Author Archives: joe

Four Markers of God’s Blessing

    One of the blessings of growing in our understanding of God through the Bible is that He tells us what He is going to do, then He does it. We see this in every nook and cranny of our Bibles. A God that reveals what is coming because he wants us to grow in our relationship with Him. Let’s look at four markers of God’s blessing, and conversely the consequences of our disobedience.

     It is easy to be tempted to skip reading Old Testament passages from the Bible. I am not just talking about the genealogies. There are many passages that are difficult to understand because our lives are so much different than those in the Bible. The names, the places and even the figures of speech, the climate, the holiday and even the customs are foreign to us today. But if we spend some time understanding the context of these passages many gems of insight are available to be discovered.  

     Leviticus 26 is one such portion of Scripture. It is in this passage that God reveals four markers of His blessing in our lives. The lack of these markers reveals the inverse, the absence of God’s blessing. But before we dive in let me remind us that God’s working is always in progressive waves of blessing or waves or correction. God’s work in our lives is a process to move us to obedience. Obedience leads to greater blessing, while disobedience leads to progressive greater consequences or correction.

The Lord is the source of my prosperity. “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.” (Leviticus 26:3–4) Living in the Northwest the promise of rain does not seem like much of a blessing. But if you are a farmer in a more arid location, before irrigation, rain was essential to your prosperity.

The Lord is the source of my peace. And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely. I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid.” (Leviticus 26:5b–6a) One of our greatest desires is for peace. It is one of our greatest needs today, but we are reminded that it is realized in a growing relationship with the Lord.

The Lord is the source of my provision. I will turn to you and make you fruitful and multiply you and will confirm my covenant with you. You shall eat old store long kept, and you shall clear out the old to make way for the new.” (Leviticus 26:9–10) The Lord is the one that is meeting my needs.

The Lord is the source of my Presence. I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you.” (Leviticus 26:11) It is the Lord’s presence in my life that brings a fullness of spirit and attitude.

     If you are sensing a need in your life in one of these areas, I encourage you to lean into the Lord and allow Him to work in your life. The first best step is to get back to the basics of the Christian life. It is there that the Lord meets us, like in our Bible reading, to take us to where we need to be.

 -Pastor Joe Parkinson

Am I a Role Model?

    Let me ask you, “Are you a role model?” This is a question that we all need to ask ourselves. The answer to that would be yes for everyone. A better question is “What kind of role model am I?”  We know that everyone is a role model whether good or bad. I am sure… Continue Reading

Where is Heaven?

    I recently was reading an article about a certain location. My mind stopped on the name of the location. I did what most people would do. I used one of the mapping apps to find the location. But you will not find heaven on any map. The only place we can find the answer to… Continue Reading

Do I Really Want It?

    I want you to think about how you respond when you want something. I would imagine that you take action to acquire what is desired. We recently needed to replace some living room furniture. We spent time checking out online sources and local stores until we found the solution. I would imagine that this also… Continue Reading

The Company I Keep

    Our world has always been changing and the change has accelerated over the last several decades. Our world today would be very different for a time traveler even from the 90’s.  Yet, while everything is changing, nothing has changed. Yes, the spiritual or cultural challenges that we struggle with are different, but the core challenge… Continue Reading

The Cost of My Impatience

    Maybe you have heard it said, “Do not pray for patience!” I have heard this maxim repeated many times in my life. The admonition is rooted in the understanding that becoming patient is almost always the result of trials. Maybe we should look at growing in patience from another perspective, “the cost of my impatience!”… Continue Reading

Have I Sold Out?

    My question could apply in many different areas of our lives! There is obviously the negative, that focus on abandoning our position. Some might consider me as selling out on my Football team of birth to root for the Seahawks. There is also the positive aspect of selling out, as going all in, the buy… Continue Reading

Don’t Let the Devil Up-sell You!

    Have you noticed everywhere you go it seems like retailers are trying to up-sell you something. These additional promotions appeal to our earthly nature. Probably the most common is when a fast food establishment asks you “Would you like to up-size your order?” How much better is a supersized French fries and drink for $$… Continue Reading

The Value of Desert Wandering?

     Life never ceases to be confusing! It seems like it has a way of interrupting the calm waters of smooth sailing. It is easy to conclude that these times are unnecessary but God’s Word reminds us that actually nothing is further from the truth. The reality is that God is working in our lives… Continue Reading

Connecting with Our Culture

     Jesus has incredible balance in all areas of His life. He provides for us an example and a challenge to follow in His footsteps. If, you are a follower of Christ, like me, you have to wrestle with your relationship and involvement in culture. Our tendency is to stiff-arm culture, but we also must… Continue Reading