Lent 2023 Day 18 “Sabbath”

Daily Scripture: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2095;%20Exodus%2016:27-35;%20John%204:1-6

Exodus 16:27-35

²⁷ Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. ²⁸ Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you^[a] refuse to keep my commands and my instructions? ²⁹ Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out.” ³⁰ So the people rested on the seventh day. ³¹ The people of Israel called the bread manna.^[b] It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. ³² Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the wilderness when I brought you out of Egypt.’” ³³ So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omer of manna in it. Then place it before the Lord to be kept for the generations to come.” ³⁴ As the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron put the manna with the tablets of the covenant law, so that it might be preserved. ³⁵ The Israelites ate manna forty years until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan. 

Quarantine

Stay where you are. Your mobility is being monitored and as much as YOU want to go about business as usual, YOU cannot. What will you do? How will you handle this time in seclusion? Many people have become addicted to moving. We resonate with the rapper Rick Ross when he says, “Every day I’m hustlin’. This is not the DIVINE plan for the children of YHWH. Far too often we have become humans doing forsaking the call to be human beings.

Our text in Exodus 16 continues the discussion on trusting GOD to provide. The word sabbath here is from the Hebrew word shabbat meaning “to rest from labor”. Rest is so important to humanity that YHWH builds it into the ten commandments. The Israelites have violated once again the plan of GOD. They have gone out and tried to gather manna on rest day. GOD admonishes them to not only not work but to not even go out. Essentially Sabbath is a weekly quarantine.

Rest requires trust. As we grow through this Lenten season I encourage YOU to rest. So much potential has been buried within us because we haven’t slowed down long enough to listen to the still small voice of GOD. We have trusted in ourselves and many of us don’t know what to do with unscheduled time. Instead of resisting the quiet I encourage you to embrace it. Spend time with you and GOD and learn to appreciate this time alone with GOD. Many people nearly lost their minds when we were forced to quarantine. It did not have to be so bad. So much life gets drowned in the sound of busyness. Through this Lenten season choose “Sabbath rest to reflect and rejuvenate. Sanctify this time and KNOW that GOD will provide.

Point to Ponder: How do YOU celebrate not just tolerate sabbath? Spend some time being creative. Reconcile with an old friend. What would happen if you didn’t answer every text and email in no time flat?

Lent 2022 Day 27 “Rest, Reflect, and Run it Back Better

Leviticus 23:26-41New International Version

²⁶ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁷ “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves,^[a] and present a food offering to the Lord. ²⁸ Do not do any work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the Lord your God. ²⁹ Those who do not deny themselves on that day must be cut off from their people. ³⁰ I will destroy from among their people anyone who does any work on that day. ³¹ You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. ³² It is a day of sabbath rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your sabbath.”

The Festival of Tabernacles

³³ The Lord said to Moses, ³⁴ “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Lord’s Festival of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. ³⁵ The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. ³⁶ For seven days present food offerings to the Lord, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present a food offering to the Lord. It is the closing special assembly; do no regular work.

³⁷ (“‘These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing food offerings to the Lord—the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings required for each day. ³⁸ These offerings are in addition to those for the Lord’s Sabbaths and^[b] in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings you give to the Lord.)

³⁹ “‘So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the Lord for seven days; the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. ⁴⁰ On the first day you are to take branches from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees—and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. ⁴¹ Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month.

Rest, Reflect, and Run it Back Better

Today is day 27 in our commitment to consecration. Our intention today is to identify the compelling call to rest. As we gradually are moving from the impact of a global pandemic many lessons have been presented. One lesson that pops out is how many people have been addicted too moving. We have followed the lyrics of a song by Rick Ross that said “Everyday I’m hustlin'”. We were grinding it out and were living tired. Then it all came to a halt. Quarantine hit and people were forced to stay home. Unfortunately this did not lead to rest for many. We were restless and even though there were fewer places to go, we could not, would not be still. Opportunities to grow closer to YHWH were replaced by copious amounts of binge watching and chilling. Whereas resting was available our habits took over. Far too often we have been trapped in the vortex of existing as human “doings” and not human “beings”. YHWH knowing human tendencies built contingencies to be followed.

In our text from Leviticus, the book of laws, we find a command of YHWH delivered through Moses to instruct the Israelite nation to do no work on certain days and present offerings to YHWH. Moses writes “Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present a food offering to the Lord. ²⁸ Do not do any work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the Lord your God.” The call to do no work in this 21st century seems counterintuitive especially in the western world. Many believe that the achieve more if they keep working. Some say “work while others sleep and you can become great”. What they miss is the greatest person who ever lived Jesus rested. He denied himself and allowed his emptiness to be filled with the presence of YHWH. Rest is so important to humanity that YHWH builds it into the ten commandments.

Rest requires trust. As we grow through this Lenten season I encourage YOU to rest. So much potential has been buried within us because we haven’t slowed down long enough to listen to the still small voice of GOD. We have trusted in ourselves and many of us don’t know the feeling of rest. I am writing not because I have mastered rest but because I see how YHWH has designed it for building faith and enhancing life. Chill out. Trust YHWH. Rest, Reflect, and then Run it back, better than ever. You cannot pour from an empty cup.

Points to Ponder: How do YOU celebrate not just tolerate sabbath? Spend some time being creative. How much time have you wasted being busy and not productive?

Lent Day 9: Resting

  

^{Hebrews 4:9-10} There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; ¹⁰ for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works,^[e] just as God did from his.

May the peace of Christ be with you. many times in many spaces and places I  have uttered these words. As I write them today I am alerted to the power of this proclamation. If you live in America you know we are living in a sleep deprived world. Many scientist believe that 70 million Americans are sleep deprived. http://www.seattletimes.com/health/we-are-a-sleep-deprivation-nation/

The linked article highlights we are over caffeinated, over wired, overstressed, over-medicated, overworked, and overweight. These are just a few of the things that are wrecking our sleep patterns and causing untold health risks. Many of us have just taken the attitude that, “this is just the way it is”. We have just accepted that we will need that cup of coffee to get going in the morning, and keep going in the evening. I am guilty as charged when it comes to not getting enough sleep. However, resting is not just sleep.

Resting takes place when we allow our bodies to relax. It is hard for our bodies to relax when we live in an over stimulated environment that compromises our peace. If we rush from here to get to there, living as if there is scarcity in this universe, then our peace is compromised. If we say things like, “There are just not enough hours in a day”, then we will have difficulty finding peace. In the text today from Hebrews 4:1-10

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+4%3A1-10&version=NIV

We find the writer saying there remains a rest for the people of GOD. Now Jeshua is a great teacher about rest. We know that Jeshua the Christ came to save the world, yet I am reminded that every night Jeshua went to sleep, there were still sick people, dying people, hurting people who needed salvation in his land. Yet Jeshua took time to rest. He was resting on a boat on a stormy sea, when chaos was all around him. I believe this story of the Master sleeping in the midst of the storm lets us know that rest, is not dependent on our external circumstances. So often we work until things slow down to rest, yet I ask the question, “Why wait?” Why are we anxious? Is it that we are looking for an outcome more than an experience? When we work for an outcome we are anxious until what we want we get. When we look for an experience we can be relaxed knowing that our creator is in control. This is the peace of GOD surpasses all understanding.

When we have inner peace we are able to rest even in the time of the storm. The rest for the people of GOD emanates from knowing who and whose we are. When we lose sight of that and start judging our life situations as either good or bad, we lose the power of perspective that would give us peace. I believe that today right now there are no problems. There are simply opportunities to learn and grow. I believe that GOD is Sovereign and thus it’s already alright. Now let me keep it real, it ain’t always easy to rest or get a good night sleep.

This is the Power behind the proclamation, The peace of Christ be with you. We may not be able to find this rest without some help. Jeshua the Christ gives peace. I encourage you to experience rest, slow down during these 40 days of Lent and embrace rest as a part of your discipline.

Prayer: LORD we move so fast so often that we miss the opportunities to rest. We wake up get into the grind of the day and don’t always take time to exhale. Thank you for sustaining us while we do this. Forgive us for taking advantage of this so much that we ignore the beauty you have surrounded us with. Today help us to take the opportunity to rest. Whatever our lives may be experiencing grant us the peace that surpasses all understanding. Through the intercession of your Holy Spirit, in the name of Jeshua the Christ we pray, AMEN.

Application for Today: Right now, breathe in 4 seconds, hold four seconds, and exhale 7 seconds. Repeat this 3 times. And easy way to do this is saying to yourself slowly, LORD I love You. With my whole heart. Thank you for your grace and peace. Be Still and Know GOD.

Holy Saturday Silence

Our scripture today is Matthew 27:57-66
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew+27%3A57-66&version=NIV

How do you feel in stillness? How do you respond to being alone, intentionally silent? No phone or tablet, no newspaper or radio? Many people are uncomfortable in silence? On one Holy Saturday I had an hour of silent meditation at the church. No sound, just silence. At the end one of my elders said, “I cannot do this again, the silence was deafening”. Our present society is filled with distractions and often we miss the subtle moves of GOD in our midst. historically Jesus is in the tomb today. We wait in silent expectation for the resurrection.

Out text depicts the burial of Jesus. A guard is placed outside the tomb and the savior is silent. When the savior is silent I work to be still. Moving without direction and inspiration is like being a ship without a sail. Like a leaf in the wind. Holy Saturday is not just a day to put the finishing touches on the new outfit, but the time to be still and reflect on what it is like to be still. Slow down today, take an extra moment to smell your surroundings and experience the presence of GOD on the most solemn of days. #livebig

Lent Day 14 Get On Your Feet

Our scripture for today is 1 Kings 8:54-66

https://www.bible.com/bible/111/1ki.8.54-66.niv

Prayer as an experience with GOD can be life changing. It is during prayer that our attention and focus is on The ETERNAL in the midst of the temporal. When we pray we acknowledge that alone we can do NO-thing and we need help. The challenge we have after we have prayed is we must get on our feet. Prayer is not an excuse for inactivity. Our active prayer life must be lived out in our walk and talk with others. The most powerful connection with the creator is experienced when we interact with others allowing the Power of GOD within us to connect with the Power of GOD within others. The Jesus in me loves the Jesus in you.

In our text Solomon concludes his prayer and is now getting on his feet. He has interceded on the behalf of the entire Israelite community and now must go back and interact wit that community. The dedication of the temple will serve as a memory marker for the community of a time when sacrifices were made and fellowship was shared. Solomon gives praise to GOD for providing rest for the people.

How good it feels to rest, even if for a moment. Rest lets us reflect, refuel, and reengage. Unfortunately some people get stuck in the rest position and never reengage. They suddenly believe that they have no responsibility for making things happen in their life, or the life of the community.They use prayer as if it is magic, LORD do it to me and opposed to LORD do it through me. Surely GOD is able to do all things yet we are a part of the equation.

Whatever we are praying for during this Lenten season, we are reminded, when you get off your knees, get on your feet. Enjoy the rest, get refueled, and reengage. Live In Victory Everyday Believing In GOD #livebig

Lent Day 9: Look How Far GOD Has Brought Us

Our scripture for today is 2 Samuel 7:18-29

https://www.bible.com/bible/111/2sa.7.18-29.niv

Life can be hectic. When we are in survival mode we have a tendency to become myopic. We can lose perspective of all the beauty that surrounds us and all the distance we have already covered. One of the beauties of Lent and a period of consecration is we are allowed to reconnect to the source of our strength. We not only focus on where we are going but we check in with the Divine control tower to make sure we are still on target. We are encouraged to pause, pray, and praise. It would be tragic to live a life for GOD that GOD had not authorized.

In our text David has just finished receiving a revelation from the Prophet Nathan. In this revelation GOD has shared with David that his kingdom will endure forever. In response to this revelation David says in vs.18: “Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? David has gone from the pasture to the palace. In this moment of reflection he recognizes how far GOD has brought him. It is important to note this comes at a time when GOD has given David rest from all his enemies. While we are living life with Lenten lenses, it is important to pause, pray, and praise. GOD is working great things in and through our lives.

One additional note, It is also in this revelation from Nathan the prophet that David is told that he is not the one to build the temple of the LORD. Had he not checked in and paused, he would have wasted time and energy doing someone else s job, For unless the LORD builds the house, those who labor, labor in vain. Take time during lent to check in and Rejoice. We have a history of victory. #LIVEBIG