For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

 Leviticus 5

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 1 Timothy 2:5-6

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing with chapter five - Five Eternal, Counter Cultural Truths about God, Us and Our Sin - covering Leviticus 5:1-13, looking specifically at the theme God Provides Atonement for Sin. The commentary this morning focuses on atonement and starts by stating how the word is defined as reconciliation, with the implication being that sin separates us from God and atonement via the sacrificial system in the Old Testament was designed to provide a path for forgiveness and reconciliation. The commentary reinforces a recent post on the importance of our heart vs mindless rituals.  God's instructions on how to perform the sacrificial system as laid out in the Old Testament go to great lengths of details because details matter, and when we slow down and are careful, we can give more thought to what the rituals and corresponding details mean, and why God's design for the sacrificial system at the time was perfect.  However, God also knew at the time that the Old Testament sacrificial system was temporary as we knew Jesus was needed to die once and for all from the very beginning in Genesis. Ultimately, as the commentary points this out - Jesus became both the sacrifice and the mediator (priest). The commentary points to 1Timothy 2:5-6 as a great scriptural reference. 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who provides a path for atonement and reconciliation - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You died for me and provided this path, nor for any of the blessings You pour out for me.  I continue to sin, gossip, worry, etc. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.

Pages: 263-275 and Psalm 63

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live,   and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me. Psalm 63:1-8

This morning, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, continuing with Part 3 The Natural Act of Reading the Bible Supernaturally, chapter seventeen - The Indispensable Place of Prayer in Reading the Bible Supernaturally: To See, Savor, and Love with a United Heart. Here, Piper builds on the previous chapter on prayer and its critical role in reading the Bible.  He starts by reinforcing a few key points, including how "prayer does not take the place of careful interpretation (aka natural reading).  Prayer serves careful interpretation. He also points out that "God sometimes withholds the fullness of his illumination for wise and holy reasons[.]"  Piper gives us a few examples of strategies for getting insight from the Bible, including prayer to:

• "guide you to notice parts of the text that are especially illuminating
• to lead you to other passages in the Bible that would shed light on the one you are reading
• to lead you to other books or sermons or lectures that would be useful in shedding light on some problem you have run into
• for experiences, or a reminder of experiences you've had, that would make what you are reading more real
• for friends who could study the Bible with you and help you see things you haven't seen
• against any sinful habits or inclinations that might blind you to a part of Scripture you find uncomfortable
• that as you write the text down in your journal, you would notice things you missed in simple reading"
  

 A core message from this chapter is how we should unite our heart with God - using the acronym from the previous chapter: IOUS - Intent, Open, Unite, Satisfy. Piper writes that all Christians face the battle of a divided heart: "[u]ntil we die, or until Jesus comes again, the battle rages.  We Christians must daily reassert our allegiance to Jesus as supreme." We must also find satisfaction in reading the Bible and pray for this.  Piper uses Psalm 63 as the "model for us" to move from "seeking to seeing to savoring." Piper then adds a new letter "L" for lead to the IOUS acronym for us to pray that we be led by the Holy Spirit to a "beautiful transformation from selfish behavior to radical, risk-taking, loving behavior. Psalm 23:3, 119:35, 25:5, 5:8 and Matthew 6:13 are all provided as examples of how we are to pray for this transformation. 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are indeed an amazing God who loves me and who gives me Your Word and it satisfies like nothing in creation can - thank You Jesus for Your Word and for the Holy Spirit revealing to me Your glory and it is great indeed!  Thank You Jesus! I am undeserving for how the Word and the Holy Spirit work in my life - I am blessed immeasurably.  Yet again I am undeserving because of my sin - it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.

Mark 7

What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. v20-22

In Mark 7, once again we see the Pharisees and the teachers of the law try and trap Jesus in blasphemy so that they can conspire to arrest or kill Him.  Yet Jesus sees right through them and attacks their heart condition which is the core of their issue - He IS fulfillment of the law and Old Testament prophecy - He is the One they should be welcoming based on the words of their own prophets, including Jeremiah, Isaiah, etc. 

Our heart condition is truly where we should focus - not on external circumstances or external behaviors but on loving God and loving others. 

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40

My Prayer: Heavenly Father - You are truly a great God, King of Kings, Lord of Lords and my Lord and Savior.  Thank You for the many, many ways You bless me - too many ways to list or talk about!  I am not worth such love and blessings.  My heart is not where it needs to be - please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

Matthew 6

The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! v22-23.

John Piper's posts help illuminate the importance and influence our "eyes" have on our faith.
What Is the "Bad Eye" in Matthew 6:23?
The Eye is the Lamp of the Body
What Do You Feed Your Eyes

Piper helps us understand Jesus' distinction between the "good" and "bad" eye, with a reference to Matthew 20:15 where a Greek translation of the The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard gives us an example of the "bad" eye when one of the workers hired first claimed unfairness in the wages paid to those who showed up to work later in the day - the first workers focused on material wealth and what they felt they deserved vs on grace (something Jesus provides which we don't deserve).  Piper's team also help us understand that what we "feed" our eyes does matter - using Deuteronomy 4:15-19 as an example.  What we put in front of our eyes influences and directs our heart which has been a subject of recent posts.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who has given me Your Word, the Holy Spirit, my church, brothers and sisters in Christ and so much more so that my heart could see more of You.  Thank You Jesus!  Yet I am undeserving of Your grace and the many gifts You provide.  I often focus my eyes elsewhere. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.

Ezekiel 11

I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. v19

Israel and Judah's hearts had hardened towards God as they worshiped other gods before and above God.  God wants our heart above anything else from us.  He does not want us to follow His commands as an end in itself - our actions and life should be a manifestation of our love of God.  Our love of God and our desire to be more like Him WILL result in a changed heart and as a result we will love others and serve others - just as Jesus did.

For God is not looking for those who cut their bodies in actual body circumcision, but he is looking for those with changed hearts and minds. Romans 2:29 TLB

John 15 - The Vine and the Branches

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who has given me a new heart - thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such love.  I miss the mark.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.

 Proverbs 13

Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin. v3

It's more than just what we say - it is what is in our hearts.

A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Luke 6:45

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who protects me - thank You Jesus. I am not worth such love.  I worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Please help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

Proverbs 4

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. v23

When you look at this chapter a key theme appears: get wisdom above all else, though it may feel as if it costs you from an earthly sense (it does not) (v7), you gain in blessings from God (v4,6,8-13).

In verse 23 we get a warning to focus on who and what influences we choose to have in our life.

See also post here from Matthew. 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who protects my heart, and who gives me life...to the full.  Thank You Jesus!  Yet I am not worth such love.  I worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Please help us lead Zach and Dustin to you Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

[E]veryone who was willing and whose heart moved them came and brought an offering to the Lord for the work on the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments.

Exodus 35

[E]veryone who was willing and whose heart moved them came and brought an offering to the Lord for the work on the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments. v21

God wants us to be a cheerful giver - He commands us to tithe, yet we are to be cheerful as we do it because God is concerned about our heart condition not just our actions.  Note how in this chapter of Exodus it is stressed:

"All who were willing" v22
"All the Israelite men and women who were willing" v29

In the Old Testament, "freewill offering" is mentioned 22 times.

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

It is the same thing in our relationship with Jesus: we are invited into a relationship with Him but we must accept this invitation and then submit to Him, in the same way He willingly laid down His life for us.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who willingly laid down Your life for me so that I would have victory over sin and death - thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such love as I am selfish and I have other sin that continues.  Please forgive me and help me turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself strength and wisdom.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message today and every day.

Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.

1 John 3

Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. v15

If we love God with all of our heart, soul and mind there is no room for hate because we effectively remain near to Him and become more like Him and Jesus loves all of His children, even those who sin (because we all sin - Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8).  

We must love one another.

Matthew 22:37-40
John 13
1 John 4:7-12

My Prayer: Lord, You are an awesome God, the King of Kings and the Name Above All Names.  You were before all, in all, through all, created all, and hold all things together.  Without You I can do no good things.  You protect me, You bless me, encourage me, love me, have compassion and mercy on me...thank You Jesus.  I know my words are insufficient for all that You are but I am hopeful that my words and my life are a living sacrifice for You.  Please forgive me for my harsh words towards others.  Help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and savior.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Proverbs 12

The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. v18

Last week I posted about how words can be used to build one another up or to tear someone down.  In Luke 6, Jesus explains the role of the heart in how we use our words:

A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Luke 6:45

If we focus on loving God (Exodus 20, Matthew 22:37-40) and on being transformed by the renewing of the mind (Romans 12:2), we can begin to soften our heart towards Jesus and others.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the way, the truth, and the life.  I have sin in my life and only You can cleanse me of my sin.  I need You.  Yet too often I reject You and am disobedient. Please forgive me Jesus!  Thank You for Your grace and mercy.  I am not worth such love.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of her cancer and the side effects from chemo.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach, and Dustin...and serve You.  Help me soften my heart and be more like You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. v20-23

Proverbs 4

My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. v20-23

So far, what I have been reading and studying in Proverbs has focused on the blessings that flow from our desire to gain God's wisdom - to get to know Him better and to "be transformed by the renewing of the mind" (Romans 12:2). This morning the focus is on how God's word must be in our heart because "everything you do flows from it".  The question is how do we get the word in our heart?  We start with a "hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matthew 5:6).  We go to God daily, and meditate on God's words day and night.

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:6-9

My Prayer: What a God You are!  You were before and created all things, are in all things and hold all things together.  You protect me, You save me, and You continue to be full of mercy, compassion, patience, etc. for me even though I know I am undeserving!  Thank You Jesus for Your love and the many blessings You pour out for me.  Please forgive me for my lack of grace and patience for others.  Help me overcome and turn from such sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of her cancer and the side effects from chemo.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach, and Dustin...and serve You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

Psalm 25

Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. v4-5

As I posted yesterday, I desire to live a life with "clean hands and a pure heart".  This is ONLY from God, for there is no other way - see here and in particular this verse:

What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. Philippians 3:8-9

 

For me, it starts with following the most important command from Matthew 22:37-38:

 

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment". 

 

I should then develop a hunger and thirst for righteousness:

 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6

 

I do want to have my hope in Christ all day long.

 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the ONLY way, the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father but through You.  You have blessed me in ways too numerous too count or mention...all throughout my life and every day.  Thank You Jesus but I am not worth such blessings.  I lack in patience and I am quick to anger...still!  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome such sin and turn towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me develop a hunger and thirst for Your righteousness and to have my hope in You all day long.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of her cancer and the side effects from chemo and radiation.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin, and serve You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

May [the Lord] give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.

Psalm 20

May [the Lord] give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. v4

Two things of note for me in this verse - that we should pray that God give us the desires of our heart AND that from that a prayer that, assuming we have God's desires in our heart, all our plans succeed.  The latter prayer should not and cannot work without the former prayer.

It starts with us knowing we need God that we are nothing without God.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5

See also posts here and here. 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God full of love, patience, grace, compassion, etc. for me even though I sin and I fail to be Jesus to others.  Thank You Jesus for Your love but please forgive me.  Help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You Jesus.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure Lisa of her cancer and the side effects from chemo and radiation.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin, and serve You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Ephesians 4

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. v29

I know that the tongue in powerful indeed but what is in the heart is most important.

The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. James 3:6

...

A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.  Luke 6:45

I must focus on renewing of the mind (Romans 12:2).

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are pure, holy and blameless.  Your words and actions are only for good. And I know I was created in Your image to glorify You.  Yet I do harm with my words.  I am not worth Your love and blessings.  Please forgive me and help me turn from such sin.  Help me turn towards You instead and help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Help me use words for encouragement and love.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Heal and cure her of this cancer.  Help me serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.