Hello My Friend/Guest,
Today is Friday February 19, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Numbers, chapters 14-15. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this URL onto your browser: http://www.readytofollow.com/bible-february-19
Title: Bible Study: Found, But Still Lost
Did you ever get so close to something or someone, knowing that it would have changed your life for the better, and lose it right before your eyes because of one wrong decision? Well, think of how the Israelite's must have felt being right at the border of the promised land, yet not able to go it? Moses sent twelve men to spy out the land so the people could be better prepared for the land they were about to enter. “And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain: And see the land, what it is, and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds; And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.” - Numbers 13:17-20. The land was beautiful, they returned with grape clusters so big that it took two men to carry them, the people were so excited, but then came the news. Ten of the twelve spies were against going into the promised land, claiming that the people were too big and strong to take over the land. They got the people so discouraged that they began questioning God and promises. “And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.” - Numbers 14:1-4. The people were so angry that they immediately wanted to make someone a captain to head back to Egypt. The problem with all this was that instead of trusting God, they trusted the judgment of those ten spies. Only two men out of the group trusted God, but no one wanted to listen to them, instead they trusted the ten who did not and forgot what God had promised them.
Now, when God heard the Israelite's murmuring and complaining to Moses He became angry and was about to destroy them all. However, Moses reminded God of the promise that He made. “And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them? I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they. And Moses said unto the LORD, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;) And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou LORD art among this people, that thou LORD art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night. Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.” - Numbers 14:11-16. God did spare the people, but He vowed not to let any person over the age of twenty, except for Caleb and Joshua, enter the promise land because of their unbelief. For forty years they had to live in the wilderness, one year for each day that they spied out the land. It is okay to remind God of His promises, in fact, He wants us to remind Him of them. Why? Because He knows then, that you are reading His Word and holding Him accountable for His promises. Everything we go through in life, teaches us how to be accountable so we can trust in God to fulfill His promises, if we are following the will of God we learn to be accountable for Him. Therefore, we can go before God and say, “This is what you promised, I know You will not go back on Your Word.” and He will listen to us. And be accountable for His actions.
Later, God instructed Moses to speak to the people concerning offerings given to people who sin out of ignorance and deliberately. “Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them. But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.” - Numbers 15:29-31. Now, God was diligent with the people who sinned unknowingly, but those who sinned willingly He was not so diligent with. In fact, He despised anyone who knowingly rebelled against Him. A man simply picking up sticks on the ground on the Sabbath was stoned because He rebelled against God. Even the smallest thing that takes place before God can literally destroy us. Sometimes God's judgment seems so cruel, but truthfully, it is what we bring upon ourselves that brings the judgment upon us, if a person wants to rebel against God then He is going to use that person to show the rest of us that He is not kidding around. It was not him picking up a stick that angered God, it was the fact that he disregarded the one day of the week devoted to only Him. In God's eyes He saw this man as someone who thought himself too great, too good, and too wise to obey His commands. God intended for this punishment to be a warning to all, to make conscience of keeping His commands. He will not be mocked, we can not say that we want to follow Him and then turn around and do everything against what He believes. The right of God to a day of devotion to Himself, will be disputed and denied only by those who listen to their pride and the unbelief of their hearts, rather than to the teaching of the Spirit of truth and life.
God does love us and wants the best for us, but if we choose to follow the world instead of God, He will deprive us of blessings that we could be receiving. I remember when I was only 18, I worked with this guy that I had the biggest crush on. He would ask me for a drink of my soda and I would literally melt because his lips touched the bottle that I was drinking from, yet neither one of us every let our feelings be known to each other. He quit, but a couple weeks later came by to offer to give me a ride home,but I refused it. I let him walk out that door and that was the last time I saw him. I knew the second he left that I made a big mistake and believe that my relationship problems are a result of that. I can not take back that day, but I can change my future by listening and obeying God's commands, which He changes every day as I live my life for Him. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” - Titus 2:11-14. Praise God that we have hope in Jesus Christ, who redeemed us all from our sins, even those we did deliberately. Let us stay close to God so we do not get lost in the wilderness.
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Friday, February 19, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Bible Study: Respecting God's Leaders 02.18.10
Hello My Friend/Guest,
Today is Thursday February 18, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Numbers, chapters 12-13. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this URL onto your browser: http://www.readytofollow.com/bible-february-18
Title: Bible Study: Respecting God's Leaders
As Christian's, we really have no idea how blessed we are to be children of God. Once we call on Jesus Christ to save us we are adopted into His family, regardless of what race or class we are. We may not all look alike or enjoy the same kind of food, but we are children of our living God. Yet sadly, there is much strife between brothers and sisters in Christ, especially by men of God who have authority over us. A true man of God's authority comes from the Bible and if they are following the Bible his teachings will line up with God's Word. As long as he lines up with God's Word than the example he follows will also line up with God's Word, which enables him to teach us and grow us as strong faithful Christian's. Since men of God are just as you and I, that means they have personal lives too, so regardless of how strange their personal lives may seem we are to respect them and not question their ability to lead the church, that is, of course, as long as they are teaching the right doctrine. Moses married and Ethiopian woman, this caused much strife between his family, particularly with his sister Miriam. “And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it. (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation.” - Numbers 12:1-4. What Miriam was really upset about was the fact that Moses has authority over her. She thought that since she and Aaron were prophets too that they also had a say in the leadership of the Israelite's. What she failed to realize was that God Himself gave Moses the orders on what to do, so, when she questioned Moses' authority, God took it personally as if she was questioning His orders. Although Miriam and Aaron were just talking among themselves, God heard what they were saying and immediately called them out of the Tabernacle to confront them about it. If you read the rest of the chapter, God cursed Miriam with leprosy for seven days because of this.
Sometimes the worse people to be around are other Christian's because they are quick to look for faults of others, most of the time it is out of envy or strife over someone who has a higher position than them. No one is perfect and yes, we may have questions as to why a person of authority could be doing something that seems strange to us, but we need to question why we are acting the way we are as well. Are you hiding something? Are you jealous or envying their position? Do you just have personal issues with that person? Any of these reasons are motives as to why we dislike or question a man of God's authority. There is a woman at my church, who teaches a Sunday school class and for the life of me I can not understand why she is a teacher, she does not seem to want to take on any of the responsibility of being a teacher, but puts on a good show to keep teaching and that aggravates me. Now, I could be complaining about it and questioning why the preacher gave her such a big responsibility, but I just keep my mouth shut and do not even think about it because if I did I would be talking about it. I must not let my feelings interfere with my responsibility as a teacher myself nor must I question the preacher's decision to make her a teacher to begin with. He knows what he is doing and his orders come from God, any questions I have about his leadership are ones that God takes personally and I have no right to tell others what I think. God knows this persons true motives and if what I think is wrong He will let me know that I am wrong, if I am right He will let the preacher know that he needs to take her position away from her. As long as our leader is teaching truth than we need to respect his decisions. “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.” - Hebrews 13:7-9. As long as the leader of your church is teaching the truth, everything else will follow. Even men of God make mistakes at times, but God will take care of it. By God's grace we are all children of God and He will direct our paths, no matter how many times we fall off, in the right direction. Praise God!
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Today is Thursday February 18, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Numbers, chapters 12-13. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this URL onto your browser: http://www.readytofollow.com/bible-february-18
Title: Bible Study: Respecting God's Leaders
As Christian's, we really have no idea how blessed we are to be children of God. Once we call on Jesus Christ to save us we are adopted into His family, regardless of what race or class we are. We may not all look alike or enjoy the same kind of food, but we are children of our living God. Yet sadly, there is much strife between brothers and sisters in Christ, especially by men of God who have authority over us. A true man of God's authority comes from the Bible and if they are following the Bible his teachings will line up with God's Word. As long as he lines up with God's Word than the example he follows will also line up with God's Word, which enables him to teach us and grow us as strong faithful Christian's. Since men of God are just as you and I, that means they have personal lives too, so regardless of how strange their personal lives may seem we are to respect them and not question their ability to lead the church, that is, of course, as long as they are teaching the right doctrine. Moses married and Ethiopian woman, this caused much strife between his family, particularly with his sister Miriam. “And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it. (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation.” - Numbers 12:1-4. What Miriam was really upset about was the fact that Moses has authority over her. She thought that since she and Aaron were prophets too that they also had a say in the leadership of the Israelite's. What she failed to realize was that God Himself gave Moses the orders on what to do, so, when she questioned Moses' authority, God took it personally as if she was questioning His orders. Although Miriam and Aaron were just talking among themselves, God heard what they were saying and immediately called them out of the Tabernacle to confront them about it. If you read the rest of the chapter, God cursed Miriam with leprosy for seven days because of this.
Sometimes the worse people to be around are other Christian's because they are quick to look for faults of others, most of the time it is out of envy or strife over someone who has a higher position than them. No one is perfect and yes, we may have questions as to why a person of authority could be doing something that seems strange to us, but we need to question why we are acting the way we are as well. Are you hiding something? Are you jealous or envying their position? Do you just have personal issues with that person? Any of these reasons are motives as to why we dislike or question a man of God's authority. There is a woman at my church, who teaches a Sunday school class and for the life of me I can not understand why she is a teacher, she does not seem to want to take on any of the responsibility of being a teacher, but puts on a good show to keep teaching and that aggravates me. Now, I could be complaining about it and questioning why the preacher gave her such a big responsibility, but I just keep my mouth shut and do not even think about it because if I did I would be talking about it. I must not let my feelings interfere with my responsibility as a teacher myself nor must I question the preacher's decision to make her a teacher to begin with. He knows what he is doing and his orders come from God, any questions I have about his leadership are ones that God takes personally and I have no right to tell others what I think. God knows this persons true motives and if what I think is wrong He will let me know that I am wrong, if I am right He will let the preacher know that he needs to take her position away from her. As long as our leader is teaching truth than we need to respect his decisions. “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.” - Hebrews 13:7-9. As long as the leader of your church is teaching the truth, everything else will follow. Even men of God make mistakes at times, but God will take care of it. By God's grace we are all children of God and He will direct our paths, no matter how many times we fall off, in the right direction. Praise God!
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Visit: I'm Following Jesus!
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Missed A Lesson?
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Monday, February 15, 2010
Bible Study: I Serve A Great God
Hello My Friend/Guest,
Today is Monday February 15, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Numbers, chapter 7. If you would like to read the chapter along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this URL onto your browser: http://www.readytofollow.com/bible-february-15
Title: Bible Study: I Serve A Great God
Since the Levite's were to work in the ministry that meant that they were not to go out and get jobs as the rest of the Israelite's. So how did they get paid? They got paid by the other tribes bringing offerings to them. After the completion of the Tabernacle and all the instructions that God had given them, the prince from each tribe willingly brought an offering to the Levites. “And it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up the tabernacle, and had anointed it, and sanctified it, and all the instruments thereof, both the altar and all the vessels thereof, and had anointed them, and sanctified them; That the princes of Israel, heads of the house of their fathers, who were the princes of the tribes, and were over them that were numbered, offered: And they brought their offering before the LORD, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen; a wagon for two of the princes, and for each one an ox: and they brought them before the tabernacle. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take it of them, that they may be to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and thou shalt give them unto the Levites, to every man according to his service.” - Numbers 7:1-5. As you read the chapter you will realize that every tribe gave the exact same offering. It was not what they gave that was the point, it was their willingness to do the will of God that was the point. As we have learned in the past few days, God calls on a select group of people to serve Him in the ministry, but that does not mean that God loves those who He does not call to work in His ministry any less or that He has not called on every one of His people to serve Him in some way. It does mean that He calls on all Christian's to follow His will. Examples of following His will are, reaching the lost with the Gospel, helping others less fortunate, giving tithe to your house of God, and setting an example for others to follow, these are things that every Christian is to do if they are following the will of God. You will find a lot of people frowning when they hear this, especially the word tithe, in fact, many people believe that when Jesus came they were no longer required to give tithe. However, the truth is this, we are not required to do anything for God. If we want to follow Him and serve Him it is of our own choice. The blessings we receive from God are according to our willingness to follow His will, not by God's force, but by our own free will. Like I said before, what we do for God does not get us to heaven, it is believing, accepting, and trusting in Jesus Christ to save us that gets us to heaven.“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” - Titus 3:5-7.
An amazing thing happens when a national tragedy occurs, people from all over the world come together, they forget about their problems, become friends with enemies, and come together as one, giving all they have to help people they do not even know. Now, as Christian's, God may not want us to be one with the world, but that does not mean that we are not to offer help to people in need. In fact, helping those who do not know Christ is the perfect opportunity to help them come to know Him themselves. Jesus Said, “But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again..........But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” - Luke 6:27-30, 35-38. I can count numerous times when I have walked up to or gotten and email from someone who was having a rough time say to me, you were sent by God. We all play a part in being a child of God. Rejoice! Halleluiah! Praise God! Repeat this to yourselves several times a day, “I am a forgiven child of the living God and I serve a great God!”
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Visit: I'm Following Jesus!
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Missed A Lesson?
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Today is Monday February 15, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Numbers, chapter 7. If you would like to read the chapter along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this URL onto your browser: http://www.readytofollow.com/bible-february-15
Title: Bible Study: I Serve A Great God
Since the Levite's were to work in the ministry that meant that they were not to go out and get jobs as the rest of the Israelite's. So how did they get paid? They got paid by the other tribes bringing offerings to them. After the completion of the Tabernacle and all the instructions that God had given them, the prince from each tribe willingly brought an offering to the Levites. “And it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up the tabernacle, and had anointed it, and sanctified it, and all the instruments thereof, both the altar and all the vessels thereof, and had anointed them, and sanctified them; That the princes of Israel, heads of the house of their fathers, who were the princes of the tribes, and were over them that were numbered, offered: And they brought their offering before the LORD, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen; a wagon for two of the princes, and for each one an ox: and they brought them before the tabernacle. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take it of them, that they may be to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and thou shalt give them unto the Levites, to every man according to his service.” - Numbers 7:1-5. As you read the chapter you will realize that every tribe gave the exact same offering. It was not what they gave that was the point, it was their willingness to do the will of God that was the point. As we have learned in the past few days, God calls on a select group of people to serve Him in the ministry, but that does not mean that God loves those who He does not call to work in His ministry any less or that He has not called on every one of His people to serve Him in some way. It does mean that He calls on all Christian's to follow His will. Examples of following His will are, reaching the lost with the Gospel, helping others less fortunate, giving tithe to your house of God, and setting an example for others to follow, these are things that every Christian is to do if they are following the will of God. You will find a lot of people frowning when they hear this, especially the word tithe, in fact, many people believe that when Jesus came they were no longer required to give tithe. However, the truth is this, we are not required to do anything for God. If we want to follow Him and serve Him it is of our own choice. The blessings we receive from God are according to our willingness to follow His will, not by God's force, but by our own free will. Like I said before, what we do for God does not get us to heaven, it is believing, accepting, and trusting in Jesus Christ to save us that gets us to heaven.“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” - Titus 3:5-7.
An amazing thing happens when a national tragedy occurs, people from all over the world come together, they forget about their problems, become friends with enemies, and come together as one, giving all they have to help people they do not even know. Now, as Christian's, God may not want us to be one with the world, but that does not mean that we are not to offer help to people in need. In fact, helping those who do not know Christ is the perfect opportunity to help them come to know Him themselves. Jesus Said, “But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again..........But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” - Luke 6:27-30, 35-38. I can count numerous times when I have walked up to or gotten and email from someone who was having a rough time say to me, you were sent by God. We all play a part in being a child of God. Rejoice! Halleluiah! Praise God! Repeat this to yourselves several times a day, “I am a forgiven child of the living God and I serve a great God!”
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Visit: I'm Following Jesus!
http://www.readytofollow.com
Missed A Lesson?
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Bible Study: Clean & Undefiled
Hello My Friend/Guest,
Today is Sunday February 14, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Numbers, chapters 5-6. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this URL onto your browser: http://www.readytofollow.com/bible-february-14
Title: Bible Study: Clean & Undefiled
When you think of the word clean, what comes to mind? The word clean is defined as something or someone that is unsoiled, innocent, or pure. So, I guess the word unclean would mean something or someone that is soiled, guilty, or impure. God considered any leprous or maimed person as unclean, that meant that any person who was diseased, who touched a dead body, or even who had lost a limb was to be separated from their family and the rest of the congregation. “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is defiled by the dead: Both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camps, in the midst whereof I dwell. And the children of Israel did so, and put them out without the camp: as the LORD spake unto Moses, so did the children of Israel.” - Numbers 5:1-4. Now, some would read this and think if God is so loving why did He separate people like that. Well, this is why, disease represents sin and the world and sin is unclean. I do not care how good a person is, if he gets around sin, he sins. As for touching dead bodies, they are full of disease as well, so that furthers the issue of sin. God separated the people so they would not catch the disease. Now, in the case of people losing limbs, it was often because of a disease or they were into something that was sinful, many heathen rituals caused a man to give up limbs and even children as a sacrifice to their god. This did not mean that God did not love them any less, it meant that He wanted His people to be unsoiled, innocent, and pure from anything that was unclean or defiled. If the person was healed he was able to rejoin their family and the rest of the congregation. Today, we too are to remain separated from the world's sin disease, the strongest Christian who gets around sin will sin too, it's just our flesh. I can count numerous times that I had walked into something and did it knowing that it was wrong in order to make a person happy. You see, when we live in the world, even though we love God, we are not strong enough to resist the temptation, and we fall right into sin to please man or simply ourselves, the only way to resist temptation is through the power of God.
Speaking of falling into sin to please man, have you ever wondered how people can become so jealous? Well, God instilled the emotion of jealousy in every couple. Think about it. Ever see a person of the opposite sex go up to your mate, instant jealousy comes to play, even if it is innocent. “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him, And a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and there be no witness against her, neither she be taken with the manner; And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled: Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance. ” - Numbers 5:12-15. If a wife even got caught looking like she did something to make the husband jealous she had to go before the priest and prove her innocence. If she was found guilty she literally had a curse fall upon her. Men too if caught in the act of adultery were stoned. I will tell you what, we should all be very blessed, especially women, that we are no longer bound to these laws because we are redeemed by the blood of Christ. Praise God!
Some of the Israelite's took a vow to separate themselves even further from even the Levites were required, these were called Nazarites. “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD: He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk. All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body. He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the consecration of his God is upon his head. All the days of his separation he is holy unto the LORD.” - Numbers 6:1-8. The word word Nazarite signifies separation. Some were appointed of God, before their birth, to be Nazarites all their days, but, in general, it was a vow of separation from the world and devotedness to the services of God, for a limited time, and under certain rules, which any person might make if they pleased. The Nazarite willingly gave up physical satisfaction to be devoted to the Lord. He did not sacrifice merely his personal pleasures, but his total being to be used of God, examples of these are Samson and John the Baptist. They were types of Christ and what He represents, although He was not a Nazarite Himself. Yet He answered to the Nazarites in His being set apart in divine predestination by His Father to the office of Mediator, in the sanctification of Himself, and devoting Himself, His time, and service, to His Father's glory. There was nothing sinful about eating grapes, for God created the fruit of the vine; but often, we allow even the good things of life to take the place of Christ. Those who have a desire to dedicate their lives to Christ will abstain from pleasures that interfere with serving Him, abstaining from all appearance of evil, including grape juice that looks like wine.
Why were these laws even enforced? To keep a person from committing sin. Think about it, if you knew your body was going to literally rot and swell until it exploded, instantly, would you stay away from committing that sin. Think about it this way. Have you ever stuck your tongue on a 9-volt battery? You get a bit of a shock, right? Well, imagine if the voltage was a lot larger, you would be in a lot of pain and or could die instantly so you know to stay away from it. What this all comes down to is learning to live a moral and clean life. Today, regardless of how much we have defiled our bodies, when we call on Jesus Christ and ask Him to come into our heart and save us His blood makes us clean, we are no longer soiled, guilty, or defiles from all of our sins. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” - I John 1:9. The second a person calls on Jesus to save you are cleansed from all your sins, you can feel it and your life is never the same, even if you never do anything for Him. Praise God! That is God's gift and something we should all be very grateful of.
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and Happy Valentine's Day.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Today is Sunday February 14, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Numbers, chapters 5-6. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this URL onto your browser: http://www.readytofollow.com/bible-february-14
Title: Bible Study: Clean & Undefiled
When you think of the word clean, what comes to mind? The word clean is defined as something or someone that is unsoiled, innocent, or pure. So, I guess the word unclean would mean something or someone that is soiled, guilty, or impure. God considered any leprous or maimed person as unclean, that meant that any person who was diseased, who touched a dead body, or even who had lost a limb was to be separated from their family and the rest of the congregation. “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is defiled by the dead: Both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camps, in the midst whereof I dwell. And the children of Israel did so, and put them out without the camp: as the LORD spake unto Moses, so did the children of Israel.” - Numbers 5:1-4. Now, some would read this and think if God is so loving why did He separate people like that. Well, this is why, disease represents sin and the world and sin is unclean. I do not care how good a person is, if he gets around sin, he sins. As for touching dead bodies, they are full of disease as well, so that furthers the issue of sin. God separated the people so they would not catch the disease. Now, in the case of people losing limbs, it was often because of a disease or they were into something that was sinful, many heathen rituals caused a man to give up limbs and even children as a sacrifice to their god. This did not mean that God did not love them any less, it meant that He wanted His people to be unsoiled, innocent, and pure from anything that was unclean or defiled. If the person was healed he was able to rejoin their family and the rest of the congregation. Today, we too are to remain separated from the world's sin disease, the strongest Christian who gets around sin will sin too, it's just our flesh. I can count numerous times that I had walked into something and did it knowing that it was wrong in order to make a person happy. You see, when we live in the world, even though we love God, we are not strong enough to resist the temptation, and we fall right into sin to please man or simply ourselves, the only way to resist temptation is through the power of God.
Speaking of falling into sin to please man, have you ever wondered how people can become so jealous? Well, God instilled the emotion of jealousy in every couple. Think about it. Ever see a person of the opposite sex go up to your mate, instant jealousy comes to play, even if it is innocent. “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him, And a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and there be no witness against her, neither she be taken with the manner; And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled: Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance. ” - Numbers 5:12-15. If a wife even got caught looking like she did something to make the husband jealous she had to go before the priest and prove her innocence. If she was found guilty she literally had a curse fall upon her. Men too if caught in the act of adultery were stoned. I will tell you what, we should all be very blessed, especially women, that we are no longer bound to these laws because we are redeemed by the blood of Christ. Praise God!
Some of the Israelite's took a vow to separate themselves even further from even the Levites were required, these were called Nazarites. “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD: He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk. All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body. He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the consecration of his God is upon his head. All the days of his separation he is holy unto the LORD.” - Numbers 6:1-8. The word word Nazarite signifies separation. Some were appointed of God, before their birth, to be Nazarites all their days, but, in general, it was a vow of separation from the world and devotedness to the services of God, for a limited time, and under certain rules, which any person might make if they pleased. The Nazarite willingly gave up physical satisfaction to be devoted to the Lord. He did not sacrifice merely his personal pleasures, but his total being to be used of God, examples of these are Samson and John the Baptist. They were types of Christ and what He represents, although He was not a Nazarite Himself. Yet He answered to the Nazarites in His being set apart in divine predestination by His Father to the office of Mediator, in the sanctification of Himself, and devoting Himself, His time, and service, to His Father's glory. There was nothing sinful about eating grapes, for God created the fruit of the vine; but often, we allow even the good things of life to take the place of Christ. Those who have a desire to dedicate their lives to Christ will abstain from pleasures that interfere with serving Him, abstaining from all appearance of evil, including grape juice that looks like wine.
Why were these laws even enforced? To keep a person from committing sin. Think about it, if you knew your body was going to literally rot and swell until it exploded, instantly, would you stay away from committing that sin. Think about it this way. Have you ever stuck your tongue on a 9-volt battery? You get a bit of a shock, right? Well, imagine if the voltage was a lot larger, you would be in a lot of pain and or could die instantly so you know to stay away from it. What this all comes down to is learning to live a moral and clean life. Today, regardless of how much we have defiled our bodies, when we call on Jesus Christ and ask Him to come into our heart and save us His blood makes us clean, we are no longer soiled, guilty, or defiles from all of our sins. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” - I John 1:9. The second a person calls on Jesus to save you are cleansed from all your sins, you can feel it and your life is never the same, even if you never do anything for Him. Praise God! That is God's gift and something we should all be very grateful of.
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and Happy Valentine's Day.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Visit: I'm Following Jesus!
http://www.readytofollow.com
Missed A Lesson?
Go to: Daily Bible Study
http://www.readytofollow.com/daily-bible-study
Learn About Salvation Only Made Through Jesus Christ
Go to: I'm Ready to Get Saved
http://www.readytofollow.com/salvation
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