A Different Way

2 Kings 5:9-14

Story of Naaman: I love this story Father.  
The scripture says, Naaman, captain of the army of the king of Aram was a great man and highly respected by his master. A valiant warrior though a leper.

 This is what stood out to me:

When Naaman came to the house of Elisha, he already had in his mind how his healing would be played out. “Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.”

God’s Spirit in Elisha worked in a different way.

This reminded me of how as believers we perhaps too often play out the answer to our prayers.  To expect You, our great and mighty God to answer is right and good, but to expect You to answer in the way that we think or assume You should, can lead to disappointment or even missing the answer because of our actions to “help” the answer come forth.

You are holy, You are infinitely wise and say “My thoughts are not your thoughts nor are My ways your ways.” (Is 55:8)

 Ps 92:5 says “How great are Your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep.”

 
Elisha did not even come out to Naaman personally. He sent a messenger.
When Naaman finally obeyed as Elisha’s messenger instructed, he was healed.

 Teach me to pray. Teach me to rest in Your truth and everlasting faithfulness

 

Our Shepherd

Numbers 27:16,17

Moses speaking to the LORD :16 May the Lord, The God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation,
:17 who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.

Ezekiel 34:8

As I live, declares the Lord God, surely because My flock has become a prey, My flock has even become food for all the beasts of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not search for My flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock;

Matt 9:36

Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.

Mark 6:34

When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd ; and He began to teach them many things.

What is it like for a sheep not to have a shepherd?
(Is 50:6 My people have become like lost sheep.)

They have no one to lead them to green pastures, to protect them from predators, to feed and lie down in security or to lead them home.

They wander and become distressed and (Is 61:5) Strangers will pasture your flocks.
These strangers.. are shepherds who have no understanding. They have all turned to their own way. Each one to his unjust gain to the last one. (Is 56:11)
 
In the beginning verse above in Numbers 27, Moses is asking God for a man to lead His people “out and bring them in”….God rose up Joshua in answer to that prayer and NOW He has given us Jesus, our ultimate Shepherd.
Ps 23
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want…

Truly, Jesus Christ is our Lord and our Shepherd. He leads us in His Word to a place of peace and quietness, where He feeds us with eternal Truths. His Spirit guides us and restrains us from error not only in our decisions but also in our relationships; He protects us from evil and He becomes our confidence so that wherever we are, no matter the circumstances, we learn that He is with us always, we are never alone.  We are His temple, and He is our place of rest.

 
Is 40:11..Like a shepherd He will tend His flock. In His arms He will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom. He will gently lead the nursing ewes.
 
Thank You Father for Jesus.

Sufficient Grace

Isaiah 46:9-10

:9Remember the former things long past,

For I am God and there is no other;

I am God and there is no one like Me,

:10 Declaring the end from the beginning

And from ancient times things which have not been done,

Saying My purpose will be established,

And I will accomplish all My good pleasure.

 

Is 46 is the prophecy of the Jews deliverance from Babylon. God was going to use Cyrus to release them from captivity. He encourages the Jews to expect His divine protection and turn away from idols to Him for salvation and deliverance. To meet their every need.

The truth of these words remain forever!

God is God Almighty and there is no other.

There is no god like Him.
What He has declared from the beginning of time He will accomplish (His prophecies have come to pass without fail and will continue to do so ( about Jews, Jesus, church, end times, etc.)

These words are also for us today. His purpose He will establish.

 
Father, You have created me, my children, my family. You know our weaknesses as parents and as Your children.

But Your grace is sufficient, Your love is eternal and a deep root in our lives that assures us You will fulfill the purpose we were created for. By this marvelous, wondrous grace,You enable us,You lead us,You protect us.

You have called us to glorify Your Holy name, even as we are, mere humans.

 

 

 

Philemon 1:12-14

 :12 I have sent him back to you in person, that is sending my very heart,

:13 whom I wished to keep with me, so that on your behalf he might minister to me in my imprisonment for the gospel;

:14 but without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your goodness would not be, in effect, by compulsion but of your own free will.

 In thinking of the wisdom that Paul used to persuade Philemon to receive back Onesimus, it is so encouraging to know that You will provide the spirit and wisdom needed for us to handle any situation through Your love and grace.

 Paul could have demanded that Philemon would receive back Onesimus, who was a slave of Philemon that had run away after wronging him in some way, but instead he persuaded him to take Philemon back as a brother in Christ. Paul was also willing to take any debt that Onesimus owed Philemon.

 In verse :14 basically Paul was asking Philemon to have a willing heart to understand that Onesimus was a different person now, not the same slave that ran away. He had come to Christ and was now a beloved brother (Col 4:9) in the Lord.

 Through Your Spirit, Father and through Your truth we are able to overcome stubborn emotions that cry out to cling to past hurts or wrongs that others have done to us. We are able to believe that yes, a person truly has changed and become a new creature in Christ (2 Cor 5:17) and receive them in their conversion as such.

Your Spirit of grace and love empowers us to forgive and it is not because we are under “compulsion” but because You are extending grace to them through Your Holy Spirit that is working in us by changing our own hearts.

 Forgiveness is beauty, purity, and freedom.

Effective faith

Father, the letter Paul wrote to Philemon is so beautiful! He had to communicate a somewhat sensitive request of him and Paul did it with such grace! Such gentleness and yet irresistible in the manner in which he presented his request. 

This verse is one that spoke to my heart.....

 Philemon 1:6 (and I pray) that the fellowship of your faith/ may become effective/ through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake.

(Amplified) 1:6 the participation in and sharing of your faith may produce and promote full recognition and appreciation and understanding and precise knowledge of every good (thing) that is ours in (our identification with) Christ Jesus (and unto His glory),

 fellowship of faith- fellowship has the idea of comunity, intimacy, communion, and sharing. Faith is not something that is private and kept to ourselves because when Your wonderful divine Love prompts us, we are compelled to share it in the way that You ask us to.

may become effective….may produce and accomplish God’s purposes

through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you (us) for (or in) Christ.

Faith and love become the driving forces in our lives as we understand, perceive, and recognize how deeply God the Father has loved us through His Son, Jesus Christ.Through the knowledge of every good thing (His love, mercy, peace, authority, etc.) He has generously already given us, the fellowhsip of our faith becomes effective for the Kingdom of God; for eternal purposes.

 Thank you Father for Jesus.

Life Long Journey

Knowing Jesus is a life long journey.

In seeing what a “soothing aroma” the O.T. sacrifices were to You, Father, and thinking of the real authentic sacrifice in Jesus, You brought to my mind that there are an infinite number of things for us to discover about Jesus.

He is more precious than any jewel.

Like a perfectly cut diamond with its many facets, catching the light, shining brilliantly, continually revealing its beauty to those who see it, examine it, and study it.

 And so He is to us, only His beauty and majesty and brilliance infinitely surpasses anything on this earth or what man’s mind can imagine.

 There is no end to knowing Jesus, or of knowing His grace and love and experiencing them daily in our lives. Discovering the infinite facets of His life are truly the greatest life changing revelations a human being can have.

 What a privilege to know Him and to learn to walk in His light.

 

7 Times

Lev 4:5-7

Then the anointed priest is to take some of the blood of the bull and bring it to the tent of meeting.
:6 and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the LORD, in front of the veil of the sanctuary.
:7 The priest shall also put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense which is before the LORD, in front of the veil of the sanctuary.

 I love this!!! Father, You are so AWESOME and wondrous in all of Your ways!  I am so amazed at the intricate details given to Moses for the Tabernacle. They all point to Jesus!

 From the above passage the rite of sin offerings was to sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice 7 times right in front of the veil which separated the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.  Then some of the blood was put on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense which is in the Holy Place before the veil.

 In reading Gill’s commentary the sprinkling of the blood is a “figure of the blood of Christ, called, in allusion to this rite, the blood of sprinkling; which being presented before the Lord, calls for pardon from him, and sprinkled on the conscience, speaks peace there, and perfectly cleanses from all sin, which the seven times sprinkling is a symbol of:.

 The number 7 is representative of perfection in the Scriptures.  This rite was looking to the blood of Christ shed, once and for all, for mankind. The 7 time sprinkling can represent our being forgiven perfectly, and our conscience cleansed perfectly also.  Therefore, we as believers today, can have perfect peace and not be burdened with guilt or condemnation for the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed us from all sin (Heb 7:27) once and for all.

May we value the preciousness of the blood of Jesus Christ and never forget the price He paid to make us acceptable to God, the Father. To make us perfect, beautiful, precious, and without the stain of sin in the eyes of the Father. Redeemed! Perfectly loved!

Thank You Father for the love you have demonstrated toward us (Romans 5:8) through Jesus Christ, Lord of all!