Bible 365: Week 17

Yay, 17 weeks down!  We're closer that halfway mark.  I already feel like I've learned so much thus far.  Thank you again to everyone who stops by and supports my Bible 365 posts!   I greatly appreciate it.

In week 17, we finished reading about Job.  Last week we read how, God had asked Satan if he'd tried his servant Job.  Then Job lost all of his riches, his children and good health.  Hid friends tried to talk him into cursing and forsaking God, but Job wasn't having any of that.

Anyways, I guess since he refused to forsake God, his friends decided that Job had caused this terrible fortune on himself.  They accused him of not being a good Christian, but having turned his back on those in need, being a thief and more.  Of course, Job (and God) knew this all to be lies.  Job defended himself saying, "My foots has held fast to the His steps; I have kept His way and not turned aside.  I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food" (Job 23:11-12).

I know it sounds like Job was tooting his own horn, but he really wasn't.  Job was indeed more righteous or obedient than the average man during his time.  Somehow, Job knew that this was test of his faithfulness because he told his friends, "When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:10).

Don't know of many of you have heard the gospel song goes "have you been tried in the fire/did you come through as pure gold," but that verse made me think of it.  We all go through fires (trials) in our lives.  And we all have the ability to come through them as pure gold and not faltering in our faith in God and His word.

We live in a time where evil is no longer confined to the dark.  Job 24:14 says, "The murderer rises with the light; he kills the poor and needy; and in the night is life a thief."  After the Boston bombing and all the recent murders I have heard about, I couldn't agree with this verse more.  Crooks aren't scared of getting caught anymore.  They boldly attack and destroy in broad daylight where they can be easily recognized.

It's almost like they're taunting us and daring us to take a stand against them.  "The eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight saying, 'No eye will see me,' and disguises his face," reads Job 24:15.  You all already know that adultery is something that has affected my life.  Needless to say, I wondered if my father had this same thought of logic when he stepped outside of his marriage with my mom?

I wonder if he even cared if would get caught.  We lived in a very small town where everyone knew us because both my mother's and father's family had good reputations.  He had to have known that the truth would come out at some point, right?  I digress.  That's another post for another day.

In the end, God sat the record straight and told Job that he was indeed a righteous and faithful man.  He also told Job that his friends were pretty much haters who had no clue what they were talking about.  If you think about it they weren't really good friends at all.  God restored everything Job had lost twice over.

He had more children, got his health back and his possessions plus extra.  I'm definitely striving to have faith like Job.  I'm not saying that I want God to test me in the same way He did Job, but when hard times strike I want my faith to be unwavering and not falter.  I don't want to doubt God for even a millisecond.

If you were Job, how would have reacted if your friends started accusing you of being bad Christian/person?

Week 18 Readings

4/29: Psalms 9-12

4/30: Psalms 13-16

5/01: Psalms 17-20

5/02: Psalms 21-24

5/03: Psalms 25-28

5/04: Psalms 29-32

5/05: Psalms 33-36

Moo's First Pets

Moo has been asking for a pet for quite a while now.   Unfortunately, both she and JJ are allergic to cats and dogs.  Sad because the Mr and I are very much dog people.  We tried the cat route before we had kids and that just didn't work our very well.

 

See that little spot at the very bottom?  That's one of the tadpoles. 

So, I thought it would be a good idea to let her have some tadpoles as her first pets. She loves frogs and I love frogs. I had a pet frog in the third grade and it was fairly easy taking care of him. This was a win-win situation in my mind.

I asked my mom to bring the tadpoles with her since I was going to be running errands. I didn't want them getting to hot or shaken up. Anyways, that night we get to my mom's house and she hands me the mason jar with the tadpoles. I notice that all three are down at the bottom of the jar.

Moo's super excited and asks to them. Then she says, " Why aren't they swimming? Are they sleeping mommy?" I tell her yes and take the jar to have a closer look. I give the jar a little tap.

Nothing happens. My heart sinks because I in that moment that her tadpoles are dead. All three have gone to tadpole heaven. I check the top of the jar and it has holes in it but the water was filled up to high. So, when the jar lid was sealed on it sucked the water to the very top preventing there to be any room for the tadpoles to come up for air.

So, they suffocated. I felt like a bad mommy because I had gotten Moo all excited about having pets and now they were gone. I couldn't bear to break the news to her that night. I flushed the tadpoles down the toilet and when she asked about them yesterday I simply told her they were gone in a deep sleep.

She seemed to understand and asked if she could have a different pet. This time she wants a hamster. I'm sure we'll get her one eventually but no time soon. I couldn't take it if somehow yet another pet died in less than 24 hours.

Thankful Thursday

"Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."

~Marcel Proust 

Do you all remember a few Thankful Thursdays back that I wrote a post talking about Miss J?  (Read it here.)  Well, this week I got some back news about Miss J.  I learned that her had been steadily declining and that she had slipped into a coma.  When I first got the news my heart sunk.

I wanted to break down and cry so bad, but I didn't because for starters I was in a public place and I had my kids with me.  I know that it's okay to show emotion in front of them, but I didn't want to explain the situation or talk about how I was feeling at that moment.  My heart felt broken and part of it still feels broken.

Thankfully though Miss J pulled through her coma and was released to go home yesterday morning.  While it's a great thing that she came through the coma with no damage to her memory and was well enough to go home, I know that the time is quickly drawing near for me to say my good-bye to her.  And that just makes me even more sad.  However, Miss J has been blessed to live on this Earth for over 90 years.  That's something that seems to rare in these days with bombings, kidnappings and all the other craziness going on.

And I'm blessed to have met her and have had the opportunity to bond with her.  She has definitely made my soul blossom and I will always cherish that.  The memory and essence of who she is will always be with me.  I'm just thankful that God granted her another day, another minute, another second of life for the time being to share with those of us who love her the most!

Bible 365: Week 16

16 weeks deep in this Bible 365 challenge!  Still learning new things and growing stronger in my faith and understanding of the word.  In week 16, we finished up the book of Nehemiah.  The Israelites have decided to once get on board with God's commandments.  So, they rebuilt the cities and reaffirmed the covenant that God made with Abraham.

They willingly confessed and finally admitted that they strayed from God's will on purpose.  "And because of all this, we make a sure covenant and write it; our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it" (Nehemiah 9:38).  We'll see if they actually uphold the covenant this time around as we continue to read on.

Now, the book Esther is very much like a crime thriller.  Esther becomes queen after winning a beauty pageant.  The only problem is that Esther, whose real name was Hadassah, is a Jew and Haman, her husband's right hand man, didn't like Jews.  Thinking Haman is trustworthy, King Ahasuerus gives him his signet ring.  Well, Haman sends out a decree that says "to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their possessions" (Esther 3:13).

Of course, Esther agrees to help save the Jews and herself by going to her husband to ask for mercy.  So, she invites him and Haman to dinner and tells him that she heard that all Jews are to be killed and destroyed. This is news to her husband since he wasn't the one who made the decree.  Esther spills the beans about Haman misusing the signet ring to get his way (Esther 7).

And King Ahasuerus orders Haman to be hanged and the Jews and Esther are saved!  You just don't mess with a man's family.  And we've all head of the story of Job.  God tells Satan that to test Job because he is "a blameless and upright man, one fears God and shuns evil" (Job 1:8).  So, in one day Job loses everything-his children, possessions and health.

But through it all he remains faithful.  His friends try to get him to curse God, but Job doesn't.  He knows that everything happened for a reason and that God will restore everything that was taken in due time.  Now how many of us are this faithful?  I'm telling you it's my goal to obtain the faith and spiritual strength of Job.

What would you do if you lost everything and everyone you loved and held dear in one day?

Week 17 Readings

4/22: Job 15-21

4/23: Job 22-31

4/24: Job 32-35

4/25: Job 36-38

4/26: Job 39-42

4/27: Psalms 1-4

4/28: Psalms 5-8

Celebrating Spring With Eshakti

Yay, our Spring weather is here to stay!!  And what better way to celebrate than by pulling out the warm weather attire.  After all nothing screams Spring more than a cute, light sundress.   Luckily for me, the lovely people over at eSkakti reached out to me a while back and asked if I'd like to try an item from their new Spring collection.  Of course, I said yes.

Haven't heard of eShakti?  Well, they offer ready-to-wear clothing in sizes 0-36W that you can customize to be tailored to your height and body type.  For example, on many of their dresses you can choose what neckline, skirt length or sleeve style you'd like to have.  They also have you enter in your height to make sure that the waist falls correctly.  Now on the dresses I chose.

Now, I love the whole nautical/sailor look.  So, when I saw this dress, I just had to have it.  And it does wonders for slimming you in the midsection area!  I still have a little stubborn belly fat but in this dress you can't tell.  I'm not usually a fan of dresses that fall below the knee unless it's a maxi dress, but I decided to step out of my comfort zone with this one and didn't alter the skirt length.

Now, I loved, loved, loved this dress when I saw it.  While I love the fit of this dress, it's not as forgiving as I as saw after my sister took this photo.  I was bloated (thanks Aunt Flo) and well....   You just really have to make sure everything in the midsection is sucked in good if you wear this dress.  I did use the customize options to have this altered to fall above knees.  I was going originally get it in a mini, but am glad I didn't because it has a split in the back.

With Mother's Day coming up, I've already prepared a wishlist that includes a few more dresses from eShakti.

Love the print!

I have to have this!

Be sure to hop on over to eShakti and check out their selection.  They have skirts, tops and more!  Plus, they have a pretty good Mother's Day offer going on right now too.

Disclaimer:  This post is sponsored by eShakti.  All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

Thankful Thursday

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."

~Franklin Roosevelt 

I know that I've been more than a little missing in action around these parts.  That's because I have a lot going on in my life right now.  Things are hectic and a bit up in the air.   To say that I'm at the end of my rope with a lot of things happening right would a bit of an understatement.

However, I'm thankful for the strength to still hang on and hang in here.  I know that this is just a test and that I will come out victoriously when all is said and done.  I'm also thankful that despite the terrible tragedy with the Boston Marathon, that it wasn't another 9/11.  I'm also thankful that three of the five bombs didn't go off and police were able to find and deactivate them safely.  I'm thankful that they have leads into finding out who did this.

It's sad sometimes thinking about the evil that goes down in this world.  I will never know why people feel the need to hurt innocent people.  How one become filled with so much hatred?  I'm continuing to pray that we grow stronger as a country and get back to our sense of community and love.

I'm thankful for everyone who reads my Bible 365 posts.  Yes, I'm still going strong.  Faith and blogging has been known to be bad combination, but I took the risk and I don't regret it.  My intention is not to push Christianity off on others but instead to share bits and pieces of what I'm learning.  

I follow bloggers of different religious backgrounds and I'm always intrigued about what they have to say when they blog about their faith.  I'm so close minded that I can't learn something from other religious practices.  I'm thankful our Spring weather is here to stay!!!  I'm going to celebrate by going to check out some swimming pools.  I definitely will be enjoying a little fun in the sun and water this summer with my family.

What are you thankful for this week?

Bible 365: Week 15

We've made it to week 15 people!!  Thanks again to those of you who are still hanging in here with me.  And before I get into our recap, I just want to ask that you keep the people of Boston in your prayers and thoughts tonight and in the coming days as they try to move on and rebuild from the bombing tragedy that occurred earlier today.  It's truly evil times that we are living in.  Don't take anything or anyone for granted because you never know what's going to happen.

Now, for our recap.  What a mighty and awesome God we serve.  I'm telling you all that the Israelites were truly blessed.  Even after generations of the Israelities proving that they couldn't stay faithful to Him or obey His commandments, God still frees them yet again from enslavement (Ezra 1).  As Ezra 3:11 reads, "...For He is good, for His mercy endures forever toward Israel."  So, the Israelites set out to rebuild, but the people of Persia did everything in their power to stop them claiming that "this city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces.." (Ezra 4:15).  However, God was with them and moved their mountains.

Just the fact that God delivered them again proves how forgiving and loving He is.  Many times we sound like Nehemiah 1:11, "O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray,..."  Little do we know and did these people know, God is always attentive to our prayers despite our disobedience.  No matter how hardheaded we are (with the exception of blasphemy), our God never stops loving us or looking out for us like He did the Israelites.

And sometimes, we are blessed not due in part to anything that we are doing but because of someone else standing in the gap on our behalf.  Think about it.  God saved the entire generations of Israelites time and time again usually because one person showed fear and righteous so strong that it moved Him to mercy.

Nehemiah 4:14 really stands out today with all that's happened with this Boston Marathon bombing.  It's a reminder that "...the Lord, great and awesome,.." will "fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses."  Our times are getting more and more evil as bombings, school shootings and civil uproar become more common place not only in the United States but around the world.  It's comforting to know that God still has our back in these troubled times.

Week 16 Readings

4/15: Nehemiah 8-10

4/16: Nehemiah 11-13

4/17: Esther 1-4

4/18:  Esther 4-6

4/19: Esther 7-10

4/20: Job 1-7

4/21: Job 8-14

Thankful Thursday

"Sibling relationships... outlast marriages, survive the death of parents, resurface after quarrels, that would sink any friendship.  They flourish in a thousand incarnations of closeness and distance, warmth, loyalty and distrust."

~Erica E. Goode 

Yesterday was National Siblings Day.  So, today I just want to take a little time to express my thanks and appreciation for my wonderful siblings.

I can't even begin to say how thankful I am for my baby sister.  We've had this unbreakable bond pretty much since she came out of the womb.  We don't always see eye to eye but that never gets in the way of the love we have for one another.  And I know I've mentioned this a few times but she loves my children as if they are her own.

And for that alone, I am beyond thankful to have her not only in my life, but as my sister!!  I'm thankful that with my debut as Matron of Honor in our older sister's wedding, she has become my workout partner.  I'm telling you working out isn't such a task with her motivating me to get in better shape.  I'm thankful that she's very supportive my blog and everything that I'm trying to do with my brand.  I don't think I can ever repay God for sending her to my life!

My one and only baby brother has always been a rock in my life.  Growing up with a few rough patches because he was the only boy surrounded by nothing but girls.  I will admit that looking back on times from our childhood, I wish I had been understanding of how he must have felt all the time.  Nevertheless, we've managed to stay close.

I'm thankful that at times when I'm ready to jump off the bridge or flip tables like Teresa (RHONJ), he's the one who talks me out of it.  He is my voice of reason in difficult situations.  I honestly know that he doesn't judge me or the choices I make.  He might be my baby brother but please believe he ain't afraid to get it crunk if you mess with his older sister.  As the song says "you don't want no problems" with this dude!  Likewise, we get it popping if somebody messes with him.

My older sister was my first best friend.  We told each other secrets, talked about boys and were pretty inseparable.  Like my brother and I, we went through a rough patch and drifted apart.  However, when I was going through one of the roughest times in my life and the shit had hit the fan in my relationship, she was there for me with open arms.   And for that I am eternally grateful to her (and my soon to be bro in-law).

I don't know how sane I would have stayed during my first few months as a single mom without her.  In fact, I did lose it and had a breakdown in the middle of a Kmart in New Orleans.  Yep, surrounded by tons of shoppers and holding my baby (Moo), I broke down in tears because I felt so lost and destroyed.  She comforted me and let me had my moment that she knew I so desperately needed at the time.

I'm thankful that we are working hard to rebuild our relationship to what we had before.  It's always nice to have the one friend who's know you all your life!  

When it comes to siblings what are you thankful for?

On The Mountains

Beautiful, right?

Moo nor JJ are in school yet, but that didn't stop us from enjoying a little Spring Break vacation time.  Yes, we marveled for 4 nights and 3 days at that gorgeous view pictured above.  And it was pure heaven!  I'd never been to Lake Junaluska before last week, but I'm glad I got the chance to visit.

It's truly an amazing place to stay.  Plus, I've always  I wanted to know what it's like to live in a place that was so in sync with nature, but still had the hustle and bustle of a big city.  Although, nestled in the mountains  Lake Junaluska definitely has that vibe to me. 

Everywhere I looked I was surrounded by the beautiful of nature and a reminder that God has truly given us a blessing- Earth.  The fog rising off the lake was probably my most favorite view.  I stood for about 30 minutes and watched in awe as the lake went from being barely visible because of the heavy fog cover to glistening like diamonds as the fog lifted and left behind dew illuminated by morning sun.

Outside the SEJ Heritage Center

I didn't just stare at the lake the entire time we were there.  We venture off our inn grounds to visit the SEJ Heritage Center.  And while I was there I spotted this cool Coke bottle.  Not many companies have openly supported a specific religion.  So, when I saw this United Methodist Church Coke bottle, I thought it was interesting.  Plus, you all know that I love my Coca-Cola!!

JJ was totally obsessed with the ducks.  I don't know what it is, but he just loves them.  This was his first time seeing any close enough that you could touch them.  They followed us wherever we went around the lake thinking that we had food for them.  We even got to see one mommy duck sitting her nest.  She lifted up for a few seconds to turn and fluff her feathers and we got see her eggs!

Yes, I'm wearing shades over my glasses

If I were to plan a vow renewal service, I would want to get married in the chapel you see behind me.  It was beautiful and made entirely of stone found in Lake Junaluska and from the mountains.   Even the roof was stone.  It had beautiful archways and stain glass windows.  It's like something out of a fairy tale.

Better view.  Cute!

I (and the kids) absolutely fell in love with Lake Junaluska and being on the mountains.  If I could have I would have never left.  I'm so serious.  I went so far as to pick up some real estate listings.  In about five years, I definitely want to own a little cottage there.  It was just a wonderful trip and I felt something that I just can't put in words.

How was your Spring Break?  Did you go anywhere new?

Bible 365: Week 14

Well, we're making our way on through this Bible 365 and I'm still loving it.  The scriptures for Week 14 couldn't have come at better time.  As I continue to work my plan for The YUMMommy Project, I'm reminded of 2 Chronicles 19:11b.  It reads, "Behave courageously and the Lord will be with the good."

Starting this project is scary because it's hard to get others to believe in your cause as passionately as you do.  And while you'd think that it would be easy to get people to give, volunteer and more it's not.  We live in a somewhat selfish and self-centered world.  However, I will not be deterred.  I'm going to behave courageously and push forward.  I've seen a need and I don't want to be a bystander any longer.

"[F]or the battle is not yours, but God's" (2 Chronicles 20:15).  I know that I'm not the only who tries to fight battles that are beyond what I am capable of handling alone.  No matter how strong we think we are, there is always going to be an issue that requires a little supernatural help or miracle.  I've had to turn over a battle that I was trying to fight alone to God that has to do with an aspect of my personal life.

Worrying and frustration are not things that I'm convinced God wants us to feel.  If we let Him, He will work out our issues one way or another.  It may not always work out the way we want it to but it will always work out for our good!

When was the last time you did something bold or courageous?

Week 15 Readings

4/8:  Ezra 1-2

4/9:  Ezra 3-6

4/10:  Ezra 7-8

4/11:  Ezra 9-10

4/12:  Nehemiah 1-2

4/13:  Nehemiah 3-5

4/14:  Nehemiah 6-7

Easter Recap

I know that Easter was almost a week ago, but I'm sharing my recap with you all anyway.  I wanted to get it up on Tuesday but I was busy preparing for my trip to Lake Junaluska among other things.  Anyways, we started our Easter weekend on Saturday.  My baby sister and I had decided that Friday that it would be cool let the kids make their own Easter baskets this year.

So, we headed off to the Dollar Tree and WalMart to pick up baskets, candy and other goodies.  I think we spent $25 for everything to make three baskets.  Saturday came it the kids were thrilled about together own baskets.

Moo's Basket of Goodies

JJ's favorite part was playing with the plastic grass.  We kind of had to hurry and get everything into the baskets because he kept picking the grass out and throwing it in the air like confetti.  He thought it was just too funny.  But in the end all the baskets turned out well.

Finished baskets.  Had to use the hair dryer to shrink the plastic.

Moo was up bright and early Sunday morning.  She was dying to open up her basket despite knowing what was already in it.  Don't just love that about kids?  However, I made her wait until after breakfast and we got dress to open it.  If she had opened it beforehand, she wouldn't have been able to focus on anything else the rest of the morning.

Enjoying a little bubbles and doll house fun.

I kept the Easter attire simple this year.  We were still down at my mom's and I couldn't find anything dressy in any of the stores.  So, I settled for a new polo for JJ paired with khakis and a tiered woven print dress by Healthtex and leggings for Moo.  I'm definitely going to shop in advance or pull out the sewing machine next year.

How cute my maxi dress?!

Needless to say I didn't like the dress I had to wear. So, I went 'shopping' in my sister's closet.  I love florals on clothing and had been asking to wear this maxi dress for a while.  And it just so happens that she had mentioned she couldn't fit in it anymore.  I decided to give it another pop of color by pairing it with my pink Charlotte Rouse wedges.  I got them from Goodwill in Myrtle Beach for $3!  They looked to be brand new because there was no signs of them having been worn on the bottoms!

And yes, I'm trying out long hair and bangs now.  I really like the bangs and the highlights (will have to do a close up of those later).  Church was not what I expected.  It was like it wasn't even Easter.  Half the kids didn't do their  Easter speeches and for the first time in years we didn't do an Easter dinner after service.  And they had moved the egg hunt to the day before and didn't bother to call people until the last minute.

So, I think that next year I won't bother trying to make it to my church in  my hometown but give Easter at our new church a try instead.  I heard they really did Easter right and everyone had a great time.  But oh well.  Overall, Easter is about Jesus' Resurrection and I'm thankful that I got to celebrate that and give thanks to him for paying the price for our sins!

How was your Easter?

Thankful Thursday

"Oh, give thanks to the Lord!  Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the people!'

~1 Chronicles 16:8 

I've said time and time again on this blog that one of my reasons for starting this blog was to inspire others to share their story.  Whatever it may be, I think that if we all shared experiences, learned lessons, etc we would change the lives of billions.  I truly believe that our world has the potential to be a better place and it starts with us.  So, imagine my joy when a college friend and YUMMommy supporter posted on my Facebook page that he had started his very own blog because I had inspired him to do so!

Talk about an honor.  And a humbling experience as well.  To have inspired and moved him enough to the point that he felt motivated and took the steps to start up his own blog and put himself out there on such a public platform is truly the ultimate the gift for me as a blogger and a friend.  This just proves that the seeds we plant in others, whether by words or action, makes a difference!

And what more could we possibly hope for out of our lives besides making a difference and leaving a lasting mark on this world we live in?  I am beyond thankful for the opportunities to push others, to inspire them or touch them in way. 

I know without a doubt that his blog is going to touch so many.  It's just what's missing in today's society where our younger generation of young men and women are lost and look to media platforms to guide them on how to live their lives.  It's time that those of us, who are putting out positive messages and challenging some of this negative ignorance that has been put out there, to come out of the shadows and speak up.

So, I hope that you all will stop by and check out DeAndre's new blog, My 3 Cents and show him some love on his first post.  It's way better than what my first was.  Trust me, you won't be disappointed if you subscribe to his blog!

Just remember as you go throughout your day to be mindful of the seeds you plant in others and to be appreciative of the seeds that others have planted in you.  

Bible 365: Week 13

I'm sure that by now many of you are wondering if you are experiencing deja vu.  1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles "present the same story line as First and Second Kings but from a different perspective and by a different storyteller."  So, we're pretty getting a different point of view about the reign of Kind David and King Solomon.  Remember, there's always more than one side to every story!  Here are a few of the verses that stuck out to me in Week 13.

"Do not touch My anointed ones and do My prophets no harm, " reads 1 Chronicles 16:22.   I've heard this verse a million times.  I like it for the simple fact that it helps me to be mindful of how I treat people.  (Kinda like the 'Golden Rule.")  In today's society not every minister, anointed one or prophet wears a special collar, robe or name tag identifying themselves as such.  And while we should treat all with love and respect, we often times don't.  But when you do wrong or evil to God's 'chosen' people, He is especially not pleased.

You never know if that person you flipped the bird for accidentally cutting you off on the highway a minister or what.  Therefore, strive to treat all people with respect and kindness as you go throughout your day.  Also, in 1 Chronicles 16, David points out what God has been trying to get through to the Israelites since He freed them from the Egyptians.  Verse 25 says, "For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is also to be feared above all gods."

The Israelites just couldn't grasp this concept for some reason.  No matter how many signs and miracles God showed them, they always doubted His greatness.  Despite showing them the consequences of their serving idols and disobeying His commands, they didn't fully fear Him.  Instead, they chose to fear each other and their gods made of gold or silver that they could see with their eyes.  And I get why.

I know people argue that Christians are crazy for believing in a God we can't see and for really thinking He performed acts like parting the Red Sea or making food appear out of thin air.  But what's the difference from putting your faith in a man made god of gold or silver if you really think about it?  If I drop it or hit hard enough, I can break it.  Thus, I could never see myself as an idol worshiper because in my eyes I'd always be more powerful.  However, with God because I can't see Him there's always an added pressure to follow His commands because He could be watching (and is watching).

We see on the news everyday what happens when people don't fear God.  They disobey His commandments-killing, stealing and committing fraud.  Others are cheating on their spouses, engaging in acts of lust at the strip clubs and giving in to greed.  I am by no means perfect or sinless but my fear of God and appreciation of His greatness keeps me striving to cleanse myself of the bad habits that I do have.

And I know many of us believe that Jesus was the only son of God, but 1 Chronicles 28:6 claims, "It is your son Solomon who shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his Father."  I don't recall having read too many scriptures in the Bible where God specifically says that somebody is His son.  Yes, we are all His children, but Solomon was called by name to be God's son and that was a great honor to have.

Honestly, I think that as a son, Solomon would have been pretty close being perfect if he hadn't let his wives lead him astray as we read about in Kings.  God gave him the wisdom and knowledge to judge and rule over the Israelites (2 Chronicles 1:1-12).  However, it seems that Solomon's shortfall was being unable to apply that wisdom and knowledge to himself.

I'm sure we all know people like King Solomon.  They're great at giving other's advice that helps others improve, but can't seem to live by their own advice better their own lives.

What keeps you anchored in your walk with God?

Week 14 Readings

4/1:   2 Chronicles 15-17

4/2:  2 Chronicles 18-21

4/3:  2 Chronicles 22-24

4/4:  2 Chronicles 25-28

4/5:  2 Chronicles 29-32

4/6:  2 Chronicles 33-34

4/7:  2 Chronicles 35-36