Monday, September 10, 2012

Sep 10-16


Monday: Genesis 36
Tuesday: 1 Samuel 7
Wednesday: Psalm 61
Thursday: Isaiah 65
Friday: Malachi 2
Saturday: Matthew 1
Sunday Hebrews 5

6 comments:

Unknown said...

1 Samuel 7:2 "The ark remained in Kiriath Jearim for a long time- twenty years in all. During that time all Israel mourned because it seemed the Lord had abandoned them."

Talked with the kids this morning about how God never abandons us, how His desire is for relationship with us. His promises are true. If we seek Him, and seek Him with all our heart, He will be found by us. He is never far from any of us, it us we who pull away, get distracted or cease to continue to follow and pursue Him. Sometimes I picture it like a father walking with a child. Sometimes they walk, sometimes they stop and enjoy the scenery together, sometimes the child runs ahead and the father calls them back to safety. sometimes the child gets distracted and swallowed by passersby on the sidewalk while the father has continued to walk ahead. All of a sudden they realize they have lost track of their Daddy and they don't sense his nearness. Call out his name, run forward, abandon all other pursuits and distractions to the task of finding that man, taking that hand, and securing that position of proximity. He will never leave us or forsake us, we are the ones who wander off and get lost and swallowed up. He's watching and waiting.

Unknown said...

psalm 61:8..." I will sing praises to Your name forever as I fulfill my vows each day."

what a simple way to look at my task to live out my faith. Worship and Obey.

Annette said...

psalm 61:5 ... you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

How thankful I am for the heritage of believing parents and grandparents.

Unknown said...

Isa 65

"I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said, "Here I am, here I am!"

So poignant and ties in so tightly with a recurring theme God has been showing me. That God is near, that He is never far from any of us, but we point ourselves and attentions away from Him, surround ourselves with so much noise and activity and then wonder why we don't see/sense Him.

Unknown said...

Mal 2:2 "Listen to me and make up your minds to honor my name."

honoring God is not something that comes "naturally", it's something we have to set our minds to and live aware, examining our every choice, is this a God honoring choice or a self honoring choice?

"I will curse even the blessings you receive. Indeed I have already cursed them." v2 This made me think how people can have amazing jobs, amazing incomes, amazing benefits, but live under mountains of debt and stress and discontent. And they always seem to be in search of the next "purchase" or "change" that will bring them satisfaction.

Then others can live with little, but live richly, and I'm not just talking rich of spirit, they eat well, are clothed well, their general expenses seem blessed and provided and stretched to make it seem impossible that they can live that way and have what they have with the paltry income they receive. And they are truly happy and contented and thankful and at peace.

"The purpose of my covenant with the Levites was to bring life and peace and that is what I gave them. This required reverence from them." v5

God wants to bring us life and peace, God requires reverance from us.

"You have wearied him by saying that all who do evil are good in the Lord's sight, and He is pleased with them."v17

this is an appalling agenda the apostate church and the self absorbed "believers" are pushing right now.

Unknown said...

matthew 1

"Joseph was faced with a difficult choice after discovering that Mary was pregnant. Perhaps Joseph thought he only had two options: divorce Mary quietly or have her stoned. But God gave a third option. Marry her. In view of the circumstances, this had not occurred to Joseph. But God often shows us that there are more options available than we think. Although Joseph seemed to be doing the right thing by breaking the engagement, only God's guidance helped him make the best decision. But that did not make it an easy decision. Consenting to marry Mary surely cast doubt on his own innocence regarding the pregnancy as well as leaving them both with a social stigma they would carry for the rest of their lives... We must always seek God's wisdom and then be willing to follow through no matter how difficult it may be."

we are so prone to turn to our "rights", what's best for "us", what our own "feelings" or "needs" are. What about what brings God ultimate glory? That's the question we should ask. And THAT is not always an easy pill to swallow. God is glorified when His power is made perfect in our weakness.