Thursday, May 24, 2012    

Casting Lots

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011

I’ve always been intrigued by the usage of casting lots as a method for discerning God’s will in Scripture. By my count (very unscientific) there are 39 (give or take a few) references in the Old Testament about casting lots. Even though I’ve been interested,I’ve never done much study on the topic.

This topic came up again this morning as I was doing my daily reading through Exodus. I’m at the part where God is giving His instructions to Moses regarding the tabernacle. And this morning was specifically about the clothing that Aaron (and subsequent High Priests) should wear. Included in the instructions is this:

Insert the Urim and Thummim into the sacred chestpiece so they will be carried over Aaron’s heart when he goes into the Lord’s presence. In this way, Aaron will always carry over his heart the objects used to determine the Lord’s will for his people whenever he goes in before the Lord. (Exodus 28:30, NLT, Bold Added)

I was curious about what the “Urim and Thummium” looked like and how they were used. Unfortunately there isn’t much specifically known about them. The picture above is possibly what they looked like, but we simply don’t know for sure. They are only mentioned another five times in the Old Testament. The best evidence indicates they were used to discern God’s will “at certain times”. Nobody is exactly sure when or how that was done.

It’s very similar to the idea of casting lots. We’re not exactly sure how that was done either…the closest thing we have today is flipping a coin or throwing dice. We do know that it was done and even commanded by God. It just seems odd to me that God would use the equivalent of a coin-flip (although one directed by Him) to help His people make decisions.

Even the disciples used casting lots…although they shouldn’t have. The last recorded instance of casting lots was in Acts, before Pentecost when the remaining disciples where trying to select Judas’ replacement…

Then they cast lots, and Matthias was selected to become an apostle with the other eleven. (Acts 1:26, NLT)

Two problems here. First, this wasn’t what Jesus had instructed them to do…they took matters into their own hands instead of waiting for the Holy Spirit as Jesus had instructed them to do (Acts 1:4-5). Which led to the second problem, Matthias wasn’t the guy…Paul was the replacement and God had to go make that happen without the disciple’s help because they got ahead of Him.

Which brings me back to now. How often do I wish discerning God’s will was as “simple” as  coin flip? How often do I get ahead of God and try to do things the way I think they should be done (or they way they’ve always been done)? How often does God have do things without me because I wasn’t patient enough to wait on the Holy Spirit’s guidance?

How often indeed…

08.02.2011 Devotional, Faith, Holy Spirit, Spiritual Musings 1 Comment

I’d Like to Find Out…

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010

I started reading the latest book by Francis Chan, Forgotten God, this morning. I fully expected to to challenge me as his last book, Crazy Love, did. I could not have been more spot on. So much so that I’m not exactly sure what to do with what I’m reading.

It saddens me. It challenges me. It shakes me to my core spiritually.

Chan is talking about the Holy Spirit in our spiritual lives and how the Holy Spirit is supposed to be evident in our lives. But that’s not often the case. He goes so far to say…

I think the worst part is when you get outside the church’s walls and interact with believers and nonbelievers in the same sphere. Can you really tell a difference? (p 31)

OUCH! If I answer that question honestly the answer is far too often that I cannot tell the difference. And I am including myself in that indictment. But we’re supposed to be different. We’re not just supposed to ACT different (although even that doesn’t always happen); we’re supposed to BE different…

This is the question I just can’t get around: If it’s true that the Spirit of God dwells in us and that our bodies are the Holy Spirit’s temple, then shouldn’t there be a huge difference between the person who has the Spirit of God living inside of him or her and the person who does not? (p 32)

Um….yes. There should be a huge difference. So why is that not often the case? Why is that not the case in my own life?

That’s what I’m going to start examining and praying about. Where have I missed the mark? What am I holding back from God? What am I afraid will happen if I live my life fully in the presence of God’s Spirit? What would happen if I fully allowed Him to guide and direct my life on a daily basis?

That the question we’re asking over the next three weeks at Pinecrest too. As a community, what would happen if God really got a hold of us and we let Him lead…let Him do some amazing things…got out of the way and got on-board with God’s plan?

All I know is that I’m going to start this journey, because I’d like to find out…

22.09.2010 Books, Holy Spirit, New Pastor Journal, Spiritual Musings No Comments

The Holy Spirit: Part 3

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

It’s time to move into the New Testament in my continuing study of the Holy Spirit (which is quite obviously not going to be able to cover every aspect…that would take an entire book). The NT is FULL of the Holy Spirit (pun intended). I wasn’t sure where to start, so this morning I was led to see what Jesus Himself had to say about the Holy Spirit. This passage stood out…

“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.” (John 14:15-17, NLT)

There’s a lot going on in these three verses. Here are my initial thoughts and comments…

First, notice that the entire Trinity is represented here. Jesus is speaking. He says the Father will give us another “Advocate” (more on that in a second)—the Holy Spirit. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…they’re all there.

Second, Jesus says that the Father will give us the Holy Spirit.  He’s a gift, but He’s not just any gift. He’s given to us as our Advocate. The word here is a legal term…the Holy Spirit is our defense lawyer. He’s on our side. He speaks on our behalf. God Himself stands up for us. He pleads our case and comforts us in the middle of our trials. Wow!

Finally, there are several important truths laid out in these few verses:

  1. The Holy Spirit is our Advocate (I’ve already talked about this one)
  2. The Holy Spirit won’t leave us…there is nothing we can do to get Him to walk away from us
  3. The Holy Spirit leads us into all truth…He reveals the truth about God (and it’s not subjective)
  4. We get to know the Holy Spirit and He lives in us…that’s a close, personal relationship!

We already learned from the Old Testament that the Spirit draws us into relationship with God…and that same theme carries over here. The Holy Spirit stands with us, lives with us, leads us, and knows us. That’s God getting up close and personal. That’s God getting His hands dirty in our lives.

Awesome…simply awesome! More to come…

16.03.2010 Holy Spirit, Spiritual Musings 2 Comments

The Holy Spirit: Part 2

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

The Old Testament references to the Holy Spirit go far beyond the two verses I examined in my first post of my personal study of the Holy Spirit. Those two verses where simply limited to the exact phrase “Holy Spirit”. The more common phrase used in Old Testament is “Spirit of God” and that phrase is found in another 14 verses (from Genesis to Daniel).

In fact, the second verse of the entire Bible references the Spirit of God:

“The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2, NLT)

The Hebrew phrase used here (and in the other 13 references) is “Ruwach Elohim”. The word “Elohim” is an interesting Hebrew word for God because it is plural, but references God. Right from the beginning God focused on both His singular and plural nature (one God in plurality). That will make your brain hurt, but that’s how God describes Himself.

I’m not going to go through each and every reference to “Ruwach Elohim” in the Old Testament, but there is one common element that stands out in many of the passages (beyond the plurality reference). In many of the passages there is a reference to a person being “filled with” the Spirit of God or that the Spirit of God “came upon” them. For example:

“I have filled [Bezalel] with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts.” (Exodus 31:3, NLT)

and

“Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, ‘This is what God says: Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands and keep yourselves from prospering? You have abandoned the Lord, and now he has abandoned you!’” (2 Chronicles 24:20, NLT)

In each instance, the Spirit of God came upon someone for a specific reason—to help them fulfill a specific task, for prophesy, or even to drive them a little crazy (in the case of King Saul in 1 Samuel 11:6). God’s Spirit gave power and the ability to do something special for Him and/or His people. There was purpose in the filling of the Spirit; and there was power. This was God’s provision to His chosen persons. God’s Spirit resulted in action…empowerment to complete an assigned task or role.

So far we’ve seen two primary “functions” of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament:

  1. Relationship with God
  2. Empowerment for Service

These still apply today. The Holy Spirit ushers us into God’s presence and empowers us to serve in God’s Kingdom. We’ll see this and more as we move into the New Testament…

09.03.2010 Holy Spirit, Spiritual Musings No Comments

The Holy Spirit: Part 1

Monday, March 8th, 2010

I just picked up the book Forgotten God by Francis Chan. I absolutely loved Crazy Love so I thought this book would make for a good devotional read for Anita and me. We haven’t started it yet, but here’s a quick synopsis…

A follow up to the profound message of Crazy Love, Pastor Francis Chan offers a compelling invitation to understand, embrace, and follow the Holy Spirit’s direction in our lives. In the name of the Father, the Son, and … the Holy Spirit. We pray in the name of all three, but how often do we live with an awareness of only the first two? Chan contends that we’ve ignored the Spirit for far too long, and we are reaping the disastrous results. Thorough scriptural support and compelling narrative form Chan’s invitation to stop and remember the One we’ve forgotten, the Spirit of the living God.

During a breakfast meeting last week I had a quick discussion about the Trinity…and specifically about the neglect of the Holy Spirit in many Christian circles. So I’m excited to read the book. BUT…I’m not going to start it just yet. Why? Simple…I want to do a little study of my own and see what I can uncover myself before getting into Chan’s analysis (I fully expect his version to be much better than mine, but I still want to do a little discover on my own).

So I’m starting simple, and slow. I decided to take a look at what the Old Testament has to say about the Holy Spirit. We don’t typically think about the Holy Spirit in the OT, but He’s  there. A quick word search of “Holy Spirit” turns up three verses in the New Living Translation(NLT):

  • Psalm 51:11: “Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.”
  • Isaiah 63:10-11: “But they rebelled against him and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he became their enemy and fought against them. Then they remembered those days of old when Moses led his people out of Egypt. They cried out, “Where is the one who brought Israel through the sea, with Moses as their shepherd? Where is the one who sent his Holy Spirit to be among his people?”

The Hebrew phrase used here is “qodesh ruwach” which is literally translated “Holy Spirit” or “spirit of holiness”. It carries with it the idea that God’s Spirit is sacred and set apart. It’s a direct reference to God’s Spirit…to the Holy Spirit. The Psalm passage makes it clear that we have relationship with the Holy Spirit and that it’s this Spirit that can change and transform us. The Isaiah passage talks about grieving the Holy Spirit and that God sent the Holy Spirit to be with the Israelites. Both passages make it clear that the Holy Spirit referenced is not just an abstract concept or one way to think about God…but that the Holy Spirit is real and tangible.

The Holy Spirit is right there in black and white…but this isn’t the only place we see God’s Spirit referenced in the Old Testament. In fact, we’re just getting started. Next, we’ll take a look at the more common phrase used in the Old Testament: “The Spirit of God”. And that’s when things start to get really good…but you’ll have to wait for more…

08.03.2010 Holy Spirit, Spiritual Musings 1 Comment

Holiness Too

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

I had another topic in mind for this morning, but God had other plans (I’ll get to the other topic later this week). I am on day seven of my 31-day journey with the Spirit. This morning was about our obedience to God being a pre-requisite for the indwelling of the Spirit in our lives (we often get that backwards). The author then makes this statement:

While the freedom of grace and the simplicity of faith have been preached, the absolute necessity of obedience and holiness has not been equally presented.

—The Indwelling Spirit, page 66

This is the second (or third?) time this concept has come up this week (I am learning not to ignore these moments). We teach and preach grace and mercy, but we don’t focus on holiness and obedience as much as we probably should. Both are in Scripture and both are important:

So you must live as God’s obedient children.
Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires.
You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do,
just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say,
“You must be holy because I am holy.”
1 Peter 1:14-16, NLT

God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were.
But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.
So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death,
now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God
and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 5:20-21, NLT

We need both. We need God’s grace and we need to be obedient…we need holiness and righteousness. The church as a whole may have over-emphasized His grace, but both are critical to our spiritual lives. And we need the right balance between the two. If you err too far on side over the other you either get legalism (been there, done that) or a faith with no real life-changing power.

So here’s to grace and holiness. :cool:

18.03.2009 Devotional, Holy Spirit, Spiritual Musings No Comments

My 31-Day Journey with the Spirit

Thursday, March 12th, 2009

I just cannot ignore it. Over the past week God has been showing me an area of my spiritual journey that He wants me to focus on. It has come up over and over and over again this past week and He has laid it on my heart to spend some time with Him on this topic. I read about it in my devotional times. I heard a sermon about it. It came up in Scripture reading. It came up in blogs I have been reading. I can’t ignore it. I may be thick-headed, but I get it.

So I am spending 31 days focusing on my relationship with the Holy Spirit. I must confess that do not have the kind of relationship I should with the Spirit. With God…yes (at least mostly), but this is an area He has challenged me on lately. And I am looking forward to the journey. Thanks to Natalie Witcher (you really should read her blog), I picked up a book called The Indwelling Spirit by Andrew Murray. It is a 31 day devotional about…you guessed it…the Holy Spirit.

I will be sharing my parts of my journey here of course. I look forward to getting to know this part of God in a new and fresh way, but I do ask that you pray for me in this journey. I am not sure what prompted this from God, but I know He has my best at heart. Just a chance to know Him better is more than I could hope for!

12.03.2009 Holy Spirit, Spiritual Development, Spiritual Musings 1 Comment

Bookend Faith

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009

God has slowly, but surely, been working on my walk with Him this week. Specifically, He has been talking to me about my “bookend faith”. Bookend faith is starting and ending my day with God with little in between. It isn’t like I am a total heathen the rest of the day…I am just not living as close to Him as I would like (and as He would like).

I get caught up in work and school and family and the myriad of other “things” going on in my life and He ends up getting squeezed out. It’s not on purpose…I start out with the best of intentions…but it happens. I fail to ask Him about a problem at work. I walk into a meeting and forget to partner with Him. It is subtle, but it makes a huge difference. I am not living in relationship throughout the day.

I know better and God is helping be do better. I desire to walk with Him all day long. I need His Spirit to challenge me and guide me and direct me. I need relationship with Him from beginning to end. So I will start my day with Him and I will end my day with Him. It’s just time to fill in the “in between” a little better than I have been doing lately.

03.03.2009 Faith, Holy Spirit, Spiritual Development, Spiritual Musings No Comments

Fireman or Pyromaniac?

Wednesday, January 7th, 2009

I have had two verses working in my brain for a few weeks. They stand in contrast to one another and yet they compliment one another. Here they are:

Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.
I Thessalonians 5:19, NIV

This is why I remind you to fan into flames the
spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.
2 Timothy 1:6, NLT

As I have been reading and reflecting on these two passages I have to ask myself: Am I a firefighter or a pyromaniac? Of course, in this case the roles are a little bit reversed as it’s better to be a pyro when it comes to spiritual matters. Being a firefighters and putting out the Spirit’s fire in your life is downright dangerous—God will eventually leave us to our own devises.

I also wonder how I put out His fire in my life? And how do I, instead, fan into flames the gift He has given to me? How do I walk closer with Him instead of hiding myself from him? All great questions…wish I had better answers. :cool:

For now I will just keep focusing on being more of a pyromaniac!

07.01.2009 Holy Spirit, Spiritual Musings 3 Comments

Just Listen

Wednesday, March 26th, 2008

If only you would listen to His voice today!
Psalm 95:7b

This was in my devotional reading this morning and it hit me like a ton of bricks! I ask God every morning to speak to me through His Word…and He certainly came through today. I need to hear God’s voice and I must confess that there are times when I don’t…and I wonder what the problem is.

This verse seem to intimate that if I’m not hearing His voice it isn’t because He’s not speaking…it’s because I’m not listening. I should probably even change my morning prayer and instead of asking God to speak to me I should ask God to help me listen…to hear His voice…to listen more carefully and more intently.

So that is my prayer today: Father, let me listen to your voice today….really listen and hear what you are speaking into my life through your Word and through your Spirit. Amen.

26.03.2008 Devotional, Holy Spirit, Spiritual Development, Spiritual Musings 1 Comment

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