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/