Thurs.’s Devo - Holy Service

Read: Numbers 4:1-5:31; Mark 12:18-37; Psalm 48:1-14; Proverbs 10:26 God told Moses and Aaron to take a census of all the sons of Kohath 30 to 50 years old. When they got ready to move and take down the tabernacle, the sons of Kohath were to take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark with it. Then they were to cover it with goatskin and a cloth of blue. The were to cover the bread of Presence with a blue cloth and put the plate, bowls, dishes and shewbread on it. Then they were to cover it with a scarlet cloth and then goatskin. The lamp stand and all the accessories that went with it were only to be covered with blue cloth. They were to cover them with goatskin and put on a cart to carry. The altar of incense was to be covered with a blue cloth then goatskin. The ashes from the altar were to be spread with a purple cloth and all the utensils for the altar were to be covered with goatskin. All these things were to be carried by poles by the sons of Kohath. *** What is the significance of all the cloths? I wonder if the ones with blue cloth were ones that are in heaven. The red cloth was only used on the table where they ate the bread. This bread stood for Jesus who became our high priest when he shed his blood for our sins. He turned the stone law to palpable bread that we can eat. We are now the temple of the Holy Spirit so the goatskin might represent our skin. All of these things are in us. We can eat of his Word and absorb it. We have the light of his revelation. We have the very presence of the Lord. We have the ability to pray and cover people with forgiveness and healing. *** Eleazar who represents the Holy Spirit was over the whole tabernacle - the oil for the light, the incense and grain offering and anointing oil. *** Then they were to take a census of the sons of Gershon. They were to serve and carry burdens. They carried the curtains and the coverings. *** The sons of Merari were also counted and they were to carry the frames of the tabernacle with its bars, pillars, and bases. *** There was atonement for anyone who repents and pays the price and offers the sacrifice for his sin. ** If a man felt his wife was unfaithful to him yet had no proof, he was to bring her before the priest along with the required offering. He was not to add incense or oil because this was not a pleasing offering but an offering of jealousy. It was to expose iniquity. *** Then the priest would set her before the Lord. The priest would mix holy water with some of the dust on the floor of the tabernacle in an earthenware vessel. Then the priest would unbind her hair so all her sins would be exposed and place in her hands the grain offering of remembrance. She shall take an oath saying that she has not lain with a man while she was married to her husband. If she is innocent, she will be free from the curse of the bitter water. But, if she is guilty, and she lies in her oath, then the priest will declare that her thigh will fall away and her body will swell. She must agree. *** The priest will write the curse in a book and wash the words away with the water. He then makes the woman drink the water. If she is guilty, she will immediately feel bitter pain like she is in labor. Her thigh will rot, which means her genitals will be disfigured. Her belly would swell as if she was pregnant but she would have no fruit inside. She will be barren from that time on. *** Jesus drank this bitter water for us. We are the adulterous wife, but Jesus took our curse from us and we can now produce fruit. *** In Mark, the Sadducees were next up to try and trick Jesus. Of course, they would ask him a question about resurrection because they didn’t believe in the resurrection. Their question was ridiculous, but the real issue was whether Jesus would support resurrection or not. *** Jesus went straight for the real answer. They did not believe in the power of God to resurrect. He proved the resurrection with what God told Abraham. He is the God of the living, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. *** A scribe asked Jesus which of the commandments were the most important and Jesus answered with the quote every Jew knew. “Hear of Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your hear and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” The second he said was to love your neighbor as yourself. The scribe agreed that he had answered correctly. Jesus told that scribe that he was not far from the kingdom of God. *** Everyone thought that the Messiah was going to be a son of David but Jesus corrected them. David called the Messiah his Lord, not his son. *** Lord, thank you that you cover us with your blood. You protect us from the storms and you guard over your temple which is with in us. May we strive to keep your temple pure and holy.

Wed.’s Devo -The Traveling Cross

Read: Numbers 21:1-3:51; Mark 11:27-12:17; Psalm 47:1-9; Proverbs 10:24-25 Each tribe had their own symbol which they put on their flag. They camped and marched with their tribe. All the tribes camped around the tabernacle. Judah, who led the way, Issachar and Zebulun were always on the east. Reuben, Simeon and Gad marched and camped to the south. Benjamin, Manasseh and Ephraim on the west and Dan, Asher and Naptali to the north. From heaven, they looked like a huge cross traveling through the land. *** The Levites and priests camped around the tabernacle in the center. Gershon’s clan camped west of the tabernacle and were in charge of the tent and all the curtains. Kohath and his clan camped south of the tabernacle and were in charge of the altars and the vessels of the sanctuary. Merari’s clan camped to the north and carried the frames of the tabernacles with it bases, pillars and all the accessories that went with them. Moses, Aaron and his sons camped to the east and were in charge of guarding the tabernacle against outsiders. *** God had Moses list all the firstborn because he was substituting the Levites for the firstborn. There were 273 more firstborn than there were Levites so they redeemed them with five shekels a head. God was teaching them that it is not just being born first or being Jewish that constitutes what he wants. You must be chosen or redeemed. Jesus took it a step further when he told them they must be born again. *** In Mark, Jesus was walking into the temple when he was stopped by the chief priests and the elders. They asked him who gave him the authority to do the things he was doing. He answered them with a question. He asked them if the baptism of John was from heaven or from man. They couldn’t answer him because it would expose their hearts, so they said they didn’t know. So Jesus told him he wouldn’t answer their question either. *** Then Jesus answered them with a parable about a man who planted a vineyard and leased it to tenants and left the country. He sent servants to get the proceeds but were treated harshly and given nothing. He finally sent his son thinking they would honor him, but they killed him thinking they would then own the vineyard. Jesus asked them what the owner should do. They answered that he should kill them and put someone else in charge. 
 *** Jesus reminded them of the scripture in Psalm 118:22 that said the stone that the builders rejected became the cornerstone. With this parable, Jesus was telling them that God had sent him to take his vineyard back from them who had usurped the true worship of God. *** The religious leaders knew he had given that parable against them and wanted to arrest him but feared the people would riot so they tried to trap him in his teaching. The Pharisees asked him if it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. Jesus asked for a coin and asked who’s likeness was on it. Then he told them to give to Caesar whatever was his and to God the things that are God’s. They marveled at his wisdom. He was able to get out of all their traps because he is wisdom. *** Lord, thank you that you guard us and keep us in your will. We pray that you raise up godly ministers who desire to honor you above all. We pray that you raise up godly leaders to lead our country, our counties and our cities. May your peace reign in our land. May your peace reign in our hearts. Thank you for your marvelous plan.

Tues.’s Devo - The Mountains Leveled

Read: Leviticus 27:14 - Numbers 1:54; Mark 11:1-25; Psalm 46:1-11; Proverbs 10:23 There were laws about dedicating things to the Lord as a holy gift. If is was a house, then the priest would determine its value in proportion to its seed and how close it was to the next jubilee. Taking all this in mind, the priest would set a price. If the man changed his mind and wanted to buy it back, it would cost him the price plus 5%. *** The house in the Hebrew means “family.” The year of jubilee stands for the last day. The value of the lives of your family are determined by its seed and how much it gave of itself to the Lord. Joshua proclaimed that for him and his house, they would serve the Lord. They would have been estimated at a high price. This does not determine salvation but rewards. But, it a person decides to buy back its house for himself, then he will lose his reward. *** In verses 28-29 it talks about things and people, man or beast that is devoted to the Lord. If they are devoted for destruction from mankind, there is no way to redeem them. They must die. He is talking about those who are created for destruction like Pharaoh in the Exodus. They can not be saved. Their fate was determined from the foundation of the world. (If you have trouble with that, read Isaiah 45. *** Even the tithe can be redeemed back, for a price. *** On the second year, the first day of the second month, God told Moses to do a census of all the people from twenty years old and older of each of the tribes that can go to war. The tribe of Judah had the most which is no surprise, but the tribe of Dan came in second with 62,700. Sadly, we will see Dan dwindle to the smallest tribe because of the idolatry it became involved in. It is not even mentioned in the list in Revelation. I see the tribe of Dan as the Judas Iscarot of the tribes. *** The Levites were not to be counted since they kept the Tabernacle and camped on the inside keeping guard over the testimony. *** In Mark, Jesus was coming to Bethphage and Bethany and sent two of his disciples ahead telling them exactly what to do. I love when God is that specific with me. *** He told them to go to the village and immediately they would find a colt tied. (It must have been super obvious because these were men. Lol!) He even told them what to say in case someone questioned them about it. The disciples followed Jesus’ instructions and came back with the colt. *** They threw their own cloaks on it to make a comfortable saddle for Jesus to sit on. Others along the way threw they cloaks or their palm branches they were waving on the ground so he could walk on them. They were rolling out the green carpet and praising him as the Messiah. They were actually singing the Hallel which is in the Psalms. *** When they came to Jerusalem it was late, but Jesus went and checked out the temple before he went to Bethany with his disciples to spend the night. *** The next morning they headed to Jerusalem and Jesus stopped to notice a fig tree with leaves. It was not time for fruit but Jesus cursed it and said, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” *** When he came to the Temple, he drove out the sellers and the money-changers like he had done the year before. He proclaimed that his house was to be called a house of prayer for all the nations, but they had made it a den of thieves. This just made the chief priests want to kill him all the more. *** That evening they passed the fig tree again and it was completely withered to its roots. The fig tree represented the hypocrisy of the Temple. Jesus explained that they could bring down mountains when they believed in prayer. *** But when we pray to bring down mountains, we are to forgive them so our sins will be forgiven. *** Lord, we pray that the mountains of society that are in the hands of evil people will be brought down. We forgive the ones who have been used by the devil to rule over us in terror and oppression. We pray that they will repent and come to salvation but that their power over us will be broken and their kingdoms shattered. We pray that the mountains will be leveled and godly people will serve as a dedication to the Lord.

Mon.’s Devo - Count the Cost

Read: Leviticus 25:47-27:13; Mark 10:32-52; Psalm 45:1-17; Proverbs 10:22; God gave them laws for if the stranger living among them becomes more powerful than them and they have to sell themselves to them. A relative can buy them back before the year of jubilee. If this doesn’t happen, then they will be released at the jubilee. *** We had been taken over by someone more powerful than us, Satan. But Jesus stepped in and redeemed us and we are no longer slaves to sin. We now have more power than Satan. God’s children are not to be servants of anyone but him. In John 15:15 Jesus said that he no longer calls us slaves and servants but friends. *** God’s desire was for them to follow his laws so he could bless them with bountiful crops, peace in their land, many off-spring and abundance. He desired to walk with them and be their God. He had delivered them from the chains of slavery so they could walk righteously and upright. *** But, if they chose not to do his commandments and broke his covenant, then he would send terror, emaciation, inflammation, heart ache, and disease. They would experience poverty, and oppression from their enemies. God would punish them with attacks from the wild beasts, war, famine and humility. God would destroy their cities and they would become a stench to his nostrils. *** God would finally send them out of their land and let the land enjoy the Sabbath rests it had not been given. The ones left living in the land would live in fear, poverty, and shame. *** But, if they confess their iniquities and those of their fathers and take responsibility for their condition, and humbly repent, God will remember the covenant with them. The land will still lie desolate as it enjoys its Sabbaths. *** Chapter 27 talks about making a vow to give yourself or your child to the Lord. The Lord gave the valuation of that person. Hannah gave Samuel to the Lord and according to this, if she wanted to buy him back she would pay the priest five shekels of silver. *** If a person vowed an animal to the Lord, then wanted to buy it back, he was to add a fifth to the value of the animal. The bottom line is, to think before you make a vow before the Lord. It will cost you to change your mind and take it back. *** In Mark, on their way to Jerusalem the disciples were both astonished and afraid. Jesus took them aside and told them what was going to happen when they got there. He was going to be given over to the chief priests who would condemn him to death. They would give him to the Gentiles who would kill him. He would rise on the third day. *** James and John asked Jesus if he would give them what they asked of him. Jesus asked what they wanted and they wanted to sit on either side of him when he sat on his throne. (Did they miss what he had just told them?) Jesus told them that they had no idea what that would cost them. When they assured them they were up to the task, Jesus said that what they were asking was not in his power to grant. The other disciples heard what they had asked of Jesus and were so angry. Jesus calmed them down when he told them that the one who wanted to be greatest would have to be the greatest servant first. That is what Jesus did. He came to served them first so he could rule them in the end. *** When they came to Jericho they met Bartimaeus who was a blind beggar. He began to cry out for mercy. Jesus asked what he wanted and gave it to him immediately. He was instantly healed and followed him to Jerusalem. *** Today’s reading was all about considering the cost before you make a promise or a request to the Lord. The disciples didn’t consider the cost of their question. This kingdom of God’s is an upside down kingdom where we die to live and give to receive. It takes God’s grace to walk in it. *** Lord, we need more of your grace. Help us in our weaknesses to become strong in you. May we serve you as your friend, yet fear you as our Lord.

Sun.’s Devo - The Spirit of the Word Brings Life

Read: Leviticus 24:1-25:46; Mark 10:13-31; Psalm 44:9-26; Proverbs 10:20-21 God commanded that the lamp stand in the Holy Place would always be kept burning. This was the light of God’s Spirit. Twelve loaves were to be set out on the table of shewbread. They were to be replaced every Sabbath. Every day we are to eat God’s Word. *** An incident happened in the camp where a man whose mother was an Israelite and whose father was an Egyptian fought with another Israelite man. The first man cursed and blasphemed the name of the Lord. They brought him to Moses to find out what the Lord wanted done. The man’s mother’s names mean “My word will bring peace.” Moses sought the Lord to find out what His word was. He told Moses to have everyone who heard what the man said take him outside the camp and stone him. *** This is the picture of a person who has Christian parents but have chosen not to follow after God. Their father is the world and Satan. Those who witness his confession are to take him aside and tell him the truth. It is up to the person to decide for himself what he will believe. If he continues to believe the lie, he will die in his sin. *** The law of murder was if you took a human life, you would have to give yours. If you took the life of someone's animal, you must give that person the same animal to replace it. Spiritually, it means if you lead someone down the path to hell, you will end up there also. The reverse of that is that if you give your life up to the Lord, your testimony will probably save many. *** The land was to rest every seventh year. God would make sure that the land provided food for them during that year. *** Every 50 years they were to celebrate the Day of Jubilee. It was to begin on the Day of Atonement. A trumpet would sound throughout the land proclaiming a liberty to all the people. In this year, they were to return to their property. They could redeem any property that belonged to others at a fair price. The price is determined by how much fruit the land produces in a year. They were to be fair and just in their exchanges. *** They were not to worry about what they would eat in the seventh year because God would so prosper their sixth year so that they wouldn’t lack anything for three years. *** If land was sold inside a walled city, the original owner had a year to buy it back. If he didn’t, it was not returned to him at the Jubilee. The exception was the Levites whose land was always theirs. *** I think this law is going to make more sense to us in the future when God’s people possess the land. ***We are always to treat other Christians as brothers and sisters and not commodities. *** In Mark, Jesus showed his great love to the children because we are all his children and must come to him like children. *** A man approached Jesus calling him “good.”He wanted to know what he could “do” to inherit eternal life. Jesus asked him why he called him good since no one was good except God. He told him to do the commandments. The man told him he did. 
 *** Since he claimed he could do that, Jesus told him lovingly that he lacked one thing. He didn’t have any treasure in heaven. He needed to learn to give. He told him to sell all he had and give it to the poor. The man went away sadly because he had great possessions. *** The sad thing about that man was that he wanted to live by the law so he would be judged by the law. Jesus was trying to give him a way to live by the Spirit and he was not ready to do that. *** Jesus then said it will be difficult for those who trust in their wealth to enter God’s kingdom. Then Jesus added that with man it is impossible, but with God it is not. All things are possible with God. *** Every sacrifice done for the kingdom of God will receive a hundred fold in a set time in the future. In the age to come they will live eternally. May who are most important now will be the least important and vice versa. *** Lord, help us to comprehend our part in your story and be faithful. Thank you for caring for us and preserving us through the trials of our day. May we look to you for our daily bread.

Sat.’s Devo - God’s Feasts

Read: Leviticus 22:17-23:44; Mark 9:30-10:12; Psalm 44:1-8; Proverbs 10:19 God gave them special days to celebrate so they would always remember what he did. The first was the Sabbath to be observed every seven days. It was to be a constant reminder of God’s day of completion. Our lives are like a week. We are born on the first day, get saved on the third day and die on the seventh to complete our lives. These days differ with each person. *** God also divided the year into feasts to show us his plan for the world. On the tenth day of the first month it was the Lord’s Passover. Jesus was crucified on this day. On the fifteenth day of the same month was the Feast of Unleavened Bread. They were to eat unleavened bread for a week and every day present a food offering to the Lord. On the first and seventh day they were not to work. This day represents how Jesus lived his life sinless from the day he was born to the day he died. When we become Christians, we live in unleavened bread where we are cleansing the sin from our lives. This is called sanctification. *** The next feast is First Fruits. When they harvested their wheat they were to bring the first fruits of their harvest to the Lord and the priest would wave it before the Lord. Jesus rose on this day being the first fruit to rise from the dead. *** Fifty days or seven weeks later from the day after the Sabbath, they were to bring two loaves of bread to be waved along with seven lambs and one bull and two rams. In addition they were to bring a grain offering, drink offering, food offering, sin offering and a peace offering. The priest would wave the bread of their first fruits to the Lord. This represented the fruits of their labor. This feast was called the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost. It would represent the day God sent his Holy Spirit in Acts Two to dwell with us. *** In the seventh month on the first day they were to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets. It would be a solemn day of rest beginning with the blast of trumpets. This will be the first trump and is a call to repentance. The gates are open wide for those to come to repentance. *** On the tenth day of this 7th month was the Day of Atonement. It was the most holy day of the year. On this day the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies and offer blood on the altar to pray for the nation. When this day is fulfilled, the gates to heaven will be shut and no one will be allowed to come in after this day. *** On the fifteenth of this month will be the Feast of Tabernacles where they will celebrate living in booths they make from certain branches of trees. This is to remind them that all their lives they were living in temporary bodies and temporary houses. This is to remind them that God will one day dwell with us. This day marks the end of the world as we know it. *** On the eighth day of this feast they were to hold a holy convocation and do no work. This will be the day the world begins again in the new earth. *** In Mark, Jesus is on his way to be crucified and his disciples are discussing who will be greatest in Jesus’ kingdom. Jesus knew what they were saying and told them that if they wanted to be first in his kingdom they would have to be willing to be a servant, now. Life is preparation for eternity. Life is our test. *** Jesus explained that those who do something good in his name are doing it because they believe in him. If they believe in him then they believe in God because he came from God. If they do some mighty work in his name they will not speak against him. The smallest act done for Christ’s followers will be rewarded. But, if anyone causes an innocent person to sin, they will be judged harshly. *** Jesus taught in Matthew that we are the salt of the earth and now Mark tells us that the salt is fire. It is the fire of trials and sacrifices. Trials and tests are what makes us effective. *** Lord may we respond correctly to our trials and learn patience, compassion, mercy and love from what we go through. May we grow to love our enemies and may we bless those who bless us. May we be a blessing to you.

Fri.’s Devo - Be Ye Holy As I Am Holy

Read: Leviticus 20:22-22:16; Mark 9:1-29; Psalm 43:1-5; Proverbs 10:18 God warned them to keep his laws so they would be able to stay in the land he was giving them. They were to live separate from those who had been there before them. They were to be God’s holy people. *** All of God’s laws have spiritual meaning to us. They were not to let the uncleanness of others wear off on them. They were not to hang with sinners unless they were part of their family. They were not to do heathen rituals as part of their worship to the Lord. If a believer goes after other gods, he is profaning the Lord and will be purified with the fire of God’s judgement (vs. 9). *** The priests were not to let their hair hang loose nor tear his clothes. That would represent flaunting their sins and exposing their unrighteousness. Paul told them not to use grace as an excuse to sin. *** Verses 11 and 12 have to do with stepping outside God’s boundaries. If God has delivered you from alcohol, he will probably not send you to the bars to witness until you are mature enough to handle it. *** When God speaks of marriage he is talking about making earthly covenants. He warned them to look at the person’s track record before you make a covenant with them. *** No one with a blemish was to offer God’s bread or draw near to God. Then he gives a list of what these blemishes are. They all have to do with unconfessed sin. When we confess our sins, he forgives us and makes us clean. Then we see clearly, walk upright and our actions are pleasing to the Lord. *** We are to minister to the Lord with clean hearts. God even gave concessions for the prodigal son (vs. 13) and the one who unintentionally sins. He must add grace to his offering and God is merciful to forgive us. He gives us a way so that we will not to have to bear our iniquity. He sanctifies us. *** In Mark, Jesus told his disciples that some of them would live to see the kingdom of God come in power. This happened on the day of Pentecost and continued after that day. *** He was also speaking of the seventh day when Jesus will be glorified before us. Jesus took his three closest disciples up on a high mountain after six days making it the seventh day. He transfigured into his glorified body right before them and they saw him talking to Elijah and Moses. Peter wanted to make tents for each of them so they could stay. But God spoke from heaven and said, “this is my beloved Son; listen to him.” Then the vision was over. *** As they came down from the mountain, Jesus told them not to tell any one what they had seen until he rose from the dead. They asked Jesus why Elijah had to come first. Jesus explained that John the Baptist was Elijah and they did to him just what Elijah had prophesied they would. *** When they joined back with the other disciples, there was a crowd formed. The disciples had been trying to deliver a man who was mute and oppressed with demons. The disciples were not able to deliver the man. Jesus called them a faithless generation and asked the boy to be brought to him. The boy was a picture of that generation. They couldn’t hear what Jesus had to say and they were full of demons that controlled their lives. The boy, like them, refused to be delivered. *** The father of the boy asked Jesus if he could to help his son. Jesus put the answer back on the man and told him that he had to believe. The man said he did believed but needed help with his unbelief. *** Jesus did deliver the boy and when his disciples asked him later why they couldn’t deliver the boy, he told them that this kind could not come out by anything but prayer and fasting. I don’t think he meant it for the disciples to fast and pray but for the nation to fast and pray. It was the one that needed healing and deliverance. *** Lord, may our nation receive healing, deliverance and salvation. May we believe and see your salvation come.