“Follow the Leader”

March 23, 2024

March 23, 2024

Read Numbers 12, Psalm 82, Mark 6

What are your aspirations in leadership? Do you see yourself as more of a leader or as a follower? Often many people want to be the leader. Children in school want to be a leader and for adults the same is true in work and play. God had chosen Moses as the leader of Israel, to be the one to lead them out of Egypt. Moses reluctantly agreed to do it. This did not make everyone happen and we read about this in Numbers 12.

“Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2 “Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And the LORD heard this” vv. 1-2. Did you notice that the complaint against Moses as leader started because his sister and brother didn’t like that Moses had married a non-Israelite. This was the seed of the complaint against his leadership to start with.

God heard about this and wanted to teach them a lesson. He called them all to the tent of meeting to let them know that Moses was not just any leader. Prophets were informed by visions and other means, but with Moses God said, “With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” v. 8. Being a leader is difficult and not being a leader can be equally difficult as well. Learning to follow and not complaining when we can easily do so is hard.

What else do you see in these three chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Worship”

March 22, 2024

March 22, 2024

Read Numbers 11, Psalm 81, Mark 5

Everybody worships something. Some worship various things in creation like trees, mountains, statues, or other carved items. Others worship ideas like science, a political agenda, or saving the planet, or protecting animals. Some may even worship another person, Taylor Swift, a football coach, or a famed actor or actress. Most people just simply worship themselves. They are the ruler of their own domain.

Psalm 81 is a psalm of praise to God. “Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob! 2 Begin the music, strike the tambourine, play the melodious harp and lyre” vv. 1-2. As a reminder worship is much more than playing or singing a song. Worship can include what we devote our time, thoughts, or focus our efforts upon. We should worship God and Him alone, this is the first commandment. We can worship God for who He is (His character and nature) and we can worship God for what good things He has done.

God warns the people of Israel, “Hear, O my people, and I will warn you— if you would but listen to me, O Israel! 9 You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not bow down to an alien god. 10 I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it” vv. 8-10. We need to continually check ourselves and see if we are putting anything before the Lord in priority. Unknowingly we can allow things to creep in slowly into our lives and take a prominent hold in our life.

What else do you see in these chapters? What stands out to you? What words, phrases, themes or images speak to you most from the Scripture? Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Seeing Faith”

March 19, 2024

March 19, 2024

Read Numbers 8, Psalm 78, Mark 2

What are some things that you can’t see with the naked eye, but you know they are there? The wind, microscopic organisms, or maybe even your own brain? We may not be able to see these things, but we know that they are there because we see the effects from them. In Mark 2 we find a story of 4 men who brought a paralytic man to Jesus in a most unusual way.  The house was so packed out they could not get their friend to Jesus for a chance to experience healing, so they made their own way… through the roof. “Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on” v. 4. What great faith these four took for the paralytic man to experience healing. “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven’” v. 5. Faith is something meant to be seen, not just something we talk about. Real faith is accompanied by actions and not simply words alone. As James says, “faith without works is dead.”

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Change Your Clothes”

March 16, 2024

March 16, 2024”

Read Numbers 5, Psalm 75, Colossians 3

Think about a time when you got filthy or dirty. What were you doing? Working on a vehicle? Doing some yard work? Or maybe something that involved children! I remember a time when I was a kid that we had been playing outside in the woods all day and in the creek. We had gotten covered in dirt and mud. When we came back to the house we had to strip down to out skivvies on the back porch before entering the house. We went right to the shower and got cleaned up and put on a new set of clean clothes. My grandmother was a clean freak. Once when my brother and I went out to spend a week with them in Yazoo City, Mississippi we set a record of four showers in one day. If we went outside for five minutes we had to take a shower.

Colossians 3 encourages us as followers of Christ to change our clothes also. “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” vv. 9-10. Paul uses this metaphor to talk about the change a person goes through when they decide to follow Jesus. Since we have “taken off” our old practices and behavior, we “put on” the new that reflects our Savior and Lord. Paul lists out some of the things we should take off, “You must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips” v. 8. As a Christian it’s not just enough to take somethings off, unless we want to resemble the emperor’s new clothes, we must also put on godly traits that reflect Christ. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” vv. 12-14. The last “garment” Paul says to put over everything is “love.” This is what people should see in and “on” us most of all.

What else do you see in these chapters? What questions do you have? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you? Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Demotion”

March 11, 2024

March 11, 2024

Read Leviticus 27, Psalm 70, Philippians 2

So many people love the idea of a promotion. Maybe our talents, skills, or work ethic has paid off for us and we are given a promotion at work, school, or in some other area of life. It could be more money, a better job, a bigger house or some other materialistic resource. Maybe it’s as simple as an upgrade of our phone or some piece of technology that it outdated. What promotion or upgrade have you recently experienced?

Most people do not even think about a downgrade or demotion in life. That idea is foreign to many. A rare few might consider something like that. Maybe they take a different job for less pay to have more time for themselves or family.  Maybe they might move to a different location or change schools to live near family or have the lifestyle they desire. Philippians 2 is just this very idea. Paul explains that Jesus took a big demotion to come to the earth. “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” vv. 6-7. It goes even further than Jesus becoming a servant. “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!” v. 8. Jesus would be willing to demote himself to the point of dying on the cross for our sins. WHY… Why would Jesus demote himself like that, ultimately giving up his own life. The answer is a deep mystery, but it is also so simply explained in Scripture. Jesus loved us enough to die for us. We may scratch our heads trying to comprehend this love, but we can be thankful for it all the same. We were loved enough for Jesus to leave the spender and majesty of heaven where he was worshiped day and night to come to earth to give his life for us.

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Imitators”

March 8, 2024

March 8, 2024

Read Leviticus 24, Psalm 67, Ephesians 5

Children will often imitate or mimic each other to get on each other’s nerves. Unconscientiously children will often imitate other adults or an older brother or sister that they admire. As the saying goes, “imitation is the highest form of flattery.” In Ephesians 5 Paul challenges the churches in Ephesus to “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” vv. 1-2. The highest form of worship we can give to the Lord is to be an imitator of Jesus. If we truly love the Lord, we will not stop at expressing that in words alone, we will imitate Jesus teachings through our actions.

There are so many people today who want to put together their own version of Jesus that is far from the Jesus of Scripture. They either focus on love and neglect the truth of Jesus teachings, or they do the opposite. Both views are incomplete and are not the real Jesus. We need both love and truth to represent the Savior we claim to imitate. When I was younger, we played a game called “follow the leader.” If Jesus is really our leader, we should make our best effort to follow Him as close as we can. This means letting go of our own will and desires and the ways of the world to follow Christ.

What else do you observe in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Just One Sentence”

March 6, 2024

March 6, 2024

Read Leviticus 22, Psalm 65, Ephesians 3

If you have been reading my journaling thoughts semi regularly from this year you know I am reading anywhere from 3-4 chapters a day and writing down some of the things that I reflect on after I read the chapters. Most of the time what I write or the amount of what I write directly corelates to the time I have in each day. I often try to write a little something from each chapter, but this is not always the case. I also worry that if I go too long, I will lose whatever audience I may have to start! Three chapters are a lot of material to cover. There is a lot to take in when you or I read three chapters, even shorter ones. Today I want to just focus on one sentence and dwell on that today in my reading. If you are reading the Bible and your focus is to get through it in a year’s time (which is what I am doing this year) you might be tempted to just read to check off the box to knock out your 3.5 chapters a day. You also might be tempted to try and soak everything you can from the chapters you read and that is a lot of thoughts to gather. I want to help you see the “tree” through the “forest” tonight and just simply focus on one verse. You can do this too. Read a day and see what verse or sentence stands out to you most in your daily reading. Don’t feel guilty to try and soak up every drop of God’s Word and then you can get some rest or move to other things. As people, we cannot really drink in the riches of God’s word all at once anyway. It would be like trying to drink from a fire hose. I’m not trying to tell you to back off and read or study less, only to tell you that it doesn’t have to be the same each day or reach a certain level. So here is the sentence that stood out to me most today as I read.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” vv. 20-21

These two verses are a reminder to me about what kind of God I serve. God is capable to handle anything because of who He is. How often do we sell our selves short when we come to God in prayer and ask him for help or strength or to work in a situation we might be facing. It’s his power “that is at work within us.” “At work” meaning that God is in the middle of doing something not yet finished. We should be encouraged that this is not a promise for just the Christians in the first century but also for us today. That’s where the “thought out all generations” comes in.

So… what one verse stood out to you today? Maybe you didn’t read the same chapters I am reading. What verse or sentence stood out to you most? What are your thoughts on it? Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Protection”

March 4, 2024

March 4, 2024

Read Leviticus 20, Psalm 64, Ephesians 1

People spend a lot of money on things that will keep them safe. They buy guns or other personal protective products. I recently heard a interview with Dr. Jeff Myers from Summit Ministries who went to Israel for a solidarity mission after the October 6 Hamas attacks on Israel. He said every house near the border of Gaza had a safe room, the parents made it their kids’ room so they could go to them in a time of crisis. Other people find security or protection in other things like money or obtaining power. These are some of the ways that people choose to protect themselves. The best protection we can have is from God.

Psalm 64 is a psalm of David. It is a prayer for protection from his enemies. David asks God to “hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from that noisy crowd of evildoers” v. 2. David sees their motives, “They plot injustice and say, We have devised a perfect plan!” v. 6. But then the final verses of this psalm David reminded himself that the wicked will not get away with their plans. God will protect him. “But God will shoot them with arrows; suddenly they will be struck down” v. 7. David knows the wicked schemes will only come back on themselves. “He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake their heads in scorn” v. 8. We should take comfort in knowing that nothing can happen to us without God’s knowledge and permission. We might seem to be in trouble or to lose, but in the end God will have the victory and if we are his children, we will too.

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stick out to you?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

A List of Do’s and Don’ts”

March 3, 2024

March 3, 2024

Read Leviticus 19, Psalm 63, Galatians 6

Have you heard someone summarize the Bible with the phrase, “The Bible is not a list of Do’s and Don’ts?” They are trying to encourage us not to look at the Bible simply as a book that says, “Don’t do this…. Do this….” On one hand, the Bible is much more complex that a list of rules that we can check off. But there are some passages where it does become a list of commands we need to follow. Leviticus 19 is just one of those passages. As you read through these verses you might start grouping the laws into categories in your mind. Sone laws you can read and find immediate agreement with, “Do not steal, do not lie, Do not deceive one another…” v. 11. Then you might read other verses that cause you pause and question why that is a law. “Do not mate different kinds of animals. Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material” v. 19.

We must remember that there were different types of laws in the Old Testament times. The moral law, the civic laws, and the ceremonial laws for sacrificial systems. Only the moral laws and laws that are repeated in the New Testament are still applicable for Christians today. We no longer have to offer sacrifices because of Jesus ultimate sacrifice on the cross and we are not bound by the civic laws of the nation of Israel because we do not live in that forgone nation. Think of it like moving from California to Georgia. You no longer have to abide by the laws of California if you live in Georgia. We might not understand some of the civic laws in Leviticus 19, but they were most likely to call Israel to live differently than the nations around them. They were to be a “light to the Gentiles.”

Leviticus 19 is a reminder that there are some Scriptures that are black and white. Things that we can easily read and understand. The obedience is the harder part. Knowing what to do and then doing it are two different things.

What else do you see in these chapters? What words and phrases stand out to you?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Freedom for Fruit!”

March 2, 2024

March 2, 2024

Read Leviticus 18, Psalm 62, Galatians 5

As Americans, we love our freedom. Maybe a little too much. We tend to think of freedom as the goal and highest achievement. Many people are tricked into the myth that if they just get more power or money, they can increase the amount of freedom they have. We should not compare freedom to autonomy. These are two different things. This is where Galatians 5 teaches us that freedom is not ultimately for ourselves, but as Christians we are free to serve Christ. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” v. 1. There is a difference between “freedom for” and “freedom from” for all of us to consider. Take a musical instrument or a symphony orchestra. You could take the approach that says, “I have the freedom to play my instrument however I like.” You could play any notes, melodies, in any key or rhythm. Imagine that with everyone in the orchestra doing the same thing. It would be a mess and make our ears bleed for sure. But if we play in the constraints of a certain key signature or time signature and play along with everyone else we have the ability to create beautiful music. That’s how it is with our freedom in Christ. Yes we are free from the law, but we must play within the moral key signature that God has given us in his word. This is the way God designed us as his musical instruments to function.

In Galatians 5 Paul writes about how Christians should not use their freedom in Christ, freedom from the law as an excuse to sin. “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. 14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other” vv. 13-15.  

Paul encourages the Christians in Galatia to “live by the Spirit” v. 16. In the last part of Galatians 5 Paul contrasts the fruit of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. He says “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law” vv. 17-18. Because God exists and we have a moral ought to do right and not do evil we are ultimately free in Christ, but to live by the Spirit and produce the fruits that Paul lists out. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” vv. 22-23.

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

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