God Loves the Prodigal - Luke 15-16

Luke 15:20 (ESV)

And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

If you have a prodigal child in your life, the above text should be prayed over the prodigal and yourself each day.   Pray the following:

1.  Mindset Change!   Pray that the prodigal will arise and come to their senses and change their mindset.   They have to see their own desires need to be aligned with God before they can be helped by you.   It starts with them.  (2 Timothy 2:25-26)

2.  Watch!   The father, in the above text, sees his prodigal coming to him.  That means he was watching each day.   If you have a prodigal child the pray and watch for their return. Pray and watch each day.   

3.  Feel Compassion!  While the prodigal was a long way off the father was moved.   Empathy and compassion are necessary to cause change in a prodigal parent’s heart.  The parent had to forgive the prodigal before any repentance can ever happen or be expressed.   

4. Run!   The prodigal has moved and now the parent must move.   The parent running to the prodigal demonstrates the parent’s commitment to make this work.  The parent doesn’t wait to hear the confession or repentance, they run to the prodigal to show their willingness to change the situation. 

5. Embrace!  This must have been hard.  In the next step we will read that the prodigal had no shoes and was ill clothed.  This prodigal had just left feeding and eating with pigs.   The father was not hesitant to embrace the stink.  Any prodigal who returns comes with stink.   

6. Sacrifice!   The father gave the prodigal new clothes, shoes and fine food.  The parent had already lost much from what the prodigal was already given and had squandered.   Yet, the parent still was willing to sacrifice.  

It is not easy to love a returning prodigal.  But the responsibility to help them back into the norms of the family fall as much on the parent as they do the prodigal.   

This entire story, of course, is told by Jesus to tell us how God loves us.  He desires us to change our mindset.  He runs to us.  He embraces us when we stink.   He sacrifices and gives us His righteousness.   

What You Reap, You Sow - Ezekiel 13-18

Ezekiel 18:25-29 (ESV)

“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?

The above passage sums up the thoughts of this entire section of Ezekiel.   God rewards the righteous and brings discipline to the wicked.  That is this entire section.  The discipline brought onto Judah was directly proportional to their sin.   Yes, God is a God of judgment.  But God is also a God of mercy.  God has mercy on those who walk in His ways.   Man is unjust if he thinks he can live the way he wants without impunity.    He can’t.  God sent Ezekiel to remind this nation of His holiness and His judgment.    What was true then is true now:

Galatians 6:7 (ESV)

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

We can’t live our lives with complete disregard for God’s holiness.  Even those who are believers stand in the way of judgement if they don’t repent:

James 5:20 (ESV)

let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Judgement is still an option to God when we fail to walk with Him.   God is the God of love.  But He is also a holy God and must keep His word about holiness.   

Can You Smell That? Proverbs 7

Proverbs 7:17 (ESV)

I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,

aloes, and cinnamon.

Folly has already confronted the naive one, wanting to tempt him astray.   As you see in the end of the chapter, she succeeds.   But from this point Folly has only used sight, sound and touch.   In the above proverb we see that she now using smell to attract him.   The power of smell has been captured by the money spent in the perfume industry ($40 Billion industry).  Smell turns heads.  Good or bad smell turns heads.  God has designed the human body in such a way that we are motivated and excited by smells.  Don't under estimate Satan's power to use smell to capture our hearts.  The senses are tied directly to our heart.   We are lead astray by smell, touch, sight and taste.   In this proverb we see the power of those God created senses to lead us into sin.   The senses are not wrong, only the sin is wrong.   Senses to makes us sinners.   Smell doesn't make us evil.   But if we don't resist the senses by the act of faith, we will be lead into sin.  Don't allow your senses to be a gateway for sin.   By faith allow them to bring the wonder that God intended for them.

God Makes His Home In Us - Psalms 75-77

Psalms 76:1-3 (ESV)

TO THE CHOIRMASTER: WITH STRINGED INSTRUMENTS. A PSALM OF ASAPH. A SONG.

In Judah God is known;

his name is great in Israel.

His abode has been established in Salem,

his dwelling place in Zion.

There he broke the flashing arrows,

the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah

It might be difficult to understand these opening verses of Psalm 76.   Aspah, the composer of this song, is rejoicing that Jerusalem (Zion) is a chosen city for Judah and that Judah has a special relationship with Yahweh.   God has given to them the peace (he broke the flashing arrows, the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war.).  God establishes peace for those who trust in Him.   That is what this psalm is about.   God establishes His home for us.  In Asaph’s day it was the city of Salem (another name for Jerusalem).  In our day, God establishes His home with us in our hearts:

John 14:23 (ESV)

Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

We can rejoice that God has chosen us as the new Jerusalem:

Hebrews 12:22 (ESV)

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,

God has established His home in our hearts and, like Asaph of old, we are to sing and write songs about it.  

Protection From False Acquisition - 1 Kings 17-22

1 Kings 21:8-14 (ESV)

So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city. And she wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people. And set two worthless men opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.” And the men of his city, the elders and the leaders who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. As it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, they proclaimed a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people. And the two worthless men came in and sat opposite him. And the worthless men brought a charge against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones. Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.”

Jezebel was not a good person.  She was wicked and did wicked things.   Her husband, Ahab, wanted a vineyard owned by Naboth.  He offered to purchase it from Naboth, but Naboth refused.  This is where his wicked wife Jezebel steps in.  She arranged what we read above.   We might think of something like this happening today, as well.   One person makes sure another person is removed or damaged so that they get what they want. This is an example of modern day politics.   This is an example of some corporate worlds.  This is, regrettably, an example of things that happen in churches, today.  People like Jezebel are always looking to use untruth to bring demise onto others.  God promises, however, the following:

Psalms 31:20 (ESV)

In the cover of your presence you hide them

from the plots of men;

you store them in your shelter

from the strife of tongues.

Proverbs 30:5 (ESV)

Every word of God proves true;

he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

We need to trust God to protect us from the falsehood of the world.  

Faithful Obedience Produces the Glory of God - Leviticus 7-9

Leviticus 8:1-4 (ESV)

Consecration of Aaron and His Sons

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments and the anointing oil and the bull of the sin offering and the two rams and the basket of unleavened bread. And assemble all the congregation at the entrance of the tent of meeting.” And Moses did as the LORD commanded him, and the congregation was assembled at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

God is about to have Aaron and his sons consecrated to service for Himself.  To do this, much work must be done.   Moses is to do several things:

1. Bring Arron and his sons to the Tabernacle entrance. 
2. Bring the priestly garments just made for Aaron and his sons.
3. Bring the anointing oil (which was a picture of the Holy Spirit).
4. Bring a bull for the sin offering. 
5. Bring two rams for the sin offering. 
6. Bring a basket of unleavened bread for the sin offering. 
7. Bring the entire nation to the entrance of the Tabernacle. 

Moses did all that.  Imagine the scene in the wilderness.   We were told earlier that there were over 600,000 men.   So, with the men, women and children, there would have been over one million people gathered at the “entrance of the tent of meeting.”   It is unimaginable how everyone could see and hear this awesome moment of anointing of Aaron and his sons.  At the end of this scene, however, this is what is written:

Leviticus 9:23-24 (ESV)

And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar, and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.

It is through obedience that we see the glory of God.   They did what they were told and God’s glory floods the place.   However the logistics occurred, the end was the glory of God.   One million people were watching one man (Moses) dress another man (Aaron) in his priestly robes and anoint him with oil and offer a bull and two rams.  The audience was not, however, them.  The audience was God.   His approval for their actions was His showing them His glory.   That is the formula for all the times we worship today.  The audience is the congregation. When we realize the audience is God and our obedience is to Him, His glory shows up.   

 

Put Off - Put On - Ephesians 4-6

Ephesians 4:31-32 (ESV)

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

One of the keys to the Christian life (and to life in general) is the idea of replacement theory.   To move away from something is great.  But to have continued success keeping away from it you must bring something in to replace what you moved away from.   In the above passage we have that thought expressed by Paul.  He is telling them to move away from bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander and all malice.  Those are good things to avoid in your life.   That alone would be a major life change.   But notice what Paul tells them to do instead.  He wants them to put on kindness, tenderness, and forgiveness.  This is the transformation of the Christian life.   We are to put off on thing (our human desires) and to put on another thing (Christlikeness).   

Paul actually just said this, earlier in this same chapter:

Ephesians 4:22-24 (ESV)

to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. 

God saved us to live a life that is different than before we came to Christ.   Putting away the list Paul gives us is important.  But putting on what Paul tells us is the difference maker.   A lot of people living their natural life can put away something.  But it takes the Spirit of God in our lives to give us genuine kindness, tenderness and forgiveness.  Those are acts of the Spirit of God.   When we navigate life, let us not be just comfortable putting something away, but also put on the acts of the Spirit of God.