Cross My Heart Ministry

 Now Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law,
“We are setting out for the place about which the LORD said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us
and we will treat you well, for the LORD has promised
good things to Israel.”
Numbers 10:29

In Numbers 10:29-31, Moses invites Hobab (his brother-in-law) to join the Israelites in their journey: …Come with us…

Initially, Hobab declines, indicating his plans are to go back to his own land and his own people.

But Moses doesn’t leave it at that. He knows God’s promises to his people, the Israelites, are real. He knows real blessing and real life can only be found in following the one true God. He urges Hobab to come – telling him, “If you come with us, we will share with you whatever good things the LORD gives us.”

Passages over in Judges indicate the descendants of Hobab were there when God’s people entered the Promised Land. Apparently, Moses persuaded him after all.

Who do you and I need to ask…and keeping asking—to join the journey?

Does God just want us to keep soaking up…without ever pouring out?

Who do you know that needs to know Jesus? Are you hanging out with any lost people?

Will you interact with a lost person this summer at your family reunion? Do you serve on a community board or volunteer with a community group where you interact with lost people? Do you volunteer at your kids or grandkids school?

Do you hang out at McDonalds? Maybe we should pair up and go there for coffee a couple of times a week just to work on Bible study and see who we might meet!

We don’t have to blurt out the plan of salvation, memorize the Romans Road or quote the four spiritual laws. We can simply be a friend. We can ask the Lord to direct the conversation. We can ask leading questions – Are you a woman of faith? What do you think about God? How can I pray for you?

 Develop a relationship. Cultivate a friendship. Extend kindness.

Someone invited YOU. Someone told YOU about Jesus. Who was that person who has encouraged you in your journey of faith…or even invited you to get to know Jesus?

And would you do the same for someone else? Would you stop and pray now, asking God to give you one name.

The woman of God invites someone to join her for the journey.

Here’s the link to this week’s audio teaching that includes this truth and others from the book of Numbers: http://fbcsiloam.podbean.com/e/ladies-bible-study-exodus-lesson-1920-laura-macfarlan-2-26-15/

 All the Israelite men and women
who were willing
brought to the LORD freewill offerings
for all the work the LORD through Moses
had commanded them to do.
Exodus 35:29

 The words willing and freewill offerings in this verse make it clear that this was not a have-to, but a want-to offering. The people were giving not out of a sense of duty, but delight. They were giving because they wanted to – not because they were commanded to. They were giving with joy!

If there is no commitment to give or desire to give, it is not really a giving problem – it might be a joy or a thankfulness or even a faith problem. I heard a pastor recently ask the question, “What is the problem behind the problem? “ He wasn’t speaking of tithing, but I think it applies here. If tithing is the problem, there is most likely a problem behind the problem.

Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

Do we see giving as a blessing? Do we view it as an act of worship?

If we see our treasure as a gift from God, then it will be just another tool to be used to worship, to bring Him glory.

The Israelites surely saw it as a blessing. They kept bringing offerings in daily. Continuously. Until finally Moses had to issue the instructions to stop!

The Old Testament tithe is viewed as 10%, but the New Testament concept of GRACE might suggest that 10% is just a starting point. If we really begin to see that all we have is from Him, then God may indeed prompt us to step out in faith and tithe 15% or 20%, or perhaps even more than that.

Meet RG Letourneau (1888-1969): he was the inventor of earthmoving machinery. He amassed a fortune selling that machinery. But most importantly, he was a follower of Christ.

This was a man who saw all he had as a gift from God. He chose to live on 10% and tithe 90%.

He is known by many things, but perhaps most of all by this quote….

“It’s not abouthow much of my moneyI give to God,
but how much ofGod’s moneyI keep for myself.”

 How are you and I using whatever we have – whether a lot or whether a little – to worship God?

The money is not the problem. We’ve got to look at the problem behind the problem – and that might be a lack of love for God or even a lack of faith or trust in God.

In Exodus 35, the people of God gave generously and continuously. It was an act of worship for them, and it should be for us, as well.

The Woman of God worships God as she gives with JOY!

Here’s the link to this week’s audio teaching that includes this truth and others from Exodus 35-36:

http://fbcsiloam.podbean.com/e/ladies-bible-study-exodus-lesson-18-laura-macfarlan-2-12-15/

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai
with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands,
he was not aware that his face was radiant
because he had spoken with the LORD.
Exodus 34:29

Moses’ face was radiant and the reason was clear:  He had been with God!

When we have been with Jesus, it shows in our lives, as well.  Our faces may not shine, but our countenance, our spirit, our attitude, our words should be shining for Him. We are different because of time spent in His presence.

That was the reality for Moses and also the reality for Peter and John.  Acts 4:13 says this:

When they saw the courage of Peter and John
and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men,
they were astonished and they took note that
these men had been with Jesus.
Acts 4:13

Peter and John behaved in a way that was unexpected.  They were unschooled, they were ordinary…but yet courageous.  And those looking on drew the only possible conclusion – it was Jesus.

And when you and I behave in unexpected ways:

• When we are loving in a situation where the world would hate
• When we give grace where the world would condemn
• When we share in a situation where others hold on
• When we speak when others are quiet….or perhaps are quiet when others would speak

When we behave in these unexpected ways, those looking on are astonished.  And they will take note that we have been with Jesus. They may think, ‘I know Laura…and that’s not Laura.  She’s too ordinary – it must be Jesus!”

If you have been with Jesus, it will show. You will live your love OUT LOUD. Your attitudes, your actions, your words, your thoughts – will be transformed from the inside out and you will bring Him glory.

Moses face reflected God’s glory.  Our hearts reflect His glory.

We use the words reflect and radiate interchangeably, but there is a difference.

Dictionary.com provides these phrases in the definitions for each:
Reflect: to cast back
Radiate: to emit

Moses reflected the glory of God.  Because He had been in God’s presence, he absorbed some of His glory.  The face of Moses absorbed glory from the outside and reflected it back. Over time, that glory would fade.

But the follower of Christ radiates God’s glory.  God abides inside us in the person of the Holy Spirit.  His glory radiates from the center of our being.  The glory is shining forth from within.

You, as a child of God, as a Spirit-filled believer, will RADIATE the glory of God.

If you’ve been with Jesus, it will show! It will be evident to others.

Will you ask God to allow the light of His love to radiate out from you? What joy to have those in our sphere of influence look on and take note, “She has been with Jesus!”

Hallelujah!

Here’s the link to this week’s audio teaching that includes this truth and others from Exodus 31-34:

http://fbcsiloam.podbean.com/e/ladies-bible-study-exodus-lesson-17-laura-macfarlan-2-5-15/

Also put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the LORD. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the LORD.
Exodus 28:30

As God continues to provide the blueprints for the Tabernacle to Moses, He also gives instructions for the priestly garments to be worn by Aaron and his sons who will serve. The “Urim and Thummim” are found only a handful of times in Scripture and they are first mentioned here in Exodus 28 as part of the wardrobe for the priests.

Their purpose was to assist Aaron in making decisions. Some commentators have suggested they could have been one black and one white stone – and whichever the priest pulled out would provide the answer. Others put forth the idea of special stones that might shine in just a certain special way to provide the sought-after answer.

But these are only possibilities and ideas – we cannot know for sure because God does not reveal it in the Scriptures.

What we do know is they were the means of making decisions. Perhaps you read that and think, “I would love to have a decision aid like the Urim and Thummin to pull out when I need it!”

Are there weighty decisions to be made in your life today? They may be financial, medical, relational, or vocational. Some are fairly straightforward – those times we know what we should do, but just keep dragging our feet because of the painful consequences or time required to walk in obedience. It’s not so much knowing what is right—it is the doing of it.

Other times, we just are confounded by the best course of action. What is the right thing to do in the situation? Where is that Urim and Thummim for the 21^st-Century believer?

We have something better than Urim and Thummim.

We have the Holy Spirit.

And rather than living over our heart (where Aaron kept his decision maker), we are blessed to have the Holy Spirit abiding within our hearts.

As followers of Christ, we can look to the Holy Spirit to provide illumination for the decisions we must make. We can also ask Him for the courage to follow through with the guidance He provides.

Would you pause now and ask the Holy Spirit to be your decision maker in the weighty decisions you are facing today?

When we see the American flag waving, it most likely fills us with a sense of thankfulness and a good kind of pride. We love our country. We are grateful for the freedoms, privileges, and great blessings that come with being born an American citizen.

The Flag is not America itself, but it represents America. Whether flying above a ship, being displayed by the gold medal winner on the Olympic podium, or being draped over the coffin of a deceased solider, the flag points to America. It identifies the country to whom the navy or the athlete or the deceased soldier belongs.

It’s elements point to something about our country:

• There are 50 stars – one for each state.
• There are 13 stripes – one for each of the original 13 colonies.

Even the colors have meaning:

• White suggests purity and innocence
• Red represents hardiness & valor
• Blue signifies vigilance, perseverance and justice.

All this symbolism points to America.

There is a great deal of symbolism in Exodus 25 and 26, where God provides blueprints for the construction of The Tabernacle: every single furnishing in the Tabernacle points to the person of Jesus Christ.

 You can follow the link below for a discussion of each of these elements and how each both points to Jesus and calls us to worship Jesus. (The remaining elements are covered in the next lesson. They also points to Jesus.)

Worship is why we are here – it’s the reason we were created. In heaven we will worship King Jesus. So, perhaps as we worship Him here on earth, our worship is a taste of heaven!

Hebrews 8:5 refers to the Tabernacle as “a copy and shadow of what is in heaven.” A shadow is not the real thing–it only represents it, or points to it.

Just like our flag is not America itself, but represents and points to our country.

When we see the flag, we are prompted to honor it by standing, placing our hands over our hearts, removing our hats. In essence we are honoring the country our flag represents.

Each element in the Tabernacle represents something about our Lord Jesus Christ. It prompts us to ask, “How have we honored Him in our daily lives? How do we worship Him?”

 We would be surprised and shocked and perhaps even angry if we witnessed someone refusing to stand for the singing of the national anthem or talking and laughing while the pledge of allegiance is recited.

But have we considered that sitting while others stand…or refusing to sing while others worship…talking or laughing while others worship….is dishonoring to Jesus?

We were created for worship.

Psalm 67:3 says:

May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine upon us
…that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.
May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you.

 In quoting this passage, John Piper reminds us that worship is both the fuel and the goal of missions. Missions exist, he says, because worship doesn’t.

How does the Tabernacle – and all its elements – point you to Jesus and prompt you to worship and praise Jesus?

We were created for worship. And we will get to spend eternity worshipping Jesus. As we worship Him here, perhaps that’s a taste of heaven on earth.

The Tabernacle points to Jesus and calls us to worship. How are you being called to walk in worship today?

Here’s the link for the this week’s teaching lecture on Exodus 25 and 26:

http://fbcsiloam.podbean.com/e/ladies-bible-study-exodus-lesson-15-laura-macfarlan-1-22-15/

Exodus 20-24: The Law & the Danger of Living to Keep It

As we study the Ten Commandments and their amplification in the book of the Covenant, it’s good to pause and be reminded that the law was not given to save us, but to show us our need for a Savior. Paul says it well:

“So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.” Galatians 3:24

The law is like a mirror – revealing we are spiritual dirty and showing our need to be cleaned up. But it’s the kind of cleaning we cannot do for ourselves. We need Jesus. The law leads us to Jesus.

Before we knew Jesus, we were all law breakers. We lived devoted to doing it our way:

• If it feels good do it.
• You have to make your own happiness.
• YOLO – you only live once.

We’ve heard – and even been seduced by– the pop culture’s recipe for finding happiness.

As women of God we can intellectually reject that form of addiction to self and living a life of reckless abandon apart from God. We want to live to please God by obeying His commands. Our danger is not so much in rejecting the law as much as it is in being overly consumed with keeping the law. That is legalism. And it can be just as dangerous to our spiritual health as rejecting the law altogether.

In his book Jesus + Nothing = Everything, Tullian Tchividjian, the grandson of Billy Graham, defines legalism this way:

“Legalism happens when what we need to do, not what Jesus has already done, becomes the end game.” Tullian Tchividjian

 Tchividjian warns us that our rules can become our substitute savior and keeping those rules our self-salvation project.

The law conveys God’s Holy and righteous requirements.
The law reveals that we are unable to keep those righteous requirements.
The law shows we are need of a Savior.

John Newton, the slave owner turned Christian and writer of Amazing Grace said it well:

“I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.” John Newton

 That is the Gospel. And without the law, we would not see our need for it.

But our danger is not so much in rejecting the law (as those who are lost and apart from Christ), our danger is being consumed with keeping the law –being seduced to make it our idol. That’s legalism.

We were saved by the gospel. We were saved by grace. And it’s through the gospel and by grace that we can live victorious lives as women of God.

We were saved in Christ alone….and we must live in Christ alone. That’s grace. That’s the gospel.

 The woman of God finds hope, not in keeping the rules, but in Christ alone.

 You can follow the link below  for the complete teaching lecture for this week:

The 3Rs: Rules, Righteousness, and Rest

http://fbcsiloam.podbean.com/e/ladies-bible-study-exodus-lesson-14-laura-macfarlan-1-15-15/

And the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.
Exodus 19:10-12

God issued very specific instructions for the people to follow as they prepared to hear from Him at Mt. Sinai. The time of physical preparation – bathing, changing clothes, getting ready – created a sense of honor towards God. Bathing wasn’t something done often by desert travelers. But coming into God’s presence – even from a distance and if only to hear His voice – required a cleaning up to be ready. This day would be different from all those other days trudging through the desert.

You and I do that spiritually when we confess our sin and get clean before God. I John 1:9 says – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Getting clean before God brings such freedom! And how amazing that we only need confess. As we move on to study the laws for sacrifices, we will see that forgiveness was not so easy for the Israelites. Animals had to be slaughtered. Blood had to be collected and sprinkled. A priest had to be involved. But because Jesus became the “once and for all” sacrifice, getting clean for us is just a confession away.

Have you confessed to God today…or this week? Are you experiencing the fresh clean feeling of a spiritual bath that comes when you claim I John 1:9 –when you confess your sin and are purified from all unrighteousness? If you are feeling a sense of distance of separation from God, perhaps a time of confession and cleansing is in order.

Hearing from God in Exodus 19 also meant keeping a physical distance. Moses shared God’s clear instructions about keeping their distance from the mountain. There was a reverence and a respect cultivated by this barrier. And then the storm-like physical phenomenon when God descended. Surely, it must have been like witnessing a volcano erupting! There was smoke and fire and the mountain trembled.

Because of Jesus, we don’t have to keep our distance. We don’t have to wait for the mountain to tremble. We most likely will not see fire and smoke. But we know we are His. We can talk to the same God who descended on that mountain before the people.

Isn’t that extraordinary? I have coffee with Him every morning! I can approach Him. I can talk to Him. He loves me. The same God who entered into that covenant with the Israelites…knows me and He loves me!

We have access to Him in a way the Israelites could never have imagined. But to have that opportunity and fail to keep the appointment? Why? Are you standing God up? What could possibly be more important than spending time with our great God?

The woman of God can approach God because of Jesus.

And she DOES approach Him. What do you need to set aside to keep your daily appointment with Him? Good Morning America? Fox News? Live with Kelly and Michael? Re-runs of Matlock?

During this Thanksgiving week, perhaps we can all renew our thankfulness for the privilege of coming to God – having full access to Him – and then commit to exercise that privilege.

The audio for this week’s teaching lecture can be found here:
http://fbcsiloam.podbean.com/e/ladies-bible-study-exodus-lesson-11-exodus-chapter-19-laura-macfarlan-11-20-14/

When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.)  So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”
Exodus 15:23-24

The desert became a classroom for the Israelites in their journey to the Promised Land. God chose Moses as His professor and mouthpiece to teach them His truth. He sent tests to examine their faith and give them opportunity to behave they like they believed. This passage includes one of many tests the Israelites will be given in their desert classroom.

Desert travel would not be easy. Our text tells us the Israelites had traveled for three days without water. They are understandably thirsty. And when they finally find water, someone must have scooped it up, swallowed, and then spewed it out quickly –choking and grimacing, and declaring it bitter. Marah means “bitter,” so this place was called Marah for a reason.

Have you even gone through a bitter circumstance? Maybe you are living through one right now. Difficult journeys will come….the unexpected will reveal itself. We will all have Marah Moments as long as we live in this world. The question is – how do we respond to those Marah tests? Can we keep our wits about us long enough to see them as not only great physical challenges, but as great spiritual tests?

Our response to hardship reveals much about the depth of our faith.

The Israelites fail the test in the classroom called Marah. They respond in a human way to a spiritual challenge camouflaged as a physical challenge. They grumble and complain and they blame Moses. Long forgotten is the praise and worship of God three days before. (See Exodus 15:1-22).

But Moses passes the test. He cries out to God and God responds. God shows His power over the most common disease that will continue to plague the Israelites: bitterness. We see God’s loving provision as the bitter water is made sweet. We see God’s abundant grace as the next stop on their journey is Elim – where they find twelve springs and seventy palm trees. A place of blessing and rest and provision.

Will they remember the lesson learned at Marah? Will they be ready for the next pop quiz? Will they trust God when the next test comes?

What is your Marah moment? Are you surprised and taken off guard when life’s classroom brings something unexpected and bitter– like a student when the professor comes in and announces a pop quiz? As 21^st century believers living in the relative ease and comfort of the western world, it’s easy for us to adopt a spirit of entitlement– to think that because we follow God, life should be comfortable and easy.

But one of the blessings of growing older is that we come to realize that it’s the hard things in life that really hone us…teach us…and have us learning to lean into and onto our great God. We come to realize we are not here so much to be comfortable or even happy (although those things may or may not come)…but we are here to bring Him glory – to walk with yoy this journey of faith –to know Him and to make Him known.

He is so good and kind. He brings, as Mr. Wierbse (one of my favorite commentators) says, “enough blessings to encourage us…and enough burdens to humble us.” The question is, are we woman enough to accept both? Can we lift up praise to God for the blessings…and also cry out to God as we learn lessons in the burdens?

The woman of God cries out to God when life is bitter.

The audio for this week’s teaching lecture can be found here:  http://fbcsiloam.podbean.com/e/ladies-bible-study-exodus-lessons-9-and-10-laura-macfarlan-11-13-14/