Wed– 2:30-4:30pm

As we went out the door, Molly already knew where she wanted to go. It was the way my dad usually took her every morning. I didn’t want to walk through that area that morning, and I knew another path that Molly and I would enjoy; through the woods. After having to direct Molly to the way I was heading, we made our way to the forested path that sits in the middle of my Father’s development. The smell of leaves, animals and the nearby creek kept Molly interested, as I lead her through the woods and out into another neighborhood.

About halfway through this neighborhood, I turned around. We’d have to go back the way we came in order to get home in a reasonable time. However, as I turned around, I found Molly resisting every attempt to go back! She had her own ideas of where to go. She had her own way of doing things. For her, to go back the way we came was preposterous! Eventually, with a lot of pulling, coaxing, and lots of time, we made it back home. But, as I was pulling Molly back, God gently reminded me how I, and other Christians can be much like Molly.

We, like Molly have our own ideas about how God should lead us.  We are very comfortable doing the same routine every Sunday. The same casual bible study and comfortable worship songs. The same amount of prayer, and the same trip to a fast food place afterwords. God leads us to places we haven’t been before. Through forests that we’re not entirely comfortable in. Sometimes, he even leads us back the way we’ve been.

In Joshua 3:2-4, there is a very interesting command from God, given by the leaders.

“After three days the officers went through the camp and commanded the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God carried by the Levitical priests, you must break camp and follow it. But keep a distance of about 1,000 yards between yourselves and the ark. Don’t go near it, so that you can see the way to go, for you haven’t traveled this way before.” (Added bold for emphasis.)

Picture this. You’re about to enter into the promised land, the land you’ve only heard stories about from your fathers and mothers. Land that was said to be filled with giants, and many great enemy armies. And, as the dread of having to go into this land is beginning to scratch at your door, the command comes in. There is someone that will go before us! We need only follow the ark into the promised land. We need only follow Jesus into the promised land! Oh the peace and the joy within that command! To know that we don’t have to walk this on our own! That there is a man that is willing to go before us!

Consider the path you’re taking today. Are you allowing God to lead you? Or are you resisting and trying to go your own path. The comfortable things you’ve been doing every morning. Or will you be like the men and women who follow the spirit of God through the waters of the Jordan, and into the promised land? Will you follow Him? Even where you’ve never been?

The verses that were displayed during the song were:

1.  Lamentations 1:1-2 (MSG)

2. Lamentations 1:3 (MSG)

3. Lamentations 2:10 (MSG)

4. Lamentations 2:13 (MSG)

5. Malachi 3:1-4 (NIV)

You guys were awesome today!

So, during some quiet time, I asked myself, if I were to work on some part of my life this year, what would it be?  Without hesitation, James 3 popped into my mind.  Have you read it lately?  I confess, I am guilty of losing control of my tongue; especially the one in my mind.  I have now spent the first week of 2012 reading and re-reading James 3.  I’ve also picked up Ephesians 4:29, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (NIV).  James mentions our tongues are such a small part of our body, yet it is so powerful.  It can destroy, but it can also build up.  I confess, my tongue has been a horrible tool of destruction.  I have allowed my tongue to tarnish my witness.

Yes, God put this passage into my mind.  This year is my year of James 3.  Not a resolution, mind you.  This is my prayer, my “go to” meditation passage for this year.  If I end up being the only Bible someone reads, I pray my life, and my tongue, glorifies God.  For all who read this, I ask for your prayers.

What about you?  Has God placed something on your heart for this year?  Would you mind posting it?  I will pray over it, and I suspect everyone else who reads it will also.

Happy New Year, and God bless you.

I love my dictionary. Whenever I am confused or want to know more about a scripture passage I head to Webster’s first. There is the usual definition that we commonly use about resentment over someone having something we want, but the definition I think we need to understand more fully is “Solicitous or vigilant in maintaining or guarding something”. Also, my dictionary says that the root word for “zeal” and jealous are the same.

Then I did a study on all the times jealousy is mentioned in the Bible. I asked the question “Who calls God a jealous god?” Do you know, in the 24 passages I looked at, 20 of them God calls Himself jealous!! Jealousy is a trait of a holy God!!!

Okay, stop, think about this…jealousy with holiness. Doesn’t that feel weird to say? We think of jealousy as something dirty, to be hidden or wrong and yet our holy God repeatedly calls Himself jealous!! In Exodus 34:14 God NAMES Himself Jealous. So When studying the names of God, study “Jealous”. Is your mind blown yet?

So then we need to re-look at the definition. what is God so vigilant in guarding? God’s jealousy comes out as a consuming fire when we worship idols, when we turn from Him.( Deut 4:24, 32:21) In Ezekiel 16:42 it talks of the destruction of sin appeases jealousy. Joel 2:18, Deliverance comes in the Lord’s jealousy. God is vigilantly guarding us from sin, He is guarding us from destruction, from the path that will twist us, skew our perceptions. How skewed are our perceptions when we don’t understand the holiness of jealousy?

I don’t have answers. I don’t know where to go with these thoughts, only that we, I need to meditate on them and go deeper than my surface response to the common use of the word jealous. I do want to understand this consuming fire of holiness that guards me so vigilantly.