Day 4: Genesis 35:28-45:15; 1 Chronicles 1:35-2:6, 2:8

What do I do when I am mistreated?

Scripture:
Genesis 45:4-5

And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.

Observation:
Today's reading went into the detail of Joseph and his brothers. Over and over and over again Joseph endured being mistreated and lied about.  He nearly lost his life, was sold as a slave, and was thrown into prison.  Through it all, he remained faithful to God. 

Application: 
How many times have I complained to God instead of letting Him use me through my suffering?  God knows the ending.  He can see through all that is going to happen to us and orchestrate everything for our good and for His glory.  Like Joseph, I need to look for those ways that God can use my miserable circumstances for the good of others and God.

Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Please humble me and set my sight on You.  Help me to dwell on the good that can come from our circumstances instead of wallowing in self-pity. You have our life all planned out for our good.  Help us to cooperate with Your plans and not to hinder ourselves.

8/23/12

Day 3: Genesis 25:27-35:27

When there is nothing left I can do, how do I treat others?

Scripture:
Genesis 31:49

And Mizpah; for he said, The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.

Observation:
Today's passage has a lot of stuff in it that I just don't like. It is full of lies, deceit, cheating, jealousy, and stealing. Wash, rinse, repeat.  Although a case could be made for one being more at fault than another, all the characters had issues.  One thing that makes it so frustrating is that one generation didn't learn from the previous how it just doesn't pay to be dishonest.

After Jacob abruptly took his family and possessions and left, God told Laben in a dream not to speak to Jacob either good or bad. So Laben chased him down...and Mizpah. It is not mean or accusing, just saying that God will watch over and take care of the other person.

Application: 
Misunderstandings and purposeful falsehoods plague us.  I want to scream the truth from the mountains, but will that solve the problem?  Probably not.  Sometimes all I can do, especially when there is nothing left to do, is give it to God.  He knows the situation and the perfect solution.  He expects us act uprightly and follow His leading, but then we need to be willing to let go.  He can handle it.  Maybe not as quickly as we would like, but His timing is perfect.

When someone says something about me that isn't true, I'll try to remember Laben and Jacob, and realize that there may be a different perspective that is motivating that person to do or say things I don't like. I might not see or speak to the person when he/she is (in my opinion) being unreasonable or malicious, but I can pray and wish God's blessings on his/her life.  Reconciliation is possible, and it is a lot better and easier if I don't unnecessarily retaliate.


Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Help me today to not worry about what others say about me or do to me.  You know the truth and how to "fix" it.  Give me silence or the words to say to those who malign me.

8/22/12

Day 2: Genesis 15:1--25:26; 1 Chronicles 1:28-34

How do I serve others?

Scripture:
Genesis 24:18-21

And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.
And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.
And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.
And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.

Observation:
Abraham's servant set out to find the perfect wife for Isaac. He prayed for a sign and Rebekah passed the test with flying colors, even before he was done praying. Not only did she fulfill the prayed-for sign of giving water to the camels, but she said she would water the camels until they were done drinking. It is said that a thirsty camel can drink around 50 gallons of water.  There were 10 camels, so that makes approximately 500 gallons of water.  That is a lot of water to draw from a well.

Application: 
When people ask me for something, do I give them the bare minimum (or not what they asked for)?  When God asks me for something, do I ... ?  Am I supposed to do something to help answer someone's prayer?  Can God use me, or does He have to use a backup plan for the times I don't follow through. I should not barely follow through. 

Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Help me to cheerfully serve You and my fellow beings.  Help me to put your desires first and to willingly serve and give more than is asked.

8/20/12

Day 1: Genesis 1-14; 1 Chronicles 1:1-27

The theme for this section that jumped out at me was all of God's promises.

Scripture:
Genesis 12:1-3

Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Observation:
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." could sum up the first few chapters of Genesis.  God created His perfect world.  Perfection.  He had a perfect plan for us and promises.  His first two children messed up, and it was basically downhill from there until God destroyed His once-perfect world.  Then, a promise in the sign of a rainbow.  Starting over. Imperfect people. Another promise to Abram.

Application: 
God has made promises to me.  Even though I fail over and over, He is still there, waiting. God is just waiting to pour out His promises on me.  That is what He wants to do.  As I wish the very best for my children, He wants the very best for me.  He has provided me with all the opportunities, I just need to grasp hold of Him and accept what He wants to give me.

Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Open my eyes.  Help me to see what You have been showing me all along.  Even though I haven't always been willing, I have been able through Your Son to do everything You created me to do. Help me and prompt me to do Your will so I can bask in Your perfect promises.

8/15/12

Introduction

For over a year I've seen posts by friends who have participated in the Mom's Toolbox Bible in 90 Days program.  As a homeschooling mom of 6, 2 of which were still in diapers at that time, I didn't think I had the time for such a momentous project.  It would have been a challenge, but looking back, it would have been a possibility.  I decided to jump in now that I see that they are offering a chronological plan.  I've used chronological plans to read through the Bible before, and it really appeals to my sense of order to read in the order that things occurred.

I'm also going to try to utilize the SOAP program. I will try to post on the days that the reading are to occur by the schedule, however since I started reading this morning, I'll put the day of actual reading at the bottom of the post.

Feel free to download your own schedule (oops...they are making changes!) and read at your own pace, even if it isn't within the 90 days.  The important thing is to spend time in His Word every day.