Mike Skinner's online journal about life, love and faith. Mike and Cindy are staffmembers with Global Media Outreach at Campus Crusade for Christ. We use technology to assist believers in evangelism and discipleship in the major languages of the Internet.
Day 120: 1 Kings 15-15
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With a father like Abijam, a grandfather like Rehoboam, where did Asa's devotion to the Lord come from? What a an indication of God's grace that his reign lasted 41 years.
Tuesday SOAP: The generous hearts of the Israelites is revealed to be a move of God's Spirit. How else could this nation of people who were ready to stone Moses a few chapters ago, who longed for their former slavery (even while God was guiding them daily with fire and cloud, feeding them, providing water for them, and directing them in every way) be moved to give when not required to? We need a fresh move of this kind today. May God liberate His people from the slavery and distraction we've settled for! S: The freewill offering: Take from among you a contribution to the LORD. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the LORD's contribution: gold, silver, and bronze; (Exodus 35:5) "Let every skillful craftsman among you come and make all that the LORD has commanded: (Exodus 35:10) O: The freewill offering was an opportunity for everyone who felt generous, whom the Spirit moved, (Exodus 35:21), but the work of craftsmanship was for "every skillful craftsm...
Wednesday SOAP: In the book of Numbers, God re-states His claim on Israel's firstborn. This is because of His deliverance of them from the final plague on Israel - the death of the firstborn. The Levites were substituted for the firstborn in sort of a substitutionary redemption. This makes me wrestle once again with the question of who were really saved in the Old Testament, and what exactly did they understand about it? I think this makes a significant analogy for our day - we ought to resist the over-simplification of "say this prayer and you're in," because the Jewish culture had their own over-simplifications - and we're taught they fell short. (Why "SOAP?" See http://www.enewhope.org/firststeps/journaling ) S: And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine, for all the firstborn are mine. On ...
Ezra-Nehemiah 11 : In the Jewish Canon, Ezra and Nehemiah are one book, and, although the division in ours makes sense, it’s clear that they cover the same basic period. They form one answer to the question at the end of 2 Chronicles’ hanging question, “Therefore, who among the LORD's people trusts in his God? Whoever among this group wishes to do so may travel to Jerusalem.” (2 Chronicles 36:23, ISV) Yet despite their trust, the people are greatly weakened until the ministries of Ezra and Nehemiah (and Haggai and Zechariah, Ezra 5:1) encourage them. Ezra’s trust is clearly represented in 8:22, where he is ashamed to request a protective guard for the fortune in treasures he carries, instead trusting in the hand of God for protection. Ezra’s prayer in Ezra 9, Nehemiah’s prayer in Nehemiah 1:5-11, and the people’s covenant prayer in 9:5-37 are the outcome. Faith precedes confession, because we don’t fully understand how badly we fall short until it’s revealed to us. Even then, we ne...
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