One Year Bible, February 28

LEVITICUS 22:17-23:44
These feasts of the Lord gave revelation to the fact that God has, indeed, "according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:" (2 Pet 1:3) The feasts, in their day, preserved their faith, preserved unity, and promoted fellowship. Now our gathering at the Church does that.

Passover, or the Feast of Unleavened Bread - was a time that they cleansed the whole house of leaven (type of uncleanness). God expects them to completely separate themselves from Egypt and live a total separated life (not isolated, but distinctive).

Pentecost, or the Feast of Weeks - Exactly 50 days from Passover, they were "endued with power from on high" at the receiving of the Law, the enablement to live separated, distinctive lives.

Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles - Trumpets called them to 10 days of repentance in preparation for the Day of Atonement, which was the one day a year that the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies to put the blood on the Mercy Seat of the Ark. That was a day of cleansing, purification and sanctification. They fasted to "afflict the soul". Five days later they celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles (booths or tents), also called Feast of Harvest, Feast of Ingathering. It was characterized by joy, fellowship, rest, ingathering, restoration, unity. It came hot on the heels of harvest and became known as "the feast".

INTERESTING REVELATION: The New Testament explains the first two very clearly: Passover is compared to our being born again and brought out of the world. Pentecost is compared to our being baptized in the Holy Spirit and empowered for Christian living. But what is the Feast of Tabernacles? It is a celebration of the entire story of redemption, beginning with the Exodus. Deut 16:14-15 tells us that the main characteristic is JOY. It was the first feast celebrated back in the Land in Neh-Ezra, where it says, "The joy of the Lord is our strength!" Joy is a mark of maturity, and is the unifying factor of our character. It is a fruit of the spirit, which comes with MATURITY. If this feast were to be fulfilled in the future, and Jesus has not already fulfilled it, then we should still be observing it! But on the day of that Feast, Jesus released "rivers of living water"(John 7:37-39) to flow out from us in ministry. I believe the Feast of Tabernacles is experienced in the mature believer who is oriented to God's complete purpose in our lives. It is fitting that there are 70 offerings then, more than all the other feasts put together!

RESPONSE:   This is a lot, but so is Christianity when it is lived out. Jesus fulfilled all the feasts in this life, and we celebrate them when we walk in our redemption, every time we live by the power of the Holy Spirit, every time we minister by the Holy Spirit, every time we pour out love on someone. Eph 1:4 says we are the sacrifice that is "without blemish" - "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:" Sometimes that is hard to take in - no more shame, but the freedom to be vulnerable before God.

MARK 9:30-10:12
More of the implications of the Cross: Success comes by a willingness to be last; everyone goes head of you. Success as a Christian comes by doing deeds "in His Name". (It will enhance Jesus, not you.) Success comes to those who do not neglect others, but take people seriously ("causing a little one to sin..."). Success comes to those who judge themselves and deal drastically with sin and temptation ("cut it off”). ("Salt with fire" is to judge ourselves.) In other words, "lose your life".

Speaking of "losing you life", what about marriage and divorce? Obviously the person asking this question is trying to stir up trouble! Divorce makes public our "hardness of heart." The purpose of marriage is to make two people ONE. You don't have a life of your own any more - you are a part of "one-flesh, one-spirit" and this relationship is higher than any other. Marriage is a process of God blending two people into one. He uses one against the other to break down resistances, to soften them and make them holy, with the added thrill of being ONE.

RESPONSE:    The most important character trait of a married person is adaptability. Some people never adapt to another person and they miss out on the best part of being married - being made one. We must think in terms of "us" and "we" and "our". That's part of the thrill of being married! Jesus wants to demonstrate His great love for us through marriage. He is committed for life to us. He promises never to divorce us like He did Israel (Jer 3:8; Heb 13:5). Just like I don't make unilateral decisions in our marriage, I don't want to make them without Jesus either. Sometimes I "forget", and then I reap the consequences of chaos and disorder.

PSALM 44:1-8
Another "Maschil" - A Psalm meant to teach us something! This one teaches us that "in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." (Rom 8:37) This means that we come out of a situation with more than we went in with! Even though our hearts may be right and we are depending on the Lord, we will suffer. There are many reasons for that: the usual one being that we don't have all the information about what is actually going on. God works in the background many times and we don't always see it. Remember: what we call "evil" isn't necessarily evil to God. Most of the time, what we call "evil" or "unjust" is something that makes our flesh uncomfortable or afraid. "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Cor 4:17-18)

PROVERBS 10:19
A fool talks too much! If a person keeps on talking, he will eventually sin with his mouth, thinking up stuff to say. You don't have to tell people everything you know.

RESPONSE:   I think there has been too much written about why "good people" suffer without looking at what the Bible actually says about it. It is a pagan belief that says we should never suffer. Escapism is pagan. Christians are "living sacrifices". We are not anyone's victims, we give our lives as a sacrifice to God to use as He sees fit. Martyrdom used to be considered a privilege. When we "go the distance" for God, He will always make it worth our while, either in this life or in the next. God, help me to remember this...the next time.

One Year Bible, February 27

LEVITICUS 20:22-22:16
I know that at first glance, Leviticus reads like a lot of old-fashioned laws; but a second look is required because ALL Scripture tells of Jesus, and of the Spirit's activity in our inner man. Let me spell it out for you: Lev 20:22-26 say that God owns us. He considers Himself married to us and that sanctifies us as His (just like the marriage ceremony sanctified me to my husband and no others.) This is an exclusive relationship. Because God is holy, then we must be holy too. That means that God will purge out any uncleanness and any self-preservation He sees in us. The uncleanness makes us unholy, and the self-preservation will hinder intimacy with God and will deny us the priesthood because the pressure will make us betray God.

Defiled priest:   First of all, there is no such thing because a defiled person is unacceptable to the priesthood.  Let's just break this down: (1) Blemish (sin). (2) Blind (not born again because he is blind to Truth. (3) Lame (unsteady walk) (4) flat nose (no discernment) (5) excess in his extremities, too long or too many!: ( out of balance) (6) crippled hand or foot (spiritually disabled) (7) crookbackt (twisted attitudes) (8) Dwarf (stunted spiritual growth) (9) eye blemish (perverted outlook) (10) scurvy (unprincipled) (11) scabbed (unclean) (12) broken or damaged testicle (cannot reproduce himself in ministry).

Above all else: Uncleanness is contagious. Everything you touch and everyone you are in intimate contact with will become unclean because of you. You cannot even minister TO THE LORD if you are unclean. How do we stay clean? By "abiding in the vine" - staying connected to Jesus Christ and letting His cleanness be manifested in you. By a lifestyle of repentance. Repent often, every day, every time you "forget God" for a few minutes. What we are repenting from is our rebellion, our independence - from thinking like a "single person" when we are married to Jesus. We don't have a life apart from Him any more.

RESPONSE:   My mom used to tell us to "keep your nose clean". We always knew what she meant - stay out of trouble. We sure knew how to "smell it out". So, you see, even Mom didn't want us to have a flat nose!

I am aware of my susceptibility to uncleanness. My flesh seems to want things that it can't have. I take my mind captive to the goodness and greatness of God. He is a Wonderful Husband - He never fails to love me. I will not "cheat" on Him with a substitute. I won't infect my relationships with unclean attitudes, unclean motives, or unclean behavior. It is like a leper handing someone a glass of water. It is unacceptable because the leper is unclean. Thank God that the blood of Jesus continually cleanses us from all uncleanness!

MARK 9:1-29
The Kingdom of God come with power: 2 Pet 1:16-18 describes this event as a peek behind the veil into heaven when they were "on the holy mountain". They had a taste of the glory of the Kingdom of God. It was revealed to them that, although Jesus would suffer and die, His life would not end in disaster; it would culminate in glory! He stepped back into His preincarnate glory and shone to give them a peek. 

They weren't to tell anyone what they had seen for two reasons: (1) their information was incomplete (they hadn't witnesses the resurrection yet). (2) their understanding was incomplete (they didn't know what Jesus meant by "rising from the dead").

Faithlessness: The disciples believed that the demons should have responded to their commands. But, it turns out that they had faith in their method, not in God. To cast out devils, we need an active, constant, continual prayer life. To be actual faith in God, it must be an interactive, ongoing relationship with God, of constant dependence on Him (as opposed to independence). Our hearts must be in touch with God. The prayer they were talking about was not the prayer of that occasion (you notice that Jesus did not pray for the boy); it is talking about the lifestyle of contact with God.

RESPONSE:   Yesterday's faith won't cut it for today. In fact, yesterday's manna is wormy already (Exo 15:16-20)! This is good, because then we get to start over every day. That is, if we cleared up what needed clearing up the night before. I don't like to leave a messy house overnight. It is too discouraging to wake up to a mess. Just the same, I don't leave yesterday's spiritual messes overnight if I can help it. I like to start fresh every day. New mercies, new revelations, fresh faith, fresh outlook. But always in contact with God.

PSALM 43:1-5
What do I do with a bad mood? When I am depressed? When remembering what God has done in the past doesn't help, when thinking about my unshakable relationship with God doesn't help, ... then I cry out in desperation: "You are my only hope! Why have You abandoned me?" Aha! A light comes on! God is driving me into a corner, where I must grasp the Word ("light and Truth") and hang on. This is my out! I rest on His Word. What God has said is true, regardless of circumstances to the contrary.

PROVERBS 10:18
Fools have a real problem with their mouths.  A fool thinks he can hide what he is really thinking.  But eventually his mouth gives him away.  Hidden hatred breaks out in slander.

RESPONSE:   God would never lie to me. He is faithful to His promises. His Word is like a life raft to me. Job esteemed God's Word higher than food (Job 23:12) and he had already lost everything else. Psalms calls God's Word is better than gold, better than Life. I know that when I get "down", nothing lifts me up faster than a good Psalm!

One Year Bible, February 26

LEVITICUS 19:1-20:21
Chapters 18-20 are about holy relationships. God demands holiness toward Himself and toward other people. This requires a "separated lifestyle" - we are not to look like unbelievers. God is interested in every aspect of lives and every area of our daily walk. The Bible sees life as an integrated whole - and thus every aspect of our lives is to be holy.

Certain sexual sins had the death penalty, probably because intimate contact contaminates the spirit as well as the person. 2 Cor 7:1 says, "Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

Holiness is a command, not an option. Lev 20:7-8 says "Sanctify yourselves and be holy". God is establishing "ownership". He is like a jealous Husband. When I got married, my husband sanctified me to himself; and I also sanctified myself to him. This is what God demands. Being made holy requires a relationship with God of interaction and obedience. A sanctified person manifests Jesus, as His nature "surfaces" in us.

Holiness in our experience is a process of becoming freer and freer from sinning, as He mingles His life with ours. Our inner self takes on the inner self of Jesus as the "old man/self" is crucified/mortified. So sanctification is two-sided: the growth and maturity of the "new man", and the weakening and killing of the "old man". Sanctification integrates us soul and body and spirit and brings order to our lives of disorder. I "sanctify myself" when I love God with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength, obeying Him by faith. My inner self changes as I obey, walking further and further away from sin and self and putting on Christ. As I obey God, I experience "Christ in me".

RESPONSE:   Belonging to God should effect every part of my life. Holy behavior is described as treating people with mercy and justice. I can't be stand-offish and still show mercy and compassion. But if I act like everyone else, I can't be a source of mercy or justice. God, help me get into the thick of life through obedience to You. I want to live meaningfully, in cooperative contact with God all the time. I will talk to You, and I expect Your grace to operate through me.

MARK 8:11-38
Wow! This chapter is full of interesting and important revelations. First of all, this whole passage is a warning about what produces spiritual dullness - the inability to understand spiritual revelation. Jesus asked, "Do you not yet understand?” Jesus refused to try to prove anything to the Pharisees any more, leaving them in their blindness and their stubborn unbelief. The Pharisees were incredibly blind because their evil doctrine (legalism) was all outward and external, never touching the heart. Herod was blind to Truth because of his lawlessness and self-serving that wouldn't allow him to repent. Warning: The same things will dull our spirits and harden our hearts.

Jesus fed the Israelite 5000 with 12 baskets of "crumbs" left-over (the healing that the Gentile woman asked for - "crumbs beneath the table") and He fed the Gentile 4000 with 7 baskets of "crumbs" left-over. 12 and 7 were known factors to Jews, refering to rulership and completeness or totality, both numbers repeated often in the Tabernacle, etc. Those were the signs!

Then, there is the healing of the blind man - done in a double whammy - as another sign to the disciples, who were spiritually blind. They needed their eyes opened in two stages. The first stage was in Peter's answer as to Who Jesus is. They saw His greatness and His glory, but not the totality of Him - the Ruler Who must die. Jesus began to open their eyes (second touch) to what He was really about, and what they must be about if they wanted to continue to follow Him. Verse 32 says, "He spoke plainly" - He detailed the rejection, and who would do what to Him.

Peter's reaction was based on his mindset - totally self-preserving. "Spare Yourself! You deserve better than that!"   Self-preservation is demonic!   In fact, if we continue in it, we will betray the Lord ("be ashamed of My and My Words"). Our "mindset: includes all our "affections" (Gal 5:24), our motivations and reasonings. If they are not marked with death, they will pervert our path.

NOW the disciples can tell about Jesus (v.30)! Their eyes are totally opened to what that means - they have received the double-whammy! 

RESPONSE:   What I appreciate about the way the Bible is written, is the way all the content "hangs together" - and it explains the next part, and the next part, and the next. That said, I believe that legalism will kill us, but lawlessness might kill us quicker. Both will keep us from seeing the Truth. Getting caught up in either one will make us spiritually dull and hardhearted. Self-preservation is a deterrent to following Jesus and will cause us to put temporal things ahead of spiritual realities. We can either lose our lives, (give them as living sacrifices) or we can waste them! There is no other choice out there!

PSALM 42:1-11
Psalms 42-72 are called "Exodus" Psalms and are about "redemption" - how God calls us out of the world and delivers us in our troubles. The Name of God that is most used in this section of Psalms is "Elohim" - the Adored One, the Worshipped One.

Psalm 42 is a "Maschil" - "instructions": it is supposed to teach us something - what to do when we are depressed. The answer to a bad mood is, "Hope thou in God;" wait for God. He is working out His purposes and if you stay "in faith" and don't lose it, you will yet praise him. Psalm 42 and 43 go together, as you will see, because the cure didn't happen until the middle of Psalm 43.

We must refuse to succumb to a bad mood. Do something about it. There are times when it looks like God is doing nothing. He just lets us wait. Those times of delay are the times that test our faith. And so the Psalmist remembered how God helped him in the past. Then he said that the deeps in God call out to the deeps in man.  The the depths of the love of God, and the depths of the joy of God (v.8) call for the echo in our own depths.  But the torturing doubt still comes: "Why have You forgotten me?" But you see, God is our only real hope.   to be continued.............

PROVERBS 10:17
We influence others for good or for evil, just by the way we live. The important thing to notice here is that the person who takes correction shows the way to Life. (This form of correction is "to correct with blows".)

RESPONSE:   Children don't always do what you say, but they do do what you do! So, even when we aren't meaning to instruct, we are.  When we don't take instruction, we are actually leading someone to do the same and will end up in the wrong place. I know that I didn't start really growing in faith until I got to where I could take correction without getting mad, or getting my feelings hurt. How can we ever stop doing things the wrong way, if no one can tell us anything? It is a sign of maturity when we stop getting offended when we are corrected. Some people never grow up in that area and are a disappointment to others in their spiritual growth. I don't like correction any more than the next guy, but the older I get, the more I realize that I don't know it all! I want to lead people to Life.  Someone is watching you!

One Year Bible, February 25

LEVITICUS 16:29-18:30
(Lev 17:7) Apparently some "devils" are black and hairy! Sacrificing to idols is the same thing as sacrificing to devils. (Ps 106:34-38) And they "went a whoring after them". So what, then, is an idol? The original language calls it "a vain thing or a good-for-nothing thing", meaning it was empty and could not bring any real satisfaction to the worshipper. An idol is a substitute for relationship with God. "Whoring" is when we think we want something that is contrary to that relationship - so badly that we are willing to sin to get it. That makes the object of our desire a fetish and an idol and a devil!

Chapters 18-20 talk about holy relationships. God demands a separated lifestyle from His holy people. We can't marry outsiders, we can't act like outsiders, we can't live by their rules (our standards are much higher), we can't sacrifice our children to their gods. (Their gods being "political correctness", lifestyles that they protect, their entertainment, etc.) They unholy activities cause the doer to be "cut off".(treated like an outsider, or even killed in some instances) These unholy activities defile a nation and make it unlivable.

RESPONSE:   Unholiness is contagious and spreads even to the ground you are standing on! It also spreads through intimate contact. Anything less than what God demands will cause the worshipper to become empty and good-for-nothing, just like the idol he worships. I don't want to try to make myself happy with substitutes. God, help me to catch myself so I can repent. I know I've used food, and relationships, and television, and sometimes when I get "bored", I slip back into my old habits. And that's ALL they are, is habits. That means they can be changed. I wish they could be changed with a zapper. But no, I have to form new habits to take their place. I would like my new habit to be coming to You about everything.

MARK 7:24-8:10
Jesus had just declared that all food is clean and now He demonstrates that all peoples are clean by going into a Gentile region and challenging His disciples' scruples. The Gentile woman begging for help tore down the barrier of race.

This is the second time Jesus fed a crowd, that we know of. The difference is glaring: The crowd this time is Gentile! The feeding arose out of compassion (which is your pain in my heart). These had gone 3 days without food! So the disciples began with what they had - 7 loaves and a few small fish. Then Jesus revealed Himself as the All-Sufficient Source of what we need.

RESPONSE:   Jesus, You are all I need. I can go through anything if I know You are with me. And in the test, I know You will reveal something about Yourself that I didn't know before.

PSALM 41:1-13
This Psalm is in response to hurtful betrayal. For David, it was his son, Absalom. For Jesus, it was His friend, Judas (v.7-9). David's unrepented sin had left him sick, powerless and helpless. Now that he has repented, he asks for healing so he is not vulnerable to his enemies. He knows that the only reason he hasn't been destroyed before this is because of God's Presence around him, even in the presence of his enemies. God is his avenger.

"Amen and Amen".  Psalms is divided into five books, one for each book of the Torah.   At the end of each section is a "double", either "amen, amen", or "amen, hallelujah", or "hallelujah, hallelujah". Genesis 41:32 says that a "double" means "it was established by God and God will shortly bring it to pass". 

PROVERBS 10:15-16
The rich think that wealth will protect them, and the poor are so overwhelmed with the vulnerability of being poor that they don't even try to break out of their poverty. Both alike overestimate wealth. Living according to Truth is what brings life or death, not how much money you have.

RESPONSE:   "People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."  (1 Tim 6:9-10)  Thinking that wealth is the key to long life, or to more respect, or to success of some sort, is a trap. The righteous go after wisdom and wisdom holds the other things in her hands. Actually, Jesus told us to seek the kingdom of God and "His righteousness", and things will be "added" to us (Matt 6:33). Safety is to be found in God's will, not in money. A lack of God's righteousness is what makes us vulnerable to our real enemies.  Prov 10:22 says that the "blessing of the Lord makes us rich". And I say, "AMEN!"   I am one of the richest people I know! If you want to know what it's like to be vulnerable to your enemies, try living without God's blessing!

One Year Bible, February 24

LEVITICUS 15:1-16:28
Mankind's sin nature flows like a fountain from within. Bodily secretions speak of SIN. Because sin is uncleanness, it has to be cleansed and bloody offerings made.

Day of Atonement: The Feast of Tabernacles was the third great feast. The 1st day was called Feast of Trumpets. The 10th day was called the Day of Atonement and marked the only occasions that Aaron was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies. He did not wear his glorious and beautiful garments, but only his holy, white linen undergarments, robe and turban. First he made atonement for himself and his family with a bull. Then a ram was offered as a burnt offering for Aaron. Then, he took two goats: the Lord's goat and the scapegoat. The Lord's goat was sacrificed, the blood caught and sprinkled. The scapegoat was brought to the door, and with both hands on its head, Aaron confessed all the sins of Israel on it. Then that goat was taken to the wilderness and released, forgiven and freed. Jesus is first both goats, dying for our sins and carrying them away. Then, the goats are you and me, losing our old/natural lives and walking in our new life.

The Day of Atonement was a solemn occasion of cleansing the sanctuary and the nation. It was a day of fasting, and no work could be done on that day because it looked forward to the "finished work" of Jesus Christ. It was a day for "the affliction of the soul" - mourning, repentance, purification.

RESPONSE:   "But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." (Heb 9:11-12) Jesus did it all! There is nothing more I can do to be acceptable to God. There is plenty I can do, however, to give Him pleasure. But I don't have to sacrifice to gain His favor. Early in my marriage, I was fretting about not have enough time to clean the apartment AND go for a walk with my new husband. My husband told me he wanted a wife, not a housekeeper. I think about that a lot in my relationship with Jesus. God loves me and paid the price to have me with Him. 

MARK 7:1-23
The opposition came looking for trouble. Jesus got right to the heart of the problem: Their religion was all outward show and their hearts were still wicked. Their religion was external, without letting God touch their hearts. They had substituted tradition instead real worship. The traditions themselves weren't good or bad. Good or bad originates in our hearts - which for them were untouched by the Word! The list tells us where evil comes from. If you are guilty of one of them, you are capable or all of them. I guess the devil didn't make me do it!

RESPONSE:   When my heart is not in it, and I just go through the motions of worship, God calls that flattery, and He hates it. But, I found out that I can force my heart to worship with what I speak.  James calls the tongue a rudder, able to turn a whole ship - so that's what I use it for.  My heart is fickle, lazy, and self-serving. BUT, I can also set it on fire for God! I talk to it. Out loud. God is good, and it is because of His goodness that I am not struck dead. That He reached out to me, and chose me, and called me, and wooed me, and worked on me when no one else would have wanted me. God is faithful and is never too tired to listen to me. I take my mind captive and drag it to the throne of God because He is worthy!

PSALM 40:11-17
"Tendermercies" - The action of the womb to nourish, cherish and protect the fetus; compassion.

"Lovingkindness" - The response in a mother that causes her milk to let down when the baby cries, so connected is she with her offspring. God's favor and faithfulness, goodness and grace flow so freely. It is the full flow of natural affection.

"Truth” - Faithfulness, trustworthiness, stability. The picture is of strong arms supporting a helpless baby.

These three words are foundational to covenant with God and imply permanence and care. They express the character of God. When God revealed Himself to Moses, it says, "And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful (tendermercies) and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness (lovingkindness) and truth..." (Ex 34:6) NEVER read these word "lightly". David said he would not refrain from declaring this revelation about God's character, or from coming under the protection and care of them either.

And may those who "love God say continually, THE LORD BE MAGNIFIED." The Lord be praised as greater, more exalted, and more glorious than anything. I magnify God when I believe right and live right in obedience to Him, and I diminish the Name of the Lord by my disobedience or rebellion.

PROVERBS 10:13-14
Where understanding is, there is wisdom. A person who really discerns or has insight about what is going on, speaks wisely because he can rightly judge the situation. Part of being wise is to know when to speak and when to be quiet. A fool bears his own disgrace of having to be taught the hard way because he won't listen to wisdom.

RESPONSE:   God, when I cry, does Your mercy "let down"? Are You so connected to me that You can't help Yourself? And You are abundant in mercy! I magnify Your Name - You are truly great. You are glorious. You are fabulous!

One Year Bible, February 23

LEVITICUS 14:1-57
Cleansing from uncleanness: First you must be examined by a priest to see if you are continuing in your sin (leprosy). If you are truly over it, there is cleansing for you. Two birds, alive and clean (Jesus and you), scarlet yarn (blood of Jesus), cedar (largest tree) and hyssop (smallest tree). One bird (Jesus) was killed over running water (Father), and the blood collected. The other bird (you) was dipped in the blood of the sinner-bird, and loosed in an open field (forgiven and set free). The penitent himself was sprinkled 7 times, for complete forgiveness, and the blood applied to his extremities as representing the whole person. Then there was a sin offering, a burnt offering, a meal offering for complete restoration.

RESPONSE:   I am free as that bird, flying in an open heaven! I've always felt that I had wings anyway. God wants us to live in a holy house, with holy possessions, and holy children, holy clothing, holy bodies, holy marriages, holy money, holy activities. God wants it all! So, how free am I really? I certainly am not free to do my own thing. That's how I got into bondage in the first place! But I am free from living according to lies, from living unclean and isolated, from living for myself - and that's free!

MARK 6:30-56
While Jesus and His posse rowed about four miles across the lake to rest, the crowds hurried 10 miles around and met them there! When it got late, Jesus made a decision to feed everyone - 5000 men, plus women and children, primarily for the disciples' benefit. He was drawing a deliberate picture for them of Himself as the NT "Moses", or the Good Shepherd, sent by God. And so, previously there was a 12-year-old girl raised from the dead, a woman healed of a 12-year flow of blood, and now twelve baskets of leftover food. Whenever the number 12 is used in the Bible, think of dominion and rulership. That night, when Jesus came to them walking on the water, and then getting into their boat, the Living Bible says in vs. 51 that "they just sat there, unable to take it in! For they still didn't realize who he was, even after the miracle the evening before! For they didn't want to believe!"

They were absolutely flabbergasted and afraid! They still hadn't figured it out! They were unable to think outside the box. Jesus had even had the crowds seated in groups like Moses did in the wilderness camps.

How do we "come to faith"? When we fail to make an important connection in progressive revelation, we fail to come to faith. We must always be connecting with God as He is revealed at the time. Jesus is here revealed as One Who can be reliably trusted to be IN CHARGE. What brings us to faith? Putting our focus on the goodness and greatness of God!

RESPONSE:   When things get "out of control" around me, they aren't really "out of control", are they! There is no such thing! My thinking may get out of control, but the rest is watched very carefully by God. In fact, when this is an issue with me, I know to get "in faith" as quickly as I can before I blow everything out of proportion with my mouth. Look at this: "Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them." (Psa 89:9) And how do I get "in faith"? I start addressing the Lord as the One in control of the Universe, He never sleeps, He is never distracted, God is faithful. I am the "apple of His eye" - don't mess with me!

PSALM 40:1-10
Although David has been rescued, he still isn't completely delivered and was still surrounded by enemies. He pressed on to please God anyway. In fact, Hebrews 10:5-9 says that Jesus prayed this Psalm as He was entering the earth into Mary's womb. Isa 50:5 says "The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back." "Opened" is also "pierced". The idea is that David was made willingly obedient (Deut 17:15). As Jesus came in willing obedience, knowing He would be horribly sacrificed.

"I delight to do Thy will, O my God." I aggressively pursue giving God satisfaction for my life, because I delight in God. And so he sang a "new song" of his sudden, surprising deliverance from a "horrible pit" of "miry clay". The miry clay is found at the very bottom of the pit. There was no place to get his footing, no place to stand. This means he was trapped with no way out, no chance of rescue. For Jesus, He was raised up from the grave. Where were you lifted from?

PROVERBS 10:11-12
The words and conversations of the righteous bring life, a building-up, comfort, encouragement, and strength to those who partake of it. The wicked have the opposite effect and are deceitful about it. Stirring up the pot, provoking arguments and disagreements, is a sign of hatred. It exposes the faults of others when it happens. Love overlooks offenses when they come.

RESPONSE:   I delight to give God pleasure. When I do things in obedience to God I can actually feel His pleasure. It makes an otherwise routine duty, become a privilege and a pleasure. I love to please God. There is nothing that feels as good as giving God pleasure. Nothing!

One Year Bible, February 22

LEVITICUS 13:1-59
Signs and treatment of Leprosy (Uncleanness): "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;" (Isa 64:6) In the light of this Scripture, it is interesting to see what the Bible says about leprosy, since leprosy is a type of "uncleanness". The water and the fire of God comes to cleanse us from uncleanness - even as Christians. Leprosy was known as the "scourge of God". The cure for leprosy is called "cleansing" because the condition is considered "unclean". 

(1) Starts with an insignificant spot. (Uncleanness usually starts out with a "little bit".)
(2) Person doesn't realize it at first. (Don't realize that the activity made him unclean.)
(3) Progressive. (It creeps up on you and gets harder to control.)
(4) Affects the whole person (can't compartmentalize behavior.)
(5) Causes numbness and the hair to fall out. (Affects other behaviors.)
(6) Estrangement; incurable to any but Jesus.
(7) Even garments are unclean. Jude 1:23 "Hating even the garment spotted by the flesh." - anything brought into contact with uncleanness.

RESPONSE:  Uncleanness destroys us. The Holy Spirit is the antidote to what is killing us. May the fire never go out. What does not burn becomes His dwelling place.

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." (Matt 3:11-12)

MARK 6:1-29
Here we see not only growing opposition to Jesus, but also a growing realization of Who He is. This slap in the face by Jesus' hometown gives the disciples a taste of what is to come. Jesus sends them out in the atmosphere of unbelief and rejection.

In fact, the story of the demise of John the Baptist is sandwiched here between the disciples being called, given authority, instructed, and sent; and in vs 30 where they return. It shows the effect of the disciples' mission to have aroused superstitious speculation, with amazement and bewilderment, and then either belief or unbelief.

RESPONSE:   Who do we say that Jesus is? Jesus asks us directly. He is my Friend, my Counselor, my Holiness, my Guide, my Help, my Master, my Confidant, my Savior, my Sanctifier, my Deliverer, my Freedom Fighter, my Peace, my Redeemer, my Joy. I could go on and on. I rejoice, laugh, giggle, shout, scream, jump up and down, shout, run in circles, wave my arms, twirl, smile, dance a jig - when I contemplate all He is to me. Jesus' hometown was scandalized at Jesus. They would probably be scandalized at me too! That's okay. I don't carry their dust around with me - I won't let their "dust" weigh me down.

PSALM 39:1-13
"I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue..." I have that underlined in red. WHEN YOU ARE OFFENDED, (angry, hurt, insulted, etc.) KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! When you speak, speak to God in repentance.

In view of eternity, life is short. Vs 5 in the KJV says, "Verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity." Man without God has an empty life that leads to hopeless despair. All meaning and satisfaction is to be found ONLY in Jehovah. The greatest emptiness is to live life for yourself. 

PROVERBS 10:10
To speak deceitfully (with a wink) and to speak rashly are both foolish: the first hurts others, the second hurts himself.

RESPONSE:   I used to think that if I were unable to speak, I would probably never sin. My worst sins are with my mouth. MOST of my sinning is with my mouth. When I speak, I should repent for getting myself into the situation where God has to correct me. Life is too short to complain. Life is too short to draw things out by refusing to repent.

One Year Bible, February 21

LEVITICUS 11:1-12:8
God is interested in what we eat. Actually, in whatever we put into our bodies or minds, whether it is material or spirit. We have to distinguish between "clean" and "unclean" - and what is unclean cannot be picked up, touched or carried without infecting us for that day. This isn't just talking about food. If anything unclean touches anything that is sanctified (my property, my children, my home, etc.), it (the sanctified thing) must be "made holy" or destroyed. It is "made holy" by washing it with water. If it can't pass through the water, it must be destroyed.

Demons are attracted to death, filth and blood. And so, a woman having her menstrual cycle was considered "unclean" too!  Thank God that Jesus came to fulfill all the prophetic significance of that! He even allowed a "flowing" woman to touch Him (Mark 5:25-34). We have been freed from the "Law of Sin and Death" (Rom 8:2) and don't observe these laws any more, however, in the OT type, all of these laws probably prevented disease and death. You see, the "Law of Sin and Death" is stronger than anything that would try to overcome it, and that's why we need deliverance by the "Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus".

RESPONSE:    I love lobster and shrimp. They don't have fins or scales and live in the sea. Thank God for Jesus! "Everything is permissible for me-but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me"-but I will not be mastered by anything. Food for the stomach and the stomach for food" (1 Cor 6:12-13) However, I draw the line at bugs! I know missionaries who have eaten locusts, grasshoppers, and even termites. But I don't want to eat anything that isn't dead yet! Actually, I don't want to eat ANYTHING that the Holy Spirit tells me not to --- and that includes doughnuts. If we can eat "junk" or take in anything we know to be "unclean" without feeling guilty, there is something wrong with us! We need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit about everything!

MARK 5:21-43
Twelve Years: Jesus took a walk and healed two females. We know that a woman in menstrual flow was considered "unclean", and the rabbis of Jesus' day enforced the laws concerning that. So this poor woman, who had bled for 12 years was a social pariah. Jesus did not rebuke her for making Him unclean; He nullified the rabbinical law that said menstruation was a curse from God. Jesus called it "plague", or "scourge" (V.34) which is a type for "sin and death", the real scourge of the earth. This becomes significant when Jesus goes on to heal the young girl who was 12 years old.

In the Bible, no measurement, no numbers, no words are wasted or written for no reason. It is significant that both women had 12 years attached to them. Jesus was touched by a woman made "unclean" by blood, and a girl made "unclean" by death. Jesus came, and fulfilled the LAW in both cases, freeing us from the "plague" of "sin and death"! Twelve is the Bible number for dominion and government. (12 tribes, 12 disciples, 12 gates)

RESPONSE:   Jesus loves people, and isn't afraid to show it. Love triumphed over law. Jesus isn't squeamish or "turned off" by anything that might seem offensive to some. People are important to Him. Would I be willing to embrace someone I thought was "unclean"? I don't know.

PSALM 38:1-22
This Psalm is traditionally read on the Day of Atonement. You can see why. David was miserable, physically ill, deserted by his ungrateful friends and relatives, chased by cruel enemies, and overwhelmed by his own sin. First he blamed God for his misery (v.1,2), then he acknowledged "my sin", "mine iniquities" (v.3-4), "my foolishness" (v.5) to be the cause of all his troubles. He wrote that he deserved all this and had brought it upon himself..."because of my foolishness." 

Two things are required in repentance:- (v.18) Confess, and Be sorry (afraid, fear of God, a natural consequence of sin). Sin should grieve us, not just for what it can do to us, but because it is rebellion against God. Two things we plead for: (v.21-22) God's Presence, and God's help.

PROVERBS 10:8-9
Here the contrast is between the fool and the wise. Wisdom has its foundation in God and is imparted to those who "fear Him". This wisdom is the essence of Life and to be without it is to walk in the way of death and destruction. The fool is one who is thoughtless, careless, conceited, self-sufficient, indifferent to God and His Will, and who scoffs at wise instruction (Isa 32:6). He exposes his own foolishness by the way he talks and the way he lives (walks).

RESPONSE:   Sometimes I remove all doubt about my foolishness when I open my mouth. That's why I have the husband I do - he is quick with the elbow to TRY to shut me up! We give away what's in our hearts by what we say and how we live. Anyone with real wisdom can listen to us and know whether we are a fool or not. If we are wise, we will listen to instruction, commandments, rebukes, and correction so we don't have to be fools any more.   

One Year Bible, February 20

LEVITICUS 9:7-10:20
Contempt for Holy Things: God sent fire from heaven to ignite the brass altar in the Outer Court, where sacrifice for sin and trespass was made. Fire was to be taken from that altar and carried to the Golden Altar of Incense to light the incense. No approach was to be made to God without the Blood.

Their very first time as priests, Aaron's two oldest sons did not revere God as holy in their hearts, but were presumptuous. It is believed that the fire they used to light the incense did not come from off the brass altar (where blood was shed).  They were careless and disrespectful and probably offered the incense at the improper time also. In v. 3 Moses explained their judgment to Aaron: "This is it that Jehovah spake, saying, I will sanctify Myself in him that is nigh to Me, and will glorify Myself in the face of all the people."

With the death of the priests, God "glorified" Himself as the Holy One, who is not to be mocked or taken lightly. And Aaron "held his peace." He was obliged to acknowledge the righteousness of the holy God. And any manifestation of grief on account of the deaths that had occurred, would have indicated dissatisfaction with the judgment of God, and so Aaron and his sons were not allowed to mourn his dead sons. Not only that, but Aaron had to continue to minister as though nothing had happened, because he was covered with the anointing oil that was the symbol of the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Life that conquers death and sin. 

God made SURE that no one ever made this mistake again. The priests who minister before the Lord must NEVER drink alcoholic beverages, so that they would be sober-minded, able to always discern between "holy" and "common" and between "clean" and "unclean" - so no one has to die again.

RESPONSE:    Thank God I can come boldly to God's throne because of Jesus (Heb 4:14-16). Jesus has fulfilled every requirement that was put on Aaron and his sons. Now I don't have to be afraid. BUT, if I profane the holiness of God by my conduct or by making light of holy things with my words, I should probably be very afraid. There is a line we must never cross. Rather than be afraid of it, why not just stay way back from that line? Don't even go there.

MARK 4:26-5:20
Mark is the only Gospel with this first particular parable. It is my favorite Kingdom parable because it teaches that there are some things about the Kingdom that happen all by themselves - without my active participation! I believe it is speaking of putting the Word in our hearts (planting it - meditating, memorizing, obeying it), and that it eventually begins to manifest itself in our behavior without our having to put forth any effort, other than getting that Word in there. But it IS a process. It starts out as a tiny seed, but so great is God's power in us, that we can mature and become ministers of the Gospel.

What do we do when we are scared to death? And Jesus appears not to care! He's asleep! They panicked and woke Him up. I don't know what they expected Him to do, but when He stilled the storm, they were shocked, not because the storm ceased, but at the suddenness of it.  He probably was commanding the demonic force behind the storm, in preparation for what was about to happen on shore.

"Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?" Well, that's why they were afraid - they had lost faith. Remember this: (1) the boat will not sink, and (2) the storm will not last forever. Faith is the answer to fear. Faith in the goodness and greatness of God. Even though the disciples flunked their test of faith, they got revelation about Who He is that they wouldn't have gotten any other way.

Did you notice that the madman who ran naked in the tombs among the dead was a cutter? He was in torment and trying to lance the pain. He could not be chained up or subdued, such was his relentless unrest. He was polluted and had enough "unclean" demons in him to infest 2000 pigs! Yet, because of Jesus, he was now "dressed and in his right mind". What was people's reaction? Fear. Jesus had hit them in their wallets! They preferred the pigs (money) to the soul of the madman.

NOTE:  Whether the enemy is outside or inside, JESUS IS LORD. Whether the storm is outside or inside, JESUS IS LORD. Whether we are being sabotaged or ripped apart from the outside or the inside, JESUS IS LORD.

RESPONSE:   Jesus, whatever comes to scare me, or to rip me apart, YOU ARE LORD. You will take me through. You said we were to go to the other side (4:35) and I believe You. I worship You and magnify You as being all I need to get through anything. Your goodness and greatness reassure my heart and increase my faith. If I can just keep my mouth shut when I am being tossed around by my stormy feelings, and get my focus back on You, I know I will make it "to the other side".  

PSALM 37:30-40
"Wait for the Lord and keep His way."  When we are actually doing worse financially than the ungodly, when they seem to live better than we do, "wait for the Lord and keep His way." When you are unjustly criticized by the unbeliever, or they plot your downfall, "wait for the Lord and keep His way." When you are lied about or laughed at by the unrighteous, "wait for the Lord and keep His way." In other words, KEEP ON, KEEP ON, KEEP ON.

How do we wait? This does NOT imply inactivity. Remember the opposite of grace is EARNING, NOT EFFORT.  We keep walking by the Spirit, keep obeying God, patiently and steadily trusting Him. Stay focused on God's goodness and greatness by speaking it out loud to your heart when it wavers. Isa 40:31 says that when we "wait on the Lord" we are strengthened in our resolve, such that we can continue to walk by the Spirit without getting weary or discouraged. In fact, we can FLY!

PROVERBS 10:6-7
Blessings crown the righteous, but the violence and deceit of the wicked cover them with shame. It falls back on his foul mouth. As in life, so in death: blessings continue to crown our remembrance of the righteous, and the very remembrance of the wicked is loathsome.

RESPONSE:   If I had to just sit around waiting for God to do something, I would go crazy! I would lose faith, lose hope, lose patience, lose my way. I have figured out that waiting on God is an aggressive, "dig-in" position. That I must stay steady and keep going. In fact, because of the new revelation of the strength, the goodness, the faithfulness, and the greatness of God, I actually DO BETTER under the pressure of waiting and expecting Him to act. So good, in fact, that I quit running and start FLYING! When I fret, I wear myself out. When I trust, I accomplish more with less work. Go figure!

One Year Bible, February 19

LEVITICUS 7:28-9:6
Aaron is "the anointed priest" (8:12). He was called of God, brought before the Lord and the people, washed, clothed, anointed, hands filled, sanctified, and crowned. His primary function was to minister to the Lord (worship). He had no inheritance but God. He was clothed in linen from head to foot (holiness and righteousness). Then he wore a blue robe, (representing Pentecost and the filling from Heaven with the Holy Ghost), that went to his knees. Over all that, he wore the ephod which went shoulders-to- waist and spoke of dwelling in the presence of God in ceaseless intercession. When he was fully clothed, he represented glorified man. "Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." (Romans 8:30)

RESPONSE:   Don't forget the banqueting table! It was prepared before the Lord and eaten in His presence. Sometimes it gets eaten "in the presence of my enemies" (Psa 23:5), who have to look on while I dine with Jesus, totally satisfied. I'm sure Aaron even looked like the royal priest that he was. Very kingly in his robes, bells jingling as he walked. And why not? He served God! I always think about that when I dress for church. I wear the best that I have - because I am going to be in God's presence as His wife! I want Him to be proud of me.

MARK 3:31-4:25
Our call to follow Jesus comes BEFORE the demands of our earthly family. Jesus must be first. Those who obey God's will are all spiritual family members, regardless of any human differences.

The sower, the seed and the soil: The effect of the Word of God depends on the condition of the hearer and how it gets received. If the hearer isn't really paying attention because he is hardhearted and resistant to God, the Word doesn't penetrate. If he just listens with his head and not his heart, it won't last either because no real change took place. But sometimes the Word even penetrates the heart and we see some changes take place, but then "stuff" comes into the life, distracting them from God, taking up their time and energy, and God gets pushed to the background again. This is no secret, but it can happen to anybody. If we don't guard and act on what we already know, and keep on moving on with God, getting to know Him better, we can get to the place where the Word of God doesn't do us any good!

RESPONSE:   God, I want my heart to always be "good ground". Keep me soft and deep. Help me remember to always turn back to You when I get busy. Don't let me go more than one minute without thinking about You. I don't want ANYTHING to crowd You out - not even the things I do in Your Name.

PSALM 37:12-29
The Wicked: Their plans against the upright will come back on their own heads. Their wealth and power can't buy them what they really need. In the long-run, the wicked can't win. They lead wasted lives and finally they self-destruct, having no one to blame but themselves.

The Righteous: Although we are gnashed on by the wicked, it is only temporary, and they can't take away anything that really matters from us. We may appear to have nothing, but in reality we possess it all (the earth). In fact, when we give, we are in no way diminished! We can be cast down, but never destroyed. God never forsakes us and even our children are blessed.

PROVERBS 10:5
It is harvest NOW - so get to work! Don't be lazy or dense and miss all your opportunities!

RESPONSE:   I was knocked down, but not out! Not because I am so tough, although I might be, but because Jesus had His arms around me. HE is tough! He is also savvy and sees it all. It is much more exciting to overcome something than to have NOTHING happen to us. If my witness upsets some folks, I'm all for stirring it up! You can dislike me if you must, but DON'T YOU DARE IGNORE ME! 

One Year Bible, February 18

LEVITICUS 6:1-7:27
All the sacrifices were made "holy" with the addition of salt and oil and frankincense. Oil for the Holy Spirit anointing and approval, frankincense for experiential faith, and salt for preservation (sanctification). (1 Thess 5:23, Be sure you read it.) Anything that touched the sacrifices was considered "holy" also. HOWEVER, be assured, it is the person who is touched by the sacrifice who is holy.  BUT anything that particular person now touches, is NOT made holy by that touch (second-hand holiness) (Hag 2:12). Holy things are only for holy people.

About those offerings: Anyone who broke the Law concerning them would be "cut off from his people" (Being "cut off" meant you would be treated like an outsider by the congregation and by God Himself). Sanctification (being made holy) is a serious process and must ALWAYS proceed from the death of the sacrifice. Every precaution was made to keep the sacrifice from becoming polluted.

RESPONSE:   I am grateful for the provisions God made for my sanctification. I am both the offerer and the sacrifice, the "living sacrifice" (Rom 12:1). I know that "in me lives no good thing." (Rom 7:18) Jesus, BE holy IN ME. I will be more dependent on You than ever as I form the new habits of sanctification.

MARK 3:7-30
The Twelve:   "And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;" (Luke 6:12-13) Jesus had an enormous task ahead of Him. Mark 3 says He chose "those He wanted".....after praying all night. Not many people realize this, but the 12 disciples were probably between the ages of 14 and 21, with John being youngest (14) and Peter (over 20) being the oldest. Matt 17:24-27 tells that taxes were paid for only Jesus and Peter, probably the only ones over the age of 20. And in Luke 10:21, and John 13:33, Jesus refers to them as "little ones", probably not an address to a bunch of old, bearded men. Still, each of the 12 left families and homes to travel and spread the Gospel, all but two dying as martyrs, after being beaten, tortured and imprisoned.

And how were they trained? Verse 14 says that they were to "be with Him" and then were sent out to preach.

RESPONSE:   No wonder the training of the 12 disciples was such a grand adventure! They were a teen-aged posse! No wonder they followed courageously, they loved passionately, and they argued and were afraid at times. They were kids! Well, we call them kids, but in their time they probably weren't looked at that way. But they were pretty ordinary. Until Jesus got ahold of them! I am encouraged to keep up with them. 

PSALM 37:1-11
This Psalm was probably written in David's old age, and asks the question:, why do the wicked prosper and the righteous perish? The long-range view is that the prosperity of the wicked is short-lived because it has within itself the seeds of self-destruction. Faith demands that the righteous "fret not, neither be envious", "trust" and "do", "delight", "commit", "rest", and "wait".

What does it mean to "delight thyself in the Lord"? The instructions are actually given in this Psalm!  (V.1) "Fret not,..neither be envious" Fretting and envying are things that make our spirit uneasy, unsettled. To "fret" is to blaze up in anger. (See v.8 "cease from anger") Don't let what others are doing get you unsettled. God is in control and will take care of all that stuff. "Trust in the Lord" (v.3) means "to be boldly confident and without fear". "Doing good" (v.3) is the result of trusting Him.

This all means that the Lord is the end of my search, not the means to something else. The deepest and most lasting happiness is found IN GOD. When I rest in faith, committing myself to Him as my Life, and trust that He is "enough", He is all I really need to be fulfilled --- then I can BEGIN to "delight myself in the Lord." Anything less is dishonoring to God. To not enjoy being with Him, to not worship Him joyfully, is a terrible disservice to God. A secret? You have to "forget about yourself!" By the way, I believe "delighting" is done out loud.

PROVERBS 10:3-4
God gives satisfaction to the soul of the righteous, but the desire of the wicked is never satisfied. This is because the wicked deal "with a slack hand" - the literal meaning of which is "treachery or deceitfulness". Those who take advantage of others by fraud and treachery will, in the end, impoverish themselves.

RESPONSE:   The only way to really get satisfaction in my life is IN GOD. Not FROM God, but in Himself. He is good and He is great. There just is no other way to look at it. God is either enough all by Himself, or He is a terrible fraud, because He claims to be all we really need. I, for one, can testify that He is truly enough for me to be fulfilled. God fills my abysmal neediness and He satisfies my bottomless hunger. Oh yes! I have to instruct my heart every day to believe the Truth. But that is better than living my whole life based around lies.....that I need anything else besides God. Substitutes for Truth and for God are idolatrous, vain, empty and self-destructive. 

One Year Bible, February 17

LEVITICUS 4:1-5:19
Always keep in mind that these offerings don't just represent Jesus, but they also represent you and me and our self-surrender to God. Each one shows a part of the process of change when we surrender and repent. We repent of our independence and rebellion against God.....every day. This is how change comes. We find, through the offerings that we are appropriating the work of Jesus Christ because our work will never qualify. That the work done by Jesus is adequate and ours is not. And that His life is expressed through our obedience of faith.

Whole Burnt Offering (1:1-7; 6:8-13) This offering gives us acceptance with God. The offerer kills the sacrifice himself, cuts it up into pieces, and the priests grilled it. But the innards and legs were washed and then burned up. Can you guess at what all this represents? We present ourselves, because it was our sin that killed our Savior. Our innards and our walk cannot be "saved", but as it represents our flesh, it must be washed and consumed. This was a voluntary offering and was a sweet savour to the God. This offering was to be continual, daily, with the fire never going out. Lev 9:24 says that the first fire on that altar came down from God in Heaven and the priests kept it going after that.

Meal Offering (2:1-16; 6:14-23) This offering is bloodless, bread made without leaven, and voluntary. A handful was offered/burned and the priests ate the rest in the holy place. It was an accessory to the Burnt offering and the Peace offering, and could not be offered without the bloody meat. This offering had to be prepared at home with pounded, sifted flour. By suffering, Jesus offered Himself as food for man, as do all of us, as a sweet savour to God.

Peace Offering (3:1-17; 7:11-21) The purpose of this offering is to have communion with God. This is the only offering in which the offerer may partake of the grilled meat. It represents reconciliation with God and eating at His Table. There were three types of Peace Offerings: Thank Offering (for praise), Vow Offering (fulfilled a promise by the offerer), Freewill Offering (for Who God is). This was a joyous occasion and a sweet savour to God.

Sin Offering (4:1-38; 6:24-30) Now we are to the offerings that don't smell good to God because of what they represent. In this offering, the blood flows down and out. People are atoned, rather than acts they've committed. This deals with the sin nature that we are born with. Confession was made over the sacrificial animal, identifying the offerer with the animal, as deserving of death. This offering was bloody and involuntary. The fat (consider the prime part), and kidneys were burned on the altar. But the hide, flesh, head, legs, innards, and dung (the rest of the bull) was taken outside the camp where it was burned on an ash heap. "And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood." (Heb 13:12)

Trespass Offering (5:1-19; 6:1-7; 7:1-7) This was for sins of omission through ignorance. It was a guilt or debt offering. There was no provision for intentional sins. Those people were "cut off" (Numbers 15:30-31). "He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:" (Heb 10:28). This offering was for the acts of sin and so confession was made over the offering. It was bloody and involuntary. It paid the debt of sin, making restitution to God. However, restitution also had to be made to the victim of the trespass.

RESPONSE:    I can see that my debt was insurmountable. The barrier was enormous. The Blood of Jesus is totally adequate. He took my place and picked up all my "I.O.U."s. The blood is always before the Lord - not just on Sundays! It is daily. We must repent of the things we didn't do - omitting to do good when we should have. And we repent of things we did in ignorance. I guess that includes all of us. I am truly sorry that I am so self-interested, and so self-centered. God, help me to "forget about myself" today.

MARK 2:13-3:6
The Sabbath: What does it really represent? Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made for men, not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath." We don't "keep" the Sabbath; the Sabbath "keeps" us! Hebrews 4 says that "the Sabbath Rest remains" - that is, it is still available for us. God's Sabbath is NOT a day of the week, but the "rest that comes by faith". How do we get there? With praise and thanksgiving for Who God is - for His goodness and greatness. This removes the clutter from our hearts and minds about the adequacy of God and allows us to "rest" in that. We don't focus on ourselves, Jesus is "Lord of the Sabbath".

In Mark 3:5 the KJV says, "And when He had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts..." This is the definition of righteous anger, or righteous indignation. When we get angry, we are usually sinning because it's about US. Jesus was angry for their persistent unbelief, their refusal to be persuaded, at their roots of bitterness. They appear to be bent on their own ruin.

RESPONSE:  I think that the Pharisees had made even the Sabbath to be "all about ME." It is all about Your, Lord - and Your sufficiency and completeness. YOU made the Sabbath for me - but only as I "forget about myself" and look to You. That is what makes the Sabbath holy.

PSALM 36:1-12
Here the "wicked" is contrasted with "them that know Thee". The marks of a wicked man are (1) No fear of God, (2) Self-deception, (3) Rebellion, (4) Has no hatred for sin, (5) Arrogance. 

"Them that know Thee" (know God), on the other hand, are totally dependent on God for His mercy and grace, His faithfulness, His loving-kindness, His Life, His righteousness, His safe-keeping. And as a result, they are "abundantly satisfied". They don't have to always be looking for something or someone to fulfill them. They are "made drunk, stuffed full, satiated" with God.

PROVERBS 10:1-2
I don't get it. Does it not grieve a father when his son is foolish? Maybe it just makes him mad, and the mother is the one who grieves.

Now verse 2 sets up opposites. The profits of the wicked vs the profits of the righteous. These are NOT  "ill-gotten gains", but are, rather, ANY gains made by the wicked, however he got it.   It would be like anything touched by a leper - it is ALL unclean.  On the other hand, righteousness saves from the judgment of death. "Treasures" do not profit the soul; they will not purchase contentment or happiness, and they don't save us from judgment when we are wicked.  "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36)

RESPONSE:   "Abundantly satisfied", that's me! I tell God regularly that He's "more than enough". I have way more than I deserve. The "fountain of life" is a fountain like Old Faithful, not a bubbling water fountain. I can feel it spewing forth inside me whenever I think about Jesus, and how wonderful, how great, how kind He is.

One Year Bible, February 16

LEVITICUS 1:1-3:17
The old Hebrew title of this book is "And God Called". It covers one month of the second year out of Egypt. The overall message is that all worship must be a sacrifice and it delivers the worshipper from selfishness and independence. God is holy and His holy people must have holy food, holy bodies, holy homes, holy habits, holy morals, and holy lifestyles. They must be different from everybody else.

Leviticus is a poignant book that begins with "And the Lord called". And thus begins the process of God calling us close. The first usage of the word "offering" is in verse 2. It is also translated "sacrifice". It is the Hebrew word "qorban" and its literal meaning is "to draw near."

Leviticus is about our approach to the throne of God. The term "before the Lord" is used 77 times; the term "unto the Lord" is used 74 times in Leviticus. I counted them myself. The offerings tell the story of the process of a Believer being changed to the Image of Jesus Christ through worship and repentance. Romans 12:1 says we are to present ourselves a "living sacrifice", and so when we worship, we are "presenting ourselves", not a bull or goat.

Because it is so lengthy, I will discuss the five kinds of offerings tomorrow. It takes all five to express the finished work of Jesus. Exactly what happens that changes us when we are born again?  

RESPONSE:   I can hear You calling. I won't neglect You or Your great provision. I know You actually want me close to You! Elsewhere, You have said that You actually listen for my voice! Yowza! I won't disappoint You. Here I am! You are my faithful Friend!

MARK 1:29-2:12
In Mark 1:35 we learn the secret of Jesus' power. He "went off to a solitary place and prayed."

The leper and the paraplegic: Of all the diseases, leprosy is the most graphic picture of sin. Beginning with just a small spot the leprosy spreads, and as it does it desensitizes. Then it deforms. The person who had it was considered "unclean" - and no one was allowed to touch them, and so a leper became isolated. This particular leper did not asked to be healed, but to be made "clean". This was probably the first time that another human being had touched this social outcast in a very long time. His healing was actually to be a testimony to the priests ministering in the Temple. The paraplegic's healing was actually witnessed by "teachers of the law". Paraplegia is used in Scripture to illustrate the inability to live and walk clean. It is the paralysis of sin in our lives that keeps us from embracing Jesus. And so Jesus first forgives his sin. The healing from the paraplegia was outward proof of what had just taken place inside the man.

RESPONSE:   Jesus, without You, we cannot BE clean or LIVE clean. But, what a fabulous God You are! We have BOTH ! Thanks to You we can BE clean and LIVE clean! Just think about that! 

PSALM 35:17-28
Lord, "how long" will You let this go on?   God saw it all. He was able to save him and yet He did not intervene.  He SEEMED to  be paying no attention. He APPEARED not to care. The psalmist, therefore, asks "how long" this was to continue. He did not doubt that God WOULD, at some point, step in and rescue him; but what was so mysterious to him was the fact that He saw it all and did nothing when He could have. The fact that God SEEMS to be indifferent to our miseries, does not prove that He is. In fact, consider Job, who could not sense God ANYWHERE --- when, in fact, Job was the very center of highly focused attention from God.

I believe if we are "married" to Jesus (in covenant) then we share ALL of His life, just like a wife does her husband (Eph 5:28-30). "But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause." (John 15:25).  Should the servant have to pay any less than his Master?  He is my Friend and I must go with Him through it all. 

PROVERBS 9:13-18
The "foolish woman" is the opposite to the "wisdom woman". She must also be the same woman who is a harlot.  It is the opposite of wisdom to be "undisciplined and without knowledge." "Undisciplined" here means "chaotic or in an uproar, always got something going on".

"Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!"  Anything (that's not your, or is illicit) you can sneak without anyone knowing you did it has the seduction of danger in it. But, it always leads to death. 

RESPONSE:    I admit that yesterday I thought God was not only not paying attention to what was happening to me, but that maybe He even condoned it! Maybe He was trying to tell me something! You know, sometimes your enemies will tell you the truth, that your friends would never say to your face! Thankfully, I have the Word of God to hold me together. "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power..." (Hebrews 1:3) The Truth always frees us from our false perceptions. Sometimes I let my emotions drive me insane, but the Lord always brings me back to center - which is Himself. I, too, ask God "how long?" - it's been a day already!