They Washed My Hands

This past November I had the opportunity to go to India to minister.  Not only did I get to preach in some gospel meetings but I also had the wonderful opportunity to teach some of the indigenous missionaries over there.  These guys are so awesome.  Every day they put their lives on the line for the sake of the gospel.  I taught them two sessions on Christian leadership and it was well received.  In my second message I was talking to them on the topic of how serving the Lord can be rather inglorious.  It can be with very little glitz and glamour.  My Scripture was the call of Elisha in 1 Kings 19.  I was telling them of how at first Elisha’s call was not with a lot of pizazz but rather he was basically known as Elijah’s servant.

As matter of fact over in 2 Kings 3:11 Jehoshaphat asks for a prophet and asked whether one was available.  And listen to this:  “But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD, that we may enquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.”  He was simply known as the one which poured the water on the hands of Elijah.

I just wanted to bring home to my missionary buddies that sometimes God calls to service that is nothing more than washing the hands of another.  As I was explaining this it hit me.  It hit me so hard that I teared up.  You see in India they don’t use forks and spoons but rather they eat with their right hand.  Don’t eat with the left because that is the business hand.  After a meal would be completed during that week one of those brothers would come to me with a pitcher of water.  They were there to wash my hands.  What I was explaining to them they had already done for me the whole week.  In that moment I became the student for they had been teaching me all week what servanthood was all about.

Have you washed any hands lately?

I Just Had To Share This With You

These Are My People!

As I continue my quiet times through the Book of Leviticus my prayer has been that God would show me some things to make me more like Him.  Today I ventured through chapters 17 and 18 and something struck me.  God begins this section

Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices

I’ve just recently finished teaching through this book. I thought the last 10 rules of battling Satan that Thomas Brooks gave us were awesome. I thought that I would list them here. These are very needful.
The first help. If you would not be taken by any of Satan’s devices, then walk by rule of the Word of God.
The second help. As you would not be taken with any of Satan’s devices, take heed of vexing and grieving of the Holy Spirit of God.
The third help. If you would not be taken with any of Satan’s devices, then labor for more heavenly wisdom.
The fourth help. If you would not be taken with any of Satan’s devices, then make immediate resistance against Satan’s first motions.
The fifth help. If you would not be taken with any of Satan’s devices, then labor to be filled with the Spirit.
The sixth help. If you would not be taken in any of Satan’s snares, then keep humble.
The seventh help. If you would not be taken in any of Satan’s snares, then keep a strong, close, and constant watch (1 Thess. 5:6).
The eighth help. If you would not be taken with any of Satan’s snares and devices, then keep up your communion with God.
The ninth help. If you would not be taken in any of Satan’s snares, then do not engage Satan in your own strength—but be every day drawing new virtue and strength from the Lord Jesus.
The tenth help. If you would not be taken in any of Satan’s snares, then be much in prayer.

I’m Not Worthy

Just got through reading Leviticus 8-9 and I read about God’s ordination of Aaron and his sons for the priesthood. I could just imagine in my mind Moses putting each piece upon Aaron. One thing that I had never seen was the fact that it took seven days to complete the ordination. Our ordinations are usually short and sweet. But the thing that struck me is this. The guy that they are ordaining is the same guy that was in charge of the people when the built the golden calf idol. Same guy. But now he is being set apart for the role of High Priest. How much unworthy of an individual could you have found?

But as you read on here in these two chapters you find where there were a lot of animals that had to die for Aaron to be able to do this. And then it hit me hard because I deal a lot with this whole idea of worthiness. I don’t feel worthy of even penning this blog. I’m a lot like Aaron. But there has been some blood shed on my behalf. Not the blood of rams and bulls but the blood of Christ. That is what makes me worthy. Not me but Christ. Thanks Father for letting me see that.

The Next Generation

My wife and I teach an AWANA class and they have to go through a little booklet to begin their journey. In that booklet they are presented the gospel by having to learn several verses to move on in their journey. At the end they must explain to us what is means to trust Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Last night we had one of the young ladies trust Christ as her own personal Saviour. Praise the Lord!

This morning my quiet time led me to Psalm 48. Psalms 48:13-14 says:
“13 consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation 14 that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever.” I was reminded how God wants us to make sure we tell the next generation about His greatness.

Psalms 78:4-6 (ESV)says:
“4 We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.
5 He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children,
6 that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children,”

How important our task is. We must make sure the next generation knows God’s glorious deeds. How many times did God tell the Israelites to build something or do something so that their children might ask and an opportunity be given to explain the greatness of God. That is why the whole passover feast was initiated.

God loves Himself. He can do that because He is God. He wants His name and His greatness to be exalted…especially to the next generation. Lord, help me to bridge my generation to the next with your greatness.

Give Me Jesus…love your neighbor!

While reading through the book of Leviticus I just had a few observations come to mind. That is right I’m making my way through that book now. Please pray that I do not grow weary in reading. Anyway this is a very bloody book. PETA would have had a conniption fit back then. I thought about how exaperating it would have been for an Israelite. So many types of offerings. It is a very bloody book and it just cries out for a Savior doesn’t it? When we just think back for a moment to what Jesus has accomplished for us it blows our minds. The Priests were told to never let the flames on the altar go out. Sacrifices were needed all the time. Jesus fulfilled it all.

Anyway I’m through the first seven chapters of Leviticus right now and the other thing that is prevalent to me is how many sins are specifically mentioned that concern how we treat others. As a matter of fact this morning this thought came to mind. God is emphasizing Love God…love people in the book of Leviticus. Wow! Didn’t Jesus say that.

God Is Among Us!!!

I know I keep referencing my quiet times but at the end of Exodus I’ve been reading about the building of the tabernacle. Today as I was reading in the Gospel in Luke 7 after Jesus raises from the dead the widow’s son, the people exclaim, “God has visited us!” Boy they were right. John said that the Word became flesh and literally tabernacled or dwelt among us. It is so amazing when you start to put all of these thoughts together and you see how the Bible fits together like a beautiful puzzle. When God built the tabernacle one of themain things God wanted his people t see was that the taberacle was a piece of Heaven on earth. Exodus 25:8 says, “And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.” Heaven is God’s home so when He came to live with his people in the tabernacle, He brought Heaven down with hHim.

Ryken says this: “The tabernacle was a microcosm of the universe. Inside was Heaven, and outside was earth, with God at the center of it all. The heart of the tabernacle was the Holy of Holies, where God reigned in glory. The tabernacle, in turn, was at the heart of Israel, with all twelve tribes surrounding it. And Israel was the heart of the world, the centerpiece in God’s plan for saving the nations. The tabernacle was the most important place in the world, a little bit of Heaven on earth. The point was not that somehow God could be contained within the four walls of a tent. No; the tabernacle was set up like Heaven to show that God rules over both Heaven and earth.”
—Preaching the Word

When Jesus Christ came He was the tabernacle of God. Jesus is the true tabernacle of God and it is through Him that we are able to come to the true God. When Jesus was suffering on the cross something amazing happened at the temple. The curtain that seperated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place was torn in two. It happened the moment that Jesus died. The meaning was evident. Jesus through His death has made a way to God through His Sacrifice.

What is so amazing is that when we become Christians this same God comes and lives inside of us. As Bill Cook, a dear missionary friend would say, “That is amazing.” It is amazing. Because of Christ man is able to come to God but then God comes and lives in man. Wow!

So in Luke 7 when those people said that God had visited them, they were right on target.

This is dedicated to Candie….my love.

Here We Go Again…

Some of you may know that the tornado that killed 14 people in Macon County passed within a mile of our house. We had minor damage compared to what happened just a short distance away. As we passed through the destruction it looked so much like Katrina in Pascagoula except there were more people killed in our community here than there were in all of Jackson County in Mississippi during Katrina. I have had many emotions from fear, sadness, and thanksgiving. Today I figured out that God had a ministry for Candie and I and the kids. We are able to look them in the eye who lost everything and tell them that I know how they feel and that God will see them through it all. One of the biggest blessings came from Calvary Baptist Church, my last pastorate. They are sending our church money and we in turn are going to try to meet some needs in the process. Thanks to all that called and checked on us.