As I told you guys last week I just recently started a new devotional book. I love it and it is just what I have been needing right now. It gets you reading the word each day and then a few questions, a word from Beth about it, and then a prayer from the word and a space to journal. This is much needed for me and quite easy to get into and stay into.
If I love this so much, why did I only get three days done in a week's time? Why is it harder to sit still and spend time with God when you are at camp? Why was I always going? Why did I never stop to rest? I have enjoyed today with my devotions. I was sitting on our patio with coffee in hand and the boys playing while I read about Hannah and her sweet precious gift from God. What a story. I highly encourage you to read the first chapter of I Samuel in the Old Testament. It makes you think about what you do in the midst of your bitterness. Do you sulk in your bitterness, or do you weep and pray to God during that time. I will not tell you what I do most of the time, but you can probably guess since this was so convicting today.
I love how God knew her heart. He knew that she wasn't just promising to give Samuel back so that she could have him in the first place. Her promise was sincere. God knew that. God blessed her with the desires of her heart.
On a different note to all the mom's out there. Don't you just love it when you are right in the middle of reading a great word in the bible and you have to stop to break up a fight and put kids in time out. Man has my time with God changed over the past three years. :) Most of the time it is sweet and calm, but every once in a while my time is interupted with drama from my boys!
Showing posts with label scripture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scripture. Show all posts
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Saturday, March 10, 2007
the hills of life.
We are out of town this weekend in Dalton, GA and I brought my running clothes with me so I wouldn't miss my run on Saturday. Yesterday I drove two miles out from our hotel so I would know where to go for my four miles. As I was driving I noticed it was a little on the hillly side, but it didn't seem too bad.
Today when I left the hotel for my run I felt great. It is about 66 degrees outside with a slight breeze. Pefect for a Saturday afternoon jog! It was less than 4 minutes into my run that I hit the first of many inclines on this breezy, Saturday afternoon jog! Oh my gosh! This was by far the hardest run I have done so far and it wasn't even the farthest! I think my whole run today was on an incline. There weren't but a few minutes that I was running on level ground.
Half way to the two-mile mark I ran down the biggest hill I have yet to encounter. I almost fell forward it was that big. Although I should have been enjoying this down hill run, all I could think about was the fact that I was at one point going to have to go up this thing.
I encountered many more hills and then the dreaded mountain arrived and I put my head down and started going up. I thought my legs were going to fall off! I was almost to the top and I had to walk the rest. I hate to walk when I'm running. For some reason I feel like a weenie when I walk. BUT my legs were telling me either you stop or we're collapsing!
I got to thinking about these hills and how it is just like our life. We are constantly going through some sort of little hill in our lives and we will all have a big mountain at one point or another to climb as well. I think we need hills in our life; they make us stronger. They also make those big mountains in life easier to deal with when we get to them because we've already been dealing with the little hills of life.
If I never ran these hills I would NOT be prepared for the half marathon that is 7 weeks from today. Although it was a very hard run today I am so thankful for the way it is preparing me for what is to come. I am thanful for my struggle. I know I will be better because of it.
James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 "But he (Jesus) said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Today when I left the hotel for my run I felt great. It is about 66 degrees outside with a slight breeze. Pefect for a Saturday afternoon jog! It was less than 4 minutes into my run that I hit the first of many inclines on this breezy, Saturday afternoon jog! Oh my gosh! This was by far the hardest run I have done so far and it wasn't even the farthest! I think my whole run today was on an incline. There weren't but a few minutes that I was running on level ground.
Half way to the two-mile mark I ran down the biggest hill I have yet to encounter. I almost fell forward it was that big. Although I should have been enjoying this down hill run, all I could think about was the fact that I was at one point going to have to go up this thing.
I encountered many more hills and then the dreaded mountain arrived and I put my head down and started going up. I thought my legs were going to fall off! I was almost to the top and I had to walk the rest. I hate to walk when I'm running. For some reason I feel like a weenie when I walk. BUT my legs were telling me either you stop or we're collapsing!
I got to thinking about these hills and how it is just like our life. We are constantly going through some sort of little hill in our lives and we will all have a big mountain at one point or another to climb as well. I think we need hills in our life; they make us stronger. They also make those big mountains in life easier to deal with when we get to them because we've already been dealing with the little hills of life.
If I never ran these hills I would NOT be prepared for the half marathon that is 7 weeks from today. Although it was a very hard run today I am so thankful for the way it is preparing me for what is to come. I am thanful for my struggle. I know I will be better because of it.
James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 "But he (Jesus) said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Sunday, February 11, 2007
David and Bathsheba
Recently I took the time to read the family tree of Jesus. Where did it all begin, and where did certain people fall into place in his lineage. I knew that David was in there, and Abraham, and even Ruth as well. What I then read was something that I had forgotten and am so thankful to have been reminded of this. Matthew 1 verse 6 reads this, “Jesse was the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon (his mother was the widow of Uriah). Do you remember who was the widow of Uriah? Yes, Bathsheba was his widow.
Back in the Old Testament in II Samuel chapter 11, we recall the story of David and Bathsheba. David made a huge mistake by asking Bathsheba to come and “visit” him one night while a war was going on. What follows is something that seems to be straight out of a Hollywood movie. Bathsheba gets knocked up with David’s baby, David brings Uriah back from war so he can sleep with his wife, but Uriah refuses because he doesn’t want to dishonor the men that are still fighting. David then proceeds to get Uriah drunk in hopes that he’ll head back to his house for some loving, and with no luck Uriah still doesn’t go home. Then in a feeling of complete desperation David sends Uriah back to war with a message for Joab that instructed him to place Uriah on the front lines and then retreat in hopes that he will be killed. What? It does sound like a modern day movie.
So, Uriah was killed and after Bathsheba was done with her mourning period David sent for her and she became one of his wives and she gave birth to a son.
David had created a mess for himself and if he is like me once you get in a mess it seems easier to stay in that mess than to get out. We will swim around in our mess forever with the fear of the cleaning process and how it will change us. Getting cleaned up from the mess is sometimes harder than staying in the mess. BUT the outcome is so much easier once we are out and cleaned up, forgiven of our sins and able to move on. I would rather go through the sometimes grueling clean up process and get out of the mess. God is good to clean us up and allow us many second chances.
Although David was forgiven, he still had consequences for his sin. That is life. His were harsh; God told him that murder should be a constant threat in your family. I will cause your household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man. WOW! But it gets worse. You see, his baby that was born out of this sin got very sick and died. David fasted and prayed and wept continuously for days asking God to grant life to his baby. He did not want his son to die, but in the end he did. His consequences were great for his sin.
My favorite thing about this story is that God is good and redemptive and can make good out of something very evil. Although David and Bathsheba’s relationship didn’t start out the way it should (adultery was the basis for their relationship) God allowed the line of Jesus to come from these two. WOW, did you see that. David and Bathsheba conceived another son and named him Solomon, and through him continued the lineage of Jesus.
I am so comforted by this story. My life is full of mistakes. Although I have been fully forgiven from all of them, they still carry consequences. God used something that didn’t start out good, and created something marvelous.
An example that pops into my head automatically is the adoption of our son. His birth mom wasn’t planning a baby, wasn’t ready for a baby, and didn’t want a baby. In the midst of her sin and despair good is revealed. Our son is revealed and through him God will do wonderful things.
Thank you God for forgiveness and for redemption. We praise you for your goodness and for your grand plan that we cannot even comprehend. You are truly the master of our lives and the giver of hope, love and peace.
Back in the Old Testament in II Samuel chapter 11, we recall the story of David and Bathsheba. David made a huge mistake by asking Bathsheba to come and “visit” him one night while a war was going on. What follows is something that seems to be straight out of a Hollywood movie. Bathsheba gets knocked up with David’s baby, David brings Uriah back from war so he can sleep with his wife, but Uriah refuses because he doesn’t want to dishonor the men that are still fighting. David then proceeds to get Uriah drunk in hopes that he’ll head back to his house for some loving, and with no luck Uriah still doesn’t go home. Then in a feeling of complete desperation David sends Uriah back to war with a message for Joab that instructed him to place Uriah on the front lines and then retreat in hopes that he will be killed. What? It does sound like a modern day movie.
So, Uriah was killed and after Bathsheba was done with her mourning period David sent for her and she became one of his wives and she gave birth to a son.
David had created a mess for himself and if he is like me once you get in a mess it seems easier to stay in that mess than to get out. We will swim around in our mess forever with the fear of the cleaning process and how it will change us. Getting cleaned up from the mess is sometimes harder than staying in the mess. BUT the outcome is so much easier once we are out and cleaned up, forgiven of our sins and able to move on. I would rather go through the sometimes grueling clean up process and get out of the mess. God is good to clean us up and allow us many second chances.
Although David was forgiven, he still had consequences for his sin. That is life. His were harsh; God told him that murder should be a constant threat in your family. I will cause your household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man. WOW! But it gets worse. You see, his baby that was born out of this sin got very sick and died. David fasted and prayed and wept continuously for days asking God to grant life to his baby. He did not want his son to die, but in the end he did. His consequences were great for his sin.
My favorite thing about this story is that God is good and redemptive and can make good out of something very evil. Although David and Bathsheba’s relationship didn’t start out the way it should (adultery was the basis for their relationship) God allowed the line of Jesus to come from these two. WOW, did you see that. David and Bathsheba conceived another son and named him Solomon, and through him continued the lineage of Jesus.
I am so comforted by this story. My life is full of mistakes. Although I have been fully forgiven from all of them, they still carry consequences. God used something that didn’t start out good, and created something marvelous.
An example that pops into my head automatically is the adoption of our son. His birth mom wasn’t planning a baby, wasn’t ready for a baby, and didn’t want a baby. In the midst of her sin and despair good is revealed. Our son is revealed and through him God will do wonderful things.
Thank you God for forgiveness and for redemption. We praise you for your goodness and for your grand plan that we cannot even comprehend. You are truly the master of our lives and the giver of hope, love and peace.
Monday, February 5, 2007
Feb prayer for children
"That they would serve whole heartedly as is they were serving the Lord, not men, knowing that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does." Based on Ephesians 6:7,8
Our church sent us this card stating that for the month of Feb the Learning Center Leaders have commited to pray the following scripture for our kids by name.
I will too.
Our church sent us this card stating that for the month of Feb the Learning Center Leaders have commited to pray the following scripture for our kids by name.
I will too.
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