I've been seriously following Christ now for over 18 years. Before that, those other untold number of years, I believed in Christ, but wasn't always intentional about the following or serving part. So along the way I've discovered some things that are making more and more sense. One of them is the Torah, the Law of Moses, the instruction manual for living.
Years ago, when I'd read from these first 5 books of the Bible, I'd get bored quickly and wonder why I was even wasting my time. I thought that these concepts and scriptures were long past their usefulness and it was the New Testament that deserved my undivided attention. But then I'd read things there that didn't make sense, were hard to understand, with references to practices long past. So I'd try again to understand some of these concepts and when I looked carefully at these "old" scriptures I discovered something, they were filled with rich traditions and insights that allowed me to "see" more completely what Jesus was talking about. It all started to make sense, the Bible, which I trusted was the inspired word of God, worked together as a whole to tell the story of God's Good News!
In Seminary I learned to love the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), especially the Torah, because it was here that the core of Jesus' teaching was found. And what I have taught since is that if you want to know the whole story of Jesus and understand the beginnings of and the concepts of the Church today, study the Hebrew Scriptures. And one of the most important lessons of the Torah is the lesson of purity.
It's amazing to me the detail that was given for the life-practices of early Israel. Nothing was missed. Acceptable behaviors were codified and expected among the people and priests. And the reason for all of these behaviors and laws was purity. God was seeking purity for His people, not because God demanded it, but because it is what is best on a variety of levels.
Even the utensils, the lamps, tables and everything used in the Tabernacle (including the underwear of the Priests) were to be pure, consecrated, set apart, holy. Because this is what God is, who God is, holy. To be pure is to honor God in the very highest manner, to use excellently made candleholders, to use the best oil in the lamps, the best cloth for wall hangings, the purest gemstones for jewelry.(used for the priest according to God's plan, not just that the priest should wear expensive stuff!) Everything possible was to be pure and everything else was to be purified. And that includes us.
While the law helps to make a pure people, what God actually wants is our hearts to be pure. And that only happens when everything we do is pure also. You've no doubt heard the phrase, "garbage in, garbage out." It's meaning is simple, whatever quality you put in to anything is the quality that comes out. It's true in computing. If you put bad data in a computer, you'll get bad data out. It's also true of our minds, put in bad stuff, out comes bad stuff. And the same is true with the heart. Allow for impure thoughts, actions, behaviors and the heart remains impure. And the more we allow the impurity to reside within us, the further we find ourselves away from the very heart of God, because there is no impurity there. And the impurity of our heart cannot co-exist with the purity of God!
What does this mean for us? Simple,
The more we watch our language,
The more we protect our eyes,
The more we guard our hearts,
The more carefully we choose our behaviors,
The purer we become...
...and the closer we get to God!
Purity isn't a boring life, because I've discoverd that a life with God is never dull! Rather, a pure life is filled with wonders and the miracles of God. A pure life gets me a life with God. And that's more satisfying that anything else I can imagine or experience! So from that perspective...
...Purity Rocks!
Peace ><>
pc
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Wanting even more
God provides.
That statement is enough in itself, yet the Exodus story continues to illustrate it over and over. God is watching out for the needs of this people and provides what is needed. Freedom (even though it took 400 years to fall into slavery and finally liberated), dry ground (the escape plan between two walls of sea), a place (even though they abandon it generations before and then it took them another 40 years to get there), water (even in the wilderness God would provided good, sweet water, still they complained), bread (they called it manna, meaning "what is it?"), meat (in the form of quail that covered the ground), light (in the fire at night), guidance (the cloud during the day), and protection (when the cloud would shroud them from enemies).
God provided plenty. Yet it was never enough. It wasn't what they expected, or what they wanted. And they didn't even know what they really wanted or what they really needed. They simply aren't satisfied.
Maybe there's something we can learn from that. O I'm not saying that we should be satisfied with less, because what God gives is rarely "lesser." I'm thinking that we need to pay attention to what it is that God is giving and how it might give us greater satisfaction when we understand that it is from God and why it was given.
Our satisfaction comes not with just accepting the gift, but understanding the "why."
Freedom because of oppression, because of sin. A place because they were different and unwanted. Food and water because it's needed every day. Guidance because it was needed, because, because, because...
...God knows our needs...because...
...God loves us...because...
...God created us...because
...God wants to...and so
...provides for our needs...
...every time!
The Exodus story is God's first real introduction to humanity. He's everything we could ever want and yet humans find reason to want even more every day. Because we are selfish? Yes, for sure, but mainly because we aren't paying attention to the "why."
Because!
Peace ><>
pc
That statement is enough in itself, yet the Exodus story continues to illustrate it over and over. God is watching out for the needs of this people and provides what is needed. Freedom (even though it took 400 years to fall into slavery and finally liberated), dry ground (the escape plan between two walls of sea), a place (even though they abandon it generations before and then it took them another 40 years to get there), water (even in the wilderness God would provided good, sweet water, still they complained), bread (they called it manna, meaning "what is it?"), meat (in the form of quail that covered the ground), light (in the fire at night), guidance (the cloud during the day), and protection (when the cloud would shroud them from enemies).
God provided plenty. Yet it was never enough. It wasn't what they expected, or what they wanted. And they didn't even know what they really wanted or what they really needed. They simply aren't satisfied.
Maybe there's something we can learn from that. O I'm not saying that we should be satisfied with less, because what God gives is rarely "lesser." I'm thinking that we need to pay attention to what it is that God is giving and how it might give us greater satisfaction when we understand that it is from God and why it was given.
Our satisfaction comes not with just accepting the gift, but understanding the "why."
Freedom because of oppression, because of sin. A place because they were different and unwanted. Food and water because it's needed every day. Guidance because it was needed, because, because, because...
...God knows our needs...because...
...God loves us...because...
...God created us...because
...God wants to...and so
...provides for our needs...
...every time!
The Exodus story is God's first real introduction to humanity. He's everything we could ever want and yet humans find reason to want even more every day. Because we are selfish? Yes, for sure, but mainly because we aren't paying attention to the "why."
Because!
Peace ><>
pc
Monday, December 11, 2006
...So That...
There's always a catch, a hook, a further requirement to get something. You rarely get something for nothing. Ever see the "free" stuff advertised on the internet? "Click here for a free plasma TV or a new computer!" If you haven't clicked, then don't. While it is true that you can get the stuff without paying for it, you do have to pay for a whole bunch of other stuff. Sign up for newsletters, magazines, e-magazines and lots of other stuff that nickels and dimes you to death. Stuff like the tie of the month club, Travel Discount Clubs, and an email mailbox that is stuffed with so many new offers that it's hard to find the real email among them all!
But we just want the free stuff!
The Exodus story has a famous quote that you'll remember if you know the story. It's God's word to Pharoah through Moses, "Let my people go!" God was working at rescuing the people, Israel, from a difficult circumstance and was demanding their release. It's a story of encouragement that God will come to the rescue of those who need it, those who cry out in lament and for help. God's good that way.
But there's a catch.
It's the little remembered part of the story...the "so that."
"God, the God of the Hebrews, says, 'How long are you going to refuse to knuckle under? Release my people so that they can worship me.'" (Exodus 10:3, The Message)
It's the "so that" that is the catch.
It's not that God doesn't want to answer those who cry out for help just for that purpose, but how often is that the only thing we want. We want help in our circumstance, but we don't want anything else. But God on the other hand doesn't just want to help us out of our circumstance, but also wants us, our heart, a relationship, our worship. God helps not just to help, but to get close.
It's the same reason a young man holds the door open for a pretty girl. (Do they even still do that?)
So that he can get close and something more can develop.
While we seek help, it's the so that God seeks. Not that we make those promises that "if you help me, I'll serve you forever." God doesn't what those. God simply wants us to know Him, to love Him, to be His.
God's always ready to help...
...are we ready to worship?
Peace ><>
pc
But we just want the free stuff!
The Exodus story has a famous quote that you'll remember if you know the story. It's God's word to Pharoah through Moses, "Let my people go!" God was working at rescuing the people, Israel, from a difficult circumstance and was demanding their release. It's a story of encouragement that God will come to the rescue of those who need it, those who cry out in lament and for help. God's good that way.
But there's a catch.
It's the little remembered part of the story...the "so that."
"God, the God of the Hebrews, says, 'How long are you going to refuse to knuckle under? Release my people so that they can worship me.'" (Exodus 10:3, The Message)
It's the "so that" that is the catch.
It's not that God doesn't want to answer those who cry out for help just for that purpose, but how often is that the only thing we want. We want help in our circumstance, but we don't want anything else. But God on the other hand doesn't just want to help us out of our circumstance, but also wants us, our heart, a relationship, our worship. God helps not just to help, but to get close.
It's the same reason a young man holds the door open for a pretty girl. (Do they even still do that?)
So that he can get close and something more can develop.
While we seek help, it's the so that God seeks. Not that we make those promises that "if you help me, I'll serve you forever." God doesn't what those. God simply wants us to know Him, to love Him, to be His.
God's always ready to help...
...are we ready to worship?
Peace ><>
pc
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