Tag Archives: Bible

Great Mercy

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Daniel 9:18 “We do not present our supplications before you because of our righteous deeds, but because of your greatest mercies.”

No matter what I do or say.  No matter who I help or don’t. No matter what righteous deeds I might accomplish, or how much I give, or what wonderful words I write, or what glorious songs I sing.  No matter how much I devote my life to the Lord, and turn my desire to Him.  No matter how much I put iniquity behind me and walk according to His word and His plan. No matter how much I pray for my church, my elected officials, the missionaries abroad, or my family.  None of these things are a reason for me to expect an answer from the Lord.  The only reason there is that will ever bring an answer from God is His mercy.  His great mercy.  mercy that is far above my thought process.

Now, don’t get me wrong. All of the things listed above are good, and I should strive to fulfill each and every one.  I should do righteous deeds and think righteous thoughts.  I should think of things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and praiseworthy.  I should speak words that will minister grace to the hearer. I should pray without ceasing.  I should bear my brothers or sisters burden with them,  I should do good when I see that good needs to be done.  I should bring all my tithes into the storehouse. I should pray for and honor all those that are in authority over me, from my boss at work to the President of the United States.  I should put all my evil ways behind me.  I should walk in the liberty wherein Christ has set me free.  I should do these things.

But it is not these things that determine what His answer will be when I stand before Him.  he will always answer because of His mercy.  My deeds, thoughts, and actions will never be the reason He answers me.  His answer is based on what He did for me on that cross.  He was beaten and bruised, wounded and nailed to that tree.  He suffered more than I can possibly imagine.  I remember once, as a young boy of around 8, jumping out of my tree and having a nail go right  through my foot   All the way through.  I pulled my foot up and it came out,, and started bleeding.  My mom bandaged me up without a trip to the doctor, and it healed after a while   But it hurt – bad.   

But to be whipped with cat-o-nine tails laced with small stones would be much more than I could bear.  The small stones would rip the flesh open, over and over.  Then to have a crown of thorns pushed onto my scalp, digging into my head until blood started oozing out, would be the icing on the cake.  I would be ready to give up at that moment, never mind all that was still to come.  Carrying that cross uphill, in that weakened condition would be grueling. Then to have four nails, one in each foot and one in each hand, driven through my feet and hands, I cannot imagine.  And then to be lifted up on that cross, with those being the only  things that are holding me there, would be excruciating.   What Jesus went through is beyond my comprehension.  But even in that weakened, beaten condition, He cried out “Father forgive the, for they know not what they do.”  Great mercy, even on that cross.

I have done nothing compared to what He has done for me;.  I have given nothing compared to what he has given for me.  I have said, or written nothing compared to the words He has left in the Bible for me.  It is not, nor will it ever be, the things that come out of me that will bring me His answer.  It is His great mercy.  It is His great love. As the great song says:

“Mercy there was great and grace was free.

Pardon there was multiplied to me

There my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary

Let us do those things we should do, and give what we should, and say what we should.  Let us do all we can to live righteous lives before a holy God.  But may we never think it is these things that will bring an answer to our prayers.  God answers prayers for all types of people, even unbelievers.  He answers prayers for sinners and saints, rich and poor, just and unjust.  It is never because of what we do, but because of mercy that He answers.  That is why we must wait as long as he deems necessary for the answer to our prayers.  He owes us nothing. He has already paid it all. Anything more He gives us is completely and strictly because of His mercy.  That fact will never change.

Have You Had Your Oil Changed Lately?

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I am not an auto mechanic!  I know very little about cars, let alone trying to fix them.  I don’t even do my own oil changes, as simple as that seems to be.  And I’m glad!  After oil, the oil change experts of the world need my business to stay in business, right?

Changing your oil is the most important thing you can do to keep your car running smoothly, and running longer, as well as keeping the engine cooled down.   The lubrication new oil provides is essential to have everything running with less friction.  Today’s cars are built to go well over 100,000 miles, many over 200,000.  A fresh supply of oil is the key to making this kind of mileage a reality with your car.

Some say you should change your oil every 3,000 miles to make sure you are always running with fresh clean oil in your system.    Other say that 5,000 miles is the norm.  Still other say 6,000 miles if you use the synthetic oils that are now on the market.  Whichever your mechanic says, it is up to you to make the decision and have it done.  Our Enclave tells us when it is ready for new oil – I like that!

In the Bible, oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.  In the Old Testament, oil was an anointing element used in worship.  When something is anointed, it is consecrated or set apart to God for service.  Oil was applied to the meal offering (Leviticus 2) which was an offering of praise.   Oil was applied to the burnt offering (Ex 40:10) to set it apart.  The burnt offering was an offering of obedience to the Lord.  Oil was applied to the priests (Ex 40:13) to consecrate them, or anoint them, for service to God.  Oil was applied to the Prophets (I Kings 19:15) and to Kings (I Sam 16:12).  Setting apart people with anointing oil was reserved for those who were in special service to the Lord in the Old Testament.

But in the New testament, the Holy Spirit takes the place of the Anointing oil from the Old Testament.  Joel tells us in the Old Testament that in the later days He will pour out His spirit on all flesh (Joel 2:28) Jesus receives Frankincense at His birth, an oil that was used to anoint priests.  He also receives Myrrh, and oil that was used to anoint the dead.  Both are symbols of His future. 

The Holy Spirit descends in bodily form like a dove and rests on Him (Matt 3:10, Luke 3:22), symbolic of the oil being poured over the High Priests’ head, anointing Him for service, and running down his shoulders.  It is 40 days of wilderness training after this anointing that Jesus begins His ministry.

The priests made intercession for the people in the Old Testament.  The priests had to be anointed to fulfill that role.  In the New Testament, we can go directly to God because the Holy Spirit within us speaks directly to God, and speaks the will of God (Rom 8:26).  We can also go directly to God because the veil of the temple was rent n two – removed – when Jesus said “It Is Finished”.  The veil was a wall between the people and God – God was thought to abide in the Holy of Holies, deep within the Temple.  Only the High Priest could go in there to make intercession for the nation once a year, and it was believed he met directly with God.  It was called the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16).  With the veil ripped, The Holy of Holies became available to all of us.

In I Kings 17:6 and 2 Kings 4 we see cruses of oil that just kept flowing out more oil than can possibly fit n them.  The speaks of the unending supply of the Holy Spirit to be with us and meet our needs.  Jesus said the Holy spirit would bring His words to our remembrance when we need them (John 14:26), would guide us to the truth (John 16:13), would help us with what to say (Luke 12:12), and would help us pray (Rom 8:26).  The Holy Spirit, the anointing, plays a major role in our Christian walk.­­

This brings me back to the oil change, because it is so important that we always have a fresh supply of the Holy Spirit flowing through us,  He is also known as the Living Water (John 4).  A fresh, unlimited supply is there for us whenever we need it.   We just need to bring our vessel (body) to God and allow Him to fill us up (see the story of the cruse of oil above). 

Then we must pour it out to others and not hold it inside.  It becomes a soothing balm among people and makes everything go smoother ij our lives, much like the oil does to the engine.  If you are not seeking a new infilling on a regular basis, you are running on old oil, and it will be seen in various areas of your life. And if you are also holding it inside, you are just holding it oil that has no value anymore, and will cause only your problems, no one else.  This s what happens to those we see constantly complaining, moaning and groaning and unforgiving.  If they carry on too long, bitterness sets up in their heart, and that is a nasty evil (Romans 3:14), and can take a person far from God (Hebrews 12:15).  Only Jesus can remove these roots (Matt 3:10).

Have you had your Oil Changed Lately?  2 Tim 2:20-21 tells us that if we get rid of some of the clutter in our lives, and give that space or time to the God, He will fill us with His purpose, which means a fresh anointing to do His work.  Kind of like taking out the dirty oil and putting fresh in, isn’t it?  Just take some time with the Lord in prayer and praise, and ask Him for the fresh anointing – that oil change today.  I guarantee that is a prayer He will answer!

Be An Overcomer

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Leprosy was dreaded in Old Testament times.  The priest was given the task to determine whether a person had leprosy, and when that person was clean or unclean from the leprosy.  He became a doctor.These laws concerning leprosy can be very confusing, but all point to the same thing.  A person with a sore in his skin that was not healing properly had to be isolated fro everyone else.  Why?  because leprosy is extremely contagious, while a common sore is not.  We know today that leprosy has an incubation period of at least 2 years, so if a person is leprous and poasses on the disease, the other person carries that bacteria for a minimum of 2 years before they see any symptoms.  It might sit in his system up to 20 years before appearing.

And what are the results of leprosy if left untreated?  Paralysis, loss of feeling in extremities, eyelids and eyelashes falling off, shortening of fingers,and toes, disfiguring of nose or ears, pain, blindness and other things It is no wonder God desired to have the people clean from this insidious disease.  I looked up a bit of information just for fun.  Buddhists believe it is honorable to care for the sick, and leprosy does not make a person unclean, while Hindus believe leprosy is a punishment for sins in a previous life.  God never says it is any kind of punishment, andHe knows the disease is contagious so separates the leper from society until he is clean.  Once the priest pronounces him clean, there is a whole ceremony that he must go through in order to purify himself.

The stories of lerprous people in the Bible are interesting.  Naaman had to dip himself seven times in the Jordan river, and his leprosy went away completely. Uzziah, who was a king during Isaiah’s time, was struck down with leprosy when his pride got the best of him.  Moses’ hand became leprous when he put it inside his cloak as a sign to the people of Israel. When he put it in again, it was clean. Miriam was leprosy when she questioned Moses. So leprosy in the Bible is not always a sign of sin, a smany say it is.  Leprosy is something God uses to show His power, I believe.  God will use any means to show His power and His glory.

I love the story in the Bible where Jesus cleanses the 10 lepers.  First of all, He should not have been anywhere near them.  They had to dwell outside the village, on their own, as a result of the leprosy.  Jesus came to them and touched them, which was unthinkable to the regular citizen.,. I wonder what was going through the minds of the disciples at that moment!  He touched them and told them to go and show themselves to the priest so that he would pronounce them clean.  And, according to this verse in Leviticus, what was the condition of the person who was clean?  His sores were all healed and his skin was white, maybe even his whole body was white.  he may still have deformed hands, blindness, and any of the other results of leprosy.  But if he was clean, the priest would know.

Then there was one who came back to him and thanked him for his cleansing. Only one returned.  Would I have been so excited at being cleansed that I would have forgotten to thank God?  Do I always take the tie to thank God for the things He does for me?  He gives me breath each day, opens my eyes, gives me strength to walk, the ability to use my fingers, to hear, taste and smell.  All of this is His doing.  How thankful am I?  The one who comes back and gives thanks is pronounced whole, not just cleansed. I truly believe that man walked away with no white sors, no deformities, no sign he ever had leprosy in the first place.  He was whole.  Thanksgiving is a key to becoming whole in the Lord!

I know I am long today, but there is one more story of lepers.  There were 4 lepers sitting at the gate of the city.  The city was enduring a terrible famine.  People were eating their own children as a result.  All were in danger of starving to death.  The Syrian army and the city were surrounded.  There was no hope anywhere.  The four lepers made a statement that resonates even today.  “Why sit we here until we die?”  They went into the camp of the Syrians, after the Lord had sent them running in the night, and realized they could take the spoils left behind.  They told the city, and the city was free from the enemy and the famine.  There is a lot more to the story, but this is long already.  The moral, to me, is that we must go about our Fathers business, and not let anything stop us.  We are all sinners.  We should never let our sin keep us from working toward fulfilling God’s plan for our lives.  It is He, and only he, who can make us whole.  It is only he who can run the enemy out of our way.  And it is God, through Jesus Christ, who has overcome this world for us.  let us be overcomers also.