Tithes...and Your Blessings Have a God Given Purpose

Today's Reading
Deuteronomy Chp 14

As Moses continues to instruct the Israelites in the ways of the Lord, he reminds them of the command to tithe:

²² Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year.

Moses also reminds us that our tithes have a God-given purpose:

²³ Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always.

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26Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice.

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²⁷ And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own.

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²⁸ At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns, ²⁹ so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

God wants us to use our blessings for his glory and his purpose. I need to remind myself that my blessings are not my blessings; they come from the Lord and I need to use them for His will and glory.

My Prayer: Lord, I have experienced difficult times and I have seen you provide and you provide abundantly. You know my needs more than I do and I need to fall to my knees to acknowledge that your will and desire, and your plans for me are more important than my own. I must come to the realization that I desperately need you and I thank you for how you are working on my heart. Forgive me for my sinful acts and desires, whatever they may because they are numerous. Purify me and draw me nearer to you. Help me develop a deeper desire for you. Use me and the church and the event tomorrow to reach the men in the community of SB.

Even Those Who Spout Blasphemy Are Worthy of Eternal Life

Today's Reading
Deuteronomy Chp 13

The Old Testament I think is filled with examples of God as a jealous God. He is also a God of mercy, but here he is clearly not. Evil-doers are to be purged:

¹ If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, ² and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, "Let us follow other gods" (gods you have not known) "and let us worship them," ³ you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. ⁴ It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. ⁵ That prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he preached rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery; he has tried to turn you from the way the LORD your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you.

And further into this chapter, God deals with evil-doers more harshly:

⁶ If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, "Let us go and worship other gods" (gods that neither you nor your fathers have known, ⁷ gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), ⁸ do not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity. Do not spare him or shield him. ⁹ You must certainly put him to death. Your hand must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people. ¹⁰ Stone him to death, because he tried to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

In contrast, the God of the New Testament - Jesus - is filled with patience, mercy, and forgiveness.

¹²I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. ¹³Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. ¹⁴The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. ¹⁶But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:12-16)

My Prayer: I am SO thankful that I have a God who "so loved me that he sent his one and only son" to die for me...that I can have forgiveness and eternal life. I see your abounding love for me in so many ways that I am blown away that you can love so much. Thank you God. Forgive me Lord that I often take for granted that blessings in my life are gifts from you. Forgive me for my own blasphemy and any false teaching, including any false teaching that occurs as a result of my lack of faith. Help me fall deeper in love with you and draw nearer to you in an ongoing conversation and intimate relationship so I can be more pure and more like you.

Faith in Him and Him Alone

Today's Reading
Phillipians Chp 1

As a change of pace I am doing a study today of Phi 1 and discussing with my accountability group. We had a great discussion. The first key takeaway from God is how I need to focus on Him and only Him as a product of my faith and deeds. Sometimes I find myself seeking glory or edification for myself so I need to be mindful of this.

¹⁵It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. ¹⁶The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. ¹⁷The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. ¹⁸But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

Additionally, I am encouraged by Paul to push the envelope. Paul is of course in chains in this letter and he STILL sees God's glory in action while he suffers. I am encouraged by Paul to go outside of my comfort zone to glorify God.

²¹For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. ²²If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! ²³I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; ²⁴but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. ²⁵Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.

My Prayer: Glory to you for how you are working the lives of men to bring them to Southbridge Fellowship and to our event next Weds. Forgive me for any efforts to glorify myself and protect me from Satan if I try and do this. Use me to your glory to reach men and to bring them closer to you. Thank you for how you have drawn me closer to you and help me go outside my comfort zone to do the same for other men.

Have An Ongoing Conversation With God....

Today's Reading
Deuteronomy Chp 11

Continuing to admonish the Israelites in the ways of the Lord as they prepare to enter the promised land, Moses urges the Israelites to obey God's commands. He encourages them by showing them how they will be blessed if they follow the commands and indicates what consequences (curse) they face if they don't obey by turning away from God.

He further encourages the Israelites to "live" God's words throughout the day:

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ¹⁹ Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (verses 18-19)

I continue to tell myself that I "struggle" with my prayer life. This is nonsense. I just need to pray...to worship Him, to seek forgiveness, to thank Him and to pray primarily on behalf of others and then secondarily for myself.

My Prayer: Lord, I worship you for your divine word - scriptures. It is through your word that I have grown closer to you. I can see the transformation in my heart and in my life. I pray that you will forgive me that today I am not all you want me to be. Help me humble myself, deny myself, and truly follow you. Thank you for helping me manage my stress at work and thank you for the wisdom on how to raise Zach and Dustin and for how I can encourage Lisa. Help me continue this and help me continue to draw even closer to you.

The Lord is God of Gods...Yet He Loves Me

Today's Reading
Deuteronomy Chp 10

It's pretty amazing that God is so awesome...he is above all things and all people, yet he knows and loves lowly me. It's inspiring....knowing that I can be part of something...for God's glory.

¹⁴ To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. ¹⁵ Yet the LORD set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. ¹⁶ Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. ¹⁷ For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. ¹⁸ He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. ¹⁹ And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt. ²⁰ Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. ²¹ He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes. ²² Your forefathers who went down into Egypt were seventy in all, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky. (verses 14-22)

My Prayer: Lord, your power, wisdom, grace and love are greater than anything else imaginable in the universe. I am SO inspired that as great as you are, you chose me to be part of a mighty plan. I thank for your love and grace and I pray that I can be fully used by you and that I can fully submit to you. Help me with this Lord.

Once Again....Blessings From God Not Our Own Doing

Today's Reading
Deuteronomy Chp 9

Once again in this passage I am reminded how God blesses us because he loves us and because he is graceful - that His blessings for us are gifts from God and we are to acknowledge them as such and not take for granted the Lord by thinking blessings are by our own hands.

In particular here is what hits me today is verse 6:

⁴ After the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, "The LORD has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness." No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is going to drive them out before you. ⁵ It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the LORD your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. ⁶ Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people. (verses 4-6)

When I read verse 6 I get that:

• I must understand and acknowledge that I will always be tempted to think of blessings in my life as the fruit of my own effort - I am no different from the Israelites in being a "stiff necked people"
  
• I must ask for God's protection from Satan and to be thankful for my blessings as an acknowledgement that they come from God alone

10 Things I am thankful for today:
- My God
- My wife and all the great things she is and does for me and Zach and Dustin
- My children
- My family
- My health
- My job
- Fun things for me to enjoy like tennis, music
- My church
- My Christian brothers and sisters
- How the Lord provides

My Prayer: Lord, you are a great and gracious God and you bless me beyond imagination - of course above represents only a fraction of how you bless me! Thank you for loving me and blessing me even though I don't deserve it. I am sinful person and I harbor ill thoughts about others and I need your help to LOVE. Forgive me for my sin and help me overcome and help me seek you in daily conversation through prayer.

Remember That Your Success is His Success

Today's Reading
Deuteronomy 8:6-20

I have always been a reasonably confident person and with many things it has become easy for me to give myself glory vs God for things that go well. Moses warns the Israelites of this here:

¹⁷ You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." ¹⁸ But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. (verses 17-18)

My Prayer: Lord, I never thought I would be as blessed as I am today and I am in awe of how your plan for me has resulted in such blessings - through good and bad times I have been blessed. Thank you so much for your love for me, your grace for me and your mercy for me. I don't deserve it yet you provide. Please help me draw closer to you and develop a deeper love and desire for you - in all ways, especially prayer time. Please help me remember how you gave me gifts for your glory and not mine.