I like the three things that Paul stresses in 1 5: love that comes from a pure heart (as opposed to selfish motives), a clear conscience, and genuine faith. Trying to put those together with do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.
Do justly -- a clear conscience love mercy -- love that comes from a pure heart walk humbly with your God -- genuine faith
YUP -- seems like Micah and Paul were on the same page
His counsel against endless discussions is interesting, as 1 Tim 2: 9 - 15 has certainly spawned endless discussion. I did a small amount of research on these chapters and it wore me out -- so I went back to the 3 important things; I'll leave the endless discussions to smarter people -- and I'll just try to understand what God calls me to do!!
The endless discussions thing stuck out to me as well. I can easily talk about religious stuff & theory that does nothing to help people grow in Christ. We are to build each other up in the truth (Eph 4:29), not theories & people's interpretations of Scripture - just the Bible interpreting itself.
The organization for moving and caring for the temple was awesome -- down to the 2 remaining sons of Aaron as the go to men for assigning and making all the decisions -- I'm sure God put in their hearts the skills of leadership and organization, as He was totally able to give those gifts. I was also thinking that Nadab and Abihu must have been very young when they burnt the strange fire, as they didn't have any children yet (3:4)
3:45 "Take the Levites as substitutes for the firstborn sons of the people of Israel . . . Give the silver to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for the extra firsborn sons" I wonder if, in a way, we represent the first born sons and Jesus is our substitute, as athe Levites were?? Also -- 30 pieces of silver were paid for Jesus -- I wonder if the 5 pieces of silver had any illustration cross over here.
I'm thinking the seriousness of the presence of God shown in 4:15 is where Uzzah went wrong when he steadied the ark.
So that's what jumped out at me from Numb 1-4; BUT what really caught my attention this am was the preamble to Numbers where it said: "The people began to doubt God's ability to give them their inheritance, and they complained against Him. Because of their sin, God condemned them to wander in the wilderness until the generation of complainers died off"
Well THAT should be SOME kind of warning to me; Complaining wearies my God. He wants so badly for me to trust Him - - even through tough times. If all I do is moan and complain, I might be with the generation that misses out. I think there's a lot of cross over between that Canaan and the heavenly Canaan ahead. Soo -- today needs to be a day of gratitude and trust in His ability:)
That's good for me to think about today as well Linda. I need to stop wearing God down with my complaints. I need to look at how He's helped me in the past & realize it's for forever that He will provide for me.
I read John 3 & 4 today. Something stood out to me in 3 about being born of the Spirit. Jesus said in v8 "The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit." So why do we judge if people are Spirit born if they speak in tongues, the smallest & least important gift of the Spirit. Interesting that Jesus also talks about the judgement in this part & it beautifully contrasts human vs. God judgement.
The woman at the well. I was wondering if Jesus made sure all of His disciples went into the city so He could have some 1 on 1 time with this seeking soul. I think so.
She was more interested in the water that would quench her thirst so she didn't have to wait until after everyone else had drawn water. She was looking at a fix for her shame, so it'd be easier to hide. Jesus wanted to remove her shame. He talked to her as one who had value, not a castaway.
He didn't accuse her, He didn't condemn her or her lifestyle. So when she went into the city & proclaimed "He told me everything I ever did!" It wasn't with shame. Sounds like she had plenty to hide in her past, but here she was using that to get people's attention to Jesus - the Messiah. They must have seen & noticed the difference in the way she talked & carried herself because they came out in droves to hear Him.
Then it wasn't just her testimony, they were changed themselves. So neat to see how a God changed life can make a difference in other people. We should take a lot of encouragement from this story.
There was more in this conversation than what is printed. I can't wait to see the whole thing in heaven.
Whew! I didn't even make it far enough to realize it was listed twice -- I read the headings and stopped there:)
DJ "Everything you endure can be put to good use by allowing it to train you in trusting Me. This is how you foil the works of evil, growing in grace through the very adversity that was meant to harm you".
I want to get to this point in my life, that I embrace adversity - - even when I don't understand it (which is most of the time!!)
EACH DAY proclaim the good news that He saves; sometimes I feel like it, sometimes I want to wallow in self-pity:( BUT the encouragement here is to look higher -- quit navel-gazing and remember what HE has done and what HE is doing and what HE is going to do!
O! and twice the reminder comes that He is coming! with justice, truth and fairness -- Y'know, we all want justice, truth, and fairnness, but the only way we can survive this "judgement" is to accept His mercy and gift of forgiveness - - to clean up our filthy rags; I know I wouldn't pass the test without His gift -- no wonder we're supposed to proclaim the good news that HE saves!
I feel truly blessed to have a house that pretty much is peaceful; and we have more to eat at this point than a dry crust of bread. But, I agree with proverbs; I wouldn't attend a feast that was tension filled and full of conflict -- give me a good book and a quiet house!
vs 4 Love prospers when a fault is forgiven; not only does that work in our relationship with people, but the ultimate example is Christ forgiving us!
A broken spirit, vs 22, saps a person's strength -- I think that is the core of depression; a broken spirit.
I LOVE the advice in 27 and 28 -- you learn a whole lot more by being quiet; 2 ears are so much better than 1 mouth!
meditated on Ps 19 this a.m. Great wording in NLT. Just a lot of great thoughts provoked by it. I hope to think some more on these words this wkend. No time to write everything, gotta get to work early.
But wow, just really needed it this morning. Have a great weekend!
John captured how discouraging working with humanity can be.
First of all crowds of sick followed him; blind, lame, paralyzed (we all have shades of this in us -- spiritually speaking) and sometimes, we don't want to be well -- we want to think that we're as good as we're going to get.
The paralized man did realize that, on his own, he could accomplish nothing (as opposed to the rest of us) I think that's why Jesus could work with him. And when Jesus gave him instructions - he did it; he didn't argue or theorize or speculate.
the leaders told him "you can't" and "the law doesn't allow" and he simply came back with - "this is what He told me" Really good that He depended on Jesus.
You hear Jesus longing for the people as he talks to them about stepping past the temporary miracles and moving deeper into what He had to say -- the real source of eternal life. The temporary healings were only the beginning of the spiritual healings that Jesus so despartely wanted people to experience. 6:29 "This is the only work God wants from you; Believe in the One He has sent. 39 "the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those He has given me" 45" Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from Him comes to me"
Yet people (us) are more interested in what we can see, the temporary benefits - - I was thinking Dave Ramsey's line works for more than just financial gain "Live like no one else so you can live like no one else" Matt 16:25 is how Jesus puts it: But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
Jon 6:63 "The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes NOTHING. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life." Remember THAT Linda -- Human effort accomplishes NOTHING!
I like the three things that Paul stresses in 1 5: love that comes from a pure heart (as opposed to selfish motives), a clear conscience, and genuine faith. Trying to put those together with do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.
ReplyDeleteDo justly -- a clear conscience
love mercy -- love that comes from a pure heart
walk humbly with your God -- genuine faith
YUP -- seems like Micah and Paul were on the same page
His counsel against endless discussions is interesting, as 1 Tim 2: 9 - 15 has certainly spawned endless discussion. I did a small amount of research on these chapters and it wore me out -- so I went back to the 3 important things; I'll leave the endless discussions to smarter people -- and I'll just try to understand what God calls me to do!!
The endless discussions thing stuck out to me as well. I can easily talk about religious stuff & theory that does nothing to help people grow in Christ. We are to build each other up in the truth (Eph 4:29), not theories & people's interpretations of Scripture - just the Bible interpreting itself.
ReplyDeleteI like your comparison with Micah 6:8
The organization for moving and caring for the temple was awesome -- down to the 2 remaining sons of Aaron as the go to men for assigning and making all the decisions -- I'm sure God put in their hearts the skills of leadership and organization, as He was totally able to give those gifts. I was also thinking that Nadab and Abihu must have been very young when they burnt the strange fire, as they didn't have any children yet (3:4)
ReplyDelete3:45 "Take the Levites as substitutes for the firstborn sons of the people of Israel . . . Give the silver to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for the extra firsborn sons" I wonder if, in a way, we represent the first born sons and Jesus is our substitute, as athe Levites were?? Also -- 30 pieces of silver were paid for Jesus -- I wonder if the 5 pieces of silver had any illustration cross over here.
I'm thinking the seriousness of the presence of God shown in 4:15 is where Uzzah went wrong when he steadied the ark.
So that's what jumped out at me from Numb 1-4; BUT what really caught my attention this am was the preamble to Numbers where it said: "The people began to doubt God's ability to give them their inheritance, and they complained against Him. Because of their sin, God condemned them to wander in the wilderness until the generation of complainers died off"
Well THAT should be SOME kind of warning to me; Complaining wearies my God. He wants so badly for me to trust Him - - even through tough times. If all I do is moan and complain, I might be with the generation that misses out. I think there's a lot of cross over between that Canaan and the heavenly Canaan ahead. Soo -- today needs to be a day of gratitude and trust in His ability:)
That's good for me to think about today as well Linda. I need to stop wearing God down with my complaints. I need to look at how He's helped me in the past & realize it's for forever that He will provide for me.
ReplyDeleteI read John 3 & 4 today. Something stood out to me in 3 about being born of the Spirit. Jesus said in v8 "The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit." So why do we judge if people are Spirit born if they speak in tongues, the smallest & least important gift of the Spirit. Interesting that Jesus also talks about the judgement in this part & it beautifully contrasts human vs. God judgement.
The woman at the well. I was wondering if Jesus made sure all of His disciples went into the city so He could have some 1 on 1 time with this seeking soul. I think so.
She was more interested in the water that would quench her thirst so she didn't have to wait until after everyone else had drawn water. She was looking at a fix for her shame, so it'd be easier to hide. Jesus wanted to remove her shame. He talked to her as one who had value, not a castaway.
He didn't accuse her, He didn't condemn her or her lifestyle. So when she went into the city & proclaimed "He told me everything I ever did!" It wasn't with shame. Sounds like she had plenty to hide in her past, but here she was using that to get people's attention to Jesus - the Messiah. They must have seen & noticed the difference in the way she talked & carried herself because they came out in droves to hear Him.
Then it wasn't just her testimony, they were changed themselves. So neat to see how a God changed life can make a difference in other people. We should take a lot of encouragement from this story.
There was more in this conversation than what is printed. I can't wait to see the whole thing in heaven.
Why was Saul's family lineage listed twice? Beginning of 8 & end of 9? This just doesn't cut it for me today.
ReplyDeleteWhew! I didn't even make it far enough to realize it was listed twice -- I read the headings and stopped there:)
ReplyDeleteDJ "Everything you endure can be put to good use by allowing it to train you in trusting Me. This is how you foil the works of evil, growing in grace through the very adversity that was meant to harm you".
I want to get to this point in my life, that I embrace adversity - - even when I don't understand it (which is most of the time!!)
EACH DAY proclaim the good news that He saves; sometimes I feel like it, sometimes I want to wallow in self-pity:( BUT the encouragement here is to look higher -- quit navel-gazing and remember what HE has done and what HE is doing and what HE is going to do!
ReplyDeleteO! and twice the reminder comes that He is coming! with justice, truth and fairness -- Y'know, we all want justice, truth, and fairnness, but the only way we can survive this "judgement" is to accept His mercy and gift of forgiveness - - to clean up our filthy rags; I know I wouldn't pass the test without His gift -- no wonder we're supposed to proclaim the good news that HE saves!
I feel truly blessed to have a house that pretty much is peaceful; and we have more to eat at this point than a dry crust of bread. But, I agree with proverbs; I wouldn't attend a feast that was tension filled and full of conflict -- give me a good book and a quiet house!
ReplyDeletevs 4 Love prospers when a fault is forgiven; not only does that work in our relationship with people, but the ultimate example is Christ forgiving us!
A broken spirit, vs 22, saps a person's strength -- I think that is the core of depression; a broken spirit.
I LOVE the advice in 27 and 28 -- you learn a whole lot more by being quiet; 2 ears are so much better than 1 mouth!
18:12 Humility precedes honor . . .
good points you brought out. Thanks!
ReplyDeletemeditated on Ps 19 this a.m. Great wording in NLT. Just a lot of great thoughts provoked by it. I hope to think some more on these words this wkend. No time to write everything, gotta get to work early.
ReplyDeleteBut wow, just really needed it this morning. Have a great weekend!
John captured how discouraging working with humanity can be.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all crowds of sick followed him; blind, lame, paralyzed (we all have shades of this in us -- spiritually speaking) and sometimes, we don't want to be well -- we want to think that we're as good as we're going to get.
The paralized man did realize that, on his own, he could accomplish nothing (as opposed to the rest of us) I think that's why Jesus could work with him. And when Jesus gave him instructions - he did it; he didn't argue or theorize or speculate.
the leaders told him "you can't" and "the law doesn't allow" and he simply came back with - "this is what He told me" Really good that He depended on Jesus.
You hear Jesus longing for the people as he talks to them about stepping past the temporary miracles and moving deeper into what He had to say -- the real source of eternal life. The temporary healings were only the beginning of the spiritual healings that Jesus so despartely wanted people to experience. 6:29 "This is the only work God wants from you; Believe in the One He has sent. 39 "the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those He has given me" 45" Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from Him comes to me"
Yet people (us) are more interested in what we can see, the temporary benefits - - I was thinking Dave Ramsey's line works for more than just financial gain "Live like no one else so you can live like no one else" Matt 16:25 is how Jesus puts it: But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
Jon 6:63 "The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes NOTHING. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life." Remember THAT Linda -- Human effort accomplishes NOTHING!