Day 14: Deuteronomy 9-22

Deuteronomy 10:12-18  

^12-13 So now Israel, what do you think God expects from you? Just this: Live in his presence in holy reverence, follow the road he sets out for you, love him, serve God, your God, with everything you have in you, obey the commandments and regulations of God that I'm commanding you today—live a good life. 

 ^14-18 Look around you: Everything you see is God's—the heavens above and beyond, the Earth, and everything on it. But it was your ancestors who God fell in love with; he picked their children—that's you!—out of all the other peoples. That's where we are right now. So cut away the thick calluses from your heart and stop being so willfully hardheaded. God, your God, is the God of all gods, he's the Master of all masters, a God immense and powerful and awesome. He doesn't play favorites, takes no bribes, makes sure orphans and widows are treated fairly, takes loving care of foreigners by seeing that they get food and clothing. 

Sometimes I think we forget that God loves ALL of us - but it doesn't mean we can behave in a manner that is unpleasing and assume "we're all good".  I'm getting sick and tired of people who call themselves Christians that act in a manner that is un-Christ like.

We are called to love Him first - above family (yes, even above family), friends, house, cars, jobs, things - Christ must come first.

W are called to follow his lead.  Did he surround himself with the politicians and the wealthy? No.  His followers were the working men.

We can't buy our way into Heaven - so if you think writing checks alone will get you there, think again.  It is good to give of our blessings, and we should.  But deeds alone do not work.

Our minds and spirits need to be right with Him for our lives to be right.

Cut out all the nonsense in your life - for a week, a month, a year.  And I challenge you to not change!

Day 13 Deuteronomy 1-8

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 

 ⁴ “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! ⁵ You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. ⁶ These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. ⁷ You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. ⁸You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. ⁹ You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

I think these verses nicely sum up my reading for today.

As I am raising my children, my biggest flaw is how do I raise them 'right'.  I was raised in a home where church wasn't a huge priority, but we did attend our weekly CCD classes every year until Confirmation.  I look at my 3 kids, all with different personalities.  S has such a spirit in her, and it's beautiful to watch her pray and worship at home.  But she refuses to participate at church.  Not even a little bit.  She's 'too shy'.  E just doesn't seem interested in church or Sunday School... but when we ask her to pray, she goes into great detail.  J is still young, but will be the first to say that we need family prayer time.

I've listened to radio programs, I've read a few books.  But I don't want to be talked at, I want a conversation with someone - what worked for you, what do you wish you hadn't done, what would you change.

I'd very much like to see more churches offering weekly/monthly discussion groups that bring young parents and parents with grown children together.  I want to become a better parent, and I want to know how to raise my kids to always love and follow The Lord.

Day 12 Numbers 24-36

Numbers 30 

 ^1-2 Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the People of Israel: "This is what God commands: When a man makes a vow to God or binds himself by an oath to do something, he must not break his word; he must do exactly what he has said.

It seems that today, more promises are broken than kept.  Why is that?  Why can't we commit ourselves to the things that we say we will?  Do we put to much stock in ourselves that we think we can, and then fail?  Why can't we be honest and say "I don't know if I can commit to that, but I'll try".

Why are there broken friendships homes divided, tears between family?

Don't even get me started on Business Ethics... no, let me rant for a moment.  If you're a "hand shake kinda guy", then stick to the promises that you make.  And then when you don't stick to those promises, don't be upset when someone walks away leaving you with nothing...

If you make a promise - KEEP IT!  If you don't think you can keep it - DON'T MAKE IT!

Day 11 Numbers 10-23

Numbers 11:18-23 

^18-20 "Tell the people, Consecrate yourselves. Get ready for tomorrow when you're going to eat meat. You've been whining to God, 'We want meat; give us meat. We had a better life in Egypt.' God has heard your whining and he's going to give you meat. You're going to eat meat. And it's not just for a day that you'll eat meat, and not two days, or five or ten or twenty, but for a whole month. You're going to eat meat until it's coming out your nostrils. You're going to be so sick of meat that you'll throw up at the mere mention of it. And here's why: Because you have rejected God who is right here among you, whining to his face, 'Oh, why did we ever have to leave Egypt?'" 

 ^21-22 Moses said, "I'm standing here surrounded by 600,000 men on foot and you say, 'I'll give them meat, meat every day for a month.' So where's it coming from? Even if all the flocks and herds were butchered, would that be enough? Even if all the fish in the sea were caught, would that be enough?" 

 ²³ God answered Moses, "So, do you think I can't take care of you? You'll see soon enough whether what I say happens for you or not."

I think something that we all struggle with is if God really is listening to our prayers, does He have our best interests in mind?  I can remember on several occasions, when things in our lives were dire, and we finally saw a glimmer of hope, that grew and grew until suddenly - GONE!  I can't tell you how devastating it all was.  My husband had applied for a job that would have moved us out of Ohio.  We were praying over it, and traveled several times over a 4 month period for interviews.  We began looking for an apartment, finding the best Christian school, looking for churches... and then it fell through.  We were devastated.  

We found out a few months later that there were budget cuts and a large number of lay offs.  It was a blessing in disguise, but it didn't feel like it at the time.

It's hard to trust in the things that we can't see.  I encourage you - look to Him for your daily courage.  The dreams you have may be what He has planned for you, it may not.  Trust in Him, he will provide it for you at a time that He sees fit.  Sometimes it will only last a short while, sometimes longer.  But His love for us is everlasting, and He will never let us down.

Day 10 Numbers 1-9

Numbers 5:5-10
^5-10 God spoke to Moses: "Tell the People of Israel, When a man or woman commits any sin, the person has broken trust with God, is guilty, and must confess the sin. Full compensation plus twenty percent must be made to whoever was wronged. If the wronged person has no close relative who can receive the compensation, the compensation belongs to God and must be given to the priest, along with the ram by which atonement is made. All the sacred offerings that the People of Israel bring to a priest belong to the priest. Each person's sacred offerings are his own, but what one gives to the priest stays with the priest."

I think something that is lost in society today is the concept of righting our wrongs.  We'd rather put extra effort into avoiding the people that we hurt, or who have hurt us, than addressing the issues.

What's more, we don't submit our sins to God.  I think that's an important piece to our walks, that most of us forget.

My daughters were in the same Sunday School class, and their teacher told them that when they say something hurtful to a friend, they need to apologize not only to their friend, but also to God.  Now, my kids are all very special, and I love them all very much.  But there is something amazing yet startling about how mature my daughter Samantha is, and how easily she understands certain concepts.  So when she was taught this lesson, she began enforcing it at home.  Every time her brother or sister upset her, or did something wrong, she'd remind them to apologize to (whoever) and also to Jesus.

I think it should be something that we do on a daily basis, wipe the slate clean of the sins we committed during the day (and yes, you did commit some, so did I).  Thank God for your blessings, and ask Him to forgive your sins.  Your relationships will be stronger for it.

Day 9: Leviticus 16-27

Leviticus 16:20-22

When Aaron finishes making atonement for the Holy of Holies, the Tent of Meeting, and the Altar, he will bring up the live goat, lay both hands on the live goat's head, and confess all the iniquities of the People of Israel, all their acts of rebellion, all their sins. He will put all the sins on the goat's head and send it off into the wilderness, led out by a man standing by and ready. The goat will carry all their iniquities to an empty wasteland; the man will let him loose out there in the wilderness.

There's something about knowing that all my sins are taken away, never to return.  One of my favorite Audio A songs is "Ocean Floor".  I know that it's all metaphoric, but there is a peace knowing that when I look at my past - it can stay there.  Is it that easy, no.  Do things resurface, yes.  But when we give them all to HIM, we don't have to worry anymore...

Day 8 Leviticus 1-15

Leviticus 1

The Law of Burnt Offerings

 ¹ Then the LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, ² “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When any man of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of animals from the herd or the flock. ³ If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer it, a male without defect; he shall offer it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD. ⁴ He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf.

In today's reading, we find the importances of a quality sacrifice and offerings to The Lord:  Your sacrifices should be pure, as perfect as it can be.  It should be with your whole heart that you repent of the sins that you have committed.  And think about it - every time any sin was committed, they's have to have an offering.  So yes, if you told a white lie, you were/are guilty of sin.  Time to repent.  


I'm thankful that I don't have to bring an animal to an alter for a sacrifice (have I mentioned that I was a vegetarian for 5 years - reading about blood and fats and organs is not my favorite thing to do).  I'm thankful that every time I mess up, I can ask for forgiveness and it is given.

Day 7 Exodus 29-30

Exodus 32

The People Make a Gold Calf

 ¹ The people saw that a long time had passed and Moses had not come down from the mountain. So they gathered around Aaron and said, "Moses led us out of Egypt, but we don't know what has happened to him. Make us gods who will lead us."

 ² Aaron said to the people, "Take off the gold earrings that your wives, sons, and daughters are wearing, and bring them to me."³ So all the people took their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron.⁴ He took the gold from the people and formed it with a tool and made a statue of a calf. Then the people said, "Israel, these are your gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!"

 ⁵ When Aaron saw all this, he built an altar before the calf and announced, "Tomorrow there will be a special feast to honor the Lord."⁶ The people got up early the next morning and offered whole burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. They sat down to eat and drink, and then they got up and sinned sexually.

 ⁷ Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go down from this mountain, because your people, the people you brought out of the land of Egypt, have ruined themselves.⁸ They have quickly turned away from the things I commanded them to do. They have made for themselves a calf covered with gold, and they have worshiped it and offered sacrifices to it. They have said, 'Israel, these are your gods who brought you out of Egypt.' "

False Idols = Big Trouble!


When you put your faith in something man made, it's going to fail you.  Human's are imperfect, so anything that we make will be imperfect.  Take computers for instance - have you ever seen the blue screen of death?  You know what I'm talking about.  And you hope that you have everything saved, but when the I.T. guy starts working on it, you've lost EVERYTHING.  


 Or you put material processions ahead of personal relationships - another false idol.  You are not defined by the things that you have, but by the person that you are.  


I think when we all begin to believe in ourselves again, and trust in His love for us, we can begin to put aside the things in our lives that aren't important to us.  I don't know fancy cars, clothes or technology.  I need my family, a place to call home, and my God who loves us dearly.

Day 6: Exodus 16-28

Exodus 16:4-7

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction.  On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.”  So Moses and Aaron said to all the sons of Israel, “At evening you will know that the LORD has brought you out of the land of Egypt;  and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, for He hears your grumblings against the LORD; and what are we, that you grumble against us?” 

I can tell you that over the last few years,  I have seen God provide when there was no possible way.  I've seen it many time in my adult life, and I've heard stories and testimonies of how God has provided.  But I have experienced it.


The economy is tough right now, and the last few years have been exceedingly difficult for out family.  And even though it's tough, and sometimes we don't have enough, God has provided a way.  We've never been without food, clothes and a home.  We don't have many luxuries, but we have each other.  There were so many times that I didn't think we'd make it - that we'd lose the house or car because we were late on a payment.  But God provided.

Exodus 20:1-17   The Ten Commandments

 ¹ Then God spoke all these words:

 ² "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt where you were slaves.

 ³ "You must not have any other gods except me.

 ⁴ "You must not make for yourselves an idol that looks like anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the water below the land.⁵ You must not worship or serve any idol, because I, the Lordyour God, am a jealous God. If you hate me, I will punish your children, and even your grandchildren and great-grandchildren.⁶ But I show kindness to thousands who love me and obey my commands.

 ⁷ "You must not use the name of the Lord your God thoughtlessly; the Lord will punish anyone who misuses his name.

 ⁸ "Remember to keep the Sabbath holy.⁹ Work and get everything done during six days each week,¹⁰but the seventh day is a day of rest to honor the Lord your God. On that day no one may do any work: not you, your son or daughter, your male or female slaves, your animals, or the foreigners living in your cities.¹¹ The reason is that in six days the Lord made everything—the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. On the seventh day he rested. So the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

 ¹² "Honor your father and your mother so that you will live a long time in the land that the Lord your God is going to give you.

 ¹³ "You must not murder anyone.

 ¹⁴ "You must not be guilty of adultery.

 ¹⁵ "You must not steal.

 ¹⁶ "You must not tell lies about your neighbor.

 ¹⁷ "You must not want to take your neighbor's house. You must not want his wife or his male or female slaves, or his ox or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

It's sad to think that today, just about EVERY commandment is disobeyed.  Many think "It's ok to fib every once in a while". And "not everyone can get a day off - some people really do have to work everyday".  And I get it - we all fib a bit - sometimes it's harmless of for the benefit of others, but most of the time it's for ourselves.  And yes, some people do have jobs that keep them working on Sunday - hospital staff for instance.  But you could still keep one day of rest and worship on a day off...


It's sad to see the idols that we have.  People, things, habits.  Anything that would prevent us from growing closer to God.  And jealousy, greed, adultery, murder... you can't turn on a radio or TV without hearing about these things.  Unless it directly affects us, we're not phased by it.  Why?


I think we should all take some time and re-evaluate our priorities:
Are we being good, honest people?
Are we living the life that we should/could be?
Are we being the best examples for our children?
Are we thankful for the blessings that we have?

Day 5: Exodus 1-15

Exodus 3:1-6 

Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. So Moses said, “I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up.” When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”  He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

I don't know too many people who wake up one day and announce they're going to drop everything and become something they're not because God told them so.  Most people that I've known that make serious changes in their lives had been seeking God's face about their life and walk with Him.  But God had a bigger plan, and even if Moses didn't want it, he got it.

I saw a documentary a few years ago about the Plagues: Water to Blood, Frogs, Gnats, Flies, Livestock, Boils, Hail, Lotus, Darkness, and the First Born.  Scientists and Biblical scholars were explaining the science of how these various plagues occurred.  I don't remember all the details that the scientists gave, but one thought has stayed in my mind every time I hear the stories of the Exodus; maybe God didn't just lower his hand and all these things happened - maybe he did let the natural surroundings affect Egyptian's daily lives.  I've seen miracles performed by doctors, it doesn't mean that God wasn't involved.  And maybe because God allowed the iron ore mix with the nile to make it look like blood, forcing the frogs into the land... etc etc etc... but even then it served a purpose, because Pharaoh wasn't impressed.  And the Israelites saw that Moses had predicted these events and they knew they could trust him.

Day 4: Genesis 40-50

^{Genesis 41:33-40} 

Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?” So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you.”

Joseph was literally thrown into a difficult situation.  The family who should have loved him, saw fault in the favor of their father towards him, and had to get rid of him.  Even in his cries for help, they walked away...


But God also favored him, for he remained faithful.  


It's hard going year after year of pain, troubles and tribulations.  We all want out of it.  We look to our friends and family to assist us.  But humans are humans and we all make mistakes - even in our priorities. But when we remain faithful, try to see the silver lining, looking towards His face, in His time, we find our prize.  It's not always what we want, but it's what we need.  And sometimes it's just barely what we need, but it's there.  


I'd think the hardest part of Joseph's situation was the interactions towards his brothers.  When we've been wronged by family, isn't it natural to never want to see them again - and when put in that situation, not even common courtesies exist? (I've seen it - it's not pretty).  But Joseph rose above... at least for a minute or two.  


I suppose his plot against his brothers, to meet Benjamin and see his father again had it's purpose - we all have to face obstacles to reach our final destination, and every story has it's protagonists and antagonists... but in this situation, which is Joseph?  On one hand - he's getting his just deserts for what his brothers did to him.  On the other - why not just come right out and say who he was?


The way I see it, why risk exposing yourself to the people who hurt you, until you know they've repented, and better yet, changed.  

Day 3: Genesis 29-40

Genesis 29:31-35New American Standard Bible (NASB) 

 ³¹ Now the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. ³²Leah conceived and bore a son and named him Reuben, for she said, “Because the LORD has seen my affliction; surely now my husband will love me.” ³³ Then she conceived again and bore a son and said, “Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.” So she named him Simeon. ³⁴ She conceived again and bore a son and said, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore he was named Levi. ³⁵ And she conceived again and bore a son and said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.

I've always felt a connection to Leah... I don't know why... They're just something about her story that draws me closer each time I read it.  

I have serious self esteem issues, and grew up thinking everyone hated me.  I know my parents love me, always have.  And I know my husband loves me.  And I had a few really close friends... but when everyone else around you tells you that you're never going to amount to anything or you're a loser or 'go and die'... well regardless of all the positive things in your life, the bad outweighs it. (see Cyber Bullying article)

I've always been in awe that in such terrible circumstances - something Leah had no control over, she found God's favor and was blessed.

We've had to deal with issues in our lives the last few years.  And yet, in all the turmoil, we've still be blessed.  The bonds in my family are stronger, our kids are kind, polite and very humble, and regardless of what's thrown at us, we know it will work out in it's own way.

My favorite books are the "Lowland" series by Liz Curtis Higgs. I think I was just married when I read Thorn in My Heart.  Normally, if I know a book is a part of a series, I wait until the series is done and then read all of them... not this time.

To hear the story of Leah in such a way as this, it really puts a person to the situation that's described in the Bible.  I knew the inevitable outcome, but when you think about the person that Leah (or Leana in 'Thorn') was you wonder what kind of father would put that much pain on their daughter, or a husband who would be so cold.  But our God is bigger.

Day 2: Genesis 17-29

Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. Genesis 28:15

I've always felt connected to the story of Jacob (primarily his wife Leah, but more about that tomorrow).  

I have to say, though, I've been through a lot over the last few years.  And there are plenty of times when I truly believed that The Lord had walked away from me.  Why did my dad have to get sick?  Why was my son born so early? Why did we have to lose our jobs?

It takes a lot to pray, but even more to praise.  And when times are difficult, when everything is just wrong, it's comforting to know that through my trials, I'm not going through them alone, but He's walking with me, carrying me when I can't stand on my own two feet.

I encourage anyone, that when you just think it can't get any worse, He's there to help you through it.  And as bad as it feels, when it's right, it will get better.

Day 1: Genesis Chapters 1-16

The stories in the first 16 chapters of the Bible are fairly well known; Creation of the Earth, Creation of Man, The Fall of Adam & Eve, Noah & The Flood, Lot, Abram and Sarai.

My daughter Samantha was reading her children's bible a few days ago.  She asked me why God took part of Adam to make Eve, why couldn't He just make Eve the way he made Adam.  Very profound for a 6 year old.

There's a joke that a friend of mine told me once, many years ago:

Adam was walking in the Garden of Eden, saw all the animals with their mates.  He asked God "Lord, can I have that? Someone who will stand by me, help me and love me?  The Lord said"Of Course, I will Create the perfect partner for you, filled with obedience and love.  But it'll cost you an arm and a leg."  Adam though for a moment and replied "What can I get for one of my ribs?"

I know, it's lame.

So why did God create Eve from Adam?  Well, I told my daughter that I love her father so much, that it feels like something is missing when we're not together - like we are physically connected and when we're apart of too long something's not right.  God used Adam's rib to connect husband and wife, mentally, emotionally and physically.

If you've been married or in a relationship (or even just close to your family), you know that you all start to think a like and finish sentences and all that weird family stuff.  I think that's God's way of reminding us that bonds of family - especially husband and wife - was built into us from the beginning.  It's all a part of his plan.

Preface...

I've been a believer all my life... I try to show my faith, but not necessarily share my faith.  Right or wrong, it's who I am.

My faith has been shaken quite a bit over the last few years. More than a bit at time...  And yet, HE always remains faithful to me.

There was a 3 month period where I read the psalms every day.  It really did bring me peace and comfort. I attend Church at least once a week.  My music collection is 90% Christian rock.  While I do enjoy Tim&Jeff In The Morning, the rest of my day I listen to YES FM.

Even though the New Year has begun, I don't want to think of this as a New Year's Resolution; I've heard of the "Read the Bible in 90 Days" plan for a few years.  I'm going to give it a shot.

I'm looking forward to what will be revealed to me in the next 90 day!

Many Blessings

~dy~