Scripture

 Scripture

June 3, 202

Romans 15:4 (NASB95) For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

As we start into the second half of the year, the scripture for today reminds us that the scriptures were written for us to encourage us and give us hope. So i encourage you to renew your efforts to read some scripture every day. The study of the Word is what keeps us going in the Way. The Bible instructs us in life. So persevere in following the Lord every day. 

Blessings from the Brillharts… on the road back to Texas.

O Foolish Galatians

 O Foolish Galatians

March 12,2026

Galatians 3:1-3 (NKJV) 

1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, beforewhose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? 2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

If the Apostle Paul were to visit one of our contemporary churches in America, what do you think he would say? Would he say, “O foolish Americans”? The Galatians were struggling with disputes over the law and grace, which arose from difference between the Greek and Jewish believers. Paul called them foolish for wanting to return to old ways of doing things. What do we Americans do and believe that Paul would call foolish? I hesitate to start a list for fear that it would be a very long document! 

Paul’s answer was to return to the simple truth that he had taught them and to listen to the Holy Spirit. I think that advice still holds today. We need to return to the simple truths in the Bible and in our American founding documents. The words of Jesus and the apostles are still available to us in the Bible. It’s only our foolishness that leads us to think that we have progressed to a better way of living. The human spirit is still full of foolishness, just as in Paul’s day, but the Spirit of God is available to lead us into all truth, if we but listen.

Hear, O Israel

 Hear, O Israel

March 7, 2026

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NKJV) 

4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD [is] one! 5 “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 “And thesewords which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

When I was in graduate school, I lived in the Jewish neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Every house there had a little box on the door post, a mezuzah, which contained a tiny scroll with this verse on it. They literally wrote this verse on the doorposts of their houses. Also, the more Orthodox Jews would strap a box to their forehead as well; phylacteries, containing Hebrew Scriptures. So even modern Jews take this verse literally to remember the Lord every time they pass through their doorway.

Jesus also affirmed that this is the most important commandment.

Mark 12:29-32 (NKJV)

29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments [is], Hear, O Israel;The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment. 31 And the second [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. 32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:

So, even though we as Christians don’t have mezuzahs and phylacteries, we should still remember the Lord our God and love Him with all of our heart, should and mind. And love our neighbor as ourself.

Balamm’s Ass

 Balaam’s Ass

February 27, 2026

Numbers 22:22-24 (NKJV) 

22 Then God’s anger was aroused because he went, and the Angel of the LORD took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants [were] with him. 23 Now the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road. 24 Then the Angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, [with] a wall on this side and a wall on that side.…

Today’s reading from Numbers includes the story of Balaam, his donkey and an angel. This was always a favorite Sunday School amongst us boys as it gave us an excuse to say “ass” in church! Anyway, this story illustrates several points about human nature. The first is that Balaam was so determined to go his own way and so angry with his donkey, that he didn’t even seem surprised that the donkey spoke. Now wouldn’t you think that would be the most remarkable thing in this story, but Balaam kept on beating the donkey and arguing with her and didn’t seem surprised that she spoke. Now that’s a lot of anger and self absorption that you don’t even notice a talking donkey! There once was a movie about a talking Army mule and a TV series about Mr. Ed, the talking horse, and the main subject was the fact that the animal could talk. But Balaam, even though he was a prophet, couldn’t see the obvious fact that his donkey was talking to him, and of course also couldn’t see the more important fact that an angel was about to cut his head off if he continued on his way! That’s a lot of self absorbed anger!

The other point is that God can use anyone. He sent an angel, and made the donkey speak, and eventually got his message through to Balaam that he was to reject the bribe to curse Israel and instead go bless them. If God can use a donkey, he can use anyone. So as they say, “don’t be a horse’s ass”, but listen to the Lord and his angels the first time and do what they say! As the prophet Samuel said, “to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Sam 15:22). It’s really not that complicated, as my mother used to say, “just do what you’re told”.

Now in the end, the story turns out ok for Balaam. He eventually heard the message and blessed Israel even though it earned the ire of King Balak. I suppose a talking donkey and a giant angel with a drawn sword would tend to get your attention! But far better for him if he had heard and obeyed the message in the first place. So don’t be like Balaam but listen to the Lord before he has to send a talking ass and an angel to block your way.

Who May Abide in Your Tabernacle?

 Who May Abide in Your Tabernacle?

February 6, 2026

Psalm 15:1-2 (NKJV) 

1 A Psalm of David. LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell inYour holy hill? 2 He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart;

The question of the day is “who may abide in Your tabernacle?” When the original tabernacle was built in the wilderness, not even Moses could enter in to it when the Glory of God was manifested there.

Exodus 40:34-35 (NKJV) 

34 Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filledthe tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

But then as they journeyed on, the priests were to bring a burnt offering into the tabernacle every day to atone for the sins of the people. But only the high priest was permitted into the holy of holies, and that just once a year.

Hebrews 9:6-7 (NKJV) 

6Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. 7 But into the second part the high priest [went] alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and [for] the people’s sins [committed] in ignorance;

But Jesus ended this temporary practice and made a way for us to approach the Lord.

Hebrews 9:11-12 (NKJV) 

11 But Christ came [as] High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and moreperfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

Hebrews 10:19-23 (NKJV) 

19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and [having] a High Priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of [our] hope without wavering, for He who promised [is] faithful.

Therefore, we may now enter boldly into the Lord’s presence, through the blood of Jesus and abide with Him and He with us. The old tabernacle, constructed in the wilderness, has been done away with, and the new tabernacle is the Body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 (NKJV) 

18Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit [who is] in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

So the question still remains, “Who may abide in your tabernacle?”, but the answer has been flipped. We no longer sacrifice the blood of bulls and lambs in order to enter the tabernacle, but when we believe in the the blood of Jesus and live in such a way to honor Him, the Holy Spirit comes and abides with us, the tabernacle of the New Covenant.

The Angel and the Prophet

 The Angel and the Prophet

January 31, 2026

Acts 7:37-39

37This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN.’ 38 This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles to pass on to you. 39 Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt,

Acts 7 presents the final discourse of Stephen which he gave to the leaders of the Jews immediately before they stoned him to death. In it he reviews the history of Israel leading up to their rejection of Jesus as the Messiah. In verses 37 and 38 he tells them how the people of Israel heard from God through Moses, the prophets and even angels, but still would not obey. If you saw an angel in a burning bush or heard the thunder and lightning on a holy mountain, would you listen? The people of Israel had many opportunities to listen to the voice of God and obey, but only a few listened. The rest went their own way and killed the prophets and crucified Jesus. Stephen pointed this out to the leaders of the Jews and they killed him for it. Stephen spoke the truth but the leaders viewed it as heresy.

Even today we see this same pattern. We are living in the age the George Orwell wrote about when he said, “In an time of universal deceit- telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” Orwell was not an angel but was a prophet of sorts. He saw the evils of Stalin and the USSR and foresaw an evil, dystopian state where all truth was suspect and individual thought was prohibited. The antidote to this is the kingdom of God where truth is central and love is paramount. So in this age we need angels and prophets to proclaim the truth. But who will listen?

A Kingsom of Priests

 A Kingdom of Priests

January 27, 2026

Exodus 19:3-6 (NKJV) 

3 And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and [how] I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. 5 ‘Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth [is] Mine. 6 ‘And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These [are] the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

1 Peter 2:9-10 (NKJV) 

9 But you [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own specialpeople, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once [were] not a people but [are] now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

It has been God’s plan from the beginning to have for himself a holy nation, a kingdom of priests. The problem is that we keep disappointing Him in not obeying His commandments. There is only one who has fully obeyed the Lord and obeyed all His commandments, that is Jesus, so those of us who put our faith in Jesus are “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people…” If we are a special people, we should act like it! 

The world today needs to see what a kingdom people look like. They can see the sorrow and pain that come from living as the world lives. They need to see what it means to live in joy and peace.

Romans 14:17-18 (NKJV) 

17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace andjoy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who serves Christ in these things [is] acceptable to God and approved by men.

So today, strive to live as a holy nation, a kingdom of priests, to show the world what it means to live with true righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 

The River of Life

 The River of Life

December 31, 2025

Revelation 22:1-2 (NASB95) 

1 Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne ofGod and of the Lamb, 2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

In The vision of New Jerusalem in Revelation 22, one of the prominent features is the river of the water of life with the tree of life on both banks. This image of a river is one of the consistent symbols throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. In Genesis we see the river flowing out of the garden and many trees,, including the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life.

Genesis 2:10

10 Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four  rivers. (Gen 3:22 Tree of life)

In Psalms we pick up the theme that a righteous man is like a tree planted by the water who is blessed and is a blessing.

Psalms 1:1-3

1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

Nor stand in the path of sinners,

Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,

And in His law he meditates day and night.

3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,

Which yields its fruit in its season

And its leaf does not wither;

And in whatever he does, he prospers.

Psalm 46:4 (NASB95)

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High.

In Ezekiel, there is another vision of the temple which includes a river and trees whose leaves are for healing..

Ezekiel 47:1-12 (NASB95) 

1 Then he brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, water was flowing fromunder the threshold of the house toward the east, for the house faced east. And the water was flowing down from under, from the right side of the house, from south of the altar.

…

5 Again he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not ford, for the water had risen, enough water to swim in, a river that could not be forded.

…

12 “By the river on its bank, on one side and on the other, will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither and their fruit will not fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.”

And of course Jesus taught that those who believe in Him will have rivers of living water flowing their innermost being, which is the Holy Spirit.

John 7:38,39 (NASB95)

38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

So as we end up this year and look forward to 2026, be prepared to jump in the river! The blessings and healing are in the river of life but you don’t just want to dip your toe in, you want to plunge in headlong to participate in the most blessings. In Ezekiel’s vision, the river grew stronger and deeper until it was a mighty river that could not be forded, you had to dive in and swim. Likewise, the Lord has mighty things planned for the new year, but you will need to be fully in the river to be part of the healing of the nations. Your hands (leaves) are for healing when you are like the Psalms 1 man (or woman) who meditated in the Word (Jesus) day and night. So don’t be afraid, but dive into the river of life and watch to see what the Lord will do through the Holy Spirit in 2026.

Old and New

 Old and New

October 24, 2025

Matthew 13:51-52

51 “Have you understood all these things?” They *said to Him, “Yes.” 52 And Jesus said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”

Yesterday we were talking about how all scripture is profitable and useful. A frequent question about this is, “But aren’t parts of the Old Testament obsolete and not applicable to our times?”  

This brings to mind my shop. In my shop there are hundreds of tools. I inherited many from my father, and from my father-in-law and others from Uncle John. There are also new tools that I have purchased myself for a special application. Do I use all these tools every day. No. In fact, there are some old tools that I have never used, not because they are not useful, but because I don’t know how to use them. My father-in-law was a machinist so there are some specialized tools that I would need training to use. It’s not the tool’s fault, it’s my ignorance and lack of proper training that prevents me from using them. 

I think it is the same with scripture. It is all profitable but there may be parts that we don’t understand fully. We need to study and have some expert teachers to help us understand these scriptures. So don’t dismiss parts of scripture out of hand just because you don’t understand them. In Matthew 13, Jesus was teaching with many parables, and then he asked his disciples if they understood. They replied that they did, so he commends them as a wise scribe who brings out of his treasure both new and old. We need new inspiration, but don’t discard the old teachings just because they are old and you don’t understand them. Ask the Holy Spirit for knowledge and wisdom and you will find that all scripture is inspired and useful for bringing in the kingdom of God. 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/okE18nNX4sfYX4iB6

Photo of Father-in-law in the shop.