Numbers 15  The rebellion has brought Israel to Hormah, run down and struck by the Amalekites and the Canaanites.  They would not enter the promised land of milk and honey until 40 years have passed and all the rebellious people had died.

But, God immediately begins talking to them about things that they will do "when" they enter the land.
When you enter you will offer sacrifices according to the law.
When you enter you will treat the aliens the same as the nationals.
When someone sins unintentionally, atonement will be made so that this sin will be forgiven.  Whether for the whole congregation or an individual... An error, a mistake, an unintended sin made in ignorance - can be atoned for and forgiven.
But, a defiant sinner, one who blasphemes the Lord, who despises the word, who breaks the Law - that person is to be cut off from the people. He is to be destroyed.  No atonement will be made.  No forgiveness will be offered.  The guilt remains on him.

This is put to the test immediately.  ( verses 32 -36)  A man goes out on the sabbath and gathers wood.  He is brought before Moses and the Lord passes judgment - stone him to death.  And they obey.

Verses 38-41  The Lord tells Moses to have the people make tassels with a cord of blue for the corners of their garments. It is to remind them of God's commandments, "so as to do them and not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you played the harlot, in order that you may remember to do all My commandments, and be holy to your God.  I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the Lord your God." 

The Lord reminds His people that He has chosen them;
He has redeemed them;
 and He is still their God.  
His covenant with them is unchanged.  Sin is still sin.  The Law is still the Law.
He wants them to be holy.  To walk in His ways and be obedient to His Words.
Yes, mistakes will be made, sin will happen, but there is a way to forgiveness through atonement offerings.
But, rebellion will be punished.  Following your own sinful hearts and wicked desires will result in death.

Remember... He tells them.  Remember what the Word says.  Remember as you put on your clothing and see the blue cord on your robe.  Remember as you bring your offerings.  Remember and do not rebel any more.

And Jesus tells us also - Remember.  Remember my death.  Remember the atonement offering that was given through My body and My blood.  An atonement offering greater than any offered through the years, for it is an atonement for all sin. 
An atonement offering that is offered by our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ.
" Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For it is fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself." Hebrews 7:25-27

Mighty God, our God and Father,  Holy is Your Name.  I AM, LORD, Jehovah.. You are merciful and gracious, slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.  You have shown us Your goodness and love through the atonement offering of Your Only Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ.  His body broken and His blood spilled out.. so that our sins can be forgiven.  Let our hearts be in awe of this Truth.  Let us bow down and worship You.  Help us to remember and never forget what You have done for us. To remember what You desire for us.  To trust You to bring us to the Promised Land of heaven, where we will be with You eternally through Christ our Lord. In His Name we come.  Fill us with Your Spirit today, that we might fully obey Your Word in His power, to Your Glory. Amen.

Numbers 14
The people cried when they heard the report from the 10 spies.
They continued to weep that night.
Then they started to grumble.
That led to rebellion.

Moses and Aaron fell on their faces.
Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes in mourning.

But when the rebels pick up stones to stone them, the Lord appears.

God gets angry when His people grumble; when they are greedy; when they are arrogant; and when they forget Who He is and what He has done.  He is ready to smite them all,  but Moses intervenes for them.
He prays that the Lord's Name not be dishonored by other nations,  that they might think that God was not able to bring the people to the land that He promised them. 
He prays that "the power of the Lord be great..."
He prays, reminding the Lord that He has declared Himself, " slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and forgiving..."
He prays that God would forgive "this people according to the greatness of Thy lovingkindness.." 

And God listens to Moses' prayer and forgives. But there is still  a consequence for those who would not listen and who spurned Him.. they would never enter into the promised land.  Every one who had been numbered, all those over 20 years old, would die in the wilderness. Over 600,000 men would die in the wilderness.
Only Joshua and Caleb would be able to enter, because of their "different spirit".  They followed God fully, so they would enter the land, along with all of the children.
But it would take 40 years in the wilderness for that to happen.
40 years of suffering " for your unfaithfulness" God tells the men.
40 years of bearing their guilt.
40 years of knowing the "opposition" of God.

The 10 men who had brought the bad report and stirred up the rebellion died immediately.
The people decided that they would go up and claim the land after all... again not listening to what the Lord had said.  Moses warns them that the Lord will not go with them, but they do it anyway.. and are struck down and run off.

The anger of the Lord is something that we need to think about and pay attention to. We are supposed to "fear" God.  That is the beginning of wisdom!
We need to know that God does get angry when we act like the Israelites did:
When we become discontent and greedy...
When we grumble and complain...
When we become arrogant and prideful.
When we rebel against Him.
When we refuse to trust Him.

God's anger is something that we cannot stand against .  We will die, just like the rebels in the wilderness.  It may be quickly or it may take 40 years, but we will die and most of all we will miss out on the wonderful blessings that He would have given us.. if we would only believe and follow Him fully.

Father in heaven, holy and hallowed is Your Name.  May it never be dishonored!  May Your kingdom come.. Reign over us, your servants, that we will know Your power and authority.  That we might do Your will.  Forgive us for grumbling and complaining.  Forgive our discontent and pride.  Restore us precious Lord by Your lovingkindness and goodness.  To walk according to Your Spirit in us.  Deliver us from the evil one and lead us in the righteous paths.  In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord we pray. Amen

Numbers 12  Miriam and Aaron, the sister and brother of Moses, start talking against their brother.  They feel as if they also should be heard and recognized.  Moses has no desire to argue with them and allows the Lord to handle the situation. God does so by calling the 3 of them into His presence right at the door of the tent. God speaks directly to the 3 of them and makes it clear that Moses is His chosen leader.  When He departs from them and the cloud lifted, Miriam had turned white with leprosy.

It is Aaron that confesses their sin and begs for his sister's healing, directing his appeals to Moses.
It is Moses who turns to the Lord and prays for her healing.
The Lord sentences Mariam to 7 days of being outside the camp.  The entire community is locked down for those 7 days. Once Mariam was allowed back into the camp, then they moved on to their next location in Paran.

Aaron does not appear to have a relationship of his own with God, even though he and Miriam had both claimed to have heard from Him.  This man was given the privilege of becoming the first high priest of the nation of Israel, but couldn't even pray for his own sister, instead asking Moses to intervene. Aaron had failed once before to be the man of God he needed to be, when he built a golden calf at the foot of Mount Sinai.  He also failed to direct his oldest sons, allowing them to offer the wrong kind of incense in the tabernacle.   That must have been so sad for Moses.  To know his family was missing out on the love and presence of the God who sat and talked to him face to face.

Chapter 13 brings us to the mission of the 12 who went in to spy out the land of Canaan.  12 are sent out and spend 40 days there making their observations.  When they return and make their report, 10 give a bad report, but 2, Caleb and Joshua, desire to go in and take possession of the land.
10 saw themselves as "grasshoppers".  2 saw themselves as conquerors because God was on their side.

Once again the Word gives a clear picture of a life of faith versus a life of unbelief. 
The actions of Aaron and Miriam reveal hearts that did not fear God or believe that it was God who chose Moses to lead Israel.
Moses trusted God to direct as He desired.  He would allow God to defend him or even remove him if that was what He wanted.
The actions of the 10 spies revealed that they did not believe that God could give them the land that He had promised.  They were walking by sight and not by faith.
Caleb and Joshua, on the other hand were willing to walk by faith, to go into a place that they could not take on their own, to fight a battle that they could not win on their own, believing that God would do what He had promised.

Faith is sometimes a hard concept to grasp.  Recently I read a statement that keeps coming to mind, the idea that sometimes faith is accepting without understanding... 
When faced with giants and impossible odds... can we accept God's promises, even though we don't understand how or why?
When faced with conflict and criticism ... can we accept by faith that God will take the necessary actions; that He is our defender; even when we are hurt or confused by the assault on us?

This is what Jesus asks us to do. To trust in God...
That He will fulfill His promises.
That He will take vengeance when it is due.
That He will bring good out of all situations, according to His plans and His purposes.
That He will be with us and never forsake us.

Moses is a great example, for he led a great nation with absolute dependance on the Lord. 
Joshua and Caleb are great examples, for they believed that God could do the impossible. 

Father in heaven, once again we are led to "Trust and obey".  You are able to do anything.  We can depend on You in all situations.  Let us  be humble like Moses and faith-filled like Caleb and Joshua.
That we would please You and walk in Your ways.  We ask this in Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Numbers 10:11 -11:35  The Israelites are finally ready to set out on their journey to the promised land.  It has been a year of preparation.  Now the cloud lifts and they travel for 3 days, everyone in their assigned order with the Levites surrounded and protected in the middle of them.

 But, as soon as they begin, the grumbling starts.  Three times the Lord's "anger is kindled."
11:1 - The Lord hears the complaints and sends a fire to the outskirts of the camp.  Verse 4 tells us that there were some "rabble" there, a group of people with "greedy desires".  According to Exodus 12:38 this was a "mixed multitude" that had attached themselves to the Israelites as they left Egypt.

But, there were also Israelites in this group that provoked God also.  These people began to protest against the manna that God was graciously providing.  They wanted meat!   These people stood in the doorways of their tents and cried!  Moses was so unhappy that he went to the Lord and complained too!  Once again the Lord's anger was kindled, in fact it says, " ... and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly." 

The Lord instructs Moses to choose 70 men to help him lead the Israelites.  He takes the Spirit that had rested upon Moses alone, and placed Him on all 70 men.  He told Moses that He was going to provide meat.. free meat for every Israelite, for the next month.  Moses is a bit doubtful, but God assures him, " Is the Lord's power limited? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not." ( verse 23)  And so He does... a wind blows in quail all around the camp.  Enough that they lay 2 cubits ( about 3 feet) deep.  It takes the people a day and a half to gather all the quail.
But the Lord's anger is again kindled and He sends a plague among them.  The plague kills those who were greedy. After those were buried the nation moved out to another area.

The root of the problem that stirred God to anger was greed. The Lord considered their greediness and complaining to be a rejection of Him. ( Numbers 11:20) It is interesting that He gave them what they wanted... and then removed them from the congregation.  He burned out the rubble and He struck down the greedy.  

Paul writes to the Ephesians about this attitude of greediness, " This I say therefore and affirm together with the Lord that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they having become callous have given themselves over to sensuality, for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way."
This is the old selfish nature that we need to lay aside, to crucify.

We must instead, put on the "new self".  The life that comes through Christ's power in us and by the Spirit of God upon us.  The new self begins with a renewed mind.  This is God's creation in
 " righteousness, holiness, and truth."  Ephesians 4:24.  The new self, this new life in Christ, is not consumed with selfishness and greed.  Instead it reflects the "likeness of God":
By speaking truth to each other;
By making things right instead of letting anger come between us;
By doing good- serving or sharing with each other instead of stealing from each other;
By speaking words of grace and edification instead of unwholesomeness. 
By being kind, tender-hearted, and forgiving to each other instead of letting bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice consume us. 
By being imitators of God, walking in His love, as Christ did when He gave Himself up for us. 

Father in heaven, please forgive us for being greedy and complaining, for allowing the things of this world to be more important than You and the life that You want for us to have in Christ.  Keep us from walking in the darkness, thinking futile, worthless thoughts, becoming hard hearted and impure.
Renew our minds and transform our lives to reflect Your Light. Let righteousness and holiness and truth permeate every part of our lives through Your Spirit  and in Name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Numbers 10 : 1-10  The Lord instructed Moses to make 2 silver trumpets.  Not ram's horns, but hammered silver trumpets.  Think about that for a second... they are in the wilderness.  They are a sea of people that will live and travel together for 40 years; and God simply has 2 trumpets made that will  be used to help direct them.
When both trumpets are blown, the whole congregation is to gather at the tabernacle.
When only one is blown, just the leaders are to come.
Alarms are sounded when they are to break camp and move out.
Another alarm is used when an enemy attacks.. " that you may be remembered before the Lord your God, and be saved from your enemies."
The trumpet is blown for feasts and for the 1st day of the month. It is blown for sacrifices and offerings. " ... as a reminder of you before God." 
It was the sons of Aaron, the priests, who were assigned to blow the trumpets.

There is coming a time when another trumpet will sound.  At that trumpet's blast the dead in Christ will rise and those still alive will join them to  meet Him in the air.  ( I Thessalonians 4:16)

There is also a time coming when 7 angels will be given 7 trumpets.  When each of those trumpets sound a great judgement is poured out on the earth.  Hail and fire and blood; a mountain of fire thrown into the sea; a bitter, poisonous star that affects the water; the destruction of the sun and the moon and the stars; the opening of the bottomless pit; armies of destroyers;  and then the last trumpet is sounded.  But this trumpet sound announces the reign of our Lord and of Jesus Christ forever and ever. ( Revelation 8-11)

The people of Israel had to listen for the sound of the trumpets.  They had to be ready and to obey.  They had to trust that when the trumpet was giving a warning that God would remember them and act for them.   There is a great example of this in II Chronicles 13.  A battle between Israel, let by the wicked king Jeroboam, and Judah, let by Abijah.  It was the tribe of Judah that worshiped the Lord and Israel had turned to false gods.  Israel had 800,000 warriors and Judah only had 400,000.  Yet Abijah trusted God and when they sounded the trumpets and cried to the Lord... He answered and gave them victory.  Their victory was given because they trusted the Lord.

The introduction of these silver trumpets into the nation's everyday life, as well as into particular situations, is significant and foreshadows the future return of Christ.  As "priests" of Christ we must also learn to sound the trumpets.  To somehow lead others to listen for the Lord's commands.  He wants to gather us to Himself.  He wants to warn us of the enemy.  He wants us to follow where He leads.  And He wants us to be ready for the trumpet sound that announces that He has come for us!


Father, You are the Lord, and Your will and ways are perfect.  Teach us today what You desire for us to know about You and about Jesus our coming King.  Holy Spirit, help us to understand the significance of these trumpets.  And most of all, complete in us the work that only You can do ;that we might be ready for the trumpet sound that is coming.  May Your Kingdom come soon, we pray in Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Numbers 8-9  The Levites are brought before the tabernacle and cleansed, set apart for service and presented as a gift to Aaron and his sons for the work of ministry.  Then the people celebrated Passover.  It had been a year since they left Egypt.  They now had a government (of sorts), laws, a tabernacle, and an organized community.   When the tabernacle was set up the pillar of cloud/fire that had led them, now settled on it.   When the cloud lifted they would move.  When it settled then they would stop and camp,  sometimes for a day, sometimes a month, or even longer.  This was the symbol of God's Presence and His directions.

Don't you sometimes wish it was that evident?  Live life with the complete assurance that this is exactly where God wants you to be... moving only when the cloud/fire moves.
Yet, we have the Spirit of God, who dwells in us, to do this very same thing.
When He moves, we are supposed to move.
When He settles, we are supposed to settle.
He is God's Presence, made manifest in our lives.
He is the One who is directing us, when we let Him...

If we acknowledge Him, if we hear His voice, if we obey His directions, if we "walk in the Spirit" .... we can have that same absolute assurance of God's Presence and desires for us.. plus He gives us so much more!
The Spirit of God knows the mind of God and will lead us in His Perfect ways.
The Spirit of God knows the inner most cries of our hearts and will pray for us when we have no words.
The Spirit of God produces new life in us and then produces the fruit of righteousness in us - love, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control, faithfulness and joy...
The Spirit of God gives us the power in our inner selves to crucify the flesh and to allow the fulness of Jesus Christ to live in us.

Come Holy Spirit and fill us today!  What we cannot see with our physical eyes, help us to see with spiritual eyes.   May we fully yield to You.  Thank You Father for the Counselor who has been given to us through the Lord Jesus Christ, in who's name we pray. Amen.

Numbers 7  Moses finished setting up the tabernacle.  Then the 12 leaders of the tribes of Israel brought offerings.  They first brought 6 covered carts and 12 oxen which are presented to the Levites for their work in carrying the tabernacle.
 2 of the carts went to the Gershonites, who carried the tent and all its hangings.
 4 went to the family of Merari who carried all the framework for the tabernacle, including the pillars.  The family of Kohath could not use a cart to carry the ark and other furniture. Those had to be carried on their shoulders.  ( This is what David failed to do the first time he tried to have the ark brought to Jerusalem which resulted in the death of one of the Levites.)

Then the 12 tribal leaders each presented the other offerings, one tribe each day for 12 days.  Each brought:
A silver dish and a silver bowl each filled with fine flour and oil ;
A gold pan with incense;
A bull, a ram, and a lamb for a burnt offering;
A goat for a sin offering;
2 oxen, 5 rams, 5 male goats, and  5 male lambs for a peace offering.

When the 12 days were over Moses went into the tabernacle and spoke with God.  And there in the Holy of Holies, before the ark of the covenant, He heard God's voice.

I wonder at how they were able to bring all these items... Here they were in the wilderness, released from captivity for the first time in 400 years.  Overflowing with silver and gold and flour, oil, incense, and animals.  They had been truly blessed by God's provisions. This was a new life, God was doing a new thing that had never been seen before; a new tabernacle and a new relationship with Him.

God is good at making things new.  He ordered the seasons so that every year we experience new life in the spring time - new growth on the trees; new flowers and grass.  Just yesterday, a newlywed young woman, exasperated over the inquiries of whether or not she was pregnant yet, declared that NO, she was not.... and a comment was made about how the church really must like babies... and I thought, yes, yes we do... we love to see new life!

As 2014 comes to an end.. I find myself anticipating a NEW year.  This year has had some struggles and some great joys... and next year will probably bring more of the same, because that it how life is.. but I am looking forward to what new things that God wants to do - in me; in my family; in the church; and in His Kingdom.

 Isaiah 43:18-19 " Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."  Our God, The Holy One, The Creator, our King, the one who can make a path through a sea.. declares that He will pour water on thirsty land and His Spirit on our children.  He can make a new way for us, through whatever the new year holds...   He is the first and the last, He declares; there is none like Him, there is no other God, there is no other Rock.  He is doing a new thing... and oh how I want Him to do that in us!

Father, have Your way in me.  Do all you desire to do, that I might be filled with Your Spirit and encompassed by Your Presence.  Come, Lord Jesus and dwell in me.  All I am and all I have is Yours.
I offer myself, a living and holy sacrifice... in Christ I pray. Amen.

Numbers 6
Verses 1-21 give the instructions for taking a special vow, called a Nazarite vow.   It is a voluntary time of separation, of dedication to the Lord.
This was open to men or women.  There were certain requirements - no wine or liquor could be consumed;  no vinegar or grape products could be consumed; they could not go near any who died during the time of their separation, even a parent or brother or sister; they could not cut their hair during that time.
When the time of separation was completed, the nazarite would offer specific sacrifices, after shaving off all his hair on his head at the door of the tabernacle.  ( It doesn't say what  a woman would do.)

Samson was a Nazarite from birth and John the Baptist may have been one too.  Samuel also was a Nazarite.  Special assignments were given to these men, as they separated themselves for the Lord.
Those who separate themselves like this are called, "holy to the Lord".  In Acts 21 Paul joins 4 others in a vow that appears to be a Nazarite vow, and a time of purification is completed.

We are called to be separated from the things of this world, to be holy to the Lord, every day as Christians.  We don't necessarily follow the rules for a Nazarite vow, in fact Jesus tells us not to take vows unless we can keep them.   But, would this be something useful to us in our walk of faith?
Some Christians have become interested in a vow of sorts at the time we call "Lent".   Sacrificing a certain food or activity... a time of "separation", if you like.  I'm not sure what I think of that.  I have never done it, nor felt compelled to do it.  But, I don't think it is a bad thing if you want to.  There are also Christians that observe a time of fasting, for similar reasons. This definitely is something of great value to us as we are walking this walk of faith.

Verses 22-27 give a special blessing that Aaron and the priests were to pray over their congregation - the sons of Israel.

" The Lord bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine on you,

and be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance on you, 

and give you peace.

So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them."

I love this blessing.  The priests are commanded to speak this over the nation.  They seemed to fail at this.  It is something so valuable - a prayer we can pray over our families and friends that could change their lives and ours! 

The Lord, the great I AM, the self-existing and Mighty God, the Creator of heaven and earth, 

may He bless you - may He prosper you - ( Deuteronomy 28: 1-14) :

in the city and in the country; 

by the offspring of your body and by the produce of your ground;

by the increase of your herds and your flocks;  

may your basket and kneading bowl be blessed;  

may you be blessed "when you come in and blessed... when you go out."  Deuteronomy 28:6.   

May your enemies be defeated.  

Blessing upon your barns and blessing upon your work. 

Blessed to be a holy people, called by His Name.  

"The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand;..." Deut. 28:12  

And may He keep you:

Keep - ( shamar) - to hedge about; guard, protect, tend; to preserve and watch and save... 

May He make His face shine on you and lift up His countenance on you -  to look with favor and goodness towards you;  The Light of His glorious face - flowing in your direction!

May He be gracious to you - to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior; bestowing favor towards you; having pity and compassion on you;

May He give you peace - May He call down and heap up and bestow -shalom : safety, wellness; happiness; health and prosperity; make you whole and well. 

This is what the Lord wants for His people!  And this is what He will do when His people obey His Word.  This is a prayer that we know He hears and will answer.  So, lets pray it!

Father in Heaven, how wonderful and kind You are!  Thank You for wanting to bless us and keep us, for wanting all of this for us as Your people.  May we live in the Light of Your Grace and Kindness.  In Your Kingdom, doing Your will.  Do bless us with daily provisions and daily forgiveness.  Lead us in lives of diligent obedience to Your Word and deliver us from the traps and enticements of the evil one.  Bless our families.  Keep us in Your care as Your sheep. May we seek Your face and see Your glory every day.  And grant to us Your grace and peace.  We ask this in the Name of the Holy Son of God, Jesus our Lord.  Amen. 

Numbers 5

I'm not sure I like this chapter.... it seems rather, well, unfair.  Verses 1-4 are very reasonable.  Those who are sick with leprosy or who have been exposed to a dead body, must go outside the camp so that they don't infect others, and so that they don't come near to the tabernacle.   Seems like a wise thing.

Verses 5-10 talk about sin - "acting unfaithfully against the Lord".  That person who is guilty must:
confess
make restitution
offer an atonement sacrifice
The gospel in a nutshell... very reasonable. But...

It is the rest of the chapter that is difficult.   There is a "test" for adultery that seems right out of the Salem witch hunts... If a woman commits adultery with another man or if a husband is jealous of his wife thinking she may have committed adultery, she is brought before the priests. The priest then takes a cup of water, adds dust from the floor to it, adds some words from a written curse to it, and makes her drink it.  The woman is made to take her hair down, stand with a grain offering in her hands, swear an oath, and drink the water.   If she is guilty the result will be that her "abdomen will swell" and her thigh will "waste away".  Whatever that means.  If she is not guilty, nothing should happen to her.
Wow.

I picture this poor woman, intimidated, afraid, helpless, and alone.  But then I am reminded of what Jesus did when the woman who was caught in adultery was brought before Him.  There was no doubt of her guilt.  She was brought, not to the priest, but to the Savior.  He could have condemned her. But instead, He forgave her.  He never asked for a confession.  He never expected a restitution. He didn't even require an atonement offering.  He simply took pity on her and forgave. 

Why did God give Moses such a law in Numbers 5?  He knew some would misuse it and falsely accuse their wives for their own selfish or ignorant reasons.  I don't understand that.  But, I thank Him that Jesus came to show us a different way.  A way of forgiveness.  A way of redemption.
Praise the Lord for His kindness and mercy.  He sets us free for guilt and shame, no matter what our sin.. if we just come before Him and humbly confess and truly repent.

What a merciful and gracious God we serve. Father, help us to take Your Word seriously and forgive us all of our sins.  Lead us in paths of righteousness and peace.  Deliver us from the evil one and the temptations of this world.  Transform our lives by renewing our minds with Your Word.  We ask for Your Spirit to fill us and for Christ to dwell in us completely.  For He is Lord and our loving Savior.  amen.

Numbers 3-5;  These 3 books record the numbers, responsibilities, and positions for the tribe of Levi.
God took for Himself all of the Levites.  They were substituted for all the first-born sons of the other tribes and set aside for service to the Lord.   Aaron's sons were the only ones that could be priests.  Since Nadab and Abihu died when they offered the wrong incense, that left Eleazar and Ithamar.   The rest of the Levites were divided into 3 groups,  Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.  Each family would have specific responsibilities in service to the the Lord.
Gershon's clan would be in charge of the tabernacle itself, including the tent, the screen for the doorway, and the hangings of the court.
Kohath's clan would be responsible for the ark, the table, the lamp stand, the altars and the utensils.
Eleazar the priest would oversee their work.
Merari's clan was put in charge of the frames and bars, pillars and sockets on which the tent and curtains hung.
Ithamar the priest was director over them.
The work regarding the tabernacle was very organized and specialized.  Moses was instructed to be so specific that he would "assign each man by name the items he is to carry."  These men would be either "serving" or "carrying" while active in performing their duties.  They would work from the time they turned 30 until they were 50.  Their work was sacred and they had to be very careful in handling the "holy things" of God.  Everything was wrapped and carried so that no one would look upon the ark or the other holy items from the Holy of Holies.  They couldn't be touched or exposed.
Although the Levites were not an army like the men from the other tribes, their work could be just as dangerous, for they risked offending the Lord on a daily basis.

Do we think of Him like that?  Do we realize that we risk offending God when we are not careful of His "holy things"?   The ark was the mercy seat, the symbol of God's Presence among His people.   Jesus Christ is our mercy seat... God with us.. Emmanuel.  Are we careful with Him?  Do we carry Him with us with great care and fear?  Or do we drag Him along like a rag doll, a loved but well used security blanket?

God gives us each an assignment.  It is not the same for each one of us.  Some carry and some serve.
But no matter what our responsibility is, we are called to respond according to His command... with love and kindness;  with humility and patience.  Those called to bear heavy burdens are just as important as those who carry the holy utensils...  We who are called to serve, by being wives and mothers, teachers, or care-givers... are no more or less important than those who care for the physical needs of buildings and lawns and such..  Paul says in Romans 12,  " Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly...";  according to faith; with liberality, with diligence, and with cheerfulness. (verses 6-8).

Father, we honor and worship You alone.  You are holy and majestic and full of glory.  May Your Name be hallowed and may Your kingdom come and expand into all of our hearts more and more.  Rule over us!  Completely.  May Your good and perfect will be done today.  We pray this in Your Name Jesus.  For You are our King. Amen.

Numbers 1-2  Back to the Old Testament ... and a book that is, well, not a favorite of many.  Yet, it is here and it is God's Word; and we see more of God revealed, that we may know Him more and have more reasons to praise Him!

It is the second year of Israel's journey from Egypt.  The Law has been given and the covenant made. Moses is told to take a census of the men from every tribe.  All men from 20 years and up. Those who will serve as the army of God.  Each of the 12 families/ tribes are appointed a leader.  God Himself appoints them by name. 
Names that we are not familiar with:
Elizur, from the family of Reuben
Shelumiel, from the family of Simeon,
Nahshon, from the family of Judah,
Nethanel, from the family of Issachar,
Eliab, from the family of Zebulun,
Elishama, from the family of Ephraim, Joseph's son
Gamaliel, from the family of Manasseh, Joseph's other son,
Abidan, from the family of Benjamin,
Ahiezer, from the family of Dan,
Pagiel, from the family of Asher,
Eliasaph, from the family of Gad,
and Ahira, from the family of Naphtali.

Designated by name. Appointed as leaders.  Chosen by God.

And, why do I list them?  Because the Lord did.  Because this is how He works.  They will lead an army of 603,550 men.  With women and children along side them, they will travel to the Promised Land.  It is a formidable task.  It is a great responsibility.

The Lord has a plan and it is organized and efficient.  Each tribe, or family group is arranged into a specific place to camp and to travel.  And in the very center will be the tribe of Levi.  They were not counted with the others.  They will not fight as an army.  They are appointed to keep the tabernacle of the testimony.  They will take it down, carry it, and set it back up.  They will minister to the Lord.

We are also known by God.  He knows us by name and He calls us to the specific place He wants us to be, to the job that He wants us to do, to the responsibilities that He gives to us... 
I am appointed to be a wife, a mother, and a grandmother.
To serve Him as only I can.
To write a blog.  To sing His praises. To give Him glory. To be His servant.

Father,  I present my body, a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to You, through Christ Jesus the Lord.  Fill me with Your Spirit, strengthen me for the day ahead.  May Jesus inhabit all of my mind, heart, soul and strength.  Let Him be seen in me.  Transform me by renewing my mind, that I may know Your will, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.  And work in me that I might complete all that You give to me to do today, to Your glory.
Jesus, I pray this in Your Name,
Amen

Luke 22-24  The last supper is completed.  The betrayal is finalized.  The denial is concluded.
The scourging is executed.  The judgement is rendered. The sentence is carried out.
The prophesies are fulfilled.

Jesus, the Son of Man, accomplished the whole purposes of God.
Every Word spoken in the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms... every word that spoke of Him.. is finished!

Our Savior took on flesh to do this very act.. to be crucified on a cross... to give His life.. to have His body broken and  His blood poured out.. for our redemption. 

The disciples had hoped that Jesus was going to accomplish the redemption of Israel... but Jesus came to do more than that, He came to accomplish the redemption of all mankind... to all who would call upon Him and be saved... "...that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed
in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem."  ( 24:47)


Our Great and Gracious Father, You have given to us this great salvation through Your beloved Son.  Our Lord is seated at Your " right hand of the power of God" We praise You!  We worship the King of kings and Lord of lords!   Father, may we also have our eyes opened to Your Presence,  our minds opened to understand the Scriptures,  and our hearts opened to faith that does not fail, that is not slow to believe, that does not let doubts arise.  Clothe us with power from on high- Holy Spirit fill us again! Strengthen us in our inner man.  We ask this in the precious Name of Jesus, our King.
Amen

Luke 20-21  The last week of Jesus' life is filled with teaching.  We are told that He would teach in the temple from early in the morning until the evening.  The people flocked to Him to hear His words.  The religious leaders came too, but to test Him, to challenge Him, and to try and trick Him into condemning Himself.

When they challenge His authority to teach, Jesus asks  them about the baptism of John.  They cannot answer because of the people, not wanting a riot, so they do not get an answer from Jesus.
Instead they get a parable about a man who owns a vineyard and rents it out.  When he sends his slaves for a portion of the harvest, the growers beat him and send him away.  Again and again they refuse to give to the owner what is his due.  Finally, the owner sends his son and again the growers refuse, killing the man's son.  The owner "will come"  and destroy these growers, Jesus tells them,  and the scribes and chief priests know that He is talking about them.

They send spies out to watch Him.
They send people to ask questions that might get Jesus in trouble with the authorities of Rome.
They ask questions that try to confuse and frustrate Him.
But nothing works.

Finally, He asks them a question that they cannot ignore. "... David calls Him 'Lord', and how is He his son?"   How is the Messiah also the son of David?  Only God could do such a thing.  They cannot argue against the Word.  This should have opened their eyes to the Truth, but they refuse to see.  They reject Jesus again and again,  condemning themselves to be broken to pieces.... stumbling over the "chief cornerstone".

Jesus continues to teach.
He teaches that the widow who gives out of her poverty really gives more than the rich who give out of their surplus.
He teaches that the kingdom will come, but not as they expect.
He teaches that we will be persecuted by unbelievers.
He teaches that we will have opportunities to tell others about Him.
He teaches that we must have endurance.
He teaches that we must be alert and ready, so that we may recognize when the time is coming.
He teaches that we will need to pray for strength... and that we will stand before Him at last.

He teaches up until the last day of His life.  The passover has come.  He will have this last supper with His disciples and then He will give up His life for them.. and for us.  These last teachings are important. We must keep from stumbling over the Cornerstone. We must trust that His Words will never pass away.  We must keep being alert and keep praying... For the day is coming!
Nations are rising against nations.
Kingdoms are attacking other kingdoms.
There are earthquakes and famines.
Christians are being persecuted and killed in many places around the world.
Jerusalem is not surrounded by armies... or is it?

Keep your eyes on the heavens, He tells us, the sun and moon and stars will be signs to us - to "straighten up and lift up (our) heads"; because our redemption is coming!

Father, all glorious and wonderful!  Your plans are perfect and good.  You have declared the coming of the King and our eyes are lifted up, watching for His return.  Oh King of Heaven, come down and redeem Your children.  May we be ready, alert and diligently serving You as we await that joyful day.
Oh, merciful Father, prepare our hearts!  Bring our loved ones to the feet of the Savior that they would all be ready.  We ask this in His Wonderful, Matchless Name, the Name of Jesus Christ the King. amen

Luke 19:28-47  We call this the "Triumphal Entry" - Jesus comes into Jerusalem riding on the colt of a donkey,  fulfilling the words of Zechariah 9:9, " Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Behold your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey." 

The disciples worshiped, praising God with joy,  shouting " Blessed is the King who comes in the Name of the Lord; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

The Pharisees grumbled with disapproval and plotted to destroy Him.

But, what did Jesus do?  He wept.  He wept for the people who would soon turn against Him, who would soon shout "Crucify Him!".  He wept for the beautiful city of Jerusalem that would be overthrown and destroyed.  He wept because their hearts were hardened and they did not want their King.

Jesus knows where the heart of the problem is - for He heads straight to the Temple.
There He cast out those who had made it a market place, corrupt and fraudulent dealers, employed by the chief priests themselves.  "It is written, 'and My house shall be a house of prayer', but you have made it a robbers den!"   Isaiah wrote that the Temple was to be a place of joy. A place where all people could come to worship the Lord.  Jeremiah wrote that it had become a "den of robbers", for they did every manner of evil and then came and stood at the temple and claimed deliverance.  They were tyrants, destructive and evil to the core and thought that all they had to do was go to church once a week and that God would be ok with that.  They were wrong!

 Jesus must look at our world with the same sorrow and grief that He had over Jerusalem.  We have every opportunity to receive Him, the True King.  To worship Him in wonder and joy!  To know peace and salvation.  But, so many want to stay in the business of robbery.  We want to practice our sin and then go to church once a week and declare that God has delivered us...  We are wrong!

God has given us a Savior Who is the King, Christ our Lord. 
We are to come to Him in prayer. 
We are to come Him in humility. 
We are to come to Him with repentance. Forsaking our sins, not clinging to them. 
Jesus has been "endowed with salvation".  He offers it to all who will call upon the Name of the Lord.
Psalm 145:18 says, " The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth."
That is the heart of the problem of humankind - it is a problem of the heart.  We may call to Him, we may come to church, but we don't do it in truth. Then we wonder where He is... 

Heavenly Father, thank You for sending to us a Savior!  Thank You for sending us a King!  We praise You Lord.  We glorify You and worship You alone.  Open our eyes to see You more, to know You more. Fill us with the knowledge of Your will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.  We want to live a life worthy of You and please You in all ways.  We desire to bear good fruit and increase in the knowledge of God.  Strengthen us with Your power, according to Your glorious might, that we may be patient and have endurance for this race that You have set before us. We need You.  And that is the truth.  We pray this in the Name of Jesus Christ our King. Amen

Luke 19:11-27  The Lord is nearing Jerusalem for the last time.  His followers think that He will set us His kingdom.  But, He tells them another parable..
3 characters are introduced - the nobleman; the slaves; the citizens.
The nobleman is going to another distant country to receive a kingdom for himself.
Before he leaves, he gives a mina ( a hundred days wages) to each of his 10 slaves and instructs them to do business with them.
The citizens send a delegation after the nobleman, telling him that they don't want him to reign over them.

When the nobleman, now a king, returns home he takes inventory of his slaves actions.
The 1st slave did really well.  He made the 1 mina earn 9 more and is rewarded richly with authority over 10 cities in the kingdom.
The 2nd slave also did well.  He earned 4 more minas with his 1 and is rewarded with authority over 5 cities.
The 3rd slave did not do anything with his mina.  He kept it hidden, afraid of the master.  Because he failed to do anything at all for the master, he loses everything. His mina is given to the 1st slave.
Then the master deals with the citizens who had sent the message that they did not want him to rule over them.  They are brought in and killed.

The nobleman represents Jesus - who went away, but will return to rule as King forever.
The slaves would be all those who are disciples of Christ.  He has given us gifts and the responsibility to use those gifts wisely and well.
The slave who did not do anything with his money is like one who doesn't really believe that the Master is going to return or doesn't care to do anything for the Master.
The citizens would be all other people, those who reject Christ's reign; who have made themselves His enemies - they will be destroyed.

Those words in verse 27 need to be emphasized, "... these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence."   They condemned themselves to destruction by refusing Him as their King.  Here is the essence of sin.  Satan did not want God to be King over him.... and he was cast out of heaven.  He will be thrown into the lake of fire for eternity.  His judgement is certain and final. People who do not want to bow to the rule of Christ Jesus are under condemnation for the same sin.  God's Word is final - unless we humble ourselves and submit to His Lordship, we also will be cast out and thrown into the lake of fire.  

Our only hope is Jesus.  He has come to deliver us from this condemnation. It is through His death and resurrection that we are saved from destruction.  Then we are brought into His Kingdom and will enter into eternity with Him.  This is the good news of Christmas!  Christ is Lord! He is King!
That is a fact and we either accept it or refuse it.
We either bow before Him and be obedient to His commands...
or we refuse and stay condemned.

Father in heaven, may Your Name be honored..  You are the Righteous King, the Holy One, Mighty God and Glorious Savior.  We honor You by bowing before Your anointed One, Jesus Christ the Lord.  May Your Kingdom come in all its fulness!  May Your reign be established in our lives, in our families, in our country, and in our world today.  May Your will be done here on earth as it is in heaven.  O Lord, help us to be good and faithful servants, taking all You have provided for us and using it for Your glory.  Help us to know, personally, what that means to each of us today.  Help me to use all You have given to me- as a good servant.   Give to us today our needed food.  Forgive us today for our sins.  We let go of every debt and forgive those who have sinned against us.  Lead us away from those obstacles and temptations that keep us from righteousness.  And deliver us from evil. Especially deliver us from refusing to bow to our King in any and all matters.  For Christ Jesus is King and it is in His Name we pray. Amen.

Luke 19

Zaccheus,  a rich tax-collector, who has defrauded his own people and greedily stored up great wealth for himself, hears that Jesus is coming through Jericho.  He climbs a tree in order to catch sight of Jesus over the heads of the crowd.  Little did he expect that Jesus would stop at the foot of the tree and look up at him! Jesus even calls him by name, " Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house."   We are told that Zaccheus receives Jesus with rejoicing!  Verse 8 is his confession and proclamation of repentance, " Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much."

Jesus receives Zaccheus - "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too, is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." 

Zaccheus looked for Jesus.  He waited for Him.  He took action to be able to see Him.
Jesus takes notice of these actions and meets Zaccheus where he is...
At that moment, there is a great change in this man's heart.  Jesus has come to seek Zaccheus and to save him.  This unlikely sinner... this despised "son of Abraham" finds salvation!

What a simple example of the gospel.
Good news!  Look for Jesus and He will find you!
Good news! He is more than willing to come to your house.. today!
Good news! He will call you by name, for He knows all about you.
Good news! Receive Him with joy and your heart will be changed.  ( No one told Zaccheus to give to the poor or pay back what he had taken... he had fruit in keeping with genuine repentance!  The Lord did the work in Zaccheus)

There are many "stumbling blocks" or obstacles that could have blocked the way for Zaccheus, but he found the narrow way!
Humbly.
Joyfully.
Freely.
He gives himself into the Master's Hand.

Father  in heaven, You have sent Your Son to come and seek the lost. To save the dying. To rescue us from the dominion of darkness and set us firmly into the Kingdom of Your beloved Son.  How we praise You.  We give You glory!  We are so thankful.  Father, we pray for those who are still lost, blinded by the devil and do not know that Jesus has come to find them. If they would just look to Him.. they would be found by Him.  Thank You that He was willing to come to earth. Thank You that the door is still open.  Remove the obstacles that keep our loved ones from entering the narrow way.  Deliver them from the lies and schemes of the evil one.  We pray this in the mighty Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Luke 18:9-17  Jesus tells a parable about two men in the temple, praying.   One, a tax-collector, a despised agent for the Romans,  a sinful, corrupt, and greedy man.  The other one is a Pharisee, a religious man, well educated, wealthy, an expert in Jewish Law.   Both men come to the temple to pray.

The Pharisee prays to himself - "God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer . I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get...."
His prayer is full of himself.  He thanks God, but he really doesn't credit God for anything. Nor does he ask God for anything.

The tax-gatherer prays this way, " God, be merciful to me, the sinner."  His eyes cannot even look up towards heaven and he is beating his breast.   Here is true humility.  He surrenders himself fully to the Lord, confessing that he is a sinner in need of a Savior.  He has no other hope.

This one, Jesus says, is the one who goes home justified.  The first man did not seek God's justification, for he justified himself.  The second man had no doubt of his need for the Lord's mercy.
And so must we.

".. for everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted."

It takes a humbling of self to come to the kingdom of God, " like a child".

The rich young ruler in verses 18-24 doesn't know how to do that either.  He wants to know.  He has tried to keep the commandments.  But, he is unwilling to come without his wealth.

A child comes to his father with nothing... he comes to receive what he cannot purchase, earn, or keep for himself.  He comes, trusting that his father will provide.  He comes without fear and without worry.  God has all things in His Hand and He is willing to give us all that we need. This is the only true way to come to our heavenly Father.

Bartimaeus understood this.  Here he was, a blind beggar, who ignored the crowd and called out to Jesus for mercy.   When Jesus stopped and asked him what he wanted, Bartimaeus did not hesitate to ask for what he needed, "Lord, I want to regain my sight!"   And Jesus answered him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well." 

Here again we see faith in action - a beggar begging for what he needed most - his sight.   A pray-er praying with perseverance until the Lord does the impossible for him. 

God, grant us ears to hear!

Father in heaven,  give to us our daily bread, what we need for today.  Give to us true faith and abundant love and grace.  Create in us a clean heart, a humbled heart that doesn't justify itself, but bows before the only One who can wash us clean and fill us with holiness. Holy Spirit come and fill us today with Yourself.  Fill us with Your Word, the Truth that leads to life.  We give all praise to You, Father God.  We ask that You be glorified and lifted up. That all men will be drawn to You.
In Jesus Christ, our Rock, we stand and come before You.  For there is no other way, amen.

Luke 18:1-8  Jesus tells a parable about praying with perseverance.   A judge,  an unjust and unrighteous judge, who has no reverence or fear of God and no respect or regard for people is hounded by  a widow for a righteous judgement.  Will a man such as this ever be able to provide such a ruling?  Only when it benefits himself....   So, he does eventually help her, not for her sake, but for his own.

In contrast, Jesus tells us that God, Who is Just, will of course do justice for His own, His "elect".
He will bring justice.
He will not delay.
He will act "speedily".

" However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"
Like the woman, who came continually to the judge until he moved on her behalf,  the elect are the ones who, " cry to Him day and night..."  Praying with perseverance.  That is what faith does.. it keeps believing in the righteousness and justice of God.  It keeps crying out to the One who has chosen us to be His own.  It keeps asking, seeking, and knocking.  Faith never gives up. 

Importunity - urgent, insisting, persistent, refusing to be denied.  E.M. Bounds writes,
" Importunate prayer is a mighty movement of the soul toward God. It is a stirring of the deepest forces of the soul, toward the throne of heavenly grace . It is the ability to hold on, press on, and wait.  Restless desire, restful patience, and strength of grasp are all embraced in it.  It is not an incident, or a performance, but a passion of soul.  It is not a want, half-needed, but a sheer necessity."  

He goes on to  say this, " Christian people are prayerful, the worldly-minded, prayerless.  Christians call on God; worldliness ignore God, and call not on His name.  But even the Christian had need to cultivate continual prayer.  Prayer must be habitual, but much more than a habit.  It is a duty, yet one which rises far above, and goes beyond the ordinary implications of the term.  It is the expression of a relation to God, a yearning for divine communion. It is the outward and upward flow of the inward life toward its original fountain. It is an assertion of the soul's paternity, a claiming of sonship, which links man to the eternal." 

And, " God waits patiently as, day and night, his elect cry unto Him.  He is moved by their requests a thousand times more that this unjust judge. A limit is set to tarrying, by the importunate praying of his people, and the answer richly given.  God finds faith in his praying child - the faith which stays and cries - and he honors it by permitting its further exercise, to the end that it is strengthened and enriched.  Then he rewards it by granting the burden of its plea, in plenitude and finality. "

Prayer is so much more than a few whispered words of thanks at a meal, or a listing of names that we ask God to bless.... although that is important too.  What are the "sheer necessity" desires of our hearts that we will cry out to Him day and night for?  What are the righteous judgements that we must have?  Are we desperate for the righteous Judge of all heaven and earth to move on our behalf?
These are the prayers we must not neglect.

Father in heaven,  Jesus taught His disciples and us to pray this way... May Your Name be honored, may Your Kingdom come, may Your will be done.  Give to us our daily bread, forgive our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us.  Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
This we offer to you.  We desire to come to You in prayer with our hearts fully engaged, our minds fully focused, and our faith fixed firmly on You.   Lead us deeper Lord God. Into the divine communion that You desire for Your elect.
In the Name of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ we come,
Amen

Luke 17:22-37   Jesus talks about the "days of the Son of Man"  He gives us specific information that we need to pay attention to:

We will long for it... waiting and waiting, until we are tempted to run after lesser things.

His coming will be unmistakeable.  There will be no denying it when He comes.

Life will be similar to the days before Noah went into the ark and when Lot left Sodom.   In both cases men were doing whatever they wanted to do and it was very corrupt and immoral.  In both cases there was an opportunity to be saved, but only a few took it.

There will be only two possibilities - either we are taken or we are left.  Received near or laid aside.
" Whoever seeks to keep his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life shall preserve it."  Jesus warns. 

keep - (peripoieomai) - to make around oneself, to acquire , purchase
life - (psuche) - soul/spirit
lose -(apollumi) - destroy, perish
preserve -(zoogoneo) - rescue, be saved from death.

When we claim our lives as belonging to ourselves; ignoring the fact that we have a Creator and Master; we will actually destroy ourselves.  We see this every day in the lives of unbelievers around us. Our culture is full of prideful and arrogant men and women who think that they own themselves and will not held accountable for their sins. Why are we shocked when their lives unravel?

It is only those who "lay down their lives", taking up their crosses and following Jesus who will be saved from death; rescued, redeemed.

Jesus ends this discourse with these final words, " Where the body is, there also will the vultures
 ( eagles) be gathered."   Matthew 24:28 says it this way, " Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather."   There are several Old Testament references that help us to understand this better.
Job 39:27 - 30 " Is it at your command that the eagles mount up ....From there he spies out food; His eyes see it from afar.  His young ones also suck up blood; and where the slain are, there he is."
Ezekiel 39:17 " And as for you, son of man, thus says the Lord God, 'Speak to every kind of bird and to every beast of the field, "Assemble and come, gather from every side to My sacrifice which I am going to sacrifice for you, as a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, that you many eat flesh and drink blood. " 

This speaks of the day of great judgement.  Armageddon.  With the coming of Christ there will be a separation of those who believe in Him and those who have rejected Him.

Again the call to us is clear, we must come to Him humbly and repent.  We must choose to follow Him. To walk in faith, giving glory to God with earnest thanksgiving for what He has done for us.

Father in heaven, we bless Your Name,  we give glory and honor to You alone.  You are our Creator and our Savior. You are our King and Master.  We long for You. We wait for the return of Our Lord.
We lay down our lives, presenting ourselves as living sacrifices, acceptable to You, for this is our spiritual service, our true worship.  May we not be conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds, through Jesus Christ. That we may discern and do Your will as faithful servants.  Complete Your purposes in our lives today we ask. Amen.

Luke 17:11-21  As Jesus heads towards Jerusalem He goes through Samaria.  There He is met by 10 men, all afflicted with leprosy.  Perhaps they heard that He was coming.. they waited, anxiously looking for Him to come.  Their hearts pounding.  Their hopes high.  As they catch a glimpse of Him, their voices rise as one, " Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  They know who He is. They know what He can do.  They make their petition with earnest hearts.

Jesus doesn't do what He has often done in the past.. He doesn't approach them or touch them.  He simply instructs them to go to the priests, as required by the Law.  So, they turn and go... all ten obey and all ten are cleansed of this terrible disease.  Yet, only one turns back to give glory to God and thanks to Jesus.  This one receives so much more than the other nine... for this expression of faith - this heart of praise and thanksgiving - brings a spiritual blessing, " .. your faith has made you well." 
He is made whole.  Whole in body and whole in spirit.  Gratitude - (eucharisteo) - is an act of worship towards God.  To give glory - (doxa) - honor and praise and worship.  These two expressions of worship to God are evidence of this man's faith... and his path to wholeness. 

Verses 20-21 The Pharisees ask Jesus when the kingdom of God is coming.  They still want a sign.  They want to see it with their physical eyes..... But,  it isn't going to come with signs and commotion, Jesus tells them, ".. For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst."  It is within the heart of man.  They can't see it, for they refuse to receive it by faith.  What the Samaritan leper saw and received, the educated and powerful religious leaders could not have.

And neither can we.  We must be humble like the poor, miserable leper... putting all of our hope in the One Who can save us.  All the wisdom, knowledge, power, money, and prestige of this world will not make us whole.  We come to Jesus in faith when we ask Him to have mercy on us.  We express that faith when we turn to Him, giving glory to God and give thanksgiving with earnest hearts.  True gratitude and thanksgiving will acknowledge the One from whom we have received.  The One who has shown us mercy and given us His grace. 

Our Father in heaven,  we come to You with grateful hearts today.  Thanking You for saving us from a worse disease than even leprosy - saving us from the vileness of sin and rebellion and self-righteousness.  You have blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus! You chose us in Him before the foundation of this world.  You predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus, according to Your kind intentions.  You freely bestowed Your grace on us, You redeemed us through His blood, forgiving us all of our sins.  You have made known Your will, Your kind intentions, Your inheritance... all to the praise and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We give You all our praise and all our thanks for Your grace towards us.

Amen.

Luke 17:5-10  The request of the disciples is reasonable and good, " Increase our faith!" 
Faith, so that we can forgive others, so that we won't be stumbling blocks or be the ones who stumble.  But, Jesus answers in a way that .... well, frankly, doesn't answer that request.  He doesn't grant them bigger faith with a touch of His hand... instead He teaches them this:

"If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and be planted in the sea; and it would obey you."  If you have faith - conviction, reliance on Christ, assurance, belief, fidelity; constancy in the Truth...  Then, the tree would obey... it would conform to your authority, submit to your command.

Then, Jesus gives them a parable of a master and his slave.  The slave comes in from his work, either tending sheep or plowing in the field.  The master does not have the slave come in and sit down and be served.  No,  the slave is then required to do the rest of his assignments - prepare food for the master, clothe himself properly and serve the meal.  When he is finished with this, then he can eat his own supper.  The slave does what he has been commanded to do.  The master doesn't thank the slave for doing his job.  It is expected and required.

Verse 10 - " So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you say, 'We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.' " 

 According to the Bible Knowledge Commentary this teaching is about responsibility - the disciple of Jesus is responsible to have faith - and is also responsible to serve God humbly, without the need for "special praise from his master for doing his job."  Matthew Henry adds this thought, " As with God nothing is impossible, so all things are possible to him that can believe. Our Lord showed His disciples their need of deep humility.  The Lord has such a property right in every creature, as no man can have in another, he cannot be in debt to them for their services, nor do they deserve any return from him."

So... we belong to God, our Creator, our King, our Master.  His command to us is to have faith. It is our responsibility to trust Him, to exercise the faith that we have, humbly obeying Him.  That is our expected service as His slaves. Do we believe that everything is possible with Him?  Do we believe that He has the authority to grant us authority?  If we do then we can ask for the impossible and there will be compliance with our command...

That is ... well... a big step of faith!
That's the point, isn't it?

Father in Heaven,  Almighty in power and in dominion and glory.  All things are possible for You!   I am Your unworthy servant, Lord.  Complete the work in me that You desire to do.  Help me to live and walk in faith, according to Your will.  I ask this Jesus in Your Name. Amen

Luke 17: 1-4  Jesus tells His disciples and us, " It is inevitable that stumbling blocks should come..."  - the greek word here is skandalon - scandal - a trap or snare; a cause of stumbling or offense; an enticement to sin. Things that  will trip us up.

 The one who causes the other to stumble will be judged and it "would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should cause one of these to little ones to stumble." ( Verse 2).  These are pretty serious words!  It would be better to suffer a violent death than cause someone else to stumble into sin. So...

 "Be on your guard!...." Jesus tells us, "... If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent' forgive him." ( verses 3-4).

Be on your guard.. so that you are not a stumbling block!  We do that by forgiving.... even if that means we do it over and over and over again!  What kind of person can really DO that?  Only the one who has received forgiveness himself.  Only when we have humbled ourselves before God and have repented of our own sins; when we have understood the fullness of the grace He has lavished on us; and when we have opened our own hearts to His glorious light;  only then will we be able to forgive those who have sinned against us over and over again... 

If we aren't on our guard, we will stumble.  We will hold their sins against them and allow bitterness and anger to take over our hearts.  We will fall.

Be on your guard - prosecho - hold the mind; pay attention to; be cautious about; apply oneself to;
" Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove ( discern) what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." ( Romans 12:2)  To be on our guard against stumbling or against becoming a stumbling block... we need our minds renewed.. set on His Word and His Will.  On that which is good and acceptable and perfect. 

Father in Heaven,  renew our minds!  Transform our lives! Fill our hearts with Your grace and mercy so that we will forgive others even as You have forgiven us our sins.  We cannot do this by our own will power.  We struggle to forgive even 1 offense, let alone 7 or 70... but in Christ our Lord we have strength. He is our model of forgiveness. Make us like Him! You are faithful and You have promised to establish us with Christ and anoint us and seal us by Your Spirit Who You have given to us as a pledge. To Your glory we ask these things. Amen.

Luke 16: 19 - 31  Jesus tells a story about two men.  The first man, we are told, is rich and lives an extravagant life.  He has the best of clothes and material goods.  He eats well and enjoys himself.
The second man, Lazarus, is sickly and poor.  His body is covered with sores.  He is starving. He is laid at the gate of the rich man's house, but is never helped.  Only the dogs pay attention to him.

Both men die.
Lazarus is "carried away to Abraham's bosom."
The rich man is buried and is found in Hades.

Lazarus is comforted in the arms of his family - Abraham himself has received this son into the kingdom.
But the man who had lived in greedy luxury, without compassion or care, was in agony.  He was tormented. He was thirsty.  He was in despair.  Now it is he who is begging for mercy.

Gently addressing this man as "Child....", Abraham explains why no mercy will be given:
He had lived in luxury while Lazarus had suffered.
Lazarus was receiving comfort. Nothing would be taken away from him.
There is a chasm between them that cannot be crossed.
There is no way open to come into the Kingdom.
There is no more opportunities for repentance.
It is too late. 

The man begs Abraham to send Lazarus back from the dead to tell his brothers - to warn them of the reality of Hades, so that they might repent.  But, Abraham tells him that they must hear the Word of God, the Law and the Prophets - and if they don't have ears to hear that, they will not listen to the one who comes back from the dead either.

Isn't it interesting that Jesus uses the name Lazarus in this story?  John records for us ( John 11)  the death of Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha.  Jesus does raise Lazarus from the dead.  Later on we learn that the Pharisees wanted to kill Lazarus again because people were hearing what he had to say. There were many who believed because of his testimony.  But, there were also those who would not listen, even to one raised from the dead.

We do not know when it will be too late for us or for our loved ones.
Now is the day that we must come to our Lord Jesus and have ears to hear His Words.
We must not live as the rich man, caring only for ourselves, but we must live as humble servants of our Heavenly Father, ready to enter into His rest.

Father, You are holy and perfect in every way.  You have given to us the Word of God so that we might repent and be received into Your Kingdom.  Your Kingdom is everlasting.  It is glorious and majestic and filled with splendor.  We pray for Your Kingdom to come!  But, O Lord,  there are ones that we love that are not ready.  Please change their hearts even now, this very day, that they will enter eternal comfort in Your arms and not eternal agony in hell.  You are merciful, my Lord.  Please have mercy on me and on my loved ones.  I ask this in the Name of my Lord, Jesus Christ, amen.

Luke 16  A rich man had a steward who was accused of squandering the man's possessions.  The man called the steward in and asked for an accounting.  The steward called in those who owed the master and collected partial payments from the debtors.  The master called the steward "shrewd".   Shrewd - thoughtful, sagacious, discrete, intelligent, wise.  Notice, Jesus says, ".. for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light."  The steward was careful to make friends with those who could help him out after he is removed from his position.

How we conduct ourselves among our fellow men, especially our fellow believers, shows what is really in our hearts.
V. 10-13 -
If we are faithful in little things - we will be faithful in the big things.
If we are unrighteous in little things - we will be unrighteous with many things.
If we are not able to use earthly riches wisely, we will not be trusted with "true riches".
If we are too busy pleasing each other, we will miss what is really important - pleasing God.

Verse 16 "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since then the kingdom of God is preached and everyone is forcing his way into it."  Or as Matthew records it, " And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force." 
What does this mean?  The term " taking it by force"  means to snatch it away, pull it, take it.  The religious leaders had their own definition of the Kingdom and they resisted the teaching of John and Jesus.  But, Jesus tells them, they are not keeping the Law and they will be judged by the Law Giver. For example, they had viewed divorce according to their own definition... which was not God's way.
They justified themselves "in the sight of men", but Jesus tells them, " God knows your hearts."

The kingdom of God cannot be taken...
Not by the position or job that we hold.
Not by the money that we have.
Not even  by the moral principles that we proclaim...
The only thing that is important .. is what is in our hearts.
It is coming home to our Heavenly Father, humble and repentant.  Confessing our sins and receiving His forgiveness and love.  This is the only true way into the Kingdom.
And it is ours through Christ alone.

Thank You Father, for such grace and mercy.  That You gave Your Son to pay the price for our sins.
Thank You for leading us to the truth and shining Your holy light into our hearts.  Help us to be wise stewards of all You have given us.  Help us to be faithful in little and big things.  Help us to be righteous in all we do and say. Help us to live our lives here on earth in ways that please You .  Oh, may our hearts be filled with Your love and truth.  We pray this in Jesus' Name. Amen

Luke 15  The Pharisees and scribes derided Jesus because He received sinners.  He accepted and welcomed them... He admitted them into His Presence - showing hospitality.   Jesus gives 3 illustrations that show God's heart and will in this matter.

Verses 4-7  The lost sheep - these men could relate to the importance of finding even 1 missing sheep from their flock.  They would rejoice when it was found.  Yet they couldn't find any joy in one lost man coming to God.  " I tell you that in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance."  

Verses 8-10 The lost coin - A woman who has lost one coin is desperate to find it again. It is vital to her well-being. She rejoices when she finds it.  Again Jesus tells them that all of heaven will rejoice over a sinner who repents.

Verses 11-32 - The lost son - The rebellious son who takes his inheritance, leaves his father and wastes all that he has... who then becomes destitute and returns home; humbled and repentant.  This son is received with honor and great joy!  He had been lost - but now is found!  What joy this brought to the father's heart.   Yet, we also see that the elder son has no joy in his brother's return.
The Pharisees and scribes had no joy in seeing sinners repent and be received by Jesus.  Their hearts were so darkened that they couldn't see this fundamental Truth - that God desires all men to repent and come back to Him.

A footnote in my Bible says this, " In these three parables, one basic element is fundamental; the father who loses his son, the woman who loses her coin, and the shepherd who loses his sheep, do not give up the right of ownership.  In the same manner, God is presented as still claiming His right of ownership even of those who are lost. When they are reclaimed, it is not He who becomes their Father or their rightful owner, but they become His again...."

The returning son illustrates what repentance really means -
He reconsiders his decisions and changes his mind about his life choices.
He turns back towards home and to his father.
He recognizes his father's ability to provide but also his unworthiness to receive.
He comes with humility, confessing his sinfulness and unworthiness.
And the father receives him fully! With joy and compassion. With perfect forgiveness and love.

Even more so, does our Heavenly Father receive us when we return to Him.

Which takes us back to that word - receive - ( prosdechomai) - to admit, to await, accept, allow, look for, take... to be hospitable towards.  Romans 12:13 "... practicing hospitality"  is something that we are to do as followers of Christ; as living sacrifices, with transformed lives and renewed minds. The Greek word for hospitality is philonexia - to entertain strangers; to be fond of guests.  We recognize that philadelphia means brotherly love; and that philanthropy is a fondness for mankind.  Hospitality pushes us a little further outside our comfort zone.  To receive others... the lost, the strangers, the rebellious, the sinners - means that we admit them into our homes and into our hearts.  We accept them and show kindness and love - fondness for them.  

The older son could not do that even for his brother.
The Pharisees and scribes could not do that even for their fellow countrymen.
But, Jesus did it all the time.  It is the Father's will.  In Matthew 18:12-14 the parable of the lost sheep is presented again.  But, Matthew adds these words in verse 14, " Thus, it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish."  
"For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost." ( Matthew 18:11)
We are to receive the those who humble themselves and come to Jesus just like a little child. We are to show love and fondness and kindness to brothers and to strangers.
This brings joy in heaven and will also bring joy to earth for those who love Jesus!

Heavenly Father, lead us in Your wonderful and kind ways.  Forgive us for not loving and receiving strangers and friends as we should. Fill our hearts with Your love and grace and may we see others, especially the lost, through Your eyes and with Your love for them.
In Jesus we ask this,
Amen

Luke 14:7-35  Jesus teaches through parables and we need to hear and heed the messages.

Verses 7-11 Be humble.  The person who exalts himself by taking the place of honor, will be disgraced when he is asked to move to the lowest place. But, the person who humbles himself may find himself asked to move up.  Romans 12: 3 "For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think, but to think so as to have sound judgement...."   And verse 16 says, " ... do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly; Do not be wise in your own estimation."  Jesus is our ultimate example of humility.  He did not insist on His rights as the Son of God.  He emptied Himself and took on the form of a slave. A servant.

Who is it that we place ourselves over?  Who is it that we think is "lower" than us?  This Word from our Lord is not an easy one to heed.  We think we know more... than the under-educated; we think we are more important than the under-privileged.  We think we are more righteous than the unbeliever. But, we need to be "transformed by the renewing of our minds".  The will of God is for us to be humble.  Jesus came to serve all men, women, and children.  He died for all of us.  The rich and the poor. The healthy and the weak.  The atheist, the muslim, the Jew... and the Christian.  We all have sinned and come short of His glory.  We MUST humble ourselves.

Verses 12-15  Be a servant.  In the times that Jesus lived, dining together was an important part of the culture. Having those who were the most respected and important as your guests would boost your standing in the community. But, Jesus says, invite the unimportant - the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.  They can't repay you.  They won't add to your reputation in the community.  But, you will be rewarded in eternity.  That is what really counts.

Verses 16-24 tells the parable of a man who gives a dinner.  The invited guests all make excuses and do not come. So the man sends his servants out to invite others, and they fill the house with "the poor and crippled and lame." They search the streets and then go out to the highways and "compel them to come in".   The first group miss the dinner.  The second group will sit at his table with him.

We know this is what our Father in heaven will do.  Those too proud, who reject His invitation,  will miss out on His Kingdom.  But those who respond to the call- to the invitation to come, will be welcomed into the Heavenly Kingdom for eternity!

What obstacles stand in our way?  Is it our pride that keeps us from completely forsaking it all for Him?  Is it our family?  Jesus says we must "hate" them if they keep us from following Him.
We must calculate the cost.
We must take time to think of the future.
We must be willing to lay down all our possessions.
We must take up our crosses and lay down our lives... for Him.

Father in Heaven, You are worthy of all our worship.  You are our King.  All we are and all we have comes from You. We want to walk according to Your Word.  To realize that we are poor, blind, lame, and crippled; yet You have invited us in to Your Kingdom. Help us to forsake every obstacle that keeps us from entering Your Way.  We know that there is a cost - our own lives.  We know that we must give up all our earthly possessions - they are yours.  We are willing to do just that, for Your promises are True and we have an eternity in Your Presence that is worth it all.  Thank You Lord.
Let Your will be done and Your Kingdom come.
In Jesus' Name we pray.
amen.

Luke 13: 22 - 30  Someone asks Jesus an important question. "Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?"   Jesus gives us an answer that the world needs to hear:

There is a narrow door - According to Strong's, this word for narrow "stenos" means narrow from obstacles standing close about.  There are many obstacles in this world that keep us from entering the Kingdom.  We have to "strive" to enter, Jesus tells us.  Strive - "agonizomai" -struggle, contend, compete-as for a prize; endeavor to accomplish; fight, labor fervently.   " ... for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able."    They won't be able, because they wait too long.  They let the obstacles keep them from following Jesus.  The door is closed. The Master will not open it again.

"There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth there... "  On the outside, looking in.  With regret and sorrow, they will see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, along with the prophets and believers who will come from the east, west, north and south.  All eating at the table in the Kingdom of God.

This is a sobering and vital message.  None can enter the Kingdom of God without first finding the narrow way and then striving to enter through it.  That reminds me of the letters to the churches in the book of Revelations;  Over and over again Jesus says, " He who overcomes..."
Rev. 2: 7  " To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God."
2:11 "He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death."
2:17 "To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows, but he who receives it."
2:26 " And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations."
3:5 "He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels."
3:12 " He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write upon him the name of my God and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new Name."
3:21 "He who overcomes, I grant to him to sit down with My Father on His throne."

Jesus precedes each promise to the overcomes with these words, " He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Entering the Kingdom of God is simple but it is not easy.  We enter by being born again, by believing in Jesus and following Him.  But, we must persevere.  We must strive. We must be overcomers.
We must hear what God is saying and we must heed His Words. We must be intentional and active followers of Christ. Every day!

Our Wonderful Father, Your promises are great! We long for the day when we will join the saints in the Kingdom of Light, when we will eat at Your table and be in Your Presence forever more.  Help us to continue on this path along the narrow way.  Remove the temptations that become obstacles  and chains that so easily bind us.  Lead us in the ways of righteousness and deliver us from evil.  Make our paths straight and strengthen us by Your Spirit today we pray. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Luke 13:10-17 and 14:1-6  Jesus addresses healing on the Sabbath.  In the first situation, Jesus is teaching in a synagogue and sees a woman who was doubled over and could not straighten up.  She had been like this for 18 years.  Jesus calls her over and heals her of this sickness, which was caused by a spirit.  When the synagogue official complains and begins to tell the multitude to come on other days for healing, Jesus brings them to shame by pointing out their hypocrisy.  They would lead an ox or donkey to water on the Sabbath, but keep this poor woman suffering one more day because of their own indignation!   That's not what the Law is about!  They valued their rules and regulations more than hurting people.  God does not desire that kind of thinking.

In the second passage, Jesus is eating at the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees and it is the Sabbath.  They bring in a man with dropsy and watch what Jesus does.  He engages them in the debate.  " Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" he asks.  They refuse to answer.  Jesus touches the man, heals him, and sends him away.  This man needed compassion.  He did not need to be used by the Pharisees.  Jesus then addresses the group, " Which one of you, shall have a son or an ox fall in a well and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?"  Again, they would not answer.

The attitude of the Pharisees needed to be adjusted.  They needed to repent of their unloving and judgmental ways.   Luke records a series of parables about the Kingdom that Jesus teaches.  These parables focus on the right attitude and actions for those who belong to the Kingdom of God.

Luke 13: 18-19  The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed... not big and showy, it is small but powerful.  The seed is thrown into the garden, yet it grows into a tree that provides a place for birds to nest.  When the kingdom is sowed into our lives, it will grow and it will serve those in need.

Verses 20-21  The kingdom is compared to leaven that a woman used to make her bread rise.  It is small and hidden, but it affects all that come into contact with it.

Father in heaven, let your kingdom come.  Penetrate our lives with Your love and goodness.  May we seek Your will and live in light of your truth. Soften our hearts we pray. Amen