So, where are you going?

{Daily Selah}

In The Pilgrim's Progress, Evangelist urges Christian to leave the City of Destruction and begin the journey to the Celestial City.


Along the way, Christian faces dangers and troubles but also finds helping hands and encouragement along the way. When he sees Christ's cross and tomb, his burden falls away.


In the Valley of Humiliation, Christian meets the enemy head on. He overcomes the temptations presented by Vanity and others, escapes the Doubting Castle and its owner, the Giant Despair. 


Faithful, Ignorance, Hopeful, Goodwill, Error and Caution are just a few of the characters Christian meets along the way. Some help him on the journey and some try to turn him away from the path set out before him. 


It is a very old book, written in 1628, but John Bunyan's classic allegory, The Pilgrim's Progress provides an intuitive glimpse of the realities, trials and triumphs of the average Christian's journey in every era. 


In Exodus 40, we are given a glimpse of the very real journey taken by God's chosen people as He led them out of Egypt toward the Promised Land. 

Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. (Ex. 40:36 ESV)

Don't ever think God just puts His feet up and watches the show as we journey through this life. He is an active participant in the lives of those who love Him. He cares, He sees, He knows and He guides. In Exodus, He led His people in the right direction. He wasn't just allowing them to wander aimlessly. 

Sometimes they rebelled and went their own way, just as we sometimes do, but God always faithfully sent a warning or a consequence to direct them back to His ways, just as He does for us. Why? Because He loves us so very much. 

Also in Exodus, Moses had a request of the Lord on this journey.

Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. (Exodus 33:13 ESV)

Moses knew that he couldn't do it alone. So, he asked of God,  "Show me your ways, that I may know you." 

God did show Moses His ways and later, Moses stood before the congregation of the people and said, 

And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good? (Deuteronomy 10:12-13 ESV)

God also desires that you and I love him, serve Him and keep His commandments. And, like Moses, we can't do it alone either. In Moses' day, God's presence was visible to the people in the form of the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire that led them by day and by night. 

In our time, God's people don't usually have a visible manifestation of His presence, but we have the witness of the Spirit of God in our hearts, Who came to lead us by day and by night. 

When Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit, He said, 

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. (John 16:13 ESV)

We don't have to wander aimlessly through this life as though we are lost in a wilderness. We have the Holy Spirit to guide us on the journey. He guides us into all truth; He leads us on the journey. A GPS system may work well to get you from one point on this planet to another, but it can't direct you to God's Word or His way. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. 


Where does He lead? He leads us "into all the truth." That's where every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ should be going, getting closer to the Father and travelling in the direction of truth - real, everlasting truth - God's truth.

So, where are you going?


 {Daily Selah} is a mini-devotional, a pause to ponder about the Lord and how He wants us to live.

Wow! That's Crazy!

Daily Selah is a mini-devotional, a pause to ponder about the Lord and how He wants us to live.

Wednesday evenings are usually a bit hectic for my family as we hurry to get to church. Because of my work schedule, there's no time to cook dinner. Thankfully, my children are old enough to grab something to eat before I get home to rush them out the door and drive to church. 

Sometimes we are just a few minutes late but last night we arrived right on time. The boys headed off to youth group and I went into the sanctuary for the adult Bible study. 

I sat behind some people I'd never seen before. They shared with me after church that they were just travelling through the area. They were 2 sisters and a brother (probably in their late 20s to early 30s) who had driven a few hours to check on their mother who had been very ill. Other than that, I know little about them but got the impression they are fairly new believers. 

It's interesting how the Lord can use different people and different situations to teach us something when we least expect it. 

As Pastor was speaking on the work of the Holy Spirit to convict, I happened to noticed the young man in front of me absorbing every word. Pastor went on to say that without the law, we wouldn't know that we had sinned. It was almost as if a light bulb went off in this young man's mind. You could see from his expression that the Holy Spirit was bringing understanding to his heart.  

Then Pastor said that if Jesus hadn't fulfilled the law He couldn't have become our righteousness (1 Cor 1:30). And, it was because He became our righteousness and went back to the Father that He was able to send the Holy Spirit. (There were more details to explain that connection but I'm paraphrasing here.)

People who have been around church for a while might say something like, "Amen!" or, "That's right!" or, "Preach it!" when they want to agree with the preacher. 

Not the guy in front of me. He yells, "Wow! That's crazy!" 

It was obvious his intent was not disrespect but more like awe and amazement and praise all rolled into one outburst.

His response reminded me of Jesus' promise about another aspect of the work of the Holy Spirit.

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. - John 14:26

"He shall teach you all things..."  Think for a moment about what you know of the Lord and His Word. Whatever understanding you and I have of grace, mercy and salvation and of the love and character of God and of who we are in Christ, that understanding was brought to our hearts and minds by the Holy Spirit. 

The Bible is very clear that it weren't for the Holy Spirit's work, we would never know God, never be forgiven, never be saved and never inherit eternal life. Yet, surprisingly, some Christians shy away from the Holy Spirit and from teaching about Him.

Our response should be more like awe and amazement and praise all rolled into one outburst:

                     

              "Wow! That's crazy!"

Father, then You for giving us the law so we would know we are sinners in need of a Savior. Thank You for sending Your Son to fulfill the law and to atone for our sins. Thank You for the Holy spirit who opens our eyes to see You at work, opens our ears to hear Your truth and opens our hearts to receive Your love and enable us to love You in return. You are an awesome God and we stand in awe of You. We are amazed by You and praise You for who You are and what You have done for us. In Jesus' Name, Amen. 

Ever been unsure what to say next?

Just a little rambling here...

I've been working on a pretty in depth post and this afternoon just seemed to get stuck, unsure what to say next. There is a point, but the words just aren't there right now. In case you haven't noticed, that's not normally a problem for me. Perhaps sometimes I say a bit too much  :)

Have you ever been at a point in prayer where the same kind of thing happened and you just didn't know quite how to verbalize to the Lord what you wanted to say?

When I'm weak on words, I'm so glad God knows what is on my heart and that the Holy Spirit intercedes on my behalf with the Father. He does the same for you.

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. -Romans 8:26

I'm not a poet and I know it but the words below just seemed to flow right after I typed the above. So, there's a reason I couldn't finish what I was doing earlier. I guess we needed to focus on the Holy Spirit's intercession for us first.

Sometimes I don't know how to pray,
Just unsure of what to say.
The Spirit leads me to the throne
And I know I'm not alone.

He knows all my inner thought
And through Him the battle's fought.
Through Him there is such victory
And He opens my eyes to see. 

Clearer now He helps me see
God's throne is where I need to be.
And when I have no words to say,
The Spirit comes with me to pray. 





Let's take a quick look how The Message presents Romans 8:26...

...God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. 

Sometimes I have no words, but I'm so thankful that the Holy Spirit prays through me and for me. He prays perfectly, according to the Father's will, and knows exactly what is on my heart. Isn't that awesome?

Shavuot (Pentecost)

“And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.” (Exodus 34:22)




Shavuot, the Festival (or, feast) of Weeks, was a time God told Israel to set aside to give back to Him the first fruits of the wheat harvest. God's instructions for this feast are given in Leviticus 23:16-18, Numbers 28:26 and Deuteronomy 16:10.


Shavuot 2014 began the evening of June 3 and ends the evening of June 5.

The Greek word “Pentecost”, meaning 50, is used in the New Testament to refer to this day, noting the fact that the celebration takes place 50 days after Passover.


In Jewish tradition, Shavuot also coincides with “Zman Matan Torateynu” or “Season of the giving of the Law.” Rabbis later calculated, using biblical references, the time of the giving of the Law by God to Moses on Mount Sinai and discovered that it was during this time, the time of Shavuot.


Think about this... on the Day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts chapter 2, the entire nation of Israel was gathered to remember God's covenant with His people. The Holy Spirit was given on the same day God gave the Law to Moses!


The parallels between the giving of the Torah and the giving of the Spirit are remarkable.

WHEN THE LAW WAS GIVEN: “And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.” (Exodus 19:18).


WHEN THE SPIRIT WAS GIVEN: “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.” (Acts 2:1-3)



Shavuot marks the day Israel gave God the first fruits of the harvest. 

And, when God gave us His Spirit? Think about this...


“For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” Romans 8:22-23


Thank You, LORD God of Israel, my God, for giving us Your Word and for giving us Your Spirit so that we may know Your ways and be empowered to live for You.