[NorkenziE-Note] Men, Mexico & Mickey Mouse

Hello Everybody!

What a great weekend is approaching! We have 77 of our men headed to Grove Christian Camp for our Men's Retreat. Click HERE to see the schedule and directions to Grove.

Sunday is our Mexico Sunday. Our Mexico Mission Team will be leading the worship services and hosting the 'Mexico Lunch' right after the 11am service. If you come at 9am, but sure to return around 12:15pm and support our Team. The mission trip is March 19-28th, so the time is getting close. Let's thoroughly support our young people with our prayers and generosity as they serve Christ over Spring Break in Mexico. You can follow their trip at the Norkenzie Mexico Mission blog.

For my family, Katie's 13th birthday is on Saturday and we'll be traveling to Disneyland for her Kids Wish Network trip. We're all very excited with this 'once in a lifetime' trip! If you want to follow our time in California you can go to our family blog or my Facebook Profile page. I'll be posting along the way...

Have a great day!
Neil

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A List Of Names

One man from each tribe, each the head of his family, is to help you. These are the names of the men who are to assist you:

Numbers 1:4-5

God gave Moses the list of names of those men from each tribe who were to help him and Aaron take the census of Israel. God knew their names…

God knows my name. He knows the task He wants me to accomplish. I am not unknown to Him… He knows my name!

The personal relationship that I have with God through Jesus Christ is just that – personal. He knew my name before I did! He has now, because of Christ, written my name down in the Lamb’s book of life (Revelation 21:27).

Lord God – thank You for creating me and loving me and redeeming me in Christ. I want to know You more today! Teach me new things about who You are.

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Above and Beyond

1 How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?

6 I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.

Psalm 13:1, 6

From the dismay of verse 1 to the worship of verse 6, how does David get there?

In Psalm 13:1-4 David has sorrow, is wrestling with his own thoughts and experiencing his enemies have victory over him. He’s calling out – ‘God, where are You? Why have You forgotten me?’

Circumstances of life can bring all of these emotions – and more! David does what I must do, raise my eyes above and beyond my circumstances to the God I know loves me. The transitional phrase is in verse 5: “But I trust…”

David can say that the Lord has been good to him because He has! Looking above and beyond our circumstances to the One who has saved us changes us. We begin to feel like singing! Our hearts rejoice in the salvation that is found in Jesus Christ.

My life is defined by this good news. Regardless of circumstances… regardless of my sin or the sin of others, I will rejoice in God’s salvation and will sing because He has been good to me!

Father, put a new song in my heart today. Receive glory through me as I rejoice in You.

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Holiness

My bride, Alisa, is one of the teachers at Norkenzie's Women's Retreat this weekend.  In the past few weeks she and I talked about what God was leading her in as she prepared to speak into the theme "Sanctuary."  What does it mean to be the people of God?  What does it mean to be the Temple of the Holy Spirit!?

Personal holiness.  We do not take our sin too seriously, she thought, because the vast majority of the time we do not experience any consequences.  

There are consequences, of course... but we do not experience them in the moment or to any degree that keeps us from sinning.  We like the sin. If we didn't like the sin, it wouldn't be tempting.  I think we give in to temptation to try and fill some whole in our heart... some longing... some pain.  Sin can powerfully medicate us and we not only do we not feel the consequences anytime soon, but the 'thing' we're struggling with can be forgotten or dulled. Yep, sin is an addiction.  We're all addicts.

Personal holiness does not mean we are perfect, but I think it does mean that we run to Jesus and receive from Him what only He can provide.  I think it does mean feeling the angst, the pain, the sorrow and refusing to medicate it in any way, shape or form - except through the Comforter that Jesus sent to live with us.  He can turn our sorrow to joy and He will.  But we need to run to Christ and nothing else.

We are, after all, His Temple.  His Sanctuary.  

I read this somewhere recently:  "Joy is the by-product of obedience."  We all want joy. Temptation offers a way to experience joy, but it over-promises and under-delivers!  As we yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit, our obedience will produce joy in us.  That's cool.  It's Organic Spiritual Medication - no fabricated pharmaceuticals here!  

I wonder how it went for Alisa this morning.

 

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Awesome Presence

"Lord, who may dwell in Your sanctuary? Who may live on Your holy hill?"

Psalm 15:1

In the closing verses of Exodus, after Moses and all the skilled workers had built the tabernacle exactly as God had commanded, God’s glory… His very Presence… filled that place. Exodus 40:35 says that “Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud (of God’s Presence) had settled upon it and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.”

When the Psalmist asks the question, “Who may dwell in Your sanctuary?” Well it’s not Moses! And if not Moses, who can really? Moses had even gone up onto the mountain of God and received from the hand of the Lord the 10 Commandments. But now, with God’s Presence filling the tabernacle, he could not enter that place.

God’s Presence is awesome and fearful! He is holy. At once I desire God’s glory and am scared of it too. What will it be like… what will it mean when I see Him face to face?

The Psalmist’s answers his own question, of course. The answer is all about holiness and righteous living.

1 LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?
Who may live on your holy hill?

2 He whose walk is blameless
and who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from his heart

3 and has no slander on his tongue,
who does his neighbor no wrong
and casts no slur on his fellowman,

4 who despises a vile man
but honors those who fear the LORD,
who keeps his oath
even when it hurts,

5 who lends his money without usury
and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
will never be shaken.

Psalm 15

Behind the righteous living is an awesome fear of God Most High.

You are awesome, God Most High! Give me today just a glimpse… just an ounce of Your glory – revealed in my heart. It would be more than enough to change me and motivate me to be ‘Holy unto the Lord.” Thank You for the beauty of the Gospel and the grace I’ve received through Jesus. You are God Almighty and You are Father – only because of Christ. I pray as Jesus did, ‘Father, glorify Yourself through me this day.’

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Building Project

"All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the LORD has commanded: the tabernacle with its tent and its covering, clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases…"

Exodus 35:10-11

The Lord God gave to Moses detailed plans on the Tabernacle. It was to be a very specific way. Moses tells the people here in chapter 35 to bring an offering for this building project that the Lord has given them. Part of the offering was to be the skilled labor of workers. People were going to give of their time, energy, heart and skill to build the exact plan that God gave Moses.

God is building something these days. As with the Tabernacle, He will use the offerings of His people (both resources and skills) to accomplish His plan.

Father – I give You what I have to build in me and through me Your Kingdom this day.

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