Another Look at Joseph

Found this link today as I was looking for something else. I know we've read the Joseph story already, but this seemed relevant to what we are all living today. Let me know what you think.
http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/the_bible_and_money/index.html

For another look at things...

I was reminded of this site through some other readings...http://www.thebricktestament.com/index.html. If you are a legos fan or have children that build non-stop you might enjoy this!

Song of Solomon

If you had any doubt the Bible dealt with real life stuff, it should be gone by now. Through our readings we have covered almost every facet of life from dysfunctional families to war and injustice. This week we add one more to the list – love. This is not some abstract discussion of love; rather it is a series of explicit love poetry. You cannot read this book without feeling the passion and intensity of these lovers. We are reminded as Christians that all of our life has been created by God. This includes our sexuality.

While our culture has taken our sexuality and separated it from our spirituality, God reminds us He created us to have a full, complete life. This song is “a convincing witness that men and women were created physically, emotionally and spiritually to live in love.” (The Message Remix, Introduction to Song of Songs, Eugene Peterson, Navpress, 2003, page 1178)

This book not only speaks to the human side of love, but can give us some insight to the human-divine relationship. Throughout scripture our relationship to God is compared to marriage. Remember the prophets talk about Israel’s relationship to God is an intimate one like marriage. The New Testament refers to Christ’s relationship to the church as an intimate one. If we look at this book as a love story, it will reveal to us much about the man-woman relationship and about the depth of love God has for us.

Here are some questions for your consideration as you read this week.

1. We cannot help but notice throughout this book the total delight the lovers have for one another. Why not take a moment to tell your spouse how much you delight in and appreciate him or her?

2. How well are you honoring your marriage vows? Why not pull out the vows and read them again?

3. If we use the allegorical approach to the book (Christ’s love for the church), how is Christ’s love for you like the king’s love for his bride? Where have you experienced his painful, possessive, persevering and priceless love? (Question taken from the Serendipity Bible, Zondervan Publishing, 1998, Page 944)

4. What can you do this week to demonstrate this kind of love for your spouse? Your significant other?

5. What would happen if you read this book with your spouse? What discussion would take place?

Enjoy….

Numbers Chapters 21-31

Have you struggled with these chapters in Numbers? Here is something to remember as you read this book. This is the record of the years wandering in the wilderness. The Israelites have gone from a life of slavery to freedom. With freedom comes responsibility and learning a new way to live together. This new life brings many unforeseen challenges. Not as different from our own lives as we leave the comfort of home to an independent life. All of us remember those first years of freedom from a parent’s eye as years of both excitement and discouragement. The Israelites have periods of whining and disobedience as they learn how to be God’s people.

The Spiritual Formation Bible says it this way:
“God’s holy people are always formed through training; they are not born that way. For the seed to form a nation and grow into the People of God, the Israelites needed times of testing and struggle….Numbers tells the story of how God prepared a people who had been slaves for more than four hundred years for the freedom he had always intended for them. The book’s truest, deepest story is that of the transformation, through a journey into the wilderness by the hand of God, of a passive people of small vision and little faith into a powerful, faithful visionary people ready to claim the Promised Land.” (The Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible, Introductions to Numbers, (Harper Collins, 2005) page 194).


We may find the detail about tribal duties, sacrifices, and the census numbers tedious. We must remember these details are important to the formation of a nation. Details are likewise important to our personal spiritual formation. It is in the daily detail of our personal lives we either choose to obey God’s commands or we don’t. Will we be kind to the awful neighbor or ignore the neighbor? Will we gossip about our co-worker or change the subject? Will we make the time for a lonely person or keep to our ever so important schedule? Will we keep the promise made to our children or brush them aside? These are the personal details of our lives that reveal the love we have for God.

Here are some questions for your consideration as you read Numbers this week.

1. Numbers 21:5 “The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.” (NRSV). How many times have we heard this from the Israelites? I find myself thinking, “Really? You still don’t get it?” However, I am no different. There are times when I feel I am walking in a wilderness and saying the same thing to God over and over. “Why?” “Can’t we end this?” In what personal wilderness are you walking? Do you feel like God has ignored you? Do you trust God to lead you out of it?

2. Balaam and his donkey. I don’t know about you, but I have behaved like Balaam. I have been so focused on what I wanted to believe that I couldn’t see or hear God at work. God’s voice comes to us in many ways…even a donkey. Can you remember a time when you stubbornly went your own way ignoring what you knew God wanted? A huge part of our spiritual maturity depends upon us learning to listen for God’s voice and direction. We seem to have the talking part down pat….oh that we would learn to listen.

3. Numbers 23:12 “He answered, “Must I not take care to say what the Lord puts into my mouth?” (NRSV) Sometimes I think we are not careful enough with our lives. How often have you known what God wants you to do or to say and you do or say the opposite? Why is it we argue so with God?

4. Numbers 23:27 “Then Balak said to Balaam, “Come, let me take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them for me from there.” (NIV) Can’t you relate? “Maybe if I ask God this way, He will give me what I want?” Sometimes we just can’t believe this is what God really wants for our lives. When is it the most difficult for you to believe God? Why?

5. Numbers 29:1 “On the first day…you shall not work at your occupations.” Do you think of rest as an important part of your spiritual life? Why or why not? Do you get enough rest? It is in rest we are reminded of God’s love and provision.

6. Numbers 30:2 “…he shall not break his word.” The study note in the Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible is worth quoting:

“God values the family. He taught the Israelites to value their family promises. Spiritually mature persons fulfill the promise they make to God concerning the family and do not enter such promises rashly. The degree of agreement between our words and our behavior creates or destroys our integrity. We are responsible for the words we say, and we should keep our promises even when doing so proves personally disadvantageous. We must not break our promises.” (page 237)

The Return....

Here we go into month number 4. How are you doing? I am afraid I got caught up in basketball fever and my blogging declined. However, here I am.

I relate all too well to the disciples in Matthew 26. This is where the disciples fall asleep while Jesus wrestles with his coming death. I fell asleep in March. I lost a lot of my discipline for other life concerns. The concern? Watching my daughter make a run in the basketball tournament. That sounds rather pathetic coming from the Spiritual Formation Director, doesn’t it? And yet, if I am honest it is what happens all the time. Daily life concerns take over our spiritual disciplines.

So do I give up? Do I condemn myself for being less than God wants? Or do I listen to the words of Matthew 26: 36-46. Jesus reveals his disappointment (anger?) with the disciples in their weakness. He does not condemn them. Rather He points out the truth of who they are and accepts it. These are the same disciples who go on to begin the church. They failed Him in Gethsemane. Jesus did not give up on them. He did not excuse their behavior. He simply continued to expect them to follow Him. Over time, these same weak disciples are the men who face death themselves in His name.

What do I do—a mere Spiritual Formation Director in a small town in Ohio? I begin again. I ask God for more strength to follow Him. I seek Him with my whole heart. I pray to love Him more than basketball. One day, I will. Please keep reading.

Leviticus 1-8 - Week 9

The introduction to Leviticus in the Renovare Spiritual Transformation Bible says this..."Leviticus is tough sledding for contemporary readers. It requires us to dive into a document far removed from our culture." My reply - "No kidding!" Al l this instruction on how to handle sacrifices for burnt offerings, grain offerings, fellowship offerings, sin offerings and guilt offerings makes my head dizzy. So what is the point to us in the 21st century?

Leviticus reminds us that as His people, we live differently. God has order. God requires the best of us. God demands confession of sin and reconciliation of broken relationships. In the Old Testament context, Leviticus records God's instructions. The instructions are direct from God to Moses..."The Lord summoned Moses and spoke to him..." (chap 1:1) Before Jesus, there is animal sacrifice. (Do you remember your reading in Hebrews about this? Hebrews 7:27) So in Leviticus we must remember it is God, again, revealing to His people ways to be in relationship with Him.

So, my friends...be tough. Read Leviticus and ask God to show you some wisdom from this book. Here are a couple questions for your personal reflection:

1. Think about sacrifice. What does it mean to you? to you as a Christian? to you as a family member? When the Hebrews are ordered to bring their animals for a sacrifice, it would have been costly to them. When was the last time you did something for God that was sacrificial?

2. I noticed as I read these chapters, God wanted perfect animals for the offerings. I believe God wants our best too. Instead of our leftovers - you know "if I have time" or "when the kids are bigger" or "soon my job won't demand so much of me" type of excuses for our lack of commitment to Him, He wants to be first. He demands to be first. Following God, is a difficult task. Not following God is personal disaster. What is God asking of you? What keeps you for giving it?

3. There is a lot of blood in Leviticus. In our media culture, we think of CSI or NCIS dealing with splatterings of blood. It is not usually a good thing. However, in Leviticus, we must remember blood is the cleansing agent for our sin. Jesus offers the ultimate sacrifice as the "perfect lamb." I am grateful. Aren't you? What does Jesus dying for you really mean to you?

Remember: Pray before you study these scriptures. Ask for direction. Use these questions to help you take the scriptures into your heart, not just your head.

Blessings....

Leviticus

Please read Leviticus! I know some of you are already behind, don't give up now! I've posted a link here about Leviticus and encourage you to read it for some helpful information about the book. I will also post some questions to help you think through this book of law and regulation. So check out this link and I'll post some questions for you.....http://bible.org/page.php?page_id=258

Exodus - Week 9

We complete Exodus today. These last few chapters have been all about the building of and directions for the Tabernacle. You may have found this reading tedious or redundant...how many times do we have to read the same regulation? Evidently a few!

All the directions caused me to think about where I worship. How important are the externals to your worship experience? Does the beauty of the sanctuary lead you to worship? Do the symbols of our faith lead you to worship - things like the cross, the altar, the communion cup and bread, the liturgical colors, the stained glass windows? How does music affect your worship time?

When we consider how much effort God asked of his people regarding the tabernacle, it implies to me God wants some effort on our part in worship. We need to appreciate our surroundings as a tool for worship. I am interested in what you think about this. Please comment.