Congo- DRC (Democratice Republic of Congo)
This country is and will be recovering from a rough and violent past. There is much restoration that needs to take place- in the structure of the country, in the church, and reconciliation among the nearly 250 people groups.
Congo (west of Congo-DRC)
This country has a Marxist past that they are trying to get over. Religions were outlawed and children were denied ministry during this time, and the mindset of no religious programs for young people has continued. Pray that the country would be able to look forward and not be stuck in the past.
Cook Islands-
These islands are related to New Zealand. They have very small populations. Niue has income from internet earnings, fishing, and agriculture. Pitcairn is one of the smallest territories in the world. The population is 50! I think it's really cool that it still made it into the book, even though it's so small. Tokelau is dependent on aid, but their main economic endeavor is selling postage stamps. The islands do have a strong Christian legacy, but it is fading and being replaced by other religions. Pray for renewal!
2 Kings 9:14-10:31
Whoa. This was some crazy reading today. Yesterday, Jehu was anointed king at the end of the reading. Today, Jehu basically got rid of all the people who had not been following God. He killed both the kings of Judah and Israel, he wiped out the family of Ahab- all 70 sons, all his great men and close friends and priests, and then all his relatives. He also called all the Baal worshipers together and then killed them all. He did all these things out of zeal for the Lord, but then as he reigned he was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord and he caused Israel to sin.
Acts 17
Full of stories of faithful disciples traveling and telling people about Jesus. The reactions are varied. Some people got really upset and accused them of having a second king, some wanted to know more and asked questions, and some believed.
Psalm 144
David is recognizing the power of the Lord. "O Lord, what is man that you regard him, or the son of man that you think of him?"
Proverbs 17:27-28
Restrained lips show knowledge.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Prison Break
Acts 16:16-40
Paul and Silas are traveling together to tell people the gospel. A servant girl who had a spirit of divination began to follow the two and yelling that they were servants of God. After several days, Paul finally got annoyed enough with her to cast out the demon. (The Bible actually says he was greatly annoyed!) Then the girl's owners were really upset with Paul because this girl provided lots of money for them. They took them to the magistrates, Paul and Silas get beaten, and then put into the inner parts of the prison. During the night an earthquake shook open the doors and off the chains of the prisoners. The jailer was ready to end his life, but Paul told him all the prisoners were still there. Because of this, the jailer then wanted to know how to be saved. What a great reminder that we witness in actions, as well as words. If we are living in such a way that sets us apart, people will see a difference in us and want to know where they can find what we have. So, deeds are important, but we need to be prepared to give an answer when the questions come.
Psalm 143
This psalm is full of desire for the Lord. David is pleading for God. He longs to know the Lord and have him prevail over enemies. "Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." v. 8
Proverbs 17:26
To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good, nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
2 Kings 6-9:13
Elisha does some crazy things! He does lots of miracles that make me think he should be in the New Testament instead of the Old, but still it's really cool. Today he made an axe head float because a guy accidentally flung it in the Jordan, then called up an army of horses and chariots of fire while causing the entire opposing army to go blind so that he could lead them where he wanted. He also has several people out to get him, but he tells them that in this time of famine, there would be an abundance of flour and barley, but the person who questioned him would not live to eat of it... so the next day the people plundered the Syrians and had an abundance, and then man got trampled at the gate. Most of the rest of the reading today was about the kings of Judah and Israel. It is confusing for me and hard to keep up. Each time a new king begins to reign, there is a list of several names telling who came before him, as well as the king of the other kingdom and whose son he is. So many names keep me confused!
Paul and Silas are traveling together to tell people the gospel. A servant girl who had a spirit of divination began to follow the two and yelling that they were servants of God. After several days, Paul finally got annoyed enough with her to cast out the demon. (The Bible actually says he was greatly annoyed!) Then the girl's owners were really upset with Paul because this girl provided lots of money for them. They took them to the magistrates, Paul and Silas get beaten, and then put into the inner parts of the prison. During the night an earthquake shook open the doors and off the chains of the prisoners. The jailer was ready to end his life, but Paul told him all the prisoners were still there. Because of this, the jailer then wanted to know how to be saved. What a great reminder that we witness in actions, as well as words. If we are living in such a way that sets us apart, people will see a difference in us and want to know where they can find what we have. So, deeds are important, but we need to be prepared to give an answer when the questions come.
Psalm 143
This psalm is full of desire for the Lord. David is pleading for God. He longs to know the Lord and have him prevail over enemies. "Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." v. 8
Proverbs 17:26
To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good, nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
2 Kings 6-9:13
Elisha does some crazy things! He does lots of miracles that make me think he should be in the New Testament instead of the Old, but still it's really cool. Today he made an axe head float because a guy accidentally flung it in the Jordan, then called up an army of horses and chariots of fire while causing the entire opposing army to go blind so that he could lead them where he wanted. He also has several people out to get him, but he tells them that in this time of famine, there would be an abundance of flour and barley, but the person who questioned him would not live to eat of it... so the next day the people plundered the Syrians and had an abundance, and then man got trampled at the gate. Most of the rest of the reading today was about the kings of Judah and Israel. It is confusing for me and hard to keep up. Each time a new king begins to reign, there is a list of several names telling who came before him, as well as the king of the other kingdom and whose son he is. So many names keep me confused!
Start The Day
I'm so glad the Lord has placed a desire in me to start my day with Him. It is hard to get up so early, but there is nothing I would rather do. This is the only way I can make sure I will have time to sit with my Savior. Today I am catching up on Operation World. I wrote about my prayer time not being as meaningful after doing this for a while and reading about so many countries, but then I read about Columbia...
Columbia-
Very dangerous country, especially for Christians. There are guerrilla groups that kidnap, assassinate, and infiltrate the government. They destroy land that isn't theirs for cocaine growing and create a culture of violence. Pastors and priests are targeted for assassination, so most leave the country. There are so few leaders and teachers because of this. Increasingly, there is missionary vision for reaching the Amerindian populations that are largely unreached.
Comoros-
Three small islands off the coast of Africa between Madagascar and Mozambique. This country is underdeveloped and poor with low literacy. Most are Muslim. Believers are gradually increasing. Pray for more Christian resources to become available.
Congo- I'm starting the Congo today, but will write about it tomorrow when I finish it. :)
2 Kings 4:18- 5:27
The woman's son (from yesterday) died, but Elisha came and restored his life. Then some prophets got in a bind with a bad batch of stew. "There is death in the pot!" So Elisha put some flour in and no more harm came from the pot. A man brought an offering to Elisha, but he told the man to give it to the people with him even though there were more people than food. But everyone ate and had some left. Then Naaman came from another land to ask Elisha to heal him of leprosy. Elisha tells him to go wash in the Jordan seven times to be healed. The man gets angry and goes away, but then his servants convince him to wash and he is made clean. Then Elisha's servant accepted some of the gifts from Naaman, so Elisha caused the leprosy to go to him and his family.
Acts 15:1-35
A question came up about circumcision so Peter explained to the people that the Holy Spirit came on everyone, not only on the chosen people who had observed the laws. Then they decided to send certain people to share this message in different towns.
Columbia-
Very dangerous country, especially for Christians. There are guerrilla groups that kidnap, assassinate, and infiltrate the government. They destroy land that isn't theirs for cocaine growing and create a culture of violence. Pastors and priests are targeted for assassination, so most leave the country. There are so few leaders and teachers because of this. Increasingly, there is missionary vision for reaching the Amerindian populations that are largely unreached.
Comoros-
Three small islands off the coast of Africa between Madagascar and Mozambique. This country is underdeveloped and poor with low literacy. Most are Muslim. Believers are gradually increasing. Pray for more Christian resources to become available.
Congo- I'm starting the Congo today, but will write about it tomorrow when I finish it. :)
2 Kings 4:18- 5:27
The woman's son (from yesterday) died, but Elisha came and restored his life. Then some prophets got in a bind with a bad batch of stew. "There is death in the pot!" So Elisha put some flour in and no more harm came from the pot. A man brought an offering to Elisha, but he told the man to give it to the people with him even though there were more people than food. But everyone ate and had some left. Then Naaman came from another land to ask Elisha to heal him of leprosy. Elisha tells him to go wash in the Jordan seven times to be healed. The man gets angry and goes away, but then his servants convince him to wash and he is made clean. Then Elisha's servant accepted some of the gifts from Naaman, so Elisha caused the leprosy to go to him and his family.
Acts 15:1-35
A question came up about circumcision so Peter explained to the people that the Holy Spirit came on everyone, not only on the chosen people who had observed the laws. Then they decided to send certain people to share this message in different towns.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Give It Away
Finances-
One of the challenges for this year is to give my money sacrificially for a specific purpose. I have been trying to use all of my bank account each month on things that glorify the Lord so that there is no money just sitting around that could be used for ministry. For the last three months (this one included) I have reached the point of having nothing left to give, which is really cool! Last month in particular, I was worried about how I would have enough the next month to really be able to give things away again, but the Lord faithfully replenished the funds. This month, I have started planning a wedding, so things are getting harder. I have a choice- I can continue to live in this radical way and view my money as something that does not belong to me, or I can abandon my goals of ministry and start focusing inwardly instead of outwardly. I want to do the first, but it is easy to do the second. In the midst of all of this, I am learning that my specific purpose is simply to understand the true value of the money I am given. The purpose for me- what I need to learn- is to not hold so tightly to things of this world. I want my heart to be willing to give and not hesitant. Even when expenses are unexpected or not part of my plan, I want my first response to be thankfulness for the blessings the Lord has given me. This money is not my own. God has provided and will continue to provide. I'm so thankful that He continues to teach me and refine me.
2 Kings 3-4:17
The kings of Israel and Judah unite, along with the king of Edom, to go against Moab. On the way to Moab, there was no water for the armies or animals so the kings thought they would be delivered to Moab, but Elisha came and told them from the Lord that He would fill a dried up stream for them and give the Moabites into their hands. So, they had water and then victory. Then Elisha speaks to a widow who is miraculously able to fill up many jars with oil from one single jar so she can sell the oil and provide for her family. There was a woman who would take Elisha in and offer him a place to stay as he traveled. She even went so far as to make him his own room on the roof. Because of this he inquired what could be done for her. Her husband was old and she had no children, but after Elisha spoke with her, she conceived.
Acts 14:8-28
Paul and Barnabas are traveling and sharing with all people. In Lystra they healed a man, but then the crowds of people began to worship them and praise them as gods. P and B were devastated. They tried to make the people understand that these things happened by the power of the Lord. Then, some Jews came and the people stoned Paul and drug him out of the city because they thought he was dead. Can you imagine, being stone to the point of death? It makes the things I "suffer" seem pretty insignificant! But when the disciples gathered around him, he got up and went with them. They encouraged and spend time with the disciples and it is really cool to see how the early church interacted and worked.
Psalm 140
David is asking for deliverance from and wrath upon his enemies.
Proverbs 17:22
A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
One of the challenges for this year is to give my money sacrificially for a specific purpose. I have been trying to use all of my bank account each month on things that glorify the Lord so that there is no money just sitting around that could be used for ministry. For the last three months (this one included) I have reached the point of having nothing left to give, which is really cool! Last month in particular, I was worried about how I would have enough the next month to really be able to give things away again, but the Lord faithfully replenished the funds. This month, I have started planning a wedding, so things are getting harder. I have a choice- I can continue to live in this radical way and view my money as something that does not belong to me, or I can abandon my goals of ministry and start focusing inwardly instead of outwardly. I want to do the first, but it is easy to do the second. In the midst of all of this, I am learning that my specific purpose is simply to understand the true value of the money I am given. The purpose for me- what I need to learn- is to not hold so tightly to things of this world. I want my heart to be willing to give and not hesitant. Even when expenses are unexpected or not part of my plan, I want my first response to be thankfulness for the blessings the Lord has given me. This money is not my own. God has provided and will continue to provide. I'm so thankful that He continues to teach me and refine me.
2 Kings 3-4:17
The kings of Israel and Judah unite, along with the king of Edom, to go against Moab. On the way to Moab, there was no water for the armies or animals so the kings thought they would be delivered to Moab, but Elisha came and told them from the Lord that He would fill a dried up stream for them and give the Moabites into their hands. So, they had water and then victory. Then Elisha speaks to a widow who is miraculously able to fill up many jars with oil from one single jar so she can sell the oil and provide for her family. There was a woman who would take Elisha in and offer him a place to stay as he traveled. She even went so far as to make him his own room on the roof. Because of this he inquired what could be done for her. Her husband was old and she had no children, but after Elisha spoke with her, she conceived.
Acts 14:8-28
Paul and Barnabas are traveling and sharing with all people. In Lystra they healed a man, but then the crowds of people began to worship them and praise them as gods. P and B were devastated. They tried to make the people understand that these things happened by the power of the Lord. Then, some Jews came and the people stoned Paul and drug him out of the city because they thought he was dead. Can you imagine, being stone to the point of death? It makes the things I "suffer" seem pretty insignificant! But when the disciples gathered around him, he got up and went with them. They encouraged and spend time with the disciples and it is really cool to see how the early church interacted and worked.
Psalm 140
David is asking for deliverance from and wrath upon his enemies.
Proverbs 17:22
A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Columbia
It has been getting harder and harder to stay focused during my Operation World reading to pray for the world. It's almost like the more I read about different countries, the less of an impact they have on me. Lord, give me a heart that breaks for the injustice of the world and that longs for Your fame in all nations.
Columbia-
All different kinds of terrain, mostly Spanish speaking. Agriculture exports are the main source of economy. The main export is cocaine. 90% of cocaine in the US comes from Columbia. There is a high percentage of Christians in the country. Praise God for the decrease of crime and changed lives at the Bellavista Prison.
2 Kings 1-2
Elijah was up on a mountain, but the king wanted him to come down, so he sent 50 men up to get Elijah. They called him a man of God and told him to come down, but he responded by saying that if he really was a man of God, fire would come down and consume them. And it did. To two separate groups of men. The third group of men came humbly, without demanding, and Elisha heard from the Lord to go with them. Then later on, he was with Elisha who would not leave him as long as he lived, even though Elisha knew Elijah's time was short. Elisha asked to receive a double portion of the spirit that on Elijah. Then, a chariot of fire with horses of fire came and took Elijah in a whirlwind!
Acts 13:42-14:7
Paul and Barnabas are still speaking to Gentiles about the gospel and some people do not like it. The Gentiles were very excited about the news, but the Jews stirred up trouble because they did not want people to listen to the message. Then P and B go to a new city, where the Jews stirred people up again causing division.
Psalm 139
This is one of my favs. I have worked on memorizing most of it. Here are some highlights:
searched and known me, hem me in, where shall I go from your Spirit?, darkness is as light with you, you formed my inward parts, I am fearfully and wonderfully made, how precious to me are your thoughts, search me and know my heart, lead me in the way everlasting!
Proverbs 17:19-21
Consequences for foolish actions.
Columbia-
All different kinds of terrain, mostly Spanish speaking. Agriculture exports are the main source of economy. The main export is cocaine. 90% of cocaine in the US comes from Columbia. There is a high percentage of Christians in the country. Praise God for the decrease of crime and changed lives at the Bellavista Prison.
2 Kings 1-2
Elijah was up on a mountain, but the king wanted him to come down, so he sent 50 men up to get Elijah. They called him a man of God and told him to come down, but he responded by saying that if he really was a man of God, fire would come down and consume them. And it did. To two separate groups of men. The third group of men came humbly, without demanding, and Elisha heard from the Lord to go with them. Then later on, he was with Elisha who would not leave him as long as he lived, even though Elisha knew Elijah's time was short. Elisha asked to receive a double portion of the spirit that on Elijah. Then, a chariot of fire with horses of fire came and took Elijah in a whirlwind!
Acts 13:42-14:7
Paul and Barnabas are still speaking to Gentiles about the gospel and some people do not like it. The Gentiles were very excited about the news, but the Jews stirred up trouble because they did not want people to listen to the message. Then P and B go to a new city, where the Jews stirred people up again causing division.
Psalm 139
This is one of my favs. I have worked on memorizing most of it. Here are some highlights:
searched and known me, hem me in, where shall I go from your Spirit?, darkness is as light with you, you formed my inward parts, I am fearfully and wonderfully made, how precious to me are your thoughts, search me and know my heart, lead me in the way everlasting!
Proverbs 17:19-21
Consequences for foolish actions.
He Is Risen!
I love Easter Sunday! Today I woke up with such joy because I KNOW that my Savior rose from the grave and conquered death on my behalf so I can spend eternity loving and praising Him.
I have not been keeping up at all with the blog. I had grand hopes of writing summaries of the things I have read, but as more time goes by I just get further and further behind. So, I'm just going to pick up where I am and go back to the old format of taking a few notes on each section I read. I am hoping that this will not seem as overwhelming and will therefore actually get done. Things are going really well here. I have been keeping up with the reading a praying, just not writing about it. And I'm getting rid of my money each month, which has been really cool. Wedding plans have been a lot of fun and are going so smoothly. I attribute this to the Lord's provision and making Him the center of all things. We have a lot done, and I even got a dress yesterday!
1 Kings 22
This is the last chapter of 1 Kings. There have been several kings already, in both Judah and Israel. Sad to day, most of them "did evil is the eyes of the Lord." Today, the kings sought after prophets of God to lead them in matters of war, but they did not like hearing answers they didn't want, so they took matters into their own hands and the outcome was not good. One of the kings even died in the battle.
Acts 13:16-41
A couple of chapters ago, the early church has just figured out that the message of Jesus was intended for everyone, not just the Jews. This message was intended for everyone, Gentiles included. So, Paul and Barnabus (and others) began to travel around to spread the news about Jesus. Today they ended up in Perga and were reading the scrolls in the synagogue when the leaders of the synagogue asked them if they had any encouraging words, so Paul begins a speech.
Psalm 138
A psalm of thanksgiving and praise. So appropriate on the Easter Sunday!
Proverbs 17:17-18
A friend loves at all times. This brings to mind the verse about Jesus calling us His friends and knowing that His love for us is perfect and never ending. That's how we should love at all times.
I have not been keeping up at all with the blog. I had grand hopes of writing summaries of the things I have read, but as more time goes by I just get further and further behind. So, I'm just going to pick up where I am and go back to the old format of taking a few notes on each section I read. I am hoping that this will not seem as overwhelming and will therefore actually get done. Things are going really well here. I have been keeping up with the reading a praying, just not writing about it. And I'm getting rid of my money each month, which has been really cool. Wedding plans have been a lot of fun and are going so smoothly. I attribute this to the Lord's provision and making Him the center of all things. We have a lot done, and I even got a dress yesterday!
1 Kings 22
This is the last chapter of 1 Kings. There have been several kings already, in both Judah and Israel. Sad to day, most of them "did evil is the eyes of the Lord." Today, the kings sought after prophets of God to lead them in matters of war, but they did not like hearing answers they didn't want, so they took matters into their own hands and the outcome was not good. One of the kings even died in the battle.
Acts 13:16-41
A couple of chapters ago, the early church has just figured out that the message of Jesus was intended for everyone, not just the Jews. This message was intended for everyone, Gentiles included. So, Paul and Barnabus (and others) began to travel around to spread the news about Jesus. Today they ended up in Perga and were reading the scrolls in the synagogue when the leaders of the synagogue asked them if they had any encouraging words, so Paul begins a speech.
Psalm 138
A psalm of thanksgiving and praise. So appropriate on the Easter Sunday!
Proverbs 17:17-18
A friend loves at all times. This brings to mind the verse about Jesus calling us His friends and knowing that His love for us is perfect and never ending. That's how we should love at all times.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
1 Samuel part 2
After the Lord had rejected Saul as king, He spoke to Samuel and told him to go anoint a new king. Samuel was afraid of Saul because he was still on the throne, but followed the Lord's instructions. Samuel went to Jesse to choose from among is eight sons. All the sons were brought before Samuel starting with the oldest, but it was David, the youngest, who the Lord had intended to be king. When Samuel anointed David, "the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him from that day forward."
Even though David had been anointed, Saul still sat on the throne and was recognized as the king. David was actually brought into the service of the king for his harp playing skills. Then David happens to visit his brothers while they are battling the Philistines and shows his bravery by defeating the giant Goliath. Jonathan and David became friends... such good friends that their souls were knit together. David began to experience much success, and Saul began to experience much jealousy of him.
David married Saul's daughter, Michal, and then Saul began trying to kill David. Jonathan helps David escape from his father, and he runs to a cave for safety. Then Saul continues to pursue David, but on two occasions, David spares Saul's life.
There was a man named Nabal, who had a wife named Abigail. David came to Nabal during a feast time and asked him to provide food and let them join the feast, but Nabal was not a good man and refused. David was ready to go back and kill his household, but Abigail heard of what her husband had done and quickly went to David and his men with much food and reverence for the king. Because of her act, she saved David from the bloodguilt of killing unnecessarily. Very soon after this, Nabal died and David took Abigail as his wife.
Out of fear for Saul, David flees to the land of the Philistines and is taken in by a man named Achish gave him a place to stay. Saul was desperate to know what to do, so he visited a medium to call up Samuel from the dead and ask his advice. Samuel tells Saul that the words he had already spoken were true- the kingdom would not be his because he did not follow the Lord. Meanwhile, the Philistines do not like that David is living in their land even though Achish tries to defend him. The Amalekites capture the wives of David and his men from the city while he is gone. David uses the ephod to ask the Lord whether or not to pursue these men and overtake them, and God tells him to go because he will have victory. They overtake the captors and take back all that was theirs so that nothing was missing. Some of the men did not go to the battle and there was question about whether or not they should receive any of the spoils, but David made sure that everyone received his share. Then, Saul was killed in a battle with the Philistines. They took his body and his three sons bodies and put them on the wall of their city. The valiant men of Israel went to took them down to honor them. And this is the end of 1 Samuel.
I know this is mostly an overview and very little of my own thoughts, but with me being this far behind it is good for me to simply recall the details of what I have read. I love knowing the history of God's people and the lessons we can learn from them. I'm still trying to catch up... I am currently reading in 1 Kings! I'm so thankful the Lord has called me to this year long process of reading His word, and I want to be found faithful!
Even though David had been anointed, Saul still sat on the throne and was recognized as the king. David was actually brought into the service of the king for his harp playing skills. Then David happens to visit his brothers while they are battling the Philistines and shows his bravery by defeating the giant Goliath. Jonathan and David became friends... such good friends that their souls were knit together. David began to experience much success, and Saul began to experience much jealousy of him.
David married Saul's daughter, Michal, and then Saul began trying to kill David. Jonathan helps David escape from his father, and he runs to a cave for safety. Then Saul continues to pursue David, but on two occasions, David spares Saul's life.
There was a man named Nabal, who had a wife named Abigail. David came to Nabal during a feast time and asked him to provide food and let them join the feast, but Nabal was not a good man and refused. David was ready to go back and kill his household, but Abigail heard of what her husband had done and quickly went to David and his men with much food and reverence for the king. Because of her act, she saved David from the bloodguilt of killing unnecessarily. Very soon after this, Nabal died and David took Abigail as his wife.
Out of fear for Saul, David flees to the land of the Philistines and is taken in by a man named Achish gave him a place to stay. Saul was desperate to know what to do, so he visited a medium to call up Samuel from the dead and ask his advice. Samuel tells Saul that the words he had already spoken were true- the kingdom would not be his because he did not follow the Lord. Meanwhile, the Philistines do not like that David is living in their land even though Achish tries to defend him. The Amalekites capture the wives of David and his men from the city while he is gone. David uses the ephod to ask the Lord whether or not to pursue these men and overtake them, and God tells him to go because he will have victory. They overtake the captors and take back all that was theirs so that nothing was missing. Some of the men did not go to the battle and there was question about whether or not they should receive any of the spoils, but David made sure that everyone received his share. Then, Saul was killed in a battle with the Philistines. They took his body and his three sons bodies and put them on the wall of their city. The valiant men of Israel went to took them down to honor them. And this is the end of 1 Samuel.
I know this is mostly an overview and very little of my own thoughts, but with me being this far behind it is good for me to simply recall the details of what I have read. I love knowing the history of God's people and the lessons we can learn from them. I'm still trying to catch up... I am currently reading in 1 Kings! I'm so thankful the Lord has called me to this year long process of reading His word, and I want to be found faithful!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
1 Samuel
1 Samuel
This book begins, rather appropriately, with the birth of Samuel. His mother's name was Hannah, and she was one of two wives of Elkanah. He loved her very much and gave her a double portion of everything even though she was barren. She was very upset but prayed and made a vow that if God would give her a son she would give him to the Lord and never cut his hair. God gives her a son and she prays a beautiful prayer and once she had weaned the boy, she took him to the house of the Lord and left him with Eli. One night when Samuel was still young, the Lord called him, but Sam thought it was Eli. After the third try, Samuel finally responded to the Lord with, "Here I am." And as he grew, the Lord was with him and he became a prophet of the Lord for all Israel.
During a battle with the Philistines, the ark of the covenant was stolen. When Eli heard the news, he fell backward off his seat at the gate, broke his neck, and died. The Philistines took the ark into the house of Dagon, one of their gods. The next day, the statue of Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark. They set it back up, but the next day, not only had it fallen over, its head and hands were cut off. So, they decided it was time to get rid of the ark. They were very much afraid of the Lord, so they put the ark on a cart and yoked two milk cows to it, and then just let the cows walk to talk the ark back to Israel. So the ark was back with Israel, but it stayed at the house of Abinadab.
When Samuel got old, he made is sons judges over Israel. But they did not follow the Lord and the people didn't like it, so they told Samuel to appoint a king. Samuel tried to warn them about the down side to having a king, but the people were convinced they wanted to be like the other nations and have a king to rule over them. The Lord told Samuel to obey the people and make them a king. So Saul was chosen as king. He honestly met no kingly requirements except for the fact that there was not one person more handsome than he, and he was head and shoulders taller than everyone else. Saul was anointed and then later proclaimed to be king. When Samuel was making the proclamation he told the people, "today you have rejected your God..." I pray that the Lord will show me any place I have rejected Him for something that seems to be valuable to me. Later on, Samuel gives his farewell address and I love his words... they still ring true. "Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself. ... Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you."
While Saul was facing a battle, he did not follow the Lord's commands and made unlawful sacrifices. He was supposed to wait on Samuel, but went ahead and did it himself. When Samuel arrived he told Saul that he had messed up and his kingdom would not continue forever as it would have if he had followed the commands of the Lord. Saul's son, Jonathan, has now entered the scene as a military man. He is brave and smart. He does not follow in the ways of his father. As time continues, Saul shows off what a poor king he is. The Lord even says to Samuel at one point, "I regret that I have made Saul king..." I long for God to call me righteous and be pleased with me. May I never cause Him regret!
This book begins, rather appropriately, with the birth of Samuel. His mother's name was Hannah, and she was one of two wives of Elkanah. He loved her very much and gave her a double portion of everything even though she was barren. She was very upset but prayed and made a vow that if God would give her a son she would give him to the Lord and never cut his hair. God gives her a son and she prays a beautiful prayer and once she had weaned the boy, she took him to the house of the Lord and left him with Eli. One night when Samuel was still young, the Lord called him, but Sam thought it was Eli. After the third try, Samuel finally responded to the Lord with, "Here I am." And as he grew, the Lord was with him and he became a prophet of the Lord for all Israel.
During a battle with the Philistines, the ark of the covenant was stolen. When Eli heard the news, he fell backward off his seat at the gate, broke his neck, and died. The Philistines took the ark into the house of Dagon, one of their gods. The next day, the statue of Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark. They set it back up, but the next day, not only had it fallen over, its head and hands were cut off. So, they decided it was time to get rid of the ark. They were very much afraid of the Lord, so they put the ark on a cart and yoked two milk cows to it, and then just let the cows walk to talk the ark back to Israel. So the ark was back with Israel, but it stayed at the house of Abinadab.
When Samuel got old, he made is sons judges over Israel. But they did not follow the Lord and the people didn't like it, so they told Samuel to appoint a king. Samuel tried to warn them about the down side to having a king, but the people were convinced they wanted to be like the other nations and have a king to rule over them. The Lord told Samuel to obey the people and make them a king. So Saul was chosen as king. He honestly met no kingly requirements except for the fact that there was not one person more handsome than he, and he was head and shoulders taller than everyone else. Saul was anointed and then later proclaimed to be king. When Samuel was making the proclamation he told the people, "today you have rejected your God..." I pray that the Lord will show me any place I have rejected Him for something that seems to be valuable to me. Later on, Samuel gives his farewell address and I love his words... they still ring true. "Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself. ... Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you."
While Saul was facing a battle, he did not follow the Lord's commands and made unlawful sacrifices. He was supposed to wait on Samuel, but went ahead and did it himself. When Samuel arrived he told Saul that he had messed up and his kingdom would not continue forever as it would have if he had followed the commands of the Lord. Saul's son, Jonathan, has now entered the scene as a military man. He is brave and smart. He does not follow in the ways of his father. As time continues, Saul shows off what a poor king he is. The Lord even says to Samuel at one point, "I regret that I have made Saul king..." I long for God to call me righteous and be pleased with me. May I never cause Him regret!
Friday, April 8, 2011
Busy, Engaged, and Technology, OH MY!
Hello blog world! I am finally back! I wish I had a good reason as to why the blogging stopped, but there are no excuses. I should have been keeping up with my writing about this Radical experiment but I just haven't. I do want to assure you, though, that I have kept up with reading through the Bible in a year, praying for the world, and spending my money for a purpose. So how does one get back into blogging after a month off? My plan is to give a quick update on my life, then spend a few days writing about my Bible reading. Today I will begin to recap the readings from the Old Testament, and then in the next few days will work on the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs, Operation World, and a finances update. Once I have caught up on where I've been, I will return to the format of writing about my daily reading and prayers. Here we go...
Over the last month, I have seemed more busy than usual. It is just that time of year at school... it comes in cycles. I also love spending time with the girls in my church group, so many evenings I am having dinner with one of them. Those relationships are so great and I love spending time with each of those girls! I haven't even been going to the gym, I've been so busy. Then, just about the time I thought I might start blogging again (because I was always thinking about it, even though I wasn't doing it), my roommate got a new phone that somehow kicks me off the internet. I do my Bible reading early in the morning and usually would blog at the same time, but I couldn't get on the internet in the mornings anymore because my roommie was home with her phone. I think for the most part we are getting around that now, but it still comes up every now and again. And, of course, with this new man in my life, I have been spending time with him. I am in no way complaining! He is wonderful and I love him dearly. Last Wednesday night, after three months of dating, my sweet Timothy proposed to me! I know this seems like a short time, but we are so confident in the Lord and His working in our lives. Our families are very involved, we have tons of people praying for us, and we truly both recognize that as good as our love is, God's love for us is way better. We are planning a June wedding, which means there is a lot of work to be done and we are pretty busy. I think that about does it for me. Now on to the important stuff!
Judges
In Judges 13, Samson was born to parents who were visited by a messenger from the Lord. They dedicated their son to the Lord and no razor ever touched his head. Then he started having woman problems. He married a girl who betrayed his secrets to her family so that he lost a bet, essentially. Because he was angry he killed 30 men of her family and gave his wife to his best man. Samson defeated the Philistines and then met Delilah. She also betrayed his secrets so that his enemies knew his strength came from his hair. The Lord gave him one more moment of strength and he killed many Philistines when he died. Because there was no king, people were doing whatever they thought was right in their own eyes. A man named Micah made an idol and then made a Levite his priest. The Danites came and took his idol and priest, rebuilt and city, and settled in the land. Then there was another Levite who had a concubine. He went to get her from her father's house and as they were traveling, they stopped in the city of Gibeah. The men of Gibeah wanted the old man who had taken in the Levite and his concubine to send the man out to them so that they could know him. The old man refused, but sent the concubine to them. They abused her all night and then left her dead at the door. The Levite cut her into pieces and sent her to all the land, so that the Israelites rallied together against the people of Benjamin who lived at Gibeah. Then they had to figure out where to get wives for the men of Benjamin because the Israelites had sworn that no one could give his daughter in marriage to Benjamin. So they advised the men of Benjamin to go and snatch (literally) women from Shiloh as they came out to dance in the vineyards during an annual feast of the Lord. The book ends by again stating that there was no king in Israel and everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Ruth-
I loved reading this book in just two days. It is short and a familiar story, but it was really amazing reading it with a new perspective. Now that I have Tim and am moving toward marriage, the relationship between Ruth and Boaz is beautiful to me. Ruth was gleaning with other women, but Boaz saw her and started asking around to find out more about her. Then he began to provide for her- made sure she had plenty of grain, let her eat with him, even sent her home with extra food. She continued to work diligently to provide for her mother-in-law. Then Naomi gave Ruth instructions to let Boaz know that he was a kinsman redeemer. When he found out, he thanked Ruth for choosing him and then basically won her from another redeemer who was closer in line than Boaz. They had a son who was the grandfather of David. What a story this lady has! She is continuously faithful and the Lord provides greatly for her.
I will recap 1 and 2 Samuel in another post. This one is long enough!
Over the last month, I have seemed more busy than usual. It is just that time of year at school... it comes in cycles. I also love spending time with the girls in my church group, so many evenings I am having dinner with one of them. Those relationships are so great and I love spending time with each of those girls! I haven't even been going to the gym, I've been so busy. Then, just about the time I thought I might start blogging again (because I was always thinking about it, even though I wasn't doing it), my roommate got a new phone that somehow kicks me off the internet. I do my Bible reading early in the morning and usually would blog at the same time, but I couldn't get on the internet in the mornings anymore because my roommie was home with her phone. I think for the most part we are getting around that now, but it still comes up every now and again. And, of course, with this new man in my life, I have been spending time with him. I am in no way complaining! He is wonderful and I love him dearly. Last Wednesday night, after three months of dating, my sweet Timothy proposed to me! I know this seems like a short time, but we are so confident in the Lord and His working in our lives. Our families are very involved, we have tons of people praying for us, and we truly both recognize that as good as our love is, God's love for us is way better. We are planning a June wedding, which means there is a lot of work to be done and we are pretty busy. I think that about does it for me. Now on to the important stuff!
Judges
In Judges 13, Samson was born to parents who were visited by a messenger from the Lord. They dedicated their son to the Lord and no razor ever touched his head. Then he started having woman problems. He married a girl who betrayed his secrets to her family so that he lost a bet, essentially. Because he was angry he killed 30 men of her family and gave his wife to his best man. Samson defeated the Philistines and then met Delilah. She also betrayed his secrets so that his enemies knew his strength came from his hair. The Lord gave him one more moment of strength and he killed many Philistines when he died. Because there was no king, people were doing whatever they thought was right in their own eyes. A man named Micah made an idol and then made a Levite his priest. The Danites came and took his idol and priest, rebuilt and city, and settled in the land. Then there was another Levite who had a concubine. He went to get her from her father's house and as they were traveling, they stopped in the city of Gibeah. The men of Gibeah wanted the old man who had taken in the Levite and his concubine to send the man out to them so that they could know him. The old man refused, but sent the concubine to them. They abused her all night and then left her dead at the door. The Levite cut her into pieces and sent her to all the land, so that the Israelites rallied together against the people of Benjamin who lived at Gibeah. Then they had to figure out where to get wives for the men of Benjamin because the Israelites had sworn that no one could give his daughter in marriage to Benjamin. So they advised the men of Benjamin to go and snatch (literally) women from Shiloh as they came out to dance in the vineyards during an annual feast of the Lord. The book ends by again stating that there was no king in Israel and everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Ruth-
I loved reading this book in just two days. It is short and a familiar story, but it was really amazing reading it with a new perspective. Now that I have Tim and am moving toward marriage, the relationship between Ruth and Boaz is beautiful to me. Ruth was gleaning with other women, but Boaz saw her and started asking around to find out more about her. Then he began to provide for her- made sure she had plenty of grain, let her eat with him, even sent her home with extra food. She continued to work diligently to provide for her mother-in-law. Then Naomi gave Ruth instructions to let Boaz know that he was a kinsman redeemer. When he found out, he thanked Ruth for choosing him and then basically won her from another redeemer who was closer in line than Boaz. They had a son who was the grandfather of David. What a story this lady has! She is continuously faithful and the Lord provides greatly for her.
I will recap 1 and 2 Samuel in another post. This one is long enough!
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