Psalm 121:1-2 - Help

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
     where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
     the Maker of heaven and earth.

I always open Bible Gateway each morning to copy the scripture I plan to focus on in my blog. This morning the scripture above was the Verse of the Day and I felt it was so appropriate for the hurricanes and fires many have been dealing with.

Lord, thank you for your promise of help. Please guide us to come to you first when we need help. Amen.

Amos 4:6 - Hardships from the Lord?

“I gave you empty stomachs in every city
     and lack of bread in every town,
     yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.

Several verses in Amos chapter 4 reflect the same sentiment as the verse above. God allows his wayward people to suffer hardships in an effort to get them to return to him.  Have you ever suffered a hardship which brought you closer to God?

Lord, thank you for doing whatever it takes to bring us closer to you. Please help us to see all things in our life as a way to develop a better relationship with you. Amen,

Matthew 16:24-25 - Will you still love him?

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.

Do you believe God can turn any situation? Will you still love him if he doesn’t?

In preparing for another ladies class discussion, this phrase really impacted me. We are called to believe, but we are called to believe beyond getting our way. Our lesson is on Mary and Martha, but not the story of the sisters having Jesus in their home. This lesson focuses on when their brother, Jesus' friend, Lazarus dies. They expect Jesus to drop everything and come to their rescue, but he doesn't. They both eventually come to show Jesus they love him and he is their messiah, even though Lazarus is dead. That's not the end of the story, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, but Mary and Martha would have loved him even if he hadn't.

Lord, We love you and believe in you, even when you don't do what we ask. Please help us to trust in you always. Amen.

Matthew 6:19-24 - Bible Study Challenge Day 5

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Question 1 - What treasures do we lay up here on earth?
Out treasures can be stuff. We fill our lives and houses with stuff. In the last few day I have spent a bunch of money on a bunch of stuff. It is easy to find our value in the stuff we purchase. Our treasures may be the things/activities we give our time and effort to, especially if it is more time and effort than we give to God. Our treasure may be our savings or retirement account. It's good to think ahead, be prepared and plan to take care of ourselves when we retire, but investments can fail, big expenses can drain us financially and all can be lost. We must be careful we are putting our trust and value in God, not our savings.

Question 2 - How can we keep the light in us?
We are a vessel for light. The more broken we are, the more light gets out to share with the world. We must fill our vessel daily/hourly through prayer, study and meditation, by believing and trusting in God.

Question 3 - Who or what competes to be our master?
So many things!!! Anything we obey rather than God. This could be our job, spouse, children, presidents, food and other addictions, money, etc...

Psalm 60:10 - Rejected?

Is it not you, God, you who have now rejected us

     and no longer go out with our armies?

Just like David, there will be times in our life when we feel like God has rejected us. When we are not winning and we are struggling. There can be many different reasons for the struggle. God might be trying to teach us something, or it could just simply be the result of a fallen world. Even though we may feel like God has left us, he has not. Call out to him. Question him. He is listening.

Lord, thank you for loving us enough to hear us. Please let us feel your presence all the time. Amen.

Genesis 37:29,34 - Tearing clothes

When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.

Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days.

Ok, so what is the deal with all this clothes tearing? I did a search of tearing clothes in mourning and found that because of this and other examples, it becomes part of Jewish tradition and law.

"The ancient practice of tearing clothes (called kriah) is a tangible expression of grief and anger in the face of death."

"This has a dual symbolism. We are recognizing the loss, that our hearts are torn. But ultimately, the body is also only a garment that the soul wears. Death is when we strip off one uniform and take on another. The garment may be torn, but the essence of the person within it is still intact."

Interesting Jewish fact of the day. :)

Lord, thank you for allowing us to grieve when loved ones pass away. It is hard for us to have them taken away, but if they are a follower of  you, God, we know that they are bound for a home with you in heaven. Amen. 




Quotes taken from:
http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-basics-of-kriah-or-tearing-a-piece-of-clothing/
and
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/248163/jewish/Why-Do-We-Tear-Our-Clothes-After-a-Death.htm