Day 50: Obedience Means Doing

Matthew 4; Exodus 25-27; Proverbs 12

Jesus heals every kind of pain and sickness.  There is nothing that he did not and cannot heal. Physical, emotional, spiritual, mental, financial pain--God can heal them all. We just have to let him.

Only living right, obeying God, will lead to life and security.  Sin, any sin, is deadly and destructive.  Through God's word, he teaches us how to live right, to tell the truth, to have deep roots.

(Two-fer)

Matthew 5:1-20; Exodus 28-29; Proverbs 13

Obedience to God is the main command.  That’s part of the “love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind.”  We have a purpose in this life, we are salt that needs to be salty, we are a light that should not be hidden. We need to learn to live our lives in complete surrender to God and his will. May we learn to trust God to guide and lead.  We must obey the law “better” than the Pharisees.  By “better,” Jesus means to obey them in the way they were intended, not as a tool to measure and judge others, but by a standard to which we hold ourselves.

The worship rituals seem so tedious, so precise, I would be so afraid to mess up.  It seems like a lot of work to make all those sacrifices each day and do it perfectly.  But, that makes sense—it should take a lot of work for people to be holy enough to connect with the Lord.  Here I sit at my computer, in my pjs, just typing away, believing that God is here, or at least listening.  I suppose I’m reverent, but not nearly as much as the priests.  But in this day and age, as Jesus represents, I can connect with God on a personal level.  My fear and respect for God is definitely not what it should be, and for that, I pray that God forgives me!  I am so thankful for the life he has given me and I pray that I am making him proud.  God looks at us with mixed feelings—joy, because we are his children, and sadness, because of our daily disobedience, but all in love. I hope that we have the will overcome our sins, but we can only do it with Christ's help.  I am not strong enough or resilient enough to make it happen on my own. We cannot do it by ourselves, but still we have to take action—take action against evil, against sins, against the mistreatment of others, against poverty, against anything.  We cannot just sit and wait for God to do it for us.

Day 49: Prayer for the Broken

Matthew 3; Exodus 24; Proverbs 11

Faith in Jesus is not about being safe for the coming judgment; it is about trying to live a life without sin in communion with him.  I pray that our lives produce good fruit that makes God proud. I pray that we trust in him no matter what life circumstances occur.  There are people out there who are  REALLY struggling right now. They may feel worthless, useless, unskilled, etc.  While we don’t always understand why, we can believe the God has a plan and trust in him.  I pray that God gives these struggling people faith, to trust what God says in his word, that he is good, and his love is great no matter what.  They are broken inside and I pray that they trust God with their lives.
 
Honesty and humility are loved by God and are good guides to life.  I hope that Austin and I, and the rest of you, would not depend on money for our safety, security, and protection.  We need to rely on the Lord and obey his commands.  I hope that in our lives we are doing right, helping people, loving them as God has loved us.  I thank God for all the wonderful blessings he has given us, the life he has  blessed us with, and the troubles he has kept us from.
 
Lies and dishonesty can destroy a whole city, a whole community.  I pray that in our communities, people would be transformed by the power of God's love.  I pray that they would see God for who he really is, not as a God who desires judgment from his people on others, but as a God who loves and cares.  I pray that people would be honest and good and right, not prideful and deceitful so that our communities can be strengthened, not torn apart.

Day 48: Do Love, Live With Action

Matthew 2; Exodus 22-23; Proverbs 10

From the moment Jesus was born on this earth, there were people who loved him and people who wanted to destroy him.  The same is true for today.  There are people who are completely devoted to The Lord, and those that want to rid the earth of the name of Jesus. We like to think times are so much worse today, but reading the stories of Jesus shows that there was corruption, murder, genocide, hatred, just as much then as today.

The consequences for wrong doing are significant—often in God's word a person must pay back four or even five times what was taken or destroyed.  And anyone who mistreats widows and orphans, God returns the 'favor' by making widows and orphans of their families.  That is not a light command.  And yet, The Lord says that we are not to favor the poor just because they are poor.   It is about doing what is right, not just having favoritism for one group because of who they are.  God wants us to help those in need, but not just because they are in need, but because it is the right thing to do.

Another interesting point that it makes is not to speak evil of God or of our leaders.  The command is that even if I don’t like someone, or they are my enemy, I need to help them if I can.  I think of some people who irritate me.  I have to continue to help them.  To ignorethem just because they irritate me is not doing my God-given duty.  Those God particularly cares about in this passage are widows, orphans, and foreigners (immigrants).  How can we do more to help these people?

Several months ago, I prayed this prayer:
Lord, Austin and I are working hard—at least we think so.  We are trying to be smart with our money, giving some of it back to you and your kingdom and saving it too.  I pray that if there are other areas where we are not being wise with our finances or we are being lazy, please show those to us and give us the faith to be obedient to your calling.  
What is interesting is that God did call us to do something--sell our house and get out of debt--and we are doing it! This week we are moving into our smaller, less expensive home so that we can honor God with our money. We wanted to tell our money what to do, rather than being controlled by our money. I praise The Lord for how he has worked this out for good!

And the truth is, listening and obeying is the key for a good and blessed life.  If talking, if journaling, was all I did with God's Word, then I would never be blessed or be a blessing to others.  A while back I asked The Lord to give my soul wisdom to know how to obey and courage to do so.  This proverb is all about doing versus talking; there is power of the former, while the latter leads to destruction and worthlessness.  I hope that the Lord teaches us to obey without fear, without hesitation.  Teach us to love (to do) unswervingly and without concern.  I pray that our words are life to others and that our lives (our actions) shine of Jesus.  



P.S. Funny verse:  “But if you are stupid, you will be beaten with a stick.”  That's what it says. :-)

Day 47: 10 Commandments & Only One About Me

Matthew 1; Exodus 20-21; Proverbs 9

 God's  goodness is much more freely given than his punishments.  It is like the blessings from him outweigh the curses, even though his anger and wrath would be crazy scary.  It is interesting that if a person rejects God, he will punish them for 3 or 4 generations (a long time), but if a person obeys him and loves him, he will bless them for thousands of generations (a lot longer time). Those differences should be evidence that God wants to bless us so much more than he wants to punish us.

The first three commandments have to do with our relationship with God.  The fourth, is concerning ourselves, and the last six all deal with interactions with people.  It is awesome how focused these are.  The first ones come first because our relationship with the Lord is and should be the first thing in our lives.  God so often becomes priority number 2...5...9.  Something that has been brought up over and over is just how important God needs to be in my life. The Lord needs to be numero uno. That is, more important than my husband, my family, my career, my money, my reputation. Then, there is the one lonely commandment about ourselves—and that is about resting, not being greedy and working overtime, or spending too much time toiling in our lives and not enough time cultivating relationships with family and friends.  That one little commandment often blows up into a million because we are the center of our world. We get frustrated when things don't go OUR way, when life is painful to US, when we don't get what WE want. God just doesn't want us to be greedy or overworked. Then the majority of the commands have to do with working with others, how to treat them and how not to treat them, because this is where we spend most our time—with people.  How we treat others will reflect our heart and our relationship with The Lord. The largest number of commands are about others...either we really need help figuring out how to handle other humans, or God wants to make sure that we do treat one another with kindness and love.

Day 46: Faithfulness, Partnerships, and Wisdom

Hebrews 13; Exodus 18-19; Proverbs 8

I love the beginning of Hebrews 13:  be concerned about each other, that is what followers of Christ should do, love and care.  Then it explains one way to do that:  welcome people into our home.  Make room, share, provide, host.  I'm thankful for a house that can serve as such a place. We are downsizing and moving (in one week) to this new house, but that doesn't change the fact that we can continue to have a safe place for people to come and be blessed.

This chapter of Hebrews is about “service that pleases God.” Tucked in there is a verse about being faithful in marriage.  There is not much that scares me more than losing Austin.  He is a wonderful man and so faithful to me.  I pray that we both guard against temptation, physical, mental, and emotional.  He is my one and only love and we must remain faithful for all the days of our lives. What is also interesting is that it talks about being “faithful in marriage,” but it is followed by a verse about money.  Part of being faithful is not straying sexually, but also not pursuing something other than our spouse, including money.  Lots of things gain our attraction and love—money, power, work, service—but it is important to be faithful in all things and put our spouse above other worldly things.  They are a human being, and one that chose us and we chose them.  They matter immensely.
My prayer for myself, Austin, and believers everywhere:  that God will make us ready to obey you and that we are always eager to do right (vs 21).  This faithfulness does not stop at marriage though. We need to pursue and worship God, being faithful to him. It is so easy to get caught up in pursuing relationships, money, careers, success, and fame, instead of pursuing the God that holds our lives and eternity in his hands. Even more than pursuing a spouse in marriage and being faithful, we are to pursue GOD and be faithful to him.

These verses also make me think about partnerships. Trying to make a difference and do things by myself is not wise or healthy.  A team of like-minded people is more effective than one person carrying the burden alone.  Partnerships such as Soulfire and  Stand Against Trafficking can be such a blessing to others, and as a group, we can be that much more effective.

Wisdom stands at the crossroads, on the hilltops, and at the gate of the city.  These places are symbolic and significant.  The crossroads represent choices.  In life there are opportunities to choose a path of and to goodness and a path to death and destruction.  Wisdom stands at the crossroads and calls out the way to go.  We do not stand there alone.  Our conscience, the Holy Spirit, is there telling us which way to go, we just have to listen carefully.  Choosing life and right and goodness is no secret.  The hilltops represent turning points.  We are either heading towards blessings and goodness and need to follow wisdom to get there, or they are just before a descent into troubled times, and we need wisdom to walk in that shadow.  Wisdom is there, guiding us up, and when in the valley, wisdom is there so that when we begin the descent, we are prepared.  What a beautiful thought.  And then at the city gates, the places where there are people, choices, interactions, wisdom is there, reminding us to make good decisions.  This is just another example of how God's love never gives up or never runs out.  Wisdom has been around since before time.  The truths from the Lord, are not new, but timeless and tested.  It says “I was pleased with his world and pleased with its people.”  The way God made things is the right and wise way—God did not mess up, did not make mistakes. He knows how things are supposed to work and so he created them that way. It is humans that have perverted the truth. When we dive into scripture, that is when we can see the truth, learn wisdom, and make the right choices.

How crazy that we sometimes forget—God is so holy, so awesome, that to step foot on the mountain where he was would mean death.  Sometimes I need help remembering just how great and powerful and holy God is. The Lord is not just some being out there—he is real and divine and mighty. Familiarity can be dangerous and cause a lack of respect. When we forget how awesome and holy God is, we make God less and ourselves more.

Day 45: Believing What God Says (Really)

Hebrews 12; Exodus 16-17; Proverbs 7:6-27

Esau sold his blessing for one meal, he traded a long-term gain for momentary comfort.  He did not consider his future or the eternal consequences.  In our tough circumstances, I hope we do not trade our temporary discomfort or frustration for God's long term blessing and plan.  We may have said it before, and meant it or not, but I hope we DO trust in God's plan for us.  I DO believe that God has our best interests at heart.

Humans can be so blind and selfish.  Look what God had done and the Israelites started to worry about what they were eating.  They were complaining that the food available in their freedom was nothing compared to their food in captivity.  They desired the wrong thing, lost their perspective.  They complained about the Holy Lord Almighty—and instead of getting angry and just sending them back to Egypt, God provided for them, for forty long years.  And despite this miracle, some still disobeyed by not trusting, but trying to take more of the blessing (manna) than was needed or warranted.  They tried to work on the Sabbath and didn’t trust God to continue to provide.  The Israelites also directed their complaints at Moses, God’s servant rather than God himself.  They blamed Moses for the hand of The Lord.  Maybe that was because they put more weight in Moses or they were afraid to complain directly to God, but either way, it was wrong.  We need to support our church leaders and not blame them for situations in the church.  We also need to believe in The Lord that he will provide.

May we keep our eyes fixed on God, on Christ's glorious sacrifice and suffering and how his resurrection accomplished everything.  I hope that we can be mindful of the Lord's correction.  Teach us, show us where we fall short, help us to learn.  Sometimes I feel like I don’t know anything, and I want wisdom and understanding of God, his word, this world around me, and the world to come, so badly.  I know that as God deems us ready, he would reveal himself and his truths to us.  Teach us and guide us, correct and discipline us.

Day 44: Learn From Previous Generations

Hebrews 11:27-40; Exodus 15; Proverbs 6:1-7:5

These amazing witnesses mentioned in Hebrews experienced the worst that this world has to offer, and yet they remained strong in their faith and faithful to God.  They were waiting for Jesus, for God to save the world, once and for all.  And even though they died before it was to happen, they believed that The Lord is good to his word.  And indeed God was, and is, and will continue to be.

Getting trapped in debt, being lazy, lying—all these things have serious consequences.  Clearly such people are not a 21st century phenomenon.  In these first few chapters of Proverbs, the attraction of sex is a frequent comment.  How destructive it can be when it is not in the proper place.  This goes for many things: when money is not used properly it is destructive; when strength is not used properly, it becomes destructive. Instead, we need to follow the teachings and examples of previous generations and those with wisdom around us, allowing correction to be our helper and having self-control to make good decisions. I pray that God would help people to guard their marriages (present or future).  May they forever be faithful.  I am so blessed to be with the man I am. He is an amazing person, so protective, observant, caring, and fun.  Help him, and all of us, to grow spiritually and lead others to faith in God.  May God bless us with wisdom and patience, faith and discernment in our marriages, finances, careers.

Day 43: Where Are We Going?

Hebrews 11:1-26; Exodus 13-14; Proverbs 5

The Hebrews’ worship and faith set them apart as a unique people; it branded them as if it was written on their hands or foreheads.  I hope that our faith in Christ is so obvious to people that they would see how glorious he is.  What an awesome blessing to be a part of: To be a follower of Jesus in a way that leads others to faith!

God leads the Israelites in both day and night.  Even in the darkness God was with them, and when things were good, he still was there. At one point The Lord told them to back-track on their journey.  They had been traveling by foot, probably tired, though I’m sure their spirits were up, but God told them to turn around and go back to where they had just come from.  It may have seemed pointless to many—why should we go back?  I thought God was leading us to the promised land?—and yet, God intended it for a larger, greater purpose.  Such a move allowed The Lord to bring glory to himself.  The Lord probably does the same thing to us.  God may ask us to back-track, to return to a place we were before, and I hope that we would listen and accept.  Following him with great faith ensures that he can work out the good things for us and more importantly, for others.

BUT, at the first sign of trouble, the Israelites lose faith in the awesome power of God.  They were more afraid of a human than the Almighty God, who performed amazing and terrible wonders.  The reality is that troubles will come our way, God may seem distant, and circumstances may loom large, but we must continue to trust and worship The Lord, and not be afraid of the circumstances or the people who intend to harm us.  We must keep moving following, the same thing God tells the Israelites as they stand at the edge of the Red Sea: press on, persevere, keep going.

Day 42: Keep Moving, Don't Loiter

Hebrews 10:19-39; Exodus 11-12; Proverbs 4

Why is Moses so angry?  He is wielding the power of the Almighty, and yet he is angry.  I believe it is because he values life, not death for his rival.  Perhaps he is frustrated that the king will not change his ways and instead, God is having to cause death to get his attention.  Sometimes I get so frustrated with people (and myself) for how their (or my) selfishness is destroying others. We need to wake up and realize that all of our actions affect others.

The Passover instructions are so weird and yet so cool.  God cared about people who didn’t have big enough families and instructed the people to help one another—to be a part of a community.  The lamb or goat must be young and perfect, representing Jesus.  Each family member must care for it and eat part of it—representing the nurturing of faith in Christ and accepting His sacrifice and death.  Blood spread on the doorpost represents the outward signs that make people believers; everyone should be able to look and see the Truth in our lives.  And then when the meal is over, burn the rest, don’t save it for another day, because Christ died once and that covers all people forever.  Then being dressed ready to go was a sign of faith in God’s promise that they were about to leave for the promised land.  Such cool symbolism, and all of it came true.

In this proverb, it is interesting that sin means stopping, entertaining evil things instead of moving forward and pressing on.  There needs to be clear direction in our lives, forward motion, growth.  Without it, we will be prone to fall into sin.  May God help us to keep moving forward, to not turn to the side or loiter where sin resides.

I pray that God helps us to have faith, be brave, and believe in something better than what this corrupted and temporary world has to offer.  I hope that we can keep from being materialistic or fearful because of our present insecurities, difficulties and life situations.  

Day 41: A Stubborn Attitude

Hebrews 9:23-10:18; Exodus 9-10; Proverbs 3

Hebrews is all about how the sacrifice of Christ is good for all people and for all time, to wash away sins.  Because of Christ’s sacrifices, we no longer need to offer other sacrifices, and that this new covenant replaces the one between God and Moses and the people.

The king of Egypt is such an interesting story and provides glimpses of so many important aspects of life:  faith in God to go and witness before those that do not want to listen; understanding that actions and choices have consequences, often that affect others; compromise is not acceptable; listen to those who give you good advice.  Even though Moses wasn’t perfect, his example is a wonderful one of growing in faith in the Lord, being strong, and speaking his message.

In Exodus, king’s stubbornness goes beyond just standing up for what he believes, it is selfish, and he causes pain to be inflicted on his own people, the ones he cares about.  How harmful is it for us to be stubborn? Often we think that our actions only affect ourselves; I hear the phrase "I'll do what I want, because I don't care what people think." To me, that is so dangerous. That stubbornness and selfishness is cancerous and virulent to our society.

Moses said that he felt that the king and his people did not really “fear” the Lord, meaning they did not really respect God.  They were just afraid for their lives and so they obeyed.  Fear that has its basis in a terror for personal wellbeing or for eternal safety cannot develop a real respect and relationship with you.  If there is fear, then there cannot be love.  The God of the bible, and especially Jesus, is all about love--that goes back to the Hebrews verses and thoughts above.

Wisdom is what we need to be seeking—not other stuff that is simply a distraction.  If I have wisdom, I am richer than anyone else in the world.  Through God's wisdom we will be blessed with a beautiful spiritual life, though we are not guaranteed health, strength, or protection from hardships. But, wisdom helps us to see the purpose of good and bad times.

Day 40: Dealing with Discouragement

Hebrews 8; Exodus 5:1-6:27; Proverbs 1

The Israelites were too discouraged to believe the promises of God.  Boy, does that sound familiar. The Lord proves himself with fire and manna because it was a different time and a different place.  God doesn’t work the same way anymore—with large displays of his greatness coming down from heaven.  Moses doubted God's call for him, so he sent Aaron with him to make it happen.  The Lord sent them anyway, knowing that they would doubt, and God would have to step in and make it happen.

Sometimes I doubt my own purpose and worth and potential for growth.  In those times, I really need God to clearly speak and send me to the place where he wants me to be.  I need God's help because I get in my own way.  I am trying very hard to fervently listen to God's wisdom.  Sometimes, after I have failed miserably, I feel like to shout: "God, be patient!  I know I can do it! I am ready to try again, Lord!  Teach me!  I am here!" We may feel like we are stuck in the mire, the pit, and only God's grace and wisdom can pull us out. Well, it is probably true.  Only God's grace and wisdom CAN get us out and truly rescue us.

(It's Saturday, so here's a two-for-one deal.  I hope it blesses you today!)

Hebrews 9:1-22; Exodus 6:28-8:32; Proverbs 2

There are some really key points in this Hebrews chapter.  First, the rules about physical things will eventually pass away.  The physical world is temporary.  Second, Jesus freed me from sin forever.  His sacrifice covers all my sins and all of the world’s sins.  And finally, my God is living and I am free to worship and serve him and live in a way that does not lead to death.  I am free.  WE are FREE.  Cool.

I was confused as to why the Egyptian magicians would be able to do similar tricks as Moses and Aaron.  There is a good possibility that it was just trickery and sleight of hand, or they had tapped into some evil power to perform similar miracles.  Either way, once the Nile was blood, they could not make it more bloody, so they were constrained to limited miracles.  It is scary to think that the same Satan that might have helped them do evil stuff still roams this earth helping people do more evil.  May the Holy Spirit protect people!

The Egyptian king, the one saw all these miracles and wonders, was so stubborn.  Even after seeing the signs he refused to believe.  How much more of a struggle will it be for stubborn people today who do not see huge signs and miracles?  They have the Word of God and the example of imperfect Christians.  The Word, they have to pick up themselves and Christians today are often a poor example of Christ.  I pray that everywhere, God would break down barriers for non-believers to get to experience Christ.  I hope that the Lord's goodness is greater than our failures so that people might see Jesus everywhere.  I pray that God's word would strike people to their core and change their lives forever.  I know it is possible that The Lord's kingdom can spread further and more deeply than ever before.

Day 39: God Can Do It, Just You Wait

Hebrews 7; Exodus 3-4; Psalm 41

The story of Moses and the Hebrew exodus is interesting.  Moses, when he first encounters God shows how weak his faith is.  He questions The Lord about his own abilities just after God has promised that he will accomplish these things.  Then Moses is concerned about what he will say, trying to find another excuse not to be the one who does this great task.  God tells him it won’t be easy but he need not worry because the promise has been made and the Almighty is on his side.  And excuse after excuse, The Lord provides him with something wonderful or a promise that he need not be afraid.  This same Lord that provided for every concern that Moses had will do the same for us.  Excuse after excuse, God will make a way.

I also find it interesting that the Israelites are to go to their Egyptian neighbors and ask for their clothes and gold and jewelry.  In the notes it says that these items were used to build the tabernacle.  Imagine, today, going to someone who really doesn't like Christians and saying "Hey, we are taking up an offering to develop our church, could you donate?"  Ha, yeah right.  But, the Egyptians gave them everything!  I don't know if they were in some Holy Spirit induced trance:  "Ugh, here is gold for you.  Take all." But, either way, this just shows that even in the most unconventional and desperate of times, God will provide.

This Psalm says that God has helped me because I am innocent—and yet I feel that I am not innocent.  How can this be true then?  Perhaps it is faith in Jesus as my Savior the thing that makes me innocent in God's eyes. Sometimes that doesn't seem like it should be enough.  What about our obedience?  I obey God sometimes, but other times I follow my own selfish or prideful desires.  I pray that we would learn accept that we are innocent because of Jesus.

Day 38: Out of the Muck

Hebrews 6:13-20; Exodus 1-2; Psalm 40

It is interesting that something so intangible as hope could be something so solid like an anchor for our souls.  But the Lord does his work, often in the unseen—the Holy Spirit, our souls, heaven—and that is why faith and hope are so important.

The two midwives in the story of Exodus demonstrated great faith.  The pharaoh should have just killed them when they didn’t obey him, but God watched over them because they trusted him and valued life.  Moses’ mother and sister also trusted God and hoped to protect baby Moses.  Later, however, Moses took things into his own hands and sinned.  He then tried to hide his sin because he knew it was wrong and ran away when the consequences were upon him.  He was afraid rather than trusting. God sees our sins; we can't hide them from him. Being honest with God allows for him to work in our lives in powerful ways.

When people see how The Lord has taken believers out of the muck and mire and pit of despair and sin and placed us on a solid rock, that will be what makes them trust him.  It is not about escaping Hell, it is not about being perfect, it is about authentic rescue from sin that is such a testament and such a powerful image for non-believers.  That is the kind of faith that Moses needed, the kind of faith that we all need.

Day 37: Keeping Faith during Struggles

Hebrews 4:14-6:12; Genesis 49-50; Psalm 39

Jesus understands us completely.  He knows what our lives are like and he understands how hard it can be to obey God.  I am so thankful for the message in Hebrews.  Christ had to suffer in order to know true obedience and be made perfect; the same is true for our souls.  We must suffer and learn obedience in this life so that one day we can live with God in perfect heaven.

If we can't handle struggles, then are we still needing milk, baby food, elementary spiritual help and guidance?  Or, through our trials are we maturing past that to significant matters?  I hope that in our lives we are not stuck on the little things, but that we are growing so that God can be even more proud of us.  I pray that we grow to be a mature believers, having faith in our struggles.  May we be eager to show others how strong and lasting our hope is.  That we are faithful and persistent in any struggle, because of who God is.

Joseph’s brothers each had a vice, something they struggled with.  For some it was anger, others were workaholics.  They were blessed by God according to the life they lived, and for many it was dominated by their struggle.  We know that we will have many struggles, but I pray that our lives would not be won by our sins, but by our love and overcoming sins.

Psalm 39 is such a powerful, painful, honest, and beautiful cry out to The Lord.  Sometimes life just hurts and when it does, realizing how great God is and how small we are is humbling but encouraging.  When I know that my God is bigger than me, bigger than my problems, then I know I can make it through.

Day 36: Obedience, Not Perfection

Hebrews 3:1-4:13; Genesis 48; Psalm 38 

Three times in these few verses, stubbornness has been mentioned and is a bad thing.  I’m a stubborn person, but when it comes to sin, to obeying the Lord's call, being stubborn is wrong.  We need to be humble and willing to examine our hearts and lives, remove sins and obey God's word.

One common misconception with faith in Jesus or about Christians is that we can or should be perfect.  No one is immune from the power of sin. Just like the people who saw God’s miracles and were rescued from Egypt miraculously and then turned away to idols, we are all capable of losing faith or of disobeying.  I hope that through honesty, daily Bible reading, and prayer we are being diligent about our sins and our faith life.  Not perfect, but obedient.  We need God's word to be a double edged sword that cuts deep into our souls to reveal what is there.  Even though we are prone to sin, I know that I want to be improving in my walk with Jesus and ridding myself of my sin.  May God's word work in your life too, the way that he intends it to.

God does things in unexpected ways.  Jacob blessed the younger son of Joseph more than his older son.  Joseph was upset, probably with good reason, but we have to trust in the Lord's plan.  He knows the future, he knows what is best for us, and he knows how to make good things come to pass.  The Old Testament shows us over and over God's amazing redemptive, saving power and how he works out all things for the good of his children.  Thousands of years worth of stories should encourage us that even when we sin, God isn't going to leave us or give up on us.

Day 35: Practicing Christian Life

Two for one today. :-)

Hebrews 1; Genesis 46:1-27; Psalm 36

God appears to Jacob to promise that he is God and can be trusted.  Similarly, God goes with us into the strange and unknown places.  He promises to be there with us when we are afraid or when we don’t know where to turn.

The Lord's love is a treasure.  It is beautiful, special, precious, desirable.  His love is expensive in the most extreme way—first, it cost his Son, Jesus, and it costs our whole life.  However, it is a treasure that cannot be taken away.

Hebrews 2; Genesis 46:28-47:31; Psalm 37

The gospel, the promises of the Lord, need our full attention or we will surely drift away.  A person cannot lightly be a Christ follower or not read your word and expect to have a powerful, life-changing, solid faith.  Just like how I used to be able to play the piano and had even been able to play Fur Elise.  It was awesome.  But since I haven't played for many years, I can't expect to sit down and be awesome.  It just doesn't work that way.  Why can't I be an awesome pianist like some other people?  Because the practice hours a day and I don't.  How can a person really follow Christ closely?  If they spend time daily in his word.  If a person doesn't, then they cannot expect that serving and following The Lord will come naturally.

God gives his people more power than we are even aware of.  I am assuming that this will be made known and available after Christ comes again, though it is possible that we have powers—to pray, to heal—now and we just don’t utilize them.  I have become aware of a ministry that my brother is involved in that heals people of real, physical ailments!  I thought that stuff was just Bible times stuff.  Nope, apparently not!  The Holy Spirit is just as alive and kicking today as it was thousands of years ago.

Joseph used the Egyptian’s prejudice to work in his familly’s favor.  They did not like shepherds and so by emphasizing that point, the king encouraged them to live in the best land, away from the Egyptians.  God doesn't expect Christians to be victims, or walked all over, but to utilize the prejudices against Christians to teach people about who Christ really is.  If someone says that Christians never really help people, then help someone!  If someone says that Christians are so judgmental, then be welcoming!  If someone has nothing but negative things to say about Christians, then shock them with something good.

Day 34: Wallowing in Self-Pity and Fear

Luke 24:13-53; Genesis 44-45; Psalm 35

Jesus asks the two men why they are so slow to understand and believe what scriptures say.  It is true that God promises both suffering and good, he promises to be faithful and provide, he promises hope to those who believe, and yet we struggle with life, as if we have to do it all by ourselves.  Like the two men finally said, they knew, deep down, who Jesus was and what he meant.  So they stopped worrying and wallowing in pity and doubt and set off to spread the message, to live their lives boldly.  We need to do the same!

Jesus gives the same experience to the disciples:  they cannot believe and yet he reminds them that he told them all about life and faith and salvation, they just needed to believe it.  And once they understood that, they were elated and went boldly to praise God and spread the news.  Jesus's promises are good, his ways are good, and we know that we can trust in him.  So, may God help us to live it out, to believe it even when it’s hard to believe.

We need to stop wallowing in our own self-pity and life-junk, and set off to tell people about Jesus!  We need to stop being so afraid and live like we believe Jesus is ALIVE and God is on our side!

I love the story of Joseph and his brothers.  It is a story of selfishness and jealous that became sacrifice and love.  It is also a story about the Lord, and how he used the situation to carry out his bigger plan.  This is also a story of salvation.  The brothers messed up, sent away the one that would someday save them , and then when they had been humbled, he revealed himself and gave them the best in the land.  I'm starting to really LOVE the Old Testament.  Who knew?!  (Well, God did.)

Day 33: Siblings

Luke 24:1-12; Genesis 43; Psalm 34

Jacob is so upset about the loss of his first son, and the potential loss of his second, and rightfully so.  However, part of the reason for this is his favoritism, his abundance of love for the two sons and less respect and love for the others.  That is so unhealthy.  He resigns himself that on this second time to Egypt, Benjamin will be lost.  God had greater plans for this trial than what Jacob imagined.  For instance, it is awesome to see how the brothers change.  Judah is willing to take responsibility for Benjamin, having learned from his mistake with Joseph.  The brothers are honest about the money that they found in their grain sacks, and at the dinner, when Benjamin is given more, the brothers don’t think anything of it—there is no more rivalry and jealousy.  They learned their lesson.

I am so thankful that my relationship with my brother, Bryan, is what it is.   He is such an amazing young man, so full of the Holy Spirit.  There is no jealousy between us because God has used each of us in the other's lives.  I realize that siblings who are as close as best friends is quite unusual, but it took some trials as kids to get us here.  I pray that the Lord in Heaven would work in him and through him.  May God make Bryan an incredible worker for the kingdom and continue to use him.  And I lift up all of you with siblings, that God would build and help sustain positive relationships between you and your brothers and sisters.

How true is Psalm 34, verses 4-6! When we pray to God, he helps us, he can save us from ALL  our fears.  When our eyes are fixed on him, we do not fall into sin and have no reason to feel ashamed. We are nothing, no one, and yet the Lord listens and save us.

Day 32: In the Midst of Struggles

Luke 23:26-56; Genesis 42; Psalm 33

It is astonishing, no unfathomable, how, on the way to be killed, Jesus is still concerned for others.  Christ speaks to the women of Jerusalem and the other criminal, helping them, giving them perspective, teaching them.  How many times do I, in my times of struggle, do I focus solely and selfishly on my own problems, without thinking or considering someone who may be struggling just as much (if not so much more!) than me?  It's like the moment when all of Jesus' friends and followers stood at a distance.

Joseph’s brothers did not realize that their suffering with the governor of Eygpt was really to bring them greater blessings than just grain.  God wanted more for them than just a little sustenance; He wanted to reunite them with their lost brother, to redeem them, and restore their family together. I pray that in times of suffering and hardship, that we would be brave and understand that present struggles will not last forever but will open the door to more beautiful opportunities and greater growth.

God is  trustworthy, loving, gracious, strong, powerful, mighty, awesome, and just.  I know that God loves us and created us just as we are.  I pray that our hearts would believe God's truths and live out his will.  The Lord has a plan for us, for our families, and I pray that we would have faith and courage to live it according to his will, not straying away or depending on ourselves.

Day 31: Ew, Barabbas

Luke 23:1-25; Genesis 41; Psalm 32

Herod is actually excited about getting to see Jesus—one of the few leaders in this time that was—but it was more out of interest in the miracles and wonders that Jesus worked, not his message.  It was like Jesus was a circus animal to Herod and he wanted to see him perform.  This is just one of the ways that people abuse God's true identity.  I may not be fully aware or able to understand who God is and what he is capable of, but I know that it is not just some exciting attraction to gape at.

I always disliked Barabbas.  And I'm sure I'm not alone.  He's the murdering crazy man who was set free so that Jesus could take his place and die on the cross.  I picture him as a dirty, stinky, toothless, buffoon, with an evil glint in his eyes, always watching for some vulnerable soul to hurt or steal from.

And yet—I am Barabbas.

I am the person who had been locked up for doing horrible things:  hurting others, prideful attitude, selfish behavior; Jesus set me free, he took my place.  I can’t hate Barabbas, because I am him.  Ugh, that hurts my heart and head.

Some lessons for Joseph’s life:  first, patience.  Things do not occur when I’m sure Joseph wanted or expected, however, Joseph, whether he is waiting patiently or not, learns a lot of respect and reverence while waiting.  Secondly, give credit where credit is due.  God answers our  prayers and provide for us in abundance.  We need to make sure that we praise him for it every day and every moment we think of it.  Third, don’t underestimate the power of God’s plan.  Joseph made a global impact, something he could not have done without living his life in God's hands.

From this psalm we learn of the power of unconfessed sin:  being swept away in a raging flood.  May The Lord reveal our sins so that we can be washed clean and not swept away by them.  Whatever is hiding in our hearts, may the Lord make it known so that we can begin to remove it and not be swept away.

Day 30: When We Are Asleep

Luke 22:39-71; Genesis 40; Psalm 31

The significance of Christ's words “Wake up and pray that you won’t be tested" are powerful. As followers of Jesus, are we sometimes caught asleep. We are not paying attention. Our hearts are uncaring.  And this leads to tests and trials and struggles.  We have got to WAKE UP and STAY AWAKE.  When we fall asleep in our faith, that is when sin enters in, we stop being effective for God's kingdom, and we lose the blessing of Jesus.

Even the people who have come to kill Jesus get an opportunity to see his power and feel his love.  Jesus heals the high priest’s servant’s ear in the midst of his arrest.  Helping, loving, healing, they are so a part of who Jesus is that it is like he cannot help but serve, no matter who the person or what they have done.  May the Lord teach us to love and serve like that—that we care even to people who don’t care about us or in situations where we would typically be more concerned about ourselves.

Jesus says that this is “your time and darkness is in control.” I suppose this means that when the world is turned over to human hands, when God’s presence and care leaves, when Satan is in control, that the most violent and evil things in the world happens?  Humans are capable of such terrible things, and Jesus points that out by this statement.  That this was our (human’s) time and look what was happening.  It's still happening today.  One of the arguments I see over and over, and I suppose it could be true, is that since we cannot pray in schools anymore, we have all these children and teachers being shot, or committing suicide, or pouring out hate on one another.  When we take God out of something, "darkness is in control." Sad, and very scary.

There are so many reasons to honor and love God.  He protects us, answers our prayers, lead us, saves us from sin, and is so trustworthy.  I pray that all the amazing qualities God has will shine through us and that we would get out of the way and not keep them for our own glory.  I pray that God would break us of selfishness and pride so that there is only room for the Lord's goodness and humility.

I pray that no matter what trials may come in our lives, that we would be faithful and joyful because of God's promises to love and save us.  May we put our whole life in his hands—for me that is my husband and marriage, my career, my future children, my friends and family—because God knows so much better how to bless us than we do ourselves and may we trust in him to care for them and lead them.  I pray that our lives would reflect Christ's values and his love, not our own pride.  May we give God all the glory.

Day 29: Faithful in the Little Things

Luke 22:1-38; Genesis 39; Psalm 30

Jesus always sent his disciples to do things without Him. He wanted to show them that with the power of God, they could accomplish things.  It also shows that believers should serve one another.  Just because Jesus isn’t here in the flesh, doesn’t mean he isn’t a part of something.  The man showed the disciples the upper room for them to use, he was generous and offered it for the service of the Lord, even though it was the disciples asking.

Peter was ready to die for you Jesus, but it was a little thing in which he was tempted and failed.  Lord, help me to be faithful in the little things, because if I can do that, then I will learn how to be faithful in the big things.  Help me to be a servant, not expect to be served.

Even in places where we do not expect to be successful or useful, God will put us to use.  Joseph was a servant and then a prisoner and in both unexpected places, he was blessed and God helped him.  The same is true today.  Wherever We are, God will help us and bless us if we are willing to be obedient.

Lord, you have indeed saved me.  You have rescued me from darkness and brought me into the beautiful light.  Lord, I pray that my praise and my prayers are pleasing to you and I ask that you would watch over me and my family.  Show your love in ways that are best for us, as I know you will.  I pray that in my darkest moments, and when those I love are experiencing fear or uncertainty, that we would turn to you and be strengthened by your promises.  Lord, you will never let us down.

Day 28: Give It Up and Just Move

Luke 21; Genesis 38; Psalm 29

The widow gave all she had to God, and I hope that we can have that same kind of abandon with our attitude, wallet, possessions, time, and life.  Jesus talks about how the beautiful stones that were used to build the temple will be destroyed.  Life is not about the material wealth or accumulation that we can gain here on earth because it will not last.  The beauty of a house and its’ niceties are not important.  That was really hard for me to believe a few months ago and I know it was a stumbling block.  I prayed a few months ago that God would help me to not focus on the house size, fanciness, or amenities, but the space in which people can come and enjoy their time.  As I look back on my blogs, I realize that the very situation that Austin and I find ourselves in is EXACTLY what we prayed for.  I was obsessing over the details of our house, being able to afford stuff, online shopping like it was going out of style.  We are moving.  Downsizing.  Reducing the square-footage.  I prayed that God would help my heart to have its priorities right--so God put it on our heart to m-o-o-o-v-e.  I realized that the size of the house or how fancy it was does not make it a home or a place where people can be loved on and hear the message of Jesus.  People can do that in a shack.  So, Austin and I are following God's direction and have sold our nice big house and are moving to one almost half the size.  Why?  Because I want God first--first in my life, my marriage, my finances, my friendships.  That's all there is to it.

Jesus says, “You will soon be set free.” We are all trapped by something and Jesus wants to come and  release us from our sin and pain and human limitations. 

The Lord gives hope to believers that even in times of great suffering and trials, betrayal and pain, he is here with us.  Believers in Christ need not worry, but have hope because Jesus is with us (HE IS WITH US) and we will someday live with him in eternity.  That's the best thing we get from our Savior, but we don’t even deserve that.  May our hearts and lives be transformed so that we do not covet material things, so that we do not worry about status or popularity here on earth, or seek recognition for ourselves.  I thank God for revealing this to me and I pray that He would do the same for you.

Day 27: Issues?

Luke 20:27-47; Genesis 37; Psalm 27

God is Lord of the living, not the dead.  That means that this life and the next one are connected, that people’s eternity starts now, and that there is much to be looked forward to after we die.  That is so cool and so weird and so hard to imagine.  I'm not going to pretend I get it.

Jesus turned the tables on religion and what was/is expected.  The religious leaders who were proud of their religion and status are the ones who Jesus said would be punished, those who judge others and think highly of themselves will be brought low by God's hand.  Humility is such an important characteristic—something I struggle with.  I always thought I was humble, but then I sort of think that I'm "so humble" and try to use it as a crutch or like the Pharisees would, to show how they are better.  That's definitely not what I want to do.  But at the same time, my husband believes that I actually am a humble person and that it has sometimes morphed into a self-confidence issue.

Either way, I know I have issues.

 I need real humility, authenticity, transparency.  I cannot be all about myself and I need to want to make a difference, not to lift myself up.  Instead, my goal is to lift God up.  If I continue to be racked with selfishness or pride or whatever issue is in my heart, then God is not the center of my existence like I had hoped or thought and I am still at the center.  Maybe I'm the only one that feels this way, but somehow, I doubt that.

May the Lord teach us how to humble ourselves while still praising him for how he has created us.  I’m not sure how that happens or what that looks like, but I know that God will reveal that in time.  Joseph learns the hard way not to elevate oneself, but to thank God for the gifts he gives.