[blindchristian] Readings for February 2
- From: "Victoria" <gilkerson2730@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <blindchristian@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2015 14:32:37 -0600
DONNIE DAILY DELIGHTS FOR MONDAY FEBRUARY 2:
WORD OF WISDOM
You can grow a mushroom overnight, but if you want an oak tree, it may take
a while.
___
DAILY DEVOTION
The Power of Grateful Prayers
"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what
you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will
experience God's peace." (Philippians 4:6-7a NLT)
In Philippians 4:6-7 we find one of the most difficult verses in the entire
Bible to obey: "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this,
you will experience God's peace" (NLT).
It's not easy to stop worrying about the often-scary, everyday parts of our
lives, but God tells us how in the next part of the verse: "Pray about
everything . and thank him for all he has done." Grateful prayer brings
peace. God says, when you start to worry, pray.
Parents understand the power of grateful prayers. Most parents wouldn't
appreciate their children always making requests without saying "thank you"
for what they've already received. God sees it the same way. He wants us to
ask him for what we need and want. More than 20 times in the New Testament,
we're told to "ask" him. But he wants us to ask with gratefulness.
The Bible urges us to be specific in our requests - and our praises. Instead
of a simple "thank you for everything," he wants us to tell him what we're
grateful for. When I say to my wife, "I'm so grateful for you," she tells me
to be specific. She likes to hear what I appreciate about her and what I'm
grateful for about her. God does, too. So when you pray, tell God what
you're thankful for. Prayer is one of the most important ways we tell God
"thank you."
Thanking God in advance is a big step of faith. When we have the faith to
thank God ahead of time, miracles happen. The more thankful we are, the more
God works in our lives. The Bible says that God inhabits the praise of his
people. He uses our thanksgiving as an instrument of power in our lives.
So, what are you thankful for?
. Why do you think gratitude is so important for our spiritual
lives?
. Being as specific as possible, for what are you thankful to
God?
Spend some time in prayer thanking God for those things.
. What are some ways you believe God will bless you in the
future?
Thank God for those things - even before they happen.
___
DAILY BIBLE READING
Leviticus 10-12The Message (MSG)
Nadab and Abihu
10 1-2 That same day Nadab and Abihu, Aaron's sons, took their censers, put
hot coals and incense in them, and offered "strange" fire to God-something
God had not commanded. Fire blazed out from God and consumed them-they died
in God's presence.
3 Moses said to Aaron, "This is what God meant when he said,
To the one who comes near me,
I will show myself holy;
Before all the people,
I will show my glory."
Aaron was silent.
4-5 Moses called for Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Uzziel, Aaron's uncle. He
said, "Come. Carry your dead cousins outside the camp, away from the
Sanctuary." They came and carried them off, outside the camp, just as Moses
had directed.
6-7 Moses then said to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar,
"No mourning rituals for you-unkempt hair, torn clothes-or you'll also die
and God will be angry with the whole congregation. Your relatives-all the
People of Israel, in fact-will do the mourning over those God has destroyed
by fire. And don't leave the entrance to the Tent of Meeting lest you die,
because God's anointing oil is on you."
They did just as Moses said.
8-11 God instructed Aaron: "When you enter the Tent of Meeting, don't drink
wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons, lest you die. This is a
fixed rule down through the generations. Distinguish between the holy and
the common, between the ritually clean and unclean. Teach the People of
Israel all the decrees that God has spoken to them through Moses."
12-15 Moses spoke to Aaron and his surviving sons, Eleazar and Ithamar,
"Take the leftovers of the Grain-Offering from the Fire-Gifts for God and
eat beside the Altar that which has been prepared without yeast, for it is
most holy. Eat it in the Holy Place because it is your portion and the
portion of your sons from the Fire-Gifts for God. This is what God commanded
me. Also, you and your sons and daughters are to eat the breast of the
Wave-Offering and the thigh of the Contribution-Offering in a clean place.
They are provided as your portion and the portion of your children from the
Peace-Offerings presented by the People of Israel. Bring the thigh of the
Contribution-Offering and the breast of the Wave-Offering and the fat pieces
of the Fire-Gifts and lift them up as a Wave-Offering. This will be the
regular share for you and your children as ordered by God."
16-18 When Moses looked into the matter of the goat of the
Absolution-Offering, he found that it had been burned up. He became angry
with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's remaining sons, and asked, "Why didn't you
eat the Absolution-Offering in the Holy Place since it is most holy? The
offering was given to you for taking away the guilt of the community by
making atonement for them before God. Since its blood was not taken into the
Holy Place, you should have eaten the goat in the Sanctuary as I commanded."
19 Aaron replied to Moses, "Look. They sacrificed their Absolution-Offering
and Whole-Burnt-Offering before God today, and you see what has happened to
me-I've lost two sons. Do you think God would have been pleased if I had
gone ahead and eaten the Absolution-Offering today?"
20 When Moses heard this response, he accepted it.
Foods
11 1-2 God spoke to Moses and Aaron: "Speak to the People of Israel. Tell
them, Of all the animals on Earth, these are the animals that you may eat:
3-8 "You may eat any animal that has a split hoof, divided in two, and that
chews the cud, but not an animal that only chews the cud or only has a split
hoof. For instance, the camel chews the cud but doesn't have a split hoof,
so it's unclean. The rock badger chews the cud but doesn't have a split hoof
and so it's unclean. The rabbit chews the cud but doesn't have a split hoof
so is unclean. The pig has a split hoof, divided in two, but doesn't chew
the cud and so is unclean. You may not eat their meat nor touch their
carcasses; they are unclean to you.
9-12 "Among the creatures that live in the water of the seas and streams,
you may eat any that have fins and scales. But anything that doesn't have
fins and scales, whether in seas or streams, whether small creatures in the
shallows or huge creatures in the deeps, you are to detest. Yes, detest
them. Don't eat their meat; detest their carcasses. Anything living in the
water that doesn't have fins and scales is detestable to you.
13-19 "These are the birds you are to detest. Don't eat them. They are
detestable: eagle, vulture, osprey, kite, all falcons, all ravens, ostrich,
nighthawk, sea gull, all hawks, owl, cormorant, ibis, water hen, pelican,
Egyptian vulture, stork, all herons, hoopoe, bat.
20-23 "All flying insects that walk on all fours are detestable to you. But
you can eat some of these, namely, those that have jointed legs for hopping
on the ground: all locusts, katydids, crickets, and grasshoppers. But all
the other flying insects that have four legs you are to detest.
24-25 "You will make yourselves ritually unclean until evening if you touch
their carcasses. If you pick up one of their carcasses you must wash your
clothes and you'll be unclean until evening.
26 "Every animal that has a split hoof that's not completely divided, or
that doesn't chew the cud is unclean for you; if you touch the carcass of
any of them you become unclean.
27-28 "Every four-footed animal that goes on its paws is unclean for you; if
you touch its carcass you are unclean until evening. If you pick up its
carcass you must wash your clothes and are unclean until evening. They are
unclean for you.
29-38 "Among the creatures that crawl on the ground, the following are
unclean for you: weasel, rat, all lizards, gecko, monitor lizard, wall
lizard, skink, chameleon. Among the crawling creatures, these are unclean
for you. If you touch them when they are dead, you are ritually unclean
until evening. When one of them dies and falls on something, that becomes
unclean no matter what it's used for, whether it's made of wood, cloth,
hide, or sackcloth. Put it in the water-it's unclean until evening, and then
it's clean. If one of these dead creatures falls into a clay pot, everything
in the pot is unclean and you must break the pot. Any food that could be
eaten but has water on it from such a pot is unclean, and any liquid that
could be drunk from it is unclean. Anything that one of these carcasses
falls on is unclean-an oven or cooking pot must be broken up; they're
unclean and must be treated as unclean. A spring, though, or a cistern for
collecting water remains clean, but if you touch one of these carcasses
you're ritually unclean. If a carcass falls on any seeds that are to be
planted, they remain clean. But if water has been put on the seed and a
carcass falls on it, you must treat it as unclean.
39-40 "If an animal that you are permitted to eat dies, anyone who touches
the carcass is ritually unclean until evening. If you eat some of the
carcass you must wash your clothes and you are unclean until evening. If you
pick up the carcass you must wash your clothes and are unclean until
evening.
41-43 "Creatures that crawl on the ground are detestable and not to be
eaten. Don't eat creatures that crawl on the ground, whether on their belly
or on all fours or on many feet-they are detestable. Don't make yourselves
unclean or be defiled by them, because I am your God.
44-45 "Make yourselves holy for I am holy. Don't make yourselves ritually
unclean by any creature that crawls on the ground. I am God who brought you
up out of the land of Egypt. Be holy because I am holy.
46-47 "These are the instructions on animals, birds, fish, and creatures
that crawl on the ground. You have to distinguish between the ritually
unclean and the clean, between living creatures that can be eaten and those
that cannot be eaten."
Childbirth
12 1-5 God spoke to Moses: "Tell the People of Israel, A woman who conceives
and gives birth to a boy is ritually unclean for seven days, the same as
during her menstruation. On the eighth day circumcise the boy. The mother
must stay home another thirty-three days for purification from her bleeding.
She may not touch anything consecrated or enter the Sanctuary until the days
of her purification are complete. If she gives birth to a girl, she is
unclean for fourteen days, the same as during her menstruation. She must
stay home for sixty-six days for purification from her bleeding.
6-7 "When the days for her purification for either a boy or a girl are
complete, she will bring a yearling lamb for a Whole-Burnt-Offering and a
pigeon or dove for an Absolution-Offering to the priest at the entrance of
the Tent of Meeting. He will offer it to God and make atonement for her. She
is then clean from her flow of blood.
"These are the instructions for a woman who gives birth to either a boy or a
girl.
8 "If she can't afford a lamb, she can bring two doves or two pigeons, one
for the Whole-Burnt-Offering and one for the Absolution-Offering. The priest
will make atonement for her and she will be clean."
The Message (MSG)
Copyright C 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson
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table with 3 columns and 103 rows nesting level 1
Victoria E Gilkerson
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