Minister to Me
I was recently in a car accident and naturally Jesus is the first word that comes to mind during my times of distress. He is the one person I know that I can find my strength and help. But do we ever seek him just to make him happy?
Exodus 25: 21-22
21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.
22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
Exodus 28: 35-43
35 And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the Lord, and when he cometh out, that he die not.
36 And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, Holiness To The Lord.
37 And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be.
38 And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.
39 And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen, and thou shalt make the mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle of needlework.
40 And for Aaron’s sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty.
41 And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.
42 And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:
43 And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him.
While the Israelites were in the wilderness God gave Moses specific instructions on how to build the arc and tabernacle in order to seek the face of the Lord. This is interesting because the Israelites just left Egypt where the god’s served where tangible visible statutes that you could physically go to. This is interesting because God gave the Israelites something they could see. I know at times we probably think it is impossible to serve God because we can’t see him. Yet God put a testimony in the ark that the Israelites could always go back to. You know that one testimony that can clear up any doubt; the testimony that causes you to be crazy enough to believe. I believe that God has gotten us through situations which serve as our ark; as our reminder that there is no one else above him in the entire world.
Yet while I was reading the specific instructions that were given I couldn’t help, but realize the repetition of the word minister. Aaron was not given instructions to bring the cares of the Israelites to the Lord or even what they thought they needed. He was instructed to become consecrated and holy, for the Lord to behold him as a beauty. Aaron was to minister to God, to contribute happiness towards our savior. This concept is interesting because it makes me wonder when I praise am I trying to make God happy? When I pray or read his word it is to make him happy? Would I be happy with what I offer God on a daily basis?
In my heart I want to please God so desperately. There was one main thing that I learned through the death of my beloved mother which is salvation is on an individual basis. I will NOT get into Heaven because of who I know, but only for those things in which I am accountable for. Naturally my blog is always an eye opener for my self; it is not enough to have the desire when there are no works behind it. If faith with out work is dead is not the same true for desires? Now is the time that we commence our service to offer a sweet smelling sacrifice unto the only wise God.
I will praise the Lord at all times.
Love eternally.
Priority Check
They say it takes 21 days to form a habit. They also say that you should seek God first thing in the morning otherwise your not “coming correct.” They say a lot of things, but the most important thing is to DO something. Be sure that you put God into your day somewhere. Sometimes completing these things that will prepare us to be in the right place.
Exodus 20: 24-26
24 An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.
25 And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.
26 Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.
So a lot has occurred in my life since I have written last. My mother died, but Glory be to God I can reassure that she is safe in his arms (It has taken me a while to be ok with this and at times I still cry). My youngest will be turning one shortly and we currently relocated to a BIGGER city. That being said I continued to find excuse after excuse for why I was no longer doing what I needed to do spiritually. I found that even though I LOVE GOD and missed spending time with him, falling out of my habit of seeking his presence daily made it harder and harder to find the RIGHT time to get back to what I needed to do.
These verses are interesting because it is important to sacrifice to God where you are at in your present state in order for him to bless you. Now I am not saying that we should only do things in order to be blessed. But in order for God to exist in our lives WE have to place him in it. We can’t keep telling ourselves God will provide when we have given him no room to do that. Have you ever done a review of your current progress in life? Have you wondered why your plan has not caught up to you yet? Well it is important to remember that you have to be able to bless God at the altar you have built him. You can’t make your altar and jump up and run away. God is faithful to us and waits to smell the savor of our offering; in return we need to be faithful to him and our altar.
God continues telling us that you have to come as you are. We have all heard this before, but it is very true. We can not come to God as an altar that we have made. We will never be able to make ourselves perfect. Additionally, there will never be a good or better time because all you can do is continue to mess up. God loves us at our simplicity; it is our journey through life without him that has attached fear, dishonesty, and distrust (just to name a few) to us. And no matter how hard we try to forgive and forget we can not without the loving example of our Father.
Going up the altar exposes us to the presence of the Lord; exposing us to who we truly are and we can not deal with all the truth at one time. God loves us gently to get rid of all the impurities within our lives. If we can continue to seek him he will slowly prepare us for where we need to be. We can not arrive before our time. Ever caught yourself thinking God why did this happen? We believe knowing the why will help us deal with our now. But if he told you about how your why would lead to x, y, and z in the future would you continue to focus on your now?
I believe that essentially we need to stay on our paths which can be hard when we try to measure our success. Be assured that God sees our hearts, desire, and longingness to serve him, but in order to get where you are going you have to focus on your now. Bless the Lord at your altar now so that can show his self strong in everything you do. Allow him to prepare you to be in the RIGHT place at the RIGHT time.
I will bless the Lord at all times.
Love eternally,
C
That’s Love
Resurrection Sunday has recently passed and for the first time in a long time I feel happy and alive. I may not understand everything that happens in my life, but I know for certain that Jesus is real and he died for the believer’s sins. Death is no longer the victor as Jesus holds all power in his hands. Everything that was old has been made new because of his ultimate sacrifice.
John 14: 1-3
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
My mother died the day after Thanksgiving. Until recently it has been a struggle as I was upset and deeply saddened that she was gone. I questioned God as to why she had to go? I questioned why life continues without the ones we love the most? In the mist of all the turmoil I am happy that I never questioned his existence or my belief. If I did that would mean everything she taught me was a lie and that she didn’t make it to her mansion in Heaven! See her death taught me that no matter what career path I take, or Master’s Program I study, or what school I choose, or how I raise my children only I can be accountable for my walk with God. All that matters is being about my father’s business, anything he blesses me with here is just a sign of his love, mercy, favor, and grace.
During this same time the Lord started to pour blessing into me and my family’s lives. He gave us increase. I was able to get an old, yet new and improved job with retroactive blessings. However, this meant I had to move away from my husband for a few months. Losing my mother and not have the physical presence of my husband was hard during this time. I knew that this was my test, I had said so many times before that I would go crazy without her. If you ask my husband I’m sure he’ll tell you that I slipped in and out of “consciousness” as the seconds went by. I could be fine, crazy, depressed, and delirious within the same minute. It has not been easy for me because my Mother is my everything. I called her every day, which is what I miss the most.
But I realized shortly after she died and again this Sunday that Jesus made all of us a promise. He promised that he would go before us to prepare us a place. He gives us his word and he leaves no room for doubt otherwise he would be a liar. He informs us that he will come again for us. Is it this promise that reassures me my mom is safe in his arms. One day we will meet again, but in the meantime and between times I will grab a hold of his promise.
It was the recognition of Resurrection Sunday and the power of that day that has changed my attitude. I am thankful that he died to give us life. I am thankful that she can no longer be harmed be anything. In the end Satan lost and my Mother won. But most importantly she doesn’t have to fight or struggle anymore. She has been given a fresh start and new life. No matter the situation when we stay focused on Jesus, WE WIN!
I will bless the Lord at all times.
Love eternally.
My Steps are Ordered
Lately it seems that I am angered easily. The very things that probably would not have bothered me before are deep thorns in my side. I used to think I was a strong person, but being in a place in which God has to supply everything causes me to feel vulnerable. This vulnerability makes me aware of my nakedness.
Psalms 37: 23, 25
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.
25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
I recently moved to a new city with my children and my 16-year-old sister in tow. Without my mother and husband, they really are a big part of my guidance. Needless to say I feel like if it hasn’t been one thing it has been another. My children are sick, my life feels like a daze since my mother’s passing, and the absence of my husband makes me wonder how dependant I truly am on him.
My daughter is going to a school in which I hate. Just dropping her off in the morning upsets me. Even if I talk to the teacher or principal I don’t think it would change my perspective of this school. But as I write today I wonder if I am literally telling God his works aren’t good enough? I wonder if my constant fighting to get her to a different school is making the Father feel like I don’t delight in his way. He has done nothing, but continually bless me at every turn, yet I am showing his my disgust for a work that he thought was great for me.
For that I will apologize. It is never my intention Father to make you feel as though I do not appreciate your work. I appreciate that you have ordered my steps because I believe in you. It is not proper etiquette to complain about a gift that was given. Furthermore, as a Christian it is not ok nor behave in a manner such as this. I do not know everything and I need to give up the control that I crave. I’m sorry Father I do trust you and I believe that you will come thru. You have not left me nor forsaken me.
I will bless the Lord at all times.
Love eternally.
