SCRIPTURE: Numbers 11 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: This is not the first time the people have grumbled, but now the Lord punishes them. Harsh, or finally saying ‘enough!’ Up until this point the Lord has provided for all their needs – though not their wants. No doubt about it, this was not a pleasure cruise (have you seen the…
Author: Norm
seven last words
This week I am reflecting on words of Jesus on the cross: “Dear woman, here is your son!” and “Here is your mother!” (John 19:26-27). “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). “My God, my…
the trumpet calls me now!
SCRIPTURE: Numbers 10 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: At the sound of the trumpet, God’s people are mobilized! Jesus talks about something similar, about the end times: At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on…
following the Jesus cloud
SCRIPTURE: Numbers 9 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: This reading talks about the Passover, and about how the glory cloud led the people through the wilderness. God makes it plain that the Passover is for everyone, even the unclean and the foreigner. It has a strong message of grace, forgiveness and freedom for all. But that message is not disconnected…
we are His workers
SCRIPTURE: Numbers 8 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: In the old covenant, God used limited symbols to represent universal truths. The land of Israel represents the whole earth. The temple building represent all people. The nation of Israel represents all the nations of the world. The repeated sacrifices represent the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus. The designated priests and levites represent…
abiding in Christ
I am reading Andrew Murray’s Abiding In Christ, a devotional book based on Jesus words in John 15:1-7. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are…
what really matters
SCRIPTURE: Numbers 7 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Our focus can easily be sidetracked. In reading this list, we get so wrapped up in what was given, we forget why it was given. The dedication of the altar, as the symbolic meeting place of God’s grace and our humility, is at the center of this reading. It matters more WHY…
heaven on a harley
I just heard about this, though it was several years ago (May 2005)… Apparently our sister church in Corona California has a unique way of getting people to come to church. What do you think? Is this the way that we should get people to come to church? It just sounds wrong to me. Someone…
His face is beaming!
SCRIPTURE: Numbers 6 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Would you make an extreme vow? For example, for Lent, would you consider not cutting your hair or shaving, not drinking any alcohol, and not touching anything dead? Or maybe instead you might vow to not eat chocolate, or drink coffee, or not have sex, or to shave your head completely, to…
don’t wait for the lie detector
SCRIPTURE: Numbers 5 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: One day there will be a time for judgment. One day our impure hearts will be exposed, we will have to give an account for our wrongs, and we will be forced to face the consequences of our actions. What the Lord speaks to Moses about in this historical context, is an…