Monthly Archives: December 2013

Best Me I Can Be

Posted in Daily Devotions: Chapter by Chapter by

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Today’s Devotional: Numbers 4

What do you think of when you see the words limited edition? I think that there are very few, it’s special, unique, set apart, not available for an indefinite period of time. Numbers chapter 4 makes me think that’s what Christians are!

  • Matthew 7:14 says, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (There are few)
  • 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (We are special).
  • Psalm 139:13 says, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” (We are unique)
  • Psalm 73:26, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (We are only on earth for a short time.)

The three families of the tribe of Levi had service to perform about the tabernacle. This chapter tells us who is to serve, what was the order of their service, and how many there were in the tribe who served. As this chapter unveils, each Levite had his assignment, just so, every Christian has a gift and a job God wants him to do. I believe God will reward us for doing what He wants us to do. We are not to do what we choose to do, but we are to exercise the gifts that He has given us.

God created us with gifts, spiritual gifts. These are unique to us and were given to us for God’s service. When we use our gifts we perform naturally and effortlessly. This is why we call it our gift-zone, strengths, natural abilities and talents. Collectively, every believer together makes up the body of Christ and are able to be so much more together than we are apart.

I see how God arranged people according to their gifts and talents and to perform the work of the tabernacle seamlessly, efficiently and effectively for Him. As a Christian, created and called to serve God with our own unique gifts and abilities, let’s approach today and be the best that we can be in service to God.

Firstborn Blessings

Posted in Daily Devotions: Chapter by Chapter by

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Today’s Devotional: Numbers 3

In Numbers 3:13 it says, “For all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether human or animal. They are to be mine. I am the LORD.” I think today He still asks every family to give Him not only our possessions but to give Him the members of our household. Have you dedicated your own to the Lord? Have you turned them over to Him? It is a wonderful thing to be able to dedicate your own to Him. The firstborn belongs to the Lord.

I remember the day I dedicated my first daughter to the Lord. I didn’t know what I was doing actually. Ironically, I gave her to the Lord out of fear. I remember sitting in the pew at church, feeling very overwhelmed with my life at the time, and crying out to God, “LORD, please take my business, my daughter, and my life!” I didn’t know I did something magical that day. Not only for my daughter (who is blossoming into a beautiful child of God), but for me. That day, I meant it… I surrendered it all. That was 14 years ago and here I am today. Thankful for what God has done in my life and continues to do.

God loves children. He says himself in Matthew 18:3-5, “And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” That day in that pew, I was like a little child. I gave my daughter and my life to him with a pure and innocent heart. It was the day my life changed and I will never forget it.

Numbers 3 takes me back to that moment and gives me a sense of acceptance and love. My hope for the readers of my blog that you have that same feeling – that God loves you and you have peace in knowing that you are also one of His own.

Get In YOUR Place

Posted in Daily Devotions: Chapter by Chapter by

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Today’s Devotion: Numbers 2

Numbers 2:1 – 2 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: “The Israelites are to camp around the tent of meeting some distance from it, each of them under their standard and holding the banners of their family.”

What is your standard and if you had a banner for your family, what would it say?

God has Moses gather all the families to surround the tabernacle in a specific order and each of them is allowed to represent themselves according to how they want to be represented. This is God’s army of people who He gathered. I’m so fascinated by the order and even more fascinated by God’s logic. God really has things all figured out.

It makes me realize that God has each of us in a specific place in the world, at a specific time and for a specific purpose. We need to be who were are. Have you given up on trying to be what everyone else wants you to be? I became a Christian about 10 years ago and I learned that my life wasn’t created to be molded into what the world wanted me to be, I was created for a specific purpose that God created me to be.

That was the day I stopped taking anti-depressants. I didn’t need them anymore. When I was working hard to fit in and be what I thought the world wanted me to be, I was burdened so heavily that it was actually doing me harm. Once I came to accept who I was, in Christ, and focus on doing what God created me to be and do, I was set free from that bondage of pain, suffering, depression, anxiety and stress.

Not sure how all of that came out of my reading of Numbers chapter 2, but I was prompted to write it. Perhaps to encourage you today? For whatever reason God laid that on my heart, I hope you can be encouraged that God is with us and it’s such a beautiful picture to know we are exactly where he wants us and it is our turn to create our standard and hold our banner that best represents who we are.