Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Hidden Manna
The last reference to manna is found in The Revelation 2:17: "...To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna..." This letter is written to the church in Pergamum, a church that experienced extreme persecution. The Christians here lived in a difficult place, surrounded by pagan influences, yet they held fast to Christ's name and did not deny Him. Those who would persevere and who would call out and remove false teaching would we receive a three-fold promise: 1) Hidden Manna 2) a White Stone and 3) a New Name. The Manna is probably a reference to the manna placed in the ark of the covenant. (see Exodus 16:32-34) However, the ark of the covenant disappeared off of the pages of history by the time the Babylonian Captivity. The location and or fate of the ark is a much debated subject. But the fact remains that Jesus' I Am Statement in John 6:35, is closely tied to the manna of Exodus 16. Both Exodus 16 and John 6 deal with a miraculous provision. Both chapters meat a physical need but convey a spiritual depth. I can only imagine what a supernatural treat it would be on that day, to eat of the hidden manna. Perhaps those best suited to taste of that bread of heaven are those who practice gathering manna while living here on the earth. Join us on Sunday, August 10, for a discussion on those things that prevent us from gathering our manna.
Monday, July 28, 2014
Meditation
I Am the Bread of LIFE. John 6:35
On Sunday I mentioned meditation as one of the ways we gather the life giving "manna" of God's presence. Since time is so short on Sunday, we don't have time to gather all The Fragments That Remain, so today let's gather some fragments of meditation.
Christian meditation is rooted in the Bible. In fact, the Bible commands us to meditate. In Joshua 1:8, God says to meditate on His word day and night so we will obey it. The psalmist says "Blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:2). Both of these passages come with a promise of prosperity or success. Actually, the Bible mentions meditate or meditation 20 times.
In the Old Testament there are two primary Hebrew words for meditation: Haga, which means to roar, growl, groan, utter, muse, mutter, or meditate; and Sihach, which means to muse, rehearse in one's mind, or contemplate. These words can also be translated as dwell, diligently consider, and heed.
So, what does it mean for us to meditate. Isaiah 31:4 gives us a little insight; "This is what the LORD says to me: "As a lion growls, a great lion over its prey-- and though a whole band of shepherds is called together against it, it is not frightened by their shouts or disturbed by their clamor--...".
As we think about what God shares with us in those quite moments with Him, as we hold onto the thoughts He put into our minds, as we don't leave Him at our "chair" but continue to walk in His presence and truth, we can roar like a lion over our pray. Isaiah 26:3 tells us; "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You."
Therefore, mediation, is to keep our mind, our thoughts, stayed on Him. The Devil is a lie. Our thoughts and feelings will roll in and out like the tide, but God never changes. He is our Rock, our Fortress, our Shelter in the time of storm.
The word, “selah”, is a musical direction to the singers and/or instrumentalists who performed the Psalms, which was the hymnbook of the Israelites. If this is true, then each time “selah” appears in a psalm, the musicians paused, either to take a breath, or to sing a cappella or let the instruments play alone. Perhaps they were pausing to praise Him about whom the song was speaking, perhaps even lifting their hands in worship. This would encompass all these meanings—praise, lift up, and pause. When we consider the three verses in Habakkuk, we also see how “selah” could mean “to pause and praise.” Even though Habakkuk was not written to be sung, Habakkuk’s prayer in chapter 3 inspires the reader to pause and praise God for His mercy, power, sustaining grace and sufficiency. One commentator I heard speak, said he believed selah to mean; "What Do You Think About That?"
As we read God's Word, listen to His still small voice, or are moved by His handiwork of creation; we are not to just breeze past it, but should stop, pause, and think about what He just said!
This is what gives us the courage of a lion, the roar of victory, and the confidence among the shouts and the clamor. So then, meditate on Him, on His Word, on His truth!
On Sunday I mentioned meditation as one of the ways we gather the life giving "manna" of God's presence. Since time is so short on Sunday, we don't have time to gather all The Fragments That Remain, so today let's gather some fragments of meditation.
Christian meditation is rooted in the Bible. In fact, the Bible commands us to meditate. In Joshua 1:8, God says to meditate on His word day and night so we will obey it. The psalmist says "Blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:2). Both of these passages come with a promise of prosperity or success. Actually, the Bible mentions meditate or meditation 20 times.
In the Old Testament there are two primary Hebrew words for meditation: Haga, which means to roar, growl, groan, utter, muse, mutter, or meditate; and Sihach, which means to muse, rehearse in one's mind, or contemplate. These words can also be translated as dwell, diligently consider, and heed.
So, what does it mean for us to meditate. Isaiah 31:4 gives us a little insight; "This is what the LORD says to me: "As a lion growls, a great lion over its prey-- and though a whole band of shepherds is called together against it, it is not frightened by their shouts or disturbed by their clamor--...".
As we think about what God shares with us in those quite moments with Him, as we hold onto the thoughts He put into our minds, as we don't leave Him at our "chair" but continue to walk in His presence and truth, we can roar like a lion over our pray. Isaiah 26:3 tells us; "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You."
Therefore, mediation, is to keep our mind, our thoughts, stayed on Him. The Devil is a lie. Our thoughts and feelings will roll in and out like the tide, but God never changes. He is our Rock, our Fortress, our Shelter in the time of storm.
The word, “selah”, is a musical direction to the singers and/or instrumentalists who performed the Psalms, which was the hymnbook of the Israelites. If this is true, then each time “selah” appears in a psalm, the musicians paused, either to take a breath, or to sing a cappella or let the instruments play alone. Perhaps they were pausing to praise Him about whom the song was speaking, perhaps even lifting their hands in worship. This would encompass all these meanings—praise, lift up, and pause. When we consider the three verses in Habakkuk, we also see how “selah” could mean “to pause and praise.” Even though Habakkuk was not written to be sung, Habakkuk’s prayer in chapter 3 inspires the reader to pause and praise God for His mercy, power, sustaining grace and sufficiency. One commentator I heard speak, said he believed selah to mean; "What Do You Think About That?"
As we read God's Word, listen to His still small voice, or are moved by His handiwork of creation; we are not to just breeze past it, but should stop, pause, and think about what He just said!
This is what gives us the courage of a lion, the roar of victory, and the confidence among the shouts and the clamor. So then, meditate on Him, on His Word, on His truth!
Friday, July 25, 2014
Trust
There is nothing in the world like being able to trust someone. My journey this past year has been a pretty tough one. There have been so many occasions when God whispered to me, "Trust Me". Although I am so much better than I was a year ago, there are still tough moments, tough days. Today I felt God whispering to me again. I am so thankful to Him for the gift of trust. Trust means that it's all on Him. My salvation or position in Christ does not depend on me or my actions. The lies of satan, the thoughts of my own mind do not change His truth. Every relationship is built on trust. Especially your relationship with God. Do you hear Him, I believe He is saying, "Trust Me".
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Gathering Manna
This past Sunday we discussed the miracle of manna in Exodus 16. We are studying John 6 and Exodus 16 in order to really understand Jesus' statement: "I Am the Bread of Life". As I thought about what we discussed, I thought about my own spiritual hunger and fellowship with God. I started wondering; If we gathered manna the same way we fellowshipped with God, would we starve to death? Are you stressed out? Are you burning the proverbial candle at both ends? Are just enduring instead of really enjoying? Do you feel like you don't have the energy to really live? Join us this coming Sunday as we discuss How To GATHER the Bread of LIFE!
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