January 30, 2008

Read Exodus 23-24 and Matthew 20:1-16

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Exodus 23:3
Many places in the Word it tells us to not show partiality to the rich. Here God shows us we're not to show partiality to the poor, either, but to treat everyone equally fair, not allowing their station in life to factor in. I originally intended to expound on that, but it's almost as if God is saying, "Chris, don't go there, child, because you're going to say something foolish." So I'll listen.

23:11-12 As I sit here this morning, bleary-eyed and just wishing I could go back to bed, I look at my notes that say "Everything needs to rest, even the land." I need to rest. We overtax everything, ourselves, our resources, this gift of a planet God has given us (although I'm all for displacing a few caribou or whatever they are in Africa to get some oil and bring these gas prices down, and this coming from a former tree hugger)...yeah, this is a day I'm liable to ramble...I'll leave it at we need to rest. I need to rest. Pray for me, guys.

23:18 We need to be careful of the spirit in which we offer our sacrafices to the Lord. Leaven is a symbol of sin/hypocracy...are my sacrafices being offered with a pure heart, or is there leaven mixed up in there?

23:20-21 Is this Jesus?

23:29 God didn't drive the pagan folk out all at once for good reason. I find in my life, too, He sometimes does things in His own time. Too much too soon can be disasterous for the likes of me.

Matthew 20:1-16
God calls us to Him at different times in our lives. Some get saved at 10, some 20, some later. I got saved when I was 12, but only walked with the Lord off and on til 4-5 years ago. I'm not envious of those that the Lord allowed to live hedonistic lives for a long time, as I would never want to go back to some of the things I used to do, but at times I find myself wishing I could get away with a sin the way unsaved folks do; when lying would be easier, for example, or when doing the right thing is hard and I'm tempted to slack. The thing is, I can't now; the Holy Spirit would not allow it. When I sin, I am so aware of how it grieves the Lord that it would take a willful hardening of my heart to continue in it. THis is a wonderful thing, but my flesh does not always think so. Something happened between my husband and I a few years back and even though it wasn't technically my doing, I had a part in it, and I didn't feel great about that. Had I not been saved, I could have been like, no big deal, and gone on with my life, but the Holy Spirit would not let that happen. There had been sin, and I couldn't ignore that. Fixing it came down to a choice: obedience or hardening of my heart and willful defiance, and the consequences that came along with, not just for me but for my kids. Did I feel a little resentful that God wasn't gonna let me get away with this? Yeah, because I wanted to, but that same Holy Spirit who guards my heart against sin guards Chris daily from doing new stupid, foolish things and repeating old stupid, foolish things. How could I walk away from that?

January 31, 2008 at 5:45 AM
Anonymous said...

In 23:20, God prepares the Israelites way for where he asks them to go by providing an angel...He will defend and protect! He also gives them strict instruction not to join with the people in the land, not to worship their gods or they will cause them to sin...in other words be careful of the company you keep!


I think it's interesting in 24:8 how God said "this is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you..." At the disciples last supper, when Christ passed the wine around he said the is the NEW covenant that I make with you...I had never know the bible reference for the first convenant. Pretty cool!

Have a great day!

February 1, 2008 at 8:33 AM

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