Tag Archives: Spiritual

Chapter-a-Day Numbers 24

So nobody knew WHAT to wear
Image by #2 Son/John (busy) via Flickr

Decree of Balaam son of Beor,
yes, decree of a man with 20/20 vision;
Decree of a man who hears God speak,
who sees what The Strong God shows him,
Who falls on his face in worship,
who sees what’s really going on. Numbers 24:3-9 (MSG)

Garrison Keillor once said of his hometown newspaper that it wasn’t really the news, it was simply a table of contents to what was really going on. Having lived in a couple of small towns, I get exactly what he’s saying. The events that everyone is talking about in the coffee shop rarely make it into print. If you read the newspaper you’ll never know the whole story.

Life happens on so many levels. There area human events, but things are constantly happening on a relational level, and emotional level, and even on a spiritual level. Jesus said that a person was blessed who could discern the truth of what was happening in the spiritual realm even when they did not see it with their eyes. He spoke of many of his followers as have ears to hear his words but never discerning the depth of what He was saying on a spiritual level.

Even though he was not one of “God’s people,” God had given Balaam the ability to see with 20/20 vision what God was really doing with Moses and his followers in the big picture. He stands as a model of what Jesus told his followers they should be: “shrewd as serpents; gentle as doves.”

Today, I’m asking God to increasingly give me discernment to perceive what my eyes do not see and my ears do not hear. When it comes to what God is doing in the spiritual realm, I want to have 20/20 vision. I want to see what’s really going on.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Chapter-a-Day Numbers 19

None - This image is in the public domain and ...
Image via Wikipedia

“Anything the ritually unclean man touches becomes unclean, and the person who touches what he touched is unclean until evening.” Numbers 19:22 (MSG)

“Wash your hands,” we are told incessantly from the time we are young children. We are told to do it before we eat, after being outside, when we’ve been around someone who is sick, and when we are preparing food. It’s a matter of hygiene, but even the most menial of daily tasks carries with it a spiritual word picture.

Things that make us sick, both physically and spiritually, have a tendency to spread their ill effects. We can either become fanatical about avoiding anything that might make us dirty, or we can learn the self-discipline of washing ourselves of those things which may make us sick.

Throughout God’s message, water is used a physical word picture of spiritual cleansing.

  • God cleansed the earth with a flood.
  • Israel walked through the water of the Red Sea when escaping Egypt, and then those who enslaved them were washed away in the waters.
  • Ritual cleansing and washing was prescribed in the laws of Moses for anything that made people “unclean” both physically and spiritually.
  • Jonah tried to rebel by escaping God’s call over water, then was carried through the deep to the place of obedience.
  • Baptism, literally defined as plunging forcefully, is prescribed as a public sign of their spiritual transformation for anyone who has cleansed their hearts by placing their faith in Him.

Jesus washed His followers’ feet, then told them to do the same for one another. The word picture is clear. We are expected to follow Jesus’ example. We are to walk through this world and actively love others in tangible ways. The journey carries us through some dark and dirty places. It is important that we are regularly cleansed and refreshed by one another. Otherwise, the dirt may pile up and have gravely ill effects.

Today, as I wash my hands, I’m reminded of the deeper meaning of being cleansed.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Chapter-a-Day Jeremiah 21

Viktor Vasnetsov: A Knight at the Crossroads (...
Image via Wikipedia

“And then tell the people at large, ‘God’s Message to you is this: Listen carefully. I’m giving you a choice: life or death.” Jeremiah 21:8 (MSG)

I make life and death choices every day.

What I choose to think about. What I choose to do with my time. What I choose to say. How I choose to treat my spouse, my children, my family, my friends, my co-workers, and the stranger I meet. What I choose to do with my money. Where I choose go in my spare time.

A million little choices each day. They can be “life” choices that inch us towards life, health, goodness, and love. They can be “death” choices that inch us toward selfishness, spiritual suffocation, decay and isolation.

Today, I have a choice. I have choices. Lots of them. Each of them lead me one of two directions. I inch my way toward life, or I inch my way toward death.

Choose life.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Chapter-a-Day 2 Kings 17

Moving and not getting anywhere. As it turned out, all the time these people were putting on a front of worshiping God, they were at the same time involved with their local idols. And they're still doing it. Like father, like son. 2 Kings 17:41 (MSG)

We have an elliptical exercise machine in our basement. I don't use it as often as I should, but it does allow me to get my body moving. It's especially useful in the winter months when walking outside isn't very comfortable. While the elliptical machine, and treadmills like it, provide a healthy purpose and good exercise, I personally struggle to get on it. Even with a television to watch or a magazine to read, I hate the feeling of moving but not getting anywhere.

I thought of our elliptical machine this morning as I read about the people of Israel in today's chapter. They were going through the motions of spiritual activity, but they weren't getting anywhere. It was all show. There was no change of heart. There was no spiritual progress that radiated out into a change of behavior. They were spiritually running in place.

In worship yesterday, we were reminded that this season of Lent is meant as a time of self-inspection and examination. Today, I'm looking back at where I've been, I'm examining where I'm at, and I'm peering ahead at where I'm headed. I'm asking myself if my journey with God is propelling me forward in a meaningful and substantial way, or if my spiritual exercise is simply wasted motion on a spiritual treadmill.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and bigfatrat

Chapter-a-Day Daniel 8

Balancing act.  "I, Daniel, walked around in a daze, unwell for days. Then I got a grip on myself and went back to work taking care of the king's affairs. But I continued to be upset by the vision. I couldn't make sense of it." Daniel 8:27 (MSG)

Life is a balancing act. Daniel's visions and dreams rattled him and left him incapacitated for a short period of time, but he eventually had to get a grip and get back to the mundane tasks of his job and everyday life. I've witnessed individuals who are so consumed with the everyday distractions of life that they make no time for the things of God. I've also witnessed those who are so consumed with spiritual matters that they neglect their everyday responsibilities. They are "so heavenly minded they are no earthly good."

God, grant me the ability to so balance life that I may manage my everyday responsibilities well while, at the same time, living in the conscious, consuming Light of your presence.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and ncindc

Chapter-a-Day Psalm 146

Chains. God frees prisoners— he gives sight to the blind, he lifts up the fallen. Psalm 146:8 (MSG)

It's easy to read God's message with such literal, earthly eyes that we lose sight of the spiritual realities God is communicating. I have never been arrested or incarcerated, so it's easy to gloss over the verse above as though it has no meaning for me. Yet, I am daily captivated by things which aren't good for me. I have two good eyes, but am regularly blind to the needs of others. I can't see God's hand working in me and around me.

I have to remind myself, constantly, that the Kingdom of God is not of this world. It is possible to be physically healthy and spiritually sick. I can have 20/20 vision and be blind to the truth of God's Kingdom. I can walk in earthly freedom while my soul is chained and enslaved.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and shoothead

Facebook readers: spacing and formatting issues occur with the auto import from the original blog post.