Divine Mentor- Because I Said So by Deena Serafin

DM Scriptures: Numbers 19-20; Ps. 28; Mk. 5

Scripture: Numbers 20:12b "...therefore, you shall not bring ths assembly into the land which I have given them."

Observation: This is a vivid and unmistakable picture of the expectation of obedience God has for our lives. By all worldly standards, it just wasn't fair that this one act of partial disobedience would keep Moses from  entering the Promised Land. After all, the Israelites wouldn't even be there if it hadn't been for Moses!  Maybe he just misunderstood God's command to "speak" instead of "strike" the rock like the time before? Maybe his frustration with those complaining people caused him to act without thinking? Who could blame him? Maybe it was his pride that got in the way, and for one minute he thought he was in charge and not God.  Still, it didn't seem fair.

Application: God is holy. When He said "speak" to the rock, that is what He meant. The Rock was a picture of Jesus- He is our rock. The first time, Moses was to strike the rock with a rod (Ex. 17:6); however, the second time he was only to speak.  The fact that Moses did not understand the significance of the two different commands was irrelevant. We  neither deserve, nor should we expect, an explanation from a holy God. We tell our children "because I said so."  The same is true of God-  we need only trust and obey.

Prayer: My Father,  since I believe You desire only what is best for me, I trust You to lead me and to discipline me when I disobey. Thank you for Your mercy, which saves me from what I truly deserve,  and for Your grace, which gives me so much more than I deserve. Amen.

Divine Mentor- Light, Salvation, and Strength by Deena Serafin

DM Scripture Reading: Numbers 10-11; Psalm 27; Mark 1

Scripture: "The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom then shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?"(Psalm 27:1)

Observation: What more is there to say about our God than David says in this verse? If anyone had reason to be afraid, King David did. Enemies all around him, continually at war, surrounded by Godless nations, jealousy within his kingdom. David didn't always make the best choices, but he knew in his heart there was no one or nothing that could defeat him. He knew the God Who was his light, his salvation, and his strength.

Application: I can't begin to identify with David, King of Israel, in terms of the fears he must have faced. My fears certainly seem small and insignificant when I read about his life. There are days, however, when I am overwhelmed with daily living for one reason or another. I am grateful for mentors such as David who remind me that this same God who delivered David again and again has saved me from sin, lights my way, and gives me strength to face every situation.

Prayer: My Father God, thank you for your faithfulness, your love, and your strength. Amen.

The Divine Mentor – A Place of Rest – By Margaret Thomas

Today’s Reading: Numbers 7, Psalms 23, Acts 27 

Psalm 23:1-3a: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters.  He restores my soul.”

Children. Family. Relationships. Activities. Ministry.  Just a few of the many responsibilities that make up the fabric of my daily life.  Some days, it is a constant battle to stay afloat as I juggle competing priorities. Today was one of those days. It was full of multiple commitments and pressing decisions that seemed to stretch endlessly.  I was worn out and exhausted.  I struggled to push aside the demands of a brutal day so I could spend quality time in God’s Word.  It was difficult.  My mind wouldn’t stop spinning.

I opened my Bible to Psalm 23 and began to read through this beloved passage.  For a moment, I closed my eyes and let the familiar words melt into my soul.  They seemed to come alive as sounds and pictures filled my mind. I could hear the sound of ‘still waters’ through a clear mountain stream rippling gently as it wound its way slowly down into the valley.  In ‘green pastures’ I could see contented cattle, frisky deer and other wildlife as they enjoyed the twilight of a cool evening.  I could smell the freshly cut grass of a summer field, and hear birds singing as they rested in the shade of a leafy oak. There were no cares, no worries; just quiet snapshots of memories past, spent away from the hustle and bustle of life.

As God’s soothing presence began to wash over me, I let go of my worries. My mind calmed.  Only then could I hear His still small voice whispering tenderly, "Stop worrying, Margaret; don’t fret.  I am in control.  Rest in the green pastures of my presence. Let my Spirit lead you beside the still waters of my Word. I can restore your bruised and battered soul.  I will give you a true place of rest."  

His rest.  Exactly what I needed today.  As I soaked in His presence, He soothed every worry, every fear.  My chaotic world came into focus as I gave each problem into His care.

The Lord is the Great Shepherd. He lovingly watches over us.  He desires to bring order to our chaos and peace to life's storms; to lead us to a place of rest.  He longs to heal those places where we have been shattered by tragedy, crushing disappointments, and broken dreams.  But, we must choose to let go and trust in His guidance.  It’s only as we spend time in the green pastures of His presence and walk beside the still waters of His Word, that we will find peace.  He is the only one who can give us a true place of rest. 

Divine Mentor- The Saddest Verse in Scripture. by Deena Serafin

DM Reading: Numbers 5-6; Psalm 22; Acts 26

Scripture: Acts 26:28 "Then Agrippa said to Paul, 'You almost persuade me to be a Christian.'"

Observation: This is one of the saddest verses in all of Scripture. We grieve when a loved one dies; however, when that loved one is a believer, we rejoice in the midst of our sadness. In the case of King Agrippa, this confession would haunt him in death. Does he now continually cry out for a "second chance"? I don't know exactly what Hell is like, but I can't imagine that even flames would be worse than remembering when you were "almost persuaded" and turned your back on Jesus.  There are no second chances for those who die without Chrits, even if they "almost" believed.

Application: My story is ordinary- not dramatic like Paul's. Still, I need to tell it to anyone who will listen. I must remember, however, that it is the Holy Spirit, not the story, that persuades.

Prayer: Father, please send Your Holy Spirit to prepare the hearts of my family members who have been "almost persuaded" in the past but still do not know or follow Jesus. Get them ready to hear, once again, my testimony.

Divine Mentor- Redemption is Personal. by Deena Serafin

Divine Mentor reading: Numbers 3-4; Acts 25

Scripture: Numbers 3:50  " And Moses gave their redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of The Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses."

Observation: This a picture of how seriously God takes our redemption, not as the whole world of believers but as individuals. Instead of asking that each firstborn male be dedicated to Him, as had been done previously, God asked for all males in the priestly tribe of Levi to take the places of the firstborn; however, there were 22,273 firstborn sons but only 22,000 Levite males. So that every firstborn son could be redeemed, Moses was told to give 5 shekels for each of these 273 sons to Aaron and the Levites (v.47).

Application: Jesus shed His blood and gave His life  to pay the price required for our sin- He was my 5 shekels. If I had been the only person in need of redemption, Jesus would still have died.  He knows me and loves me that much. This is the difference between following Jesus and every other religion- it's personal.

Prayer:  Thank You, Jesus, for Your sinless life and Your sacrifice for me. Today I desire to live as a testimony to You and to tell others of God's great love for them.

Divine Mentor - King of Glory by Deena Serafin

Divine Mentor reading: Leviticus 23-24; Psalm 24; Acts 21

Scripture: Psalm 24:8a " Who is this King of Glory?"

Observation: If you grew up in the church, you probably memorized the 23rd Psalm: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." There are many times in my life when I have desperately needed this Shepherd, who gives me everything I need, protects me, feeds me, restores my soul; however, it is the 24th Psalm that excites me! I cannot read it without picturing Jesus, coming again to be crowned King of Glory by all--- every knee bowing, every tongue confessing that Jesus, Lord of all, is our King of Glory!!

Application: The 24th Psalm reminds me today to focus on Who He is, not what He has done for me or what I need from Him now. Praise Him for Who He is, for if He had done nothing for me except die and live again, that would have been enough.  This life is short and temporary-- the best is yet to come!

Prayer: My King of Glory, I am overwhelmed today by Your greatness. I don't know what is in store for me today, but I begin the day with great anticipation and enthusiasm, knowing that You are my King of Glory! Amen.

Divine Mentor: ON FIRE WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT: BY HILARY LITZINGER

Scripture:

Acts 4:31

"After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly."

Observation:

John and Peter are reporting to their people what happened when they were taken to the people of the law for teaching God's word. When the people came together and heard they spoke in prayer. They raised up Jesus' name and the great things he does. They believed in what they prayed and received with their hearts the power of the Holy Spirit. It caused the place to shake and the people's souls to be stirred up. Even though there were people against speaking the name of Jesus as the Son of God, believers were able to come together and speak the truth and "shake" each other up. And by shaking them up they were able to keep on moving strong and being bold.

Application:

It is truly amazing what the word of God does inside of us. The power of God's voice is more than our minds can comprehend. When God speaks, IT IS. That's why when we tap into prayer with belief, faith of the word, and profess it, we can feel a sense of rush and be "on fire" for Christ. I believe we need to be shaken up on a regular basis. The only way to it, is through the word. God's word is life and the only thing that can stir up revelation inside us and our surroundings. Prayer makes revelation even more powerful when we come together.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, God,

you are the word and your word is life. I pray that your word is shaking up people's lives so that they may see and know that you are Lord of all. So that they may catch a glimpse of how it feels to be on fire with you spirit and speak boldly of your awesomeness. I pray that I may too, be shaken every time your word is spoken.

In Jesus Name, Amen.

Hilary Litzinger

Divine Mentor- Prayer and Praise by Deena Serafin

Leviticus 10-12; Acts 16

Scripture: But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; (Acts 16:25 )

Observation: I have commented on this verse, and others similar to it, many times in the past, noting what great witnesses Paul and the others always were to those around them, even in prison. I've made comments such as " you never know who might be listening and watching" or "Paul never missed an opportunity to witness".  That is not what God showed me this morning. Paul and Silas were talking to God, praising Him for their imprisonment, spending precious time with Him away from the noise of the world. God was in that cell with them.  God was their focus, not the prisoners who might be listening.

Application:  There is a difference between being a follower of Jesus and simply acting like one.  Our focus should be on Him,  praying and praising,  not on our actions.  Our actions will always (eventually) reflect how much intimate time we have spent with our Heavenly Father.  That is what others will see.

Prayer:  Father, You created us to glorify You in every circumstance of our lives. Today I will  seek you with all my heart and soul, praising You continually for Who You are.

The Divine Mentor – The Missing Ingredient - by Margaret Thomas

Exodus 40:16 - Thus Moses did; according to all that the Lord had commanded him, so he did. 

Exodus 40:34 – Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

In this story, God had given very specific instructions to Moses as to how He wanted the tabernacle built. In verses 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, and 32, it repeats seven times that each directive was followed, “...just as the Lord commanded Moses”. It was only after Moses did all he was commanded, that the Lord came down and filled the tabernacle with His glory. His complete obedience was the key.    

As most good cooks will tell you, one missing or incorrect ingredient in a recipe can mean the difference between a delicious feast and an unpalatable disaster.  I remember the first birthday cake I made for my husband.  We were newly married and this was my first attempt to make something like this from scratch.  I dreamed of producing the moistest, tastiest, most delicious cake he had ever eaten.  That afternoon, I left work early and rushed home to start on this masterpiece. The recipe I used was one I had borrowed from my mother and I followed it carefully.  I remember that feeling of anticipation as I mixed ingredients, poured the resulting batter into three round cake pans, and placed them carefully in the oven. I waited patiently for them to fully cook and then removed them to cool.  Immediately, I realized that something wasn’t quite right as the layers seemed unusually thin. I was out of time, however, as my husband was due home shortly. In a panic, I whipped up an extra batch of icing in hopes that he wouldn’t notice the lack of actual cake if I used lots of icing in between each layer and on top. 

After dinner that night, I proudly brought out my “masterpiece”.  In truth, it wasn’t the prettiest cake and definitely not what I had envisioned, but he was thrilled that I had gone to the trouble to make him a homemade cake.  I cut us each a slice, then took a bite.  I chewed…and chewed… and chewed. With difficulty, I managed to swallow, only to have it settle in the bottom of my stomach with a resounding “thunk”.  It was painfully clear that the cake was much too dense and barely edible - no amount of extra icing could conceal it! I was heartbroken.  Seeing my distress, my sweet husband shouldered on and ate every last bit of cake on his plate. In between bites, he told me over and over that he loved it, really loved it. I knew he wasn’t telling the truth, but he wasn’t about to admit that. Needless to say, neither of us wanted seconds, and I hastily threw the remainder in the garbage. Later, when reviewing the ingredients, I realized I had failed to notice something very important – the baking powder was over two years out of date.  That one simple ingredient had affected the entire cake and turned my delicious masterpiece into an unpalatable disaster.  It made the difference between success and failure. 

The Bible contains the only recipe for a successful life.  Success, however, is contingent on one very important ingredient: obedience.  Your life will rise and fall based on your obedience. Moses followed God’s instructions to the letter.  As a result, God’s glory came down and filled the tabernacle. God desires that same level of commitment from each of us. He desires to fill us with his glory and surround us with his presence. However, we must make a choice - will we obey or disobey? Our obedience to Him and His Word affects everything we do.  It isn’t about what we want, but what we need.  Obedience is the crucial ingredient that will determine the difference between our success and failure - through our obedience, we will ultimately find the greatest joy.

The Divine Mentor – God Is The Great Equalizer - by Margaret Thomas

Today’s Reading (February 1): Exodus 30, 31, 32; Acts 8

Exodus 30:14-15 (NASB): ¹⁴ Everyone who is numbered, from twenty years old and over, shall give the contribution to the Lord. ¹⁵ The rich shall not pay more and the poor shall not pay less than the half shekel, when you give the contribution to the Lord to make atonement for yourselves.

These two verses really jumped out at me today.  Why weren’t the rich required to pay more than the poor? When God asked for a contribution from the Israelites, they all paid the same thing. No one was set apart or singled out because of their financial situation.  No one was given precedence over the other. Everyone, regardless of their status, had to atone equally for their sin.  

We live in a world today where people are grouped together, not by who they are, but by what they have or don’t have – their wealth (or lack of wealth), job title, birthplace, neighborhood, relatives, and the list goes on. We look at the outward appearance - nice clothes, big houses, fancy cars, fat bank accounts, family relationships, etc. - and then treat that person as if somehow they are “better” simply because they have more “stuff”, “connections” and/or power.  In God’s eyes, however, there is no difference between rich and poor - we are all equal.  All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

So, why do we treat each other differently?  Why does wealth or social status mean so much and control so many?

As I pondered these questions, I realized something important: at the root of our obsession with wealth, social status and connections is the erroneous belief that these things will bring us love and acceptance - that they will fill the spiritual and emotional void that exists inside us. In our world, what a person has is often viewed as more important than who a person is. We’ve bought into the lie that if we have enough stuff, others will assume we are someone of worth – that these things will cover those ugly areas inside where we are angry, insecure, fearful, imperfect, and sinful.  We use “things” to give us a false sense that we are somebody; that we matter; that we have worth.    

The reality is that “things” will never fill the emptiness inside. They can give us temporary satisfaction, but then we find ourselves needing more and more until we are in a vicious cycle.  Only God can fill this cavernous void.  He sees us for who we really are, and He loves us, warts and all.  In His kingdom, we are all the same; we all need forgiveness. The poorest is equal to the richest.  One is not better than the other.  God is the Great Equalizer.  He levels all playing fields. In His sight, we are all equal and nothing we have in this world can change that.

Lord, help me to see others through your eyes. Thank you that in your kingdom, we are all equal.