4 Nov, 2021

Carry Your Load!

Numbers 4

READ –  “When their names were recorded, as the LORD had commanded through Moses, each man was assigned his task and told what to carry.  And so, the registration was completed, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.”  Numbers 4:49 NLT

EXAMINE – The LORD gave Moses detailed plans of what each Levitical clan’s responsibilities were. The Kohathites carried the sacred articles of the Tabernacle only after the priest covered and packed up everything (Numbers 4:1-20). The Gershonite clan carried the curtains of the Tabernacle and related equipment (Numbers 4:21-28). The Merarite clan carried all the frame and metal parts of the Tabernacle (Numbers 4:29-33). The LORD even gave the age of the workers to be between thirty and fifty years old (Numbers 4:34-48). The priests were given the leadership responsibilities to supervise and hold everyone accountable and to keep everyone safe and alive (Numbers 4:17-20).

APPLY –  The workers were given a task to do with detailed responsibilities, training to keep everyone safe and a time span (20 years) to work. We need workers in the Church. There are numerous jobs to do including someone editing these Devotional Blogs to make sure I am grammatically accurate. Our BMBC model is that we are a “staff-equipping, lay-driven” ministry according to Ephesians 4:11-12.  What’s the “load” that the LORD wants you to carry at your church? As we celebrate our 139th Church Anniversary, will you complete your registration by reclaiming your membership and by signing up to take on a task to help carry the load of ministry? If you have family members not in church, then send this to them and invite them to be part of BMBC as we change lives and make a difference.

PRAY – Father God, I’m thankful for the staff and volunteers who help carry the load of ministry. Help us not to grow tired of the tasks You have called us to. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

2 Nov, 2021

Many Gifts, One Spirit!

Numbers 3

READ –  “Call forward the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to serve as his assistants.”  — Numbers 3:6 NLT

EXAMINE – The LORD had appointed Aaron and his sons to serve as priests to the nation of Israel (Numbers 3:3) but the sins and death of two of his sons left only Aaron and his sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, to serve as priests (Numbers 3:4). As a result of this leadership shortage, the LORD appointed the entire tribe of Levi to serve as assistants to the priests in performing the sacred duties and maintaining the Tabernacle (Numbers 3:5-10). The LORD gave specific instructions as to their position around the Tabernacle and their duties to the Tabernacle (Numbers 3:14-39). Since God had spared the firstborn of Israel in the tenth plague, the firstborn belonged to the LORD. The LORD accepted the tribe of Levi as a substitute for the firstborns (Numbers 3:40-51).

APPLY –  Too much work to handle alone! The LORD recognized that the responsibilities associated with sacrifices, worship and the Tabernacle were too much for Aaron and his sons; therefore, He appointed the entire tribe of Levi to be their assistants. Oh, how I’ve come to realize in these thirty-two (32) years of pastoring that the work of the Church is still too much for the pastor to handle alone. A leadership shortage still exists in the Church. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ has made every believer part of the royal priesthood (I Peter 2:9) so that all of us can share in the work of ministry. Are you carrying your load and fulfilling your calling? Take this Spiritual Gift Inventory and see how God has wired you for ministry.

PRAY – Father God, thanks for the reminder that each one of us has a job to do in the church. Give us the wisdom to know what that job is and the strength to perform it with grace and excellence. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!