Profane not the LORD

Leviticus 18:21 “… neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.”

Leviticus 19:8  because he hath profaned the hallowed thing of the LORD:

Leviticus 19:12  And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.

Leviticus 20:3  And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.

Leviticus 21:6  hey shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God: for the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and the bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be holy.

Leviticus 21:12   Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the LORD.

Leviticus 21:23  Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them.

Leviticus 22:2   Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they profane not my holy name in those things which they hallow unto me: I am the LORD.

Leviticus 22:9  They shall therefore keep mine ordinance, lest they bear sin for it, and die therefore, if they profane it: I the LORD do sanctify them.

Leviticus 22:15  And they shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, which they offer unto the LORD;

Leviticus 22:32  Neither shall ye profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the LORD which hallow you,

ll;x' {khaw-lal'} = Meaning:  1) to profane, defile, pollute, desecrate, to treat as common

I think that God was serious when He said that we are not to profane His name or His holy things, or that which He has hallowed/sanctified.  Which makes me think…Christians are in the process of this thing we call sanctification.  It is a work of the Holy Spirit, to make us more like the image of Christ.  So if God is sanctifying me, as a person, then I am not to profane myself.  I am to walk circumspectly (Eph. 5:15) and not conform myself to the world (Rom. 12:2).  We just studied this in BSF last week from John 15.  The world will hate Christians as it hated Christ.  Why?  Because we do not belong to the world.  We are not to be like the world…even to win them to Christ.  James 1:27 states that “pure religion…[is] unspotted from the world.”  Anytime I let a little bit of the world…even just a speck of dust or a touch of dirt…profane my life as a Christian, I am hurting Christ and hurting the reputation of my God – the LORD, the self-existing one.  These are just the references to profaning the LORD.  I must be more careful – not to let a bad word, an evil or hateful thought, a selfish desire, an unkind word or action, defile and profane me as the sanctified of the Lord.  For when I am profane, then I have profaned Him as well, for I bear His name.

And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.  24 But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I am the LORD your God, which have separated you from other people. 26  And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.  (Leviticus 20:23-24,26  )

Feb. 26, 2010 Devotions

Today is my 28 month wedding anniversary.  I said it to Ben first…winning for the first time in a while.

Mark 7:6-9  He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.  7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.  8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.  9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

The Lord is using this to point some sin in my life.  I just prayed and asked Him to this morning.  In many areas I am a hypocrite, honoring God with my lips but my heart is far from Him.  In so many things I give lip service, yet my heart is not right.  Specifically He has been working on me lately regarding my attitude toward the brethren.  I go to church with an unloving spirit,  a complaining heart, a critical attitude.  Even if I don’t agree with every practice, method, sermon, song, etc. I can go and show love for my brothers and sisters in Christ.  They may not be perfect.  They may say things that hurt me, or do things that alarm me or shock me or hurt me.  But I must forgive, and I must love.

It reminds me of a quote by Charles Spurgeon that I used to have on my refrigerator (perhaps I should put it up again):

“He who grows in grace remembers that he is but dust, and he therefore does not expect his fellow Christians to be anything more. He overlooks ten thousand of their faults, because he knows his God overlooks twenty thousand in his own case. He does not expect perfection in the creature, and, therefore, he is not disappointed when he does not find it.” ~Charles Spurgeon

I have also been feeling convicted about honesty.  I am prone to exaggeration, which some excuse as easily as a “little white lie.”  (I wonder do we call it white because we do not consider it to be sin, and therefore black?)  I was upset when Dad told me to leave the purchase price of the car blank so that the new buyer could decide how much they want to pay taxes on.  But yet I don’t want to claim the income from selling the car on my taxes.  That is hypocritical.  I need to be honest and upright in every area of my life.

Feb. 23, 2010 Devotions – He Marvelled Because of Their Unbelief

Mark 6:5-6  And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.  6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.

It must have been very great unbelief in order to cause Jesus to marvel at it.  I wonder…has He ever had to marvel at unbelief in my life?  He shows Himself strong, He answers prayer, He provides needs, He gives direction, He is so good to me all of the time.  How do I respond?  Is it with greater faith, and greater works?  I have the Holy Spirit in my life.  John 14 promises that I should do greater works.  But what is my response?  Unbelief?  Refusal to pray?  An attitude of self-sufficiency?  Unwilling to deflect the glory to the right Person?  Surely, considering the many things He has done in me, for me, and to prove Himself to me, He must marvel sometimes at my lack of faith and trust and dependence on Him.  In Mark 6, He was in His own country – Galilee – these people had watched Him grow up.  They knew Him.  Yet they were unbelieving.  I do not want this to be the case in my life.  I do not want to know of Him, and not know Him (experientially).  When I know of Him, it should increase my thirst and desire to know Him more…in full reality.

Mark 6:31 teaches that those who have been ministering need to take a rest sometimes and refuel.

Feb. 22, 2010 Devotions – Help My Unbelief

Leviticus 10:10  And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;

While I may not “be” holy as God is, yet He looks upon me as holy when He sees Jesus Christ.  I am to live a “holy” life before Him, and before others, that they may see a difference between the holy and the unholy.

Mark 4:40 “And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?”  This is what Jesus said to His disciples just after the storm.  He was in the boat with them the entire time, yet they thought that they were about to perish, and awoke Him in fear.  Sometimes this idea of living in Brooklyn, of moving, of making it financially, of raising a family in the City, of being a Pastor’s wife, make me very fearful.  Like giants of doubt and failure breathing down upon me.  And what is His response (when I finally bring my burden to His feet)?  “Why are you so fearful?  Where is your faith?”  I pray with the man of Mark 9:24 - “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”  I want to have stronger faith.  I want to trust my Lord and rely upon His promises…as a way of life and not just as a last resort.  Lord – help my unbelief!

Mark 5:36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.

Feb. 19, 2010 Devotions

Mark 3:35 - 4:1 For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother. 

What a privilege to be related to the God of the universe – the self-existing One!  I am His child by adoption, I am the sister of Christ by His blood, and I am in His family if I do the Will of God.

Mark 4:20-25  And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.  21 And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?  22 For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.  23 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.  24 And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.  25 For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.

I want to be that good ground upon which the Word of God can fall, and bring forth fruit.  I know that this parable speaks of salvation by the Word, but there is application to a saved person hearing the Word.  Oh Lord – what kind of ground am I?  Am I in the hand of Satan, allowing him to pluck the Word out of my heart?  Am I easily offended and weak so that I can not endure tribulation?  Am I allowing worldly affections to choke your Word?  I want it to fall on supple soil ready for planting that will yield fruit an hundred fold.

Feb. 18, 2010 Devotions

Mark 3:25 “…if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.”  It is vital for my children and my ministry that I be united and one with Ben.  Our home will not last if I am working against him.

NYC or Bust!

We have been struggling with our decision regarding New York City.  Today Ben came home and told me that he thinks we should go.  Focusing on finances does not increase our faith.  We have been concerned with how to get there, rather than should we be going.  Yes.  We are going.  Tell me – what is impossible when God is on your side?  He is leading us there.  He has opened the door.  He will have to provide the means for us to live in the city.  I know God can do it… “But as for God, His way is perfect!”

Mark 3:4-5   And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.  5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

Oh how sad it must make God when we harden our hearts in stubbornness and unbelief.  It angers Him and breaks His heart at the same time.  Lord, please keep me tender toward you!