The Lord has been whispering to me about reconciliation this week.
I didn't see it at first. When the Good Morning Girls announced that their fall study would be Esther I'll admit I was a little bummed. I foolishly thought this: "I've already studied that'
You have those moments afterwards where you realize that the Lord is about the light you up. Let you know that His Word is so awesome and amazing and that you have barely scratched the surface of what you've read, let alone what you haven't read. So in the Good Morning Girls advertising they reminded me, "For such a time as this."
I'm in a season of struggling right now. Things are happening that involve the legal system and it's scary and I feel like my family is the crosshairs and I keep feeling so torn between what the world thinks I did wrong, the impressions of people in the world that I care about, and the deep seated feeling in the Lord that I didn't do anything wrong. But I live in the world. And the world has its rules and its rules are not always in line with what I believe or what my intensions were. What I'm learning right now is what it feels like to walk by faith and to pick up the bread crumbs that the Lord is leaving for me. Not that I think I'm on some Hansel and Gretel mission. I know the Lord is walking with me. But sometimes I let myself get wrapped up in my head and He reminds me that He's there and He's walking with me and that what He really wants is me to stop be so stubborn and hand this over to Him. Because guess what. I can't do a thing about it.
That's where I find myself in my prayer time now. I have prayed Phillipians 4:4-8 over myself and the day continuously.
4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do
not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8Finally,
brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is
right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if
anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Just so I could concentrate on what was pure and lovely and true. Because the thoughts in my head were scary and not the truth, but not lies either.
And in the midst of all of this I have mourned a loss. And that's when Esther came along with her "For such a time as this"
Esther was taken and put into princess training camp. She was removed from her family. But she had to be there and she was able to get the king not to kill the Jews
I was reminded of Joseph. In Genesis 37 Joseph is removed from his family (yes I know his brothers are the ones that did this), but God never left Joseph and the story comes back around and in Genesis 45 he is reunited with his brothers and is able to save his family.
And our long heard story of being reunited. The prodigal. The father waits anxiously for his son and when his son makes the decision to return, he runs to him.
In all these stories the Lord reminded me that there are life circumstances and they are crazy and winding, but the Lord is always still for families. He's for reunification. And that sometimes there is a time apart and that things work out "For such a time as this."
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Dominion
I was thinking about how God gave us dominion over the planet...
I will admit 60 minutes got me to thinking about this. They were talking about how the Great Migration may be coming to a close as the river is disappearing in Africa. And I thought, how does a river die. And in a Fern Gully move the answer was us...Humanity, cutting down trees that acted like sponge and gave water back to the river. Now, I want more details on how this works...but I can't help but think about dominion and about responsibility and about stewardship and about how much work it is to keep thinking about all these things so many far away places...
I will admit 60 minutes got me to thinking about this. They were talking about how the Great Migration may be coming to a close as the river is disappearing in Africa. And I thought, how does a river die. And in a Fern Gully move the answer was us...Humanity, cutting down trees that acted like sponge and gave water back to the river. Now, I want more details on how this works...but I can't help but think about dominion and about responsibility and about stewardship and about how much work it is to keep thinking about all these things so many far away places...
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Teaching Passage
My babies are in the 8th grade. Okay they aren't my babies, but I've known most of them since 6th grade and they are growing up so quickly.
So tonight we all get together and they are all bursting with energy and there are new faces and it is awesome and I am so excited. And it as if a sugar bomb has exploded and infected everyone with hyper activity. Really.
Tonight I opened my bible and was going through the index. I kept thing and praying, Dear Lord please show me the passage where Peter or Paul go to teach and congregation is more concerned about their boyfriend and about that upcoming math test and did you see what so and so was wearing and this was all screamed really loudly. Lord show me that passage and what those great early teachers did. Instead the Holy Spirit reminded me that Peter and Paul were stoned, beaten, jailed and crucified. Yeah that Holy Spirit is all about perspective.
But this got me to thinking. One of the things I've heard recently about spreading the gospel is that we're not breaking chains busting people out of jail. We're just pointing out the fact that the jail door is wide open and they can come on out. Which somehow got me thinking about my wild ones. My crazy girls that I have loved since the sixth grade. That I have watched grow and that I get to continue to watch grow and I thought. Do they know the prison gate is open? And if I say that will they look at me much the same way as they did tonight when I felt like the crazy lady yelling at the front of the room.
And then I thought, Oh No. Are they here to talk about their math test and their boyfriend? Do they see me as in the way? And if so how do we get on the same page.
Enter the plan. It's so simple so God. So, the gate is open...hello.
Maybe I should ask them. Maybe we should draw it and look at it and see where they think they are and where they want to be. And this is in all things. With God. With their walk with God. And how we're supposed to help them. I mean I am LOVING this idea. Where are you and where do you want to go. And how do we remind you of that lovingly. Of okay you said that you have a goal a destination. A place you want to be. And now this time is intentional and we're going there.
It's exciting. It's good. It's got Holy Spirit and nothing I could thought of written all over it... :)
So tonight we all get together and they are all bursting with energy and there are new faces and it is awesome and I am so excited. And it as if a sugar bomb has exploded and infected everyone with hyper activity. Really.
Tonight I opened my bible and was going through the index. I kept thing and praying, Dear Lord please show me the passage where Peter or Paul go to teach and congregation is more concerned about their boyfriend and about that upcoming math test and did you see what so and so was wearing and this was all screamed really loudly. Lord show me that passage and what those great early teachers did. Instead the Holy Spirit reminded me that Peter and Paul were stoned, beaten, jailed and crucified. Yeah that Holy Spirit is all about perspective.
But this got me to thinking. One of the things I've heard recently about spreading the gospel is that we're not breaking chains busting people out of jail. We're just pointing out the fact that the jail door is wide open and they can come on out. Which somehow got me thinking about my wild ones. My crazy girls that I have loved since the sixth grade. That I have watched grow and that I get to continue to watch grow and I thought. Do they know the prison gate is open? And if I say that will they look at me much the same way as they did tonight when I felt like the crazy lady yelling at the front of the room.
And then I thought, Oh No. Are they here to talk about their math test and their boyfriend? Do they see me as in the way? And if so how do we get on the same page.
Enter the plan. It's so simple so God. So, the gate is open...hello.
Maybe I should ask them. Maybe we should draw it and look at it and see where they think they are and where they want to be. And this is in all things. With God. With their walk with God. And how we're supposed to help them. I mean I am LOVING this idea. Where are you and where do you want to go. And how do we remind you of that lovingly. Of okay you said that you have a goal a destination. A place you want to be. And now this time is intentional and we're going there.
It's exciting. It's good. It's got Holy Spirit and nothing I could thought of written all over it... :)
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Matthew 7:21-23
There are scary verses in the Bible. Verses that you hear and you think, "Really? Really? I can't bear that."
This is one of those.
21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
So we were talking about Chapter 7 in Matthew and we talked about this verse. And I got emotional. I said that it was one of those verses that thinking about my relationship with Jesus and knowing those moments in my life where the only reason I made it from breath one to breath two was that Jesus was right there. And to have him look at you and say, "I don't know you." And then wanting to scream NO! You were there. We were there together and it was You it was all You who helped me through who made me live. And there at the church in the front when I was crying and couldn't talk it was You. It was You who let me nod and You who had helped me stand up because I was too far down to stand. It was You. How can You not remember? Don't You Remember?
This morning still thinking about it, it occured to me how often I make Jesus feel that way though. How many times do I forget that I still need him to get from breath one to breath two. I think I'm just breathing, it's no big thing. And he's not infused in those breaths. It's just me going along doing my own thing, finding the cliff of poor decision that I'm about to jump off of again. And there he is behind me screaming: "No! Don't you remember. Don't you remember that this hurts? Why are you doing? This isn't the life I have for you. I'll come get you, but why do you insist on doing this. Don't you remember where I found you. Don't you remember how far we've come. Don't you remember all the good things I've told you. Don't you remember how much I love you? Don't you remember? Please come back."
And the way that I cry when I think of him saying, "I don't know you." Is the way he cries when I keep my back to him and continue to stare down the cliff into the pit...
This is one of those.
21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
So we were talking about Chapter 7 in Matthew and we talked about this verse. And I got emotional. I said that it was one of those verses that thinking about my relationship with Jesus and knowing those moments in my life where the only reason I made it from breath one to breath two was that Jesus was right there. And to have him look at you and say, "I don't know you." And then wanting to scream NO! You were there. We were there together and it was You it was all You who helped me through who made me live. And there at the church in the front when I was crying and couldn't talk it was You. It was You who let me nod and You who had helped me stand up because I was too far down to stand. It was You. How can You not remember? Don't You Remember?
This morning still thinking about it, it occured to me how often I make Jesus feel that way though. How many times do I forget that I still need him to get from breath one to breath two. I think I'm just breathing, it's no big thing. And he's not infused in those breaths. It's just me going along doing my own thing, finding the cliff of poor decision that I'm about to jump off of again. And there he is behind me screaming: "No! Don't you remember. Don't you remember that this hurts? Why are you doing? This isn't the life I have for you. I'll come get you, but why do you insist on doing this. Don't you remember where I found you. Don't you remember how far we've come. Don't you remember all the good things I've told you. Don't you remember how much I love you? Don't you remember? Please come back."
And the way that I cry when I think of him saying, "I don't know you." Is the way he cries when I keep my back to him and continue to stare down the cliff into the pit...
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
90 days to read the bible
So I'm starting this today/ tonight.
My goal, reading the bible in 90 days. This came up while at Otters and hearing Amy Jo talking about it and I thought that's a great idea. I can't commit to a year (I know how ridiculous is that), but I can do it in 90 days.
So I have a plan. I stole it from Zondervan and they have a little group, but I'm going solo. Me and the blog and the bible. And not really solo, I mean I've told people to keep me accountable, and I'm putting it here. But I'm excited.
So here we go.
Day 1:
Genesis 1- Genesis 16.
(oh yeah, I'm reading in the Message...so it's kind of like cheating...)
Genesis 1: First six days of God creating Earth. Something I noticed is that the message says that God put the Sun in charge of Day and the Moon in charge of Night. Then when God created Man he put us in Charge of all Earth. So in some ways God was almost delegating.
Also this is good it's in the beginning of Genesis in the Message, "Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God's spirit brooded like a bird above a watery abyss." This made me think of me without God. A soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness. Reminds me of that God-size space we all have in our lives and how we try to fill it up with all sorts of things if we don't have God and how it's not something that can be filled with anything other God. And then on top of that you have God brooding, flying above, keeping an eye on it watching the abyss and thinking, "Why don't they just call out to me?"
Genesis 2: God rests on the seventh day, but the Moses back tracks and gives us some info on making the animals and making Man (Adam) and Woman (Eve).
So we open with rest. God took a breather. He created the world and then he took a day to rest. Interesting it says, By the seventh day God had finished his work. He was finished before he rested. That makes me think about when Jesus got called out for healing on the Sabbath, the Holy Day of Rest. His work wasn't done. He had more to do. Is that finished in there to let us know that we need to complete our work before our holiday?
And then when Moses goes back to give us some more info (I really wonder why this info wasn't put in there when he was creating man? I mean why the rush job?) But I noticed that in the Message it says, around 2:18ish "I'll make him a helper, a companion" So it's a bit flip flop of Day 6 order. I mean we hear about the animals first and then about Man, but here God created the animals almost as a companion. And found that they were not suited as appropriate companions and so then he made woman.
I listened to a sermon one time where it said that God took Adam and let Adam see that all these creatures were not fit companions for him. That's why the naming almost God's way of saying to Adam, check these out and see what you think so that Adam would know that they were not fitting. Lesson for today that sometimes God does show us the options more so as a way of letting us know that in the end they wouldn't have worked out?
Genesis 3: The serpent seduces Eve, she eats from the tree of knowledge, gives some to Adam he eats, they realize they are naked, they are kicked out of the garden and Adam, Eve, and the serpent are cursed.
I can't eve get over the image of God walking through the garden. Can you imagine? God literally walked with them. They had the opportunity to see God and to sit with him and chat with him and hang out and on the lure of knowing everything, it was thrown away. To lose so much to know so little.
A big deal is made out of their nakedness. When they're first created in chapter 2 it closes with "and they were naked and knew no shame" and then they eat the fruit and that's the moment that we know it's all over for them. The moment that they know shame about their nakedness. Or even what nakedness is. Remember God says to them, who told you were naked. They had no concept before that moment.
In spite of the curse something I never picked up before. God makes them clothes out of leather. He doesn't kick them out naked or with their make shift fig leaf clothes. He makes them clothes and sends them out into the world. I think it had to be hard to make those clothes for them. That moment of knowing that now they knew about nakedness and that they knew about "the world" and that He was sending them out into it. The devastation that lay ahead. I mean God knew that when he made them, but still he wanted to protect them however he could so he made them clothes. He made them a cover, a protection almost.
Genesis 4:(just a note this writing about every chapter is making this take longer, but I think this is going to be helpful for retention....maybe I'm already making excuses for when I don't finish on time?) We get Cain, Able, the first murder, Cain's lineage, Seth and the beginning of prayer and worship in the name of God.
I think here we also get the first mention that going East is going away from gone. Cain was sent East of Eden.
So Cain's lineage is really our first biblical lineage. We get Enoch (who built the city Enoch) then his kids through Lamech. Lamech marries two ladies (first mention of two wives). They give us Jabal (ancestor of all who live in tents and herd cattle), Jubal (musicans), Tubal-Cain (other momma's son, bronze and iron makers) Also mention that other momma had a daughter Naamah...curious as to why she is mentioned.
Then we find out Adam and Eve had a son to replace Abel (Eve's words) and his name was Seth and his kid's name was Enosh.
Then this little note, "that's when men and women began praying ans worshiping in the name of God" My question is what brought that about. I mean more people and so less God speaking directly to them? Like he asked Cain. And Cain and Abel were making offerings to him....don't know..but it's curious.
Genesis 5: Family tree to get us to Noah...and this is one of those moments where eveyone's name starts to be the same...but the Enoch whow as the son of jared who was the son of Mahalalel who was the son of Kenan who was the son of Enosh who was the son of Seth who was the son of Adam. That Enoch walked with God and one day disappeared because God took him.
Genesis 6: for our purposes let us focus on this little tid bit "Sons of God and Daughters of Men"
So it says that the "Sons of God" noticed the "Daughters of Men" and took them as wives. Then it throws in there "Giants in the land" and then God decides that he only wants humans to live for 120 years (but then we go and tell some stories about people living longer than that) and so seriously But the big point here that I am also going to need to investigate for later is this whole "Sons of God" "Daughters of Men" I mean license to believe in fairy tales?
The rest of Genesis 6 - Genesis 10: equals Noah and the flood.
The flood opens with God seeing how evil humanity is and it breaking his heart. I love the beauty of that image. God watching us with so much love that our depravity breaks his heart. That sounds strange to say that I love that image, but it's love that gets me. For Him to care that much about me about you about us. When God makes his convenant with Noah to never destroy the Earth by floodwaters again he says, "I know they have this bent woard evil from an early age, but I'll never again kill of everything living as I've just done." I think the things that are interesting there is that God says, "I know that humans are bent to evil."Almost that fatherly tone of, I know they can't help it. I know they'll break my heart again. I know that it's inevitable, but here's my promise just the same..."
At the end of Chapter 9 we learn that Noah is the first farmer to plant a vineyard and upon drinking his wine gets so drunk that he passes out naked. Here is an interesting little thing about that culprit of evil nakedness. One of his kids "Ham the father of Canaan" saw his father naked, and told his brothers. They walked in backwards and turned their heads and dropped a cloak over their father. Noah wakes up right and finds out Ham saw him naked and curses Canaan
Genesis 10: Noah's family tree. Developed into nations....
Genesis 11: Start with Babel and God garbling the language. Note that where they built the tower of Babel was East. Then we track Shem's family tree to Terah the father of Lot and Abram...
Note Nahor (Abram's brother) married his neice, but after her father died.
Okay i'm breaking here...four chapters short of the goal, but it's Abram to Abraham and those are big chapters....
My goal, reading the bible in 90 days. This came up while at Otters and hearing Amy Jo talking about it and I thought that's a great idea. I can't commit to a year (I know how ridiculous is that), but I can do it in 90 days.
So I have a plan. I stole it from Zondervan and they have a little group, but I'm going solo. Me and the blog and the bible. And not really solo, I mean I've told people to keep me accountable, and I'm putting it here. But I'm excited.
So here we go.
Day 1:
Genesis 1- Genesis 16.
(oh yeah, I'm reading in the Message...so it's kind of like cheating...)
Genesis 1: First six days of God creating Earth. Something I noticed is that the message says that God put the Sun in charge of Day and the Moon in charge of Night. Then when God created Man he put us in Charge of all Earth. So in some ways God was almost delegating.
Also this is good it's in the beginning of Genesis in the Message, "Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God's spirit brooded like a bird above a watery abyss." This made me think of me without God. A soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness. Reminds me of that God-size space we all have in our lives and how we try to fill it up with all sorts of things if we don't have God and how it's not something that can be filled with anything other God. And then on top of that you have God brooding, flying above, keeping an eye on it watching the abyss and thinking, "Why don't they just call out to me?"
Genesis 2: God rests on the seventh day, but the Moses back tracks and gives us some info on making the animals and making Man (Adam) and Woman (Eve).
So we open with rest. God took a breather. He created the world and then he took a day to rest. Interesting it says, By the seventh day God had finished his work. He was finished before he rested. That makes me think about when Jesus got called out for healing on the Sabbath, the Holy Day of Rest. His work wasn't done. He had more to do. Is that finished in there to let us know that we need to complete our work before our holiday?
And then when Moses goes back to give us some more info (I really wonder why this info wasn't put in there when he was creating man? I mean why the rush job?) But I noticed that in the Message it says, around 2:18ish "I'll make him a helper, a companion" So it's a bit flip flop of Day 6 order. I mean we hear about the animals first and then about Man, but here God created the animals almost as a companion. And found that they were not suited as appropriate companions and so then he made woman.
I listened to a sermon one time where it said that God took Adam and let Adam see that all these creatures were not fit companions for him. That's why the naming almost God's way of saying to Adam, check these out and see what you think so that Adam would know that they were not fitting. Lesson for today that sometimes God does show us the options more so as a way of letting us know that in the end they wouldn't have worked out?
Genesis 3: The serpent seduces Eve, she eats from the tree of knowledge, gives some to Adam he eats, they realize they are naked, they are kicked out of the garden and Adam, Eve, and the serpent are cursed.
I can't eve get over the image of God walking through the garden. Can you imagine? God literally walked with them. They had the opportunity to see God and to sit with him and chat with him and hang out and on the lure of knowing everything, it was thrown away. To lose so much to know so little.
A big deal is made out of their nakedness. When they're first created in chapter 2 it closes with "and they were naked and knew no shame" and then they eat the fruit and that's the moment that we know it's all over for them. The moment that they know shame about their nakedness. Or even what nakedness is. Remember God says to them, who told you were naked. They had no concept before that moment.
In spite of the curse something I never picked up before. God makes them clothes out of leather. He doesn't kick them out naked or with their make shift fig leaf clothes. He makes them clothes and sends them out into the world. I think it had to be hard to make those clothes for them. That moment of knowing that now they knew about nakedness and that they knew about "the world" and that He was sending them out into it. The devastation that lay ahead. I mean God knew that when he made them, but still he wanted to protect them however he could so he made them clothes. He made them a cover, a protection almost.
Genesis 4:(just a note this writing about every chapter is making this take longer, but I think this is going to be helpful for retention....maybe I'm already making excuses for when I don't finish on time?) We get Cain, Able, the first murder, Cain's lineage, Seth and the beginning of prayer and worship in the name of God.
I think here we also get the first mention that going East is going away from gone. Cain was sent East of Eden.
So Cain's lineage is really our first biblical lineage. We get Enoch (who built the city Enoch) then his kids through Lamech. Lamech marries two ladies (first mention of two wives). They give us Jabal (ancestor of all who live in tents and herd cattle), Jubal (musicans), Tubal-Cain (other momma's son, bronze and iron makers) Also mention that other momma had a daughter Naamah...curious as to why she is mentioned.
Then we find out Adam and Eve had a son to replace Abel (Eve's words) and his name was Seth and his kid's name was Enosh.
Then this little note, "that's when men and women began praying ans worshiping in the name of God" My question is what brought that about. I mean more people and so less God speaking directly to them? Like he asked Cain. And Cain and Abel were making offerings to him....don't know..but it's curious.
Genesis 5: Family tree to get us to Noah...and this is one of those moments where eveyone's name starts to be the same...but the Enoch whow as the son of jared who was the son of Mahalalel who was the son of Kenan who was the son of Enosh who was the son of Seth who was the son of Adam. That Enoch walked with God and one day disappeared because God took him.
Genesis 6: for our purposes let us focus on this little tid bit "Sons of God and Daughters of Men"
So it says that the "Sons of God" noticed the "Daughters of Men" and took them as wives. Then it throws in there "Giants in the land" and then God decides that he only wants humans to live for 120 years (but then we go and tell some stories about people living longer than that) and so seriously But the big point here that I am also going to need to investigate for later is this whole "Sons of God" "Daughters of Men" I mean license to believe in fairy tales?
The rest of Genesis 6 - Genesis 10: equals Noah and the flood.
The flood opens with God seeing how evil humanity is and it breaking his heart. I love the beauty of that image. God watching us with so much love that our depravity breaks his heart. That sounds strange to say that I love that image, but it's love that gets me. For Him to care that much about me about you about us. When God makes his convenant with Noah to never destroy the Earth by floodwaters again he says, "I know they have this bent woard evil from an early age, but I'll never again kill of everything living as I've just done." I think the things that are interesting there is that God says, "I know that humans are bent to evil."Almost that fatherly tone of, I know they can't help it. I know they'll break my heart again. I know that it's inevitable, but here's my promise just the same..."
At the end of Chapter 9 we learn that Noah is the first farmer to plant a vineyard and upon drinking his wine gets so drunk that he passes out naked. Here is an interesting little thing about that culprit of evil nakedness. One of his kids "Ham the father of Canaan" saw his father naked, and told his brothers. They walked in backwards and turned their heads and dropped a cloak over their father. Noah wakes up right and finds out Ham saw him naked and curses Canaan
Genesis 10: Noah's family tree. Developed into nations....
Genesis 11: Start with Babel and God garbling the language. Note that where they built the tower of Babel was East. Then we track Shem's family tree to Terah the father of Lot and Abram...
Note Nahor (Abram's brother) married his neice, but after her father died.
Okay i'm breaking here...four chapters short of the goal, but it's Abram to Abraham and those are big chapters....
Monday, September 8, 2008
Slow Fade
I started thinking abou this as I was picking through the pile of crap that stands between me and the front door. I don't want to get into it. It's gross and messy. THere are at least three containers of things hat were dragged in from the car. Somewhere thrown into that mix is my work bag, and if I've made the mistake of going tot he store and it's not perishable those bags are thrown in there somewhere too. Shoved into the back of that mess and up against the wall is the cat litter box and athe holder of TV trays, not to mention the hula hoop and the contents of the closet. It's a mess did I mention that? Did I mention it's been that way a while. Long enough that I should have done something by now. But instead it just keeps growing. An ever big mound of junk between me and the door.
I spoke with my aunt a few days ago and she started on the path of what was wrong with her. Lack of balance in life and lack of balance with food and lack of balance in particular. She said without hesitation I feel like if i were closer to God it wouldn't be so. I can see her point. I do remember and know from the times in my life when I'm most focused on him and most diligent that the other stuff just falls into place. It's still work but some how with my priorities all focused on him and everything else just being sorted it works out better for me.
This lead me to thinking about the fruit of the spirit (Gal 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.)
The one that is reaching out to me is obviously the self control. And I wonder if what I'm thinking is taht not so much as it was told to me things to look for in a believer but what happens when you hand it all over and participate in the ride that God's offering.
What I guess I mean is not so much the moving forward and saying, "Yeah I'm with you." but the active actually movng with him and with purpose. This is what I'm thinking and what I'm pledging to myself. (Again, yes I know how far behind I've been falling in my promises before, but it is a journey isn't it? and unfortunately my journey thus far has been more of an insane one step forward thirty steps in a backward circle dance. SOmething to see, but not necessarily something to be proud of.) So yeah moving forward, purposefully.
I spoke with my aunt a few days ago and she started on the path of what was wrong with her. Lack of balance in life and lack of balance with food and lack of balance in particular. She said without hesitation I feel like if i were closer to God it wouldn't be so. I can see her point. I do remember and know from the times in my life when I'm most focused on him and most diligent that the other stuff just falls into place. It's still work but some how with my priorities all focused on him and everything else just being sorted it works out better for me.
This lead me to thinking about the fruit of the spirit (Gal 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.)
The one that is reaching out to me is obviously the self control. And I wonder if what I'm thinking is taht not so much as it was told to me things to look for in a believer but what happens when you hand it all over and participate in the ride that God's offering.
What I guess I mean is not so much the moving forward and saying, "Yeah I'm with you." but the active actually movng with him and with purpose. This is what I'm thinking and what I'm pledging to myself. (Again, yes I know how far behind I've been falling in my promises before, but it is a journey isn't it? and unfortunately my journey thus far has been more of an insane one step forward thirty steps in a backward circle dance. SOmething to see, but not necessarily something to be proud of.) So yeah moving forward, purposefully.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Jeremiah to 2 Kings
So I opened the bible last night to the start of Jeremiah and I was remembering what I heard a teacher say one time, "Being a prophet was not cool. You think it would be cool, like alright I'm a profit. And then you find out that God wants you to stand in front of all your friends and basically tell them that they've sinned and God is mad and they're about to be taken over, killed, various other gloom and doom. Not such a cool job."
So I started in Jeremiah 1 and in verse 8 when God is calling Jeremiah he says, "Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the Lord. (I have the NIV Quest study bible). So in all fairness the Lord is letting Jeremiah know up front that the job is not going to be great. In verse 16 God really gets to the point, "I will prononce my judgments on my people/ because of their wickedness in forsaking me,/ in buring incense to other gods/ and in worshipping what their hands have made."
At that point study bible said that if I wanted to read about the wickedness Jeremiah confronted to go check out 2 kings 23:4-14 and 2 Chronicles 34:3-7. The first thing I noticed (on the second reading to be fair) in 2 kings 23:4 is that "The king ordered Hilkiah the high priest," So we learn that Jeremiah's padre (you can check it out in Jeremiah 1:1) was the high preist Hilkiah. Everyone else may be smarter than me and already drew that dotted line, but I like to try to remember how everyone is connected. But the king (Josiah) orders this. So then I got curious about Josiah.
From what I can tell (in my ten minute skimming of the Kings (right ahead of chapter 23) Josiah comes on this scene right at the end of chapter 21 in 2 Kings. It's announced that he wil suceed his father (Amon) to the throne. In chapter 22 we learn that he was 8 years old. He reined for 31 years. His momma was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah, she was from Bozkath. Verse 2 is the clincher, "He did what was right in the eys of the Lord and walked in all the ways of his father Dvid, not turning aside to the right or to the left."
Google told me that Bozkath is not identified but it in Judah and it is near the lowlands kind of close to the Philistines.
Something interesting happens in verses 3 - 10. Josiah sends his secretary to the high priest Hilkiah to ask him for the money to fix the temple. And Hilkiah gives the money and says to the secretary, "I found the Book of the Law."
The study bible says to me that because there was so much idol worship going on that God's law got lost to everyone but probably the most high preists. So that makes part of me wonder if when the king sent his secretary to the high preist in essence saying. Hey we need some supplies to get things fixed. If Hilkiah was saying, I have the supply you need.
In 11 - 13 the book is read. And we find that Josiah was not aware until the laws were read. That the intent was there, the background knowledge, pit of your stomach, this isn't right, was there. But not the "Oh, this is what is wrong and now we need to fix it."
But Josiah was smarter than that (smarter than me a lot of times) and instead of going in like gangbusters he says, "Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the people and for all judah about what is written in this book that has been found." So basically, yeah we're serious broken and we need so much work go inquire of the Lord about what we know. So checking with God for the plan. Seeing that it's not enough that I messed up, but saying. Hi God, forgot your word a bit/ a lot, sin is sin though and I've messed up and I'm not on the right path and it's been pointed out to me, and God show me where the right path is and how I get there."
Now, we're in the old testament. And the God of the old testament is still the God of the new testament. But like I said. We're in the Old testament. So the answer we get back is, "I'm going rein destruction upon you. but because you have repented and torn your robes, you won't see it." And I know God didn't say it, but I just almost hear at the end of that, "kisses."
It's always hard to reconcile the forgiveness we have in Christ to the wrath of the old testament. And what I mean is that the fire and destruction still happen. But we don't see them as much. Christ is taking it. We're not ripping our robes. But we are tearfully approaching the throne in prayer, humbled, asking for forgiveness and guidance. In some ways we're Josiah spared to not see the total destruction and yet aware that it is coming (or has come). I'm not sure the theology on that. I'm not sure if that's the right interpretation. I just kind of put it together tonight reading and thinking. I'm going to pray about it and see if I have it right. That for Josiah the wrath was coming. For us the wrath has passed. Meaning that Christ took our wrath. And that we still must humble ourselves in prayer and seek direction and in this case help. Josiah went to the preists and about three other people and said, seek this out for me. Admiting that it could not be done by him alone. Not just that he needed God but he needed the others help as well. It's something to think about and pray about.
Lord I pray for guidance. Show me the way through your word. Help me to be discerning to see the meaning that you have there for me. Open my eyes to your truth and help me to stay to your path.
So I started in Jeremiah 1 and in verse 8 when God is calling Jeremiah he says, "Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the Lord. (I have the NIV Quest study bible). So in all fairness the Lord is letting Jeremiah know up front that the job is not going to be great. In verse 16 God really gets to the point, "I will prononce my judgments on my people/ because of their wickedness in forsaking me,/ in buring incense to other gods/ and in worshipping what their hands have made."
At that point study bible said that if I wanted to read about the wickedness Jeremiah confronted to go check out 2 kings 23:4-14 and 2 Chronicles 34:3-7. The first thing I noticed (on the second reading to be fair) in 2 kings 23:4 is that "The king ordered Hilkiah the high priest," So we learn that Jeremiah's padre (you can check it out in Jeremiah 1:1) was the high preist Hilkiah. Everyone else may be smarter than me and already drew that dotted line, but I like to try to remember how everyone is connected. But the king (Josiah) orders this. So then I got curious about Josiah.
From what I can tell (in my ten minute skimming of the Kings (right ahead of chapter 23) Josiah comes on this scene right at the end of chapter 21 in 2 Kings. It's announced that he wil suceed his father (Amon) to the throne. In chapter 22 we learn that he was 8 years old. He reined for 31 years. His momma was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah, she was from Bozkath. Verse 2 is the clincher, "He did what was right in the eys of the Lord and walked in all the ways of his father Dvid, not turning aside to the right or to the left."
Google told me that Bozkath is not identified but it in Judah and it is near the lowlands kind of close to the Philistines.
Something interesting happens in verses 3 - 10. Josiah sends his secretary to the high priest Hilkiah to ask him for the money to fix the temple. And Hilkiah gives the money and says to the secretary, "I found the Book of the Law."
The study bible says to me that because there was so much idol worship going on that God's law got lost to everyone but probably the most high preists. So that makes part of me wonder if when the king sent his secretary to the high preist in essence saying. Hey we need some supplies to get things fixed. If Hilkiah was saying, I have the supply you need.
In 11 - 13 the book is read. And we find that Josiah was not aware until the laws were read. That the intent was there, the background knowledge, pit of your stomach, this isn't right, was there. But not the "Oh, this is what is wrong and now we need to fix it."
But Josiah was smarter than that (smarter than me a lot of times) and instead of going in like gangbusters he says, "Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the people and for all judah about what is written in this book that has been found." So basically, yeah we're serious broken and we need so much work go inquire of the Lord about what we know. So checking with God for the plan. Seeing that it's not enough that I messed up, but saying. Hi God, forgot your word a bit/ a lot, sin is sin though and I've messed up and I'm not on the right path and it's been pointed out to me, and God show me where the right path is and how I get there."
Now, we're in the old testament. And the God of the old testament is still the God of the new testament. But like I said. We're in the Old testament. So the answer we get back is, "I'm going rein destruction upon you. but because you have repented and torn your robes, you won't see it." And I know God didn't say it, but I just almost hear at the end of that, "kisses."
It's always hard to reconcile the forgiveness we have in Christ to the wrath of the old testament. And what I mean is that the fire and destruction still happen. But we don't see them as much. Christ is taking it. We're not ripping our robes. But we are tearfully approaching the throne in prayer, humbled, asking for forgiveness and guidance. In some ways we're Josiah spared to not see the total destruction and yet aware that it is coming (or has come). I'm not sure the theology on that. I'm not sure if that's the right interpretation. I just kind of put it together tonight reading and thinking. I'm going to pray about it and see if I have it right. That for Josiah the wrath was coming. For us the wrath has passed. Meaning that Christ took our wrath. And that we still must humble ourselves in prayer and seek direction and in this case help. Josiah went to the preists and about three other people and said, seek this out for me. Admiting that it could not be done by him alone. Not just that he needed God but he needed the others help as well. It's something to think about and pray about.
Lord I pray for guidance. Show me the way through your word. Help me to be discerning to see the meaning that you have there for me. Open my eyes to your truth and help me to stay to your path.
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