Read it... caught up on blogging through chapter 10... will keep working on getting the rest commented on soon. Thanks for your patience. God Bless, sandJ :)
Chapter 19: verse 1-7... what a great friend Jonathan was!... we should all have such good friends in our lives who will stand up for us even under the most dire of situations... and we should all commit to being that kind of friend to others! verse 8-10... Saul should really consider making a few changes in his life... first, he should stop surrounding himself with things that remind him of his weaknesses (like spears with remind him of his bitterness and jealousy, etc)... second, Saul should really let some things go and stop focusing so much on himself and how everything effects him... third, he needs to start giving thanks in all circumstances and see the blessings around him for what they are... I think we could all probably stand to apply these things more in our own lives... if we did, I would wager that we might see a little more victory over our troubles and negativities. interesting how David now decides that enough is enough... I wonder why he chose now? verse 11-18... Michal's story reminds me of others we have read so far, like Rahab lowering Joshua's spies down from Jericho, etc... interesting though, how Michal does not seem to have the same level of faith as her husband... she has access to an idol (what would David have thought about that?), and she lies many times (granted her life is most likely at stake, but still)... however, on the plus side, she is a brave wife who is putting the love of her husband above her own life... we could all take a lesson from her about sacrificial love, I think. verse 18... did Samuel know of all that had been happening so far? just wondering verse 19-22... funny how Saul was so bent on his own will that he didn't see any of the signs pointing to God's will.... also funny how Saul thought he could succeed where many men had failed, especially since he was taking on God... as if Saul thought he was better or greater than God... do we ever act like we think that?... verse 23-24... I wonder what he was 'prophesying' about?... interesting how Saul can have a majoy "God experience", twice even (1 Samuel 10:12), and yet, he still does not have a personal relationship with God... probably the same reason why Jesus told those in his hometown that he would not be doing any miracles there (Luke 4:23-28)... we all wish that we could see some 'miracle' in our own lives, and claim it would give us greater faith... however, sometimes, when a heart is hard, seeing does not equate to believing... afterall, whether you 'see' or not 'see' it is all a matter of faith in order for you to believe, for none of us can yet see our salvation (Hebrews 11:1), we can only hope for what we know we will receive because of God's truthful character and unchanging trustworthiness. sandJ
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... caught up on blogging through chapter 10... will keep working on getting the rest commented on soon. Thanks for your patience.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless,
sandJ :)
Chapter 19: verse 1-7... what a great friend Jonathan was!... we should all have such good friends in our lives who will stand up for us even under the most dire of situations... and we should all commit to being that kind of friend to others!
ReplyDeleteverse 8-10... Saul should really consider making a few changes in his life... first, he should stop surrounding himself with things that remind him of his weaknesses (like spears with remind him of his bitterness and jealousy, etc)... second, Saul should really let some things go and stop focusing so much on himself and how everything effects him... third, he needs to start giving thanks in all circumstances and see the blessings around him for what they are... I think we could all probably stand to apply these things more in our own lives... if we did, I would wager that we might see a little more victory over our troubles and negativities. interesting how David now decides that enough is enough... I wonder why he chose now?
verse 11-18... Michal's story reminds me of others we have read so far, like Rahab lowering Joshua's spies down from Jericho, etc... interesting though, how Michal does not seem to have the same level of faith as her husband... she has access to an idol (what would David have thought about that?), and she lies many times (granted her life is most likely at stake, but still)... however, on the plus side, she is a brave wife who is putting the love of her husband above her own life... we could all take a lesson from her about sacrificial love, I think.
verse 18... did Samuel know of all that had been happening so far? just wondering
verse 19-22... funny how Saul was so bent on his own will that he didn't see any of the signs pointing to God's will.... also funny how Saul thought he could succeed where many men had failed, especially since he was taking on God... as if Saul thought he was better or greater than God... do we ever act like we think that?...
verse 23-24... I wonder what he was 'prophesying' about?... interesting how Saul can have a majoy "God experience", twice even (1 Samuel 10:12), and yet, he still does not have a personal relationship with God... probably the same reason why Jesus told those in his hometown that he would not be doing any miracles there (Luke 4:23-28)... we all wish that we could see some 'miracle' in our own lives, and claim it would give us greater faith... however, sometimes, when a heart is hard, seeing does not equate to believing... afterall, whether you 'see' or not 'see' it is all a matter of faith in order for you to believe, for none of us can yet see our salvation (Hebrews 11:1), we can only hope for what we know we will receive because of God's truthful character and unchanging trustworthiness.
sandJ