Rejoice In Those Bright Spots

I am reading in Numbers and came upon this bright spot in the life of the Israelites. "Thus the sons of Israel did these things; according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so they did." Numbers 1:54
Our life in Christ is not dependent on performance, yet we are called to "strive for the mastery". Every once in a while we do exactly as we are supposed to do and our obedience is stellar.  When those moments come, and if your like me,  not often enough....rejoice in the "bright spot". If not...do as I have to all too often do, admit my wrong doing and ask my merciful heavenly Father for forgiveness.            (I John 1:9).

Longsuffering

When you read the text and see God's judgement for failing to following His commands, don't forget to notice His "IF LONGSUFFERING".  (NOTE THE NUMBERS).  Even in the midst of God pouring out His judgements, He is longsuffering and if we at anytime will listen and obey He will stay His hand and demonstrate His merciful longsuffering toward us.  Leviticus 26:14-46

But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments;  And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:  I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.  And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.  (1)And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.  And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:  And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits.  (2)And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins.  I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate.  (3)And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me;  Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins.  And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.  And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied.  (4)And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me;  Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.  And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat.  And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.  And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours.  And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it.  And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.  Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.  As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.  And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth.  And they shall fall one upon another, as it were before a sword, when none pursueth: and ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies.  And ye shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up.  And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them.  (5)If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me;  And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; (6)if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity:  Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.  The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes.  And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the Lord their God.  But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the Lord .  These are the statutes and judgments and laws, which the Lord made between him and the children of Israel in mount Sinai by the hand of Moses.
Leviticus 26:14‭-‬46

He Leans Toward Us

The blessings of God come in many different ways.  We tend to think materially yet there are so many ways God blesses.  Sometimes He just leans toward us, how incredible that the God of the universe would lean toward us.    For I will (lean)turn toward you [with favor and regard] and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will establish and confirm My covenant with you. LEVITICUS 26:9
In context He requires and desires our obedience.  Yet how often has He leaned toward us with mercy and grace even when we have failed Him.  Praise the Lord for His blessing of leaning toward us with favor and regard!

Who's In Charge

Does this mean that Washington will now do things God's way?  No... that's right they said God was dead.  So who's in charge now?

Let's not be so cynical there Steve Hubbard.  Remember what scripture said. 

First of all, then, I urge that petitions (specific requests), prayers, intercessions (prayers for others) and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all people, for kings and all who are in [positions of] high authority, so that we may live a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This [kind of praying] is good and acceptable and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who wishes all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge and recognition of the [divine] truth. For there is [only] one God, and [only] one Mediator between God and mankind, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom [a substitutionary sacrifice to atone] for all, the testimony given at the right and proper time. 1 TIMOTHY 2:1‭-‬6

Free At Last

Free At Last, Free At Last, Praise God Almighty I Am Free At Last!  The negro spiritual that Martin Luther King referenced, as inspiring as it was, pales in comparison to the freedom we have in Christ.  The slaves would never want to go back to the slave owner, why would we ever want to go back to "spiritual Egyptian bondage" if we have been set free by salvation?
~‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would not be their slaves; and I broke the bars of your yoke and made you walk upright [with heads held high as free men]. LEVITICUS 26:13

My Little Light

This Little Light of Mine

Reading in Leviticus 24 today(“Command the children of Israel to bring to you clear oil from beaten olives for the light [of the golden lampstand], to make a lamp burn continually." Leviticus 24:2) and two thoughts came to life.  I went back to my childhood and that little song I will never forget.
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine, shine, shine
Let it shine!
Then I was reminded of Revelation  chapter one that describes the 7 lampstands and Christ standing in the midst.  The Lampstands are not only representative of the church but of us as well.  We are collectively and individually called to be the light of the world.  We are supposed to let our light shine in a dark world.  There is so much hoplessness and darkness in our world.  Let's be sure are lamps are burning brightly.

Banana In Your Ear?

Reading Oswald Chambers this morning I was reminded of a phrase I remembering hearing as a child..."what's the matter you can't hear me, do you have a banana in your ear?  That's the problem all to often in our relationship with God, we have a banana in our ear.
Chambers said it this way..."God Did not address the call to Isaiah; Isaiah overheard God saying,  "Who will go for us?" The call of God is not for the special few it's for everyone. Whether or not I hear God's call depends upon the state of my ears and what I hear depends upon my disposition." 
Let's be sure we are listening as much as we are talking to God, otherwise we might miss a great opportunity to accomplish a task for His glory.

Timeless Great God

How Great is our God?  To really comprehend His greatness we have to start in the beginning, but that does not apply to God, because He had no beginning.  As A.W. Tozer put it..."Time marks the beginning of created existence, and because God never began to exist it can have no application to Him. "Began" is a time-word, and it can have no personal meaning for the high and lofty One that inhabited eternity."
Thus we would conclude there is no end or beginning of His greatness, because if He had no beginning He can have no end.  Hallelujah we serve a Great, timeless God.

The Law

Reading through Leviticus is overwhelming.  The burden of keeping the law must have been mind boggling.  Then I was reminded of what the Psalmist said in Psalm 19...
"The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward."
Psalms 19:7‭-‬11
The Law wasn't destroyed, Jesus just fulfilled it, thus the law still has great value, don't ignore it, it's sweet as honey.  Keeping them doesn't save, keeping them is just wise.

What Will Last?

Solomon said it well no matter who we are or what we have done we will all die.  And it is unlikely, in time, that anyone will remember anything you have done.  Even if it is written down it may be revised in time.  As CT Studd penned "Only what's done for Christ will last"

"For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man as with the fool, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And how the wise man and the fool alike die!"
Ecclesiastes 2:16