Regular Garments

Lev 16:23-24

23 "Then Aaron is to go into the Tent of Meeting and take off the linen garments he put on before he entered the Most Holy Place, and he is to leave them there. 24 He shall bathe himself with water in a holy place and put on his regular garments.

NIV

Remember when Peter went into the tomb after the resurrection of Jesus?  He found the burial clothes left behind and the face covering folded and placed to one side.  I always wondered about the significance of this information. 

The above verses describe what Aaron was to do after the atonement sacrifice that took place once a year.  It struck me that this was a foreshadowing of the great Atonement Sacrifice of Christ of which the sacrifice of Aaron was but a preview.  

Jesus discarded his linen burial clothes and assumed His regular garments which were the glory of heaven, as befitting the Son of God and the King of Kings.  These He put aside for a time to conquer sin and death.  How good it must have felt to return to His previous state, especially knowing He had provided the way for us to follow.  We will also take on garments that befit sons of God.  Immortality will take the place of mortality.  We will be dressed as we were meant to be, in heavenly splendor in the presence of God, clothed in our regular garments. 

Fire

Luke 12:49-50 (MSG)
⁴⁹ "I've come to start a fire on this earth—how I wish it were blazing right now!
⁵⁰ I've come to change everything, turn everything rightside up—how I long for it to be finished!

Jesus did not come to this earth to just sit around a campfire and sing songs.  He did not take on our flesh and sins just to talk about the finer points of Scripture in the synagogues.  His gospel is not one of platitudes, but one of exciting and monumental change.  The status quo is disrupted as the Son of Man speaks the Word of God. The resulting fire is unleashed that will purify and refine those who are able to accept His teaching.  Scripture speaks of this fire's other outcome for those rejecting Jesus.  Either way it is going to be hot.

Can you feel it getting warm, or is it just me?

Our Daily Bread

Matthew 6:11 (NIV)
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.

We are closest to God in present moment.  God told Moses to tell the Israelites that “I AM” sent Him.  God is outside of time, which is a fundamental characteristic of creation.    The orbit of our life comes closest to the One outside of time in the present moment.  It is in the present moment that our frame of reckoning is least colored with the metric and confines of time. 

Our daily bread becomes that food which is every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.  It is partaking in the bread of life, the revelation that is given in the form of Jesus.  It is present in this moment.  It is present in every moment.  It is ours as we are able to rest in each moment.  Being present has to do with being aware and living in the presence of God.  Our only chance is in the here and now.  We cannot reenter the past and cannot live in the future. 

The ultimate present moment will be eternity with God, for it will be outside of time, the here and now that will encompass all eternity. 

It is in the present we live, move, and have our being.  We are told that we live, move, and have our being in God.  Both statements speak accurately to our existence.  

The Israelites were told to gather only that manna which was needed for that day, the food that given by God in the wilderness journey.  The same is true for us today.  It is enough, for God lavishly provides for our needs.      

Giving All

Mark 12:41-44 (MSG)
⁴¹ Sitting across from the offering box, he was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection. Many of the rich were making large contributions.
⁴² One poor widow came up and put in two small coins—a measly two cents.
⁴³ Jesus called his disciples over and said, "The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together.
⁴⁴ All the others gave what they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford—she gave her all."

Giving all is a great equalizer, for no matter how much or little one has, all means the same thing for every one.  The Father  sees us all the same.  Material possessions are immaterial to Him.  The heart is what matters.   What we have is not as important as what we give and why.   

This is not an issue of money, but a teaching concerning the heart.  Jesus gave everything in love, for us and to God.  To be His disciple is to do likewise.  

Heaven Belongs To Such As These

Matthew 19:14-15 (NIV)
¹⁴ Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
¹⁵ When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

The subject came up the other day of what happens to children and infants that have not come to know and accept Jesus.  Do they enter the kingdom anyway or are they destined for some other end? 

Jesus says here, “do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”  They are the model citizens of the kingdom.  While they are too young to be able to know and be accountable for sin, God’s grace is sufficient for their weakness. 

Their state has parallels to Adam and Eve in the Garden before eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  It was after becoming aware of good and evil that they became accountable and were expelled from the Garden.  

Sin was in the world, but it increased when the law was given.  For the law exposed sin and knowledge of the law took away the excuse of not knowing right from wrong. 

Walking in the kingdom involves becoming like children in some ways.  Perhaps this means that children are closer to their spirit and the Spirit because they have less of the world’s imprint upon them.  Maybe this is the reason why: 

Heaven belongs to such as these

Crossing Over

Matthew 16:24-26 (NIV)
²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
²⁵ For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.
²⁶ What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

No longer bound for death, we still age and physically die.  Taking up our cross means that we obey God and follow His will.  Jesus did that and we are to walk, or live, as He did.  Jesus lived for God and for others.  He learned obedience and grew in the Spirit while He was on this earth.  We follow in that path.  The cross led to resurrection.  He denied Himself and willingly followed the will of God.  Our cross will likewise lead to resurrection. We will be raised like Him, with new bodies and new life.  

Everyone loses their life here in this fallen creation.  That is a given.  But Jesus tells us that if we lose our life for Him we will find it.  If we do that, eternal life is a given.  Death becomes just a passing into a most glorious life.  Our cross is finding the way and living here on earth for our Father.  

Jesus saw the glory that awaited Him on the other side of the cross.  The cross was necessary for Him to cross over to be with the Father.  In doing so, He opened the way for us to follow.  We must do the same.  His cross allows us come into the presence of God as brothers and sisters of Christ.  Our cross allows us to follow.  As Israel did long ago, crossing the Jordan River into the promised land, we enter the kingdom of God.  There is but one way to cross.   

Wisdom Of Man

Two examples of the wisdom of man came to my mind today.  In the world of commerce, the recent exposure of the dealings and darkness on Wall Street is an example of what is the inevitable outcome of man that does not look to God and keep His ways.  Serving self at the expense of others is the main focus and the highest good.  Those that were able even rewarded themselves billions in bonuses amidst failure on an unbelievable scale.  If asked about it, their most likely response would be “What?” 

The other example that came to mind is the relatively recent acceptance by the experts and scientists that the brain does not become “hard-wired” at some early stage in our development.  Despite evidence to the contrary and dismissing the few that proposed a different view that ran counter to the current accepted wisdom, the science establishment ridiculed the idea that did not fit their existing model.  Now it appears that same establishment is embracing a much more dynamic and adaptable brain model, years after the idea first surfaced.  

Truth will have its way.  The Truth of God will certainly prevail and His purpose accomplished.  The wisdom of man will be shown for what it is, even for those who place their trust in that wisdom, despite evidence to the contrary.