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The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread

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Revelation 3:18 Therefore I counsel you to purchase from Me gold refined and tested by fire, that you may be [truly] wealthy, and white clothes to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nudity from being seen, and salve to put on your eyes, that you may see.

Today is the twelfth day of counting the omer or the measure of barley grain coming from the harvest. Question is, Are you harvesting the “grain” of His Word? Which raises another question, Why are there so many references to bread in the Bible? Jesus was born in Bethlehem, or the House of Bread. Jesus referred to Himself as the Bread of Life. When Jesus was led in the wilderness by the Spirit – following being filled with the Spirit (Luke 4:1) – He told Satan that man does not live on bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. I can keep going but I believe you have gotten the point. Unbeknownst to most wealthy Westerners, bread, or some form of it is a basic commodity of life. Most of the World’s poor can’t afford to slaughter their chickens, cows or goats every day – but they can afford grain to grind into flour to make bread. Which is an interesting concept. As I mentioned in a previous post barley grain is ground into flour by the impoverished to make bread. Barley bread is inferior to bread made from wheat. Wheat then is known as the bread of the wealthy, or more financially stable. Why is all of this significant and how is it connected to the counting of the omer? 

Revelation 3:18 is addressed to the wealthy, self-satisfied, “have no need” Laodiceans. One of the things Jesus counseled them to do was to purchase from Him “salve” to put on their eyes. How was that significant and relevant to the Laodiceans? The Greek word for eye salve is kollurion. Greek was the primary language spoken by the common, average, everyday person. That being understood the Laodiceans knew this word used by John contained a dual meaning. Kollurion could refer to the medicine produced in Laodicea used for treating various vision problems, or it could refer to a roll of bread. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament had this to say: The Greek term kolloúrion carries a fascinating dual meaning rooted in its physical form. The word derives from kollýra, which refers to coarse bread shaped like a cylinder. Jesus’ beatitudes commends those who are poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of God. 

How do we apply all of this to making the omer count? Only those who “see” their poverty of Spirit will recognize and hunger for the “bread” that not only feeds them – but heals the way they “see”. Are you poor in the things of the Spirit? Or are you so rich spiritually that you don’t need His Bread? Can you see Jesus? Can you hear His Voice? Can you recognize when He knocks? May I suggest paying the price to get alone with Him for Him to eat with you and you with Him? He really does prepare a table in the midst of your enemy. Are you hungry to hear His Voice? Hungry to see Him? Hungry to hear Him knocking?

Who’s Your Daddy?

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Ruth 1: 1, 20-21 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem of Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, his wife, and his two sons…..20 And she said to them, Call me not Naomi [pleasant]; call me Mara [bitter], for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.21 I went out full, but the Lord has brought me home again empty. Why call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?

There are many peculiar contradictions embedded in this first chapter of Ruth: there was a famine in the land…but Naomi claims, I went out full; there is a famine in Bethlehem…the House of Bread? Moab means Who’s your father or Who’s your daddy?…When God was to be their Father. Moabites were historical enemies of Israel from the Exodus through the times of King Saul. Yet this is where Naomi’s husband led his wife and family. What’s really sad is Naomi’s perspective on the entire ordeal: …call me Mara [bitter], for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me….the Lord has brought me home again empty…the Lord has testified against me….the Almighty has afflicted me. The Lord is receiving the blame yet she is missing the obvious and glaring fact that Her husband, Elimelech, led them into their predicament.

Ruth 1:1 states that these were the days the judges ruled. Yet the book of Judges states, But the Lord raised up judges, who delivered them out of the hands of those who robbed them. And yet they did not listen to their judges, for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed down to them. They turned quickly out of the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they did not so. (Judges 2:16-17) The book of Judges agrees with this Scripture stating that everyone did what was right in their own eyes. (Sound familiar?)

Naomi left Bethlehem full but returned spiritually famished after feeding off the idolatry of Moab. She had grown accustomed to the sacrifice of children in the land of Moab – the god of Chemosh. Her return to the land of her inheritance should have been a returning to God – her Father – instead all she could do was find fault with Him. The only thing she was full of was bitterness and self-pity. But that’s the life of one ruled by self – doing what is right in your own eyes. Hebrews 12:15 warns: See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;…ESV Over the years I have prayed for people who, although, they began with a root of bitterness – the root grew into a tree, and the fruit it bore was disastrous. Usually this seed sprouts from a perceived hurt. The hurt breeds unforgiveness. Unforgiveness evolves into judgments, and judgments become vows (I would never have done, I would have never said, etc.) While all of these things are rooted in pride, and the center of self, you become a curse. The good news is that our Father is forgiving and loving and Jesus, our Kinsman Redeemer, has already paid our redemption, or ransom. All you have to do is acknowledge your sins, release the person or persons from the judgments you have had, confess your vows, and be restored into right relationship with your True Father. In other words, be released from the prison cell of your own making.

Two Faces of Time

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Today marks the beginning of the end – that is for 2024. Around the world, new beginnings from a new year symbolize a fresh start encouraging people to set goals and begin again. But where did all of this originate? As far as we know the first culture to celebrate the new year was Mesopotamia which began around 2000 B.C. – near the end of March. But Emperor Julius Caesars’ solar-based calendar (46 B.C.) helped to introduce our practice of January 1 – as New Years. January 1 being chosen for its dedication to Janus – the god of two faces, the god of gateways and beginnings. It was believed he could go back in time and move forward in the future (January also being named after Janus).

The practice of watching the ball drop at midnight in Times Square (a tradition begun in 1907) actually hearkens back to the tradition of the sailors use of “time balls” or chronometers for setting their timepieces. Through a spyglass, they would navigate the harbor and find balls thrown into the water at specific periods.

Navigating time seems to sum up our practice of looking forward and backward to chart a new direction for our life’s voyage. Which causes another interesting detail from the birth of Jesus to surface. When the Wise Men stopped in Jerusalem to ask for directions Herod sent them in the wrong direction. They would have gone backwards rather than forwards. Two Scriptures point out that when the Wise Men arrived to worship Jesus He was already around 18 months old and living in His own house: Matthew 2:11 And on going into the house, they saw the Child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. And Matthew 2:16 Then Herod, when he realized that he had been misled by the wise men, was furiously enraged, and he sent and put to death all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that territory who were two years old and under, reckoning according to the date which he had investigated diligently and had learned exactly from the wise men.

The Apostle Paul stated that the goal of his life was to forget what was behind and strain toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward. (Php. 3:13-14) From all of these things you could surmise that your goal as a follower of Jesus is to be mindful of not getting lost looking for Jesus in the wrong direction, seeking to be free of being two faced, and charting out a new direction for your life through pursuing Jesus’ call. Ultimately the question begging to be answered is: How can you follow Jesus if your focus is on what’s behind you rather than the One Who is directly in front of you? Could you conclude that since God exists outside of time that the only thing truly two-faced is time – since you were created to exist in eternity – outside of time?

The Black Spot

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In the book written by Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, pirates are presented with a “black spot” to officially pronounce a guilty verdict. The black spot consisted of a circular piece of paper, with one side blackened while the other side bore the message into the hand of the accused. It was a source of great fear because it meant the pirate was to be deposed as leader, by force or else killed. In the book, Treasure Island, Long John Silver receives the black spot, torn from a page in the Bible and taken from Revelation 22:15: “Without are dogs and murderers.” On describing the “black spot” Stevenson adds the following: The printed side had been blackened with wood ash, which already began to come off and soil my fingers; on the blank side had been written with the same material the one word “Depposed”.

Which brings to mind another interesting detail that’s often overlooked when we read or hear the story of Christ’s birth, and the facts which surround it. Luke 2:7-8 records: And she gave birth to her Son, her Firstborn; and she wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room or place for them in the inn.8 And in that vicinity there were shepherds living [out under the open sky] in the field, watching [in shifts] over their flock by night.

These two verses alert us to a small detail often ignored, swaddling clothes. Why was this detail significant? Luke 2:12 records the message of the angel: And this will be a sign for you [by which you will recognize Him]: you will find after searching] a Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

Why was a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes a sign? The researchers for One Path Research state the following: These shepherds weren’t ordinary shepherds…they had a special task that was critical to the temple and the sacrifices made to God. You see, when people came to the temple and made a sacrifice you were to bring a lamb without a spot or any blemish. If you did not have such a sacrifice, you could purchase one from the temple which the shepherds would provide.

Their task was simple. When a lamb was being born, the shepherds assisted with the birth as the lamb could not touch the ground until they were cleaned and examined thoroughly.  If they found that it had a “spot”, or physical defect, they would then put it on the ground so it could mix with the other lambs. It would not be suitable for a sacrifice as only the best could be offered to God.  If the lamb was spotless, or physically perfect, then it was their job to ensure that it did not get hurt in any way and possibly get a “blemish”, which is a small cut, wound, bruise, or any other small flaw from the time it was born to the time it was sacrificed. To make sure that the spotless lamb’s feet didn’t get cut on the rocks, they would wrap the lambs’ feet with clean “swaddling clothes” that were already there for that purpose. Only after the lamb’s feet were wrapped up would they place the lamb on the ground to walk. 

When the shepherds came….where Jesus was laid in the manger, they saw Him wrapped in the same swaddling strips used to cover the spotless lambs to prevent them from getting a blemish and they understood immediately that Jesus was indeed the “Lamb of God” (John 1:29) who came to be sacrificed at Passover, and hence providing a means by which the relationship between us and God can be reestablished for those that accept His gift of salvation and continuously be led by the Holy Spirit as we serve the Lord.

Why is this detail significant for you and me? We are all called by Scripture to “examine” Jesus for spot or blemish. Luke 2:15 states: “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” Even Pilate, in the Gospels of Luke and John, declares: I find no fault in Him. Yet when it comes to examining the claims of Jesus for ourselves we often take someone else’s word for it and forsake the examination. But when it comes to finding fault, examining others as if they were Jesus, we can do nothing but find fault. In fact it seems this is our predisposition. If you are one who is prone to make New Years resolutions, remind yourself that Jesus was and still is examined – in order that you and I could pass the cross examination and receive the “not guilty” verdict from our Holy and Righteous Father. And add to your New Years resolutions: Extend grace and mercy – not looking for the black spots in others lives.

The Glass is…?

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Ruth 1:19-21 So they both went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred about them, and said, Is this Naomi? 20 And she said to them, Call me not Naomi [pleasant]; call me Mara [bitter], for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.21 I went out full, but the Lord has brought me home again empty. Why call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?

Whether it was intentional on the part of the author or not it’s ironic that Naomi’s husband leads his family to depart from Bethlehem, the House of Bread – full, while he and his two sons die in the “land of plenty” – empty. Not only is life drained from him and his sons, his wife also returns home empty or so she thought. For you see in the midst of a life that appears to have reached its’ lowest place she fails to recognize the “crumb” of faith being offered through her daughter-in-law, Ruth. Ruth, a Gentile unbeliever (Jews referred to them as dogs), makes an amazing statement of faith: Urge me not to leave you or to turn back from following you; for where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God my God.17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts me from you. (Ruth 1:16-17 AMPC)

This misstep by Naomi reminds me of a song written by my son-in-law, Brian Albin, titled The Best Part. Here are some of the lyrics: It can be easy to let a moment with You slip away. Awake my soul, remember. I get distracted. I am concerned with many things. But there’s only one thing I need. Chorus: This is the Best Part. You are the Best Part of my life. I love to be with You. (Repeat) I wait for You God. You’re the One worth waiting for. There’s only one thing I need. There’s only one thing I need. You are the Bread of Life. You are the Living Word. There’s only one thing I need.…

Are you living from the perspective that “life’s half-empty” missing the Best Part of the “Bread-Crumbs” He’s been leaving? At first Naomi missed it stating the Almighty has afflicted me. She missed the “crumbs” He was presenting through and in the most unlikely of places: a pagan, Gentile daughter-in-law – who chose to believe. Don’t let them slip away. There’s only one thing you need.

My God, the Stomach?

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Php. 3:18-20 For there are many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, who walk (live) as enemies of the cross of Christ (the Anointed One). They are doomed and their fate is eternal misery (perdition); their god is their stomach (their appetites, their sensuality) and they glory in their shame, siding with earthly things and being of their party. But we are citizens of the state (commonwealth, homeland) which is in heaven, and from it also we earnestly and patiently await [the coming of] the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) [as] Savior,…AMPC

We are all familiar with Genesis 3 and how Adam and Eve got distracted by forbidden fruit. It didn’t matter that they were allowed to eat from all the other trees in the Garden – they had to have the forbidden fruit. In Genesis 3:19 Adam is cursed to continue eating food but under one condition: his food will be supplied through the sweat of his brow, or his own self-efforts. In Genesis 25 we discover the older brother of Jacob hungry for some red lentil stew. The price of the soup? The birthright of the firstborn.

According to Paul the enemies of the Cross of Christ (Anointed One of the Spirit) are those whose stomach comes first – their appetites, and sensuality. Sensuality is simply defined as the condition of being pleasing or fulfilling to the senses. What’s truly amazing? Is that throughout the Bible God meets us in our sensuality to redeem us from the curse it brings. You find His offers of redemption from the story of Ruth of Bethlehem, to the announcement of His birth to lowly shepherds. Ruth is gathering barley to feed her and her mother-in-law, Naomi. Shepherds are grazing sheep near the House of Bread – Bethlehem – overseeing sheep who do what they do best: eat. All are hungry for more not realizing the Bread of Life is the only thing that is ever going to truly satisfy them. We’ve all gone to the cafeterias, potlucks, and family reunions where our eyes were bigger than our stomachs. We piled our plates with food and desert, gorging on what our eyes delighted. Moments later we find ourselves feeling over stuffed and miserable. Which raises some interesting questions: Do you eat more physical food than spiritual? What qualifies as spiritual food? and Is there some spiritual food that is actually bad for you?

We have an idiom in our culture that expresses a profound truth: What’s eating you? Which is another way of saying, What are you worried or concerned about? But taking into account our previous discussion we can use that expression as a way of asking, Are the desires of my senses actually devouring my life? Are my desires being fueled by my senses or by eternal things?