Father,

As I give this offering, I give it willingly and cheerfully in order to provide resources to spread the gospel. I thank you Lord that you have blessed me with abundance so that I am able to give.

I pray that this seed is multiplied to do your good will. I pray that it is used to feed the hungry, to give drink to those who are thirsty, to provide for the widow and to spread the truth of your Word and the hope that is given to us through Jesus.

I thank you Lord that as you continue to bless me that I am able to be a blessing to others.

In Jesus’ Name I pray.

Amen!

“ ¹And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, ²Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually.³Without the vail of the testimony, in the tabernacle of the congregation, shall Aaron order it from the evening unto the morning before the LORD continually: it shall be a statute for ever in your generations. ⁴He shall order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before the LORD continually.”
(Leviticus 24:1-4)

The lamps must always be kept burning. The law for this was shown before in Exodus 27:20,21. It is repeated here, probably because it now beginning to be put into execution. The people were to provide oil (Leviticus 24:2), and this, as everything else that was to be used in God’s service, must be of the best, pure olive-oil, beaten. It was probably double-strained. This was to cause the lamps to burn.  All  of our English copies read it lamps, but in the original it is singular (Leviticus 24:2–to cause the lamp to burn). It is then plural in Leviticus 24:4–he shall order the lamps.  The seven lamps made all one lamp. Why is this important?  Because the blessed Spirit of grace is represented by seven lamps of fire before the throne (Revelation 4:5),( 1 Corinthians 12:4).

The priests were to tend the lamps; they must snuff them, clean the candlestick, and supply them with oil, morning and evening (Leviticus 24:3,4). It is the work of the ministers of the gospel to hold forth that word of life, not to set up new lights, but, by expounding and preaching the word, to make the light of it more clear and extensive. Also considering that we are the vessel in which the Holy Spirit dwells, we as priest, should tend to this vessel.

Notice the elements of this passage: Pure olive oil brought by the people was to be the fuel which produced the light of the candelabra. It was to burn continuously and was never to go out. It was especially to be burning at night. From evening to morning Aaron was responsible to keep the light going because then, of course, this was the sole illumination of the tabernacle. And the light was to be placed on the golden candlestick.

What does all this mean? If you are familiar with these beautiful symbols of the Old Testament you can easily interpret the passage.

• Light is very often represented in scripture as truth.  God has given us a mental faculty, a rational abilityto think, to explore, to search out, to investigate, to study and correlate and relate one aspect of life to another. The whole functioning of the mind is designed to produce truth.
• Notice that the light (THE truth) is produced by the oil, and oil is, in Scripture, a symbol of the Holy Spirit. So here is truth produced and made known by the Holy Spirit; in other words, truth revealed by God. That is to be the governing faculty in man. That is where we are to get our basic understanding of who we are, and where we are, of what life is all about, and what the world is here for, and how the universe functions. All this is to come from the mind illuminated by the Spirit.

• The light is to be held up by the golden candlestick, and gold is always the symbol of Deity.

Rest

The first verse in Leviticus 25 starts with “And the LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai”. God gave most of the book of Leviticus to Moses as he stood in the entry door of the tabernacle. There the LORD unfolded the sacrifices and the ceremonies, the rituals and the cleansings – all of which speak of the work of Christ on our behalf. They had to do with redemption, with handling the problem of evil in the individual heart. But when God begins to speak about government he speaks from Sinai. The Ten Commandments were given from Sinai and from Sinai God gives to Moses the information and regulations concerning the sabbatical year and the year of jubilee.

God selected this people to be His chosen people and to be a demonstration, a model nation, to teach the rest of the nations how God operates in the world. Also He is teaching how He desires and intends to run every nation.  This is why what was said to Israel is so significant.

Sabbath

In the first seven verses are the instructions concerning the sabbatical year:

And the LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, ² “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a sabbath to the LORD. ³ Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its fruit; ⁴ but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the LORD. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard. ⁵ What grows of its own accord of your harvest you shall not reap, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine, for it is a year of rest for the land. ⁶ And the sabbath produce of the land shall be food for you: for you, your male and female servants, your hired man, and the stranger who dwells with you, ⁷ for your livestock and the beasts that are in your land—all its produce shall be for food

I am sure you are familiar with the weekly Sabbath, with the fact that God had marked out one day in seven to be observed by Israel  as a day of rest from labor. It is a very important principle.  This Sabbath lies at the heart of everything God does, from creation on. Many say that the Sabbath is an old testament law, however the Sabbath appears before the law. God does want us to accept His gift of rest. If it is good enough for Him, it is good enough for us.

1. Genesis 2:2
   And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
   Genesis 2:1-3 (in Context) Genesis 2 (Whole Chapter)
2. Genesis 2:3
   Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
   Genesis 2:2-4 (in Context) Genesis 2 (Whole Chapter)
3. Genesis 8:4
   Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.
   Genesis 8:3-5 (in Context) Genesis 8 (Whole Chapter)

In Hebrews 4 God speaks of the eternal Sabbath. So when I say that the Sabbath is not obsolete, it is because He meant from the beginning to preface the eternal Sabbath. Just as Jesus tells us to take communion in remembrance of what he has done. God asks us to keep the Sabbath not only for what He has done but He will do. In essence as we live our lives for Him we are putting in the six days and when he comes back for us we enter the Sabbath rest.

I believe God wants to drive home to human hearts an absolutely necessary truth, one which is fundamental to our humanity, and that is that we must operate out of rest. Haven’t you discovered that in your own life? It is so stressful when we are filled with anxiety and pressure, and when in all our  activity we get restless and feverish and upset, and we press on thinking that it all depends upon us, that we’ve got to get everything done ourselves.  We have to make it happen. It drives us crazy, because we don’t have enough time nor energy and it sometimes seems as though we don’t have the opportunity we need!

What God is trying to show us is that this was never His design for human lives.  Mankind is supposed to operate out of rest.  When you rest and relax and depend on the promises of God you are invoking those promises to manifest.

Now we come to the sabbatical year. Not only was one day out of seven to be rested, but one year out of seven. Every seventh year Israel was to let the land rest for a year.  They were not to sow any crops or to reap anything. They were not even to prune the vineyards, but were to let the trees and the vines grow without hindrance. They were to eat nothing which grew of itself, but were to let the land lie.  (How many of you who made a living off of your crops or used them for food would have an issue with this?)

This is actually a very important principle of horticulture.  You can write the U.S. Department of Agriculture  and they will send you pamphlets which urge you to allow your land to rest every now and then.  The result will be, as this passage tells us in Verse 6, an increase of yield.  You will get much more out of the land if you let it rest periodically, because it needs to rest. (Selah – pause and calmly think of that).

Two consecutive years were to be observed as Sabbath years; the forty-ninth year would be a sabbatical year, and the fiftieth was a year of jubilee.  So there would be two years without the planting of crops.

Here’s the answer to the question people would normally raise: “Well, if we have to let the land lie and can’t reap any crops or harvest any grapes or anything, how are we going to eat?”  Or “if we are not doing anything, how are we going to produce any results”? And God says, “That’s exactly what I wanted you to ask, because I’m trying to impress a principle upon you:  It isn’t the land which supports you; it is I. It is not the works of your hands, it is I that gives you the power to gain wealth (Deuteronomy 8). According to what is written here in Leviticus, He will cause them to have an abundant harvest the years prior and after  in order to provide time for this rest. Every seventh year He wanted us experience the fact that He is able to take care of us despite the outward circumstances, that it is God that we  are dependent on, not the land, not our own energy and labor. Although that is part of the picture, that is not where our well-being arises.  It comes from God.

The Heart of the Matter

In Verses 18-22 you have the heart of this chapter. Here are great principles involved in the year of jubilee, which, remember, is itself an intensified sabbath year.

 ¹⁸ ‘So you shall observe My statutes and keep My judgments, and perform them; and you will dwell in the land in safety. ¹⁹ Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill, and dwell there in safety. ²⁰ ‘And if you say, “What shall we eat in the seventh year, since we shall not sow nor gather in our produce?” ²¹ Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years. ²² And you shall sow in the eighth year, and eat old produce until the ninth year; until its produce comes in, you shall eat of the old harvest. {Lev 25:18-22 RSV}

(Read  Joshua 1:8)
 

So God makes a beautiful three-fold promise – Lev 25:18-22. First, security:  “Keep my ordinances and perform them, so you will dwell in the land securely.  The land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill, and dwell in it securely.” This forms a parenthesis.  At the beginning and the end of this great promise he emphasizes that no one will attack you, no enemy will come against you, you’ll be safe and secure if you learn this principle of rest from work. Second, you will be able to produce the crop without struggle:  “The land will yield its fruit.”  With relative ease the crop will grow.  Arduous toil and sweat and pain and trouble and tears won’t be necessary.  The land will readily produce its crop. Third, there will be a sufficiency of supply: “You will eat your fill.”  All you can eat! Every seventh year, and every fiftieth year, you will have all you want, because God is at work.

Rest is meant to recharge, rebuild and replenish. Each time you reap crops, you reap out the nourishment from the soil. If you don’t allow the ground recharge it ceases to yield nourishments. It has no more strength to yield out. That is the same for us.

Rest is a growth phase – like babies and adolescences. During rest the body is building up its strength to support growth just like the ground with the Sabbath and just like us when we rest.

I know we often defer to the spiritual rest. However, there is an actual rest. If I do not sleep and just say that I will rely on God’s strength to get me through while I work, then my body will surely give out on me. Our muscles, among other things regenerate, recharge and repair while we are sleeping. God made rest necessary to our physical, emotional and mental survival. You don’t have to be afraid. If you are obedient God has already made supplication for the time while you are resting. This is more than about having a day off.  It is about obedience to observe all that God has commanded us to do – then he will provide more than enough and then we will enjoy his Sabbath rest. (Joshua 1:8)

We often work so hard because we are after success. However the word success is only in one place in the bible Joshua  1:8 – He gives us the formula. Obedience = rest. Disobedience = unrest. When are not in that successful place then we tend to work harder and not rest. But I challenge you to before you begin to work harder – ask God for direction. Did you miss something, get out of His will, or get off somewhere? It may not be a matter of work, it may be a matter of obedience. Because all we should truly have to do is what God has commanded us to do and if we do it then we would have good success and can honor God by accepting the Sabbath rest that he has provided for us.

God does not want us to be burned out or stressed out. He has provided times of necessary rest and even liberty (which is the premise of Jubilee). Let’s accept that gift, refuel, recharge and be strengthened. Let’s make a promise to ourselves and each other resolve what’s keeping us from that rest by seeking God will and way. Because according to Leviticus 25-18-22 if we are obedient he will provide more than enough to allow us to enjoy His gift of rest.

To close, let’s not forget this something very important. We’ve reviewed in great detail how this rest will benefit our lives, Even in this but remember that the Sabbath was holy unto THE LORD. Not us, but Him. So make sure you are worshiping Him and reading His Word during that time of rest. If you are not doing that you are missing the point entirely.

Large parts of the message was taken from http://www.pbc.org/messages/3582

Have you ever heard someone say or maybe even you said out loud, “I’m just your ordinary….” or “I am an ordinary…”. Have you ever paid attention to the definition of the word ordinary?

I have to admit that I had a hard time reading this book. I am a female and this book is definitely geared toward the male mind. I am a Christian in sales and I was looking for a little more. It seemed to be missing those “Ah..Ha!” moments for me.

If you are a Christian male in sales or you enjoy all things military this book may be very engaging and resourceful for you.

Dad’s Bible, the Father’s Plan makes a great gift for men, either on Father’s Day or  Christmas. Packed with compelling stories to touch a father’s heart, Dad’s Bible makes a  great addition to any bible collection.

I am a woman who chose to read through the pages in order to write this review. I was a  little skeptical because I thought, as a woman, I may not be able to relate to it.However  from the first story I was intrigued. I could quickly relate to and appreciate the  responsibilities of fathers; considering my Dad and my husband. I could also related to  THE Father’s (God’s) heart toward His children.

I highly recommend this Bible.

“Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation:
the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41

Have you been tuned in to what is going on in the world lately? Our country is deeper in debt than it has ever been. The American dollar has lost its value and the Euro is taking the lead. There has been talk of changing to one universal form of currency.

This generation seems to be raising Cain. What I mean by that is many of our young adults are mad at God and Christianity because what they want to offer God does not measure up to what is required. They walk around like vagabonds, wanderers, looking for fulfillment of their spiritual needs in physical ways, instead of doing what is necessary so that they can enjoy an incredibly full life and personal relationship with God.

A One World Religion is rising up and being modeled by the building of a mosque at Ground Zero that allows all religious groups a place in the mosque to come and pray to their God. Baptist ministers are inviting clergy from other religions to speak and replicate their services to their congregations on Sunday morning. Compromise is on the rise in this area.

Adults and youth alike are duped into thinking that is wonderful to watch werewolf and vampire movies. Before that there was a facination with movies with witchcraft and magic. All of these things are an abomination to God.

It is like everyone is sleeping, not paying attention and just letting life happen. We are not supposed to be complacent people riding any wind and wave that seems popular. We are to uphold the Word and will of God without compromise. Instead it seems that people are too concerned about being rejected by men so they compromise. Instead they should be concerned with being rejected by God. It is time to turn the heat up on our walk and stop being lukewarm about the things of God. Being lukewarm is not going to give you the results you desire. (Revelation 3:16)

Do you know you were born for such a time as this? I know that people hear that all of the time and say, “yes I know”. But do you really? That means whatever is going on in the world today, you were created to be an uncompromising positive influence, glorifying God. Can you honestly say that you are in that place today? Are you accomplishing what God created you for? Have you become lukewarm or even cold? Turn up the heat. Get back on track.

Matthew 26:41 tells us that in these times, in all times, we ought to watch and pray. Watch is the Greek word Gregoreuo. It means to “take heed lest through remission and indolence some destructive calamity suddenly overtake one”. It comes from the word Egeiro which means to arouse or to awaken from a sleep. W A K E  UP! There’s STUFF going on in the world and you may be a partaker in it. W A K E  UP!

The next important word we see here is PRAY. Watch (take head, pay attention, wake up) and pray. The word pray comes from the Greek word  Proseuchomai. It denotes taking advantage of our privilege to pray to God. Watching is not enough. You have to pray that you do not become a partaker in what is going on. The spirit is willing to obey God, but the flesh is weak. In order to stand strong, stay on fire for the things of God, and not be overcome by the temptations in the world, you must pray.

So I challenge you today. Pay attention to what is going on in the world so that you are not duped into being a partaker in it. Pray that the Lord will keep you from temptation. Resist being lukewarm. Fall in love with God again. Study the Word. Be obedient to it with the motive of the love you have for God and BE who God created you to be for such a time as this. Don’t try to be. BE.

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I’ve been reading the Money Answer Book by Dave Ramsey.  I love this book! I generally enjoy anything that Dave Ramsey produces. What is different about this book is that it is a concise Q & A on Finances. It answers questions about debt, family budgeting and money management, stewardship, mortgages etc.

The book is only 169 pages. It is a little larger than pocket sized (a small book). However as small as this book is, it is powerfully helpful. Usually when I read a book I give it to someone else. Even if it is good I will give it away because I will not read it again. This book is one that I plan to keep.

If you have been looking for answers concerning how you can get a grip on your finances you can start with The Money Answer Book.

I recently heard an old song on the radio by Usher. It would have been my natural tendency to change the station. Nothing against Usher. I think he is very talented. It is just that the music nowadays caters to the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life – all of the things that are detestable in the sight of God. Plus I can do without some of the language in the song — most songs. You know what I am talking about.

Back to Usher…. He has a song called You Got it Bad. As I was listening to the lyrics I started thinking about how we should “Have  it Bad” for God. Look at the lyrics and image the emotion that he is describing related to the girl in the song.

U got, u got it bad
when your on the phone
hang up and you call right back
u got, u got it bad
if you miss a day without your friend
your whole life’s off track
you know you got it bad when you’re stuck in the house
you dont wonna have fun
its all you think about
u got it bad when you’re out with someone
but you keep on thinking’ bout somebody else
U got it bad……

Have you ever loved God so much that all you wanted to do was speak with Him, stay in His presence and never leave? Do you ache on the inside if He seems far away? Are you excited when you know you are going to spend time with Him? Does everything else in the world fade away to the land of unimportance because you are with God and you love Him.?

We have no problem feeling this way and describing it when it comes to people. We think it is so romantic. But what about feeling this way for God?

I want to have the type of passion for God that inspires me to never be far from Him. Don’t you?