The Tabernacle

VERSE:                          Psalm 15:1‑2

    Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle?  Who may dwell in Your holy hill?  He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart.

REFLECTION:

     Can you abide in the Lord's tabernacle, or dwell in His holy hill? Perhaps you are wondering what the requirements are.  This verse gives us some guidelines to follow so that we may truly abide in God's

tabernacle. A tabernacle is a temporary sanctuary such as a tent, and was used if there was no temple available.  The Israelites used one in the wilderness up until the time that Solomon had the temple built.

    Let's examine the three requirements for dwelling in the tabernacle:

    Walk uprightly ‑  Walk with pride in Christ, don't slouch over. Don't be proud of your own self, but boast of Jesus.  Stand firm on your moral beliefs.  Let others know by the way that you live that you will

stand by the precepts set forth in God's word.  Try not to stumble and hold on to the promises that God has given you.

    Work righteousness ‑ We are saved by grace alone but it is by our works that others will know that we love God.  Our works need to be done not with the motivation of getting to heaven but because of our undying love for Jesus.  That is what righteousness is all about. When we work, it should be done with righteousness in mind.

    Speak the truth in your heart ‑ Truth is not always what we say but how we feel when we make our statement.  What really is truth?  In this age of moral relativism, truth is perceived as being what seems right to you.  We need to focus on the truth of God.  What does His word tell us?  Truth is following His precepts and knowing in your heart that it is absolute truth.  For example, you drive your car and follow the speed

limits but in your heart you disagree with the speed limits.  You are only following them so you don't get a ticket not because you believe them.  We may follow God's laws because we think if we don't, we will go

to hell.  This is not speaking the truth in our hearts. We need to follow God's precepts because we love Him and know the truth!

    Tomorrow we will look at some more aspects about the tabernacle.

PRAYER:

    Pray for the truth to dwell in your heart.  Pray for righteousness to abound in your life and pray that you will walk upright and just.

Prayer, Share and Pure

VERSE:               1 Timothy 5:22

    Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people's sins, keep yourself pure.

REFLECTION:

    This verse has three important suggestions for Christians.  First, the laying on of hands is something that should not be taken lightly. You cannot go around just laying hands on people, expecting God to move in their lives.  The laying on of hands needs to be done only when a person comes to you and asks for help, i.e. healing.  God also wants Christians to have the right mindset when laying hands, and this is where the next two components of this verse come in.

    Don't share in other people's sin.  For example, compromising your faith and going to a bar with people just to make them happy is like enabling them to sin.  You cannot profess to have true faith in God if you willingly participate in sinning with others.  Drinking just to make them happy is wrong.  Using foul language just because your friends do is wrong.  Stand firm on your faith, let God guide your heart, and then you will be able to follow the third key, keeping yourself pure.  The only way to do that is to flee from sin and keep your eyes on Jesus.

    If you can keep yourself pure and avoid sharing in other people's sins, God will give you the ability to lay hands on someone.  That is the perfect time for that person to need it, for God will have compelled

them to ask.

PRAYER:

    Pray for God to lead you not into temptation, so you can avoid other's sins.  Pray for discernment when you are asked to lay hands on someone.

Working for Wind

VERSE:                                                            Ecclesiastes 2:17

Therefore, I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind.

REFLECTION:                                        

Do you ever find yourself wondering if the job you do is worth anything? Many of us spend 40 hours a week doing a job for someone else that has no significance in the world. We sit there clicking away on the computer or writing on paper all to earn money. But to what end is the job? Our true work should be to serve God and glorify His name in all that we do.

It is important to have a job and earn money. It is the only way we will survive but that shouldn’t be all that we do in life. It shouldn’t be just to earn money. We all have a higher calling whether our job is in the ministry or not we all have a purpose to further the Kingdom of God.

If all we do is chase after the all mighty dollar and look for jobs that will satisfy only us it will be like chasing the wind. You can chase it into eternity and never ever catch it. It becomes frustrating because we can see it and if we reach for it we can almost touch it but it is always slightly out of our grasp. So we work harder and longer and try to make more money thinking we will get closer. We never do get closer but instead we get further from God.

Regardless of what you do for a living find a way to glorify and honor God in your job. Also look for the ministry with your job. Maybe you make friends with someone and are able to tell them about Jesus. Maybe someone needs your prayers or your help in a time of need. Look for those opportunities in your job and glorify and honor God with the job you do.

PRAYER:

Thank God for the gift of the job that you have. It doesn’t have to be stressful, pray for a relief in the stress and pray for opportunities to lead others to Jesus. Ask God for a servant heart so you may work and serve God joyfully.

Walk In Him

VERSE:                            Colossians 2:6‑7

    As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

REFLECTION:

        Have you received Christ Jesus the Lord?  If so, do you "walk in Him"?  Are you rooted in the word and "established in the faith"?  With the start of a new year, there is no better time to take inventory of your walk.  You need to be sure you are doing what God wants you to do. The following is a suggested inventory checklist:  Use this checklist to verify that you currently are, or will plan to do these things:

• Praising and worshiping God: Do you go to church regularly to praise and worship God?  Your church home should be a place where you can feel comfortable doing so.  Once there, you need to pour out your whole heart to the Almighty.  Give Him all you've got!!!
• Reading the Word : Do you regularly schedule time to read God's Word? Do you have daily devotions, or a "Read through the Bible in a year" plan?  In order stay rooted and built up you must consistently read the Word.  With the start of the new year, begin a reading plan and watch yourself grow.
• Praying: Do you pray daily?  Do you have a set time or place you pray? Praying is not just for meals only; it is important to establish a regular prayer life.  Pray for family, friends, and other things God puts on your heart.  The only way to communicate with God is to pray. If you want to hear from Him, you need to talk to Him.  Start today with a set schedule of pray and watch God change your life and others'.
• Avoiding worldly things: Do you avoid the temptations of the world, or are you sucked into the mesmerizing life of a world filled with emptiness and void, lured by the sweet taste of sin? You may then crave more, but in truth, be longing for God. True fulfillment and contentment comes through a solid walk with Jesus Christ.  It is by avoiding the pleasures of sin that you will find true pleasure in Christ.

 

    How did you do on this checklist?  We all have different strengths in our Christian walks. Pray about the areas where improvement is needed, and watch your spiritual life improve in 2013!!!

PRAYER:

    Pray for a closer walk with God.  Pray for a discernment when reading the word and a life of true pleasure with Christ.

Happy New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Keep following this blog for weekly bible verses.

The Greatest Gift

VERSE:                                                            Isaiah 9:6

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

REFLECTION:                                        

What gifts did you get for Christmas this year? What gifts did you give this year? Did you remember the greatest gift ever given, the gift of Jesus Christ given so that we may live? During this season of Christmas so much is commercialized that many forget the real reason for the season. Many of us get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season that we don’t stop to think about the greatest gift ever given.

God gave his only Son so that if we believe we will have everlasting life (John 3:16). According to this verse there is a lot more to that gift. Jesus was not just a little baby lying in a manger He came to earth with a purpose and part of that purpose is to be a Counselor to those her has a personal relationship with. He will pour the Holy Spirit into the believers so that we may be guided in our lives.

Jesus is also Wonderful. During this time of chaos and hectic running around the one constant is Jesus and the faith we have in Him to continue the good work in us. This also goes hand in hand with Him being the Prince of Peace. He gives us a peace during those difficult times. He gives us a peace during those times that we struggle or feel helpless.

He is also a Mighty God and the Everlasting Father. He is mighty to move mountains and He can move those mountains that prevent us from reaching our spiritual goals. We should have spiritual goals and be guided by Jesus to reach those goals. Being the Everlasting Father allows Him to be the Father to the Fatherless. There are too many children growing up without fathers in their lives. Jesus can fill that void. All you have to do is admit that you are a sinner, Believe that Jesus came to earth and died on the cross for your sins, confess of your sins and ask for forgiveness.

Open the greatest gift today, the gift of everlasting life through your fervent belief in Jesus Christ.

PRAYER:

Thank God for the gift of Jesus. Ask God for forgiveness of your sins. Pray for those who are lost that they may open the greatest gift, Jesus.

                                                              

Weeping

VERSE:                                                            John 11:35-36

Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him?”

REFLECTION:

Terror struck Sandy Hook Elementary on Friday as a man went in to the school and shot 27 people including 20 children. This is an absolutely tragic event that shows everyone the evil that exists in this world. America is in grief for the families of all of those involved but amid chaos there is peace.

This week highlights the sympathetic and caring side of Jesus. Lazarus had died and Jesus wept over the loss of His friend. When all 27 people died and Sandy Hook on Friday Jesus wept. He wept because He loves everyone and He doesn’t want anyone to lose their lives in a tragic way.

I believe He also weeps when we die spiritually. He doesn’t want any of us to lose our lives spiritually. He doesn’t want to see us walk away from Him. Often during these times of chaos people will blame God and wonder why He lets evil happen. I can’t really explain that but what I do know is that the only constant we can cling to during these times of chaos is Jesus. These are not the times to walk away from Him it is a time to draw closer to him. As the verse indicates He doesn’t just love Lazarus, He loves you and He loves me. He loves us during the good times and the bad and we need to honor that love by loving Him and following Him.

We have wept this weekend for those lives lost at Newtown because deep down we love others. Give your life to Jesus and let Him love you out of the chaos and turmoil that enters our lives. We need to love Him because He first loved us.

PRAYER:

Pray that God will comfort the families who lost a loved one. Pray that good will comfort you during times of chaos. Pray that you will follow Jesus during the good and the bad.