Preparing for Easter ~ Place of Rejection

[Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations…from everlasting to everlasting  Psalm 90:1-2  

During this season of reflection and renewal, join me, and let's explore God’s Presence, our dwelling place. Are you dwelling in the presence of God? ~ Donna Howell Oswalt]

“. . . He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.” Leviticus 13:46

Leviticus contains many instructions for God’s covenant people given to protect, to guide in worship, to distinguish them from pagans, and to instruct the priests. The laws concerning “leprosy” offer very specific protocols. At this time, leprosy relates to any disfiguring skin disease; true leprosy, ulcers, burns, psoriasis, fungal infections and other skin diseases fall into this category. While the purposes of these rules are to offer protection and maintain holiness, the diseased person is considered unclean, becomes isolated and must live outside the camp. For these people, this is a place of rejection.

In Leviticus 14:1-18, to cleanse and restore the leper, the priest must go outside to the unclean person and perform certain rituals. With sacrifices, water, blood and oil, the priest makes atonement for the person before the Lord. Similarly, sin creates a spiritual leprosy that infects the soul. Without Christ, grace can only wait to heal our wounds while we remain isolated and broken outside the camp. Christ knows about this place of rejection, having been willing to leave heaven and willing to die for our sins, having been betrayed and crucified outside of Jerusalem. Christ finds us where we are waiting. He becomes the sacrifice, the Living Water, the blood of the Lamb, the Holy Anointing for each person seeking new life. Holy One, You look beyond my unclean, disfigured soul and offer me Grace. No longer broken and alone, I find new life, new hope, new joy, new healing, new community. Count me alive in Christ. No longer separated, I can dwell in the presence of God. ~dho

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2014 by Donna Oswalt/Co-Founder of Mangrove Ministries/Christian blogger and author

Breathing Room For My Soul (blog) Follow on Twitter @soulchat

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

LIKE Mangrove Ministries on Facebook

“May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Preparing for Easter ~ Place of Holiness

[Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations…from everlasting to everlasting  Psalm 90:1-2  

During this season of reflection and renewal, join me, and let's explore God’s Presence, our dwelling place. Are you dwelling in the presence of God? ~ Donna Howell Oswalt]

“He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. . . God called to [Moses] out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then He said, ‘Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’” Exodus 3:2-5 ESV

While tending his father-in-law’s flock of sheep, Moses arrives at Horeb, the mountain of God, to find a supernatural phenomenon, a bush on fire but not consumed. God’s voice calling to Moses declares this place holy ground. God sees the misery of His people, captives in Egypt, and tells Moses, “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh [to] bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” Moses replies with various questions hoping, even pleading to be excused from this great mission. Before the bush of fire in the middle of the desert and kindled by the invisible, Moses encounters God, I AM, Yahweh.

The burning bush reveals God’s Glory and His Power, which Moses will need to accomplish this most unlikely mission. The Israelite’s oppression and protection is personified in the all-burning, non-consuming fire. Moses, an 80 year old shepherd, would become a symbol of humble passion and lead God’s people to their Promised Land. God promises Moses I will be with you! Jehovah, Yahweh, The One Who Is, when life seems ordinary, open my eyes to Your extraordinary Power. When my soul wanders aimlessly along familiar paths empty and thirsty, remind me of Living Water. Especially in my rebellion let me encounter Your Glory. Count me alive in Christ.  When You call me to serve in unexpected ways, tell me again I will be with you. ~dho

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2014 by Donna Oswalt/Co-Founder of Mangrove Ministries/Christian blogger and author

Breathing Room For My Soul (blog) Follow on Twitter @soulchat

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

LIKE Mangrove Ministries on Facebook

“May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Preparing for Easter ~ Place of Paradise

[Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations…from everlasting to everlasting  Psalm 90:1-2  

During this season of reflection and renewal, join me, and let's explore God’s Presence, our dwelling place. Are you dwelling in the presence of God? ~ Donna Howell Oswalt]

“And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there He put man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:8-9 ESV

God creates the Garden of Eden as an oasis, a paradise where He desires to dwell alongside of mankind. This magnificent garden contains all that is necessary to sustain life. In the garden, mankind finds purposeful work and divine fellowship, as well as a place to worship the Creator. In this place, God establishes the institution of marriage. Man and woman, created in the image of God, have all that is needed.

Yet, in this place surrounded by the righteousness of God, trickery and deceit test the obedience of Adam and Eve. Without confession of sin and true humility, they begin to offer excuses. God sends them out of the garden, and “at the east of the garden of Eden” He places “the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.” Now, a separation exists between man and God, and there is no way back into the garden. Holy, Holy, Holy, I cry out to the Most High God. Forgive my sinful ways, my rationalizations of sin, my good intentions, my failure in obedience, my selfishness, my apathy. There is a broken road between You and me that is beyond my repair. I long to once again dwell alongside You. Count me alive in Christ. I desire to linger in the garden with You. ~dho

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2014 by Donna Oswalt/Co-Founder of Mangrove Ministries/Christian blogger and author

Breathing Room For My Soul (blog) Follow on Twitter @soulchat

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

LIKE Mangrove Ministries on Facebook

“May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Preparing for Easter ~ Ash Wednesday ~ Jehovah Shammah

[Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations…from everlasting to everlasting  Psalm 90:1-2  

During this season of reflection and renewal, join me, and let's explore God’s Presence, our dwelling place. Are you dwelling in the presence of God? ~ Donna Howell Oswalt]

“And the name of the city from that time on will be THE LORD IS THERE.”

Ezekiel48:35 NIV

While living in Babylon in a refugee settlement among the exiled Israelites, the prophet Ezekiel encounters “the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it I fell face down, and I heard the voice of one speaking”. Through visions to Ezekiel, God reveals His warnings to an unrepentant Jerusalem, judgments on all nations, hope for Israel, and a New Jerusalem. Most refuse to listen to Ezekiel. Forty-eight chapters and over twenty years later, Ezekiel records as the Sovereign LORD declares, ”And the name of the city from that time on will be: THE LORD IS THERE.”  Jehovah Shammah, Hebrew for ‘The LORD is there,” describes the New Jerusalem, the same city in Revelation 21:3 where God will dwell with His people.

Although idol-worshiping Babylon seems an unlikely place for Israel to find God, He is there. After Christ returns and all Believers live in the New Jerusalem, God will be there, too. God desires to dwell among His people. God’s presence exceeds our finite boundaries of time, location, and circumstance. Lord, today as I come to the altar acknowledging my infinite dependence on Christ, let me leave the altar wearing the ashes as a sign of repentance. Whisper the hope of THE LORD IS THERE into my brokenness, into my disappointment, into my weakness, into my silence, into my vanity, into my prayers.  Count me alive in Christ. Jehovah Shammah!  Amen ~ dho

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2014 by Donna Oswalt/Co-Founder of Mangrove Ministries/Christian blogger and author

Breathing Room For My Soul (blog) Follow on Twitter @soulchat

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

LIKE Mangrove Ministries on Facebook

“May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Preparing for EASTER ~ 2014

Beginning tomorrow - Ash Wednesday 3/5/14 - You can read daily devotions on the WAFJ web site called Preparing for Easter and on my blog,  Breathing Room For My Soul. Join me as we reflect and renew our personal relationship with Jesus. Share this with your friends. ~ Donna Oswalt

photo by Marian Morgan - Fayetteville, NC

Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations…from everlasting to everlasting,

You are God. Psalm 90:1-2 NASB

During this season of reflection and renewal, join me, and let's explore God’s Presence, our dwelling place. Are you dwelling in the presence of God? ~ Donna Oswalt

Thank you for the opportunity to share the Extravagant Love of God with you during this Easter Season. For more devotionals throughout the year, see my blog: BreathingRoomForMySoul.com  Donna Oswalt

Integrity, Honesty, and Sincerity ~ Psalm 15

Only those who are innocent and who do what is right. Such people speak the truth from their hearts and so not tell lies about others. They do no wrong to their neighbors and do not gossip. They do not respect hateful people but honor those who honor the LORD. They keep their promises to their neighbors, even when it hurts. They do not charge interest on money they lend and do not take money to hurt innocent people. Whoever does all these things will never be destroyed. Psalm 15:3-5 NCV 

Christians demonstrate their relationship and fellowship with God in the everyday, ordinary, getting-up, going-to-work, having-lunch, sitting-in-car line, helping-with-homework, cleaning-the-kitchen-again activities. Worshiping God is not confined to the church building. When our inner integrity merges with our outward sincerity, the heart reveals its true intimacy with Jesus. Desiring to serve or wanting to love, wishing for faith or longing for hope, simply is not enough. Behavior becomes the thermometer for our worship. Integrity exceeds doing what is right by doing it for the right reason. Sincerity has only room for truth, honor, and love. Are you lukewarm?

"In the stillness, our false, busy selves are unmasked and seen for the imposter they truly are." Richard Foster, Prayer, Finding the Heart's True Home 

 If we take inventory of our behavior, what will we find? What happens when we remove our masks: control, busyness, apathy, carelessness, greed, prejudice, rationalization, self-consciousness, comfort? Can we find justice without truth? Can we know completeness without mercy? The simplicity of Psalm 15 lays out the characteristics for a Believer who desires to abide in God's presence. So,take off the masks. Live with honesty. Work, speak, and think, making Christ the center of your intentions.

"He who does these things will never be shaken." NASB

This phrase, a promise of a faithful God, appears at least 8 times in Psalms and Proverbs.The Hebrew word mot describes something that "falters, falls, shakes, slips, or staggers." In these last words, God reminds us our completeness in Him; He is our sure foundation. While we are certain to falter, likely to fall, sometimes shake, and frequently stagger, God embraces our frailty and failures with mercy. God calls us, first, into His holiness to restore our inward integrity, then reveals Himself to others through our outward sincerity. If we walk among the bruised and broken, sit beside the outcasts and overlooked, encourage the frail and fallen, and do this in the name of Jesus, we will never be shaken. ~dho

Consider This:
- Identify the masks you wear that keep you from finding completeness in Christ.
- Will you take off the masks and enter God's holy space?

When our inner integrity merges with our outward sincerity, the heart reveals its true intimacy with Jesus. Donna Oswalt

God calls us, first, into His holiness to restore our inward life, then reveals Himself to others through our outward tasks. Donna Oswalt