Weekly Word - How You Livin
How You Livin?
Numbers 1:50-52, 2:2,3,10,34
2007 has promised to be a prosperous year, and I have been led in our first message of 2007 to speak to you all regarding standards. Everyone has some standard or code by which they live. I'm talking about the benchmarks by which you judge every action and decision in your life. For example if you don't drink a keg party or a social event with an open bar are not attractive to you. You will need some other motivation to attend an event other then alcohol. What I want us all to think about this week, however, are the standards God expects us to live by. Specifically I want you to ask yourself if you are living according to his word. One way to answer that is to look at his word to see what it says about standards. As we look at the first and second chapter of Numbers we find Moses leading the children of Israel. God tells Moses how to number and organize all of the different tribes, and he instructs Moses that the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp and by his own standard. Now the standard being referred to here is the family name. Each tribe was numbered according to the families and the house of their fathers. Your family name identified you with a certain tribe, and each tribe was known by the standards of conduct that family represented. We find in chapter two that these standards were flown high from flags and banners for all to see so that there was no question what tribe was being represented. There was a specific location around the tabernacle that each tribe was to set up camp, and each one took their rightful place as directed. Wouldn't it be wonderful today if you could just look at a person and from their name know they were a child of God. Imagine how awesome our witness would be if our names alone stood for being good, honest, trustworthy, loving, giving, patient, etc. When I look at this text, however, I see that most of us today are just the opposite. We go to church on Sunday and are comfortable living with God privately, but once we are in public and in the world we hold up false standards. We go out with friends and co-workers and are comfortable being labeled as players, partiers, ballers and the like. We shy away from being labeled as blessed or favored or Christian because we don't want to offend anyone or to isolate ourselves. We forget that God has called us to come out of the world and hold our Jesus banners high. Just think of how many people you see daily with either sports jerseys or entertainers broadcast on their clothes. You have no problem knowing what team someone supports just look at their hat, shirt, jersey, etc. Gangs have no problem knowing what set they claim, just look at their colors. But how many of us are readily identifiable by our clothes. How many of us are identifiable by our conversations or actions. Do your coworkers know you're a Christian...what about your friends, what about your family. 2007 is a year that God wants to move the church to a new level. He wants to bless you, but he needs to be able to recognize you. Hold your standards high and stop being ashamed of Christ. He was not ashamed of you, and hung very high for all to see our sins being washed away through his blood. Most importantly, read Isaiah 59:19. God lifts up a standard to block the enemy when he attacks us. Let's make sure our standards are strong enough to handle those attacks. God loves you, I love you, and that my brothers and sisters is your weekly word.
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Author: knowledge
Location: Upper Marlboro Maryland USA
Gender: Male
Age: 37
Blog Entries: 10 (archive)
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i am a lt in the united states coast guard. i graduated from the coast guard academy in new london, ct with a bs in management. i am currently stationed at coast guard headquarters in washington, dc. i received my calling to the ministry at tulane memorial baptist church while...
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