I hope you are enjoying this daily reading as much as I am. There is always more to learn, every time we read the Bible through. Be sure to post your comments as you might have some.
Numbers 3,4
Who ever said that our God does things randomly? They didn’t read these chapters in Numbers.
When you think of all the order in the universe, and all of the consistency – of seasons, of plant life, animals, you know that our God is an orderly God. Think of all of the design work it took to make this all run smoothly.
Well we see some of that concept in Numbers. The tabernacle was in a tent and it had to be moved when the Israelites moved. God didn’t just say, “Pick it up and move it.” He said who was to be in charge of each item, and exactly how they were to cover it (even which color the cloth was to be), how to wrap it, and how that it was to be carried on poles to the next location. Such detail! Nothing was left for questioning.
All of this shows the order of God and it also shows how significant the tabernacle was to Him. This was where His presence would be for the children of Israel, and He wanted it honored.
Today, we are His tabernacle, if we are Christians. This attitude makes me reflect on just how important our bodies are to God. He wants them to be pure and holy. Not full of drugs or alcohol, not tainted with impure sex, not defiled by filling the mind with garbage from the world, but pure and holy.
It makes you think doesn’t it?
Mark 3:20-35
Isn’t it interesting that Jesus’s own family couldn’t figure out what He was up to? His mother, who had had the visitation from Gabriel and the virgin birth of her Son, still couldn’t recognize what was going on when Jesus began His ministry. She and her other sons thought Jesus had gone “mad,” and went to take Him home. (v 20, 31,32).
They didn’t know what to look for. Here was Jesus, who had always been a good boy, but rather normal, now was operating in supernatural powers. He was healing the sick, and many were coming to Him for that. His family couldn’t understand it.
Have you ever had a similar experience? I have. I came to the Lord at a very low moment in my life. My family knew that I had been under a lot of pressure, and when I suddenly turned “radical” for the Lord, they were worried about me. Suddenly I was talking about the baptism in the Holy Spirit, about laying hands on the sick for healing, and about dreams and visions. Since we had always been in a traditional church which didn’t operate in those things, my parents were very questioning.
Soon, though, they realized that the new-found joy in my life had to be from God. Instead of depression, I was exhibiting new energy and vision for my life. They came to realize that what was happening to me was real and not fake. The Holy Spirit was truly working.
When Jesus, in verses 33-35, seems to reject His family, I am reminded of the passage where He says, He who does not hate father , mother, etc. cannot be My disciple. (That really means “love less,” not “hate”). He is saying that when you are a disciple of Jesus, you must follow Him, even when your family doesn’t understand.
I have known people over the years who started out on a journey with the Lord. He was speaking to them, they were leaning more, and they were stepping into a deeper walk with Jesus. But then the traditions of the family entered in and stopped the journey. The family was offended at the new direction, and the new disciples caved in to their demands. That was always very sad to me.
What I found in my life was that as I continued, my parents came to realize that my new walk was a legitimate one, and they too began to seek more. The convincing element for the family is fruit of the Spirit. As they see love, joy, peace, and all of those things in Galatians 5:22 working in your life, they have to concede that God is involved.
So don’t let your family stop you from seeking more. You be a forerunner for them. As they see you learning new things from the scripture and applying them to your life, your family will want what you have. You will help them to find a greater life than they new existed.
Blessings,
Suellen Estes
