Luke 2 in a nutshell

Luke 2

Ceasar taxed
Couple traveled
Angel announced
Heavenly host praised
Shepherds hasted
People wondered
Parents presented
Simeon blessed
Joseph and Mary marvelled
Anna thanked
God graced
Jesus grew

Luke's Gospel

Lk 1

The gospel of Luke, the longest book in the New Testament, was written by Luke to Theophilus.

The word Theophilus means “a friend (or lover) of God,” or a pious man; and it has been supposed by some that Luke did not refer to any particular “individual,” but to any man that loved God;

It is probable that he was some distinguished Roman or Greek who had been converted, who was a friend of Luke, and who had requested an account of these things. (Barnes)

Therefore, though this gospel was intended by Luke for an individual in his contemporary time, the Holy Ghost intends it for a lovers of God for all time.

This book is a tremendous gift of God's love to us as it presents the story of Jesus' birth and ministry from the perspective of a medical doctor.

We are excited about this journey through Luke's good news of the gospel.

Every Day is a New day

Lev 15:5 And whosoever toucheth his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

This phrase, "...and be unclean until the even." appears 28 times in the Word. It deals with situations where folks who have touched something else unclean have to bathe and then are considered unclean themselves until sunset, which, in the Old Testament, starts a brand new day.

Genesis, chapter one, sets this pattern for the new day when it states. "and the evening and the morning were the first day." etc.

Now, let's make this relative to us. We rightfully regret our failures. But we have to repent, learn from them and move on. Each day is a new day and God intends for it to be fresh, sin free and devoted to fellowship with Him.

Is it any wonder the Apostle instructs us, "Let not the sun go down upon your wrath."? It is a great idea to start a new day putting the past where it belongs, in the past.

I wonder, are you allowing hurts, mistakes, offenses and the like to fester day after day? Imagine a beast of burden, say a camel, being laden down with items and never being relieved of the burden. Eventually that animal will succumb to the weight.

Now, think about the load you are carrying. Understand the additional issues that are heaped upon you. What do you think is going to eventually happen to you?

So Peter tells us to cast our every care upon the Lord because He cares for you.

Friend, why not lay your burden down before the close of the day? Jesus invites
us, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Mt 11:28-30

Hey, if you will confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive you of your sins and cleanse you of ALL your unrighteousness.

Bring your sins, your heartaches and your burdens to the Lord and let Him start for you a new, clean day.

Home!

My blogs have been somewhat spotty over the past week and a half due to my Central America trip. Well, 5 volcano eruptions and an earthquake later, I am back home and blogging regularly again. Thanks for checking in and, just for the fun of it, please comment if you read this.

Night of the Living Dead – Day of the Living Living

Lev 14:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Lev 14:2 This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest:

Just reading the 13th and 14th chapters of Leviticus hurts on several levels. The details of the pronouncement of the disease, the instructions and restrictions for the leper, their cleansing and their offerings once they were cleansed, are tedious reading.

The worst hurt though, is for the victims of leprosy. It was a horrible disease that made the sick person one of the living dead. "Tsarim" is what they were called. They were banished from society. They were miserable, they stank, they were ugly, they were hated, oh, they were in the worst imaginable class of people on earth.

Leprosy no longer is the danger it once was, praise the Lord! The last leper colony, in Hawaii, was closed down not too long ago.

But another type of leprosy lingers, and that is the disease of sin. Leprosy, in the Bible, is analogous with the sinner's condition.

Reading the laws of offerings for the cleansed leper here in chapter 14 is interesting, because lepers were never healed. It would take an absolute miracle for that to happen. Elisha was instrumental in the healing of Naaman and Jesus, of course, healed many lepers. Other than that, it is unheard of.

If a leper did receive healing, chapter 14 constrains him to offer 2 birds, 3 sheep, some flour and oil. That may seem like a lot to a poor leper, but, believe me, any leper would love to have the chance to make such an offering.

The Walking Dead: Recalling that leprosy is the type of the sinner's condition, salvation is the sinner's healing. We notice that the actual pronouncement of cleansing comes after the offering. The lambs represent Jesus, the Lamb for sinners, slain. The blood is applied to his ear, thumb and big toe. This represents total cleansing; of the sinful things we hear and think, the things we do and the places we have gone.

Subsequently, the oil, the Holy Spirit, is then applied to the same body parts that he may be filled with Spirit power in his thinking, hearing, doing and going. Additionally, the priest sprinkles the oil 7 times with his finger. This represents the 7 fold ministry of the Holy Spirit. Then, the remaining oil is poured over the head of the person, representing the one baptism and many fillings of the Spirit.

The Walking Living: Oh, thank God for the miraculous that has taken place in our lives. We, the leprous, are washed whiter than snow and filled with the Holy Ghost for power for living.

Now we are the walking living.

The Glory of the Lord

Exo 40:35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

As I read about the details of the tabernacle in the wilderness in the last several chapters of Exodus, I am amazed by the intricacies of its color, its gold, brass and other materials.

The detail was absolutely astounding. Two extremely skilled men, Bezaleel and Aholiab, were employed by Moses to cunningly construct the tabernacle and its furniture.

I suppose "eye-popping" would be an apt description once the tent was erected and everything was put in place.

Beauty, holiness, functionality and detail graced this marvelous worship center. And yet, we have to recognize that it all points to Jesus. The typology shown in the tabernacle is wonderful to the most minute detail.

I have a thought that boggles my mind. As grandiose as the wilderness project of Moses was, one day we will be in the presence of Jesus, Whom the Bible calls the temple of heaven. There, we will behold His glory and beauty. Imagine our gatherings at that heavenly temple replete with the eternal Sacrifice and the very presence of the Shekinah glory of God.

What a day that will be!!!

Buenas Dias!

Good day from Central America! Heading out the door to go to Guatemala for some R&R after a great day yesterday in El Salvador. Will post a new blog soon. Thanks for checking.