Tag Archives: Obedience

2013 Day 116 – Judges 4-6, Psalm 19-36

26 Friday Apr 2013

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I love the story of Gideon because it reminds me of a couple of things about our relationship with God. First, it is a relationship and it is ok to sometimes question God. We should always do it with respect and reverence, but it is ok. Second, because it is a relationship, God is patient with us and our human nature to doubt. God is not offended by us when we ask question as long as we are obedient to Him in the end. God has made each of us with unique personalities and character traits. Some of us plow ahead when told to do so, while others are more methodical about our approach. But ultimately, God has made us to work together to accomplish His perfect plan with each of us bringing our individual strengths to the table.

2013 Day 105 – Matthew 1-4, Psalm 60

15 Monday Apr 2013

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Today we begin the Book of Matthew. This book is one of the four Gospels and it is written by Matthew the tax collector. Matthew is not one of the disciples but he has been changed because of Jesus and is a believer of Jesus as the Messiah. One of the things I love about this book is the way it begins. It shows the precision of God and how God’s perfect plan brought Jesus into being. Matthew 1:17 says, Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah. with all that history from the time of Abraham, I’m sure no one in that timeline would have guessed they were part of the direct line of the Messiah, yet God knew exactly what He was doing. If God can plan something as immense as the delivery of the Savior to the world, He can certainly plan my life to fulfill my part of His will for His kingdom. My part is simply to be obedient and willing to be used by Him when the Holy Spirit directs me to act.

2013 Day 103 – Joshua 22-24, Psalm 59

13 Saturday Apr 2013

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Today we are finishing up the book of Joshua. This book is the fulfillment of God’s blessing on Israel with the delivery of the promised land. Joshua, Moses’ protege, has lead the Israelites into the land and conquered it. As he is about to end his time on earth he gives the Israelites a final challenge and asks who they will serve. In Joshua 24:14-15 it says, 14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” I love the way Joshua takes a leadership stance with the statement, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Sometimes we simply need to do what we know is right, regardless of what anyone else is doing.

2013 Day 102 – Joshua 19-21, Psalm 58

12 Friday Apr 2013

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The verse that stood out to me today was Psalm 58:4-5 says, 4 Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears, 5 that will not heed the tune of the charmer, however skillful the enchanter may be. This is a good description of what the world we live in has become. There is nothing we can do to convince others about Jesus. It is up to the Holy Spirit to change the hearts and minds of the nonbeliever. This is not to say we are without responsibility, because we must be obedient and be available to be used by the Holy Spirit in any way necessary. It is not our job to convert; it is our job to be available and and to serve.

2013 Day 98 – Joshua 7-9, Psalm 54

08 Monday Apr 2013

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As we continue our reading in the book of Joshua, we see the Israelites continuing their siege on the people living on their promised land. I have to admit, this is a very harsh scene to read about. It is difficult to imagine what it would be like to be commanded to eliminate and entire city and its inhabitants. But this is what God required. Don’t get me wrong, God is not in the business of destroying entire countries simply for His pleasure, but He is in the business of taking people over completely. God requires us to share who He is and the message of salvation through Jesus Christ to everyone and He requires us to be righteous in the process. Thankfully He provides righteousness through the blood of Christ and constant leading through the Holy Spirit in our hearts. We must be open to this and we must allow His plans to be accomplished through us completely, just as He did (in a very different way) in the book of Joshua.

2013 Day 95 – Joshua 1-3, Psalm 52

05 Friday Apr 2013

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Today we begin the book of Joshua. This is one of my favorite books of the Old Testament. There is a lot of drama and there are many lessons we can learn. One of the things that always stands out to me in this book is how God uses everything to fulfill His plan. The bottom line is that God doesn’t really need us; He chooses to use us. In these first few chapters God even uses a prostitute to fulfill His plan. The point I’m trying to make is He doesn’t need us to be perfect or holy or clean, smart, or even called. He simply wants us to be obedient and willing to be used in any way He asks.

2013 Day 91 – Deuteronomy 27-30, Psalm 48

01 Monday Apr 2013

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Welcome back after a couple of days off from our reading plan. I hope you were all blessed by celebrating our Savior’s sacrifice and resurrection.

The verse that caught my eye today was Psalm 48:14, For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end. God wants to lead us if we will allow Him to do it. His plan is perfect. We just need to humble ourselves to His leadership.

2013 Day 87 – Deuteronomy 23-26, Psalm 47

28 Thursday Mar 2013

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As we watch decisions unfold around us by the leaders of this country and the world, it is easy to forget who is the leader of them all. Psalm 47:8-9 says, 8 God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. 9 The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted. While we should not ignore what happens around us and sit idly by, we must remember that God is not blinded by any of it. In the end, His righteousness will prevail. Let us not allow ourselves to be hung up on individual issues around us, but let us focus on God’s kingdom and our mission to share the message of Christ. We should also keep in mind that the Great Commission did not include the title of “Judges of the Earth”. Matthew 28:19-20 simply states what our role should be, 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

2013 Day 86 – Deuteronomy 20-22, Psalm 46

27 Wednesday Mar 2013

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As we read all of these individual laws, I can’t help but notice how many of these commands are common sense to us today. God does not give us laws to punish, but to protect. Yes, He wants obedience, but like a father to his children, He wants nothing more than to protect and give what is best for us. When we choose to disobey sound instruction from our Heavenly Father, we place ourselves in the presence of potential danger. Let us not ignore God, but let us obey Him and His commands because He knows what is best for us.

2013 Day 84 – Deuteronomy 14-16, Psalm 44

25 Monday Mar 2013

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Unfortunately, I did not get a lot from today’s reading we have not already discussed. However, as I have said before, it amazes me at the level of detail God puts into the instruction He gives to the Israelites through Moses. I know we no longer live under the law to receive salvation, but there is a lot of wisdom in the commands given to the Israelites (including the command to not eat vultures). There is nothing listed in the Bible by accident or without purpose. We must continue to read and digest every word because it is important, if for no other reason than to point us back to our imperfection without God’s saving grace through Christ’s sacrifice.