WHAT ARE WE TO DO?

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

These are the ordinances and the judgments the Lord commanded the children of Israel in the desert, when they came from the land of Egypt: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. You shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart, from your whole soul, and from your whole power. So these words I command you today shall be in your heart and in your soul. You shall teach them to your sons, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and it shall be immovable before your eyes; and you shall write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.”

Personal Challenge

As followers of Christ, we have a long legacy before us to what we are supposed to do day in and day out. We are commanded to love the Lord our God with our whole heart, soul, and power. This has always been the first, and foremost commandment. To this Jesus added that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. There is no mention in the scriptures of a Christian nation, or even one church or denomination that should be sought after on elevated. Jesus established His universal Church and gave us the charter to take care of the widow, the orphan, the naked, the poor, the alien (immigrant), those in prison, and everyone else. Anything short of this is anti-Christian. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

RIGHT WORDS

Deuteronomy 5:28-29

“Then the Lord heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me, ‘I heard the voice of this people, whatever words they spoke to you. They are right in whatever they said. Would they had such a heart in them so as to fear Me and guard My commandments all the time, that it might be well with them and their sons forever.’”

Personal Challenge

This passage follows a significant event in the early days of the nation of Israel. Right after Moses had received the ten commandments from God and he had returned to the people he was leading, they recognized how awe inspiring and majestic the God they were following really was. They shied away from being in the presence of God for they knew they were not worthy. They asked Moses to be their representative for they feared that they would perish in God’s presence. We need to view God this way and stop treating Him as just another guy in our circle of friends. He deserves our worship. We should fall on our faces before Him in adoration and respect. This will drive us to obey His commandment to love our neighbor for in our neighbor is the image of God. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

SEEK AND YOU WILL FIND

Deuteronomy 4:29-31

But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him when you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul in your tribulation; and all these words will find you at the end of days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice; for the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not forsake you nor annihilate you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers, which He swore to them.

Personal Challenge

God does not play the game of hide and seek with us. He is always present and ready to bless us. We are the ones who get lost as we wander away from Him through our journey through life. When we recognize our need for Him and seek Him with our heart and soul, our eyes will be opened and we will find Him. In His mercy, He will embrace us and bring us home. Glory be to God!

RESPONSIBILITY

Numbers 18:1-3

Now the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying, “You and your sons and your father’s house with you shall bear the sins of the holy things, and you and your sons with you shall bear the sins of your priesthood. You shall also bring your brethren, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, to yourself, and they shall be joined and added to you, and minister liturgically with you and your sons with you before the tabernacle of testimony. They shall perform your guard duties and the duties of the tabernacle, but they shall not come near the holy vessels and the altar, lest they die—they and you also.”

Personal Challenge

Before Jesus became incarnate as a human being, God had a covenant with His people and a prescribed way of worshipping Him. God is holy and we are not. This created a need for a formal process of coming before Him and the establishment of a priesthood with clearly articulated responsibilities. These priests were to be God’s representatives in the tabernacle. Jesus ushered in a new covenant with God’s people, the followers of Jesus, with Jesus as the High Priest and His followers as the priesthood. We are to be His representatives here on earth and have responsbilities to demonstrate His love to those around us. Anyone who claims to be His follower and yet treats people with contempt, disdain, and unworthyness will be eccountable to Christ for that behavior. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

LONGSUFFERING

Numbers 14:18

‘The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth, taking away lawlessness, wrongdoings, and sins; but He would not cleanse the guilty by repaying the sins of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.’

Encouraging Words

God is loving and merciful to us, His created children. Moses calls that out in his prayer to God to forgive the people of their sins and disrespect for God. God waits for long periods of time for us to turn back to Him. His abundance in mercy and truth takes away our lawlessness, wrongdoings, and sins. He holds us each accountable for our own sins and not the sins of those who have gone before us. He desires that we run to Him as a lost child who finally sees their father in the crowd. Glory be to God!

Saint of the Week

St. Maximus the Confessor

STRENGTH IN MEEKNESS

Numbers 12:3

(Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all men on the face of the earth.)

Personal Challenge

Our culture has evolved to what it is today by elevating and praising (almost worshiping) the strong man. We have in our history the Marlboro Man, John Wayne, Batman, and many other super heroes that come across as strong and in charge. The truth is that real strength, real leadership comes in meekness, or humility. Moses was able to go up against Pharoah and his entire nation to get the Israelites set free from slavery and oppression. He then led what would become over a million people through the wilderness to their new and promised land. And God labelled him as meek, more than all men on the face of the earth. This is the kind of men that we need today and leading our country, our businesses, and our churches. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

A BLESSING

Numbers 6:24-26

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be merciful to you;
the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

Encouraging Words

This blessing was given to the priests in the early days of Judaism as a way to send off the people after a time of worship. It became a way to bless others as you departed their company. We can continue this tradition by blessing those in our lives and whose paths we cross by loving them as Jesus would. Lord, have mercy! Lord have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

WALKING WITH GOD

Leviticus 26:12

I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.

Encouraging Words

In the beginning, after God created Adam and Eve, He placed them in the Garden of Eden, Paradise. He walked with them and talked with them on a regular basis. Then it was all brought to an end with mankind’s first sin of rejecting God. In this passage, God promises that there will be a day when He walks amongst us again. Jesus initiated that day when He walked amongst us and will bring it to full fruition when He returns. Glory be to God! Come, Lord Jesus, come!

CONTINUED BRINGING FREEWILL OFFERINGS

Exodus 36:3-5

They received from Moses all the offerings the children of Israel brought for all the works for making the holy place, and they continued bringing him freewill offerings every morning. Then all the wise men who were doing all the work of the holy place came, each according to the work he was doing, and they spoke to Moses, saying, “The people bring much more than enough for the work the Lord commanded us to do.”

Personal Challenge

All of us who have been involved in a church or parish at some time in our life, are familiar with capital projects. Those projects that call for donations above, and beyond, regular tithes and offerings. This is what we are reading about in this passage from Exodus. Moses is tasked by God to build His Tabernacle for the people. Moses calls upon the people to donate to the needs of the workers to get the job done. Donations come pouring in to the point that the people are told to stop donating. Why does this not happen today? I believe the reason is often due to one of two issues. First, are we, the people of the church, in tune with what God wants us to do, especially with our resources? If not, then the funding falls short. Second, and often the most frequent issue, is the project being undertaken in alignment with what God wants the church to be doing? If not, again the funding will fall short. It is critical that both we, the members, and the church itself, be in alignment with God. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!