Contemplative Bible Reading

Numbers 15:37-41 (New Living Translation)

37 Then the Lord said to Moses, 38 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: Throughout the generations to come you must make tassels for the hems of your clothing and attach them with a blue cord. 39 When you see the tassels, you will remember and obey all the commands of the Lord instead of following your own desires and defiling yourselves, as you are prone to do. 40 The tassels will help you remember that you must obey all my commands and be holy to your God. 41 I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt that I might be your God. I am the Lord your God!”

Fascinating (at least to me) is this instruction to decorate clothing in a special way so that the people chosen by Jehovah would remember.

Now we come to me, today. I find no encouragement in the New Testament for me to wear something or decorate my clothing in a certain way so that I will remember God. I also find no prohibition of such.

I see people wearing small crosses as jewelry. Some people wear them because they look nice. Some wear them as they help them remember. I see people wearing all sorts of other charms and jewelry as those things help them remember all sorts of things such as family members, mental exercises, emotional stances, etc. I own a few things that help me remember things I want to remember. I just don’t have any wearable things like that. I see no wrong in wearing reminders.

Leviticus 18:2-3 (New Living Translation)

2 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. I am the Lord your God. 3 So do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am taking you. You must not imitate their way of life.

Jehovah God set aside a family through which He would bless mankind. Jehovah God is about to have His people move into the special land set aside for them.

Here begin the instructions on how to live.

You must not imitate their way of life.

You are different. You are chosen. You don’t imitate others. Similar instructions are for me today. Yes, the situation is vastly different. I am covered by the grace of God. Still, I shouldn’t waste my life imitating others and living their way of life. There is much better in store for me now.

1 Corinthians 12:13 (New Living Translation)

Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.

Notice how the writer illustrates the difference between Jews and Gentiles. The writer equates that difference with the difference between slaves and free persons.

The Jew-Gentile divide was no small thing. The joining of the Jews and Gentiles in the early church was no small thing. This illustrate shows how big  a difference it was.

How in the world did the church in Corinth, and other early churches that had both Jews and Gentiles, last more than five minutes? And how in the world can churches in America today use diversity of one sort or another as an excuse for dividing? ooops.

God, help us all in our unbelief. Help us to allow you to help us to overcome our petty differences that we believe are insurmountable.

Colossians 2:20-23 (New Living Translation)

20 You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, 21 “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? 22 Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. 23 These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.

Severe bodily discipline—such is admirable. Right? Look at the top athletes. This is what they do, and they are superstars.

Self-denial. That is good as well, right?

By themselves, these things may be good and maybe necessary for certain professions. They, however, don’t do anything with regards to my relationship with God. They don’t help me conquer evil desires.

God does that. Think about it a moment. Should I exercise and diet and sleep outside in the cold? Should, as an alternative, pray? How stupid can I be sometime?

Please God, help me with my unbelief.

Colossians 1:19-20 (New Living Translation)

19 For God in all his fullness
was pleased to live in Christ,
20 and through him God reconciled
everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

Here it is. This is the good news of Jesus the Messiah in six little lines.

God bought back everything and everyone through the blood the Jesus shed on the cross. All my debts are cancelled. I am free now.

All I have to do is decide to be free in Christ.

Ephesians 5:14 (New Living Translation)

“Awake, O sleeper,
rise up from the dead,
and Christ will give you light.”

This is a call to me and all of us. Awake, get up. More importantly, get out of the rut that is sin and death. There is no need to muddle about in the darkness.

This reminds me of walking in deep mud. The type of mud that pulls off your shoes. Then I have reach down in the mud to find my shoes. Then my arms get covered with mud and I try to push my way out of the mud. Then I sink deeper in the mud. Then I find myself crawling on my belly in the mud to move out of it. Then I…

Step into the firm, well-lit ground that Christ provides. It really is that much better. It really is that simple. Why do I make it so complicated?

Colossians 4:5 (New Living Translation)

Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity.

I follow God and His son Jesus of Nazareth. Most people who live about me do not. They don’t believe.

Do I live according to the admonition of this verse? Well, uh, …

God, help me day by day as I live among those who don’t know you and don’t believe in your being and promises and grace. I don’t live as wisely as I should as often as I should. Help me in my walk. Help me to make the most of E V E R Y opportunity.

Colossians 4:4 (New Living Translation)

Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.

The writer asks other Christians to pray for him. He wants clarity in his proclamation of the Gospel message.

I echo this prayer. Perhaps some day someone will read some of these little blog posts and take a step in the direction of God.

Please God, bless these words I type. Help me to proclaim this message as clearly as I should.

Psalm 39:12 (New Living Translation)

Hear my prayer, O Lord!
Listen to my cries for help!
Don’t ignore my tears.
For I am your guest—
a traveler passing through,
as my ancestors were before me.

This is the life of a Christian. I am a traveler passing through this place. It is not my home. I seek to love and bless persons I meet while traveling, for I know they too are travelers.

Ephesians 5:12 (New Living Translation)

It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret.

I am writing this the week of data dumps from the Ashley Madison hack. That was a website that people were using privately with some guarantee of privacy, a.k.a., in secret.

What is the Ashley Madison website? It is about the verse from Ephesians above. It is something that ungodly people do in secret that is shameful to describe.

Funny how things haven’t changed much in 21 centuries. I guess it isn’t funny or odd—it is shameful.

God, bless the ungodly so that they will come to know you. Thank you for the grace given to me. I cannot express it.