Resolve Again

I hate to make mistakes. It always makes me realize how imperfect I am.  After I realize the error of my way, I have a choice to ignore learning from my error or to move ahead with another new resolve to do right.

In Deuteronomy 2, the Israelites had the same choice.  They had made a blunder of epic proportions.  First they refused to follow God's instructions to take hill country.  Then they decided to take the land when God specifically told them not to go and that they would be defeated.  They refused to listen and went anyway.  God was right. They were swarmed. Verse 1:44 says the Amorites came at the Israelites "like a swarm of bees."

(Swarmed is the word I use to describe the two puppies when the treat bag comes out.  All sense and obedience leaves their brains and they are overcome with gaining the treats.  I'm overwhelmed with jumping and clawing!  Needless to say, that reward system is ineffective.) 

Moses continues the history lesson in Chapter two with "Then we turned back and set out..."  The Israelites tried to not learn from their mistake  by attacking the Amorites when God clearly send "Don't go."  Now they were resolving to continue the journey with God.

In verse 7 of chapter 2, Moses has a brief commentary in the midst of retelling history.  It seems to be a "sidebar" much like my comment on swarmed.  He  reminds the Israelites that God has been blessing them, watching over them and providing for them.  It feels like history class, when the teacher starts a discussion on what should we learn from this past event.

Moses tells us that if we learn from our errors and resolve to follow God, we too will be blessed by God, be watched over and provided.

This made me think of Mickey and Molly.  Just when I think I have trained a behavior, one of them reminds me, they are puppies.  I will need to again reinforce the correct behavior.  Even though they have disobeyed me and failed to learn, I still watch over them and provide for them. 

I need to untangle them again. They are whimpering for my help in the backyard!  When they get stuck I'm the one to save them. 

I'm glad God is more loving than I.  I make bigger errors than the puppies.  Deuteronomy reminds me that when I turn to him after my error and set out again on His journey, He will bless me, watch over me and provide for me.

Sit Week

This week at the Sipe Puppy Academy is the week of "sit!"  I am a bit overwhelmed by training two puppies.  So I have decided to concentrate on one basic command a week.  So often during the day we do a bit of sit training.  This morning Molly almost obeyed at the first command- pretty good after three days.  Mickey is so happy and easily distracted by everything, he is not sure he can fit obeying in at that moment.

In Deuteronomy 1:41-46, the Israelites, again, had trouble with the timing of obedience.  They felt bad that they had not obeyed earlier so they decided to go out and conquer the hill country.  Even though God told them He would not go with them they would be defeated, they charged out to the hill country.  The enemy swarmed them like bees!

I have read and I know that when I give a command to the puppies, I need to make sure they obey immediately and always.  They may be really cute in their disobedience now but someday in the future, their safety might depend on their immediate obedience.  I have to resolve to maintain the expectation for their obedience to make them acceptable and for their protection.

So there is an expiration date on obedience!  I can't tell God I don't have time for His command and that I'll do it later.  He is the master of history and the time for doing is when He says.  He knows the circumstances and the consequences.  The time to obey is now!

Mickey is enjoying life and wants to obey when he chooses.  Molly is pretty independent and is not sure I'm worthy of her obedience.  Unfortunately, these puppies sound like too many of us.  We're too busy living our own life to respond when God calls.  Sometimes we think we have a better idea than God.

I need to remember that the One who knows the circumstances and the consequences also has a better concept of timing.  The time to obey is when God speaks not when it fits my schedule. I may keep my calendar but God knows what will be on it, what needs to be on it and the outcome.  Maybe I need to "run" my calendar past God first. 

I've learned recently that God has plans for us that may not have been in my long range plans but the time is right.  We go when He calls now.  It may not be logical in the worldly sense but God knows best.

As I hope my puppies will soon learn, it's better to follow me all the time at the time, I strive to follow God's commands all the time at the time.  The time to obey is now.

Apology to accounting dept

"Jan, can you explain this journal entry?"  It was the semiannual visit from someone in the accounting department.  Several months before I had accidentally written off the wrong loan.  When I reported my error to my supervisor, she said "we'll just go to IT and have them reverse it."  She was stunned by the news that there was no reversing entry for that particular function.  I think the IT department was in far more trouble than me at that point.  The IT person apparently got the loan back on the books but in a very unusual manner.

Every six months or so, a different person came to me for an explanation.  I remember explaining it to at least three different people.  I thought it an imposition on me but today after reading Deuteronomy 1:37-40 I realized that the accounting department was even more inconvenienced.  So much time spent on investigating again and again.  I was only at the company for three years.  I now wonder how many times someone in accounting wandered the building looking for an explanation of a most unusual entry. Ok, now I am over my indignation of being asked time and again and regret the wasted time for the innocent accounting department.  I should have left a note in my personnel file to be opened every six months!

I made the entry in my journal on these verses that "I don't  sin in a vacuum."  My lack of trust in God, my disobedience, my sin have consequences for others. 

These verses start with what sounds like Moses blaming the Israelites but I think he's just stating the facts.  Our choices have consequences.  Today I was struck by the effect of the adults' decision to not trust God, to give them the victory and enter the Promised Land, changed the way the children grew up.  Children that had the opportunity to grow up in the land of milk and honey, instead spent their childhood wandering in the desert.

Selfishly, we think we will be the only ones to experience the consequences of our choices, even our spiritual choices.  Too often we think our spiritual life is private, but today I am reminded others experience consequences, even some I am not aware.

My spiritual actions and relationship has consequences, good and bad, to others.  I will more carefully consider the effects of my lack of faith, my disobedience, my sin because it's not just about me. 

Focus

This morning I read Deuteronomy 1:32-36.  I was struck by the "bookends" of these verses.  The verses begin with "you did not trust God" and end with Caleb followed God wholeheartedly.  It was quite the contrast, from no trust to wholehearted trust.

"On a scale of one to ten, can you tell me what your pain level is?"  Every day at the conclusion of my radiation treatment I heard this question.  My answer was recorded to give the medical personnel a quantitative measure of my status.  Depending on my answer, my treatment could be changed or enhanced.

Today, I envisioned a trust scale, that would give me a picture of my trust in God.  Zero is no trust in God and 10 is wholehearted.  Moses used Caleb as the example of one who wholeheartedly followed God.

I flipped back to Numbers 13 & 14 to read the actual account of Caleb and his trust in God.  He was one of the spies who explored the hill country prior to the Israelites moving forward.  After the spies gave their report, there must have been murmuring, grumbling and complaining because Caleb had to silence the crowd.  He stood before an unhappy audience.

He encouraged the crowd to remember the land has been and will be good and the Lord would lead them.  He asked them not to rebel and not to be afraid. He reminded them that God would give the victory and God was with them. 

Unfortunately, the mass of people were on the "zero" end of the trust scale and as a result spent more time in the desert wandering.

Each day I have a multitude of opportunities to trust God.  I think for a while I'm going to ask myself, "on a scale of zero to ten, do I trust God in this moment?"  This is not a competitive or prideful project.  Rather, I want my answer to remind me that my goal is 10- to follow God wholeheartedly.  If I'm not even on the higher end of  my trust scale, I'm going to ask "What will take for me to move toward the "10" end of the trust scale?"

My answer today is Focus.  Focus every day, in every circumstance.

Focus on God - what He has done and has promised, God is my leader.

Focus on obedience -  Do not rebel.  When all else fails, do what God says.

Focus on the future - God has promised me good things in my future.

Everyday

From the shower, I can hear the whimpering and the howling.  Mickey and Molly are gated into the kitchen while I get dressed.  This is not what they want.  They want to be with me, at all times.  Yet they are easily distracted.  A shoe, an open door, the wastebasket and they are off.  If I leave the room, I'll hear whimpering.  They want me with them while they chew on each other in my lap. I get their attention when I remove them from my lap or my presence.

I'd like to think it's because of my natural born "pack leader presence" that causes this devotion.  Yet I think it's as simple as a daily constant relationship between the puppies and me.  I provide for them and thus they want to be with me.

In Deuteronomy 1:29-33, Moses is reminding the Israelites that they do not trust the God who has gone before them, fought for them and before them, carried them, stayed with them, led them and was visible to them. I think Moses was telling them:  to gain courage for today's challenge, remember what God has done in the past.

My question for the day:  Why are we so quick to forget what God has done in the past?  It doesn't take much adversity or just plain busyness for us to forget the work of God in our past.

Basically, we ignore God on a daily basis.  We choose to be self-absorbed and compartmentalize our life into spiritual and secular. We spent a few minutes in prayer and Bible reading and check daily devotion box. The puppies know the command "come" but if there is a leaf to chase, a hosta to be eaten or an open door to explore, they choose to ignore me.

Life is God's Gift.  How can any part be unspiritual?  How can God not be a part of any part of my life?

We think we own our life but we don't.  We fill our life with so much stuff we can 't see, hear or feel God with us.  We miss His activity, not because He is not active but because we don't pay attention. We choose to ignore His invitation to Come to Him, daily, hourly, every minute of our life.

Everyday... remember, accurately,  what God has done.

Everyday...observe what God is doing.

Everyday...trust God with what He will do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Live the Moment

 I saw myself in Deuteronomy 1: 22-25 yesterday.  The Israelites had arrived at the hill country.  This was it!, God had told them.  Just as I would have done, they said, "to help us make a better plan let's do some research."  Again, this is a Jan translation.

For some reason many humans think knowing what will happen in the future is a good thing.  But maybe not.  If we knew the change, that might not be to our liking, was in our future would that help me live today?  I'm not sure I would be comforted by knowing my future. There are some events and circumstances we cannot control.  Many times I have decided "ignorance is bliss!"

Sometimes our need to know creates more fear rather than less.  The Israelites sent their spies.  They came back with a report.  The land was flowing with milk and honey, the cities were big and so were the people.  Perhaps as the news spread, fear led to the exaggerated perception that the cities were walled to the sky, the people were taller and bigger and God brought them there to kill them. 

People are pretty quick to forget the years of provision and protection that God provides when fear takes control.

Yesterday I also read a section in Cesar Millan's (the Dog Whisperer) book about how dogs live in the moment.  It was a good contrast.  It's not that dogs don't have memories but yet they have the ability to live the moment of life as it happens.  Dogs know you by your energy at the moment they are living.  I would assume there is some forgiveness and hope in that lifestyle.  My puppies see me in each moment.  So if I had a bad moment, I can change that and make a better next moment.

Maybe I should do more living in the moment and less researching about the future.  The Israelites worried about the future, which lead to exaggerated fear and lack of trust in God.  They yearned for a past with selective memory.

I'm still going to be sensible and make sure I have gas in my car before I leave town.  I have moved the computer power cord out of a puppy's mouth several times.  I have learned consequences in life.  I don't need to create situations I can easily prevent.

Yet, when I hear God say, "This is it!"  I am going to remember to live in His moment.  Trust God in the moment and in the future He has for me.  I will remember His provision and protection in my past so I can live the moment and see His future.  God's future has to be the best.

Earrings

"You're wearing earrings..."  My friend burst into tears when she saw me at the door.  She was just home from the hospital after the birth of her second son.  I was on the way to the grocery store and had called to ask if I could pick up some groceries for her.  I rang the doorbell expecting to be handed her shopping list.  But instead, she reminded me that change even really good change is a crisis.

My thoughts went to that event when I read Deuteronomy 1: 19-21.  Moses was retelling the Israelites the story of arriving at the hill country of the Amorites.  God told them, "This is it!  We're here! Go get the land!"  Ok, that's the Jan translation.

I was intrigued by God's words.  First, He presented them with the news that they had arrived at the land He had promised them.  He gave them instructions to go and take possession of it.  Then He reassured them not to be afraid or discouraged.  I thought, "why not tell them to rejoice or enjoy themselves?"

God knows us well.  He knows that change is hard.  With change, even the very best, comes new circumstances, some we don't anticipate.

The Israelites were to have new homes(the hill country versus the desert they had known for so long);

They had new jobs (take possession of the land.  So far they possessed only what traveled along with them on their wanderings.)

And they had new responsibilities - possessing land.  Possessing land means to me, some measure of permanence and I've always thought of the Israelites not too attached to land.

God knows that new homes, jobs and responsibilities can cause fear and discouragement.  My friend loved that baby and her family.  She was a great wife and mother.  Her grocery list was organized by the aisle in the grocery store for my shopping ease.  But she longed for the day when she had time to shower leisurely and choose earrings to match her outfit or maybe wouldn't get pulled on by a baby.

He knows we are entering "foreign territory" on a daily basis.  The Israelites were entering land that was fertile (flowing with milk and honey), had cities and kings and the people looked different.

To live Life means change happens.  Too often, the change is not our choice.

Today we live in a world that is "foreign" to us.  The people sometimes think different from us and have different goals for life.  We are only temporary residents in this world.  We have a Heavenly Home where we are citizens.  In the meantime, God tells us:   Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged.  I will never leave you or forsake you.