Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders.

Numbers 11

Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. v25

God does not intend for us to live alone - we are to have those around us who help.  See also verse 17:

I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.

God want us to live in fellowship with other believers - that is His design from the very beginning.  

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." Genesis 2:18

And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being. Genesis 9:5

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47 

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.  Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 1 Corinthians 12:12-20

Lord Help me live in fellowship with other believers as You intend.

My Prayer: Jesus, You are a great God who has provided many, many people in my life as helpers - thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such a blessing.  I continue in my sin - please forgive me!  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.

Moses heard the people of every family wailing at the entrance to their tents. The Lord became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled.

Numbers 11

Moses heard the people of every family wailing at the entrance to their tents. The Lord became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled. v10

Very rarely do you hear sermons about how God becomes angry.  In fact, a quick search this morning revealed to me that God is described more often as "angry" than "slow to anger, abounding in love".  In the Bible, God's anger is aroused when his people are repeatedly disobedient and when they have hardened hearts. 

Yet, when we think about it, all of us have hardened hearts to some degree - we say, I can't do this or that when in reality we can - of course with God's help.

One of my favorite verses of the Bible is when the angel Gabriel speaks to Mary and reassures her that we can have faith in God's promises.  Luke 1:37 of the NIV translation says, "[f]or no word from God ever fails".  The NKJ translation says "For with God nothing will be impossible”.

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. Matthew 17:20

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. Ephesians 1:18-21

We should recognize the power of Jesus that is within us and not be hardened.  

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God who loves me - this I know.  Yet there are parts of my life that are hardened.  Please forgive me Jesus and do not be angry with me.  Help me turn from my sin and towards You. I want to overcome the world and my sin.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me have faith!  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 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.

At the Lord’s command they encamped, and at the Lord’s command they set out. They obeyed the Lord’s order, in accordance with his command through Moses.

Numbers 9

At the Lord’s command they encamped, and at the Lord’s command they set out. They obeyed the Lord’s order, in accordance with his command through Moses. v23

Moses, Aaron, and the Israelites often did "just as God commanded".

The question is - how can we do just as God commands us?

The place to start is with study of the Bible where we renew our minds and enable ourselves to understand and do God's will:

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

But we can't just know God's word - we must be doers of the word:

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22

To enable us to be doers of the word we must live life together - in fellowship with other believers.

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! Psalm 133:1

 

He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:10-11

 

One of the keys in achieving spiritual maturity togetherness: 

 

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:14-16

 

And of course:

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God, full of love, compassion, patience, etc.  Thank You Jesus...I am not worth such love.  I am often not a doer of the Word.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome my in action.  Help me turn 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.

A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.

Leviticus 27

A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. v30

The chapter of Leviticus closes with a command on tithing.

We are to tithe for a variety of reasons, and I believe a few of the most important reasons include one practical and two spiritual and these are not listed in order of importance:

1. Because God commands us to
2. Because we must care for the church and for those who are in need (and the church does this on our behalf); tithing should not limit our giving as cheerful givers we should give more than a tithe.
3. Because as cheerful givers we must recognize that every good and perfect gift comes from above (James 1:17) and we are simply stewards of the treasure provides for us - it does not belong to us and we must allow it to flow from our hands to God and for those in His care 

Lord - please help me be a cheerful giver.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God and You provide abundantly for all of my needs.  Thank You Jesus - I am not worth such provision.  I am harsh with my words.  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.  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.

But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors—their unfaithfulness and their hostility toward me, which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies—then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin, I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.

Levitcus 26

But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors—their unfaithfulness and their hostility toward me, which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies—then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin, I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. v40-42

God knows we are not perfect - that is why He sent His one and only Son to rescue us from our sin.  God gives second chances - we are to confess our sin, turn from our sin and turn towards Him.

He reiterates His faithfulness to us once again:

But for their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the Lord. v45

THAT is how much God love us...that He keeps His promises even when we fail to be who God intended us to be.  

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

My Prayer: Lord Jesus - You are a great God - You love us despite our sin and You even died for us so that we would have freedom from sin and death. Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such love.  I neglect my relationship with You and my role as father and husband.  Please forgive me 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.  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.

Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

Levitcus 19

Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. v18

There are many commands the Lord provides Moses but the overriding theme among them is to "[L]ove the Lord Your God with all of Your heart, soul and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37-40).

This morning the following verse strikes me as a good example of love.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. Philippians 2:3-4

 

Jesus is this love to us and He asks us to love others as He loved us.

 

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34

 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, I love You and I KNOW You love me...You know everything about me even before I was born...and You know about my sin, yet You willingly laid down Your life for me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such love and sacrifice not by a long shot.  I am selfish.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome my sin and turn 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 from 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.  

Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.

Levitcus 19

Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy. v1

We were created by God and for God.

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor. Isaiah 60:21

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Psalm 150:6

 We are also Christ's ambassadors:

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:20-21

  

 God has a mission for us - to bring others to Him (see also Matthew 28 - The Great Commission).

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God and You are holy and perfect - perfect in all ways and perfect to me and for me.  You are everything to me and for me.  I need nothing else but You.  Thank You for how You provide, heal, encourage, teach, protect, etc.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such efforts and love. My sin continues.  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.  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.