An Eye For An Eye?

Exodus 21:23-24

But if there is further injury, the punishment must match the injury: a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, a bruise for a bruise.

Lord, you gave us this rule to keep punishments from going overboard, not to give us permission for revenge. We humans can tend to get carried away with wanting retribution when we've been wronged or injured in some way. Left to our own devices, minor arguments can quickly escalate into full on wars.

When my feelings are hurt or someone has wronged me, help me to look to YOU, Lord, instead of letting my emotions run away with me. Help me to follow Jesus' example. In, Jesus' name, amen.

1 Peter 2:21-23

This suffering is all part of what God has called you to. Christ, who suffered for you, is your example. Follow in his steps. He never sinned, and he never deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted. When he suffered, he did not threaten to get even. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.

MEMORY VERSES

All Have Sinned

Romans 3:23

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard.

Romans 3:23

All Have Sinned

All Have Sinned

Isaiah 53:6

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.

Isaiah 53:6
All Have Sinned

Teach Me Through My Trials

Romans 2:29

No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.

Lord, I want to be this kind of person. I think I'm becoming this kind of person. You certainly are changing my heart and I like it! It's not always a fun process, but you are always here to help me through all of it.

In your perfect love, you see the big picture while I can only see a tiny part of it. 

You know that I need to go through specific trials to get to the end result which you can already see.

I'm so glad that yours is not a weak, oh-poor-baby, let-me-comfort-you-and-take-away-the-pain kind of love. No, yours is a this-is-for-your-best-good and you-need-to-experience-this-pain-to-learn-from-it kind of love. Please help my heart to always be soft so I can learn what you are teaching me. I love you, Daddy! In Jesus' name, amen.

MEMORY VERSE

Isaiah 26:3-4

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock.

Isaiah 26:3-4

I Have the Privilege of Suffering

John 1:10-13

He came into the very world he created, but the world didn't recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed in him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn -- not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

Thank you, Jesus for giving me the right to become a child of God. Thank you that I have been reborn. I am a new creation in Christ.

Romans 8:17

And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

Philippians 1:29

For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.

Jesus, you have granted me the blessing and privilege to suffer for and with you. I haven't suffered like many Christians in other countries are having to. And I will probably never suffer a fraction of what you went through.

When I do suffer, help me to rejoice in it. Help me to see it as an opportunity to not only grow in my faith, but also to get my mind and heart focus centered back on you, to prove to myself and others that my faith is real, and to be an example to a world who is closely watching to see how I will react.

I thank you for the example you have been to me, and for your word that helps me to get through the suffering. I cling to your word and hide it in my heart. You remind me of verses when I need them and they comfort and instruct me.

Jesus, I have been having trouble remembering which verse goes with which address. Would you please show me a way to make these things stick in my old brain. You created my brain and you know how it works. I know that you can help me with this. Thank you for how you are already helping me to remember the verses.

  

THIS WEEK'S MEMORY VERSES

Zechariah 11:11

The suffering flock was watching me, and they knew that the LORD was speaking through my actions.

Zechariah 11:11

Romans 1:16 (NIV)

I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

Romans 1:16 (NIV)

Take Up Your Cross Daily

Hosea 6:6

I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.

Hosea 6:6

Romans 1:16 (NIV)

I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

Romans 1:16 (NIV)

Matthew 16:24-25

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your live you will loose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it."

Lord, please help me to be willing to turn from my selfish ways! I want to take up my cross and follow you everyday. I want to be willing to loose my life for you, Jesus.

Please help me to be willing to go through pain or humiliation for you. When I step out and share the gospel, I'm likely to encounter both. Give me such a burning need to share you with others that I don't even consider the consequences for myself. In Jesus' name, amen.

In my research for this post I came across another blog that gives another perspective on the cross. I thought it was very encouraging: Darlene's Ponderings -- Take Up Your Cross - Trade With Christ.

You Test My Faith

Romans 12:1

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice - the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

Romans 12:1

Romans 1:16 (NIV)

I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

Romans 1:16 (NIV)

Exodus 17:7

Moses named the place Massah (which means "test") and Meribah (which means "arguing") because the people of Israel argued with Moses and tested the LORD by saying, "Is the LORD here with us or not?"

Lord, in extremely difficult times it's easy to wonder if you are still with us or not. But you are always there, you never leave us. You allow us to go through these times to test us. You want to show us what's in our hearts. You already know what's there but you want us to know too.

James 1:2-4

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

1 Peter 1:6-7

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold - though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

Deuteronomy 8:2

Remember how the LORD your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands.

Lord, Bring the Rain!

Genesis 4:17

If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.

Genesis 4:17

Psalm 51:6 (NASB)

Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom. 

Psalm 51:6 (NASB)

Micah 6:8

No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8

Hosea 6:3

So let us know, let us press on to know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn and He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth.

Lord, what a beautiful picture you gave me of this verse this morning! Just as I was settling down to meet with you it started raining outside and you came to me like the rain. You refreshed my soul yet again.

Lord, you come to us like the spring rain in waves of blessing. Sometimes it's a soft, gentle outpouring. Then it becomes a deluge flooding my soul with your truth and washing away all the contaminants that I've picked up along my way. Just like a hard rain washes away the pollen from the air, you leave behind a fresh clean feeling and I can breathe again. I'm left dripping and soaked in your love and truth. Lord, may it splash out onto everyone I'm in contact with today! Please keep raining on my soul all day today!

Lord, use the rain that you've watered my soul with to water seeds that were planted in others! Let the rain you are giving me splash onto other believers leaving them soaked and dripping too.

Then they can pass it on to others as well.

Genesis 39:2-6a

The LORD was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. Potiphar noticed this and realized that the LORD was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned. From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master's household and property, the LORD began to bless Potiphar's household for Joseph's sake. All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished. So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn't worry about a thing -- except what kind of food to eat!

Lord, I know that Joseph was a type of Christ. Jesus Christ, I want you to be in charge of our household and finances! I know that with you in charge all our household affairs will run smoothly and our crops and livestock will flourish. Help me to look to you to know how to run my household. Show me what you want me to do with every minute of my day. Do you want me to go do laundry? Please let me know and I will go do it. Is it time for me to check the kids' schoolwork? Speak to my heart and I'll do it. Help me to stop and ask for guidance each moment of my day.

Please be in charge of the kind of food I eat as well! Lord, I tend to want to let my stomach be my master. I tend to want to eat the kind of things that are not good for me. Help me to submit to your will in what I eat and how much I eat. Then my body will flourish and be healthy.

1 Peter 2:21-23

Lord, help my husband to know that the suffering he goes through at work is all part of what YOU have called him to. Remind him that Christ, who suffered for him is his example. Help my husband to follow in HIS steps. Jesus, you never sinned and you never deceived anyone. Help my husband to not retaliate when he is insulted. When he suffers, help him not to want to get even. Enable my husband to leave his case in YOUR hands God because you always judge fairly! In Jesus Name! Amen!

I Wanna Be In The Light

Song of Solomon 2:15

Quick! Catch all the little foxes before they ruin the vineyard of your love, for the grave vines are all in blossom.

Song of Solomon 2:15

1 Peter 2:21-23

This suffering is all part of what God has called you to. Christ, who suffered for you, is your example. Follow in his steps. He never sinned, and He never deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when He was insulted. When He suffered, He did not threaten to get even. He left His case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.

1 Peter 2:21-23

Micah 6:8

No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8

1 John 1:7

But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

Lord, I need your help to live in the light today. Help me to be a light to those living in darkness. Lord, you know how cruddy I'm feeling. Thank you that I was able to get antibiotics for my sinus infection yesterday. Please help them to work quickly to clear this mess up. Please don't let me get anyone else sick.

Thank you for helping my arm to continue to heal from the dog bite. Please help the lump under it to eventually go away and the numbness as well.

Lord, I need to get some work done today. Please help me to be able to focus on the task so that I can give my best even though I'm not feeling my best. I pray that YOU would direct my steps today. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Got Bitten by a Dog

WARNING: If you are squeamish, don't look at these pictures.

I was bitten by a neighbor's dog this past Saturday while walking home from my run. This particular dog is quite aggressive and I usually give her a wide berth even though she is in a fenced yard. The fence is not adequate for her and she has gotten out of it before.

The kids who live there had made her go into their house when they saw me walking by. But they didn't close the door. I stooped down and moved one of the fence slats back into place and was about to fix another when the dog attacked me. I didn't even see her coming.

I believe that I was in shock at first. The kids helped me get back up and then walked me home which wasn't far. By the time I got home I was sobbing and bleeding a lot and said, "I need to go to the hospital." Praise God that my husband was home. He dropped what he was doing, grabbed a paper towel and an old bath towel for me and then hustled me off to the closest ER.

They got me in pretty quickly and got me cleaned up. They took X-rays to make sure there were no breaks or fractures in my bones. All clear there. We were having trouble getting in touch with the dog's owner. So the hospital filed a report with Animal Services.

As you can see in the pictures, they only put one stitch in each of the deepest wounds. They didn't want to put more because of the risk of infection. I got a tetanus shot and was sent home with a script for antibiotics.

Last night the dog's owner dropped off these lovely flowers. She keeps on apologizing even though I keep telling her that it wasn't her fault.

She had told me on the phone yesterday that the dog had puppies inside the house that she was protecting. I didn't blame the dog at all and even less so after hearing that. I had suspected that she had pups. The owner also told me that they are building a privacy fence for the back yard and will keep that dog in the back from now on. The dog is going to have to be in isolation for 10 days, I'm guessing her pups which are still nursing will have to go with her.

When I got up this morning, my arm hurt just to move my fingers. My hand was/is swollen and red which hadn't been the case before. So when I called to set up an appointment to get the stitches removed with my regular doctor, I talked to a nurse who told me to go back to the ER.

My sweet, long suffering husband got permission to leave work and take me back to the ER. When we were ushered back the same male nurse who had cleaned me up on Saturday said, "Oh, you're BACK?" Then the same doctor, who incidentally looked like Ariana Grande, treated me. 

She confirmed that my arm is infected and took the stitches back out. She said that at this point they were just a bacteria magnet. Then she squeezed as much of the infection out of the wounds as she could. I told her that if I were a person who cussed, I would have been cussing at that moment. She had the nurse give me a pain pill when she was done. Next they took blood work and then after getting the results from that, got me set up with IV antibiotics. 

They told me that I need to come back again tomorrow to have more IV antibiotics. Each time I have to go back to the ER it's another $250. Uuuugh! We have the money, praise God, thanks to our tax return. But my husband had planned to use it for other purposes.

Now, my struggle is that I'm angry at myself for being so foolish and messing with that fence when I should have just kept on walking. I'm trying to tell myself things like, "Maybe I saved a child from getting attacked." But I'm still quite frustrated with myself even though I know:

Can anything happen without the Lord's permission?
Lamentations 3:37

Yesterday I was thinking that maybe God allowed me to get bitten by that dog so that I can develop a friendship with the owner and maybe even share the gospel with her. That would certainly help me to feel less aggravated with myself over this. In fact that would make it all worth it! I am praying that the Lord would open those doors as he sees fit. I would love for any of you who feel led to join me in prayer for this!

Why the trials, Lord?

This week's memory verse:
Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!
Luke 1:45

Exodus 3

The Lord said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering."
Exodus 3:7

God is not blind to the suffering of his people. He sees and is concerned. He wants to bring us into a land of plenty, but doesn't promise that the journey there will be free of trials and hardship. The trials and hardship will forge us into holy vessels that he can use to bring others to himself.

Lord, it suddenly occurred to me that even though we go through all these trials on earth, we humans can never be perfect this side of heaven. So why make us go through them? Why not just let us coast through till we get to heaven?

I'm thinking that there are a few reasons. First, and foremost, you will not let us remain in our sin. Yes, we are covered by the blood once we accept your gift of repentance. But we still slip and fall. The trials help to clear the gunk that is still in our hearts and causes us to fall.

Second, once we truly understand what you did for us, we want to be more like you. The only way to do that is by going through the trials.

Third, we can't be used to lead others to you unless we have some resemblance to you.

I'm sure there are other reasons, but these are the ones that you have shown me at this time.

Lord, I praise you for the trials that I go through here on earth. I don't enjoy or look forward to them. But please help me to embrace them knowing that you are concerned and want to use it all for my best good and to draw others to yourself.
Amen

Fruitful in the Land of Suffering

Genesis 41

The second son he named Ephraim and said, "It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering." Genesis 41:52

Lord, I praise you for making me fruitful in the land of my suffering. Indeed, it often seems that is when I am most fruitful. That is as long as I cling to you, my vine.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5