Tuesday, July 26, 2011

July 25th-31st

Monday: Joshua 1
Tuesday: 2 Chronicles 8
Wednesday: Psalm 2
Thursday: Isaiah 6
Friday: Hosea 6
Saturday: Luke 14
Sunday: 2 Corinthians 5

11 comments:

Unknown said...

"The Book of Joshua is a book of battles. A book for soldiers. A book for people who would dare to win God's way. What applied then, applies today. It is the faithful who conquer. Those who follow God's strategy win, those who don't... don't."

Max Lucado, Intro to Joshua

Unknown said...

"Always remember what is written in the book of the Teachings. Study it day and night to be sure to obey everything that is written there. If you do this, you will be wise and successful in everything." Joshua 1:8

The bible study I am working through right now has me understanding God's view of success. It's not a peachy keen life with no conflict and roses and blue skies. It's a life that when pressed by conflict, produces good juices. Juice imbibed with the fruit of the Spirit. That is God's definition of success. And we can only be that kind of person, filled with Him, oozing Him, when we are tapped into Him. Feeding on Him. Filled with His Word and empowered by His Spirit. Huzzah!

Unknown said...

"Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar he had built for the Lord in front of the Temple porch. He offered sacrifices every day as Moses had commanded. They were offered on the Sabbath days, New Moons, and the three yearly feasts- the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Shelters." 2 Chronicles 8:12-13

"Solomon kept up the holy sacrifices, according to the law of Moses. In vain had the altar been built, in vain had fire come down from heaven, if sacrifices had not been constantly brought. Spiritual sacrifices are required of us, which we are to bring daily and weekly; it is good to be in a settled method of devotion." Matthew Henry

It's interesting, I've been thinking about sacrifice lately, but not in a negative sense. Not in the sense of "what am I willing to sacrifice to prove my devotion" but "what GOOD thing am I willing to sacrifice for God's BETTER or BEST? Whenever I am faced with a choice now I try to ask myself, good, better, or best? and then sacrifice of something "good" becomes a gift of something best in my life, rather than a loss of the good.

it is good to be in a settled method of devotion. it is even better when that settled method of devotion gets cranked up a notch and we find that flame of desire rekindled and thirsting for more heavenly oxygen.

Unknown said...

"they say, let's break the chains that hold us back and throw off the ropes that tie us down." Psalm 2:3

the Lord's boundaries are for our protection and nurture, not boundaries of captivity and legalism.

"Be happy, but tremble." v 11

This caught my attention. So many times people are all about the "be happy" part, and leave out the "but tremble" part.

Shailey said...

Isaiah 6 13.
"Even if only a tenth-a remnant-survive, it will be invaded again and burned. Israel will remain a stump, like a tree that is cut down, but the stump will be a holy seed that will grow again."

These people must have done a lot of wrong, God wanted to disstroy them all he didn't want 1 surviver. God wanted to make the city holy again so he had to ruin everything and start over again.

Elisa said...

Isaiah 6b
But when the oak trees and terebinth trees are cut down, stumps are left. and my holy people will be like stumps that begin to grow again."

This reminds me of our old tree that we cut down, and about a year later the tree stump started sprouting again. It must be sad for God to look at part of his creation and have to destroy it because the people there are evil.

Elisa

Unknown said...

Isaiah 6:8 "Then I heard the voice of the Lord, He said, "Who will I send? Who will go for us?"

Classic missionary verse. Such a joy and inspiration to rub shoulders with so many people who have heard the call and surrendered home and stability to step out in faith and be His voice to the nations.

Unknown said...

Hosea 6:2 "on the third day he will raise us up so that we may live in His presence and know Him."

goosebumps.

"Your faithfulness is like a morning mist, like the dew that goes away early in the day." v4

"I want faithful love more than I want animal sacrifices. I want people to know me more than I want burnt offerings." v6

Such a beautiful picture of the faithful father, longing for intimacy with His child.

Elisa said...

Hosea vs-6
I want mercy and not sacrifice.I want you to recognize me as God instead of giving me burnt offerings.

This is interesting, God wants us to love him and understand him more than he wants us to give offerings to him. He wants us to recognize that he is God. But that doesn't mean that we can't read the bible, sing songs to him and worship him in any other way. God loves it when we worship him and read the bible, but if we do all those things without recognizing that he is the only God God will be sad because he would rater have us understand that he is god and that we love him.

Shailey said...

Hosea 6: 4-6

"O Israel and Judah, what should I do with you?" asks the LORD."For your love vanishes like the morning mist and disappears like dew in the sunlight. I sent my prophets to cut you to pieces. I have slaughtered you with my words, threatening you with death. My judgement will strike you as sure as day follows night. I want you to be merciful; I don't want your sacrifices. I want you to know God, that is more important than burnt offerings."

God doesn't want us to plead for mercy and then as soon as he gives it to us we turn away from him, he wants us to love him. God doesn't want our offerings if we just give them to him to keep ourselves safe, he wants us to love him, to be his workers to teach others how to love him.

Unknown said...

Luke 14:18 "But all the guests made excuses."

What excuses do I make in my life for not feasting on all that the Master has prepared for and offers me? It is so easy to look at scripture and see where people don't measure up or where they missed the point. But what about me? Not so easy to see and admit where I am missing the point or missing the boat!