Today has been another lethargic day in my week. The past two days were more taxing, so it seems to be following  observable sequence for me. But overall, it is good to be engaging in some more and varied activity and to explore some options for the coming months. While I was at the capitol one of the legislators asked me to come and testify on a physical therapy bill that is in committee this next week, so I hope to be able to make that appointment.

Tomorrow Debbie will begin assisting or friend Charlie Simineo in leading a grief recover group during the 10:30 a.m. service at Timberline. That will bring a change to our weekend schedule for the next 13 weeks.

As we wrap up January 2015, I’m pleased with the progress since January 2014. Thank you for those who have followed, prayed and encouraged us along this journey.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “…in these last days he has spoken to us through his Son. He is the one through whom God created the universe, the one whom God has chosen to possess all things at the end.  He reflects the brightness of God’s glory and is the exact likeness of God’s own being, sustaining the universe with his powerful word.”  Hebrews 1:2,3

When we think about God and creation the first verse of the Bible is the one that comes to mind, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) However as I have read through the Bible the last two or three times, I have taken note of the number of times a reference is made to God’s work in creation. In the Good News Translation, you will find the word, “created” 115 times, and all but a few are in reference to God’s activity in bringing the world and humanity into existence.

We find the record of creation in the first book of the Bible and in the last book of the  Bible, we find choruses of worship before the creator-God in heaven. “Our Lord and God! You are worthy to receive glory, honor, and power. For you created all things, and by your will they were given existence and life.” (Revelation 4:11)

Consider the following…

• “..you alone are God, ruling all the kingdoms of the world. You created the earth and the sky.” 2 Kings 19:15
• “The Lord created the heavens by his command, the sun, moon, and stars by his spoken word.” Psalm 33:6
• “Have reverence for God, and obey his commands, because this is all that we were created for.”       Ecclesiastes 12:13
• “God is the one who made the mountains and created the winds.”  Amos 4:13
• “From one human being he [God] created all races of people and made them live throughout the whole earth.”  Acts 17:26
• “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” John 1:3
• “…through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see…Everything was created through him and for him” Colossians 1:16

So we see throughout the history of the Bible God’s role as creator is recognized. Today in the debate about origins, the two sides are evolution or “accidental creation” versus  “Intelligent design.”

The Bible says that God had a purpose for His creation and I believe one of the greatest evidences of that is His highest creation, humanity, possesses the ability of “intelligent design.”

We were created on purpose, for purpose and when we function according to our God-given purpose we find the fulfillment in life that God created us to know.

God is to be worshiped and given glory, power and honor because of His work of creation. While people will continually try to “figure it out” often times they discover that all of human wisdom cannot comprehend the whys and wherefores of God’s creation.

God’s Word not only gives us the beginning, it also give us the end. And that is something that “science”  can not answer. There may be those who with confidence will tell you “how we got here.” They just come up short with “now that we’re here what are suppose to do and where are we going?”

Faith doesn’t answer all the questions about life, but it gives you confidence about why you are here and where you are going. And that, I would submit, is what is most important.

I had an enjoyable evening last night with Christian and Bridget and the grandchildren. This morning, I even slept in longer than normal. On my way home, I spent several hours at the Capitol. The House and Senate were meeting in a combined session recognizing our military personnel and honoring those from Colorado who lost their lives in the defense of their country. It was good to see General Edwards of the Colorado National Guard. I had an opportunity to do a day trip around Colorado with the General and Reggie Bicha, the Director of the State Human Services Department. We visited several veteran nursing homes back in 2011. It was one of my more memorable experiences to be able to cover a lot of miles in one day in a black-hawk helicopter.  (picture is from several years ago with Gen. Edwards and Reggie Bicha)

It was good to see several legislators and staff members, that I had not seen since last May. They were pleased to see me using my walker instead of a wheelchair. The House chambers have been restored to an earlier era and it was good to see the renovation. I also had the opportunity to tour the new offices for many of the Legislators in building just north of the Capitol.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways.”  (Proverbs 20:30)

“Our only security is our ability to change.” (John Liley) Change is one of those issues that is a constant struggle for individuals or groups. I recall years ago hearing a compelling presentation for a national sales tax to replace the federal income tax and abolish the IRS. I recall visiting with a friend at a reception after the presentation and making the comment, “it sounds good in theory, but the transition and change from the current system to something completely new would be more than the country could handle.”

As Solomon states, “painful experiences [can] make us change.” I recall someone saying, “we change when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of facing the change.”  Sometimes that can be something fairly trivial to something very major in our life. A fellow legislator was suffering from the effects of the flu and said, “after experiencing the last few day, next year I am getting a flu shot!” For someone else, being brought back to life after a drug overdose is motivation to get help and change a lifestyle.

Whether it is our comfort in our routines or our fear of change, it often takes some type of “wake up call” to get our attention. It may be a health, financial or family crisis or the loss of a job that brings the painful experience that leads to change.

Jesus told a parable of a son estranged from his father who was in desperate need of a change in his life. We refer to him as the “prodigal son.” We find these words as a turning point for the young man…

“...no one gave him anything to eat.  At last he came to his senses and said, ‘All my father’s hired workers have more than they can eat, and here I am about to starve!  I will get up and go to my father…” (Luke 15:16-18)

The experiences of this young man’s life, allowed him to “come to his senses” – and to change the direction of his life. As he returned to his father, he was ready to humble himself and become just a servant. But when he arrived he found a far different welcome than anticipated.

In our lives we often experience the same result. When we take action to a needed change we have in mind one outcome and the result of the change is often far better than we could have anticipated. This is especially true when we make a change by “running the our heavenly Father.” I recall encouraging people that were confronting important and  frightening issues in life compelling them to change. I would say, “take one step at a time, trusting the Lord to help you and to direct you in your journey.”

Real change doesn’t require a painful experience, but “sometimes” it does. Regardless of the motivation behind our change for the better when we do so in partnership with the Lord we can be confident of a brighter future.

Today after attending a portion of a “anti-sex trafficking” seminar, I headed to Denver for some appointments. I was able to attend a basketball practice for grandsons Caedmon and Riley and then will spend the night with Christian and Bridget. I hope to stop by the Capitol on my way back to Fort Collins tomorrow.

This evening the grandsons wanted to teach me to play “Skip-Bo” junior. It has been a while since I played a card game and I actually won the first game, taking advantage of “beginners luck.”

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY.. “Obey all the Lord’s laws and commands, so that you may live in safety in the land. The land will produce its crops, and you will have all you want to eat and will live in safety.”

Leviticus 25:18,19

At the end of Leviticus we find the reason behind all of God’s laws. The culmination of the law relates to instructions concerning the land.  The instructions are given to remind God’s people that they do not own the land, God did. They used the land to produce crops for food and commerce.

They were to allow fields to lay fallow every seven years and every fifty years “the year if Jubilee” all land was returned to the original owner and all slaves were freed. Scary instructions indeed. But the promise from the Lord was He would take care of them.
The rains would come,  the crops would grow, there would always be enough and they would , live in safety.

The verses above mention safety twice.  In the land they were going to inhabit safety was a big issue. If they had to fight the Lord would fight for them. He would make their enemies afraid of them. This provision would be miraculous indeed. Just like the Lord created a separate environment in Egypt,  so He would in Canaan.

God’s people never experienced this level of provision,  because they never practiced the level of trust and obedience that was required. The droughts and hardship and fear of their enemies was to remind them  of God’s instruction and for them to return to the way of blessing.
Solomon recognized this in his coronation prayer, and the Lord answered accordingly, “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

Failure to recognize the connection between obedience and blessing can result in a distorted view of God, where we assume that the Lord’s blessing is our “right” regardless of our life of trust or obedience. Solomon recognized this even in his day, “Some people ruin themselves by their own stupid actions and then blame the Lord.” (Proverbs 19:2)

This can result in giving ourselves too much credit and God too much blame about the circumstances of our life, when the opposite is true.
While we are thankful as followers of Christ for “grace” (unmerited favor) and “mercy” (not getting what we deserve) – we still need to remember that there is a cause and effect connection in our life with the Lord. Trust and obedience is always that path of life and blessing.

This is proving to be one of my most active weeks in recent months. I had  a breakfast meeting this morning and then came home and took a nap. That was actually my first one in three days, which is a little unusual. I find myself evaluating any remaining Myasthenia Gravis affects on my body. This is the nuro-muscular disorder that can impact my level of energy and create fatigue. I was able to get back to work in my home office and then get a good work out in this afternoon at the fitness center.

Tomorrow I plan on attending an event in the morning and then traveling to Denver for an appointment. I’m glad the weather has continued to cooperate.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “Those who are sure of themselves do not talk all the time. People who stay calm have real insight. After all, even fools may be thought wise and intelligent if they stay quiet and keep their mouths shut.” Proverbs 17:27

I like this Proverb. Perhaps it is because of my political background. Perhaps it is because I do enjoy conversation. (It seems these words relate more to using words in relationship, than just in conversation.) It is interesting to survey number of verses of Proverbs scattered throughout the book that have to do with “words.” You will find reference to thoughtful, kind, wicked, wise, friendly, pleasant, misleading, seductive…words. Proverbs talks about the “words of the wise” and the “words of the fool.” We find Proverbs about the impact and importance of words.

I believe what you find is that “words reveal.” How we use our words, in quantity and quality can say something about our lives. Is our focus on others or ourselves? Do our words attempt to constantly impress, or are our words designed to show that, ” I am right and you are wrong.”

Consider Proverbs 18:1,2, “People who do not get along with others are interested only in themselves; they will disagree with what everyone else knows is right.A fool does not care whether he understands a thing or not; all he wants to do is show how smart he is.”

We find the New Testament contains several admonitions about our words as well. For example, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Colossians 4:6)  “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” (Ephesians 4:29) The Book of James contains some straight forward comments about the irony and importance of the “tongue.” (James 3:1-12) James says, “the tongue must be tamed” because it sets the direction of our life and reveals the inward nature of the heart.

Jesus Himself spoke of how words reveal when He said, “…For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”  (Luke 6:45) All of this calls us to the daily challenge to evaluate how we use our words. Do they hurt or heal? Do they tear down, or build up? Do they show wisdom or foolishness? That is why our constant prayer needs to be,  “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”  (Psalm 19:14)

Yesterday was a busy day for me without any rest time. I felt fatigued this morning, but I seemed to recover as I moved through my day. I did have some appointments today as well and did go to the fitness center for my weekly meeting with my trainer. I enjoyed another day of warmer than normal temps for this time of the year. It is great to live in Colorado.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…   Satan replied, “Would Job worship you if he got nothing out of it? … The Lord gave, and now he has taken away. May his name be praised!” Job 1:9,21

Pastor Park Sutton reviewed the response of Job to the losses of his life during our Tuesday morning devotional. I found his words most challenging. One of the issues he pointed out was the timing of dealing with the loss of everything about his life. Before being able to handle the grief of the magnitude of his loss of possession and family, he faces the physical attack that creates unbearable pain.

The test of these attacks is to prove whether Job serves God because of what he has or in spite of what he has. The bottom line everyone must deal with at some point is, “why do I serve God?” What would it take for you to “walk away from your faith?” I recall meeting a man during my years as a pastor who felt that “God wasn’t delivering.” For him, Christ’s death on the cross for our sins was nice, but not enough to keep his devotion. Unfortunately, there are many who take that attitude when the expectations and circumstances of life don’t materialize.

In Job we learn that it is not just a matter of faith and trust, but one of integrity and our view of  God. Job’s wife taunted him with the words, “are you still holding on to your integrity?” Concerning Job’s response we read, “In spite of everything that had happened, Job did not sin by blaming God….Even in all this suffering Job said nothing against God.” (Job. 1:22;2:10)

I reminded of the words of Habakkuk 3:17,18  “Even though the fig trees have no fruit and no grapes grow on the vines, even though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no grain, even though the sheep all die and the cattle stalls are empty,I will still be joyful and glad, because the Lord God is my savior.” How many “even thoughs” could happen in your life and your response be “I will still be joyful and glad, because God is my savior.”

I like the words of Romans 12:1 in the Living Bible, “I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living sacrifice, holy—the kind he can accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?”

Our response to the Lord is to be based on what He has done for us and not what we get in return. I am thankful for the provisions of God’s blessings and His promise to provide for our needs and to care for us in all situations. But when the times come when those benefits are tested, our heart is revealed as to our true motives and expectations.

What a beautiful January day here in Colorado with temperatures in the high 50’s. Debbie and I attended the 11:30 a.m. service this morning at Timberline Church. Today was the annual “U-Count” focus, which brings awareness and support to combat sex trafficking in our community and around the world. Congratulations to Bonnie Northrop for her vision and Beth Bruno for her efforts (along with a host of volunteers) to bring focused support to what is becoming a growing awareness of need in our state and local communities. (www.ucountcampaign.org/)

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…  “He [the Priest] shall take some of the oil that is in the palm of his hand and some of the blood of the lamb and put them on the lobe of the right ear, on the thumb of the right hand, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one of you to be declared ritually clean.He shall put the rest of the oil that is in the palm of his hand on your head. In this way he shall perform the ritual of purification.” (Leviticus 14:14,17,18)

The Book of Leviticus is not the source of a lot of sermons. I recall a missionary friend who said he, “loved preaching Leviticus.” He is the only minister that I have heard say that. Often Leviticus is a Book the many stumble over in their commitment to read through the Bible.

But it is an important Book in understanding God’s holiness and rituals that would form acceptable worship and relationship to God; as well as practical guidelines to protect the health and well being of the people. The verses above come from instructions on how an individual with a “skin disease”, who has been excluded from the temple and isolated from others, becomes recognized as clean and prepared to enter back into the community.

In the past of my reading through the Bible I recall, but glossed over the reference to the blood and oil being applied to the right ear, thumb and toe. But this time it caught my attention. What is the significance?

What is of interest is that this is not a common form of “ritual cleansing” for violating other laws or for ritualistic cleansing. It is, interestingly, mentioned as part of the ordination of Aaron and his sons as Priests.

 ^“Then he [Moses] brought Aaron’s sons forward and put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet.” Leviticus 8:24

I did find one commentary source that confirmed my thoughts on why these three parts of the body were of significance. The brief summary was, “These actions symbolize the consecration of the priests’ hearing from God, the work (of their hands) for God, and their walk with God.”

Leprosy was viewed as a judgment from God. We see that when Miriam opposed Moses she was struck with Leprosy. When Elisha’s servant lied to Naaman and took gifts he was not suppose to, he was stricken with leprosy.  Leprosy resulted in people being outcasts and came to represent the outward evidence of the inward mark of sin in a person’s life.

As a result, when the “curse” was removed the individual went through a ritualistic cleansing that involved the blood the the sacrifice and anointing oil being applied to the right ear, thumb and toe. This person was not only acceptable to God and received back into the congregation, but it seems that they were commissioned with a special call for their life. What they heard and allowed into their mind, what they did and how they lived was to honor God. From this day on they were dedicated to the Lord.

That application to the life of follower of Christ is significant. Peter put it in these words, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9)

Paul admonished those who follow Christ, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light..” (Eph. 5:) The command and practical words of Paul’s that show true change in a life are these, “Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.” (Eph. 4:28)

The blood of the lamb represented cleansing and the oil represented consecration. That is what our life represents when our sins are forgiven and we follow Christ in a new life. Forgiven and consecrated. Clean and filled with purpose. “The old is gone and the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

May what is graphically and ritualistically pictured in the Old Testament, become the reality in your life today. A new life; incorporated into the community of faith all because of the sacrifice of Christ (the Lamb of God) and the mark of the Holy Spirit      (symbolized by the oil of consecration). Remember,

“… 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 5:15)