In the book of Esther, we see that Haman was ultimately hung on the same gallows that he was planning to use for Mordecai. The sad thing is that his ten sons were also hung on those gallows because of his wickedness (Esther 9:14). Sin does not only impact the one person sinning - it also impacts others (including family).
When Daniel was in a position where his circumstances were in conflict with his faith, he "made up his mind that he would not defile himself" (Daniel 1:8 NET). When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were having their faith challenged with death, they responded to the king, "If our God whom we are serving exists, he is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he will rescue us, O king, from your power as well. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we don't serve your gods, and we will not pay homage to the golden statue that you have erected." (Daniel 3:17-18 NET)
Ecclesiastes 7:1 (NET) "A good reputation is better that precious perfume." We all need to make sure that we always are doing what is right to make sure that our testimony/reputation is a positive one. One way to do this is to "Fear God and keep his commandments." (Ecclesiastes 12:13 NET)
After the decree was signed that no one should pray to another god but the king, Daniel did not waver in his faithfulness to God. Daniel 6:10 (NET) "When Daniel realized that a written decree had been issued, he entered his home, where the windows in his upper room opened toward Jerusalem. Three times daily he was kneeling and offering prayers and thanks to his God just as he had been accustomed to do previously."
During the time of Hosea, the Israelites had gotten away from the Lord. As a result, their lives were full of misery and problems. When they submitted to the Lord, they again received his blessings. Hosea 3:5 (NET) "Then they will submit to the LORD in fear and receive his blessings in the future."
Hosea 14:9 (NET) "For the ways of the LORD are right, the godly walk in them." 9:9 states, "He will remember their wrongdoing. He will repay them for their sins." There are blessings to following the Lord, and difficulties when we do not.
In Joshua 6, Rahab's family was saved because of her. In Joshua 7, Achan's family was killed because of him. Decisions we make impact the lives of others. Let's make sure that those decisions result in blessings!
In Joshua 9, the Gibeonites tricked Joshua in order to save their own lives. After they told their story to Joshua, "The men examined some of their provisions, but they failed to ask the LORD's advice (verse 14 NET). We need to always seek God's guidance in all we do.
Joshua 23:14 (NET) "You know with all your heart and being that not even one of all the faithful promises the LORD your God made to you is left unfulfilled; every one was realized - not one promise is unfulfilled." Thank the Lord for his faithfulness to us!
Judges 2:13-15 (NET) " They abandoned the LORD and worshiped Baal and the Ashtoreths. The LORD was furious with Israel and handed them over to robbers who plundered them. He turned them over to their enemies who lived around them. They could not withstand their enemies' attacks. Whenever they went out to fight, the LORD did them harm, just as he had warned and solemnly vowed he would do. They suffered greatly."
Psalm 19:14 (KJV) "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength and my redeemer."
After Gideon had great success defeating the Midianites, he created an altar of false worship. Judges 8:27 (NET) states that "it became a snare to Gideon and his family." We must make sure that nothing gets in the way of worshiping the Lord!
After Samson finally gave in to Delilah and shared his secret of strength "She said, 'The Philistines are here Samson!' He woke up and thought, 'I will do as I did before and shake myself free.' But he did not realize that the LORD had left him." (Judges 16:20 NET) Let's never get to the place where the Lord would not be there to help us!
1 Samuel 18:14 (NET) "Now David achieved success in all he did, for the LORD was with him."
In 1 Samuel 26:23 (NET), David states, "The LORD rewards each man for his integrity and loyalty."
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Spring Break - Tubing and Downtown Durango
After a relaxing morning, we headed up to the mountains to spend some time on the tubing hill.
After a tiring 90 minutes of walking up the hill, we decided to call it a day. For dinner, we headed to downtown Durango and ate at Diorios South Pizza restaurant. http://dioriospizza.com/ The slices were some of the biggest we have ever seen.
We ended the evening at Starbucks (SBUX) where the older ones were able to benefit from free wi-fi.
After a tiring 90 minutes of walking up the hill, we decided to call it a day. For dinner, we headed to downtown Durango and ate at Diorios South Pizza restaurant. http://dioriospizza.com/ The slices were some of the biggest we have ever seen.
We ended the evening at Starbucks (SBUX) where the older ones were able to benefit from free wi-fi.
Spring Break 2012 - The Drive to Durango
On Friday the 9th, we began our two day trek to Durango, Colorado for our annual ski trip. After about 7 hours of driving, we made it to Tucumcari, New Mexico. http://www.tucumcarinm.com/visitors_guide/index.php?subnavnum=2A&posted=yes where we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express:
We left the hotel on Saturday morning and made our way through some snowy weather. We did break for lunch in the small city of Cuba, NM at El Brunos - a pretty upscale Mexican Restaurant. http://www.elbrunos.com/
We arrived at our location in Dalton Ranch right around dinner time. http://www.vrbo.com/36341
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Super Bowl Weekend - On the Slopes
Reagan and I may have started a new traditional on Super Bowl Sunday - skiing in Colorado. We joined up with 10 other guys (Kurt Heinold and 9 from central Illinois) and skied for 4 days.
On Saturday, we skied at Keystone. http://www.keystoneresort.com/
On Sunday, we skied at Breckenridge. http://www.breckenridge.com/
On Monday and Tuesday, we skied at Copper Mountain. http://www.coppercolorado.com/winter/index.html
February Bible Reading Verses
Here are the verses that were shared with my family in the month of February:
Proverbs 20:11 (NET) "even a young person is known by his/her actions whether his/her activity is pure and whether it is right."
Proverbs 28:20+25 (NET) "a faithful person will have an abundance of blessings...the one who trusts in the LORD will prosper."
Philippians 2:3-5 (NET) "Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well. You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ had."
Philippians 4:6-7 (NET) "Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
Hebrews 3:13 (NET) We need to "exhort one another each day...that none of you may become hardened by sin's deception."
James 1:22+25 (NET) "But be sure you love out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves...(the) one who lives it out - he will be blessed in what he does."
When we go through trials, we do have the Lord to help us through them, Jonah realized this when he was in the great fish. Jonah 2:8-9 (NET) says, "Those who worship worthless idols forfeit the mercy that could be theirs... Salvation belongs to the LORD."
3 John verse 4 (NET) states, "I have no greater joy that this; to hear that my children are living according to the truth." This is the desire that mom and I have for all of you in life!!!
In Jude verse 3, Jude is encouraging us to be vigilant in our faith. He writes, "I now feel compelled instead to write to encourage you to contend earnestly for the faith." (NET)
How about a few familiar verses that Paul wrote to Timothy. Because Timothy was a younger person, he challenged him in 1 Timothy 4:12 (NET) "Let no man look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in your speech, conduct, love, faithfulness, and purity." 2 Timothy 2:15 (NET) "Make every effort to present yourself before God as a proven worker who does not need to be ashamed, teaching the message of truth accurately."
Kids - As Paul was providing guidance to the folks at Thessalonika, we are also "exhorting and encouraging you and insisting that you live in a way worthy of God who calls you to his own kingdom and his glory" (1 Thessalonians 2:12 NET) and that you "hold fast to what is good (and) stay away from every form of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 NET).
Colossians 3:23 (NET) "Whatever you are doing, work at it with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not for people."
Ephesians 4:29+32 (NET) "You must let no unwholesome word come our of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need...be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you." Let's make sure that our words are building each other up!
Galatians 6:10 (NET) "So, then whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of faith." We should always be alert to the needs of fellow Christians - and help them when we can.
Psalm 11:7 (NET) - "Certainly the LORD is just; he rewards godly deeds; the upright will experience his favor."
Before Nehemiah asked permission of the king to begin his project to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem, he prayed, "Please, O Lord, listen attentively to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who take pleasure in showing respect to your name. Grant your servant success today and show compassion to me in the presence of this man." (Nehemiah 1:11 NET) Let's always pray that the Lord would grant us success today!
After the wall project was completed, the people of Israel rededicated themselves - beginning with daily Bible reading, Nehemiah 8:18 (NET) "Ezra read in the book of the law of God day by day, from the first day to the last." Verse 3 states, "he read it from dawn till noon before the men and women and those children who could understand. All the people were eager to hear the book of the law." Are we eager to spend a few minutes every day in God's Word?
As Ezra was trying to rebuild Jerusalem, many of the people in the land had sinned - and they were reaping the consequences. Ezra 9:13 (NET) "Everything that has happened to us had come about because of our wicked actions and our guilt." Let's make sure that we always do what is right to make sure we don't receive negative consequences!
Proverbs 20:11 (NET) "even a young person is known by his/her actions whether his/her activity is pure and whether it is right."
Proverbs 28:20+25 (NET) "a faithful person will have an abundance of blessings...the one who trusts in the LORD will prosper."
Philippians 2:3-5 (NET) "Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well. You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ had."
Philippians 4:6-7 (NET) "Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
Hebrews 3:13 (NET) We need to "exhort one another each day...that none of you may become hardened by sin's deception."
James 1:22+25 (NET) "But be sure you love out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves...(the) one who lives it out - he will be blessed in what he does."
When we go through trials, we do have the Lord to help us through them, Jonah realized this when he was in the great fish. Jonah 2:8-9 (NET) says, "Those who worship worthless idols forfeit the mercy that could be theirs... Salvation belongs to the LORD."
3 John verse 4 (NET) states, "I have no greater joy that this; to hear that my children are living according to the truth." This is the desire that mom and I have for all of you in life!!!
In Jude verse 3, Jude is encouraging us to be vigilant in our faith. He writes, "I now feel compelled instead to write to encourage you to contend earnestly for the faith." (NET)
How about a few familiar verses that Paul wrote to Timothy. Because Timothy was a younger person, he challenged him in 1 Timothy 4:12 (NET) "Let no man look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in your speech, conduct, love, faithfulness, and purity." 2 Timothy 2:15 (NET) "Make every effort to present yourself before God as a proven worker who does not need to be ashamed, teaching the message of truth accurately."
Kids - As Paul was providing guidance to the folks at Thessalonika, we are also "exhorting and encouraging you and insisting that you live in a way worthy of God who calls you to his own kingdom and his glory" (1 Thessalonians 2:12 NET) and that you "hold fast to what is good (and) stay away from every form of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 NET).
Colossians 3:23 (NET) "Whatever you are doing, work at it with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not for people."
Ephesians 4:29+32 (NET) "You must let no unwholesome word come our of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need...be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you." Let's make sure that our words are building each other up!
Galatians 6:10 (NET) "So, then whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of faith." We should always be alert to the needs of fellow Christians - and help them when we can.
Psalm 11:7 (NET) - "Certainly the LORD is just; he rewards godly deeds; the upright will experience his favor."
Before Nehemiah asked permission of the king to begin his project to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem, he prayed, "Please, O Lord, listen attentively to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who take pleasure in showing respect to your name. Grant your servant success today and show compassion to me in the presence of this man." (Nehemiah 1:11 NET) Let's always pray that the Lord would grant us success today!
After the wall project was completed, the people of Israel rededicated themselves - beginning with daily Bible reading, Nehemiah 8:18 (NET) "Ezra read in the book of the law of God day by day, from the first day to the last." Verse 3 states, "he read it from dawn till noon before the men and women and those children who could understand. All the people were eager to hear the book of the law." Are we eager to spend a few minutes every day in God's Word?
As Ezra was trying to rebuild Jerusalem, many of the people in the land had sinned - and they were reaping the consequences. Ezra 9:13 (NET) "Everything that has happened to us had come about because of our wicked actions and our guilt." Let's make sure that we always do what is right to make sure we don't receive negative consequences!
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Look for Ways to Bless Others
Philippians 2:3-5a (NET) - Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well. You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had..."
There are many examples in the Bible where people were blessed as a direct result of another person. Here are a few examples found in the book of Genesis:
We need to seek out opportunities where others can be blessed as a result of our impact in their lives. Our prayer should be that the Lord make us a blessing. In the 1920s, Ira B Wilson penned these words to the hymn "Make Me a Blessing":
Out in the highways and byways of life, Many are weary and sad;
Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife, Making the sorrowing glad.
Tell the sweet story of Christ and His love, Tell of His power to forgive;
Others will trust Him if only you prove True, every moment you live.
Give as 'twas given to you in your need, Love as the Master loved you;
Be to the helpless a helper indeed, Unto your mission be true.
Make me a blessing, Make me a blessing, Out of my life may Jesus shine;
Make me a blessing, O Savior I pray, Make me a blessing to someone today.
There are many examples in the Bible where people were blessed as a direct result of another person. Here are a few examples found in the book of Genesis:
- Isaac was blessed because of his father, Abraham - Genesis 26:24 states that the Lord appeared to Isaac and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham."
- Laban was blessed because of his son-in-law, Jacob - Genesis 30:27 recounts Laban saying the following to Jacob, "If I have found favor in your sight, please stay here, for I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me on account of you."
- Potiphar was blessed because of his employee, Joseph - Genesis 39:3-5 states, "His master observed that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made everything he was doing successful. So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant. Potiphar appointed Joseph overseer of his household and put him in charge of everything he owned. From the time Potiphar appointed him over his household and over all that he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian's household for Joseph's sake."
We need to seek out opportunities where others can be blessed as a result of our impact in their lives. Our prayer should be that the Lord make us a blessing. In the 1920s, Ira B Wilson penned these words to the hymn "Make Me a Blessing":
Out in the highways and byways of life, Many are weary and sad;
Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife, Making the sorrowing glad.
Tell the sweet story of Christ and His love, Tell of His power to forgive;
Others will trust Him if only you prove True, every moment you live.
Give as 'twas given to you in your need, Love as the Master loved you;
Be to the helpless a helper indeed, Unto your mission be true.
Make me a blessing, Make me a blessing, Out of my life may Jesus shine;
Make me a blessing, O Savior I pray, Make me a blessing to someone today.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Bible Verses to Begin the Year - January
As mentioned in a previous post, we continue the practice of texting verses to each other in the family in order to build the habit of daily Bible reading. Here are some of my January entries:
In Numbers 13+14, we see that Caleb and Joshua "wholly followed the Lord" while the other ten spies doubted the promises of God. As a result of their poor decisions making - they lost their lives and their children had to wander for 40 years. Let's make good decisions in 2012! Happy New Year!
Although the book of Numbers is not the easiest to read, the story of the 12 spies being sent into the land of Canaan is filled with many great lessons. In addition, 32:23 is a great verse for us to always remember - "be sure your sin will find you out". We will never get away with committing sin - it will always come back to bite us!
Psalm 86:11 (NET) - O LORD, teach me how you want me to live! Then I will obey your commands. Make me wholeheartedly committed to you!
Psalm 4:3 (NET) "Realize that the LORD shows the godly special favor". There are blessings to living a God-honoring life!
Psalm 16:5 (NET) "LORD, you give me stability and prosperity; you make my future secure." and verse 11 "You lead me in the path of life; I experience absolute joy in your presence; you always give me sheer delight." Why would we ever not want to live for the Lord!
Psalm 20:4 (NET) "May he (the Lord) grant your heart's desire; may he bring all your plans to pass!"
Psalm 37:3 (NET) "Trust in the LORD and do what is right!" and verse 5 "Commit your future to the LORD! Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf."
Psalm 40:5 (NET) "O LORD, my God, you have done amazing things! I want to declare them and talk about them, but they are too numerous to recount!" Even though the news was sad today, God is so good to us!
Psalm 46:1-2a (NET) "God is our strong refuge; he is truly our helper in times of trouble. For this reason we do not fear".
Psalm 74:4-6 (NET) "We will tell the next generation about the LORD's praiseworthy acts, about his strength and the amazing things he has done. He commanded our ancestors to make his deeds known to their descendants, so
that the next generation, children yet to be born, might know about them. They will grow up and tell their descendants about them. "
Psalm 84:11 (NET) "The LORD bestows favor and honor, he withholds no good thing from those who have integrity." Psalm 97:10 (NET) "He protects the lives of his faithful followers."
Psalm 101:2-3 (NET) "I will walk in the way of integrity ... I will conduct my business with integrity ... I will not even consider doing what is dishonest. I hate doing evil; I will have no part of it.". These verses remind us - we always do what is right!!!
Psalm 106:3 (NET) "How blessed are those who ... do what is right all the time!" Psalm 111:11 (NET) "To obey the LORD is the fundamental principle for wise living".
Psalm 119:10 (NET) "Do not allow me to stray from your commands!" verse 80 states "May I be fully committed to your statutes, so that I might not be ashamed."
Our HOPE is found in God's Word (Psalm 119:114) and our HELP comes from the LORD (Psalm 121:2)
Psalm 141:3-4 (NET) O LORD, place a guard on my mouth! Do not let me have evil desires, or participate in sinful activities.
Proverbs 6:6-8 provides us with the example of the ant. It tells us how it is ambitious (not lazy), it does what it is supposed to without someone telling it what to do, and it prepares for the future.
How about a few verses from Proverbs on being ambitious? 10:4 (NET) "The one who is lazy becomes poor; but the one who works diligently becomes wealthy." 12:11 "The one who works his field will have plenty of food". 12:24 "The diligent person will rule". 14:23 "In all hard work there is profit".
Proverbs 16:3+6 (NET) "commit your works to the LORD, and your plans will be established...through fearing the LORD one avoids evil."
In Numbers 13+14, we see that Caleb and Joshua "wholly followed the Lord" while the other ten spies doubted the promises of God. As a result of their poor decisions making - they lost their lives and their children had to wander for 40 years. Let's make good decisions in 2012! Happy New Year!
Although the book of Numbers is not the easiest to read, the story of the 12 spies being sent into the land of Canaan is filled with many great lessons. In addition, 32:23 is a great verse for us to always remember - "be sure your sin will find you out". We will never get away with committing sin - it will always come back to bite us!
Psalm 86:11 (NET) - O LORD, teach me how you want me to live! Then I will obey your commands. Make me wholeheartedly committed to you!
Psalm 4:3 (NET) "Realize that the LORD shows the godly special favor". There are blessings to living a God-honoring life!
Psalm 16:5 (NET) "LORD, you give me stability and prosperity; you make my future secure." and verse 11 "You lead me in the path of life; I experience absolute joy in your presence; you always give me sheer delight." Why would we ever not want to live for the Lord!
Psalm 20:4 (NET) "May he (the Lord) grant your heart's desire; may he bring all your plans to pass!"
Psalm 37:3 (NET) "Trust in the LORD and do what is right!" and verse 5 "Commit your future to the LORD! Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf."
Psalm 40:5 (NET) "O LORD, my God, you have done amazing things! I want to declare them and talk about them, but they are too numerous to recount!" Even though the news was sad today, God is so good to us!
Psalm 46:1-2a (NET) "God is our strong refuge; he is truly our helper in times of trouble. For this reason we do not fear".
Psalm 74:4-6 (NET) "We will tell the next generation about the LORD's praiseworthy acts, about his strength and the amazing things he has done. He commanded our ancestors to make his deeds known to their descendants, so
that the next generation, children yet to be born, might know about them. They will grow up and tell their descendants about them. "
Psalm 84:11 (NET) "The LORD bestows favor and honor, he withholds no good thing from those who have integrity." Psalm 97:10 (NET) "He protects the lives of his faithful followers."
Psalm 101:2-3 (NET) "I will walk in the way of integrity ... I will conduct my business with integrity ... I will not even consider doing what is dishonest. I hate doing evil; I will have no part of it.". These verses remind us - we always do what is right!!!
Psalm 106:3 (NET) "How blessed are those who ... do what is right all the time!" Psalm 111:11 (NET) "To obey the LORD is the fundamental principle for wise living".
Psalm 119:10 (NET) "Do not allow me to stray from your commands!" verse 80 states "May I be fully committed to your statutes, so that I might not be ashamed."
Our HOPE is found in God's Word (Psalm 119:114) and our HELP comes from the LORD (Psalm 121:2)
Psalm 141:3-4 (NET) O LORD, place a guard on my mouth! Do not let me have evil desires, or participate in sinful activities.
Proverbs 6:6-8 provides us with the example of the ant. It tells us how it is ambitious (not lazy), it does what it is supposed to without someone telling it what to do, and it prepares for the future.
How about a few verses from Proverbs on being ambitious? 10:4 (NET) "The one who is lazy becomes poor; but the one who works diligently becomes wealthy." 12:11 "The one who works his field will have plenty of food". 12:24 "The diligent person will rule". 14:23 "In all hard work there is profit".
Proverbs 16:3+6 (NET) "commit your works to the LORD, and your plans will be established...through fearing the LORD one avoids evil."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)