Caleb, Balaam, and Phinehas!

While reading through the book of Numbers, I was not stuck so much by the events described as by the different characters within the events. As I was reading, there were several specific men that really caught my attention because of the choices that they made and the action they took. The three men that impacted me most throughout the book of Numbers were Caleb, Balaam, and Phinehas. Each of these men caught my attention for different reasons, but what they all have in common is that none of them were passive in their faith. They took action!
First was Caleb. Most people know the story of the spies that went into Canaan to spy out the land and how only Caleb and Joshua brought back a favorable report from among them. However, as I read this passage again, there was one particular verse concerning Caleb that caught my eye. In Numbers 14:24, the Lord said, “But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring him into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.” In that verse God said three things about Caleb. First, Caleb was his servant; second, he had a different spirit; and third, Caleb followed God fully. I want the Lord to be able to say that of me! I want to be the Lord’s servant—not a servant of self or money, popularity or other people. I want to be the servant of God, and I want to have a different spirit—different from the rest of the world! I want a spirit that, as the third quality says, follows God fully!
Besides Caleb, I was also greatly challenged by Balaam. Although Balaam was by no means perfect as can be seen when the angel of the Lord appears to him on the way to Moab, there is still much to learn from him. Multiple times he made the statement: “If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord, to do good or bad of my own will. What the Lord says, that I must speak.” He also stated, “All that the Lord speaks, that I must do.” It was statements like these ones that really caught my attention and further challenged me in my own personal walk. I want to be able to, like Balaam, say and do all that the Lord tells me. Regardless of punishment or reward, I want my only thought to be, “If the Lord says it, I will do it” or “If the Lord says it, I will speak it.”
The last character was Phinehas. Although I have heard of him before, I was not very familiar with this story and found it very fascinating. Phinehas especially caught my attention because there was nothing passive about him. When he saw wrong, he took care of, no questions asked! That is the kind Christian I want to be—a no-compromise, all-action Christ-follower! God described Phinehas in Numbers 25 as, “zealous with My zeal.” I want God to be able to say that of me. I want to be zealous with the zeal of the Lord so much that I can’t just be an all-talk, no-action Christian, but one who stands up and does what he knows to be right!
I want to be like these men!

The Race that Counts

This entry is some of my own thoughts as well as some of the things I heard in a church message this past Sunday. The pastor was in Hebrews 12:1-2 which says, "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
One of the first things the Pastor asked was, “Have you ever had one of those days where you just want to give up?” I wanted to just laugh and cry at the same time—it seems like lately I have had that kind of day everyday! He then explained that the race we are in takes self-denial, discipline, effort, and commitment. I will be the first to stand up and say I need to work on all of those things; however, I was especially struck by “effort.” How much effort do I really put into doing my devotions? How much effort do I put in to reaching out to others? Most of the time I just wait around for God to throw an opportunity in my face, rather than taking the effort and initiative to go out and do something for Him. I was also challenged thinking about the different kind of runners there are in this race Hebrews is talking about. There are those who start off really strong and fast but then get worn out and sidelined, those who get discouraged half-way through and just kind of stop and stand on the sidelines, those who never really took the race seriously to begin with and just stroll through, and then those who run the way we ought to as Christians. I didn’t even want to think about which one I might be because of what answer I might get. Further on in the passage, when it says to lay aside the sin that easily ensnares us, it is referring to doubt. I think in all honesty, doubt is most definitely the thing that cripples me most in my spiritual life. I need to lay that doubt aside and press on in the race that has been set before me. The Christian race is a marathon, not a sprint! There will be points when you will get cramps, or trip and fall, or feel like you can't go another mile...but that is when God gives you your "second wind" and third, and fourth!!!
Keep running the marathon! The end is near!

Why read Leviticus?!?

I have read the book of Leviticus many times, and probably like most other Christians, when I get to this book I tend to just skim through, skip a chapter here and a chapter there. I mean it isn’t like we are actually responsible for all these sacrifices and commands anymore; so what is the point of reading through the book? However, God promises his Word will not return void and this promise includes the book of Leviticus! To my surprise and delight, I found as I read through Leviticus this time, I felt differently about it. When I changed my attitude about the book, God used it to provoke and challenge me as He does with every other book in the Bible.
There are so many things that I read in Leviticus that God used to challenge my thinking and actions; however, I will only share the most prominent one. I first came across it in Leviticus 10:3, “By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified.” Then, in Leviticus 19:2, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” Lastly, Leviticus 20:7-8 says, “Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. And you shall keep My statues, and perform them: I am the Lord who sanctifies you.” These verses address two key things. First, God is holy and we need to view Him that way; and second, we need to imitate His holiness so that He is manifest in our own life. In the first verse, God stressed the importance of regarding Him as holy and glorifying Him. I think that too often Christians (specifically myself) become desensitized to the holiness of God. We serve a holy God! Because we serve a holy God, we need to honor, glorify, and exalt Him as such. Furthermore, in the other verses previously mentioned it says that we need to apply that holiness to our own life. In the book Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges offers as the definition of holiness: “Living a life of conformity to the Bible, and in contrast to the world,”—a life that is characterized by “putting of the old self and putting on the new self created to be like God in true righteousness.” I know that I often fail to live that way, but I need to live it daily.
There really are many lessons that can be learned from Leviticus, and I know that I have barely touched the surface. However, throughout the course of reading Leviticus during the past week, if nothing else, this command for holiness has hit home. Be holy! I need to learn to view God as He is, a holy God; and I need to approach Him as such. Then, I need to live in a way that is contrary to the world—a way in which I put on the new self created to be like God in true righteousness!

Make This Your Prayer!

These verses, have been continually challenging me for the past several weeks now. I have them written on a notecard and placed in a spot where I can clearly see them each morning when I get up, and everyday I make them my prayer. That is really all the introduction these verses need because they definitely speak for themself!

Psalms 143:8,10
"Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You.
Teach me to do Your will, for you are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness."

I could go on and on about what these verses are saying and what they mean. But instead, let me just say: ponder them, pray them, apply them, and live them!