Tag: Honoring God

Morning Musing: Exodus 39:32-43

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“So all the work for the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was finished. The Israelites did everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses. . . .The Israelites had done all the work according to everything the Lord had commanded Moses. Moses inspected all the work they had accomplished. They had done just as the Lord commanded. Then Moses blessed them.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

There’s an old saying that goes like this: Practice makes perfect. It sounds good, but it’s not really true in that form. A more accurate rendering would be this: Practice makes permanent. If you do something enough times, you will always do it that way. But if you don’t do it quite correctly all of those times, you will always do it wrongly. In order for practice to make perfect, it has to be evaluated. Once the tabernacle construction was complete, it came time to evaluate what they had done. Let’s take a look at how this process unfolded.

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Morning Musing: Exodus 34:19-20

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“The firstborn male from every womb belongs to me, including all your male livestock, the firstborn of cattle or sheep. You may redeem the firstborn of a donkey with a sheep, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. You must redeem all the firstborn of your sons. No one is to appear before me empty-handed.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

When you use something that belongs to someone else, the owner typically expects to either receive it back or else receive some sort of compensation for your using it. Credit companies charge interest. Stores expect you not to take the shopping cart home with you. Your neighbor would like you to give his blower back sometime (and preferably still in good working condition). How should we respond to the fact that God created and owns everything in the world? Let’s take a look at some expectations He expressed to Israel, and talk about what they might have to do with us.

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Morning Musing: Hosea 10:1

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“Israel is a lush vine; it yields fruit for itself. The more his fruit increased, the more he increased the altars. The better his land produced, the better they made the sacred pillars.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter)

Have you experienced success before? That’s a bit of an open-ended question. What kind of success? There are many different kinds: relational, financial, vocational, social, athletic, parental, life generally. Okay, let me narrow the question in a bit: Have you experienced success before? See what I did there? That’s not really the question I’m interested in right now. Here’s that one: Where did that success come from? Here’s why that matters: If you know where your success originates, you can experience more of it more easily.

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Digging in Deeper: Malachi 1:8

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“When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil?  And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Malachi was the last prophet of the people of Israel until John the Baptist arrived on the scene to introduce people to Jesus some 400 years later.  In other words, he was the last word the people had from God for 400 years.  Ancient though he may be, his words could have been written yesterday they are so relevant to issues we are still facing today. Read the rest…

Morning Musings: Colossians 3:17

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“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to the God the Father through him.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Have you ever wondered what it is you need to do in order to honor Christ?  Here Paul gives us a very simple test to know whether or not we’re on track.  Is it done in the name of Jesus out of a grateful heart?  If so, it is going to be honoring of Him.  If not, it won’t be.  Simple, right? Read the rest…