Blessings and Curses-Deut 27,28

As people redeemed from slavery, Israel had a choice. They could follow and obey God and be blessed or they could follow after other gods and disobey and be cursed. The ball was in their court. They would choose what it would be by their everyday choices. God wanted to bless them but God is also God. As a good parent, God allowed the curses to come to his people to discipline them and bring them back to him. Obedience would bring not only blessing to the people of Israel but to the people around them. Obedience allowed God's light to shine through His people.

As a child of God saved by grace, I also have a choice to make each day. Will I obey and follow God's leading or go my own way? Everyday I feel eyes upon me looking to see what I will do. I pray that my actions will reflect the light of my Savior. I pray through my obedience I can be a blessing to those God sends my way.

Dear God, Help me to obey you and follow you in all things. Be with my actions and my words as I teach each day. Be with me when my students are good and be even more with me when they are a challenge. May I do what is right even when it is hard. In Jesus name, Amen

August 2010 quotes

Here are some of the things I have found in my reading last month.

From Holly:
There's a big difference between choosing based on God's purpose for my life and simply chasing after everything that comes my way.

From Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel
When you convince your kids that things are evil rather than Satan and his corrupted world system being evil, you set them up to be manipulated by him. p.152

What determines evil is how Satan is using the thing or action in an individual's life. What determines goodness is how God is working through the thing or the action in the individual (you, me, child) in the equation. p.153

From CS Lewis:
Though our feelings come and go. God's love for us does not.

From Glynnis
Sometimes God speaks to people when they are in a place of emotional quiet. Loneliness can put us in that place. Peace can put us in that place. Ceasing to strive can put us in that place.

From High Calling Blogs
How can I expect my sons will talk to me about their fears and anxieties- or, when the time comes, about girls or drinking or drugs- if I won't even listen to their thoughts on trees or birds or bugs.

Why I am I here in this place? Deut 26

There are two sides to the question. First is why am I in this physical place? The other has to do more with a state of being in what I am doing. These were two questions that Israel was to answer as they brought their offering to God. They were to say that God had brought them out of slavery to this promised land. They were to remember that their success was due to God alone. In return for all God had done, they were to worship God through their offering and obedience. Not only worship but celebrate his goodness with family, the Levites and even foreigners among them. Chapter 26 of Deut. is a good reminder of the importance of acknowledging God's deliverance and how He keeps his promises.

So today I acknowledge the path God has brought me on. God took me by the hand at a young age becoming my Savior and Lord. Through the years, I have seen his guiding hand directing me in one way and then another. God also has been faithful to never give me more than I can handle and to be a place of refuge when I am in a hard place. Now He has brought our family to a land that needs His light. We feel blessed by Him in this place as he provides for us physically, emotionally and spiritually through our friends and family at home and our team and fellow workers here. These are words I need to be reminded of especially after having a hard week or even month.

Dear God, Thank you for delivering me from sin into your kingdom. Thank you for your provision and faithfulness. May we see you work in this place. Amen

Not Random at all-Deut 23,24,25

As I first read through these three chapters of Deuteronomy, I thought about how random some of the laws seemed to be. After some thought, I realized that nothing with God is random. I may not know the purpose for the law that was given but God does. God is not random. He has a purpose and plan for everything. He thinks of details we would not think of. These chapters remind us that there are consequences to our behavior and God above all desires holiness in his people. He also reminded the people to remember they were once slaves in Egypt which should affect how they now treat others and why God has certain guidelines in place. It made me think of how I was once a slave to sin but God rescued me. Does this make me want to help and care for others more? I hope we as redeemed people do treat others in a more loving way because we have been redeemed.

Dear God, Thank you for your word. Thank you that you have a purpose in all that you do. May I be obedient to your word. Thank you for your redemption and help me to live as one who has been redeemed. Amen

Being a Good Neighbor- Deut 22

As I read Deut 22, I had to smile. All I could think about was this dog who used to live across the road from us. He was an escape artist. They had a fence around their yard but somehow he would always get out. His timing for escaping was always when his family was not home and I was on my way somewhere. My mind would have a battle. I would tell myself that he was not my responsibility and it might teach him a lesson to stay in the yard. On the other hand, we did live near a busy highway and they were our neighbors. I also thought about what I would want someone else to do if Buddy got out of our yard. So with the help of the kids, we would corner the dog and either get him back in his yard or keep him in ours until the family got home. A few years later, we were grateful for a lady who was not our neighbor who found our Buddy after he had gotten out of our yard. He had mostly like been hit by a car and was a little bruised. This lady took him to the vet and through a chip in the dog located and called us.

All this to say that Deut 22 talks alot about being a good neighbor by helping out when you see a need. The need could be a lost animal, broken down transportation, or even just putting in safety railings to prevent accidents. Of course, this chapter has other things to say about other subjects but all I could think about was chasing after that dog.

God's Heart- Deut 21

When we see God's heart, it makes us love Him even more. Hopefully our desire is to also have a heart like Him. Deut 21 does not even have the word heart in it but the law set forth in this chapter reveals what God cares about. First God desires justice when a murder goes unsolved. A ceremony is included here that gives the people an opportunity to declare their innocence, ask God to forgive their community for this sin, and also ask God not to charge them with the murder of this innocent person. Do I have a heart of justice? Do I pray for forgiveness for the crimes committed where I live even though I did not commit the crime? Next God shows his heart for those who are captives. In this case, captives who married their captors and then were rejected by them. God made provision to have these captive brides set free. Do I have a heart for those who are captive and rejected? Is there something I can do to help set them free? Last God shows his heart for the unloved wife and her son. During this time many men had two wives. Often one wife would be treated better and loved more than the other. But if the first born son was from the unloved wife, he would still receive a double portion. A man couldn't just decide to give the double portion to the son of the wife he loved more. Do I have a heart for those who are unloved and feel hopeless in their marriages?

As I look back on what I have written I don't have answers to my questions. I also wish there wasn't these problems to deal with. Ideally these problems should not be. There should not be murder. There should not be a wife who is unloved and rejected. God knows we are human and live in a fallen world but in this fallen world, God's love and grace can shine brightly and make a difference.