ELUL DAY 7
POINTS TO PONDER AND CONSIDER
- Are you dancing with The Beloved yet? If not; what is holding you back and what can you do about that?
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- Is there any place in your life where you feel “off-beat” or out-of-tune with the music of life? Have you given that to The Beloved and asked Him to help you to overcome the problem so that you are signing your favorite love song again?
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- Are you listening for the sound of the Shofar? What does that sound mean to you? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ELUL DAY 7 MEDITATION
A PEOPLE MADE READY
I recently read an interesting article in Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Journal which shared her thoughts and comments about how we all are “being made ready” for the next part of our lives. She was pondering her own current phase of life as she was enjoying the blessings of the new child recently born into their family. It seems that she felt she had been “made ready” for this special event to happen.
Is this really such a wonder?
God’s children experience this amazing process almost every day that they breathe. Yet we all still shake our heads in complete awe whenever true destiny happens to us in our own little world.
I think we all have those on-going moments when God is actively preparing us through life’s daily events and circumstances, We can sense that He is actively “making us ready” to do life well in the next phase of our journey. We come to realize that this is a journey which He has already mapped out and planned for each of us.
I too (like Joanna) believe in destiny (it is simply God’s will for our lives.) I believe it with all of my heart.
As we continue to follow God in all of our ways; He DOES prepare us for the future and the things to come.
MAMA SAID THERE WOULD BE DAYS LIKE THIS
Anyone looking back over their days on this earth can certainly see patterns of when life took them down a certain path that they did not anticipate. Most of us can look back and remember astounding details of how God led us right through some rocky roads in order to be the stronger people that we have become today.
The majority of the population can look back and see these unexpected things helped to lead us into our life’s purpose and destiny.
Usually this type of looking back helps us to have stronger faith as we move forward.
This is exactly what was happening to the nation of Israel as God was once again reviewing all of His laws, statutes and ways with them through Moses.
This whole process of God and Moses on the mountain was comparable to when your Mom yells “Okay! I’m only going to tell you this ONE MORE TIME….” And she expects you to remember the next words that proceed from her mouth to your ears. She firmly demands that you follow her instructions this time; because what she has repeated to you over and over again is VERY IMPORTANT for your future well-being. It may well be the last time she expects to have to remind you.
Perhaps that was how God felt.
REMEMBER THE BEST WAYS TO LIVE
In Leviticus 20 the people of God who were being formed into the new Nation of Israel were definitely “being made ready.”
Leviticus, Chapter 20 is yet another of those long passages of scripture where God is slowly and carefully going over His laws for living again and again with His people.
Once more He is repeating all the laws, statutes and the best ways for a godly nation to live. God is emphasizing all the things that godly people should NOT desire and recalling the things of life in which they are NOT to participate.
God wants His people to come apart from all the ways of the world.
THOU SHALT NOT
All of these things that God has repeated over and over NOT to do are: NOT forgetting WHO God is; NOT taking His name in vain, NOT forgetting that He is sovereign and Almighty and THE ONE AND ONLY GOD; NOT worshiping idols (Molech is mentioned specifically over and over again); NOT failing to keep Sabbath; NOT defiling God’s Sanctuary, NOT profaning God’s Holy Name; NOT dishonoring parents or mistreating the elderly; NOT lying or bearing false witness; NOT supporting the lies and false witness of others by remaining silent and unresponsive when needed; NOT having familiar spirits, wizards and pagan practices, NOT cursing others, NOT committing adultery, NOT participating in incest, bestiality, homosexuality or any other types of sexual sins, NOT eating an unclean diet; or participating in any unclean practices.
There were just a LOT of things that God did NOT want happening among His people.
He had not mapped these NOTs into His people’s future.
THESE THINGS REMAIN UNCHANGED
All of the things were clearly displeasing to God back in the days of the Israelite’s in the wilderness; and they still displease Him today.
God never changes.
He is the same past, present and future. The things he said to Moses are the same things he says to us today.
A NATION MADE READY
God was making sure that the people knew and understood these things BEFORE they entered the promised-land. He wanted it clear BEFORE they became known by the world as The Nation of Israel; and BEFORE they became the pattern that God recommended for all nations that followed after them.
Most all of the items in this long list of sins were considered to be so bad before God that they were punishable either by death or by the guilty party/parties being cast away from the whole community.
God meant for His people to stay clean and to become holy in every phase of their daily lives.
Our Father was simply not going to tolerate anything otherwise.
COME OUT AND BE SEPARATE
Over and over we hear these words; “I AM The LORD Your God who has separated you from other people.”
Over and over again we hear these words; “I AM the LORD God; Ye shall be holy unto Me; for I, The LORD, am holy.”
Have you ever noticed that God doesn’t ask anything of His people that He hasn’t already done Himself?
He expects the same of us that He expects of Himself; holiness.
God desired for all people bearing His Holy Name to be different from the pagan nations that He was casting out of the Land of Canaan. He wanted them to be set apart and noticed as a nation that kept His laws and statutes.
AN INDIVIDUAL AND A NATIONAL REQUIREMENT
As I mentioned earlier; God never changes.
He still feels the same about this subject as He did back in the days of Moses.
God expects us to keep his laws and follow His ways and to live holy lives before Him.
This is an individual requirement and a national requirement.
THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST DEEPENED THIS COMMITMENT
Yes; it is true that so many things today are BEING MADE READY
Some things HAVE changed over time. They have become more relevant, have even deeper meanings and are even more important!
Our circumstances have changed; but our God has NOT changed.
We have known The Messiah; Jesus Christ. God sent Him to bring us mercy and forgiveness for our sins. That will always apply. It will always be true, even until all time passes away. This is something that God planned for mankind from the very foundation of the world.
It is this very fact; that Christ has come to save us; that emphasizes the fact that God would not have us to take His sacrifice of life and blood for granted. We must follow Jesus in all that He did while living on this earth.
Jesus ALWAYS obeyed God.
We are never to destroy or disrespect the sacredness of the Blood of Jesus by disobeying the laws and statutes that God has given us for our own best benefit.
GROWING FAITH REQUIRES STRENGTH AND MATURITY
Mature Christians always come to realize that God’s ways are to be followed if we expect to have abundant and holy lives.
Forgiveness and mercy are there when required; but faith requires gaining strength. It mean attaining more maturity in Christ as we travel down this dusty old road called life.
Those Israelis had a hot, dusty, desert floor to walk. Our journeys too are grounded in the very same laws they were required to observe. We should be writing them across our own hearts as we live out our lives today.
The children of God from all times and places are directed by God to come apart and be holy.
A LAND OF MILK AND HONEY
The promised-land that awaits us all in eternity will be flowing with milk and honey.
Abundant life forever awaits the followers of Messiah who desire to please God with all their hearts.
I whole-heartedly agree with Joanna Gaines’ statement that we all are being “made ready” for something wonderful and amazing; if we just stay the course and keep walking forward. God will always go before us and show us the best and most abundant way.