Author Archives: cazehner

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About cazehner

I'm a woman who loves God's Word, the Bible. And I love sharing what it is God reveals to me through his Word. I pray that everything I write is consistent with Scripture, and that everyone who reads this blog will be drawn closer to the Savior. I am praying for you.

March 16

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Deuteronomy 9-11

Ok I get it. Three times in 9:4-6 Moses tells Israel that it’s not because of their righteousness or integrity that they were going to live in Canaan. In fact Moses calls them stiff-necked people and reminds them of the many times they’ve disobeyed God… to the point God was ready to destroy them.

God had made a promise to Abraham and he was going to honor that promise. The Jews were going into Canaan but it wasn’t about them. It was about God.

It is always about God.

We were created by God for God. We are created to love and worship Him. Sometimes I think we get caught up in what God can do for us. The forgiveness, the peace, the joy are all amazing blessings that come from walking with God and obeying Him. But when we walk with God we are simply doing what we were created to do.

The Jews were going into Canaan to live in houses they didn’t build and eat food they didn’t plant. But it wasn’t because they were good enough.

God is telling us to put on righteousness we didn’t earn, but not because we are good enough, either. It’s His righteousness so that we can fellowship with Him.

I find it amazing and humbling that the God of creation wants to fellowship with me. It’s not because I’m a good person or go to church every Sunday or read my Bible. I am a sinner who has accepted His forgiveness. I stand before Him wearing His righteousness because I have none of my own.

Because of Him I am able to be the person I was created to be.

March 15

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Deuteronomy 6-8

Did you recognize a couple of these verses as ones Jesus quoted in the gospels? 6:5 and 8:3 were both spoken by the Savior during his time on earth. He taught by example that knowing Scripture is important in the life of a believer.

Moses challenges us to put God’s commands in our hearts, to impress them on our children, to talk about Scripture in our homes and as we go about our day. He even suggests we wear symbols on our foreheads and paint our doorposts with Scripture.

I have to ask myself if God’s Word is that visible to others when they look at my life. Do I display God’s Truth in my actions and in my speech?

I may be the only Bible my unsaved friends are reading today.

You know, there are a lot of good books out there that talk about Scripture. There are some great commentaries. There are even some blogs about Scripture :).  But there is no substitute for the real thing. I hope you spend time every day reading and thinking and talking about God’s Word.

Parents, I trust you are teaching your children to love God’s Word. I hope they observe you spending time in those precious pages.

My prayer is that we all will take Moses’ challenge. May Scripture play an important part in our day to day lives. May we  not only read, but commit to memory verses that speak to us. And may others see the God of Scripture in us.

March 14

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Deuteronomy 3:12-5:33

The Bible is truly God’s love letter to us. Did you hear him tell you how much he loves you as you read Moses’ words to the Israelites? Remember that the flesh and blood nation of Israel is a beautiful picture of the church and what God said to them thousands of years ago he says to us today.

Here is what I hear him say this morning:

4:7 What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him.

4:29,30 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.

4:31 For the Lord your God is a merciful God.

5:29 Oh that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever.

I don’t know. I see throughout the pages of God’s written word a repetitive theme. God loves people. God wants to bless people. God is interested in keeping us close.

May you go about your day’s activities aware that you are loved by the God of creation… by the God who is near when we pray, who wants to be found, who is merciful, and who wants to bless us forever.

March 13

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Deuteronomy 1:1-3:11

Moses knows he is going to die soon. So what is it he wants to leave with the Israelites? These words in Deuteronomy record his last message to the nation he had led for forty years.

Moses begins by going over their history together. Remember, his audience had been pretty young when the Israelites left Egypt and arrived at the Jordan some forty years before. It was their parents’ disbelief which caused them to wander in the desert without ever taking the land God had promised them.

Now that generation is gone and the oldest Jew is only around 60 years old. Yet Moses is speaking to them as though it was their sin and not their parents’ who kept them out of Canaan.

We are all products of our upbringing. Raised by imperfect parents we are all imperfect people. Some of us have a great deal to overcome and some of us are living on solid foundations. But here is what God is saying to me today. We have choices. We can live in the past, blame our parents for our struggles, and allow the past to prevent us from ever seeing Canaan. Or we can give it to God and allow Him to heal us. We can, if necessary, refuse to walk the path our parents walked and enjoy a close relationship with the Father who will never fail us.

Moses is right to go over their history with these young Israelites. It’s important for us to take a realistic look at where we’ve been, too. But we don’t have to live there. If you are carrying the burden of your past, I pray you will find a counselor, pastor, or a friend who loves the Lord. Talk to someone who can help you find the answers you need and the courage to go on. God wants us to enjoy this journey.

I am praying for each of you who find this blog today. You may be one who is hurting. Or you may be one who can encourage someone who is. As God speaks to you, may He find you willing to obey.

March 12

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Numbers 34-36

The Old Testament doesn’t really say anything about rehabilitating criminals, does it? Their laws were pretty black and white. If you murder someone you die.

I don’t want to get into a debate about capital punishment and I praise God for men and women who have found the Savior while paying a debt to society. But once again I am reminded that God cannot tolerate sin. He cannot let the guilty go unpunished and the wages of sin is death.

When a person gives his or her life to the Lord that person is justified by faith. I have heard it explained that means God looks on him, “just as if I’d never sinned”. In a sense that is true. When we become Christians our Holy God looks on us as clean, spotless, even holy. But make no mistake about it. That position comes at quite a cost.

It’s not as if I’ve never sinned. Its that every sin I’ve ever committed nailed Jesus to the cross. He didn’t just tear up the bill and forgive the debt. He paid the debt of my sin in full with his own precious blood.

As we come into the Easter season I am reminded how much Jesus loves me and what my sins cost him. How can I help but love him when he loved me so?

Dear God, once again I thank you for your Word. Thank you for reminding us how serious you are about sin and what our sin cost Jesus. Thank you for the cross. Thank you for forgiveness. And thank you for such an amazing love.

March 11

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Numbers 32&33

The Israelites sure moved a lot during their trip from Egypt to Canaan. I counted 43 times they relocated during their forty years in the desert.

In the 37 years I was a public school teacher I moved eight times which seems like a lot. My parents owned their home for sixty years!

So as many times as the Jews packed up and moved, I can imagine they were ready for four walls and a permanent address. When they finally arrived at the Jordan and looked at the beautiful land of Canaan I can understand why some said they’d rather end their journey on the plains of Moab. Cities were already built there and the land was fertile enough. Occupying Canaan looked like more struggle and more time before they could rest.

The truth is, the deeper life does take time and it is a struggle. God doesn’t make his people live there. You can be a Christian and live on the other side of Jordan.

But God can’t bless you there like he can in Canaan.

The walk with Him is sweeter, the joy and peace more amazing. It’s not a life without struggle and there may be barbs in our eyes and thorns in our side until we get rid of those things which dishonor God. But God promises that it’s worth it.

Father, may your people be drawn to Canaan. May we spend time in your Word, go about our day in an attitude of prayer, be sensitive to your voice. May we be aware that you are walking right there beside us and helping us to defeat our enemies so that we can enjoy the blessing that comes from that deeper relationship with you.

March 10

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Numbers 30,31

The Midianites had to be destroyed. They were the means of turning Israel away from the Lord. God’s command was to kill them all. But when the soldiers came back from the battle they came with the Midianite women and children as well as their livestock and possessions.

Moses was not happy. He told the soldiers they had to finish the job. Midianite women and children had to die.

God is asking me today to identify those things that are means of turning me away from Him. And once those things are evident, I must rid myself of them completely. Nothing is to stand between me and my relationship with God. Even if it appears to be just a little thing.

The lesson for me here in Numbers today is that not everything that can turn me away looks like an angry soldier with swords drawn. It may look like something totally innocent.

I challenge all of us to examine our lives and defeat the enemy that would keep us from a right relationship with God.

I am very glad that we are not called to kill people like they were in Old Testament times. We don’t have a flesh and blood enemy in God’s spiritual kingdom. However, the principles are the same for us. We cannot allow sin to have any place in our lives.

The internet is a great thing when used properly. But if I waste hours every day playing games or visiting ungodly sites, I need to walk away from it. And if I can’t walk away from it, maybe I need to cancel my service.

If gambling or alcohol or a career or an unhealthy relationship is coming between me and the Savior, I need to end it. If anger or jealousy or self-pity is robbing me of an affective testimony, I need to confess it and allow God to change it.

There just isn’t a way to almost serve God or to almost get right with Him. God wants us to defeat our enemies completely and rid ourselves of anything that would turn us away from Him.

Father, reveal those things in our lives that put us in danger of allowing the enemy to take up residence in our lives. Help us identify things that are the means of turning us away from You. Then defeat those enemies in our lives. Help us to live lives pleasing to you, lives able to be used by you to reveal you to a lost world, and lives that can be blessed and be a blessing today.

March 9

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Numbers 27-29

Whenever I read accounts like that of Zelophehad’s daughters I pay special attention. Zelophehad had no sons. He had five daughters. And he and Mrs Zelophehad named their girls with names that all ended in “ah”.

For those of you who know me, you know my parents had no sons, either. They had five daughters and all of us have names that end with the “ee” sound. (No spiritual lesson here. Just some useless points of interest)

What I did learn from today’s reading is that God honors women. Yes, this was a male dominated society and much of the Bible is addressed to men. But I take no offense in that. If I look beyond the pronouns I see a God who loves people, who died for men and women, and who is not willing that any should perish. I see a God who prompted Paul to write there is no difference between Jews and Greeks, male and female. I see a God who demands obedience of all of us.

Ladies, let’s not get our feelings hurt by the use of words like “mankind” or try to feminize God by eliminating the masculine pronouns. I believe that’s one of the ways Satan tries to take our focus off what’s really important.

Father, I thank you for the masculine picture you painted that speaks of your relationship to your people. And I thank you that you are a Father who loves his children equally, that you died for all of us, that gender makes no difference in your kingdom. Help us to keep our eyes on the real message of your Word and forgive us when we make issues of things that really aren’t all that important.

March 8

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Numbers 25,26 and I Chronicles 7:14-29

When Phinehas learned that an Israelite man had blatantly disobeyed God, he went to drastic measures to stop him. Phinehas’ obedience stopped a plague that was destroying Israel.

Here is what God said about Phinehas:

“… he was as zealous as I am for my honor…”

What does it mean that God is zealous for his honor? The commandment about not having any other gods before him isn’t a suggestion. When God says be holy he is not talking in generalities. God is serious about revealing himself to a lost world through the obedience of his children.

And God knows time is limited compared to eternity. God doesn’t have time to play around. There are lost people to win and he is not willing that any should perish. We’ll have opportunity in eternity to relax and enjoy our position in Christ.

Until then we have work to do. Let’s be as zealous as God is about his honor. Let’s get busy and share him while we still have time.

Father, we sometimes forget the urgency in our message. Help us to be zealous about revealing you to our friends and neighbors who still don’t know you.

March 7

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Numbers 22-24

There is so much about this story I love. I can just picture Balaam and his donkey traveling along. All Balaam sees is his donkey being stubborn so he beats the animal. Eventually, after the third beating, the donkey turns around and says something like… Stop! What have I ever done to you!

Now here’s what I love. Balaam answers the donkey as though it was the most natural thing in the world. That makes me smile.

But there’s more to the story. God had put a road block in front of Balaam. For whatever reason, Balaam didn’t see it. In fact, he went to drastic measures to stay on the road he had chosen. Once Balaam was able to see the angel and hear from God what he was supposed to do, he was able to go on his way.

We all have a road to travel. Sometimes we get a little off the mark and at those times God might put a road block before us. Road blocks can look like failed job opportunities or just that uneasy feeling that comes from drifting. It could be a word from a friend or an illness.

I don’t know what your road blocks look like but I pray you won’t overlook them. They are there for a reason. And paying attention to the road blocks can make our journey so much better.

Father, thank you for caring about our journey. May we be sensitive to the times you place road blocks before us and may we understand that they are there for our good.