within the boundaries. He is not down on sex, he invented it!!! He just wants to protect it.
There couldn’t be more of a contrast between God’s view of sex and the worlds. The world says it is just an act… just like drinking water... God says it is a covenant. From God’s perspective sex must be connected to a promise. Without the promise it is just lust. With the promise it is love. One is for a night the other is for a lifetime.
Inside all of us we are longing for a lifetime of love. When we follow God’s boundaries we will discover it.
Lord, protect all of us from the lies of the world. We trust in your wisdom and your plan.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
March 1
Today's passages cover a number of laws that involve property, contracts, and inheritance. Since these laws cover a broad swath of civil life, I would like to focus on the overriding principles that God sets forth through these laws. It is clear that God places a high premium on our stewardship.
In the first subsection, we read the principle of making restitution for wrongs: "When a man or woman wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to the LORD, that person is guilty and must confess the sin he has committed. He must make full restitution for his wrong, add one fifth to it and give it all to the person he has wronged." We are to honor others' property: All property ulimately comes from the LORD; we are merely short-term stewards thereof. Cf. Psalm 50:10: "for every animal of the forest is mine,/ and the cattle on a thousand hills." This stewardship extends to protecting others from the dangerous wiles of our livestock and our homes; we are to consider others' interests first.
God also desires protection and compassion for the poor and the enslaved. God proclaims freedom for indentured servants (at their discretion) after seven years (the number seven points to a completeness). God desires that lenders not take advantage of the poor, saying: "If you lend money to one of my people among you is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest. If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, return it to him by sunset, because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate." In addition, blessing the poor will prove a source, in itself, of blessing for the Isralites: "Give generously to him [the poor man] and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." A society that oppresses its poor does not honor God's will.
In all these laws, God calls His people to see and appreciate the value in others and in their possessions. We have the bases here for modern contract law, which is the very support for all private-sector economic activity. While all these laws are quite commonsense, and their benefits are largely straightforward, we can sense how challenging it is to honor God in our own strength. As Paul writes, the law ultimately draws us to God, as we recognize our inability to keep it: "7What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, 'Do not covet.' But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead." (Romans 7:7,8)
Furthermore, the law points our need for redemption and forgiveness: "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:19-24)
QUESTIONS
1. Are there elements of God's will for your life, including prescriptions from His Word, that you are taking too lightly?
2. How can you better honor the value of other people in your life? How can you specifically celebrate one other person tomorrow? (Some thoughts: Give them a call; make them an e-card; or shovel their driveway.)
In the first subsection, we read the principle of making restitution for wrongs: "When a man or woman wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to the LORD, that person is guilty and must confess the sin he has committed. He must make full restitution for his wrong, add one fifth to it and give it all to the person he has wronged." We are to honor others' property: All property ulimately comes from the LORD; we are merely short-term stewards thereof. Cf. Psalm 50:10: "for every animal of the forest is mine,/ and the cattle on a thousand hills." This stewardship extends to protecting others from the dangerous wiles of our livestock and our homes; we are to consider others' interests first.
God also desires protection and compassion for the poor and the enslaved. God proclaims freedom for indentured servants (at their discretion) after seven years (the number seven points to a completeness). God desires that lenders not take advantage of the poor, saying: "If you lend money to one of my people among you is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest. If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, return it to him by sunset, because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate." In addition, blessing the poor will prove a source, in itself, of blessing for the Isralites: "Give generously to him [the poor man] and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." A society that oppresses its poor does not honor God's will.
In all these laws, God calls His people to see and appreciate the value in others and in their possessions. We have the bases here for modern contract law, which is the very support for all private-sector economic activity. While all these laws are quite commonsense, and their benefits are largely straightforward, we can sense how challenging it is to honor God in our own strength. As Paul writes, the law ultimately draws us to God, as we recognize our inability to keep it: "7What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, 'Do not covet.' But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead." (Romans 7:7,8)
Furthermore, the law points our need for redemption and forgiveness: "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:19-24)
QUESTIONS
1. Are there elements of God's will for your life, including prescriptions from His Word, that you are taking too lightly?
2. How can you better honor the value of other people in your life? How can you specifically celebrate one other person tomorrow? (Some thoughts: Give them a call; make them an e-card; or shovel their driveway.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)