No Black Out Dates
and the Lord said to Moses: “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.” Leviticus 16:2 csb
It amazes me that people spend thousands of dollars on Disneyland passes, yet are still blocked out during certain times of the year. Perhaps you are one of those people, and this is in no way a slight against you, but rather a reflection on the park. I’m sure they have their reasons high volume, parking limitations, staffing, and so on.
In Leviticus, God tells Moses that there was only a specific time when Aaron, the high priest, could enter the Holy of Holies the dwelling place of the Ark of the Covenant. Even though he was the high priest, anointed and ordained, he couldn’t just come in whenever he wanted. The day he could enter was only once a year, called the Day of Atonement, or the Day of Covering, what we know as Yom Kippur. On that high holy day, Aaron would make atonement for the sins of the nation.
Aaron and the people had to wait an entire year to have the nation’s sins atoned for. That’s a long time, a long season of anticipation for something so important. But in the Gospels, we are told that when Jesus died on the cross, the veil of the temple—the thick curtain that separated the priests and the people from God’s presence was torn from top to bottom. Jesus atoned for mankind once and for all. Because of that, we no longer have to wait a whole year to seek covering for our sins and failures.
Hebrews 4:16 tells us that we can now come boldly to the throne of grace at any time. There are no blackout dates. We don’t have to wait for a specific time of year. Because of Jesus’ work on the cross at Calvary, access is always open. What a relief it is to know that every day God is ready and waiting to pour out His mercy (Lamentations 3:22–23). There is no reason to delay seeking forgiveness. The Lord Jesus is ready without hindrance, to provide covering.
Agape,
Frank
The Vinedresser
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit.” John 15:2-3 csb
I was recently pruning my Spanish lavender bushes in the front yard. As I cut back the branches, I started thinking about how healthy this process is for the plant. It had grown too large, spilling over into other flowers in the garden bed, so I was able to reshape it. I’m sure the lavender didn’t enjoy the shears as they sliced through, but it was for its own good to prevent overgrowth, reduce disease, and encourage more blooms. And the more it blooms, the more it attracts pollinators and provides food for the praying mantises that call it home.
In John’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that our Father in heaven is the gardener, the One who tends the vineyard. When He sees dead or diseased branches, He removes them. And when He finds a branch that is producing fruit, He prunes it. That may sound counterintuitive, but any vinedresser, orchard worker, or experienced gardener will tell you that pruning a fruitful branch actually leads to greater growth and more abundant fruit.
Pruning doesn’t always feel good or even seem right, but the Lord knows what is healthy and what is not. Things I think are good can, over time, become harmful. There are even things I may allow to grow in my life that lead to sin and spiritual decay. So the Lord, in His wisdom, may remove certain activities, relationships, or even a career for the sake of my spiritual health. I may not enjoy the process, but the result is strength and longevity in my walk with Him. Perhaps you’ve recently experienced pruning in your spiritual life. Take heart because the Gardener, your Heavenly Father, removes what would ultimately bring harm. Like the lavender, it is for our good, so that we may continue to bear healthy, lasting fruit.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.” — Galatians 5:22–23 (CSB)
Agape,
Frank