Coffee With The Lord

Christians who are “radical!” … “all in!” … “Over the top” … What do you think of them?

Sometimes they make compromising Christians uncomfortable.  They wish they’d “loosen up” a bit and not make such a “big deal” over everything that’s not quite “kosher” for Christ and what the Bible teaches.  They just seem to “draw the line” and “push back” a lot.  It’d be a lot easer to deal with them if they wouldn’t be so “cut and dried” about their convictions.  They seem to insist on “dotting every ‘I’ and crossing every ‘T’” They just make a lot of “ordinary Christians” feel uncomfortable!  Know what I mean?

My Bible reading today during my time of “coffee with the Lord” dealt with a guy like that – a spiritual leader in Israel after the exile in Babylon, named Nehemiah!  I mean you owe it to yourself to read Nehemiah 13 in your Bible and find out for yourself…

First it was an issue of who got to use a storage room in the Temple – a priest, Eliashib, had allowed Tobiah, a relative of His to use the storage room devoted to Levites and their ministry needs.  Nehemiah threw him out and the furniture he had there.

Then it was the violation of the Sabbath rest.  People were working on the Sabbath and bringing things to be bought and sold on the sacred Sabbath – the “Lord’s Day” in the Old Testament.  Nehemiah shut the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath, warned those who had violated it, and had the Levites guard the gates!

Finally, Nehemiah was incensed by the intermarriage of Israelites with their pagan neighbors.  In fact, the children of those unions could not even speak Hebrew as a result!  Godly values were being compromised.  Nehemiah “confronted them, rebuked them, beat some of them, pulled out their hair,” and made them take oaths to remedy the situation!

Zeal!!  …And you might think “over the top” zeal!  There’s even a verse of Scripture about Jesus, when He cleansed the Temple by driving out the money changers, in this regard… “His disciples remember that it was written, ‘Zeal for your house will consume me!’” (from Psalm 69:9)

Now that kind of zeal should not be expressed over private opinions, personal scruples, or debatable issues – but only when God’s word, His holiness, and the clear teaching of Scripture is violated!

But if Nehemiah was going to be attacked, criticized and resisted in his expression of zeal, his appeal was to God on these issues… He said, “Remember me, O my God concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for His service! … Spare me according to the greatness of Your steadfast love! … Remember me, O my God, for good!” (Nehemiah 13;14, 22, and 31)

And when zeal is expressed about the right things in an appropriate manner here is the New Testament promise… “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord!” (Romans 12:11 ESV) “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

Looking for a NEW, different, interesting, and uplifting, Bible reading plan for the coming year?  Then the “NECESSARY FOOD” BIBLE READING PLAN is for you!

Perhaps in previous years you’ve gotten bogged down in the “genealogies” of the Bible and given up reading the Bible through.  When I developed the Bible reading plan several years ago I set it up with those challenges in mind.  With “NECESSARY FOOD” you’ll have A “BALANCED SPIRITUAL DIET.”  Using the plan, you read A PASSAGE from each of the following parts of the Bible daily…

• The Old Testament historical books
• Bible Poetry (Psalms, Proverbs, etc.)
• The prophetic books (in the Old Testament and Revelation)
• The New Testament historical books (the gospels and Acts)
• And the epistles 

Not only that, THE READING PLAN IS “PASSAGE DRIVEN” – it focuses on the natural divisions of Scripture – NOT just a pre-determined number of verses or chapters.

The plan’s name is based upon Job 23:12 in the Bible:  Job said, “I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my NECESSARY FOOD!”  And the “good news” is… following the “NECESSARY FOOD” Bible reading plan you complete the entire Bible in a year!

So if you’d like to have a FREE COPY, e-mail or message me (leroybartel@gmail.com or text at 972-921-9317), include your preferred e-mail address, and I’ll send a “pdf” copy of the most recent edition of the Bible reading plan to you.

AN ADDED NOTE:  If you desire to reproduce it and use it in your church, Bible study group, or other organization, you may… I only ask that you always include the copyright information any time it is used or reproduced.

IT IS ALSO AVAILABLE ONLINE IN A DIGITAL VERSION and available to you on your phone, iPad, tablet, or computer.  If that is of interest to you and you desire to be a part of the “Necessary Food Bible Reading Group, message or email me about your interest including your preferred e-mail address to leroybartel@gmail.com or text at 972-921-9317.  I will send the instructions to help you get setup and started with the digital version through the Faithlife/Logos app.  A big thank you to my son Noah for helping get the app and online versions set up!

My “Coffee with the Lord” post this Christmas! Look at the pic… read the verse and reflect on the significance it! My response? WOW!!! Thank you Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!!! (Also check out John 1:1-17)