MY SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

Postcard secrets

2010-03-04T20:16:00.000-08:00

http://www.ourdailyjourney.org/2010/03/04/postcard-secrets/

Psalm 31

31 For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1 O Lord, I have come to you for protection;

don’t let me be disgraced.

Save me, for you do what is right.

2 Turn your ear to listen to me;

rescue me quickly.

Be my rock of protection,

a fortress where I will be safe.

3 You are my rock and my fortress.

For the honor of your name, lead me out of this danger

9 Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress.

Tears blur my eyes.

My body and soul are withering away.

10 I am dying from grief;

my years are shortened by sadness.

Sin has drained my strength;

I am wasting away from within.

32 A psalm Hebrew maskil. This may be a literary or musical term.

">* of David.

1 Oh, what joy for those

whose disobedience is forgiven,

whose sin is put out of sight!

2 Yes, what joy for those

whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, Greek version reads of sin. Compare Rom 4:7.

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whose lives are lived in complete honesty!

3 When I refused to confess my sin,

my body wasted away,

and I groaned all day long.

4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.

My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.

Interlude

5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you

and stopped trying to hide my guilt.

I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.”

And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.

Interlude

6 Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time,

that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.

7 For you are my hiding place;

you protect me from trouble.

You surround me with songs of victory.

Interlude

8 The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.

I will advise you and watch over you.

9 Do not be like a senseless horse or mule

that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”

10 Many sorrows come to the wicked,

but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord.

11 So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him!

Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!

I haven't written in a while. I've been compromising my standards lately. Life becomes complicated. At the most crucial moment, suddenly God comes in the picture. I'm thinking "why I never thought of this earlier?" " Why must I turn to God in my peril and not stay with Him when things are good?" Have I taken His grace for granted. These two psalms opened my eyes.

In my deepest thoughts I am crying for help and I feel so close to Psalm 31. Psalm 32 is the joy expressed after receiving the forgiveness but I don't seem to feel it. You know that God has forgiven you but you still feel condemned? Strange.

I must live in the realm of forgiveness because if I am out of it, I'm depressed, condemned and will most likely sin again. Sin is a sin no matter small or big. I must confess my heart to Him. And I know that I'm forgiven no matter what.

Perseverance

2009-11-20T16:50:00.000-08:00

It has almost been 2 months now and I haven't been doing my devotions. Life can be soo full of excuses. When you want to do something which glorifies God, you can be sure there will be something which stops you from doing just that.

Though I miss the times, I now learn from my own mistakes that perseverance and discipline is the key.

1. Procrastination is the thief of time: I now notice that I wake up 30 minutes later than before, thus giving me no time. My lack of discipline always make me rush for work. This rushing really frustrates things. You forget things, you scurry around. You are not in charge of your day but allow your day to take charge. Instead of managing the seconds in my life I chase them. As a result, this menace cascades and a find the whole day unproductive.

2. When you stop spending time with God, you create a distance. Suddenly life feels helpless and lonely. You feel as if God isn't there. You seem to loose the spiritual connection. It actually hasn't gone anywhere. The connection is there and always be but if you do not login, it is as good as zero connection.

3. We must push ourselves. If you cannot push yourself to wake up on time, chances are that you will not push ourselves when times get tougher. The simple things we do will certainly affect the harder things we do. So time to push myself.

8-9-2009: Do Not Waver

2009-09-07T18:57:00.000-07:00

8-9-2009: Do Not Waver

Scripture

James 1:16-18 (King James Version)

¹⁶Do not err, my beloved brethren.

¹⁷Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

¹⁸Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Observation

We must never make a mistake when we receive blessings from God. God doesn’t swerve. We are considered firstfruits of God’s creatures. We are His treasured possession. Sometimes I wonder, why us? Why God put us on top of the food chain to govern the world despite knowing our sins and still makes us survive to this day? He is indeed a God of hope. Let us not give up on God because he still has hope for us.

Application

I must appreciate all gifts from god. Nothing I achieve is by my own efforts.

I must always trust God.

I must always turn to His words of truth.

Response

Lord, I thank you for all that you have done in my life. I praise you for you never change and are always the same. Teach me to emulate your ways Lord. Guide me in your truth. In Jesus name I pray.

Journal 1-9-2009 to 7-9-2009

2009-09-07T18:48:00.000-07:00

1-9-2009: Remember, Remember, Remember, and Remember

Scripture

Deuteronomy 32: 44-52 (Amplified Bible)

44And Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he and Hoshea (Joshua) son of Nun.

45And when Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel,

46He said to them, Set your [minds and] hearts on all the words which I command you this day, that you may command them to your children, that they may be watchful to do all the words of this law.

47For it is not an empty and worthless trifle for you; it is your [very] life. By it you shall live long in the land which you are going over the Jordan to possess.

48And the Lord said to Moses that same day,

49Get up into this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho, and look at the land of Canaan which I give to the Israelites for a possession.

50And die on the mountain which you ascend and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people,

51Because you broke faith with Me in the midst of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah-kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin and because you did not set Me apart as holy in the midst of the Israelites.

52For you shall see the land opposite you at a distance, but you shall not go there, into the land which I give the Israelites.

Observation

Moses again asks us to remember God. We have to set our mind and heart. We are also asked to remind them to our children. Often we get distracted by everything else. Our mind is scattered. Moses also mentions that, these words are supposed to be our life. We are not to think of anything else but we think of everything else. We have to keep our minds focused.

Application

I must remember God’s word. Nothing else matters.

I must treasure God’s word. God’s word is my life.

I must be focused and not distracted.

Response

Lord, I thank you for sparing me. Sorry for my loss of focus Lord. I pray that I’ll be more alert and not fall into sin. Your word is my life, Lord. Help me treasure your words and remember you always. Amen.

Journal 2-9-2009

Scripture

Deuteronomy 33 (New International Version)

Moses Blesses the Tribes

¹ This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced on the Israelites before his death. ² He said:
"The LORD came from Sinai
and dawned over them from Seir;
he shone forth from Mount Paran.
He came with myriads of holy ones
from the south, from his mountain slopes.

³ Surely it is you who love the people;
all the holy ones are in your hand.
At your feet they all bow down,
and from you receive instruction,

⁴ the law that Moses gave us,
the possession of the assembly of Jacob.

⁵ He was king over Jeshurun
when the leaders of the people assembled,
along with the tribes of Israel.

⁶ "Let Reuben live and not die,
nor his men be few."

⁷ And this he said about Judah:
"Hear, O LORD, the cry of Judah;
bring him to his people.
With his own hands he defends his cause.
Oh, be his help against his foes!"

⁸ About Levi he said:
"Your Thummim and Urim belong
to the man you favored.
You tested him at Massah;
you contended with him at the waters of Meribah.

⁹ He said of his father and mother,
'I have no regard for them.'
He did not recognize his brothers
or acknowledge his own children,
but he watched over your word
and guarded your covenant.

¹⁰ He teaches your precepts to Jacob
and your law to Israel.
He offers incense before you
and whole burnt offerings on your altar.

¹¹ Bless all his skills, O LORD,
and be pleased with the work of his hands.
Smite the loins of those who rise up against him;
strike his foes till they rise no more."

¹² About Benjamin he said:
"Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him,
for he shields him all day long,
and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders."

¹³ About Joseph he said:
"May the LORD bless his land
with the precious dew from heaven above
and with the deep waters that lie below;

¹⁴ with the best the sun brings forth
and the finest the moon can yield;

¹⁵ with the choicest gifts of the ancient mountains
and the fruitfulness of the everlasting hills;

¹⁶ with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness
and the favor of him who dwelt in the burning bush.
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince among ^[^e^] his brothers.

¹⁷ In majesty he is like a firstborn bull;
his horns are the horns of a wild ox.
With them he will gore the nations,
even those at the ends of the earth.
Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim;
such are the thousands of Manasseh."

¹⁸ About Zebulun he said:
"Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
and you, Issachar, in your tents.

¹⁹ They will summon peoples to the mountain
and there offer sacrifices of righteousness;
they will feast on the abundance of the seas,
on the treasures hidden in the sand."

²⁰ About Gad he said:
"Blessed is he who enlarges Gad's domain!
Gad lives there like a lion,
tearing at arm or head.

²¹ He chose the best land for himself;
the leader's portion was kept for him.
When the heads of the people assembled,
he carried out the LORD's righteous will,
and his judgments concerning Israel."

²² About Dan he said:
"Dan is a lion's cub,
springing out of Bashan."

²³ About Naphtali he said:
"Naphtali is abounding with the favor of the LORD
and is full of his blessing;
he will inherit southward to the lake."

²⁴ About Asher he said:
"Most blessed of sons is Asher;
let him be favored by his brothers,
and let him bathe his feet in oil.

²⁵ The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze,
and your strength will equal your days.

²⁶ "There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,
who rides on the heavens to help you
and on the clouds in his majesty.

²⁷ The eternal God is your refuge,
and underneath are the everlasting arms.
He will drive out your enemy before you,
saying, 'Destroy him!'

²⁸ So Israel will live in safety alone;
Jacob's spring is secure
in a land of grain and new wine,
where the heavens drop dew.

²⁹ Blessed are you, O Israel!
Who is like you,
a people saved by the LORD ?
He is your shield and helper
and your glorious sword.
Your enemies will cower before you,
and you will trample down their high places. ^[^f^] "

Observation

Moses lived a complete life; escaping the Egyptians to being raised in the hands of the Pharaoh’s, then fleeing Egypt again after discovering his true identity. Forty years later, he returns to Egypt to deliver his people from bondage just to move in circles when it wasn’t his fault. Finally, just because he lost his temper, he couldn’t enter the Promised Land. As Moses spends his last days on the mountains overlooking the Promised Land, he blesses them. Bless? He didn’t enter Canaan because of the people he was about to bless. Would you bless those who gave you a hard time? 2/3 of his life was spent on them. Moses learnt his lesson. He was calm. He didn’t get upset but focused on raising Joshua. Moses made sure that the next generation was ready. He blessed them.

In v9, he blessed the Levites for giving no regard to His parents and concentrate on God’s word. Was Jesus referring to this chapter when His parents came to see Him? (Just a thought)

Application

I must bless everybody.

I must remain faithful to the cause which God has sent me to do.

I must be humble enough to raise and bless others to continue God’s plan.

Response

Lord, I thank you for the life of Moses. I’m sorry for letting you down. Teach me to always bless everybody, even those who persecute me. Lord, you have given me a plan. Help me follow through this plan lord. Teach me to be humble. Guide me to raise others to continue your good work. Amen.

3-9-2009: Deuteronomy Finale

Scripture

Deuteronomy 34 (21st Century King James Version)

¹And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is opposite Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan,

²and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah unto the utmost sea,

³and the South, and the plain of the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar.

⁴And the LORD said unto him, "This is the land which I swore unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, `I will give it unto thy seed.' I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither."

⁵So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.

⁶And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor; but no man knoweth of his sepulcher unto this day.

⁷And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died; his eye was not dim nor his natural force abated.

⁸And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.

⁹And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands upon him. And the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses.

¹⁰And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,

¹¹in all the signs and the wonders which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land,

¹²and in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses showed in the sight of all Israel.

Observation

Deuteronomy ends with the end of a great leader and the beginning of Joshua. We see in v7 that he was old only in numbers. He was healthy and had good eyesight. He died a peaceful death. God indeed keeps old people young. The same people who repeatedly grumbled against him now mourned his death. This is the first time I notice of the people actually giving respect to Moses without a miracle or sign. Many of us only pay tribute to a person after he/she is dead. When they are alive, we just do our own thing. It is indeed a weird phenomenon. Many of my family and close friends come to mind. When they passed away, it just hit me as a bullet. It’s very weird. I am lost for words for words. Of course we Christians know that we’ll meet them in heaven but on earth………… Let’s continue to cherish the people we love. I think of a time when my cousin called me and told me that my uncle (his dad) had a stroke and was admitted. My parents called and said that he was recovering okay in hospital. I thought of finishing my work and going towards the weekend. He passed away the next day. Years later, this event still saddens me… Every event in life is a lesson learnt,

Applications

I must live a full life.

I must cherish my loved ones when they’re alive.

Response

Lord, I thank you for being in my life. Thank you for all that you have done in me. Help me to continue to life a life worth to your glory. Teach me to humble myself in all circumstances. Thank you for my loved ones. Teach me to always be with them. Guide my ways lord. Sorry for my sins. Teach me to always be with you. Amen.

4-9-2009: Faith

Scripture

James 1:1-4 (King James Version)

¹James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

²My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

³Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

⁴But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Observation

As we fall into temptation, our faith is tried. When our faith is tried, it works patience. When we have patience, we are perfect, whole and desire nothing of the world. Patience is a very hard virtue for me. I get upset at everything. Though I don’t show it outwardly, I am angered inside. I must be really really patient.

Application

I must be patient

Response

Lord, I pray that you give me patience Lord. Teach me to be humble like you and not harbor my hate towards others. Amen

6-9-2009: Humility

Scripture

James 1:9-11(King James Version)

⁹Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:

¹⁰But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.

¹¹For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

Observation

The King James Version has a unique way of putting things. It is very poetic and it also is my favourite version. Man’s ways are nothing. We think that we are so great that we have accomplished much. All that I am is by God’s mercy and grace. Without grace, we are nothing. We just don’t deserve any glory. All glory goes to God and Him alone, especially when I have everything. I only seem to find God when I lack something as if God is my ATM. I must be careful when I am lifted high to shine for Him.

Application

I must not forget God in good times.

I must always give God glory.

Response

Lord, thank you for showing me how to be humble in your presence. I am nothing without you Lord. Help me always remember that. Amen.

7-9-2009: Suffer

Scripture

James 1:12-15 (King James Version)

¹²Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

¹³Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

¹⁴But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

¹⁵Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Observation

We are called to endure temptation, not sin and feel apologetic about it. The endurance to temptation is futile without prayer and knowing God’s word. Isn’t it nice when we say, “Ooh, God has tempted me beyond our bearing, that’s why I fell.” Our no.1 enemy is lust. Our desire for the things we don’t have will siphon us out of God’s presence. It is indeed strange that we blame God for the good things and the bad as if He never gave us freewill. Lust brings sin. Sins brings us death: that is eternal separation from God.

Application

I must be content of what God has provided me.

I must live righteousnesss and purge sin in my life.

Response

Lord, thank you for being merciful. Please forgive me of my sin. Let me not lust and fall into temptation father but help me to endure temptation. Please give me the strength to fight Lord. In your mane I pray. Amen.

31-8-2009 : Don’t make God angry

2009-09-02T19:20:00.001-07:00

31-8-2009 : Don’t make God angry

Scripture

Deuteronomy 32: 1-43 (Amplified Bible)

1GIVE EAR, O heavens, and I [Moses] will speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth.

2My message shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the light rain upon the tender grass, and as the showers upon the herb.

3For I will proclaim the name [and presence] of the Lord. Concede and ascribe greatness to our God.

4He is the Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are law and justice. A God of faithfulness without breach or deviation, just and right is He.

5They [Israel] have spoiled themselves. They are not sons to Him, and that is their blemish--a perverse and crooked generation!

6Do you thus repay the Lord, you foolish and senseless people? Is not He your Father Who acquired you for His own, Who made and established you [as a nation]?

7Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations. Ask your father and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you.

8When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the children of men, He set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the Israelites.

9For the Lord's portion is His people; Jacob (Israel) is the lot of His inheritance.

10He found him in a desert land, in the howling void of the wilderness; He kept circling around him, He scanned him [penetratingly], He kept him as the pupil of His eye.

11As an eagle that stirs up her nest, that flutters over her young, He spread abroad His wings and He took them, He bore them on His pinions.(A)

12So the Lord alone led him; there was no foreign god with Him.

13He made Israel ride on the high places of the earth, and he ate the increase of the field; and He made him suck honey out of the rock and oil out of the flinty rock,

14Butter and curds of the herd and milk of the flock, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and he-goats, with the finest of the wheat; and you drank wine of the blood of the grape.

15But Jeshurun (Israel) grew fat and kicked. You became fat, you grew thick, you were gorged and sleek! Then he forsook God Who made him and forsook and despised the Rock of his salvation.

16They provoked Him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations they provoked Him to anger.

17They sacrificed to demons, not to God--to gods whom they knew not, to new gods lately come up, whom your fathers never knew or feared.

18Of the Rock Who bore you; you were unmindful; you forgot the God Who travailed in your birth.

19And the Lord saw it and He spurned and rejected them, out of indignation with His sons and His daughters.

20And He said, I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end will be; for they are a perverse generation, children in whom is no faithfulness.

21They have moved Me to jealousy with what is not God; they have angered Me with their idols. So I will move them to jealousy with those who are not a people; I will anger them with a foolish nation.

22For a fire is kindled by My anger, and it burns to the depths of Sheol, devours the earth with its increase, and sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.

23And I will heap evils upon them; I will spend My arrows upon them.

24They shall be wasted with hunger and devoured with burning heat and poisonous pestilence; and the teeth of beasts will I send against them, with the poison of crawling things of the dust.

25From without the sword shall bereave, and in the chambers shall be terror, destroying both young man and virgin, the sucking child with the man of gray hairs.

26I said, I would scatter them afar and I would have made the remembrance of them to cease from among men,

27Had I not feared the provocation of the foe, lest their enemies misconstrue it and lest they should say, Our own hand has prevailed; all this was not the work of the Lord.

28For they are a nation void of counsel, and there is no understanding in them.

29O that they were wise and would see through this [present triumph] to their ultimate fate!

30How could one have chased a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the Lord had delivered them up?

31For their rock is not like our Rock, even our enemies themselves judge this.

32For their vine comes from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of [poisonous] gall, their clusters are bitter.

33Their wine is the [furious] venom of serpents, and the pitiless poison of vipers.

34Is not this laid up in store with Me, sealed up in My treasuries?

35Vengeance is Mine, and recompense, in the time when their foot shall slide; for the day of their disaster is at hand and their doom comes speedily.

36For the Lord will revoke sentence for His people and relent for His servants' sake when He sees that their power is gone and none remains, whether bond or free.

37And He will say, Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge,

38Who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise up and help you, let them be your protection!

39See now that I, I am He, and there is no god beside Me; I kill and I make alive, I wound and I heal, and there is none who can deliver out of My hand.

40For I lift up My hand to heaven and swear, As I live forever,

41If I whet My lightning sword and My hand takes hold on judgment, I will wreak vengeance on My foes and recompense those who hate Me.

42I will make My arrows drunk with blood, and My sword shall devour flesh, with the blood of the slain and the captives, from the long-haired heads of the foe.

43Rejoice [with] His people, O you nations, for He avenges the blood of His servants, and vengeance He inflicts on His foes and clears guilt from the land of His people.

Observation

We anger God simply by worshipping someone else. We also incur his wrath by giving glory to ourselves or others for His works and efforts. It is sad how we forget god. God emphasizes His anger by giving us gory details of his punishments. We only see some of these things in horror movies. I sometimes cannot comprehend why our God does these things. God only does this to instill fear in His people so that the next generation won’t repeat their father’s, friends or grandfather’s mistakes. Having done all these, we still fall like flies. Our love for money, sex and entertainment deviates us from God. When God punishes, he askes us “ where is the God you worshipped and spent your time and spent your money on? Let him/her/it rescue you. “ Satan’s pleasures have a bitter aftertaste but God’s pleasures are eternal.

Application

I must remember God always.

I must not turn away from temporal pleasures of the world

I must always turn to God.

Response

Lord, I’m sorry I’ve sinned. You alone are my source of hope. Let me always remember to turn back to you. Help me always remember your words. Amen.

Journal 30-8-2009

2009-09-01T17:51:00.000-07:00

Journal 30-8-2009

Scripture

Deuteronomy 31:1-13 (Young's Literal Translation)

¹⁴And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Lo, thy days have drawn near to die; call Joshua, and station yourselves in the tent of meeting, and I charge him;' and Moses goeth -- Joshua also -- and they station themselves in the tent of meeting,

¹⁵and Jehovah is seen in the tent, in a pillar of a cloud; and the pillar of the cloud standeth at the opening of the tent.

¹⁶And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Lo, thou art lying down with thy fathers, and this people hath risen, and gone a-whoring after the gods of the stranger of the land into the midst of which it hath entered, and forsaken Me, and broken My covenant which I made with it;

¹⁷and Mine anger hath burned against it in that day, and I have forsaken them, and hidden My face from them, and it hath been for consumption, and many evils and distresses have found it, and it hath said in that day, Is it not because that my God is not in my midst -- these evils have found me?

¹⁸and I certainly hide My face in that day for all the evil which it hath done, for it hath turned unto other gods.

¹⁹`And now, write for you this song, and teach it the sons of Israel; put it in their mouths, so that this song is to Me for a witness against the sons of Israel,

²⁰and I bring them in unto the ground which I have sworn to their fathers -- flowing with milk and honey, and they have eaten, and been satisfied, and been fat, and have turned unto other gods, and they have served them, and despised Me, and broken My covenant.

²¹`And it hath been, when many evils and distresses do meet it, that this song hath testified to its face for a witness; for it is not forgotten out of the mouth of its seed, for I have known its imagining which it is doing to-day, before I bring them in unto the land of which I have sworn.'

²²And Moses writeth this song on that day, and doth teach it the sons of Israel,

²³and He commandeth Joshua son of Nun, and saith, `Be strong and courageous, for thou dost bring in the sons of Israel unto the land which I have sworn to them, and I -- I am with thee.'

²⁴And it cometh to pass, when Moses finisheth to write the words of this law on a book till their completion,

²⁵that Moses commandeth the Levites bearing the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, saying,

²⁶`Take this Book of the Law, and thou hast set it on the side of the ark of the covenant of Jehovah your God, and it hath been there against thee for a witness;

²⁷for I -- I have known thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck; lo, in my being yet alive with you to-day, rebellious ye have been with Jehovah, and also surely after my death.

²⁸`Assemble unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your authorities, and I speak in their ears these words, and cause to testify against them the heavens and the earth,

²⁹for I have known that after my death ye do very corruptly, and have turned aside out of the way which I commanded you, and evil hath met you in the latter end of the days, because ye do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, to make Him angry with the work of your hands.'

³⁰And Moses speaketh in the ears of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, till their completion: --

Observation

God emphasizes us to remember. Be it the book of law, Ark of the Covenant and songs; all of these have a role of bringing us closer to god. God is gracious. He has given us so many ways of remembering him. He is gracious enough to forgive us. Why then do we sin? Nowadays, we focus more on the song than the God it was written for. We focus on our blessings than focusing on the God who provided them. Even the music distracts us from the song itself. We have to be alert. That is why God always provides avenues for us to remember him. When we put Him first and remember Him always, it is easier for us to overcome our temptations instead of falling into them. When we remember Him, we will be bolder. We also must not make god angry.

Application

I must remember God.

I must overcome my temptations instead of falling into them.

I must put God first.

I must not make God angry.

Response

Lord, thank you for your grace in my life. Thank you for giving me ways to remember you. Help me overcome my temptations God. I’m sorry that I’m falling and failing. Teach me to be bold to face my adversaries. Help me always walk with you and not against you Lord. Amen

Journal 29-8-2009

2009-08-31T20:37:00.000-07:00

Journal 29-8-2009

Scripture

Deuteronomy 31:1-13 (Young's Literal Translation)

¹And Moses goeth and speaketh these words unto all Israel,

²and he saith unto them, `A son of a hundred and twenty years [am] I to-day; I am not able any more to go out and to come in, and Jehovah hath said unto me, Thou dost not pass over this Jordan,

³`Jehovah thy God He is passing over before thee, He doth destroy these nations from before thee, and thou hast possessed them; Joshua -- he is passing over before thee as Jehovah hath spoken,

⁴and Jehovah hath done to them as he hath done to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorite, and to their land, whom He destroyed.

⁵And Jehovah hath given them before your face, and ye have done to them according to all the command which I have commanded you;

⁶be strong and courageous, fear not, nor be terrified because of them, for Jehovah thy God [is] He who is going with thee; He doth not fail thee nor forsake thee.'

⁷And Moses calleth for Joshua, and saith unto him before the eyes of all Israel, `Be strong and courageous, for thou -- thou dost go in with this people unto the land which Jehovah hath sworn to their fathers to give to them, and thou -- thou dost cause them to inherit it;

⁸and Jehovah [is] He who is going before thee, He himself is with thee; He doth not fail thee nor forsake thee; fear not, nor be affrighted.'

⁹And Moses writeth this law, and giveth it unto the priests (sons of Levi, those bearing the ark of the covenant of Jehovah), and unto all the elders of Israel,

¹⁰and Moses commandeth them, saying, `At the end of seven years, in the appointed time, the year of release, in the feast of booths,

¹¹in the coming in of all Israel to see the face of Jehovah in the place which He chooseth, thou dost proclaim this law before all Israel, in their ears.

¹²`Assemble the people, the men, and the women, and the infants, and thy sojourner who [is] within thy gates, so that they hear, and so that they learn, and have feared Jehovah your God, and observed to do all the words of this law;

¹³and their sons, who have not known, do hear, and have learned to fear Jehovah your God all the days which ye are living on the ground whither ye are passing over the Jordan to possess it.'

Observation

Moses appoints Joshua since he is not able to enter Canaan. God teaches us to have no fear. He asks us to be courageous. God is going before us. He will not fail and forsake us. To embed this thought in our heads, God instructs a feast every seven years where every word of the commandments and statutes to be repeated again. This does not include the many times in between where fathers must speak of the commandments to the family during the Passover. Repetition is important. It is the only way that we remember God’s words. When we watch the television, we see how advertisers repeat their message again and again so that the brand sticks in our heads. We must always repeat the word of god. When we stop repeating, we begin to forget. When we forget, we become ignorant. When we are ignorant we behave as if God doesn’t exist. When that happens we just sin. I have learnt that even if we are faithful for years, we will forget when we stop seeking him for one week. Within 7 days (or less), we will just learn to be complacent and have the nerve to use God’s grace as an excuse.

Application

I must remember God’s commands

I must repeat and repeat God’s word.

I must read the bible, pray and always remember his word.

I must strife to never use God’s grace as an excuse.

Response

Thank you for giving me your commandments and statutes. Help me to always repeat them. You always are graceful towards me. Sorry lord that I have sinned against you. Teach me always to carry your word. You alone are my savior. Please forgive me. I don’t want to leave you lord. Let your presence always be with me. I love you Lord. Thank you for restoring me.

Thank you for loving me. Thank you fir dying for me and giving me hope. Help me shine for you lord. Amen.

Journal 28-8-2009

2009-08-31T20:32:00.000-07:00

Journal 28-8-2009

Scripture

Deuteronomy 30 (New International Version - UK)

Prosperity After Turning to the LORD

¹ When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come upon you and you take them to heart wherever the LORD your God disperses you among the nations,

² and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today,

³ then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you.

⁴ Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the LORD your God will gather you and bring you back.

⁵ He will bring you to the land that belonged to your fathers, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers.

⁶ The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.

⁷ The LORD your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you.

⁸ You will again obey the LORD and follow all his commands I am giving you today.

⁹ Then the LORD your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The LORD will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your fathers,

¹⁰ if you obey the LORD your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

The Offer of Life or Death

¹¹ Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.

¹² It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so that we may obey it?

¹³ Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so that we may obey it?

¹⁴ No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so that you may obey it.

¹⁵ See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction.

¹⁶ For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

¹⁷ But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them,

¹⁸ I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

¹⁹ This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live

²⁰ and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Observation

God again asks us to obey. For the past 30 chapters, this is all God is asking of us again and again. He wants us to be right with Him. In fact, that is the whole theme of the bible. The main objective of the Bible is to get us to heaven with God. In this chapter, he gives us 2 things, a second chance and a choice. God commands us to return to Him. When we return to Him, God restores. When we are ready to come back to him, He is waiting for us with open arms. He restores all that is lost.

God also tells us that obeying him is not difficult. His words are in our mouth and hearts.

God also gives us a choice. He tells us what will happen when we obey and what happens when we don’t. He highly encourages us to obey and waits to pour his blessings on us.

Application

I must obey Him.

I must always return to him.

I must make my choice to follow God.

Response

Dear Lord, I thank you for your grace to me. Thank you that you are a God of second chances. I’m sorry for all my sins. Let me make my choice and follow your commandments.

Journal 27-8-2009

2009-08-26T18:29:00.000-07:00

Journal 27-8-2009

Scripture

Deuteronomy 29 (New Century Version)

The Agreement in Moab

¹ The Lord commanded Moses to make an agreement with the Israelites in Moab in addition to the agreement he had made with them at Mount Sinai. These are the words of that agreement.

² Moses called all the Israelites together and said to them:

You have seen everything the Lord did before your own eyes to the king of Egypt and to the king's leaders and to the whole country.³ With your own eyes you saw the great troubles, signs, and miracles.⁴ But to this day the Lord has not given you a mind that understands; you don't really understand what you see with your eyes or hear with your ears.⁵ I led you through the desert for forty years, and during that time neither your clothes nor sandals wore out.⁶ You ate no bread and drank no wine or beer. This was so you would understand that I am the Lord your God.

⁷ When you came to this place, Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan came out to fight us, but we defeated them.⁸ We captured their land and gave it to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh to be their own.

⁹ You must carefully obey everything in this agreement so that you will succeed in everything you do.¹⁰ Today you are all standing here before the Lord your God—your leaders and important men, your elders, officers, and all the other men of Israel,¹¹your wives and children and the foreigners who live among you, who chop your wood and carry your water.¹² You are all here to enter into an agreement and a promise with the Lord your God, an agreement the Lord your God is making with you today.¹³This will make you today his own people. He will be your God, as he told you and as he promised your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.¹⁴ But I am not just making this agreement and its promises with you¹⁵ who are standing here before the Lord your God today, but also with those who are not here today.

¹⁶ You know how we lived in Egypt and how we passed through the countries when we came here.¹⁷ You saw their hateful idols made of wood, stone, silver, and gold.¹⁸Make sure no man, woman, family group, or tribe among you leaves the Lord our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. They would be to you like a plant that grows bitter, poisonous fruit.

¹⁹ These are the kind of people who hear these curses but bless themselves, thinking, "We will be safe even though we continue doing what we want to do." Those people may destroy all of your land, both wet and dry.²⁰ The Lord will not forgive them. His anger will be like a burning fire against those people, and all the curses written in this book will come on them. The Lord will destroy any memory of them on the earth.²¹ He will separate them from all the tribes of Israel for punishment. All the curses of the Agreement that are written in this Book of the Teachings will happen to them.

²² Your children who will come after you, as well as foreigners from faraway lands, will see the disasters that come to this land and the diseases the Lord will send on it. They will say,²³ "The land is nothing but burning cinders and salt. Nothing is planted, nothing grows, and nothing blooms. It is like Sodom and Gomorrah, and Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord destroyed because he was very angry."²⁴ All the other nations will ask, "Why has the Lord done this to the land? Why is he so angry?"

²⁵ And the answer will be, "It is because the people broke the Agreement of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, which he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt.²⁶ They went and served other gods and bowed down to gods they did not even know. The Lord did not allow that,²⁷ so he became very angry at the land and brought all the curses on it that are written in this book.²⁸ Since the Lord became angry and furious with them, he took them out of their land and put them in another land where they are today."

²⁹ There are some things the Lord our God has kept secret, but there are some things he has let us know. These things belong to us and our children forever so that we will do everything in these teachings.

Observation

God requires us to make an agreement with Him. He only requires us to be obedient children and not worship other Gods. We have seen even everything that has happened in this world. With the internet and media, we have seen more than what the Israelites have seen. The Israelites only have observed what has happened around them. We now see what is happening around the universe. We have seen more trouble, signs and miracles in this world. Anything which happens, we know the next minute. And I can still say God is faithful. If we succeed in life, it is only because we obeyed the Lord. If we don’t, then we have not obeyed God. I think that we have a conscience that tells us whether we are right with god or not. If we are not, then we have to go back and get right with God. In v29, we learn that we don’t know everything but there are some things that God has revealed to us. What he has revealed, we must keep them close in our hearts and not deviate from them.

Application

I must keep my agreement with God.

I must always remember Him by observing His signs, wonders and troubles in the world.

I must always give glory to God for the good things in my life.

I must not make God angry.

I must always treasure God’s words.

Response

God I thank you for this day. I thank you for being so real in my life. Teach me to obey your commands. Help me be sensitive of what’s happening around the world. I must always be sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Sorry for making you angry Lord. Help me to treasure all that you have revealed and keep you close in my heart. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Journal 26-8-2009

2009-08-25T07:17:00.000-07:00

Journal 26-8-2009

Scripture

Deuteronomy 28:15-68 (New Living Translation)

Curses for Disobedience

¹⁵ “But if you refuse to listen to the Lord your God and do not obey all the commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overwhelm you:

¹⁶ Your towns and your fields
will be cursed.
¹⁷ Your fruit baskets and breadboards
will be cursed.
¹⁸ Your children and your crops
will be cursed.
The offspring of your herds and flocks
will be cursed.
¹⁹ Wherever you go and whatever you do,
you will be cursed.

²⁰ “The Lord himself will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in everything you do, until at last you are completely destroyed for doing evil and abandoning me. ²¹ The Lord will afflict you with diseases until none of you are left in the land you are about to enter and occupy. ²² The Lord will strike you with wasting diseases, fever, and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, and with blight and mildew. These disasters will pursue you until you die. ²³ The skies above will be as unyielding as bronze, and the earth beneath will be as hard as iron.²⁴ The Lord will change the rain that falls on your land into powder, and dust will pour down from the sky until you are destroyed.

²⁵ “The Lord will cause you to be defeated by your enemies. You will attack your enemies from one direction, but you will scatter from them in seven! You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. ²⁶ Your corpses will be food for all the scavenging birds and wild animals, and no one will be there to chase them away.

²⁷ “The Lord will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, scurvy, and the itch, from which you cannot be cured. ²⁸ The Lord will strike you with madness, blindness, and panic. ²⁹ You will grope around in broad daylight like a blind person groping in the darkness, but you will not find your way. You will be oppressed and robbed continually, and no one will come to save you.

³⁰ “You will be engaged to a woman, but another man will sleep with her. You will build a house, but someone else will live in it. You will plant a vineyard, but you will never enjoy its fruit. ³¹ Your ox will be butchered before your eyes, but you will not eat a single bite of the meat. Your donkey will be taken from you, never to be returned. Your sheep and goats will be given to your enemies, and no one will be there to help you. ³² You will watch as your sons and daughters are taken away as slaves. Your heart will break for them, but you won’t be able to help them. ³³ A foreign nation you have never heard about will eat the crops you worked so hard to grow. You will suffer under constant oppression and harsh treatment. ³⁴ You will go mad because of all the tragedy you see around you. ³⁵ The Lord will cover your knees and legs with incurable boils. In fact, you will be covered from head to foot.

³⁶ “The Lord will exile you and your king to a nation unknown to you and your ancestors. There in exile you will worship gods of wood and stone! ³⁷ You will become an object of horror, ridicule, and mockery among all the nations to which the Lord sends you.

³⁸ “You will plant much but harvest little, for locusts will eat your crops. ³⁹ You will plant vineyards and care for them, but you will not drink the wine or eat the grapes, for worms will destroy the vines. ⁴⁰ You will grow olive trees throughout your land, but you will never use the olive oil, for the fruit will drop before it ripens. ⁴¹ You will have sons and daughters, but you will lose them, for they will be led away into captivity. ⁴² Swarms of insects will destroy your trees and crops.

⁴³ “The foreigners living among you will become stronger and stronger, while you become weaker and weaker. ⁴⁴ They will lend money to you, but you will not lend to them. They will be the head, and you will be the tail!

⁴⁵ “If you refuse to listen to the Lord your God and to obey the commands and decrees he has given you, all these curses will pursue and overtake you until you are destroyed. ⁴⁶ These horrors will serve as a sign and warning among you and your descendants forever. ⁴⁷ If you do not serve the Lord your God with joy and enthusiasm for the abundant benefits you have received, ⁴⁸ you will serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you. You will be left hungry, thirsty, naked, and lacking in everything. The Lord will put an iron yoke on your neck, oppressing you harshly until he has destroyed you.

⁴⁹ “The Lord will bring a distant nation against you from the end of the earth, and it will swoop down on you like a vulture. It is a nation whose language you do not understand, ⁵⁰ a fierce and heartless nation that shows no respect for the old and no pity for the young. ⁵¹ Its armies will devour your livestock and crops, and you will be destroyed. They will leave you no grain, new wine, olive oil, calves, or lambs, and you will starve to death. ⁵² They will attack your cities until all the fortified walls in your land—the walls you trusted to protect you—are knocked down. They will attack all the towns in the land the Lord your God has given you.

⁵³ “The siege and terrible distress of the enemy’s attack will be so severe that you will eat the flesh of your own sons and daughters, whom the Lord your God has given you. ⁵⁴ The most tenderhearted man among you will have no compassion for his own brother, his beloved wife, and his surviving children. ⁵⁵ He will refuse to share with them the flesh he is devouring—the flesh of one of his own children—because he has nothing else to eat during the siege and terrible distress that your enemy will inflict on all your towns. ⁵⁶ The most tender and delicate woman among you—so delicate she would not so much as touch the ground with her foot—will be selfish toward the husband she loves and toward her own son or daughter. ⁵⁷ She will hide from them the afterbirth and the new baby she has borne, so that she herself can secretly eat them. She will have nothing else to eat during the siege and terrible distress that your enemy will inflict on all your towns.

⁵⁸ “If you refuse to obey all the words of instruction that are written in this book, and if you do not fear the glorious and awesome name of the Lord your God, ⁵⁹ then the Lord will overwhelm you and your children with indescribable plagues. These plagues will be intense and without relief, making you miserable and unbearably sick. ⁶⁰ He will afflict you with all the diseases of Egypt that you feared so much, and you will have no relief. ⁶¹ The Lord will afflict you with every sickness and plague there is, even those not mentioned in this Book of Instruction, until you are destroyed. ⁶² Though you become as numerous as the stars in the sky, few of you will be left because you would not listen to the Lord your God.

⁶³ “Just as the Lord has found great pleasure in causing you to prosper and multiply, the Lord will find pleasure in destroying you. You will be torn from the land you are about to enter and occupy. ⁶⁴ For the Lord will scatter you among all the nations from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship foreign gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, gods made of wood and stone! ⁶⁵There among those nations you will find no peace or place to rest. And the Lord will cause your heart to tremble, your eyesight to fail, and your soul to despair. ⁶⁶ Your life will constantly hang in the balance. You will live night and day in fear, unsure if you will survive. ⁶⁷ In the morning you will say, ‘If only it were night!’ And in the evening you will say, ‘If only it were morning!’ For you will be terrified by the awful horrors you see around you. ⁶⁸ Then the Lord will send you back to Egypt in ships, to a destination I promised you would never see again. There you will offer to sell yourselves to your enemies as slaves, but no one will buy you.”

Observation

After only 14 verses of blessings, the following 53 verses are all curses. God continues to warn and warn and warn us but to no avail. The Lord does not want to lose us. He forewarns us of the punishment for not obeying him. It is the exact opposite of the blessings we read earlier. God is indeed concerned. He knows our hearts. He has seen many of his children fall and he really wants to protect us. God has warned us about sin since the days of ADAM but we still sin. Why? We just fall and take advantage of God’s grace. Just like blessings, God’s curses are whole. It covers every aspect of life from money, livestock, children and generations. They are dreadful.

Application

I must obey God’s commandments.

I must fear God’s judgments and not sin.

I must never take advantage of God’s grace.

Response

Lord, I’m sorry that I have sinned. I don’t know why I sin at times. Please sustain me. I wanna be close to you. Help me guard my heart always. Protect me from temptation lord. Help me not to be distracted as I always am. Increase my attention span. Let me not take advantage of your grace. Be merciful to me father. Amen.

Journal 25-8-2009

2009-08-24T18:07:00.001-07:00

Journal 25-8-2009

Scripture

Deuteronomy 28:1-14 (New Living Translation)

Blessings for Obedience

“If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. ² You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God:

³ Your towns and your fields
will be blessed.
⁴ Your children and your crops
will be blessed.
The offspring of your herds and flocks
will be blessed.
⁵ Your fruit baskets and breadboards
will be blessed.
⁶ Wherever you go and whatever you do,
you will be blessed.

⁷ “The Lord will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven!

⁸ “The Lord will guarantee a blessing on everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.

⁹ “If you obey the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways, the Lord will establish you as his holy people as he swore he would do. ¹⁰ Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by the Lord, and they will stand in awe of you.

¹¹ “The Lord will give you prosperity in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, blessing you with many children, numerous livestock, and abundant crops. ¹²The Lord will send rain at the proper time from his rich treasury in the heavens and will bless all the work you do. You will lend to many nations, but you will never need to borrow from them. ¹³ If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom. ¹⁴You must not turn away from any of the commands I am giving you today, nor follow after other gods and worship them.

Observation

The word blessed appears 9 times. The word obey appears 4 times. The blessings cover all aspects of our lives. Money, fame, fortune, power, status, protection …. Everything is covered. Why then do we seek it from the world? God is prepared to give us more than the world could ever offer but yet we fail. We fail to obey a God who gives infinitely but follow a world which gives sparingly. We are only asked to obey and listen out of our love for him. If we could obey all God has commanded, it serves to protect us and help us live longer. His commands cover all aspects of living. Every time I read these verses, I am filled with a sense of guilt yet have hope in a God who supplies everything.

Application

I must always remember that God’s blessings outweigh everything the world has to offer.

I must carefully obey, listen and follow God’s word.

I must not turn away from God and worship idols.

Response

Lord, I thank you for all that you have provided in my life. Teach me to obey your commands. Help me stand strong in times of temptation. Help me always put you first in my life. Thank you Lord. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Journal 24-8-2009

2009-08-24T18:05:00.000-07:00

Journal 24-8-2009

Scripture

Deuteronomy 27:11-26 (English Standard Version)

¹¹That day Moses charged the people, saying, ¹²"When you have crossed over the Jordan, these shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. ¹³And these shall stand on Mount Ebal for the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. ¹⁴And the Levites shall declare to all the men of Israel in a loud voice:

¹⁵"'Cursed be the man who makes a carved or cast metal image, an abomination to the LORD, a thing made by the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret.'⁽^L⁾And all the people shall answer and say, 'Amen.'

¹⁶⁽"'Cursed be anyone who dishonors his father or his mother.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

¹⁷ "'Cursed be anyone who moves his neighbor’s landmark.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

¹⁸"'Cursed be anyone who misleads a blind man on the road.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

¹⁹"'Cursed be anyone who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

²⁰ "'Cursed be anyone who lies with his father’s wife, because he has uncovered his father’s nakedness.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

²¹ "'Cursed be anyone who lies with any kind of animal.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

²² "'Cursed be anyone who lies with his sister, whether the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

²³ "'Cursed be anyone who lies with his mother-in-law.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

²⁴ "'Cursed be anyone who strikes down his neighbor in secret.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

²⁵ "'Cursed be anyone who takes a bribe to shed innocent blood.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

²⁶ "'Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

Observation

The Levites declared curses to those who sins. And the people shall say amen? That’s strange. From idolatry to sexual sins, The Israelites responded with an Amen. And as for the finale, they end by cursing those who confirm the words of the law and yet not do them. One interesting thing to note is that if you mislead the blind, you’ll be cursed. God provides for the disabled too. Previously we see continually that we must purge sins from our lives, and that motion still stands today. When we say Amen, we are sealing the prayer. That is why we must be careful to obey God’s word. If we believe and seal God’s words, they why do we ourselves not follow the words we have sealed? It’s as if we tear our pact with God and make a new pact with the evil one.

Application

I must always remember that I am cursed if I do not obey God.

I must always be kind and help a disabled person whenever possible,

I must not go against what I have sealed in God’s name.

I must purge all sin.

Response

Thank you for being so real in my life, Lord. You alone have guided me thus far and I pray that you will keep me going. Help me to always stand firm in your word. Give me compassion to help the needy, disabled and the less fortunate. You love them too. Let me not break my seal with you lord. Help me to always be Holy and contrite in you. Let me purge all sin from my life. Amen

Journal 23-8-2009

2009-08-23T20:43:00.001-07:00

Journal 23-8-2009

Scripture

Deuteronomy 27:1-10 (English Standard Version)

The Altar on Mount Ebal

¹Now Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, "Keep the whole commandment that I command you today. ²And on the day you cross over the Jordan to the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall set up large stones and plaster them with plaster. ³ And you shall write on them all the words of this law, when you cross over to enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you. ⁴And when you have crossed over the Jordan, you shall set up these stones, concerning which I command you today, on Mount Ebal, and you shall plaster them with plaster.⁵And there you shall build an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones. You shall wield no iron tool on them; ⁶you shall build an altar to the LORD your God of uncut stones. And you shall offer burnt offerings on it to the LORD your God, ⁷and you shall sacrifice peace offerings and shall eat there, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God. ⁸And you shall write on the stones all the words of this law very plainly."

Curses from Mount Ebal

⁹Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, "Keep silence and hear, O Israel: this day you have become the people of the LORD your God. ¹⁰You shall therefore obey the voice of the LORD your God, keeping his commandments and his statutes, which I command you today."

Observation

God asks for 2 things. Firstly, we are to keep God’s commandment, Second we are to write them. Writing things certainly improves memory and increases focus. God has certainly been faithful when we are faithful. We are also asked to give burnt and peace offerings once we receive God’s blessing. We are to give back a portion of what God has given us with thanksgiving. In v 9, we are asked to keep silence and hear. In my understanding, we are asked to shut up and listen. Many times we talk to God and then expect him to answer our prayer and we end with Amen. We do not give God chance to talk at all. The minute we finish praying, we mind our business. Finally, in v10, we are again asked to obey his commandments and statutes. When God emphasizes something twice in a short passage, it must be something very important to embed in our minds. “You shall obey” has been the main theme of Deuteronomy.

Application

I must keep God’s commandments.

I must write them down.

I must be faithful in my tithes and offerings.

I must shut up and listen. I must give God time to speak.

I must always remember to obey God.

Response

Lord, I thank you for reminding me again to keep your commands. Help me to write things down. Teach me to always be faithful in tithing and giving my offerings faithfully to you. Speak to me Lord. Sorry for always rushing my prayers. Teach me to always remember your goodness and faithfulness. Amen.

Journal 22-8-2009

2009-08-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

Journal 22-8-2009

Scripture

Deuteronomy 26 :16-19(New American Standard Bible)

¹⁶"This day the LORD your God commands you to do these statutes and ordinances. You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul.

¹⁷"You have today declared the LORD to be your God, and that you would walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments and His ordinances, and listen to His voice.

¹⁸"The LORD has today declared you to be His people, a treasured possession, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments;

¹⁹and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, for praise, fame, and honor; and that you shall be a consecrated people to the LORD your God, as He has spoken."

Observation

It is interesting that in v16, God commands us to follow his commands. V17 talks of the part where we have declared to walk in his ways. This follows a declaration where God declares that we are his treasured possession. Finally, this declaration comes with a blessing. He will rise us up.

Are we God’s treasured possession? When God looks at us, do we deserved to be declared? Have we behaved to be called treasured? We keep God in the closet or take him out in the good times. When we sin, we shy away. Then we pretend that he’s not there.

Sometimes we tend to call the Old Testament relevant. Others tend to take all the blessing verses and shun the curses and judgments. This blessing comes after a long list of do’s and don’ts. Only when we observe ALL that he has commanded, we will rise in praise, fame and honour.

Application

I must obey God’s commands.

I must be called God’s treasured possession.

I must be humble once I receive God’s blessing. All glory should go to God.

Response

Lord, I thank you for teaching me how to live life that reflects You, Lord. Help us not to pick and choose from your word but help us to follow EVERY word. Help me always strife to be your treasured possession. When you bless me Lord, let me be humble before you. Everything I have is yours. Amen.

Journal 21-8-2009

2009-08-20T18:49:00.000-07:00

Journal 21-8-2009

Scripture

Deuteronomy 26 :1-15(New American Standard Bible)

Offering First Fruits

¹"Then it shall be, when you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance, and you possess it and live in it,

²that you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground which you bring in from your land that the LORD your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place where the LORD your God chooses to establish His name.

³"You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him, 'I declare this day to the LORD my God that I have entered the land which the LORD swore to our fathers to give us.'

⁴"Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of the LORD your God.

⁵"You shall answer and say before the LORD your God, 'My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt and sojourned there, few in number; but there he became a great, mighty and populous nation.

⁶'And the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, and imposed hard labor on us.

⁷'Then we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction and our toil and our oppression;

⁸and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror and with signs and wonders;

⁹and He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.

¹⁰'Now behold, I have brought the first of the produce of the ground which You, O LORD have given me.' And you shall set it down before the LORD your God, and worship before the LORD your God;

¹¹and you and the Levite and the alien who is among you shall rejoice in all the good which the LORD your God has given you and your household.

¹²"When you have finished paying all the tithe of your increase in the third year, the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the stranger, to the orphan and to the widow, that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.

¹³"You shall say before the LORD your God, 'I have removed the sacred portion from my house, and also have given it to the Levite and the alien, the orphan and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed or forgotten any of Your commandments.

¹⁴'I have not eaten of it while mourning, nor have I removed any of it while I was unclean, nor offered any of it to the dead. I have listened to the voice of the LORD my God; I have done according to all that You have commanded me.

¹⁵'Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel, and the ground which You have given us, a land flowing with milk and honey, as You swore to our fathers.'

Observation

God again gives us specific instructions. This time, he tells us what we should do when we get our first fruits. We are to tae some of what we have earned and give it to the Lord. When we do this, we must give all glory and honour. We must also remember his goodness in our times of affliction, especially the time when he came to save us.

The lord brings us out in 5 significant ways.

i. Mighty hand – God shows us His might and power when he fights for us.

ii. Outstretched arm – God shows us his love

iii. Great terror – Though God is a God of love, he also shows us the harsh punishments he has for the wicked and the unfaithful. This is so that we may live in the fear of the Lord.

iv. Signs – As we walk in God’s ways, we see his signs along the way. Just as a signs on the road, God also gives us signs so that we know that we are on the right track. Signs also tell us what is ahead so that we know what needs to be done.

v. Wonders- When we look at a wonder, we are at awe of what we see. God’s creation, his miracles and many other marvels show us that he is God. We cannot explain it but when we actually see God’s wonder, it gives us a sense of confidence to move on.

Again, God shows mercy to the aliens among us. After a certain time when we’ve been faithful tithing, we are to give a certain portion to the needy. Three years is a good guideline.

We often see in Deuteronomy that God asks us to be obedient and keep his commandments. But we see in v 13 and 14, we are telling God “ see, I have listened to your voice , I have obeyed, I have not transgressed and I remember” Wouldn’t it be nice to say this to God? It gives us a sense of accomplishment that we have obeyed god and we are on the right path.

Application

I must give god his due.

I must always remember my hardships and how God rescued me.

I must remember the needy and not oppress foreigners.

I must always be thankful to God and surrender what I have to Him

Response

Lord I thank you for your blessings in my life. Let me remember to give you what is due to you. Let me always remember how you have rescued me during the times of trouble. Help me to always be fair to foreigners. All I have is yours God. I surrender myself to you. Amen.

Journal 20-8-2009

2009-08-19T23:03:00.000-07:00

Journal 20-8-2009

Scripture

Deuteronomy 25:1-19(Darby Translation)

¹If there be a controversy between men, and they resort to judgment, and they judge [their case]; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked.

²And it shall be if the wicked man have deserved to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and be beaten before his face, according to the measure of his wickedness with a certain number [of stripes].

³With forty [stripes] shall they beat him; they shall not exceed, lest, if they continue to beat him with many stripes above these, thy brother become despicable in thine eyes.

⁴Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out [the corn].

⁵If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no son, the wife of the dead shall not marry a stranger abroad: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him as wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother unto her.

⁶And it shall be, that the firstborn that she beareth shall stand in the name of his brother who is dead, that his name be not blotted out from Israel.

⁷But if the man like not to take his brother's wife, his brother's wife shall go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband's brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel: he will not perform for me the duty of a husband's brother.

⁸Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak unto him; and if he stand to it and say, I like not to take her;

⁹then shall his brother's wife come near to him before the eyes of the elders, and draw his sandal from his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto the man that will not build up his brother's house.

¹⁰And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe drawn off.

¹¹When men fight together one with another, and the wife of the one come near to rescue her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, and stretch out her hand, and seize him by his secret parts,

¹²thou shalt cut off her hand; thine eye shall not spare.

¹³Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small.

¹⁴Thou shalt not have in thy house divers ephahs, a great and a small.

¹⁵A perfect and just weight shalt thou have; a perfect and just ephah shalt thou have; that thy days may be prolonged in the land that Jehovah thy God giveth thee.

¹⁶For every one that doeth such things, every one that doeth unrighteousness, is an abomination to Jehovah thy God.

¹⁷Remember what Amalek did unto thee on the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt;

¹⁸how he met thee on the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, all the feeble that lagged behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary, and he feared not God.

¹⁹And it shall be, when Jehovah thy God shall have given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land that Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens; thou shalt not forget it.

Observation

It is interesting how God does not leave any gaps. His laws covers almost every aspect of life. Here, we see that the severity of the judgment is proportional to the crime committed.

God also reminds us that our family must come first, especially when it comes to women. We have a role to play in taking care of our family.

We also must be fair when we do business. This instruction comes with long life if we follow them.

God also remembers our enemies. Here we see the vengeance of the Lord against the Amaleks.

Application

I must be just and fair in my workplace.

I must fulfill my role in the family.

I must not avenge those who have hurt me. Vengeance belongs to the lord.

Response

God I thank you for this day. Thank you for being my savior. Lord as I shine in my workplace, let me be an example. You have put me here for a reason. Teach me to always obey your words. Thank you for your word which says that vengeance is yours. Help me not cultivate hatred but love. Teach me to love like you. Amen.

Journal 18-8-2009

2009-08-17T18:53:00.000-07:00

Journal 18-8-2009

Scripture

Deuteronomy 23:9-25 (The Message)

^9-11 When you are camped out, at war with your enemies, be careful to keep yourself from anything ritually defiling. If one of your men has become ritually unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he must go outside the camp and stay there until evening when he can wash himself, returning to the camp at sunset.

^12-14 Mark out an area outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourselves. Along with your weapons have a stick with you. After you relieve yourself, dig a hole with the stick and cover your excrement. God, your God, strolls through your camp; he's present to deliver you and give you victory over your enemies. Keep your camp holy; don't permit anything indecent or offensive in God's eyes.

^15-16 Don't return a runaway slave to his master; he's come to you for refuge. Let him live wherever he wishes within the protective gates of your city. Don't take advantage of him.

^17-18 No daughter of Israel is to become a sacred prostitute; and no son of Israel is to become a sacred prostitute. And don't bring the fee of a sacred whore or the earnings of a priest-pimp to the house of God, your God, to pay for any vow—they are both an abomination to God, your God.

^19-20 Don't charge interest to your kinsmen on any loan: not for money or food or clothing or anything else that could earn interest. You may charge foreigners interest, but you may not charge your brothers interest; that way God, your God, will bless all the work that you take up and the land that you are entering to possess.

^21-23 When you make a vow to God, your God, don't put off keeping it; God, your God, expects you to keep it and if you don't you're guilty. But if you don't make a vow in the first place, there's no sin. If you say you're going to do something, do it. Keep the vow you willingly vowed to God, your God. You promised it, so do it.

^24-25 When you enter your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat all the grapes you want until you're full, but you may not put any in your bucket or bag. And when you walk through the ripe grain of your neighbor, you may pick the heads of grain, but you may not swing your sickle there.

Observation

God is a God of hygiene. He cares or the environment. In v 14, we are reminded to keep our camp holy. We are not to permit anything indecent or offensive in God’s eyes. We must be clean and stay clean.

We are also to provide refuge to refugees. We are to provide our brothers in their time of need.

We must not delay when we make a vow to God. How ironic that we expect God to answer our prayers but we come up with excuses when it comes to fulfilling our promises to God.

Application

I must take care of my hygiene.

I must be kind to refugees

I must help my brothers in their time of need.

I must fulfill my promises to God

Response

Lord I thank you for today. Help me to always care for the environment and manage our wastes. Teach me to be kind to everybody I meet. Help me to always be in a position to be able to help those in need. Let me fulfill my promises to you and others God. Help me always to be a beacon that shines for you. Amen.

Journal 17-8-2009

2009-08-16T18:13:00.000-07:00

Journal 17-8-2009

Scripture

Deuteronomy 23:1-8(The Message)

¹ No eunuch is to enter the congregation of God. ² No bastard is to enter the congregation of God, even to the tenth generation, nor any of his children.

^3-6 No Ammonite or Moabite is to enter the congregation of God, even to the tenth generation, nor any of his children, ever. Those nations didn't treat you with hospitality on your travels out of Egypt, and on top of that they also hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Mesopotamia to curse you. God, your God, refused to listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing—how God, your God, loves you! Don't even try to get along with them or do anything for them, ever.

⁷ But don't spurn an Edomite; he's your kin.

And don't spurn an Egyptian; you were a foreigner in his land.

⁸ Children born to Edomites and Egyptians may enter the congregation of God in the third generation.

Observation

It is strange that a God does not allow certain groups of people to enter His kingdom. We always think of him as being a lovey dovey God. God is just. His reasons are far greater than we can imagine. It is true that the Ammonites, Moabites were archenemies of the Israelites. They have caused the Israelites to suffer. The Israelites then were quite misbehaved. They were into countless cycles of sinning and repenting. Anyone could easily influence them.

God loves us. His protection is greater than any curse people can throw on us.

God shows mercy on those who have shown mercy to us. We are not to reject our kin and those whose lands we were foreigner’s in. God remembered Pharaoh’s favour on Joseph and allowed them to enter God’s kingdom.

Application

I must not be influenced by outsiders and be steadfast in my faith.

I must not simply curse people and must pray that curses become blessings.

I must be kind to those whose land I was in.

Response

Lord, I thank you for being a part of my life. Thank you for your protection on me. Teach me to mix with the right people and not to blindly mix with those who will jeopardize my relationship with you. Teach me to be steadfast to you, God. I pray that all curses thrown will become blessings. Thank you for showing favour on whichever land you have put us in. Help me not to reject others Lord. In your name I pray, amen.

Journal 16-08-2009

2009-08-15T20:11:00.000-07:00

Journal 16-08-2009

Scripture

Deuteronomy 22 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Deuteronomy 22

Caring for Your Brother's Property

¹ "If you see your brother's ox or sheep straying, you must not ignore it; make sure you return it to your brother. ² If your brother does not live near you or you don't know him, you are to bring the animal to your home to remain with you until your brother comes looking for it; then you can return it to him. ³ Do the same for his donkey, his garment, or anything your brother has lost and you have found. You must not ignore [it]. ⁴ If you see your brother's donkey or ox fallen down on the road, you must not ignore it; you must help him lift it up.

Preserving Natural Distinctions

⁵ "A woman is not to wear male clothing, and a man is not to put on a woman's garment, for everyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD your God.

⁶ "If you come across a bird's nest with chicks or eggs, either in a tree or on the ground along the road, and the mother is sitting on the chicks or eggs, you must not take the mother along with the young. ⁷You may take the young for yourself, but be sure to let the mother go free, so that you may prosper and live long. ⁸ If you build a new house, make a railing around your roof, so that you don't bring bloodguilt on your house if someone falls from it. ⁹Do not plant your vineyard with two types of seed; otherwise, the entire harvest, both the crop you plant and the produce of the vineyard, will be defiled. ¹⁰ Do not plow with an ox and a donkey together. ¹¹ Do not wear clothes made of both wool and linen. ¹² Make tassels on the four corners of the outer garment you wear.

Violations of Proper Sexual Conduct

¹³ "If a man marries a woman, has sexual relations with her, and comes to hate her, ¹⁴ and accuses [her] of shameful conduct, and gives her a bad name, saying, 'I married this woman and was intimate with her, but I didn't find [any] evidence of her virginity,' ¹⁵ the young woman's father and mother will take the evidence of her virginity and bring [it] to the city elders at the gate. ¹⁶ The young woman's father will say to the elders, 'I gave my daughter to this man as a wife, but he hates her.¹⁷ He has accused her of shameful conduct, saying: 'I didn't find [any] evidence of your daughter's virginity, but here is the evidence of my daughter's virginity.' They will spread out the cloth before the city elders. ¹⁸ Then the elders of that city will take the man and punish him. ¹⁹ They will also fine him 100 silver [shekels] and give [them] to the young woman's father, because that man gave an Israelite virgin a bad name. She will remain his wife; he cannot divorce her as long as he lives. ²⁰But if this accusation is true and no evidence of the young woman's virginity is found, ²¹ they will bring the woman to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city will stone her to death. For she has committed an outrage in Israel by being promiscuous in her father's house. You must purge the evil from you.

²² "If a man is discovered having sexual relations with [another] man's wife, both the man who had sex with the woman and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel. ²³ If there is a young woman who is a virgin engaged to a man, and [another] man encounters her in the city and has sex with her, ²⁴ you must take the two of them out to the gate of that city and stone them to death—the young woman because she did not cry out in the city and the man because he has violated his neighbor's fiancée. You must purge the evil from you. ²⁵ But if the man encounters the engaged woman in the open country, and he seizes and rapes her, only the man who raped her must die. ²⁶ Do nothing to the young woman, because she is not guilty of an offense deserving death. This case is just like one in which a man attacks his neighbor and murders him. ²⁷ When he found her in the field, the engaged woman cried out, but there was no one to rescue her. ²⁸ If a man encounters a young woman, a virgin who is not engaged, takes hold of her and rapes her, and they are discovered, ²⁹ the man who raped her must give the young woman's father 50 silver [shekels], and she must become his wife because he violated her. He cannot divorce her as long as he lives.

³⁰ "A man is not to marry his father's wife; he must not violate his father's marriage bed.

Observation

In v 1-4, God makes sure that we take care of our brother’s belongings. We must not desire or covet.

IN v 5-12, God also ensures the continuation of life. We are not allowed to take the mothers. He also ensures we rail high places. God is a god of safety standards. He takes all preventive measures to ensure we live.

In v13-30, God protects women. God ensures that if a woman has been mistreated, evildoers will severely pay. And divorce is forbidden. God mentions that evil must be purged thrice in the passage.

Application

I mustn’t desire my brother’s belongings. God is my provider.

I must do whatever I can to ensure the continuation of life.

I must also ensure safety at all times.

I must respect women.

I must continually purge evil from my life.

Response

Lord I thank you for this day. I pray that I will not desire another’s belongings. You alone are my provider and I will ask you of whatever I need. Let me be alert of safety issues in my life. Help me to respect women in my life. Teach me to always be holy before you. Purge all evil within me. I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.

Journal 15-8-2009

2009-08-14T18:41:00.000-07:00

Journal 15-8-2009

Scripture

Deuteronomy 21:22-23 (NKJV)

Miscellaneous Laws

²² “If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, ²³ his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God.

Observation

Initially I thought “2 verses only”, but was again (as usual) amazed by God and His word. Writing these Journals has been a struggle. The evil one will always provide an alternative or an excuse. I thank God for his faithfulness and mercy for persevering on writing my online journals. I only pray that I can faithfully continue the good work I have started. God again reminds me that holiness is His priority. When I read these verses…It glared to me personally…

Deuteronomy 21:22-23 (NKJV) (personalized)

²² “If a you have committed a sin deserving of death (every sin we commit is deserving death), and you put your sin to death, and you crucify it on the tree, ²³ your sin shall not remain overnight , but you shall surely bury your sin immediately, so that you do not defile your salvation which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance; for sin which you hung is accursed of God.

Jesus was hung on a tree. He paid the price for our sin. We must bury our sin immediately because going back to the sin is like touching a dead body.

Application

I must crucify my sin. I must repeat them no more.

I must cherish my salvation and not defile myself.

Response

Lord thank you for reminding me that you reign in my life. Let me not defile my relationship with you but let me persevere in living a holy life. Teach me to always be faithful. Amen

Journal 14-8-2009

2009-08-13T18:10:00.000-07:00

Journal 14-8-09

Scripture

Mark 10

Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler

¹⁷ Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”
¹⁸ So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is,God. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”^[^c^]
²⁰ And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”
²¹ Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”
²² But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

With God All Things Are Possible

²³ Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” ²⁴ And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches^[^d^] to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
²⁶ And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?”
²⁷ But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”

Observation

This is another famous passage in the bible. This rich guy comes to God, probably knowing all the answers and he wants to show off. He knew his scripture; he knew what he had to do and yet asked Jesus. Jesus even emphasized in v19 by saying “you know the commandments”

Jesus then, with compassion told him to sell his riches and give to the poor. He was sad and went away sorrowful. He then repeats himself 3 times from v23 onwards that it is hard (not impossible) for a rich man to enter God’s kingdom. Many times, we just have to be a little better off than we are before we become proud and think greatly of ourselves. We lose our first love for God and live life as a routine. When it comes to giving up the things we love the most, we justify and try to come up with alternatives to meet our ends. Yet, we must always be assured that with God all things are possible.

Application

I must always remember that God is more important than wealth.

I must be ready to always Give to the poor.

I must always be thankful that God is the source of all wealth must always be humble.

Response

Lord, I thank you or all that you have provided for me. Teach me to be always be humble and contrite before you. You alone are the source of all blessings in my life and I praise you. Help me to use my wealth wisely and not take advantage of your blessings. Teach me to always be humble before you and others. I thank you Lord that with You, all things are possible. I can only enter eternal life because of you alone Lord. Amen.

Journal 13-8-2009

2009-08-12T19:13:00.001-07:00

Journal 13-8-2009

Scripture

Matthew 25: 14 – 30

MATTHEW 25

The Parable of the Talents

¹⁴ “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. ¹⁵ And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. ¹⁶ Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. ¹⁷ And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. ¹⁸ But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. ¹⁹ After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
²⁰ “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ ²¹ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ ²² He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ ²³ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
²⁴ “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵ And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’
²⁶ “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. ²⁷So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. ²⁸ So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.
²⁹ ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. ³⁰ And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Observation

The parable of the talents should be a lesson to all of us. God gives his blessings to us according to our own ability. As we use our talent and what he has given, we actually improve and our gifts will multiply if we are good stewards. And the Lord is happy with us if we are faithful with the little things he has given us. We also must not be wicked and lazy with the resources God has given to us. I believe “wicked” is when we misuse our talents or blessings. We are “lazy” if we don’t put our blessings to good use and bury it to the ground. We must produce something. We must always be active in utilizing the talents God has given to us. Failure of which will result in punishment and the removal of out blessings simply because we are selfish.

Application

I must consistently use the talents he has given to me.

I must constantly improve my talents.

I must be a blessing to others.

I must be careful not to be wicked and lazy with my talents.

Response

Lord, I thank you for blessings in my life. Help me constantly improve and be a blessing to others. Help me not to be wicked or lazy and be profitable to you and your kingdom. Teach me to be wise when using my talents. Let me not misuse my talents. In your name I pray, Amen.

Journal 12-8-2009

2009-08-11T19:18:00.000-07:00

Journal 12-8-09

Scripture

Matthew 5: 1-11

The Beatitudes

¹ And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. ² Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
³ “ Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
⁵ Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
⁷ Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. ¹² Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Observation

At first glance, this passage sounds so vain because God’s loves pain. He seems to only bless the poor in spirit, those who mourn, and hunger. God seems not to bless those who are okay. He seem to wants us to suffer because he did.

During my bible studies on Thursdays, one of my favourite studies was the Beattitudes where we actually spent 12 sessions on the Sermon on the Mount. We actually see that these verses actually show how God corresponds to our current state. We need to recognize that God carries us through when we are poor, are mourning and so on. There is also a progressive condition of our spirit.

When we are poor in spirit, we mourn,

When we are mourn, we become meek,

When we are meek, we hunger and thirst for righteousness,

When we are hunger and thirst for righteousness, we become pure in heart,

When we are pure in heart, we become peacemakers,

When we are called sons of god, we are ready to face persecution.

When we face persecution, we are to be glad and we will be rewarded in heaven.

Application

I must continuously progress in my spiritual life. I must recognize where I am and move forward, not backward.

I know that my God will be with me in all my dire conditions.

I must be glad in the times of my persecution

Response

God, I thank you for carrying me through this far. I pray that I continue to be humble before you. Teach me to continuously move forward and not backward in my spiritual life. Thank you for being with me during the toughest moments in my life. When I am persecuted, help my to have the joy of the Lord in my life. Amen.

Journal 11-8-2009

2009-08-10T22:52:00.000-07:00

Journal 11-8-2009

Scripture

Amos 5 : 21-24

²¹ “ I hate, I despise your feast days,
And I do not savor your sacred assemblies.
²² Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,
I will not accept them,
Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings.
²³ Take away from Me the noise of your songs,
For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.
²⁴ But let justice run down like water,
And righteousness like a mighty stream.

Observation

God hates our special suppers, religious meetings, sacrifices, songs and music. These are all outward expressions of our faith in God. God is only interested in all that we offer only if we offer our lives to Him. We must always apply justice and righteousness. He uses water and stream as a metaphor. He wants our attitude to be constant and flowing. Water only stops flowing when it is contained. Even then it evaporates, condenses, and transpires. Water will always flow. As people notice that we flow, then they’ll know.

Application

I must not focus on my outward expression to God. I must focus on my inward expression. I must strife for justice and righteousness. Like water, we must always be flowing in God’s direction.

Response

Lord, I thank you for who you are. Thank you for helping me learn that our outward expressions mean nothing to you if we are not in Your flow. Teach me to always be righteous and just in whatever I do. Teach me to always live in your ways. Amen.

Journal 10-8-2009

2009-08-10T22:51:00.001-07:00

Isaiah 61

The Good News of Salvation

¹ “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
² To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
³ To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”
⁴ And they shall rebuild the old ruins,
They shall raise up the former desolations,
And they shall repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.

Observation

This scripture is about restoration. He has put a spirit in all of us. This is also one of the fewer times we see the Spirit being in us in the Old Testament. He has come to free prisoners, comfort those who are in sorrow. He gives us the joy and a spirit of praise. God also refer to us as oaks in the bible. Oaks are a symbol of strength, stability and longevity. God then states that He has planted and He gets all the honour and praise. Wouldn’t it be nice if we can make God honour God and make him proud? Once the people are right, God then pours his blessings by rebuilding the cities that were torn. It is interesting to note that once God pours out his blessings, we tend to forget Him and repeat our cycle of sin.

Application

I must keep my faith. Once God blesses me, I must be a good steward of my talents and resources. I also must be careful not to repeat my cycle of sin.

Response

Lord I thank you that you are a God of infinite chances. Though we change, you do not change. Help me to strive to purge evil out of me. Teach me to be faithful to you. Help be an oak. Help me to be strong and stable in my faith. Help us to be good stewards of your talents and blessings that you have poured on us. Help me not to repeat my cycle of sin but be steadfast in you. Amen.