Be Careful

As I read through Numbers 28, the laws for offerings laid down by the Lord for the nation of Israel, I am most struck by a warning He gives at the very beginning of that chapter. 

You shall be careful to present my offering...

Through Jesus we now can approach the throne of grace in gladness, and boldly, for we are His children, redeemed by the sacrifice of our Savior. We have access any time, for any matter.

But I know that I, like many, probably take that for granted much of the time.

Yes, we have unlimited access. Yes, He is concerned about all that concerns us. Yes. He loves us and wants us to approach Him.

But do we always do it with the reverence and awe, with the praise and thankfulness that we should?

I cannot say that I do, after all I am a sinful being in a fallen world; it took the death of His Son for me to be able to come before Him, acceptable in His sight.

Yes, I want to come before my Father continuously, for both praise and worship, to ask for wisdom and mercy.

But let me never take it for granted.

For where would I be if He took me for granted?

Terms and Turf

A few days ago, my brother Mike sent me an email with the link to this Fists for Jesus article. Asking me if I had seen it, asking if it was for real. The answer to both was yes it is. He was deeply troubled by the violence it represents, of how Christians would be viewed in light of this.

I was disturbed by it as well. I do not know all that is behind this type of activity but I have trouble getting my mind around how you relate this to Jesus and His teachings. Yes, I believe the Lord was a stand up type of person. He was fearless; He took on the religious and political power structure of His time, going after their exalted positions of privilege and power. He prevailed, but He did suffer horribly as a man to redeem us as our God.

I just do not picture Him cage fighting or condoning it.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5 (KJV)

I thought the concept of meek was that of strength under control, accepting in the name of Christ that which you may have the power to fend off. Maybe I am wrong, but I like to think not.

As an evangelical Christian, I try to reach out to people who are different from me, who do not share the faith in Jesus as Savior that I hold dear to me. I need to try to reach them on their turf, where they are comfortable. But I have to meet them on my terms as well, sharing my faith as Jesus taught, not changing it to fit into what the world will accept today. Yes, Jesus took the whip into the temple to drive the money changers out, but He didn't knock them down and whip them bloody when He did. Strength and conviction, yes, but with control and a righteous anger. They were defining His Father's place on earth.

Maybe some feel the need to meet those who need Christ in this arena of life by fully participating in it.

But Jesus asks us to be in the world and not of it.

I know some who hold Jesus as Savior hold to this as an effective way to reach others.

I just do not get it.

I would rather just share the Gospel:

Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead.

And then spend the time telling them how they can be sure that when they die, they will go to heaven. That's the work I am doing now at my place of work in ministry.

There have been so many misguided ways of sharing Christ with others throughout history, so many fallen ways of living that faith. I struggle along myself in my own path to Him. I want to get there, I want others to get there. But I so do want to do it in a way that makes my Lord smile down on me.



Technorati Tags: Cage fighting, Jesus, Lord, Savior, meek

No Sin, No Shame

²⁵And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
Genesis 2:25 (NASB)

Adam and Eve could stand before their God is this state because they were both pure and without sin. Can we stand before God without shame today? No, not given the sin that entered the world, and the sin that is in our nature as a result.

So, we must be clothed by Jesus to be justified before God, to be declared righteous in His eyes. Is is only with Jesus in front of me, shielding me from my own sin, that I can stand before the Father, that I can come before Him in prayer, in praise, and ultimately in worship.

¹⁰as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;
Romans 3:10 (NASB)

There will be a day when I will be brought before the Lord in my resurrected state, and I like to think that is the state Adam and Eve were once in, without sin and unashamed.

²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 3:23 (NASB)

That will happen one day. Right now I have to get through this sinful world, of which I am part, as best I can, trying to face my God, having Him look at me through the eyes of My Savior.

A Day To Remember

This is the day when we showed our deepest depravity because man looked to kill God.

This is a day when God shows His ultimately victory because Jesus conquers sin through His death.

I really have nothing to say today but I am so thankful to have a loving, merciful and gracious as my Lord and Savior.

I pray you know Him at least as well as I know Him, or even better to His glory.

It is Friday, but Sunday is coming.