The Threshing Floor

Genesis 22:2
Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

Genesis 22:7
"The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"

Genesis 22:8
Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.

John 1:36
And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”
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1 Chronicles 21:1
Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.

1 Chronicles 21:16
Then David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD standing between earth and heaven, having in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. So David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces. And David said to God, “Was it not I who commanded the people to be numbered?"

1 Chronicles 21:28
At that time, when David saw that the LORD had answered him on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there.
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2 Chronicles 3:1
Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
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Ruth 3:6-9
So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law instructed her. And after Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was cheerful, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came softly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. Now it happened at midnight that the man was startled, and turned himself; and there, a woman was lying at his feet. And he said, “Who are you?” So she answered, “I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative.”
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~THE PLACE OF MERCY~
The Threshing floor of Ornan is the place where Abraham would have sacrificed Issac and where God showed mercy, by providing His son for all instead. It is the place where God showed mercy to David, staying His hand against him. It is the place where the mercy seat of God was placed in the holy of holies, and continues as the focal point of three major religions today. Boaz showed mercy to Ruth through her humility on a threshing floor.
The threshing floor is used to separate grain from the chaff. Luke 3:17 (His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn;). Our God is a merciful God. He has given us His Son, who died for us at the very door of Mount Moriah, the threshing floor of Ornan. Our footstep today, is to take stock of our path. Is our life producing the fruit that walking with Jesus brings forth, or chaff which will amount to nothing.
~Chris

The Highway of Holiness

Isaiah 35: 8
And a highway will be there,
a roadway,
And it will be called, " the highway
of holiness."

~ THE NARROW WAY ~
Jesus tells us, (Luke 13:24) "Strive to enter through the narrow gate". Those who enter the narrow gate, bear all things, hope all things, believe all things, and in the end, put others before themselves. Today's footstep, is to step upon the highway of holiness and walk the narrow way all the days that life offers.
~ Chris

Number Our Days

Psalm 90:12
So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Proverbs 14:33
Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding.

Philippians 4: 8
Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
~ UNDERSTANDING WISDOM ~
Applying our hearts to wisdom requires a heart of understanding.... but can that foundation be set if we close ourselves to the words of our Lord ? It comes down to what we fill our time with, or put another way, how we number our days. He will teach us how to number them to gain wisdom, if we're open to Him. Today's step is to number our days well, so we may gain understanding which forms the foundation of wisdom.
~Chris

Patient Waiting

2 Thessalonians 3:4-5
And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.
~ DIRECT YOUR HEARTS ~
To direct our hearts into the love of God, is an act of our will. We direct our hearts and we wait patiently for the return of Jesus. Today's step is to choose to turn our hearts to Him.
~ Chris

The Goshen Effect

Exodus 8:22
'But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live;

Exodus 1: 13 - 14
So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.

Exodus 1: 15 - 16
Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah; and he said, "When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”

Exodus 14:11-13
Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.” And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.

Exodus 16: 2 - 4
Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not.

Numbers 11: 4 - 6
Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: “Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!”
~IN SERVICE TO PROSPERITY AND COMFORT~When the children of Israel were free, they still looked over their shoulder at what they had in Egypt. Even though it meant the sacrifice of their own children, rigorous toil, bitterness and bondage, they called for a return to Egypt. Why ? Was it some perverse sense of satisfaction, sameness, or even security provided by the Pharaoh. God called them to a new freedom, as He calls us even today. In a world marked by abortion, moral decay, economic collapse, and a false sense of government sponsored "welfare".... do we not choose bondage over freedom still ? Have we turned back to Egypt ? Do we know what real freedom is ? It's not about our comfort or prosperity, it's about trust in Him, no matter what. Oh, how God is calling us to it. (Genesis 6:3 Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh;...). Today, resolve to walk tall and free. Seek to know true freedom in the Lord.

How should we walk ?

LIFE, LIBERTY and the pursuit of HAPPINESS

or

LIBERATE LIVES and pursue HOLINESS.
~Chris

Purpose

Job 33:4
The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

Isaiah 38:18
For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.

Psalm 17:14
From men which are thy hand, O LORD, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.

Exodus 18:15
Moses answered him, "Because the people come to me to seek God's will.

Deuteronomy 4:29
But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

~ REASON FOR BEING ~
Why are we here at this time in history ? Is there a reason ? Why are we here at all ? Of ourselves there is no answer, but there is provision for finding the answer. Look to the source. If there is a creation, is there not a creator who created it ? Feel the very air you breath. Was it not created for you, for this moment ? Seek Him and you shall find the one who gave you your very life. Give Him thanks, lending your hands to Him here on earth. Do good for others with your life, by leading them also to seek God's will in their lives. Then you will know why now, why at all. You will begin a walk with purpose in your steps. You will find God's propitiation for our lost ways, and through Jesus, His great love for us. You will find your purpose through Him.
~ Chris