Even when I was an atheist, I knew I messed up. I knew I did things I shouldn’t. I couldn’t even obey the rules that I made for myself. I didn’t call these things sin and I didn’t call myself a sinner, but I knew I was far from perfect.
I said mean things behind people’s backs and sometimes even to their faces. I gossiped and slandered and lied. I cussed. I yelled. I manipulated.
Yet I had no solution to this ongoing problem – other than trying harder. Trying harder and failing again.
I was a lone soldier against an army of tanks. I was a lone woman scaling the Rocky Mountains in a blizzard with nothing and no one to protect or guide me.
Then, one day, at God’s appointed time, I heard about the solution to this age-old problem, and it wasn’t found in my own self will or strength. It was found in Jesus, in His will and His strength, for Jesus had gone before me, living the perfect life and dying a sinless death. He has already won the battle. He’s already standing on the mountaintop. He’s already seated on His heavenly throne.
The victory is His. As His born-again child, I am already forgiven, and my sins have already been washed away by His blood.
The blood of Jesus does what no human work can do; it washes clean not only our outer flesh, it purifies even our conscience, giving us the freedom to serve the Living God.
For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Hebrews 9:11-14 ESV
And now by the strength of His Holy Spirit working in me, I’m still fighting and climbing. Not so I can be forgiven – I’m already forgiven. I’m fighting and climbing because I’m His soldier in a war that’s worth fighting. I’m in the Lord’s army, looking for souls in need of rescue. Want to join me?
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Psalm 51:7, 10-17 ESV
Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your forgiveness and your Grace, the power of your Holy spirit and the blood of Jesus. Thank you for not only forgiving me but for purifying my conscience and cleansing my heart. Give me the strength to get back in the battle. You have already won, yet You have called me to be a soldier in Your mighty army. This is a battle that cannot be won in my own strength, but only in your Holy Spirit. Your Word is my sword. Have Your way in me and through me. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
God had chosen the Levites for a special purpose. They were a gift to the Israelites to guard them from the Lord’s holy wrath. The Lord did not give them any allocation of land in Israel. Rather, they were to receive tithes and offerings from the Israelite people. The Lord said, “You shall have no inheritance in [the] land …. I am your portion and inheritance among the people of Israel.” (Numbers 18:20)
This got me thinking again about the whole “Is my belly is my god?” idea that I wrote about a few days ago. Again I asked myself,
Is Jesus enough for me?
Can my belly be full with just Him?
Can I honestly, truly, genuinely say from my heart the words of Psalm 73:26, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever”?
Yesterday my husband had his fourth “throat stretching” procedure. He was diagnosed about twenty years ago with a condition called Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE). EoE causes his throat to be narrow and ridged, making it difficult for him to swallow.
One suggestion the doctor made yesterday after the procedure was that my husband should try to completely eliminate all forms of dairy from his diet because dairy is a common trigger for EoE. Do you hear that? No dairy. Not a drop. Not a spoonful. No milk on your cereal. No yogurt for your breakfast. No ice cream for dessert. No butter slathered on your bread or popcorn. No glass of cold milk for your Oreos. No dairy.
And the complete truth is that over ten years ago I heard about a plan called the Six Food Elimination Diet (SFED) which has been proven to help most people who have EoE. I even talked to a local friend who had done it successfully. SFED has you completely eliminate not only dairy, but also wheat, eggs, nuts, soy, and fish, and then you gradually reintroduce these foods one at a time to figure out what your triggers are. But, here’s the deal: people (including my husband and I) are rarely willing or able to do it. It’s simply too hard. We prize not only our dairy, but also our bread and Oreos and omelettes.
So, friends, here we are again. Where is our hope? In these earthly things, things that trickle down our throats and fill our bellies, or in the Lord who is our eternal portion and treasure, our everlasting inheritance and hope.
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; let him put his mouth in the dust— there may yet be hope; let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults.
For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men.
– Lamentations 3:21-33 ESV
Heavenly Father, You are my eternal hope, my rock, my refuge, my hiding place. Because You are with me, I do not lose hope. Though my flesh and my heart may fail, You are the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Please bless my husband with Your strength, comfort, wisdom, and peace. Heal his physical body and have compassion on him according to the abundance of Your steadfast love. Let him not faint or lose heart. Great indeed is Your faithfulness. We love you. In the good name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and Friend, Amen.
Initially as I began reading Numbers 16, I thought I’d write about the extreme humility and meekness that Moses continues to show again and again. He begs God to spare his people again and again. He doesn’t grab a sword and start cutting people down left and right, but instead asks the Lord to have mercy.
But then, when I got to the end of the chapter, verse 48 it hit me.
“And [Aaron] stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped.”
Numbers 16:48 ESV
Maybe your reaction doesn’t look like mine, but that’s because your life hasn’t looked like mine.
I have the unique honor of standing in the gap, interceding for and reasoning with atheists who are angry with God and angry with his servants. It’s an honor. It’s a privilege. And it’s a calling.
But it’s hard. It’s hard to get in the ring with a mustang that you know is going to lash out at any moment. Yet the only way to gentle that mustang is to get in the ring with it.
Will you please help me to lift up my hands? Will you please stand in the gap with me? Will you pray for me and will you intercede for them, too?
Remember the words of Christ, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
Jesus pursued me while I was His enemy. I want to do likewise.
Oh, Heavenly Father, thank You for the examples of Moses and Aaron, brave men who ran into the plague to rescue people who deserved your wrath. Fill me with Your Mighty Spirit that I can do likewise. Make me like Jesus who came to seek and save the lost. Make me meek and gentle and humble. Keep me from pride and complacency. I need You, Lord. I can’t do it on my own. In the Name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
Here’s my YouTube Live video sharing on this — please WATCH and PRAY with me!!
Come Thou Fount (Above All Else) – Shane & Shane
Curious how I came to believe in Christ from being an atheist??? Check this one.
It is so convicting to read Numbers 14 and see how desperately Moses desires God’s Name to be glorified among the nations. Moses’s top priority isn’t his own comfort, nor the comfort of the Israelites. Rather Moses’s top priority is that God would not be profaned among the Egyptians. Moses feared that “if you kill this people as one man, then the nations who have heard your fame will say, ‘It is because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land that he swore to give to them that he has killed them in the wilderness.'” (Numbers 14:15-16 ESV)
Moses isn’t the only one who put such a high priority on God’s name among the nations. Read Daniel’s prayers from Daniel 9,
“”O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us.
Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.
O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act.
Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.””
– Daniel 9:16-19 ESV
And how about the 79th psalm?
“(1) A Psalm of Asaph. O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
(2) They have given the bodies of your servants to the birds of the heavens for food, the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth.
(3) They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them.
(4) We have become a taunt to our neighbors, mocked and derided by those around us.
(5) How long, O LORD? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy burn like fire?
(6) Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call upon your name!
(7) For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation.
(8) Do not remember against us our former iniquities; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low.
(9) Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake!
(10) Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants be known among the nations before our eyes!
(11) Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; according to your great power, preserve those doomed to die!
(12) Return sevenfold into the lap of our neighbors the taunts with which they have taunted you, O Lord!
(13) But we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.”
– Psalm 79:1-13 ESV
Heavenly Father, I echo the words of the psalmist and cry out, “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”” (Psalm 115:1-2) Father, so many other nations see America as a Christian nation, so we ask for Your sake, for the sake of Your Holy Name, that You will save our land. Draw us back into a right relationship with You, Lord. Heal our land. Forgive us our sins. Give us a heart of repentance, that we would turn to You and turn away from our wicked ways. In the Name of Jesus Christ our Savior and King, Amen.
Yesterday I wrote my thoughts about Numbers 11-12, that the Israelites had made their belly their God – and the truth is that all too often, so do I. Well, today, reading Numbers 13, about that promised land flowing with milk and honey, full of figs and pomegranates and enormous clusters of grapes, I thought, “What about your bellies now? Why are you wishing for fish and onions when you could have milk and honey and grapes?”
And then, again, I remembered how often that’s just how I am, too. All too frequently I’m still wishing for the comfortable, worn-in life that I had in the “good ol’ days” – days that weren’t really all that good if I were honest with myself – rather than being willing to take the risk of pursuing the new, fresh joys that the Lord has waiting for me.
When our heads are turned to look behind us, we can’t see clearly what God has in store for us in the future. Sometimes the only way to press on into the future is to forget what lies behind.
The greatest gifts God has for you aren’t found on this earth. His greatest gifts are found in food or phones, or in family and freedom. Our greatest gifts are found in faith in Jesus Christ. He is our promised land. He is our hope and joy and crown. He is our peace.
And He invites us to come to Him. Now. Today.
There is an enemy fighting against us – the devil, that wiley deceiver, that thief and lion who is masquerading as an angel of light. He is a powerful adversary, but he was defeated the moment Christ rose from the grave.
The winner has already been announced.
Jesus wins! Christ is victorious!
Come and see. Taste and see. God is good!
Heavenly Father, help me to stop thinking about those days of the past where I sat around meat pots and ate fish and onions. I was a slave then, a slave to my belly and a slave to my sin. Jesus has freed me by His blood and welcomed me into Your eternal promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey, full of the abundance of joy found in fellowship with You. Help me to trust and obey, to remember that my foe has been defeated by Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the grave. Jesus has triumphed over sin and death, and invited me to do the same through the power of His Holy spirit! Praise the Lord! In the Almighty name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen!
Numbers 11 the Israelites are complaining about their misfortunes. Despite being miraculously delivered from their slavery in Egypt, despite being given daily manna that tasted like cakes and fell like dew upon the camp each night, the people are discontent. They are remembering the meat and fish, the cucumbers and melons, the leeks and onions and garlic, that they had back in Egypt. It reminded me of this verse in Philippians.
“Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.
Philippians 3:19 ESV
And I’m afraid that is not only a problem for those greedy Israelites. It’s a problem for me. Sadly, the three F’s have been my downfall in recent years: food, Facebook, and phone. Are any of you with me? I have successfully been loosed from Facebook for over a month now, and it feels amazing!
How can we battle these earthly things that war for our minds? I’ve found two things that really help me: Set boundaries and be thankful for what you have.
Setting limits for how much time I spend on my phone has been crucial in this battle.
I discovered a place in my phone settings where I can limit how much time I spend in individual apps, so I’ve set limits for Amazon, YouTube, WeChat, and Chrome. (These are my big 4 stumbling blocks where I can get lost!)
Also, making the conscious decision to plug my phone in to charge out in the kitchen is another great idea.
If my phone battery doesn’t last all day, that means I’ve been on it too much! One charge a day is enough for me. Resist leaving your phone charging all day or plugging it in in the afternoon.
And I’m also finally learning to set limits for what I eat. Whew! It’s been hard! My obsession with food began much younger than my obsession with my phone. Over the years, I’ve tried a variety of diets, but nothing has ever been sustainable for me long-term. I’ve been using the Weight Watchers Smart Points system for 3 weeks now, and I’m really liking it so far. It encourages me to get active and make healthy food choices – filling my belly with vegetables, fruit, and lean meats rather than cookies, candy, and creamer.
When the Israelites were back in slavery, they complained. Now they’re free, but they’re still complaining.
Ask yourself this question, “When will it ever be enough?”
Heavenly Father, Thank You for every single thing I have. They are gifts. Thank you for my family. Thank you for my freedom. Thank you for my faith. These F’s are so much better than food, Facebook, and my phone. Help me to hunger for You as I hunger for fat, rich food. Help me to turn to You rather than turning to my phone. Satisfy me with Your love. You are enough. You are more than enough. By Faith in Your Son, Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.
I don’t like to wait. I think quickly, I speak quickly, and I act quickly. I always have.
But this is not who I want to be. I want to wait on the Lord. I want Him to lead, and I want to follow. God has given me this desire, this new “want to,” as part of the new person that I am in Christ.
In Numbers 9, we read about Moses and the Israelites learning to wait on the Lord. They needed to wait for the Lord to speak, to move, to guide — and so do we.
“And Moses said to them, “Wait, that I may hear what the LORD will command concerning you.””
Numbers 9:8 ESV
“At the command of the LORD the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the LORD they camped. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp.
Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the people of Israel kept the charge of the LORD and did not set out. Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle, and according to the command of the LORD they remained in camp; then according to the command of the LORD they set out. And sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning. And when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted they set out.
Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out. At the command of the LORD they camped, and at the command of the LORD they set out. They kept the charge of the LORD, at the command of the LORD by Moses.”
– Numbers 9:18-23 ESV
What are you waiting for the Lord about today?
How long are you willing to wait? Five minutes? An hour? An evening? A day? A week? A month? A year? A lifetime?
Let’s pray together.
Heavenly Father, I pray that we would faithfully wait upon You and that You would renew our strength as we wait. Whether we have to wait for an evening or a week or a month or a lifetime, I pray that we would not run ahead of You, doing whatever seems right to us, and then ask You to bless whatever we have already decided to do … but instead that You would be the One out front leading us. Make us faithful followers. I pray that our lives would be founded on the solid rock of Jesus Christ and Your written word. Like Matthew 7 says, it is the foolish person who hears Your Word and chooses not to obey, but it is the wise person who hears Your Word and obeys. So, Father, I pray that we would search Your Word diligently, listening fervently for Your Holy Spirit to guide us, and I pray that we would have obedient, submissive, humble hearts bent on obeying you in Your way and in Your perfect time. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen
Waiting on the Lord – Thoughts on Numbers 9 from a Former Atheist
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Numbers 6:22-8:26
“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26 ESV
As Aaron and his sons prayed this over the people of Israel, I want to pray this over my family and nation. Will you join me?
Heavenly Father, I pray that you would bless my husband, my children, my grandchildren, and my nation with Your wisdom and peace. Guide them in the way that they should go. Protect them from the deceitful schemes of the evil one. Give them discerning spirits to recognize what is good and what is evil and grant them wisdom to choose that which is good.
I pray that Your face would be turned toward them, and that their hearts would likewise be turned toward You. Be gracious to them, Father. Pour Your love upon them according to Your steadfast love and mercy. May Your goodness shine gloriously upon them and out of them, that the nations of the world would be drawn to faith in Your Son.
I pray that You would smile upon them, filling their hearts with joy, hope, peace, and purpose, that they would know that You have good plans for them, plans to prosper them and not to harm them. May they follow You all the days of their lives, acknowledging You in all their ways. Please, Father, make their ways straight – not crooked or deceitful or false, not devious or evil. May they not be ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first but also to the Gentile.
Finally, Father, I pray that the peace which surpasses all comprehension would guard their hearts and their minds in Christ Jesus. Jesus is the only path to peace. He is the Only Way to You, Father. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. His blood is the covering that we need to be reconciled to You, Lord. His blood is the way of redemption. May they have peace with God and peace with man, peace in their hearts and peace in their homes. And may this peace draw them to worship You and tell others about You.
In the Holy, Almighty Name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Pray aloud with Me – FormerAtheist58
“The Lord Bless You and Keep You” Acappella Hymn – SE Samonte
“May the Lord Bless You” – Sing through the Bible
“The Lord Bless Thee” Scripture Song – Keep the Word
Read through the Bible in 2 years: Numbers 5:1-6:21
Growing up my dad and my grandfather were both lawyers, I participated in mock trial and debate, and I watched countless episodes of Judge Wapner presiding over “The People’s Court.” 😄 I saw the importance of having a good judge as well as good witnesses and good evidence. The judge could only rule so far as the witnesses and evidence proved the case. Without good witnesses and good evidence, you couldn’t win.
In reading the very strange passage in Numbers 5 about how a jealous husband was to prove his wife either innocent or guilty of adultery, I was reminded of how often men and women simply don’t know what is true. In the case of adultery, there will always be at least one witness – the man or woman who you are with – but there is also another witness: God. We may not know what someone else is up to behind closed doors or in the dark of night, but we can trust beyond a shadow of a doubt that God does.
God knows the secret thoughts of our hearts, and God knows the secret deeds of our bodies.
Is that scary to think about? Yes, frankly, it is. But it is also so very freeing. I don’t need to snoop through my husband’s online history or the pockets of his pants. I don’t need to dig through his trash or his wallet. I don’t need to track his driving history or figure out his whereabouts every minute of the day. Why? Because God always sees him, even when I don’t.
God is not only the perfect judge, He is also the perfect witness. He can judge perfectly, because He knows everyone’s heart and everyone’s motives, everyone’s thoughts and everyone’s actions. He can place blame with perfect righteousness and justice because He knows exactly what happened. He knows who said what. He knows the way of escape that He provided. He knows how your conscience was pricked. He knows it all.
If your life has been touched by the sins of fornication, lust, and adultery, then you know how far-reaching their tentacles can spread. As is often the case, the sins of others can lead you to into the snares of sin in your own life – the sins of bitterness, anger, jealousy, suspicion, manipulation, and the list goes on. Let me encourage you, sisters, with the words of Peter, “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling with reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing” (1 Peter 3:9) and the words of Paul, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21)
I pray that we would take the higher road, the road of blessing and good, that we would live the more excellent way, the way of love. Love is patient and kind. Love does not envy or boast. It is not proud; it is not rude; it is not self-seeking; it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. (1 Corinthians 13:4-6)
I pray that we would be like the model wife of Proverbs 31, that our husbands could truly trust us because we are faithful to do them good and not harm all the days of our life, that strength and dignity would be our clothing, that we would be able laugh at the times to come because we have such great faith in God. I pray that we would open our mouths with wisdom and that the teaching of kindness would always be on our tongues. (Proverbs 31:10-11, 25-26)
I pray that we would be like the godly wife of 1 Peter 3, bravely being subject to our own husbands, so that even if they do not obey the word, they might be won without a word by our respectful and pure conduct. I pray that our radiant beauty would come from the inside out, that the imperishable beauty of a gentle, quiet spirit would glow from within us. I pray that we would be holy women whose hope is in God, faithfully doing good and not fearing anything that is frightening.
Dear sisters, someday your boyfriend, your husband, your sons and daughters, will appear before the judgment seat of God. Someday their secret things will be judged. Someday what was hidden in the dark will be brought into the light.
But that isn’t only true for them; it’s also true for us. Our hearts and our lives will be laid bare before Him, too.
What will He find there? What will He unearth in our hearts? What will He witness in watching how we chose to live our lives?
Will He find bitterness, wrath, envy, and jealousy … or peace, faith, hope, and contentment?
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, You are the perfect judge, and You are the perfect witness. No one is hidden from your sight. Someday everything hidden will be brought into the light. I pray that my faith would be in You and not in me. I am so weak, Lord. I am so prone to wander, to leave the God I love. Help me, please. I need You. Give me Your strength. Help me to overcome evil with good because You are good and I am Your child. Help me to repay wrong with blessing because that is the example that You gave to me, that You loved me while I was yet a sinner. Help me to go and do likewise. Guide me step by steap in the way that I should go. In the matchless name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and Brother, my Friend and Lord, I pray. Amen.
“They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.”
– Romans 2:15-16 ESV
“Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.”
– 1 Corinthians 4:5 ESV
“So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”
– 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 ESV
And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.””
– Revelation 21:6-8 ESV
“”Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.
“Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
“The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.”
Read through the Bible in 2 Years Numbers 3:40-4:49.
Hearing “instead of” can be a bad thing. Maybe someone else was chosen for a job promotion instead of your husband. Maybe the Chicago Cubs won the World Series instead of our beloved St. Louis Cardinals. (Highly unlikely.) Maybe Walmart accidentally gave you zucchini instead of cucumbers in your grocery pickup order. (Much more likely.)
In Genesis we read this phrase “instead of” three times, and each time it’s very good. First, God gave Adam and Eve another son after Cain had killed Abel. Eve “called his name Seth, for she said, ‘God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.’” (Genesis 4:25 ESV) Next we read that, “Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.” (Genesis 22:13 ESV) Finally, in Genesis 44:33, Judah asks his brother, Joseph, “Please let your servant [Judah] remain instead of the boy [Benjamin] as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers.”
Today we read about the Levites who are being given to the Lord instead of the firstborns whom God had chosen during the Passover in Exodus 13.
And you shall take the Levites for me —I am the LORD— instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the people of Israel.
Numbers 3:41 ESV
And I’m reminded of the greatest “instead of” story that I’ve ever heard. God poured out His wrath on Jesus instead of me. God nailed His own son to the cross instead of me. Jesus died instead of me.
“For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:14-21 ESV
Heavenly Father, Thank You for the gift of Your Son, the perfect, spotless Lamb who died instead of me. And now I can look forward with full assurance to living in eternity with You. It is in the name of Jesus Christ that I pray. Amen.
Teach What is Good 
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