Pray for THAT Guy?

While I was attending an Adventist college a few years back I got along with just about everyone there.  I thought my fellow students were great, and they generally seemed to like me, too.  Everyone was just so friendly, from the school's president down to the janitor on my dorm hall.  Everyone, that is, except for this one guy.

Mr. Jenkins was the head of campus security, and I am hard pressed to think of anyone who liked this man.  He made negative comments about the student body, and he harassed us constantly for not parking just so!  Any time his name was mentioned, someone had a story about how they didn't like him and they usually had a specific reason.

One day I was heading off to deliver a projector to a classroom on the other side of campus when I noticed that there were two squad cars-with lights flashing-out in front of the administration building.  A couple of seconds later, an ambulance came screaming onto campus.  I came to learn that Mr. Jenkins, while trying to stop someone from leaving before the police could arrive, had been hit by the fleeing car.  At first I didn't know what to think.  A part of me wanted to laugh, but another part felt

horrible for what had happened.  I continued on my delivery still mulling this over in my head.

That night in the cafeteria the news was everywhere, but for the most part people thought it was funny.  The general consensus was that it was not an undeserved accident.  The next day on my way to chapel, I overheard some students talking.  "You know, I really hope we don't have to have a big long prayer for this guy.  I think I might just leave chapel if that happens."  

I was in shock.  Here I was on an Christian campus, and all the talk I'd heard about the last day or so was how Mr. Jenkins deserved what he got, and I never once heard a single shred of sympathy for the man.  Part of the shock I felt was my own guilt for having many of the same thoughts as I heard voiced by others.

I began to think of something Paul said.  "If your enemy is hungry, feed him;  if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:20)"  Was I doing that?  I was ashamed to say that, even though I knew that I should do that, I didn't really want to.  That's when some of Jesus' words really hit home: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than [this].  (Mark 12:31)"  Wasn't Mr. Jenkins my neighbor in Christ?  Didn't I see him in church every Sabbath? 

Often times in our lives we seek to encounter God through the good things that happen to us.  How often do we look for God in situations where we don't want Him to be?  I didn't want the Holy Spirit reminding me that God loved Mr. Jenkins as much as He loved me. That night, as I said my prayers, though, I said an extra prayer for Mr. Jenkins, and you know what?  It felt GOOD.  It seems God knows what He is talking about when He tells us that we should love even those who don't love us.

ENCOUNTER:

Who are you impressed to pray for right now?  How will prayer change you?

Worry by Bill Crofton

This devotion is for:

• all of you who have worried in the past.
• all of you who are now worried.
• and, all of you who are making plans to worry soon!

Worry is no laughing matter. Quite frankly, it is a sin. However, it is a sin. Yet, it is one of those "acceptable" sins in the Christian life. For instance:

• we would never smile at a Christian who staggered into his home night after night drunk and abusive. [we often smile at a Christian friend who worries]

• we would not joke about a member who stole someone's car. [but we regularly joke about our worrying over some detail in life]

My mother was worrier. My wife is one. Must be a mother thing. Matthew was going to Costa Rica last summer to surf. He took along his younger brother. His mother's objections were:

• your going to be kidnapped by Costa Rican Rebels.
• your going to drink the water and die of dysentery.
• your going to fall off your board, get tangled in the reef and cut to shreds.

• a hostile wave is going to carry you to Hawaii. [personally, I don't think

• that's a bad thing]

Of course, Matthew's reply was deeply reassuring - "Mom, if its my time to go (death), I'm ready". He really means it! Didn't seem to help his mother a lot.

Bottom line, in this world we have to make a choice. Whether wealthy or poor or somewhere in between, trust God. The rich are tempted to trust in their possessions. The poor are tempted to doubt God's provision. Are you going to trust the world (riches) or the God who made everything?

You get the feeling Jesus saw the age we live in. 16 of 38 parables deal with money. 1 out of 10 verses on prayer, 500 on faith and over 2,000 on money. The heart of Jesus' message in our present passage is: Don't worry—not even about the necessities. He gives the command, Do not be anxious three times - (Matt 6:25,31,34) and gives four reasons why worry, being anxious, is wrong:

1. it is unfaithful because of our Master;
2. it is unnecessary because of our Father;
3. it is unreasonable because of our faith;
4. and, it is unwise because of our future.

So, make a choice. Trust the God who seeks to encounter you. Don't worry, be happy.

ENCOUNTER: What do you have to worry about? What does worry say about who is in control of your life?

Warning by Bill Ashlock

The cliche is a warning and the sad part of the words is that they are true far too often.

"Calloused climbers betray their very own friends; they'd stab their own grandmothers in the back." (Proverbs 16.29)

The world is a very dangerous place, especially for those who remain true to their created purpose. It would be easy to complain, there are too many stories of victims on all sides, location, and ages. The trouble with this approach is that we are in no position to say that we are in the worse possible position. There are always other stories that top ours, especially when it comes to God's own journey!

What strikes me is how people respond.

First, one fights and claws at the climber trying to prevent him or her from going by. The defensive actions tend to get more aggressive when the stakes or high or the person feels their personal position is threatened. Relationships in Hollywood are great examples of this, personal and professional.

Second, one defends moderately and then lets the person go on by only to strike out in revenge after the other person has won the lead. Revenge is a very caustic emotion; most people even considering it have no idea of how devastating it is to their souls. This is probably the most common response, either individually or in combination with the first response. We just cannot seem to help ourselves.

Third, ignore the climber and push own with our calling and mission. I was fortunate to meet someone in my professional life who was buried in corporate politics. Most were not of his own making, however he fought with the best! He seemed to lose as much as he won however he traveled with a mantra that was very unusual. He never seemed to even consider revenge; a battle lost was just that and it was always time to move on.

Life is difficult, extremely. We have a mission, given by God. Regardless of it's color and texture our missions have common themes; love, mercy, and compassion!

ENCOUNTER: What type of "climbers" have you experienced lately? What has been your response? What do you wish your "manta" to be?

Making Atheists

“The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle.  That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” – Brennan Manning

It seems like everywhere I turn, I am confronted with anger, hatred, and lies.  Some days the torrent seems endless. It comes by mail, it’s every other commercial on TV and the radio.  It’s billboards and yard signs and bumper stickers.  People who say they are Christians, but are screaming louder than everyone else, not about God, but about hating the politician they don’t like.

“The greatest single cause of atheism…”

What depresses me most of all though is the constant onslaught of social media posts that scream louder and are most often meaner than anything in the outside world.  I’ve seen such vitriol posted from ordained elders and pastors it makes me physically ill.  People who lead worship, lead prayer, and preach about God’s love, posting things so awful it makes me sick even to think about it.

“…is Christians…”

I’ve stopped going on Facebook these days, I just can’t take any more of the hatred and filth being posted there by both church leaders and officials and folks who are in the pews every week, singing praises about God.  The Apostle James got it right when he exclaimed, “So blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!” (Jas. 3:10).  But every day, almost without fail, hateful things are spewed out and posted for all the world to see.

“…who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny Him…”

I’ve stopped going to church, too.  I just can’t do it any more.  How can I find God when the people leading prayer and worship walk out of church and post hateful, vile things on the internet.  Maybe even FROM church, with smart phones and iPads and what have you.  If they can say such horrible things about our elected leaders, whom they’ve never met, what must they be saying about me?  And what does it say about the church? 

“That is what an unbelieving world simply finds…unbelievable.”

Jesus wasn’t like that.  Jesus loved people.  One of the final instructions He gave us before He died was “Love each other.  Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” (Jn. 13:34).  That means, as Peter reminds us, “You must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, ‘You must be holy because I am holy.’” (I Pt. 1:15).  So why aren’t we?  Shouldn’t we be showing people the love of Jesus by how we treat each other?  Instead, we seem to be doing a lot better job of making atheists. 

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’” (Matt: 25:40)

Encounter: In your speech, your online posts, and your lifestyle, are you making disciples for Jesus, or are you making atheists? 

-Todd G

When Did Jesus Give Us Permission to Hate?

I’ve begun to notice a disturbing trend in our society today.  We are being conditioned to hate one another.  It seems like every time I turn on the TV, log on Facebook or Google+, or listen to the radio, something hateful is being said.  And the sad part is, everyone knows its hateful but just dismisses it by saying “it’s just politics.”

Just down the road this week, the Republican Party is holding their big convention in Tampa.  On the surface it’s about getting a candidate for President, but the reality is it’s a gathering to encourage people to hate.  Hate President Obama, hate welfare, hate the tree huggers, and hate anyone who disagrees with you.  Anything else is un-American

Next week, the Democratic Party will gather in Charlotte for their big convention.  They already have a candidate for President, but the message will be similar to the Republican one.  Hate Governor Romney, hate the rich, hate Rep. Ryan’s budget plan, hate Fox News, and hate anyone who disagrees with you.  Anything else is un-American.

The funny part is, both sides claim to be upstanding Christians who attend church every week.  Even more surprising, most of the people speaking and posting hateful things all over the place are also in church every week because they are good followers of Jesus.

But what I can’t seem to figure out is when Jesus told us we should hate each other.  I’ve looked all over the Bible and I just can’t seem to find the verse where Jesus tells us we should hate our brother because he disagrees with us, or we should hate our leaders because we disagree with them.

Here’s what I do find Jesus saying a lot of, though.  “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.  Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (Jn. 13:34-25)

That’s all well and good, I suppose, but what is Jesus saying?  He is telling us to think clearly and exercise self-control. To look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when he is revealed to the world. So we must live as God’s obedient children. We can’t slip back into our old ways of living to satisfy our own desires. We didn’t know any better before we became Christians.  But now we must be holy in everything we do, just as God who chose us is holy. For the Bible says, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as “foreigners in the land.” For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. (I Peter 1:13-19)

Paul explains how we should live when he tells us to love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. We should never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. We should rejoice in our confident hope and be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!  Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. (Rom. 12:10-18)

It seems like Jesus is telling us to get along with each other, care about each other, and LIFT EACH OTHER UP.  What it does not seem to say is that we should hate those with a different view point.  And it’s not just our “church buddies” that we’re supposed to be kind too.  If we are REALLY followers of Christ and understand God’s way, we must prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.  But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere (Jas. 3:13-17).

So if you say “I know God,” but don’t obey God’s commandments, you are a liar and are not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.
The old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before. Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining.

If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is still living in darkness. Anyone who loves another brother or sister is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble. But anyone who hates another brother or sister is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness. (I Jn. 2:4-11)
Get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech! (I Pt. 2:1)  Just because you’re bombarded by the rhetoric on TV, Facebook, and everywhere you turn doesn’t mean you should join in.  Take a moment and remember who’s child you are.  You are God’s child, and you are part of His family!  Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God.(I Jn. 3:9)

Encounter: Who do you represent by your Facebook posts, your speech, and your actions?

Seeing the Son in Sonny’s

This Sabbath for whatever reason I got into a funk.  You know, that kind of mood where everything annoys you, and you just don’t want to do anything?  And of course you have to go to church, so even more annoying!  I was seriously sitting in church having that mental “tantrum” with God, and at one point I asked Him where He even was because it sure didn’t feel like it there!

Well, God being God, He decided to show me….albeit the next day.  On Sunday I went with my wife to the school where she works.  It’s an old public school (built in 1965) that serves a lot of low income kids and families.  So why were we there on Sunday?  Well two reasons, the first was to take some boxes from the car and put them in her classroom for next school year.

The other reason, though, was that the school was having an open house….sort of.  If you’re from the South, you’ve probably heard of Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q.  It is great food, let me tell you!  But I digress.  Sonny’s is a BBQ chain down here, and fairly popular with the locals.  But I learned on Sunday that they do a lot more than just make great food.

Each summer for the past few years Sonny’s has quietly been serving the community in spectacular fashion.  They run what they call “Sonny’s Summer Character Camp” with help from the Boy Scouts and the Florida Learning for Life program.  It’s a week-long day camp for underprivileged kids, and it is 100% free.  Not only that, Sonny’s feeds the kids both lunch and breakfast….and sadly for some of the kids those might be their only meals.  They have activities and quite a few local business and leaders (like a police office, the fire department, even the local state representative).  They incorporate character building attributes such as Respect, Citizenship, Cooperation, Caring, and Self-Discipline.  It’s such an awesome opportunity for kids who wouldn’t otherwise have any.

I was putting the dishes away this evening and I saw a GODencounters mug I have from 2008.  Our theme that year was “Reflecting the Son” and emphasis was on showing others Jesus by how you live and act each day.    I thought back over my weekend, and I realized that I hadn’t done much reflecting to anyone.  But God was reflected back to me by a non-Christian company that was doing exactly what Jesus would do: Being a good neighbor and taking care of the poor, even in a small way.

I’m thankful for a God who is bigger than my pettiness.  And I’m so heartened to see that God is still actively at work in the world, taking care of the less fortunate and fortunate alike.  How do I know?  Because this weekend I saw the Son reflected in Sonny’s.

Encounter: Who can you reflect Jesus to this week?

Going Old School: Being Priestly

God gave His people some pretty specific instructions throughout Leviticus.  He was giving them the rules that would lead to healthier, happier lives and build a relationship with Him.  God also laid out specific rules for the spiritual leaders of the people, those charged with teaching the people about Him and representing them before God.

In Leviticus 21, God gives even more specific rules for the daily living of the priest, including who a priest could or could not marry (vv 7-8), with even more stringent rules for the high priest, the most important spiritual leader in the land (vv. 10-13).

In Leviticus 21:16-23, it looks like God is unfairly discriminating against handicapped people by saying that they are unqualified to offer sacrifices.  But that isn’t the case!  Just as God had instructed that no imperfect animals were sacrificed, so too it was that no imperfect priest could offer the sacrifice.  Rather than being an insult to a handicapped priest, this had to do with the extreme precision that priests had to follow in sacrificing an animal to the Lord.  Additionally, any Levites who were handicapped were to be cared for and supported by the people, just like all the Levites.  And, as was their Levitical birthright, they had the opportunity to perform many essential tasks and services within the Tabernacle.

But it does still beg the question about why their were so many rules and guidelines for priests (Lev. 22:1-9)?  You’ll recall that the Israelites lived in Egypt for nearly 400 years, so they would be very familiar with the behavior of the Egyptian priests, who were motivated not by the gods they served, but by accumulating political power within the empire.  For the Egyptian priests, religion was just a means to gain that power.  God did not want His priests to be viewed with the same suspicion and ill-regard the Egyptians had for their priests.  God’s priests were to serve both Him and the people.  All of God’s priests’ duties were religious; their goal to bring the people nearer to God and worship Him.  This is also the reason that the priests weren’t able to own land or take money from anyone; by being totally dependent on the people, the priests’ activities could never be mistaken as politically motivated, thus allowing the priests to accomplish what they were supposed to be doing: leading the people to God.

Lastly, God talks about unworthy sacrifices (Lev. 22:19-25).  Animals with defects were unacceptable to God because the sacrifice was meant to represent God’s perfect nature.  Beyond just that, the animal sacrifices were representative of the Perfect Sacrifice that God would make for us through His Son.

The same still holds true for us today.  How often to we lazily give a tithe or an offering, or try to short-change God?  We are telling God that He isn’t good enough for our best, but just good enough to get something.  We give because we feel obligated, not because we care about God.  Much later in their history, the Israelites also forgot what God had instructed them to to, and took God or granted, just assuming that doing something was “good enough.”  Listen to what God has to say about that in Malachi 1:6-14:

⁶ The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says to the priests: “A son honors his father, and a servant respects his master. If I am your father and master, where are the honor and respect I deserve? You have shown contempt for my name!

   “But you ask, ‘How have we ever shown contempt for your name?’

⁷ “You have shown contempt by offering defiled sacrifices on my altar.

   “Then you ask, ‘How have we defiled the sacrifices?’

   “You defile them by saying the altar of the Lord deserves no respect. ⁸ When you give blind animals as sacrifices, isn’t that wrong? And isn’t it wrong to offer animals that are crippled and diseased? Try giving gifts like that to your governor, and see how pleased he is!” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

⁹ “Go ahead, beg God to be merciful to you! But when you bring that kind of offering, why should he show you any favor at all?” asks the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

¹⁰ “How I wish one of you would shut the Temple doors so that these worthless sacrifices could not be offered! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and I will not accept your offerings. ¹¹ But my name is honored by people of other nations from morning till night. All around the world they offer sweet incense and pure offerings in honor of my name. For my name is great among the nations,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

¹² “But you dishonor my name with your actions. By bringing contemptible food, you are saying it’s all right to defile the Lord’s table. ¹³ You say, ‘It’s too hard to serve the Lord,’ and you turn up your noses at my commands,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “Think of it! Animals that are stolen and crippled and sick are being presented as offerings! Should I accept from you such offerings as these?” asks the Lord.

¹⁴ “Cursed is the cheat who promises to give a fine ram from his flock but then sacrifices a defective one to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and my name is feared among the nations!

How often today do we think “showing up” or giving a couple of spare dollars is enough.  As Pastor Mark Reams of the Forest Lake Church has pointed out, we have forgotten that the God we serve is HOLY and PERFECT.  As His followers we should be reverent in our worship of Him, and teach those around us to love and respect our God as we do.  Instead, many people sit with cellphones open and text their friends throughout church, play Nintendo DS games because it’s more “entertaining” than God is.  We care so little for the God who gave His life to be with us, that we can’t even give Him an hour of our time, let alone doing anything else for Him.

Remember, the next time you are in church, that you are in God’s house.  God wants us to be holy because HE is holy.  We respect our parents, our friends, we should also respect God.  In the end, who has done more for us than He has?

Encounter: Are you living for God, or merely living?

Going Old School: Disobeying God

Throughout Leviticus, God has given His people ways to live healthy, happy lives and to build a strong, faithful relationship with Him.  But what if the people chose to ignore God’s instructions and decide to do their own thing?  God talks about that, too.

Leviticus 20 starts out with a horrifying thought: sacrificing your children to appease another god.  Unfortunately, in the Israelites time child sacrifice was a common practice, especially to the Ammonite God Molech.  While the practice may sicken us today, the ancient people believed that this was the greatest sacrifice they could give to appease the gods.  God absolutely forbids the practice and commands that anyone who sacrifices a child in this way should be stoned to death.  Unlike the other gods, God is a loving God and is not so petty as to need to be “appeased,” particularly in so gruesome a manner!  God is also the Creator and giver of life, and He specifically forbids murder in the Law (Ex. 20:13) so why would He ever condone child sacrifice?  Additionally, as we learned in Leviticus 19, God is a caring God and He looks out for the the helpless and the less fortunate, and who is more helpless than a child?  Finally, as we today especially know, God is unselfish, to the degree that He sacrificed Himself to save us (Is. 53:4-5), so asking us to sacrifice our children to Him goes against His very character.

God also makes it clear that if we need something, we should come to Him, not consult a medium or fortune teller.  While we may be interested in the future, if it is truly something we need to know about, God will tell us, but turning to the occult for answers only harms us.  I suspect some of the demon-possessed people that Jesus healed may have tried to consult the spirits for something, and by opening themselves to that evil they gave the devil a foothold into their lives.  Another example of the dangers of consulting a spirit for advice comes from the story of King Saul, when he is do desperate for advice he turns to a witch (I Sam. 28).  Shortly after that meeting, Saul is killed.

God also reiterates the consequences of sexual sins (vv. 10-21).  These acts, while acceptable in the pagan societies in Canaan (sex goddesses, temple prostitutes, etc.), God had no tolerance for them.  He know the destructive effect they have on married couples and the damage they can do to families.  Plus there is the disease that sexual promiscuity can bring.  God was building a nation that was to make a positive influence on the world (not just a short-term “feel good” influence).  He was protecting the Israelites from the debauchery they would encounter upon entering Canaan, so He commanded them to stay away from that lifestyle.

As we’ve seen throughout Leviticus, God have many rules for His people, but He had a reason for all of them!  He wasn’t trying to prevent them from being happy (as the Serpent asserted to Eve in the Garden), He was trying to protect them from the things that could destroy their lives.  Look at it this way: You understand God’s physical laws ("what goes up must come down”), it goes without saying.  But many times we are confused by how God’s spiritual laws work.  He tells us not to do this or that, not because He’s being mean, but because He is trying to keep us from self-destructing (which, let’s face it, is our nature).

encounter: The next time you’re tempted by a forbidden physical or emotional pleasure, keep in mind that while it may feel good in the short-term, the long-term consequences could be suffering and separation from the God who is forever trying to help you.

Going Old School: Living a Good Life

Moving right along in Leviticus, we’ve learned that God wants us to live a good life, a life that reflects Him to the world and will ultimately make us happier.  In Leviticus 18, God gave the people a detailed list of inappropriate sexual practices.  Such practices destroy individuals’ self-worth and split families apart, neither of which God wants.  In Leviticus 19, God tells His people (which still includes us today) about how to live a holy life in Him.

The Apostle Peter gives us something to remember as we go about our daily lives in I Peter 1:14-16:

¹⁴ So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. ¹⁵ But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. ¹⁶ For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

While many might consider Peter’s words to the church as something he thought of during his walk with Jesus, Peter is echoing something he heard often times as a Jewish man because God is the one who originally gave that advice to all of us.  Peter is quoting Leviticus 19:2 where God calls His people to live better lives in Him.  The words God gave us through Moses that Peter reiterates still hold true for followers of God!  Let’s take a look at some of the instructions God gives us for living a holy and fulfilling life.

In Leviticus 19:9-10, God gives the people a very strange instruction.  When the Israelites harvested their fields, they were instructed to leave the grain along the edges of the field alone and not pick up any grain that the harvesters dropped.    Why would God give that seemingly bizarre instruction?  God was putting a protection for the poor and traveling foreigners because it showed His generosity to the less fortunate (God, after all, is the ultimate owner of the land).  The Israelites were reflecting God’s character in their actions, and the people of the world would know what a loving and generous God the Israelites served.  Later in the Bible, Ruth the Moabite and Naomi, a widow, would benefit from this very instruction (Ruth 2:2).

Throughout the Bible, God calls His people to provide for those in need.  How often do we ignore the poor (out of sight, out of mind) or forget about the less fortunate (“he’ll just by booze if I give him money”)?  The God whom we claim to serve shows great generosity, so as His Followes, shouldn’t we?

Leviticus 19:10-35 seems like a bunch of “Don’ts” and many people avoid Leviticus as a whole because of lists like these.  Don’t rob, don’t pick on the handicapped, don’t hold a grudge, don’t practice astrology, don’t neglect the elderly, etc.  It just seems like so much, isn’t there just a quick summation of it all we could live by?  I can’t remember all the rules!  Fortunately, Jesus did give us just such a summation (Matt. 22:34-40): “Love the Lord with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself.”  When we endeavor to live our lives as Jesus instructed, we will naturally be following all of God’s “don’ts” in Leviticus.  If you love your neighbor, will you rob or steal from him?  If you love your God, would you ever do anything to disrespect Him or hurt Him?

Near the end of the chapter, God talks about an issue that was as hot a topic for the Israelites in the wilderness as it is for us today: immigrants.  In Leviticus 19:33-34, God commands the people to treat these foreigners as equals; with the same respect they would show a fellow Hebrew.  To God, a foreigner is just as much our neighbor as our actual neighbor, and since we are to love our neighbors, that includes foreigners.  The truth of it is we’re all “foreigners” in the world until God comes to take us home.  Why shouldn’t we view strangers, newcomers, immigrant, and foreigners not as pesky “invaders” but as an opportunity to show God’s love?

In closing, take a moment and reflect on these words of Jesus:

“‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

encounter: Do you endeavor to live the life God calls you too?

Going Old School: No Bloody Meat!

Continuing on in Leviticus, we come to the start of what is often referred to as the “holiness code” because the focus is on living a holy life, pleasing to God (because He is holy). 

Leviticus 17 prohibits the Israelites from sacrificing outside the Tabernacle area and also from eating or drinking blood.  These things might not seem related at all, particularly since we’ve seen that the sacrifices could be rather bloody and gross.  As we’ll see, there is a good correlation between the two things.

So why the prohibition on sacrifices beyond the Tabernacle (vv. 3-9)?  Well, as you’ll recall God had set specific times and places for sacrifices, and each instance meant something special to help a person focus on God and also to live a better quality of life for themselves and their community.  If the people were to go off and sacrifice wherever they want and however they wanted, they would feel emboldened to change the focus God gave in His commandments to better suit their own needs and their own lifestyles.  This type of permissive sacrificial system  is what the pagan nations surrounding Israel did (the Egyptian goat idols, for example, v. 7).  The focus was ever to be on God, not on self.  When the Israelites stopped following God and started following idols, it was because “all the people did whatever seemed right to them.” (Judges 17:6)

Now then, as we’ve studied in Leviticus (and from the New Testament), blood is what makes atonement for sin.  The blood that was shed made it possible for the person’s sins to be covered up and forgiven, and ultimately the blood of Christ to wash the sins away completely.  The blood both represented the sinner’s life that had become infected by sin (recall Lev. 12-15 on dealing with infection and the like) and at the some time the blood represented the innocent life that was sacrificed in the place of the sinner.  This fulfilled the sin penalty, which was death, and restored a person to a right relationship with God.

Given what blood represented (and does for us today in Communion), is it any wonder that God would prohibit the drinking of it?  This wasn’t a new rule that God gave to His people in the wilderness, but had been prohibited since at least the days of Noah (Gen. 9:4).  There are a a few reasons that God had for not wanting His people to eat or drink blood:

1. The pagan nations did it, and Israel was supposed to be different from those nations (to be an example of Godly living).  Many pagan warriors would ingest blood before a battle, hoping to gain the strength of the animal they had killed.  But the Israelites were to rely on God, the Creator of ALL things!
2. To preserve the meaning of the sacrifice.  If the innocent blood that was spilled was to take the place of a sinner, what would it be to drink the animal’s blood?  Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of the sacrifice and render a right relationship with God moot?
3. Health.  There are quite a few diseases of the blood (ex. Mad Cow), and God did not want His people to become infected and die (or cause others to be infected.

You can imagine the horror of the disciples when Jesus told His disciples to drink His blood (John 6:53-56).  As the disciples would come to learn after spending three years with Jesus, He was really saying that He was THE sacrifice for sins, and He was them to let Him be totally and completely involved in their lives forever.

The same is true for us today.  When we take Communion, it is to remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for each one of us.  More than that, it is to invite Him to share His life with us and to be an active participant in our lives.  Who can ask for a better friend than Jesus?

Encounter: The next time you take Communion, stop and reflect about what Jesus has done for you…not just about the stale wafer and grape juice!

Going Old School: Blowing Off God

So far in Leviticus we’ve looked at the sacrificial system and the different types of sacrifices.  We’ve also looked at what it means to be God’s representative to the world.  But in Leviticus 10, God shows that indifference and half-hearted worship is not something He appreciates.

Aaron’s two oldest sons, Nadab and Abihu, were like any brothers.  They had fun together, grew up together, and at times got each other into trouble.  Nadab and Abihu had been born in Egypt, saw all the plagues and wonders in Exodus, and as Aaron’s sons were intimatley involved with the construction of the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, and the sacrificial system.  But even after all that, they chose to treat with indifference the instructions God had given them, as priests.  And the end result was their deaths.

 ¹ Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu put coals of fire in their incense burners and sprinkled incense over them. In this way, they disobeyed the Lord by burning before him the wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded. ² So fire blazed forth from the Lord’s presence and burned them up, and they died there before the Lord.
³ Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord meant when he said,
   ‘I will display my holiness
      through those who come near me.
   I will display my glory
      before all the people.’”
   And Aaron was silent.

What is this “wrong fire” that the young men used?  Theologians aren’t exactly sure, but most prominent theory is that the Nadab and Abihu brought coals from a regular fire and placed them on the altar.  As we’ve learned, the fire on the altar of burnt offering was never to go out because it is holy (6:12-13).  By bringing coals from a regular, every day camp fire, Nadab and Abihu were implying that there was nothing special about the altar fire.  They disregarded their responsibility as priests in a flagrant act of disrespect for God, who was quite specific (remember the previous chapters!) and how they were to conduct worship.  They weren’t just “church members” but they were the leaders of the congregation of the Israelites!  By blatantly disrespecting God in open view of everyone, they sent the message that it was okay to disregard what God wanted of the people, and that He wasn’t really all that important.  All God had asked of them was that they stay faithful and follow the instructions He’d given them as they lead the people in worship.  In a display of His holiness, God burned them beyond recognition, and they died.

What about us today?  Do we take God seriously any more, or do we act more like Nadab and Abihu?  Think about it for a second.  How many of us really worship God, really listen to the pastor’s sermon, trying to gain a new insight to the Lord?  Instead, how many of us sit on cell phones, check Facebook, email, and text through most of the service?  And if we aren’t texting and IM’ing our friends making plans for “when we can get out of church” we’re talking and whispering to the people sitting next to us.  When the pastor looks up while preaching, does he see eyes looking back at him, or does he see a sea of blue and white glowing in  faces looking down at their gadgets?

Nadab and Abihu showed disrespect for God because they didn’t take Him seriously.  God loved them, so they could just do whatever they want, and by their example they showed those around them that God is a pushover and people are free to do whatever they wished without repercussion.  How easy is it for us to grow careless about obeying God, to live our way instead of His.  Think about it, though.  If one way of living was as good as any other, and we can just do whatever we want without consequence, God wouldn’t have given us instructions on how best to live our lives with Him, would He?  God always has good reasons for what He asks us to do, and it is always for our own good!  By disregarding Him and blowing Him off, we put ourselves in danger.

As God’s followers, He calls us to distinguish between what is sacred and what isn’t, what is good for us and what is bad, right and wrong (10:10-11).  That is the purpose of the Ten Commandments and all of the supplemental information God gave His people in Leviticus.  God didn’t due it to burden the people, but to help them live the best lives that they could.  And by their example, the rest of the world would see what a wonderful and glorious God they served.

Encounter:  Will you listen to God’s calling on your heart, or blow Him off for the next text on your phone?  What will your example to those around you be?

Endurance

It seems that everywhere you look these days, it’s politics, politics, politics.  The more you listen, the more negative it gets; often downright nasty!  And you might be thinking to yourself that it’s never been this bad before…has it?  Where we’ve moved beyond simple disagreement to outright hatred of those with ideas differing from ours…often even in the name of religion!
Jesus warns us about the toxic atmosphere we find ourselves in now.  He said:

“Many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”  Matt. 24:10-13

Does that sound like the nightly news to you?  But Jesus doesn’t leave it at the doom and gloom.  He gives us hope!  “The one who endures…will be saved.”  But with such overwhelming negativity everywhere, how can we do that?  Peter, nearing the end of his life and having endured quite a lot of persecution has this advice for his fellow believers on how to endure:

“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

“In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. 

“The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. 

“So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away.”  II Peter 1:3-10

So if you are feeling bogged down by the 24/7 onslaught of negativity, or if you’re struggling with something else all together, hang on to Jesus.  Don’t be overwhelmed, but overcome with His help!  After all, His promise to every one of us is “I will never leave you, and I will never abandon you.” (Heb. 13:5, Deut. 31:6, 8). 
How great a Master we serve!

Encounter: How has Jesus been there for you this week?

21 Days to Glory

Three weeks can accomplish a lot of things. In a month’s worth of days, I could clean up the garage or get the yard into shape. With some devotion, I could lose 6 pounds, maybe more. Even if I were to leave out the weekends, I could finish a book that I have been toting around since the first of this year. Three weeks is a good chunk of time.

So how about spending a slice of time, for the next 21 days, praying for GODencounters?

To give us a focal point, this year is about morphing, and our theme is Reflecting the Son. Taken from 2Corinthians 3:17,18 (NIV) which says:
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

Maybe you want to meditate on: freedom, reflect, glory, unveiled, transformed, likeness, Spirit.

There is another passage found in Romans which keys into transformation; Verses 1 and 2 read:
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer 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.”

Some words you could add to your prayer list: mercy, offer, living sacrifice, holy, pleasing, spiritual act, worship, conform, pattern, renewing mind, God’s will, good, perfect.

What might happen if we gave 21 days towards conversations with Jesus? Maybe I could put my house in order. Or tend my spiritual garden. I could shed some excess weight/baggage. I would love to dive into another chapter of my life. How about you?

You’re invited to pray along with other GODfollowers. Post your prayers if you wish, the prayer rooms are set up just for that purpose. Real time prayers with people in person works too.

21 days. What might happen?