Category: Thoughts and Meditations

“And Moses said to Korah, ‘Hear now, you sons of Levi: is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do service in the tabernacle of the Lord and to stand before the congregation to minister to them.’” – Numbers 16:8-9

Do you want to do great things for the Lord? A “holy ambition” to serve and glorify God is generally a good thing. Unless it keeps you from actually serving and glorifying God in the way He has appointed. The Levites had been appointed to help in and near the Tabernacle. It was a vital and sacred service, but also one that involved a lot of manual labor. It was considerably less glamorous than the priest’s work. That didn’t sit well with Korah and his followers. They wanted better work for the Lord. They wanted to be priests. In the end, it cost them everything.

If God has called you to serve Him in some particular way — a specific ministry or role in your church or community — do that service faithfully. Be consistent. Be effective. Be excellent. Do it with joy, rejoicing that the Lord has prepared it for you. Don’t let yourself get to a place where you’re wishing God would call you to something bigger, better, or more glamorous. Or worse, trying to make that happen without the Lord’s blessing or permission.

Serve faithfully and then let God lead as, and when, He chooses. Do everything for God’s glory. It’s a biblical principle that we must usually demonstrate sustained faithfulness in small things before being directed by God into bigger things. Don’t try to skip past those small things. Serve well, seeking to please and glorify God. After serving faithfully, God may call you to something different. Or He may help you experience His pleasure, joy, and satisfaction through continued faithful service in that area. Regardless, don’t be so busy looking toward “the next big thing” that you forget to worshipfully fulfill “this small thing”. #FollowJesus

“And whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out, and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel camped.” – Numbers 9:17

Most sincere followers of Jesus wish that God still led His people in a manner this clear and obvious. If only He’d visibly show us when and where to go and when and where to stop and settle in. In our yearning for this crystal clarity, we often miss God’s leading altogether. We get stuck where we’re comfortable rather than going where God calls us. Where is God leading you? What is He calling you to do?

In a general sense, God’s will for you is extremely clear as a follower of Jesus. He’s laid it out in the Bible. Love God with every bit of your being. Love your neighbors (ALL of them) the way you love yourself. Make disciples. Seek to live a holy life. Take up your cross, denying yourself to follow Jesus every single day. Obey Jesus and share Jesus in the character of Jesus. All of this is critically important! But have you devoted the time needed to discern what that specifically looks like for you?

How has God gifted you for making disciples? Is there a particular group, age, or stage to which you’re called? What does that disciple-making look like? What does sacrificially loving YOUR neighbors look like? What is the most impactful way for you to do that? What is the next step of obedience that God’s Spirit is prompting you to take? What is the next aspect of your life God wants to renovate for greater holiness?

Have you been asking God these questions? Are you listening for answers as you read Scripture? Are you intentionally trying out different ways of serving and ministering to discern where God might be calling you to pour out your life for His glory? Are you discussing God’s direction and next steps with wise, mature Christian friends? If you haven’t been doing these kinds of things, get started! Make time to pray and meditate. Try different ways of serving and sharing. Discuss what others see in you and really listen to what they say. Meditate on how God has gifted you and where He is stirring your heart. Then take that next step. Follow God’s lead. As you do, it will get easier to discern the step after that one. #FollowJesus

“And when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim; and it spoke to him.” – Numbers 7:89

Moses heard the audible voice of God speaking from the mercy seat above the ark. Incredible! It’s impossible to imagine how awesome and overwhelming it must have been to hear. While you won’t have the opportunity to hear God’s voice from the mercy seat in the Tabernacle, don’t let that keep you from listening for God’s voice. God still speaks to His people.

First and foremost, He speaks through His written word, the Bible. As you read the Bible, pray for God to speak to you through the Scriptures. Expect to hear from the Lord as you read and think carefully about what you read. Expect insights relevant to your life, the events going on, and decisions that need to be made.

God speaks through prayer. As you spend time in prayer with God, not just talking but also listening, He will lay unexpected ideas or impressions on your mind. These must be tested against Scripture since we like to talk to ourselves about ourselves. Nonetheless, as you draw nearer to God, you will begin to discern the promptings of the Holy Spirit as Jesus promised.

God speaks through His people. As you discuss things with wise, mature fellow believers listen, for insights about yourself or your course of life you may not noticed otherwise. God also speaks through circumstances. When you find yourself in unexpected, unplanned, or even unpleasant circumstances, seek God in prayer. As doors suddenly close or open, is there something about what’s going on that may represent God impressing something upon your mind?

Once you hear God speak and have tested that you have heard accurately, it’s important to act on what God says. Whether that’s repentance or a new ministry, reconciliation or moving out on mission, obedience to God has a tremendous impact on how easily you hear and recognize God’s voice in the future. #FollowJesus

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
– Numbers 6:24-26

What more needs to be said about this ancient and profoundly beautiful blessing? May these words be true for you today. May the Lord truly bless you, guard you from all enemies, look favorably upon you, pour out His grace, mercy, and love upon you, and fill you with shalom peace, regardless of what may be swirling around you today! #FollowJesus

“But they shall not go in to look on the holy things even for a moment, lest they die.” – Numbers 4:20

Consider this for a moment – for a Levite to look upon the holy things within the Tabernacle, even for a moment, would result in their death. Not as a punishment. Not because God is vindictive, arbitrary, cruel, or anything else. This is simply the unimaginable power of holiness. The holiness of God is beyond the comprehension of fallen, sinful creatures of dust. The degree to which God is utterly without sin, shadow, or stain is beyond our capacity to process, because we are naturally sinful. No matter how “good” we try to be, we can’t approach the holiness of God on our own. His holiness is absolutely overwhelming!

That’s why any sin, no matter how “small”, is deadly serious. That lie, that gossip, that greed, that division, that lust, that cruelty, that selfishness, those words, that silence, those things are rebellion against God’s perfect holiness. They’re a rejection of holiness. An attack on it. All sin is separation from God and His pure, perfect, overwhelming holiness. That’s why there are no “small” sins. That’s why it’s utterly inappropriate for Christians to fixate on the obvious sins of others without first repenting of their own sins.

The good news of Jesus Christ is that He gave His life to die on the cross and rose from the dead to pay the penalty for all our sins. Because of that, when we who believe in Him do repent, those sins are forgiven. Even better, through faith in Jesus Christ, we’re able to draw near to God and have Him live within us, without His holiness killing us. In Christ, there is no veil, no separation, no need to run or hide from God. But that doesn’t mean holiness is less important. Indeed, the New Testament repeatedly commands us to walk in holiness because we are God’s Temple.

While sin is no longer a cause of instant death when confronted with God’s holiness in us, every believer MUST take holiness seriously. Rather than complaining about the sins of others, we MUST look at our own hearts, minds, and actions. We must repent of the sins we find living within us and fight to put those sins which continue to tempt us to death. As a Temple of the Holy Spirit, be holy! #FollowJesus