of mice and men...

Life seems to be very large these days. Summer came and went with the blink of an eye and now I find September knocking on my door. I've had the best of intentions but somehow I find that it's already the third of September and I haven't posted the reading list yet. Sigh. Believe it or not, by the end of September, we will be leaving the Old Testament and beginning our journey through the New. Press on!


September 1: Ezekiel 43-45

September 2: Ezekiel 46-48

September 3: Ezekiel 29:17-21; Daniel 4; Jeremiah 52:31-34; 2 Kings 25:27-30; Psalm 44

September 4: Psalms 74, 79, 80 & 89

September 5: Psalms 85, 102, 106, 123, 137

September 6: Daniel 7-8; 5

September 7: Daniel 9; 6

September 8: 2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-4:5

September 9: Daniel 10-12

September 10: Ezra 4:6-6:13; Haggai

September 11: Zachariah 1-6

September 12: Zachariah 7-8; Ezra 6:14-22, Psalm 78

September 13: Psalms 107, 116, 118

September 14: Psalms 125-126, 128-129, 132, 147, 149

September 15: Zachariah 9-14

September 16: Esther 1-4

September 17: Esther 5-10

September 18: Ezra 7-8

September 19: Ezra 9-10

September 20: Nehemiah 1-5

September 21: Nehemiah 6-7

September 22: Nehemiah 8-10

September 23: Nehemiah 11-13

September 24: Malachi

September 25: 1 Chronicles 1-2

September 26: 1 Chronicles 3-5

September 27: 1 Chronicles 6

September 28: 1 Chronicles 7:1-8:27

September 29: 1 Chronicles 8:28-9:44

September 30: John 1:1-18; Mark 1:1; Luke 1:1-4; 2:23-38; Matthew 1:1-17

Soon!

Ezekiel 46-48

Somehow the days have gotten away from me. (Now how could that happen?) Anyway, today's reading is Ezekiel 43-45. I should be able to post the entire month this evening. As long as no "adventures" come our way. Praying your September morning is a glorious one!

Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches,but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD."
Jeremiah 9:23-24

This is what the LORD says:
"Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
Jeremiah 6:16

August Reading Schedule

August 1: Jeremiah 10-13

August 2: Jeremiah 14-16

August 3: Jeremiah 17-20

August 4: 2 Kings 22:1-23:28, 2 Chronicles 34:8-35:19

August 5: Nahum, 2 Kings 23:29-37, 2 Chronicles 35:20-36:5, Jeremiah 22:10-17

August 6: Jeremiah 26, Habakkuk

August 7: Jeremiah 46-47, 2 Kings 24:1-4,7, 2 Chronicles 36:6-7, Jeremiah 25,35

August 8: Jeremiah 36, 45, 48

August 9: Jeremiah 49:1-33, Daniel 1-2

August 10: Jeremiah 22:18-30, 2 Kings 24:5-20, 2 Chronicles 36:8-12, Jeremiah 37:1-2, 52:1-3; 24; 29

August 11: Jeremiah 27; 28; 23

August 12: Jeremiah 50-51

August 13: Jeremiah 49:34-39; 34; Ezekiel 1-3

August 14: Ezekiel 4-7

August 15: Ezekiel 8-11

August 16: Ezekiel 12-14

August 17: Ezekiel 15-17

August 18: Ezekiel 18-20

August 19: Ezekiel 21-23

August 20: 2 Kings 25:1; 2 Chronicles 36:13-16, Jeremiah 39:1; 52:4; Ezekiel 24; Jeremiah 21:1-22:9; 32

August 21: Jeremiah 30-31, 33

August 22: Ezekiel 25; 29:1-16; 30; 31

August 23: Ezekiel 26-28

August 24: Jeremiah 37:3-39:10; 52:4-30; 2 Kings 25:2-21; 2 Chronicles 36:17-21

August 25: 2 Kings 25:22; Jeremiah 39:11-40:6; Lamentations 1-3

August 26: Lamentations 4-5; Obadiah

August 27: Jeremiah 40:7-44:30; 2 Kings 25:23-26

August 28: Ezekiel 33:21-36:38

August 29: Ezekiel 37-39

August 30: Ezekiel 32:1-33:20; Daniel 3

August 31: Ezekiel 40-42

whatever is right

Although he did not remove the high places from Israel, Asa's heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life. 2 Chronicles 15:17

In everything he walked in the ways of his father Asa and did not stray from them; he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD. The high places, however, were not removed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. 1 Kings 22:43

At first glance, it seems like high praise. Asa's heart was fully committed to the Lord. Jehoshaphat did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. Yet, something is a little off. Neither father nor son removed the "high places." And the people continued to sacrifice to their idols.

We might say that they did the best that they could. That they spent their time being obedient and that should be enough. But were they obedient? Not according to scripture. I counted ten times from Exodus to 1 Samuel that God forbids idol worship. Their failure to completely eradicate idolatry in Judah would have tragic circumstances. Jehoshaphat's son, Jehoram, "walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord." (2 Chronicles 21:6) I have to wonder if the outcome might have been different if Asa or Jehoshaphat had removed all idols from the land.

I desire to walk a life that is pleasing to God. I want to have a heart that is fully committed to the Lord. I want to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord. And yet, I find myself "overlooking" certain areas in my life, assuring myself that they are too small to bother God. (impatience, irritated driving, and so forth.) However, scripture reminds me that "It only takes a minute amount of yeast, you know, to permeate an entire loaf of bread." (Galatians 5:9 MSG) If I continue to allow these "minute" sins to persist in my life, they will eventually "permeate" my entire being and my witness. From that point, who knows how it might affect future generations of my family. After all, it only took one generation for Judah's kings to go from "doing what was right" to following in the footsteps of one of the most wicked kings in Israel's history. What a sobering thought.

Your flip and callous arrogance in these things bothers me. You pass it off as a small thing, but it's anything but that. Yeast, too, is a "small thing," but it works its way through a whole batch of bread dough pretty fast. So get rid of this "yeast." Our true identity is flat and plain, not puffed up with the wrong kind of ingredient. The Messiah, our Passover Lamb, has already been sacrificed for the Passover meal, and we are the Unraised Bread part of the Feast. So let's live out our part in the Feast, not as raised bread swollen with the yeast of evil, but as flat bread—simple, genuine, unpretentious. 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 MSG

no turning back

Several weeks ago, our pastor preached a sermon series entitled Not a Fan. It was a thought provoking, inspiring message that has lingered with me through the weeks. (I'd highly recommend it. It can be found here.) The second sermon in the series was called Committed and during that sermon, Kyle mentioned Elisha's actions when Elijah called him to service.

So Elijah went and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field. There were twelve teams of oxen in the field, and Elisha was plowing with the twelfth team. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak across his shoulders and then walked away. Elisha left the oxen standing there, ran after Elijah, and said to him, “First let me go and kiss my father and mother good-bye, and then I will go with you!”

Elijah replied, “Go on back, but think about what I have done to you.”

So Elisha returned to his oxen and slaughtered them. He used the wood from the plow to build a fire to roast their flesh. He passed around the meat to the townspeople, and they all ate. Then he went with Elijah as his assistant. (1 Kings 19:19-21 NLT)

Kyle said that Elisha was obviously somewhat successful since he had 24 oxen to plow his fields. This was his livelihood. And yet, when he received the call, what did he do? He slaughtered his oxen and burned his plowing equipment and had a great big barbecue. He had no intention of coming back. And to make sure that he wasn't tempted to return to his old life, he burned all his bridges behind him. That's commitment.

I've thought a lot about that story since the sermon. And when I read it last week, I thought some more.

I tend to look before I leap.

Then I look some more.

And then I might sit down and think about it for awhile.

Ponder deep thoughts.

Second guess myself.

Think that God surely couldn't be asking me to do that.

Wait some more.

Look some more.

And if I wait long enough, sometimes the opportunity passes me by and I say, "obviously that wasn't God's will.)

But I wonder.

I wonder if there will come a day when the Lord says to me, "Karen, you missed this. Look at how much more you could have been if only you were willing to believe...commit..." It's not that I'm afraid of commitment. I think maybe I'm afraid of what commitment might lead to instead. Does that make sense? Maybe it's more that I'm comfortable where I am. With my oxen and my plow. Following a different path may take me to uncomfortable places. Put demands on me that I don't want to deal with. Require absolute trust in my God.

Yet here's the thing.

I don't want to miss it. The more I come to know Him, the closer I draw to Him, the more I want what He wants for me. So I think my prayer will change to become, "light the barbecue, Lord. Let's go."

July

July 1: 2 Kings 12-13, 2 Chronicles 24

July 2: 2 Kings 14, 2 Chronicles 25, Jonah

July 3: Hosea 1-7

July 4: Hosea 8-14

July 5: 2 Kings 15:1-7, 2 Chronicles 26, Amos 1-4

July 6: Amos 5-9, 2 Kings 15:8-18

July 7: Isaiah 1-4

July 8: 2 Kings 15:19-38, 2 Chronicles 27, Isaiah 5-6

July 9: Micah

July 10: 2 Kings 16, 2 Chronicles 28, Isaiah 7-8

July 11: Isaiah 9-12

July 12: Isaiah 13-16

July 13: Isaiah 17-22

July 14: Isaiah 23-27

July 15: Isaiah 28-30

July 16: Isaiah 31-35

July 17: 2 Kings 18:1-8, 2 Chronicles 29-31

July 18: 2 Kings 17,18:9-37, 2 Chronicles 32:1-19, Isaiah 36

July 19: 2 Kings 19, 2 Chronicles 32:20-23, Isaiah 37

July 20: 2 Kings 20, 2 Chronicles 32:24-33, Isaiah 38-39

July 21: 2 Kings 21:1-18, 2 Chronicles 33:1-20, Isaiah 40

July 22: Isaiah 41-43

July 23: Isaiah 44-47

July 24: Isaiah 48-51

July 25: Isaiah 52-57

July 26: Isaiah 58-62

July 27: Isaiah 63-66

July 28: 2 Kings 21:19-26, 2 Chronicles 33:21-34:7, Zephaniah

July 29: Jeremiah 1-3

July 30: Jeremiah 4-6

July 31: Jeremiah 7-9

gratitude

One area of my life that I struggle with constantly is remembering God's goodness to me. To be perfectly honest, I don't think about this much. It usually comes to light when I am working through a bible study and I'm asked to list a time that I remember that God did something wonderful. And while I know that he does many beautiful miraculous things on a daily basis, mostly I draw a blank. I've come to the conclusion that I just don't pay enough attention.

Anyhow, we recently read the story of Elijah and the widow at Zarephath.

Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the LORD came to him: "Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food." So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, "Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?" As she was going to get it, he called, "And bring me, please, a piece of bread."

"As surely as the LORD your God lives," she replied, "I don't have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die."

Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land.' "

She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah.(1 Kings 17:1-16)

Here's a woman who is living life with a constant miracle. She knows that no human is putting flour in the jar and oil in the jar. There still is no rain so there is no hope for a harvest. Elijah has told her that God himself said that she would have flour and oil as long as there is no rain in the land. You have to think that she is feeling pretty good about the Lord and how He's blessed her family. Except...

Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. She said to Elijah, "What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?"

"Give me your son," Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. Then he cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?" Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, let this boy's life return to him!"

The LORD heard Elijah's cry, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived. Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, "Look, your son is alive!"

Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth." 1 Kings 17:17-24

I have to tell you that I was a little bit frustrated by the widow. She's living this miracle life and yet the moment her circumstances change, she's pointing the finger and blaming Elijah (and God). The note I made in my Bible says, "do our life circumstance cause us to forget the miracles in our lives?" But I still wasn't talking about me. Yet. It wasn't til later that I realized that I was no different than the widow. If I can't remember the good things the Lord has done in my life when I'm working through a bible study, what are the chances that I'll remember them when life comes pounding on the door? To carry the thought one step further, am I truly grateful as the Lord works throughout my day? And what can I do to change it if I'm not?

One of my favorite blogs is a Holy Experience written by Ann Voskamp. I will often reread her posts over and over just to allow them to seep into my soul. She has such a way with words and everything she writes has a scriptural tie. It's a beautiful thing. Anyway, she wrote a post entitled a thousand gifts where she talks about her journal of the gifts that the Lord has given her. Over the years she has surpassed one thousand and now goes on to number the thousands. She says, "Too often I miss Him, oblivious, blind. I don't see all the good things that He is giving me, gracing me with, brushing my life with. True, He is everywhere, always. But maybe, before The Gift List, I thought of Him as further off, not so close. When I started to see all the things that I love bestowed upon me, I started to see Him as near, present, everywhere, showering me with good things. Seeing the things I love all around me gives me eyes to see that I am loved, that He loves me."

Anyway, recently I decided to begin my own list of a thousand gifts. Some days are more challenging than others and I have to look a little deeper to see how He's blessed me. Some days are simple gifts such as the bluest sky that I've seen in a long time and some days the gifts are huge. Through it all, my hope is that when I seek Him, I will find Him. (2 Chronicles 15:2) And maybe the next time difficulties come knocking on my door, I'll remember the miracles that have come before and I will rely on the Giver of life.

thoughts on Kings...

A couple of verses stood out to me this weekend as I was reading.

2 Chronicles 12:14...He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord.

2 Chronicles 15:2...The Lord is with you when you are with Him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.

2 Chronicles 15:15...They sought God eagerly, and He was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest on every side.

2 Chronicles 16:9...For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.

These verses make it very clear that we need to set our hearts on seeking the Lord. The first verse goes even further, saying that we do evil when we do not set our heart on the Lord. At first glance, that sounds incredibly harsh. We don't want to think of our actions as evil but clearly we are capable of it when we do not seek Him. Conversely, 15:15 says that when they sought Him (don't you love the word "eagerly"?), He gave them rest. Believe me, I could use some rest. And when I compare the words "evil" or "rest" as the outcome of my actions, the choice is easy to make.

One other thing that struck me this weekend was how Asa followed God with all his heart until he was older. I wonder if he grew complacent. Scripture says, "Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from the physicians." (16:12) What happened? Did he start believing his own press? Was he surrounded with people who told him how wonderful he was? I don't know. What I do know is that he is not the only person in the Bible that started out well but didn't finish strong. There's a lesson in that.

Then they bound themselves in a covenant to seek God, the God of their fathers, wholeheartedly, holding nothing back.They shouted out their promise to God, a joyful sound accompanied with blasts from trumpets and rams' horns. The whole country felt good about the covenant promise—they had given their promise joyfully from the heart. Anticipating the best, they had sought God—and he showed up, ready to be found. God gave them peace within and without—a most peaceable kingdom!
2 Chronicles 15:12,14-15 MSG

Do you ever wonder?

In 1 Kings 11, Solomon has turned his heart from God. (11:4) Verse 9-12 goes on to say, "The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. Although He had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord's command. So the Lord said to Solomon, 'Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son."

As far as I can tell, Solomon did nothing to change his ways after this Word from the Lord. Does anyone but me find this odd?

First of all, I'd like to think that if God had appeared to me twice, I'd make a little more effort to be obedient. I realize that it's a lot easier to maintain that "spiritual" feeling after a "mountain top experience." (anybody else remember camp?) However, I still think that an encounter with God Almighty would mark me forever.

Regardless, I'm fairly certain that if God came back and said, "Child, you've got an attitude that's got to go. Since I was fond of your parents, I'll wait and bring destruction on your children rather than you" I'd sit up and take notice. I'm pretty sure I'd be begging for forgiveness, changing my attitude and asking Him to punish me instead of them. As a mom, I can't even fathom allowing my children to be punished in my place. (and Solomon had to be aware that this wasn't a "time out" punishment. God is saying that He will tear the kingdom from him. That means war, bloodshed and death.)

Interestingly enough, this isn't the only time this happens in scripture. I remember reading about Hezekiah last year and Isaiah telling him the same thing. Except Hezekiah thinks, "will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?" (2 Kings 20:19)

I do not want to be that me focused. My prayer is that I will always be sensitive to God's correction (and my attitude) and that my eyes will not be so focused on myself that I am unable to see the harm that I might be doing others.

Turn my heart toward your statutes
and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
preserve my life according to your word.
Psalm 119:36-37

But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign LORD;
in you I take refuge
Psalm 141:8

Just a thought...

I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about Saul lately. He was a man chosen by God to do great things but somewhere along the way, he got sidetracked. As I've mentioned before, Saul is never the man that he might have been. Rather than rely on God and the things he knew to be true, he chose to "help God out" along the way. As a result, the Lord rejected Saul as king and chose David instead.

Then we have Solomon, son of David. He had the benefit of growing up under David's guidance. Certainly, as David was dying, he instructed Solomon on how to live. (1 Kings 2:2-3) From all appearances, Solomon followed those instructions. For awhile. (1 Kings 3:3) By all accounts, God was pleased with Solomon. Rather than ask for great wealth or a long life, he asked that the Lord would bless him with wisdom. The Lord gave him all three. (1 Kings 3:12-15) After the temple was built, the Lord appeared to him again and promised that as long as "you walk before me in integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David." (1 Kings 9: 4-5)

Sounds like a plan, doesn't it? After all, Solomon not only had the benefit of learning from Saul and David's lives, the LORD Himself had spoken to him and made clear His expectations. And since He had gifted Solomon with wisdom, wealth and health, Solomon knew that God would fulfill His words.

And yet, somewhere along the way, Solomon chose his own path. 1 Kings 11:4 says, "As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been." As I read those words, I sit here and shake my head. I don't get it. How could he take such a path? God HIMSELF spoke to him. He knew the benefits of obeying the Lord's statutes. So how did he go from here to here?

Ecclesiastes 2 may offer a clue. As I read the chapter last night, one thing kept coming to my mind. I thought, I said, I tried, I wanted, I undertook, I built, I made, I bought, I owned, I amassed, I acquired, I became, I denied, I refused, my heart, I surveyed, I had toiled, I turned, I saw, I came, I thought, I said, I gain, I hated, I toiled, I must, my heart... I don't know that I've ever seen so much "I" and "my" in any of our readings. Today, 24 hours later, I'm still pondering this. Wondering how much of my "self focus" keeps me from following Him...and asking God to make this the prayer of my heart today...

Direct me in the path of your commands,
for there I find delight.

Turn my heart toward your statutes
and not toward selfish gain.

Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
preserve my life according to your word.

Psalm 119:35-37

LPM Scripture Memory Verse 12

intercession

There is nothing that makes us love a man so much as praying for him. --William Law

Bev will be having surgery on June 9th and then will begin chemo and radiation to fight her cancer. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits--who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases...Psalm 103:2-3

Yvonne and her husband are on sabbatical in England for the next month. (her youngest son is taking care of things at home while they are gone.) If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. Psalm 139:9-10

Annette's friend Wendy is a full time caregiver to her husband who has COPD. They have had to adapt to some difficult changes recently. O LORD my God, I called to You for help and You healed me. Psalm 30:2, Surely God is my help; the Lord is the One who sustains me. Psalm 54:4

After more than a year of waiting, Katie has not one but two schools interested in hiring her. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "I say this because I know what I am planning for you," says the Lord. "I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future."

It's my turn to wait on biopsy results. They apparently will tell the doctor what they need to do to treat this spot on my back. (I keep hearing Lady MacBeth's voice in my head.) Exodus 15:27 says, "For I am the Lord, who heals you."

Praying for you all today...

LPM Memory Verse 11

Prayer Request Wednesday

These are just a few of the requests that I am aware of:

Bev is waiting on some important test results due June 3rd and will be having additional surgery on June 9th.

Jessi is waiting for some test results as well.

Bible study started for a lot of women.

Katie has an interview for a teaching position.

India had a devastating cyclone recently with hundreds dead and thousands left homeless. There are concerns about Compassion's children in this area including our compassion daughter.

Then there's the supreme court nominee, the future of our nation, and so many other things going on in our own homes. Won't you take a few minutes and pray?

June

June 1: 1 Kings 9:1-10:13, 2 Chronicles 7:11-9:12

June 2: 1 Kings 4, 10:14-29, 2 Chronicles 1:14-17, 9:13-28, Psalm 72

June 3: Proverbs 1-3

June 4: Proverbs 4-6

June 5: Proverbs 7-9

June 6: Proverbs 10-12

June 7: Proverbs 13-15

June 8: Proverbs 16-18

June 9: Proverbs 19-21

June 10: Proverbs 22-24

June 11: Proverbs 25-27

June 12: Proverbs 28-29

June 13: Proverbs 30-31, Psalm 127

June 14: Song of Songs

June 15: 1 Kings 11:1-40, Eccles. 1-2

June 16: Eccles 3-7

June 17: Eccles. 8-12, 1 Kings 11-41-43, 2 Chronicles 9:29-31

June 18: 1 Kings 12, 2 Chronicles 10:1-11:17

June 19: 1 Kings 13-14, 2 Chronicles 11:18-12:16

June 20: 1 Kings 15:1-24, 2 Chronicles 13-16

June 21: 1 Kings 15:25-16:34, 2 Chronicles 17, 1 Kings 17

June 22: 1 Kings 18-19

June 23: 1 Kings 20-21

June 24: 1 Kings 22:1-40, 2 Chronicles 18

June 25: 1 Kings 22:41-53, 2 Kings 1, 2 Chronicles 19:1-21:3

June 26: 2 Kings 2-4

June 27: 2 Kings 5-7

June 28: 2 Kings 8-9, 2 Chronicles 21:4-22:9

June 29: 2 Kings 10-11, 2 Chronicles 22:10-23:21

June 30: Joel

Psalm 119

It may come as a shock to you, but I am not always a big fan of rules. I think I've mentioned before that I tend to drive a little too fast (because I know how fast I should go) and more often than not, I look for "gray" areas in the rules as an excuse to do whatever I want. (I once had a boss tell me that "rules were guidelines that we want people to follow." I think I took it to heart!) That's why I used to struggle with Psalms like 119 that tent to wax poetic about their love of the law. How on earth could anyone "delight" in the law?

Then I read a book.

And I looked at "the law" a little differently.

The book is called "Sitting at the feet of Rabbi Jesus." The statement that caught my attention was this: "For them (the Jewish people) the Torah was not an onerous rulebook or a vast catalog of laws as we might think, but a gift from God that taught them how to live." (25)

A gift from God? Yeah, I can totally get that. So, with that in mind, it came as no surprise to me last week that these were some of my favorite verses:

Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed. (3-4)

I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. (10-11)

I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. (15-16)

Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. (18)

Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. (35)

Turn my eyes away from worthless things, preserve my life according to your word. (37)

My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life. (50)

You are my portion, O LORD; I have promised to obey your words. I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise. (57-58)

May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word. (74)

My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word. (81)

Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble. (166)

May your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts. (173)

Gathering...

There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God. --Brother Lawrence

I am so grateful that I can bring life's troubles to my God at any time, anywhere. And I am even more grateful that He already knows, that He is never surprised, and in all things He is working for the good of those who love Him.

Bev found out yesterday that she has cancer in some of her lymph nodes and will be needing more surgery. She is meeting with her surgeon and oncologist today. Please pray for strength, wisdom, peace and healing. And if you have a moment, please drop by and leave her an encouraging word.

My daughter has a doctor's appointment today to try and get some answers about a health issue she has been having. Jessi struggles with anxiety and sometimes trips to the doctor can trigger a panic attack. We have some strong concerns about what might be affecting her health so I'm asking that you would pray for an anxiety free visit, wisdom, answers, and healing.

Annette's friend Cathy began chemo yesterday for stage IV cancer. Please lift her up as she walks this difficult road. We know that words like "stage IV" do not keep our God from healing. He not only promises to guide us always but to strengthen our frames. (I love that scripture!)

Annette's daughter is also struggling with some school issues. She asks that we would pray for confidence, strength and "a hug from God since her mom is so far away." Nothing weighs heavier on a mom's heart than when one of her children is struggling. No matter how old they are.

Beth and her family are trying to adopt a princess and there are so many obstacles in their path that they seem insurmountable. Please pray that God will move mountains, that Maria will get the care that she needs and will be able to join the family she has fallen in love with.

Ang's nephew had a couple of seizures and his family are trying to decide what needs to be done. Please pray for wisdom and the mighty presence of the LORD as they figure out the details.

There are many families dealing with job situations right now. Some have lost jobs, some have had wages cut, some have had their jobs changed. Please be in prayer for the different families you know who are dealing with job uncertainties.

While I try to avoid politics on my blogs, I have to say that I have deep concerns about where our nation is headed. I'm not talking about leadership in this instance, I am talking about how easily is seems that our nation is turning away from God. Replacing God with anything and everything. My heart is so burdened about this. (and frightened. Because I remember what God said about nations who turn their backs on Him.) I think we need to pray daily that our nation will seek His face and return to Him.

Father, there is such a need for healing today. Whether it be physical, emotional or spiritual. Lord, I would ask that You move in each of these situations, that You would bring Your healing touch to each one. You are our strength, our salvation in times of distress. Help us to lean fully upon You.