Posts

MARCH 12 "3RD REBELLION PUT TO A HALT"

  God in the Old Testament reminds me of a parent with young children. The constantly argue and squabble and mom and/or dad spends most of those early days settling disputes amongst the children. The children learn to depend and expect that mom or dad is going to settle the dispute, make a judgment of who is right and who is wrong and then discipline the guilty party. There is immediate intervention and immediate judgment when we are young. I liked the God of the Old Testament, how about you? There's squabbling and fighting against Aaron and God intervenes, shows them who's right and who's wrong, who's side He is on and the matter is settled. God is continuously intervening in their lives and settling disputes as the parent(s) of young children. My children are at a stage now where I hear the arguments and squabbling and more often than not I stay out of it, they need to start learning how to resolve conflict themselves. There is just as much conflict "in the camp...
Post a Comment
Read more

MARCH 11 "SECOND REBELLION PUT TO A HALT"

  If there's one thing that is for sure, that is, not "if" men will rebel, but when! It's an unfortunate circumstance of life to know, that often those that we have invested in and others loved, will often come back and oppose us. Whether that's are own children, whom we've loved & sacrificed everything for and now you're watching them with rage, confronting you, cussing at you as if you are their sworn enemy, or it's people in the church you've loved and invested in, or an employee at work, one thing is for sure, men do rebel. It hurts, it hurts really bad. This is not to say we go through life with a jaundiced eye and live as a cynic, but it is just to know, men rebel and many times it has nothing to do with the one they are rebelling against. As Pastors it is very disheartening to see the men we've appointed, to see the men we've raised up, we gave responsibility; the men we invested, it hurts when they rally unto themselves another ...
Post a Comment
Read more

MARCH 10 "SOMEONE'S FUNKY SPIRIT DRAGGING YOU DOWN?"

        WHY am I here is probably a common question we ask ourselves and God. Why am I here with these people, why am I here with this family, with this woman, with this man? Again, we see God acknowledging a man that has a different spirit than others. If you did not read yesterday's blog, go  ahead and read it. God says to Moses, "I will take the spirit that is upon you and put it on them”. And here again, God acknowledges this concept with another man; that man is  Caleb .   "But because my servant Caleb has  a different spirit  and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it."  Caleb basically serves God in the midst of a bunch of "malcontents" but yet chooses to have a different disposition, a different mind set,  a  different spirit!    A new church, a new spouse, a new job, a new city, is our answer.  We say, " I have such a great...
Post a Comment
Read more

MARCH 9 "HE'S GOT SOMETHING YOU DON'T"

    One of my most annoying sayings is "he puts his pants on in the morning same way I do!". This is implying that we're all on the same level here buddy. We know that no man should claim to be better than another man, but that is different than saying "we're all on the same level".  Twice in our story today God makes a clear point, "we are not all equal".  God tells Moses take these 70 men and I will put the Spirit that is upon you and place it on them. In others, Moses had something they had not. This is an undeniable truth in God's Kingdom that we are not all function on the same level. When the Seven Sons of Sceva  try casting out Demons, the Demons say, "Jesus we know and Paul we know, but who are you!?" And the demons start beat these men to a pulp.And later on in our text when Miriam and Aaron decide to grumble and gossip about Moses, once again God makes his point clear, "with Moses I speak face to face who were you to th...
Post a Comment
Read more

MARCH 8 "THOSE WERE THE GOOD 'OL DAYS"

    The Devil is a master at re-writing history.  I'm not meaning to compare Hollywood to the Devil and His works, (or maybe I am) but we know when the  read introduction says,  "Based on a true story" you're in for quite a fabrication and stretch from the truth.  Was there any truth in that? Sure, 1%, the other 99% was fabricated. The Devil takes our history and re-writes it in our minds and leaves an ounce of truth so we don't completely dismiss it. Did the Israelites eat fish in Egypt, well I guess they did if they say so, but to somehow look back at Egypt as "the good 'ol days", really?!? Had Moses stopped them at the Red Sea and say, now remember, you're going to miss this place and one day look back at this place as the "good 'ol days" are you sure you want to cross with me?" ......They would have run him over! Nostalgia is a precarious place to go in our minds. Feelings and thoughts sweep through us to create a utopia ou...
Post a Comment
Read more

MARCH 7 "NO HEAVEN? WHAT'S THIS?"

    HEAVEN pass away, did I read right? And perhaps if it had come from another source, then it might be debatable as to whether that statement or prediction was to be worth listening to, but I'm pretty sure (correct me if I'm wrong) that Jesus is a valid source when it comes to the subject of Heaven. How can Heaven pass away? Where am I supposed to go when I die? Where will we say people have gone to, when we do funerals? Perhaps some don't really care; maybe the thought of them playing a harp on some celestial cloud, never quite appealed to them anyway (where people get this notion I don't know). Where will the people in Heaven go to when Heaven passes away? If there's not going to be a Heaven what is my hope, after I die? Okay, perhaps I have dragged this on a little to far, especially for those that already know where I'm going with this, but I am just trying to make a point...okay, maybe two points. The first point is how we can read over very serious state...
Post a Comment
Read more

MARCH 6 "ARE YOU A NAZARITE?"

  If any of the people, either men or women, take the special vow of a Nazarite, setting themselves apart to the lord in a special way..." I've always been intrigued by this scripture, God almost seems cavalier about this. Again, "if there's any.......who want to set themselves apart to the Lord in a special way..." wouldn't all Christians want to do that? Imagine someone speaking up and saying, "no, not me, I don't want to set myself apart for the Lord in a special way, I just want to coast, I just want to do the bare minimum". I am amazed at God's understanding with his people that some "do want to" and others simply "do not want to". I get frustrated, I get angry, I want to bully people into "setting themselves up for the Lord in a special way" I want to condemn them, I want to make them feel guilty" God simply takes it in stride. Is it what He recommends...we know the answer to that is "no", T...
Post a Comment
Read more