Chapter 5: verse 1... I know this is not even close to being the first time that Moses assembled ALL Israel together, but it is the first time that it actually hit me how important it is to have everyone involved together at the same time (I'm really slow, I know). There is a real importance of everyone being on the same page when they set out on an endeavor... as a general rule everyone comes from a different point in their lives and filters news through their own filter (based on their life).... however, if the end goal is to have everyone on the same page, then there has to be a good informational meeting to set the stage and fill in the gaps so everyone can start out on equal footing... without that common denominator, things are bound to hit a snap or trip up (possibly even fall apart) because no one has a common foundation to work from and no one understand where the other people are coming from.... in this instance, it is really important to set that standard as the people are about to take possession of the land that God is giving them... if they just go all "willy-nilly" when they enter the land, they could do much more harm that good for the name of God, and God does not want that at all.... sometimes I wonder how much of an equal footing we as Christians go into things with?... with all the different denominations and sects and things, and the tendancy for people to just believe what they are told instead of research God's truth themselves, I wonder what kind of message we are sending non-believers... are we doing more harm than good for God's name?... is it a positive thing to segregate ourselves based on trivial issues that have no eternal value?... how do we clarify our segregation/division when the issue IS of eternal value?... is God's glory our ultimate goal or is it pride that fuels most church/denomination splits?... just some thoughts... it just seems to me that if we are all ONE body in Christ, than we could act like it more often? verse 3... makes sense that God renewed the covenant with each significant generation so that they realized it was meant for them, too, and not just some "story" passed down by the "old people"... do we really take to heart and personalize the gift of God in our lives, or do we assume it was just some "nice story" passed down from the "old people"? verse 4-5... do we sometimes separate ourselves from God because of our fear? God says that He did not give us a spirit of fear (2 Tim 1:7)... so, if it doesn't come from God, it must come from Satan (who is the father of lies-John 8:44)... it would be in Satan's best interest to convince us that we are too "bad" to be around God, or that God doesn't want us because of our "past"... but God does want us... He does not want us to separated from Him... if He did, why would He go to all the trouble of sending Jesus to die for us and mend the way for us to be with Him, face to face, forever? (John 3:18, and others) verse 11... this is one verse we do not take to heart here in America... I know of several foreigners who are trying to learn English, and the first phrase they learned was "Oh, my God"... they learned it from TV, from friends, even from those of us who claimed to love God... how can we work to change this? Why does it not upset us more?
verse 14-15... I like this verse because it reminds us that we need to remember where we came from and not look down on others that are still in that place that we once were... also, it reminds us that we need to be the ones responsible for encouraging the others we are "in charge of" to follow God's laws... we need to teach and lead in a Godly way, instead of acting like we are still "babies" and need to be carried ourselves (see Hebrews 5:11-6:8) verse 16: see also Ephesians 6:1-3 and Genesis 9:18-29 verse 21... makes me think about how God specifically divided us the tribes, land, spoils, etc... if God gave it to someone else, why would we assume it should belong to us? are we saying we know more than God? has God not provided for our needs, too? then, why even consider the possiblity of wanting what another has rightfully been given by God? verse 22... "He added nothing more"... do we sometimes think that we need to "add to" what God has said to make it more "complete"? why do we do that? verse 24... "Today we have seen that a man can live even if he God speaks with him."... sometimes the only way I can 'live' is to have God speak to me... that is why it is so important to get into His Word everyday so I know what He is saying verse 25-27... I know that verse 28-29 implies that these verses are the people showing proper reverence and respect to God, but the first time I read them, my thought was that they were saying, "why should we die? let's send Moses instead!" :) verse 32-33... God gives us laws and commands for our own good
The IDEA: Romans 1:12-That we may be mutually strengthened, encouraged, and comforted by each others faith. Have you ever read the whole Bible before? We have never done it. We want to share God’s Word, but how can we if we do not know it.
The PLAN: Ecclesiastes 4:12-One person is easily overcome, but two can stand together and conquer. Three is even better, though, as a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. With each others help we can succeed-So, let us team up and read the Bible in a year.
The DATE: We will start Dec 26, 2009 - Dec 26, 2010.
The FYI: We will read 3-4 chapters each day, starting in Genesis, and post thoughts daily. If you do not have a Bible, you can access many translations at www.biblegateway.com. You can also download an audio for each chapter at: http://www.audiotreasure.com/webindex.htm
Read it.
ReplyDeleteSandj
Chapter 5: verse 1... I know this is not even close to being the first time that Moses assembled ALL Israel together, but it is the first time that it actually hit me how important it is to have everyone involved together at the same time (I'm really slow, I know). There is a real importance of everyone being on the same page when they set out on an endeavor... as a general rule everyone comes from a different point in their lives and filters news through their own filter (based on their life).... however, if the end goal is to have everyone on the same page, then there has to be a good informational meeting to set the stage and fill in the gaps so everyone can start out on equal footing... without that common denominator, things are bound to hit a snap or trip up (possibly even fall apart) because no one has a common foundation to work from and no one understand where the other people are coming from.... in this instance, it is really important to set that standard as the people are about to take possession of the land that God is giving them... if they just go all "willy-nilly" when they enter the land, they could do much more harm that good for the name of God, and God does not want that at all.... sometimes I wonder how much of an equal footing we as Christians go into things with?... with all the different denominations and sects and things, and the tendancy for people to just believe what they are told instead of research God's truth themselves, I wonder what kind of message we are sending non-believers... are we doing more harm than good for God's name?... is it a positive thing to segregate ourselves based on trivial issues that have no eternal value?... how do we clarify our segregation/division when the issue IS of eternal value?... is God's glory our ultimate goal or is it pride that fuels most church/denomination splits?... just some thoughts... it just seems to me that if we are all ONE body in Christ, than we could act like it more often?
ReplyDeleteverse 3... makes sense that God renewed the covenant with each significant generation so that they realized it was meant for them, too, and not just some "story" passed down by the "old people"... do we really take to heart and personalize the gift of God in our lives, or do we assume it was just some "nice story" passed down from the "old people"?
verse 4-5... do we sometimes separate ourselves from God because of our fear? God says that He did not give us a spirit of fear (2 Tim 1:7)... so, if it doesn't come from God, it must come from Satan (who is the father of lies-John 8:44)... it would be in Satan's best interest to convince us that we are too "bad" to be around God, or that God doesn't want us because of our "past"... but God does want us... He does not want us to separated from Him... if He did, why would He go to all the trouble of sending Jesus to die for us and mend the way for us to be with Him, face to face, forever? (John 3:18, and others)
verse 11... this is one verse we do not take to heart here in America... I know of several foreigners who are trying to learn English, and the first phrase they learned was "Oh, my God"... they learned it from TV, from friends, even from those of us who claimed to love God... how can we work to change this? Why does it not upset us more?
verse 14-15... I like this verse because it reminds us that we need to remember where we came from and not look down on others that are still in that place that we once were... also, it reminds us that we need to be the ones responsible for encouraging the others we are "in charge of" to follow God's laws... we need to teach and lead in a Godly way, instead of acting like we are still "babies" and need to be carried ourselves (see Hebrews 5:11-6:8)
ReplyDeleteverse 16: see also Ephesians 6:1-3 and Genesis 9:18-29
verse 21... makes me think about how God specifically divided us the tribes, land, spoils, etc... if God gave it to someone else, why would we assume it should belong to us? are we saying we know more than God? has God not provided for our needs, too? then, why even consider the possiblity of wanting what another has rightfully been given by God?
verse 22... "He added nothing more"... do we sometimes think that we need to "add to" what God has said to make it more "complete"? why do we do that?
verse 24... "Today we have seen that a man can live even if he God speaks with him."... sometimes the only way I can 'live' is to have God speak to me... that is why it is so important to get into His Word everyday so I know what He is saying
verse 25-27... I know that verse 28-29 implies that these verses are the people showing proper reverence and respect to God, but the first time I read them, my thought was that they were saying, "why should we die? let's send Moses instead!" :)
verse 32-33... God gives us laws and commands for our own good