3.7.12 "Move With the Cloud"

"Move With the Cloud"

Numbers 8:1-9:23
Mark 13:14-37
Psalm 50:1-23
Proverbs 10:29-30

Life can seem complicated. We live in a day and age where people have a great desire to know what God's will is in many different situations. There can be tough decisions regarding finances, housing, employment, schooling, the list is endless.

When the Israelites had been obedient to the Lord in the construction of the Tabernacle, the presence of the Lord dwelt there. It was represented by a cloud during the daytime, and at night it changed to the appearance of fire. The presence of the Lord was intense.

"When the Cloud lifted, the people of Israel moved on to wherever it stopped, and camped there. In this way they journeyed at the command of the Lord and stopped where he told them to, then remained there as long as the Cloud stayed. If it stayed a long time, then they stayed a long time. But if it stayed only a few days, then they remained only a few days; for so the Lord had instructed them. sometimes the fire-cloud stayed only during the night and moved on the next morning. But day or night, when it moved, the people broke camp and followed... So it was that they camped or traveled at the commandment of the Lord; and whatever the Lord told Moses they should do, they did." (Num 9:17-21,23)

There are several things to note in this scripture. The first is actually from earlier scripture, but it is that their obedience in purifying themselves, and being obedient to the smallest detail is what made a place for the Lord to dwell.

God desires to dwell among us. We need to be pure and holy before him. We need to be a place where he CAN dwell. We must be set apart. We can't "dabble" in the presence of God while "dabbling" in worldliness. It doesn't work that way. He's a holy God, and it is holy people who will know him.

The next thing to note is that the people did not move unless God did. This is a big challenge to us. In so many situations, we try to "do the math". We try to figure it out. I think sometimes I get the attitude of "hey don't worry God, I got this one..." and we move in our own strength, our own will and our own timing. We don't wait for the direction of his presence.

I'm not saying we should be a "paralyzed" people when it comes to living daily life, I'm just saying that I need to First off KNOW the presence of God. I need to prepare myself to live within the fullness his presence. Then, I must make sure that my will is totally subject to his.

This is what his desire is for my life. Psalm 50:14-17 says "What I want from you is your true thanks; I want your promises fulfilled. I want you to trust me in your times of trouble, so I can rescue you, and you can give me glory. But God says to evil men: Recite my laws no longer, and stop claiming my promises, for you have refused my discipline, disregarding my laws."

In times of trouble, we tend to do our own thing. "Hey, I gotta look out for ol' number one!" I NEED to trust him! I think the biggest challenge to most believers is not "when or where to go", it's the challenge to "stay". Sure, times are tough, but that doesn't mean God want's you to move. I think at times we "storm the gates of heaven" for direction about moving out of a difficult situation, and I picture God saying, "who said anything about moving?"

Ps 50:23 says, "But true praise is a worthy sacrifice; this really honors me. Those who walk in my paths will receive salvation from the Lord."

Living the Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship means that I KNOW him. I grow in knowing his presence. I grow in recognizing his leading. And more importantly, I don't flirt with moving unless i know he's calling me to.

Living Empowered through Biblical Training means that we discipline (align) ourselves to his word. We KNOW his commands so that we are empowered to walk in obedience to them.



Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!

Pastor Greg Lathe

Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship
Relationships Devoted to Unity
Empowered Through Biblical Training
Active Ministry Involvement
Mission to Reach our World for Christ

3.6.12 "Offering"

"Offering"

Numbers 6:1-7:89
Mark 12:38-13:13
Psalm 49:1-20
Proverbs 10:27-28

Twelve Days. Twelve Offerings. Each one the same.

One Day. Many Offerings. Each one different.

In Numbers 7, the tabernacle has been set up, and Moses has anointed it, and set it apart as holy. Then it was time for the leader of each tribe to bring an offering of dedication. One leader would bring the offering each day for the next 12 days. If you are a faithful reader of the One Year Bible, you will note that this chapter has 89 verses. You will also note that Readers' Digest would have probably shortened this chapter given the opportunity. As each leader brings their offering, what they brought is specified in detail. Each one brought exactly the same gift, yet each one was listed in detail.

What's the significance of that?

Look at Mark 12. "Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Some who were rich put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two pennies. He called his disciples to him and remarked, 'That poor widow has given more than all those rich men put together! For they gave a little of their extra fat, while she gave up her last penny.'"

What I find significant in both of these readings is that God is watching what each is giving. In Numbers, though each gift was the same, God was pleased because each was giving exactly what was commanded of them. Their obedience was noted. Each gift was precious. In Mark, the type of offering was different. These were giving what they could. The widow gave her all.

Let's make this personal. What are you giving? Are you giving your all? No, I'm not talking about emptying your bank accounts, or anything like that. What is God asking of you?

What does it cost to follow Christ? Everything. It is so easy to offer God everything when we're at the altar and the presence of the Lord is real, and we are focusing on him.

"Now what do you want from me?" Guess what... it's the same thing as you were at the altar... everything. As we're at our desk at work, or in school, or whatever the case may be, how are we living our life? It's much easier to give just a little of the "extra fat". It's easy to give God the leftovers. It's much harder to give God everything when it seems like we only have a few pennies.

I bought my truck in Arkansas quite a few years ago. When we were down there negotiating the sale, I had noticed no one was talking about the price, they would only talk about the "payment". When someone would see you had a new car, all they would ask is "what's your payment?"

What's your payment today? What's God asking of you as you're at work? at home? I shouldn't have the mentality that I'll give him my 'leftovers'. Ok, God, i only have this much time for you today... If I give him my all, that means my all.

Today you may be in an extreme situation like today's reading in Mark 13. "You will be dragged before the courts, and beaten in the synagogues, and accused before governors and kings of being my followers. This is your opportunity to tell them the Good News."

Giving your all isn't an issue of comfort zone. It's an issue of God fulfilling HIS purpose in you and through you. It may not seem like it, but he will never ask us to give more than we can "afford". He never asks us to give more than we have, but he does ask that we give all that we have.

God is watching you today. No, he's not watching you with a big stick waiting to whack you if you mess up. He's anticipating your offering. What will you give? For some it may be writing a check. For others it is signing up for drama for the Easter Musical (how's that for a subliminal message!) For others it's opening your home to someone in need. Regardless of the specifics, give as the Lord directs.


Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!

Pastor Greg Lathe

Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship
Relationships Devoted to Unity
Empowered Through Biblical Training
Active Ministry Involvement
Mission to Reach our World for Christ

3.5.12 "What's Really Important"

"What's Really Important"

Numbers 4:1-5:31
Mark 12:18-37
Psalm 48:1-14
Proverbs 10:26

In Mark 12 Jesus is fielding questions from the religious leaders, many of whom are trying to trap him. At one point he is asked by a religious teacher "of all the commandments, which is the most important?"

"Jesus replied, 'The one that says, "Hear O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only God. And you must love him with all you heart and soul and mind and strength." The second is: "You must love others as much as yourself." No other commandments are greater than these.'" (Mark 12:29-31)

We need to get these commands into the fiber of our being. To love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength is to live the Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship. To love the Lord, we must obey his commandments. Every part of our being should be devoted to obedience.

One thing we need to understand is that love is a decision, and not an emotion. If I love the Lord when I "feel" like it, what kind of man of God would I be? When I decide to love him with my heart, soul, mind and strength, I guard all of those areas intensely. I don't want to allow anything in that would cause me to love him less. I don't want to put my self at risk of disobeying him. It is an active, aggressive decision to love the Lord. I don't sit around waiting to feel love for him, I DO it.

The second command is much the same. "Love others as much as yourself." What does that mean? We show love for self by meeting needs. When I'm hungry, I eat, when I'm tired I rest. We love others by considering their needs. Relationships Devoted to Unity are relationships that are devoted to meeting the needs of one another. This honors God.

I love today's Proverb. it says, "Lazy people irritate their employers, like vinegar to the teeth or smoke in the eyes." If we are living for self, there's probably an element of Laziness evident in our lives. We may work hard for what we want, but we tend to slack in the area of needs of those we work for. If we are following God's commands, we will intensely pursue the needs of our employers. To love our employers as ourself would be to put ourselves in their place. "If I hired someone, what would I want to see out of them?" And then out of biblical love, strive to meet the need with that intensity.

How important is it to Live the D & the R? Well, Jesus said "no other commandments are greater than these." I need to make it top priority in my life!



Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!

Pastor Greg Lathe

Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship
Relationships Devoted to Unity
Empowered Through Biblical Training
Active Ministry Involvement
Mission to Reach our World for Christ

3.4.12 "The Family Banner"

"The Family Banner"

Numbers 2:1-3:51
Mark 11:27-12:17
Psalm 47:1-9
Proverbs 10:24-25

"So, tell me about your family." What kind of things pop into your mind when someone asks you that? How do you describe your family? Tell me about your parents. Tell me about your home life. Tell me about the priority of following the Lord's commands in your home. Spend a moment thinking about your descriptions.

"Then the Lord gave these instructions to Moses and Aaron: 'When the Israelites set up camp, each tribe will be assigned its own area. The tribal divisions will camp beneath their family banners on all four sides of the Tabernacle, but at some distance from it.'" (Numbers 2:1-2)

We've just finished the book of Leviticus in the One Year Bible, and now we're headed into Numbers. At the surface level this book has all the entertainment value of a financial report. But it's important that we remind ourselves that God's word gives us incredible insights into the nature and heart of God. We discover characteristics of God's personality and priority through every single page of scripture. This is a window into seeing who he is.

In today's reading, the Lord is giving directions for setting up camp. Each tribe is commanded to set up beneath their family banner. The Levites are the tribe that are commanded to take care of the set up and care of the tabernacle. The tribes of Judah, Issachar & Zebulun are the ones to lead the way whenever the Israelites travel to a new campsite. The list goes on. In some cases, their assignments are given due to something in their family history, a decision made by a leader in that family.

So what does this have to do with anything?

I was thinking of the importance the Lord places on the calling of a family. I was thinking of the impact of my decisions. As a father, I hold my family's legacy in my hands. What will I do with it?

My Dad is a Pastor. At no time did he ever say, "Son, You are to be a pastor." And yet, the path the Lord laid out for our family was to follow in his footsteps. My brother is also a church leader. My dad's desire to follow the call of God placed in me that same desire to seek the will of God. My parents raised a Godly banner.

So am I saying that your children must follow the same career path? No. That's not the point. the point is, God places a priority on your family banner. Is your home a place that Glorifies God? Do you exhibit a commitment to connecting to the Body of Christ? Is it common for someone in your family to catch you reading your Bible? Do your kids know that the stewardship of God's resources are a priority? Does your family share the mission to impact the world?

What does your family Banner look like? Does your family live the DREAM, or is it one where each one does what is right in their own mind? A generation from now, when someone asks your descendants, "tell me about your family..." What will they say?

You may be single and don't have a family, so you may not think this applies. Yet, as we've read in Genesis, & Exodus, Many of the decisions made by individuals when they were single directly impacted the legacy of their families.

Each one of us hold our family banner in our hand. Make it a banner of Godliness. There are many who will follow.

Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!

Pastor Greg Lathe

Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship
Relationships Devoted to Unity
Empowered Through Biblical Training
Active Ministry Involvement
Mission to Reach our World for Christ

3.3.12 "'Giving' or 'Obedience'"

"'Giving' or 'Obedience'"

Leviticus 27:14-Numbers 1:54
Mark 11:1-26
Psalm 46:1-11
Proverbs 10:23

I remember one Christmas when we were kids we wanted more presents. It was so long ago I can hardly remember the details, but I know i took some of my brothers toys and I wrapped it up for him so we'd have more presents. It was fun opening more boxes, but I guess there's some level of disappointment that someone went out of their way to give you what was already yours.

Leviticus 27 spells out the process for the Israelites to give special offerings to the Lord. There is a guideline for how to give gifts of land, fruit, grain, homes, and animals. There is amazing detail to the method of how things are valued, redeemed, and what is to be done with the offering.

"You may not dedicate to the Lord the firstborn of any ox or sheep, for it is already his." Lev. 27:26

The Israelites have already been given the command to give their tithe. It was a command to give the firstborn of their ox & sheep. The offerings that are described in this chapter is dealing with how to give offerings that are ABOVE and BEYOND the tithe. In that realm of giving, there were many possibilities of what to give, and how to give it. But when it comes to the tithe, that command has already been given.

When you tithe, do you feel you are being "generous" to God? It's easy it is to write a tithe check and feel so good that I'm giving God something. It's great to feel good, but I need to feel good because I'm obedient, not because I'm going the extra mile to give God what is already his. It's like being proud of the fact that I wrapped up my brother's baseball glove & gave it to him. That's not quite "generosity".

The principle of "Active Ministry Involvement" is responsibility. It's being a good steward of time, talent and resources. At first glance it would seem that the paying of the tithe fits into that "category". That's not really accurate. Tithe is not necessarily a matter of stewardship. It's a matter of Obedience. Obedience is the principle of "Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship". To not pay your tithe is not a matter of "oops, I haven't been a good steward..." it's a matter of "oops, I'm being disobedient".

We need to develop a generous spirit. A generous spirit gives life to stewardship. But I must guard against the thought that my tithe is my "generosity" because in reality, it's my "obedience". We should make sure to walk in obedience with a generous spirit, and by all means, go above and beyond with generosity. Freely you have received, so freely give. Just make sure you you are walking in obedience as well.


Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!

Pastor Greg Lathe

Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship
Relationships Devoted to Unity
Empowered Through Biblical Training
Active Ministry Involvement
Mission to Reach our World for Christ

3.2.12 "It's Different with You"

"It's Different with You"

Leviticus 25:47-27:13
Mark 10:32-52
Psalm 45:1-17
Proverbs 10:22

Promotion is a big deal. When I was a kid in Sunday School, I can remember a few times when we had "Promotion Sunday". During the "opening exercises" (flashback for some?) they would parade us up to the front and we would move to the next class. There was a sense of pride over the accomplishment. (the only real accomplishment was getting older...)

There's that same sense of pride in society. I need a promotion... I need a raise... I need to move up... Depending on the work environment, some think there's an "entitlement" to the promotion, or the elevation of leadership. People want position.

Can you imagine walking with Jesus in the last days? In today's reading in Mark it says the disciples were following Jesus full of fear. Jesus pulled them aside and explained to them about what was going to happen to him. He would be arrested, beaten and killed. I can imagine the disciples listening intently.

Then get this... "Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him in a low voice. 'Master,' they said, 'we want you to do us a favor.' 'What is it?' he asked. 'We want to sit on the thrones next to yours in your kingdom ..." (Mark 10:35-37)

Hard to imagine isn't it. Even in a dark hour there's such a focus on self promotion.

If I was Jesus I would have turned to the other disciples and said, "Wanna see something cool?" And then had a bolt of lightning fry the sons of Zebedee! "How do you like that, 'Sons of Thunder!'?" But Jesus didn't do that. He used the opportunity to teach them (and us!) that we are not like the world.

"as you know, the kings and great men of the earth lord it over the people, but among you it is different. Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant. And whoever wants to be greatest of all must be the slave of all. For even I, the Messiah, am not here to be served, but to help others, and to give my life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:42-45)

We need to understand that leadership is not a matter of height. It is a matter of depth. As a leader you are entrusted with the lives of those in your care. There are not more people to serve you, there are more people you serve. There is more obligation to do what is best for others.

This sounds like it's backwards in the worlds eyes, but as your responsibilities increase, your submission to the needs of others must increase. Who had the greatest responsibility of all time? Jesus. What did he have to do as an act of submission to the needs of others? Give his life as a ransom for many.

We need to model this in our daily existence. This is the point where Active Ministry Involvement (responsibility) and Relationships Devoted to Unity (submission) meet. We need to lead as Christ led. This is not just a message for those high up the corporate ladder. This is a message for every believer. It is different for us. We don't look as promotion the way the world does. In reality, a promotion is a "demotion" we are "promoted" to a deeper level of service.

Remember, "it's different with you."



Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!

Pastor Greg Lathe

Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship
Relationships Devoted to Unity
Empowered Through Biblical Training
Active Ministry Involvement
Mission to Reach our World for Christ

3.1.12 "What Am I Doing Wrong?"

"What Am I Doing Wrong?"

Leviticus 24:1-25:46
Mark 10:13-31
Psalm 44:9-26
Proverbs 10:20-21


"The great thing about being a Christian is that ALL your problems go away! There's never a trial that comes! It's always happy and there's flute music and birds chirping and everything!" -- sounds like campaign rhetoric, doesn't it....

In Mark 10 Peter says, "We've given up everything to follow you." Jesus answers, "Let me assure you that no one has ever given up anything - home, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or property - for love of me and to tell others the Good News, who won't be given back, a hundred times over, homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land, with persecution."

Woohoo! When we give up for God we get it all back!!!

Wait a minute... did Jesus say, "... with persecution."? Does that mean trials DO come?? There IS pain??

So often it's in our nature to want the quick fix. We want the trial to just go away. We figure there MUST be a "formula" out there than can fix this. If we have a problem, we figure we MUST be doing something wrong.

Believe it or not, you can be doing everything right and still see no release from the trial. This is shown in today's Psalm.

"I am constantly despised, mocked, taunted and cursed by my vengeful enemies. And all this has happened, Lord, despite our loyalty to you. We have not violated your covenant. Our hearts have not deserted you! We have not left your path by a single step. If we had, we could understand your punishing us in the barren wilderness and sending us into darkness and death. If we had turned away from worshiping our God, and were worshiping idols, would God not know it? Yes he knows the secrets of every heart. But that is not our case. For we are facing death threats constantly because of serving you! We are like sheep awaiting slaughter.

"Waken! Rouse yourself! Don't sleep O Lord! Are we cast off forever? Why do you look the other way? Why do you ignore our sorrows and oppression? We lie face downward in the dust. Rise up, O Lord, and help us. Save us by your constant love." (Ps. 44:15-26)

One of our biggest problems is that we connect ourselves to our "trials". We make the trial about "me". "Lord, fix this for me." "Lord, help me to be more comfortable." We forget the beloved phrase, "It's not about you."

God works in all circumstances with the purpose of bringing glory to his name. There may be times that the trial I am in is to serve a purpose that has absolutely nothing to do with me. I think I fall into the trap sometimes of thinking that God's greatest concern should be my comfort. That's a distorted theology that has me a little too close to being the object of worship.

Don't get me wrong. There are times that the "mess" we're in is a direct result of disobedience. We need to be repentant and seek the face of God and ask him to restore things according to his will. But in all things, we need to remember that our goal is the DEATH of our flesh, not the PLEASURE of our flesh. Through EVERY trial, we need to ask God to mould us into who he wants us to be. MOST of the time, there are elements of our character that the Lord is working on.

Remember Job 13:15, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust him." Job did not sin before the Lord, yet the trial was very real. His friends all approached him with the "formulas" and the "you need to"'s, but that wasn't what it was all about.

We open the door to frustration and doubt when we forget that it's not about formulas and quick fixes. As we mature in Christ, the trials will most likely intensify from the outward sense, but inwardly our flesh is dead, and the trial has a decreasing impact on us.

If I am a Dead Man Walking, what can any circumstance do to me? Nothing can shake my trust, my faith, my love for the Lord.

Searching our hearts for impure thoughts and motives does need to be our FIRST priority. But sometimes after doing that our prayer needs to be, "Lord, I've laid myself bare before you, and I believe that I have been walking in obedience to your command, and that my heart is right before you. If there's something I've missed, please bring it to light. Make me into who you want me to be."

Through all of that, we understand what it really means to live a "Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship". Our relationship with the Lord is one of intimacy in all things regardless of what the enemy may throw at us.

"What am I doing wrong?" The answer may be "Nothing. Just enjoy your time with the Lord through your trial!"


Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!

Pastor Greg Lathe

Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship
Relationships Devoted to Unity
Empowered Through Biblical Training
Active Ministry Involvement
Mission to Reach our World for Christ