Year: 2015

Proverbs 20:28

Unfailing love and faithfulness protect the king; his throne is made secure through love. prv 20:28 nlt

Proverbs is full of interesting bits to chew on. This one verse sums up the entire viewpoint and operation of God. In a way I read this as a two-way idea, it’s not just us loving the King, but it is the King loving all of us. Love must flow from the king in order for there to be security, our unfailing love and faithfulness is out of the King’s abundance of love.

A king that does not love and is not faithful in his words will have little security, his own people will riot against him and the enemies will invade. Interestingly enough people will come against their “kings” quite often based on simply what they believe about him, what they perceive to be, or because of their own feelings and/or choices.

Because God has created humanity with full free will, we often see people coming against the King because of their own perceptions, rather than seeking to become closer and tasting His goodness, and feeling His love. Our King however has a security system unlike any other, once we enter into His kingdom we are fully secured by His love and we desire more because he wants to give more, and out of this we desire to serve Him, because we love Him, and because He loves us. It’s a throne that will never fall, never change hands, and will always welcome us. Now and forever may we sing our heaven song.

Our bodies and the law

Scripture: Numbers 3 & 4 | My highlights and notes (must be logged into bible.com): Numbers 3:2-4, Numbers 3:11-13, 1 Corinthians 6:18-20

Observation: The Lord required Israel, Aaron and his sons, and the Levites to pay great attention to detail when caring for the tabernacle. This great attention to detail can also be carried forward into today’s temple for the holy spirit, our bodies (and by default our spirit, mind, and soul) as Paul points out in 1 Corinthians 6:18-20.

Application: This attention to detail, and the fact that if not followed correctly it resulted in possible death, is something which is not easily applied in today’s world of distractions and justifications. It can be easy to try and apply this universally to all of humanity, yet, what I see is this specifically applying to God’s people. This is key to how we interact with the world, we apply the things of God to ourselves, and we serve the world around us. In this service to the world we do not become part of it, but rather we elevate it, creating bridges for people to walk into the Kingdom and experience the grace of God through Jesus. Take care of our minds, spirit, and body in great detail, and we will experience God’s Holy Spirit.

And in regards to Jesus even in Numbers we see the LORD substituting requirements through chosen people for the greater good of all. Although we are never going to fulfill the law on our own, and the only man to do this was Jesus, we can see how the LORD started with a standard, and after many examples of Israel failing to meet the standard God sent Jesus, which tore the veil between God and all of humanity and offered grace to all people.

Simple, basic Christianity, yet everyday I fail to meet the standard and it is in Jesus alone that I am made righteous, not my behavior, my words, my actions, simply the fact that I allow Jesus to be my LORD and submit myself to Him, even if not all the time, I do come back because he makes it perfect with unconditional love.

Prayer: Father may you remain the one true holy authority in my life, may I recognize your standard and give you praise for the perfection you created, and will restore again in your Kingdom. I want your will to be done, for me to submit to it, praise it, and live it, may I repent of the things that are of me. May I be content with what you give to me, and forgive me for the sins which cut me from enjoying your will. Protect me, my family, and all of us from the evil one’s temptations.