“‘This is what you shall do to them to consecrate them to minister as priests to Me... You shall bring Aaron and his sons... and wash them with water... You shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him... They shall have the priesthood by a perpetual statute.’”Exodus 29:1-9

God had called Aaron and his sons to serve Him as His priests. But even though they were called, each still had to be consecrated—set apart for His purposes. To assure that they understood this calling, each priest had to go through a formal process. They must accept this calling and confirm their commitment to obey. This was true generation after generation, priest after priest. This process involved sacrifice, wearing special garments, washing before entering His presence, and being anointed with oil. Their experience provides a pattern that still is true for all Believers. We are called to serve God and must lay aside our plans and desires in order to submit to Him. We must realize that this commitment involves sacrifice. We never can forget just how imperfect we are and how perfect He is. We can never be good enough, boast in ourselves, or take the credit. Every blessing and benefit is a gift from God. As David discovered, even though he was king, he did not have special privileges. If we want to “stand in His holy place,” we need “clean hands and a pure heart” (Psalm 24:3-4). As He calls us, He gives us the power and resources we need. Our task is to be faithful and good stewards. But we cannot do this in our own strength. We need to be anointed: Empowered by the Spirit. Brothers & Sisters in your life, remember God’s calling for you. Seek to serve Him faithfully. Always being humble and thankful. A good steward. Filled with His Spirit.

"And it shall come to pass that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be, that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on them."Zechariah 14:16-17

The God-ordained Feast of Tabernacles is a prophetic feast, and one which will be kept by all the people of the world in the coming age. In resurrected bodies, we will be celebrating this feast, year to year in Jerusalem during the millennial reign of Jesus! Can you imagine it -- celebrating with the King of Kings! If that's not something to anticipate, I'm not sure what is! Right now, there's quite a bit of turmoil in the world, which is producing a level of uncertainty and anxiety that I've not witnessed as a believer. Yet despite all of these scary situations, we have something wonderful to look forward to -- and if you're like me, you can't wait! Brothers & Sisters, don't let the times we’re living in control your life; instead, use these turbulent times as an opportunity to display the goodness and grace of God in your life! As Jesus said, when you see these things begin to take place -- lift your heads high because your redemption draws near! REJOICE - THE CELEBRATION AWAITS US!

“When you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”Matthew 6:6

We’ve all heard them. Prayers that sound spiritual, spoken with poetic eloquence. In subtle ways, these can become models we emulate. They also can be intimidating, and foster competition. In these moments we need to remember that prayer is not a contest. And the goal is not to impress others but to commune with God.. Jesus described how some pray to “be seen by men.” For such people, being noticed is their reward. They may sound sincere and seem spiritually maturity. But God is not impressed. Jesus directed us to pray in our “inner room.” The Greek word here describes a place of storage or a private chamber, far from the public eye. Jesus was teaching that prayer is to be private, a dialogue between each person and God Himself, done in “secret.” We are not to be concerned how others react; our focus is on our Father. Jesus also reminded us that we cannot impress God with our vocabulary or the length of our prayers. In fact, many prayers are packed with “meaningless repetition.” The Greek word describes someone who stammers, repeating the same things over and over.. But Jesus said that we must not assume that we will be heard for our “many words.” Prayer is about our relationship with God. We cannot tell Him anything really new for He “knows what you need before you ask Him.” And, as Jesus taught in the Lord’s Prayer (vs. 9-12), we should use words like those we speak in a conversation with a friend. Brothers & Sisters when you pray, don’t worry about impressing others. Focus on God. Talk with Him. Be honest with Him. Share your needs and burdens. Ask questions but always listen. And don’t forget to thank Him, and give Him praise.

"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."John 10:28

I read a story about a new young partner in a law firm. The senior partners had set extremely high standards and had coached him carefully. He did well in some minor trials but he lost his first big case. When the partners reviewed the trial, they pointed out his errors and suggested different strategies. Even with all their critique, he lost the next big one. He felt terrible. Were they ready to give him the boot? Then one of the partners took him aside. "Look," he said, "you're learning. Just keep going. You'll start winning. Meanwhile, your position is secure. You're one of us." Those words were exactly what he needed to hear. Have you ever experienced this kind of compassion when you were feeling hopeless? If we’re believers, we have. The Lord has taken us aside and said, “Yeah, you’ve made some mistakes, but don’t worry -- your position is secure. Brothers & Sisters, know that God has provided your security today. Rest assured in Him -- and be sure to convey that same kind of compassion to struggling siblings in the faith. All of us need to be reassured once in a while. KEEP YOUR HEARD UP!

“At the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he was standing by the Nile…Then Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph, and they hurriedly brought him out of the dungeon.”Genesis 41:1, 41:14

For Joseph, time probably seemed to have stopped. He had done nothing wrong, yet he found himself in prison. After proving himself to be responsible, he was given oversight of other prisoners. Yet he remained in prison, with no apparent prospect of release. His hopes surely increased after his encounter with men who had political connections. He had correctly interpreted the dream of Pharaoh’s chief butler, who had been released, promising to remember Joseph. But “two full years” went by, and still no change took place. However, when everything did change, it happened with amazing speed. Pharaoh had a troubling dream, and the butler told Pharaoh about Joseph. He was quickly brought from the prison, and suddenly he became “ruler” of all of Egypt. The transition had taken place “hurriedly.” The Hebrew word here usually is translated “run.” In other words, Joseph was brought before Pharaoh as if running with speed and urgency. This change took place with a speed that must have seemed impossible. But this amazing turn of events illustrates God’s control over time and circumstances. While he waited in prison and nothing seemed to be happening, Joseph could not have realized all that was taking place. In ways he never could have imagined, God was preparing the way for his rapid ascent to power. Then, when the time was right, circumstances changed with unbelievable speed. In our lives, time often can move so slowly. We can feel forgotten and hopeless. It can seem that circumstances never will change. These are times to remember the example of Joseph. To stay faithful. To continue serving God. To be trustworthy, responsible servants. And never to give up. Brothers & Sisters, continually be ready for your breakthrough, believing in God’s sovereignty over time and circumstances. He has a plan and will act when the time is right.

“Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words…They said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.’ And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar.”Genesis 11:1-3

The people who settled in Babel gained fame after building a city and tower. But their first significant decision was determining to “make bricks.” Only then did they realize that this discovery gave them new abilities. Bricks enabled them to erect buildings on a scale that previously had seemed impossible. This illustrates how events can develop in our lives. We may not have clarity about what will happen next, but as we take each step, new possibilities emerge. And, in ways we might not anticipate, one thing leads to another. This applies to everything in our lives, even sin. This is the nature of God’s warning to Cain after he became “very angry.” The Lord warned that sin was “crouching at the door”—meaning that Cain’s anger would have consequences he might not have intended (Genesis 4:1-7). While this principle is true in a negative way, it also is true positively. Small steps often can lead to great discoveries and spiritual breakthroughs. Just as negative steps can deepen our immaturity, positive steps can lead us to greater maturity. In fact, in one way or another, our actions always will have consequences. Once we start walking in a path, we can find it harder and harder to change. Small habits become ingrained and hard to break. Little sins develop into bigger sins. Also, we are influenced by the people with whom we associate. As Paul warned, “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits’” (1 Corinthians 15:33). Brothers & Sisters, what habit patterns dominate your life? Remember that you will Reap what you Sow. Seek to live according to God’s Word. Invest your time, talent, and treasure in His Kingdom. Apply His principles, step by step, day by day.

"Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world: he that follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life."John 8:12

During the feast of Tabernacles in Jesus' day, the temple priests would set up four great lampstands with golden lampholders, which they would light with the aid of enormous ladders in the Temple courtyard. The lighting of these lamps began the celebration of the "Great Hosannah" (Hoshannah Rabbah, in Hebrew). The celebration went on in to the wee hours -- with music and dancing and rejoicing, while the beautiful lights lit up the night. Jerusalem was a breathtaking, illuminated city on a hill. The following morning the Jewish people would recite the prayer for the eighth day of the feast -- "Be thou praised, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who makes light and causes darkness, who makes peace and creates all: the light of the world as the treasure of life…" So it was in this contextual background, that Jesus proclaimed, "I am the Light of the world!" Some of us have been walking in darkness recently -- maybe for a long time now. This is, by no means, God's calling on our lives. Our Redeemer, Jesus, is the light of the world. We, who follow Him should never be walking in darkness but have the light of life! We should be set apart -- a city on a hill, illuminated beautifully for all the world to see! Brothers & Sisters, it's time to get our lamps lit. No more excuses! Let’s give our hearts to Him once again today and get His victory in our lives! There’s so much work to be done! GET YOUR LAMPS LIT!