92 - “The Human Side” Deuteronomy 26-27; Luke 7:1-30

…

"Your corpses are going to litter the wilderness---every one of you twenty years and older who was counted in the census, this whole generation of grumblers and grousers." Eugene Peterson. Only Caleb and Joshua will enter this Promised Land along with the children of those grousers. Moses and the priests instruct those children who are now 59 and younger:

"Keep silence and hear: this day you have become the people of the Lord your God. You shall therefore obey the voice of the Lord your God, keeping his commandments and his statutes, which I command you today.” Deut 27:9-10.  

Keep your silence, Bev. When the rivers rage; when the deserts dry up; when the bridges blow up in your soul, forget not his benefits. Remember the LORD your God.

Are you the One?" An odd question for one of the top ten prophets of all time to ask? It so shows the human side of all of us. John sits in prison pondering the scenario---why am I at this place in my story? Luke sets the stage: The story of the famous Gentile centurion over 100; the poor widow of Nain holding a lifeless child; and now John the Baptist's perplexing question as he sits in jail.  Luke nails it:  So what will be my response to Jesus, and why should we respond to him? At this point Luke zeroes in on the real question. This section's dominant theme is faith. It's all about the presence of faith or doubt in the Presence of God. And Jesus doesn't reply "yes."  He replies:  "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me."  Luke 7:20-23. Jesus really didn’t answer John’s question. 

PHOTO: Flicker. Copyright free.

91 - "Don't Bring Sin Upon Your Family" Deuteronomy 23-25; Luke 6:27-49

                                                              

“See!” he said to all the people. “This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God.”  Joshua 24:27.  The last words of Joshua---do not follow foreign gods.  Even the rocks have heard your testimony.  Joshua's face was set like a flint determined to guide the people to the Captain of their Soul and no other.  

The Living Word! Some of us end up in marriages that we would not have chosen had we not been swept away by the moments of our youth ~ #nofavorintheireyes. Deut 24:1.  Maybe it was the Providential Hand of God that He placed you in the marriage you are in---like Hosea, who married beneath him.  Maybe it is our own sinful choices, lustful choices, even ignorant choices that landed us where we lay our heads this night. Don't bring sin upon your family ~ Deut 24:4.  Whether it's Providence or our own sin, we all have opportunity to bear our own burdens rather than give in to sin.  We can find a rest we know not, no matter the circumstance.  God's Divine Power enables us by Grace Upon Grace to sanctify the crosses we bear.  God's Matchless Grace supports us---Underneath are His Loving Arms.  God's Comforting Spirit teaches and reproves and provides the way for us to better learn how to obey in the midst of distance and difficulties.  God will make this marraige more tolerable---He changes us, not just our spouse. We have the Written Word of God.  We worship the Living Word!  

Even in Luke 6, we find: If you love those who love you, what credit is that? Love your enemies and do good, hoping for nothing in return. Luke 6:32, 35

PHOTO: Egypt. Circa 2010. 

90 - "God Assures Us in Sustenance Not Solutions" Deuteronomy 20-22; Luke 6:1-26

                                                              

Dear Ones, When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. Deut 20:1. God assures us not in solutions but with sustenance, His Presence.  

And what will happen, as you read this Good Book, you will begin to see Deut 20:1-2 in greater measure: "when you see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the LORD your God is with you, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt. So, let not your faint! For the LORD your God is He Who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory. Oh my, do I ever need to know this today.

Dear God, Help me to not be afraid or dismayed by reason of this great horde against me. Help me to believe down deep that the LORD shall fight for me and I need to hold my peace. Psalm 60:12. 

PHOTO: The Lord is with you to fight for you against those mountains you face.

89 - "May Your Heart Not Be Lifted Up Above Others" Deuteronomy 17-19; Luke 5:17-39

As the sun sets on this day, 

May I be persuaded & swayed a little more deeply,

that My God is watching from daybreak to the end of the day.

The LORD shall fight for me.  I need to read the Book and live it out and hold my peace.

Read this Book all the days of your life that you may learn to fear the LORD, your God, by carefully observing all the words here, and that your heart may not be lifted up above your fellow man, and that you may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or to the left. Deut 17: 19-20. What turns us aside: riches and recognition, pleasures and pride. 

The power of the Lord was present in Luke 5:17 present to heal. So, men lowered their paralyzed friend down through the tile roof. From the Rooftop. Jesus saw their faith. 

Does He see my faith tonight?

PHOTO: The sun sets. 5-4-3-2-1. Hold your peace. 

88 - "Don't Waste Your Work" Deuteronomy 14-16; Luke 5:1-16

"Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole beside the altar you build to the Lord your God, and do not erect a sacred stone, for these the Lord your God hates." Deut 16:21 - What is it that we do with this one life of ours?  What set-ups have I placed before my God?  What have I done with the kind of bewilderment Moses must have hinted at in his feet not touching promised ground.  The beautiful point in all of Moses' last sermon is that he looked life square in the eye and looked right past Promised Lands into the eyes of God.  He begged to enter his dream.  He let it go.  Not in just a second or passing thought.  He let decades of dashed dreams disintegrate.  Moses learned to trust in deepest of loss.  May we live our dreams like Moses did.  With open hands, open hearts.   

Deut 14:1-2, Moses recants three distinguishing privileges: 

ADOPTED AS HIS SON~

"You are the sons of the LORD, your God," because you need a father.

CALLED TO BE HOLY ~  

"You are a people holy to the LORD, your God," because you are not.

CHOSEN BY GRACE ~

"The LORD has chosen you to be a people for His Treasured Possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth," not because of who you are, because of His Grace all over you.

"Our heavenly Father forbids nothing but for our welfare. Do thyself no harm; do not ruin thy health, thy reputation, thy domestic comforts, thy peace of mind. Especially do not murder thy soul." Matthew Henry.

Professional fishermen---yes they were.

They knew how to fish.

Grace ~ It fell from Him. Still falls on our hearts. 

So, put your nets out into deep water, says the Carpenter, not a Fisherman. Luke 5:4.  It's a miracle.  

These seasoned fishermen know how to fish.  Only God could have pulled this one off.  And grace falls in one of those daily moments where they spend hundreds of hours earning their way.  We never know when a Divine Visit, Words of Grace, will fall on us at work. 

So what's the insight here?  Christ tells Peter to apply himself to this secular calling of his.  Don't waste your work.  Time spent there is never a hindrance, it's holy.  When we have been with God, true joy will result in our work.  "We must not abruptly quit our callings because we have not the success in them we desire." Own ourselves as sinful men, redeemed.  Don't view your work as a vehicle to prepare for ministry.  Work is your ministry.

PHOTO: Lake Travis. Spent almost 2 decades in Austin. Such an unusual time full of deep hurt and much joy. They live juxtapose to each other, you know.

87 - "Get God's Word Deep Inside of You" Deuteronomy 11-13; Luke 4:31-44

                                              

It was not your children who saw the discipline of the LORD:
His Majesty
His Mighty Hand
His Outstretched Arms.
No, it wasn't your children, No.

It was your own eyes that saw all these great things the Lord has done." Deuteronomy 11:7
And what will you do with this God of yours?
What will you take away and live forever?
Can we ever ever be the same? No.
How He has overwhelmed us.
Walking floors of oceans.
40-year old shoes.

Miracles!!!Deuteronomy 11:18 - "Get the words deep inside of you."  I must preach the Kingdom of God Luke 4:43.

Deut 13:4 - "God is testing you.  Hold on to Him for dear life." Cling only to Him and His Word---let everything else slip through your fingers.  I thought all yesterday about Deut 8 - God led you on this road for those forty years in the wilderness, pushing you to your limits, testing you and showing us what's in our heart whether we will obey Him or not---my sin has so surprised me today.  Wonder if Moses continually dealt with sin over not entering the Promised Land.  He seems to have dealt with his disappointment in such a beautiful way!  Moses knows this is his last sermon forever.  He's been with these people for 40 years. God tells him they won't make it after he dies. How does this pastor deal with their unresponsive hearts?  He is looking into their faces. No one has ever seen their own face. Listen when others speak who read your face every day.  

66 Love Letters:  "I brought you out of something bad to bring you into something good before you experience that something good. Then, your love is sustained by confidence in My Character, not by enjoyment of current blessings."  He brought us out to bring us in - Deut 6:23. Moses last words send a message that even in his own disappointment, Moses never stopped looking to God Who did things differently than Moses wanted. Moses sang His Praises even while disappointed:  "Through It All, I've Learned to Trust in Jesus."  What am I doing with my disappointments in life?

PHOTO: A Grandmother with her 5 grandkids. May they all get His Word deep in their hearts.

86 - "Truth Rises Up in Us When We Know What's In Our Hearts" Deuteronomy 8-10; Luke 4:1-30

                                                            

Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 40 years! The journey was less than 15 days in distance. What happened? Deuteronomy 8:2.  What's the point here? How do we live like this? God humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Held Ezri at 2 weeks old and wondered this very same thought. The darling girl wil soon discover that man does not live by bread but by every Word out of the mouth of God.

God had the power to make it a very brief journey in the wilderness. And the same with "change" in our own lives. But how else is character formed? Overnight? How else can we come to see ourselves for who we really are? A C.S. Lewis quote comes to mind: "No man knows how bad he is until he has tried very hard to be good." They had to try awful hard in a wilderness---so do we. And what does it reveal? Humility and dependence or self-knowledge and arrogance. When we come "to know what is in our heart," that knowledge rises up---that's what the word "to know" means in the Hebrew. The truth rises up in our hearts of the Power and Patience and Presence of God---and our total dependence on Him.

PHOTO: Our total dependence on Him to move our mountains that we may “know.”

85 - “We Pass On What Is On Our Hearts” Deuteronomy 5-7; Luke 3

 

The Lord heard when the Israelites spoke to Moses.

The Lord hears when I speak this day to my leaders.

Oh! That our hearts would be inclined to fear God and 

keep His Commands always, so that it may go well with us.

Deut 5:28-29

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and strength.

These 10 commandments are to be on your heart.

Talk about them 

when you sit at home

when you walk along the road

when you lie down

when you get up.  

Write them on the doorframes of our homes.

Deut 6:4-6

And here is the secret for living and loving.

PHOTO:  It's a secret place I go to when I'm really in trouble. It's actually the campus where I used to work. God heard

 me here.  Yet, he hears me if I'm in my closet, in my bed, in my car.  Talk, Bev.

84 - "Moses Lived for Another Kingdom" Deuteronomy 3-4; Luke 2:25-52

So, Moses stayed in the valley.
So intrigued by the way that Moses "let go" of what he had held onto for decades.  A Promised Land.  And your feet will feel the bottom of the ocean floor but no promised land.  And your shoes will never wear out and they will never sashay the soil of the promised land.  And your wilderness steps will turn into bold confidence but not in a promised land.  Your heart is fixed on Another Kingdom. And in Luke 2, Simeon and Anna and Mary all lived for Another Kingdom. 

Moses begs, one last time ...

“Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand.  Let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan—that fine hill country and Lebanon.”  Deuteronomy 3:24-25.

And the answer is "no."

Take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children— how on the day that you stood before the Lord, He answered.  Deut 4:9-10

 

May Your Sovereignty grip my life, my heart.  Your Greatness.  Your Strong Hand.  You will never let go of us, no matter what.  We can never ever express our Gratitude for what You have done!

PHOTO:  Stay where you are planted. #sovereignty

83 - "God Knows Your Going & Coming---Demand Nothing Here; Expect Everything There" Deuteronomy 1-2; Luke 2:1-24

                                                          

God knows your going and coming in your wilderness. Deut 2:7. He knows.

I am stunned that Moses knew he wouldn't enter the land of Canaan, the promised land. Yet! Moses carried on. And he encouraged the people he led saying: "The LORD your God Who goes before you will Himself fight for you." Deut 1:30. This is Moses' last sermon and he knows it. And Moses still does not falter. He faces his grave disappointment with dependence.

Larry Crabb said it this way:  "Demand nothing here.  Expect everything there.
Surrender all rights to justice, to loving treatment from others, to fulfilling ministry,
to all the good things of this life and you will be given tastes of the good things to come.
That is how you taste the LORD and discover that He is good.  
It is those tastes that fill you with sustaining hope until you're welcomed to the banquet."

Moses' final destination was heaven not Horeb, an eternal home not an earthly one. His view of success did not include the conquest of Canaan. His ministry was to people not places. So, he kept on keeping on. Just like that young servant in Mark 5:36---keep on believing no matter what the circumstances show. There is an untold unseen unfolding Story.

"There is no better evidence and earnest of God's favor than His putting His Law in our hearts." Psalm 147:19.

PHOTO:  It's a tree in the wilderness outside of my window.  And in this wilderness in which I sit, God orchestrates my story.  I no longer live for success but for Him! 

82 "Live for God's Glory, not Promised Lands" Numbers 34-36; Luke 1:57-80

                                                                          

"If you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides." Numbers 34. Israel must drive out the Canaanites or they will be driven out themselves.  The Israelites could still stay in the Promised Land with barbs in their eyes and bristles in their sides.  We may succeed in the eyes of this world that we live in, but are we succeeding in God's eyes, God's commands?  We cannot allow evil to take root in our spiritual communities, in our churches, without dealing with it.  We must always start with ourselves. 

Luke 1:68 - God has set the power of salvation in the center of my life to the day I die. Justification. Sanctification. Glorification. The center of my life.

PHOTO:  Standing with my community walking through this unspeakable hand-wrought beauty.  Thinking about how much I want to succeed in the eyes of the world and have not. Why do I want to live for this world Yearning with all within to live for God and His Story---not for promised lands.

81 - "Consider the End of Your Sin" Numbers 31-33; Luke 1:39-56

       #81 The Israelites fell back to old ways of making life work for them. Moses fell forward on God. He cared more about the people than the Promised Land. Will we make today about striving with the Energy of Christ so powerfully at work within?  Will I live in the wonder of the whiteness of my life? That's enough. It's all about the white as snow.

                                                                 

Can I live in the wonder and awe of the dazzling whiteness of my life?  That's enough.  It's not about the turmoil; it's all about the "white as snow." 

Moses cared more about these people than about the Promised Land. He spoke the truth constrained by the Love of God. Ought we not do the same? Carry the cares of our world for the spiritual success of those we love.

 

"If men considered as they ought what would be the end of sin, they would be afraid of the beginning of it." The Israelites fell back to old ways of making life work for them. Moses fell forward on God. Will we strain ahead today with his Energy so powerfully at work within. 

God's mercy flows in wave after wave on those who are in awe before Him. Elizabeth & Mary are about to find out In Luke 1:56 all about this Wonder. Tonight, my friend Holly wrote about the time captured by Elizabeth and Mary: Time set apart before Time began...preparing the Way of the Lord ... the Way, the Truth, the Life.

PHOTO:  Stood overlooking this creek. Snow falling. Perceiving my end.

80 - “Moses Disqualified Himself” Numbers 28-30; Luke 1:21-38

                                            

Appoint someone else.  Moses disqualified himself.  I have no defense before The Almighty.  Moses and Aaron both didn't treat God as holy before the congregation of believers.  Just like the eleven limp forward to fulfill the Great Commission, Moses tips his hat to another.  May we not miss what God has for us this day, this chapter of our lives.  Our God is no respecter of persons.  Just take a deeper look at Mark 8, the feeding of the 4,000, primarily Gentiles.  He is the Bread of Life for all of us, even today in our divided nation, two Americas.  And the overtones of This Wonder for Gentiles and Jews and Whites and Blacks requires all to see in this Person who sits in front of them on a grass knoll that He Himself is God.  And what will we do with that today?  

These people with whom you are dealing---I brought them up and out of the Land of Egypt, just like you.  Live rightly.  Live just.  Live fully.  

Please change me in one of these 10,000 moments. You brought us to this place. You will do us good here. You will bring us out. Help me honor you here in this lonely place. 

PHOTO: The moon outside my window. Little movement in my life. Empower me to trust in the dark. Even when my moon stands in silence.  

79 - "Half of a Million People Never Looked Deep Enough Into Their Hearts" Numbers 26-27; Luke 1:1-20

#79 God let every male over 20 years old wander for 40 years and die. 603,548. Gone. They never looked deep enough inside to see what was terribly wrong in their own hearts. Caleb and Joshua walked away from a wildersness—-what did they see that half a million people did not see. Divine Power. Hope. Move forward and occupy. Numbers 26:65. 

                                                      

This is scary to me.  Numbers 26:65 ~ God let them die in the wilderness --- every male over 20 years of age.  Wandering for 40 years.  They died.  All 603,548.  Numbered. Gone.  Forgotten. 

But wait, Caleb and Joshua walked away from this wilderness.  Can we look at how they all lived their wilderness lives? What did Caleb and Joshua see in the wilderness---same thing as half a million dead people. Yes, they all said it is a land flowing with milk and honey.  But, the people said: No hope---we can't defeat the giants. Only Caleb and Joshua believed there was Someone bigger than what they saw. All the while---Numbers 13:30. Presumption on the part of the wanderers! "They never looked deep enough inside to see what was terribly wrong in their own hearts." 66 LL. But, Caleb and Joshua found Divine Power in their wilderness to believe for greater things than living as grasshoppers. Let's move forward and occupy.  Shouldn't we do the same in our impossible wilderness?  

I love the call of the next chapter to pray for future generations.  Matthew Henry puts it this way: "We should concern ourselves, both in our prayers and in our endeavours, for the rising generation, that religion may be maintained and advanced, when we are in our graves. God appoints a successor, even Joshua; who had signalized himself by his courage in fighting Amalek, his humility in ministering to Moses, and his faith and sincerity in witnessing against the report of the evil spies."  Oh, God, appoint us to find this Spirit of Grace to raise up the next generations to whom you have entrusted us.  Numbers 27:16

PHOTO: 

78 - "Daily Praying For More of This" Numbers 23-25; Mark 16

"Your dwelling place is secure,
your nest is set in a rock;
yet you Kenites will be destroyed
when Ashur takes you captive.”  Numbers 24:22

Balaam cursed a man, not the church itself. 
Someone once asked:  do we, in knowledge, experience, or profession excel Balaam?

"Simple dependence on the Redeemer's atoning blood and sanctifying grace, cheerful submission to the Providential hand, and constant endeavors to glorify God and benefit His People, these are less splendid but far more excellent gifts, and always accompany salvation... . The feeblest believer has something of them, and is daily praying for more of them." 

That's it.  Daily praying for more of Him.  He must increase; I must decrease.  

PHOTO:  The Ancient of Days.  Far more excellent gifts from Him to live this day by His strength.

77 - "An Angel Stands In Your Path" Numbers 20-22; Mark 15:26-47

                                                        

I remember the McDonald's I was sitting in when I read this same story in February 2006.  It was the lowest point of my life, and I couldn't climb out of it.  The Great Divide.  Maybe this was God standing in my way.  What will we do with His interruptions of our plans.  I certainly never understood for I loved where we were.  But God wanted to do something in my heart for Eternity.  So be it.  Numbers 22:31 "Then, the Lord opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in his path with a drawn sword in his hand.  Balaam knelt low and bowed in worship."  Kneeling low tonight!

God is holy.
How do we do that? How do I live like that? Am I asking the right question? Do I fear the One Who will ask the right questions?

Mark 15:30. The high priests and religion scholars stood in Jesus' path and charged Him as "King of the Jews." And that interruption of His life saved the entire world. God did something for all Eternity. Kneeling low tonight!

PHOTO:  Standing on the beach. Thinking about the Providence of God in our lives. Sovereign steps.  

76 - "Counterfeit Holiness" Numbers 17-19; Mark 15:1-25

                                                                

It's the work of heaven.

No man planted seeds; no man watered the grass; no man tended the flowers; no man grew anything.

"Aaron’s staff, which represented the tribe of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds." Numbers 17:8

The only prince of the 12 tribes who budded, blossomed, and produced fruit.  Not at the hand of man.  Moses couldn't make a stick grow overnight with such a trichotomy.  They don't exist together on a branch.  And the Israelites saw that it was a miracle.  A calling that produced fruit that only God can do.  Are we patient in our own pursuits, knowing God is producing fruit in our endeavors for Him. It is the blessing of heaven.  

 "Do not desecrate my sanctuary. I am the Lord, who makes you holy.’”  Think about the priests in Jesus' day.  "All the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put Him to death; and they bound Him, and led Him away, and delivered Him up to Pilate the governor” (Matt. 27:1-2).  They took counsel.  The error of the chief priests and Pharisees has been perpetuated and refined from Leviticus to this century. This error has to do with a false perception of holiness.  What does holiness really look like?  The chief priests?  Counterfeit holiness. What about today.  Are we a holy people?  God is most concerned about making us holy. Is that my major concern in any given matter?  Are we dealing with the Truth.

PHOTO:  It's the view outside my classroom window as I think about counterfeit idols.

75 - "Remember" Numbers 15-16; Mark 14:54-72

#75 The whole 2 million people in the community forgot what they just read. Numbers 16. Forgot the feeling of the ocean floor they just crossed. 

You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the Lord, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by chasing after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. Numbers 15:39

Then you will remember to obey all my commands. 

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord your God.’”                                                                                

The whole community wailed all night long. Numbers 16. What!?!  Two million people wailing for the sake of food. A collective cry. All but two: Joshua and Caleb. I look around every day and hear the ways people talk to each other, talk about others, talk to themselves. Where are the Joshua's and Caleb's. If it is true that God is on our side, and it is true, then what does Josh and Caleb know that we don't know in our hearts. Two million people "missed" the grace of God.  forgot what they just read.- You shall die if  you defile God's tabernacle.  He is a Holy God.  Serious Business of Heaven.  And we are no longer under law. We live under grace.

This debt of ours is paid. We defile the Tabernacle we live in every day. The frays of our heart are  covered with a Blanket of Grace. 

No chasing after the wind.  May we sail the seas of our story chasing You Alone.

PHOTO: The seas of our story.      

74 - "Caleb Had A Quiet Heart" Numbers 12-14; Mark 14:27-53

Numbers 13:30 - Caleb quieted the people because Caleb had a quiet heart.  Oh to live amidst the noise in quietness and confidence.  Isaiah 30:15

The people complained in their wilderness.  Do I allow my circumstances to reveal what I am really saying about what God has done or not done? 

"Return, O LORD, to the ten thousand thousands."  Return, O LORD, to us, ten thousand thousands across this spacious land of ours who call upon Your Name today.  May we press in hard and humble to find You in our million midst. 

O God, help us today to trust not like a Hobab but like a Humble Traveler in this story of ours.  The brother of Moses' wife planted his feet firm like a toddler spouting:  "I will not go.  I will depart to my own land to to my kindred."  Moses pleads with him:  "Come with us, and we will do good to you, for the LORD has promised good..." And they moved on in Numbers 12.

Sometimes, we'll invite people into our lives and they just won't come with us.  Even family.  I think the problem lies with me when, actually, the problem is their own heart.  Their problem is not me, it's God.  I'm just an agent at the ticket station.  May we let God use us as He will and not play the Holy Spirit in people's lives. 

I need to find my own Rest this day.  "Rest with us, God.  Stay with us." 

"For without You, what am I to myself but the Leader of my own destruction?" Augustine

Return, O God, to us all. As I read Mark 14, I may need to return to God. It's the distance

In Mark 14:72, there are two words I have never seen before:  Peter swore.  It's not something we are proud of when we breathe those hackneyed humphs.  My default mechanisms swore all-the-time when I was really young and didn't know the LORD.  But---this---this Peter is a follower of the Christ.  Wonder why Peter distances himself so much from the One he has been so attached to, every-single-day, for one thousand+ days, seeing with his own eyes one miracle-after-another. Watching Tabitha healed back to her mother's arms, witnessing demons cast out-of-control into a herd of pigs, seeing a blind man see for the very first time, hearing the scream of the Widow of Nain whose son rises from the dead,and on and on and on ... .  Unparalleled.  Unprecedented. Unbelievable. Yet, Peter swears to prove his piddly point.  And, really, what point am I trying to prove this day?  That I'm right?

And what happens as the rooster crows---Peter remembers.  Remembers what?  The words of his very own Christ---you will deny me and leave me.  It was Peter who pulled away, just like me and you.  God is always waiting wide-armed open.  We are all holy Sabbath breakers picking up sticks (Numbers 15:32).  A high-handed act in the middle of community---do I do the same things?  Playing it safe, distancing ourselves from life because the pain is too overwhelming.  

     "Recipe theology, that collection of practical biblical principles that tell us what to do in every situation, treats confusion as something to be solved rather than entered. It reduces the mysteries of life to things we can manage."                The Silence of Adam p. 66

PHOTO:  My good friend, the art teacher, painted this picture in 15 minutes in Chapel.  She actually painted it vertically then turned it horizontally when she was finished.  So poignant.  Jesus paid a price for us to truly live.  I must learn to live.  Live that quiet life apart from the noise.  

73 - "Never Live On Old Manna" Numbers 9-11; Mark 14:1-26

#73 Never try to live on old manna or replace it for better. Nor seek help in Egypt. “All must come from Jesus or you are undone.” Spurgeon 

                                                                         

The rabble!
Craving other things.
Numbers 11:4-6.
"If only we had . . . "
"We remember . . . "
"But now . . . "
Lost my appetite
Never see anything but manna.

Here's the truth . . .
"Never try to live on old manna, 
(and never try to replace it for better),
nor seek help in Egypt.
All must come from Jesus or thou are undone."  Charles Spurgeon

More than ever, I want to move only when my God tells me to move.  Live on what He has provided. Just like the woman who poured the extravagance over her LORD, Mark 14:6---"She did a beautiful thing for Me."  My world may not recognize the beauty but my God loves it...and He says to my world:  "Leave her alone."  Yes, leave me alone, o world of mine, for I am taken up by a Good God Who loves me so.  So taken up with His Beauty!

PHOTO: A photo I took of my version of the rabble. 

72 - "God Matched Their Offerings with His Audible Voice" Numbers 7-8; Mark 13:21-37

#72 The Lord matched their magnanimous offerings with his very own Audible Voice. Buechner says: If I see you, I experience you as an object in space. If I hear you, you bring me into the innermost secrets of who you are. 

                                                                          

In Numbers 7, every tribe brought magnanimous multiple offerings alike to dedicate the altar.  Whether the tribe was large or small, they brought the same equal weight, equal size, to show their acceptance by God was not based on the quantity of their sins but the quality of the sacrifice. Silver plates; shekels numbering in the hundreds; sprinkling bowls galore; sacrificial livestock proud.  And the Lord matched this grandeur with his very own Voice.  Audible words from The Living Word.

If I cannot see you and can only hear you, you exist for me not in space but in time where hearing happens. If I see you and can walk around you, I experience you as an object—-I can inspect you from all angles. Buechener says something of extraordinary importance occurs when I more fully take you into myself by hearing you. “Hearing you speak brings me by the most direct of all routes something of the innermost secret of who you are.”  Buechner, Frederick Whistling in the Dark

Stay Awake.  Mark 13:27.  Jesus is coming back to gather His elect from the four winds.  What we do matters only inasmuch as who we are.  We can outserve everyone but if it is not coming from a good place in our heart, it's clanging cymbals. Stay Awake becoming the person God created you to be. 

PHOTO:  I heard an audible Voice one day as I walked this very beach.  A young lady stopped my stroll and said:  "I came up to this beach to read my Bible.  And God just told me to stop you and tell you that this thing you are going through is from Him.  He is with you.  You are going to be okay."  She could have never known.  I faced the biggest crisis, the Greatest Divide, of my life.  And matching the grandeur of the skies and sea, I heard an audible Voice from a mouthpiece of God. More than a match.

71 - "Put God's Name on Every Face" Numbers 5-6; Mark 13:1-20

#71 Put God's Name on every face you meet. Numbers 6:24-26. The Lord bless you and keep you. Covers all your work here on earth. No conditions. May God lift His Face on you: a gracious movement of God toward you. #60000thoughts #talkingtomyself

                                                          

This.  The words to bless your people, to put God's name on their faces.

Say this.

The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make His Face shine on you and be gracious to you;

the Lord turn His Face toward you and give you peace.  Numbers 6:24-26.

The blessing is for every journey of life.
Israel prepares to leave Mt. Sinai and journey through a wilderness.
It's the story of our lives. 
"Bless us where it counts" - the word "bless" covers all the work here.  No conditions attached:  both physical and spiritual health.
"Keep us safe" - the word "keep" focuses on concerns for safety in our travels.  God will shelter us well.
"God's Face" - the word "Face" - The Light of God contrasts the darkness not far from our view.  We will see so much darkness.  May we see the Shining Face of God on all we meet on this journey.
"Lifting Up" - the word "Lifting Up" is a gracious movement of God toward us; and it's God gracious moving through us.  Lift up your Light and shine on this world here.  And give us all peace.  And God says:  "I will bless these people." 
"Put God's Name on the people" - the word "putting God's name on" comes supremely by means of the Word of God.  May we wear God's Name so that all we meet will see and believe.  And may we put the Name of God on every face we see for you carry His Name. Mark 13:10. You are placed in front of that person as a sentinel of truth. The Message has to be preached. 
For all our days.  

PHOTO: Our church. At The Arboretum. Putting God's word

70 - "Step Into Your Calling Even If the World Recognizes You As Returnable" Numbers 3-

#59 Step into your calling even if the world might recognize you as returnable. Numbers 3:34. #60000thoughts #talkingtomyself

Numbered.  Assigned.  Appointed.  The total tribe of Levi is in place.  The able-bodied soldiers ready.  The organization is impeccable.  "The Merarites were but 6200 in all, and yet of these there were 3200 serviceable men, that is, more than half." Numbers 3:34.  Soldiers were called at 20.  Ministers were called at 30---an honor for those more in the prime of life. May we step into our calling even when the world may recognize us as returnable. I feel that way from the church community at large---not worth much anymore. I certainly feel that way from the medical field---it happened after we hit 70. Just my perception. I may be wrong. 

One commentary said that "the least of the tribes had almost four times as many able men as the Levites, and some of them more than eight times as many.  Matthew Henry's commentary says the application for today is that there are way more of those engaged in the service of this world and warring after their flesh than those who are devoted to the service of God and fighting the good fight of faith. The road is truly narrow and the followers are few.  Walk the narrow road.

Mark 12 answers the question how to walk the narrow road. Controlled by the love of God---it's the motivation that makes us give, live, love. It is not an act of our will.  It is a transformation of the motives of our heart. What really resides in us as we try to be good?  My thoughts give me away.  

Are we striving really hard to be good so God will bless us?  Yet, inside rumbles and rages cruel thoughts, comparing ourselves to others, conclusions that we are never sure about ourselves or we're good enough.  Self-obsessed.  

It is not about applying the moral law to our hearts through an act of our will.
Far too much we are striving to be good, live good, act good.  

       No man knows how bad he is
        until he has tried very hard to be good.  C. S. Lewis

We are rescued from ourselves.  
Safe.  Secure.  
New Motivation...
The Motivation of Gratitude... 
for it's the Spousal Love of our God 
that transforms us to love with all of our heart & soul & mind & strength.  
So how can we find that kind of Strength to live and love this day from our heart & soul & mind & strength?

PHOTO:  A Roman mural on our Latin class trip to Rome.  I cannot fathom mustering 600,000+ and yet, they fight the good fight with less than their neighbors.  And they maintain order.  And this is phenomenal.  And this is God. #love #validation

69 - "Moses Was A Prince in a Grant" Numbers 1-2; Mark 12:1-27

#69 Moses was a prince in a grant. Marshalled in rank and file. Moveable. Pitch your tent and pressd on. Pressing on for the prize of Christ Himself and that future state of ours. #60000thoughts #talkingtomyself

Someone said Moses wasn't a geographer, he was a prince in a grant.  Mustered up hundreds of thousands of Israelites.  Marshalled in rank and file, right into squadrons by Divine Appointment.  And the followers, all 600,000+ pitched according to the standards.  Unbelievable!   The Israelites did everything the Lord commanded Moses; that is the way they encamped under their standards, and that is the way they set out, each of them with their clan and family." Numbers 2:34 !.  So, what's the point here?  It's our state in this world---moveable.  We pitch our tents and press through no continuing city.  May we live as fellow-pilgrims pressing on for the prize of Christ Himself and that future state of ours.  Pitch together. Press onward with the God of the living. Mark 12:27. God says: "I am" the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The living God is God of the living. 

PHOTO:  Church of the Martyrs.  May we all pitch according to the standards set.  For His Glory

68 - "God Sets Up Residence in Our Neighborhood" Leviticus 26-27; Mark 11:19-33

"I'll set up my residence in your neighborhood." Lev 26:11 MSG. If we surrender, He is our neighbor. Oh!  

If we confess our sins...wait, when was the last time I repented of sin?  About 15 minutes ago.  I went into the living room to my husband to ask his forgiveness for being very rude to him, but you know what happened?  I sinned again right there cause I didn't like his response.  We have the awesome privilege of going into the Holy of Holies and living no longer curved in.  Repentance isn't just asking someone to forgive me but it's turning from it.  

66 Love Letters: "Think of holiness as relational energy that is more concerned with another's well-being than our own. Think of unholiness as perverted relational energy that is more concerned with our well-being than another's."  

So, as we close the Book of Leviticus, what would holiness look like as we relate to our spouse today?  What would it look like as we relate to our children?  What does it look like this day as we relate to our world?  My prayer for all of us as we end this book is Colossians 1:29:  As you face and embrace some really hard things, may you struggle well with "His Energy that so powerfully works in you." 

So what does the Book of Leviticus stir in you? "These are the commandments which Yahweh commanded Moses for the children of Israel on Mount Sinai." Lev 27:26. Given for their joy. Manifested in holy love.  

Father, it is incomprehensible that we can partake of your Divine Nature.  The Israelites looked forward and thought they'd give anything to be at that place.  You are Here.  Invade my day, this moment, with your Holy Presence.

And so the book of Leviticus ends.  And you have to always ask yourself as you read your Bible:  So, what's the point?  Here it is:  all these kinds of laws were directed toward Israel's society not ours. The laws we just read are culturally specific.  Yet, Paul wrote in the NT that "the laws were written for our instruction" and they are "useful.  So, as we close this book of laws, we ask:  What did I just learn from all of these laws about how God wants me to truly live and about how he wants my society to truly live.  And the word I walk away with is "rest."  It's real rest that I long for.  And Sabbath rest. May I find true rest in Him, not in the tangibles of life. 

PHOTO:  Stumbled upon this beautiful place as I walked 10,000 steps today. Turned a corner. There it was. And There. God setting up His residence.

67 - "Keep Holy Your Sabbath Day" Leviticus 25; Mark 11:1-18

This is all about the servants that God brought out of Egypt.  Leviticus 25:55.  The law of Moses honored the Sabbath Day---a day designed for worship and reading and hearing the Law.  A day and a way to know God deeper.  Now, they institute a sabbatical year, every seven.  Now, they institute a jubilee year, after seven sabbatical years.  Return to your possessions, your bargains, your lands, your loves.  Free and with no encumbrance around your neck, around your soul.  And Who restores us to this kind of freedom?  The Redeemer Who lives.  Who ever lives for you and for me.  So what will I do with this Sabbath Day?  Consider it holy as unto the Lord. 

In Mark 11:17 Jesus designated the temple as a house of prayer for the nations and worship of the Eternal not a hangout for peddling religion. And the crowd who listened was carried away by Him. And the high priests plotted to get rid of Him.  

Kids, you will always have defectors in your midst. Keep holy the Sabbath Day all your days. 

PHOTO:  The little ones at church. May we all treat the Sabbath as holy. Rest. #read #listen #study #worship

66 - "The Sacrifices Shadow Our Relationship With God" Leviticus 23-24; Mark 10:32-52

66 - We put God on trial every time we evaluate if He is good. God is not on trial; we are. God is the Judge. Humble your soul. Come to Him first all day long. Leviticus 23:27. #60000thoughts #talkingtomyself

                                                           

We put God on trial every time we evaluate if He is good---what He has done that works for us or against us.  God is not on trial; we are.  God is the Judge.  "Humble your soul." Lev 23:27.  Offer the first-fruits of your life.  Turn to God first thing when you have a problem.  Come to Him first thing when you awake.  Pray to Him first thing when you sit down to eat.    C.S. Lewis wrote:  "You can’t get second things by putting them first. You get second things only by putting first things first."  Are we living by the first things?  Look at the Sabbath of these people.  They treat it as holy, do we?  Look at our day, do we profane the moments by not living in them.  Being present before a God Who Sees, and before what is really happening while my soul stirs.  Humble your soul. 

All these sacrifices shadow our privilege of having a relationship with God. 

All these laws, these words spoken protect and provide and prepare the family of God.

The Israelites are stuck at the base of Mt. Sinai. What offering do they bring to God? Obedience. Sacrifice. What offering do we bring to God? Our very selves. I struggle through the words of the sin offerings but there is no struggle through the truth—-we need a Savior. We can sin with our Bibles wide open.

Lev 9:36 Offerings are no small things. If we love Him, the offerings of our life will pour out.

Perfect in Beauty is the Godf who pours out of the Israelites when they follow in their wilderness and are not distant from God. Gratitude and offerings to God are not boxes to be checked off. There’s something wrong inside of us if life doesn’t flow out. 

This theme of offerings is all about Jesus being the only Way. 

The core message of Leviticus is to make us holy to enter His Presence.

May we long for holiness more than longing to improve, change, reverse circumstances. Make us a holy people. 

We are no longer under the Law. The Israelites were looking forward. We have equal standing with Peter. 2 Peter 1:3. Given all things that pertain to life and godliness. It is incomprehensible that we can partake of His Divine Nature. 

Remembering a quote from John Wesley: “ Insead of giving thanks, one is tempted 

Father, it is incomprehensible that we can partake of your Divine Nature.  The Israelites looked forward and thought they'd give anything to be at that place.  You are Here.  Invade my day, this moment, with your Holy Presence.

65 - "When Did It Become Okay to Work Harder To Be Holy" Leviticus 21-22; Mark 10:1-31

                                                           

Are we a holy people?  God is most concerned about making us holy. Is that my major concern in any given matter?  Are we dealing with the Truth?

When did it become OKAY to work harder to be holy?

Be holy. Leviticus 19:1
How do we do that?
Am I asking the right question?
Do I fear the One Who will ask the right questions?
God is the One Who makes us holy.
Leviticus 21:8
Where did we LEARN that we could work harder to become holier?  

Why do we think we can deny what is really happening within our souls?  

When did it become all right to distance ourselves to live for this world?  

What in life can make us holy apart from You?  

Make us a holy people, unto Yourself!

PHOTO: It's a promise. God will make us holy. Will I let Him? What will that look like?

64 - "Counterfeit Holiness" Leviticus 19

 "Do not desecrate my sanctuary. I am the Lord, who makes you holy.’” Lev 19:30. Think about the priests in Jesus' day.  "All the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put Him to death; and they bound Him, and led Him away, and delivered Him up to Pilate the governor” (Matt. 27:1-2).  They took counsel.  The error of the chief priests and Pharisees has been perpetuated and refined from Leviticus to this century. This error has to do with a false perception of holiness.  What does holiness really look like?  The chief priests?  Counterfeit holiness. What about today.  Are we a holy people?  God is most concerned about making us holy. Is that my major concern in any given matter?  Are we dealing with the Truth?

Leviticus 19:4 "Don't take up with no-god idols. I am God, your God."  That verse to me is so stirring that HE is my God.  I think I see all of the rules in this verse---No Idols--- and that includes everything from having children to having a great life to having what I want to having successful relationships.  Anything except God is an idol. Put first things first and we get second things thrown; put second things first and we lose both first and second things (C.S. Lewis).  This passage shows over and over how much we need to be clean and pure ... and it's impossible without Him. 

PHOTO: Browning's sanctuary. You shall know the truth and it will make you free. And God will make you holy.

63 - "Either Becoming Holy or Trying To Figure This Life Out" Leviticus 17-18; Mark 9:1-29

#63 Am I more concerned about my relationship with God than I am with these rough circumstances trapping me in?

Fragmented.

And sitting right in the midst of Beauty.

Am I more concerned about my relationship with God than I am with this rough patch that I've hit. So fragmented.  God was so focused in these verses in telling them to do things the right way before they could enter His Presence.  He sends a message to the grieving Aaron of how to come into His Presence.  Of course, Aaron wanted the Knowledge of the Truth.  Don't repeat the same mistake your boys did. No Aaron.  He found a way in the midst of his own grief to pursue his God.

How do you let go and let God be God? Aaron found a way in the midst of heartwrenching grief. I'm having trouble giving up my rights over a situation that I have identified as "not right." And it probably is "not right."  But it really is not "right" when I look at where I am and declare that God wants to give me joy---and I've not dealt with what is overtaking me, my own unholiness. He says in Lev 18:29 "I am the Lord, your God."

Beth Moore said at Passion that when we fight the wrong fight, "it has two fists---ego and control."  I'm so bent on being right.  Wanting not to lose control.  Why am I not longing for holiness more?  Using God to get me where I want to go.  God, please do this, do that, do this. May I fix my eyes on my relationship with a Holy God and open these fists of mine. "You want me to be holy in any situation more than You want me to figure out what to do to improve any situation."  66LL

PHOTO:  This sunset took my breath away as I drove home from Houston.  I jumped out the car to snap the shot.  There is something really bothering me.  Hard to shake.  Fragmented.  Come, Lord Jesus, in all this Beauty. 

62 - "Spiritual Leprosy" Leviticus 15-16; Mark 8:22-38

                      

We live in a broken world. But there is still order. God still rules. 

The priests couldn't heal. 

All these regulations. 

How could they remember. 

But, Matthew Henry says: If we apply this to the spiritual leprosy of sin, it intimates that when we withdraw from those who walk disorderly, we must not count them as enemies, but admonish them as brethren. And I just love that thought. May I treat my enemy as a friend---and a friend gives admonishments, too.  

Mark 8:24 Jesus healed the blind man ... but he still could not fully see. He restored the order of health. But the seeing man saw trees and still needed Jesus. So many times, I see "walking trees" and need the power of Jesus to walk aright. 

PHOTO: Peace like a river.  The place where I go to pray for my enemies.  

61 "Don't Live Nurturing Your Accomplishments, Achievements, and Possessions" Leviticus 14; Mark 8:1-21

#61The Israelites were looking forward. We no longer look backwards. We have Him here. Partakers of the Divine Nature. God is engineering all things. Don’t be nurtured in accomplishments, achievements, and possessions. Give Thanks. 

                                                               

Old Testament laws.  We are no longer under the law.  They were looking forward and we no longer look backwards.  We are partakers of the Divine Nature.  Francis Chan said:  "We have obtained equal standing with everyone---like Peter. Don't be so nearsighted that you are blind."  We have Him here.  Chan spoke about looking at things Unseen.  What are we really looking at every day?  The warp or the woof?  Or the Invincible, Immutable, Incomprehensible God?

Father, it is incomprehensible that we can partake of your Divine Nature.  The Israelites looked forward and thought they'd give anything to be at that place.  You are Here.  Invade my day, this moment, with your Holy Presence.

God spoke to Moses & Aaron. He talked to them! 

And He did to me today in the midst.

When you enter the land I am giving you to possess, put this in your house . . .

Leviticus 14:

First Thought:  get rid of it!  God is the one engineering ordaining all things. 

"Instead of Giving Thanks, one is tempted toward and nurtured in 

accomplishments, achievements, and possessions. 

It is a world in which no wonders are enacted, no transformations noticed." 

John Wesley

Meanwhile, back in the Lake in Galilee, Jesus once again feeds 4,000 people from 7 loaves of bread. What a wonder! Transformation beckons. Mark 8:6. 

If God has ordained for you to possess the good, the bad, the ugly ,,,, 

God will enable you to persevere in your possessions.

How does God meet us in our brokenness? There are laws. There is still order in this broken world. We can face the disorder and God has a way to help us live with that. We are still under the rule and reign of God.

PHOTO:  Taken at Passion Conference as Francis Chan spoke about 2 Corinthians 4:18.  Fix our eyes on what is Unseen, not on this earth.a

60 - “The Warp and the Woof” Leviticus 13; Mark 7:14-37

                                                                         

Hey Little Buddies,

Old Testament laws.  They were looking forward.

Today, we are no longer under the law,

and we no longer look backwards.

We are partakers of the Divine Nature. 

We have obtained equal standing with everyone---like Paul and Peter.

We have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness. II Peter 1:3.  

For that very reason.  Give it all up.  

Make every effort.  Knowledge.  Self Control.  Steadfast.  Godliness.  Love.  

Don't be so nearsighted that you are blind.  We have Him here.  

What are we really looking at every day in the process of what we go through?  The warp and the woof?  The countable and the uncountable?

The seen or the Unseen. 

Are we looking at the Invincible, Immutable, Incomprehensible God?

Jot upon Jot.  Tittle upon Tittle.

How Can They Remember All these Rules.

It's the Priests Who Will Atone For Them.  No more!

We have a High Priest!

Consecrate yourselves was the message in this wilderness.  Observe the rules.  

Consecrate yourselves is the message for our wilderness this day.  Value above all:

This Book is written for all those who hold Hope in Him.

"These laws remind us that God sees all things, even those which escape the notice of men." Matthew Henry. Jesus saw the man who couldn't hear nor speak in Mark 7:35. Ephphatha! Open up! He is calling to all of us Today. 

PHOTO: Meme and Zekey almost one-year-old. Jot upon Jot. Tittle upon Tittle.s