The Priest’s Allotment

And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their inheritance, at the Commandment of the Lord, these cities and their suburbs (Josh. 21:3).

Aaron and his family were chosen from the tribe of Levi to be priests. They were responsible for performing the Tabernacle ceremonies, offering the sacrifices, and taking care of spiritual matters.

The families of the three sons of Levi were chosen to be the priests’ helpers — Gershonites, Kohathites, and Merarites. They were responsible for erecting, transporting and preserving the Tabernacle.

Since the Levites received no inheritance in the promised land, the other tribes gave them forty-eight cities and a tithe of their income, produce, and cattle each year (see Num.18:21-28; Deut. 14:27-29). These cities were equally distributed throughout the tribes in order that every tribe would have spiritual guidance.

Nearly two-and-a-half centuries before this allotment, Jacob had prophesied of Levi: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel (Gen. 49:7). Without any reference to Jacob’s prophecy, the ancient utterance became fact.

Each tribe was to provide for the financial welfare of the priests within its territory. It was not left up to the goodwill of the people but was the Command of God. This freed the Levites from being distracted by secular interests. It also made it clear it was not the will of God that those whom He called for spiritual service should be involved and distracted by temporal and material interests.

The Lord devoted the entire 21st chapter of Joshua — all 45 verses — to the necessity of supporting the ministry of His Word. When Israel was faithful in this responsibility, God mightily blessed them. When they failed to do so, the nation suffered.

This same principle holds true today. Every Christian is obligated to share in the support of those who are in full-time Christian service. The Apostle Paul illustrates this, saying: Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? . . . it is written in the Law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. . . . Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel (I Cor. 9: 7-14).

-sbc.net

Thought for Today:

When you take from man the privilege of giving, you rob him of one of life’s greatest pleasures.

Trust His Plan

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

and He will make straight your paths.

 Proverbs 3:5-6

 ESV

Sitting in a crowded hospital in the surgery waiting room all day gives a person time to contemplate the philosophical questions of life.  These are the same questions that mankind has been trying to answer for the last 6,000 years.  As I sat there, I watched the different families as they waited for the news regarding their loved ones in surgery.  One by one, the doctors would come out and give the families an update.  Some families would smile, some would cry, some would cheer, and some would wail uncontrollably, all based on the news the doctor shared.

Our lives are played out in very similar ways.  We never know from day to day what news or turn of events may greatly alter our future.  Isn’t it comforting to know that our Lord never gets caught off guard or surprised by any mishap or malady?  He knows what the doctors will say before they say it.  In fact, He knows what the doctors will find before they find it.  In fact, He knows the doctors will be doctors before they’re doctors!

So today let’s tell the Lord that whatever comes our way, we will trust that He has a plan and that He has not been surprised.  We will be like these families.  We will wait on His news, roll with it as it is displayed to us, and then trust Him with the end results.   We may cry along the way, we may laugh, or shout, or cheer.  But if we find ourselves in over our heads, we will simply hold up a hand and wait for the firm grasp of rescue.  If we find ourselves knee deep in our own bad choices, we will cry out for One who can pull us free.  If we find ourselves walking on water, we will praise the One whose power allows it in the first place.

Got any questions?

He’s got the answers.

-BP

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11

Faith that Moves Mountains

Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said (Josh. 14:12).

Caleb was one of the twelve spies who had been chosen thirty-eight years earlier to spy out the land of Canaan. They all saw giants. Ten of the spies compared the giants to their own weakness, but Caleb and Joshua compared them to the power of God. At that time, Caleb wholly followed the Lord (Deut. 1:36) and was not influenced by the unbelieving majority. Along with Joshua, Caleb faithfully represented the Lord and urged the people not to rebel against Him (Num. 14:9). But the unbelieving spies were fearful of the giants and caused the people to turn back.

Because of his faithfulness, God promised Caleb the land of Hebron. Although he had to wait forty-five years before he could inherit his promised territory, we find no record that he found fault with God.

Now, upon entering the promised land, Caleb reminded Joshua that Moses sware on that day, saying, surely (Hebron) the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children’s for ever (Josh. 14:9). Caleb’s faith was fully rewarded, and he conquered his mountain (14:14).

Like the unbelieving spies, many Christians complain that their circumstances make it impossible to live a victorious Christian life. Consequently, they fail to believe and act upon the Word of God. But when Caleb was eighty-five years of age, he was just as confident and eager to fight the giants as he had been forty-five years earlier. God always honors the faith of those who believe in the all-sufficient power of God. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work (II Cor. 9:8).

When you are faced with what appears to be impossible circumstances, read again the words of Caleb: The Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said (Josh. 14:12).

He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much. . . . If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? (Luke 16:10-11).

-sbc.net

Thought for Today:

God always honors the faith that is established.

God’s Provision Brings Glory

Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.   (Psalms 50:15)

Did you know that you bring glory to God by calling upon Him when you are in distress? God promised He would deliver you if you turned to Him. You deny the Lord honor that is rightfully His every time you find yourself in difficulty and you fail to call upon Him for help! There may be times when God allows you to reach a point of need so that you can call upon Him, and thus let Him demonstrate to a watching world the difference He makes in the lives of His children. If God never allowed you to experience need, people around you might never have the opportunity to witness God’s provision in the life of a Christian. If you never faced a shortfall, you might be tempted to feel self-sufficient and without any need of God in your daily life.

Pride will tempt you to think that you do not need to seek God’s assistance. Self-regard will seek to convince you that you can handle your dilemma through your own wisdom, resources, and hard work. Pride will also rob glory from God and seek to give it to you. Don’t allow your pride to take what rightfully belongs to the Lord. Call upon your Lord and wait exclusively upon Him to rescue you. Then give Him the glory that He deserves.

Self-sufficiency can greatly hinder your ability to experience God and bring Him honor. The next time you are in distress, turn to Him!

-BMI devotion

The Right Way

Matthew 7:13-14

 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. 

The roads in Texas are crazy…or at least the roads in the cities around Dallas and Fort Worth.  My first experience when we got to Texas involved getting off the exit that heads towards my son’s house.  The GPS said to turn left at the light.  As I approached the light, there was a left turning lane so I turned into it.  However, the left turning lane turned before reaching the light.  As I followed it around, it took me into a big U-turn.  As I approached the next light, I noticed that it too did the same thing.  If I would continue to get in the turning lanes to turn, I would just end up going in a big oval shape making U-turns over and over and over again.  (Pastor Danny would really fit in here as the roads encourage U-turns).

As we go through life, we will find many paths that look appealing and correct.  These paths often times are the easy ones to follow with less resistance and hassle.  However, with each decision in life that we make, big and small, let’s think about which direction that decision is taking us.  Is the choice being made leading us along the narrow road or is it taking us down the broad path that leads to destruction?

Later, when leaving the hotel, I turned and was driving down the road only to come up a hill and find a car driving in my lane straight for me.  It was at this point that I realized that I was driving the wrong way down a one-way street!

There is only one way to get eternal life.  There is only one way that is correct and leads to God.  There is only one way that is good and right.  In our own lives, each day, are we looking for the right path?  Are we asking?  Most importantly, are we walking the good path?

-RB

Jeremiah 6:16

 This is what the Lord says:

“Stand at the crossroads and look;

ask for the ancient paths,

ask where the good way is, and walk in it,

and you will find rest for your souls.

 

Without God’s Might

And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few (Josh. 7:3).

Following the victory over Jericho, Joshua prepared to move into the hill country of central Palestine. He sent spies to Ai to determine what strategy they should use in attacking the city. They returned with full confidence of victory saying Let not all the people go up . . . and smite Ai . . . for they are but few. A favorable report from his spies gave him even more confidence of victory than when they marched around Jericho. The Lord had not directed Joshua to send spies to Ai, nor did Joshua seek or receive instructions from the Lord to fight Ai (7:2).

It seemed unnecessary to Joshua and his spies for the whole army to attack the small village of Ai. This act of self-confidence was based on the supposition that they had conquered Jericho through their own strength. Actually, it was God who had destroyed the city walls.

The spies had accomplished their mission without the Lord’s guidance, and the soldiers went in to the battle without His assistance; consequently, thirty-six Israelites were killed and they fled. The most alarming aspect of this event was that Joshua was unaware that the Lord was not with him.

God withdrew His presence, protection and power from Israel when Achan took a garment, silver, and gold from Jericho. But the reason for the defeat goes much deeper than Achan’s sin. God exposed the fact that Israel (not just Achan) was guilty of trespass (7:1).

Eight times in the first six chapters of Joshua, the Bible records how the Lord directed Joshua (1:1; 3:7; 4:8; 4:10; 4:15; 5:2; 5:15; 6:2). Then in Joshua 7:2-3, Joshua and his committee, (not the Lord) unanimously decided what action was to be taken, which resulted in failure. Often we make the same mistake as Joshua in that we sometimes take matters into our own hands rather than wait upon the Lord for His direction in our lives. Apart from the mercy and grace of God, the smallest temptation will be too powerful for the greatest Christian. We dare not trust in our own strength! Shew me Thy ways, O Lord; teach me Thy paths (Ps. 25:4).

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing (John. 15:5).

-sbc.net

Thought for Today:

When communication and fellowship between God and Israel was ignored, their good intentions and well-laid plans resulted in failure!

No Exceptions to Holiness

And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the LORD met him and sought to kill him.  (Exodus 4:24)

Moses had just received one of the greatest commissions in history. He was to be God’s instrument to deliver the nation of Israel and to guide it to the Promised Land. He was to lead them to become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exod. 19:6). Yet Moses had not obeyed all of God’s commands himself, for he had never had his son circumcised. This was a long-standing command from God that Moses had ignored. God’s response was to prepare to kill Moses. Here was one of history’s greatest men about to be put to death before ever performing the task God had set before him. Moses could not expect to blatantly ignore a command of God and still be used mightily in His divine work. Had not Moses quickly responded in obedience, he would surely have lost his life.

Moses learned that God makes no exceptions for holiness. When God sets forth a requirement of His people, He most certainly demands it of the leaders. God wanted to make Moses’ life a highway of holiness through which He could bring redemption to millions of people. God had to make some significant adjustments in the life of Moses before He would use him to lead His people.

Are you trying to serve God and yet ignore something He has told you to do? Are you living your life as if God does not notice your disobedience? Do you apply God’s standards to yourself as rigorously as you apply them to others?

-BMI devotion

The Book of the Law

This Book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success (Josh. 1: 8).

The Holy Word of God is the only thing to which God has linked true success, and Joshua clearly explains how we can achieve that success.

The key to Joshua’s great faith was his love for the Word of God. True faith is not an act of human reasoning, but is based upon what God has spoken through His Word.

Forty years earlier Joshua and Caleb were the only two out of the twelve spies who believed they could conquer the Canaanites and take possession of the promised land. The report by the others showed they doubted the Word of God that He would give them victory.

Therefore, the crossing of the Jordan River, led by Joshua, was a major step of faith in the ability of God to fulfill His Word. The earlier generation refused to place their faith in the promise of God.

Joshua’s battles were outward, but our battles are primarily inward emotional conflicts. We wrestle not against flesh and blood (that is, our conflicts are not actually with people), but against principalities, against powers (Eph. 6:12). Our battle is not with men, even though Satan may use people at times to resist our efforts to please the Lord.

Just as Joshua was enlightened to know the will of God by meditating upon the His Word day and night, so our faith is also strengthened as we daily read and meditate upon His Word. Our victory is assured by the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (6:17).

The more we read His Word, the more we realize the presence of God. The unfailing mark of true discipleship is reverence for the Word of God and humble submission to all its teaching.

It is of utmost importance that every Christian spend time with the Lord in reading His Word — to meditate therein day and night (Josh. 1:8).

The vital principle of victorious faith is also revealed in the New Testament: But whoso looketh into the perfect Law of Liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed (James 1: 25).

-sbc.net

Thought for Today:

The unfailing mark of true success lies in meditating on the Word of God and humbly submitting to all its teachings.

His Promised Presence

Everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil – this is God’s gift to man. —Ecclesiastes 3:13 (ESV) 

Nicole closed the door and walked into the backyard. Her hand wiped away the perspiration from her brow as she squinted toward the fast-setting sun. “I never thought this day would end,” she said quietly, seeing it all again, flash screens of her day shuffling by as though she was flipping the lever on a toy View-Master. The coffee sloshing onto Dave’s lap, not enough to burn him but plenty enough to stain his new slacks; Justin tripping and scraping his hand as they rounded the last corner on the walk to school; the hose on the washing machine splitting open to spray cold water all over the laundry room. It had certainly been a day for spills, of that she was certain.

  Then Nicole glanced inside to spy her husband and son clearing the kitchen table—and she couldn’t help but smile. She looked back at the horizon, the sun now tucked behind the hills. “Thank you, Lord,” she said, “for giving me this day, the bad and the good.” She felt the warmth of His presence with the soft orange glow of the sky.

  Each day is a gift from God. That doesn’t mean it’ll be trouble-free—but it is yours, given by a loving Lord who promises to be with you in the triumphs and the toil. Allow that assurance to cause you to take pleasure in what has already happened, and spark hope within you for what’s still ahead.    

  Today’s One Thing

Look back at the events of this day with thankfulness for how God has been with you.

-Your Intentional Devotion

God is Always Good

Psalm 145:3-7

 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;

his greatness no one can fathom.

One generation commends your works to another;

they tell of your mighty acts.

They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—

and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

They tell of the power of your awesome works—

and I will proclaim your great deeds.

They celebrate your abundant goodness

and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

This past weekend, I got to see my son at work with his new job…selling vacuum cleaners.  He made an appointment to try to sell one to me and my husband, even though we did tell him in advance that we weren’t going to buy one.

I found it fascinating to watch him show up at our house dressed in a suit and a tie carrying the vacuum cleaner boxes.  He pulled out each attachment and began assembling the Kirby.  He proceeded to tell us all of the different things that we could do with this fascinating machine…we could wash our car, we could clean our ceiling fans, or clean our ceiling, or vacuum our curtains, or shampoo the floor, or clean our bed of bed mites (which apparently, my bed is full of them), or even pull out a light bulb.

As he was showing the vacuum cleaner to us, he went into so much detail, being persuasive to convince us that it was the best and that no other vacuum cleaner could compare to it.  There was one test that he did in which we had to get out our vacuum cleaner for comparison.  Now, he didn’t know anything about our vacuum cleaner and that we had a nice Dyson, yet he was challenging it and he was so confident that his Kirby would be superior.  My son then proceeded to dump baking powder on my living room floor.  He took our vacuum cleaner and ran over the carpeted area for a long time.  He even exaggerated it by stopping and asking if it was clean and then vacuumed a little longer.  When he was finished, he took the Kirby and cleaned the same spot.  He opened up the filter that was attached for demonstration purposes and showed us how much baking powder he collected in just a few seconds.

When I thought about my son’s sales pitch for his high tech piece of equipment, I thought about how he is going to go into several different houses, and demonstrate against several different vacuum cleaners, confident that his vacuum is the best and trusting that he will get the same superior results.

I’m not trying to make God seem trite, but the same thing can be said about Jehovah.  No matter what the situation and no matter where it happens, God is good and will always be good.  Nothing and no one can compare to Him because He is the best.  He is perfect and righteous in all that He does.  This is something that we can put our trust and full confidence in.  This is something that we can brag and boast on.

My grandson that lived for five days died this evening.  Even though I was excited about being able to meet him one day, and my heart aches and I’m crying as I write this, I still know that God is good.  Jehovah is good in Georgia; He is good in Texas; and He will always be good.

-RB

Psalm 145:21 

My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.

Let every creature praise his holy name

for ever and ever.