“You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. And you shall eat before the Lord your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always. (Deuteronomy 14:22, 23 NKJV)
Today's reading was hard to swallow. It was about tithing. For those of you who don't know what tithing is, this is giving a portion or a tenth of what you have earned or received back to God. This shows that you are trusting in Him to provide for you and you are just rightfully giving Him back what is clearly His to begin with. We are placed on this earth to be good Stewart's of what God gives us. This hit me because I struggle with lowing God to rule in this area of my life. I try to give Him what He deserves, what I know I should be giving Him but I look at all the physical things first. The real question is I should ask myself if do I really trust God.
The Bible makes the purpose of tithing very clear: It teaches us to fear the Lord and put him first in our lives. We are to give God the first and best of what we earn. For example, what we do first with our money shows what we value most. Giving the first part of our paycheck to God immediately focuses our attention on him. It also reminds us that all we have belongs to him. A habit of regular tithing can keep God at the top of our priority list and give us a proper perspective on everything else we have.
I want to give Him everything but I let this world get in the way and I start to tho about all of the bill that need to be paid and all of the things that need to be done with that money and I let Satan take over my mind in letting me think that there are to many things for me to take care of besides giving to The Lord. Satan doesn't want me to give to The Lord because when I or when we do that we are furthering His kingdom. My prayer is that I start to trust The Lord more and more in my finances and allow Him to take over my bills and worries. He WILL provide and He is faithful to do so. He always has been.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Friday, February 15, 2013
Devotion
“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good? (Deuteronomy 10:12, 13 NKJV)
This is my reading for today. I like reading about the commands that God gives because they are so practical and yet sometimes the hardest thing to do. Even with that being said I know God can help me all the way.
With this passage this is what God was wanting Israel to do. Fear The Lord, walk in His ways, and love Him. These are just the first three. To fear The Lord is to know that God is in control and as John Piper says,
"The fear of the Lord is fear of fleeing out of his fellowship into the way of sin. Therefore the fear of the Lord is full of peace and security and hope. It keeps us near to the merciful heart of God, our fortress, our refuge, our sanctuary, our shield, our sun. Isaiah 8:13 says, "The Lord of Hosts, . . . let him be your fear, and let him be your dread, and he will become a sanctuary." A proper fear of the Lord keeps us under the shadow of his wings where we need not be afraid."
To walk in His ways is just that, to follow what He says and listen to His leading. Many people want to tie that into something. Yes it's sometimes hard to listen and understand what God is saying but the more and more you talk to Him and read His word He is going to reveal Himself to you and you will be as to understand Him better. Also to love Him is to give of yourself to Him and Bis service. Serving The Lord is the best be aide if you are called and you mean it then the love will come pouring out of you. But even if your not called to serve Him in a particular area you can still serve and be obedient to Him.
And with the rest of this passage, service and keeping His commandments, all of these things are because of one thing, devotion. Where does it lay. Being devoted to something is giving everything and holding back nothing for whatever that something or someone is. That's how we should be for The Lord. Giving our all because He gave His life for you and me.
This is my reading for today. I like reading about the commands that God gives because they are so practical and yet sometimes the hardest thing to do. Even with that being said I know God can help me all the way.
With this passage this is what God was wanting Israel to do. Fear The Lord, walk in His ways, and love Him. These are just the first three. To fear The Lord is to know that God is in control and as John Piper says,
"The fear of the Lord is fear of fleeing out of his fellowship into the way of sin. Therefore the fear of the Lord is full of peace and security and hope. It keeps us near to the merciful heart of God, our fortress, our refuge, our sanctuary, our shield, our sun. Isaiah 8:13 says, "The Lord of Hosts, . . . let him be your fear, and let him be your dread, and he will become a sanctuary." A proper fear of the Lord keeps us under the shadow of his wings where we need not be afraid."
To walk in His ways is just that, to follow what He says and listen to His leading. Many people want to tie that into something. Yes it's sometimes hard to listen and understand what God is saying but the more and more you talk to Him and read His word He is going to reveal Himself to you and you will be as to understand Him better. Also to love Him is to give of yourself to Him and Bis service. Serving The Lord is the best be aide if you are called and you mean it then the love will come pouring out of you. But even if your not called to serve Him in a particular area you can still serve and be obedient to Him.
And with the rest of this passage, service and keeping His commandments, all of these things are because of one thing, devotion. Where does it lay. Being devoted to something is giving everything and holding back nothing for whatever that something or someone is. That's how we should be for The Lord. Giving our all because He gave His life for you and me.
Honor
‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. (Deuteronomy 5:16 NKJV)
This was my reading for yesterday. I read it but just didn't have time to write about it. This is probably one of the commandments I look at now at the age of 31 and wish I would have understood this more in my teenage years.
Now being a parent I understand all of those things my parents were talking about when I was living under their roof. Respect, honor, thinking of other, and common courtesy. These are things that my parents taught me and even at an early age didn't always follow but yet these qualities were instilled me. Now that I have kids I want to instill these same attributes in them now just by what I say but by my actions as well.
God was saying to do this not because He thought it was just a good idea, He was saying this because through honoring our parents we ultimately get to honor The Lord. How? By doing what He says. This is obedience. God gives you a promise as well, that your days will be long on this earth and that it may be well with you in the land that He gives you. What does that mean? That means that one your days will be long on the earth by doing this. Two I believe it mean that Gods grace and mercy will be with you wherever you are.
Even though I am older now and my parents are older in age, I still want to make sure that I am honoring them and following Gods direction. No matter what we will always have to look to Him for answers and God gives us this answer. How do we live a long life? Honor your father and mother!
This was my reading for yesterday. I read it but just didn't have time to write about it. This is probably one of the commandments I look at now at the age of 31 and wish I would have understood this more in my teenage years.
Now being a parent I understand all of those things my parents were talking about when I was living under their roof. Respect, honor, thinking of other, and common courtesy. These are things that my parents taught me and even at an early age didn't always follow but yet these qualities were instilled me. Now that I have kids I want to instill these same attributes in them now just by what I say but by my actions as well.
God was saying to do this not because He thought it was just a good idea, He was saying this because through honoring our parents we ultimately get to honor The Lord. How? By doing what He says. This is obedience. God gives you a promise as well, that your days will be long on this earth and that it may be well with you in the land that He gives you. What does that mean? That means that one your days will be long on the earth by doing this. Two I believe it mean that Gods grace and mercy will be with you wherever you are.
Even though I am older now and my parents are older in age, I still want to make sure that I am honoring them and following Gods direction. No matter what we will always have to look to Him for answers and God gives us this answer. How do we live a long life? Honor your father and mother!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Tenant or Owner! Which are you?
23“The land must never be sold on a permanent basis, for the land belongs to me. You are only foreigners and tenant farmers working for me." NKJV
Todays reading was strange at first. Then I had to go back and read exact what God was talking about. This was a longer chapter so in order to understand this one passage you would need to go back and read the entire chapter.
God was saying that the people would one day possess land in Canaan, but in God's plan, only God's ownership was absolute. He wanted his people to avoid greed and materialism. If you have the attitude that you are taking care of the Lord's property, you will make what you have more available to others. This is difficult to do if you have an attitude of ownership. Think of yourself as a manager of all that is under your care, not as an owner.
Everything that we are given in life comes from the Lord in the first place. The Lord can give as well as He can take away. We have to make sure that no matter what we are given in life we understand that the Lord is true owner of it and all we have the opportunity to do is to take care of it and make sure that He gets all the glory from whatever it is that we have.
Todays reading was strange at first. Then I had to go back and read exact what God was talking about. This was a longer chapter so in order to understand this one passage you would need to go back and read the entire chapter.
God was saying that the people would one day possess land in Canaan, but in God's plan, only God's ownership was absolute. He wanted his people to avoid greed and materialism. If you have the attitude that you are taking care of the Lord's property, you will make what you have more available to others. This is difficult to do if you have an attitude of ownership. Think of yourself as a manager of all that is under your care, not as an owner.
Everything that we are given in life comes from the Lord in the first place. The Lord can give as well as He can take away. We have to make sure that no matter what we are given in life we understand that the Lord is true owner of it and all we have the opportunity to do is to take care of it and make sure that He gets all the glory from whatever it is that we have.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Loving and Just
7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.” Exodus 34:7 NKJV
Todays reading was a good to read. This passage talked about what God gives to His people and what He takes away. I was thinking about calling this post He giventh and He takenth away but I think what I have lable it fits.
This passage is talking about when Moses and The Lord were talking and the Lord had come to Moses for the second time and told him to chisle out two more tablets liket he ones he had done before. This would be the Ten Commandments. The Law. He told Moses specifics to do before anything else was done. Vs. 8-the end of the chapter.
I like this passage because it gives us a picture of what God wants and how He wants it. In my life I hear God but sometimes I either hear Him in the wrong way or I misunderstand what He is trying to say, or sometimes I hear Him and I still try to do it on my own terms. God loves me so much that He only want the best for me and my life. He has laid out certain ways He wants things to be done. These are not to be done this way to hold me back but God has a greater plan for my life that I can't even see yet.
So in that aspect God is loving and caring for me and others who call Him father. But on the other hand if we get out of line or try to do our own thing then God is going to correct us no matter what that takes. Our pastor was preaching on this subject this past Sunday. He said that when one is turned over to Satan this doesn't mean that you are not saved or that God has disowned you. He was talking about that God uses Satan sometimes, WITH RESTRAINTS, to accomplish His will. Whether that be for rebuking, correcting, edifying, or even teaching. The main ponit Im trying to say is that God is just and that is a fact. Through His love He will correct us by being just and stern with us.
Again God is loveing and God is just. There is no denying that. And I'm not saying that God allows Satan to do things to us because we are bad or because He wants Satan to get us. I'm saying with God's power restraining Satan, He may allow for a season your life to be tested and tried and make you see that God is the most important thing that you need. Take the book of Job for instance. God allowed Satan to attack Jobs family, friends, land, and even himself. BUT, with restraints God told Satan that he could not take Jobs life. The bok of Job is a good book for me. If you don't agree with anything that I have said read the book of Job and see what God is saying.
Todays reading was a good to read. This passage talked about what God gives to His people and what He takes away. I was thinking about calling this post He giventh and He takenth away but I think what I have lable it fits.
This passage is talking about when Moses and The Lord were talking and the Lord had come to Moses for the second time and told him to chisle out two more tablets liket he ones he had done before. This would be the Ten Commandments. The Law. He told Moses specifics to do before anything else was done. Vs. 8-the end of the chapter.
I like this passage because it gives us a picture of what God wants and how He wants it. In my life I hear God but sometimes I either hear Him in the wrong way or I misunderstand what He is trying to say, or sometimes I hear Him and I still try to do it on my own terms. God loves me so much that He only want the best for me and my life. He has laid out certain ways He wants things to be done. These are not to be done this way to hold me back but God has a greater plan for my life that I can't even see yet.
So in that aspect God is loving and caring for me and others who call Him father. But on the other hand if we get out of line or try to do our own thing then God is going to correct us no matter what that takes. Our pastor was preaching on this subject this past Sunday. He said that when one is turned over to Satan this doesn't mean that you are not saved or that God has disowned you. He was talking about that God uses Satan sometimes, WITH RESTRAINTS, to accomplish His will. Whether that be for rebuking, correcting, edifying, or even teaching. The main ponit Im trying to say is that God is just and that is a fact. Through His love He will correct us by being just and stern with us.
Again God is loveing and God is just. There is no denying that. And I'm not saying that God allows Satan to do things to us because we are bad or because He wants Satan to get us. I'm saying with God's power restraining Satan, He may allow for a season your life to be tested and tried and make you see that God is the most important thing that you need. Take the book of Job for instance. God allowed Satan to attack Jobs family, friends, land, and even himself. BUT, with restraints God told Satan that he could not take Jobs life. The bok of Job is a good book for me. If you don't agree with anything that I have said read the book of Job and see what God is saying.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Listening
Today's lesson was hard. It dealt with making garments for Aaron.
Instruct all the skilled craftsmen whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom. Have them make garments for Aaron that will distinguish him as a priest set apart for my service. (Exodus 28:3 NLT)
I read and I guess I will have to read before this as well but I think God wants me to just listen to Him. I have been having so many thing consume my mind along with trying to serve The Lord that sometimes I forget to stop and listen. Stop and let Him lead. God speaks and when He does he can speak in m y different ways. I see Him speaking right now I our life right now as we are dealing with my wife being a stay at home mom. This is what she want sand this is what I want because it makes her happy. Through it all I have to stop and listen to Him and His leading.
Listening to Gods voice is sometimes very hard for people to do. Mat people, and I include myself most of the time, don't like the awkward silence. We think that we have to be the ones always talking. That's not true. God want us to communicate with Him on a daily basis but have you ever stopped and thought that He has things to say as well. It may be through a sunset, a clear night, or even through a rough patch in your life that He is speaking to you.
I want to listen to God more and more everyday. My prayer is that we would decrease and He would increase and that we would learn to open our hearts and not just our mouths. Lord, help me to stop and know that you are God. And that you want to speak to me as well. So help me to listen clearly to you.
Instruct all the skilled craftsmen whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom. Have them make garments for Aaron that will distinguish him as a priest set apart for my service. (Exodus 28:3 NLT)
I read and I guess I will have to read before this as well but I think God wants me to just listen to Him. I have been having so many thing consume my mind along with trying to serve The Lord that sometimes I forget to stop and listen. Stop and let Him lead. God speaks and when He does he can speak in m y different ways. I see Him speaking right now I our life right now as we are dealing with my wife being a stay at home mom. This is what she want sand this is what I want because it makes her happy. Through it all I have to stop and listen to Him and His leading.
Listening to Gods voice is sometimes very hard for people to do. Mat people, and I include myself most of the time, don't like the awkward silence. We think that we have to be the ones always talking. That's not true. God want us to communicate with Him on a daily basis but have you ever stopped and thought that He has things to say as well. It may be through a sunset, a clear night, or even through a rough patch in your life that He is speaking to you.
I want to listen to God more and more everyday. My prayer is that we would decrease and He would increase and that we would learn to open our hearts and not just our mouths. Lord, help me to stop and know that you are God. And that you want to speak to me as well. So help me to listen clearly to you.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Being a vessel
Then Moses said to the Lord , “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord ? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.” But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.” (Exodus 4:10-13 NKJV)
This is today's bible study. I love this story and I love how God works out His plan no matter what. Moses and The Lord were talking. Now, I'm going to stop right there be wise that in itself is amazing. To have that one on one conversation with The Lord wild be awesome. I know we sleek to Him now through prayer but I think this was an actual one on one conversation. Man to Man. I may be wrong I'll have to study more about it and get back with you but that's what I think.
Back to today's lesson. Moses and The Lord were talking and Moses sAys to The Lord, "I can't speak, I don't have the right words to say, you can't use me." (Daniels paraphrased version, read it). The Lord tells Him I will give you the words to speak, I will be your mouthpiece. More or less The Lord was saying that He would take care of everything Moses just needed to be available to be used. Moses being the man that he was still said,"lord that's ok find send someone else". If you look further into the chapter it says that the Lords anger kindled up inside Him and that's when Looked to Aaron.
The Lord wants to use you. No matter what. God doesn't want to see anyone perish but that all men might be saved. He can use you in big ways and Be can use you in small ways. You just have to be willing to be used and be available to be used. Because just like Moses if you are unwilling to be used by God, He will accomplish His will or plan that He has without you and be may use someone else to do it. So be available to be used by God and willing to serve Him.
This is today's bible study. I love this story and I love how God works out His plan no matter what. Moses and The Lord were talking. Now, I'm going to stop right there be wise that in itself is amazing. To have that one on one conversation with The Lord wild be awesome. I know we sleek to Him now through prayer but I think this was an actual one on one conversation. Man to Man. I may be wrong I'll have to study more about it and get back with you but that's what I think.
Back to today's lesson. Moses and The Lord were talking and Moses sAys to The Lord, "I can't speak, I don't have the right words to say, you can't use me." (Daniels paraphrased version, read it). The Lord tells Him I will give you the words to speak, I will be your mouthpiece. More or less The Lord was saying that He would take care of everything Moses just needed to be available to be used. Moses being the man that he was still said,"lord that's ok find send someone else". If you look further into the chapter it says that the Lords anger kindled up inside Him and that's when Looked to Aaron.
The Lord wants to use you. No matter what. God doesn't want to see anyone perish but that all men might be saved. He can use you in big ways and Be can use you in small ways. You just have to be willing to be used and be available to be used. Because just like Moses if you are unwilling to be used by God, He will accomplish His will or plan that He has without you and be may use someone else to do it. So be available to be used by God and willing to serve Him.
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