Being made clean...

So, this week has been Leviticus week in my trek through the Bible and I am through chapter 15.  

I have read through this book before, and actually really like to read through all the laws and ways in which God calls his people to be holy, this morning I had my eyes open to a really awesome parallel in the New Testament that I had never seen before.

In chapter 15, we get the laws concerning bodily discharge - which is as fun to blog about as it is to read, but nonetheless all of God's word is profitable...

So, as I am reading about bodily discharge and what happens to a woman who has a continual flow of blood, I was reminded of the miraculous healing of the woman who had bled for 12 years.  In Mark 5:25-34, while Jesus is on his way to heal someone else, a woman who has bled for 12 years, and been in a constant state of uncleanliness, reaches out and grabs Jesus garment.  Don't miss the significance of what is happening.  By touching him, she would be making him unclean as well.  She would be causing Jesus, the Messiah, the Savior of the world, to now be ceremonially unclean and unable to enter the temple, or the courts of God.  She is not thinking about the law any more though, she has tried everything, seen the priest, and the blood will not stop.  That which keeps her from being able to be in the temple, be in the presence of her friends, feel human contact, has not ceased for over a decade!  She is desperate to be made well.  So desperate she is willing to risk making Jesus unclean, for a chance at healing.  She believes that Jesus will not be infected, or affected with her disease, but rather that his righteousness and holiness will make her well.  Her faith is not in Jesus as a miracle worker, her faith is in Jesus as a Savior and Redeemer.  She believes that Jesus will save her from the daily Hell that she is living in, and redeem her life and make it worth something and livable again.

As you read Leviticus 15:25-30, you get the understanding that purification and atonement for sin cannot be made until the discharge has ceased.  With her healing, Jesus sets her free in many ways.  She is free from disease, but also now able to go and have her sins paid for, and be made right before God again.  Everything this woman has touched, sat on, slept on, or even worn for 12 years has become unclean.  Jesus has given her a new life, he has restored her, he has healed her, he has offered her a chance to live life not as an unclean, socially outcast, rejected and demeaned woman - but a life as a free, righteous, woman of God able to worship and testify to the healing power of Jesus!

What an awesome picture we get of the desperate need we have for Jesus.  The lengths to which a person will go to receive the saving power of Jesus, and the power that simply a touch of the Savior can bring in a person's life.  Jesus was fully aware of what was happening, he knew that woman from the beginning of her creation, he was aware of her need, her hurt, her pain, and he cared for her enough, to pass by her, and to allow his healing power to bring her freedom.

Have you allowed the healing power of Jesus to set you free?  We are all unclean and separated from God, we all have sin that keeps us from God, and we need to experience His healing and power in our life.  Have you stretched your hand out to Him, because He will set you free...

Had fun tonight

So, 

I have had an awesome day and just want to spend a couple of minutes and record all that has happened today:

1.  I spent a lot of time pouring into my son, playing with him, painting with him, coloring with him, teaching him how to cook an egg, and playing with Lego's.

2.  I got a chance to read some awesome verses that deal with the wilderness.  I am pretty much through the Pentateuch looking at all the verses that deal with or mention the word "wilderness".  

3.  I was able to write down some of the things that God has been teaching me, and revealing to me over the past few years.  I don't know what God is going to do with any of it, but it was rather therapeutic to write down all that God has taught me and all that He has been revealing to me over the past few years.

4.  I realized that in more than a few ways, I am walking a similar path to Moses.  As I have studied the story of Moses through the first 5 books of the Bible, I have seen many similarities to his walk and mine... which has been refreshing for me.

5.  My prayer today for a fleece to be wet by the Lord, was made damp - now (much like Gideon) I am asking God to soak the thing, so I can walk in the path of the Lord.

6.  My prayer - that I would press into the thick of darkness where God is, to meet with Him face to face, and that He would speak to me in plain language, is coming alive more and more each day!

Okay, that's all for now, but I want to ask you to contemplate some things...

i. Does your heart break when you think of what Jesus did for you?
ii. Does your heart yearn to share the living water that you have experienced?
iii. Are you desperate to see people come to know Jesus, experience His healing power, and grow in knowledge of His Love?
iv. When was the last time someone was able to see the working out of your salvation?

What if I Loved

So, this morning, I went for a walk instead of a run - and 2 things hit me:

1.  Walking is stupid - I mean I am grateful for the ability and all, but as for walking for exercise - it is dumb.  It takes almost 2x longer to walk a shorter distance than I run!  What a waste, but I have not been feeling all that well, and don't want to overdue it.

2.  My mind has been gravitating to Love a lot lately, and I spent some time meditating on love and how it relates to the Bride this morning and God really spoke some awesome things into my soul.

a.  Our God is madly in love with the Bride, as imperfect as she is (Read Ezekiel 16 for a glimpse).  He is desperate for her, like a groom on his wedding night, he is impassioned for her.  He knows her true colors, her imperfections, and her short comings, but that does not ever diminish His love for her.

i.  Shouldn't I feel the same compulsion for her?

b.  Have we turned her into a place where people are able to come and be given knowledge and an experience, and in so doing, taken away the need for people to wrestle with God?  Have we made the Church a place for people to consume God, rather than be consumed by God?  

i.  As I was praying and allowing this thought to consume me, God revealed to me that if we understood the Power of His Love, we would never allow people to be in need.  We would hear of a need in the local community, or the local body, and we would rise up to meet it.  We would see someone hungry on the street, or hear of a need in our community - and we would be the first to meet that need. (Think Acts 2).  

ii.  The problem in our churches today is not that no one is leading, it is not even that we need to abandon the way things have always been - it is time for those who are leading to LEAD in LOVE.  We need examples of LOVE shining bright in our community.  I love the local church, I love the universal Church - and I believe Jesus desires to use Her to infect change in the community  - but that begins with LOVE!

c.  We have grown complacent and comfortable with the love of our Savior.  Jesus' death no longer awes the Church.  We have watered down the Gospel, so much so, that it has lost some of its effectiveness.  

i.  Does your heart break when you think of what Jesus did for you?

ii.  Does your heart yearn to share the living water that you have experienced?

iii.  Are you desperate to see people come to know Jesus, experience His healing power, and grow in knowledge of His Love?

iv.  When was the last time someone was able to see the working out of your salvation?

a.  These are questions that should be asked of a believer, I think, all the time, and answered readily with passion and fervor!  

d.  In Exodus, as God is giving instruction to build the tabernacle, the ark, the altars and giving the people instructions on how to give and worship - the people's response to God's command to give is astounding!  They are so quick to be obedient that God tells Moses to have the people stop giving, because there is no more need!  All that can been given has, and more...  Fast forward to the New Testament and what does Jesus command - that we go forth, be salt and light, make His name known and that they will know Him by our love.  That we make disciples, that we love our neighbor.  

i.  Why has God not had to ask us to stop being obedient in this area yet?  

a.  Simple answer, we have not been as obedient as the Israelites (a pretty rebellious people).   We have not embraced the calling on our lives with the passion that is required.

Many people are quick to bash and complain about "the church"  - I would argue that the problem is not with the church, the problem is with the people.  My mind thinks back to the illustration where you fold your hands together and show the steeple, and inside are the people... the Church is people - and until we rise up and begin to love like Jesus did; nothing will change.  The world will continue to head in the direction of the darkness because right now it is all that is campaigning for their love.

But, what if... 

I loved?

And, what if...

it became contagious?

So, after an amazing weekend I can only say that I am tired!  For us stay at home dads (the many of us that are out there) the weekends are busy and hectic.  The week is our chance to recover!

My wife and I and some of our friends went tubing Saturday down Rainbow River.  It was amazing, spending the day lounging in the sun, and swimming in chilly water was so much fun!  Sunday was spent worshipping Jesus, trusting in His sovereignty, and tackling teenagers.  We had a pick up tackle football game at the church grounds, which resulted in sweat, blood and pain today!  I am super sore and I had one friend point out that I am now closer to 30 then 15 and need to be careful.  

Last night we had a great discussion about God and His Word as we are continuing through the Truth Project, not to mention some killer shepherd's pie and "better than sex" cake!  So good, but I don't know that the name is accurate :)

I woke up this morning, spent some time in Exodus, and God really blew me away!  As I was praying and meditating on God, he directed me to Psalm 37 and really refreshed my soul as I was praying through that Scripture.  As I was reading in Exodus a few things I would like to remember jumped out at me:  

1.  After 40 days without a leader, the people turn to themselves and the desires of their flesh and create a God to worship

a.  We have an innate desire to worship something, the question is not whether we worship or not, but what we worship!

2.  Aaron in his weakness allows himself to be led astray and gives in to the desires of the people.  

a.  A true leader/pastor is not someone who gives in, but someone who protects and trains the people.  

b.  Aaron is chosen by God, despite his weakness and faults, God has established that Aaron and his sons will b the priests and care for and carry out the work of sacrifices and intercede on behalf of the people.

c.  True to our first parents, Aaron tries to justify and dodge responsibility for his sin.

3.  Exodus 33:13 "13 Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please h show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is i your people.”

a.  Moses' conversation with God is amazing - he desires that God would reveal His ways, not for any other purpose than that Moses wants to please God.  He goes on to say that if God will not go before them, do not let them depart from the wilderness and the foot of the mountain.  

b.  If God is not going to go ahead of Moses and lead them, Moses has no desire to go!  What a challenging thought.

c.  Moses is bold enough and comfortable enough to ask God for things, argue with God, remind God of His Character, and loves the people enough to tie himself to them, despite their sin and folly!

I could continue on for probably awhile, but I am going to refrain - let's just say that today, God showed up in my home, He met with me, and as I pressed into Him, He made himself known to me!  Praise Jesus - and like Moses, I wait for the Lord to go before me, until then I will not depart!

Quietly Contemplating...

For awhile now I have been meaning to try and make blogging a weekly thing - but like so many possibly feel - I wonder who would want to read this; and why on earth would they spend time reading my thoughts?  

But, alas, this morning - I was hit with the realization that sometimes God gives us stories or words of encouragement, or moments where He uses our stories and thoughts to impact other people, for the good of His Kingdom and the furtherance of His Gospel.  So, far be it from me to not share my stories. 

Lately, I have been on a spiritual mountaintop.  Now, by looking at my life, it would be very hard to see that, as the only change that has come into my life - has been hard and negative.  But, through it all, my Jesus has taught me so much.  I feel like in the last month, I have become a completely different person.  A few months back God began to speak to me, and He asked me to step out of a ministry that I was involved in - and I fought Him on this, bargained with Him, and even gave Him an ultimatum - which never works.  So, after wrestling with this idea, I reluctantly obeyed - stepped out and I am immediately receiving blessing from God, possible direction and a desire to do new and exciting things for the Kingdom of God that I have never even dreamed of before!  I am finding that I have new desires, new passions and a burning desire to be like Moses... drawn into the thick of darkness to be face to face with God!

As I was wrestling about stepping back from a ministry, God took ahold of another area of my life, and totally ripped it apart.  It was by far, one of the hardest, most painful situations I have ever had to walk through; but I know that I serve a risen Savior, a God King, who sits on His throne no matter what my life may look like!  Out of this hard situation, I have been able to stand firm in my faith, be tested on my convictions, hear from God, walk in His Ways, and overcome some serious fear of conflict!  And I can honestly say while it was terrible, gut -wrenching and ended in a loss for me and my family, we praise God that He who took us to it, got us through it!

I guess that is going to be all for now - except to say that if anyone does read this, I pray that you would know that God is bigger than our problems, and even when the world seems to fade away and run to culture and comfort - press into Him, ignore your circumstances, because it is in the thick of darkness, in the midst of confusion and wilderness - that we are able to speak with God face to face!