Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Joshua, Chapters 16-18 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
============
Highlight Reference Passage : Joshua 16: 9-10 … 9 It also included all the towns and their villages that were set aside for the Ephraimites within the inheritance of the Manassites. … 10 They did not dislodge the Canaanites living in Gezer; to this day the Canaanites live among the people of Ephraim but are required to do forced labor.
My Journal for Today: If you’ve been reading along with me chronologically through our Bible this year, you’ve noted that God, in these passages in Joshua, instructs the people – VERY CLEARLY – that He will help them eradicate all the peoples who occupied the lands that the Israelites would take as they entered and settled in the promised-land. For example, you can read such an instruction in Joshua 13: 6. BUT, (yes, another very big “BUT”), God’s people had to choose to follow God … or not!
And as we read above, the two tribes from the family of the patriarch, Joseph, the Ephraimites and the Manassites, who actually got a double portion in the inheritance of the lands, were unwilling to follow God’s instructions and, in disobedience to God, they “… did not dislodge the Canaanites living in Gezer.” And because of taking the Canaanites as slaves rather than following God’s command to eradicate these pagans, these two tribes never were able to live in peace, covered by the promises of God in their inherited portions in the promised-land.
I know it’s tough to read of our God instructing His people to wipe out and kill ALL of the peoples who were living in the promised-land as His chosen people took the lands under Joshua. But God’s plan was HIS plan; and He knew what was best for His people to avoid the pagan practices of worship and living practiced by the non-believers who occupied the lands which God was taking and distributing to His chosen peoples.
I hope all can see the application here for all of us. God wants us to COMPLETELY wipe out all ungodliness and unholiness from our lives as we march forward in life, leaving no such remnants of the ungodliness of the world in the process. This, in essence, was the instruction of the Apostle Paul to God’s people which we read in Romans 12: 1-2; and maybe you have this passage memorized; but if not, here it is copied for your meditation below [in the NKJV, which is my memory version] …
==============
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
==============
My dear ones, … my brothers/sisters in Christ, … God wants us to eradicate every remnant of unholiness, i.e., worldliness, from our lives once we cross over our “Jordan,” and we choose to make Jesus the LORD of our lives. And as our Lord, Jesus, makes it clear (in Luke 9: 23) that we’re to deny our selves and follow Him and live life HIS way, following HIS will, as we march toward HIS promised-land in heaven.
We simply (though never easily) must eradicate ALL the pagan practices of those who will try to influence us in ungodly ways as we take God’s promised-land. I’ll leave it to you to inventory your life, as I’m doing this morning, to see if we are driving all the ungodliness from our lives by worshipping our God in obedience to His way, avoiding the influence of the world in our lives.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me to purify ALL in me to conform to Your holiness. Amen
Showing posts with label purified. Show all posts
Showing posts with label purified. Show all posts
Monday, March 26, 2012
Thursday, February 16, 2012
February 16, 2012 … God’s Protection of Worship
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Leviticus, Chapters 11-13 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Leviticus 11: 24-25 : … [Purity for Worship]… 24 “‘You will make yourselves unclean by these; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening. 25 Whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening.
My Journal for Today: As I read though Chapters 11-13 of Leviticus this morning, one could get the idea that God felt that those who touched unclean things, women who had babies, or people with skin diseases were sinful because of their circumstances and conditions. But that would be a misinterpretation of these very careful regulations God was imposing – through Aaron and the Priesthood – on God’s children and their worship in the Tent of Meeting, i.e. the Tabernacle.
No, what God was doing with all these careful instructions to protect the conditions of worship was to set the worship of their living God, Jehovah, apart from the worship of the pagan gods in the cultures surrounding God’s chosen people, the Israelites.
And immediately in reading these three chapters, I was drawn back – by the enlightenment of God’s Spirit, I believe - to instructions which the Apostle Paul gave to New Covenant worshippers, those who’ve come to the Living Tabernacle, Jesus Christ, in faith and desire to worship Him forever, having been purified by His blood on the cross. Jesus was/is the reason why we don’t have to have the same protections which are written of in these three chapters of God’s Book of the Law in Leviticus. And Paul exhorted us – Christians – how to prepare ourselves for worship, when God had him write in Romans 12: 1-2, ... 1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
My memory also reflected back to the instructions to believers by the Apostle John’s vision, about preparing for the coming BrideGoom, our Savior, Who will be coming for His Bride, the Church, for the wedding feast of The Lamb. The instructions for the preparation of the Bride for the Groom (i.e., our preparations for the worship of the Lamb of God at the wedding feast) are found in Revelation 19: 7-10, where it says, ... 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) … 9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” … 10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”
And by combining the exhortation of Romans 12 with the instruction of Revelation 19, we can glean God’s desire that we – His chosen Bride - be purified for worship … that we be prepared to bow before God with our lives, … purified by keeping our linens clean (i.e., living righteous lives and avoiding the impurities of this world). We are to live lives of “living sacrifice,” pure and undefiled, which was symbolized by the detailed instructions for purity given to God’s people as they prepared themselves – by their living the way God instructed – to avoid those parts of the world and their own flesh which would render them defiled for worship.
God simply wants His Bride – His chosen church (i.e., that’s you and me, fellow Christian!) – to be in a ready and purified state of “living worship” (as Paul wrote in Rom. 12: 1), having our lines clean and purified for the BrideGroom, Who will come to get His Bride for the wedding feast of the Lamb of God.
Are you ready for Him coming for you, my friend? Are we living lives, purified and prepared for worship on a 24/7 basis in life? I don’t know about you; but I could use some more cleansing of my linens as I prepare for my Groom to come for me.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me prepare for You today by cleansing my linens in the purifying blood of Calvary. Amen
Leviticus 11: 24-25 : … [Purity for Worship]… 24 “‘You will make yourselves unclean by these; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening. 25 Whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening.
My Journal for Today: As I read though Chapters 11-13 of Leviticus this morning, one could get the idea that God felt that those who touched unclean things, women who had babies, or people with skin diseases were sinful because of their circumstances and conditions. But that would be a misinterpretation of these very careful regulations God was imposing – through Aaron and the Priesthood – on God’s children and their worship in the Tent of Meeting, i.e. the Tabernacle.
No, what God was doing with all these careful instructions to protect the conditions of worship was to set the worship of their living God, Jehovah, apart from the worship of the pagan gods in the cultures surrounding God’s chosen people, the Israelites.
And immediately in reading these three chapters, I was drawn back – by the enlightenment of God’s Spirit, I believe - to instructions which the Apostle Paul gave to New Covenant worshippers, those who’ve come to the Living Tabernacle, Jesus Christ, in faith and desire to worship Him forever, having been purified by His blood on the cross. Jesus was/is the reason why we don’t have to have the same protections which are written of in these three chapters of God’s Book of the Law in Leviticus. And Paul exhorted us – Christians – how to prepare ourselves for worship, when God had him write in Romans 12: 1-2, ... 1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
My memory also reflected back to the instructions to believers by the Apostle John’s vision, about preparing for the coming BrideGoom, our Savior, Who will be coming for His Bride, the Church, for the wedding feast of The Lamb. The instructions for the preparation of the Bride for the Groom (i.e., our preparations for the worship of the Lamb of God at the wedding feast) are found in Revelation 19: 7-10, where it says, ... 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) … 9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” … 10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”
And by combining the exhortation of Romans 12 with the instruction of Revelation 19, we can glean God’s desire that we – His chosen Bride - be purified for worship … that we be prepared to bow before God with our lives, … purified by keeping our linens clean (i.e., living righteous lives and avoiding the impurities of this world). We are to live lives of “living sacrifice,” pure and undefiled, which was symbolized by the detailed instructions for purity given to God’s people as they prepared themselves – by their living the way God instructed – to avoid those parts of the world and their own flesh which would render them defiled for worship.
God simply wants His Bride – His chosen church (i.e., that’s you and me, fellow Christian!) – to be in a ready and purified state of “living worship” (as Paul wrote in Rom. 12: 1), having our lines clean and purified for the BrideGroom, Who will come to get His Bride for the wedding feast of the Lamb of God.
Are you ready for Him coming for you, my friend? Are we living lives, purified and prepared for worship on a 24/7 basis in life? I don’t know about you; but I could use some more cleansing of my linens as I prepare for my Groom to come for me.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me prepare for You today by cleansing my linens in the purifying blood of Calvary. Amen
Sunday, March 06, 2011
March 6, 2011 … Cleansed Hands and Hearts
Passage of the Day: James 4: 8c [note underlined/bold portion in context] – 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
My Journal for Today: As we’ve been reflecting on James 4: 8 the last three days in my devotional entries, the Apostle James gives believers the absolute requirements, or at the very least the character traits, necessary for the humility we need as Christians to approach God in seeking a deep and abiding relationship with Christ. For that today, John MacArthur exposes Jesus’ brother James saying that we must have “clean hands” and a “clean heart.” The former, having “clean hands,” is a reference to the Jewish priestly ceremony of hand washing in the Temple before the priest could or would approach God in the Holy of Holies (see Exod. 30: 19 – 20). In the New Covenant, of course, all believers form a “royal priesthood;” [see 1st Pet. 2: 9] therefore, our walk as believers should be clean so that we can approach God’s throne of grace to avoid the death knell of sin [which is defined as anything separating our character from God’s].
However, beyond this requirement of walking with clean hands [i.e., purity of action], for a believer to be truly humble at God’s throne, he/she must also have a “clean heart” [i.e., purity of attitude]. In other words, the thoughts, motives, and desires of the Christian must be fully cleansed before that one could ever expect to receive God’s grace. God’s word is clear about the natural condition of the human heart [see Jer. 17: 9]; and as we think in our spiritual heart, so we live (see Prov. 23: 7 in the NKJV – which states: “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”).
SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 18: 31-32 … 31 “Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord GOD. “Therefore turn and live!”
Hence, as today’s exhortation by James, as well as this statement, directly from God, in the Old Testament (i.e., from Ezekiel 18: 31-32 - above), we who have perpetually deceitful hearts, must keep short accounts with God for our sinfulness. Fortunately we have God’s promise that He will cleanse the heart of any humble believer willing to confess his/her sin. I’ll bet you already know that promise in 1st John 1: 9 (if not, I challenge you to memorize that verse and use its application when the Holy Spirit convicts you, as He does me, of sinfulness almost daily, if not momentarily). If we humbly come to God’s throne of grace fully cleansed by the blood of Christ of our sin [and we can according to 1st John 1: 9], we can expect our Lord to shower us with His grace, … just as He did on the cross.
So, join me in a covenant THIS DAY to walk and live purely so that we can live as believers fully covered by the grace of God.
My Prayer Today: Help me, Lord, to have clean hands and a clean heart as I live for You. Amen
My Journal for Today: As we’ve been reflecting on James 4: 8 the last three days in my devotional entries, the Apostle James gives believers the absolute requirements, or at the very least the character traits, necessary for the humility we need as Christians to approach God in seeking a deep and abiding relationship with Christ. For that today, John MacArthur exposes Jesus’ brother James saying that we must have “clean hands” and a “clean heart.” The former, having “clean hands,” is a reference to the Jewish priestly ceremony of hand washing in the Temple before the priest could or would approach God in the Holy of Holies (see Exod. 30: 19 – 20). In the New Covenant, of course, all believers form a “royal priesthood;” [see 1st Pet. 2: 9] therefore, our walk as believers should be clean so that we can approach God’s throne of grace to avoid the death knell of sin [which is defined as anything separating our character from God’s].
However, beyond this requirement of walking with clean hands [i.e., purity of action], for a believer to be truly humble at God’s throne, he/she must also have a “clean heart” [i.e., purity of attitude]. In other words, the thoughts, motives, and desires of the Christian must be fully cleansed before that one could ever expect to receive God’s grace. God’s word is clear about the natural condition of the human heart [see Jer. 17: 9]; and as we think in our spiritual heart, so we live (see Prov. 23: 7 in the NKJV – which states: “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”).
SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 18: 31-32 … 31 “Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord GOD. “Therefore turn and live!”
Hence, as today’s exhortation by James, as well as this statement, directly from God, in the Old Testament (i.e., from Ezekiel 18: 31-32 - above), we who have perpetually deceitful hearts, must keep short accounts with God for our sinfulness. Fortunately we have God’s promise that He will cleanse the heart of any humble believer willing to confess his/her sin. I’ll bet you already know that promise in 1st John 1: 9 (if not, I challenge you to memorize that verse and use its application when the Holy Spirit convicts you, as He does me, of sinfulness almost daily, if not momentarily). If we humbly come to God’s throne of grace fully cleansed by the blood of Christ of our sin [and we can according to 1st John 1: 9], we can expect our Lord to shower us with His grace, … just as He did on the cross.
So, join me in a covenant THIS DAY to walk and live purely so that we can live as believers fully covered by the grace of God.
My Prayer Today: Help me, Lord, to have clean hands and a clean heart as I live for You. Amen
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
