Thank You!
By Shirley Mitchell
“I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.”
Psalm 7:17
The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 sometime between September 21 and November 1. After the first harvest, Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving and prayer for all the colonists and neighboring Indians. In the American Revolution, an annual day of national thanksgiving was suggested by the Continental Congress. By the middle of the 19th century, many states had adopted a Thanksgiving Day. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln appointed the Thanksgiving Day to be the last Thursday in November. He proclaimed that on this day we were "to observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father Who dwelleth in the heavens.” President Franklin D. Roosevelt adjusted it to the fourth Thursday in November in 1939.
Today’s government has distanced itself from the true reason why this holiday was created – thanksgiving and prayer. Although the president still issues a proclamation of thanksgiving, the one true God is not attributed as the Giver of our blessings.
So as we celebrate this day, let’s be leaders of our family and loved ones. Let’s demonstrate the principles of our faith that politically correct people shun. God has been leading me to count my blessings even more this year. He has opened my eyes more to the wonderful husband that I have who takes care of his family, protects us, and tends to our physical needs. I have realized that when I focus on frustrations and desire a “better life,” ungratefulness grows in my prideful heart. I am left empty because I have let my blessings slip away and leak out through the holes that ingratitude leaves in my heart. When I am thankful, then I am Spirit-filled and Spirit-led. Thankfulness stems from what thoughts I choose to focus on in my mind.
Precious friend, as I counted my blessings, you have to know that I thank God for you all the time. I don’t take you for granted. God has given me a supernatural love for you. Know that if you were the only one reading this that I would still write just for you. Thank you for your diligence to read these writings from our hearts. Thank you for wanting more of God in your life. Know that He sees your desire, and He knows that you want an intimate relationship with Him. God always responds to someone who truly just wants Him affirmatively. Have a great Thanksgiving where you really celebrate it in a way that honors our God!
Pray with me: Father God, we give You thanks! You have poured out Your storehouses of heaven and given us Your best. You inhabit the praise of Your people so hear our praise for You. Thank YOU! We thank You for all that You have done in our lives. We choose to let You remove fretting, whining, murmuring, and complaining! No more holes left behind by ingratitude - only joyous thankfulness. Thank You for adopting us as Your children and making us heirs. It’s in Your precious Son’s Name, Yeshua’s Name, we pray. Amen.
"For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
Friday, November 26, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Come with Thanksgiving!
Today, we get our verse of the week to meditate and memorize. I want to encourage you to keep trying to focus on just one verse for the week. If you stay determined, the Word will take root in your heart. If you have failed with some of the previous verses, don’t get discouraged and quit, but continue to press on. This spiritual discipline is worth pressing through our failure! So free yourself of guilt and let’s go!
Come with Thanksgiving!
By Shirley Mitchell
“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”
Psalm 95:2
This week millions of Americans are preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday and Black Friday shopping. It is time to be with family and friends. It is time to slow down from our stressful work lives.
Let’s be sure to make time to celebrate the true reason for this holiday season. It is to slow down and give thanks to God. Let’s camp in gratitude. The economy may still be hard for many of us, but we still have a lot to be thankful about. We live in a time where we are some of the most educated people who have ever lived. We live in a country of peace and whose soil is not ravaged in war. We have access to medical care like no other time in history. We live in time of many opportunities.
We are heirs of the Most High King and joint heirs with Christ. The Holy Spirit lives in us. We have this treasure in jars of clay.
Gosh, life can be so hard. There are so many battles here. But we can take courage in our God. We can have peace that surpasses what we can understand. No matter how tough it may seem now, we know that glory is waiting for us. Some day we will see Him face-to-face, and we won’t tell Him that we want to talk to Him about the difficulty that He let us endure. No, we’ll just bask in His presence and be so thankful that He made us one of His chosen. So let’s come before Him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song!
Let’s take this next week to give thanks to our God for all that He has done. Let’s lift up His Name in praise for He is so worthy of all praise! Carry this verse with you wherever you go this week – be it an index card or in your heart. Study it, pulverize it, and memorize it!
Memorization Reminders:
Please join me in memorizing these verses and implanting God’s thoughts into our minds. I’m expecting for God to radically change our lives if we do this. Redeem your time to make room for memorizing God’s Word. Take this verse with you wherever you go. Meditate on it, and pulverize it.
We are blessed to live in a time where we can have the Bible at our fingertips even through the internet or an actual Bible in our hands. Yet, this blessing can become a curse if we do not treat the Bible with such honor to savor every word of it as those through the centuries who have longed to have His Word so much. They had to memorize every Scripture they had ever been given because their own copy of the Scripture was not possible.
Most of us probably don’t memorize Scripture because we think that we do not have the time. However, our minds have a lot of wasted space that can be given to God. We have to redeem the time. For women, we can use the time while putting on our make-up or blow drying our hair. For men, use the time while shaving. For both genders, we can use the time while we shower, stop at red lights, do the laundry, wash the dishes, and mow the lawn. Let’s face it: our minds are thinking about something during this time. Instead of being focused on our obsessions, worries, cares, to-do’s, and problems, give this time to God.
Take your verse(s) with you wherever you go. You can type your verse out and put it on beautiful sheets of your choice. You can write it out on index cards. Many people prefer index cards spiral bound to keep them together. For iphone users, I’m sure there is an app. You can write it on your iphone notepad or record your voice speaking it and replay it throughout the day.
Now that we have the verse and we have found the time, let’s focus on the method. We don’t just memorize it by saying it over and over; we meditate on it. We spend time thinking about what each word means and what it doesn’t mean.
Then one of my favorite techniques as taught by Waylon Moore is to pulverize the verse. Say the verse over and over each time focusing on a different word in the verse to emphasize. For example, say Psalm 95:2 (today’s verse) aloud and say with more umph the underlined and bolded word:
“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”
Psalm 95:2
“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”
Psalm 95:2
“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”
Psalm 95:2
“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”
Psalm 95:2
“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”
Psalm 95:2
“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”
Psalm 95:2
“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”
Psalm 95:2
Repeat this process until each word in the verse has been emphasized.
After meditating and pulverizing the verse continuously for a week, the seed planted in our hearts will begin to germinate. You and I will no longer be merely short-term memorizing, but the Word will dwell within us. When God’s Word dwells within us, something miraculous happens. Our minds are renewed and transformed into the mind of Christ. We worry and fret less. We are armed for the attacks of the enemy. Our lips will be full of praise for our God. My friend, I’m ready for that kind of transformation!
Come with Thanksgiving!
By Shirley Mitchell
“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”
Psalm 95:2
This week millions of Americans are preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday and Black Friday shopping. It is time to be with family and friends. It is time to slow down from our stressful work lives.
Let’s be sure to make time to celebrate the true reason for this holiday season. It is to slow down and give thanks to God. Let’s camp in gratitude. The economy may still be hard for many of us, but we still have a lot to be thankful about. We live in a time where we are some of the most educated people who have ever lived. We live in a country of peace and whose soil is not ravaged in war. We have access to medical care like no other time in history. We live in time of many opportunities.
We are heirs of the Most High King and joint heirs with Christ. The Holy Spirit lives in us. We have this treasure in jars of clay.
Gosh, life can be so hard. There are so many battles here. But we can take courage in our God. We can have peace that surpasses what we can understand. No matter how tough it may seem now, we know that glory is waiting for us. Some day we will see Him face-to-face, and we won’t tell Him that we want to talk to Him about the difficulty that He let us endure. No, we’ll just bask in His presence and be so thankful that He made us one of His chosen. So let’s come before Him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song!
Let’s take this next week to give thanks to our God for all that He has done. Let’s lift up His Name in praise for He is so worthy of all praise! Carry this verse with you wherever you go this week – be it an index card or in your heart. Study it, pulverize it, and memorize it!
Memorization Reminders:
Please join me in memorizing these verses and implanting God’s thoughts into our minds. I’m expecting for God to radically change our lives if we do this. Redeem your time to make room for memorizing God’s Word. Take this verse with you wherever you go. Meditate on it, and pulverize it.
We are blessed to live in a time where we can have the Bible at our fingertips even through the internet or an actual Bible in our hands. Yet, this blessing can become a curse if we do not treat the Bible with such honor to savor every word of it as those through the centuries who have longed to have His Word so much. They had to memorize every Scripture they had ever been given because their own copy of the Scripture was not possible.
Most of us probably don’t memorize Scripture because we think that we do not have the time. However, our minds have a lot of wasted space that can be given to God. We have to redeem the time. For women, we can use the time while putting on our make-up or blow drying our hair. For men, use the time while shaving. For both genders, we can use the time while we shower, stop at red lights, do the laundry, wash the dishes, and mow the lawn. Let’s face it: our minds are thinking about something during this time. Instead of being focused on our obsessions, worries, cares, to-do’s, and problems, give this time to God.
Take your verse(s) with you wherever you go. You can type your verse out and put it on beautiful sheets of your choice. You can write it out on index cards. Many people prefer index cards spiral bound to keep them together. For iphone users, I’m sure there is an app. You can write it on your iphone notepad or record your voice speaking it and replay it throughout the day.
Now that we have the verse and we have found the time, let’s focus on the method. We don’t just memorize it by saying it over and over; we meditate on it. We spend time thinking about what each word means and what it doesn’t mean.
Then one of my favorite techniques as taught by Waylon Moore is to pulverize the verse. Say the verse over and over each time focusing on a different word in the verse to emphasize. For example, say Psalm 95:2 (today’s verse) aloud and say with more umph the underlined and bolded word:
“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”
Psalm 95:2
“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”
Psalm 95:2
“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”
Psalm 95:2
“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”
Psalm 95:2
“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”
Psalm 95:2
“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”
Psalm 95:2
“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”
Psalm 95:2
Repeat this process until each word in the verse has been emphasized.
After meditating and pulverizing the verse continuously for a week, the seed planted in our hearts will begin to germinate. You and I will no longer be merely short-term memorizing, but the Word will dwell within us. When God’s Word dwells within us, something miraculous happens. Our minds are renewed and transformed into the mind of Christ. We worry and fret less. We are armed for the attacks of the enemy. Our lips will be full of praise for our God. My friend, I’m ready for that kind of transformation!
Monday, November 22, 2010
He was There!
He was There!
By Shirley Mitchell
“Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish.”
Psalm 25:16-17
“The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”
Psalm 145:18
I have one more story to share with you about Lifeway’s National Women’s Leadership Forum in Ridgecrest. It was the 15th anniversary of the forum. The key note speaker Beth Moore was reminiscing about 15 years ago. She reminded us of the potluck dinner on Wednesday nights. She told us about how her honorarium used to be a corsage, a flower that she would wear when she taught.
As she was talking a walk down her memory lane, I asked the Lord where was I 15 years ago? Now this was the third day of the conference that was celebrating 15 years of women’s ministry. The 15 year theme was prevalent. It was not until I had the fullness of the picture of what those precious women’s ministry leaders were doing 15 years ago, that God reminded me where I was 15 years ago.
It should have been fresh on my mind because the Sunday before I left for the trip, I was at my mother’s house. We too were taking a walk down memory lane. It was the 15 anniversary of my father’s unexpected death.
Exactly 15 years ago, I was living in Guam. While my father died early in the morning U.S. time, it was my nighttime in Guam. So my family waited until I came to work the next day so I wouldn’t be alone. My commander led my best friend Jean and me to his office. In that office, a family member told me my father was dead. For the next 24 hours I cried continuously. Someone took care of my flight arrangements. They took me to the airport. All I had to do was get on a plane. Even when I checked in at the airport, I didn’t stop crying. As tears streamed down my face, I communicated with the Continental Airline agent. When I arrived to Kentucky, I was still crying.
During all those tears that day and the days that followed I wondered, “God, where are You? Do You care about me? Are You involved in my life? Are you going to do anything to help me here? I can’t deal with this and I need You to do something.” I was not walking with God so I didn't have a daily relationship with Him. God was only useful for me for 911 calls.
Now fast forward to 15 years later , the last day of the forum. God opened my eyes to see what He had done. At the exact time that I was grieving, He was working with a small group of women’s ministry leaders to give them a vision to reach women like me. In-depth Bible study and discussing the Bible in small groups with our women who are in pursuit of God has radically changed my life and my family lineage. Through this, I know God! I gained Him, my very great reward and Jesus, very best friend. God didn’t just comfort me for the moment and hold me while I cried and grieved heavily for months and months. He mended my broken heart and led me down a path so that I could know the one true living God. The path I couldn’t see back then is so evident to me now. I had never been the way before so I would not have known it. But He didn’t leave me alone in my tears. He was with me, and He was making a way to heal me!
So I’m hear to tell you my dear friend, does it ever seem to you that God is not coming through for you in your time of deepest need? Know that He will never leave you nor forsake you. He is constantly working things out for your good. He is doing something behind the action shots of your life and those hard times that is beyond what your sweet limited eyes can see. Trust Him with the troubles of your heart that He will free you from anguish. He won’t leave you in loneliness and affliction. He is near to the broken-hearted.ay of the forum, He opened my eyes to see that at that exact time I was grieving, He was working with a small group of women's ministry leaders to give them a vision for women's ministry that radically changed my life - and has impacted my family lineage like nothing else on earth!
He opened my eyes to see that at that exact time I was grieving, He was working with a small group of women's ministry leaders to give them a vision for women's ministry that radically changed my life - and has impacted my family lineage like nothing else on earth!
Pray with me: Praise You, Father! You are near to all that call on You. You are close by! You are involved. You are our ever-present help in time of need. We may not see You. We may not know what You are up to. But You never leave us alone to handle things on our own. You are constantly working things together for our good. You mend the broken hearted in far deeper and more thorough ways than we can imagine! We praise You for Your tender mercies to us. All of this we pray in the Name above all names and the Name that someday every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
By Shirley Mitchell
“Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish.”
Psalm 25:16-17
“The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”
Psalm 145:18
I have one more story to share with you about Lifeway’s National Women’s Leadership Forum in Ridgecrest. It was the 15th anniversary of the forum. The key note speaker Beth Moore was reminiscing about 15 years ago. She reminded us of the potluck dinner on Wednesday nights. She told us about how her honorarium used to be a corsage, a flower that she would wear when she taught.
As she was talking a walk down her memory lane, I asked the Lord where was I 15 years ago? Now this was the third day of the conference that was celebrating 15 years of women’s ministry. The 15 year theme was prevalent. It was not until I had the fullness of the picture of what those precious women’s ministry leaders were doing 15 years ago, that God reminded me where I was 15 years ago.
It should have been fresh on my mind because the Sunday before I left for the trip, I was at my mother’s house. We too were taking a walk down memory lane. It was the 15 anniversary of my father’s unexpected death.
Exactly 15 years ago, I was living in Guam. While my father died early in the morning U.S. time, it was my nighttime in Guam. So my family waited until I came to work the next day so I wouldn’t be alone. My commander led my best friend Jean and me to his office. In that office, a family member told me my father was dead. For the next 24 hours I cried continuously. Someone took care of my flight arrangements. They took me to the airport. All I had to do was get on a plane. Even when I checked in at the airport, I didn’t stop crying. As tears streamed down my face, I communicated with the Continental Airline agent. When I arrived to Kentucky, I was still crying.
During all those tears that day and the days that followed I wondered, “God, where are You? Do You care about me? Are You involved in my life? Are you going to do anything to help me here? I can’t deal with this and I need You to do something.” I was not walking with God so I didn't have a daily relationship with Him. God was only useful for me for 911 calls.
Now fast forward to 15 years later , the last day of the forum. God opened my eyes to see what He had done. At the exact time that I was grieving, He was working with a small group of women’s ministry leaders to give them a vision to reach women like me. In-depth Bible study and discussing the Bible in small groups with our women who are in pursuit of God has radically changed my life and my family lineage. Through this, I know God! I gained Him, my very great reward and Jesus, very best friend. God didn’t just comfort me for the moment and hold me while I cried and grieved heavily for months and months. He mended my broken heart and led me down a path so that I could know the one true living God. The path I couldn’t see back then is so evident to me now. I had never been the way before so I would not have known it. But He didn’t leave me alone in my tears. He was with me, and He was making a way to heal me!
So I’m hear to tell you my dear friend, does it ever seem to you that God is not coming through for you in your time of deepest need? Know that He will never leave you nor forsake you. He is constantly working things out for your good. He is doing something behind the action shots of your life and those hard times that is beyond what your sweet limited eyes can see. Trust Him with the troubles of your heart that He will free you from anguish. He won’t leave you in loneliness and affliction. He is near to the broken-hearted.ay of the forum, He opened my eyes to see that at that exact time I was grieving, He was working with a small group of women's ministry leaders to give them a vision for women's ministry that radically changed my life - and has impacted my family lineage like nothing else on earth!
He opened my eyes to see that at that exact time I was grieving, He was working with a small group of women's ministry leaders to give them a vision for women's ministry that radically changed my life - and has impacted my family lineage like nothing else on earth!
Pray with me: Praise You, Father! You are near to all that call on You. You are close by! You are involved. You are our ever-present help in time of need. We may not see You. We may not know what You are up to. But You never leave us alone to handle things on our own. You are constantly working things together for our good. You mend the broken hearted in far deeper and more thorough ways than we can imagine! We praise You for Your tender mercies to us. All of this we pray in the Name above all names and the Name that someday every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Passing the Baton
Passing the Baton
By Shirley Mitchell
“Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.”
Titus 2:3-5
I have more to share with you about Lifeway’s National Women’s Leadership Forum in Ridgecrest. God just said so many things to me. How I wish you and I could sit down for lunch and discuss it. I am sincere about that for it is tracked who reads the CCM devotions and updates. I know who you are, pray for you, and lift you up to the Father.
Anyway, for the last session, they divided us up into two groups – an older woman and a younger woman group. I was quite shocked to learn that I belonged in the older woman group. After all, I don’t feel old. I certainly don’t consider myself the matriarch who has arrived and wisdom flows out of her. It was my official notification that I was indeed “older.” There was not a graduation ceremony, nor did I get to walk across the stage as I officially moved into the older women category.
If you have done Jesus Lives, then you know that I teach that it is our responsibility to teach the next generation. We can all mentor someone. I used to joke that I may just have to mentor the two year olds, but I would obey.
Anyway at the conference, the younger women were seated in the front center while the older women were given the outer sections in the front, the back section, and the balcony. Well, I’ve always thought it’s good to sit on the back row of the balcony every now and then and give others a chance to have a better seat. So my friend Karen and I headed to our back row balcony seats.
At the end of Beth Moore’s teaching on the seven reasons why our future is bright, she commissioned the younger women. She had them spread out in the aisles and the older women were to could lay hands on them. By laying hands on them, the older women were saying that we bless them. We repeated after Beth as we prayed for them. As I did this, I envisioned every young woman in my life. God impressed upon me that indeed I may not feel like an older woman, but it is time to be intentional and give more quality time to those that He has put in my path.
So do you feel like me? Do you feel like you still have so much to learn? Do what God showed me to do. Just share with others your experiences with God and what He has shown you in His Word. Teach what He has taught you. Younger women want to know that you care, that you will be authentic and risk involving your self in their lives. God commands us and they are worth it. So let’s pray about who we can share our lives and impact the next generation.
Pray with me: Almighty God, help us to be Titus 2 women. Help us to teach the younger women what is good so that they will know how to live and not malign the Word of God. Encourage us that we do know what to say and that they do want to hear from us. Help us to be intentional and make the most of every opportunity to pass the baton to the next generation. In the Name above all names, and the Name that makes the kingdom of darkness shudder and believers take courage and shout for joy, in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
By Shirley Mitchell
“Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.”
Titus 2:3-5
I have more to share with you about Lifeway’s National Women’s Leadership Forum in Ridgecrest. God just said so many things to me. How I wish you and I could sit down for lunch and discuss it. I am sincere about that for it is tracked who reads the CCM devotions and updates. I know who you are, pray for you, and lift you up to the Father.
Anyway, for the last session, they divided us up into two groups – an older woman and a younger woman group. I was quite shocked to learn that I belonged in the older woman group. After all, I don’t feel old. I certainly don’t consider myself the matriarch who has arrived and wisdom flows out of her. It was my official notification that I was indeed “older.” There was not a graduation ceremony, nor did I get to walk across the stage as I officially moved into the older women category.
If you have done Jesus Lives, then you know that I teach that it is our responsibility to teach the next generation. We can all mentor someone. I used to joke that I may just have to mentor the two year olds, but I would obey.
Anyway at the conference, the younger women were seated in the front center while the older women were given the outer sections in the front, the back section, and the balcony. Well, I’ve always thought it’s good to sit on the back row of the balcony every now and then and give others a chance to have a better seat. So my friend Karen and I headed to our back row balcony seats.
At the end of Beth Moore’s teaching on the seven reasons why our future is bright, she commissioned the younger women. She had them spread out in the aisles and the older women were to could lay hands on them. By laying hands on them, the older women were saying that we bless them. We repeated after Beth as we prayed for them. As I did this, I envisioned every young woman in my life. God impressed upon me that indeed I may not feel like an older woman, but it is time to be intentional and give more quality time to those that He has put in my path.
So do you feel like me? Do you feel like you still have so much to learn? Do what God showed me to do. Just share with others your experiences with God and what He has shown you in His Word. Teach what He has taught you. Younger women want to know that you care, that you will be authentic and risk involving your self in their lives. God commands us and they are worth it. So let’s pray about who we can share our lives and impact the next generation.
Pray with me: Almighty God, help us to be Titus 2 women. Help us to teach the younger women what is good so that they will know how to live and not malign the Word of God. Encourage us that we do know what to say and that they do want to hear from us. Help us to be intentional and make the most of every opportunity to pass the baton to the next generation. In the Name above all names, and the Name that makes the kingdom of darkness shudder and believers take courage and shout for joy, in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Christ Compels Update Nov 2010
Christ Compels Update
By Shirley Mitchell
I have something to share with you about Lifeway’s National Women’s Leadership Forum in Ridgecrest, North Carolina. At the forum, Lifeway set up this “share-fair” table for people to share the materials that their churches were used in ministry. God spoke to me a few days just prior to leaving that I was to take some Jesus Lives Bible Studies and 2 full sets of the DVD’s. At first, we laid 4 Bible studies and 1 DVD set on the table. My anxiety level tends to rise whenever I put Jesus Lives “out there.” There is always the struggle inside of me to guard against rejection. So I draw from my God-moments for strength to face my fear.
When I was writing the Jesus Lives Bible study, this precious, godly woman met with me and pray with me. Debra has the gift of prophecy and the Holy Spirit is evident in her life. One day we were praying together in a church parking lot, and she told me that God had given her a word. While we were praying, you could hear a gush of wind. She said that she believed that I was to release Jesus Lives to the wind of the Holy Spirit and let it take the Bible study where the Spirit wanted to take it. She told me to give it away for free to anyone who asked and see what the Spirit did.
A few days later my husband and I were out for dinner at restaurant for our anniversary. After our meal was halfway finished, I told him what she had said. By telling him in a public restaurant, he had to control his reaction. The cost of JL is one pretty price tag and it meant that we’d have to make sacrifices. I told him at first I had a hard time with her word, but the more I prayed about it the more I was impressed that the eleven disciples plus Paul not only did not receive payment for their writings – the Bible – it cost them their lives.
So back to what God said to me at the conference. Over the next three days, we put 3-4 Jesus Lives Bible studies on the table at a time and then watch then disappear in less than 10 seconds. I felt like Miriam who watched the Egyptian princess draw precious baby Moses out of the water. Just as she trusted the river to carry her brother to the right hands, so I was trusting God’s river of the right timing to carry the life-changing books into the right hands.
Later, I prayed over every woman who took a Jesus Lives Bible study home with her. Then, God spoke to me and this is what He said to my heart. With the money that Doug and I are spending to write, publish, videotape, and distribute the Jesus Lives Bible study, we could have built a home for children in Asia – or a few homes. However, God called Doug and me to pour our money somewhere else. He told us to invest the money in you – in women (and men) in the western world. He told us instead of building a physical home to meet physical needs of children that we were to build a spiritual home to meet spiritual needs of His precious children. Through the life-transformation that takes place in you all, more and more people of this earth will be reached than if we had built the mere orphanage alone. This just gives me chills! This means everything to me! I long to serve our God and to take care of your spiritual needs. May your eyes be forever awakened to who our precious Savior really is. Because you know Him, may your live your life fully and completely for Him!
Pray with me: Almighty God, Praise You for the work of Your Spirit! We give You freedom to operate and to be let loose in our lives. Blow, Holy Spirit! Breathe on us! Revive us! Empower us! Heal us! Teach us the deeper things of God. We lift up each one of the Bible studies that was release to Your Holy Spirit wind last week. We ask that the Bible study finds its way to the right hands. May the doer of the Bible study give it their hearts and minds. Through the teaching of Your Word, renew their minds and radically transform them. Give them a hunger for Your Word, an insatiable appetite. Unveil the mysterious things of the kingdom to them. Heal their wounds and mend their hearts. Help them to believe You. Take their worship to a new level with You. In the Name above all names, and the Name that makes the kingdom of darkness shudder and believers take courage and shout for joy, in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen
By Shirley Mitchell
I have something to share with you about Lifeway’s National Women’s Leadership Forum in Ridgecrest, North Carolina. At the forum, Lifeway set up this “share-fair” table for people to share the materials that their churches were used in ministry. God spoke to me a few days just prior to leaving that I was to take some Jesus Lives Bible Studies and 2 full sets of the DVD’s. At first, we laid 4 Bible studies and 1 DVD set on the table. My anxiety level tends to rise whenever I put Jesus Lives “out there.” There is always the struggle inside of me to guard against rejection. So I draw from my God-moments for strength to face my fear.
When I was writing the Jesus Lives Bible study, this precious, godly woman met with me and pray with me. Debra has the gift of prophecy and the Holy Spirit is evident in her life. One day we were praying together in a church parking lot, and she told me that God had given her a word. While we were praying, you could hear a gush of wind. She said that she believed that I was to release Jesus Lives to the wind of the Holy Spirit and let it take the Bible study where the Spirit wanted to take it. She told me to give it away for free to anyone who asked and see what the Spirit did.
A few days later my husband and I were out for dinner at restaurant for our anniversary. After our meal was halfway finished, I told him what she had said. By telling him in a public restaurant, he had to control his reaction. The cost of JL is one pretty price tag and it meant that we’d have to make sacrifices. I told him at first I had a hard time with her word, but the more I prayed about it the more I was impressed that the eleven disciples plus Paul not only did not receive payment for their writings – the Bible – it cost them their lives.
So back to what God said to me at the conference. Over the next three days, we put 3-4 Jesus Lives Bible studies on the table at a time and then watch then disappear in less than 10 seconds. I felt like Miriam who watched the Egyptian princess draw precious baby Moses out of the water. Just as she trusted the river to carry her brother to the right hands, so I was trusting God’s river of the right timing to carry the life-changing books into the right hands.
Later, I prayed over every woman who took a Jesus Lives Bible study home with her. Then, God spoke to me and this is what He said to my heart. With the money that Doug and I are spending to write, publish, videotape, and distribute the Jesus Lives Bible study, we could have built a home for children in Asia – or a few homes. However, God called Doug and me to pour our money somewhere else. He told us to invest the money in you – in women (and men) in the western world. He told us instead of building a physical home to meet physical needs of children that we were to build a spiritual home to meet spiritual needs of His precious children. Through the life-transformation that takes place in you all, more and more people of this earth will be reached than if we had built the mere orphanage alone. This just gives me chills! This means everything to me! I long to serve our God and to take care of your spiritual needs. May your eyes be forever awakened to who our precious Savior really is. Because you know Him, may your live your life fully and completely for Him!
Pray with me: Almighty God, Praise You for the work of Your Spirit! We give You freedom to operate and to be let loose in our lives. Blow, Holy Spirit! Breathe on us! Revive us! Empower us! Heal us! Teach us the deeper things of God. We lift up each one of the Bible studies that was release to Your Holy Spirit wind last week. We ask that the Bible study finds its way to the right hands. May the doer of the Bible study give it their hearts and minds. Through the teaching of Your Word, renew their minds and radically transform them. Give them a hunger for Your Word, an insatiable appetite. Unveil the mysterious things of the kingdom to them. Heal their wounds and mend their hearts. Help them to believe You. Take their worship to a new level with You. In the Name above all names, and the Name that makes the kingdom of darkness shudder and believers take courage and shout for joy, in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen
Friday, September 18, 2009
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah
By Shirley Mitchell
“The LORD said to Moses, ‘Say to the Israelites: 'On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts.’ ’ ”
Leviticus 23:23-24
In Leviticus 23:1, God spoke to Moses, “…These are my appointed feasts, the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies .” The rest of the chapter describes the seven feasts. Tonight begins the fifth of the seven Jewish feasts - Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets, the Jewish New Year! Rosh Hashanah means “head of the year.” It is the first day of the 10 Days of Awe, the days of repentance that conclude with the highest holy day of the year, Yom Kippur. It is celebrated on the first day of the Jewish month of Tishri.
In sessions 9 and 10 of the Bible study Jesus Lives, I teach in more detail about the seven feasts. God has told the story of Messiah and the story of the Jewish people through these feasts. For example, the Passover feast was a shadow of Jesus dying on the cross as the Passover Lamb, and the Feast of Weeks was fulfilled when the Holy Spirit came to indwell in man. Colossians 2:16-17 says, “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.”
Rosh Hashanah or the Feast of Trumpets is a day of sounding the trumpets throughout the land of Israel. It is the only feast that occurs on the first day of the month at the New Moon when the moon is dark and only a thin crescent. All of the other Jewish holidays occur later in their months when the moon is bright. The trumpets were blown in Israel for specific purposes. The shofar, a ram’s horn, was sounded for the gathering of the Israelites. The shofar sounded a battle alarm. The shofar was also sounded to proclaim the inauguration of a king. At this feast, the shofar was blown to call the people to attention.
These trumpets begin the Days of Awe which last 10 days. Between the Feast of Trumpets and the sixth feast were 10 days. The books recording the deeds of people were reviewed by God. Each person stood accountable to Him. The Day of Judgment, Yom Kippur, was at the end of the 10 days.
It was a time of internal evaluation. The Jewish people examined their hearts and outward acts. These 10 days allowed the Jewish people time to evaluate their lives and to return to God. The Days of Awe gave them time to return to a merciful God who was ready to forgive. They had to complete these repentant acts and make amends before the next feast. It was a time to awaken the people from their slumber and to alert them to the coming judgment. Today when they celebrate this feast, they will cast lint from their pockets or pebbles into water as a symbol of cleansing themselves from any sin.
When you study these feasts, you see how they are prophetic of the end times. The trumpet will sound to gather God’s people. The trumpet will sound to warn the evil one that God has sounded His battle alarm. The trumpet will announce the coming of Messiah and the coronation of Jesus the King. God will regather the Jewish people and bring Israel into repentance. God will deliver the Jewish people.
While no man knows the day or the hour that Jesus will rapture the church, knowing that Messiah has fulfilled the first four feasts makes me wonder how the last three feasts will be fulfilled. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 says the rapture will occur at the sound of the shofar, “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” While we are aware that Jesus can return any day of the year, and the calendars could be very different, yes, my friends and I who know our Jewish roots start to pray more fervently for our Lord’s return every Feast of Trumpets.
For you, my friend, are you ready for the Lord’s return? Are you a believer who has accepted Jesus as her Savior? If you are a believer, it is a good time for introspection. Ask God to show you any sin or give you the power to break a lifestyle of sin that you need to eliminate in your life. Let’s celebrate this feast and 10 Days of Awe by repenting and drawing nearer to God.
Pray with me: Lord Jesus, come quickly! We long for Your return. On this Feast of Trumpets, we are reminded how we need to evaluate our lives. We are each accountable before You for every word and every deed. Pierce our hearts by Your Spirit, and may we be awakened from our slumber and sickened by our sin. In the Mighty Name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
By Shirley Mitchell
“The LORD said to Moses, ‘Say to the Israelites: 'On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts.’ ’ ”
Leviticus 23:23-24
In Leviticus 23:1, God spoke to Moses, “…These are my appointed feasts, the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies .” The rest of the chapter describes the seven feasts. Tonight begins the fifth of the seven Jewish feasts - Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets, the Jewish New Year! Rosh Hashanah means “head of the year.” It is the first day of the 10 Days of Awe, the days of repentance that conclude with the highest holy day of the year, Yom Kippur. It is celebrated on the first day of the Jewish month of Tishri.
In sessions 9 and 10 of the Bible study Jesus Lives, I teach in more detail about the seven feasts. God has told the story of Messiah and the story of the Jewish people through these feasts. For example, the Passover feast was a shadow of Jesus dying on the cross as the Passover Lamb, and the Feast of Weeks was fulfilled when the Holy Spirit came to indwell in man. Colossians 2:16-17 says, “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.”
Rosh Hashanah or the Feast of Trumpets is a day of sounding the trumpets throughout the land of Israel. It is the only feast that occurs on the first day of the month at the New Moon when the moon is dark and only a thin crescent. All of the other Jewish holidays occur later in their months when the moon is bright. The trumpets were blown in Israel for specific purposes. The shofar, a ram’s horn, was sounded for the gathering of the Israelites. The shofar sounded a battle alarm. The shofar was also sounded to proclaim the inauguration of a king. At this feast, the shofar was blown to call the people to attention.
These trumpets begin the Days of Awe which last 10 days. Between the Feast of Trumpets and the sixth feast were 10 days. The books recording the deeds of people were reviewed by God. Each person stood accountable to Him. The Day of Judgment, Yom Kippur, was at the end of the 10 days.
It was a time of internal evaluation. The Jewish people examined their hearts and outward acts. These 10 days allowed the Jewish people time to evaluate their lives and to return to God. The Days of Awe gave them time to return to a merciful God who was ready to forgive. They had to complete these repentant acts and make amends before the next feast. It was a time to awaken the people from their slumber and to alert them to the coming judgment. Today when they celebrate this feast, they will cast lint from their pockets or pebbles into water as a symbol of cleansing themselves from any sin.
When you study these feasts, you see how they are prophetic of the end times. The trumpet will sound to gather God’s people. The trumpet will sound to warn the evil one that God has sounded His battle alarm. The trumpet will announce the coming of Messiah and the coronation of Jesus the King. God will regather the Jewish people and bring Israel into repentance. God will deliver the Jewish people.
While no man knows the day or the hour that Jesus will rapture the church, knowing that Messiah has fulfilled the first four feasts makes me wonder how the last three feasts will be fulfilled. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 says the rapture will occur at the sound of the shofar, “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” While we are aware that Jesus can return any day of the year, and the calendars could be very different, yes, my friends and I who know our Jewish roots start to pray more fervently for our Lord’s return every Feast of Trumpets.
For you, my friend, are you ready for the Lord’s return? Are you a believer who has accepted Jesus as her Savior? If you are a believer, it is a good time for introspection. Ask God to show you any sin or give you the power to break a lifestyle of sin that you need to eliminate in your life. Let’s celebrate this feast and 10 Days of Awe by repenting and drawing nearer to God.
Pray with me: Lord Jesus, come quickly! We long for Your return. On this Feast of Trumpets, we are reminded how we need to evaluate our lives. We are each accountable before You for every word and every deed. Pierce our hearts by Your Spirit, and may we be awakened from our slumber and sickened by our sin. In the Mighty Name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
Shekinah Glory
Shekinah Glory
By Shirley Mitchell
"Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them… There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.”
Exodus 25:8, 22
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14
On Mt. Sinai, God gave Moses the 10 Commandments. In Exodus 25:8-9, 21-22, God tells Moses to make the tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant. God wanted to meet with them and give His instructions to His chosen people. He would dwell with them, and they could fellowship with Him. He would meet with His people over the Ark of the Covenant.
The Hebrew word for “dwell” in verse 8 is shekan. It means “the idea of lodging, to reside or permanently stay. Abide, continue, dwell, have habitation, inhabit, remain, lay, place, rest, set.” It includes the idea of abiding in a neighborhood or a community. From the verb shekan is derived the word “shekinah,” the noun form. It means “the dwelling presence of God.” Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia says it is “the visible divine presence.” God is omnipresent, but this presence indicates the fullness and the richness of His presence.
The Hebrew word for “glory” is kavodh. It means “to be heavy or weighty.” During that time period, the worth of an object was measured by its weight. In the figurative sense, it means importance or worth. God’s glory is the way that He shows His importance, His worth, or His might. God’s glory is the way that He makes Himself known. God wants to reveal Himself to us!
God desired to have a place where He could dwell among His people. God desired to be able to speak with them in that place. Hebrews 8:5a says, “They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven.” This passage tells us that God showed Moses the holy pattern on the mountain. It was a shadow of the real thing in heaven. We saw in yesterday’s devotion that God desired to be with man in the garden. He still desired to be with man even though sin had come between The Holy God and His beloved, prized creation - mankind. God planned a way for the fellowship to begin again.
The Israelites built the tabernacle according to the pattern God showed Moses. In Exodus 40:34-38 after the tabernacle was built, “the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” Verse 35 says that “the cloud had settled (shekan) on it.” What a divine confirmation to Moses and the people who had followed His detailed instructions for setting up God’s dwelling place! The Shekinah glory signified God’s presence, protection, and guidance. The covenant people were fully conscious of their distinctiveness among all people on earth. God’s presence was what set the Israelites apart from other people. It marked them as His chosen people. The glory of God had protected them from the Egyptians when it stopped the Egyptian army in full pursuit. The Shekinah glory was their guide in the wilderness.
After wandering in the desert for 40 years, the nation of Israel entered the Promised Land. There, Solomon built a permanent tabernacle for the LORD. 2 Chronicles 5:14b tells us “the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God.” However, the nation of Israel rebelled against God. The prophets of Israel and Judah preached messages of judgment or doom for the people’s rebellion against God and for turning to idols. The people did not listen to the prophets of God who warned of their destruction.
After hundreds of years of this cycle of rebellion, the prophet Ezekiel, while in captivity in Babylon, had a vision of God’s glory departing the temple in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 10:1-19, 11:16-25). The glory moved from the Ark of the Covenant, to the temple threshold, to the East Gate, and to the mountain east of the city (the Mount of Olives) where it departed. When Jerusalem was destroyed by Babylon in 586 B.C., Solomon’s temple was plundered of its wealth, and the building was burned to the ground. The Shekinah glory of God left as Ezekiel had prophesied.
In 536 B.C., God moved the heart of the King of Persia to command that the temple in Jerusalem be rebuilt (Ezra 1:1-2). The second temple lacked five items that had been in Solomon’s temple: The Ark of the Covenant, the Urim and Thummim, the sacred fire, the Holy Spirit, and the Shekinah glory. Ezra 3:12 tells us that the old men who were young boys before captivity remembered the Shekinah glory of Solomon’s temple, and they wailed because it was not present. In 19 B.C., Herod began to renovate the temple. It is Herod’s temple that existed in the time of Jesus. There was no Shekinah glory, though. There was still no evidence of the presence of God. But there was something else…
John 1:14 tells us, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” The Greek word for “dwelling,” skenoo, means “to tent, or encamp, to occupy or to reside, to tabernacle.” Let’s compare this Greek word to the Hebrew word used in the Old Testament for tabernacle, shekan. In ancient Hebrew there were no vowels, only consonants. The letters “e” and “a” were added later as pronunciation aids. Notice the Greek word’s consonants (S-K---N of skenoo) were included in the Hebrew term. What does all this language study mean? A Hebrew would immediately recognize the significance of John’s choice in words. He would realize John was making a play on words and was referring to the Exodus tabernacle.
Do you see in this verse what we have been talking about today? Is John saying what you think he is saying? Oh my, yes, he is! John is drawing from their Jewish history from Exodus. He used these two terms to say the glory of God seen in the tabernacle and the temple had come back to dwell in Israel. God sent the fullness of His glory once again. Only this time instead of being wrapped in a cloud or a pillar of fire, the glory was wrapped in flesh and bone. God’s glory was covered by humanity. Do you remember Moses who could not see God’s glory and live? They had SEEN HIS GLORY!
I must tell you that explaining this story makes the hairs on my arms stand up. I am amazed at the cohesiveness of the Bible. The stories in the Bible span a time period of 4,000 years of life on earth. I am astounded at God’s perfect plan to dwell with people until we could dwell with Him in heaven. The Holy, All-powerful God of the universe reaches down from His throne to mankind. For me, above all, it proclaims in a loud voice for those who are willing to hear it – God’s loving heart.
Pray with me: Oh LORD, our God, You did not send only a prophet to proclaim Your words. You did not send a book so we could read Your words. You did not send a miraculous, physical representation on a mountainside so we could see Your word. You sent Your Word clothed in flesh so Your Word could be demonstrated. Your Word could be the teacher and the exhibitor of Your glory. Then, the Word unveiled and explained You to us so we might know You. This Word lived among people because You wanted to fellowship with us. Oh, how You love us! In the Name of the Word, our Jesus, we pray, Amen!
Excerpt from the Jesus Lives Bible study,
Copyright ©2009 Christ Compels
By Shirley Mitchell
"Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them… There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.”
Exodus 25:8, 22
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14
On Mt. Sinai, God gave Moses the 10 Commandments. In Exodus 25:8-9, 21-22, God tells Moses to make the tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant. God wanted to meet with them and give His instructions to His chosen people. He would dwell with them, and they could fellowship with Him. He would meet with His people over the Ark of the Covenant.
The Hebrew word for “dwell” in verse 8 is shekan. It means “the idea of lodging, to reside or permanently stay. Abide, continue, dwell, have habitation, inhabit, remain, lay, place, rest, set.” It includes the idea of abiding in a neighborhood or a community. From the verb shekan is derived the word “shekinah,” the noun form. It means “the dwelling presence of God.” Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia says it is “the visible divine presence.” God is omnipresent, but this presence indicates the fullness and the richness of His presence.
The Hebrew word for “glory” is kavodh. It means “to be heavy or weighty.” During that time period, the worth of an object was measured by its weight. In the figurative sense, it means importance or worth. God’s glory is the way that He shows His importance, His worth, or His might. God’s glory is the way that He makes Himself known. God wants to reveal Himself to us!
God desired to have a place where He could dwell among His people. God desired to be able to speak with them in that place. Hebrews 8:5a says, “They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven.” This passage tells us that God showed Moses the holy pattern on the mountain. It was a shadow of the real thing in heaven. We saw in yesterday’s devotion that God desired to be with man in the garden. He still desired to be with man even though sin had come between The Holy God and His beloved, prized creation - mankind. God planned a way for the fellowship to begin again.
The Israelites built the tabernacle according to the pattern God showed Moses. In Exodus 40:34-38 after the tabernacle was built, “the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” Verse 35 says that “the cloud had settled (shekan) on it.” What a divine confirmation to Moses and the people who had followed His detailed instructions for setting up God’s dwelling place! The Shekinah glory signified God’s presence, protection, and guidance. The covenant people were fully conscious of their distinctiveness among all people on earth. God’s presence was what set the Israelites apart from other people. It marked them as His chosen people. The glory of God had protected them from the Egyptians when it stopped the Egyptian army in full pursuit. The Shekinah glory was their guide in the wilderness.
After wandering in the desert for 40 years, the nation of Israel entered the Promised Land. There, Solomon built a permanent tabernacle for the LORD. 2 Chronicles 5:14b tells us “the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God.” However, the nation of Israel rebelled against God. The prophets of Israel and Judah preached messages of judgment or doom for the people’s rebellion against God and for turning to idols. The people did not listen to the prophets of God who warned of their destruction.
After hundreds of years of this cycle of rebellion, the prophet Ezekiel, while in captivity in Babylon, had a vision of God’s glory departing the temple in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 10:1-19, 11:16-25). The glory moved from the Ark of the Covenant, to the temple threshold, to the East Gate, and to the mountain east of the city (the Mount of Olives) where it departed. When Jerusalem was destroyed by Babylon in 586 B.C., Solomon’s temple was plundered of its wealth, and the building was burned to the ground. The Shekinah glory of God left as Ezekiel had prophesied.
In 536 B.C., God moved the heart of the King of Persia to command that the temple in Jerusalem be rebuilt (Ezra 1:1-2). The second temple lacked five items that had been in Solomon’s temple: The Ark of the Covenant, the Urim and Thummim, the sacred fire, the Holy Spirit, and the Shekinah glory. Ezra 3:12 tells us that the old men who were young boys before captivity remembered the Shekinah glory of Solomon’s temple, and they wailed because it was not present. In 19 B.C., Herod began to renovate the temple. It is Herod’s temple that existed in the time of Jesus. There was no Shekinah glory, though. There was still no evidence of the presence of God. But there was something else…
John 1:14 tells us, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” The Greek word for “dwelling,” skenoo, means “to tent, or encamp, to occupy or to reside, to tabernacle.” Let’s compare this Greek word to the Hebrew word used in the Old Testament for tabernacle, shekan. In ancient Hebrew there were no vowels, only consonants. The letters “e” and “a” were added later as pronunciation aids. Notice the Greek word’s consonants (S-K---N of skenoo) were included in the Hebrew term. What does all this language study mean? A Hebrew would immediately recognize the significance of John’s choice in words. He would realize John was making a play on words and was referring to the Exodus tabernacle.
Do you see in this verse what we have been talking about today? Is John saying what you think he is saying? Oh my, yes, he is! John is drawing from their Jewish history from Exodus. He used these two terms to say the glory of God seen in the tabernacle and the temple had come back to dwell in Israel. God sent the fullness of His glory once again. Only this time instead of being wrapped in a cloud or a pillar of fire, the glory was wrapped in flesh and bone. God’s glory was covered by humanity. Do you remember Moses who could not see God’s glory and live? They had SEEN HIS GLORY!
I must tell you that explaining this story makes the hairs on my arms stand up. I am amazed at the cohesiveness of the Bible. The stories in the Bible span a time period of 4,000 years of life on earth. I am astounded at God’s perfect plan to dwell with people until we could dwell with Him in heaven. The Holy, All-powerful God of the universe reaches down from His throne to mankind. For me, above all, it proclaims in a loud voice for those who are willing to hear it – God’s loving heart.
Pray with me: Oh LORD, our God, You did not send only a prophet to proclaim Your words. You did not send a book so we could read Your words. You did not send a miraculous, physical representation on a mountainside so we could see Your word. You sent Your Word clothed in flesh so Your Word could be demonstrated. Your Word could be the teacher and the exhibitor of Your glory. Then, the Word unveiled and explained You to us so we might know You. This Word lived among people because You wanted to fellowship with us. Oh, how You love us! In the Name of the Word, our Jesus, we pray, Amen!
Excerpt from the Jesus Lives Bible study,
Copyright ©2009 Christ Compels
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