Treasure the Lord Your God!---Day 85 Through the Bible

                                 Roan Mountain offers an opportunity to "stand on the edge of the world".
                                                     The view of the mountains and valleys below is breath taking.  
                              Roan Mountain borders NC and TN and is located less than an hour from Mt. Celo Church. 
                                  
The word "accountability" is written all over today's readings in Deuteronomy.  In fact, I counted the word "you" 40 times in chapter 13, and again, 40 times in chapter 14.  Amazing!  God evidently wants us to be involved in our relationship with Him.  His love for us has the potential for being the catalyst that inspires us to "hold fast to Him" (Deut.13:4).  As the Apostle John says in I John 4:19, "We love him, because He first loved us". We are the children of the Lord our God, His chosen people, a special treasure (Deut.14).  If we could only grasp how much we mean to God our Father and how great His love is for us, it could change our lives!  He has spelled out His love for us in a book called The Holy Bible.

God sees the dangers of being enticed away from Him.  He is jealous over us, knowing He is the only true God--there is no other besides Him (Mark 12:32).  We are living in a time that showcases the results of turning away from God, of tolerating sin, of consenting to evil, and of compromising our values. However, even though we live in such a culture, we are accountable to God for the way we live before Him.  God tells us that where sin is concerned, we are not to "pity", "spare", or "conceal" anything that separates us from Him.  He desires to show mercy toward us, have compassion on us and bless us. However, we must see evil as He sees it and not build up a tolerance for it.  We are to humble ourselves, seek His forgiveness, and turn from our wicked ways (2 Chronicles 7:14), in order to receive the healing we need.  God wants to bless us!

We get a glimpse of what God wants for His people in an annual festival called the Feast of Tabernacles.  Israel was instructed by God to faithfully save a tenth of their increase (in addition to their tithe for God's work) and take their families once a year to the place God would chose, and there enjoy for themselves, this tithe.  If they had been blessed abundantly and it would be difficult to carry their tithe, God allowed them to change it into money.  They were instructed to spend this money "for whatever your heart desires".  What a blessing (and fun) to take a tenth of your income and spend it all in a seven day period for whatever you desire!  This was a blessing for them from God, and they were to rejoice before the Lord with their families during this festival.  Also, every third year, they were to save a tithe that would go to the Levites, the strangers, the fatherless, and the widows, among them.  The reason for this?  "That the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do" (Deut.14:28-29), also see Malachi 3:10).

In Luke, we read the story of Simeon and Anna, and see God's Providence and perfect timing demonstrated here.  God blessed Simeon as well as Anna. I have a puzzle that depicts Simeon holding baby Jesus in his arms.  I can imagine the joy this godly man must have felt as he held this baby, perhaps with tears streaming down his wrinkled face, recognizing he was holding "the Consolation of Israel"!  Dr. Stanley gives this comment: "the old soldier foresaw that the greatest battle of all time would be faced, fought, and won by this tiny child.  There he stood, breathing the breath of Christ, whole in the arms of God".  This passage about Simeon is not as well known as the rest of the Christmas story, however, it touches a chord in my heart as no other passage of Scripture does.

We are being offered "a great salvation" (Hebrews 2:3)!  May God open our eyes to His power and His greatness, and help us come to know and understand who He is.  May we come to realize what we are being offered by the very Creator of the Universe, and what a tremendous gift has been purchased for each of us by the death and resurrection of God's Son!  May we rejoice in living holy lives before Him and "hold fast to Him" as we live out our lives with a sense of accountability to God in a culture that has lost its way. 

"Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words"--St. Francis of Assisi.

Godly Direction--Day 17 Through the Bible

                                          Roan Mountain is located in nearby Mitchell County
                                        and offers Nature Trails, picnic areas, spectacular views,
                                                 as well as never ending photo opportunities.

January 17
I would like to pose a question to begin today's blog. Are we acknowledging God in our decisions? And, if so, to what extent?
One of my favorite Scriptures is found in Proverbs 3:6, and we can see the principles found in this verse  played out in today's study. This verse says, "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths". There will no doubt come a time in our lives when we recognize a need for God's help and direction. It could be when a doctor tells us there is nothing else he can do for us, or we might be facing financial ruin, old age, the loss of our spouse, an unexpected loss of a loved one, the loss of our eyesight, or facing consequences of bad decisions. There is no end to scenarios where we may need God's help and direction either at present or in the future.
Jacob endured Laban's deceitful tactics for twenty years. To Jacob's credit, he did what was right and was faithful in conducting himself with integrity and honesty toward his father-in-law. Jacob acknowledged God. Finally, God told Jacob He had seen what was happening and that it was time for Jacob to leave and return to his own family. Without God's involvement at this point in Jacob's life, Jacob may not have left this trying situation.
The fact that Jacob had a relationship with God and that God was involved in his life, opened the door for God to direct his path. God assured Jacob he would be with him, just as He assures us He will never leave us nor forsake us (Matthew 28:20, Hebrews 13:5).
In chapter 34 of Genesis, our study brings us to an example where God was not acknowledged and Simeon and Levi (Jacob's sons) took matters into their own hands. They did what they thought was right and hatched a deceitful plot, making themselves murderers and bringing reproach on Jacob's family. While it is true their sister was mistreated, vengeance belonged to God, and would have been better served had it been left to Him. Not only did they not seek God's direction, they failed to even bring the situation before their father, Jacob. (Sometimes in reading Scripture, we tend to think that because it is in the Bible, God sanctioned it.  The account of Dinah and her brothers’ act of revenge is merely an account of events and says nothing about God directing them to the actions they chose.)
Acknowledging God (period) is the first step in coming to the realization that God's Word is truth. Once we get into His Word, we then discover the fact that vengeance belongs to God (Romans 12:19), along with many other truths. We are overstepping our bounds whenever we seek vengeance. We are leaving ourselves to our own devices and leaning to our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5) when we do not acknowledge God.
In the final verses of our daily reading in Matthew, I found it interesting that Jesus also made a decision to leave a situation. Once again, acknowledging God and His plan played a part in this decision. Jesus was God in the flesh and He knew it was not time for Him to die. Therefore, when the Pharisees began seeking a way to destroy Him, "Jesus withdrew from there" (Matthew 12:15).
Acknowledging God in all our ways gives us an advantage. We can avoid experiencing the failure and adverse consequences that may come from doing it our way. He can help us to see clearly what it is that we need to leave behind (perhaps it is a vengeful spirit). God has insight that we do not have access to unless we first have access to Him. He loves us so much He "fixed" the sin thing that separates us from Him. He sent His Son Jesus to die in our place so that we can enjoy a relationship with God for eternity! Our part is to believe in Him so that we might not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).