Following Jesus

The last blog we ended with how I would like to always understand God’s heart and ways. You know, find out what He wants for my life and where He wants me. To grow into the person He wants me to be and become more like Jesus. On my journey or walk with the Lord I have had some of this revealed to me but yet I know I have a lot that is uncertain and unknown to me yet. I guess that is the faith journey we all take. The Lord has given me everything I need for this journey so there are no excuses. He has put some great leaders in my life to help me learn from but we all find this out from a relationship and following Jesus. Like in John 21:19-22 Jesus tells Peter to follow him. Then Peter asked Jesus what about John?  And Jesus says, “What is that to you? As for you, follow me.”  We all have to accept Jesus and follow him. Like in John 1:38 Jesus turned around and saw two disciples following him and he said, “What do you want.” As if to say, do you really want to follow me and know me and know what I’m about and have for you, or are you just playing around. I think it explains this well in Mark 8:34-38 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Colossians 2:6-7 ‘And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.’  I think this can be pretty tough sometimes, but it says as we follow we can get deeply rooted in Christ as we grow.  There is a lot God has given us to help follow Jesus. John 1:12 ‘But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.’ So when we accept Jesus, God gives us the power to become sons of God. We have his Holy Spirit in us and his love. Like it says, we are reborn spiritually with the will of God in us. In 1 Corinthians 2:10-16 it talks about how with the Holy Spirit in us we can understand God and his ways and have the mind of Christ. When we follow Jesus, read God’s word and with the help of the Holy Spirit we can do this.  I like to read the whole bible, but what helps me understand Jesus is reading the gospels.  I find I have a long way to go yet.  You know what Jesus done, why he came, how he taught people and the 12, how he cared for healed and loved people, how he stayed close to his father, how he handled people trying to snare him into becoming a earthly king, people betraying him and trying to kill him, and you know how he related to all these earthly struggles. I feel I must know more about him and understand him. It is a completely different view for me now than the first 30 years of my life. It says in 2 Corinthians 5:16-17, ‘So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now!’  This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!  To end I have two scriptures, one came yesterday and one I have been reading for the last few months. In Luke 2:41-52, Joseph and Mary take 12 year old Jesus to Jerusalem for Passover. They get ready to leave with the family and friends and Jesus stays behind. And Jesus spends 3 days in the Temple listening and talking to the teachers and rabbis. He blows them away with his understanding for being 12 years old. Even though he was a growing boy in the flesh, he knew God very intimately, he was God. So if I want to understand God more I need to know him more and in a deeper way. When they find him Jesus says in verse 49, “But why did you need to search?” he asked, “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” When we follow Jesus, he leads, we follow.  Jesus is about his fathers will and kingdom. It’s not about us or what we desire, it’s about God and his plan. Like it said, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.’  Easier said then done and I have a long way to go.  It tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:15, ‘He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.’  In Luke 2:51, ‘Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart.’  This is the verse that has really spoken to me, because it says Mary stored all these things in her heart. She knew he was the son of God, but after that I’m sure she saw her boy, Jesus, in a different way. As I follow Jesus, and learn I need to see what he does in my life everyday and listen to what he teaches me and store it in my heart.  I want to grow and become who he wants me to be, not what I want or what someone else wants for me. I want to be who Jesus wants me to be. I find this is not so easy, but like Jesus asked the two disciples, “What do you want?”  I think if I want to know and seek him whole heartedly he is faithful and true and will show me over time as I follow. He will get in the trench and walk with me. Two things come to mind, one is I have to be myself, who he made me to be. I can’t be something I’m not. I understand we will change and grow but if it’s at the expense of trying to compromise the truth or who Jesus made me to be, I don’t need it. That’s not success that’s being phony. This verse came to me yesterday which really hit me. John 1:47 As they approached, Jesus said, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.” How do you know about me?” Nathanael asked. Nathanael was one of the chosen 12 but not much is said about him. I’m hope to find out more about him over the next week. But obviously Jesus spoke highly of him because he was honest and sincere and didn’t try to be somebody other than himself. I think this is very important in our walk with Jesus. There is always pressure from others to perform to their standards, which is okay if that’s right with Jesus and you are being true to whom he wants you to be. We are all called to be submissive to others and grow and learn to become like Jesus. The other is to die to ourselves and get our flesh and selfishness out of the way. I know this is hard and there are some examples in the bible we will look at next week. God has put some great people and mentors in my life that are great examples to me, but we all have this in common.  We all struggle with this and haven’t mastered it by any means but we all must continue to pursue Jesus hard and to press into him to overcome and have victory in our walk to become more like Jesus and find what he has for us. This is just what I have observed by watching others and being around them. I learn from the people around me but Jesus is who I have to follow and spend time with.  He is my real teacher. He is my master and where he wants me I will go. Galatians 2:20, ‘My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.’ So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 6:14-15, ‘As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died. It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation.’

Uncut and unpolished stones

God has been putting a lot of good things in my life lately. More opportunities in his kingdom, the kingdom is like a tiny mustard seed that grows into this huge tree that has many branches. A chance to meet more godly people, help me grow and continue to help further God's kingdom. I think to help me in these opportunities or many roads I was given a verse from the Lord to help me keep focused on him. A few months ago I was reading in my daily reading in Exodus 20 and when I read this verse it really spoke to me. It has been one of those that he continues to keep in front of me, so I know he is trying to tell me or show me something. Since then, it has been in other studies, devotionals, conversations and it’s been interesting to hear from other people and what they think. Exodus 20:23-25 ‘Remember, you must not make any idols of silver or gold to rival me. Build for me an altar made of earth, and offer your sacrifices to me--your burnt offerings and peace offerings, your sheep and goats, and your cattle. Build my altar wherever I cause my name to be remembered, and I will come to you and bless you. If you use stones to build my altar, use only natural, uncut stones. Do not shape the stones with a tool, for that would make the altar unfit for holy use.’ God freed his people from slavery in Egypt and he is leading them to this land, the promise land he has prepared for them. This story is in Exodus through Joshua. Through this whole time and through out the bible God tells his people, not to have any other god's. Nothing that will compete with my relationship with you, ‘I am a jealous God’, Exodus 34:14. Then he tells them to build an altar to offer sacrifices, this is not a permanent altar because they are on the move. But here is what popped off the page to me that day continues staying in front of me still to today, Exodus 20:25. God instructed his people to use natural, uncut stones and do not shape with a tool because it would make it unfit for holy use, others translations says defile it or pollute it. This is what spoke to me that day. God wanted this done in a certain way, not their way. He says build this altar, but build it the way I'm telling you and use what I provide and give you. Don't fancy it up with your own ideas, knowledge or skills and put your own spin on it. There are times where God wants us to use our skills and knowledge to do something for him.  Later, God instructs them to build the temple, to shape and polish it using craftsman, but in either case it was still done the way God wanted it done. I think sometimes God wants to do something in our lives or gives us opportunities and we want to do it our way or control it. Maybe there is pressure or it is not his timing yet so we manipulate and try to do it our way. In Acts 2:42-47 all I see is the apostles along with a group of believers and they came together and shared and loved on each other.  They shared meals and all they had, worshiped, prayer, and shared the Lords supper. They were kicked out of the temple so they didn't have a building or church, but what they did have was the apostle’s teachings, you know the guys who knew Jesus and spent time with him. The main thing of course was God, the power of the Holy Spirit. Maybe God is doing this new thing and the Holy Spirit is working in a situation and we think we could do it better and we structure it, plan it, control it, we quench the Holy Spirit. Like in Exodus 20:25, God wants to use an uncut stone and we want to shape and polish it and we pollute it. God's ways is way different then our ways and the way he sees things is way different then the way we see them Isaiah 55:8 "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”  Let me go a little further, I was sitting in church last Sunday during worship and God lead me to look at this verse again Exodus 20:25. Then during the next hour and a half he showed something else that didn't really come to me until later that day. It really tied into the last blogs that I have written, I see all these people in the body of Christ getting a chance to tell what God is doing in their life that are filled with the love of God have a chance to tell what ministry they are serving in or leading in to help the church, the body of Christ. Then it came to me why he had me read this verse, God wants to use all these people like the unpolished or uncut stones. When God picked Moses to lead his people to the promise land, you know the guy in Exodus 4:10-11 that says he couldn't talk good, he picked King David a young shepherd boy, what about Gideon in Judges 6. Would we pick any of these guys, no! The bible is full of pages and stories of people God used. So why would people who think they are polished or equipped have a problem with this. Could it be a lack of faith or trying to control?  I like the 12 disciples that God picked to follow JESUS and start the church which we are a part of today. These guys were unpolished and uncut like the stones. God picked the 12 and he wanted, men he could do something new through, he shaped and molded them the way he wanted, he taught them to follow and become like Jesus. Think about it, who would have picked those 12?  We all would have picked the more polished guys, the guys who knew more, well like or dressed nicer. When we read God's word and in our relationship with the Lord what is awesome is we get to understand the heart of God and his ways. I think it is clear that God's church, the body of Christ, is very special to him and he has a plan for every believer. We have to keep in mind how important people are to God and that he is the vine dresser. I’m in a ministry where people mentor each other one on one. I’m very careful how I speak into a mans life. God has a plan for this person and I just want to help him grow and come closer to the Lord. 2 Corinthians 2:9 ‘But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”. Our entire walk is about faith and trust in God and how he wants to work in our lives for his glory. It takes a lot of faith from a leader or pastor who will use uncut or unpolished people. But in the long run their faith will be rewarded and the church, the body of Christ will grow. Sometimes you suite up with who God gives you, not who you get to choose. Hebrews 11:6 ‘And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. JESUS came to set us free Isaiah 61:1 ‘The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, for the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.’ So we can all play a part and help God's kingdom grow and do the great commission. Matthew 28:18-20 ‘Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."  When we become part of this family or church or kingdom it is not about I, we, or me.  It is about God and helping his church the body of Christ.  How does this apply to me or my life?  When I am called or get a chance to help play my part in the kingdom. I need to understand God's word and his heart in the situation. I need to make sure I'm doing it the way God wants it done. I need to align my heart and desires with his and not manipulate or control the situation. I need to humble myself and do the best I can to glorify God and help others do the same. It’s not a competition, Its about helping the kingdom grow and the church be healthy. I need to see things through God's eyes and understand his ways. 

God's Holy Temple

Last weeks blog was about because of our faith in JESUS and if we believe and accept that he came as God in the flesh. He gave his life on a cross to free us from our sin and eternal separation from God. JESUS restored our relationship with God, we are a child of God, we have eternal life, and we are reborn spiritually and have the Holy Spirit in us. We start a new life with the Lord and we become a new creation 2 Corinthians 5:17: ‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.’  He free's us, we are set aside for his purpose and we all who believe become part of God's Holy Temple. Ephesians 2:21: ‘We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.’ I like this translation because it says, ‘carefully joined together.’  We all become part of God's church and Christ is the head of the church. Ephesians 1:22:  ‘God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.’ The church is not a building, system, structure or place it is a sacred, spiritual, holy temple that belongs to God all who accept Christ are a part of. The church or God's temple is made up of all different kinds of people who believe that are filled with God's Holy Spirit, grace and love. 1 Corinthians 6:19: ‘Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself.’  Ephesians 1:13-14: ‘And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.’  The Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him’. The purpose of the church is to glorify God. We are all given spiritual gifts, time, experiences, and resources to accomplish this. What is very exciting for me and where my heart is and what he has shown me is this, I know that every believer is very valuable and loved by God and has something from JESUS that the people in the church need. It is clear in the word of God that this is true that we all need to play a part. It explains this in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, we are all given gifts to edify the church and how the church is compared to a body full of many different parts that function together and need each other. 1 Corinthians 12:21: ‘The eye can never say to the hand, "I don't need you." The head can't say to the feet, "I don't need you."   Many believers’ may not realize this or understand how valuable he or she may be or that they have these awesome things God has given them or done in their life. They may need a little help from others in the church like a mentor to help them have a closer walk with the Lord. So they can start following JESUS and start finding out who they are, their  own spiritual identity. I know I did and I'm able to help others but I am still finding out who I am and what JESUS has for me each day, it is a faith journey that I love and it brings me closer to him everyday. That is why I like Ephesians chapter 4:1-16 so well I think. Verse 1 says that each of us have been called by God. In other words we all have a calling a purpose from God himself. Then it talks about how we are unified in the church by the Holy Spirit and love and peace and humility from God. Verse 7 says that through Christ we are all given a special gift. Verse 11-12: ‘Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.’  I like this translation, it says it is their responsibility is to equip God's people and build up. In other words, do the great commission, equip and disciple the body of Christ. Teach them how to teach and disciple and love others. Take care of other peoples needs, help where you’re gifted or have resources and where someone else is weak or has a need. Take the time we have and invest in the body of Christ, watch out for Satan he is crafty and will weight you down with too much responsibility to where you are not investing in relationships or people in the body of Christ. Because when this is all over people and relationships is what matters, the body of Christ is God's temple that he loves and that is what is going to heaven. In the last blog I ended with Ephesians 4:16: ‘From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes increase of the body to the edifying of itself in love.’  This is an awesome verse that speaks the need of every believer to be used and properly fitted in the body where they are helping others grow and full of love. I read a commentary that says, ‘every part is joined together and supplies love and vigor and helps nourishes all the others. Every member plays a part and no one is over taxed.’  Only JESUS can make this happen and has the plan. I think it is clear in God's word that he desires us to do this and help his church be healthy and strong and full of love. JESUS came to Peter after he was resurrected in John 21:15-17  and asked him 3 times do you love me Peter and told Peter to feed my lambs, take care of my sheep. What this speaks to me is JESUS says if you really love me then serve me and help take care of my people, the body of Christ and focus on this. Love on them, disciple them, be patient with them, encourage them to do the same so my church will healthy and full of love and stand out to the rest of the world and glorify God and be his Holy Temple. John 13:35, ‘Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.’

JESUS sets us free to serve and love.

On the last blog, we talked about the 1 Red Heifer in Numbers 19:2 and how it was a perfect animal for sacrifice.  But as I said, the main thing for me was how it could not be used for being yoked to a plow.  All of us are born sinners and yoked to sin and brought up in this world. So we know we are freed from this by our belief and faith in Jesus. John 8:34-36 Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.’  When GOD freed his people from slavery in Egypt and brought them into the promise land. He freed and restored them and gave them a new life in this land called flowing with milk and honey. They were free from being yoked to slavery.  The same thing happens when we accept Jesus, we are free from sin right that moment when we open our heart and ask him in. At that moment our relationship with God is restored and we become a child of GOD, we are clothed with Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit. A good example of this is in Zechariah 3:1-3, ‘Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD. The Accuser, Satan, was there at the angel's right hand, making accusations against Jeshua. And the LORD said to Satan, "I, the LORD, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire." Jeshua's clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel. So the angel said to the others standing there, "Take off his filthy clothes." And turning to Jeshua he said, "See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes."  By accepting Jesus we are given all these things from God that we don’t deserve. Ephesians 2:8, ‘God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God.’  We are able to have a relationship and walk with God, we have eternal life and are part of the body of Christ, God’s holy temple. Ephesians 2:21, ‘We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.’ What is interesting for me is how God is the vine dresser or gardener; he disciplines us, shape and molds us. We are right with God but it’s a process to become more like Jesus. We make a lot of mistakes and still sin but he see’s us holy and blameless because of Jesus. Colossians 1:22,   ‘Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.’ The point I’m making is we know we have been set free and have eternal life we also have a purpose here. 1 Corinthians 7:23 ‘You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.’ 1 Peter 2:16 ‘Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.’ Galatians 5:13 ‘You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.’ We have been set free and the Lord is our master. Christ doesn’t want us to be yoked to anything other than him and have or be doing anything that would keep us away from receiving what he made us for. We know he wants us to love him, each other, use what he has done in our lives as a testimony to reach the lost, take care of each others needs in the church and feed the poor. We are called to do the great commission, there is still a lot to do and that’s why the whole church or body has a part to play.  So we will leave off with this verse which will be the beginning of the next blog then.  Ephesians 4:16 ‘He makes the whole body fit together and unites it through the support of every joint. As each and every part does its job, he makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.’

Scripture from God's word

This group of scriptures spoke to me today about the ways we worship the Lord. No one is perfect or has it all figured out but are we trying to do what God wants us to do. We all fail and make mistakes, but are we helping each other love one another. It says to do what is right is more pleasing to the Lord than sacrifice. It says if we sacrifice all we have and not love others it is for nothing a waste. What is the most important thing we are doing and where is our focus?  JESUS says to learn what his words mean and meditate on them. He came to seek the lost and wants us to show mercy to others. The ones who are faithful to these teachings are my true disciples. He told the religious leaders they couldn’t do or understand these things or hear his voice because JESUS wasn’t in there hearts. So it starts with having a relationship with JESUS. He not only wants us to hear the message but act upon it and do what is right. It says when we act upon these things we will live in the truth that he teaches us. In Luke 16 the rich man after he died I’m sure he wish he would have shared with Lazarus. He wanted to warn his brothers.  These scriptures are not to cause guilt or say that I have and do all these correctly.  It is meant to encourage what they hopefully speak to us. When I post these it is all meant in love. It is what God is speaking to me so I can learn and do better.

It says in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

Proverbs 21:3 To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

Mark 7:6-7 Jesus replied, "You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.

1 Corinthians 13:3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing.

Matthew 9:12-13 When Jesus heard this, he said, "Healthy people don't need a doctor--sick people do." Then he added, "Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: 'I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.' For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners."

John 8:31-47 The Children of Abraham

  31To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

33They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants^b and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

34Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37I know you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you do what you have heard from your father.^c”

39“Abraham is our father,” they answered.

“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would^d do the things Abraham did. 40As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41You are doing the things your own father does.”

“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”

The Children of the Devil

42Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. 43Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

Luke 16:19-31 The Rich Man and Lazarus

19“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

22“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In hell,^c where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

25“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

27“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

29“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

30“‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

31“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

1 John 3:11-24 Love One Another

11This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. 13Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. 14We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.15Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence20whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

21Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 23And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

Why 1 Red Heifer

I want to start off the blog by telling why I decided to do a blog. About two years ago, I started posting scriptures and writing short devotionals on Facebook. I’m not a great writer or have any special degrees. I’m about as raw and green as you can get.  But they really helped me grow in my walk with the Lord and learn. So right off you’re going to see some bad spelling and all that, but that’s okay. When people first started telling me to do a blog I just laughed. This went on for a while, but over the last 6 months people just continue to encourage me, so I thought why not?  (I know of all people, right, just joking.)  So that’s what sparked me to act upon it, but why 1 Red Heifer?  I knew I had to pick a name and I wanted it to be a name that is different and would show the freedom and power of the Holy Spirit working through the church, the people that is. So one morning, as I was reading my daily reading, this scripture really popped out at me, Numbers 19:2  "Here is another legal requirement commanded by the LORD: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer, a perfect animal that has no defects and has never been yoked to a plow. And I put a string of scriptures together sitting in a parking lot real quick. They just ran through my mind. So here is what was being spoken to me. We know the Red Heifer was a type of sacrifice commanded by the Lord for his chosen people’s sins.  It was a type of sacrifice in comparison to Christ.  I think it explains this well in Hebrews chapters 9 & 10, 10:11-12 “Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. But our High Priest (Christ) offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for all sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God's right hand.” It says in the word the Red Heifer was a perfect animal with no defects. It says there was no other hair color of any kind, not even one, all red. So it had to be a perfect animal like JESUS, He was a perfect man without sin. I’m not going to go on about all the deeper meanings in the commentaries. But here is the main reason this Red Heifer hit me so hard. The Lord has been showing me some truths I’ve been wrestling with as of late. You can’t ignore the truth, the Holy Spirit is truth and will allow you to see it and you must decide what you are going to do with it. I have some important decision’s to make coming up. I’m at peace but I know I still have to make them. The last part of this verse says and has never been yoked to a plow. This is the part that hit me.  We know JESUS was never yoked to the world or sin and his desires had to be controlled by the Holy Spirit to not ever sin, not even his thoughts.  He was fully obedient and in sync with the Father. I know He was also obedient to his parents. But I don’t believe Jesus was yoked or enslaved to a system or man made structure. He was free from all these things, so the Holy Spirit can be free to work through him John 3:34 “For he is sent by God. He speaks God's words, for God gives him the Spirit without limit.”  I think John the Baptist was a good example for us, he was set aside by the Lord and was not yoked to politics or a religious system. When we accept Christ as our savior and receive the Holy Spirit we are His Son’s and have eternal life.  We are also set aside for his use and purpose. Don’t get me wrong I have made mistakes and have been blessed to see God work in them. I know Satan is a tricky beast, I don’t think its just about being a good person.  I think Satan would love to get a believer, bearing fruit for the Lord, enslaved in the world, sin, a religious system or man made structure to quench a movement of the Holy Spirit anyway he can.  I think the point I’m trying to make is not to be yoked to anything that would hinder the work of the Holy Spirit in your life.  The main thing. looking back, is how the Lord has worked in my life has not been me being perfect. It was JESUS, my fear and love for him. Making sure my heart is in the right place. My heart must be thankful humble, contrite, sincere, soft, and teachable. Like a pastor told me once it’s not the system that’s the problem, more important it’s a person’s heart. This is hard for every believer but doable with JESUS and encouragement, love and accountability from others. There will be a lot of failures but that’s why he made the body of Christ to help support each other. We will be talking about this later.