REMEMBER GOD'S CHOSEN LEADERS

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“The priests, who are Levites - indeed the whole tribe of Levi - are to have no allotment or inheritance with Israel. They shall live on the offerings made to the Lord by fire, for that is their inheritance. They shall have no inheritance among their brothers; the Lord is their inheritance, as He promised them.”

“This is the share due the priests from the people who sacrifice a bull or a sheep: the shoulder, the jowls, and the inner parts. You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the first wool from the shearing of your sheep, for the Lord your God has chosen them and their descendants out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the Lord's name always.”

“If a Levite moves from one of your towns anywhere in Israel where he is living, and comes in all earnestness to the place the Lord will choose, he may minister in the name of the Lord his God like all his fellow Levites who serve there in the presence of the Lord. He is to share equally in their benefits, even though he has received money from the sale of family possessions.”

Deuteronomy 18:1-8

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As I look back on the spiritual road that I’ve traveled with the Lord, the road of my Christian walk…I can clearly see how blessed I have been to have awesome spiritual leaders and mentors, all who played an important role in making me the spiritual leader I am today.

It all started back when I was growing up in the very small western Pennsylvania town of Brookville. During my youth, my mother took me to the local Presbyterian church and the senior Pastor there was Reverend Darr Briggs. He was really someone that I looked up to as a young man trying to learn how to spell Jesus.

I remember that he never had a harsh word for me but always sought to encourage and edify in my faith and I think this is why I loved going to church so much, discovering gifts that God had blessed me with. At that time, it was playing the trumpet and I played with the choir, accompanying them on selected anthems. I also would serve as an acolyte, carrying a candle lighter/snuffer down the aisle to light and extinguish candles at the start and conclusion of services. To this day, my memories of time in church are more vivid than any others from my growing up and I hold gratitude in my heart for the blessing of my first pastor, Reverend Darr Briggs.

My next church involvement came after a nine year drought in my life. I had joined the Navy and left my beloved Brookville Presbyterian Church as well as Reverend Briggs, ending up stationed on the other side of the country in Stockton, California. Unfortunately, I never sought a church home there and as a result, my spiritual life became a dry wasteland. I didn’t lead my family spiritually and subsequently, my family fell apart. In 1989, after returning to the east coast and Norfolk, Virginia, my marriage ended in divorce and I hit rock bottom.

I vividly remember my heart attitude. I couldn’t believe what was happening to me because I was living the lie that so many non-believers live, convinced that I was a good person. After all, I didn’t drink or do drugs. During my marriage, I was completely faithful and dedicated to my wife and kids, never going off to do my own thing when I was home at the expense of spending time with my family. And while all these things were commendable, none of them was as important as leading my family spiritually. My allowing my relationship with the Lord to die on the proverbial vine led to a steep cost being paid. I found myself at the lowest part of my life but it was there that God - our awesome, loving God - came to my rescue and brought me “Amazing Grace”, both literally and figuratively.

For in 1992, I was working as a volunteer at a Norfolk elementary school when the Lord led me to the assistant principal, a woman by the name of Grace. On that day, we would speak for a few minutes about our plans for the weekend before she was called away to the office but in the moment, something told me this was no chance encounter. I felt a special push to get to know this woman more and little did I know at the time that it was the Lord doing the pushing.

And so I sent flowers to the school for Grace and asked if she would go to dinner with me. She accepted and from that first date, we began dating regularly. As we began to spend time together, I remember how she made it crystal clear that if we were going to be in relationship with one another, the Lord had to be first. I quickly told her I was good with that but inside, I was a raging ball of anxiety with many questions rushing to the surface of my mind.

“I haven’t been to church in years. How will God feel about that?”

”Will I remember the Old from the New Testament? And concerning that, where is my Bible anyways? I can’t remember the last time I used it.”

Well, as I would learn later, God was feeling anxious as well but it was a good anxiousness for like the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), He was excited to welcome me home, wrap His arms around me, and show me just what I had been missing all those years I chose to walk without Him.

Well, Grace and I would marry and begin to our life together as one flesh on the sure solid foundation of Jesus Christ. We began attending Bayside Presbyterian Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and there I would be pastored and mentored by the Reverend Dick Keever. For the next 14 years, I would go on to learn so much from Dick as he developed me spiritually and groomed me for special leadership roles in the church. I began to teach youth Sunday School and then adult classes. I was selected and ordained as a church elder and served three terms on Session. And I would lead church worship if either Dick or his associate pastor were away. Indeed, the Lord truly blessed me with the Reverend Dick Keever who played a key part in making me the Christian leader and man I am today.

Grace and I felt called to move our ministry to a new church and we ended up at Bayside Baptist Church in Virginia Beach. Drawn there by the Holy Spirit, we were blessed by the leadership of Pastor Mark Pullen, probably the strongest preacher I have ever heard. His sermons were always true to the Word and I recall how he was able to preach without prepared notes. All he needed was the Lord to give him the words to speak. At Bayside Baptist, I began to teach youth and adults again, was ordained as a Deacon, and served as a worship leader with the church’s music ministry, using my gift of singing in the choir, performing solos when needed, and leading the congregation on hymn singing every other week.

Finally, the Lord had yet another move in mind right toward the tail end of the COVID era and we found ourselves at Atlantic Shores Baptist Church in Virginia Beach, now renamed Crossway Church. The lead Pastor there, Ron Jones, is a dynamic preacher who Grace first heard on the radio under Something Good, a ministry he founded that is now also broadcasting on television. We have been blessed to be a part of this body of Christ where I am once again teaching adults and serving on the Counseling ministry, having recently gained certification as a Biblical Lay Counselor.

So why spend so much time and space sharing this with you?

Because I feel we don’t give our spiritual leaders enough credit or attention and they deserve better than that. As I am now ready to begin my latest calling from the Lord, Chaplain of the Virginia Beach Correctional Center, I am seeing first hand just how challenging it is for those who are leading spiritually at the highest levels. It’s definitely not for the faint at heart, that’s for sure.

As we look at our passage today, we see where quality spiritual leadership was important to God and if it was important to Him, then it should be important to us. To that end, here are three points of emphasis we find in these opening eight verses of Deuteronomy, chapter 18:

First, God chose His spiritual leaders.

We read where “…the Lord your God has chosen them and their descendants out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the Lord's name always.” Indeed, these spiritual leaders were hand selected and we should note that not everyone is entitled to lead at the highest levels. Only those God selects and appoints are able to do so and this is why I am so thankful for the men God chose to lead me: Reverends Darr Briggs and Dick Keever and Pastors Mark Pullen and Ron Jones.

Going back to our passage today, given that spiritual leaders were chosen, the scriptures further tell us the following:

“The priests, who (were) Levites - indeed the whole tribe of Levi – (were) to have no allotment or inheritance with Israel. They (were to) live on the offerings made to the Lord by fire, for that (was) their inheritance. They (would) have no inheritance among their brothers” because “the Lord (was) their inheritance, as He (had) promised them.”

In other words, the Lord wanted the Levites to be fully focused on carrying out the work God wanted them to do. They weren’t supposed to worry about what they had or what they might receive from the world but were to rely on God for their provision.

Today, pastors are paid from the church treasury which is funded by the offerings and tithes of the congregation. The spiritual leaders of today still rely on God’s provision through His people in order to have what they need to live and this leads to the second point:

God expected the people to care for His chosen spiritual leaders.

Going back to the scriptures, we find these words from God:

“This is the share due the priests from the people who sacrifice a bull or a sheep: the shoulder, the jowls, and the inner parts. You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the first wool from the shearing of your sheep, for the Lord your God has chosen them and their descendants out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the Lord's name always.”

The Israelites, God’s chosen people, were to ensure that His appointed leaders were properly taken care of. And notice that they weren’t supposed to just give the Levites their leftovers. No, our verses for today make it clear that the Levites were to receive the firstfruits from the people, their very best.

Then and now, God gives His best to His people and He expects that they will give their best back to Him.

With this, some questions comes to mind that should challenge us:

How well do we give back to God what He has first given to us?

Do we give Him our firstfruits or does He receive our leftovers, our second best?

Do we really give as we should to the church so that God’s chosen spiritual leaders are provided for properly?

I encourage you to seriously ponder these questions and respond accordingly, if need be. The Lord knows what we do and don’t do, that’s for certain.  

As I get set to close, one final point…

God called His leaders to go and minister wherever He chose.

Let’s go back to the Deuteronomy 18 passage:

“If a Levite moves from one of your towns anywhere in Israel where he is living, and comes in all earnestness to the place the Lord will choose, he may minister in the name of the Lord his God like all his fellow Levites who serve there in the presence of the Lord.”

The Lord did and still does call on His spiritual leaders to move and continue their ministry work at the places He chooses. Speak with any minister who has been doing it for awhile and they will tell you about all the places they have been, sharing their own testimonies about their ministry experiences at each place they’ve been. Very few spend their entire ministry career serving the same congregation.

And so we should always carry a great appreciation for our spiritual leaders who consistently and persistently display and incredible dedication to serve the Lord and those He has given them to shepherd. As we appreciate them, let us also pray over them because they, like we, are always under spiritual attack from the enemy who would like nothing more than to take down every spiritual leader that God raises up.

In response to this message and the Word we’ve looked at, I hope that you will take an extra minute this Sunday or next to tell your pastor, the one God has chosen to spiritually lead you and your family, how much you love and value them and what they do in service to the Lord on a daily basis. Maybe you could also send them a nice thank you card with an added gift card to a restaurant or Christian book store if you can swing it.

The bottom line is that we should be thankful for our spiritual leaders and let them know it. If it was a priority for God, let it be a priority for us as well.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

KING OF KINGS

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, ‘Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,’ be sure to appoint over you the king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, ‘You are not to go back that way again.’ He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.”

“When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.”

Deuteronomy 17:14-20

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we continue our study of Deuteronomy, we know that the Israelites are set to enter Canaan but aren’t under the rule of any king but this didn’t mean that they wouldn’t have one in the future. Of course, God knows holds the future in His hands and so He knew well in advance that His people would co-exist among other nations who were led by kings so it would only be a matter of time before they would want to follow suit. Given this, we see Him providing guidance on the matter well before it happened in our passage for today from chapter 17. Look again at those words here:

“When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, ‘Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,’ be sure to appoint over you the king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, ‘You are not to go back that way again.’ He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.”

“When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.” Vv. 14-20

Here, we see the Lord placing certain requirements on the future kings of Israel:

First, the king was to be an Israelite. No foreigner was to rule Israel.

“He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite.”

Secondly, the king was also supposed to remain modest in the things he possessed. He was to “not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them”. They were to “not take many wives” which would lead to the king’s “heart (being) led astray”. He also wasn’t supposed to “accumulate large amounts of silver and gold”.

Why?

Because the Lord said so, that’s why. Any king needed to know that although they were in a position of authority in Israel, they always answered to a higher power.

This truth leads into the third and final requirement for we read that the king was commanded to “write for himself on a scroll a copy of (the) law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites”. The kings were to do this when they took the throne of the kingdom and were to keep the scroll with them, reading it “all the days of his life so that” they would “learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and…decrees”. This would result in the king not considering “himself better than his brothers” and keep him from turning “from the law to the right or to the left”.

There was no question that the king would hold the highest position of power over the people of Israel however, the human king’s power paled in comparison to his master, the Lord God Almighty, the King of Kings. It was He and He alone who set the standards by which all other kings would rule by and did it because He expected them to rule as He wanted them to rule, with justice and fairness with humility.

My friends, what an awesome assurance this offers us today as we find ourselves under human, worldly rule. For despite who is elected, believers know and understand who is truly in charge, the infinitely omnipotent Creator God, the One that Paul says is the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live” (1 Corinthians 8:6). Despite what happens in government, we can always find comfort in knowing the One who holds the government on His shoulders (Isaiah 9: 6) and is ultimately in control, no matter who the world puts in charge.

In closing, my prayer is that we all can testify the following as Timothy did about God:

“…the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To Him be honor and might forever.” 1 Timothy 6:15

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

GOD'S FINAL VERDICT

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“If cases come before your courts that are too difficult for you to judge - whether bloodshed, lawsuits or assaults - take them to the place the Lord your God will choose. Go to the priests, who are Levites, and to the judge who is in office at that time. Inquire of them and they will give you the verdict. You must act according to the decisions they give you at the place the Lord will choose. Be careful to do everything they direct you to do. Act according to the law they teach you and the decisions they give you. Do not turn aside from what they tell you, to the right or to the left. The man who shows contempt for the judge or for the priest who stands ministering there to the Lord your God must be put to death. You must purge the evil from Israel. All the people will hear and be afraid, and will not be contemptuous again.”

Deuteronomy 17:8-13

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In Chapter 16, we saw guidance provided for those who would be judges over Israel once they enter Canaan. You’ll recall that they were expected to “judge the people fairly…not pervert justice or show partiality…(and) not accept a bribe”. They were to “follow justice and justice alone” in all they would do.

But what would happen if they had a case where they just didn’t know how to rule on it? For they were under clear direction from the Lord to follow justice and failing to do so would bring God’s judgment upon them.

Well, as we see in today’s scripture passage, the Lord provides guidance for those instances when the appointed judges would get stuck when trying to render a decision. Look again at those words here:

“If cases come before your courts that are too difficult for you to judge - whether bloodshed, lawsuits or assaults - take them to the place the Lord your God will choose. Go to the priests, who are Levites, and to the judge who is in office at that time. Inquire of them and they will give you the verdict. You must act according to the decisions they give you at the place the Lord will choose. Be careful to do everything they direct you to do. Act according to the law they teach you and the decisions they give you. Do not turn aside from what they tell you, to the right or to the left. The man who shows contempt for the judge or for the priest who stands ministering there to the Lord your God must be put to death. You must purge the evil from Israel. All the people will hear and be afraid, and will not be contemptuous again.” Deuteronomy 17:8-13

Note here that in instances where they had a case too difficult to judge, they were to take the case “to the place the Lord” would choose. Once there, they were to “go to the priests”, the Levites, and “to the judge who is in office at that time” where they would “inquire of them” and get a verdict.

We need to stay centered on them going to the place that the Lord chose for this was akin to being the place where He would abide and preside over the legal proceedings. Given this, we know that the Spirit of the Lord was advising the officiating judge and the priests which made the decision they made His, their verdict, His verdict.

This is why there was so much emphasis placed on how the verdict was to be received by the accused. They were to “act according to the decisions” made “at the place the Lord” chose and “be careful to do everything they direct you to do”. They were to “act according to the law they teach you and the decisions they give you” and “not turn aside from what they tell you, to the right or to the left”. In other words, nothing but full obedience and compliance with the verdict was acceptable for we know well from the scriptures that God doesn’t tolerate disobedience.

So what would happen if the accused rebelled against the verdict?

Nothing good, that’s for sure.

For we read that if any man showed “contempt for the judge or for the priest who (stood) ministering….to the Lord your God”, they were to be “put to death”. This is how much God despised disobedience, viewing it as a disrespectful evil, an evil that He tasked the Israelites with purging. In the end translation, the Lord continued to drive His people toward obedience and reverence for Him. He wanted them to “hear and be afraid…and…not be contemptuous again”.

Now, can you imagine if we were executed by this standard for every time we received righteous judgment for our actions today? Would any of us escape the death penalty?

The answer is a definite “no” and God knew this so He did something about it to save us from perishing. He sent His one and only Son Jesus to purchase our pardon from our transgressions. Nailed to Calvary’s cross, He bore our sins and took the suffering that was rightfully ours.

Indeed, God allowed Jesus to be executed instead of mankind who chose to defy and sinfully break His commands and expectations, over and over and over again. As the old hymn proclaims, “Jesus paid it all” and took the our punishment for disobedience, and God hoped that this unjust sacrifice of His perfect, blameless Son would lead His people to live righteous and holy lives as a sign of gratitude, appreciation, and respect for His gift of grace and mercy. Additionally, Jesus’ subsequent resurrection three days after His crucifixion would open the gates of Heaven for anyone who would place their belief in Him and become a co-heir of the Kingdom as well as a legitimate child of the God Most High.

Going back to the legal theme of this scripture passage, the case against mankind was sin and the proper, just penalty was death. But God rendered a different decision, a decision that essentially said:

“No man who believes in My Son will die because my Son died in their place.”

It was God’s final verdict on the matter of who will reach Heaven or Hell and as believers today, we need to be hyper-sensitive to  any sin opportunity that presents itself to us in this worldly life. For we can never afford to send a message to God that He allowed His Son Jesus to be sacrificed in vain and so anytime we feel the urge to think, say, or do something dishonorable to our God, let us turn our eyes to the cross and then do as our Savior would do, fully allow the will of the Father to be our own. It’s the only way that we can ensure that we’ll always be living in a way that is pleasing in His sight.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole beside the altar you build to the Lord your God, and do not erect a sacred stone, for these the Lord your God hates.”

"Do not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep that has any defect or flaw in it, for that would be detestable to Him.”

“If a man or woman living among you in one of the towns the Lord gives you is found doing evil in the eyes of the Lord your God in violation of His covenant, and contrary to my command has worshiped other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or the moon or the stars of the sky, and this has been brought to your attention, then you must investigate it thoroughly. If it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, take the man or woman who has done this evil deed to your city gate and stone that person to death. On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness. The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people. You must purge the evil from among you.”

Deuteronomy 16:21, 17:1-7

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In the final of Deuteronomy, chapter 16, into the first seven verses of chapter 17, we see God’s Word once again addressing the matter of proper worship. You’ll remember that the Israelites are on the verge of crossing the Jordan River to take over the land God had promised them. Within Canaan, God fully knew about the pagan, polytheistic practices of its inhabitants which included the erection of Asherah poles and sacred stones to worship their gods.

This was obviously completely counter to what God commanded His people to do because He had made it clear that He was the only true God and there would be no rooms for any other gods worshiped ahead of Him. This included the forming of any idols.

So with Israel entering a land where the people showed reverence toward many different gods, the Lord had a genuine concern that His people might be influenced adversely to adopt the worship standards of the idol worshippers, lifting up “other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or the moon or the stars of the sky”. In doing so, they would be doing “evil in the eyes of the Lord…in violation of His covenant and contrary to (His) command.”

We should note that this evil wouldn’t go unpunished for we read where God imposed the death penalty on offenders as long as there was solid evidence against them. The God of Israel (who is our same God today) cared deeply about justice and so before a person would be put to death, there had to be two or three witnesses to testify about the sin committed. A single accuser wouldn’t cut it, largely to prevent someone from getting killed as a result of one person who might have a grudge against that person, making a false accusation.

Through these verses, we see where God expects us to stay true to His Word and way, no matter where we are or who we are around. You see, Satan too often surrounds us with the things of the world, sinful things that run counter to what God desires, things that try to entice and draw us in. Too often, we give into these temptations, or in other words, we turn from good toward evil, mostly because we place our wants ahead of the Lord’s.

If sex is our desire, then we will pursue and find it, regardless of what God has said. And Satan is ready to tempt us and lead us astray (Romans 1:24-25).

If alcohol, drugs, or any other substance is our desire, then Satan will make the way for us to access them, regardless of what God has said (Ephesians 5:18).

If money and wealth are our desire, then Satan will work hard to get us obsessed with materialism, regardless of the dangers that God has warned about (1 Timothy 6:10).

I could go on and on but you get the point. There are many things in life that we seek to tempt us but when it comes to surrendering to those temptations, it’s all on us. There’s no question that we have a choice.

But…there’s also no question that we serve a God who is ready to grant all the power we need to fight off the temptations of the devil, granting us strength to stay rooted in good.

Let’s all give thanks to God for this truth, keeping in mind these words found in the prayer that Jesus taught us:

Thanks be to God for His strength and guidance. Let us ever continue to recite these words from our savior Jesus:

“…lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.“ Matthew 6:9-13

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

TWO STEPS TO JUST LIVING

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Appoint judges and officials for each of your tribes in every town the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly. Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you.”

Deuteronomy 16:18-20

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

From the time I began attending school as a first-grader, I can remember beginning each day by standing and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. The words that echoed off my classroom walls back in the mid-60’s still resonate in many school classrooms today:

I pledge allegiance to the flag

Of the United States of America

And to the republic for which it stands

One nation, under God, indivisible

With liberty and justice for all

In the United States, we are, for the most part, a people concerned about justice and fair treatment for all. I would like to think that this is because we proclaim ourselves as being “one nation under God” (because it’s the truth) and we are concerned about justice because He was and is. In fact, we place a premium on fairness, not because we have developed such a moral construct but because He has instilled it within us. As with all things, He is the source and therefore the One worthy of the honor and glory.

As we turn to today’s passage and our continuing study of Deuteronomy, chapter 16, we see our Lord speaking on this matter, reading where the people of Israel were expected to “appoint judges and officials for each of (their) tribes in every town the Lord your God (was) giving (them)”. These appointed judges were expected to “judge the people fairly”, not “pervert justice or show partiality” or “accept a bribe” which would serve to “blind the eyes of the wise and twist the words of the righteous.” The reward for fulfilling these expectations would be that Israel would be able to “live and possess the land the Lord…(was) giving (them)”.

The point is this.

God expects justice to be done by all. Period. And this means that everyone is to do the right and righteous thing at all times to include acting justly. The prophet Micah gave us some tips to ensure we meet this requirement. Let’s call them two steps to just living. He said:

“…what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

It’s within this single verse that we find the following two steps we need to take:

First, we need to walk humbly with God.

What does it mean to be humble?

In a nutshell, we’re to be compliant and obedient, meek, respectful, polite, deferential, courteous, and well-mannered. We aren’t to carry ourselves around as rude or arrogant or better than others. Rather, we’re to treat everyone with kindness and equality, ever displaying the grace that we receive from our Lord.

Indeed, we need to embody all these things but we won’t ever reach the goal of humility if we don’t first walk with God for He, and only He, will keep us grounded and away from falling into sinful pride.

It’s Him, and only Him, who can and will teach us to do step number 2: Love mercy.

For once we’re walking in humility by first walking with our God, we will come to love mercy.

Why?

Because we’re connected to the God who loves mercy. He embodies it to perfection.

And so by humbling ourselves, allowing the Lord’s desires to be our own, there is no doubt that we will find ourselves showing compassion, forgiveness, kindness, empathy, and understanding to others. We will have sincere concern and consideration for people, able to sympathize with those who are going through difficulties.

In other words, we will live lives that exude mercy and do so because we are committed to a God who loves it.

Our Lord expects us to walk humbly with Him and love mercy…and when we do both to the measure that He commands, then we will live justly as He expects.

My prayer is that we all learn and embrace these two steps to just living, putting them into practice in our lives.  

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

DON'T COME EMPTY HANDED

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. Then celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you. And rejoice before the Lord your God at the place He will choose as a dwelling for His Name - you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, the Levites in your towns, and the aliens, the fatherless, and the widows living among you. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and follow carefully these decrees.”

“Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress. Be joyful at your Feast - you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites, the aliens, the fatherless, and the widows who live in your towns. For seven days celebrate the Feast to the Lord your God at the place the Lord will choose. For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.”

“Three times a year, all your men must appear before the Lord your God at the place He will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. No man should appear before the Lord empty-handed: Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.”

Deuteronomy 16:9-17

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Earlier in this sixteenth chapter of Deuteronomy, we saw Moses reminding the Israelites of their responsibility to celebrate the Passover. As we continue today, we see him providing further guidance in regard to three festivals prescribed by God: the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. Look again at these verses now:

“Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. Then celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you. And rejoice before the Lord your God at the place He will choose as a dwelling for His Name - you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, the Levites in your towns, and the aliens, the fatherless, and the widows living among you. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and follow carefully these decrees.”

“Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress. Be joyful at your Feast - you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites, the aliens, the fatherless, and the widows who live in your towns. For seven days celebrate the Feast to the Lord your God at the place the Lord will choose. For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.”

“Three times a year, all your men must appear before the Lord your God at the place He will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. No man should appear before the Lord empty-handed: Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.” Deuteronomy 16:9-17

Like the previous mentioning of the Passover observance, these three feasts were mentioned to a prior generation of Israelites. For when we go back to the Book of Exodus, chapter 23, we see where the directions mimic what’s found in our passage above. There were the same three designated festivals and “all the men (were) to appear before the Sovereign Lord” at the time and place designated by God. These celebrations are also mentioned in the Book of Leviticus.

The Feast of the Unleavened Bread was to begin the day after the Passover and Israel was required to “eat bread made without yeast” for seven days (Leviticus 23:6).

The Feast of the Harvest was also called the Feast of Weeks and of interest, would later be called Pentecost (meaning fifty) in the New Testament. Here’s what the Lord said regarding the observance in the 23rd chapter of Leviticus:

“From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord. From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to the Lord. Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings - an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. The priest is to wave the two lambs before the Lord as a wave offering, together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to the Lord for the priest. On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.”

“When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the Lord your God." Vv. 15-22 

Putting things together, this is the way the festivals were to proceed:

Passover (the first feast) was followed the next day by the first of the seven days allotted for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It’s typically believed that Jesus shared His final Passover with His disciples on Thursday evening before being arrested in Gethsemane’s garden that evening. His trial before the Sanhedrin, time with the Roman leaders Pontius Pilate and Herod Antipas, brutal beating and scourging, and eventual crucifixion all occurred on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread which was followed by the Sabbath observance (the second day of the Feast). The Sabbath was then followed by the Feast of the Firstfruits, celebrating the first fruits of the harvest. This was the day when Jesus was resurrected in power from the tomb, God bringing the opportunity for eternal life through His first fruit offering, His one and only Son.

After this, the people of Israel were to start counting fifty days “up to the day after the seventh Sabbath” (Leviticus 23:16). These fifty days (or seven weeks plus one) covered the time when the grain, barley, and wheat harvests would be accomplished, thus the alternate celebration title, “Feast of the Harvest”.  

The final of the feasts mentioned in this passage was the Feast of the Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of the Ingathering or Feast of Booths. Whereas Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of the Firstfruits were held in the first month of the Jewish calendar (Abib/Nisan in early spring), the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths) was to be held on the fifteenth day of the seventh month (Tishrei in early autumn) and last for one week. During this time of sacrifices and celebration, the Israelite people were to live in booths for the week because this is what their descendants had done after departing their captivity in Egypt and journeying to Canaan, the land God had promised them. Of interest, this feast was also known as the Feast of the Ingathering because the Lord required the people to “ingather” the labor of the field (Exodus 23:16), “ingather” the threshing floor and winepress (Deuteronomy 16:13), and “ingather” the fruit of the earth (Leviticus 23:39).

Okay, so this is a good overview of the prescribed feasts that all men were required to attend but before I finish, there’s one last important item in our passage that we need to cover. For the scriptures tell us this in regard to the men attending these festivals:

“No man should appear before the Lord empty-handed: Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.”

In other words, God had given His people an abundance of blessings. He had provided them all they could hope for in the way of providence and provision, and He expected that they would give back to Him in return as an expression of their gratitude.

We should know that the same applies to us today but how well do we really respond to the goodness of our Lord? Do we give to Him in return to show we’re thankful? Or do we choose to come to Him empty-handed?

And just to be clear here. This is more than about money or other material offerings. We don’t get a “get out of obligation” card because we might struggle with finances in some way. For God has blessed us with other things that we can give back to Him, things like our time and our talents. He has given each of us gifts that a price value can’t be applied to, gifts that He expects us to use in serving others and bringing Him honor and glory.

The bottom line here is that everything that we have, just as it was with ancient Israel,  comes from God who then expects all of us to be good stewards of what He has provided. He can assess us by the way we live the life He has granted, watching to see if we give Him a viable return from what He had invested in us.

God has given us more than we could ever hope for and more than we could ever need. Further, all this is far more than we deserve. All He wants us to do is give back to Him in return.

As you come into this day and the ones to follow, what offering from your life will you bring to the Lord?

My recommendation is to give something and never come to Him empty-handed.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.