In reading Exodus 15:16-32, we see one phrase repeated many times.
…just as the Lord had commanded him.
Moses is setting up the Tabernacle and we see in these words that he has learned a great truth. We aren’t called simply to do what God tells us to; we are called to do it “just as the Lord has commanded.” It is for us to live our lives not by our own standards, but by His.
Because Moses paid such close attention to God’s commands…
Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Moses could no longer enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down over it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.
I’m dealing with Plantars Fasciitis, and this is proving to be an educational experience. Truly.
See, the pain is in my heel, so I assumed that was where the problem was. I was wrong; the root of the problem is in the arch of my foot. But get this; that problem is made worse when my calf muscle is too tight. You see, it’s all connected.
So is pretty much everything else in life. Just like a too-tight calf muscle can cause problems in my seemingly unrelated heel, someone who is “too tight” in life can cause problems in and for other people. Whoever said that no man is an island spoke truly. Like it or not, we are connected to others, and the decisions we make-even those that supposedly affect only ourselves-can trigger definite consequences in the lives of those around us. It’s a fact we would do well to remember.
You walk in the door carrying your take-out coffee and get offended when you’re told you’ll have to leave it outside. You let your cell phone ring repeatedly. You let your child wander around. When you can tell it’s getting close to the end you start gathering your stuff together, and right before the official end you walk out the door.
It’s all pretty standard behavior in a movie theater, but I’m talking about church. I’ve seen all of this through the years, and much more, and it sickens me that we’ve reached a place culturally where such behavior is acceptable (by some) even in God’s house.
People leaving during the altar call is the worst. There are souls hanging in the balance. If we really are Christians we should be praying for those around us. Unfortunately too many seem to think they’re in a theater and the altar call is like the credits: Let’s leave now to beat the rush.
“Store my commands,” he says, and “Write them deep in your heart.”
God’s Word isn’t just a book meant to sit on a shelf between church services. It is the very Word of God, words from God that He gave us for a reason. We aren’t just to look at them, or simply read them. We are to learn them, to interact with them, to use them. Yes, we are to KNOW them, to have them be so truly part of who we are that it is as if they were physically written in our hearts.
…though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
1 Cor. 13:2b
We tend to think of faith as IT. Without faith, it is impossible to please God, and to him who believes (has faith) all things are possible. But here we see that faith itself must be built on a foundation of love or there is no true profit in it.
This makes sense, because God IS love. Given that God is love, if our faith is in Him it must be built on love. So it is not enough that I pray and ask for help in building up my faith; I must first determine to build up my love.
My Child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God.
Proverbs 2:1-5 NLT
Years ago, I realized how often the book of Proverbs commands us to seek out three things: Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge. I made it a practice to ask for them, and as I did I learned how they build on each other. For instance, knowledge is great, but without wisdom and understanding there is only so much you can do with it.
There is much to be gained by listening to the wisdom in the book of Proverbs. It really is a great place to go when starting a new year.
There’s a verse that bothers me every time I read it, and I’d like some input.
Adam and Eve, and clearly Cain and Abel, had fellowship with God even after being kicked out of the Garden. So why, in Genesis 4:26, do we see that, “At that time people first began to worship the Lord by name.”?
I’ve thought of several possibilities myself, and I may share them later, but I’m honestly looking for input and others’ thoughts. Has someone, somewhere, studied this verse?
By the time I hit post, it will be very close to 2017. I’m amazed, really, because I seldom stay up until midnight, but God and I have been talking.
I don’t do New Years Resolutions. To me, that’s too close to setting yourself up for failure. What I do, however, is ask God what He’d like me to focus on, and then I ask Him to help me stay focused. I have two main assignments this year. One of them is to take even better care of my body.
I’ve worked hard, in the past twelve months, to eat right and get at least some exercise every day. Many times I’ve intentionally cheated. Many times I’ve failed. Even so, I am healthier and stronger than I was in December of last year. In large part, this is due to the fact that I’ve been having to care so much for my husband, who’s had a very rough year. My reality is that if anything were to happen to me right this minute the two of us would be in serious trouble. This knowledge is a great motivator.
But he IS getting better, which means I will hopefully not always have that reminder, so I asked God to help me stay conscious of the necessity of a healthy lifestyle. Which brings me to tonight’s Bible reading. I prayed, “Give me this day my daily bread,” then turned to the next chapter in my daily reading; it “happens” to be 1 Cor. 6. The context here is sexual immorality, but truth is truth and God hit me with exactly the reminders I needed.
(13) …the body is…for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
(15) Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?
(19) Or do you not know that your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and YOU ARE NOT YOUR OWN? (emphasis mine)
(20) For you were bought at a price; therefore GLORIFY GOD IN YOUR BODY and in your spirit, WHICH ARE GOD’S. (emphasis mine)
Ask and you shall receive. I have my reminders, scriptures I can come back to in the coming year any time I forget why I’m limiting sodas and pulling out the weights and trying to take 10,000 steps a day. With God’s help, next December 31st will see me even healthier, stronger, and more prepared to take on the challenges that come my way.
I recently had a conversation in which a gentleman who had just discovered I am a church secretary said something along the lines of, “You work all week? I guess I figured you would just show up at services and that was it.” Er… no. Not even. Not EVEN.
His comment started me thinking, again, about how little we know about each other’s lives. We look at what we see another person do and think we get it, but we usually have no clue. (And the stay-at-home moms shouted, “Amen!”)
“Store my commands,” he says, and “Write them deep in your heart.”