Ex. 37:1-9 its all about God.

It's a wood. The trees on a hill are just stayed there like invalid. But God selected a bush to come down and talk to his servant Moses. There came Moses. The staff in Moses' hand thought, "this is a living wood. That is why God is using it". Then it heard that God was saying to Moses to throw down your staff. Moses did. The staff turned into serpent. God said to Moses again, "take it". The staff turned into normal. The staff is very happy. Moses lifted it in Egypt here came plagues. He lifted and they ceased. "Why are you praying Moses? Stretch your staff and divide the sea." God said to Moses. Moses obeyed and the sea divided. The staff understood that it's not about living or dead. It's all about God. He choses and it works.

One day God called Moses and told him to make an Ark with acasia wood. Now it's a wood again. 

After a long time a priest who is carrying the ark thought that the Jordan will give way to them like Red Sea gave way to them. He thought that Joshua will use the same principle of stretching the wood. So he hold the wood tight that is on his shoulders. He stood in the front row. When they reached Jordan, Joshua told them to touch the river with your feet. "Did I hear right?" the priest asked himself. Yes he heard right. He touched the river and it was stopped. The priests stayed there until the whole nation crossed the river. This priest wondered, he asked his friend who is carrying along with him "hey it seems our feet has some power". His friend is quiet. Joshua called 12 people. " bring 12 stones from the river and pile them here." Some one asked Joshua, " why sir?" Joshua replied, "the same question will be asked by your sons. Then tell them that how the Jordan was stopped"

They went to bring the stones. Joshua said "bring the stones from the place where the priests' feet are." The young priest thought "certainly something is there in our feet". When these priests carrying the ark came to the bank, the river turned to the previous state. "Yes, there is something in our feet" the priest told to himself again. Next day morning he went to the river alone. The river is flowing well. He looked around. He slowly touched the water with his feet. Nothing happened. He pushed a bit. Nothing seems to be happening. He pushed his feet into the water a little hard. Now he slipped and about to fall down. But someone hold his hand. It was Joshua. Joshua looked at him and said, "there is nothing in your feet. It was presence of God that makes the difference. The power of the presence of God is there in the ark. It can flow through your body. It's not living wood or dead staff. It's not the man or feet. It's all about God"

Ex.34:30

Wherever you are God provides.

God is the provider. People who ate from his hands usually do not recognize it. Israelites openly said to Jeremiah that they ate well when they worship the stars. Jer. 44:17. God brought them to starving. Jer. 52:6

Jacob said that the angel who fed him will bless Joseph's sons. He knew that God sent angel to provide him yet he doesn't say that there is an angel god. He knows that God sends through angels. 

• Elijah was at the brook. God sent birds
• Elijah was in the wilderness. God sent an angel
• Elijah was in Zarepath. God sent a widow

Wherever you are, God sends some one to provide you. It seems that Elijah never worries about food. He did not say that birds provided, angel provided or a widow provided. 

When Elijah was at the brook, the brook was dried up after a while. God allows it that the brook may not become his god. In India, some of our brothers worship rivers. Some people say that they are independent. What they do mean is that they don't depend on any one but upon God. But i want to tell them that if they depend on God, they are not independent but dependent. Its actually a blessing. 


Its not only about the food. Its about your every need. God is the provider, wherever you are. 

The TRUTH

God is spirit. So the worshiper has to worship him in spirit and truth. The angels who have the spiritual bodies also called as the spirits in Hebrews. Then does God has a body because angels have a spiritual body?

The spirit of God is upon the waters. The word "upon" communicates the location of the spirit where he is working. If the Spirit took a place at that particular time, then where is God? Who is there in the water? How did the water exist?

When God made man with the clay, the man could not move until the spirit is breathed into him. Before the spirit was breathed, the man was still existing in a physical form. Who is that in that man's body at that time and making it hold together?

God is not just spirit he is more than spirit. Something beyond spirit is existing and that is God. We recognize him with name "God" but he is more than God we understood. I think we can recognize him as the TRUTH. 

John the Baptist said that he came to witness the light that is Jesus. Jesus said to Pilate that he came to witness the truth. So you have to worship him in spirit and truth. 

Some said that Jesus is sending out demons by the help of Baelzebool. Jesus said, if I am sending the demons by the help of Baelzebool then how do your sons sending out demons? Even the sons of Pharisees also actually sending out demons by the help of the spirit. But Jesus said that they are under bondage but still say that they will give freedom. Now if they have spirit of God how come they are in bondage? It's because they have the help of the spirit but there is no truth in them. Truth sets them free if they have it. 

Psalm 85 God's wrath and our sin

Ps 85:2-5 ​​​​​​​You pardoned the wrongdoing of your people; ​​​​​​you forgave all their sin. (Selah). ​​​​You withdrew all your fury; ​​​​​​you turned back from your raging anger.​​​​​​​Restore us, O God our deliverer! ​​​​​​Do not be displeased with us! Will you stay mad at us forever? ​​​​​​Will you remain angry throughout future generations?

The psalmist says that the Lord has forgiven them. He also said that the Lord has withdrew his fury. The same person again asks God if he would remain angry in future generations.

The Lord can turn back from his raging war. It doesnt mean that he is okay with the sin. Phinehas killed a couple and the plague stopped. God said, "though i was not at peace, i stopped plague. its because we need to deal with our sin. We need to atone our sin. When the angel was killing the people because of David's sin, the Lord relented and said to angel to stop. The angel stopped but did not put the sword back into its pouch. After David made atonement, the plague stopped.

Boasting (book of James)

James talks four times about boasting. In two of them he was positive and in two of them, he was negative.

Positive 

1. Rich in his lowness and poor in his highness. 1:9

2. Kindness boasts over judgment. 2:13

Negative 

1. If you are jealous do not boast 3:14

2. Now you are boasting in your great things and this boasting is not good. 4:16

He had a habit of addressing them again and again while he was talking to them.

1. Brothers 1:2, 2:1, 14, 3:1, 10, 12; 4:11, 5:7, 9,10,12,19

2. Dear brothers. 1:16,19; 2:5, 

3. Other names like-
          a. Fornicators, 4:4, 

          b. Double minded 4:8

          c. Those who talk to each other about profit of business.

          d. Rich people

Though he tells us in 3rd chapter, how can we bless and curse with one tongue, he started to call them fornicators and two minded etc. He was not cursing but addressing a separate group. 

Builders

Some times builders act like owners. They do not get any permission or any direction from the owner. God sent some builders and they have been reading prophecy but to never been in prophecy. they have passion and love their God the only problem is they don't know the purpose of the building. 

The purpose of the building lies in the heart of the corner stone. this builders rejected the corner stone thus they don't know the purpose of their call. A person that doesn't know the purpose is controlled in each every moment. if he finds the purpose, he will find the freedom from the control. The spirit of God does the both controlling directing. when you are controlled your discerning will never taken in to notice. when you are directed your discerning often times is appreciated or can be questioned. If your discerning is questioned, you can be corrected. being corrected is better than being controlled. if you know the purpose, the slavery finds no accommodation. Some people have work conscious. So they always move. every moving thing needs to be directed otherwise it will be automatically diverted. 

1 Sam. 7 (Peace)

PEACE

1. Peace within us

They were struggling they did not worship The Lord for a long time. They have been worshiping the idols. Samuel told them to shun the idols and worship The Lord alone. Yet this change was without confession. Samuel told them to come to Mispa. There they pour the water and confessed that they are sinners. Now this is peace with God. And thus the peace came into themselves. 

2. Peace through a fight

May be they thought that there would not be any fight from philistines. But while they are there to confess the philistines came to fight. Some times the fight that was scheduled in further future would approach early to be solved when you are in fasting. Israelites asked Samuel to continue praying for them. Now in the battle Israel won. Now the peace was established. The prevailing fear of philistines have gone. 

3. Peace through a treaty

Text did not say anything about treaty but I think that Amorites made treaty seeing philistines losing fight. That's how May be Israelites got peace with Amorites.

Fasting helped them establish peace in three areas. If not, they would be living with fear from these three areas.