This morning I sat out on our patio, comfortably settled into a wicker chair, studying for my women's Bible study. We are doing Kay Arthur's study in James. The words were so timely for me as she referenced a verse in Psalm 139:16,
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All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
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Sometimes I wake up at night, aware of my irregular heartbeat, and find myself feeling anxious. Mostly, it is because there are still things I want to accomplish, like getting my devotional book written and into the hands of my children - as well as posting the completed version online. As I lay there willing my heart to be calm, I pray for God's will in my life and the lives of those I love.
James reminds us that God is in control of the length of our lives - and I have all the time I need to do His perfect will. James 4:13-15 says,
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Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."
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I truly hope that it is the Lord's will for me to see my grandchildren grown and to be a godly influence on them in person. But I realize that what I invest in them today will be used by the Holy Spirit in their lives and the lives of their children.
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Thank you Lord ,for the ministry of being a wife and mother and grandmother. I pray that through these blogs I will be able to encourage other men and women to value their role as parents and grandparents. Today is the only day I know I have for sure - Lord take it and bless it and if it is your will, bless tomorrow too.
In our church we seldom sing the old hymns. But this Sunday, our worship team led us in the 8th century Irish Hymn "Be Thou My Vision." It had been years since I had heard it, but the words, along with the irish melody were such a blessing to my heart. I thought I would share it with you.
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Be Thou My Vision
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Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart, Nought be all else to me, save that thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day or by night, waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
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Be thou my wisdom, and Thou my true Word, I ever with thee and thou with me Lord. Thou my great Father, I thy true son, Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one.
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Be Thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight, Be thou my armour and be thou my might.
Thou my soul's shelter and thou my high tower. Raise thou me heavenward O Power of my power.
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Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise, Thou mine inheritance now and always
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart High King of heaven, my treasure thou art.
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High King of Heaven, my victory won, May I reach Heaven's joys, O bright Heaven's Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.
Read Exodus 32:1-33:17
So Moses went back to the LORD and said, "Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. But now, please forgive their sin–but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written." Exodus 32:31-32 NIV
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During the 40 days that Moses was on Mt Sinai receiving God's commandments, the people talked Aaron into making them a golden calf. Then they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt." (32:4b)
The next day the people sacrificed burnt offerings to the idol and began to dance and engage in revelry. The LORD said to Moses, “I have seen these people… Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them.” (32:9-10a) Moses pleaded for the people saying that if God would not forgive Israel's sin, Moses was ready to be blotted out with them. Then the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened. (32:14)
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Lord, give me a compassionate heart for those who are living disobedient lives. Teach me your ways so that I will know You better, and be an example of obedience to my family and friends. I know that I cannot do this without your daily presence in my life.
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"If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us?" (Exodus 33:15 16)
JETHRO AND MOSES Read Exodus 18:1–27
"The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you." Exodus 18:18b–19a NIV
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When Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt, he sent word to him: "I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons." (18:6) As Jethro settled in, he quickly noted that Moses was trying to do everything himself.
If this man was going to keep going, Jethro observed, he would need help. His advice was to seek out capable, godly men to judge the simple matters, who would then bring the difficult cases to Moses. He said, " If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied." (18:23 NIV)
Just like Moses, we often think we have to do everything ourselves. It is important, not only for our own benefit, but also our children's, to give them age appropriate responsibilities.
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Lord, help me to learn to delegate responsibility and to train my "child in the way he should go, so that when he is old he will not turn from it." (Proverbs 22:6)
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Moses told his father-in-law about everything the LORD had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel's sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the LORD had saved them. Exodus 18:8 NIV
Read Exodus 13:17–14:31
The LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. Exodus 14:21–22 NIV
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When Pharaoh finally let the Israelites go, God instructed Moses to take them the long way around so they wouldn’t face war with the Philistines because, "If they face war,” He said, “they might change their minds and return to Egypt." So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. (13:17–18) When they came to the Red Sea with the Egyptians pursuing them, it was no surprise that they were terrified.
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Thanks be to God, their salvation was not dependant on their great strength and courage. Moses told the people "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." (14:13–14)
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Thank You Lord, that victory does not depend on my own strength. When I am overwhelmed by life’s circumstances, I need only to be still and watch what You are going to do. Like Moses and Miriam I can sing, “The Lord is my strength and my song. He has become my salvation.” (Exodus 15:2a)
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"In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them …" Exodus 15:13a NIV
THE LAST SUPPER Read Exodus 11:1–12:42 "I am the LORD … when I see the blood, I will pass over you.” Exodus 12:12b–13 NIV
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After nine plagues and refusals by Pharaoh to let the people go, in the tenth and final judgment, God sent His angel to strike the firstborn male of every family in Egypt. Only those who put the blood of a lamb on the two doorposts and the lintel would be spared. The Lord promised them, "… when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt." (12:13b) This event came to be known as the Passover. God commanded, "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD—a lasting ordinance."(12:14)
Over fourteen hundred years later, Jesus sat down to the Passover meal with His disciples and said, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you." That very night in the Garden of Gethsemane, being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. (Luke 22: 20b,44 NKJV)
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Thank You Lord, for giving Your Son for us, that we might enjoy eternal life in Your presence. Help us to tell the story of the cross to our children, just as the Israelites taught their children through this annual feast. May our lives radiate the message of Jesus the Passover Lamb.
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"In days to come, when your son asks you, 'What does this mean?' say to him, 'With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out … out of the land of slavery.' " Exodus 13:14 NIV
I AM WHO I AM
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Read Exodus 2:11–3:15
"One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand." Exodus 2:11–12 NIV
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When Moses was young, God had already given him a heart to deliver his people–but his youthful, impulsive actions forced him to flee to the desert, where he lived as a shepherd for forty years. Finally, God's time had come to use the spark ignited in Moses' heart so long ago.
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Out of a burning bush, God said, "I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt." Moses' response was, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" (3:10–11) When Moses was young, it was all about who he was, the son of a princess, but now God says, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" (3:14)
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How prone we are to act impulsively in our own strength, with disappointing results. But our failures don’t necessarily prove that the desired end was wrong. It may just indicate that we need to wait patiently for the Lord’s perfect timing.
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Lord, when I am impatient to know what is ahead, help me to be willing to wait for your guidance and timing. Renew my strength and confidence as I wait upon you.
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But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 NKJV
Read Exodus 1:1–2:10
When she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.Exodus 2:3–4 NIV
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The rescue of baby Moses is a remarkable story of faith and deliverance. Many babies lost their lives in this terrible purge by Pharaoh, and yet God had a plan for one little baby boy and his family. Jocobed trusted God as she lowered the basket into the water and prayed for compassion from Pharaoh's daughter. Miriam, in obedience to her mother, stood watch over the baby and spoke wisely to the princess. The result of their faith was that Jocobed was allowed to continue nursing her own baby, and one day Miriam would join her brother Moses as a leader in Israel.(Exodus 2:7–10; Micah 6:4)
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Lord, only You know what the future holds for our children. We commit them to Your providential plan, trusting that You will bring about Your will in their lives. Help us to move confidently into the future, believing in Your love and care for our children and grandchildren. And as we do this, please use us to bless the lives of other families along the way.
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The girl went and got the baby's mother. Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you." So the woman took the baby and nursed him. Exodus 2:8–9 NIV
Read Genesis 39 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh … bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there … And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand. Genesis 39:1,3 NKJV
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At first glance, Joseph's story is about slavery, lies and betrayal, even by family members. But the underlying message is that Joseph prospered in spite of it all, whether he was a servant, manager or prisoner. God had plans for Joseph to rescue his whole family, including those who betrayed him. Joseph was a faithful young man; is it any wonder that God chose him for this important task? His priorities were determined by his faithfulness to God, not the pressures of a wicked culture. When tempted to commit adultery, he said, “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" (Genesis 39:9b)
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Lord, give us the discernment to protect our children from the influences that could destroy their relationship with You. Help them to understand that sexual sin is a grievous offense against God, as well as their own bodies. Help us to teach them Your precepts so that they will know right from wrong and look forward to the future You have planned for them.
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“God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance … "So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.” Genesis 45:7–8a NIV
Read Genesis 37 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. Genesis 37:3–4 NIV
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Jacob and Rachel waited many years before Rachel conceived. By then, Jacob already had sons by his wife Leah and their two maidservants, Zilpah and Bilhah. Rachael's firstborn, Joseph quickly became his father's favorite. This special treatment of the younger son caused resentment and hatred, particularly by the sons of Jacob's concubines. Jacob must have forgotten the pain of his own father's preferential love for Esau, for now he was repeating the pattern. Both Isaac and Jacob suffered the loss of a son because of favoritism. Jacob had to flee to his relatives and Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt.
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Lord, help us to avoid comparing our children or grandchildren in an unfavorable way. Give us sensitivity to the feelings of each child and the ability to appreciate his or her unique personality and abilities. I pray like the Psalmist, "Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:12, 14 NKJV)
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Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted.… Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials.
Genesis 37:34–36 NIV
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