Tomorrow

In  Deuteronomy 6:10-12,Moses reminds the Israelites that they are entering a land to live in cities they did not build with crops they did not plant.  God had already provided them with food and shelter.  He also warns them to be careful not to forget  that it was God who created this opportunity.  God freed them from slavery and led them to the Promised Land.

My paraphrase for these verses:  Remember when life is good from where that good life came, not you but God.

I thought these were appropriate Thanksgiving season thoughts.  God has blessed our lives with much we do not earn or deserve.  The Pilgrims remembered that it was God who provided them in their new home.  I found this quote from their governor in 1623:

"...as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, squashes and garden vegetables, and made the forest to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as he has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from the pestilence and granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience."

I was impressed that he was specific and remembered well- from the specific list of the crops, the sources, the deliverance and the opportunity for life free from oppression.

 I spent a few days pondering my life and my Promised Land.  I spent some time wondering through Psalms about thanksgiving. I read my favorite, Psalm 24 because it reminded me that God created it all and He is SO Worth my praise for this world that I am given to live and learn. 

I wondered what was my Promised Land. Most often we think in the physical location as the Israelites.  Is my Promised Land where I live?  Perhaps and probably.

Yet as I sat in the congregation at a friend's funeral this week, it occurred to me that tomorrow when I wake up that day will be my Promised Land.  Tomorrow is available to me and I didn't build it or earn it.   God gives it to me to use for myself and to bring Him Glory.  At the end of tomorrow I need to remember that it was God who gave me the day, my Promised Land.  Another day is good and God gave it to me.

The Book Tree

I'm in a new project mode.  I get caught up in a new creative project and it's all I can think about.

My current project is to make a tree out of an old book.  It has been on my mind for quite awhile.  I couldn't bring myself to sacrifice a book.  Then when I was in the basement. There it was, a book I didn't care for when I read it and it was dusty.  I thought that will go in the trash.  Aha!  I'd found the sacrifice!

Yesterday  I watched the tutorial and tore into the book.  The folding was brief and painless.  I only burned my finger on the glue gun once.  I even came up with the idea  to recycle old Christmas cards into the star on the top of the tree. (Good news, honey, I used up a dozen of those hundreds of cards I've been saving!)

Now I can hardly wait to get to the store to buy glitter to finish my project.  I'm on the hunt for more books.  I'm thinking of how I can take this project on my next trip.

I've already given the endorsement of "Stinking cute."  Do you agree?

 

I was convicted this morning as I read Deuteronomy 6: 4-9.  My paraphrase of the verses included:

"Listen, I know your name and I'm talking to you.  I am The One.  Love God above all you desire, above your life, above your personality.  These commandments are to be your desire, your life, your personality.  Let them consume your day."

I realized that my creative projects too often consume my thinking, my time and my talk.  I'll get up early to work on my latest project.    I'll think about it when I drive, coming up with my own creative improvements to the pattern.  If I don' t have a supply, I'll go immediately to procure it.

It consumes my thinking,

                                                my time, and

                                                                my talk.

What if creating my relationship with God consumed

                my thinking,

                                my time, and

                                                my talk?

Benefits

"Thank you for sharing but your belief system doesn't offer me anything.  I have what I need in my belief."  I had listened patiently to the lady at my door as she did her presentation.  Then I shared my faith in Jesus and how I knew where I would spend eternity.

I had two bullet points in my journal as I read Deuteronomy 6:1-3:

-Obedience benefits my family.  Moses reminded the Israelites  that it would go well with them and their children if they followed God's commands, laws and decrees.

-Obedience leads to benefits.  This made me think on "What does obedience to God offer?"

Brainstorming from these verses I listed:

An enjoyable life for me

An enjoyable life for my children and grandchildren

Increase in life- might be materially or in relationships.

I made a short list of the benefits for me as a result of obeying God.  I remembered that encounter at my front door.  I rejoiced when I remembered she made me realize I didn't have to work or wonder if I was one of the chosen.  I know I have been chosen.   Countless verses in the Bible as well as my experiences with God have proven to me that for some reason God wants a relationship with me and He picked me. (2Thessalonians 2:13)

I know that I don't control all the circumstances of my life.  I also know that this life is not all of my life.  This world is just my temporary home.  The best part of life is yet to come and it will be better than my little human brain  can comprehend.(Philippians 3:20)

I have a purpose in a world of people that don't know the meaning of life.  My purpose is to have a relationship with God, to bring Him glory through my life.  I may not understand all that happens but God does.  God has a purpose for my life and it's a good one.  (Jeremiah 29:11)

These were just three benefits I thought of early in the morning.  If I paid attention to God's work in my life throughout the day the list would be so much longer.

It's the season to be thankful.  Today I am thanking God for all the benefits He had brought into my life.  I looked up benefit in a dictionary and picked out a few words:  advantage, gift and kindness.  I liked these words as they describe what God has done in my life so far.  He has given me advantages.  He has given me many gifts.  He is really kind in His direction in my life.

What a benefit package!

Motto for life

"Drink alot of water."  My family has heard this advice from my lips on countless occasions.  Regardless of the ailment or disease, my first comment is "drink water".  Water will flush out disease and poisons. Water keeps you hydrated and feeling better through exercise.  I've said it so many times, it probably will end up on my tombstone!

I also use the phrase, "in life you have two choices, laugh or cry.  I'm choosing..."  This helps me keep perspective on life's daily obstacles.  I think it comes from my mom.  I can hear her voice asking me, "In the span of eternity, how important is......."

I made a list of other statements I've heard from family members that I associate with them and my memory of them.  "This is probably the last time you'll see me..."  "That's fine for you."  "It is what it is."  "Pick your battleground." Perhaps these common phrases are also life mottos.  There must be a life philosophy behind those statements.

I thought about life mottos when I read Deuteronomy 5:30-32.  I made a list of verbs.  It's one of my favorite study methods.  Years ago a bible study leader taught me to list the verbs to learn the actions I should follow.

My list of verbs included:  stay, follow, walk, live long and prosper.  I got a little excited when I saw the last three words.  I'll admit to being a science fiction fan and enjoyed the Vulcan salutation of "Live long and prosper."

I  doodled mottos from these three verses.  I chose "Prolong the Prosper-Walk God's Way."  I am going to choose this life motto.  Surely this motto will look better on the tombstone. 

The challenge is now to live it and incorporate it into my life.  I need to look at the verb list again.  To walk in God's way I need to follow and stay.  First I make a conscious choice to follow God's commands and then stay with them, not turning to the right or left, to stay straight in His Way.

Learning to stay is challenging.  I have two puppies that don't know the meaning of stay yet.  They need to learn to focus on me and me alone.  They are easily distracted by each other and the activities of the world!  My first step is getting them to focus on me.

Choosing the life motto is easy.  Staying with the motto is a life's challenge.  My first step will be to focus on God.  I'm learning to stay!

Let's stretch

"You seem to be closer to God.  Could you pray for........"   Over the years this has happened to me several times in the workplace.  People forget they have the same opportunity to pray and speak to God as I.  What makes them unsure of the availability of God?

In Deuteronomy 5:22-29 Moses is retelling the delivery of the ten commandments.  God's voice came out of fire, cloud and deep darkness before the whole assembly of the people.   After this experience the tribal leaders and elders came to Moses and said "God has shown us His glory and majesty in a loud voice.  Today we saw a man can live even if God speaks to him but what about next time?  Why should we take the risk?  So Moses, you go ahead and speak with God and then come tell us all about it.  We promise to listen and obey."  (Right, that is definitely the Jan translation!)

I've always thought, "Silly Israelites!  You would give up this opportunity to go to The Source!" Then I am always surprised when God responds with "Everything they said was good."  So this is what God wants?

In the King James version, God's response is translated "well spoken".  Perhaps God meant what they said was true. We are human and think we need humans to meet our needs.

We need skin.  We need tangible people that we can touch, if we want.  It's a dilemma.  God created us to have a need for relationship but we also have a need for touch.  So we keep looking for other humans to satisfy this longing.

I see in these verses again-- We need a Savior.  We need One to bridge that gap between intimate relationship with the One True God and our humanity.

God wants us to "incline to Him and keep His commands" but He also understands our humanity.  We don't think it's in us to have that intimate relationship with the greatness and majesty of God.  God loved us so much that He revealed Himself.  Jesus was like us, with skin, but at the very same time God Himself.

God created us with the need to "incline to Him" but we let our fears interfere with that relationship.  God's desire, and the desire He has placed in our hearts, is that we incline to Him and keep His commands so it will go well for us and our families.

I looked up the word "incline" in a concordance.  One of the meanings is to stretch.  I need to stretch myself and reach out to God.  It is a stretch in my mind to think God loves me enough to want a personal relationship with me, who would have been right with the leaders and elders after hearing God's voice.  It's easy for me, centuries later, to think I'd have been braver and had more faith but I have to admit, I sleep with lights on!

Today I remember that God really knows my humanity, loves me anyway and provides me with the means to have a personal relationship with Him.  I need to stretch my faith in myself and God and get to know Him more.  He knows me well.  How well do I know Him?

Relationship + obedience = a good life

 

KIS&S

I’m tired this morning. I went out with friends last night so the puppies were in their kennels during the evening. Usually I’m home and the evening is their play time. So at 9:30 pm last night when I got home, they were ready to "party." They partied until well past midnight with a reprise at 3:30 am.

I slept late this morning and so did they. We are all experiencing the consequences of our actions last night.

Consequences came to my mind when I read Deuteronomy 5: 17-21, the final commandments that all start with "you shall not...". In some people’s minds these are the big ones. They list the big sins. Yet sin is sin, none are bigger. Maybe these have bigger and more complicated consequences.

My logical mind thinks, "Why would God even need to mention these sins? Isn’t it obvious?" Yet the Israelites were entering foreign territoy where some of these practices were common. God knew He needed to be abundantly clear about these practices being sin. Maybe that is why they are short and sweet. Just don’t do this.

Today my mind again goes back to the first commandments and the advice to be safe. The final commandments also have a purpose of keeping us safe. Our lives will be safe in a world without murder, adultry, theft, lying and jealousy. If we follow these commandments we will be free of the consequences: revenge, hate, bitterness, lack of control, despair and sin. Just think of the "lack of drama" in modern life if we lived safe and followed the ten commandments.

In today’s world, we don’t think about the consequences of our actions often enough. Our society is driven by "if it feels good today, do it". Just look at the popular TV shows. The drama comes from the consequences of bad actions. Study the news for the day. Politicians and leaders study the impact of actions and plans to prove their point. Yesterday, two different news stories complained that leaders didn’t think of the consequences of their proposals.

I remember a night when my dad and I pulled into the garage after a long day at the hospital with my mom. He was tired but needed to call Grandma with an update. Grandma was an "Uber-worrier". To protect her, we would just not tell her things. We had years worth of omissions and hidden truths. We thought we were being kind. Yet our omissions created a web of hidden events and information that was very complicated to keep track of what she knew and didn’t know. Before we got out of the car that night, my dad and I reviewed the list of what Grandma knew and shouldn’t know.

I remember this incident and use it to keep me honest. Deception is so complicated and leads to the dramas of life, even when I think I’m protecting. I may chose to protect someone in this way but I also accept the consequence. I may be willing to do it to protect but do I want the drama and consequence if I have another choice, a better choice to avoid the consequence?

The Israelites were entering a complicated land. They needed to be safe. To be live long and well they needed to Keep It Simple & Safe: Follow God’s commandments.

I live in a complicated world. My actions and decisions have consequences for me and those around me. I need to Keep It Simple & Safe and follow God’s commands.

Keep

It

Simple &

Safe

The "Key" to Prosperity

"What was the worst thing Janice ever did?"  Dick asked my parents shortly after we were married.  He had a colorful collection of boyhood mischief stories.  He thought my childhood tales lacked adventure and authenticity.  So he went to my folks.

He thought I presented myself as too good as a child.  He was looking for the "dirt".  My mother picked a charming story about potty training and me insisting on unrolling the toilet paper.  Dick and my dad scoffed.

My dad said, "Oh I have stories!  I remember one night when she called me on the phone to come to the mall."  Yikes I couldn't believe he picked the mall key story.  I'll give you my side.  It was the first Christmas break of my college years.  My high school friends had gone out to the movies at the mall.  I had driven my car.  It was after midnight when the movie ended and it was very cold.

The key in my car door lock didn't work!  We went into teenage girl panic as only a gaggle of girl teenagers would late at night, in a dark parking lot, locked out of the car with the mall about to close and cell phones had not been invented!

I sent a friend in to call my dad before the pay phone in the mall was unavailable.  We were sure the lock was frozen.  He needed to bring a torch!

A few minutes later Dad arrived and quietly took the keys from my hand.  He inserted the other car key.  The door miraculously opened.  He then turned and drove into the night and went back to bed.  (Yes, in the old days, we had two keys, one for the door and one for the ignition.)

OK, this incident was not my finest moment but I was surprised and relieved when he picked this story.  I was a sharp tongued little girl.  There must have been times when I said mean things.  Yet my Daddy picked a humorous but embarrassing story.

That's why I thought of my Dad when I read Deuteronomy 5:16.    God tells us to honor our father and mother so we will live long and prosper. (That is my translation.)

Perhaps if we take time to honor and remember the parents who gave us life, provided for us and managed our maturing, we would learn how to honor and remember God, the true provider, giver and nurturer.  When we take time to thank those who have given to us to better our lives, we remember that "it's not all about us."  I do not deserve full credit for my accomplishments.

The world teaches us to blame others for the tragedies and consequences of life.  God teaches us to honor those who have provided for us and made our lives possible, better and long.  Maybe that is prosperity- life that is possible, better and long?

Thanks Dad.  I honor you for being a man of honor and for sharing a humorous yet slightly embarrassing story instead of those times I would be really embarrassed!  And thanks for never mentioning the mall key story until Dick asked, especially the morning after!

Take Five

On Monday I read about Sunday but it took until Tuesday to write.  Deuteronomy 5:12-15 is God's  commandment to observe the Sabbath.  It seems like the longest commandment with the most comprehensive list of who and why.   The list of the "who" is basically everybody, even the outsiders.

The main point is to keep one day holy to remember God's deliverance. Yet in today's world we think we own Sunday.  "It's my only day to sleep in."  "It's my day for family."  "It's the only day I can clean my house."  Some of us do relegate a couple of hours to the "holy" part by attending church.  I even admit that years ago, Sunday afternoon was my day to organize meals and my calendar for the upcoming week.

When I was young I remember when the stores in Missouri finally made the decision to be open on Sundays.  "In the old days" stores and businesses were closed on Sunday.  But the Missouri merchants were losing business to the merchants across the state line so they eventually changed their policy.  My mother commented that she felt sorry for all those people who now were going to have to work on Sunday.

God owns Sunday, not us.  He owns all the days and He just lets us use them.  He asks that once a week we stop and remember what He has done for us.

This past Sunday I was up early to finish a quilt project so I could clean up my family room.  Then I was off to walk at the Y and stopped into the grocery store to pick up a few items I forgot on Saturday. (Thanks and apologies to those people who had to work Sunday morning so I could accomplish those tasks.)   After church, I made dinner in the crock pot, made a cake and had lunch.  I sat with the puppies for a quick nap, had friends over for a chat, then cleaned up, ran the dishwasher and sat with the puppies for a nap.  I usually enjoy that puppy time but I kept getting up to do something.  Each time I got up I had to move cute little Molly's head out of my lap.

The next morning as I read about observing the Sabbath I thought back to Molly.  When my friends and I sat around the table chatting Molly sat in my lap.  She didn't try to chew on me or look for food on the table.  She just wanted to sit in my lap.  The time I spent in the chair with the puppies, she just wanted to have her head in my lap.  Molly just wanted to be with me.  She had Mickey, toys, bones and other people to distract her but she wanted to be in my lap, just to be in my lap.

Molly reminded me I need to take time to just sit with God and remember.  When I reflect on what God has done in my life, I will be joyful and refreshed.   I may have a thousand items on my "to do" list but without the recharging of the Sabbath rest, I will not finish the list.

Molly reminded me that I need to "take five" minutes or more just to be with God.  Time spent with God is time well spent.  We make the deadlines and timelines.  In the scope of eternity, just how important are those tasks on this day's list?

In today's world, I'm not sure we can go back and have the whole community observe the Sabbath.  I plan to be more consistent in making more of the Sabbath holy and maybe making more time in my everyday life for reflecting on what God has done for me.

Safety First

Yesterday I finally made it to the Ten Commandments!  I had been anticipating a fresh look and learning from the well known laws. I was surprised by my initial thought and not disappointed.

To begin my daily study, I write the verse in my journal.  Sometimes it is word by word and sometimes I do a bit of grammatical editing to organize my thoughts.

My journal entry for Deuteronomy 5: 6 -  "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, the land of slavery."  My initial thought - The One God gives us freedom and delivers me from slavery.

Journal entry Deuteronomy 5:7 - "You shall have no other gods before me."  My thoughts- Why would I choose another god over the One who frees me?  Yet I do and He knows I will.  Commandment two tells me God is jealous but He knows us too well.  He knows we are fickle.

Journal entry Deuteronomy 5:8 - " You shall not make for yourself an idol... and bow down and worship it.  I am the Lord your God and am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generations for those who hate Me but showing love for a thousand generations for those who love Me and keep My commandments."  Three gets specific with idols and gives the consequences right up front!

Deuteronomy 5: 11 - "You shall not misuse God's name."  God is jealous for my own good. His protection will keep me safe.  I need to have one God.  It's the safest way of life.

I summarized these verses, these first commandments, in two words, "Safety First!"  I thought about those words all day.   I even did an internet search on "Safety First".  I found hundreds of entries for protecting babies, for safe driving, for safety in the workplace, for drug use and for public safety.

I pondered the question, "Why is safety so important to us in the secular world and not in the spiritual?"  We think we can ignore the rules, the benefits and the wisdom of simply following God.  In the safety of God's laws, we will avoid temptation, avoid sin and avoid its consequences.  By following God's laws, I will live long and prosper!

So my journal outline of Deuteronomy will label these verses as "Safety First".  Living God's way is the safe way. 

I may purchase the sign I found listed in my internet search "The best way is the safe way."  The safe way, to me, now means God's way.

 

It's personal

I'm ready to get to the Ten Commandments. I am looking forward to a fresh think about the old commandments. Each morning I open Deuteronomy and start reading verses and again this  morning, I stop just short of The Commandments.

The first five verses in chapter five include thought provoking verbs like:  Hear, Learn, Follow.  I like verbs because they give me a list to  follow.  These verbs are natural instructions for the Ten Commandments.

Moses also reminds the Israelites that the covenant with God is personal.  God made the covenant with those present, not their fathers, and they were present at the mountain and saw the fire with their own eyes.  It was so personal they were afraid of the fire that God spoke through.

I have obedience on my mind this morning not just because of the Ten Commandments.  I have two five month old  puppies.  They are cute.  Good thing.  They are a handful!

Mickey, the male, is happy and sensitive.  He is also a bit clueless.  I am convinced that if he did not have the distraction of his sister he would be completely trained.  Alone he comes when I call.  He follows me everywhere.  He goes to the door to potty.  He responds to a simple "no" and stops whatever.  Unless Molly is around to distract him. He is a follower.

Molly is really cute.  Good thing because she is stubborn and willful.  She obeys only when she wants.  She is really smart and is sure she is smarter than me. I think she likes me but I don't think she respects me every day.  She thinks she is the leader.

It is no coincidence that last night Molly and I went "head to head."  I may have made a momentary impression because it took her awhile to warm up to me this morning.  She's curled up sleeping next to me now as usual, but I've learned she uses her cuteness as a ploy to get her way.

The puppies demonstrate two of our problems with hearing, learning and following God.  We are easily distracted and we are selfish.

Obedience to God is very personal.  We try to make it impersonal by imposing corporate rules, stigmas and expectations.  Yet God offers each of use a personal relationship and expects obedience to Him to be part of that personal relationship.

I need to learn to be a follower like Mickey, yet only follow God not myself like Molly.  Fortunately for the puppies, today is a new day and they start with a clean slate.  They aren't thinking about last night.  Dogs live in the moment.

Fortunately for me, God is loving and forgiving.  I may carry my failures around to remember them but God has put them as far as the East is from the West.  I get a new day to Hear God, Learn from God and Follow God.

Out of "Egypt"

 I work in an industry that often includes long, long sentences.  Some English teacher, years ago,  had impressed me with the style of short succinct sentences.  I've noticed that I may write a long run-on sentence but the first thing I add will be commas and periods.

So when I read Deuteronomy 4:44-49, the sentence that was two verses long jumped off the page.  It needed a few periods in my mind.  Then I realized that the thoughts in that long sentence began and ended with "out of Egypt."  Those three words spoke to me this morning.

God was leading the Israelites into a new land but He was also leading them into a new way of life.  In Egypt, they were servants, laborers, slaves with no control over their lives.  In the Promised Land, they would be landowners, merchants and in control of themselves and others.  They would now be on the opposite end of the "food chain."

God was about to give them the stipulations, decrees and laws to guide and organize their new way of life.  The words "out of Egypt" were also God's instructions on what their perspective should be in their new way of life.   

The Israelites needed a new mind set.  They would not succeed in their new life if they still lived under the influence of the Egyptians and what had been done to them.

The Israelites needed to live with the mind-set that God brought them "out of" Egypt.  It dawned on me that the important words were "out of",  not Egypt.

I had cancer eleven years ago.  Whereas the experience has an influence over my future I cannot allow cancer to define my today and my future.  It's near impossible to forget the experience.  When the fear creeps into my mind, I remember that God led me "out of" cancer.  I need to remember and live in the miracle of deliverance, not the fear of dread and uncertainty.

Too often we focus on the Egypts of our past and allow those experiences and tragedies to define and control us.  Today I am reminded that I should be defined and controlled by the fact that God brought me "out of" each and every one.

I choose to live the "out of" with God.

Turtle, Turtle

"Look me in the eyes and say turtle, turtle."  This was my mom's standard phrase when she was asking me to me honest and tell her the truth.  I did some research and can't find that this was a common method used by mothers.  Perhaps she was reminded of the Mock Turtle's sad tale in Alice in Wonderland.  The memory made me think about honesty and consequences when I read Deuteronomy 4:41-43.

In the midst of Moses' prelude to the Ten Commandments, these three verses set up the cities of refuge.  I was fascinated by the concepts of the cities of refuge.

In the event, a neighbor killed a neighbor unintentionally without malice aforethought, he could flee to the nearest city of refuge and live protected from vengeance from the victim's family.

God provided for this unintentional sin.  Yet for this system to work it demanded honesty.  The sinner must be honest and acknowledge his act.  I read that when he enters the city of refuge, he was to plead his case before the city elders.  He was safe within the city's boundaries but if he left and was killed by the victim's family, then it was his own fault.  So even when found "innocent" of premeditated murder, there was the consequence of life within the city of refuge.  The city of refuge's borders was the sinner's protection from the emotion of vengeance.

There was a provision of grace for this unintentional sin but it came with the consequence of a life sentence of living in the city of refuge.  To experience this protection, the sinner had to be  honest and admit the circumstances of the tragedy.  Even though there is a clear distinction between premeditated and unintentional, the unintentional sin had grace and consequences.

It seems the ancient records have responsibilities for access to the cities of refuge placed on the inhabitants.  They must keep roads cleared of obstacles and have the city clearly marked as a city of refuge.  The high priest's mother provided food and clothes to those would gained refuge.

I wondered what it must have been like to live in a strange city, to have to start over without a job or possessions and to bear the consequence of a tragedy.

I also found it curious as to the placement of these verses.  In the midst of the presentation of all of the laws for living life in a new land, Moses interjected this situation.  How often would this happen?  Yet he must have known he was dealing with us, the child-like humans.  We always take the most unusual twist of a rule or law and exaggerate it to point out a flaw in the consequence and it's seeming injustice.  Moses skips right ahead of them and points out that God knows the difference between unintentional and premeditated and will call them to be honest before Him and themselves.

So my application for these verses is to be honest before God and myself about my sin and to remember that God has provided grace.  There may be consequences but there is grace.