DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR WEDNESDAY MARCH 30:
WORD OF WISDOM
Comparing your dream against someone else's is a fantastic way to get
discouraged and depressed! Stop it! Dream your own dream!
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DAILY DEVOTION
Do You Have What You Want or Want What You Have?
By Sharon Jaynes
The Lord is my Shepherd; I have all that I need (Psalm 23:1 NLT).
Flutter. Flutter. Bang! Flutter. Flutter. Bang! Momma and Papa Bluebird
danced in front of our sunroom windows, trying frantically to break through
the glass barrier. Time and time again they banged their feathered heads
against the panes. What were they pursuing? Where were they trying to go?
What had caught their eye? Why were they so persistent? I wanted desperately
to help them solve their dilemma, but I couldn't figure out what the dilemma
was.
After three days of this featherbrained, frenzied activity, I decided to put
myself in their position, get a bird's-eye view, and examine the situation
from their perspective. I stepped out onto the patio, stood in front of the
windows, and there it was. In the reflection of the glass was mirrored their
birdhouse, some thirty feet behind me.
Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird's lovely cedar-shingled home with decorative finial,
sat on a tall pole nestled under the protective branches of an old oak tree.
Their bed and breakfast came equipped with an adjoining spa-a concrete
birdbath surrounded by fragrant rosebushes bursting with red blossoms. But
instead of being satisfied with their high-rise estate, they were banging
their heads against the pane striving for a mirage-a mere reflection.
Amazingly, a few times they turned around, soared to their home, and crawled
through its opening for a reprieve. But before long, they were dive bombing
into the glass again, trying to gain entrance into an illusion of something
better.
This made me think of my own life and the many times I go flutter, flutter,
bang-flutter, flutter, bang-striving for something that is just a cheap
imitation of God's perfect provision for my life.
Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans that I have for you, to prosper
you, and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope."
And yet I argue, "Yeah, I know that God. I know you've provided me with this
home and this job and with this wonderful life. But, well, I don't mean to
sound ungrateful or anything, but I reaaaaly would be happy if you'd give me
a house like Mary's over there. And you know Beth? Well I reaaaaly would be
happy if you made me a Bible teacher like she is. And you know Teresa? If I
could just be as sweet as she is, I'd be satisfied. Then there's Laura. Now
God, she has the prettiest silky hair. Could I just have hair like hers?
Don't get me wrong, Lord. I do appreciate you given me hair, but if I could
just have......"
Well, you get the picture.
Flutter. Flutter. Bang! Flutter. Flutter. Bang!
The banging birds may have knocked themselves silly, but they also knocked
some sense into my hard head. God has provided me with everything I need. As
the psalmist wrote, "The Lord is my Shepherd; I have all that I need" (Psalm
23:1 NLT).
I can flutter about looking at the mirage of happiness in other people's
windows, or I can nestle down in contentment and not get my feathers ruffled
trying to get more. The way to keep from fluttering around from one mirage
of happiness to the other is to stay close to home and be satisfied with my
own nest, my own feathers, and my own chicks.
I've learned that I'm most content when I'm at home in the Father's will,
nestled in His protective branches, and nurtured by His Living water.
Let's Pray
Dear Heavenly Father, forgive me when I complain about what I don't have and
when I am not thankful for what I do have. Thank You for being my Shepherd
who has given me everything I need. I love you so much.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
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DAILY BIBLE READING
2 Samuel 4-6Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
Troubles Come to Saul's Family
4 Saul's son Ish Bosheth heard that Abner had died at Hebron. Ish Bosheth
and all his people became very afraid. 2 Two men went to see to Saul's son.
These two men were captains in the army. They were Recab and Baanah, the
sons of Rimmon from Beeroth. (They were Benjamites because the town Beeroth
belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. 3 But all the people in Beeroth ran away
to Gittaim, and they are still living there today.)
4 Saul's son Jonathan had a son named Mephibosheth. He was five years old
when the news came from Jezreel that Saul and Jonathan had been killed. The
woman who cared for Mephibosheth picked him up and ran away. But while
running away, she dropped the boy, and he became crippled in both feet.
5 Recab and Baanah, sons of Rimmon from Beeroth, went to Ish Bosheth's house
at noon. Ish Bosheth was resting because it was hot. 6-7 Recab and Baanah
came into the house as if they were going to get some wheat. Ish Bosheth was
lying on his bed in his bedroom, and they stabbed and killed him. Then they
cut off his head and took it with them. They traveled all night on the road
through the Jordan Valley. 8 When they arrived at Hebron, they gave Ish
Bosheth's head to David.
Recab and Baanah said to King David, "Here is the head of your enemy, Ish
Bosheth son of Saul. He tried to kill you, but the Lord has punished Saul
and his family for you today."
9 But David told Recab and his brother Baanah, "As surely as the Lord lives,
he is the one who has rescued me from all my troubles! 10 Once before a man
thought he would bring me good news. He told me, 'Look! Saul is dead.' He
thought I would reward him for bringing me the news. But I grabbed this man
and killed him at Ziklag. 11 I will kill you too and remove this evil from
our land because you evil men killed a good man sleeping on his own bed, in
his own house."
12 So David commanded his young helpers[a] to kill Recab and Baanah. The
young men cut off the hands and feet of Recab and Baanah and hanged them by
the pool of Hebron. Then they took the head of Ish Bosheth and buried it
where Abner was buried at Hebron.
The Israelites Make David King
5 All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron. They said to David,
"Look, we are one family[b]! 2 Even when Saul was our king, you were the one
who led us into battle. And you were the one who brought Israel back home
from war. The Lord himself said to you, 'You will be the shepherd of my
people, the Israelites. You will be the ruler over Israel.'"
3 So all the leaders of Israel came to meet with King David at Hebron. He
made an agreement with them in Hebron in front of the Lord, and they
anointed David to be the king of Israel.
4 David was 30 years old when he began to rule. He was king for 40 years. 5
In Hebron he ruled over Judah for 7 years and 6 months, and in Jerusalem he
ruled over all Israel and Judah for 33 years.
David Captures Jerusalem
6 The king and his men went to fight against the Jebusites living in
Jerusalem. The Jebusites said to David, "You cannot come into our city.[c]
Even our blind and crippled people can stop you." (They said this because
they thought that David would not be able to enter into their city. 7 But
David did take the fort of Zion. This fort became the City of David.)
8 That day David said to his men, "Whenever you strike at the Jebusites, aim
for the throat and kill them."[d] David said this because he hates to have
people left who are crippled and blind. That is why people now say, "The
lame and blind are not allowed in the temple.[e]"
9 David lived in the fort and called it "The City of David." David built up
the city from the Millo[f] inward.[g] 10 He became stronger and stronger
because the Lord All-Powerful was with him.
11 King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to David. He also sent cedar trees,
carpenters, and stonemasons. They built a house for David. 12 Then David
knew that the Lord had really made him king of Israel and had made him ruler
over his kingdom for the good of his people, Israel.
13 David moved from Hebron to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, he got more slave
women and wives. So David had more children who were born in Jerusalem. 14
David's sons who were born in Jerusalem are Shammua, Shobab, Nathan,
Solomon, 15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 16 Elishama, Eliada, and
Eliphelet.
David Fights Against the Philistines
17 When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had anointed David to be
the king of Israel, all the Philistines went up to kill him. David heard
about this and went down into the fort at Jerusalem. 18 The Philistines came
and camped in Rephaim Valley.
19 David asked the Lord, saying, "Should I go up to fight against the
Philistines? Will you help me defeat them?"
The Lord answered, "Yes, I certainly will help you defeat the Philistines."
20 Then David went to Baal Perazim and defeated the Philistines in that
place. He said, "The Lord broke through my enemies like water breaking
through a dam." That is why David named that place "Baal Perazim."[h] 21 The
Philistines left the statues of their gods behind at Baal Perazim. David and
his men took them away.
22 Again the Philistines came up and camped in Rephaim Valley.
23 David prayed to the Lord again and got this answer: "Don't go up the
valley. Go around them to the other side of their army. Attack them from the
other side of the balsam trees. 24 When you hear the sound of marching in
the tops of the balsam trees, you must act quickly because that is the sign
that the Lord has gone out in front of you to defeat the Philistines.[i]"
25 David did what the Lord commanded him to do, and he defeated the
Philistines. He chased them from Geba to Gezer, killing them all along the
way.
God's Holy Box Is Moved to Jerusalem
6 David again gathered all the best soldiers in Israel. There were 30,000
men. 2 Then David and all his men went to Baalah in Judah[j] to take God's
Holy Box there. The Holy Box is like God's throne-people go there to call on
the name of the Lord All-Powerful who sits as king above the Cherub angels
that are on that Box. 3 David's men brought the Holy Box out of Abinadab's
house on the hill. Then they put God's Holy Box on a new wagon. Uzzah and
Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were driving the new wagon.
4 So they carried the Holy Box out of Abinadab's house on the hill. The sons
of Abinadab, Uzzah and Ahio, drove the new wagon. Ahio was walking in front
of the Holy Box. 5 David and all the Israelites were dancing in front of the
Lord and playing all kinds of musical instruments. There were lyres, harps,
drums, rattles, instruments made from cypress wood, and cymbals. 6 When
David's men came to the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and
God's Holy Box began to fall off the wagon. Uzzah caught the Holy Box. 7 But
the Lord was angry with Uzzah and killed him for that mistake. Uzzah showed
he did not honor God when he touched the Holy Box, so he died there by God's
Holy Box. 8 David was upset because the Lord had killed Uzzah. David called
that place "Perez Uzzah."[k] It is still called Perez Uzzah today.
9 David became afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, "How can I bring
God's Holy Box here now?" 10 So David would not move the Lord's Holy Box
into the City of David. He put the Holy Box at the house of Obed Edom from
Gath.[l] 11 The Lord's Holy Box stayed in Obed Edom's house for three
months. The Lord blessed Obed Edom and all his family.
12 Later people told David, "The Lord has blessed the family of Obed Edom
and everything he owns, because God's Holy Box is there." So David went and
brought God's Holy Box from Obed Edom's house. David was very happy and
excited. 13 When the men who carried the Lord's Holy Box had walked six
steps, they stopped and David sacrificed a bull and a fat calf. 14 David was
dancing in front of the Lord. He was wearing a linen ephod.
15 David and all the Israelites were excited-they shouted and blew the
trumpet as they brought the Lord's Holy Box into the city. 16 Saul's
daughter Michal was looking out the window. While the Lord's Holy Box was
being carried into the city, David was jumping and dancing before the Lord.
Michal saw this, and she was upset at David.
17 David put up a tent for the Holy Box. The Israelites put the Lord's Holy
Box in its place under the tent. Then David offered burnt offerings and
fellowship offerings before the Lord.
18 After David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the fellowship
offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord All-Powerful. 19 He
also gave a share of bread, a raisin cake, and some date bread to every man
and woman of Israel. Then all the people went home.
Michal Scolds David
20 David went back to bless his house, but Saul's daughter Michal came out
to meet him. She said, "The king of Israel did not honor himself today! You
took off your clothes in front of your servants' girls. You were like a fool
who takes off his clothes without shame!"
21 Then David said to Michal, "The Lord chose me, not your father or anyone
from his family. The Lord chose me to be leader of his people, the
Israelites. So I will continue dancing and celebrating in front of the Lord.
22 I might do things that are even more embarrassing! Maybe you will not
respect me, but the girls you are talking about are proud of me!"
23 Saul's daughter Michal never had a child. She died without having any
children.
Footnotes:
a.2 Samuel 4:12 young helpers Young men who carried a soldier's weapons into
battle but were not yet soldiers themselves.
b.2 Samuel 5:1 one family Literally, "your flesh and blood."
c.2 Samuel 5:6 You cannot come . city The city of Jerusalem was built on a
hill. It had high walls around it, making it hard to capture.
d.2 Samuel 5:8 Whenever . kill them Or "Whoever wants to attack the
Jebusites must go through the shaft." This might refer to a tunnel or shaft
leading up into the city through Gihon Spring, which was outside the city
walls.
e.2 Samuel 5:8 temple Or "the king's palace."
f.2 Samuel 5:9 Millo This is probably the stone foundation walls that were
built on the steep slopes on the east side of the City of David.
g.2 Samuel 5:9 inward Or "toward the Temple."
h.2 Samuel 5:20 Baal Perazim This name means "the Lord breaks through."
i.2 Samuel 5:24 Or "From the top of the balsam trees you will be able to
hear them marching into battle. Then you must act quickly, because at that
time the Lord will go ahead of you and defeat the Philistines for you."
j.2 Samuel 6:2 Baalah in Judah Another name for Kiriath Jearim. See 1 Chron.
13:6.
k.2 Samuel 6:8 Perez Uzzah This name means "The Punishment of Uzzah."
l.2 Samuel 6:10 Obed Edom from Gath A person from the tribe of Levi who
lived near Jerusalem.
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
Copyright C 2006 by Bible League International
