Monday, January 18, 2010

Her battle is over

Lester's mom, my mother-in-law passed away a little while ago. Please keep us all in prayer as we deal with the funeral etc.

Will post again in a few days when things settle down.

She was 94 years old.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Leviticus 1 - 14

Leviticus 1 starts out with instructions on bringing offerings to the Lord.
:3 states to offer it of your own voluntary will

God still requires that of us doesn't He? Anything we do for the Lord, if it is not of our own voluntary will is a foul smell in the nostrils of God. An offering can't be forced anymore then submission can be forced. You must willingly submit to a husband. Now I know that you can physically make someone submit, that is not what I mean. I mean the submission that comes from the heart. Which is what God wants from us.

2:13 All meat offerings must be flavored with salt.

Have you ever tried something cooked with out any salt? Not very good is it? God wanted the sacrifice to be good, actually He wanted it to be the best it could be.

Do you ( I ) always give our best to God? Sadly I don't. But I am working on it.

Chapter 8 deals with the consecration of Aaron and his sons.

Chapter 10 tells of 2 of Aarons sons offering strange fire before the Lord that they hadn't been told to do. The Lord sent out fire and devoured them. God doesn't tolerate sin.

Chapter 11 deals with dietary things. Later in the new testament they are told they can eat these things.

I think Chapter 11 was a test to see if the people would obey, as in the past they had disobeyed commandments right away. Remember the golden calf?

Chapter 13 deals with childbirth cleansing and leprosy

Chapter 14 continues with leprosy

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Exodus 29 - 40

29 talks about preparing the priests, how to make sacrifices,

30 gives instructions to build the altar

31 talks about the sabbath and keeping it holy

32 While Moses is with the Lord getting all of this, the people want Aaron to make them gods and he does, Moses intercedes on behalf of the people. Aaron is a priest and yet he went along with making a false god.

Moses threw down the tablets God wrote on and destroyed the idol. 3,000 were killed because of the idol.

33 God allows Moses to see his back

34 God gives Moses the commandments, etc again

When Moses come down from being with God his face shone from the Lords glory

35 the people bring offerings

36-39 the work on the tabernacle, etc is started

40 The work is finished and sacrifices made, when the Lord inhabited the tabernacle the people stayed where they were, when the cloud rose they moved to another place.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Exodus 16-28

Ex 16:1-3 They had just seen the miracle God did for them at the Red Sea and already they are murmuring and complaining. Sound familiar? Know people who nothing is ever enough for? Are you ever like that?

16:4 God rains manna down for them

16:8 Moses reminds them that they are murmuring against the Lord not against Aaron and Moses. Do you ever think about that when you are murmuring about something not going the way you want? You (and I) are not murmuring against the situation or the person you think you are murmuring about, you are murmuring agains the Lord. Sure puts it in a new perspective for me.

16:28 At this point they really didn't have many commandments or laws to follow and they couldn't even follow about the manna.

17:3 again they are murmuring this time about water, now I understand water is important but once before the Lord had provided water, why did they doubt He would again, He was providing food for them every day. But instead they kept murmuring and looking back to Egypt. And today we still do the same sometimes. sigh, truly nothing new under the sun.

17:4-6 The Lord provides water from the rock

17:10 Moses holds up the rod and they are winning, when he puts it down they are losing.

17:11 He gets tired and they give him a rock to sit on and hold up his arms. Ok let's be honest here, sitting on a stone with people on either side of you holding up your arms while you hold a rod, not the most comfortable thing especially since he did it ALL day. But what I found interesting is Moses didn't murmur or complain and neither did the men holding up his arms.

18 Moses' father-in-law comes to visit and gives him good advice about judging the people.

19:1-8 God speaks with Moses

20 God gives Moses the ten commandments.

20:19 The people tell Moses to speak to God for them and to report to them, they are afraid to approach where God is.

23:22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice (the angel He is sending) and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.

Want God on your side? verse 22 tells you how.

24:3 After Moses tells the people all the things the Lord has told him they say " All the words which the Lord hath said will we do"..
Time will tell won't it?

For the next few chapters God is giving the information to Moses of how he wants the ark, tabernacle, etc built.

28:33 at the bottom of the priest garment so that they could tell he was still alive after going into the holy of holys

Here are the words to a song about the priest and the bells

The high priest would move
Through the temple
With bells around the bottom of his skirt
And as he prepared an offering there
The sound of the bells could be heard
Now there in the Holy of Holies
A sinful priest surely would die
But the sound of the bells sent a message
To all those who waited outside

CHORUS:
The bells are ringing, He's alive
Oh yes, the sacrifice is worthy
A sound that cannot be denied
The price has been paid
And as our hands are being raised
Let His holy name be praised
Tell every nation, every tribe
The bells are ringing, He's alive

Now Jesus was born the Messiah
A man sent to save other men
And scripture proclaims,
He is the high priest
Who offered Himself for our sins
And cold was the tomb
Where they laid Him
And there only silence was found
But on the third day
The stone rolled away
And the whole world
Woke up to the sound

CHORUS

Open up your heart and listen
Tell me what do you hear
It's the sound of salvation
Ringing He's alive
And there's no need to fear

CHORUS (repeat)

In every nation, in every tribe
The bells are ringing, He's alive

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Exodus 1 -15

1:6 Joseph dies

1:8 a new king arises who doesn't know Joseph

1:13 the Egyptians make the Israelites serve them.

1:16 the midwives are told to kill the boy babies (forerunner of abortion?)

1:17 they refuse to do so

1:21 God blest the midwives because they refused

1:22 Pharoah orders boy babies killed

2:2-10 Moses is born and hidden three months, then put in basket for pharoahs daughter to find, she hires his mother to nurse him

2:11 Moses saves a Hebrew and kills an Egyptian and has to flee

2:16 Moses takes a wife, the king dies and the people cry out to God

3:2 Angel of the Lord appears as a burning bush

3:10 God tells Moses He will use him to get the people out of Egypt, Moses questions why him. God assures him He will be with him, but Moses still doubts

4:2 God gives Moses 3 signs to make the people believe

4:10 Moses continues to give excuses

4:14-17 God was angered at Moses and allows Aaron to speak for him, wonder why God still chose to send Moses, He could have just sent Aaron.

4:21 God warns Moses He will harden Pharoahs heart.

5:1-23 Pharoah makes it harder on the people

6:1-9 Because of that the people no longer wanted to listen to Moses

7:1 God warns He will harden pharoahs heart and do signs and wonders before he will let the people go so that the Egyptians will know that He is God

7:7- 11:10 all the signs and wonders, snakes from rods, water to blood, frogs, lice, flies, cattle dies, boils, hail and fire, locusts, darkness for 3 days, plague of first born. Throughout these Pharoah says he will let them go, but changes his mind after the plague ends.

Ever do that? Promise God you will do or stop doing something if xyz happens. Then when it does you go back on what you told God?

12:1 God instructs the people about passover

12:31 He finally lets them leave and they take Josephs bones with them.

13:21 Angel of Lord was pillar of cloud by day and fire by night

14:1 God tells Moses He will again harden Pharoahs heart to follow them

14:16 the red sea is divided and the people go over on dry ground, then the seas close up over the Egyptians

Chapter 15 starts with one of my favorite songs.

I will sing unto the Lord for He has triumphed gloriously, the horse and rider are thrown into the sea,
I will sing unto the Lord for He has triumphed gloriously, the horse and rider are thrown into the sea,
The Lord, my God, my strength, my song, has now become my victory.
The Lord, my God, my strength, my song, has now become my victory.

The Lord is God, and I will praise Him, my Father's God and I will exalt Him.
The Lord is God, and I will praise Him, my Father's God and I will exalt Him.

At the end of the chapter the Lord says I am the Lord that heals thee.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Gen 41-50

This reading ends Genesis. Tomorrow I start with Exodus.

41:1-7 Pharoahs two dreams

41:9 Butler finally remembers his promise to Joseph

41:16 Joseph gives God the glory even before he knows the dream. He had faith God would interpret the dream.

41:43 from a lad sold into slavery to the ruler over Egypt - God can do amazing things with us when we are obedient.

42 Joseph's brothers come for food

43 They return with Benjamin

45 Joseph reveals himself to them

45:26-27 I wonder what Israel thought when they told him about selling Joseph when he was young.

47 Israel died

48 Israel gave Joseph's younger son the older ones blessing just as Israel stole Esau's

49 Israel blesses his children before he dies

50:20 What they meant for evil God used for good. May all that is planned evil against me be turned to good by God.

50:25 Joseph says to bring his bones out of Eqypt when they leave.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Gen 29-40

First of all let me say how I am approaching this read through the bible. I am approaching it as if I have never read them before (I have read through the bible many times before) and that I don't know what is coming. I find I get more from the readings that way. I usually learn something new from that approach or notice something I may not have seen before. So while I may appear surprised by the turn of events as I post, I really know the end of the story. Ok so here are the notes from today and there are quite a few as a lot of stuff happens in these chapters.

30:3 Rachael did exactly as Sarah did when she couldn't conceive at first. I am sure the story was passed down. Just as our children don't want to learn by our lessons, back then they didn't either. There truly is nothing new under the sun.

30:38 Jacob cheated his father-in-law by causing the offspring to be speckled He caused the stronger offspring to be his own.

31:2 Sounds like Jacob was surprised his in-laws didn't look at him the same, and were unhappy with him. I can't imagine he thought what he was doing would make them happy. I understand God allowed it to happen and I realize that Laban wasn't always fair with Jacob, but repaying evil for evil isn't right either.

31:14 Sounds sorta like Rachael and Leah were only concerned about their inheritance and not that they would no longer be with their father and family.

31:19 Rachael stole from her father.

31:20 Jacob didn't gie his wives a chance to say goodbye.

31:22 It took 3 days for them to tell Laban Joseph had left, I wonder why?

31:31 Jacob says he was afraid Laban would take his daughters, but God had told Jacob to go, he didn't trust God to work it out. Sound familiar? I struggle with that sometimes too.

31:35 Rachael lied to her father

32:7 Jacob was afraid again, this time of Esau. If he wouldn't have done what his mother said that he had to realize at the time was wrong, he wouldn't have to be afraid now. Rebekka, Laban and Rachael were all related, and they all acted badly toward others, surprised?

32:14-19 He was gonna bribe Esau if he had to instead of trusting God since God told him to return. Next time you have trouble trusting God, remember so did Jacob and how his turned out. God comes through every time when He tells you to do something. He will never leave nor forsake you and He will equip you to do what He has called you to do.

32:24 Did you catch he wrestled WITH him not against? Ever spend a night wrestling with God about something? God is not against you. It is you who are wrestling with Him.

35:10 Jacob's name is changed to Israel

35:18 Rachael dies in child birth

35:29 Issac dies

37:3 says Israel loved Joseph more then the others and then he sends him to spy and tattle, this can't end well. (yes I know it is all part of God's plan, but if I had never heard the story before this is how I would be thinking at this point)

37:9 This boy was 17 and had no tact.

37:18-36 And here God takes over what is meant for evil and uses it for good. I love when He does that.

38:12-15 Judah didn't follow through on his promise.

38:24 And Judah's sin comes back to him. Sin will always eventually be revealed

39:8 Joseph refuses the master's wife and thereby begins the path God wants him on.

40:1-23 Joseph interpets the dreams in prison.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Gen 17:1 - 28:22

Here are the notes I made while reading.

17:5 Abraham's name changed and called the father of nations
17:25 Ishmael was 13 when he was circumcised - bar mitzvah ?
19:29 God remembered Abraham and saved Lot and his family
20:2 Abraham again lied about Sarah not being his wife
22:14 Jehovah Jireh - the Lord provides
26:7 Jacob lied about Rebekah being his wife

I guess the thing that stood out to me the most was that both Abraham and Jacob lied about their wives. While it would probably keep the men safe it could have meant in both cases that their wives would be taken as wife, etc by other men. Yet all they thought about were themselves.

Next time satan comes to you (and me) with how many times we have sinned, let's remind him of the men from the bible who did too, but because they repented they were forgiven and used by God. And let's not forget to repent of the sin if we haven't already.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Gen 1:1 to 16:16

I am following along with a read the bible in 90 days thing I found online.

This was the reading for today.

Verse 2:24 says: Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh.

I looked up the word cleave and here is one definition I found:

to adhere firmly and closely or loyally and unwaveringly

Are you cleaving to your spouse? Are you making comments that aren't loyal to them? Are you showing them in an unkind light? Something to think about isn't it?

I will try to pick out at least one verse a day, sometimes there will be more and share my thoughts on it. Hopefully I can keep up with the reading for the 90 days, then I will begin reading the bible in a year I think. Unless God shows me something else in the meantime. I will also continue to comment on other things I glean from devotionals etc I may read in addition to the bible reading for the day. Just depends on the amount of time I have each day.

Want to hear something strange

About three weeks ago I woke up dizzy. Not slightly dizzy, falling down trying to walk dizzy. Went to doctors, and no I didn't drive, my 19 year old son did. Turns out I have a case of benign postitional vertigo. So am taking antivert, doing exercises, and still battling a little dizziness off and on, but nothing like the first 3 days.

Here is the strange part. Wednesday my oldest daughter calls me and says she is at work, just stood to go to copier, and she is very dizzy. I go get her and take her to doctor and she has the same thing. Benign postional vertigo in the same ear I have it in. Now this is NOT contaigious, yet we both got it. I find that strange. So if you think about it Keri and I could both use prayers that this goes away fully soon. It is no fun being dizzy.