Just Because We Can, Doesn’t Mean We Should

So I’m back in Leviticus this morning & it has more seemingly random rules. The primary take away is that the Jewish people were to only eat land animals with split hooves & chewed cud, marine animals with scales & fins, birds that weren’t meat eaters & winged insects with joints.

God’s initial plan was vegetarianism (Gen. 1:29-30) but this changed in Gen. 9 when He introduced bloodless meat as an option.

So yet again I ask, “Why Lord?”

The Law was fulfilled when Jesus conquered sin & death & any animal became acceptable as long as it was eaten with thanksgiving.(1Tim 4:4-5)

So we are free to eat whatever we desire as food will not keep us from heaven, but the thought that arises is this:

Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.

I am not a vegetarian, but when I make the lion’s share of my plate fruits & veggies, I tend to feel better in the long run!

What I love about our good God is that He doesn’t force us to follow Him. His Word is filled with wisdom for the choices we face daily. We CAN eat shrimp, lobster & pork, but why would I make this a DAILY part of my diet if His initial instruction was to steer clear? 

If you dig in just a little, you learn that shrimp & lobster are bottom feeders that act like little garbage men of the ocean, just like pigs on land!😬

We CAN also eat processed food that doesn’t have a mother or come from the ground, but to what avail? 

God has a plan, He’s in the details AND He lets us choose whether or not we’ll heed His wisdom. The thing about wisdom, is that once you learn it, you can’t unlearn it! Wisdom forces us to a fork in the road of decision making.

It’s not that we can’t enjoy a little treat or eat some meat, it’s moderation that matters.

Father, thank You for the reminder that Your Word (even Levitical laws) are relevant today. That’s because it’s Truth & Truth ISN’t relevant. It’s timeless!

Help us to heed Your Word when it comes to our health. & remind us that just because we CAN doesn’t mean we should eat something that carries no life!

We want a life of longevity marked by miraculous health! Our bodies are vehicles for ministry! Holy Spirit, help us fuel them with nutrition that brings life!

#OneYearBible

February 21st One Year Bible Readings

LEVITICUS 11:1-12:8

MARK 5:21-43

PSALM 38:1-22

PROVERBS 10:8-9

Loving Peace Guards the Gate That Leads to Crabby Land

I can’t say that I always “love peace”. Sometimes my insides feel crabby & I say or do things that bring turmoil to my surroundings.

Yesterday was one of those days. It was Saturday and all I WANTED to do was something fun, but responsibilities like budget, bills & taxes were calling out with urgency. 

My husband was kind to make me a yummy breakfast while I trudged my way through the drudgery, but my heart set up shop in Crabby Land. I was short with my words & distant with my affection. 

I kinda wish I would’ve read Psalm 37 yesterday as it may have altered my heart-stance to the land of peace instead of the negative place that felt good for me and awful for him 😬

The whole chapter tells of trusting the Lord & reminds us of the promises that pop up when we love peace more than the problems before us.

In fact, verse 17 promises that a wonderful future awaits those who love peace!

Peace is a fruit of the Holy Spirit that resides within AND it’s a name of Jesus! When we allow Him Lordship over our thoughts, decisions, words & actions, His very Presence becomes our Source of Peace!

Father, we thank you for the reminder that when we put our hope in You, we can travel steady because we are following You! We need never slip into

Crabby Land when we keep our gaze fixed on The Way before us!

Thank you, Father, for rescuing us-even from ourselves! When hard things happen, remind us to love Peace more than the problems before us. Lift our chin from the circumstances of the moment to lock eyes with our Lord who is & ever will be our Source of Peace!

#OneYearBible

February 20th One Year Bible Readings

LEVITICUS 9:7-10:20

MARK 4:26-5:20

PSALM 37:30-40

PROVERBS 10:6-7

When the Veil Between Heaven & Earth Becomes Thin

The other day something extraordinary happened. My son called me breathless & said, “Mom, please answer my FaceTime call!” So I did & suddenly my screen showed a light in the dark distance of the desert.

As he zoomed in, it moved, changed colors & danced on screen before me.

He said he’d been driving for miles & thought there was a reflection on the window until he turned & saw the light. He pulled his car over & walked into the desert until he came to a fence & then just stood there in awe…we were both a bit speechless.

He did a 360 with his phone & aside from the cars passing by, the only visible lights were the moon, stars & this inexplicable, shimmering light. We don’t know what it was, but we both sense that it was a Divine epoch moment!

I thought, “Man, if he’d kept driving on mission to complete his cross-country trek, ignoring this thing glimmering in his periphery, he would’ve missed it!”

I texted the story to my friend & she replied with this: “The veil is thin!”

The veil between heaven & earth WAS thin! It took my breath away & made me wonder:

How many times have I been in a thin veil moment & missed God’s Presence because I’m “driving” to complete something?

That story surfaced as I read Jesus’s command to “pay attention” in Mark 4.

Jesus sat in a boat & used the everyday imagery before Him to give people eyes to see kingdom principles! He spoke parables of lowly things to lift their gaze to high matters!

Not many understood His parables, but I wonder if the Truth was thinly veiled on purpose? Not to hide, but to poke curiosity that leads to revelation?

Thinly veiled Truth sharpens our senses & stimulates a wondering that prods us to listen & learn!

The purpose of hidden Truth is not to conceal, but to reveal! Sometimes I think Jesus still speaks through parables like a broken washer, traffic that makes us late or a dead lightbulb in the closet. ALL of these everyday occurrences are a chance for us to lean in & listen!

I have a sense that the veil between heaven & earth IS indeed thin-constantly! We just need pay attention & be willing to “pull the car over” long enough to ask the Lord to reveal His Truth through this concealed thing!

#OneYearBible

February 19th One Year Bible Readings

LEVITICUS 7:28-9:6

MARK 3:31-4:25

PSALM 37:12-29

PROVERBS 10:5