Something I was reminded of while going through Kings and Chronicles is that heaven is so not the point. King after king is named and their deeds recorded. Good kings, bad kings. A few lukewarm kings. But at the end of their lives all that mattered was whether or not they served God in the time they'd been given. The kings either "did what was right in the sight of the Lord." or "did evil in the sight of the Lord." We're never told whether or not their deeds or decisions to follow God landed them in heaven or not.
I feel like I could preach a sermon [gasp!] about how I believe the Gospel is being taught from the wrong perspective these days. It seems like we make whats important to us the emphasis, as though it were what is important to God.
Living forever. Seeing loved ones again. Streets of Gold.
We talk about being saved from Hell. We take about being separated from God forever. Both are true. But I've been thinking lately how its more important to realize, that Christ died and rose again to save me from myself. 'Myself' being that sin infested creature that can only be truly changed with a transformation starting from the inside, moving outward. My heart sometimes even deceives my mind. Without the Lord it is "desperately wicked", void of discerning truth and loving sincerely. Heaven is a mere stage in that transformation that must take place, but the transformation must begin now. I think the kings of the old testament are good reminders of that.
Chapters read since I last posted: 44
This old song sure puts everything going on in my life,
into the right perspective. Thankful this morning that I
can trust instead of trying and failing miserably.
I can rest instead of running and losing the race.
I can pray instead of endlessly worrying about the future.
27 Chapters. The books of history have some looooong chapters. Just sayin'. ;-) God's Word is amazing and reading it in these amounts makes it easier to see patterns and notice more about the way God works for and through His people.
[because paying my taxes is something I just really enjoy, and this day is so special to me *cough*]
I thought I'd take you to the archives. Two years ago, I gave you the play by play of my tax day. I go back and read it occasionally and laugh pretty hard remembering the details of that crazy day.
Don't go fishin' on tax return day.
This is my day,chronicled that all may learn from my mistakes. 9 AM Leave to fish with Grandpa and Bro.
9:15 AM Drive up to the lake and think”wow, I haven’t taken off on a weekday morning just for fun, in so long…and I really don’t have time for it, but hey I deserve the break.” (go ahead. roll your eyes.)
10 AM Catch a whopper of a 4.5″ Bass
12 PM come home to finish filling out taxes
3 PM leave to go to former employer to request replacement for lost w-2 form. grin and bear the ribbing from past co-workers about filing late.
4 PM finally have w-2. Attempt to finish up paper work as Dad and I pull into post office parking lot.
4:05 PM Meet up with someone in P.O. parking lot. Hadn’t seen these people in a while. we talked.
4:15 PM finds me tapping my dad on the shoulder and asking “hey, did you ask the postmistress if they’re stamping late today?”
4:16 PM Dad says no and I run inside to ask. ” NO. 4:30!” she says.
4:18 PM “Hmmm. Should I take the time to counsel this postmistress who seems to be overwhelmed by this question she’s undoubtedly been asked millions of times today?” (j/k this was the last thing on my mind.)
4:20 PM sitting in car trying to read and figure out the japanese directions on an american 1040 form.
4:22 PM dad’s back to help wrap this thing up. I write the check while I’m nodding my head in misunderstandment of what he’s explaining about what I did wrong.
4:25 PM cell phone rings {might i add, that cell phone service was down until that very moment this afternoon?} there’s a semi-plumberical emergency back at home. (something about a broken faucet, flooding bathroom)
4:26 PM Kaylene runs inside of post office so at least she’ll be inside of the locked door at 4:30.
4:28 PM borrow scissors, stapler and tape from the postmistress (wouldn’t ya know the envelope wouldn’t seal.)
4:29 PM post mistress counsels me. “You’ll be fine.”
4:30 PM My taxes are mailed.
Moral of the story: don’t go fishin’ on April 15th, or better yet and more commonly stated…don’t wait till the last minute to file your taxes.
This year I beat my record, but still got them in the mail on the very last day. I'm learning, slow but sure.
Photo caption: my photo, my pole, and my feet :)
The devil's been a fightin'.
Just as I purposed to read more, a whole slough of shall we just say 'stresses' slammed me over the weekend.
I know for a fact it was the devil trying to get me down. Oh yeah. He was. I felt it way beyond the number of chapters I [didn't] read. Its a bigger battle and it goes on somewhere deep, deep inside of you and the circumstances you're placed in.
I would like to make a public, insincere apology to the enemy of this here reading challenge.
I'm sorry.
but no matter my personal failures-- In the end? You lose. My God reigns. That part's sincere.
Read over the weekend (or since last time I posted): somewhere around 40 chapters. Finished 1 Kings and into the next and a lot of Psalms. O. the beautiful Psalms.
My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD:
my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.
Yea, the sparrow hath found an house,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
even thine altars, O LORD of hosts,
my King, and my God.
Blessed are they that dwell in thy house:
they will be still praising thee. Selah.
Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee;
in whose heart are the ways of them.
For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand.
I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God,
than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
-Excerpts of Psalm 84-
The last two days I've read 22 chapters. I finished up 2 Sam and am now in 1 Kings. I also read in the Psalms. A single sentence (a parenthetical one at that) put some issues in my heart and mind at rest. "For Thou, even Thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men." 1 Kings 8:39 How comforting, when I can't even reach the depths of my own motivations, emotions, and thoughts.
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Everyone says it, and pretty much all the time. But can I just say? WHERE in the WORLD does 2010 think its going in such a hurry?? Seriously?
I had every intention of writing a post on the midway mark for the Bible Reading Challenge. I did. I did. I truly did. Just like I had every intention of writing my dear aunt a birthday note. ...Back in February. ...And still haven't gotten to it. *sigh*
But the time passing quickly is no excuse, because truthfully, time always passes quicker than we think it will.
Any comments like ' You can do it! ' 'You're almost there! ' and ' We love you anyway!' would also be greatly appreciated. I'm kidding. That's just my lead-in to confirm that yes the rumors are true. I'm behind. And not just a couple of days. More like a couple of weeks.
I promised transparency and I asked it of you too. So I'm showing the innards here. I need ya'll to help me catch up. Lord willing and the creek don't rise, I will be posting my progress every other day until I am caught up. I've said before, I don't want to water down the reading of God's Word by being so driven by 'amount', but honestly I've just not been disciplined in my schedule to really take time out for God's Word. (ever try to read it on the run? Yeah, thats me) And I think this will help me to be more deliberate. They may be really short posts.: "I read 15 chapters today. Feeling refreshed. The End." But knowing I have to write that, will really motivate me.
How did I get so far behind? Well for every legitimate excuse I can think of, I can also think of other activities (uh...hum, facebook, twitter, sleeping) that I could have cut back on and didn't. So they pretty much cancel each other out and leave me very much behind and need of an extra "push" to get me swinging again. I've been trying to wake up 30 minutes earlier in the morning to have more time to read. On work days this means getting up at 4:30. Um yes, prayer would be good.
So, so far today I have read 13 chapters. And I am feeling refreshed. Tired, but refreshed. Only the Lord. : )
2.8 months to go!! Who's still with me??
"His timing,
His way of showing,
and the thing shown,
may not be at all according to the child's expectations.
But never mind.
and the thing shown,
may not be at all according to the child's expectations.
But never mind.
The Father will give all the help His child needs,
will take him by the hand,
and the child will learn."
will take him by the hand,
and the child will learn."
- Elisabeth Elliot
{photo- Tana Lee, the baby my family babysits during the week}
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