Leviticus 26:3-5

Leviticus 26:3-5 (NLT) “If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you the seasonal rains. The land will then yield its crops, and the trees of the field will produce their fruit. Your threshing season will overlap with the grape harvest, and your grape harvest will overlap with the season of planting grain. You will eat your fill and live securely in your own land. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. It only takes obedience on our part and life is enriched with God’s best. Christians seem to have a hard time with prosperity. There is a lot said in Scripture about humility and abuse of pleasure and stuff, but so many places in Scripture God just comes right out and says He wants to bless His people. Why wouldn’t a loving Father want to bless His children? My dad gave me the best he could. He wept over us when we suffered. He apologized when other kids had stuff that he couldn’t afford for us. Can you imagine how much God loves you? No, you can’t. It is beyond my imagination or dream. He loves us so much to give His best for our eternal life. He also desires to bless us in the present life – now. He told Israel if they would be obedient to His commands that He would be faithful to make their crops provide plenty. Their harvests would last through the next year and the people could have a year of rest. Malachi 3 lets us know that God is excited to prove His love by showering His blessings on us when we’re faithful. When I face tough places I begin to check the pipes to see if I’ve let them stop up with through disobedience or neglect. The writer said he had never seen the righteous forsaken nor His seed begging bread.

Leviticus 25:23

Leviticus 25:23 (NLT) “The land must never be sold on a permanent basis, for the land belongs to me. You are only foreigners and tenant farmers working for me. This is a strong Word from the Lord. God is laying out the “rules and regulations” of the people that He has chosen to carry His name and reveal His reputation. He had chosen them when they were nothing but a handfull of people. The Israelites were fruit of a covenant made with Abraham. Everything they had came from God. They didn’t work for it, they didn’t buy it, they didn’t even design it. The fourth generation from Abraham ended up being slaves in Egypt, but God had a plan. Other nations could have devoured the tiny Israel, so God hid them in Egypt until they were a nation revered. After 400 years He delivered them through Moses and took them to a land that they didn’t purchase. This land was not titled to the citizens. It belonged to God and the people were stewards or “tenants” of the land. Even if they sold the land to a different tribe, it came back to its origianal family every 50 years in the year of Jubilee. So the land is more like rental than purchase. The land that is contested in Israel will one day return to the people of the covenant and no group of nations can keep it from happening. Something else, we are NT covenant people and I and my possessions belong to God. I am a steward of His estate.

Nehemiah 1:1-3

Nehemiah 1:1-3 Nehemiah asked his brother and friends about the Jews who had returned there from captivity and about the things going on in Jerusalem. They said to me, “Things are not going well… they are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down… Nehemiah was a laymen, in other word not a minister. He was a cup bearer the king. He lived in comfort, but his life is about to change. It works that way with most of those that God uses. It was just another day for Moses until he came up on a bush that spoke. David was just tending sheep until he was called to the house and his life would never be the same. Peter, Andrew, James and John were doing the normal cleaning and repairing the nets after a fruitless night of fishing until a stranger on the beach said “follow Me.” Nehemiah’s inquiry showed a heart of compassion that landed him on a journey to help his people.Think on this today. Here is how to get God’s attention. Care enough to ask

Mark 8:1-10

Mark 8:1-10 The people ran out of food AGAIN, so Jesus called His disciples to feed them… More than 4000 people gathered to hear Jesus teach in a desolate place. For three days He taught. Even in the very presence of Jesus and in the hearing of the greatest teacher of all, people got tired and hungry. We often think if we could just get into His presence we could survive anything. I visited the Brownsville revival more than once. The handful of people who hosted that multi-year revival were drained after 5 nights a week for years and yet they pushed on. Literally hundreds of thousands of guests came through that church during that wonderful outpouring. The guests went home with renewed vision and pentecostal insight that they had never witnessed, but the hosts cleaned up the facility and got ready for another crowd. I talked with some of those people and you could tell they were ready to quit but also ready to continue as long as the revival continued. It finally took its toll on the congregation. These people who would not leave Jesus were so caught up in His ministry that they had forgotten to eat. They were up early and down late. There was no bed or air condition or restroom. Jesus had compassion on them and asked the disciples to feed them. Now that was a big request. How does Jesus think we’re going to feed this crowd? But His request didn’t change. Just remember, if God commands He also provides. These people would never forget the incredible miracle of provision. Thousands of people ate from a table that only began with a few fish and pieces of bread. And to add to that, there was enough left over to fill baskets. What is the problem that seems impossible for you. Is your dream bigger than your provision. Just remember, He who has commanded also provides and He owns the cattle on a thousands hills. I could continue but you get the picture

Abraham’s Faith

The Bible encourages us to begin and end our day with praise. A favorite scripture is, this is the day that the Lord has made, so let us be glad and rejoice in it. We are to believe that God made the day, and we are to praise Him before it begins knowing that we will be okay no matter the circumstances. Trusting Him for what will be is a bit tough for humans who have better 20/20 rear vision. I like Abraham’s faith. I am following without a GPS. Abraham left it all to gain it all. What he left was tangible and cozy. Where he headed was only a promise. Can you trust God today? Can you put it all into His hands? I encourage you to do it and watch God.

Mark 6:30-32

Mark 6:30-32 (NLT) The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone. Too often we feel guilty as busy Americans to take a break. Schedules and the demands of the children or ailing parents or projects that are larger than we can fulfill in a short span. The clock runs off daylight hours and then we are burning the candle “on both ends”. The kids have projects, the demands are legitimate and we go on and on. Then we hear the still small voice from a wise and loving Christ – “come away and rest”. How? We ask. We are pressed in on every side. People will think I’m lazy and uncaring. But we must listen to the voice – or we will break. The wisest of all humans was empathetic to His friends and decided it was best that they pull away. Is your life so busy that you will have to get old to enjoy a moment of solitude? Create some quiet moments. Create some short vacations. If you don’t, you will miss the lapping of the lake’s ripple on the side of the boat and the gentle inward teaching of the world’s Master Teacher. Plan a get away. The back of the coffee shop with your back to the crowd will do until you can do better.

Mark 6:2-6

Mark 6:2-6 (NLT) The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him…because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any mighty miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. I agree. Jesus was amazed at the double mindedness of the people. He was doing things among them that only a supernatural person could do. He was teaching with such authority that only those whose hearts were hardened could resist. People are often so finicky. It takes a lot to interest us. We get tired of winter and want summer to wish again for winter. I often remind myself that the seasons are planned by an intelligent creator, knowing that we people get bored easily – so a change. We buy a new one and want a newer one. We enjoy God’s presence and want more (selfishly). Jesus said, “I just can’t believe how impossible it is to make people content.” It is a wonderful attitude of the heart to want more of the presence of God, but it is a terrible unappreciative attitude to be unhappy with life when it isn’t going our way. The way to open up a new thing is to be thankful for what we already have. Be thankful watch for a miracle.

Mark 5:36

Mark 5:36 – Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, Don’t be afraid. Just have faith. A father had traveled a good ways to plead with Jesus to come heal his daughter. Jesus let him know that He would go to the home of the sick child. Jairus knew if Jesus could just get to his home in time the daughter would be healed. So the dad patiently walked along with Jesus stopping along the way taking care of more sick people. Then the words that no father wants to hear came from some friends, “Tell the teacher it’s too late. The child is dead.” What the dad didn’t know was the Lord could raise the dead as easily as He could heal the sick. The people were talking negative and the father no doubt was becoming discouraged, but these words are everyone’s mood changer – “Don’t be afraid. Just have Faith.” When we think it is too late and no one has encouraging words, Jesus does the impossible. Of course He went and raised the child. It’s like a TV program, the hero shows up when it looks absolutely impossible to pull it out. Do you need the words of the Master in a situation? Do you have a problem too big for you? Let His words 2000 years ago resonate in you today – DON’T BE AFRAID, JUST HAVE FAITH.

Mark 2:13-14

Mark 2:13-14 (NLT) Then Jesus went out to the lakeshore again and taught the crowds that were coming to him. As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Levi got up and followed him. I love the casual way that Jesus lived out His life. When I say casual, I don’t mean a disregard for walking in His Father’s will. What Jesus did is a great example for us all. He spent considerable time in prayer and fellowship with God. He got up early to pray and sometimes prayed all night. It was that communion with the Father that led every step. The steps of a good man are led – ordered – by the Lord. As He strolled along the seashore He drew crowds but He never was too busy for the individual. Levi was a tax collector who didn’t fit into the goodie two shoes character of the righteous Pharisees, but Jesus knew that with some teaching and hands on discipleship, Matthew could be a follower and eventually a church leader. So He called Matthew to follow Him. This cost Jesus His reputation. He had to do things to let Mathew know He loved him. He went to his home and had dinner. He was seen round about with Matthew. Verse 16 says that the teachers of religious law asked why does He eat with such scum? Ask yourself today if you’re willing to take time in your crowded schedule to come along side a wayward individual and guide him/her onto the right track. Can you do it without being intimidated by the stares of the self-righteous? Can you do it knowing that it could cost you some follow-up and extra demand on your already busy schedule? One more thing, can you do it without preaching down in a judgmental way, but getting down and lifting up? You could be the disciple who reproduces a Matthew – is it worth it?

Leviticus 2:13

Leviticus 2:13 (NLT) Season all your grain offerings with salt to remind you of God’s eternal covenant. Never forget to add salt to your grain offerings. Salt was to be used on all sacrifices. It was associated in the minds of the Israelites with the thought of a firmly established covenant. Each time that the priest scattered salt on the offering, those involved were reminded of God’s covenant with His people. Without that covenant they would not even be in a state to offer sacrifices. The symbol here is preservation from corruption in that it taught the offerer the necessity of purity and constancy in his devotion to God. In the New Testament the Christian’s speech is to always be seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6). In other words, let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good for use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearer (Ephesians 4:29). The Bible says as a collective Body, we are the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13) which saves the world from perishing in its own corruption. Christ instructed us to be on guard against the possibility of the church losing that effectiveness in the earth. He warned us to be careful that we not lose our saltiness (potency)(Matthew 5:13; Mark 9:50). When our doctrine is no longer characterized by gravity or uncorruptness (Titus 2:10), religion becomes changed into superstition and debased to man’s thinking. Man is elevated to equality with God or God is debased to man’s understanding of Him. Then, there is no scale or plumb line to measure against and we all do what is right in our own eyes. Because iniquity shall abound the love of many will wax cold but we who endure unto the end shall be saved. We who are faithful will be given a crown of life.