Leviticus 26:12-13, "I will walk you and be your God, and you shall be My people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would not be their slaves; and I broke the bars of your yoke and made you walk upright [with heads held high as free men]." (AMP)
At one or another time in my life, I did quite a bit of teaching, workshops, seminars, and conferences. But I would have to say one of my most memorable was in Nashville TN. You see, I had just finished up a leadership conference, and one of my associates, Diana, was there with me. We were walking back to our hotel rooms to pack up and leave. Truthfully, I was exhausted and preoccupied when she handed me an envelope. I noticed the email message written on it, and I distinctly remember Diana saying something when she gave it to me, but I was concentrating on the message written on the envelope. I looked at who it was, and I said to myself, "Oh, I already responded to this email." And since I was finished with the message, I threw the envelope away after I got in my room.
Well, when we got back to the office, somebody said, "Where is the check from the directors in Nashville?" They were referring to the check for our teaching from the weekend. I said, "Diana has it." However, when they asked Diana, she said, "I gave it to Janet already." My response? "You did?" Well, if you haven't figured it out by now, the envelope I threw away. It Held the Check! I wish I could say this was the first check that I had thrown away, but it wasn't. Well not on this sizeable check, but I have thrown my check away with the trash, not paying attention to what I was doing. So, in the end, they stopped payment, and they re-issued it. But naturally, I was treated for acute embarrassment! See, I didn't know what the envelope was worth inside, so I just threw it away. In essence, I read the container but took no time to review the contents. I wonder how often so many of us repeat this same mistake in varying areas of our lives!
The good thing about this whole fiasco is that yet another devotional was birthed out of my many blunders in life. This brings us to our text in Leviticus 26:12-13. It's an essential passage for a lot of us who don't realize how valuable we are. See, the people here, the ancient Jews, had been mistreated in Egypt, they'd been used, they'd been hurt, and they'd been belittled (sounds like the testimony of a lot of us.) And so, the awful result is, they started to believe that being treated like cheap labor was what they were worth. And that couldn't be further from the truth.
Listen in to what God said to them, and you and me as well. "I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would not be their slaves; and I broke the bars of your yoke and made you walk upright [with heads held high as free men]." (AMP)
See, they were out of Egypt, but Egypt wasn't out of them. They were out of bondage, but the bondage wasn't out of them. And I'm afraid that's the very description of many of us today. God has brought people out of domestic violence, addictions; bad habits; bad decisions, and still some act as though they are still where they were! There's nothing worse than being a prisoner for so long that even when the bars open, you remain in bondage!
This reminds me of an old story I'm sure you've heard of: "One day, a farmer's donkey fell into an abandoned well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway, so it just wasn't worth it to him to try to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They each grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. Realizing what was happening, the donkey at first cried and wailed horribly (I mean, after all, how would you respond if someone were trying to bury you alive?) Then, a few shovelfuls later, he quieted down completely. The farmer peered down into the well and was astounded by what he saw. With every shovelful of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something unique. He would shake it off and take a step up on the new layer of soil. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off, to the shock and astonishment of all the neighbors.
Moral of the Story: Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is not to let it burn you but to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping and never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up!"
Every time I read that story; I'm amazed by how much it encourages me. Because the truth is, some of us fall and determine that the fall was too great to recover from, so we give up. But then we also experience times when others see how great our fall was, and they round up the neighbors, everyone gets their shovels, and throws dirt in our pit because they simply cannot see a way for us to recover and come up out of what we've gotten ourselves into. All they know for us is an ending. Which makes me wonder, if all the neighbors in the story could all gather their shovels, and come together for the sole purpose of throwing dirt on the donkey, burying him alive, couldn't they all have very well come together and find a way to get him out instead? Isn't that just like some messy folks? They would rather throw dirt on you than help you get clean from a chaotic situation.
Well, today is your day of encouragement because I refuse to allow you to wallow, wilt and die! Neither will you allow yourself or anyone else to bury you before you die! If we are all brutally honest, we all sin daily (and for the rest of us simple church folks, we sin by the nanosecond)! Now, I know some super-spiritual folks tend to act like they sit next to Jesus every day, but then if that were true, why did they need a Savior in the first place? We may not commit the same evil, but we're just as guilty as the next for a crime of corruption! And in case some folks are under the impression that sin comes in 'sizes,' let me help you…Sin Has No Size! One Size Fits All! There are no 'big and little sins.' God does not grade our sins by measures and levels! God has concluded that both come under His judgment whether one person takes a person's! So, whatever your sin was, be it deliberate and willful, accidental, or even unknown, when you take it to God and repent and ask for forgiveness, it is done in that very instant, and you need not prove levels of righteousness to mere man! Those who you have wronged, you sincerely apologize, make it right in whatever way you can, ask for forgiveness, and walk-in newness going forward determined to be better today than you were yesterday and better tomorrow than you'll be today!
Stop allowing dusty people to throw dirt on you while you bow your head in the ditch and die! I don't care how you got there nor how long you've been in there, you can get up, get out and go on! And you need no one's permission or approval to do so! Stop accepting invitations to pity parties celebrating what you could have done, and who you could have been. Do it today, become it today! Shake off the dirt they've thrown on you and at you, use it as a foundation to step on, step up, and step out!
Remember This: John 8:3-11, "The religion scholars and Pharisees led in a woman who had been caught in an act of adultery. They stood her in plain sight of everyone and said, "Teacher, this woman was caught red-handed in the act of adultery. Moses, in the Law, gives orders to stone such persons. What do you say?" They were trying to trap him into saying something incriminating so they could bring charges against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger in the dirt. They kept at him, badgering him. He straightened up and said, "The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone." Bending down again, he wrote some more in the dirt. Hearing that, they walked away, one after another, beginning with the oldest. The woman was left alone. Jesus stood up and spoke to her. "Woman, where are they? Does no one condemn you?" "No one, Master." "Neither do I," said Jesus. "Go on your way. From now on, don't sin." (MSG)
Moral of the Scripture: Until You're SIN-LESS, Remain STONE-LESS! Even Jesus set the record straight. He wrote in dirt; He didn't throw it! So, if anyone approaches you with shovels in hand, don't argue, fuss or fight. Just shake it off, step up, step out and step off! You are no longer under condemnation, nor are you bound in bondage! God has broken the bars of your yoke, and you are now free, so talk, walk, act, and live like it!
Romans 8:1, "Therefore there is now NO condemnation [NO guilty verdict, NO punishment] for those who are in Christ Jesus [who believe in Him as personal Lord and Savior]." (AMP)
Psalm 103:12, "He has REMOVED our sins as far away from us as the east is from the west." (TLB)
1 John 1:9, "If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His nature and promises] and will FORGIVE our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose]." (AMP)
In other words, you may have gotten yourself down in a dirty ditch, but you don't have to stay there! Therefore, once you're out, let no one treat you like you're still in, not even YOU!
Back to our text, God told them what royalty they were and that it was about time they started living like the treasure they were. Maybe that's what God is trying to say to you today. You've been making the same mistake about your worth that I did with that valuable envelope; you think it's trash, but it's not, and neither are you, no matter what you've done, how many times, with who, when where or why!
My friends, you are more valuable than you give yourself credit for!
But maybe you've felt like a loser, a reject, a victim. So, you've been throwing yourself away, and there are a lot of ways to do that. You can throw yourself away academically by not trying, not working very hard, by getting sexually involved, maybe throwing yourself away chemically or alcoholically. You could be trashing yourself by what you do for pleasure, what you listen to, or watch, by putting yourself down, by settling for bad relationships. Maybe you've even thought about suicide. It could be you don't try because you don't believe you are worth it.
Well, I've stopped by to drop off a vital message to you today: YOU'RE WRONG!
God is saying to you today: You are My handmade creation! My people are no longer slaves to their enemies; you can now walk with your head held high! And yet, so many of you are still making a mistake that breaks the heart of your Creator. You believe you are trash because some people treated you like trash. But no, you are who your Creator says you are. God created you. God loves you. God purchases you through the death of His Son. You belong to God. You are not trash!
You've got to keep moving. Whatever you let sit will go bad. When you have an assignment from God, even when you are hurt, keep moving, keep serving, keep giving, you keep moving. Whatever sits goes bad, you sit long enough your legs will go to sleep; your hands will go to sleep. If your battery sits, your battery will go bad. your car, automobile, if you don't drive, it will go bad. Let your mind sit; it will go bad. An idle mind is a devil’s workshop. Let meat sit, let fruit sit, let eggs sit and it will go bad. Whatever you let sit will go bad. we are designed to move, so keep moving.
Feed yourself on another level for where you are going. Listen, I know you have been offended, I know you have been hurt, sometimes you have been rejected in a place where they do not see your worth & value, and they have made you feel some way about yourself, but you will go to another place and find there are such great values. You will be surprised who needs what's in you. But you've got to keep moving. I don't care hard you were slammed to the ground, keep moving, take your time to get up, re-invent yourself, look up, anoint up, dress up, worship up, you got to keep moving, eat up, restore what was lost in you.
Ephesians 2:10, "For we are His workmanship [His masterwork, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set] so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us]." (AMP)
THAT'S WHO YOU ARE!
Listen: I looked at a valuable envelope. I thought it was trash; I threw it away. I was wrong. It was worth a lot. Maybe some people have looked at you and thought you weren't worth much, and they treated you like trash. Well, they didn't know who you are. They had no idea of the value you carry within. 2 Corinthians 4:7, "But we have this precious treasure [the good news about salvation] in [unworthy] earthen vessels [of human frailty] so that the grandeur and surpassing greatness of the power will be [shown to be] from God [His sufficiency] and not from ourselves." (AMP) You carry treasure, and you are God's treasure! And just because they didn't know it doesn't mean anything. You need to know it! Don't break God's heart anymore by throwing away what He thinks is worth so much He would die for you. He would die for the very wrong things you have done, for every rebellion against Him in your life. You were worth the life of Jesus Christ, His Son.
Isaiah 43:2-4, "Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you. I've called your name. You're mine. When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you. When you're in rough waters, you will not go down. When you're between a rock and a hard place, it won't be a dead-end—Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you: all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba, threw in! That's how much you mean to Me! That's how much I love you! I'd sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you." (MSG)
Philippians 2:5-8, "Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion." (MSG)
So, I don't care what you've done, how many times you've done it, where you were, who you were with, how long you were there, there is absolutely nothing that can stop God from loving you, protecting you, providing for you, claiming you, forgiving you and redeeming you! Nothing, Not Even YOU!
There's another short story you may have heard of; it goes like this: "As my friend was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at any time, break away from the ropes they were tied to, but for some reason, they did not. My friend saw a trainer nearby and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. "Well," he said, "when they are very young and much smaller, we use the same size of rope to tie them and, at that age, it's enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free." My friend was amazed. These animals could break free from their bonds at any time, but because they believed they couldn't, they were stuck right where they were. Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something simply because we failed at it once before? How many of us are being held back by old, outdated beliefs that no longer serve us? How many of us have avoided trying something new because of a limiting belief? Worse, how many of us are being held back by someone else's limiting beliefs? Whatever you can conceive and believe, you can achieve! CHOOSE not to accept the false boundaries and limitations created by the past."
My friends, that's your encouragement today as well! And when you look at that story, you must realize something significant. The elephant had the power to break free at any time from his bondage. However, God loves you so much that He didn't even wait for you to break free, nor did He depend on or even expect you to break free; no, the Scripture says, "I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people. I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD, WHO BROUGHT YOU OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT SO THAT YOU WOULD NOT BE THEIR SLAVES; AND I BROKE THE BARS OF YOUR YOKE AND MADE YOU WALK UPRIGHT [WITH HEADS HELD HIGH AS FREE MEN]." (AMP)
Did you notice how many times God said "I"? He said He would walk among you; He brought you out of the land of Egypt; He made sure you would no longer be a slave; He broke the bars of your yoke; He created you to walk upright, even with your head; held high as FREE! Don’t let your sin, nor your past keep your head down, your shoulders slumped, your back bent, your eyes downward, and your spirit downcast! You are no longer bound; you are free! John 8:36, "So if the son makes you free, then you are unquestionably free." (AMP)
You have one God who is your Only judge! And He determined that you are Redeemable! You have value, and you have worth, you have a fresh start, you have a second chance! If God had no more use or need of you, then the breath of life that He's loaned you, would default and you would die, but instead, you've opened your eyes to a brand-new day! A new day of fresh mercies! Last night was not your Last night because your Lord still needs you! So don't under-value and under-estimate yourself and let no one else do it to you either!
You will not stay here any longer. You have been set free from the bondage of others, and more importantly, the bondage of yourself. God loves us so much that He didn't wait for us to get ourselves out of the yoke; no, He broke it for us! And so today we are free, no more limitations; no more self-doubt; no more low self-esteem; no more questioning God's love for you; no more if God can do this for everybody else but you. No More! God has changed both your position and posture, and today is the day you keep moving, live, talk, and act like it!
YOU, MY FRIENDS, ARE YOKE-FREE BECAUSE GOD HIMSELF BROKE THE BARS OF YOUR YOKE!
Blessings
J.P. Olson
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