How long will we wander, before returning to Him?

Posts tagged ‘daily’

71) For the Lord your God is a compassionate God

Bible study tools“You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I commanded you.” (Deuteronomy 4:2, NASB)

Day 71 reading: Deuteronomy, chapters 3-4

Moses is still speaking to the Israelites:

“I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, ‘Your eyes have seen all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings; so the Lord shall do to all the kingdoms into which you are about to cross. Do not fear them, for the Lord your God is the one fighting for you.’” (3:21-22, NASB)

He is fighting for us, too. We are His people, too. He is dwelling with us, too.  Our eyes have seen His great works in our own lives, too! It’s amazing to me how distant the Bible can seem at times, when really, it’s a retelling of our own lives each day.

“Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons.” (4:9, NASB)

He deserves our due diligence. Our sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters and all the family to follow down the line, deserve to know Him and all that He has done in the lives of our families and our world.

This part about the Word and commandments and instructions not departing from the heart strikes home with me. Have you noticed that certain verses from our daily reading have stuck with you throughout the day? Have you gotten in a bind at some point along our journey and recalled a lesson we have learned together that was just perfect for that situation? I have. I have seen the hand of God working through this chronological study several times already in our 71 days.

“But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.” (4:29, NASB)

When we need Him, He is already several steps ahead of us. He knows our needs, and He fulfills them.

“For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.” (4:31, NASB)

Even if our own human fathers and mothers didn’t wander around the desert for 40 years with Moses, we are His children and He made a covenant with our fathers, and father’s fathers as well. He protects those who serve Him and remember Him and put Him at the forefront of our minds, daily, just as He keeps us forever at the top of His list.

“Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that the Lord, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other.” (4:39, NASB)

Make it a great day,

Marilyn

Tomorrow’s scripture reading: Deuteronomy, chapters 5-7

Category:

Bible in a Year-Chronological Study, Children, Deuteronomy, Eternity, Faith, Rules worth LIVING by, Seeing God, Trust

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55) The Levites & their Service

leviDay 55 reading: Numbers, chapters 3-4

I just want to jump right in because today’s scripture passage is so interesting to me, especially on the heels of our Day 54 passage.

Yesterday, the Levites were excluded from the census…but that was a census of those males 20 years old or older for use in the Israelite army. That delineation of “army” just caught me today as I was reading. The Levites weren’t being excluded yesterday, but being saved for the most critical of jobs in God’s realm of delegating work. Yes, I knew that Moses and Aaron descended from the Levite tribe, but that didn’t register yesterday like it has today.

The Lord said to Moses, “Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him. They are to perform duties for him and for the whole community at the Tent of Meeting by doing the work of the tabernacle. They are to take care of all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting, fulfilling the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle. Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to him.” (3:5-9, NIV)

“The Levites are mine, for all the firstborn are mine.” (3:12-13, NIV)

Would you rather serve in God’s army or as one of His priests?

The Lord said to Moses in the Desert of Sinai, “Count the Levites by their families and clans. Count every male a month old or more.” (3:14-15, NIV)

This point alone speaks volumes to me: yesterday’s census was of males 20 years old or older to serve in the Israelite army; today’s census is of males only one month old or older to serve, preserve, and care for the holy tabernacle.

These were the names of the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

These were the names o the Gershonite clans: Libni and Shimei.

The Kohathite clans: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.

The Merarite clans: Mahli and Mushi. (3:17-20, NIV)

The total number of Levites counted at the Lord’s command by Moses and Aaron according to their clans, including every male a month old or more, was 22,000. (3:39, NIV)

THE GERSHONITE CLAN

Numbers 7,500 males one month old and older

Numbers 2,630 males aged 30-50 years old

The leader of the families of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael. (3:24, NIV)

THE MERARITE CLAN

Numbers 6,200 males one month and older

Numbers 3,200 males aged 30-50 years old

The leader of the families of the Merarite clans was Zuriel son of Abihail. (3:35, NIV)

THE KOHATHITE CLAN (The clan which Moses & Aaron descended from)

Numbers 8,600 males one month old and older

Numbers 2,750 males aged 30-50 years old

The leader of the families of the Kohathite clans was Elizaphan son of Uzziel. (3:30, NIV)

The chief leader of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest. (3:32, NIV)

The Levites were given jobs within the Tent of Meeting, and specific jobs were given to those men ages 30-50. I love this because I can’t think of a more able-bodied age than that age range. Sure, 20 year olds are strong, but really aren’t usually as careful as they “should” be. And 60 year olds have wisdom but maybe after a lifetime of hard labor their bodies weren’t as steady as they once were. The 30-50 age range would ensure able bodies and even minds to handle the most precious of the Lord’s earthly possessions.

At the Lord’s command through Moses, each [male of the Levite tribe aged 30-50 years old] was assigned his work and told what to carry. (4:49, NIV)

The descendants of Abraham are the Lord’s people.

More specifically, the descendants of Abraham through Isaac are the Lord’s people.

Actually, the descendants of Jacob through Isaac and Abraham are the Lord’s people.

But to be the Lord’s chosen people, descended from the Kohath clan, through the Tribe of Levi, through Jacob/Israel, through Isaac, through Abraham–now there’s a family tree!

Make it a great day,

Marilyn

Day 56 reading: Numbers, chapters 5-6

Category:

Bible in a Year-Chronological Study, Blessings, Children, Faith, Genesis, Numbers, Seeing God, Service

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VENTURE OUT RECAP: Photo montage

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Marilyn's Day in Pictures

This has been a really fun VENTURE OUT CHALLENGE day! Taking pictures at random throughout my day made for some funny memories.

Did anyone else have fun with this challenge? Its not too late to get in on the daily venture out challenge updates. They’re posted every morning on our Road Signs to Him Facebook page (just click the “like” button at left). Check it out, play along when you wasn’t to, and VENTURE OUT if the box!

Category:

Blessings, Children, Venture Out!

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VENTURE OUT!

Adventure awaits you, but sometimes you are going to have to step outside to see it…
Outside of your comfort zone.
Outside of your house.
Outside of your family.
Outside of your schedule.
Outside of your version of normal.

There’s not an app that will give us adventure! There’s not a book that will do the work for us. This moment is about adding the spice to life that doesn’t come without some effort…but it’s sooo worth the effort!

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So, here’s the deal:  Every morning (CST), RS2H will post a Venture Out Daily Challenge on our RS2H Facebook page. Facebook is going to be the primary platform for this particular adventure for several reasons, but most importantly 1) because not everyone wants to get several emails a day from RS2H, so this saves the website subscribers some frustration, 2) Facebook is great because any time you participate in a daily challenge, RS2H would LOVE for you to post some pictures our comment on your challenge, and 3) because, let’s face it, Facebook reaches more people than any current social media outlet available right now…it’s just the way to go!

I would like to encourage you to “Like” us on Facebook if you haven’t already, so you will see these Venture Out challenges in your morning news feed…just in case you want to play along with our fun!!

Then, at least once a week, I will also post a video post or photo posting here on the website dedicated to one of the weekly challenges. This is going to be such fun!

Sometimes these daily challenges will be silly, sometimes serious, sometimes strenuous, sometimes easy, sometimes the challenge truly won’t be feasible for you…they’re going to run the gamut, but here’s hoping that this community of believers enjoys the fun that is possible through these challenges and breaking out of the ho-hum a little…while still following the Road Signs every step of the way!

God gave you and I these earthly lives to be lived! Let’s do this!!!

Category:

Health & Well Being, Venture Out!

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