I’ve been writing in my journal this month. I’m praying about what to make of this site. More to come in July…
Look Up
Psalms 7-12 (the Message)
Who is God? He gets us ready for life. He probes our soft spots and knock off our rough edges. He does things right. Brilliant. He made the heavens and the earth, and he always knows what is going on with us. He is in charge, as he always was and is. He tests the good and the bad. His anger is real.
What does this mean for me? Thank God and sing his praises. Enjoy him. Tell his stories to everyone you meet. Open your heart to the Lord.
Unbreak my heart. Restore me so that I can love again Lord. Remind me, Lord, that I was first loved by you and that that can never be taken away.
Week 23
Reading Schedule: Week 23
6/1 Psalms 1-6
6/2 Psalms 7-12
6/3 Psalms 13-18
6/4 Psalms 19-24
6/5 Psalms 25-30
6/6 Psalms 31-36
6/7-8 Psalms 37-41
Weeks 21 & 22
Reading Schedule Week 21
5/19 Job 8-10
5/20 Job 11-14
5/21 Job 15-17
5/22 Job 18-19
5/23 Job 20-21
5/24-25 Job 22-24
Reading Schedule: Week 22
5/26 Job 25-28
5/27 Job 29-31
5/28 Job 32-34
5/29 Job 35-37
5/30 Job 38-39
5/31 Job 40-42
Fight Back
Esther 8-10
Who is God? He is faithful to his people. He saves them from slaughter. He turned a scary, hopeless situation to good, “And many of the people of the land became Jews themselves, for they feared what the Jews might do to them.” He increased his kingdom. He gave the Jews the power to overpower their enemies. These were people who were previoulsy waiting to be slaughtered.
What does that mean for me? Fight for the things you believe in and fight for your brothers and sisters in Christ. After Esther had saved Mordecai’s life she went back. She went back to the king to fight for the lives of her people. Fight back. This world is out to slaughter us. It wants to destroy us. Without God’s grace and faith in Jesus the only choice we have is death. Fight back. For God empowers and he has plans for all of us. Draw near to him. Sit with him. Be filled with him. Allow him to change you. Allow him to save your life.
Other ideas on my mind:
Sin is: Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscious, obscures your sense of God, or takes off the relish for spiritual things, then it is sin for you, however innocent it may be in itself.
The children of God have always struggled with this… finding their identity in Christ. It is an identity worth fighting for.
How we view ourselves affects how we act.
Who are you? Do you know who you are in Christ? Are you willing to act differently because your identity is founded in him?
Week 20
Reading Schedule: Week 20
5/12 Esther 1-2
5/13 Esther 3-4
5/14 Esther 5-7
5/15 Esther 8-10
5/16 Job 1-3
5/17-5/18 Job 4-7
Get it Right
Nehemiah 11-13
Who is God? He gives the people cause for great joy, 12:43. He can turn curses into blessings. His love endures forever.
What does this mean for me? Give thanks to the Lord, celebrate his glory and provision. A relationship with the Lord does require sacrifice. Give generously. Give him your very best. Keep your community accountable, but remember Jesus words, “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?” (Mat 7:3)
I like Nehemiah, for he has a such a go get ‘em urge to serve the Lord. He wants to get it right. And it seems, back then, so necessary to get it right. Not by grace, but by strict adherence to the law did God look favorably on you and your family. Nehemiah’s reprimanding seems quite harsh to me in my “anything goes, be yourself” daily life. The God that sits with me each day, that knows the deepest motivations of my heart, that doesn’t require me to sacrifice animals nor build him a great temple keeps coming back. I still try to get it right more than I do get it right and he comes back. And if Nehemiah showed up on my shoulder wearing a pair of white wings he’d reprimand quite a bit. But Lord, you know what I need to hear and you find a way to share the truth with me. Keep me honest and tuned in, Lord. I want to meet you in heaven so that I can understand both your reprimanding and graceful sides Lord. As pastor Brewer said in church today, your discipline and your nurturing sides Lord.
Actually
Nehemiah 3-4
Who is God? He is great and glorious. He fights for us.
What does this mean for me? Work together. Have faith and pray specifically. Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious.
4:2 “What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they’re doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a single day by just offering a few sacrifices? Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap—and charred ones at that?”
What are we thinking? Can we actually make this city the greatest city for Christ? (the mission of Bel Air Presbyterian Church) Can we actually save Katherine with our prayers? (www.katherineawolf.blogspot.com) Can we actually stand out in our communities? (www.rhettsmith.com) Can we actually stand out in our jobs? (a common discussion in my discipleship group) Can we actually look past ourselves and exist by his power? Can we actually become the people he died for us to become? Can we actually live up to his expectations)? Can we actually accept his spirit of love, power, and self-discipline (2 Tim 1:7)?
Rise up my brothers and sisters, for we are never alone.
As I Am
Nehemiah 1-2
Who is God? The great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, 1:5. He is gracious and hears our prayers. He uses his servants. He fulfills the desires of their hearts. He helps us succeed.
What does this mean for me? Pray to the Lord our God during hard times. Pray day and night and confess your sins. Pray specifically and boldly. Follow the unique plan that God has put on your heart.
Lord, there are so many days when I don’t feel worthy enough to be close to you. I love you Lord but sometimes it feels like I can’t wholeheartedly come to you because I don’t deserve your goodness. Lord, I know that is the point. That I did not earn my grace is exactly the point. You want me as I am. You want me to come with my scattered mind and worried heart to your feet. You want me to ask for your help and listen quietly to the messages you write on my heart. Lord, thank you for your faithful servant Nehemiah. Lord, he has such faith in your goodness and your connection to your servants. He prays boldly and comes to you with his most heartfelt concerns.
Lord, you are receiving our prayers for Katherine Wolf. Lord, you are doing miracles at the UCLA med center. These notes are proof: www.katherineawolf.blogspot.com. Lord some of us, like Katherine, run to you with open arms and feel your warm embrace every time. Katherine has always professed your name boldly and loved you loudly Lord, no matter who is watching. Others Lord, like Katherine’s mom Kim, confess we do not always feel so overcome by your love. We don’t always feel as worthy or anxious to run up. As Kim writes, “Squirming out of his lap like my ‘busy one’ tried to do with me every bedtime, I have run off to get in trouble on my own. Why does it so often take broken wings to make us rest in our parent’s arms?” Martha, Martha, Martha, Jesus loves you too.
The bottom line is: Lord, you are the same today, yesterday, and forever. You will never change and I can always come to you. I can always believe in you. I can always lean on you. Take me as I am.
Week 19
Reading Schedule: Week 19
5/5 Ezra 9-10
5/6 Nehemiah 1-2
5/7 Nehemiah 3-4
5/8 Nehemiah 5-7
5/9 Nehemiah 8-10
5/10-5/11 Nehemiah 11-13
