I have really enjoyed the Bible readings these last couple of weeks. We have been reading about the story of David. His life how he begin as a shepherd, he kills Goliath, he marries Saul's daughter the story goes on and on with each act unfolding. That is what I like the story aspect of it. As John Elderdge writes:
"Life doesn't come to us like a math problem. It comes to us the way that a story does, scene by scene. You wake up. What will happen next? You don't get to know - you have to enter in, take the journey as it comes. The sun might be shining. There might be a tornado outside. Your friends might call and invite you to go sailing. You might lose your job"
You see for many years I took life like a math problem I just must find the answer. Life is not something I must find the answer to it is a story. On a personal level it is the story of Jesus and me. On the broader level it is the Love story of God and HIS creation. But it must be lived out scene by scene. That is what has happened since I became a Christian I am still in the story of life and Jesus is walking with me in each scene.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Saturday, April 28, 2007
I HAVE IT BACKWARD
Matthew 15:10-11 15-18 (New Living Translation)
10 Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “Listen,” he said, “and try to understand.
11 It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”
15 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Explain to us the parable that says people aren’t defiled by what they eat.”
16 “Don’t you understand yet?” Jesus asked.
17 “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.
18 But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you.
I am afraid I am as slow as Peter about understanding this and Jesus's words convict me. You see I am slow to hear, swift to speak, swift to wrath. The opposite of what God says in James 1:19
In fact I am known for these traits (the sharpness and harshness of my tongue) and when I speak swiftly the evil that is inside pours out. Lord forgive me, change my heart and heal the hurt in those that my wrath has poured out on. Amen
Friday, April 27, 2007
Consulting God
2 Samuel 2:1-3 (New Living Translation)
1 After this, David asked the Lord, “Should I move back to one of the towns of Judah?”
“Yes,” the Lord replied.
Then David asked, “Which town should I go to?”
“To Hebron,” the Lord answered.
2 David’s two wives were Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel. So David and his wives
3 and his men and their families all moved to Judah, and they settled in the villages near Hebron
Saul was dead and David need to know what to do? Every step David was asking God what do I do now, he was totally dependant on the LORD to answer him. I remember reading when GOD led Israel in the wildness.
Numbers 9:15-26 (New Living Translation)
15 On the day the Tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered it. But from evening until morning the cloud over the Tabernacle looked like a pillar of fire.
16 This was the regular pattern—at night the cloud that covered the Tabernacle had the appearance of fire.
17 Whenever the cloud lifted from over the sacred tent, the people of Israel would break camp and follow it. And wherever the cloud settled, the people of Israel would set up camp.
18 In this way, they traveled and camped at the Lord’s command wherever he told them to go. Then they remained in their camp as long as the cloud stayed over the Tabernacle.
19 If the cloud remained over the Tabernacle for a long time, the Israelites stayed and performed their duty to the Lord.
20 Sometimes the cloud would stay over the Tabernacle for only a few days, so the people would stay for only a few days, as the Lord commanded. Then at the Lord’s command they would break camp and move on.
21 Sometimes the cloud stayed only overnight and lifted the next morning. But day or night, when the cloud lifted, the people broke camp and moved on.
22 Whether the cloud stayed above the Tabernacle for two days, a month, or a year, the people of Israel stayed in camp and did not move on. But as soon as it lifted, they broke camp and moved on.
23 So they camped or traveled at the Lord’s command, and they did whatever the Lord told them through Moses.
Then I remember reading about when Israel was entering the promised land. The Gibeonites deceived Israel you can read the story in Joshua 9. But the important verse is 14 when it says:
Joshua 9:14 (New Living Translation)
14 So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord.
The words of Jesus speak to my heart:
John 15:5 (New King James Version)
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
See most of the time I think apart from HIM I can do a little or alot, depending on my emotional state that day. The truth is without HIM I can do nothing and I like David need to consult HIM every step of the way.
1 After this, David asked the Lord, “Should I move back to one of the towns of Judah?”
“Yes,” the Lord replied.
Then David asked, “Which town should I go to?”
“To Hebron,” the Lord answered.
2 David’s two wives were Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel. So David and his wives
3 and his men and their families all moved to Judah, and they settled in the villages near Hebron
Saul was dead and David need to know what to do? Every step David was asking God what do I do now, he was totally dependant on the LORD to answer him. I remember reading when GOD led Israel in the wildness.
Numbers 9:15-26 (New Living Translation)
15 On the day the Tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered it. But from evening until morning the cloud over the Tabernacle looked like a pillar of fire.
16 This was the regular pattern—at night the cloud that covered the Tabernacle had the appearance of fire.
17 Whenever the cloud lifted from over the sacred tent, the people of Israel would break camp and follow it. And wherever the cloud settled, the people of Israel would set up camp.
18 In this way, they traveled and camped at the Lord’s command wherever he told them to go. Then they remained in their camp as long as the cloud stayed over the Tabernacle.
19 If the cloud remained over the Tabernacle for a long time, the Israelites stayed and performed their duty to the Lord.
20 Sometimes the cloud would stay over the Tabernacle for only a few days, so the people would stay for only a few days, as the Lord commanded. Then at the Lord’s command they would break camp and move on.
21 Sometimes the cloud stayed only overnight and lifted the next morning. But day or night, when the cloud lifted, the people broke camp and moved on.
22 Whether the cloud stayed above the Tabernacle for two days, a month, or a year, the people of Israel stayed in camp and did not move on. But as soon as it lifted, they broke camp and moved on.
23 So they camped or traveled at the Lord’s command, and they did whatever the Lord told them through Moses.
Then I remember reading about when Israel was entering the promised land. The Gibeonites deceived Israel you can read the story in Joshua 9. But the important verse is 14 when it says:
Joshua 9:14 (New Living Translation)
14 So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord.
The words of Jesus speak to my heart:
John 15:5 (New King James Version)
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
See most of the time I think apart from HIM I can do a little or alot, depending on my emotional state that day. The truth is without HIM I can do nothing and I like David need to consult HIM every step of the way.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Logic Error
In computer programming a logic error is a bug in a program that causes it to operate incorrectly, but not to fail. Since a logic error will not cause the program to stop working, it can produce incorrect data that may not be immediately recognizable. I have made plenty of them in years of coding.
David was a man after "God's on Heart" but in the 1 Samuel 27:1 he makes a logic error.
1 But David kept thinking to himself, “Someday Saul is going to get me. The best thing I can do is escape to the Philistines. Then Saul will stop hunting for me in Israelite territory, and I will finally be safe.”
Now I do not want to be to critical of David because in his situation I doubt if I would have done as well as he did. Let's have a look at that situation God had said David was going to be King of Israel one day. In chapter 24 and 25 God had delivered David from Saul twice. Then David started thinking trying to reason it out. This is when David makes the logic error "Someday Saul is going to get me. The best thing I can do is escape to the Philistines." Now remember a logic error is a bug in a program that causes it to operate incorrectly, but not to fail. As we read chapters 28 and 29 we see David went to the Philistine king to work for him lied to him about what he was doing. Then came the day when he would have to go out and fight against God's people Israel. God has mercy on David and the Philistine king sends him home. He does not have to fight against God's people and God's anointed. In chapter 30, he gets home the city is destroyed his family is carried off. His man talk of stoning him. He consults with GOD and he finds the raiders, battles them and wins getting back his family. God brings a great victory David suffers no loss.
I think there are two lesson here that are repeated over and over in Scripture.
(1) When we start to try and think our way out of a situation we go down the wrong road. We have blown it and bad stuff will happen someday because of our lack of faith in HIM.
(2) When we do this bad things happen and when they happen Jesus will be there to help us and deliver us. HE give us the victory if we turn to HIM.
As Elisabeth Elliot said:
"Someone who is suffering as a result of his own foolishness or failure may read these words. These griefs are hard indeed to bear, for we feel we might easily have avoided them. We have no one to blame but ourselves, and there isn't much consolation there. Sometimes we imagine that we must bear this kind of trouble alone, but that is a mistake. The Lamb of God, slain for us, has borne all of our griefs and carried all of our sorrows, no matter what their origin. All grief and sorrow is the result of sin somewhere along the line, but Christ received them willingly. It is nothing but pride that keeps me from asking Him to help me to bear the troubles which are my own fault."
David was a man after "God's on Heart" but in the 1 Samuel 27:1 he makes a logic error.
1 But David kept thinking to himself, “Someday Saul is going to get me. The best thing I can do is escape to the Philistines. Then Saul will stop hunting for me in Israelite territory, and I will finally be safe.”
Now I do not want to be to critical of David because in his situation I doubt if I would have done as well as he did. Let's have a look at that situation God had said David was going to be King of Israel one day. In chapter 24 and 25 God had delivered David from Saul twice. Then David started thinking trying to reason it out. This is when David makes the logic error "Someday Saul is going to get me. The best thing I can do is escape to the Philistines." Now remember a logic error is a bug in a program that causes it to operate incorrectly, but not to fail. As we read chapters 28 and 29 we see David went to the Philistine king to work for him lied to him about what he was doing. Then came the day when he would have to go out and fight against God's people Israel. God has mercy on David and the Philistine king sends him home. He does not have to fight against God's people and God's anointed. In chapter 30, he gets home the city is destroyed his family is carried off. His man talk of stoning him. He consults with GOD and he finds the raiders, battles them and wins getting back his family. God brings a great victory David suffers no loss.
I think there are two lesson here that are repeated over and over in Scripture.
(1) When we start to try and think our way out of a situation we go down the wrong road. We have blown it and bad stuff will happen someday because of our lack of faith in HIM.
(2) When we do this bad things happen and when they happen Jesus will be there to help us and deliver us. HE give us the victory if we turn to HIM.
As Elisabeth Elliot said:
"Someone who is suffering as a result of his own foolishness or failure may read these words. These griefs are hard indeed to bear, for we feel we might easily have avoided them. We have no one to blame but ourselves, and there isn't much consolation there. Sometimes we imagine that we must bear this kind of trouble alone, but that is a mistake. The Lamb of God, slain for us, has borne all of our griefs and carried all of our sorrows, no matter what their origin. All grief and sorrow is the result of sin somewhere along the line, but Christ received them willingly. It is nothing but pride that keeps me from asking Him to help me to bear the troubles which are my own fault."
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