July 31, 1984.
This was the day I went forward at a vacation Bible school in East
Tennessee, repented of my sins and asked Jesus to be my Lord and
Savior.
Like most new believers, I was filled with zeal and wanted to learn all I
could about the Lord. I began reading my Bible fervently, attending
every service and trying to be a good Christian.
I now know I was not properly discipled.
I began reading my Bible from the beginning. (That's where you start a
book right?) I breezed through Genesis and Exodus, bogged down in
Leviticus and gave up in Numbers. It took me awhile to get back on
track. I finally had a fellow believer point me to the NT where I spent
a season before eventually reading the whole Bible.
I had a huge fascination with end times theology and read everything I
could get my hand on. I loved to debate (argue) the Bible and felt I
had to defend God to the death! I even made sure to hand a Bible tract
to a kid who was holding a switchblade to my throat...so that I could at
least die a martyr!
Ah, youth....
Nearly 31 years since my life changing decision, I have come to learn
that less is more. I have seen the highs and lows of faith. The good,
the bad and the ugly. The older I get, the more comfortable I am with
my faith. I no longer feel the need to debate every line of
Scripture. In fact, I don't debate at all.
As I reflect over my relationship with the Lord, I find comfort and peace in who He is and who I am in Him.
After 31 years, this I know:
Prov. 3:5-6 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
The first Scripture that really challenged me. I tried for too long to
lean on my own understanding. Now, I know that I know nothing. I have
found that as I lean on Him, look to Him, trust in Him...He truly does
direct my path. From TN to TX, Russia to Croatia, the US to Canada, God
has directed my path, my days, my life. I wouldn't have it any other
way.
Jesus, Only Jesus - I remember hearing this quoted often by a man
God used to impact my life. He often said it boiled down to just
that. I used to think he was being so cliche. Now I know, I truly want
Jesus, only Jesus!
Jesus Christ and Him Crucified - "For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified."
This passage in 1 Cor. 2:2 has become more and more important to me. I
don't care to debate how long it took God to create the Heavens and
Earth. My opinion on when Jesus is coming back is just that, my
opinion. What I am determined to know is Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Galatians 2:20 - "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives
in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of
God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
The verse that changed my life. In my darkest days, God reached out to a
man contemplating his own mortality, He broke through the darkness when
suicide seemed like the only way out, and He taught me who I am in
Him.
I'm not God - I am not called to judge. I no longer see the need
to point out the stick in your eye while ignoring the log in mine. I
now endeavor to speak truth in love and show the same grace and mercy
that Jesus Christ has shown me.
The Two Greatest Commandments - Jesus is quoted in Matthew
22:36-40 as saying that the two greatest commandments in which are
contained the whole law of God is to love the
Lord with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength and to love our
neighbor as we do our self! It really is that simple. We over
complicate Christianity and Jesus boiled it down to this!
Jesus Loves Me - This I know. I can rest in that.
Showing posts with label Leviticus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Leviticus. Show all posts
3/2/15
12/9/09
Does Leviticus Still Belong in the Bible?
Leviticus. The 3rd book of the Bible! Apparently no longer applicable to the Christian life. Recently I have seen a few posts, on this blog and elsewhere, where people seem to discount an opinion if Leviticus is quoted! Now I know that Leviticus is in the OT, the cleaner and crisper part of many Bibles, but does this mean that it is irrelevant?
Jesus quoted from the book of Leviticus. He quoted from the OT quite often. Yet many believers operate as if Christianity started in the NT! The entire Bible is one long story and transitions from book to book, with a steady thread of redemption, grace and mercy throughout.
The issue, as I see it, is when the Bible, Old or New Testament, contradicts our current worldly morality. I mean who wants to read a book that condemns drinking blood and witchcraft when both are popular in society today. Why read a book that condemns unhealthy and sinful sexual practices when society, and many believers, feel these practices are ok.
Sure there are some laws that aren't applicable anymore...like women being put outside the camp for an issue of blood. God was trying to teach the Israelites about purity. I am not saying we need to follow EVERY dot, comma and dash. I am saying God does not change his mind about sin. Drinking blood was considered a sin, witchcraft - sin, homosexuality - sin. Just because it's in Leviticus does not invalidate God's truth.
Why read the OT at all. Aren't we under grace now? I mean God couldn't have had a good reason for us to still pay attention to all that old stuff could He? I'm sure God is ok if we throw out the parts we don't like or that society considers archaic.
Or maybe he wants us to speak against sin while also showing His grace and love to the sinner!
What do you think?
4/20/09
Respect Your Elders!
Growing up my Mom and Dad use to tell me to respect my elders. I was raised to say yes ma'am/sir, no ma'am/sir, etc. My parents instilled in me a love for the older generations and for our history and heritage. They didn't know it but they were actually following the Scriptures.
"Show respect to the elderly, and honor older people. In this way you show respect for your God. I am the LORD. (Leviticus 19:32)
I look at the world around us and sadly I don't see much respect for the elderly, or honor for that matter. 20 years ago euthanasia was a word I only heard about in conjunction with Hitler and Nazi Germany. Yet today 5 nations and 2 US states allow some forms of "legal" euthanasia. How long before the elderly will consider themselves "lucky" to be put into a nursing home?
Then there is the polite respect and honor we show older believers in the church. Some pastors, if they are lucky, are promoted to "senior" pastor, allowed to preach occasionally and brought back for anniversary services.
Seniors are encouraged to rest in their older years and let the younger generation take over the youth groups, the Sunday school classes, etc. Even chances to teach become minimized over time.
Why is that?
My heart aches when I talk to older believers who no longer are made to feel useful or valid. Believers who feel they have been put on a shelf, like an antique, nice to look at and take down occasionally but quickly put back before they "break".
I remember traveling with an older minister, in his late 70's, whom I could not keep up with. He has passed now, but I remember vividly one conversation we had in which I asked him about retirement. He said, "My retirement is eternity. Until then I must be about the Lord's business."
"We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you" (1 Thessalonians 5:12)
We can learn a lot from our elders. I guarantee they have been in our shoes before. They've dealt with sickness, financial struggles, doubt, etc and have come through the other side. We can learn from them the ways of the Lord. We can hear God's heartbeat for each generation in their testimonies of God's moving in their lifetimes.
It is time for the church to stand up for those who have come before and to sit down at their feet and listen to the Godly lessons they can share with us.
Don't let the testimonies fade. Be a receiver. Listen. Learn. Love.
"Show respect to the elderly, and honor older people. In this way you show respect for your God. I am the LORD. (Leviticus 19:32)
I look at the world around us and sadly I don't see much respect for the elderly, or honor for that matter. 20 years ago euthanasia was a word I only heard about in conjunction with Hitler and Nazi Germany. Yet today 5 nations and 2 US states allow some forms of "legal" euthanasia. How long before the elderly will consider themselves "lucky" to be put into a nursing home?
Then there is the polite respect and honor we show older believers in the church. Some pastors, if they are lucky, are promoted to "senior" pastor, allowed to preach occasionally and brought back for anniversary services.
Seniors are encouraged to rest in their older years and let the younger generation take over the youth groups, the Sunday school classes, etc. Even chances to teach become minimized over time.
Why is that?
My heart aches when I talk to older believers who no longer are made to feel useful or valid. Believers who feel they have been put on a shelf, like an antique, nice to look at and take down occasionally but quickly put back before they "break".
I remember traveling with an older minister, in his late 70's, whom I could not keep up with. He has passed now, but I remember vividly one conversation we had in which I asked him about retirement. He said, "My retirement is eternity. Until then I must be about the Lord's business."
"We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you" (1 Thessalonians 5:12)
We can learn a lot from our elders. I guarantee they have been in our shoes before. They've dealt with sickness, financial struggles, doubt, etc and have come through the other side. We can learn from them the ways of the Lord. We can hear God's heartbeat for each generation in their testimonies of God's moving in their lifetimes.
It is time for the church to stand up for those who have come before and to sit down at their feet and listen to the Godly lessons they can share with us.
Don't let the testimonies fade. Be a receiver. Listen. Learn. Love.
6/19/08
(HFJ) Hop For Jesus! (Just A Thought #24)
Did you hear the story about the Christians who had a prayer meeting? It appears that they had this meeting and the next thing you know brother Joe started talking about this vision he had and how everyone in the vision was hopping on one foot and whooping for Jesus.
Well at first the people thought this was crazy but then Brother Joe sited an obscure Scripture in Leviticus 11, which talked about hopping. (Yes, it’s in the American Standard Version, but it refers to which insects you can eat.) No one bothered to check and see if this verse was in the Bible, or even if the Scripture was taken in context or not. Seems another sister confirmed this vision when she said she hopped on one foot and was healed. Two weeks later the whole church had a foot hopping service. Then stories started rolling in of how people were being blessed by hopping. One guy got a promotion. Another guy found $20. A few weeks later a lady started writing hopping music. The Christian media picked up on it and before long the bookstores began selling hopping music. (Hip Hopping Hallelujah and Hopping Hymns were 2 bestsellers) Then Brother Joe, who introduced the joy of hopping, wrote a book which spent 22 weeks on the best sellers list. The Purpose of Hopping was followed by Holy Hopping and Secrets to a Hopping Life. Then the fist coffee cup in the shape of a foot was sold, followed by bracelets with HFJ (Hop For Jesus) was made. All the youth groups had to have them. The journals and pens got lost in the shuffle, but the Hopping Bible was a big seller. Eventually, as the movement wound down, someone had a vision of a man yodeling… .
Philippians 1:9-11 “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
Why do Christians follow fads and trends? Good question. We are called to be in the world but not of it. Yet it appears that whatever marketing or business trend is happening in the world is eventually duplicated in the church. Not to mention the extra-biblical themes being introduced into the body of Christ without as much as an eyebrow being raised. The specific trends aren’t important right now and I am not saying God can’t use these things, but I notice many people start talking about the emotional extras more than they talk about God. It seems our focus has shifted from Him to us! How are we feeling? What are we enjoying? This is how I was blessed. You should do such and such and you’ll prosper. I, Me, You! Self-Centered Christianity is not what God has called us to. He has called us to an uncompromising faith in Him. Our soul can truly only prosper when we delight in Him and His law. (Psalms 1:3, Prov. 16:20)
I believe God is calling His church back to the Himself. Uncompromised! Focused! Refreshed in Him; not relying on man-made extras to make things exciting. We need to get away from “emotional” Christianity and back to LIFE in Jesus Christ! There is Joy in Him. We don’t need the window dressing. We need Him! We don’t need an emotional high to have relationship with Him. We just need Him. It’s not about feelings it’s about fact. Jesus Christ crucified, risen, victorious. Galatians 6:14 says, “But far be it from me to glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world hath been crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” Jesus Only Jesus!
Well at first the people thought this was crazy but then Brother Joe sited an obscure Scripture in Leviticus 11, which talked about hopping. (Yes, it’s in the American Standard Version, but it refers to which insects you can eat.) No one bothered to check and see if this verse was in the Bible, or even if the Scripture was taken in context or not. Seems another sister confirmed this vision when she said she hopped on one foot and was healed. Two weeks later the whole church had a foot hopping service. Then stories started rolling in of how people were being blessed by hopping. One guy got a promotion. Another guy found $20. A few weeks later a lady started writing hopping music. The Christian media picked up on it and before long the bookstores began selling hopping music. (Hip Hopping Hallelujah and Hopping Hymns were 2 bestsellers) Then Brother Joe, who introduced the joy of hopping, wrote a book which spent 22 weeks on the best sellers list. The Purpose of Hopping was followed by Holy Hopping and Secrets to a Hopping Life. Then the fist coffee cup in the shape of a foot was sold, followed by bracelets with HFJ (Hop For Jesus) was made. All the youth groups had to have them. The journals and pens got lost in the shuffle, but the Hopping Bible was a big seller. Eventually, as the movement wound down, someone had a vision of a man yodeling… .
Philippians 1:9-11 “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
Why do Christians follow fads and trends? Good question. We are called to be in the world but not of it. Yet it appears that whatever marketing or business trend is happening in the world is eventually duplicated in the church. Not to mention the extra-biblical themes being introduced into the body of Christ without as much as an eyebrow being raised. The specific trends aren’t important right now and I am not saying God can’t use these things, but I notice many people start talking about the emotional extras more than they talk about God. It seems our focus has shifted from Him to us! How are we feeling? What are we enjoying? This is how I was blessed. You should do such and such and you’ll prosper. I, Me, You! Self-Centered Christianity is not what God has called us to. He has called us to an uncompromising faith in Him. Our soul can truly only prosper when we delight in Him and His law. (Psalms 1:3, Prov. 16:20)
I believe God is calling His church back to the Himself. Uncompromised! Focused! Refreshed in Him; not relying on man-made extras to make things exciting. We need to get away from “emotional” Christianity and back to LIFE in Jesus Christ! There is Joy in Him. We don’t need the window dressing. We need Him! We don’t need an emotional high to have relationship with Him. We just need Him. It’s not about feelings it’s about fact. Jesus Christ crucified, risen, victorious. Galatians 6:14 says, “But far be it from me to glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world hath been crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” Jesus Only Jesus!
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