Tag: Jesus Loves You

One and Done for You

Leviticus 1:1-2 The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting.  He said, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When any of you brings an offering to the Lord, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock.’”

I’ve been reading the book of Leviticus and I struggled through the first 7 chapters because they were about all the sacrifices/offerings that the Israelites were instructed to give to God.  The verses weren’t gruesome or anything like that, but they were very detailed.  There were verses about burnt offerings, grain offerings, fellowship offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings. There were instructions about which animals to use and what parts of the animals to use. Some parts of the animals were to be burned, some parts eaten by the priest and some parts eaten by the person giving the sacrifice.  All in all, there are 171 verses with very specific details on how all the different offerings are to be made. 

Honestly, as I was reading these verses, I thought to myself, “Wow, I’m super glad I didn’t live 1400 years before Jesus.  There is no way I would be able to remember all this.”  I mean, it’s not like they could whip out a pen and paper to take notes.  They didn’t have cell phones to record the sacrifices so they could remember how to do them again the next time.  If I lived back then, I think I would have been terrified that I would forget something.

In the Old Testament, an animal’s life was given to save the life of a person in the form of a sacrifice. But this was only a temporary fix because people would sin again and again.  Luckily, we were born after the most important sacrifice was made. That sacrifice was Jesus dying on the cross.  In John 1:29 it says, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Jesus was called the Lamb of God because he was sent to us from God to be the ultimate sacrifice so that we no longer had to sacrifice animals or grain to be forgiven.  Jesus died for us so that we could be made right before God forever and spend eternal life with Him in heaven.  One sacrifice that never has to be done again. One and done for you. 

Jesus, thank you for giving your life as a sacrifice for mine. You are the most incredible example of love.  You fill me up with joy and happiness.  Please open my eyes to see others that need to hear the good news of about your love and sacrifice for them.  Help me to be a reflection of you.  Amen.

Nuggets of Joy, Peace, and Perseverance

Philippians 4:12-13 “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

Have you read Philippians? Oh my goodness it is chock full of some amazing verses about joy and peace and perseverance. It is only 4 short chapters and fills up just 12 pages in my study Bible but it sooo good. Paul was in prison in Rome when he wrote this letter to the church that he started in Philippi. Did you read that…Paul was IN PRISON and his letter was about joy and peace and perseverance?

Clearly Paul’s joy does not come from his outward circumstances but from his inward strength. Strength that he gets from being filled with the Holy Spirit and having a relationship with Christ. In fact, Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all THIS through him who gives me strength.” That doesn’t mean God will give him supernatural strength to escape from prison or single handedly conquer the Romans or even convince the prison guards to let him go. It means with or without earthly things, Paul will have the strength to do THIS. And what is THIS you ask?  It is to persevere in his mission to spread the good news of Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.

You may not be in prison like Paul, but it is super easy to be discouraged about your circumstances or to take unimportant events too seriously. Would you like to worry less like Paul?  Would you like to have strength like Paul? I’ve got the answer for you. Pray more. Worship more. I saw a meme that my dad posted this week on social media, and it made the answer so clear to me.  It said:

Worship can get you through

the roughest times in your life

because it shifts your focus

from the problem

to the problem solver.

True peace comes from knowing God is in control. When you believe that, I mean truly believe that God has a plan and is in control, it will guard your mind from worry and anxiety. Like Philippians 4:7 says, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” I know, easy to say but hard to do. So, I encourage you to give it a try this week. Whenever you start to worry, stop and pray, worship, and read (or reread) Philippians. Search for the nuggets of joy, peace, and perseverance that Paul is sharing in this letter and imagine it was written specifically for you. Your week will be so much better for it. It was for me, for today I have joy.

Lord God, thank you for the words you gave us through your servant Paul. Words that are meant to guide us to a strong personal relationship with you. Keep my eyes focused on the strength that you give me and not my earthly circumstances. Amen

Through Every Season, He Has A Plan

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Most people have heard this Bible verse before but probably do not know the context of the passage.  This was part of a letter that Jeremiah, a prophet, wrote to the surviving people from Jerusalem that had been exiled to Babylon.  The letter was a message from God to His people (people just like you and me).  In a nutshell, God wanted His people to know that even though they were living through a difficult season, they should not stop living.  He encouraged them to build houses, plant gardens, get married and have children.  Carry on.  Keep living.  Even though their life was not perfect, He said to keep living it.  God even said they should pray for Babylon because if it prospers, they will prosper too.  God wants them to prosper because he is going to bring them back to Jerusalem one day.  Then He says it.  “For I know the plans I have for you.  Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” 

Did you hear that?  God has plans for you.  Through every season of your life, He has a plan.  When you feel abandoned, lost, helpless, or tired, like the people of Israel did, He has a plan.  When you face struggles, fears, sorrows or disgrace, He has a plan.  You may not be able to see the plan but it is there.  And the plan is good because God is good.

So how do you get through the hard times?  How do you survive the difficult season? The key is to lean into God during those times.  Jeremiah 29:13 (two verses later) says that “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all you heart.”  So when you find yourself in that season and things are weighing you down, keep on going, lean into God, seek Him through His word and keep on living.  Build a house, plant a garden, get married and have children.  And when you come out on the other side, the plan will be clear.

Lord, thank you for being with me through the good times and the bad.  Thank you for loving me enough to have a plan.  I have faith in you and I know that no matter what, you will bring me through this season of my life.  I love you.  Amen.

What is your idol?

Exodus 20:3-4 “You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.”

I have struggled this week to put down my phone and pick up my Bible. So much so that I’ve started to wonder if my phone has become an idol to me. So, I looked up the word idol and one definition says, “an image or representation of a god used as an object of worship.” I thought “phew” I don’t do that. I don’t worship my phone. But I kept researching to see what else I could find on the subject.  Another person defined an idol as “anything you give your life to. Anything you pour every ounce of your energy into in hopes of bringing you the things you desire in return”.

Was I doing that? Was I pouring my time and energy into using my phone to bring me things I desired? I didn’t think so, but I thought I’d check out the “Screen Time” feature on my phone to see exactly what I was doing and how long I was doing it. I’m embarrassed to say what I found. I spent an average of 5 ½ hours on my phone per day this week! The majority of the time was on games, Facebook, and text messages. I’m sorry to say my Bible App was #5 on the list.

So, if I’m sleeping for 8 hours, at work for 10 hours (including lunch and drive time) that only leaves me 6 hours to do everything else in a 24-hour day and I’m spending 5 ½ of it on my phone!?! Wow, that is not good.

More research provided this insight. “Incessant engagement with games might direct my heart and love toward achievement and competition shaping my identity as one whose longings are met in success.  Posting my every move on Facebook might be directing my heart and love toward being noticed or admired shaping my identity as one whose longings are met in social status.” Goodness, this is starting to hit a little too close to home for me. Am I seeking a feeling of success and social status with my phone? I guess if I’m being honest, I am. But my identity shouldn’t be tied up in that, it should be firmly planted in God.

I shouldn’t need to seek success and social status to give me a sense of identity.  It says in the Bible that God will give me all that I need. Matthew 6:33 says “Seek the kingdom of God above all else and live righteously and he will give you all that you need.” He will fill me up and give me a sense of identity if I turn to him for those things and if I direct my heart and love toward him.

Do you relate to any of this? Are you putting something first in your life before God? What is framing your identity? What practical steps can you take to help you with your relationship with God? Me personally, I’m going to use the App Limits feature on my phone to set an amount of time that I am allowed to be on games and social media per day next week. When the time limit is reached, the app won’t open. That will be a gentle reminder to open my Bible instead of my phone. What practical change can you make this week that will help strengthen your relationship with God?

Lord, I want to grow in my relationship with you. Please give me the wisdom to turn to you when I need to see my identity. You promise to give me all that I need and I trust you to fill me up. Amen.