Deuteronomy 9:1-10:22 + Luke 8:4-21 + Psalm 69:19-36 + Proverbs 12:2-3
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Old Testament – Okay, I’m really appreciating the New Living Translation little commentary headers before sections of our readings – as I discussed in yesterday’s post, these are not from the original manuscripts so should not be considered Biblical text. Nonetheless, I personally do find them useful. And I really do like the first header in Deuteronomy chapter 9 today in the NLT – “Victory by God’s Grace.” You’ll note that you won’t actually find the word “grace” in any of the verses that follow. However, I think we do get a good overview of how grace works in this section, and verse 6 gives an example of grace: “I will say it again: The LORD your God is not giving you this good land because you are righteous, for you are not–you are a stubborn people.” This verse made me chuckle a bit when I read it. Because it is true. The Israelites were a stubborn people, as we’ve seen in our readings. And yet, God was still showing grace by giving them the Promised Land. This verse primarily made me chuckle because I think that we, today, are still oftentimes a stubborn people. Not a lot has changed in 3,000+ years. We humans are still a stubborn people. And God is still a God of grace. Then and now. God shows us humans his grace. Thank goodness!
Later in Deuteronomy chapter 9 we read about the golden calf, and we get a great reminder of how Moses truly was a mediator between God and the Israelites – in some ways foreshadowing the mediator role that Jesus is now between God and all humankind. Verses 18 & 19 demonstrate Moses’ mediator role well – “Then for forty days and nights I lay prostrate before the LORD, neither eating bread nor drinking water. I did this because you had sinned by doing what the LORD hated, thus making him very angry. How I feared for you, for the LORD was ready to destroy you. But again he listened to me.” And check out this amazing image below of Moses laying prostrate before God on behalf the Israelites… can you imagine doing this for 40 days and nights for someone? Particularly for someone who just sinned greatly against God? Moses is amazing…
Wow. Deuteronomy chapter 10 verses 12 through 22 are about as inspiring of a speech as any from Moses. What a great exhortation for the Israelites to love and be obedient to God! There are surely some words of wisdom for us in these verses today as well. Below is a great image from these verses and here are verses 12 & 13, which I love: “And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good? “
New Testament – Today in Luke chapter 8 we read the story of the farmer scattering seed. This parable is an opportunity for us to examine the condition of our hearts. Are our hearts rocky, thorny, or are they fertile soil? The condition of our hearts will dictate how receptive we are to Jesus, the Word of God made flesh. Jesus is the farmer still scattering the see of his Word among humankind today. Is your heart receptive to the Word of God? Per verse 15, will you “hear God’s message, cling to it, and steadily produce a huge harvest”?
As you are receiving God’s Word in your heart, check out verse 18 in today’s readings – “So be sure to pay attention to what you hear. To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But to those who are not listening, even what they think they have will be taken away from them.” This is a powerful truth. When we are open to God’s Word and really study it we will be given more and more insight over time. It should be a lifelong journey of learning from God’s Word. I know there are many of you going through the One Year Bible for more than the 1st time – one of you has even gone through the One Year Bible 16 years in a row! And my hunch is that if we were to ask the person going through the OYB for the 16th year if she was still learning and gaining new insights from God through his Word, the answer would be a resounding yes! I do worry to a degree when someone goes through the Bible in its entirety once, and then puts it on the shelf. I think that is risky. I know that we’re not all called to read the Bible in its entirety in One Year every year, but I do think it is extremely wise for us to be engaged in the Bible in some way each and every day. Otherwise, perhaps, as the end of the verse above says, “to those who are not listening, even what they think they have will be taken away from them.” Let us pray that our love of learning from God’s Word each and every day will not be taken away from us. Each day, in some way, let us be like this young person buried in their Bible at Bible Camp… 🙂
Bible.org’s commentary on Luke chapter 8’s reading today, titled “Parable of the Soils” is at this link.
Psalms – I love Psalm 69 verse 33 today – “For the LORD hears the cries of his needy ones; he does not despise his people who are oppressed.” God hears the cries of his needy ones. Perhaps the question is then, do we hear the cries of God’s needy ones? Do we hear the cries of those starving today? Sick from lack of clean water? Suffering from HIV / AIDS? Spiritually poor? Needing a friend? How is the soil of our hearts if we are not hearing these cries? Should we be hearing these cries? And if we do hear them, what then should we do? Remember Jesus’ words in Matthew chapter 25 verses 34-36: “‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’”
Proverbs – Proverbs chapter 12 verse 3 is a bit convicting for me personally – “Wickedness never brings stability; only the godly have deep roots.” I oftentimes in my life feel a bit unstable. I jump from church to church. Job to job. Interest to interest. The roots don’t seem so deep sometimes. I know the roots are deep with Jesus – and that’s the one area that really matters – but I do worry about how my roots don’t seem so deep in other areas of my life. I appreciate this Proverb. I have something to learn here…
Worship Video: So much of today’s readings reminded me of Phil Wickham’s fantastic song & video for “So So Good:”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cKUhoP4Jxs
Do you know our good God? Click here to know Him!
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: “For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.” Luke 8:17 NIV
Prayer Point: Pray that you have nothing hidden from Jesus in your life. Pray that you have no unconfessed sins. Pray that you are looking forward to that day when you will see Jesus face to face.
Comments from You & Questions of the Day: Based on our Proverb above, how about you? How are your roots? Are they deep? Are they stable? Primarily, how are your roots with Jesus today? Are your spiritual roots in Jesus growing each and every day? Do you want your roots to grow? Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless,
Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS:
(our Group Bible Study is below! : )
======= Ramona:
Deuteronomy 9:1-10:22
Mike—I’m going to throw something in the mix, the people who rebelled in the desert did not get in. They may have not been destroyed “immediately” when they sinned and rebelled, but they never got into the Promise Land. Those that were 20 years old and younger when they set up made it, but not their parents. All died off before, including Moses and Aaron, except Joshua and Caleb.
The grace extended to the people who made it in was the grace that the parents’ sins, which affected them—they had to wander for 40 years, did not kill them too. The grace extended was the ownership of the land that was about to be transferred to them without payment, the grace was a true reversal of fortune.
One of the things I noticed this time during the readings that after they sinned and suffered the consequences through plagues, being swallowed up in the earth, dying by snakebites before Moses made the snake to be looked upon, they admitted their sin because they were caught red-handed, however they never repented. That is the danger for me, for us, admitting we have sinned but not following through all the way. Admitting our sin because we have come face to face with the consequences and have been exposed in the media or to the community, but not really sorrowful enough to change or actions, which is really what repentance is. It is not just admitting we were/are wrong.
Sin has its own rewards and the writer of Proverbs recognized that.
His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins. (Proverbs 5:22 KJVR)
Let us strive not only to recognize where we have gone wrong but to produce a change in our lifestyles to go in different directions.
A poem by Portia Nelson (in There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk, 1993):
Autobiography in Five Short Chapters*
By: Portia Nelson
1. I walk, down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost… I am hopeless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.
2. I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in the same place.
But it isn’t my fault.
3. I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in; its a habit.
My eyes are open
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.
4. I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
5. I walk down another street.
Nelson, Portia, There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk
Beyond Words Publishing, Inc., 1993
Hillsboro, Oregon 97124
Grace and peace,
Ramona
====== Lisa:
I just wanted to say that this is my first experience with the reading the Bible in one year, and I AM in AWE!! I have wanted to speak out on so many days so far this year , but today I must!! I want to thank God for using you for this experience for anyone!! I have struggled much with seeds landing in the wrong place, but today this minute, I want to PRAISE GOD for I know in my heart that I am in a field of good soil here with you guys, I am so blessed to be here, on the days I can’t be here, I always catch up on every day i have missed.I just want to thank you and celebrate that today I know I am feeling a sprout of a root that I have never experienced before in Gods Word, I know there is alot that goes over my head, but I know He will bring to life to me when He sees fit. I just want to Thank You all. This site takes me to a favorite song of mine, Word of God speak!!! because God is in this place!!! Its an honor to be hooked, lined, and sinkered with you and your insights.
Lisa
======= Elizabeth:
Lisa, thanks for sharing your joy with us today. Praise God for the “sprout of a root” you are experiencing in His Word. His Word is so good and absolutely inexhaustible–it’s such a gift!! It’s encouraging to know that you are in the journey with me and so many others…
Today, I really enjoyed this paragraph from Bob Deffinbaugh’s commentary on the Parable of the Sower. It gave me a new angle on what Jesus was getting at here:
“When I have taught this text before I have spent considerable time attempting to answer the question, “Which of the four types of soil represent those who are saved?” I am now inclined to approach this parable differently. I believe that the first soil represents those who are lost, and that the fourth soil represents those who are saved, but I do not believe that the Lord’s purpose in telling the parable is to distinguish between believers and unbelievers. There is only one kind of soil which attains the goal. The goal which our Lord holds out in this parable is not that of being saved, but that of reaching full maturity and of bearing fruit. Someone might argue that a “rocky soil” person or a “thorny soil” person is a true believer, but our Lord would have us understand that they have not reached the goal for which they were saved. We are saved, not only to escape divine wrath and to live forever in heaven, but to attain to the “fullness of the stature of Christ” (Eph. 4:13) and to bear fruit (John 15:5).”
-Bob Deffinbaugh
Great point—the goal is maturity, not just salvation. I also have been thinking about those weeds…how they grow up so strong and quick in my literal garden and in my own life. It seems like there have been many cautions lately in His Word–to be diligent–to really listen–to hear Him,
Elizabeth
======== Luch:
Regarding reading through the Bible in a year we need to keep reminding ourselves that this is an excellent spiritual practice, but as I was taught reading the Bible is one method of Bible input. One can saturate him/her self with scripture memory,( Ps 119:9,11 “hiding the word in our hearts), with scripture meditation “meditating on the word day and night” (Ps 1), Bible study (acts 17:11–examining the scriptures daily and 2 Tim 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who doesn’t need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth), and there is also ‘hearing the word’ as in Rom 10:17 “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.’) I think the key to all scripture is MEDITATION on the word. Whatever format we choose to use to feed on God’s Word, we must make sure we ‘chew the cud’ as someone once defined meditation. And therein is the challenge with OYB. There is a lot of ‘cud’ to chew and digest. In time each one discovers how they best connect with the Lord through the means of grace called the Word, but it does take time to get to know what really works in a particular season of one’s life.
For example, in yesterday’s reading I was out prayer walking and I prayed through Psalm 69. The thoughts in that chapter echoed my own heart cry. On another day, a thought from Deuteronomy consumes my reflection and praying.
Luch
======= Pam:
How true it is in the Luke 8 passage about… he who has will more be given and he who has not, even what he has will be taken away from him.. In witnessing I have observed that the folks who take the time to read the Bible faithfully are the ones who actually mature and grow, while the ones who do not read the Bible on a regular basis often flounder and fall away and become tangled in sin. Only using the Bible as a “cure” rathar than a preventative measure and daily nurishment in one’s faith will cause illness. I think of it like this: If a person were to only eat healthy food when they felt ill, they would end up always sick. Many Christians treat the Bible with too little importance in their lives.
I am seeking to grow and flourish in my faith -deeply rooted in the Word of God!
Pam
======= Pat:
I certainly believe in Jesus and angels and I also believe that Satan and demons are real. Throughout each of the gospels we read that the demons were the first to recognize and identify Jesus as the Son of God, and they acknowledge His power over them. Yes, evil is real and so is the power of Jesus! That’s why we have to be constantly on guard and depend on Jesus to keep evil from attacking our hearts.
God Bless!
Pat
======= Helen:
Praying for all our roots today!
Blessings,
Helen
======= Jenny:
what stood out for me: Deut 10:12-13 “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..”
-this command was given to the Israelites, but the same is true today for us…His children.
v. 19 “Therefore love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” in the OT, God told the ppl via Moses to love and welcome the alien. I am often reminded of this when ppl start their angry tangents on the aliens coming into their country. I wont get started on that cause i get way fired up…but God says to love the foreigner, the alien, the stranger. I cant understand ppl’s lack of compassion for others who want help! thats all i’ll say.
Moses’ love for the ppl definitely sounds like a foreshadowing of the Christ…Moses’ sacrifice and plea for the ppl was completed whed Christ came and gave up His life. As Moses acted as a mediator between God and the ppl, how much more is Christ the mediator for us to God. We have NO access to the Father but by Christ.
Ps 69:19-21
” You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor;
My adversaries are all before You. Reproach has broken my heart,
And I am full of heaviness; I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none;
And for comforters, but I found none. They also gave me gall for my food,
And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink”
this is a prophecy of Jesus. My take is that He ‘had no comforters’, all His disciples fled and alas God the Father turned His back on Him as He became a curse for us.
I pray my roots in Christ deepen and I grow more and more everyday. I always fail, but God keeps His strong hold on me.
Jenny
======= Paul:
It is indeed true that our survival and stay in the knowledge of God and salvation is not in any way because of our efforts, knowledge or strength, but by God’s grace. What a humbling thing that makes me just be so broken and to look up to God in thanksgiving and adoration.
Paul
======= Jack:
I thank God for your gift. I am thankful daily of you ability to personalize our study of the Word. My Bible reading will never be the same.
Every verse now speaks to me personally. I pray that others will find it the same.
Thank you,
Prodigal Jack
======= Steve:
Luke 8:4-8:21
I read a commentary that brought out an interesting point on the parable of the seed. Jesus could have easily articulated his words as He spoke to the crowd so effectively that all would have heard what He was saying and understood it, but He didn’t. The reason He didn’t speak effectively and convince the crowd was because He did not want to overpower people’s freewill. Jesus could so easily have made everyone He came in contact with a believer but He never crossed the line of our own freewill. Imagine the power of Jesus which He is holding back until the appointed time when He just lets it all go.
Steve
======= Jill:
Whoaa! That’s true Steve! Well put!
I find it interesting that The lord saved them not for their righteousness but because they were a stubborn people. Why? Because God holds true to his promises. He is a man of his word!! He promised deliverance to the israelites! All the more reason we can’t earn our salvation! It’s not by our righteousness we are saved but by Gods grace! He will have mercy on whom he wants.
Secondly verse 16 ” do not continue to be stiff necked.” Doesnt that sound like the woman caught in adultery? “Go and sin no more” . His command was with authority!
Remeber we are all fighting battles, we are in valleys but only God is victorious!
Jill
======= Angie:
this is really interesting, i’ve moved and moved and i have to say alot of wickedness has been in my life. does this mean there is a connection with stability and GOD. many problems. My roots are getting deeper and but im still all over the place. It’s good to know this because i am going to see about the root of righteous in my life. It will help me in the future, because feeling rootless is something i strong will daily. thanks for this.
Angie
======= Cathy:
For sure now I feel like my roots start to be deep with God and today I feel it more.
Just at the start in Deutoronomy 10:12
The Lord said: And now Israel, what does the Lord requires of you?
He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that please him.
Let’s think about it. He is always willing to have grace with us despite our indefinite sins and in turn just requires us to love him and benefit from the eternal life…. Simple, easy when thinking about. But we human tend to choose the difficult path, the path of sin.
See all the Grace He gives us despite all.
Have a blessed and peaceful day.
Cathy
======= Russ:
good comments. Yes, sometimes Jesus still lets me learn things on my own even today. Sometimes when the lesson is over however, it wa obvious…I just couldn’t see it
Russ
======= Joyce:
Feel very encouraged by the comments.
Thank you brothers and sisters very much!
Mike’s memory verse stands out to me:
“For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.” Luke 8:17 NIV
Mike, it’s a good reminder that I need to pray that I have no unconfessed sins!
Also, thank you for your reminder “to be engaged in the Bible in some way each and every day.” otherwise, perhaps “to those who are not listening, even what they think they have will be taken away from them.” (Luke 8:18b)
All such precious reminders!
Gratefully,
Joyce
======= Susan:
I had a better understanding this year of the parable of the sower. Jesus’ words are not always easy to understand after all he is God and we are limited compared to Him I discovered that the seed on the path and the seed in the rocks represents people not saved. While the seed in the weeds and the seed in good soil are those who are saved. I desire to be the seed in good soil but fear the ways of this world hinder my growth. To truly keep my eyes on Jesus, hear Him, and obey…I have a long way to go.
Susan
======= Tracey:
Thank you for your one year bible blog. It has helped me so much to stay focused when I drift away from my closeness to God. I journal and write verses or my thoughts about what part of the bible we are reading and it helps me to gain a deeper understanding. I appreciate your comments and often write some of those down too. Praying for your blog.
Tracey
======= Robert:
Deuteronomy 10:12
My NIV has a comment: “In the Bible, love is more than a feeling; it is a decision to serve another person’s interest”. I think this comment stops short of the reciprocal love relationship we have with God. Isn’t it a two way street? I get the part about us serving God, but after reading about Moses and God’s relationship, I believe that God can “serve” us because He loves us. That has to stimulate some thought?
Luke 8:4-15
So True Steve. This parable really shows us our different levels of belief. With your thought Jesus could easily have opened the mind of everyone to believe but that would be imposing on our freewill. The word parable can be translated to mean riddle. It teases the mind into active thought and out heart condition is how we accept or understand the parable. For myself I try to refresh my thoughts every time I hear it. I have to be careful because over familiarity can deaden the insight. The parable of the Sower is like that. It’s mentioned in Mathew and Mark. I like what Billy Graham said about this parable, “1/4 of those that the Word of God lands on will go on to grow in Grace and Knowledge of Christ and become true disciples”. I wish it was more but that is the reality of freewill!
Psalm 69:30-31
“I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs”. (NIV)
This is what God wants most. He is not arrogant. We praise because we love Him and He accepts that praise because He loves us.
Update: I got the red Pontiac but not without a couple of hiccups that were profound! The dealer offered to knock a few bucks off the price on the receipt so I wouldn’t have to pay a bit more tax. This is pretty normal. He put the reason as the clutch slips. Now remember this is a God thing. The car ran fine for 50 miles till I got home and the clutch died. (Coincidence? LOL). After a couple of hours talking to the dealer, my son and YouTube we found out it simply needed fluid added. All good. Lesson for my son and I: When you have God involved, don’t do stupid things like short change your taxes. God is good!
Robert
======= Mitch:
OT – Moses has been giving a history to the people about their exodus. Had forgotten that he had lain prostrate before the Lord while fasting 40 days. Moses was interceding (picture of Christ) for God’s people. Did Moses change God’s mind?
IMO Time and space did not exist before creation, so God is outside time. (How that works – no idea) In real time we say God has a plan, but to Him it is “Done”. So Moses intercession was in God’s “Done”, if Moses had not interceded it would not have been in God’s “Done”. The action (conforming to the image of Christ) is more important, than any effect. Therefore, changing God’s mind is all on how you view this scenario.
NT- always wonder if the seed parable is about Salvation or the Christian walk? Perhaps both?
Mitch
======= Nancy:
I remembered about Moses being on the mountain with God for forty days & nights. Did not realize after coming down he spent the same amount again. It says without food or water. Physically he should have died. Just like when Jesus was in the wilderness. God sustained them both because they were doing His will.
Nancy
======= Dee:
I love how the Lord doesn’t affect our freewill. And as much as He wants to nudge us and gives us several hints and truths , he ultimately gives the decision to us! That’s amazing!
I love Deuteronomy in how it recaps Moses human heart and the realness of God. He was angry at the people however He listens to us as we intercede for others as a foreshadowing of Jesus. That’s amazing
Dee
======= Chris:
How could I have missed this…so many times.
Moses fasted 40 days and 40 nights, and when he came down off the mountain he fasted another 40 days and 40 nights.
He must have been near death…what an amazing man!
Have you ever tried fasting? I mean apart from not eating meat on Fridays or skipping a meal or two, or limiting the amount of food you will eat.
When I think of this, I see why it must have been wearisome to Moses when the Israelites whined and cried about manna, and water, and all the “luxuries” they felt they were missing from their stay in Israel.
Eighty days of fasting with just a short break between. He loved Israel so much, and he loved God even more.
What a great lesson for “springtime,” and to share God’s truth with children as we watch the seeds in our own gardens grow.
In thinking about where the seeds fell: Was it fertile? How will they will take root and grow? What will prevent their ability to sprout? Will they grow and make more seeds?
This psalm seemed very vindictive when I first read it; it was not showing much mercy to David’s enemies. And then I read some commentaries, and I realized that these were also God’s enemies that David was talking about…and I recalled Paul’s words when he said that “To live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Which of course, led me to that great and glorious day when we will be taken up to heaven…but, before that we are told we will have to suffer for our faith. Aha! Sure, we are getting closer to that day when we will be martyrs like right after Christ’s ascension. I think I will spend more time in this Psalm now, as it seems David was right on the mark! (Duh! Chris, Duh!)
Chris
======= Bob:
I participated with our church a couple of years ago and read the entire Bible in 90 days. I am not a super reader and very slow. It was soooo tough but what a reward it was for sure.
Bob
======= Rick:
“Once Saved always Saved” NOT
To me the Parable of the Seed clearly shows that where the “Seed” takes root and grows represents salvation. The Word says where there was rocky soil they believe for a while and then turn away.
I do not see how this can be interpreted any other way than, one can chose to turn away from their salvation. Through out the Bible God gives His people free choice.
If we can chose to give up our salvation the the statement: “Once Save always saved” is not correct. In fact it is dangerously miss leading.
Rick
======= Jill:
Hi Rick,
Although you could make a interseting statement about chosing to “give up our salvation” from this one verse it is vitally important to look at the whole counsel of the Word of God.
The verse that immediately came into mind when I read your comment was:
Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
If God has chosen me before the foundation of the world, I see it as His choice that I eventually come to Him through Jesus Christ, for which I am eternally thankful.
There are those who might chose to “play” at responding to the Word of God with enthusiasm and never make it a heart decision, of making Jesus Lord of their life. And some of these may “chose to stop playing and easily fall away, therefore appear to be giving up their salvation.
Once the Holy Spirit dwells in me . . . .well I am His and He is mine eternally!!
Just something to think about.
Jill
======= Art:
After reading our Psalms reading today,I’m having trouble knowing if I’m doing the right thing or not. A couple of months ago, I took in a gentlemen to my home who was homeless and gave him a certain amount of time to find a job and move out on his own. He didn’t find a job and then refused to leave. To make matters worse, he began verbally abusing me. I ended up calling the police to get him out of my home for fear of my own safety. He still calls and emails many times a day (he says he is at the FW public library). He says he has no one to turn to and no where to go. What should I do?
Art
======= Laura:
Art, that is awesome that you were obedient to God and helped someone in need. It’s too bad that we live in such a fallen world and that sometimes good and godly folks such as yourself who does a kind deed, learns to regret what they have done in the end. The only thing I can say is that a little descernment might be in order when the situation arises again. What you should of, or could of done was get them connected with a local rescue mission that could of provided food, lodging and spiritual nurishment as well. I know it’s too late in this particular case but maybe if this happens to you again.
Also there are many people in need as Mike is always mentioning, that you can help through organizations such as World Vision and Compassion International that can use donations. The donations with legitement organizations such as these go directly to the people in need. You can also donate and help out at your local rescue mission.
I hope this information helps. That is too bad that you had a bad experience like you did. Perhaps you can rest on the hope that your good deed won’t go unnoticed either by the individual being helped or others who observed. Some godly seeds may have been planted leading someone to salvation, and as we know, God is always in control.
Laura
======= Bobbie:
thanks god for His Grace towards me. Even in my stubbornness ,I experienced everyday His stubborn love for me. How amazing the great and unfailing love of God…
Bobbie
======= John:
Deut 9:6
“Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.” NIV
Is it any different today???? We are sinners. We do not have access to heaven based on anything we did – we are not righteous. If one does have access to heaven it is because he/she repented of their sins, turned to God, and accepted and received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. It is by God’s Word – and His promise that if we do the above we have the right to become children of God and co-heirs to heaven. It is by His grace and mercy that we are saved.
Never make the mistake of thinking it is because we are righteous on our own, but declared righteous through the covering of Jesus’ blood.
======================================================
[repost from last year]
Deut 10:15-16
“Yet the LORD set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer.” NIV
Since we had verses from John the Baptist back in Luke, I wanted to mention this passage as regarding “circumcising” the heart. John preached repentance and turning back to God. Here in Deut. is the first mention of changing the heart – how? – by circumcising.
Up to now circumcision has been the act done on males eight days after their birth.
Gen 17:10-11
“This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you.” NIV
The cutting away of flesh is a sign of the covenant with God for the Jewish nation.
“Circumcision of infant sons did not save them but evidenced the faith of the father and mother in the God of Abraham. As that young child grew up, his circumcision was a sign to him that he was different from other boys—he belonged to God.”
http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=96
This cutting of the flesh is perhaps symbolic of removing the flesh – or things of the world – so that you are in a spiritual state (covenant) with God. Some rabbis see it that way.
If so, then circumcising the heart would be symbolic of cutting away the flesh part (of the world) of the heart and leaving the spiritual core. The part that does recognize God and would be able to worship him in truth.
This way the people will not be stubborn any longer, and go chasing after idols, women, or things of the world at the first (or perhaps fifth : ) opportunity.
Also and this may be a stretch – it is not easy to turn when you are stiff-necked, but with a circumcised heart and no longer being stiff-necked – it is easier to turn back to God.
[NOTE: Last paragraph is purely conjecture on my part}
John
======= John:
Luke 8:18
“Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.” NIV
Do you just listen, or do you hear and absorb the Word of God???? Do you just read the Bible, or do you read and meditate on God’s Word????
“Our Lord once told the men who had placed their faith in him that they had become “the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a peck-measure; but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:14-16).” NIV
If you truly heard and absorbed God’s Word and acted on it – accepting His plan for salvation. Then you have that light – let it shine. You will be given more – grace, revelation, responsibility???? – thus more light.
If you have only listened to God’s Word and think you are saved any other way than by God’s plan for salvation. You do not have the light, and whatever it is that you think you know – will be for nought.
======================================================
Luke 8:21
“He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.” NIV
God’s Word:
John 6:29
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
God’s plan for salvation: acknowledge, believe and trust in Christ.
Christ’s teaching: repent, turn to God , and believe and receive me.
If one hears God’s Word and applies it – then you are in the family of God.
John
======= Vance:
Deuteronomy 9 (NKJV)
5
It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your God drives them out from before you, and that He may fulfill the word which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
6
Therefore understand that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people.
~~~
The Abrahamic covenant — the covenant that God’s people have with God because of Abraham’s faith and obedience — is A COVENANT OF GRACE.
Understanding blood, cut covenant is key to this point.
Genesis 15 (NKJV)
4
And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.”
5
Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
6
And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
7
Then He said to him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.”
8
And he said, “Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?”
9
So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
10
Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two.
11
And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
12
Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him.
13
THEN HE SAID TO ABRAM: “KNOW CERTAINLY
that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.
14
And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15
Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age.
16
But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
17
AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN THE SUN WENT DOWN AND IT WAS DARK, THAT BEHOLD, THERE APPEARED A SMOKING OVEN AND A BURNING TORCH THAT PASSED BETWEEN THOSE PIECES.
18
ON THE SAME DAY THE LORD MADE A COVENANT WITH ABRAM, SAYING:
“To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates— 19
the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
21
the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”
~~~
From the website hebrew4christians.com, I found this very helpful information about “cut a covenant”:
“The Hebrew word for covenant is b’rit, meaning a covenant, pact, or treaty. It is one of the most frequently used words in Hebrew Scriptures (appearing some 270 times) and is one of the Scripture’s most important concepts.”
“Ancient covenants were often made by animal sacrifice. To ‘cut a covenant’ demonstrated the earnestness of the parties involved in the agreement. YHVH (Yahweh) chose to cut a covenant with Abram in this manner (Genesis 15:7-11, 17-18). Thus, the word B’rit implies the shedding of blood in the process of ratifying a covenant.”
Normally, both parties would cut the animals in half and both parties would walk in between. By doing this, they were in effect say, “May what happened to these animals happen to me if I do not keep this agreement.”
A COVENANT IS A VERY SERIOUS AND BINDING thing.
Notice how God views covenant with His people in Jeremiah 34 (Amplified):
18
And the men who have transgressed My covenant, who have not kept the terms of the covenant or solemn pledge which they had made before Me,
==> I WILL MAKE THEM [LIKE] THE [SACRIFICIAL] CALF WHICH THEY CUT IN TWO AND THEN PASSED BETWEEN ITS SEPARATED PARTS [SOLEMNIZING THEIR PLEDGE TO ME]–I WILL MAKE THOSE MEN THE CALF!
Notice in Genesis 15:17 and 18 in particular. Notice that ONLY ONE PARTY passed between the cut animals. IT WAS NOT ABRAHAM, but it was theophany of God.
According to the Miriam Webster online dictionary, a theophany is defined as: “a visible manifestation of a deity.”
GOD HIMSELF WAS PASSING THROUGH THE ANIMALS CUT IN TWO. In effect, He was saying, “MAY WHAT HAPPENED TO THESE ANIMALS HAPPEN TO ME IF I DO NOT KEEP MY WORD!”
Do you get it! THIS IS GRACE, and the covenant with Abraham was ROOTED IN GRACE.
Later, the covenant in Deuteronomy was added to show the importance of obedience and the SERIOUS consequences of disobedience. (The wages of sin is death)
YET, THE COVENANT IN DEUTERONOMY is ROOTED IN, AND BASED UPON, the covenant of GRACE given to Abraham.
SINCE GOD’S WORD NEVER FAILS BECAUSE GOD ALWAYS KEEPS HIS COVENANT, we can have absolute confidence in His Word!
~~~
Now, connect this with the covenant of circumcision.
THIS, TOO, WAS A BLOOD, CUT COVENANT. They were, in effect, saying, “May the cutting in two in circumcision happen to me if I do not surrender to God’s covenant and do God’s will.”
Add to this the cut blood covenant in the NT. JESUS HIMSELF — GOD IN THE FLESH — cut a blood covenant IN OUR PLACE so we would not have to die.
ALSO, He cut covenant WITH US so that our old man died with Him on the cross.
Colossians 1 (NKJV)
21
And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22
in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—
23
if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.
~~~
Colossians 2 (Amplified)
11
In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, but in a [spiritual] circumcision [performed by] Christ by stripping off the body of the flesh (the whole corrupt, carnal nature with its passions and lusts).
12
[Thus [g]you were circumcised when] you were buried with Him in [your] baptism, in which you were also raised with Him [to a new life] through [your] faith in the working of God [as displayed] when He raised Him up from the dead.
13
And you who were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh (your sensuality, your sinful carnal nature), [God] brought to life together with [Christ], having [freely] forgiven us all our transgressions,
MAY WE TAKE OUR PLACE IN HIS CRUCIFIXION, AND IN THE BLOOD COVENANT that seals us in Christ.
May we take our place in THE NEW CREATION that God made us IN CHRIST when Jesus as Lord rose from the dead!
Vance
