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....
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
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.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Psalm 38
The sickness got me down yesterday. Even to the point that I made the teary phone call to my mother. The one where someone out of a mixture of sobs and blowing my nose like mad and hic cups she got "allergy, ear infection, ear drops, can't breathe."
However with her sound adivce (cool mist humidifier and vicks vapor rub) and the Lord (the breathing part) we are back in action.
So the way I've been working this is just kind of opening the bible where it will and reading a chapter or two or even the when it strikes me. So today we flopped open to Psalm 38. And first of all the psalms as a thing are interesting to me. The study bible I'm looking at right now tells me this about the psalms "a collection of 150 songs and poems written by various authors the Pslams have been used for worship sinc ethe very beginning...The Psalms have provided comfort and encouragement to believers for thousands of years, and they'll do the same for you."
This same study bible tells me that Psalm 38 is a psalm of David to bring us to the Lord's rememberance.
Many people (the three commentaries I quckly read on the internet) think that this Psalm was written after David slept with Bathsheba/ had Uriah killed and was called on it. So yeah, he was feeling some guilt.
(biblegateway link: in the message http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2038;&version=65; and now in the NIV http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2038;&version=31;)
So needless to say in my curren state the first thing that jumped out at me was the sickness and the almost seemingly God afflicted sickness. I'm glad I read it in the Message and the NIV though because I think that in those versions you see it's so much more what the guilt is doing to David. It's not God. God wants to heal us. I mean yes when we sin there is a price to pay, but God's ultimate want is to heal our bodies, heal our minds, and to make us Christ-like. That's why David is calling out. He wants God to come quickly to help him. It almost seems like while David is miring around in all this he hasn't asked God for help. That he's found himself in the pit and that he's wallowed for a bit instead of just crying out to God. And it also shows the slope. That it's not just one aspect of our lives that ends up getting the muck on it it's all the aspects. And we have to call out to God to help heal all those aspects and all those hurts or otherwise we're just swimming around in the pit...or what was it the message said, "my life is a vomit of groans." ANd that's never good.
Lord heal all the hurts, clean up all the muck. Help us to be more Christlike, to not wallow in the mess but to show us the way out and let us walk with you and for you.
However with her sound adivce (cool mist humidifier and vicks vapor rub) and the Lord (the breathing part) we are back in action.
So the way I've been working this is just kind of opening the bible where it will and reading a chapter or two or even the when it strikes me. So today we flopped open to Psalm 38. And first of all the psalms as a thing are interesting to me. The study bible I'm looking at right now tells me this about the psalms "a collection of 150 songs and poems written by various authors the Pslams have been used for worship sinc ethe very beginning...The Psalms have provided comfort and encouragement to believers for thousands of years, and they'll do the same for you."
This same study bible tells me that Psalm 38 is a psalm of David to bring us to the Lord's rememberance.
Many people (the three commentaries I quckly read on the internet) think that this Psalm was written after David slept with Bathsheba/ had Uriah killed and was called on it. So yeah, he was feeling some guilt.
(biblegateway link: in the message http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2038;&version=65; and now in the NIV http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2038;&version=31;)
So needless to say in my curren state the first thing that jumped out at me was the sickness and the almost seemingly God afflicted sickness. I'm glad I read it in the Message and the NIV though because I think that in those versions you see it's so much more what the guilt is doing to David. It's not God. God wants to heal us. I mean yes when we sin there is a price to pay, but God's ultimate want is to heal our bodies, heal our minds, and to make us Christ-like. That's why David is calling out. He wants God to come quickly to help him. It almost seems like while David is miring around in all this he hasn't asked God for help. That he's found himself in the pit and that he's wallowed for a bit instead of just crying out to God. And it also shows the slope. That it's not just one aspect of our lives that ends up getting the muck on it it's all the aspects. And we have to call out to God to help heal all those aspects and all those hurts or otherwise we're just swimming around in the pit...or what was it the message said, "my life is a vomit of groans." ANd that's never good.
Lord heal all the hurts, clean up all the muck. Help us to be more Christlike, to not wallow in the mess but to show us the way out and let us walk with you and for you.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Hosea 13-14
First, I'm sick...so the temptation to not do this at all was huge. I've been laying around all afternoon watching movies, and drinking tea and sleeping. I left work early and went to the store for allergy meds and tissues. I then came home and put on my nightgown and haven't moved from my bed since. I was a good pet owner and let the dogs out and fed them. It's so hot outside they go out just long enough to do their business and then they are immediately back in the house.
So I got a bible off the bookshelf and opened it up to where God should want me and I found myself in Hosea. This is the NLT (the other translations are in the car) I went ahead and posted a link here in case you wanted to read it or be reminded (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hosea%2013-14&version=51)
Anyway 13 starts out talking about the tribe of Ephriam. It's another one of the cases that we see all through the bible where the people that were the most in tune with God have fallen and are now worshipping idols. This of course puts me in mind of the Casting Crowns song Slow Fade. Because it never happens over night. You aren't totally in with God doing what you need to do finding yourself in God's will and then BAM the next day you find yourself "making silver idols to worship" (Hosea 13:2). But it starts slowly and little by little the world creeps in. And most of the time it starts with thinking. Thinking, "the world doesn't really have a problem with xyz. In fact literally everyone appears to be doing xyz. Even other people called by God's name. So you give a little and you fall away bit by bit. And then you find yourself in the whole wondering how in the world you got there.
In chapter 13 Verse 9-11 really got to me. It reminded me about God's conversation with Samuel when he appointed Saul. The Isrealites seeing that everyone else had kings and begged God for a king of their own and God gave them one. But it wasn't the right king because the timing wasn't right. Our time versus God's time. In verse 11 God says, "In my anger I gave you kings, and in my fury I took them away." I want to work with that a little more. I know there's something big there that God is trying to show me.
So Hosea 13: 12-16 is all the bad stuff that's going to happen because the Isrealites didn't listen up to God before hand. And it's not pretty, very violent. But from that we move directly into chapter 14 which the NLT titles "Healing for the Repentant" These are the verses that really hooked me
"Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord.
Say to him, “Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us,
so that we may offer you our praises. 3 Assyria cannot save us,
nor can our warhorses. Never again will we say to the idols we have made,
‘You are our gods.’ No, in you alone
do the orphans find mercy.”
4 The Lord says, “Then I will heal you of your faithlessness;
my love will know no bounds,
for my anger will be gone forever." (Hosea 14:2-4)
What I love is that you come to confess to the Lord so that he may forgive us, recieve us and we may praise him. That we admit that we know we can't do it ourselves and then HE says, "I will heal you of your faithlessness."
What struck me is that in the end that's what turning to our man made idols is. It's saying to God. I believe in you, but just in case I'm going to place some bets here. And just in case I'm going to do most of what I'm supposed to but I'm going to play the field a little too. And the grand slap in the face is that it is also saying, "God, you're not enough." Which to think even everything in me screams, "NO! He is more than enough." But that's what bringing in the idols does. THat's what it says.
In verse 8 you hear God cry out, "Oh Isreal." You can almost hear the love in his voice. "Oh Isreal." Then he reminds us "I am the one that looks after you. I am like the tree that is always green, giving to you throughout the year."
Dear Lord, let me be reminded that you are the tree that is always green, that it is your grace feeding me. Help me to repent of my idols and let me let go so that you may heal my faithlessness. Amen
So I got a bible off the bookshelf and opened it up to where God should want me and I found myself in Hosea. This is the NLT (the other translations are in the car) I went ahead and posted a link here in case you wanted to read it or be reminded (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hosea%2013-14&version=51)
Anyway 13 starts out talking about the tribe of Ephriam. It's another one of the cases that we see all through the bible where the people that were the most in tune with God have fallen and are now worshipping idols. This of course puts me in mind of the Casting Crowns song Slow Fade. Because it never happens over night. You aren't totally in with God doing what you need to do finding yourself in God's will and then BAM the next day you find yourself "making silver idols to worship" (Hosea 13:2). But it starts slowly and little by little the world creeps in. And most of the time it starts with thinking. Thinking, "the world doesn't really have a problem with xyz. In fact literally everyone appears to be doing xyz. Even other people called by God's name. So you give a little and you fall away bit by bit. And then you find yourself in the whole wondering how in the world you got there.
In chapter 13 Verse 9-11 really got to me. It reminded me about God's conversation with Samuel when he appointed Saul. The Isrealites seeing that everyone else had kings and begged God for a king of their own and God gave them one. But it wasn't the right king because the timing wasn't right. Our time versus God's time. In verse 11 God says, "In my anger I gave you kings, and in my fury I took them away." I want to work with that a little more. I know there's something big there that God is trying to show me.
So Hosea 13: 12-16 is all the bad stuff that's going to happen because the Isrealites didn't listen up to God before hand. And it's not pretty, very violent. But from that we move directly into chapter 14 which the NLT titles "Healing for the Repentant" These are the verses that really hooked me
"Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord.
Say to him, “Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us,
so that we may offer you our praises. 3 Assyria cannot save us,
nor can our warhorses. Never again will we say to the idols we have made,
‘You are our gods.’ No, in you alone
do the orphans find mercy.”
4 The Lord says, “Then I will heal you of your faithlessness;
my love will know no bounds,
for my anger will be gone forever." (Hosea 14:2-4)
What I love is that you come to confess to the Lord so that he may forgive us, recieve us and we may praise him. That we admit that we know we can't do it ourselves and then HE says, "I will heal you of your faithlessness."
What struck me is that in the end that's what turning to our man made idols is. It's saying to God. I believe in you, but just in case I'm going to place some bets here. And just in case I'm going to do most of what I'm supposed to but I'm going to play the field a little too. And the grand slap in the face is that it is also saying, "God, you're not enough." Which to think even everything in me screams, "NO! He is more than enough." But that's what bringing in the idols does. THat's what it says.
In verse 8 you hear God cry out, "Oh Isreal." You can almost hear the love in his voice. "Oh Isreal." Then he reminds us "I am the one that looks after you. I am like the tree that is always green, giving to you throughout the year."
Dear Lord, let me be reminded that you are the tree that is always green, that it is your grace feeding me. Help me to repent of my idols and let me let go so that you may heal my faithlessness. Amen
Monday, July 21, 2008
Romans 13:11-14
11And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
So we're starting off pretty difficult, but this is kind of pointed to where it should start. Where we should begin. Verse of 11 says, "let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light." What does that mean. I think for our purposes it's starting with looking at that change of focus. Moving from a focus on the world (the deeds of darkness) and changing that focus to God (the armor of light).
This of course sends off bells about the armor of God 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:14-17) . And all of this keeps pointing me back to the beginning. And that is to be there and shaking off the world and being a part of God's plan for me. I have to pick up His armor and I have to be armed with the sword, His word.
So here I am on the internet at way too late/ too early in the morning. And I'm thinking this is good.
Because I think that, okay I know that I had started to slip down the path that was the world's. And my focus was not on the things of Jesus.
So keep me honest. Keep me on task. Pray for me that the busy-ness and the business of day to day does not keep me away.
So we're starting off pretty difficult, but this is kind of pointed to where it should start. Where we should begin. Verse of 11 says, "let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light." What does that mean. I think for our purposes it's starting with looking at that change of focus. Moving from a focus on the world (the deeds of darkness) and changing that focus to God (the armor of light).
This of course sends off bells about the armor of God 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:14-17) . And all of this keeps pointing me back to the beginning. And that is to be there and shaking off the world and being a part of God's plan for me. I have to pick up His armor and I have to be armed with the sword, His word.
So here I am on the internet at way too late/ too early in the morning. And I'm thinking this is good.
Because I think that, okay I know that I had started to slip down the path that was the world's. And my focus was not on the things of Jesus.
So keep me honest. Keep me on task. Pray for me that the busy-ness and the business of day to day does not keep me away.
Premise and what I'm thinking
This started in bible study. We're working our way through Romans in bible study. And we stumbled across the verse that we as gentiles are wild olive shoots grafted onto the holy root that is God's love and blessing.
So here I am. I love the name wild olive shoots. I like the thought of seeing myself grafted in, grafted on, blessings and love.
This blog is about taking in that love, drawing it up the vine and producing fruit. So here we go.
So here I am. I love the name wild olive shoots. I like the thought of seeing myself grafted in, grafted on, blessings and love.
This blog is about taking in that love, drawing it up the vine and producing fruit. So here we go.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)