Monday, November 14, 2011

Nov 14-20

Monday: Joshua 17
Tuesday: 2 Chronicles 25
Wednesday: Psalm 18
Thursday: Isaiah 22
Friday: Amos 5
Saturday: John 6
Sunday: Ephesians 2

10 comments:

Unknown said...

Josh 17:18 You will own all of it because you will force the Canaanites to leave the land even though they have powerful weapons and are strong."

the people from the tribes of Joseph wanted and asked for more territory but didn't believe they were capable of possessing the land that Joshua said they could take over. What areas of my life does God want to expand but I balk for fear that I am not "up to the challenge" or because the outside circumstances overwhelm me and make me quake in my boots? I need to tap into what it shared in the last readng in Ephesians, that it is God who wills and acts to bring about His plans, and that nothing is impossible for God and we can scale mountains with Him holding the ropes.

Unknown said...

2 Chronicles 25:2 Amaziah did what the Lord said was right, but he did not really want to obey him."

When I read that the following verses came to mind.

Psalm 40:6 You do not want sacrifices and offerings.
But you have made a hole in my ear
to show that my body and life are yours.
You do not ask for burnt offerings
and sacrifices to take away sins.
7 Then I said, "Look, I have come.
It is written about me in the book.
8 My God, I want to do what you want.
Your teachings are in my heart."

"I want to do what you want." I want to want to do what you want. :)

Chris said...

2 Chron.25-- why is it that I can defend my logic to the nth degree, but will not consider someone else's until it's too late. Amaziah seemed to do exactly this- I would do well to listen and take the counsel of those who love the Lord and want the best for me... how do we teach this to our children? Maybe reading this story is a good place to start.

Chris said...

"I want to do what you want." I want to want to do what you want. :)"

Totally.

Unknown said...

"28 Lord, you give light to my lamp.
My God brightens the darkness around me."

Amen. I cling to this at times when I feel the darkness shouldering in and weighing on me.

I couldn't help but think that this chapter has to be messianic as well. Much of it applies to David, but some of it can not;

21 I have followed the ways of the Lord;
I have not done evil by turning away from my God.
22 I remember all his laws
and have not broken his rules.
23 I am innocent before him;
I have kept myself from doing evil.

None of us can claim this outside of Christ. And although so much of what is spoken here could apply partially to David, it is and will be fully fulfilled in Christ who will have all nations under his rule, and knees will indeed tremble. Can't wait! An interesting footnote though, and I think this chapter might be one that comes into play with that interpretation is that some interpreters believe that David will rule as political regent from Jerusalem during the messianic kingdom. I did a study on it once, and indeed, it would look like the bible alludes to that various times, but when it comes to that kind of stuff it's hard to know for sure. If that is the case, then it makes chapters like this also apply even more acutely to him but prophetically.

Unknown said...

Isaiah 22:8 >>At that time the people of Jerusalem depended on
the weapons kept at the Palace of the Forest.
9 You saw that the walls of Jerusalem
had many cracks that needed repairing.
You stored up water in the lower pool.
10 You counted the houses of Jerusalem,
and you tore down houses to repair the walls with their stones.
11 You made a pool between the two walls
to save water from the old pool,
but you did not trust the God who made these things;
you did not respect the One who planned them long ago.

12 The Lord God All-Powerful told the people
to cry and be sad,
to shave their heads and wear rough cloth.
13 But look, the people are happy
and are having wild parties.
They kill the cattle and the sheep;
they eat the food and drink the wine.
They say, "Let us eat and drink,
because tomorrow we will die."
14 The Lord All-Powerful said to me: "You people will die before this guilt is forgiven." The Lord God All-Powerful said this.<<

The pursuit of gain, the pursuit of happiness, the pursuit of worldly fulfillment, it's is the spirit of Babylon, the spirit of antichrist and it is alive and well.


>>19 I will force you out of your important job,
and you will be thrown down from your important place.'<<

this was the clincher from my ladies bible study last night as well. the way down, is trying to get up (status, belongings, wealth, power). The way up, is down. (meekness, humility, submission and service)

Unknown said...

Amos 5:23 "Take the noise of your songs away from me!
I won't listen to the music of your harps.
24 But let justice flow like a river,
and let goodness flow like a never-ending stream."

continued theme for me. "8 The Lord has told you, human, what is good;
he has told you what he wants from you:
to do what is right to other people,
love being kind to others,
and live humbly, obeying your God." Micah 6:8

Annette said...

5-6When Jesus looked out and saw that a large crowd had arrived, he said to Philip, "Where can we buy bread to feed these people?" He said this to stretch Philip's faith. He already knew what he was going to do.

God puts us in difficult situations to stretch our faith.

7Philip answered, "Two hundred silver pieces wouldn't be enough to buy bread for each person to get a piece."

Philip's faith was small, seemingly non existent.

8-9One of the disciples—it was Andrew, brother to Simon Peter—said, "There's a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But that's a drop in the bucket for a crowd like this."

Peter's faith, although small, was a little greater.

10-11Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." There was a nice carpet of green grass in this place. They sat down, about five thousand of them. Then Jesus took the bread and, having given thanks, gave it to those who were seated. He did the same with the fish. All ate as much as they wanted.

12-13When the people had eaten their fill, he said to his disciples, "Gather the leftovers so nothing is wasted." They went to work and filled twelve large baskets with leftovers from the five barley loaves.

How often, when I face a difficult situation, do I doubt that God has an answer. Am I like Philip, and exclaim in dismay that it seems impossible, or will I allow myself to be like Peter, who, although he still doubted, was ready to stand back to see what God would do.

Unknown said...

loved your thoughts on this passage Annette.

John 6:27 "27 Don't work for the food that spoils. Work for the food that stays good always and gives eternal life. The Son of Man will give you this food, because on him God the Father has put his power."

Unknown said...

Ephesians 2: Yes, in the past you lived the way the world lives... 3 In the past all of us lived like them, trying to please our sinful selves and doing all the things our bodies and minds wanted."

this is the theme of my ladies bible study so far this term. idolatry. yes, this talking about idolatry. putting ourselves and our fleshly desires and pursuits at the top of our priority list and the things of the kingdom somewhere down at the bottom or not at all.