Category: Devotions

WEDNESDAY 7^th

Numbers 21:4-9

NIV (v9) – ‘So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.’

ESV (v9) – ‘So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.’

By the time we get to this point in the book of Numbers, both Miriam and Aaron have died (Miriam 20:1, Aaron 20:28) and the people of Israel had become a little on the miserable and grumpy side. They started to complain to Moses, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.’ Somehow they had seemed to have forgotten that it was the LORD himself who had brought them up out of Egypt, they seemed to have not realised it was their own fault that they were still in the wilderness going around in circles, they complained about the servant of God, Moses, who was still God’s man for the moment and to top it all they were complaining about the manna which was one of God’s provisions for them, calling it ‘worthless food’! Imagine how poor old Moses must have felt, but then imagine how must God have felt, despite all he had done for them they were so ungrateful. As a result, we find that God caused venomous snakes to appear among them and if the people were bitten, they would die. To be honest at this point, you would have thought the people of Israel would have learned their lesson and quit their complaining, for it is only a few chapters earlier that we read that God had caused a plague to come among them because of their ongoing rebellion (see chapter 16 which closes by telling us that 14,700 died as a result of the plague). The trouble is old habits die hard, and once you start on a road of complaining or grumbling or murmuring, the further down the road you go the easier it is to continue doing it, and some people can be just like that, always complaining, nothing is ever right, or nothing is ever done in the right way, whoever’s job it is to do something, they could have done it better etc. Poor old Moses, but God steps in to deal with the problem. And because of the fiery snakes they repent saying ‘we have sinned against the LORD and against you’  and the Lord instructs Moses as what to do. We will consider the remedy tomorrow. To close today, may we constantly check our hearts and our attitude so that we will always be right before God and toward one another. Remembering we are all on a journey, we will all make mistakes or perhaps do something a little bit differently, but what matters is that who we are and what we are doing is always beneficial to the whole in moving us forward in God’s plan and purpose for us as  people of God in Gateshead. There is a place for and a proper way to deal with issues or matters of differences, but it is not through murmuring, grumbling or complaining, may we always seek to deal with anything in a good manner, in a godly way.

In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul refers back to our text for today, saying that this along with other lessons from the people of Israel has been recorded for our instruction, so that we take heed that we do not fall – ‘We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.’ (vv9-12)

‘Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labour in vain.’ Philippians 2:12-16

TUESDAY 6^th

Numbers 6:22-27

NIV – ‘. . . the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.’

ESV – ‘. . . the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.’

Our final word from this blessing is the word GIVE. I quote the Amplified Bible again here, ‘The LORD lift up his countenance (face) upon you [with divine approval], And give you peace [a tranquil heart and life].’

The people of Israel were going to face a lot as they journeyed, sometimes not knowing who or what they were going to meet around the corner, understandably from the human point of view fear and trepidation would fill their hearts, but in this blessing Aaron and his sons were invoking the peace of God to be given or granted to them. As the Amplified suggests the peace was to be an internal peace – a tranquil heart and an external peace, which would mean peace during external conflict. The people of Israel were going to know conflict, the journey was not going to be a bed of roses, but they could go through it knowing the peace of God was upon them and within them. Sadly, they did not always live in the peace that was available. For example, when the spies were sent to spy out the promised land, it filled the hearts of ten of them with fear – they saw the problems, the giants big and tall, the cities fortified and large, the people who occupied the area surrounding and it was a case of ‘forget it we cannot go up’. But there were two, who quietly and confidently trusted in the Lord, can I suggest they were filled with the peace that the blessing had granted them and they saw beyond the impossibilities to the possibilities because God was in the business. Deuteronomy records their verdict, ‘And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. If the LORD delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them.’

Sadly, the fear mongers still rebelled! Fear is a thief; fear will rob us of blessing if we allow it to fester in our lives. The fear of the unknown, the fear of the future, the fear of what if, the fear of stepping out (in faith), the fear of letting go, the fear of moving forward, the fear of change, etc. Fear robs us of peace! Jesus made a statement in Johns Gospel, ‘In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart (but be of good cheer), I have overcome the world’. (John 16:33) One of the names that was to be given to ‘the Son given and the Child born’ was the Prince of Peace, (Isaiah 9:6), while in discourse with his disciples, the Prince of Peace said, ‘Let not your heart be troubled, Believe in God, believe also in me.’ (John 14:1) He later continued with, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.’ (John 14:27) Paul then reminds us in Ephesians 2:14  ‘For he himself is our peace . . .’ and in Philippians 4:5-7, ‘The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.’

Whoever you are, wherever you are and whatever you as a child of God are faced with today, my prayer is that the LORD will lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace, internally, in your heart and life and externally in the midst of your life circumstances.

MONDAY 5^th

Numbers 6:22-27

NIV – ‘. . . the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; . . .’

ESV – ‘. . . the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; . . .’

Today’s word is obviously found within the text ‘GRACIOUS’.

This second aspect of the blessing is firstly asking the LORD to make his face to shine upon the people of Israel. I quote the Amplified again today, ‘The LORD make his face shine upon you [with favour], and be gracious to you [surrounding you with loving kindness]; . . .’

The request to ask the LORD’s face to shine upon them was to be asking that the LORD look upon them with favour, this was to invoke a special blessing that the LORD would act toward them in a more favourable way than he would toward all other people groups. I am almost reluctant to put it this way, but it was like asking that they would be God’s favourites, and why not, as they were God’s people, he had chosen them and they were called by his name.  We will see that this request was going to be evidently answered in that as they proceeded on their journey, and when they faced a battle, or when they came across enemies, we ask, who won? God’s people, and why, because his favour was upon them. (Now, it is important to realise the favour of God upon them was dependent upon them acting in obedience and in accordance to his ways) Take for example a later situation where the people of Israel were faced with the Philistine army, outnumbered and owing to the size of one of the men in the army they were in an impossible situation, but God’s favour was upon them, the LORD’s face still shone towards them and up stepped a puny little  shepherd boy in comparison to the giant called Goliath, a given result, Goliath of course! No, the LORD’s face was turned towards the skinny little farmers son, his face was toward the people of Israel, his favour was resting upon them and the battle belonged to the LORD and the ‘little one’ conquered.

In Romans 8:31 we read, ‘If God be for us, who can be against us’, the favour of the Lord today is upon his chosen people, both Israel and upon the Church. As we have come to him by faith, he bestows his favour upon us, his face is toward us, his grace and mercy flows not only into our lives but out though our lives. As the hymn writer puts it, ‘. . . grace for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine with ten thousand beside’   The same chapter in Romans lists so many things that will seek to come against us as the people of God, but because of his grace and favour Paul concludes with these words, ‘No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.’

Sometimes we may feel a little like the skinny shepherd boy when faced with the juggernaut of opposition that may be raised against us, but remember, we are God’s people, his face is turned towards us and he will be gracious towards us and we will prevail.

SUNDAY 4^th

Numbers 6:22-27

NIV – ‘The LORD bless you and keep you; . . .’  

ESV – ‘The LORD bless you and keep you; . . .’

This is the first of the three aspects of the Aaronic blessing and I have used the word GUARD.

It is initially a request for the LORD to bless the people of Israel, and as he had already blessed them so far since leaving Egypt, so he would continue to bless as they progressed in their journey toward the Promised land, and of course the blessing from God would also continue once they entered the land.

Here the blessing is asking for the LORD to keep them, or to guard them. As they progressed on their journey it wouldn’t always be straightforward, they would meet danger, sometimes seen and at other times unseen, sometimes expected and at other times unexpected. It may be from other people groups, it may be from climatic issues, it may be from wild animals such as bears or lions, it may even be from themselves as they sought to do things in their own way rather than adhering to the leading of Moses and eventually Joshua. Whatever way the dangers may come across their path, the blessing is to invoke the protecting power of Almighty God upon them.

The Amplified Bible puts this first part of the blessing as ‘The LORD bless you and keep you [protect you, sustain you, and guard you;] . . .’ In an earlier chapter, in Exodus 33 we have already learned that in telling Moses to move on and to progress on their journey the LORD had promised ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ (v14) In a later chapter in Numbers we read that the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them three days’ journey to seek out a resting place for them and that the cloud of the LORD was over them by day whenever they set out from a camp. And whenever they set out, Moses would say, ‘Arise, O LORD, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.’ (Numbers 10:33-36) On another occasion we read of the LORD causing a pillar of fire to lead them by night and a pillar of cloud by day, this would have been a reassuring sight for the people of Israel to be confident that the LORD was keeping (protecting, sustaining and guarding) them.

We are all familiar with Psalm 121, one of the ‘Songs of Ascent’, ‘I lift up my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.’ (vv1-2) The people of Israel knew this as there ongoing testimony of God’s protecting power upon them, through succeeding generations when history would seem to dictate that Israel should no longer exist, God’s hand of protection has been upon them, even though they have been through the fire, through the earthquake, through the flood, today the nation exists as a testimony to God’s keeping power and of his promises toward them.

I end today by reminding us that the God of Israel is also our God, and in Matthew 28:20 Jesus made a declaration, ‘And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’ This was a promise to the Church, which he had said he would build and that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18) And over the two thousand history of the Church age, the Church has also been through the fire, the earthquake and through the flood (metaphorically speaking), the gates of hell have thrown everything it possibly can against it, but they have not prevailed, the Church is continuing to be built, so that all around the globe there are men and women who have been washed in the precious blood of the Lamb, and the day will come when we shall meet together in the air, the Church built, the journey ended,  and God’s redemptive work completed.

May the LORD bless you and keep you –  individually but also us collectively as a local fellowship who are a part of the universal Church, may his presence be with us and go with us as we journey forward together.

SATURDAY 3^rd

Numbers 6:22-27

NIV – ‘The LORD said to Moses, Tell Aaron and his sons, This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: The LORD bless you and keep you;  the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace. So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.’

ESV – ‘The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,  The LORD bless you and keep you;  the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;  the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.’

I don’t know about you but when I think of the book of Numbers there are two Scriptures that would come to mind, the first is our text known as the Priestly blessing and the second is Numbers 32:23 which says ‘. . . be sure your sin will find you out.’

Today we will take the Priestly blessing, or Aaronic blessing which I am sure we are all familiar with and during this time of pandemic has become very recognisable as a piece of music that has been put together by using the wonders of modern technology where individuals in isolated places have combined their voices to make one song. (as an example I will post a link after the devotion)

This blessing is often used as a benediction, where we seek to invoke the blessing of God upon a company of God’s people. It easily forms three sections,

1. ‘The LORD bless you and keep you’
2. The LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you’
3. The LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace’

In the actual act of pronouncing the blessing upon the people of Israel, the Scripture says that Aaron and his sons would be putting the name of the LORD God upon them, thus we read later for example in 2 Chronicles 14:7 ‘If MY PEOPLE who are CALLED BY MY NAME.’ (emphasis mine)

The ones who are going to pronounce the blessing were Aaron and his sons, but the one who is going to bless is the LORD God himself and the ones who are going to be the recipients of his blessing are the people of Israel.

We will look at these three aspects of the blessing over the next few days, using three words, GUARD you, GRACIOUS to you and GIVE you.

Before we go into the three points, we know that this original blessing was from God to his chosen people, the people of Israel, and I re-echo today that God has not finished with Israel, they still are important and still have an important part to play in the outworking of God’s plan and purpose, but at the same time in accordance to his divine plan, God has also called out from among the world another people for himself, that is us the Church, the body of the Lord Jesus Christ and one day all things will be brought to completion on the day of Jesus Christ, and so as we read in 1 Peter 2:9-10 (‘But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.’) we the Church have also become a people of God and thus in the same way God chose for his name to be upon the people of Israel, so his name is upon the Church, thus as he blessed Israel and still blesses Israel with a particular blessing, so he blesses the Church.

To end todays devotion, I remind us of the Scripture: ‘Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!’ May they be secure who love you!’ (Psalm 122:6) May we find some time today to pray for Israel a nation that is so small in its land size and yet so big in the purpose of God, a nation that is surrounded by enemies and yet has the preserving hand of God over it.

FRIDAY 2^nd

Numbers 12:1-16

NIV (v10) –  ‘When the cloud lifted from above the tent, Miriam’s skin was leprous—it became as white as snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease . . .’

ESV (v10) – ‘When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous.’

We come to the book of Numbers today and I am jumping straight in toward the middle!

The book of Numbers commences with a census in chapter one and a second census in chapter 26. The first census takes place around a year after the people of Israel have left Egypt in the Exodus, then the second takes place around another thirty-eight years later. In the years between the two census’ the people of Israel eventually move from Sinai, (Numbers 1:1) wander through the wilderness (Numbers 10:12) and eventually arrive at the Plains of Moab (Numbers 22:22). During this period, they faced many varied situations as they progressed on their journey toward the promised land. There were times when they were happy to obey, times when they chose to rebel and times when they chose to grumble and even oppose the man who God had appointed as their leader, but the amazing things is that God never failed them and his provision, protection and presence was always toward them. But we also read that God sometimes needed to deal with them in what we may consider to be harsh ways, but they were ways in which God was going to purge them from anything that was displeasing toward him and would be damaging toward the camp as a whole.  An example is found in Numbers 12: where Aaron and Miriam oppose Moses and as a result God caused a leprous skin to form on Miriam.

It takes my mind to Hebrews 12 where we read ‘. . .  And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.’

Sometimes God needs to discipline us has his children, and just as God had to deal with Miriam, he also may need to deal with us, not because God wants to punish us to hurt us, but so that he can purge us, and use the discipline as a means of correcting us and as this Scripture says to yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness. I remember when I was in Bible College back in 1980-81 we were all given a portion of Scripture in which we were to prepare a ten minute word to present before the lecturer and the college class, my lot fell to speak on these verses from Hebrews. I do not remember what I shared, but I can remember thinking why me? Why can’t I have been given some easier verses!? Who wants to talk about being disciplined? I do not even remember what comments I received afterwards, but I wonder if I had been given these difficult Scriptures because at that time I needed to be disciplined and purged!!

The strange thing is that it is still a subject we would rather not talk about, spiritual discipline or what perhaps would be known as Church discipline, it is very rarely practised today – hopefully that is because we are all behaving extremely well in God’s family! See just as there can be tension and strife within a natural family, so there can be within the spiritual family, and the best way to deal with it is to get to the root and cut it out, stop it before it causes unrepairable damage. The incident with Moses, Aaron and Miriam was a natural family incident as they were brothers and sisters, but it also spilled over to become a spiritual matter because they were in positions of leadership within the people of Israel. If it had been left undealt with, it could have had a devastating effect upon the whole. I am not sharing this because I think there are matters within our camp that need dealing with, not at all, but just within the context of doing the devotions it could be so easy to gloss over things when instead it is beneficial to be reminded of Godly principals, and spiritual discipline is one of those Godly principals.

We need to constantly remind ourselves that there are many things that if left unchecked can be damaging to the whole, just like we read about a little yeast spoiling the whole in the process of making unleavened bread, murmurings, gossip, roots of bitterness, malicious language, foolish talk, back biting, the list could go on, my prayer is that God will help us all to be kept in the place of having hearts and lives that are pliable and open to his discipline, to keep the leaven out so that the whole can be perfectly formed.

OCTOBER

THURSDAY 1^st

Leviticus 25:8-17

NIV (v10) –  ‘Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each of you is to return to your family property and to your own clan.’

ESV (v10) – ‘And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan.’

I remember the words of a song we used to sing many years ago, ‘This is the year of jubilee, this is the year of jubilee, when all the captives are set free, come ye halt, ye blind, and lame, sing and shout for joy again, this is the year of Jubilee.’

Then there is this another by Ron Kenoly:

This is the season of Jubilee (echo)

Singing and dancing for you and me (echo)

Thanking and praising because we’re free (echo)

Oh this is the year of Jubilee (echo)

Put your hands together

Everybody praise the Lord

Put your hands together

Sing and shout and praise the Lord

Everything that was stolen shall be returned unto me

Mother father sister brother they will all go free

Everything that was stolen shall be returned unto me

Singing dancing praising shouting increase and victory

The year of Jubilee was established by the LORD himself to enable the people of Israel who had become slaves or bond servants to be liberated, during that year they were able to return to their own families and their family property. It happened every fifty years, and the years in between each jubilee governed the amount for which a property would be purchased or sold for. It was a year that spoke of freedom therefore it was year that would have been looked forward too with great anticipation and once arrived filled with great thanksgiving, joy and celebration.

The wonder of the Cross is that we do not have to wait every fifty years for captives to be set free, but it is possible 24/7, it also means there is no pricing structure based on the intervening years between each fifty, regarding the home being prepared for us,  but rather at Calvary the whole cost has been met in full, Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe, sin had left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow, and just as the released slaves would have celebrated in the year of Jubilee, so we who have been set free at Calvary celebrate with songs of joy and victory. But our song is an everlasting song, the freedom we have received is an eternal freedom, the Psalmist said, ‘. . . you have put a new song on my lips, even a hymn of praise to our God.’ Another song that did the rounds was ‘My shackles are gone’, as you are reading this devotion have you been set free, have you had your jubilee by coming to the Cross and receiving a full and complete redemption? Have you known the shackles of sin to be broken, have you known what it is to be set free?

Finally, in the year of jubilee, the freed slaves from among the people of Israel were allowed to return to family, at the Cross, our place of jubilee, we are reconciled to our Heavenly Father.

My shackles are gone

My spirit is free

Oh praise the Lord,

He lifted me,

My sins are forgiven

And now I am free

Oh praise the Lord, my shackles are gone

My spirit is free

WEDNESDAY 30^th

Leviticus 20:7

NIV (v7) – ‘Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God.’

ESV (v7) – ‘Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God.’

One of the most important themes in the book of Leviticus is that of holiness. In the previous chapters the LORD had been instructing the people of Israel with regard to how they should live, giving them instructions about personal hygiene, what they could or could not eat, what they were allowed to wear, relationships, and that which would be considered as acceptable worship.

Aaron and his sons had been consecrated into the office of the priesthood (chapter 8) and they were to represent the people before God, but almost immediately two of Aarons sons decide to do their own thing instead of following God’s instruction and God caused a fire to come out of his presence which consumed them, and they died before the LORD. (chapter 10:1-2) This was an extremely visible and tangible sign to the priests and the people of Israel that God commands obedience toward his law and instructions. After the death of the two sons we read, ‘Then Moses said to Aaron, This is what the LORD has said: Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.’  (chapter 10:3) The NIV translates it as ‘. . . among those who approach me I will be proved holy, . . .’ It was a very clear reminder of the holiness of God, and that what had just been witnessed was a evidence of God’s holiness, he could not and cannot accept anything whether in word or deed that stands in opposition to holiness, therefore he has the right to deal with it as he sees right and fit. In our text which is a few chapters later from this account of the sons of Aaron, we have a very sure reminder again of the need for holiness. ‘Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God.’ The problem was, how could the people of Israel be holy, they were fallen humanity, they were sinful, they like Aarons sons would also fail? But God continues ‘Keep my statutes and do them; I am the LORD who sanctifies you.’ (20:8) God had made a way possible and it was through obedience and as they obeyed, he would sanctify or make them holy.

I know I have mentioned the subject of holiness a number of times before, but if it keeps coming up in the Word of God, it should also keep coming up in our study and meditation of the Word of God, and the same command to be holy that was given to the people of Israel is also given to us, the Church which we read of as an example in 1 Peter 1:15-16 ‘. . . but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy.’ And I ask the same question how can we be holy, as we too are fallen humanity and sinful? The answer comes in that God has made a way in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, where we would fail, he never failed, he not only kept the law, he also fulfilled it and through his obedience in going to Calvary, he is able to perfect all who come to him by faith, (‘For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified’ Hebrews 10:14) his obedience means that we are accepted in the beloved and when God looks at us, he sees Jesus, and he sees us as sanctified by his blood and standing in righteousness. So, if we want to remain holy, then we need to keep close to Jesus, we need to obey his Word, we need to live lives of total surrender.

‘Jesus keep me near the Cross, there a cleansing fountain . . .’

TUESDAY 29^th

Leviticus 19:9-18

NIV (v18) – ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbour as yourself. I am the LORD.’

ESV (v18) – ‘You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am the LORD.’

So far in my devotions I have kept away from some of the matters that are making headline news at this moment of time, but they fall some part within the context of this verse. ‘. . . you shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ And I want to make it clear that I absolutely agree that black lives matter, but at the same time I want to emphasise that all lives matter, regardless of age (i.e. a baby in the womb or a person nearing the end of life) regardless of health, (to be treated with dignity and care) regardless of race, colour, class, or nationality. The Scripture is abundantly clear that ‘God so loved the world’ and that because of the Cross there will be an innumerable host gathered around the throne from every people, tribe, and tongue and nation. That means there will be people of every skin colour, of every race, of every tribe and of every nation. There is no doubt that there will not be any such thing as racism or prejudice in heaven. The problem is here on earth, and it matters not whatever our skin colour is, whatever our race may be etc. the Scripture says that we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s standard. Sin is the problem, and when the problem of sin is dealt with there should not be any room for racism or prejudice in the believer’s heart.

We cannot and must not erase out of the history books that which has taken place in the past, we need each succeeding generation to learn from the past and make sure that on many issues history does not repeat itself again, imagine if all the faults and the failings that are found in the Scripture to do with the people of Israel in particular were written out of history, we the people of God today would not have a record from which we can learn lessons and our Scriptures would contain a lot less pages! What does need wiping out or blotting out is our own personal sin and failure and thank God that that is the power that is to be found in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Blood that cleanses and erases, blood that gives us a total brand new start, blood that unites us together as one family, the family of God that is taken from out of every tribe, every tongue and every nation and makes us to become a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God. (Revelation 5 & 1 Peter 2:5)

In Luke 19, the rich young ruler asks Jesus ‘What must I do to receive eternal life?’ Jesus asks him ‘What does the law say? The man replied, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.’ We know this story so well, we call it the parable of the good Samaritan, that ends with Jesus telling the young man, ‘Go and do likewise’. All lives matter, may we learn to love with the love of Jesus and share his love to the whomsoever.

MONDAY  28^th

Leviticus 3

NIV – No particular verse

ESV – No particular verse

Today I am going to continue from the theme of yesterday, where I mentioned  about our opportunity as believers to bring our tithe and offering.

In a much earlier devotion, I wrote about the offerings that both Cain and Abel brought before God found in Genesis 4:1-5, Cain brought some of his fruit while Abel brought an offering from the firstborn of his flocks. Cain’s was rejected, Abel’s was accepted and verses 7 says, ‘If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?’ What was given indicated whether the person was accepted or not, the action reflected the condition of the heart. (spiritually)

In the New Testament, we have a portion of Scripture that tells us about Jesus watching as the people gave their offering in the Temple, and it says, ‘And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.’ One of the Bibles I use, has this note attached to these verses, ‘Jesus’ comparison of the percentages contributed by the rich and the poor reminds us that God measures not what we give, but how much we retain.’* The rich were throwing their money in and it didn’t really  bother them, they wouldn’t miss it, they had plenty, but the poor widow knew she could do so much with her two coins, but realised what she had was only hers because of God’s goodness and she gave out of her poverty knowing she had a faithful God.

The rich like Cain thought  that giving out of their abundance would make them acceptable to God, but instead it was the poor widow  who received the commendation. The rich still had plenty after they had given, the poor widow had nothing – well not quite, she had God’s commendation and as we give, it is important that we don’t give to get noticed, we don’t give with an attitude, ‘well I can afford it’, or with an attitude that we have given more than someone else, we give out of whatever we have, whether large or small to please God, to acknowledge his goodness, to further the work of the gospel and  as an act of worship, to receive his commendation rather than the commendation of man.

* The NIV Foundation Study Bible Zondervan