1 Chronicles 22:10 ~ Devotion

“He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.”  (1 Chronicles 22:10)

 

I think that most parents want their children to have a better future and a better life than they had.  King David was probably no different.  Having seen the turmoil that had been raised in his family because of his sins, as well as what happened to King Saul’s (the previous king of Israel) and his family, David may have wondered what the future held for his sons. 

 

These verses must have been a comfort to David.  In them, God assures David that his son Solomon will succeed him as king, that God will be with Solomon as he was with David (“He will be my son, and I will be his father”).  But most importantly, the comfort of “I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.”  In it, God reminds David that it would be through his family that the Promised Messiah, the King of kings would be born.  God would bring about an eternal kingdom through one of David’s heirs, the Savior.

 

While you and I don’t know what the future holds for us or our family, we have the same promises and assurances from God.  He has promised to be with us, as he has been with believers like David in the past.  He promises to be with our children in the future.  As believers, he counts us as members of his eternal kingdom, which he established through Jesus.  May you find the same comfort David certainly did in the promises of your God who sent a Savior for you and your children!

 

 

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, thank you for my home and family. For love and gentleness, for laughter enjoyed and sorrows shared. For daily bread. For the gift of your Son. Help me to be mindful of all your gifts and to rejoice in your goodness. May your peace be with us and your presence protect us. Amen.

 

 

Today’s Daily Light Bible reading:  1 Chronicles 22

 

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1 Chronicles 21:2 ~ Devotion

So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.”  (1 Chronicles 21:2)

 

I’ve heard that when Jay Leno first began his stand-up comedy routines, at night he slept in his car.  Today, he has a car collection that is nearly unrivaled.  He is one of many rags to riches stories we might think of.  In fact, while it may not be to the same level, many of us may have a similar story.  We can remember times when money and possessions were scarce, and today, blessings abound.

 

King David was no different.  He grew up as a shepherd, became a soldier, then a general, then the king of Israel.  From a meager, poor shepherd boy to a wealthy King.  Another rags to riches story.  But as so often happens, the riches, the blessings God had given led David away from a trust in his Lord and into sin.  The verse above describes how David ordered his top general Joab to count all the people of Israel.

 

The trouble with bean counting does not lie in the counting of beans but in the swelling of the head that either leads to or results from it. We just read yesterday about all the victories that the Lord had brought to David.  Yet, when David was still a “nothing,” he knew enough not to find his security in armaments or fighting men but “in the name of the Lord” (1 Samuel 17:45).  Now that God had made him something and filled his hands with success, David thought he had something to lose. That is why he stopped finding security in the Lord and began instead to seek it in how many Israelites there were.

 

Are we any different that David?  As God has filled our hands with success, with blessings beyond number, do we now think that we have something to lose?  Like David, when we start to look at our blessings, and think that they are ours (instead of God’s), that they are something we might lose, or are something we are afraid to lose, then, like David, we sin.  We stop finding our security and joy in our Savior God, and instead try to find it in the blessings he has given here on earth. 

 

Just a few verses later we read how David confessed his sin to God and was forgiven.  Another rags to riches story – as God brought David from the rags of sin to the riches of forgiveness.  It is a story that describes you and me too.  We are taken from rags of sin that fill our lives to the riches of forgiveness in Jesus our Savior.  As you and I see this same sin creep into our lives, may we follow David’s example and confess our sins to our God.  Then assured of our forgiveness by our Savior’s death and resurrection, may we keep a proper perspective on the blessings God gives.

 

 

PRAYER:  Lord God, you are the Giver of every good and perfect gift. Truly our cup of blessing is filled to overflowing. We thank you for grace which gives us what we do not deserve . . . and for your mercy which does not give us what we do deserve. For this bright day, for the love of family and friends, for the food I eat and the water I drink – all gifts from your gracious hand – I give you my heartfelt praise. Above all I thank you for my Savior without whom my life would be empty and meaningless. Surrounded by countless blessings I still ask for one more – a thankful heart. Amen.

 

 

Today’s Light Bible Reading:  1 Chronicles 21

 

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Devotion ~ Deuteronomy 27:8

⁸ And you shall write very clearly all the words of this law on these stones you have set up.” (Deuteronomy 27:8)

 

The Spaniard explorers called it “El Morro” (The Headland). The Zuni Indians call it “A’ts’ina” (Place of writings on the rock).  Americans have called it “Inscription Rock.”  A shaded oasis in the western U.S. desert, El Morro National Monument has seen many centuries of travelers who have left signatures, names, dates, and stories of their treks inscribed in the sandstone walls. While some of the inscriptions are fading, still many that can be seen today, including some petroglyphs and carvings were made by the Anasazi centuries before Europeans started making their mark.

 

El Morro National Monument is not the only place you can see things inscribed in rock.  Take a look at many courthouses – often times there are things inscribed in rock on the outside of the building.  For thousands of years, humans have been inscribing things on rocks.  Why?  Because if you inscribe something on a rock, it is going to last a long time.  Untold numbers of people will see it. 

 

It is probably part of the reason why God has Israelites inscribe his words onto rocks, as we read into today’s reading.  Those inscriptions will be there for Israelites to see for generations.  They will have no excuse for not knowing what God had told them.  His words, his instructions would be  right there for them to read, to touch.

 

How familiar are you with God’s Word?  Thankfully, we don’t have to haul around rocks with inscriptions of God’s Word any more.  Instead, God has blessed us that we are able to have it all in one place – the Bible.  There we have very clearly all the words of God – both his words of law that tell us what he expects of us and point out our sins (all those times we’ve missed God’s expectations); and his words of Good News (the Gospel) that tell us about our Savior and all he has done for us to save us from our sins.

 

May these words of God be inscribed on your hearts and minds as you read God’s Word, take them to heart, put them to practice and know that his word is your comfort and strength.

 

 

Savior, your Word is clear. It shows us our sin and shows us our salvation. We know that you gave us the Bible so we would have hope. Help us to cherish your Word as a personal letter to our hearts. You have written our names into those passages that promise your presence and love and eternal salvation.  Amen.

 

 

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Today’s Light Bible Reading:  Deuteronomy 27

 

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Devotion ~ Deuteronomy 7:7-8

⁷ The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. ⁸ But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 7:7-8 )

What kind of games did you play at recess when you were a kid.  Growing up in Wisconsin, we played kickball, soccer, football, and a host of other team games.  The first few minutes of our recesses were spent picking teams.  As a captain, your primary job was to pick a good team – with the best players you could get so that you would win.  You might pick the kid with the strongest leg that could kick homeruns in kickball, or the kid with the best arm for football.  You would choose your team first on merit or skill, then friendship.

Imagine if that is the way God worked.  Imagine if God picked those people he was going to save by their merit, or what they were able to do.  It would certainly lead to some pride issues – (God chose me because of…).  It was a temptation the Israelites would have been susceptible to, after all they had been chosen by God to be his special people through whom he would send the Savior.

So, Moses reminds them in today’s reading – God didn’t choose you because of who you are – because you were the biggest nation, or because of what you were able to do or what you have done.  No, God chose you simply because he loved you.  God’s reason for choosing the Israelites to be His chosen people was entirely in God.

Nothing has changed with God.  God hasn’t redeemed or saved us because of who we are, what we’ve done, or decisions we’ve made.  No, God saved us simply because he loved us.  Our being saved is entirely God’s work and God’s decision – based entirely on his love for us.  He has set us free from the enemies that had held us hostage (sin, Satan, hell, death), through the his one and only Son.

As one of God’s chosen people, one of his elect, ponder for a moment what that means – how precious and special you are to the Lord.  May the love God has demonstrated towards you change how you look at others, your attitude, your approach to problems, temptations, and challenges, your very purpose for living.

Lord God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Forgive my open sins and my secret sins. Forgive the sins I know and the sins I do not know. Forgive the sins I did to please myself and the sins I did to please others. Forgive them all, gracious Lord, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

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Today’s Light Bible reading:  Deuteronomy 7

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Numbers 29:40 ~ Devotion

⁴⁰ Moses told the Israelites all that the Lord commanded him.  (Numbers 29:40; NIV)

 

An elderly lady waited all afternoon for a plumber to arrive.  Late in the day, she gave up and headed for the grocery store.  Sure enough, the plumber drove up 10 minutes later.  He knocked on the door.  “Who is it?” croaked the lady’s parrot from inside the house.  “It’s the plumber.”

 

“Who is it?” insisted the voice from inside the house.  “It’s the plumber!” hollered the repairman.

 

“Who is it?” insisted the voice again.  The veins stuck out on his neck as he bellowed at the top of his lungs, “It’s the plumber!”  Whereupon he suffered a heart attack and died on the spot.  The lady of the house returned shortly thereafter.  “Who is it?” she wondered aloud, seeing the fallen repairman on her front steps.  “It’s the plumber,” croaked the parrot from the living room.

 

As any teacher can tells us, parrots aren’t the only creatures that learn through repetition.  There is an old adage, “repetitio est mater studiorum” or “repetition is the mother of learning / studies.”  In today’s reading from Numbers, the Lord may seem to repeat Himself once too often, as he has Moses tell the Israelites once again about the sacrifice and festivals that they are to observe.  After all, haven’t we heard most of these worship regulations detail by detail many times by now?

 

Yes.  But our Lord knows how easily we humans forget.  And so He tells the Israelites again and again about their sin and the sacrifices and festivals that pointed forward to the work of their Savior.

 

Think about how many times you have heard about Jesus and what he has done for you.  The temptation is there to think that it is stuff we have heard so many times, we know it well enough.  But our Lord knows how easily we humans forget.  And so He tells us again and again about our sin and the work of our Savior, Jesus.

 

 

Lord, help us to remember that we are Christians only by your grace. We did nothing and can do nothing to deserve your love. Lord, give us courage and zeal every day to tell those in our lives about your love and forgiveness of sins. We praise and thank you Lord for this amazing free gift of grace. Amen.

 

 

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Today’s Light Bible reading:  Numbers 28-30

 

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Today’s Evotion is an adaptation of Jane E. Fryar’s “Sharpen the Focus” for Wednesday, Week 13, in the Today’s Light Bible.

Numbers 26:64-65 ~ Devotion

⁶⁴ Not one of them was among those counted by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai. ⁶⁵ For the Lord had told those Israelites they would surely die in the desert, and not one of them was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.  (Numbers 26:64-65; NIV)

 

Have you ever had to bear the consequences of your actions?  I remember when I was growing up, I was told that I couldn’t hang out with a friend of mine.  Instead of listening to my parents, I jumped on my 10-speed bike, rode it on a dirt trail through a nearby woods, so that I could meet up with my friend.  I was hoping to outsmart and fool my parents into thinking I was obeying them, when I wasn’t.  Needless to say, my plan didn’t quite work out – evidently when you are gone for a while, your parents tend to notice.  So, my foolish actions led to some consequences.

 

Normally, consequences are difficult to bear.  We don’t like having to suffer the consequences of our actions.  At the same time, they are beneficial, and not just for the discipline they impart.  Take, for example, the Israelites here in Numbers 26.  Forty years earlier, they had disobeyed God and showed a complete lack of trust in God.  As a results of their sins, God had them wander in the wilderness for 40 years, during which he had all the people who were twenty and older when leaving Egypt die.  Tough consequences to bear. 

 

But also beneficial to the Israelites.  They saw God’s faithfulness.  When God spoke to the Israelites, they knew he would be faithful, both in the blessing and in consequences.  It was a way for the people to have a renewed faith and trust in God.  The Israelites also saw God’s goodness as at the end of the 40 years, the Israelites found themselves in much the same situation they had a generation earlier.  Sitting on the border of the land God had promised.

 

Or, take me, for example.  My parent’s faithfulness taught me that when they said something, they meant it, whether “it” was a specific consequence for my actions, or an assurance that they loved me and would be there for me. 

 

God is still faithful today.  He still hates sin and the sinner.  He still promises to punish those who die in sin.  God is faithful, he keeps his word.  Which is also a reason that we too have a renewed faith and trust in God.  God still promises that through faith in Christ, sins are forgiven.  He still promises a deep and unending love for those who have been made his children through faith.  He still promises to reward those who die in Christ with an eternal inheritance in heaven.  God’s faithfulness points us to God’s goodness.

 

It can be easy to overlook God’s faithfulness to us.  May God continue to strengthen your faith and trust in him as you see and rejoice in God’s faithfulness and goodness in your life.

 

 

Dear Jesus, you are my help and my strength, my love and my forgiveness. You do for me what nobody else can do, helping me out of the pit that I often dig for myself, helping me with your grace, mercy, and power. Strengthen my faith in you to deliver me from trouble and sin better than any security or pleasure on this earth. And help me to then help others, that they too might enjoy your saving love. Amen.

 

 

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Today’s Light Bible reading:  Numbers 26-27

 

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Numbers 23:19 ~ Devotion

God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?  (Numbers 23:19, NIV)

 

Have you had a chance to follow any of the political campaigns that are being run for the next presidential election?  All the candidates are busy giving speeches, and stumping for people’s votes.  There are promises being made that if they are elected, that they will change this and that which will make your life better.  Both sides accuse the other of flip-flopping – that the opposing candidate has changed their mind or perspective on some particular issue.  The real interesting thing is to look at all the promises made during an election year, and then see how many are kept.  Often times, candidates say something, but then never act, they promise this and that, but never fulfill those promises.

 

Before we blast the candidates too much, do we do any better?  Do we lie, change our mind, say something, but then never act, or make a promise that we never fulfill?  My guess would be that we do these type of things more often than we would like to admit.  We tell “white” lies that we convince ourselves don’t really hurt anybody, nor will anybody ever find out.  We give people our word, promise one thing, but then fail to act, breaking our promise.

 

What if God was like us fickle humans?  If he would occasionally lie or change his mind about something?  What if he spoke a promise to us, then failed to keep it?  Think of the uncertainty that would bring in our lives.  We wouldn’t be able to trust God’s Word or the promises God has given to us.  Be with us forever?  Guard, protect and provide for our daily needs?  Will he really?

 

In our reading for today, not only do we hear these comforting words that our God is not like us, we see God keeping his promises.  He had promised to be with and bless the Israelites, and now when Balak and Balaam tried to curse the Israelites, God wasn’t going to have it.  He kept his promises, he didn’t change his mind, he didn’t lie to the Israelites – he did what he said he was going to do, in spite of how the Israelites acted.

 

God keeps his word – he does what he says he is going to do.  This can be a terrifying prospect, as God said he will punish sin and sinners for their misdeeds.  At the same time, for believers, it is a great comfort.  We hear God promise a Savior and see him keep that promise in Jesus, who has saved us from sin and the punishment we deserve.  We hear God promise to provide for our needs, and we see how richly God daily continues to bless us.  We hear God promise an eternal home to those who trust in him for salvation, and we eagerly look forward to inheriting what is already ours.  How can we be so sure?  Because… God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?  (Numbers 23:19, NIV)

 

 

When I can’t understand, O God, then help me believe. When I can’t see what good there is in obeying your word and trusting your will, then help me believe. Make my weak faith, my feeble faith, my struggling faith one that relies without condition on your firm and reliable promises. Then I will be free to love you and live for you more courageously. Amen.

 

 

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Today’s Light Bible reading:  Numbers 22-25

 

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Numbers 21:8-9 ~ Devotion

⁸ The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” ⁹ So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.  (Numbers 21:8-9; NIV)

 

My friend and I were having a lively discussion on what it meant to “keep your eye on the ball.”  I said that I had always heard it used in the context of a pitcher and batter, with the batter having to keep his “eye on the ball” in order to hit it.  Harmon usually used it in reference to catching a ball that was being thrown to you – if you didn’t keep your eye on the ball, it would likely hit you in the face.  Regardless of who was right, we did agree that not keeping your eye on the ball spelled disaster.

 

The Israelites had been given a similar command by their God.  After yet another round of grumbling and complaining, the Lord had sent poisonous snakes into the Israelite camp.  The Israelites came to Moses, sorry for their sins against God, and “the Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.”  The Israelites were told to keep their eye on the bronze snake, and they would live.  Those that believed the promise of the Lord and looked at the snake when they were bitten were saved!

 

Our God has promised something similar to us.  As we see our sins – whether it is a poor attitude toward the blessings God has showered in our lives, or complaining about blessings we don’t have that we think we need – we turn to our God like the Israelites in confession saying, “I did it.  I was wrong.  I have sinned.  I deserve your wrath and punishment,” and the Lord says to us, “Look at your Savior and live.”  As we keep our eyes on Christ our Savior in faith, we are saved from the spiritual poison of sin.  In fact, Jesus compared himself to the bronze snake in John 3.  And as we fix our eyes on Jesus, God promises us eternal life.

 

While here on earth, we will continue to struggle with sin and the effects it has on our lives, rest assured and live confidently that the poison of sin has been overcome by your Savior.  Keep your eyes focused squarely on him, and live!

 

 

Dear Lord, I come to you and ask for your mercy. No matter how hard I try to do only your will, I fail. There are so many things in this world that call to me. Show me your mercy and strengthen my faith so that you always will come first in my life. I ask for your mercy in Jesus name. Amen.

 

 

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Today’s Light Bible reading:  Numbers 19-20

 

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Saturday’s “Today’s Light Bible” reading:  Numbers 21

 

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Numbers 16:13-14 ~ Devotion

¹³ Isn’t it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert? And now you also want to lord it over us? ¹⁴ Moreover, you haven’t brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? No, we will not come!”  (Numbers 16:13-14; NIV)

 

How easily we can come to blame others for our own sins:  If she hadn’t gotten angry first… If they would have done what they promised… If he had been more helpful…

 

Today’s passage quickly reminds and convinces us that blame-shifting is not some new trend.  We saw it in the Garden of Eden with Adam blaming Eve who blamed the serpent.  Here, Dathan and his followers blamed Moses for the consequences they had brought on themselves.  They had swallowed the fear-provoking report of the 10 spies, not Moses.  They  had refused to believe Joshua and Caleb’s report based on God’s faithfulness, not Moses.  And the result of this rebellion against God?  The Lord caused the earth to open up and swallow the men and their entire families. 

 

How do you deal with the sin in your own heart?  Do you acknowledge it for what it is and open yourself to the Holy Spirit’s examination, forgiveness and cleansing?  Or do you hide behind excuses, blaming circumstances or other people for your own ungodly attitudes, words, and actions?

 

Take a few moments today to prayerfully read 1 John 1:5-9.  Read it several times.  Let God’s love chase away your fears as you talk with Him about your failures and His forgiveness in Jesus Christ. 

 

 

Forgive us our sins, Lord, as we forgive those who sin against us. We are guilty of many sins. We sin daily and deserve nothing but punishment. Because Jesus died and rose, he took the punishment for our sins. Please give us a clear conscience and let us live in peace with you.  We pray in our Savior’s name.  Amen.

 

 

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Today’s Light Bible reading:  Numbers 16-18

 

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Today’s evotion is an adaption from the “Sharpen the Focus” from Week 12, Thursday, in the “Today’s Light Bible,” pg. 211-212.

Numbers 13:30-31 ~ Devotion

“Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.“” (Numbers 13:30-31, NIV)

 

Decisions, decisions, decisions… have you ever struggled to make a decision, not sure of what the right course of action might be?  Have you ever been talked out of making a particular decision by someone?

 

The Israelites had finally arrived on the doorstep of the land God had promised to give them.  They had journeyed through the desert for more than a year, experienced God’s goodness and faithfulness, seen God’s power, and now, they were almost at their final destination.  They sent in spies to see what they were up against, and the majority of those spies came back with the news that the land is better than expected, but there is no way we can take it.  The people are too big, we will die trying to get what God has promised.

 

Only 2 spies, Joshua and Caleb, encouraged the Israelites to move forward, trusting in God’s promises to give them the land, to guard and defend them from their enemies.  Decisions, decisions, decisions.  What should the Israelites do?  They went with the 10 spies, rebelled against Moses, and were about to install a new leader to take them back to Egypt!

 

You and I face decisions each day that can show our faith or doubt in God’s promises.  What do we do when the world tells us that with high gas prices, high food prices, and higher costs, we should cut back in our offerings.  Or, do we trust God’s promises that he will provide for our needs and bless us richly as we return back to God a generous portion of what he has blessed us with.  What do we do when we have an evening off, or a weekend free, and the world tells us that we deserve a break, that it would be too much time, effort, and gas to drive back to church for a Bible class or an opportunity to serve.  Or, do we place a higher value on the spiritual nourishment we would receive, and the gratitude and love for God that we would show with our service?

 

As we struggle with these decisions, return to the cross, where you see your Savior’s perfect love for you.  He decided to do what it took to save you from your sins.  As you meditate on your Savior’s love, as you think about the promises he has made to you, God’s continued presence and grace strengthen you as you make wise decisions to his glory.

 

 

There’s so much for me to do, Lord, so many challenges to overcome, decisions to make, problems to solve and worries to put to rest. I’d like to think I can do it all. But I can’t. I won’t. I’ll give it all to you. Let me start small and when I do, give success to my little efforts. Empower them with your perfect wisdom and mighty love. Amen.

 

 

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Today’s Light Bible reading:  Numbers 13-15

 

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