Sunday, December 4, 2011

Dec 5-11

Monday: Joshuah 20
Tuesday: 2 Chronicles 28
Wednesday: Psalm 21
Thursday:  Isaiah 25
Friday: Amos 8
Saturday: John 9
Sunday:  Ephesians 5

10 comments:

Unknown said...

Joshua 20. Just thinking about an attitude that provides refuge. A behavior that demonstrates one is a safe haven for the judged and downcast. I want to be the kind of person that doesn't pre-judge (it is my knee jerk tendency to be very judgemental and critical)but who practices mercy and compassion and believing in people when they need it most. Maybe when they don't even believe in themselves. I know this is a stretch to go there from this chapter but at the same time, this chapter shows God's mercy for the troubled, and he does call us to love mercy and to care for the down trodden.

Annette said...

5-8 God, fed up, handed him over to the king of Aram, who beat him badly and took many prisoners to Damascus. God also let the king of Israel loose on him and that resulted in a terrible slaughter: Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 in one day, all of them first-class soldiers, and all because they had deserted God, the God of their ancestors. Furthermore, Zicri, an Ephraimite hero, killed the king's son Maaseiah, Azrikam the palace steward, and Elkanah, second in command to the king. And that wasn't the end of it—the Israelites captured 200,000 men, women, and children, besides huge cartloads of plunder that they took to Samaria.

What a far reaching effect our sins can have.

Unknown said...

2 Chronicles 28. Wow. Hezekiah's dad. Poster boy for bad boy of the bible.

v 21 Ahaz took some valuable things from the Temple of the Lord, from the palace, and from the princes, and he gave them to the king of Assyria, but it did not help.

Trying to "use" God's stuff to save His neck while never turning to God in person. Sometimes I desperately try to fix my own situation instead of just surrendering to the Lord of creation and saying, God... I can't. You can. I surrender all.

Unknown said...

Psalm 21:13 Be supreme, Lord, in your power.
We sing and praise your greatness.

Unknown said...

I LOVE this chapter. I LOVE the messianic prophesies. I LOVE that each time I read them they become more and more solidified and clear in my head. The third coming of Christ. We don't talk about it much, we talk more about the second coming, but the third coming is where he sets foot on the Mt. of Olives and the earth splits and He takes up His position of regent in the land that rejected Him and the whole world willingly becomes subject to Him. HOW AMAZING IS THAT? And we will be with Him when He comes, and we will rule with Him and everything will be made new. This stuff gives me chills and makes my heart pound.

Unknown said...

amos 8:11 The time is coming when I will cause a hunger in the land. The people will not be hungry for bread or thirsty for water,
but they will be hungry for words from the Lord.

May we hunger and thirst for His words, for His presence, for His Spirit to flow. Charge us Lord to live consumed with your goodness and greatness and desiring nothing but more of you.

This chapter seems to echo so strongly a theme that I have been seeing but I can't find where. This theme of God's patience having limits. His justness over sin coming having to be exercised. My heart often wonders if we don't blow up God's grace and diminish His holiness. He desires to sanctify our lives, do we mosey along thinking it doesn't matter that we don't submit to the flames and burn our dross? It matters. Purify my heart, let me be as gold, and precious silver. Purify my heart, let me be as gold, pure gold. Refiners fire, my hearts one desire is to be holy, set apart for you Lord, set apart for you my master, ready to do your will.

Unknown said...

John 9:3 Jesus answered, "It is not this man's sin or his parents' sin that made him blind. This man was born blind so that God's power could be shown in him. NCV

Jesus said, "You're asking the wrong question. You're looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do. The Message

Jesus answered, It was not that this man or his parents sinned, but he was born blind in order that the workings of God should be manifested (displayed and illustrated) in him. Amplified

The prosperity gospel misses the mark. I have numerous friends from my past who subscribe to this doctrine. That any suffering in one's life is a direct cause and effect of sin and Satan's desire to steal, kill and destroy. That it is contrary to God's will and promises. I don't get it. Jesus promised, "in this world you will have troubles (suffering, sickness, pain, death) but take heart, I have overcome the world."

This man's sickness was not a punishment, or a satanic attack, or a result of someone's sin. It was part of the tapestry of life that God wove in order for His glory to be revealed. My ladies bible study has touched on some aspects of God's deliverance and how He can be glorified by delivering us FROM suffering at times, THROUGH the suffering at others (Daniel in the lion's den, the three Israelites in the fiery furnace) and BY suffering (death) into eternity. They are all deliverance despite the fact that the trial/suffering is not always removed.

This clip by John Piper came to mind;

http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=10C2JNNU

Unknown said...

ephesians 5:10 Try to learn what pleases the Lord.

Lois said...

Eph. 4:33 "However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." I have started reading the book "Love and Respect" by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs, which uses this verse as the starting point. (There was a seminar by the same name awhile ago). It makes a lot of sense and from what I have read so far, I would recommend it. I don't think we should ever take our marriages for granted, but keep trying to make them better and better.

Unknown said...

we did that book in Sunday School, it was very helpful! You are so right about always being able to improve, we are in another marriage sunday school class now by Chip Ingram and alot of the stuff is similar to Eggerichs, but alot of it is new and helpful, too!