Its been too easy to get caught up in politics this year. I’m not only a delegate for the 31st senate district in MN, but I also tweet a BUNCH about my political beliefs and take part in rants. But – are they always biblical… or am I following a biblical approach to politics when talking about others?
[sadly] Not always.
The people of Israel wanted a King – because other nations had a king, and they didn’t want to “just” follow God – or at leas that’s what I got out of 1st Samuel. They wanted to conform. Sometimes when venting my disdain for the [current] administration I often get caught up in the blame game, and the pointing of fingers – when really – do I know their heart?
Perhaps their heart really is good, or perhaps it is evil as was Sauls – either way- I need to put God before politics…. Sometimes if what I say is going to hurt others – then I shouldn’t say it. Or if it will lead people further away from Christ – or cause people to believe that Christ is NOT the center of my world then I need to reassess.
I need to honor God first and foremost. Not the KINGS of the world…..
Wholly cats and dogs, I haven’t posted anything for an extremely long period of time. For those of you who don’t follow me on Facebook you may be out of the loop. (Though I hardly post there either…) here is a mini-“Christmas letter” version of the past few months. July: This past July – I was focused on my CNA classes every Saturday which ran from 7:30-a.m. until 3:30 p.m. which made for VERY long days listening to a power point presentation in a freezing cold classroom. The bonus though was that I got to wear scrubs! Kwas busy with Gymnastics once each week, and Jason was busy with traveling to New Ulm for work. August: First week of August was clinicals for the CNA class, and commencement, which brought a smile to my face. My sights are now set on my online chemistry class which begins the last week of this month. At the end of the month K graduated Tots 1 at gymnastics and is now in the Tots 2 class .The focus now is on doing hand stands on her own (not climbing up the wall) and backwards somersaults. Jason and I took a motorcycle trip up to Madeline Island with Rick & Nicole. It was so much fun, and I can’t wait to go again next year! Jason was busy with traveling again to New Ulm, Winona, and North Dakota! 😦 September: Our family kicked off this month going camping to Savanna Portage State Park. It was gorgeous, and we had a HUGE group campsite virtually on a lake all to ourselves. Taking Chemistry online is a bit of “fun” and by “fun” I mean at times I wish I was in the real classroom vs. trying to figure it all out on my own, but my sister Missy has been helping me when I’ve needed it. Speaking of my sister, we [the siblings] threw her a surprise 40th birthday party which was super fun! Jason, Jeremiah and I competed in the Rugged Maniac mud run which was pretty hard considering pretty much the entire race was ran upthe ski hills! (notice I said UP). Our friend Lisa is living with us. She is moving back to Arizona at the end of October and needed a place to stay in the interim. Finally we’ve put the spare bedroom downstairs, and the downstairs bathroom to good use! (and its a blessing to be able to help a friend out). *~* That’s all for now. If I think of anything else I’ll add to it, or make a separate post!
I’ve gained a lot of perspective from reading through the book of Ruth. The story doesn’t give a lot of background on how close Ruth & Naomi were before the deaths of their husbands, but instead of moving back home to live with her [Ruth’s] family she stayed with Naomi to help her out.
The theme of a strong sense of family and loyalty is played out here, and I’m also pleasantly surprised to see that Boaz also was willing to help his family out. Good works in Gods eyes are rewarded. Ruth sacrificed and stayed with Naomi, and in turn she was blessed to have a new husband in Boaz.
Growing up I wasn’t super familiar with a lot of the bible stories that many get in Sunday school because I never went to Sunday school. Rather I went to “big church” with my folks which truthfully a lot of times I spaced out and wasn’t really paying attention (until I got older).
So the first time I ever heard of the story of Samson was from my daughters “Read & Share” Bible.
THIS is LITERALLY what it says about Samson.
First off. It shows a super nice picture of Samson:
I love here how it shows these cute little bunnies,
like YAY Samson… never mind all the Fox you tied up and terrorized,
just to set a field on fire…..
So imagine my [HUGE] surprise this week to find out that Samson is actually a HUGE jerk! I mean – ok I definitely don’t want my preschooler learning about the REAL Samson quite yet, but I can’t believe how terrible he is. Actually I kind of can’t believe how much killing is actually going on in Judges (and Joshua). I am really wrestling with this… I realize the Lord wanted to purge evil away from the Israelites, but this is not the God i’m accustomed to in the New Testament. [obviously] I’ll have to keep reading!
How often do I just ask God to help me with the small stuff, but not realizing that BIG things are God sized issues too? Joshua asked God to make the sun stand still. I’m pretty sure if I just casually asked, “God, please make the sun stand still” it would never happen.
Part of the reason is that my faith small. Am I really trusting that God will provide for the BIG things too?
Over the past few years I put some HUGE requests before the Lord. One was that my brother would find a wonderful woman, and be happy, as well as sell his house. BOTH of which happened.
The other was that my cousin Sara & her husband Joel could have a baby which was very very difficult for them, and THAT happened too. Over the course of the next weeks I’ll look internally and see what else I’ve been holding out from my Father – because He is in the business of doing BIG things!
Obey the Lord your God. In this chapter – the final pilgrimage before the Israelites cross the Jordan River – Moses prepares his people to obey the Lord. Much of what was covered in Deuteronomy was not new, but rather re-iterated- as if what he was saying was really really extra important.
It also reminded on several occasions of what God had done for the Israelites! Do I remember what God has done for me? The awesome and amazing prayers He has answered, or do I get caught up in the now too often? I ought to remember that the Lord is always with me, and He always goes before me! (Deuteronomy 1:30).
I love what Moses says in Deuteronomy 4:7, “What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?” – God is always near to talk to, and chase after- yet again.. I become complacent , and lazy – thinking… I’ll connect with God in prayer, and silence tomorrow.
Favs:
Deuteronomy 4:19 – Its ok to marvel in the beauty of the world – so long as I am not praying to it, or thinking that “it” is the Lord.
4:24: Reminds me of the song How He Loves. “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God”. God wants ME… he wants us as people. What an amazing thing to think about! HE loves ME! And He gets jealous when we cheat on him with ANYTHING that takes HIS rightful place. God wants us to Obey him – not to make our lives miserable, but as a parent has rules for their children to keep them safe and happy in the long haul.
6:4-9: Hear, O Israel: “The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Yet – we refuse to obey him, so he loved us SO MUCH that He sent his only son to take our place -so that we could STILL be with him. My all time favorite verse in the bible right now is from Isaiah 43:4: “That’s how much you mean to me, that’s how much I love you! I’d sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you”.
Um… WOW! And because of this and I think because of my journey through even these first five books lately I cannot even sing along to this song during worship at church – I simply cry with my head down and eyes closed, realizing I’m being embraced, and fully loved on by God… and its so magnificent!
The burnt offering, atonement offerings, offering for shelters, daily offerings, etc etc etc….The book of Numbers taught me about the many offerings the people were to give to God. For all kinds of things throughout the day, week, month and year. I reflect on my own life, and wonder what I really offer to God. Sure I try to be a good wife, mother, and friend. Serve and give when possible, but -I- don’t- give -with- abandon!
I realized I take for granted the sacrifice that Jesus made. Plain and simple. I go about my day often with no thought about how much time was consumed during the time of the Israelites fulfilling all of these offerings, and I’m concerned about my to do list which often has nothing to do with honoring God… the clothes I’m wearing, the car I drive, the school my daughter goes to, and how clean my house is.
Sure I listen to Christian music and read the bible – but I don’t humbly accept 99% of the time what Christ has really done for me.
Christ…, He fulfilled all of these obligations in the books of law. My head has been swimming these past few months with the do this -do that- do this- do that, and frankly I’ve been exhausted thinking about it, much less doing it! Where did these people find the time? God knew nobody could do ALL OF THESE THINGS- because we are so far from the perfection of God.
In chapter 28 I was tired from reading the requirements for the offerings. Every year we help our family friends butcher chickens. I know – this is a very Lindsey Ingalls Wilder of me – and this year we cleaned 48 chickens, and at the end of the day we were simply exhausted. Now this is a once per year kind of thing- not a monthly or daily thing. The amount of work it takes to slaughter, and clean animals is just understated in the book of numbers!
I can’t imagine the stress the Israelites must have felt. I take for granted what Jesus has done for me and Numbers has pointed this graciously out.
I’ve been connecting my thoughts from these books with songs so often because I don’t exactly know how to verbalize how I feel. But this song really ties it true for me. After reading through the book of Numbers, and others with all of its laws, and regulations surrounding the offerings, I realized how much I need to offer myself up to God. Completely and with abandon. Back in the time of Numbers you had to physically produce offerings to the Lord and what does the Lord require of me now?
Do what is right, love mercy and walk humbly with your God, – Micah 6:8. To love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. (Mark 12:33)
Walk humbly with your God. God isn’t asking me to slaughter animals, or bake bread, and offer up these aromas to Him – but to simply offer my heart to Him – let him Love me and love him in return!
So I’ll stand – with arms high and heart abandoned
What is my main takeaway from Leviticus? Man am I glad for Jesus! Reading through all of these requirements of the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offering etc etc etc makes me so thankful that Christ laid himself out as the final sacrifice.
My head was swimming this past week trying to comprehend all of the things I would have to do each day to atone for my sins.
Leviticus 14 was especially thorough in all you had to do should you encounter a skin diseases!
Anyways – its reminding me to be more thankful to God in what he did on the cross. Not only did he pay my “access” ticket into heaven, he also wiped away the need to offer more and more sacrifices to God.
Leviticus is also pointing out how HOLY our Father is. How set apart he is from us. Could anyone actually follow through all of the sacrifices? I’m not sure any of us could be right in front of God! But through the lens of Christ we are made new.
Over the past two weeks or so I absolutely fell in love with this song by Addison Road – What do I know of Holy? Reading through the book of Leviticus really really has put this in to perspective… what do I really know of the word Holy? Its not just angels coming out to sing Halleluja, or fasting on certain days… God is so far past magnificent for us to understand – what do I really really know of Holy?
22 Then Moses went back to the LORD and protested, “Why have you brought all this trouble on your own people, Lord? Why did you send me?
23 Ever since I came to Pharaoh as your spokesman, he has been even more brutal to your people. And you have done nothing to rescue them!”
Oh how often I don’t trust the Lords timing. Or if a misfortune comes my way I’m so quick to wonder why God allows bad things to happen to me. I wonder – don’t you care? Or when I look around the world with all of the starvation, and senseless wars in the middle east, and the terror of Kony…
I wonder… doesn’t God care?
Of course I know he cares, and we can’t begin to understand his timing since it is not comprehendible to us. I know what comes next though starting in Chapter 6.
The Lord will bring judgement and deliver his people just as he promised.
“And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us, And if our God is with us, then what could stand against?”
Well we got the bike fixed up thanks to Miah! It was stark white with light blue pinstripes, and Miah has repainted it flat black, and has dramatically cleaned up the wheels and chrome. We went out on a ride today with Miah & Amillie, and I can’t wait for our long trip to Mad Isle in a few weeks!
K also went for her first super short, super slow ride. Don’t worry she definitely had on a helmet!
Little Blessed Life 