God had this amazing plan for the Jews that they never implemented. He wanted them to live and work normally for six years and take the seventh year off - completely - give the land a rest, so to speak. Imagine a whole year of vacation. God promised that they would reap enough in the six years to cover the seventh free year. On top of this, they were to celebrate a Jubilee year every 50 years. It was a way to reset everything. Again, no work, just trust God. This Jubilee would occur after a seventh year, so at this time they would get 2 years off. Imagine!
But they never did it.
Why not? I think it was because they didn't trust God to provide for them. After all why take a year off when you could keep working and building your storehouse? And since for so many of us, work is our identity, I'm sure they feared losing a part of themselves if they just relaxed. So after 490 years of no time off, God forced the time. They were exiled for 70 years. The exact number they had refused to take off. God proclaimed the land WILL rest! One way or another. You WILL stop working for yourself, but now you are going to have to work for someone else.
I, too, get caught up in the productivity mentality so prevalent in America.
Being a full-time mom means always wondering if you are accomplishing anything. I truly believe raising kids is the most important job in the world, but sometimes it can seem so... daily.
So much of my "work" involves just maintaining mine and my family's existance. I mean if we weren't here, none of it would need to get done. It starts so feel meaningless. Everyday, I wash dishes, do laundry, vacuum (constantly shedding dog), check emails/blogs, run errands, etc... Since my "job" is so cyclical, it feels like nothing is actually getting accomplished. It reminds me of when I use to work in retail. I would spend about an hour each night at closing folding sweaters. The next day the customers would come and pull them down from the wall, unfold them and leave them in a pile. Sometimes they would actually buy one, but you know what? It didn't matter. They could rip them all down in a huge mess and buy them all, but the company would send us MORE! So it didn't matter to me if they sold or not, either way, I was going to spend an hour folding sweaters.
However, while I can feel unproductive when I am doing, doing, doing, I also feel unproductive when I am relaxing. This summer has been one of my most relaxing ever and I feel guilty at times (for example, here I am at 10:32 still in my robe, bed unmade, shower untaken...).
Yet God's plan was to work and be rewarded with relaxation. I think He knew most of our work would involve maintaining our existance. But He doesn't want our lives to only be about existing, He wants us to enjoy time off, while we rest in Him.
In America, it may be close to impossible to balance the work/relaxation idea. And as a full-time mom in this "go, go, go - do, do, do" country I may never feel like I am going and doing as I should be. But this is the life He has blessed me with and I must trust Him with it. I try to remember that His goal for me in this life is make me more like Christ, not see what I can accomplish... Besides as we raise our children to love Him, I honestly, really, truly believe that we are "building treasure in heaven."
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Leviticus 24 - Put it in ward and seek the Lord
In Leviticus, the leaders are faced with quite a conundrum. A man who is half-Jew, half-Egyptian has been found guilty of blaspheming the Lord. What to do? Hold him to the standard which requires death by stoning or offer him mercy - after all, he's only HALF Jewish?
So, while they contemplate the will of the Lord, they lock the man up. God replies that they are to stone him to death.
Two important lessons can be drawn here: blaspheming the Lord is serious and take time to seek God's will, because not everything is clear cut.
Oh, in the judgementalism that comes so easy to me, I can often leap to the "right" thing to do. It's not very often that I put the decision off while I seek the Lord. He has promised to write His laws no longer on stone tablets, but on our hearts. So I can trust that eventually He will make His will known to me.
The added beauty of this method is that I can trust Him to make His will known to others as well. It's not my job to go around telling others what God wants them to do. As a fellow believer, I must hold them accountable for sin. I may even need to ask for clarification in some "gray area" situations. But, ultimately, it is God's job to make His will known.
Thank God it's not up to me!
So, while they contemplate the will of the Lord, they lock the man up. God replies that they are to stone him to death.
Two important lessons can be drawn here: blaspheming the Lord is serious and take time to seek God's will, because not everything is clear cut.
Oh, in the judgementalism that comes so easy to me, I can often leap to the "right" thing to do. It's not very often that I put the decision off while I seek the Lord. He has promised to write His laws no longer on stone tablets, but on our hearts. So I can trust that eventually He will make His will known to me.
The added beauty of this method is that I can trust Him to make His will known to others as well. It's not my job to go around telling others what God wants them to do. As a fellow believer, I must hold them accountable for sin. I may even need to ask for clarification in some "gray area" situations. But, ultimately, it is God's job to make His will known.
Thank God it's not up to me!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Matthew the Tax Collector/Simon the Zealot
"Matthew the Tax Collector/Simon the Zealot" has been ringing in my head for few weeks now. Basically these two disciples of Jesus represented both ends of the political spectrum of the day. Matthew had chosen to cooperate with the Romans, figuring it was the best way to ensure survival and his own financial status. Simon aligned himself with a group actively fighting for the violent overthrow of the Roman government. Both positions were not just theoretical exercises, but had real world consequences. Matthew helped further a crushing tax burden leading to devastation in many Jewish families. Simon's compatriots eventually brought down the wrath of Rome in such a way that thousands of Jews were killed when the temple was destroyed and Jerusalem was overrun.
Yet despite their wide political differences and the devastating results of their philosophies, Jesus wanted them both as followers. I haven't found a record of Jesus discussing politics with either of them. Neither did He appear to rebuke them for their positions. He didn't argue with them or take sides. He didn't show them where their logic was flawed or force them into some kind of compromise. Rather, He just said, "Follow Me."
So why is the refrain of "Matthew the Tax Collector/Simon the Zealot" bouncing around in my head?
Well, I tend to be very politically minded. The unfortunate downside is the demonization of anyone who differs. After all, their ideas have real world consequences which I believe hurt people. And there is the obvious conclusion that if I think I am right, those who disagree are, by definition, wrong. There is no escaping thinking I am right, however. I mean, if I didn't think I was right, I would change my mind. Then I would be right again!
Yet Matthew and Simon appear to have put aside their differences. How? Obviously it was Jesus, but how did this play out? How were they able to think that the other was so wrong and yet unite anyway? I have to believe that their personal beliefs faded in importance when confronted with the Messiah. Did their ideas change? or were they simply irrelevant when in the presence of Christ?
Because I am a collector of ideas, I read voraciously. One genre I have a love/hate relationship with is anything by very liberal Christians. I love to read their arguments and tear them apart, but on the other hand I get very angry at their judgementalism of the more conservative sects. (I guess I am judgemental of their judgementalism?!?) I find myself doubting their self-proclaimed Christianity. Or at least I think it's possible that they are Christians, but they are going to have another thing coming when they get to Heaven. Jesus will surely tell them what's up then! Right?!? At the very least they will be confined to the trailer park section of Heaven on the wrong side of the tracks.
My thinking kind of came to a head this morning in church as Mike Goldsworthy talked about the early church and the destruction of barriers they faced. Peter was told to welcome and even eat with Gentiles. There could not have been a more "other" group that God told him to love and accept. Although Peter led the charge of acceptance, even he stumbled later when Paul tells us in Galatians that he challenged Peter "to his face" for failing to welcome and eat with Gentiles in the presence of more conservative Jews.
Oh I relate to Peter. He was headstrong, offensive, opinionated, had to be told things by God repeatedly, argued with Jesus - a lot, and had a hard time always doing what he knew was right. I definitely find myself in his camp when he rebelled against God telling him to eat unclean things. Like always, God had to say it three times. You see, I like things a certain way - the right way. I like being around people who think like me, who talk like me, who come from a similar background. It's not a racial thing, it's a belief thing. I want to be around those who believe what I believe.
But that's not what Jesus did. Somehow His presence united Matthew and Simon, Peter (the hothead) and John (the lover of all), Paul and John Mark, and countless others who disagreed. How did He do this? I don' t know, but I want to know.
I want to focus on Jesus to the extent that my own personal beliefs fade in importance and it is Him that takes priority in my life. I want to see those I disagree with as fellow disciples spreading the message of Christ even if we have different methods. I don't WANT to be in contention. I don't WANT to have to always be right. I WANT to be in unity with my fellow believers.
I don't know if I'd have been on the side Matthew or Simon. I'm sure with my personality that I'd have definitely had an opinion and argued to the death with anyone on the opposite side. But, two thousand years later, it seems so irrelevant. Hmm...
Yet despite their wide political differences and the devastating results of their philosophies, Jesus wanted them both as followers. I haven't found a record of Jesus discussing politics with either of them. Neither did He appear to rebuke them for their positions. He didn't argue with them or take sides. He didn't show them where their logic was flawed or force them into some kind of compromise. Rather, He just said, "Follow Me."
So why is the refrain of "Matthew the Tax Collector/Simon the Zealot" bouncing around in my head?
Well, I tend to be very politically minded. The unfortunate downside is the demonization of anyone who differs. After all, their ideas have real world consequences which I believe hurt people. And there is the obvious conclusion that if I think I am right, those who disagree are, by definition, wrong. There is no escaping thinking I am right, however. I mean, if I didn't think I was right, I would change my mind. Then I would be right again!
Yet Matthew and Simon appear to have put aside their differences. How? Obviously it was Jesus, but how did this play out? How were they able to think that the other was so wrong and yet unite anyway? I have to believe that their personal beliefs faded in importance when confronted with the Messiah. Did their ideas change? or were they simply irrelevant when in the presence of Christ?
Because I am a collector of ideas, I read voraciously. One genre I have a love/hate relationship with is anything by very liberal Christians. I love to read their arguments and tear them apart, but on the other hand I get very angry at their judgementalism of the more conservative sects. (I guess I am judgemental of their judgementalism?!?) I find myself doubting their self-proclaimed Christianity. Or at least I think it's possible that they are Christians, but they are going to have another thing coming when they get to Heaven. Jesus will surely tell them what's up then! Right?!? At the very least they will be confined to the trailer park section of Heaven on the wrong side of the tracks.
My thinking kind of came to a head this morning in church as Mike Goldsworthy talked about the early church and the destruction of barriers they faced. Peter was told to welcome and even eat with Gentiles. There could not have been a more "other" group that God told him to love and accept. Although Peter led the charge of acceptance, even he stumbled later when Paul tells us in Galatians that he challenged Peter "to his face" for failing to welcome and eat with Gentiles in the presence of more conservative Jews.
Oh I relate to Peter. He was headstrong, offensive, opinionated, had to be told things by God repeatedly, argued with Jesus - a lot, and had a hard time always doing what he knew was right. I definitely find myself in his camp when he rebelled against God telling him to eat unclean things. Like always, God had to say it three times. You see, I like things a certain way - the right way. I like being around people who think like me, who talk like me, who come from a similar background. It's not a racial thing, it's a belief thing. I want to be around those who believe what I believe.
But that's not what Jesus did. Somehow His presence united Matthew and Simon, Peter (the hothead) and John (the lover of all), Paul and John Mark, and countless others who disagreed. How did He do this? I don' t know, but I want to know.
I want to focus on Jesus to the extent that my own personal beliefs fade in importance and it is Him that takes priority in my life. I want to see those I disagree with as fellow disciples spreading the message of Christ even if we have different methods. I don't WANT to be in contention. I don't WANT to have to always be right. I WANT to be in unity with my fellow believers.
I don't know if I'd have been on the side Matthew or Simon. I'm sure with my personality that I'd have definitely had an opinion and argued to the death with anyone on the opposite side. But, two thousand years later, it seems so irrelevant. Hmm...
Friday, July 25, 2008
Leviticus 23 - Next 3 Feasts
Leviticus 23 finishes up with the final 3 feasts, which Christ will fulfill when He returns.
Here they are:
Trumpets - This feast celebrated the Fall Harvest. He will fulfill this when He calls us home at the time of the Rapture with a trumpet.
Atonement (Day of Judgement or Yom Kippur) - This was originally a time to reflect on your sin and to be repentant. Christ will fulfill following the 7 year tribulation period when the world will be judged.
Tabernacles - This was a time of joyous celebration. We will experience this in the Millennial Kingdom.
This whole feast/Christ juxtaposition makes for a very interesting study. There are so many similarities between what was and what Christ has and will do. We are so close to His return. Now all we have to do is listen for the trumpet!
Here they are:
Trumpets - This feast celebrated the Fall Harvest. He will fulfill this when He calls us home at the time of the Rapture with a trumpet.
Atonement (Day of Judgement or Yom Kippur) - This was originally a time to reflect on your sin and to be repentant. Christ will fulfill following the 7 year tribulation period when the world will be judged.
Tabernacles - This was a time of joyous celebration. We will experience this in the Millennial Kingdom.
This whole feast/Christ juxtaposition makes for a very interesting study. There are so many similarities between what was and what Christ has and will do. We are so close to His return. Now all we have to do is listen for the trumpet!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Leviticus 23 - "But I don't believe in the Bible"
Trying to argue that Jesus is the only way to God by referencing Scripture to someone who doesn't believe in the Bible is useless. In fact using Scripture in any way to someone who doesn't accept it as the Word of God is completely pointless. So, what do we do?
We convince them that the Bible is the infallible Word of our eternal God.
Leviticus 23 is a great place to do that.
I love end time theology (mostly because I want to borrow money for a pool and if Jesus is coming back soon, we have to hurry to build the pool, but we won't have to pay on the loan for very long! J/K :-) But I have run across a few Christians who think that focusing on the prophecies is a waste of time. "It's going to happen whether I figure it out or not. And it's too confusing, anyway." Yet the Bible is filled with prophecy, not just Revelation, but all throughout Scripture. Why? Why would God take up precious space in the words that have survived thousands of years if not for us to study them?
I believe prophecy exists in Scripture to provide irrefutable proof that God is who He says He is and that His Word can be trusted.
Although Leviticus 23 doesn't seem to specifically deal with end time events, it so beautifully and concretely propecies not only the first coming of Christ, but His second coming as well. We learn of the seven feasts God instituted for the Jews to observe. It is fascinating to see how each feast represents a picture of Jesus and how Jesus so accurately fulfilled the first four and will fulfill the remaining three upon His return.
The first four feasts are as follows:
Passover - Jesus is our passover lamb, crucified at the exact moment the passover lamb was being sacrificed in the temple.
Unleavened bread - broken and hidden for three days, just like Jesus' body.
Firstfruits - Jesus is the first fruit of the resurrection, the first and so far only person raised from the dead and given a new body.
Pentecost (Feast of weeks) - celebrates the giving of the law, 3000 slain for worshipping the golden calf, talmudic tradition says the law was proclaimed in every known language. Jesus fulfilled the law, 3000 saved on the day of Pentecost, every language was being spoken by the disciples.
There are so many more uncanny details that tie the Old Testament event with Christ's first coming. This extremely accurate portrayal of Jesus in the first four feasts begs the question of the other three. We can only assume He will fulfill them as well at his second coming. I'll have to cover those in my next post. But these first four can be used to show the amazing accuracy of Scripture.
We convince them that the Bible is the infallible Word of our eternal God.
Leviticus 23 is a great place to do that.
I love end time theology (mostly because I want to borrow money for a pool and if Jesus is coming back soon, we have to hurry to build the pool, but we won't have to pay on the loan for very long! J/K :-) But I have run across a few Christians who think that focusing on the prophecies is a waste of time. "It's going to happen whether I figure it out or not. And it's too confusing, anyway." Yet the Bible is filled with prophecy, not just Revelation, but all throughout Scripture. Why? Why would God take up precious space in the words that have survived thousands of years if not for us to study them?
I believe prophecy exists in Scripture to provide irrefutable proof that God is who He says He is and that His Word can be trusted.
Although Leviticus 23 doesn't seem to specifically deal with end time events, it so beautifully and concretely propecies not only the first coming of Christ, but His second coming as well. We learn of the seven feasts God instituted for the Jews to observe. It is fascinating to see how each feast represents a picture of Jesus and how Jesus so accurately fulfilled the first four and will fulfill the remaining three upon His return.
The first four feasts are as follows:
Passover - Jesus is our passover lamb, crucified at the exact moment the passover lamb was being sacrificed in the temple.
Unleavened bread - broken and hidden for three days, just like Jesus' body.
Firstfruits - Jesus is the first fruit of the resurrection, the first and so far only person raised from the dead and given a new body.
Pentecost (Feast of weeks) - celebrates the giving of the law, 3000 slain for worshipping the golden calf, talmudic tradition says the law was proclaimed in every known language. Jesus fulfilled the law, 3000 saved on the day of Pentecost, every language was being spoken by the disciples.
There are so many more uncanny details that tie the Old Testament event with Christ's first coming. This extremely accurate portrayal of Jesus in the first four feasts begs the question of the other three. We can only assume He will fulfill them as well at his second coming. I'll have to cover those in my next post. But these first four can be used to show the amazing accuracy of Scripture.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Leviticus 22 - Gettin' Satisfaction
God has hit me with this "Satisfaction" message in two different ways. I guess He's trying to tell me something.
Leviticus 21 describes the feast of Thanksgiving. It's basically a big meal you prepare for yourself and use the mealtime as a time of thanking God. But the kicker is that you are supposed to eat it all. No leftovers. God wants you to be satiated. And He wants us to realize that the way to satisfaction of through thanksgiving.
Am I satisfied? I don't think very many people are. Including Christians. I know we're supposed to be satisfied, but so many of us aren't. There are too many needy Christians, Christians who continue to sin even though they know it's wrong, immature Christians. All of these point to very unsatisfied people.
Why aren't we satisfied?
I think it's because although we pay it lip service and say Jesus is where our satisfaction comes from, we don't actually believe it. We'd rather worship idols. Pause here, did you catch that? Idols. You see whatever I am looking to in order to be satisfied is an idol. We might think the Israelites with their constant idol worship were pathetic, but I worship idols too.
God created a void in us. Personally I think more friends, better relationships, and being thought well of will lead to more satisfaction. I worship the god of being liked. Isaiah 44:20 says I delude myself and cannot admit my idol is lying to me. But it is not enough to recognize that I am worshipping this idol. To simply try to get rid of it leaves the problem of the hole - it's still there. The hole must be filled with God or something else will fill it.
But how? How can I make sure I am seeking only satisfaction in God? This is where Leviticus 21 helps out - thanksgiving. I need to recognize my very big God. He is able to deliver what my idol never could. I must put my focus on Him and the reality of who He is, which is why I study the Bible so much.
I used to be one of those "read-the-Bible-on-Sunday-while-the-preacher's-preaching" kind of Christian. I thought it was good enough. I knew a lot of stuff from the Bible anyway. But God has set my heart on fire for his Word. As I study it and am comfronted daily with the hugeness of my God, I am slowly filling the void with Him and my idol is simply getting pushed out. Slowly.
Leviticus 21 describes the feast of Thanksgiving. It's basically a big meal you prepare for yourself and use the mealtime as a time of thanking God. But the kicker is that you are supposed to eat it all. No leftovers. God wants you to be satiated. And He wants us to realize that the way to satisfaction of through thanksgiving.
Am I satisfied? I don't think very many people are. Including Christians. I know we're supposed to be satisfied, but so many of us aren't. There are too many needy Christians, Christians who continue to sin even though they know it's wrong, immature Christians. All of these point to very unsatisfied people.
Why aren't we satisfied?
I think it's because although we pay it lip service and say Jesus is where our satisfaction comes from, we don't actually believe it. We'd rather worship idols. Pause here, did you catch that? Idols. You see whatever I am looking to in order to be satisfied is an idol. We might think the Israelites with their constant idol worship were pathetic, but I worship idols too.
God created a void in us. Personally I think more friends, better relationships, and being thought well of will lead to more satisfaction. I worship the god of being liked. Isaiah 44:20 says I delude myself and cannot admit my idol is lying to me. But it is not enough to recognize that I am worshipping this idol. To simply try to get rid of it leaves the problem of the hole - it's still there. The hole must be filled with God or something else will fill it.
But how? How can I make sure I am seeking only satisfaction in God? This is where Leviticus 21 helps out - thanksgiving. I need to recognize my very big God. He is able to deliver what my idol never could. I must put my focus on Him and the reality of who He is, which is why I study the Bible so much.
I used to be one of those "read-the-Bible-on-Sunday-while-the-preacher's-preaching" kind of Christian. I thought it was good enough. I knew a lot of stuff from the Bible anyway. But God has set my heart on fire for his Word. As I study it and am comfronted daily with the hugeness of my God, I am slowly filling the void with Him and my idol is simply getting pushed out. Slowly.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Andy Stanley - LO$T, Part 2_ Moving to Higher Ground
In addition to studying books of the Bible, I listen to particulary good sermon podcasts. My current favorite is Andy Stanley of North Point Church.
Jesus tells a parable of a "shrewd manager" in Luke 16:1-14. The man is commended, for even though he used his "little bit of time and little bit of resources" in a deceitful manner, he was shrewd enough to recognize his limitations and make the most of the time and resources that were available to him.
I, too, have been given "a little bit of time and a little bit of resources" on this planet. How am I spending them? Am I using what I have been given to further the Kingdom of God? Or am I using my time and energy on selfish pursuits?
Obviously I'd have to say the latter.
Take the idea of forgiveness.
I am SUCH a consequence kind of person. People need to reap what they sow. There needs to be repercussions! And I need to be the one meeting them out. One thing you reap when you wrong me is my eternal grudge-holding powers. To forgive is to let you off scott-free. Where are the consequences? Where is the condemnation? It is absolutely not fair. YOU OWE ME!
That's why "forgiveness" is the right word. It literally means to cancel a debt. It is to recognize that despite the fact that you owe me, you can never pay me back. You are in over your head and this debt can never be repaid. You can never make it right. You can never give back what you've taken. You can never repair or undo what you did. At this point, forgiveness is really my only option.
You see, I only have a little bit of time and a little bit of resources, and I cannot waste them trying to collect on an unpayable debt. I must forgive and then focus what I have been given elsewhere. When I stand before God and answer for how I managed the time and resources He gave me, I do not want to say I spent it going after deadbeats with no ability to pay.
I want to say I spent the time and resources allocated to me "to benefit others and make friends." Then I will be welcomed to eternal life.
Jesus tells a parable of a "shrewd manager" in Luke 16:1-14. The man is commended, for even though he used his "little bit of time and little bit of resources" in a deceitful manner, he was shrewd enough to recognize his limitations and make the most of the time and resources that were available to him.
I, too, have been given "a little bit of time and a little bit of resources" on this planet. How am I spending them? Am I using what I have been given to further the Kingdom of God? Or am I using my time and energy on selfish pursuits?
Obviously I'd have to say the latter.
Take the idea of forgiveness.
I am SUCH a consequence kind of person. People need to reap what they sow. There needs to be repercussions! And I need to be the one meeting them out. One thing you reap when you wrong me is my eternal grudge-holding powers. To forgive is to let you off scott-free. Where are the consequences? Where is the condemnation? It is absolutely not fair. YOU OWE ME!
That's why "forgiveness" is the right word. It literally means to cancel a debt. It is to recognize that despite the fact that you owe me, you can never pay me back. You are in over your head and this debt can never be repaid. You can never make it right. You can never give back what you've taken. You can never repair or undo what you did. At this point, forgiveness is really my only option.
You see, I only have a little bit of time and a little bit of resources, and I cannot waste them trying to collect on an unpayable debt. I must forgive and then focus what I have been given elsewhere. When I stand before God and answer for how I managed the time and resources He gave me, I do not want to say I spent it going after deadbeats with no ability to pay.
I want to say I spent the time and resources allocated to me "to benefit others and make friends." Then I will be welcomed to eternal life.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Leviticus 21 - How not to feel bad
No one reads Leviticus. With good reason. It's a bunch of archaic laws that seem to have absolutely no relevancy to today. We're under grace after all.
Or... God is using very concrete examples and principles to ultimately point to Christ and His holiness. Leviticus is all about teaching us to be holy. Although the laws may seem laughable or very odd or downright cruel, they have their purpose. I must ask myself, "Why is this here? Why would God make sure this survived thousands of years to be read by me today, in 2008?"
One particularly odd/cruel example occurs in this chapter. Aaron's sons have just been killed by God for bringing "strange fire" and Moses tells Aaron he is not to mourn. He is to get back to work. What?!?
What if God is being merciful rather than cruel? What if God is showing Aaron how NOT to sink into a pit of devastation and depression? What if God is saying the best way to deal with horrible circumstances is to keep serving Him?
Seems counterintuitive. Our society tells us to get away, take time off, join a therapy group. Yet so often this leads to more depression and self-indulgence. To serve others, even in the worst of times that life can throw at us, may be the best possible reaction.
Do I do this? No. I want to wallow. And I want others to hear my wallowing. But just maybe... God knows what He is talking about.
Or... God is using very concrete examples and principles to ultimately point to Christ and His holiness. Leviticus is all about teaching us to be holy. Although the laws may seem laughable or very odd or downright cruel, they have their purpose. I must ask myself, "Why is this here? Why would God make sure this survived thousands of years to be read by me today, in 2008?"
One particularly odd/cruel example occurs in this chapter. Aaron's sons have just been killed by God for bringing "strange fire" and Moses tells Aaron he is not to mourn. He is to get back to work. What?!?
What if God is being merciful rather than cruel? What if God is showing Aaron how NOT to sink into a pit of devastation and depression? What if God is saying the best way to deal with horrible circumstances is to keep serving Him?
Seems counterintuitive. Our society tells us to get away, take time off, join a therapy group. Yet so often this leads to more depression and self-indulgence. To serve others, even in the worst of times that life can throw at us, may be the best possible reaction.
Do I do this? No. I want to wallow. And I want others to hear my wallowing. But just maybe... God knows what He is talking about.
First Post
"There lacks even in the hearts of God's people a greater reverence of God's Word than this day appears among us; and that want of reverence for God's word is the ground of all the disorders that are in the heart, life, conversation, and Christian communion. All transgression begins from wandering from the Word of God"
quote from John Bunyan's book, The Fear of God... written in the 1600's
I have been doing quite a bit of Bible study lately, and although I spend a lot of time thinking about it, I realized I need to be more proactive about writing down what I'm learning.
I'm not going to go back, but will start right here, right now.
Welcome to my head.
quote from John Bunyan's book, The Fear of God... written in the 1600's
I have been doing quite a bit of Bible study lately, and although I spend a lot of time thinking about it, I realized I need to be more proactive about writing down what I'm learning.
I'm not going to go back, but will start right here, right now.
Welcome to my head.
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