“And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ They immediately left their nets and followed Him.” ~ Mark 1:16 – 18

God is always at work in the background. We may not always understand His purposes, or the circumstances as they present themselves, but God is working nonetheless. I am sure these men were confused and dismayed when John the Baptist was placed in prison. Although hard to understand, God’s will for John the Baptist, Simon, and Andrew was different from what they could have expected.

I can relate to Andrew here. He was in the midst of a great thing. John’s teachings rang true and spoke of hope for a coming savior. Spending time listening to the message of John must have been a really encouraging thing. And then in the midst of that joy, John was sent to prison, and feelings of loss must have overcome Andrew. So in the midst of the loss, he went back to the familiar of his life. The amazing spiritual high, was still remembered, but without a leader he went back to the mundane. I can think of many times in my life where I have felt the spiritual potency of a message or experience is no longer near to me, and I go back to the everyday. Not walking away from the Lord, just going about my day, without the same dedication that was once there.

But the story does not end there. Jesus had a bigger calling for those men. They were to be among the 12 men He poured His life into, that they might carry on after His death. What an honor. I should not forget this example. My calling to follow after Jesus does not change because the spiritual highs in my life seem to be in the past. His call extends beyond the immediate circumstance of my life, and pulls me into a greater purpose according to His will.

Once that message is heard, we should follow the example from these men. Immediately we should leave the mundane, and pursue our life according to the purposes of Jesus. I need to make my life’s ambition to know and follow the example of Jesus, no matter the cost. As I write this posting, a quote from Jim Elliot comes to mind. “He is no fool, who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot loose.”

Lord, may I follow you when you call my name. Remind me of your provision in times of need, and restore my soul when I am feeling spiritually low. Help me to hold loosely to the things of this world, and seek the amazing plan you have for my life. I know your plan is not my plan, so keep me flexible to your guidance.

Psalm 29:3-5
“The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.”

What power! What might in the Lord’s voice! These verses remind me of the story of Elijah in the cave (1 Kings 19). The Lord told Elijah to go out and stand on the mountain for the presence of the Lord was about to pass by. Elijah listened and watched as a powerful wind came, then an earthquake, and next a fire. But the Lord wasn’t in any of these. “After the fire came a gentle whisper.” (vs. 12) The same God whose voice “breaks and twists cedars” chooses to come to us in a “gentle whisper”.
 

Listen. Don’t miss it. He speaks to us but we must listen for his voice with intent like Elijah. The noise of the world continually increases in volume. We live in an age where voices, noises, visuals overwhelm us, distract us, confuse us, and overload our senses relentlessly.
 

This is why it is vital I take time to “go to the mountain”.  I must go somewhere quiet and alone as Jesus did often to sit and talk with his Father; to get away from everything and sit intently at the Lord’s feet. When I seek his face and listen for his gentle whisper, I hear it. This is why journaling is such a great tool. It gets me away. It gets me alone. It gets me in God’s word and it gets me to stop and listen.

Abba,
It’s so amazing that you, the God of the universe, sit here beside me each morning. You are here waiting with no expectation except to just be with me: talk, share, laugh, and cry. Oh, no greater joy is found than sitting in the presence of the Lord. Thank you for coming faithfully to meet with me. Thank you for not only being my savior, but also being my friend. 

That’s what it comes down to on the Final day.  Some will receive their due wages (justice) and others will be shown kindness (mercy)? 

Psalm 28:4   
Repay them for their deeds
       and for their evil work;
       repay them for what their hands have done
       and bring back upon them what they deserve.

How foolish it would be to call on God to “give me justice!” No.  I know my deeds, and they are evil.  The sin of my hands earned me nothing but the grave.  My ‘just’ punishment is an appointment with eternal death.  So, instead I call on God to “grant me mercy!”  Christ took my place on the cross; He took my penalty upon Himself.  He received the justice I deserved, that I might be shown mercy once clothed with Jesus.  

How wonderful is the gift of unmerited favor?  How gracious is our God?  Christ has given me His robe of righteousness in place of my robe of wickedness?  I don’t fully know why He wanted to trade, but He did, and I praise God for it.

God, thank you for your grace.  Thank you for your mercy.  You are good, and holy, and loving, and just.  You are an awesome God.  Amen.

Leviticus 16:21  “He is to lay both of his hands on the goat’s head and confess over it all the sins and rebellion of the Israelites.  In this way, he will lay the people’s sins on the head of the goat; then he will send it out into the wilderness, led by a man chosen for this task.”

The goat was used to carry the sin of the people out of the camp and away from the community.  It was a way for the people to have their sin removed, to receive forgiveness, and to maintain their connection with God.

After reading this passage, I am overwhelmed with gratitude and thanksgiving for what Jesus has done for me.  “The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”  I am so glad that my salvation is based upon the perfect sacrifice of Jesus, once and for all.  I can put my faith and trust in my perfect, risen, living, Lord and know that his work on the cross was complete.  I don’t need to rely on the blood of goats or lambs.  I can rely on my redeemer, Jesus Christ.

Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross for my sin.  Thank you for conquering death, rising on the third day, displaying your power.  Thank you for being in heaven right now preparing a place for me and all who believe in you.  May I live my life in obedience and as an act of worship, and a display of love back to you, for the love and sacrifice you have shown to me.  Forgive me for my sin, the times I wander and doubt, and please Lord continue to lead me by the power of your Holy Spirit.

Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths.  Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.  Psalm 25:4,5

And of the rest of the oil in his hand, the priest shall put some on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot…  Leviticus 14:17

Reading through Leviticus has been interesting. This time I have decided to look for common themes, and the placing of blood or oil on the ear, thumb, and toe is a “theme” that occurs several times. Earlier this week, and last week I noticed that the priest was to shake blood seven times for different offerings. Jesus bled from seven places on the cross, and seven is the number of perfection in the bible.  We are perfectly forgiven because of Jesus’ blood. Today in chapter 14 of Leviticus the ritual is for cleansing healed lepers. Leprosy is used in the bible to represent sin. In Leviticus 14:17 the priest is annointing a healed leper…OK now I am going to tie this into Psalm 25. 

I daily need to seek the annointing oil of the Holy Spirit in my life. I need to walk in the healing of the leprosy (sin) in my life.

Annoint my right ear Lord….Show me Your ways, O Lord   Psalm 25:4              I need to be in the word. What am I listening to that will not benefit me?

Annoint my right thumb Lord…Teach me Your paths.         Psalm 25:4              I need to give my day to the Lord and pay attention to what my life touches… how I am spending my time, energy, money, thoughts? What am I doing with the gifts that the Lord has given me?

Annoint my right toe Lord…  Lead me in Your truth and teach me Psalm 25:5     I need to seek the Lord in the morning…first step out of bed.  Lord where do you want these feet to go? What direction will I take?

Lord, may I be quick to hear what you would speak to me through your word, and through the Holy Spirit. Lord I desire to bless you with the work of my hands, and I desire to walk the paths that will be in your will today. Thank you for the grace and mercy that we have because of Christ’s ultimate gift to us. Thank you for the oil of the Holy Spirit. Please help me to repent quickly of the sin (leprosy) in my life.              On You I wait all the day   Psalm 25:5

Thanks to Russ Long for his journal entry today.

Psalms 24:3   Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?  Who may stand in His holy place?

This Psalm of David speaks of “the King of Glory” and His kingdom.  This verse and the following speak more specifically about just what it takes to enter His kingdom.

Who is worthy?  What must we do?  What does it take to be able to stand in His holy place?  Vs. 4 continues on with: “He who has clean hands and a pure heart…”

Who among us can enter by this criterion?  Not me!

Christ alone can accomplish this.  In Him, by Him, and through Him alone will we be counted righteous and worthy to enter His kingdom and receive blessing from the Lord.

Lord,  thank you for your work on the cross today.  I can try with everything you have given me to try to accomplish your work you would have me do, and I will come up miserably short.  You alone have provided us with the ability to ascend the hill of the Lord and stand in your holy place.  Not because my hands are clean or my heart is pure but because yours are.  Like that generation of Jacob who sought you, that is the desire of my heart.  Beyond everything else, in this life, I want seek your face today, Lord. Amen.

“For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves and you shall be holy; for I am holy.” - Leviticus 11:44

As I read through the Old Testament I am often so curious about the laws that God laid out for the people of Israel. To me it doesn’t seem to matter so much whether the people ate animals with cloven hooves or not, but to God it did matter. As I think about this, it reminds me that God’s sovereign plan doesn’t always make sense in my eyes and that is usually because I have such a limited scope on what I see. I don’t always look at things with an eternal perspective, but am often most concerned with what matters to me now.
Just like a parent, who establishes rules out of love that are designed to protect and provide for his or her children, God does the same thing with us. And just like a child, I often don’t understand why the rules that have been established are so important until I have suffered the consequences that follow after breaking them.
But then the Lord reminds me, that I don’t always have to understand why to obey his commands, I just need trust in Him, and be obedient to His word.
“For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves and you shall be holy; for I am holy.”
This statement puts me back in check, and reminds me that there is a purpose behind all of this. We, as Christians, are called to be set apart. We are called to be obedient to the Lord, and although we will never be perfect, we are called to seek after His Holiness. This, to me, reminds me that even when I don’t understand all the reasons why God has called us to do something; obedience is an act of seeking after God’s holiness.

-Lord, help me to have an eternal perspective on life. Help me to understand that Your will for my life won’t always make sense to me, but that You do have a purpose. Give me this idea of an eternal perspective on the decisions that I make. And father, also give me the strength to seek after Your holiness and obey the commands you have set out before me, even when they don’t fully make sense to me. Help me to recognize that obedience to You is a way of seeking after Your Holiness - something You have called me to do. Thank You for Your grace and mercy in my life as I continue to grow, learn, and understand these principles. I love You Lord. Amen.

Psalm 22 is well-known for being, at least in part, a foretelling of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  His words as he hung on the cross, “Eloi, Eloi lama sabachthani” are a direct quote of Psalm 22:1 – “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

 
This psalm is a stark and vivid reminder that before any of us were born, God knew (and foretold) that He would send His Son to die a most humiliating and painful death.  If any of us ever doubted God’s love for us, it is spelled out for us here. Jesus is far from Him (v. 1) because of our sin, mocked and insulted (v.7), pierced (v.14); he thirsts (v. 15) and finally, suffers (v.24) so that we can escape the punishment for our sin.

 
If that was the end of the story, our condition would still be quite wretched.  Our sins would be paid, but what hope would we have? Instead, David (the psalmist) goes on to tell of what Christ’s suffering has bought.  Jesus has risen! God will not turn away from us because of our sin, but instead, listens to Christ’s cries for help on our behalf.  We, who were poor without God, will be totally satisfied and praise Him.  We will now belong to God, along with everything under Heaven.  His righteousness will be proclaimed all over the Earth.  In fact, everyone will bow down and worship Him, whether willingly or grudgingly.

 
We have faith that every good thing written in scripture will come to be.  Through Jesus, we have a hope that we could never have had before.  We hope for an end to evil and the saving of our family members’ souls, but most of all for God to completely and utterly satisfy our own souls.  This hope is based on the suffering that he had to go through, and the promise of God that whoever believes in him will have eternal life. Because his suffering was foretold, and then made a historical fact, we can believe with confidence that God will accomplish all that He said He would do. 

We wait earnestly for God to bring these things about. In fact, He has already accomplished it.  As it says in John 19:30… “it is finished”. 

Leviticus 7:28-29

There the Lord said to Moses, give these further instructions to the Israelites:  when you present a peace offering to the Lord, bring part of it as a special gift to the Lord.  Present it to him with your own hands as an offering given to the Lord by fire.

I was experiencing a bit of a boring read today through Leviticus when I ran upon those three words in the text, “with your own hands”.  They stopped me dead in my tracks.  When you think about the Old Testament sacrifices and offerings you know that only the Levites had the privilege of going before the Lord on behalf of the nation of Israel.  That is with this one exception.  The peace offering which is also known as the fellowship offering was evidently meant to be a way of giving thanks to Lord for who he was and what he had done in their lives.  God wanted this one offering to be personal between him and the one giving it.  Why?  My guess is that God was giving them a taste of what it had been like in the garden at one time before fellowship had been broken between mankind and God.  He perhaps was also bringing about a foreshadowing of things to come when fellowship would be restored through the Son of God and everyone would  be invited into the Holy of Holies.  Either way, I am very thankful that our God makes it personal for each of us today 24/7.

“Some trust in chariots, some trust in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their kness, but we will rise and and stand firm.”  Psalm 20:7-8

David was recognizing what’s in a name. He was calling out to the name of the God of Israel…the Great I AM. The name that expressed the faithful, trustworthy and dependable character of God.

Knowing that God desires the trust of His people, I must make sure that my trust is not misaligned or misdirected. My options might not be chariots or horses, but they might be other “safety nets” that I can grow to rely on. I could be self-reliant in a number of areas of life, and I might begin to trust in finances or material possessions or good deeds or reputation or my own strength or reason or…

I’m called to trust in the name above all names.

Lord, help me see clearly the areas in which I need to trust You. And help me realize when I am putting my trust in things that are temporal and unstable. Great is Your name and greatly to be praised. Your name is holy. Your name is worthy.