Listen For Me

Mom and Dad, I want to say

How much you mean to me

Though I’ve gone home to meet our Lord

You know I still can see

The heartache and the sorrow

You feel because of me

Please dry your tears and think of

All our happy memories

I no longer have the fears

Tomorrows used to bring

Just be sure to listen for me

When you hear the angels sing

You’ll be glad to know I’m well

And I stay full of joy

There’s no place that’s better made

For little girls and boys

So please don’t worry for me

I know I’m missed a lot

But that must be the reason

I was called to be with God

He must think I’m special since

He chose to give me wings

Just be sure to listen for me

When you hear the angels sing

My voice will be the loudest

Just for you, I’ll make it ring

So be sure to listen for me

When you hear the angels sing

Rest in peace, sweet angels…

Lamb of God 3

Abraham was preparing to offer Isaac, his only son, as a sacrifice to God…and at the same time, he was looking and waiting for the “lamb of God” to appear. Abraham knew somehow that God would provide the sacrifice for him, just as He would provide the sacrifice for you and me centuries later.

Abraham knew he had the promise from God…that he would be the father of many nations, and that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars…even though he had waited almost a century for the birth of his only son. And he knew, that even if he offered his son on the altar, that somehow that promise would be fulfilled. But he was looking for the lamb…the lamb that God would provide.

Keep in mind that Isaac had to be a willing participant in this whole ordeal. He could have easily overpowered the elderly Abraham, or run off into the woods. After all, he was strong enough to carry the wood on his back to the place of the offering…yet, he allowed himself to be tied and placed on the altar. On top of the bundle of wood he, himself, had carried up the mountain. Sound familiar?

In any case, just as Abraham was about to bring his knife down to sacrifice Isaac, he heard a voice from heaven that told him not to harm Isaac. And…

“Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide…” (Gen. 22:13,14)

Abraham saw, in the thicket, a ram caught by its horns. A ram. A male lamb. A male lamb that God provided. The lamb of God.

How about this?

When Moses went up the mountain in the Desert of Sinai, and the Israelites were camped around the base…do you recall what happened?

“Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death. They are to be stoned or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on them. No person or animal shall be permitted to live.’ Only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.” (Ex. 19:12,13)

Put limits for the people around the mountain. Tell ‘em to stay away, Moses. If any of them so much as even touch the foot of it, they must be put to death. Why? Because it was holy ground. The presence of God, Himself, was on the mountain. None were worthy to approach it or touch it. All the righteousness in the entire camp put together was still just filthy rags to a holy God. In other words, they were seperated from God by sin.

Folks, we can’t approach God. We’re not worthy. To attempt to approach God is to be put to death. We are no different from the Israelites camped around the base of the mountain. We’re nothing but filthy rags, and to have the arrogance to approach Him in His purity…well…it’s an act that leads to death.

But…we didn’t finish the verse…

“Only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.”

WOW!! What’s that? When the ram’s horn sounds, they may approach the mountain! When the ram’s horn sounds, you and I can approach God!! But what does it mean EXACTLY?

The ram’s horn. What is a ram? A male lamb. How do you get it’s horn? You don’t unless a ram has been killed. The ram’s horn has blasted. The ram…the male lamb…the Lamb of God has been slain for you and me so that the ram’s horn can be blasted! NOW WE CAN APPROACH THE MOUNTAIN, FOLKS!!!

NOW we can approach God! The ram has been slain, the horn has blasted…and the filthy rags made spotless by the blood of that Lamb! The Lamb that God provided. The Lamb of God…

I’d like to ask you to prayerfully consider sharing this with your friends and ask them to follow along…Thanks and many blessings!

Lamb of God

Lamb of God

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

We should all know that the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). From the very beginning, starting with the sacrifice that God, Himself, carried out in Gen. 3:21 on Adam’s behalf for eating the forbidden fruit, death has been a part of life.

We should also know that it is destined for man to die once, according to Heb. 9:27, and after that, the judgment. In the meantime, however, we also know that “without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” for sins (Heb. 9:22). That’s why God established the animal sacrifice…so that we might be cleansed from our sins.

While we know that Abel offered an animal sacrifice to God back in Gen. 4:4, the first sacrifice that goes into any detail is found in Gen. 22 when God instructs Abraham to take his son, Isaac, to Morhiah and offer him as a burnt sacrifice. It’s interesting to note that Abraham was asked to offer his only son…

Actually, there are quite a few interesting things about this account, but the one we want to focus on at the moment is the sacrifice…the lamb of God…Isaac, in this case…and the Lamb of God, Jesus, whom I believe was also present. This is what the Bible says…

“Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.” (Gen. 22:5-8)

The words I would like you to think about for a few minutes are these: “God himself will provide the lamb for the offering…”

God will provide the lamb. The Lamb of God. Once more. God will provide the lamb. The Lamb of God. Think about it, won’t you?

Best Juicers

Lamb of God

The Ten Commandments

Before we continue too far down this path, we need to take a look at one of the greatest stumbling blocks Christians have ever faced…the Ten Commandments.

The Ten Commandments. Otherwise known as the Law of Moses. First of all, we need to know what they are and where they came from. Moses had just led the Israelites out of Egypt. After three months of travel, they had reached the Desert of Sinai and camped at the foot of the mountain (Ex. 19:1,2).

God then called to Moses to come up the mountain where he was given the Ten Commandments. God gave them verbally to Moses in Ex. 20, and a couple of days later called Moses up the mountain to receive the stone tablets (Ex. 24:12).

Most of us are familiar to some degree with the Ten Commandments as they are written. Where we fall short, is in our understanding of what they really are. We tend to look at them the same way the Israelites of old looked at them…as a set of rules…carved in stone by the very hand of God (Ex. 31:18, Deut. 9:10). The penalty for failing to keep them was death….

Up until this point in time, there had been no “law”. A person can’t be judged guilty of breaking a law that doesn’t exist.

“…for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.” (Rom. 5:13)

The law was given, then, in order that: “…through the law we become conscious of sin.” (Rom. 3:20).

The Ten Commandments, however, were NOT given for us to follow. Now, when I say that, don’t get all stirred up until you hear the rest…

God knew, even as He carved the words on the tablets of stone, that we would never be able to keep them as they were intended to be kept. That’s why Jesus was chosen to be our sacrifice “before the creation of the world” (1 Pet. 1:20)…long before the Ten Commandments were ever given!

The TRUE purpose of the law wasn’t revealed until hundreds of years later:

“So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.” (Gal. 3:24,25).

Up until the day Jesus died on the cross, “we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed.” (Gal. 3:23)

This is such a massive subject, it can never be covered in one post. Maybe once we finish with the “Lamb of God” series, we’ll take a closer look at it…but for now, what we have to understand is this:

“But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.” (Rom. 3:21)

The Ten Commandments were given to lead us to Jesus…to “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). That, my friend, is the true purpose of the Law of Moses….

The Ten Commandments

Lamb of God

The first in a short series on the “Lamb of God”. While I haven’t entirely finished the series on healing, I felt it was important to get this one started, and hope to finish the other in the mean time (so keep checking!).

Why the LAMB of God? It could just have easily been cows, rabbits or ducks, one would think. But it wasn’t. It was the LAMB of God. And, like everything else God does, I believe the lamb was chosen with a purpose in mind.

First of all, let’s look at the character of a lamb. Meek and gentle. Peaceful. Innocent. Just as a side note, it’s interesting to me, that while Jesus is portrayed as the Lamb of God, he is also the great Shepherd…and who better to shepherd the sheep than the Lamb, himself?

Secondly, it had to be a domesticated animal. One that was bred and raised by the human race. An animal that was plentiful and easily accessible. It had to be bred and raised so the sacrifice would have a cost…a price. A wild animal would have no cost. But a domesticated animal was part of the livelihood of the people. It cost them something…

Oxen were sometimes used as offerings, it’s true. But an ox wouldn’t be suitable as a representation of the Savior. An ox could get real mean real quick. An ox could be dangerous. They can be a little unpredictable sometimes. Oxen aren’t normally thought of as being lovable. People have to be a little cautious around oxen.

You really don’t have much to fear from a lamb. They seem…comfortable to be around. Something you can get close to and nuzzle with, if you like. Lovable. They seem to kinda draw you in, somehow. Whether it’s the soft eyes or the gentle spirit, they let you know that…it’s ok. You don’t have to be afraid…

The great Shepherd. The Lamb of God leading the sheep. Somehow, it just seems that nothing else would be quite right…

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Lamb of God

Define Salvation

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Define Salvation

King James Bible

There are a lot of folks in this world that won’t read any version of the Bible other than the King James Bible. While everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, the plain, simple truth is this:

The King James Bible is simply just another translation…just like any other version! In truth, some of the later versions may even be considered more accurate by some, because the understanding of some of the ideas behind the original Greek and Hebrew languages are better understood today than they were 400 years ago.

The mission here isn’t to downplay the King James Version of the Bible. Rather, it’s to open the minds of those who believe it’s the only version the Lord intended for us to read! My concern isn’t so much which version of the Bible is being read, as much as it is getting people to read the Bible (ANY version!), period! Far too many people rely on what others teach, rather than reading it for themselves…

There are a lot of folks that are concerned about other versions adding or omitting certain passages of the Bible, and that may be true, depending on the interpretations of those who are doing the “revising”. The thing is, it may well have been true of the scholars that translated the King James from the original text, as well. The only way to really know for sure, is to learn Greek and Hebrew…then read the original text and compare it to the King James we have today.

Far more disturbing is the liberties that some folks have taken in changing the text altogether… such as “God, the Father/Mother”, in an attempt to make the Bible “acceptable” to various groups of people who may feel discriminated against by the true Bible. Obviously, these “translations” are not translations at all, but rather alterations…an entirely different matter.

At the risk of upsetting the apple cart, the entire theme of the Bible centers around one thing:

Jesus.

God created everything, including man. Man sinned. God loved man enough to show up in the flesh…. Jesus…. to take our punishment and offer eternal life through his actions. If a particular version of the Bible follows this theme from page one to the last page, then it would seem preferable for someone to read that version (without condemnation from others), rather than reading no version at all.

Let’s take  a look at an example – John 3:16:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (NIV)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. (American Standard)

For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten ([a]unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. (Amplified)

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life. (Common English)

God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. (Contemporary English)

For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (English Standard)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (King James)

Though they may be worded slightly different, they still say the same thing! Personally, I like to compare several versions to see if I can get a clearer understanding of what it’s trying to say to me. Sometimes one version or another is easier for me to comprehend than another…and sometimes looking at several versions gives me an entirely different idea altogether!

The thing is NOT which version we read…in fact, it’s not what WE do at all. We can read them all, all day long, but if the Holy Spirit isn’t involved to give us understanding, then we haven’t really done anything but read a good book! And if the Holy Spirit is involved, it doesn’t matter which version we read, He’s going to give us the understanding that we are supposed to have…

We’ve gotta remember, folks…even with something as simple as reading the Bible, no matter which version…it’s not us. It’s God. He wrote the Bible. Who better to interpret it for us?

The King James Bible is great! It’s probably some of the most beautiful, poetic language in the world…but it’s not the ONLY version! Read the one that’s easiest for you to understand…then, if you like, compare it to the King James Bible and it will be easier for you to understand. The thing is, read a Bible. Don’t depend on others for your salvation…get it straight from the Source!

King James Bible

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Prayer Times

We all run into prayer times. Actually, the truth be told, all times are prayer times, as we are told to “pray continually” (1 Thess. 5:17). But there are just some times that it seems more urgent than others. When you run into one of those prayer times…when simply praying doesn’t seem to be enough…what do you do?

You do what Daniel did. If you’ll allow me to refresh your memory…

Nebuchadnezzar had been having some troubling dreams. He called in all his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers and demanded that they, first tell him what dream he had been having, and then to interpret it for him.

Now, we all know it’s pretty much an impossible task to tell someone what they’ve been dreaming. This time was no different. No one could tell the king his dream, so he ordered that all the wise men in the land be put to death.

As the king’s men began rounding up the wise men, the came upon Daniel…one of the king’s wise men. Daniel asked to see the king, was granted a bit of time to interpret the dream, and upon leaving the king’s presence, we learn what WE should do in those prayer times…he sought out his friends. Not just any friends…but praying friends.

Daniel gathered up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and had a prayer party! And we know what happened next:

“During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision.” (Dan. 2:19)

Daniel went before Nebuchadnezzar once more, told him of the dream he had been having, interpreted the dream for the king, and…

“Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him.” (Dan. 2:46)

Furthermore…

“Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.” (Dan. 2:48,49)

Are you facing prayer times? Maybe you need to think a little about the “Daniel solution”. Seek out a couple of friends and have a prayer party…

Prayer Times

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David and Goliath – The Epic Battle (Part 37)

David and Goliath. This series of lessons is almost over…I think! We’ve been taking a look at how we (the Davids) typically look at our Goliaths (in this case, sickness). In today’s post, we’re going to look at how most of us normally pray against sickness and learn why it’s so often ineffective.

Please understand that it’s not my intention to mock the way anyone prays, but rather the intent is to show how we so often hurl ineffective stones in the general direction of our Goliath…

Sister Mabel is sick. What do we do?

“Lord, we ask you to be with Sister Mabel today and lift her up to you. We ask that you heal her, Lord, in Jesus name.”

Folks, have you ever stopped to realize that we’re asking God to do something He’s already done? Let me repeat that one more time. We’re asking God to do something He’s already done! And we wonder why on earth, Sister Mabel is still laying there sick!

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:23-25)

By his wounds you HAVE BEEN healed. When was he wounded? On the way to the cross! Two thousand years ago!

“This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
“He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.”” (Matt 8:17)

When did he take up our infirmities and bear our diseases? On the cross…two thousand years ago!

“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.” (Isaiah 53:4)

When did he take up our pain and bear our suffering? That’s right! On the cross, two thousand years ago!

We keep asking God to do something He’s already done! He has already healed us, my friends. He piled our sickness and infirmities…our pain and suffering…all our diseases…onto the shoulders of Jesus! Right on top of our sins! Jesus carried all that stuff with him onto the cross where it died as he died…
Yet, we continue to pray for healing…for something we’ve already been given. And we wonder why Sister Mabel is still sick! It’s because we’re ALREADY been given what we’re asking for!

I’m going to let you in on a little secret that keeps us bound, intimidated and hunkered down in the trenches, when we should be running toward our Goliath with slingshots twirling overhead…loaded with stones from the brook…

Anything and everything that we could possibly need has already been given to us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross! Everything! We just have to get it through our heads that “It is finished”. That it’s already been done! It has ALREADY BEEN DONE!

“Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool.”(Heb. 10:11-13)

How about this?

“Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away our sicknesses and diseases. But when this priest had offered FOR ALL TIME…ONE SACRIFICE for sickness, he sat down at the right hand of God…”

He has already given us our healing! He did it in a one time, once and for all sacrifice, just as he did for our sins! It’s something that we, as Christians HAVE to understand. It’s not something he’s GOING to do…it’s something he’s ALREADY DONE.

This is another one of our “favorite” prayers for the sick…

“Lord, please give the doctors wisdom.”

Or…

“Lord, please guide the surgeon’s hand.”

That’s all well and good, but why don’t we ask that the healing He’s already given us, be manifested instead? Then we wouldn’t NEED the wisdom of the doctors or guidance for the surgeon’s hand! Why don’t we do as the man of God (James) told us to do (remember Naaman?)? Why don’t we take our sick before the elders of the church to be annointed with oil, and allow the prayer of faith to make them well?
The doctors will still be there if, for some reason, God doesn’t honor His word…THEN we can pray for their wisdom and guidance. But give God the opportunity to honor His word FIRST, and we just might find that we don’t need so many doctors!

I know we’ve spent a lot of time on sickness and healing. There are still a couple more posts to go, but it’s important that you understand this:

It’s not about sickness.

It’s not about healing.

It’s about the cross…

If we can’t believe that he bore our sicknesses and diseases on the cross…then how can we believe he bore our sins? If we can’t believe that we’ve been HEALED, how can we believe we’ve been SAVED? It’s the same Bible, folks…the same Bible!

“…my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge…” (Hosea 4:6)

I’m not trying to force something down your throat that you may not choose to believe in…I’m simply offering a little knowledge to help keep you from being destroyed. As with all things of God, you are free to accept or reject it. Doctors are not evil…nor is the work they try to accomplish.

“And yet I will show you the most excellent way.” (1 Cor. 12:31)

David and Goliath

David and Goliath – The Epic Battle (Part 36)

Speaking of Naaman, there’s something else that’s very interesting to be noted here! Let’s look at the story one more time.

“Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.

Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”

“So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”

But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.”

(The entire story can be found in 2 Kings, Chapter 5, but for our purposes, we’ll stick with these verses.)

Now, this is what I want you to see: First of all, the man of God told Naaman to go wash in the Jordan seven times and he would be healed.

Let’s stop right there. What does the man of God tell you and me to do if we’re sick?

“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up.” (James 5:14,15)

There are a lot of people and a lot of churches that pray for their sick. I’m not taking away from that…but how many do it like the man of God said to do it? I’ve been in many that do, but I’ve also been in many that don’t. We might just as well be heading back to Damascus to wash in our own rivers….

We choose, instead, to do it our own way. We’ll just sit in our pews and pray for our miserable brethren and hope God will answer our humble prayers. But we’re just swimming in Damascus rivers, folks. The man of God said to do it this way, and we choose to do it that way…then wonder why we don’t get healed! One more time…

“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up.” (James 5:14,15)

Why don’t we do it this way? Pride, maybe? Fear? I mean…what if it doesn’t work? We would be looking kinda silly, all standing around with our foreheads dripping anointing oil an nothing happening! The thing is…how do we KNOW nothing is happening when we don’t do what the man of God said to do?

Second thing…

“But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.”

Naaman thought the man of God would come out, call on the name of the Lord, wave his hand over the spot and the leprosy would be gone. And, it might well have happened that way. But it didn’t. God wanted it another way.

Many folks have been healed by a person of God waving a hand over the spot and calling on the name of the Lord. Many folks have been healed by a lot less…for instance, simply calling on the Lord’s name…no hand waving, no nothing…not even another person around praying for them. Just calling on the Lord to honor his promise of healing. But…

Not everyone is healed that way. Sometimes God wants us to wash in the Jordan. Look at Jesus. Many were healed simply by his spoken word. But not always. Once he spit in the mud and rubbed mud in a man’s eyes. Why? Because that’s the way he chose to do it.
Sometimes he touched people, sometimes he didn’t. Sometimes he spoke, sometimes he didn’t.

Peter walked down the sidewalk and his shadow healed people. Paul sent out hankerchiefs that healed people. Sometimes, Jesus didn’t touch anyone, but rather, they touched him. Times he spoke, times he touched, times he waved his hand and times he did nothing. The point is…

We expect the person of God to wave his hand, call on the Lord and we’re healed. If we’re not, we sulk away thinking God must not want us healed. We don’t realize that we haven’t washed in the Jordan. We haven’t gone before the elders of the church like the man of God told us to do…

Finally, Naaman was told to wash seven times. Not once. Not twice. Seven times. What does this mean? It means if you go before the elders of the church and you aren’t healed the first time, you go back again, rather than giving up and returning to Damascus. The prayer of faith will make you well. Maybe not the first time, nor the second, but it WILL make you well. God said so.

Will it happen the seventh time? I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not. But it WILL happen. How can I be sure?

Again…

because God said so.