Judges 2:16-19

Hey, y'all, happy Wednesday! :)

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Judges 2:16-19

Nevertheless, the LORD raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them. Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down  to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not do so. And when the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and harassed them. And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.

 

These verses summarize the rest of the book of Judges--the people would wander off after other gods, God would bring judgment in the form of captivity, they would cry out to the Lord, He would raise up a deliverer, they would follow the Lord for a while, then they would wander off after other gods....over and over again. Actually, come to think of it, this sums up most of the Bible and basically the history of mankind. The wandering propensities of the human race, the repetitive mercy and redemptive grace of the Lord--that's the story of everyone's life. Reading passages like this, seeing that God still loved His people even when they wandered, and He continually sought to bring them back into a relationship with Himself; it inspires hope--no matter how far or how often you've run away, God's grace is still enough and His heart still longs after you. It also inspires obedience--knowing how much He loves me, I will strive to stay close to Him!

 

Father, how grateful I am that You never give up on Your people! Thank You for the many times You have drawn me back to Your side. Help me to stay close to You, giving up my own "stubborn way" to simply follow You!

 

May the Lord richly bless you as you walk with Him!

 

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Judges 1:1-3

Good afternoon, everybody! :)

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Judges 1:1-3
Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, "Who shall be first to go up for us against the Canaanites to fight against them?" And the LORD said, "Judah shall go up. Indeed I have delivered the land into his hand." So Judah said to Simeon his brother, "Come up with me to my allotted territory, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I will likewise go with you to your allotted territory." And Simeon went with him.

These verses first caught my attention because of the meaning of the name "Judah". Judah means "celebrated", it comes from a root word meaning to revere or worship (with extended hands). I thought it interesting that the Lord would decree that "worship" should lead the way to conquering the land. Then Judah enlists the aid of Simeon, so I had to go look up that name, too. Simeon means "hearing", and its root word means to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.). These two together--worship and hearing--are anointed by God to lead Israel to victory over the Canaanites. And in our lives today, our victory will be found when we turn our eyes and ears to worshipping the Lord and listening to--and obeying--His word.

Father, help me to keep my eyes on You and my ears open to Your voice; only as I worship You will I have victory in my life!

May the Lord richly bless you with victory as you worship Him and heed His word!

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Deuteronomy 33:27-29

Hello, everyone!

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Deuteronomy 33:27-29
The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, and will say, 'Destroy!' Then Israel shall dwell in safety, the fountain of Jacob alone, in a land of grain and new wine; His heavens shall also drop dew. Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD, the shield of your help and the sword of your majesty! Your enemies shall submit to you, and you shall tread down their high places.

We are "a people saved by the LORD", and that places us in a position of privilege. It is a position of being guarded, defended and provided for by the Almighty Eternal God, the unchanging Creator of the universe. There are two sides to this position--it is a place of rest ("the eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms") and it is a place of power in battle ("your enemies shall submit to you, and you shall tread down their high places"). We can't take the high places without engaging in battle, yet it is only in the LORD that we have any authority or power to obtain victory--but in Him, that victory is assured!

Father, You are so great and so awesome; thank You for being my place of refuge when I need rest, and my assurance of victory in battle! Help me to live fully in the position of one who is saved by the LORD!

May the Lord bless you richly as fill the place of one who is saved by the LORD!

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Deuteronomy 32:15, 18

Happy Wednesday, y'all! :)

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Deuteronomy 32:15, 18
But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; you grew fat, you grew thick, you are obese! Then he forsook God who made him, and scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation...of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful, and have forgotten the God who fathered you.

That "scornfully esteemed" phrase is also translated "lightly esteemed" in other versions. It's just one word in Hebrew, and it means "to wilt; generally to fall away, fail, faint; causatively to despise, disgrace". What do you have to do for a plant to begin to wilt? Absolutely nothing! A plant requires cultivation in order to even stay alive, much less bloom and flourish. Relationships are the same way--and our relationship with God is no different. When we stop cultivating our reverence--our estimation of God's value--it dies. We pursue what we value. Yet so often, we take the Giver of life for granted. The natural tendency of our sinful flesh is to forget God when life is going good; we become "undmindful" of Him, our focus shifts to other things. Yet it is essential that we keep Him in the center of our lives! We need to get a revelation of the greatness of our God and hold Him in the highest esteem.

Father, please forgive me for the times I've "lightly esteemed" You! Help me to see, more every day, how great You are and to keep my eyes on You.

May the Lord richly bless you with a fresh glimpse of His greatness!

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Deuteronomy 32:9-12

Hello, all!

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Deuteronomy 32:9-12
For the LORD's portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance. He found him in a desert land and in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings, so the LORD alone led him, and there was no foreign god with him.

God claimed, protected, taught, provided for, delighted in, strengthened, and led the Israelites--He even enabled them to fly (metaphorically speaking, of course)--all while they were in the desert, the wasteland. There was nothing else out there! Sometimes, that's where God has to get us in order to become the only one leading us. He has to get us out in a wilderness of our own, with nothing else to cling to or depend on; no distractions. Out there, He becomes our everything--the One we lean on, cry out to, delight in, and love to follow!

Father, if it takes a wilderness for You to be my everything, then I'm willing to go there! I want You to be all I see, all I long for, the only One I follow; for there to be "no foreign god" in my life!

May the Lord richly bless you with all that He is!

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Deuteronomy 31:6-8

Hey, y'all! :)

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Deuteronomy 31:6-8
"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."
Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed."

Sometimes, I just need this reminder: God goes with us and before us as we walk in His way; so what is there to be afraid of? Although the world can sometimes be a frightening place, and the uncertainty of what lies ahead can be really scary, because I know that God is good and He is faithful I can rest in His promise to never leave me or forsake me. It really is as simple as that.

Father, in those moments when fear creeps in as I look at the world or the future or what You've asked me to do, help me to remember that You are still there! As I focus on You, I realize that there's nothing to be afraid of. The unknown may be scary, but I know You, so I'm okay.

May the Lord richly bless you as you walk in His way "strong and of good courage"!

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Deuteronomy 30:6

Happy Monday, everyone! :)
There is a video of a very good skit that kind of goes along with today's Mornin' SunShine on YouTube; it's done by The Skit Guys, is about 9 minutes long, and I highly recommend it. Here's the link if you want to go watch it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXut0HxncvY I just wanted to pass that on! :)

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Deuteronomy 30:6
And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

What would it mean for God to circumcise my heart? First of all, circumcision was the sign of the covenant that the Lord had made with His people. So for Him to circumcise my heart would mean He is entering into that covenant with me. What was the covenant? That He would be their God, they would be His people and walk in His ways, and He would bring them into a land of abundance and give them victory.
Secondly, this "circumcision" would have to mean that God would cut away from my heart, my life, all that is not of Him; all that is less than He would desire. Why? To enable me to love Him with all that I am, that He might give me "life--life in all its fullness" (John 10:10 [NCV]).
So, if I were to paraphrase this verse, I would put it this way: "The LORD your God will cut away everything in your heart and life that is not of Him, enabling you to love Him with all that you are, that you may truly live." And, this is a multi-generational promise, because it also says that the Lord will also carry this "circumcision of the heart" on to your descendants.

Father, the only way I will ever love You the way I long to love You is by allowing You to "circumcise" my heart. So please--cut away from my heart and life everything that is not YOU!

May the Lord richly bless you with His grace and peace!

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website