Month: March 2021

Numbers 15:17–16:40; Mark 15:1-47; Psalm 54:1-7; Proverbs 11:5-6

My Truth
And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.- Mark 15:39

The centurion saw Truth, but it was too late. We will all come to this realization one day. It will be a day when we say – “Truly…”  That day will either be the day of our salvation when we accept Jesus as Savior and Lord of our lives; the day we set everything else aside to follow Him. Or, it will be the day that you realize that you were wrong, but it will be too late, and you will live an eternity in hell…still uttering the words for an eternity, “Truly this man was the Son of God.”

Seek Him today while He may be found.

My Calling
And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi: 9 seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them? 10 And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also? 11 For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him? – Numbers 16:8-11

Father, Help me always to be content with Your assignments. Help me to step into obedience and keep myself joyful as I walk out Your plans for my life. I know the place You have placed me is not a small place but a place designed by You for Your glory. Show me, Father, how You want me to walk it out.

Please put a guard over my heart and my mouth that I would never complain about those You have placed in authority over me. Please help me always be a blessing to my Pastors and Your Prophets, Teachers, Evangelists, and Apostles.

My Helper
Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul. – Psalm 54:4

Thank You, my God, that You are my helper, my Savior, my Father, my one true and forever friend.

My Choice
The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness. 6 The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness. – Proverbs 11:5-6

We are all in one of two groups. We are living in righteousness, or we are living in wickedness. It is a choice. You choose for you, and I choose for me.

Choose wisely!

Numbers 14:1–15:16; Mark 14:53-72; Psalm 53:1-6; Proverbs 11:4

God Looks Down
God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. – Psalm 53:2

A Good Report
If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not. But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel. – Number 14:8-10

Joshua and Caleb gave good reports, and the Lord was pleased. But the people were not pleased. They wanted to stone them for speaking that good report.

An Evil Report
And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land, even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD. – Numbers 14:36-37

God was not pleased with the men that gave an evil report, and He sent a plague that killed them. God was also not please with the complaining congregation. He forgave them but they were stripped of the privilege of entering into the promised land.

Just because most of the congregation or a majority of the leaders believe something, that doesn’t make it acceptable in God’s eyes. A good lesson and reminder to always seek the Lord regarding how and with whom we align ourselves.

The Worst Consequence
…because ye are turned away from the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you. – Numbers 14:43b

The children of Israel had sinned against God, and they knew it. God told them, because of their sin, they would not be going into the Promised Land. The people mourned. Some of the congregation woke up the next morning and went up the mountain. They had decided to go on into the Promised Land anyway. Moses warned them not to go against what God commanded, and if they didn’t God wouldn’t be with them. They went, and the Amalekites and Canaanites that lived on that mountain killed them.

For the Lord to not go with you and not be by your side is the worst consequence. Turn back to Jesus today before it is too late. If you don’t, it means inevitable and eternal death.

Consequences
And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept. – Mark14:72

I always feel for Peter because I have been there myself. I have been one that also denied my Lord and then felt sorrow beyond what words could express.

Thank You Jesus, for Your forgiveness and mercy and for not letting me stay in the grips of that shame and failure!!!

No Profit in Riches
Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death. – Proverbs 11:4

On judgment day, the things you have accumulated on this earth won’t matter one bit.

Heavenly Father, I come into Your Presence today to honor and glorify and thank You for all You are doing in my life during this season. Thank You my God for looking down on me!!! Thank You for Your mercy and forgiveness that even allows me to come into this holy place today. Please take my life and use it as You please. Help me to be obedient to You and You alone. Help me to follow You and You alone. Help me to focus on You and You alone. You and You alone are my God, my Savior, my Lord, and my friend that sticks closer than a brother. You and You alone are all I need. I love You. I pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen

Numbers 11:24–13:33; Mark 14:22-52; Psalm 52:1-9; Proverbs 11:1-3

Words
And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. – Number 13:30-31

Moses sent twelve leaders (one man for every tribe) to spy out the land as God had commanded him to do. When they returned and were to give their report about the land, Caleb said, “We are well able.” Other men, though, said, “We be not able.” Knowing the story and seeing these words in this passage – how important are our words? How important are the words of our leaders? Your words, if you are a leader? Aren’t we all are leaders of someone?

Had the leaders given a different report, wouldn’t their people have followed willingly?

My words come from what is in my heart. What is in my heart comes from what I ponder most in my mind. What is in my mind comes from what I have allowed in or who I have listened to. My words, attitudes, and what I allow in (even from leaders) matter!!!  

Evil Words
Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually. 2 Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.  Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue. God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah. – Psalm 52:1-5

Boasting, mischievous, deceitful, lying, devouring words lead to destruction.

Pride Leads to Shame
When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. – Proverbs 11:2

We have all been in places where we have let pride take over, and shortly after that, we deal with the shame of having allowed our pride to take over. Wasn’t that what Peter set himself up for as well? His (prideful) words led to great shame.

Lest Ye Enter Into Temptation
And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. – Mark 14:37-38

Peter says that he will never deny Jesus. He says even if everyone else does, he won’t. Jesus knows he will and even warns Peter. When he takes the few disciples with Him to pray, he again clearly warns them to watch and pray, lest they enter into temptation. Had they stayed awake, watching and praying, would they have been strengthened in their flesh so that they could have resisted the temptation to deny Jesus?

How important for each of us to also heed these warnings we’ve been given in today’s scriptures – Watch ye (MELISSA) and pray, lest ye (MELISSA) enter into temptation.

Please help me today, Father, to watch and pray…in Jesus’ Name. Amen!

Numbers 10:1–11:23; Mark 14:1-21; Psalm 51:1-19; Proverbs 10:31-32

When the Trumpets Sound
Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps. 3 And when they shall blow with them, all the assembly shall assemble themselves to thee at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. Numbers 10:2-3

One trumpet was to call the leaders together. Two trumpets were used to call all of the people together. In the book of Revelation, seven trumpets were sounded by seven angels after the breaking of the seventh seal. One day, we will hear the last trumpet sound, and we will know the King is coming.

1 Corinthians 15:52 – In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Matthew 24:31 – And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 – For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Revelation 11:15 – And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Woe to that Man
The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born. –  Mark 14:21

It would be better not to be born than to know Jesus and then betray him.  We are all capable of betraying Jesus through our actions – just like Judas did. But every action starts with a thought.

James 1:13-15 – Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived,  it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished bringeth forth death.

Then I Will Teach
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. – Psalms 51:1-4

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Psalm 51:5-12

Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem. Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar. – Psalms 51:13-19

I broke this passage up because I saw it broken down interestingly, and I wanted to share it. Unfortunately, the author was not documented, so I couldn’t either.

The Froward
The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out. 32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness. – Proverbs 10:31-32

Froward – willfully contrary; not easily managed.                                                                              

Hear, O Israel
And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. – Mark 12:28-31

In this passage Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. – Deuteronomy 6:4-7

This passage in Deuteronomy also instructs us to teach our children and talk of the things the Lord has done, leading to our passages in Psalms. It never ceases to amaze me how God so often lines up our readings to give a theme and a Word.

Tell the Generation Following
Let mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of thy judgments. Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof. Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following. For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death. – Psalms 48:11-14

I am so thankful as I approach this day that God is with me to guide me through it. He is here no matter what is in store. Our Father knows and has planned out my course, just as He did for His Children of Israel as He led them through the wilderness toward the Promised Land. Even in their wanderings, He was there! He is still here today, and as our forefathers have done, we are to tell the next generation of all that God has done for us. God uses our testimonies to encourage and guide us.

No Room for Sluggards
As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him. – Proverbs 10:26

God wants to be Lord over every area of our lives.  We should do everything we do as unto Him. There is no room for laziness in the Kingdom of God. If there is a sluggard on the job, someone else has to pick up the slack, which means someone is getting paid to do less than he should, while another is getting paid less than he should because he is doing more.

Sluggard –  a person who is habitually inactive or lazy.

No Menial Tasks
And this is the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the tabernacle of the congregation; the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and sockets thereof – Number 4:31

And this is what they are assigned to carry and to guard [on the march], according to all their service in the Tent of Meeting: the boards or frames of the tabernacle, and its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets or bases, – Numbers 4:31 AMPC

There are no menial tasks when it comes to God’s work. In the reading in Numbers today, it is evident that how they took care of and moved the Tabernacle was important to God. He cared about who did a task because He assigned them, and they were Holy tasks. When I read this, I think about everyone having a job, and it took everyone doing their part. Of course, we know that caring for the Tabernacle was given to the Levites regarding the Tabernacle. Still, it took every tribe to do their assignments and not jump ship or cross into another’s assignment or be as the “sluggard” that we read about in the Proverbs today to accomplish all that God was doing in the place He had them.

Numbers 2:1–3:51; Mark 11:27–12:17; Psalm 47:1-9; Proverbs 10:24-25

My Inheritance is an Everlasting Foundation
As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation. – Proverbs 10:25

Storms pass over the wicked and the righteous, but in the end only the righteous will stand.

Authority
And say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things? – Mark 11:28

The religious leaders had a duty to investigate any person claiming to be of God. So they came to Jesus. Their investigation was one-sided, though, because he threatened the place they had set themselves. So they worked to trap Him to destroy Jesus. They couldn’t act openly, however, because the people were convinced that Jesus was of God. 

Jesus knew their heart. So when he answered the question, he only posed another question to them about John the Baptist. The leaders found themselves unable to answer because to answer one way would incite the crowds against them. To answer another way would expose their hearts to reject the truth for a lie to keep their world intact and their status unchanged. To deny truth and embrace hypocrisy and crowd-pleasing is to set yourself up to pay an eternal price. It is an excellent question to ask ourselves, do our actions or answers (the things we speak) have any hypocrisy or need for worldly approval attached to them? If so, we are on very shaky ground. Speak truth and align your heart with it. Speak life!

The Levites are God’s Portion, and God is their Inheritance
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine; because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the LORD. – Numbers 3:11-13

The Levites had no inheritance among the Children of Israel. They were not counted among them because they were the Lord’s portion. God was their inheritance, and they were His. He chose the Levites instead of the firstborn of each tribe. (Interesting that the firstborn – first fruits – are always His anyway.

My Inheritance is His Choice
He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.- Psalm 47:4

Jacob’s inheritance was that during shakings (famine in the world), Jacob, who God loved, was spared from death and settled in Egypt’s best part (Goshen). So is our portion as God’s children.

Father, Thank You that You are our Everlasting Foundation and built upon You, we will forever stand. Thank You that You are our inheritance and all we need or will ever need. Thank You that You have chosen our inheritance for each of us, and it is good. Thank You that You are our authority, and as we walk in obedience to Your perfect will, we will also walk in the power and authority given to us by Your Son, Jesus Christ. Help us never to take You and these beautiful gifts for granted – YOU, MY GOD!!! Our inheritance, our authority, our foundation! Help me keep my eyes and my heart on YOU alone. In Jesus Name, we pray. Amen.

Leviticus 27:14—Numbers 1:54; Mark 11:1-26; Psalm 46:1-11; Proverbs 10:23

I Will Rejoice
There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. Psalm 46:4-5

Keep the Charge
And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, throughout their hosts. But the Levites shall pitch round about the tabernacle of testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel: and the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of testimony. – Numbers 1:52-53

Forgive
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. 25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. – Mark: 11:24-26

Understanding
It is as sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom. – Prover 10:23

Leviticus 25:47–27:13; Mark 10:32-52; Psalm 45:1-17; Proverbs 10:22

Servant of All
And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him, saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: and they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.

 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire. And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: but to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.

And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John.

But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. – Mark 10:32-45

Jesus didn’t come the way the people imagined. They expected that He had come as a military leader to wipe away Roman oppression and set up the Kingdom of God, promised throughout the Old Testament. 

Jesus did come as that leader, but not as they expected. He didn’t come to first overthrow ungodly leaders and set up a new government, but to establish His Kingdom in the hearts and lives of man.

The disciples, who were closer to Jesus and spent more time with Him than other people, were no different in their expectations. So, Jesus took the opportunity of their arguing over who would be great in His Kingdom, to teach them that to be truly great, you must be a servant to all.

All these years later, expectations have not changed. In our hearts, don’t we often pray, Come, Lord Jesus, but not because we have finished our course? Don’t we sometimes pray that asking that He come and deliver us from the “bad guys,” from sickness, death, and all kinds of evil? Don’t we often focus more on going to heaven ourselves to rule and reign with Him than we do serving and bringing His Kingdom to those in our world that He loves and desires to save? To a lost and dying world?  

Just my thoughts…I preach to myself here!!!

Please help us, Father! Please help me! Help me to be Your servant! Give me a burden for the lost and a heart to serve. Help me not to pick and choose but to follow You and live a life of service. In Jesus Name, I pray. Amen!

His Servants
For unto me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. –  Leviticus 25:55

Make His Name to Be Remembered
I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever. – Psalm 45:17

Blessing
The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. – Proverbs 10:22