The ritualistic sacrifices of Judaism (in the Old Testament) pointed to something much greater. Even the specification of the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies were followed up to the minute details of the tent materials and vessels of bronze.

They may not have seen Christ Jesus the Lord as clearly as those in the “Church Age”, but the shadow of things to come was being illuminated by God the Father.

Even so, in our day and age, the fog may descend on us and keep us from seeing clearly the central role of our Savior. Ultimately, the truth will shine on us through the power of the Holy Spirit.

When we understand the powerful work of redemption on our behalf, then we will rejoice at our great high priest who has mediated this eternal inheritance established for us through the new covenant.

As the fog of a sin sick world descends around us, may we look to our Heavenly Father to purify our hearts and minds as we trust His Son to cleanse and redeem. -Teresa #powerinthebloodofthelamb

Hebrews 9: 11-22 (ESV)

Redemption Through the Blood of Christ

¹¹ But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come,^[e] then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) ¹² he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. ¹³ For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify^[f] for the purification of the flesh, ¹⁴ how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our^[g] conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

¹⁵ Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.^[h] 16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. ¹⁷ For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. ¹⁸ Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood.¹⁹ For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, ²⁰ saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.” ²¹ And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. ²² Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

It’s fun for kids to dress up and trick-or-treat. Back in the day, we would make up our own costumes. Many times they ended up being a combination of favorite T-shirts and something impressive.

There’s wisdom in the Proverb that speaks about hatred cloaking itself (like a Halloween costume). It tries to impress outwardly but is truly unimpressive, morally.

The good news, is that it will all be revealed in the end.

With deceit, the hate-filled person may try to cover up their motives, but those who look at the “fruit” of said life will not be duped.

Be not deceived, God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Galatians 6:7, KJV)

Corruption is the result of not yielding to the Spirit of God. Life everlasting is the promise to every believer under the Holy Spirit’s control. (Galatians 6:8)

You may wonder how to come under God’s influence. First, you must believe that Christ Jesus is God’s Son who is able to pay for the salvation of everyone born under sin’s curse=death spiritually (includes all descendants of Adam).

When you receive Christ as Savior and LORD, you are born into God’s family (and given a new start).

To whom will you yield your life today? Is it to your own fleshly desires or to the Spirit of God who is in you? (upon spiritual rebirth, we are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit of God).

Even so-called “Christians” (i.e. in name only) can be given over to hatred. In the end, corruption will be their reward.

Lord, may I be quick to yield myself to Your Spirit. Please reveal those around me who may sound gracious but in actuality have abominably tricky lips. -Teresa

Proverbs 26:24-26English Standard Version

²⁴ Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips
    and harbors deceit in his heart;
²⁵ when he speaks graciously, believe him not,
    for there are seven abominations in his heart;
²⁶ though his hatred be covered with deception,
    his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

Read full chapter

Although I love the look of this modern lampshade in my hotel room, it does not function well as a mirror!

This passage brought to mind the importance of not just teaching to encourage others but at times to reprove or convince others of truth. This “convincing” may be misunderstood as an accusation (aka rebuke) when in actuality it may be what is needed to convince or drive a point home.

It’s stated well here@ BibleHub.com (parenthetical word added for context). “The word in this verse rendered “reprove,” does not imply (rebuke), but merely that one may be in error, and needs to have arguments presented to convince him of the truth. That word also implies no superior authority in him who does it. He presents “reasons, or argues” the case, for the purpose of convincing. The word here rendered rebuke, implies authority or superiority, and means merely that we may say that a thing is wrong, and administer a rebuke for it, as if there were no doubt that it was wrong. The propriety of the rebuke rests on our authority for doing it, not on the arguments which we present. This is based on the presumption that men often Know that they are doing wrong, and need no arguments to convince them of it.”

An effective leader knows when to teach using a method of reproving vs. rebuking and what type of audience should witness either one. For example, when a subordinate rebukes an authority figure, the effective leader must discern whether they are acting out of spite or ignorance. If ignorance, then it’s best to set aside the personal humiliation (if the incident occurs in public) to exemplify that the subordinate is valued (i.e. the leader is preventing the other’s demise and modeling the truth). On the other hand, if it’s expressed out of spite, an immediate meeting in private is the best outcome to effectively demonstrate the error of their thinking and the subordinate will be won over.

No matter how modern and appealing some teaching is, if it cannot convince us of truth (i.e. the truth always ends with love), then it is not sound.

Have I loved His appearing as Paul did? Christ is ultimately the righteous judge whose reward means all. He is the One who gives a crown of endurance to those who suffer for His name’s sake. -Teresa #fulfillyourministry

2 Timothy 4:1-8 (ESV)

4 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:² preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. ³ For the time is coming when people will not endure sound^[a]teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, ⁴ and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. ⁵ But as for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

⁶ For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

When we are “in Christ” not only are we a new creation (where the old has passed away), but we have a protected status that is brand new.

Similar to the “protected” status of the wetlands where we walked this morning, nothing on earth can rob us of our eternal protection (inheritance) based of the forgiveness of our sins.

Not only does God forgive, but he chooses not to remember because of His Son’s finished work on the cross- aka atonement for mankind.

This is stated so eloquently on the Biblehub.com site speaking of Jeremiah 31:4, (the forgiveness of sins is) “the basis of the New Covenant”.

God’s people are not made up of only believing Israel but all of the Church worldwide. He will be honored by multitudes of believers who have given up glory in this world to honor the most glorious One.

Lord, may we be caught up in devotion to you and not bogged down by worldly expectations. May we always bring honor to your name for we realize that Christ Jesus the Lord is the name above all names.

As far as the east is from the west…remember to live as those who has been forgiven and freed. – Teresa

Jeremiah 31: 31-34 ESV (Emphasis added)

³¹ “The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. ³² This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the Lord.

³³ “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. ³⁴ And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the Lord. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”

Our distress is great, O Lord, and there were times when your people of old did not turn to You.

May that not be Your Church today. We need You to notice, to hear our cry for help and remold us into useful vessels for You.

Help us to be reliable for the sake of Your name. Help us to repent of our evil ways and practices, so that we may be blessed with Your Holy Spirit’s comfort. #steadfastlove

We abhor stubbornness, willful sins and muddied paths. Please restore Your highway of salvation through the wilderness. Do not turn Your back on us.

We are the work of Your hand. Please give us a willing heart. -Teresa

Jeremiah 18:5-17 (ESV)

⁵ Then the Lord gave me this message: ⁶ “O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand. ⁷ If I announce that a certain nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed, ⁸ but then that nation renounces its evil ways, I will not destroy it as I had planned.⁹ And if I announce that I will plant and build up a certain nation or kingdom, ¹⁰ but then that nation turns to evil and refuses to obey me, I will not bless it as I said I would.

¹² But the people replied, “Don’t waste your breath. We will continue to live as we want to, stubbornly following our own evil desires.”

¹¹ “Therefore, Jeremiah, go and warn all Judah and Jerusalem. Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am planning disaster for you instead of good. So turn from your evil ways, each of you, and do what is right.’”

¹³ So this is what the Lord says:

“Has anyone ever heard of such a thing,
    even among the pagan nations?
My virgin daughter Israel
    has done something terrible!
¹⁴ Does the snow ever disappear from the mountaintops of Lebanon?
    Do the cold streams flowing from those distant mountains ever run dry?
¹⁵ But my people are not so reliable, for they have deserted me;
    they burn incense to worthless idols.
They have stumbled off the ancient highways
    and walk in muddy paths.
¹⁶ Therefore, their land will become desolate,
    a monument to their stupidity.
All who pass by will be astonished
    and will shake their heads in amazement.
¹⁷ I will scatter my people before their enemies
    as the east wind scatters dust.
And in all their trouble I will turn my back on them
    and refuse to notice their distress.”

Psalm 138:7,8 (ESV)

[7] Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. [8] The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Being fruitful for God’s kingdom also means strength. The deliverance bought for us through Christ’s redemption is the foundation for a new beginning.

It’s like starting over, where our past has been written over with His powerful presence that is not only glorious but can endure for the long haul.

Look at Paul’s life (who wrote this letter to the church at Colossae). He was able to endure through mind-boggling hardships for the joy of knowing Christ Jesus as Lord. Not to mention it was also for the goal of bringing many to glory who would have otherwise missed their life’s purpose.

After all, being a religious Jew was not what the Lord had in mind for Paul. Instead, he was converted on the road to Damascus from radical zealousness for the Pharisaic traditions to no longer persecuting Christ Jesus, the head of the church.

When God’s glory left the temple, it allowed a new way for God to be represented to the world John 1:14. How impactful was the early church on the Roman world? Beyond a doubt, it went way beyond Jerusalem and Judea even to the outer limits of civilization at that time.

Why should we be surprised when God continues to show up in every nation and people group where lives are being transformed, bearing good fruit by the power of the gospel?

Fruit is not hidden but is witnessed in a life whose sins are forgiven, living in way that is pleasing to God. -Teresa #lightson

Colossians 1: 9-14 (ESV)

⁹ And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰ so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; ¹² giving thanks^[d] to the Father, who has qualified you^[e]to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.¹³ He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

This morning, our walk after coffee ended up at Home Depot where we found this treasure. I prayed about what plant to buy (since they are all part of my prayer garden and represent something amazing).

The reason “breath of heaven” was significant is not only because my husband loved it but because it represents God’s work on my emotions this week. I’ve been attending a Theology of Emotions course through BWGI institute .

If you listen to this wonderful song that I added to my playlist today, by Amy Grant, you may gain a small glimpse into my feelings of God’s greatness in sending such a refreshing breath of heaven, our Savior and Redeemer, through a teenage girl.

When we realize how much rejection our Savior experienced for us, then we can be grateful for His ability to not just hold us together (like Mary’s song and prayer) but to redeem us from the curse of a sin-sick world.

Thank you, Father, for giving us a most precious gift- Your Son, so that we could be healed. He is worthy of so much honor. “All glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14)

If you are feeling that you may not make it safely home, savor this thought…He has issued a welcome invitation that will always be open for those who need healing from Him. -Teresa

Isaiah 53:3-5 (NLT)

³ He was despised and rejected—
    a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
    He was despised, and we did not care.

⁴ Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
    it was our sorrows^[m] that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
    a punishment for his own sins!
⁵ But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.

This memory from when our kids were in high school reminds me of my husband’s passion for mountain climbing.

There were several adventures that he embarked on with various athletic people. On one particular excursion, he was reminded how even one misstep by anyone in the party could mean demise for everyone.

In the body of Christ (the church), we are part of a living and breathing organism, dependent on the head (Christ Jesus the Lord). The Holy Spirit indwells each believer in the body, sealing them for the day of redemption.

By keeping in step with the Spirit, we are united in the advance of God’s kingdom and purpose on earth. Lord, help us to avoid conceit and anything that breaks our unity with You.

The desires of the flesh are opposed to those of the Spirit. Whenever the law is at the helm, we are emboldening the flesh and plenty of missteps can happen.

Whenever our Lord, Christ Jesus, is at the helm we are reminded of the crucifixion. Yes, His suffering for our forgiveness puts it all in perspective. It is not my puny works of righteousness but His death, burial and resurrection that seal my salvation.

How willing am I to yield myself to such a selfless love? Which begs the question, how will the world know we are Christians? They will know it by our love for one another in the church, worldwide.

Let’s keep in step today (with the Spirit) because the watching “world” is waiting for a reason more compelling than law bound, intellectual arguments to be saved. -Teresa #heartofGod #John3:16

Galatians 5: 16-26 (ESV)

Keep in Step with the Spirit

¹⁶ But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. ¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, ²¹ envy,^[a]drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do^[b] such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴ And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.Read full chapter

Footnotes

1. Galatians 5:21 Some manuscripts add murder
2. Galatians 5:21 Or make a practice of doing

We saw the rabbit on our way to coffee but there was no sign of him on the walk back, only a coyote on the hunt!

While visiting mom this past week, she asked me this, “how do I know who to trust?” My answer was: “you raised us right, mom. Your children are not criminals.”

Those who trust the Lord with all their hearts by acknowledging him -will be given direction.

Ask someone you trust when unsure of life’s direction. Those who listen to wily coyotes (aka those who tickle their ears), may end up as a choice morsel.

Many of us learned this from Saturday morning cartoons. Anymore, the professors and teachers of the highly intelligent are winning over those with a deeper need. This need to “belong” is so great that it woos them into a web of lies.

Human understanding can get us so far but the leap of faith is what decides our eternal destiny. (Read C.S.Lewis’s first book after his conversion to illustrate this point, “The Pilgrim’s Regress”)- be sure to get the annotated version to explain some of his complex language describing various worldviews. #scholar

All week I had to ask God for strength, direction and His love to guide me. The culmination of His answer came when I prayed in my hotel room (the last morning at the Marriott), listening to Chris Tomlin’s “Good, good Father”. God the Father gave me an understanding of how much I was loved. The amazing “turn around” I experienced brought me out of heart-wrenching grief to joy and peace, making me grateful beyond all measure.

We may not always understand why things happen the way they do but we can trust our Father’s heart of love. – Teresa

Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV

[5] Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. [6] In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Sometimes we must partake in a bountiful feast to remember that refreshing comes from God.

He created us, He understands that our constitution is fragile (but dust), yet He has loved mankind in an amazing way. Even the spirit world is in awe of God’s treatment of mankind, allowing redemption for His eternal home (Isaiah 52: 13-15).

What brings God glory? Have you ever heard someone praise God when they just found out they have terminal cancer? Their brokenness and desire to weep as David did, fully drenching their bed with their tears brings glory to God.

Why? Because they know how valuable their life is to Him. Their faith buoys my soul with grateful longing to also value my life.

Maybe what you are facing this week is hard, to the point of death. Remember to value the gift of life you’ve been given. Without it, you would not have an opportunity for eternal redemption.

His love pursues us in amazing ways. It is pure and from the heart of desire- buying us back for His glory. -Teresa

Song of Solomon 2:16,17 (NLT)

¹⁶ My lover is mine, and I am his.
    He browses among the lilies.
¹⁷ Before the dawn breezes blow
    and the night shadows flee,
return to me, my love, like a gazelle
    or a young stag on the rugged mountains.^[f]

Isaiah 52:13-15 (ESV)

He Was Pierced for Our Transgressions[13] Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. [14] As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind— [15] so shall he sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths because of him, for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand.