Monday, September 24, 2012

Sep 24-30


Monday: Genesis 38
Tuesday: 1 Samuel 9
Wednesday: Psalm 63
Thursday: Jeremiah 1
Friday: Malachi 4
Saturday: Matthew 3
Sunday Hebrews 7

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Genesis 38 "Often the sins we try to cover up are the ones that anger us the most when we see them in others. If you become indignant at the sins of others, you have a similar tendency to sin that you don't wish to face. When we admit our sins and ask God to forgive us, forgiving others becomes easier."

ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. game show signals going off. totally resonated with me. I have to ask myself "why does this person BUG me SO much?" the answer is I am made aware of a weakness in them, judgemental of it, but I have the same plank in my own eye. Wow, we can be so fickle.

Unknown said...

1 Samuel 9:3 "Often we think that events just happen to us, but as we learn from this story about Saul, God may use common occurrences (like straying cattle)to lead us where He wants. It is is important to evaluate all situations as potential "divine appointments" designed to shape our lives. Think of all the good and bad circumstances that have affected you lately. Can you see God's purpose in them? Perhaps He is building a certain quality in you or leading you to serve Him in a new area."

So good. So true.

Unknown said...

Psalm 63:4 "I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer."

What is it about the lifting of hands? What is it that at first makes us feel all nerves and conspicuous, not wanting to draw attention to ourselves, but when we break through those nerves draws our hands toward heaven. In my quiet time this morning I received a picture from God. Me, holding my arms out to Cole, Cole, holding his hands up to me. Words like love, trust, longing, adoration all came to mind. Holding yourself "out" to someone makes you vulnerable. Notice how hurting people fold in on themselves? cross their arms, stand rigid, avoid eye contact. Love has no reserves, it's an opening of oneself willing, saying, I love you, I want you, come and fill these open arms. It is the most freeing and fulfilling feeling, to trust and love and worship without limits.

Unknown said...

Oh. I just realized something. The comparison to hurting people folding in on themselves is NOT a parallel to people who cross their arms during worship and in no way is this a judgement of anyone's comfort level in worship. (all of a sudden saw it could be taken that way), not at all. Just trying to put into words the risk that one takes to let their guard down, and why it's hard for us to do that. When we hold our arms out to our kids, we don't care who sees and we don't feel conspicuous. I feel the same way about holding my arms up or out to God. Everyone else fades away.

Unknown said...

two things stood out to me in Jeremiah 1. First that God foreknew me. He didn't just foreknow Jeremiah, He foreknew me. He PLANNED me. He HAD and HAS plans for me. Wow. I am not just some bumbling, stumbling 30 something on a swiftly spinning planet. I was planned, formed, and given life to glorify Him through a life of surrender.

The other thing was God asking "what do you see" and Jeremiah seeing pictures, and God giving meaning to the pictures. This has a completely new depth of meaning to me after the way God spoke to me at camp this summer. It makes me realize that my relationship with God is SO far from mature. I have so much more to discover of Him, so much more to experience with Him that my life will not be long enough to grow as close to Him as I desire. I am only now beginning to understand the heart the men in scripture who were never satisfied with their taste of God but wanted to experience His presence in ever growing measure and who knew how surreal and beautiful a life walked with God really is. This morning I was thinking of the words to the song "I come to the garden alone...." so beautiful. God, you are so beautiful.

Annette said...

Malachi 4
5 “Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives. 6 His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

I've heard it said that the strength of a nation is in its families. How important to pray for our families, and not just ours, but for the families in our nation.

Unknown said...

I was also thinking about families after reading this passage. My notes say that along with our own integrity and obedience we need to make family a lifelong priority. I often struggle with hidden guilt that I am "not good for much else" because I strictly prioritize my time to build into my family. I do it because I want to be faithful in the things close to home before I commit myself to other things, but I believe this is an area Satan realizes he can reach me in... look at you, good for nothing but housework and child rearing. And yet I know it isn't true, I know that I am faithful in many other ways, but it is a soft spot with me. God encouraged me and confirmed me this morning. An oft needed confirmation.

Unknown said...

this morning, in Mat 3 I was thinking about repentance. The 180 degree turn. The turning away from sin and toward God. How when we are moving toward sin we are moving AWAY from God. I remembered that visual that the speaker shared at the missions conference about the arrow and their DISTANCE from God was not as relevant as the direction they were heading.