One-Year Bible Passages: Leviticus 6:1-7:27; Mark 3:7-30; Psalm 37:1-11; Proverbs 10:3-4
Keep the Fire Burning
The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out. – Leviticus 6:13
In this passage, we read about the fire on the altar never going out and burning continually. A plume of smoke rose from the altar day and night. The children of Israel could always smell the burning of the wood and the sacrifices. It was a sweet aroma to the Lord, but it was also a sweet smell of sacrifice to the Lord that reminded them of God who saved them and the one true and living God they worshiped and served.
Our prayers in Revelation are compared to the smoke of sacrifice mixed with the atoning work of Jesus and rising as a sweet-smelling sacrifice to God. Shouldn’t we be preparing for that day even now by keeping the FIRE burning through worship, prayer, and knowing our God!!!
And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. – Revelation 8:3-4
A House Divided
And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: – Mark 3:22-29
Jesus healed a blind and dumb man, and the scribes and Pharisees used the miracle to attack Jesus. They called Our Lord by the name “Beelzebub,” which is another name for the devil and means “master of the house.”
Jesus took that opportunity to teach them a thing or two. He said if it was by the power of satan that He cast out demons, then satan was fighting against himself. That would mean that satan’s kingdom was divided and on the verge of collapse. The devil held this demon-possessed man tightly because he doesn’t ever want to lose any territory. He seeks to kill, steal, and destroy as many as he can. But the fact that Jesus delivered this man was proof that He was and is stronger than satan and that satan could not stop Him.
Jesus went on to explain the seriousness of what they had let come out of their mouths. Our words reveal what is in our hearts and what is in our hearts determines our character, conduct, and destiny. What we say can be very costly. Jesus warned these leaders that they were in danger of committing an eternal and unforgivable sin. They were in danger of blaspheming the Holy Ghost by attributing to the devil the Holy Ghost’s works.
I believe we need to take His warning to the religious leaders to heart when we judge what we think is the work of the enemy because it doesn’t exactly fit our doctrine. It is one thing if it does not line up with Scripture, but if it just doesn’t line up with doctrine, we need to be careful. While it may well be of the enemy, we should first take it to God in prayer and let the Holy Ghost direct us. Take it to God and the Word and then act or speak – we can’t go wrong there!!!
Stop Being Envious of the Wicked
Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. – Psalms 37:1-9
Here it seemed like the wicked were prospering, and God wasn’t doing anything about it. So David gives four assurances to believers who question how God is running His world. The first one is part of our reading for today.
- The Lord can be trusted.
David gives several instructions in the first nine verses about being assured that God can be trusted.
- Fret not
Fret – to burn, to get heated up. When we see evil, we should feel holy anger at sin, but to be jealous of wicked people only leads to fretting, and fretting leads to anger that isn’t holy. The wicked will not always be here. One day they will be gone, like the grass that either fades away or is cut down and burned. - Trust in the Lord and do good
When you fret you are not trusting God. Trust God and wait on Him for what He will do in your life and in the lives of others. While you wait, do good things, because faith and works go together. - Delight in the Lord
Delight – comes from the root that means “to be brought up in luxury, to be pampered.” If you delight in the Lord, you will want to know Him better. The Lord will surely satisfy that desire!!! - Commit your way to the Lord
Commit – to roll off your burden. God doesn’t take our burdens away so we can sit around and do nothing. He takes them away so we can serve Him better. - Rest in the Lord
Rest – to be silent; be still. It describes calm surrender to the Lord
Unless we learn to wait silently before God, we will never experience His peace and His joy. Peace and joy and fretfulness cannot coexist. For us to get upset because of the evil schemes of the ungodly is to doubt God’s goodness and justice and when we choose that path we forgo His peace and His joy.
Your Soul Will Not Suffer
The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked. – Proverbs 10:3
Suffer – to tolerate or allow; to undergo or feel pain or distress; to sustain injury, disadvantage, or loss.
Famish – to suffer or cause to suffer extreme hunger; starve
Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your Word and that it is living and active in my life. It is sharper than any two-edged sword. Thank You for piercing and causing me to look deep within my heart by looking deep within the scriptures. I ask You to empower through the power of the Holy Ghost to cast out any trace of envy in my life. I want nothing of it, Father. Please help me in that area. Lord, would you continue to do work in my life to keep the FIRE always burning. Help the FIRE You have ignited in me to burn brighter and brighter each moment. Thank You that You provide for my every need, and I can cease fretting and wait on You, trust in You, and rest in You. Thank You that You give me the desires of my heart because You have given me YOU, and You are allowing me to know You. I love You, Father. I love You, Holy Ghost. I love You, Jesus…and I pray that all I do today will glorify YOU. In Jesus Name, I pray. Amen.
a lamp and a light 