Our Family In Christ

"To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father" - Colossians 1:2

What a joy to know that in Christ I have been elevated to sainthood. The fellowship of the saints is God’s family. Even as our experiences of an earthly family may be a combination of blessing and trial, the eternal family is God’s idea and we, the followers of Christ are part of it. Jesus is the head and we, the church, are the bride. We, the saints, are the holy partakers of this perfect union. Our understanding and imagination cannot fathom that. I can’t.  But as the Bible says that we see only in part now, but in heaven we’ll see fully, we'll not only understand this, but we'll enjoy it. We should allow our hearts to be filled with hope and eagerness when we think of that.  What a joy to enjoy this in the land of the living. What a joy to have this time to get ready for such an event! Let us faithfully continue pursuing godliness. Sainthood is our last name. How awesome is that? When God looks at me He delights on Jesus’ righteousness & loveliness on me, just as a dad delights on her daughter. Lord please make our hearts bubble up in continuous praise as we ponder on this truth.

The Opinion Which Really Matters

"Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it". -1 Samuel 31:4

It's just amazing to see how much one can learn from the life of Saul about what NOT to do. I know that down the road in the history of Israel there are many godless kings, but I wonder if we are given as many details about the psychological and spiritual make up of any as we have been about the life of Saul. I think Samuel did a great job with this. 

One of the many things that strike me from this verse is Saul's persistence on putting his fear of men above his almost void fear of God. We can see this pattern through so many examples in his life. Here specially, by deciding to kill himself, he shows complete contempt for the One that can "kill the soul", and instead feared, to the point of committing suicide, those who can just "kill the body". Mathew 10:28. What more disdain can you show God? Saul denies God's power, sovereignty and precedence above all, and I don't even want to think about what he faced after dying. I know this can sound presumptuous, and nobody should make a final judgement of somebody's eternal fate. But, the circumstances of his death certainly makes one wonder! I know that many people in today's modern society show the same disdain for God, to such point that they don't even understand the concept of sin. That is why in our endeavours to share the gospel we might need to start with bringing attention to God as our Holy creator and the existence of hell. 

A good application for those of us who are on our christian pilgrimage towards eternity with God is to think that putting fear of men over a proper fear of God may lead us to miss God's perfect purpose for our life. Well, thank Jesus for those times where we stumble and His grace covers us and restores us. We Christian should not live in fear of making mistakes, we will make mistakes, but we have an advocate in Christ who restore us and send us off to go on again after we have asked for forgiveness. (1 John 1:9). We have been and are being perfected in Christ. As long as we continue abiding in Him, we are safe. However, this lesson from Saul's life spurs me to always keep my fear of God in the proper place. I do really want to live as the opinion that really matter is God's.

"Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in." Psalm 24:7

“Jesus is the only One who has defeated death” -Baucham. He opened up the gates of Heaven so that we can come after Him. He’s the door to heaven. May all the doors of our hearts be completely open to His kingship. May we be a holy sanctuary for His indwelling. May He posses all that we are. May He hold the deed to all the land of our souls. May we not keep anything for ourselves, so that we risk to lose it all. “He’s not fool who give what he cannot keep, to keep what he cannot lose”-Elliot

Cross-references: John 10:7, Revelation 3:20

The Real Source of Courage in the Face of Trials

"Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of God" Hebrews 12:2

"Real courage is not the absence of fear, it is the presence of joy."~Keller..Real courage doesn't come from the hope that our awareness, conscience and feelings will cease as Cicero said, but instead, that they'll reach unimaginable heights which will produce in us inexpressible joy! In Christ, "death is not longer the executioner but the gardener."  May this courage, which Jesus modeled to us, be with us as we step into this beautiful day!

The Difference Between Complaining and Praying

"Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat." Numbers 11:13

Even as this passage has a sad end, I was reminded of the power of prayer. Though Moses was the leader of Israel, this wasn't a model prayer. We see that Moses also was a human who had been hit with the punch of exhaustion. This is the second time that we see Moses overburdened with his leadership of Israel. The first time he was advised by his father in law to get elders to help him judge among the people. So apparently, Moses took his God-assigned responsibilities with much zeal and continued giving far and beyond on his call for duty. I think God knew this, and It's amazing how God saw thru the fog of his hopeless cry for help and still responded with wisdom and help. I think that is the beauty of prayer..even as often it is done by those who care for us, when are too exhausted to do it. Jesus is actually continuously interceding for us. Hebrews 7:25) And the Lord always respond to it according to his infinite wisdom. We may not get exactly what we ask for, but we normally get what He thinks is best in that specific situation. In this case Moses got the help that he needed thru 70 more elders. 

Now, God is not pleased with complaining which is a blunt rejection of his perfect will. (Phil 4:6) Thus, the results of complaining are always dim and we can clearly see how God wanted Israel to learn that He's certainly powerful to respond to their needs, but also a God that loves discipline so that we learn to ask Him in a way that is pleasing to His will.

Letting God Set the Pace in your Life Journey

"So they set out from the mount of the LORD three days’ journey. And the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them three days’ journey, to seek out a resting place for them." Numbers 10:33

Interesting how God gave the Israelites green light to start a new phase in their pilgrimage towards the promised land. They needed to get the instructions and the preparation they got from their stationary experience in Mount Sinai. In the same way, God has a special purpose for every season He allows in our lives, and we need to learn to be led by the Holy Spirit so we can walk thru and stay in every season in complete sync with the creator of the journey and its destination. As my youth pastor once told me, don't be afraid, if you trust Him, he'll never let you get lost. In fact, He's given us a plain revelation of our destination: Christ-likeness. (Romans 8:29). In every season and every stretch, whether it feels like life is quite stationary or moving forward by leaps and bounds, God is forming Christ in us. It takes a life journey to get there, but that is the destination and we will safely arrive. It's His promise to us. (Phil 1:6) Let us enjoy the ride and let Him set the pace.  

Obeying When is Hard or Even When You Don't Understand

"At the command of the LORD the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the LORD they camped. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp." Numbers 9:18

"At the command"..what a powerful statement! Interesting how the Lord would make them stand in the camp for longer periods of time and often even without an explanation. It almost looks like being in a boot camp with God to learn to obey. Interesting how it seems that the Lord was preparing his people for obedience so that they could accomplish the plans He had set for them. He knows that fulfilling our God's given purpose requires to follow him step by step even as very often we neither understand His every move nor the whole picture. But let's take heart, someday we will!..Well, or as I heard before, perhaps when the day arrives for us to understand, we would not bother anymore, because being in His presence would quiet all our questions and longings, filling us with surpassing joy and fulfilment. Oh that we would reach that worshipping level of obedience and trust! Teach us Oh LORD!

N.T - Cross-Reference: John 14:15, John 14:21

Same Honor, Different Tasks..Thank God!

"And the LORD said to Moses, “They shall offer their offerings, one chief each day, for the dedication of the altar". Numbers 7:11

This passage makes me think about the same place of honor, yet the different tasks God has given to husbands and wives in marriage. In Ephesians 5:23-33 the specific headship role assigned to husbands doesn't come freely, it comes with a weighty responsibility. Look at how Paul describes the wives' responsibility to submit to and respect their husbands in just two verses, whereas he takes almost ten to eleven verses to describe the responsibility of husbands, which include dying for their wives. In the same way the chiefs of the houses of Israel were called to lead by giving a generous and special offering from their own treasure. They were called to lead by example with their own lives. I bet they were the first ones to go out to battle as well. Costly leadership. Servant leadership..What an honor!

A Different Task for Everyone, the Same Glory for All

"According to the commandment of the LORD through Moses they were listed, each one with his task of serving or carrying. Thus they were listed by him, as the LORD commanded Moses". Numbers 4:49

I just love the way God in his perfect wisdom doesn't disregard the community for the individual nor the individual for the community. This conflict between individualism and community is an old dog in the ranks of the "isms"..But only in God's design for humankind can we find perfect harmony between these two. God has designed every person with a specific set of features to fulfill a unique role, a role that would make his community richer, better functioning and more complete.  And as in a cyclical way, this enhanced community would help every individual fulfill his purpose. All happening through the power of the Holy Spirit and for the glory of God. 

I know this passage refers primarily to the Levites in the Old Testament, and it is mostly applied to the church in conjunction with Paul's reference to the parts of the body in 1 Corinthians 12. But I think we can also apply it to the community as a whole. After all, God's vision of community is parallel to His vision for the church.

God is the One who Trains our Hands for Battle

"The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, "The people of Israel shall camp each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers' houses. They shall camp facing the tent of meeting on every side.. Thus did the people of Israel. According to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so they camped by their standards, and so they set out, each one in his clan, according to his fathers' house." Numbers 2: 1-2, 34

I know, it's true. God has already won the victory for us. Satan is defeated. However, until his sentence is executed, he's trying to take down with him as many as he can! That's why we need to be ever prepared for battle. This chapter makes me think about how God was preparing Israel for battle. He had already told them that they will be victorious. He had already given them the land He promised to them. But they still had to fight and take it over. Not on their own strength, but on God's. I see in these verses that God wanted to make sure that His presence -"the tent of meeting' was at the center of the camp. So when God is at the center of our lives we are victorious. Also he was giving them precise instructions and strategies. In the same way is the daily guidance of the Holy Spirit and our willing obedience that guarantees the victory that God wants to pass on to us. What a great picture and insight on how to fight our present spiritual battles. Psalm 18:34 & Psalm 144:1

It is His Righteousness & Not Our Own 

“When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom.”

‭‭Job‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬

I wonder if when God stated that Job was a blameless man, he meant something different from "Sinless" man. According to the Bible, there's only one perfect one, and that is Jesus. (Rom 3:23, Heb 7:26, 2 Cor 5:21).  It's common to hear that Job didn't do anything to deserve the ordeal God allowed Satan to bring to his life. However, there a few places in the story of Job that make me wonder about Job's need to understand God's grace as undeserved and freely granted to ALL of us sinners. Maybe Job needed to learn that God's grace couldn't be purchased, and that he indeed was unrighteous, and in need of mercy? There wasn't enough righteousness he could muster up to earn God's favour. God gives grace freely out of His goodness and desire to whom and how He wants. He actually established faith and repentance as the only currency that could be accepted to draw God’s grace towards us. "Repentance" asserts our agreement with His holiness in conflict with our sin, and "faith" asserts His sovereignty in providing a way to fix that problem. Job needed to have an encounter with the Holy God of Israel and accept that only God's grace, and not his own righteousness was enough to save him, and that is what he needed to teach to his children, instead of "buying" righteousness on their behalf. Here a couple more verses for further consideration of the potential pride and self-righteousness that needed removal from Job's heart:  Job 27:6, Job 29:23. I think this understanding increases the appreciation of Job's repentance in chapter 42: Job 42:5-6.

As for me, I am incredibly humbled by this, because I am not sure I couldn't do much better than Job, if the Lord allows such trials in my life. I praise God that He uncensoredly recorded this story for the benefit of us, His saints. (1 Cor 1:11). I am also very grateful that we can confidently cling to Jesus in our time of weakness. (Rom 7:24-25, Heb 12:2, Heb 4:14-15),  So glad we are not in these life battles alone, but in Him, we are more than conquerors! May our lives be marked by continued repentance at the feet of the cross where we 're also promised to receive continued forgiveness and new life!