Quiet Hearts in the Chaos

I just finished Leviticus last night, and I wanted to share some thoughts. First, I was glad to be reading Leviticus at Easter time.  Christ's sacrifice was complete!  It is finished!  Once for all!  A definite contrast to all the requirements for each sacrifice!  Hallelujah for the cross! Also, I was struck by God's grace.  In Leviticus chapter 8, "The Lord spoke to Moses saying, 'Take Aaron and his sons with him' ...and Moses brought Aaron and his sons … and anointed him to consecrate him." Aaron and his sons were chosen for the priesthood -- a high and holy calling!  What was Aaron doing in Exodus?  Do you remember?  He was organizing and leading the worship of the golden calf.  He was weak.  He succumbed to the will of the people and led them in idolatry.  YET, God still chose to use him for such a sacred purpose.  I LOVE this!  None of us are too far from God's grace to be used for His glory.  He can red...

I have been wanting to write this post for about a week now, but haven't made it a priority until now.  I was really excited to make the connection (aided by John MacArthur) between the instruction in 25 and the action in 35. What an awesome section of Scripture!  In Exodus 25, the Lord tells Moses to take a contribution for the sanctuary.  He instructs Moses to receive the gifts from everyone "whose heart moves him."  I thought, Oh, that's nice.  People can give as they feel led...   Then, I read chapter 35! I will share parts of verses 21-29.  "And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the LORD's contribution to be used... men and women. All who were of a willing heart brought... Everyone who possessed....brought.  Everyone who could make a contribution of silver and bronze brought it... Every skillful woman spun with her hands, and they all brought... All the women whose hearts stirred th...

"Then Moses told his father-in-law all that Jehovah had done...And Jethro said...Now I know that Jehovah is greater than all gods..." When was the last time you told an unbeliever all that Jehovah has done? I will be honest.  This was a convicting and difficult post for me to write. The Lord has been working on my heart about this very thing; and when I read this chapter, this account seemed to leap off the pages. The children of Israel had just seen the power of God displayed over and over again.  The plagues ravished Egypt, yet God protected them.  The Red Sea parted before their very eyes, and they crossed on DRY land.  The pillar and cloud guided them and shielded them.  The walls of water swallowed the Egyptian army.  Manna fell from heaven in abundance and sustained them.  God Almighty had delivered them!  So when Moses saw Jethro, the natural thing for him to do was to share all that God had done. Now, pay close attention to Jethro'...

Have you ever received "help" from a well-meaning individual that wasn't helpful at all?  It may have been in the form of advice.  It may have been a verse on a card or a visit to your home. People have many reasons for reaching out to help.  I like to hope that motivations are pure and that there truly is a desire to aid in the problem at hand.  However, we know that is not always the case.  People sometimes reach out because of guilt or a sense of obligation.  People reach out to feel good about themselves.  People reach out to gain favor.  People reach out to fulfill a need within their own lives.  Unfortunately, no matter why people reach out, they sometimes do it wrong.    Job's friends got it wrong. In Job 42, the Lord rebukes Job's friends.  How did they get to the point of rebuke from the Almighty? Things had started out great; they had shown up.  Then, however, they opened their mouths.  What came out was...

If you are still following along in our Bible reading schedule, you know we are into Job.  So much can be said of Job, and we will get to that; but today, I want to touch on Job's friends. This past fall I read a book with a group of friends, Just Show Up by Kara Tippetts. The book was an easy read, but challenging at the same time as I was quickly emotionally pulled in.  The women who partnered together to write this book authored it at a very difficult time in their lives.  Their transparency gives us a raw look at walking through suffering with those who are hurting.  I found it to be a great tool in how to love others in their darkest moments. So let's talk about Job's friends... The first thing I noticed about these men was that they each came from his own place.  I am not a geographical scholar.  I have no idea about the distance these men lived from Job, but I do know that they showed up.  I live in a metropolitan area.  Most...

Tonight as I read Genesis 24, I was moved by the faith of Abraham's servant.  Did you notice how specifically he prayed?  Did you see his trust in God?   How exciting it must have been to him to see God answer detail after detail! After reading, I gave thought to my own prayer life.  Do I have this kind of faith in God?  Do I intercede for others?  Do I detail to God my needs and hopes? Do I see God answer my prayers?  Am I excited by how He is working in me and through me?   I want to grow in my prayer life.  I desire to be a prayer warrior, a woman completely dependent on God.  I want to believe what God's Words says about prayer and let it change me. What about you?  How is your prayer life? Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  I Thess. 5:16-18 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication wit...

Guilty.  Yes, I am definitely guilty of thinking that God can't handle the circumstances I am experiencing. "So Sarah laughed to herself..." I can see her, standing just out of sight, straining to hear what the visitors had to say.  Abraham had just run to her and asked her to quickly make cakes for the "travelers."  I am sure her curiosity was piqued.  My mind would have been racing.  Who is out this way?  What are they doing?  Where are they going?   I can envision her standing by the door, leaning in to hear.   Did that one just say that I would have a baby by next year? Her eyes crinkle. Wouldn't that be a hoot!  What a story!  Ninety-one year old woman gives birth to baby! How in the world does he expect that to happen?  Maybe he didn't get a good look at me.   She chuckles softly. Ah, that would be the day. Then, the realization that she has been found out.  Have you ever been caught eavesdropping? If ...

El Roi - The God Who Sees; The God Who Watches Over Me I love this name of God.  I love what I learn about God when I dig into chapter 16.  He is an all-seeing God.  This isn't in the context of "Hey, if you do something wrong, He's right there watching so beware!"  This is, "Hey, don't worry, don't fret, don't fear.  You are not alone.  GOD, the Creator of all; GOD, the Almighty; GOD, the I AM; GOD, the Master ---  That very GOD is watching over you .  He is caring for you .  He is there."  How comforting!  How humbling!  Who am I, that such a GOD should care for me? Hagar was in the wilderness, upset, alone, and so very needy.  I am sure she was scared and full of questions about her future.  Her mistress despised her and things were so very difficult.  How could she survive in that environment?  She had been used and cast aside.  Did anyone even care?  Oh, yes!  El Roi!  The God Wh...

How often am I guilty of it?  How permeated is my Christian walk by this sin?  How devastating are the consequences? Abram was afraid.  He thought the Egytians would kill him and take his beautiful wife.  And so.... he devised a plan.  He would pretend she was his sister.  They could pull it off.  They could handle this by themselves. Only they couldn't.  God is holy.  God is just.  God wanted better for Abram and Sarai.  He afflicted Pharaoh's house, the truth was discovered, and there were consequences. You know where I'm going with this, right?  What are you afraid of?  What situation is going on in your life right now that is causing you to devise a plan?  What situations are you trying to manipulate?  What are you planning to pull off?  What are you handling by yourself? Friend, your plan may look good.  It may seem to be working, but God has better for you.  He loves you.  He des...

Our second week is upon us, and I trust that you are enjoying your time in God's Word.  I personally have really enjoyed the schedule. In the past, I have felt rushed and pressured to read to check off a list, but because this reading schedule is lighter than I am used to, I have enjoyed digging deeper.  I feel like a student again, and I love it. Most days, you can find me with a great spread of materials in front of me as I dive in.  I am journaling and color-coding in my new ESV journaling Bible (I love having a clean slate!)  To my left is my NKJV John MacArthur study Bible, to my right are my materials and books for looking up the names of God in context, and spread out somewhere else in front of me are my computer and colored pencils.  It has just been an exciting journey for me so far.  Thank you for your part in that! How does your "space" look?  Do you have coffee in hand and your feet propped up?  Are you at a desk?  Are you cozy ...

I am color coding as I read through the Bible this year.  Orange is for underlining sin and it's consequences.  Pink is for righteous living and its blessings.  Let me tell you, I'm seeing lots of orange right now.  It's a pretty depressing picture.  Man wasted no time in completely messing up God's perfect paradise, His glorious creation,  His peace, harmony, and communion. First Eve disobeyed and then Adam.  Quickly following in their footsteps, Cain rebelled against God.  We see how his sin begat more sin, which begat even more sin, which brought grave consequences for Cain.  Lamech took two wives.  Lamech killed a man.  Then, in chapter 5, we see death: "...and he died...and he died...and he died..." Orange. Orange. Orange. Quite a bleak picture. But then --- a tiny bit of pink.  A ray of light.  ENOCH.  Chapter 5 verses 22 and 24, "Enoch walked with God."  My heart yearns for this:  in a world of or...

Elohim -- the Creator God, the plural form of El (denoting His majesty) Each time we see "God" in chapter one, we see the Majestic Creator, the Designer of life, the Supreme One.  Over and over we read that the Supreme God  saw what He had made and it was good!  I love to marvel in the majesty and grandeur of Elohim as seen in His creation:  the beauty of a sunset, the intricate details of a leaf or snowflake, the colors of the hummingbird's feathers, the way the each part of the human body works in harmony, the miracle of conception and birth.  The list goes on and on. Though I acknowledge Elohim and marvel in His awesome creation, I still sometimes question His design of me.  I have listened to the lies of the world and believed their redefinition beauty.  I am growing in this area, but still have room to trust. As I carried each of my unborn children, I struggled with worry about how Elohim would design and create them.  I was fearful inste...