When I read the Bible, I will frequently gloss over odd names and places, figuring that the significance would be obscure to me. But recently, while reading in Amos, my curiosity was piqued when I saw a reference to Bethel, Beersheeba, and Gilgal. "Hmmm. I know what happened in Bethel; I wonder about those other two places." So I looked them up.
Bethel was the place Abram built an altar and worshipped God when He promised to make Abram's decendants too many to count. Beersheeba was where Abram's son, Isaac, built an altar and worshipped God when He promised Isaac that He would be faithful to His promise to Abram (Abraham). Gilgal is where Joshua built an altar of 12 stones from the Jordan river when God caused the water to stop flowing so that the Israelites could cross over into Canaan on dry ground. These places are icons in the Israelites' history- places they would go to remember the great faithfulness of their God and to worship Him.
The passage in Amos was chapter 5 verses 4-6: Seek me and live; do not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile and Bethel will be reduced to nothing. Seek the Lord and live.
Because I know that other passages in Amos are dealing with empty acts of worship that anger and repulse our God (Amos 5:21-27), I know that here, He's saying, in effect, that traveling to our "holy places of worship" for the mere sake of doing so, without truly seeking His face, an intimate relationship with him, is worthless. There is no power in empty acts; the power to live is found only in seeking God and a relationship with Him!
"So what does this have to do with marriage," you say? Well, in my The Politically Incorrect Wife book, they encourage wives to act how they want to feel and reassure them that eventually the feelings will follow- a behavior referred to in 12 step programs as "Fake it 'Til You Make it", I'm told. I understand that this philosphy has worked wonders for some people and I guess that's fine. It's just that I believe that this kind of empty behavior can anger a spouse just as it angers God. I want to caution wives that if you follow this line of thinking that your heart has to really be in it- it depends completely on your motive. If the acts have to be done without the feeling, it has to be because you desperately want the feelings! If the behaviors or empty actions are performed out of a belief that "all he (or He) needs is my action here (i.e.: an escort to the door in the morning, a welcome home kiss, obligatory participation in sex, OR attendence at church, cursory "and bless so-and-so" intercession, mouthing the words to a Vineyard song while wondering where the lady in front of me got her sweater...) then the behaviors are detrimental and will lead only to death. God says "seek me and live". Seek is an action verb. Take action with a goal in mind. Search high and low. Pursue. That's what God wants.... and I believe that's what your spouse wants.
That's just what I'm thinking, but I could be wrong.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Monday, January 30, 2006
Marriage Workshop
I'm reading a book for a bible study at church called The Politically Incorrect Wife. It's encouraging me to realize my true "job description" as a wife and trying to help wives fix marriages fraught with selfishness.
I think it's fairly safe to say that God looks at our relationship with him much like a marriage. In his word he refers to his people as his bride, his beloved, and his adulterous wife. I have often looked at my relationship with him and wondered if it looked enough like a marriage to please him. I sure love him a lot- I ought to be pretty safe, right?
But something Oswald said the other day caused me to look at it from another angle; "Am I kind to God or am I only expecting him to be kind to me?"
Kind to God?!? What on earth does that look like? Only expecting him to be kind to me?!? Yikes! This is sounding a little too much like an earthly marriage- the kind of earthly marriage that someone needs to write a book about how to fix!
I must admit that my own marriage as well as my relationship with God have been plagued with self-centeredness. I have frequently put him last because I know he's faithful, loving, forgiving, loves me, and will "understand". I've frequently expected him to automatically understand everything about me simply because of who he is and then to act accordingly (without me ever uttering a word!) I've expected him to give and give and give because he wants to (because he loves me) and honestly expect just my left-overs in return. He's to supply all my physical and emotional needs because I understand that it's him that completes me.
Which him am I referring to? It doesn't much matter- I seem to treat them the same! How broken hearted I am to see that my earthly marriage and my relationship to God are way too similar in their shortcomings and not similar enough in their virtues! Paul reminds me that if I act on this sorrow, it will lead to repentance which leads to salvation with no regrets (2 Corinthians 7:10).
I am in a season of life in which I have taken a fresh concern for my marriage. I am beginning to understand (and attempt to correct)the ill effects of years and years of self-centered behavior. Could it be that as God reveals to me the failings in my marriage relationship, He has really been trying to get me to see the failings in my relationship with Him? I believe that He has shown me this parallel to draw me back to him in a fresh, exciting way. In a way that makes my heart skip a beat, that thrills me, that makes me think only of Him and of ways I might please Him. It is good to belong to Him.
I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the desert...Come back, wandering children!...I, yes, I am your true husband. I'll pick you out one by one...and bring you to Zion!
Jeremiah 2:2 & 3:14
I think it's fairly safe to say that God looks at our relationship with him much like a marriage. In his word he refers to his people as his bride, his beloved, and his adulterous wife. I have often looked at my relationship with him and wondered if it looked enough like a marriage to please him. I sure love him a lot- I ought to be pretty safe, right?
But something Oswald said the other day caused me to look at it from another angle; "Am I kind to God or am I only expecting him to be kind to me?"
Kind to God?!? What on earth does that look like? Only expecting him to be kind to me?!? Yikes! This is sounding a little too much like an earthly marriage- the kind of earthly marriage that someone needs to write a book about how to fix!
I must admit that my own marriage as well as my relationship with God have been plagued with self-centeredness. I have frequently put him last because I know he's faithful, loving, forgiving, loves me, and will "understand". I've frequently expected him to automatically understand everything about me simply because of who he is and then to act accordingly (without me ever uttering a word!) I've expected him to give and give and give because he wants to (because he loves me) and honestly expect just my left-overs in return. He's to supply all my physical and emotional needs because I understand that it's him that completes me.
Which him am I referring to? It doesn't much matter- I seem to treat them the same! How broken hearted I am to see that my earthly marriage and my relationship to God are way too similar in their shortcomings and not similar enough in their virtues! Paul reminds me that if I act on this sorrow, it will lead to repentance which leads to salvation with no regrets (2 Corinthians 7:10).
I am in a season of life in which I have taken a fresh concern for my marriage. I am beginning to understand (and attempt to correct)the ill effects of years and years of self-centered behavior. Could it be that as God reveals to me the failings in my marriage relationship, He has really been trying to get me to see the failings in my relationship with Him? I believe that He has shown me this parallel to draw me back to him in a fresh, exciting way. In a way that makes my heart skip a beat, that thrills me, that makes me think only of Him and of ways I might please Him. It is good to belong to Him.
I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the desert...Come back, wandering children!...I, yes, I am your true husband. I'll pick you out one by one...and bring you to Zion!
Jeremiah 2:2 & 3:14
Friday, January 27, 2006
Enough Already!
Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Matthew 6:34
Not usually a big fan of the KJV, even though I like Shakespeare. But today, no one else said it better. Other versions talk about "trouble" and "hardship"- each day having enough of it's own. But some days, it's not just "trouble" or "hardship"- some days it's EVIL and if I even begin to think about how much tomorrow might hold, I get pretty defeated!
But instead I focus on Christ as the victor. Wearing my entire suit of armor, I stand firm in my faith (Isaiah 7:9) believing that He can and will accomplish all He says He will and can do (Isaiah 55:11), first and foremost being that He will defeat Satan (Revelation 20:10). Trusting Him, knowing that if I do, I will see His glory (John 11:40). My God is faithful. He can be trusted to save me and my loved ones for His own glory. Praise Him!
For You, O Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods. Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for He guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked!
Psalm 97:9-10
Matthew 6:34
Not usually a big fan of the KJV, even though I like Shakespeare. But today, no one else said it better. Other versions talk about "trouble" and "hardship"- each day having enough of it's own. But some days, it's not just "trouble" or "hardship"- some days it's EVIL and if I even begin to think about how much tomorrow might hold, I get pretty defeated!
But instead I focus on Christ as the victor. Wearing my entire suit of armor, I stand firm in my faith (Isaiah 7:9) believing that He can and will accomplish all He says He will and can do (Isaiah 55:11), first and foremost being that He will defeat Satan (Revelation 20:10). Trusting Him, knowing that if I do, I will see His glory (John 11:40). My God is faithful. He can be trusted to save me and my loved ones for His own glory. Praise Him!
For You, O Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods. Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for He guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked!
Psalm 97:9-10
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Knock Knock...
Since I've been under the weather, I've had a little more time than usual to ponder Oswald. He's been talking about hearing "the Call of God" like Jack London heard The Call of the Wild. I find this thought intriguing.
I have a friend who clearly hears the "call of the sea" because she lived much of her life on an island. John Eldredge obviously hears a call from the desert. But because I have limited-to-no experiences with these places, I hear no distinct call from them. But the mountains- now that's a different story. Often in my husband's posts you can sense the power that the mountains hold on us as a family. He was raised there- those mountains are part of who he is. My parents and grandparents- back who knows how many generations- were raised there and so I have that thread in me as well. The mountains speak loudly to us- it's not an audible voice- it's a tugging, a claiming, that we belong to them, that there is where we will find home, peace, wholeness. In his childish wisdom, Will once said that when we leave there, part of us stays behind. So when we leave again, we are less complete than when we came!
Now to consider that we each have the same thread in us- all of us- that is God. There is a calling to Him, a tugging, a claiming, pulling us toward Him, struggling to be there with Him. When we leave it haunts us, calling us back. When we're there, there is peace and wholeness.
We don't all have the same experiences here on earth- we don't all have a call to the sea or to the mountains. But everyone one of us has God in us- He breathed his life into us- each one. This is something we can be certain of! We can speak with confidence to those we meet along the way and know that they will understand this call because we are all made in His image. To those who have yet to meet Him on a personal level it may seem strange, but I am convinced that they will know that this call to wholeness and peace exists.
They just don't know it's God that's calling.
Revelation 3:20
I have a friend who clearly hears the "call of the sea" because she lived much of her life on an island. John Eldredge obviously hears a call from the desert. But because I have limited-to-no experiences with these places, I hear no distinct call from them. But the mountains- now that's a different story. Often in my husband's posts you can sense the power that the mountains hold on us as a family. He was raised there- those mountains are part of who he is. My parents and grandparents- back who knows how many generations- were raised there and so I have that thread in me as well. The mountains speak loudly to us- it's not an audible voice- it's a tugging, a claiming, that we belong to them, that there is where we will find home, peace, wholeness. In his childish wisdom, Will once said that when we leave there, part of us stays behind. So when we leave again, we are less complete than when we came!
Now to consider that we each have the same thread in us- all of us- that is God. There is a calling to Him, a tugging, a claiming, pulling us toward Him, struggling to be there with Him. When we leave it haunts us, calling us back. When we're there, there is peace and wholeness.
We don't all have the same experiences here on earth- we don't all have a call to the sea or to the mountains. But everyone one of us has God in us- He breathed his life into us- each one. This is something we can be certain of! We can speak with confidence to those we meet along the way and know that they will understand this call because we are all made in His image. To those who have yet to meet Him on a personal level it may seem strange, but I am convinced that they will know that this call to wholeness and peace exists.
They just don't know it's God that's calling.
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
Revelation 3:20
Monday, January 16, 2006
no blue ribbon at the state fair but...
i might be famous.
i caught the flu before anyone else in Richland County.
nine people in Lexington County beat me.
bummer.
i caught the flu before anyone else in Richland County.
nine people in Lexington County beat me.
bummer.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Mostly Dead or Completely Alive?
Do you ever feel like Westley, in The Princess Bride, when he lies on Miracle Max's table and is declared "mostly dead" as opposed to "all dead"? I do.
Paul says in Romans 6:4 that we are "buried with Christ through baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life". But we must be completely dead before we can be raised to life. If there is any of our old sin nature left in us, we can't be raised up to new life because we were never "all dead". But every now and then, that tiny bit of me that's keeping the old me "slightly alive" will raise its head and let out a surprising mumble that's confusing to me and those who live with me.
You know, being dead isn't like being pregnant- you know what I mean- you can't be almost pregnant or a little bit pregnant- you either are or you're not. However, after years of working in an intensive care unit, I know, for I have seen, that there is something called "mostly dead" and "slightly alive" and it's a very unattractive place to be. And it's not a place that very many people can hang out in for very long. And it usually has a bad outcome.
I don't want to be in a "mostly dead" or "slightly alive" place. Let me fully dead, completely dead, so that I can be made completely alive in Christ. A much better place to be.
Paul says in Romans 6:4 that we are "buried with Christ through baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life". But we must be completely dead before we can be raised to life. If there is any of our old sin nature left in us, we can't be raised up to new life because we were never "all dead". But every now and then, that tiny bit of me that's keeping the old me "slightly alive" will raise its head and let out a surprising mumble that's confusing to me and those who live with me.
You know, being dead isn't like being pregnant- you know what I mean- you can't be almost pregnant or a little bit pregnant- you either are or you're not. However, after years of working in an intensive care unit, I know, for I have seen, that there is something called "mostly dead" and "slightly alive" and it's a very unattractive place to be. And it's not a place that very many people can hang out in for very long. And it usually has a bad outcome.
I don't want to be in a "mostly dead" or "slightly alive" place. Let me fully dead, completely dead, so that I can be made completely alive in Christ. A much better place to be.
Friday, January 13, 2006
What's in a Name?
I learned something intriguing the other day in my Oswald. You know Mary Magdalene- everyone knows about her- how she was one of Jesus' followers and how she went to the tomb with spices on Sunday after Jesus was crucified. Every one of the gospels, including John, mention her. But did you know that Luke mentions two other women by name that were followers of Jesus? Joanna and Susanna. And did you know that Joanna was the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herods' household?
These women didn't just follow Jesus; they helped support Jesus and his disciples- "out of their own means"! (Luke 8:3) Now, I would assume that Joanna's husband, Cuza, was a fairly wealthy man, being the manager of a king's household and surely Joanna reaped some benefit from being Cuza's wife. I don't know how Joanna came about her "own means" (and The Message says their means were "considerable") but I think it's interesting that she and her husband were on opposite sides. Jesus said that he had come to bring division- I imagine there were some heated discussions in that household!
We don't know anything else about Joanna. She's never mentioned again, other than being a supporter of Jesus and being present at the tomb on Easter morning (Luke 24:10). I imagine she wasn't very welcome in Herod's palace. She probably gave up quite a bit to be a follower and supporter of her husband's boss' enemy. But what a reward- to be present when the angels told them Jesus was not dead!
Joanna is an example of a working woman who used her means wisely- invested them in kingdom business. She, like Martha's sister, Mary, had her priorities in the right place. She made a very difficult decision that probably brought discord to her marriage and most likely removed her from a comfortable way of life. But she is recorded in a favorable light for all of us "modern" women to read about. I wish we knew more about her but this is all we get to know for now: her faithfulness and her name.
These women didn't just follow Jesus; they helped support Jesus and his disciples- "out of their own means"! (Luke 8:3) Now, I would assume that Joanna's husband, Cuza, was a fairly wealthy man, being the manager of a king's household and surely Joanna reaped some benefit from being Cuza's wife. I don't know how Joanna came about her "own means" (and The Message says their means were "considerable") but I think it's interesting that she and her husband were on opposite sides. Jesus said that he had come to bring division- I imagine there were some heated discussions in that household!
We don't know anything else about Joanna. She's never mentioned again, other than being a supporter of Jesus and being present at the tomb on Easter morning (Luke 24:10). I imagine she wasn't very welcome in Herod's palace. She probably gave up quite a bit to be a follower and supporter of her husband's boss' enemy. But what a reward- to be present when the angels told them Jesus was not dead!
Joanna is an example of a working woman who used her means wisely- invested them in kingdom business. She, like Martha's sister, Mary, had her priorities in the right place. She made a very difficult decision that probably brought discord to her marriage and most likely removed her from a comfortable way of life. But she is recorded in a favorable light for all of us "modern" women to read about. I wish we knew more about her but this is all we get to know for now: her faithfulness and her name.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Remain
I remember when I was training my dog to "stay" I would hold my hand up in front of her face and repeat the word "stay" over and over. As long as she heard me saying, "stay, stay, stay" as I backed away, she would stay. But as soon as I dropped my hand or stopped saying, "stay" she would get up. It was as if it were more difficult, or even impossible, for her to stay if I didn't keep telling her to stay.
In the first 10 verses of John, chapter 15, Jesus uses the word "remain" 11 times. That's more than once per verse! (Don't cringe, Rod...yes, I counted!). We are to remain in him and he will remain in us. We must remain in the vine. We will not bear fruit unless we remain in the vine. Over and over again, the command to "remain". Could it be because it is difficult to "remain" if we are not told to do so over and over again?
Eventually my dog learned to stay for longer periods of time but she always did better with more than one reminder to "stay". She never needed to know why I wanted her to stay, just that I wanted her to. Jesus, on the other hand, lets us know clearly why we need to "remain". He is the source of love, the conduit to bring us love and life directly from the Father. Without remaining in him, we are without life, useless. Yet he realizes that it is hard for us to "remain".
I want to keep that reminder in front of me all the time- that picture of Jesus holding up his nail scarred hands encouraging me to "stay". It's good to know he's willing to tell me more than once.
In the first 10 verses of John, chapter 15, Jesus uses the word "remain" 11 times. That's more than once per verse! (Don't cringe, Rod...yes, I counted!). We are to remain in him and he will remain in us. We must remain in the vine. We will not bear fruit unless we remain in the vine. Over and over again, the command to "remain". Could it be because it is difficult to "remain" if we are not told to do so over and over again?
Eventually my dog learned to stay for longer periods of time but she always did better with more than one reminder to "stay". She never needed to know why I wanted her to stay, just that I wanted her to. Jesus, on the other hand, lets us know clearly why we need to "remain". He is the source of love, the conduit to bring us love and life directly from the Father. Without remaining in him, we are without life, useless. Yet he realizes that it is hard for us to "remain".
I want to keep that reminder in front of me all the time- that picture of Jesus holding up his nail scarred hands encouraging me to "stay". It's good to know he's willing to tell me more than once.
Friday, January 06, 2006
Returning to (and Staying in) Bethel
Oswald was about camping today. Well, not really; He talked about "pitching our tents" or really, disciplining ourselves into staying in a place where we can worship without the hinderences of life as we know it.
Really, my life is pretty hectic. One look at my calendar and most people freak. And mine, compared to some of my friends, is nothing! Yesterday, for example, I picked up one child from band at 4:30, with another child in tow and we spirited away to violin lessons. Dropped the first one home after a quick trip to the auto parts store and back to pick up the kid at violin. Rush back home and shove some supper in everyone's faces and take a bunch back down the road. One to piano lessons, the other to dance, and Daddy to the gym. Go back, pick up the piano player, pick up the dancer, take them home, back to the gym, pick up Daddy. Rod apologized over and over for my life! It's no big deal though- it's just what I do. (Ususally I do all this after a hectic day at work!) But find time to worship in there? Getouttahere!
When we camp it's a whole other story though. The last time we went camping, I never left the campsite except to travel to the out house! There, in the quiet, there are no hinderences to worship.
God wants us, like Abram, to pitch our tent between the world and him; in an intentional place where worship is possible. Where the distractions of our busy lives don't interfere. This doesn't happen without effort. We have to create it. It might mean changing our schedule, or for me, changing my job. For some, it might be as easy as getting up earlier. But it's an intentional effort- a discipline.
In Genesis 12:10-20, Abram left his pitched tent and traveled to Egypt. There, worries and worldliness overcame him. He became very wealthy but he came to that wealth through a lie- telling Pharoh that Sarai was his sister, not his wife. Pharoh fell for the beautiful Sarai and "treated Abram well for her sake". And although he got to keep his riches, he and Sarai were pretty much dishonorably kicked out of Egypt for the deception.
This is where the worries of our world take us when we leave our altars of Bethel; our tents pitched in a place of worship between God and the world. Abram was disgraced and had disgraced his wife. Humbled, do you know where he went? Back to Bethel. Back to the place he had first built an altar and worshipped God. And do you know what God did? God took Abram by the hand and showed him the beautiful land he would give to his decendants. When Abram returned to Bethel, God showed him the blessings He had in store for him. He showed Abram how He would be the supplier of all Abram's needs- not Pharoh.
So when we return to our Bethels, don't you think that He'll do the same for us?
Really, my life is pretty hectic. One look at my calendar and most people freak. And mine, compared to some of my friends, is nothing! Yesterday, for example, I picked up one child from band at 4:30, with another child in tow and we spirited away to violin lessons. Dropped the first one home after a quick trip to the auto parts store and back to pick up the kid at violin. Rush back home and shove some supper in everyone's faces and take a bunch back down the road. One to piano lessons, the other to dance, and Daddy to the gym. Go back, pick up the piano player, pick up the dancer, take them home, back to the gym, pick up Daddy. Rod apologized over and over for my life! It's no big deal though- it's just what I do. (Ususally I do all this after a hectic day at work!) But find time to worship in there? Getouttahere!
When we camp it's a whole other story though. The last time we went camping, I never left the campsite except to travel to the out house! There, in the quiet, there are no hinderences to worship.
God wants us, like Abram, to pitch our tent between the world and him; in an intentional place where worship is possible. Where the distractions of our busy lives don't interfere. This doesn't happen without effort. We have to create it. It might mean changing our schedule, or for me, changing my job. For some, it might be as easy as getting up earlier. But it's an intentional effort- a discipline.
In Genesis 12:10-20, Abram left his pitched tent and traveled to Egypt. There, worries and worldliness overcame him. He became very wealthy but he came to that wealth through a lie- telling Pharoh that Sarai was his sister, not his wife. Pharoh fell for the beautiful Sarai and "treated Abram well for her sake". And although he got to keep his riches, he and Sarai were pretty much dishonorably kicked out of Egypt for the deception.
This is where the worries of our world take us when we leave our altars of Bethel; our tents pitched in a place of worship between God and the world. Abram was disgraced and had disgraced his wife. Humbled, do you know where he went? Back to Bethel. Back to the place he had first built an altar and worshipped God. And do you know what God did? God took Abram by the hand and showed him the beautiful land he would give to his decendants. When Abram returned to Bethel, God showed him the blessings He had in store for him. He showed Abram how He would be the supplier of all Abram's needs- not Pharoh.
So when we return to our Bethels, don't you think that He'll do the same for us?
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Counting Days
The past two days I have been looking at Psalm 90; a psalm written by Moses. This really isn't one of my favorite Psalms. When I turned to it to study it, I found there was nothing hi-lited in it (which is fairly unusual for the Psalms in my Bible!) It looked kind of neglected and forlorn with no color!
The psalm talks about the eternalness of God, the brevity of our lives, the wrath of God for our sin, and his mercy available to us. And in all of this, I found something I wanted to hi-lite. It's verse 12: Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
I want a heart of wisdom. I long for wisdom. And Moses says here that it may be gained by first realizing how brief our lives are. As I look back on 2005 and take account of my days, I realize just how fast that life is breezing by: from earliest memories til today it has seemed like nothing more than a breath. (Just look at how fast the kids have grown- it blows you away!) And what do I have to show for it so far? Is it enough that if God would claim my life today that I would be satisfied?
Oh, no! I am not satisfied! There is so much growing to be done. There is so much about my Creator and Savior that I don't know! And realizing that I have passed the 1/2 way mark that Moses states in verse 10 puts a little pressure on! There are only so many days of my life yet to be lived. There were only 365 extremely brief days in 2005. There is no guarentee that 2006 will have that many or that they will be even as long as the ones in 2005! There is much to be accomplished. Much wisdom to be gained.
So I will start 2006 with a knowledge of my finiteness. I resolve to count my days. I will pray with Moses that I will be surprised by God's love every morning that it will cause me to dance with joy! (verse 14, The Message) I will ask, like Moses, that God's beauty and favor will rest upon me and confirm, affirm, and establish the work that I do (verse 17). May 2006 be a profitable year for us all!
The psalm talks about the eternalness of God, the brevity of our lives, the wrath of God for our sin, and his mercy available to us. And in all of this, I found something I wanted to hi-lite. It's verse 12: Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
I want a heart of wisdom. I long for wisdom. And Moses says here that it may be gained by first realizing how brief our lives are. As I look back on 2005 and take account of my days, I realize just how fast that life is breezing by: from earliest memories til today it has seemed like nothing more than a breath. (Just look at how fast the kids have grown- it blows you away!) And what do I have to show for it so far? Is it enough that if God would claim my life today that I would be satisfied?
Oh, no! I am not satisfied! There is so much growing to be done. There is so much about my Creator and Savior that I don't know! And realizing that I have passed the 1/2 way mark that Moses states in verse 10 puts a little pressure on! There are only so many days of my life yet to be lived. There were only 365 extremely brief days in 2005. There is no guarentee that 2006 will have that many or that they will be even as long as the ones in 2005! There is much to be accomplished. Much wisdom to be gained.
So I will start 2006 with a knowledge of my finiteness. I resolve to count my days. I will pray with Moses that I will be surprised by God's love every morning that it will cause me to dance with joy! (verse 14, The Message) I will ask, like Moses, that God's beauty and favor will rest upon me and confirm, affirm, and establish the work that I do (verse 17). May 2006 be a profitable year for us all!
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