Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: 1st Samuel 4-8 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Highlight Reference Passage : 1st Samuel 7: 2-5 … 2 The ark remained at Kiriath Jearim a long time—twenty years in all. Then all the people of Israel turned back to the LORD. 3 So Samuel said to all the Israelites, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only.
My Journal for Today: Reading on in 1st Samuel today, Chapters 4-8, we read of what a “hot potato” the Ark of the Covenant became when it was in the hands of the Philistines; and it took plagues and deaths of their people everywhere they took the Ark before they finally returned the power-laden ark to the Israelites; and even then they merely thought that the “God” of the Israelites was merely stronger than their gods, whom they continued to worship.
And it even took the Israelites to see seventy of their own to die at the hands of the One, True God for them to finally see that the Ark was more than just an idol in-and-of itself, to be used for military victories.
Why is it that it takes disasters or cataclysmic events in our lives for us to turn to God?
I can recall what it took in my life. Even after reading the New Testament in a class in college; and having Christian after Christian testify of God’s saving grace to me, I still couldn’t choose to realize that God was real and the idols in my life produced nothing by pain and continued personal weakness. But God, in His infinite mercy and His prevenient grace, pursued me as the “Hound of Heaven’” and ultimately broke me to the core of my being just as He did with His chosen ones at this stage in their history (i.e., in 1st Samuel where I’m reading now).
Why, when we hear the Gospel or the truth from the testimony of someone whose life has been transformed by Jesus, do we keep holding on to our fleshly idols? Or why, when we read or hear the truth proclaimed in a passage like John 3: 16, don’t we do what the Nike company’s logo used to proclaim and Just Do It !!, i.e., receive God’s merciful, saving grace? So often we have to experience personal brokenness or disaster before we’re willing to just see God for Whom He is and receive His saving or sanctifying grace. Even Christians, some who’ve been saved and have backslidden for years, find that they have to experience horrible personal brokenness to bring them back to a place there they can … “JUST DO IT” … and surrender their idols before God and receive His grace in surrender of their own will to that of the God Who saves.
Today, as I read and journal here, it is Easter; and we, who believe in the One True God Who saves, will proclaim, Hallelujah, He is risen!! But as we proclaim it with our lips, prayerfully in genuine worship of our LORD, Who died and was risen for our salvation, will we truly worship God by doing what Yahweh demands … to serve Him as the ONE AND ONLY God? Will we, today of all days, in our hearts, JUST DO IT and set aside all the idols in our lives and turn them over to the Lord, Who shed His blood that we might live and celebrate life with Him forever?
Hey, my friend … on this special day of worship … LET’S JUST DO IT!!!
My Prayer Today: … LORD, You are my LORD!!! And You are risen !!! I worship Your Holy Name … forever!! Amen
Showing posts with label rebellion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rebellion. Show all posts
Sunday, April 08, 2012
Thursday, March 01, 2012
March 1, 2012 … UnGodly Presumption Kills!
Blogger's Note: I continue on with my chronological reading plan through the Bible this year - now into Day 61 in March ...
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Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Numbers, Chapters 16-17 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Numbers 16: 1-5: … [Danger, Danger, Danger!!!] … PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE CHAPTERS – 16 & 17 FROM THE LINK ABOVE …
My Journal for Today: Today, as you can see above, I have not singled out any one segment or shorter passage to highlight my journal entry (i.e., blog) for this date. No, … if you’re following along with me, I’m asking that you take the time to read through these two chapters from Numbers, Chapters 16-17, reading about the rebellion against Moses by a few in the tribe of Levi who felt that Moses and Aaron were wrong in following God they way they had; and these Levites sincerely wanted to assert themselves as the new leaders of God’s people in this attempted coups.
Well, as you will read, as I did this morning, Moses, in a scenario somewhat reminiscent of Elijah’s challenge of the priests of Baal, which we’ll read about later this year, challenged these recalcitrant Levites to a spiritual dual; and the results were disastrous for the rebels, whom God opened the earth and swallowed them up.
As you will read in Numbers 16, these Levite rebels presumed – and I believe sincerely so – that they could (and should) take over the role as God’s representatives to the people. They felt that they had a better way of taking the role of prophet/priest to God’s people than had Moses and Aaron. And what was their motivation to ignore all that God had done with Moses and Aaron as God’s representatives? Well, the answer to that is found in one word … GREED!
These men, from their own, personal dissatisfaction and desires, felt they had a better way of shaping law and allegiance to God than had Moses; and so we read of the dual in the desert, where God, being God, showed these Levites that rebellion against Yahweh doesn’t pay. Lesson: Don’t mess with God’s purpose and plan, because as my title for today’s blog reports – “Ungodly Presumption Kills!”
You know, what these foolish Levites did back then in Moses’ day, trying to intercede for God in their own way, reminds me of what many false teachers are trying to do today, … i.e., false teachers like those in the so-called “word of faith” movement who are perpetuating what is sometimes called “The Prosperity Gospel.” These fools, preachers like Bennie Hinn, Joyce Meyers, John Hagge, and others, have come on the scene with their sincerely false interpretation of scripture, saying that God desires to financially prosper those followers who see God’s truth the way they see it. And my friends, they are just as foolish (and potentially self explosive) as were those men who challenged God’s truth and Moses in Numbers 16.
One day, and only God knows when and how, these rebellious, greedy false teachers today will be consumed in some way by the God they falsely represent. It may not be with them being swallowed up by an earthquake; but God is God and they are not! And the attempt of some of these charlatans to get rich and powerful in the arena of real Christian ministry is going to consume them. And unfortunately many who follow these word-of-faith teachers are going to be consumed as well just as did the followers who went against Moses which we read about in Numbers 16.
That is why we Christians today need to become like the Bereans (see Acts 17: 10-15) who carefully used God’s word, as they knew God’s truth, to discern whether the Apostle Paul was teaching the truth or trying to rebel against God. And they were able to discern that Paul taught God’s truth and was worthy to follow.
We need to ask ourselves if we’re following leaders like Moses or Paul, who teach the truth and follow God, teaching and preaching His word. And the only way to know if we’re on the right path, following God’s way, is to be well grounded in God’s word, which is now our road map to the promised land in this New Covenant era.
Therefore, I pray we’re all discerning followers of God’s way from God’s word.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, keep us on Your path to righteousness and Your promised-land by our following Your way and will from Your word. Amen
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Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Numbers, Chapters 16-17 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Numbers 16: 1-5: … [Danger, Danger, Danger!!!] … PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE CHAPTERS – 16 & 17 FROM THE LINK ABOVE …
My Journal for Today: Today, as you can see above, I have not singled out any one segment or shorter passage to highlight my journal entry (i.e., blog) for this date. No, … if you’re following along with me, I’m asking that you take the time to read through these two chapters from Numbers, Chapters 16-17, reading about the rebellion against Moses by a few in the tribe of Levi who felt that Moses and Aaron were wrong in following God they way they had; and these Levites sincerely wanted to assert themselves as the new leaders of God’s people in this attempted coups.
Well, as you will read, as I did this morning, Moses, in a scenario somewhat reminiscent of Elijah’s challenge of the priests of Baal, which we’ll read about later this year, challenged these recalcitrant Levites to a spiritual dual; and the results were disastrous for the rebels, whom God opened the earth and swallowed them up.
As you will read in Numbers 16, these Levite rebels presumed – and I believe sincerely so – that they could (and should) take over the role as God’s representatives to the people. They felt that they had a better way of taking the role of prophet/priest to God’s people than had Moses and Aaron. And what was their motivation to ignore all that God had done with Moses and Aaron as God’s representatives? Well, the answer to that is found in one word … GREED!
These men, from their own, personal dissatisfaction and desires, felt they had a better way of shaping law and allegiance to God than had Moses; and so we read of the dual in the desert, where God, being God, showed these Levites that rebellion against Yahweh doesn’t pay. Lesson: Don’t mess with God’s purpose and plan, because as my title for today’s blog reports – “Ungodly Presumption Kills!”
You know, what these foolish Levites did back then in Moses’ day, trying to intercede for God in their own way, reminds me of what many false teachers are trying to do today, … i.e., false teachers like those in the so-called “word of faith” movement who are perpetuating what is sometimes called “The Prosperity Gospel.” These fools, preachers like Bennie Hinn, Joyce Meyers, John Hagge, and others, have come on the scene with their sincerely false interpretation of scripture, saying that God desires to financially prosper those followers who see God’s truth the way they see it. And my friends, they are just as foolish (and potentially self explosive) as were those men who challenged God’s truth and Moses in Numbers 16.
One day, and only God knows when and how, these rebellious, greedy false teachers today will be consumed in some way by the God they falsely represent. It may not be with them being swallowed up by an earthquake; but God is God and they are not! And the attempt of some of these charlatans to get rich and powerful in the arena of real Christian ministry is going to consume them. And unfortunately many who follow these word-of-faith teachers are going to be consumed as well just as did the followers who went against Moses which we read about in Numbers 16.
That is why we Christians today need to become like the Bereans (see Acts 17: 10-15) who carefully used God’s word, as they knew God’s truth, to discern whether the Apostle Paul was teaching the truth or trying to rebel against God. And they were able to discern that Paul taught God’s truth and was worthy to follow.
We need to ask ourselves if we’re following leaders like Moses or Paul, who teach the truth and follow God, teaching and preaching His word. And the only way to know if we’re on the right path, following God’s way, is to be well grounded in God’s word, which is now our road map to the promised land in this New Covenant era.
Therefore, I pray we’re all discerning followers of God’s way from God’s word.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, keep us on Your path to righteousness and Your promised-land by our following Your way and will from Your word. Amen
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