Category: Thoughts and Meditations

“Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.” – Leviticus 10:1-2 

As New Covenant Christians, we rightly emphasize the mercy, grace, kindness, and love of God. However, we must also remember those aren’t the complete portrait of the glorious God of Creation. He is not an “anything goes” kind of God nor a God of “you do you, I’ll do me”. God’s holiness, righteousness, and justice are not to be taken lightly. The small details of faithful obedience matter. 

The sons of Aaron, the newly installed High Priest, were killed early in their ministry because they decided to improvise. Though God’s instructions were clear, these two men decided they knew better. How very much like us! The old covenant highlights the holiness and majesty of the God they had seen work wonders before their eyes, yet these two new priests decided to go beyond the covenant and do whatever seemed right to them. Are we that different today? 

Though we stand before the Lord in the glorious grace given by God through faith in Jesus, we are wise to take seriously what the Bible says to do and what it says not to do. Jesus’ disciple-making command to His followers wasn’t just about baptizing people, but also teaching them to obey *everything* He commanded. The small details of faithful obedience still matter! New life in Christ isn’t simply about uplifting experiences on Sunday mornings, but deep and sacrificial obedience to Christ every day and in every way. 

“The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.”
– Psalm 28:7

Yes, the Lord is truly our strength and shield! He provides all we need to withstand every challenge or trial in a manner than brings glory and honor to Him. Unfortunately, for most of us, we must first discover the limits of our own strength before we learn to rely on the Lord as our strength and shield.

Even when we cheerfully claim this verse for ourselves, we often continue trying to endure with our teeth gritted and by our own strength. We celebrate this truth, but often fail to truly live it. Too often we struggle to let go of control over things we truly can’t control (our health, other people, our circumstances, world events, etc.) We continue to flail away in our own strength, while blaming God for not showing up.

This isn’t how God works as our strength and shield! He doesn’t make us mighty. He reveals His mightiness through our weakness! The Lord’s protection is made visible in our brokenness. It’s usually only when we finally reach the point of total surrender that God’s limitless power really begins to flow through us. As He told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” As a follower of Jesus, lean into the strength and power of the Holy Spirit living within you. Take ALL your agonies and struggles to the Lord in prayer. Stop trying to grind it out in your own strength and cry out to Jesus to strengthen you for the ordeal. Keep battling, but do so in God’s power rather than your own. Don’t hold onto control that rightly belongs to God. Trust in Him. Trust in His power. Release your grip and give thanks to Him instead.

“And Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ And the blind man said to him, ‘Rabbi, let me recover my sight.’” – Mark 10:51

We marvel, of course, at Jesus’ ability to restore the sight of blind Bartimaeus. In granting what he desired most, Jesus grants the freedom from darkness and poverty he longed for. However, we must recognize that this encounter and when it took place is no mere coincidence!

This divine appointment in which Jesus gives sight to the blind occurs just before Jesus entered Jerusalem on the week that would end with His death and resurrection. This encounter, in which Jesus restores the ability of the physically blind to see, vividly highlights the profound spiritual blindness that will crucify Jesus.

In Jerusalem, Jesus will confront and be confronted by national and religious leaders who are deeply blind in a spiritual sense. The long-promised Messiah is present among them. His miracles, His teaching, His very power to draw a crowd all attest to the truth of Who He is. The outcasts know, but the elite refuse to see it. Their hunger for power, status, and the status quo blind them to the truth which even a blind man can see clearly.

Blindness to their own sin and the salvation standing before them leads them to condemn and crucify Jesus. Yet, despite all that, Jesus will pray for their forgiveness. As we encounter Jesus each morning, let us pray for Him to heal any spiritual blindness we may have. Ask God to show you hidden sin that needs confession. Ask Him to reveal hardness of heart or persistent disobedience to Christ’s commands or character. Ask Him to reveal where He wants to transform you. Lord, give us eyes to see!

“Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out.” – Exodus 40:36

There was once a time when it was quite easy to literally follow God. When His visible cloud presence moved, the people of Israel got up and followed it. When it didn’t move, they didn’t move. Things are somewhat less obvious these days. However, following God doesn’t have to be as hard or mysterious as we sometimes make it! So how do we follow God in 2021?

To understand God’s will for your life, the path you should take, or a decision you should make, begin with God’s Word. God always wants you to do what He already said to do and to not do the things that He already said not to do. God is not random or chaotic – His revealed will doesn’t change. So know your Bible well. Read it daily to refresh yourself on what God has already told you. What does God’s Word say about your decision?

In your reading, pray for God’s Spirit to speak to you, to make particular passages stand out anew. Then do what He says. Don’t do what He says not to do. This addresses a surprisingly large percentage of our so-called dilemmas. Nonetheless, we do sometimes encounter decisions where two or more options are biblical, godly, moral, ethical, and legal. So, what then?

Invest significant time in prayer. Consider fasting to accompany your prayer. Ask God to lay verses on your heart for guidance. Ask Him which path will likely glorify Him more. Ask Him to speak to you. That’s seldom an audible voice. Instead, you’re asking Him to give you a prompting or impression of where He would have you go. Ask for clarity and discernment to make sure that impression isn’t coming from your own heart or the Adversary.

Ask God to speak to you through His people, then seek the advice of mature Christians you trust. Ask them to pray with you for a period of time and to share whatever God lays on their heart.

If you’re still unclear after searching God’s Word, seeking God’s will, and consulting God’s people, then perhaps it’s truly a matter of choice. In that case, make your decision, pray for God to be glorified in that choice, for Him to walk with you down that path, and for Him to give you the wisdom to realize if becomes the wrong choice.

“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” – Mark 8:36

You may have all the billions of the wealthiest entrepreneurs, all the trophies of the greatest athletes, and all the fame of those famous for being famous, but you’ll lose it all (from your perspective) within a few years regardless. When you die, none of those things will go with you into eternity. Whether your life be long or short by human standards, even a hundred years of wealth, success, and fame is nothing compared to forever.

Jesus regularly invites us to re-think what’s important in our lives. The things our culture and instincts say are important have little lasting significance. What matters is where we will spend the untold billions of years after we die. What matters is the treasure, rewards, and commendations of God we send ahead of us into eternity through faithfulness here on earth.

Our relationship with God through Jesus Christ is the only thing that determines where we’ll spend eternity. The only thing. The things we’ll enjoy in heaven as followers of Christ have nothing to do with our earthly fame, success, or bank balance. What matters for all eternity are the lives we influence for Christ, our faithfulness in serving and humbly following Jesus day after day, and how well we manage the resources, time, and talents God blesses us with.

Never trade your faith, your faithfulness, your Christian integrity, or your Gospel witness for the sake of earthly rewards! They simply won’t last. What will? “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” (Matthew 25:21)