2 Samuel 24, 1 Chronicles 21-22, Psalm 30- Worthy Sacrifices

 “The king answered Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it from you for a price, for I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for twenty ounces  of silver. He built an altar to the Lord there and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord was receptive to prayer for the land,  and the plague on Israel ended.”

‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭24‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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Lord, help me to avoid the laziness of only offering You my leftovers.  Let my sacrifices for You be the most valuable things that I have…I want them to be costly to demonstrate Your majesty and splendor.

Numbers 33-34, Distraction Destruction

 “But if you don’t drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those you allow to remain will become barbs for your eyes and thorns for your sides; they will harass you in the land where you will live.”

‭‭Numbers‬ ‭33‬:‭55‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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The result of failure to follow Gods instructions were detrimental to Israel. Not obeying God will guarantee suffering and continual pain.  Gods people were called to destroy anything that could cause idolatry, pull their attention away from God or even make them stumble.  Total destruction, not hiding, minimizing or ignoring those things.  I believe this is a pattern that we should imitate as followers of Christ!

Lord, help me to correctly identify what things may cause me to stumble, distract me or draw me into sin.  Once identified, give me strength to surrender them to You, remove them from my life and follow You!  Give me joy in obeying Your direction and commands, so that peace pervades my whole life!!!

Numbers 5-6, Salvation Trumps

 “He is not to defile himself for his father or mother, or his brother or sister, when they die, while the mark of consecration to his God is on his head. He is holy to the Lord during the time of consecration.”

‭‭Numbers‬ ‭6‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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Interesting how making a vow to the Lord trumps all other relationships.  It seems like the Lord is pointing out that a decision to follow Him should become the lens for viewing all other decisions.  Just like our salvation should shape every following choice, path or venture.

Lord, help me to thoughtfully consider every idea, word or action that I make in light of knowing You!

Leviticus 22-23, Restful Provision

 ““These are the Lord’s appointed times that you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for presenting food offerings to the Lord, burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its designated day. These are in addition to the offerings for the Lord’s Sabbaths, your gifts, all your vow offerings, and all your freewill offerings that you give to the Lord.”

‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭23‬:‭37‬-‭38‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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I love how God wants His people to stop the daily grind and celebrate what He has done.  It is definitely once a week, plus several week long celebrations to focus on Gods provision, community and food.  When He talks about these times of celebration, I would think that the warnings have to be about not taking it to an extreme…but they are reminders not to do our normal daily tasks.  We must exhibit self control to not work!

This seems crazy, but it is exactly the thing I am tempted to do…keep working, get ahead a bit so that the next few weeks can be a little easier… but I think God is asking that we trust Him for providing enough time to do everything that needs to be done.

Lord, help me to rest in Your provision!  Thank You for giving me opportunity to rest,..help me to sacrifice those days to You!

Leviticus 5-7, Catching Holiness

 “Any male among Aaron’s descendants  may eat it. It is a permanent portion , throughout your generations from the food offerings to the Lord. Anything that touches the offerings will become holy.”

‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭6‬:‭18‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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It’s very interesting that most of the laws about touching things will bring the touches down to the level of the “unclean” thing…this seems logical.  Contamination of germs and illnesses work like this. But the sacrifices are the opposite, anything that touches them, becomes holy like they are!  This is a pointer to Jesus who had the same impact on people who were sick, they could touch Him and be healed…He would ultimately become the sacrifice for my  sin.

John 21:20-25, Do YOU Believe?

“And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if every one of them were written down, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written. ”

‭‭John‬ ‭21‬:‭25‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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John was selective about what he wrote because he was telling a story about the greatest man to ever live…a story that would be compelling and force the reader to deal with the truth about God.  The undeniable truth is that Jesus was a real person, He performed miracles that are not possible even today, He loved people as if they were His family even when they were against Him, and He spoke with authority, clarity and conviction like nobody in history. Then, He died, punished as a criminal for you and me, and miraculously came back to life.

All of these things were undeniable.  The people who witnessed them could have torn down these as lies when they were written if that was the case…but they didn’t because it is all true.

So, the question is: will you believe?  Or will you reject Jesus love for you?  That is the only question that matters…

John 13:12-20, Know or Do?!?

“For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. 

Truly I tell you, whoever receives anyone I send receives me, and the one who receives me receives him who sent me.””

‭‭John‬ ‭13‬:‭15‬, ‭17‬, ‭20‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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Lord help me to live my life as an example that others can follow.  I will never do all the things perfectly, but allow me to grow daily in living like Jesus.

It is amazing that You call out so clearly that knowing all the right things is good, but the blessing only comes from following through with obeying what we know.  Help me obey with joy and confidence.

Psalm 73- Worthwhile Sacrifice

 “Yet I am always with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me up in glory. Who do I have in heaven but you? And I desire nothing on earth but you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever. Those far from you will certainly perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, God’s presence is my good. I have made the Lord God my refuge, so I can tell about all you do.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭73‬:‭23‬-‭28‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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This deeply personal psalm talks about the frustration of a believer who is looking at people who are not following God. He is frustrated because he is deciding to give up some things in his life that seem attractive in order to follow Gods rules…yet others who are not following God do everything they want.  This is infuriating rating because he feels like as a believer he still goes through trials, and these others have an easy life.  He is wondering if the sacrifice is worth it…Then God pulls back the veil and exposes the comparison of the selfish man and what his own future will be.

The one who is enjoying life now and following his own heart, is in mental turmoil, even though he gets all he wants…and spends eternity in hell.  And this portion is the reminder of the relationship that we get to have as faithful followers of Jesus: we get to know God and He is our protector!

Psalm 69- My Heart, not Sacrifice

 “But as for me — poor and in pain — let your salvation protect me, God. I will praise God’s name with song and exalt him with thanksgiving. That will please the Lord more than an ox, more than a bull with horns and hooves. The humble will see it and rejoice. You who seek God, take heart!”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭69‬:‭29‬-‭32‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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This Psalm goes through much discussion on how they are being treated unfairly and how people are trying to destroy them.  Then, it lands here with some wisdom and truth.  It is Gods salvation that will protect them.  And their praise and thanksgiving is more valuable to God than sacrificing animals.  That is an important distinction because God has previously instructed them to make those animal sacrifices.  But God actually wants something more valuable than their wealth (their animals) He wants their hearts and minds.

The same is true today, He desires my heart and mind more than my offerings and tithes.  He wants my thanksgiving, the recognition of His work in and around my life.  He yearns for me to give Him honor by praising His works and who He is.  It turns out these are simple things to do, not complicated or complex rituals.  He wants to be a conscious part of my life, everyday.

God, you are so good to bless me in millions of ways, let me see each of them and give You credit for that work!  Help me to be thankful for what You have given me!  Thank You for loving me and saving me from my own selfish desires.  Help me to live life in a way that is attractive to others so that they may come to know You and the incredible life You give!

Psalm 58- Abused Power

 ”Do you really speak righteously, you mighty ones? Do you judge people fairly? No, you practice injustice in your hearts; with your hands you weigh out violence in the land. 

Then people will say, “Yes, there is a reward for the righteous! There is a God who judges on earth!”“

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭58‬:‭1‬-‭2‬, ‭11‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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This chapter starts out by calling out the crooked rulers of the land.  These are supposed to be people who are in authority and who bring peace and justice to the people of God.  But that is not what is happening…they have hearts that ignore God and turn to selfish desires.  That selfishness quickly turns into doing what they want to the harm of others around them.

The last half of the passage God comes and judges these wicked people.  Gods people are thankful for His justice and are encouraged to see that there is reward in serving Him rather than thinking only of themselves.

Lord, thank you for your justice.  Thank you for calling me to live sacrificially and considering others as more important.  Help me to serve my family and those around me joyfully and may it be a blessing to them!

Psalm 22- Fulfilled Prophecy

King David lived and wrote this 1000 years before Jesus was crucified…if you don’t remember the narrative read this first-

 ”My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far from my deliverance and from my words of groaning? Everyone who sees me mocks me; they sneer and shake their heads: 

“He relies on the Lord; let him save him; let the Lord rescue him, since he takes pleasure in him.” 

For dogs have surrounded me; a gang of evildoers has closed in on me; they pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people look and stare at me. They divided my garments among themselves, and they cast lots for my clothing. 

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord. All the families of the nations will bow down before you…They will come and declare his righteousness; to a people yet to be born they will declare what he has done.“

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭22‬:‭1‬, ‭7‬-‭8‬, ‭16‬-‭18‬, ‭27‬, ‭31‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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This passage was written more than 3,000 years ago about actual events that happened exactly the same way 2,000 years ago…recorded for us so that we can have confidence in Gods plan for our salvation.

I love that today is the day this landed on the calendar!  Today is Good Friday, the day that Jesus died on the cross with so many of the details called out 1,000 years beforehand.  I even love that this prophecy talks about me: “ They will come and declare His righteousness; to a people yet to be born they will declare what He has done.“I don’t deserve the love that God shows me, but I am so thankful for it!!!

Malachi 1- Delighted by Sacrifice

 ”“My name will be great among the nations, from the rising of the sun to its setting. Incense and pure offerings will be presented in my name in every place because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord of Armies. 

But you say, ‘Look, what a nuisance! ’ And you scorn it,” says the Lord of Armies. “You bring injured, lame, or sick animals. You bring this as an offering! Am I to accept that from your hands?” asks the Lord.“

‭‭Malachi‬ ‭1‬:‭11‬, ‭13‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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The final book of the Old Testament and the minor prophets, Malachi is hearing from the Lord a message for Gods people.  He is calling them out for being selfish in their worship…

They are required to give God their best.  It is to show a recognition that God has given them everything and demonstrate how much they trust God to continue providing for them.  But in selfishness they are trying to “follow the rules” by sacrificing, but are giving their worst…the defective (because it is going to die anyway).  In essence they are saying, God you can have this one, because I am throwing it away anyway.

This is NOT what God is after.  God wants to know that we trust Him.  He wants us to be fully reliant on His care of us.  The best part is that He always cares for us and provides for our needs.  

This came to life for me years ago when I was trying to figure out how to give God my best in spending time with Him.  I was reading or praying whenever “I had a few extra minutes”…that often resulted in forgetting or just a minute of prayer before nodding off to sleep.  But that was not my best, nor was I gaining anything from it!  That was tedious, boring and felt worthless. Then  God convicted me to give of my best as a pleasing sacrifice to Him, which is why I spend these moments with Him before accomplishing anything else.

God, thank you for blessing me with that conviction for the last 20yrs and showing up each day!  My day doesn’t feel settled if I miss out…I look forward to this time each morning.  The sacrifice has become a delight!  You are so good!

Zechariah 13- Simplicity of Salvation

 ”“On that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the residents of Jerusalem, to wash away sin and impurity.“

‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭13‬:‭1‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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What an image… sin washed away as easily as washing your hands.  The picture is more surprising to the original audience than it is to us, because they were still required to slaughter an animal for their sin.  That was a never ending process for God people before Jesus came!

For us it is more familiar because we only have to confess our sin to the Lord and trust that His work on the Cross will take care of it.  That washes us clean, even faster than washing your hands.  When we truly believe Jesus removes all sin that we have done in the past, nothing that we will do all at once…that is mind blowing and by the Spirit's power we should begin to sin less and less.  The sin that we chose to commit should be less and less…and our intentional obedience should be increasing.  We will also find ourselves delighted to say NO to previously attractive sin and choosing to obey happily.  This is what it looks like to follow Jesus.

God, help me to trust You at every turn.  Even when the path forward seems hard, help me to be confident that You actually want what is best for me.

Zechariah 11- Sweet Salvation

 ”I am about to raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are perishing, and he will not seek the lost or heal the broken. He will not sustain the healthy, but he will devour the flesh of the fat sheep and tear off their hooves.“

‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭11‬:‭16‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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This horrifying description is the exact opposite of how God cares for his people.  He uses this statement to magnify His own character… in fact these are all of the worst possible ways to care for sheep.  This shepherd is described as lazy, uncaring and selfish.  He won’t spend any time or effort to help or restore his sheep.

God on the other hand showed Himself, over and over to be loving, caring and has stoped at nothing to prove this.  In fact He has held nothing back from redeeming us, He sent us Jesus… and sacrificed Him so that we could have life.

God help me to be in awe of this every moment of every day!

Zechariah 7- Eternal Life Today!

 ”But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder; they closed their ears so they could not hear. They made their hearts like a rock so as not to obey the law or the words that the Lord of Armies had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. Therefore intense anger came from the Lord of Armies.“

‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭7‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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Gods people were feeling far off from Him and went to the temple to ask why He was not near.  Zechariah hears an answer to their question: “for years you have technically accomplished what I told you, but it was for the wrong reason, with wrong motivations.  You were fasting so your neighbors noticed, and you were feasting because you like to eat…none of it was for Me”

Then the consequences are in the verses we are looking at…”you stiff armed me, refused to listen and never obeyed Me, now I will give you what you want: I will leave you alone and ignore you!” Then God released His anger…

What a scary place to be!  I never want to experience Gods anger! Thankfully, the antidote is straightforward: obey Gods Word and seek to know Him…Although it is simple it is not easy because it requires a minute by minute sacrifice: my selfish desires.

Lord help me live in a way that demonstrates the joy I experience following you!  I want others to see my delight and pleasure in You and see that the sacrifice is worth it!  That you bless beyond measure when we live for You and get to experience eternal life today!!!

Nahum 2- Gods Protection

 ”For the Lord will restore the majesty of Jacob, yes, the majesty of Israel, though ravagers have ravaged them and ruined their vine branches.“

‭‭Nahum‬ ‭2‬:‭2‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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After reading this chapter, you definitely don’t want to be on the wrong side of God!  He is defending His people from their enemies and is going for their jugular…no mercy, they will be destroyed.

The devastation however is Gods response to this evil nation abusing and damaging His chosen people.  Gods protection of and care for those He has selected is amazing!  He loves them and promises to lift them back up to their rightful place.  (Reminder: they were overtaken by their enemy because they had rejected God, now He is coming to their rescue before they are completely destroyed.)

How gracious is God who gives us another chance, over and over again!  I don’t deserve another chance because I definitely screwed up the last 100 chances I’ve been given!  Yet God loves me because of who He is, not because of my “amazing” performance…actually He loves me in spite of my performance…what an incredible God we serve!!!

Lord, when I am faced with a decision to choose to please myself or please You, help me to remember all that You have done for me! Drill it into my head so that I cannot forget…I want to honor you with every little decision, from the time I give to you in prayer and reading, to how I respond when things don’t go my way, or when I don’t feel like going to church or want to sleep a bit more. Help me to choose You, because You deserve better than I can give!

Hosea 10- Worship of Gods Blessing

 ”Israel is a lush vine; it yields fruit for itself. The more his fruit increased, the more he increased the altars. The better his land produced, the better they made the sacred pillars…” 

“Sow righteousness for yourselves and reap faithful love; break up your unplowed ground. It is time to seek the Lord until he comes and sends righteousness on you like the rain. You have plowed wickedness and reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your own way and in your large number of soldiers,“

‭‭Hosea‬ ‭10‬:‭1‬, ‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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Israel is accused of following their own way once again, which resulted in producing more sin and injustice.  When they received blessing, rather than make them thankful to the one who blessed them, it made them chase harder after their sin or more accurately, it made them worship the blessing.

I know I have done this same thing in the past.  When the lord blessed me with success, suddenly all I wanted was more success.  I was so drawn to success that I was willing to sin to get more success.  That is a pretty good definition of an idol right there…willing to sacrifice what you know is right to get what you want.

Lord, help me to continue to pursue the antidote: seek You and do the work you have called me to do.  God, give me a confidence in the work You are doing, and leave the results in Your capable hands.  Allow me to live every moment in your presence so that I may know you more.

Hosea 9- Sin’s Darkness, Gospel Light

 ”They have deeply corrupted themselves as in the days of Gibeah. He will remember their iniquity; he will punish their sins. My God will reject them because they have not listened to him; they will become wanderers among the nations.“

‭‭Hosea‬ ‭9‬:‭9‬, ‭17‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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I hate to ruin the punchline, but this passage is such a stark contrast to the Gospel. Hosea’s message is intended to shock Israel from the path they are on, to get them to come to their senses and return to God! The Good News of God is these terrible consequences are immediately reversed when they begin to seek Him.

Even more exciting is the opportunity we have to seek God through Jesus!  Jesus has paid the penalty for all of our sin; past, present and even future. Not only does He take on the responsibility of our sin, but God begins changing us into people who LOVE to seek Him…who want to obey, who are blessed to spend time with His people, who are energized when they are self sacrificing, who experience peace even in stressful times and are filled with joy in hard times.

Lord I am so thankful that because of Jesus, I am not like the Israelites in this passage!  I could not stand to be rejected by you or have to take on the punishment my sin deserves…I would be crushed.  What a joy to know that you made a way for me, help me to know you more and live confidently in your peace.

Acts 6- Mercy

²⁷ “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹ Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. ³¹ Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. ³² If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³ If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ³⁴ If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. ³⁵ But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. ³⁶ Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

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 Who can say such things? Only a loving God...

Lord, help me to love you by my actions...  toward others, towards You and in myself.  What a sacrifice to give up justice and ourselves.  Allow this sacrifice to be joyfully given to You.  What incredible salvation you give us freely...the exact opposite of what I deserve! 

II Thessalonians 1- Separation from God

 ⁶ For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,
 ⁷ and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire,
 ⁸ dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
 ⁹ These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
...

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Paul was encouraging the Believers at this church with the fact that God is the final Judge.  He knows all the affliction His people have endured and plans to give justice.  Godly (righteous, pure, holy & just) judgment is severe.  Vs 9 above tells of the severity, to be eternally separated for the presence of God and His power.  The eternal fact is the most unsettling, but we know Hell will be a horrible place of pain, hatred and agony, forever.

God has a standard of HOLY PERFECTION, period.  We all must be judged according to perfection, an none of us alone even come close.  Thank God for His salvation plan, Jesus Christ.  Even though none of us come close to the standard set out by God, He has provided for us to be viewed as Holy.  God send Jesus to remove all the sin we commit in our lives and because of that we can be judged as Holy, if only we place our faith in Christ.