6-16-2018 Take It Through The Week

6-16-2018 Take It Through The Week

Monday – We sing a song at church that says, “There is no rock, there is no God
like our God.” The reason that Jesus is called a rock is because one of the
“pictures” in scripture of Jesus is as the Rock of our salvation. In scripture Jesus
is represented as light, as water, as bread and many other word “pictures”. He is
represented this way so that we can know the different aspects of His character.
Here in Exodus, the Israelites have been murmuring and complaining. They
weren’t satisified in Egypt, but now that they are no longer in Egypt they’re not
satisfied either. Although they complain so much that at times God says He
would rather just wipe them out, Moses regularly asks God to spare them and
God does. Here in front of the the rock at Horeb, Moses is going to strike the rock
and water is going to pour out of it. This meets the immediate needs of the
Israelites but more importantly becomes a prophecy of the coming Messiah. Just
as Moses struck the rock at Horeb, so God struck Jesus on the cross. Read Is. 53:4
This too, is a prophecy of how God will strike Jesus for our sin. And when Jesus
is stricken for our sin on the cross, the Water of Life will pour out from the cross
to “whoever desires should take the living water as a gift.” (Rev. 22:17)
Tuesday – Isaiah 48:21 The book of Isaiah also refers to the time when Moses
struck the rock and water flowed out. Why is this event referred to so many
times in the Old and New Testaments? Read Numbers 20:10-11 It says, “the
community and their livestock drank.” What we are talking about is a great
amount of water flowing out of where there was none. When it says “the
community and their livestock”, we are talking between 1,000,000 and
3,000,000 people and their livestock. In Exodus 12:37-38 it says the men alone
numbered 600,000. In that day, men had multiple wives, and many children. The
numbers above may be way too low. The sudden flow of water out of the rock,
that was enough to give life to the whole community and their livestock was a
massive flow of water. Just as when Jesus became for us “the water of life”, it was
not a small inconsequential flow of spiritual water. It was enough for everyone
who would ever live to be able to drink and never thirst spiritually again. It was
enough spiritual water for John to say, “For God so love the world…” and for the
world to be able to drink, should they choose to. It was enough of the Water of
Life for it to flow through the ages and through the generations and never run
out even eventually flowing through the halls of eternity, for all eternity. It was
enough for Jesus to say that whoever drank from this water would, “…never
thirst again.” Because He said it we know that it is true. Thank Him for the living
water in you.
Wednesday – Mark 9:41 True Christianity is always expressed in simple acts of
great kindness done in the Name of the Messiah. Great reward is associated with
noticing and doing simple things no one else has noticed. These are simple
things that need to be done, because there is someone in need. Even things as
simple as bringing someone a glass of water carry great reward upon reaching
the Kingdom of Heaven. But here is the stipulation for the great reward in the
doing of those simple things; they must be done in Jesus’ Name. Now we know
that we must pray in Jesus’ Name, because that is how we access the throne of
heaven. But in just the same manner we must serve in Jesus Name, because that
is what echoes His greatness through the halls of heaven. Bringing someone who
is thirsty a glass of water and being greatly rewarded for it, brings into focus just
how great our God is. If not even a sparrow falls to the ground without his
noticing, how is it that He can also know and notice the very intent of our hearts
when doing simple kindnesses? Because it is not just you and not just me, but
every believer everywhere who will be rewarded for every act of kindness.
Surely that speaks of Him much more than it speaks of us, for He is the one who
commanded such kindness. Take a few moments and ask the Lord to use you in
some simple way to repay some of the kindness shown to you.
Thursday – 1 Corinthians 10:1–4 How were those in the Old Testament saved?
They, like us, were saved by faith. Their faith was in the coming Messiah. We are
saved by faith in the Messiah who walked the earth 2000 years ago. The
Israelites all ate the same spiritual food, they drank the same spiritual drink. Yes,
Jesus was also the Bread of Life to them. He was just as much the Water of Life to
them. They simply believed in what was to come. Yes they even “…drank from a
spiritual rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” Yes, they drank
from the water of life that was promised to New Testament believers. Read John
7:38. Ask Him to help you live, full of living water, and flowing His love to others.
Friday – Revelation 22:17 A gift is simply that. It is something that is not earned
or necessarily even, deserved. Something that is truly a gift speaks more of the
giver than the one who receives it. And it can only be received with an open and
grateful heart, if the giver is to be respected properly. Read Romans 6:23. What
we all deserve is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.
Our response should be to do what it says in Mark 16:15. Pray with me. Lord
help me to advance your Kingdom. You have given me a wonderful gift. Help me live
so full of your life that __(think of someone)___sees you in me. Help me to forgive
others, even the ones who don’t deserve or are not asking for it. Help me to show
the same patience to others that you have shown to me. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Saturday – Luke 12:8–9 We make a public declaration of our faith in Jesus Christ
because He tells us to. For most believers that occurs when we are baptized by
immersion. That is our public acknowledgment of our faith in Jesus Christ. Our
faith in Him and our public acknowledgement yields eternal results. In that
moment when time ceases to exist and everything rests on His
acknowledgement of us, He says He will. He says that anyone who acknowledges
Him publicly, He will acknowledge before the angels of God. That’s a really
important detail in this scripture, because for those who have never accepted
Christ and are condemned to hell, God’s angels are the ones to carry out God’s
sentence for the condemned. Therefore it is a really important detail that it is the
Lord Jesus Christ himself who claims us “…before the angels of God”, in the halls
of heaven. Read Eph. 2:8-9 We are saved by grace through faith. So much is
given to us for the mere acknowledgement of His name before men. He does not
ask us to die on a cross but only to believe that He did and to tell others what He
has done for them. What a Grace-full, Merciful God! Spend a few minutes on your
knees worshiping Him and thanking Him for His grace and mercy.