Tuesday, Ordinary 17/Proper 12-- July 29
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Meditation
Tuesday, Ordinary 17, Proper 12 reminded us that ‘Life happens.’ For the Psalmist, life was the recognition of who God was and how much of creation made people amazed at the handiwork.
The Old Testament lesson in Genesis shifted to the sneakiness of Jacob outwitting his father-in-law who had tried to cheat him out of his entitled payment. The story of Jacob stripping the bark off two trees and adding it to water to influence the color of the sheep resulted in a variety of reactions. Some discount the story as the illusions of Jacob and the miracle intervention of God; some suggested that the bark and trees added to the water would result in the sheep ingesting some altering element. Others deny the story altogether as being far-fetched.
I have to admit my eyebrows raised because it seemed like the actions of Jacob were coincidental and more likely the act of faith on his part and the intervention of God on the other part. However, I read an article on epigenetics.
“In a paper by Dr. Joshua Backon, who teaches at the Hebrew University of Medicine cites study of Epigenetics which is a study of how prenatal nutrition can affect the Agouti gene that can affect fur color in both sheep and mice. The study demonstrates that fungi that resides in the bark of the three specific types of branches listed in Genesis 30 do provide the chemicals the comprise the exact amino acid to create alterations in the color of fur without having any direct effect on the DNA.
“Dr. Josh Klein, a plant pathologist and expert on plant fungi at the Volcani Research Institute of the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture, suggested that there are fungi as filaments under the bark of these trees [mentioned in Genesis] that would contain these specific amino acids. He stated that these fungi are very host-specific. Peeling the bark could make these fungi available for water extraction of their components."”
Amazing things are revealed in contemporary science to corroborate the stories of the Bible. How Jacob knew this or understood it may have been passed down in some 1000 years of shepherding experience passed down through his father, Isaac, and grandfather, Abraham.
In the New Testament lesson of Ephesians was a list of ways one can prepare for the ups and (especially) the downs of life as a believer. Our faith might be challenged by the events in our lives which shake our understanding and confidence in God.
When a soldier goes into battle there is standard gear which is a part of the uniform. Safety and protection is key—helmets, belts, steel toed boots, bullet proof vests and more. The believer would be facing the onslaught of the devil and his minions. Being prepared was half the battle.
How does one prepare for fighting against powers that were in the spirit realm? Principalities beyond our earthly awareness. We are not fighting easy battles against flesh and blood, but spiritual battles against entities beyond our awareness levels. That is why some days seem so very hard even when we can’t “put a finger on it.”
The Apostle told the church at Ephesus to wrap oneself in truth (belt); protect one’s heart and chest by living in ways that pleased God (breast plate of righteousness). Peace should underscore all done which would provide strong foundations (shoes of good news of peace). To block the challenges to one’s spirit use the confidence of faith (shield) and protect one’s head with the umbrella of salvation (helmet). The final piece of equipment included the one element of the battle gear [offensive, instead of defensive tools] the Word of God-the teachings of God (sword) which can cut through the garbage people toss.
Dressed in full battledress, we are empowered to achieve far more than we might think we are capable of.
Thanks be to God.
All Scriptures printed below are in King James Version for copyright purposes. However, clicking on the verse locations will take you to Biblegateway.com where the text is linked to more contemporary versions.
Prayer: Almighty God, Open my eyes that I might see. Open my mind that I might understand. Open my heart that I might make your words a part of me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Amen
Ordinary 17, Proper 12
Bible Readings
http://legacy.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm 65:8-13;Genesis 30:37-43;Ephesians 6:10-18&version=KJV;ERV;GNT;NCV;CEV (multiple versions)
Tuesday, Ordinary 17, Proper 12
Psalm 65:8-13
Genesis 30:37-43
Ephesians 6:10-18
Daily Bible Verses to Memorize for Meditating
Ephesians 6:10-18
King James Version (KJV)
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Single Bible Study chapter to study
Ephesians 6:10-18
King James Version (KJV)
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
OBSERVE:
Take a moment and write three observations of the verses. What strikes you? An observation is an observable fact from the Word.
1.
2.
3.
INTERPRETATION:
What do you interpret these verses to mean for you today?
APPLY:
Today, I learned _____________________________________and apply it to my life.
Prayer of Encouragement
Almighty God, we thank you for equipping us in all the ways that matter. We know that life presents challenges to us, but you give us the grace to face and defeat them. In Jesus name, Amen
Conclusion
Tuesday, Ordinary 17, Proper 12 challenged believers to learn the ways to be prepared for the many sources of evil surrounding us, spiritually. The powers are greater than we understand. But no matter how difficult the attack, the Word of God is stronger and more powerful. We can count on the training from God to meet every trial and temptation.
We can be the clever Jacob out foxing those that would cheat us. We can tap into the Psalmist’s vision of how much God’s creation is amazing and providing for us. We can be prepared for anything that comes along.
Go out and be ready for God to do mighty things in your life—for the glory of God.*
Thank you for visiting ChapLynne’s Daily Encouragement and Bible Study. God bless you.
*If you do not know the Lord as your personal Savior and you are seeking, please contact me. A genuine and simple prayer, asking God into your heart for the forgiveness of your sins will also do.
Tuesday, Ordinary 17, Proper 12 reminded us that ‘Life happens.’ For the Psalmist, life was the recognition of who God was and how much of creation made people amazed at the handiwork.
The Old Testament lesson in Genesis shifted to the sneakiness of Jacob outwitting his father-in-law who had tried to cheat him out of his entitled payment. The story of Jacob stripping the bark off two trees and adding it to water to influence the color of the sheep resulted in a variety of reactions. Some discount the story as the illusions of Jacob and the miracle intervention of God; some suggested that the bark and trees added to the water would result in the sheep ingesting some altering element. Others deny the story altogether as being far-fetched.
I have to admit my eyebrows raised because it seemed like the actions of Jacob were coincidental and more likely the act of faith on his part and the intervention of God on the other part. However, I read an article on epigenetics.
“In a paper by Dr. Joshua Backon, who teaches at the Hebrew University of Medicine cites study of Epigenetics which is a study of how prenatal nutrition can affect the Agouti gene that can affect fur color in both sheep and mice. The study demonstrates that fungi that resides in the bark of the three specific types of branches listed in Genesis 30 do provide the chemicals the comprise the exact amino acid to create alterations in the color of fur without having any direct effect on the DNA.
“Dr. Josh Klein, a plant pathologist and expert on plant fungi at the Volcani Research Institute of the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture, suggested that there are fungi as filaments under the bark of these trees [mentioned in Genesis] that would contain these specific amino acids. He stated that these fungi are very host-specific. Peeling the bark could make these fungi available for water extraction of their components."”
Amazing things are revealed in contemporary science to corroborate the stories of the Bible. How Jacob knew this or understood it may have been passed down in some 1000 years of shepherding experience passed down through his father, Isaac, and grandfather, Abraham.
In the New Testament lesson of Ephesians was a list of ways one can prepare for the ups and (especially) the downs of life as a believer. Our faith might be challenged by the events in our lives which shake our understanding and confidence in God.
When a soldier goes into battle there is standard gear which is a part of the uniform. Safety and protection is key—helmets, belts, steel toed boots, bullet proof vests and more. The believer would be facing the onslaught of the devil and his minions. Being prepared was half the battle.
How does one prepare for fighting against powers that were in the spirit realm? Principalities beyond our earthly awareness. We are not fighting easy battles against flesh and blood, but spiritual battles against entities beyond our awareness levels. That is why some days seem so very hard even when we can’t “put a finger on it.”
The Apostle told the church at Ephesus to wrap oneself in truth (belt); protect one’s heart and chest by living in ways that pleased God (breast plate of righteousness). Peace should underscore all done which would provide strong foundations (shoes of good news of peace). To block the challenges to one’s spirit use the confidence of faith (shield) and protect one’s head with the umbrella of salvation (helmet). The final piece of equipment included the one element of the battle gear [offensive, instead of defensive tools] the Word of God-the teachings of God (sword) which can cut through the garbage people toss.
Dressed in full battledress, we are empowered to achieve far more than we might think we are capable of.
Thanks be to God.
All Scriptures printed below are in King James Version for copyright purposes. However, clicking on the verse locations will take you to Biblegateway.com where the text is linked to more contemporary versions.
Prayer: Almighty God, Open my eyes that I might see. Open my mind that I might understand. Open my heart that I might make your words a part of me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Amen
Ordinary 17, Proper 12
Bible Readings
http://legacy.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm 65:8-13;Genesis 30:37-43;Ephesians 6:10-18&version=KJV;ERV;GNT;NCV;CEV (multiple versions)
Tuesday, Ordinary 17, Proper 12
Psalm 65:8-13
Genesis 30:37-43
Ephesians 6:10-18
Daily Bible Verses to Memorize for Meditating
Ephesians 6:10-18
King James Version (KJV)
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Single Bible Study chapter to study
Ephesians 6:10-18
King James Version (KJV)
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
OBSERVE:
Take a moment and write three observations of the verses. What strikes you? An observation is an observable fact from the Word.
1.
2.
3.
INTERPRETATION:
What do you interpret these verses to mean for you today?
APPLY:
Today, I learned _____________________________________and apply it to my life.
Prayer of Encouragement
Almighty God, we thank you for equipping us in all the ways that matter. We know that life presents challenges to us, but you give us the grace to face and defeat them. In Jesus name, Amen
Conclusion
Tuesday, Ordinary 17, Proper 12 challenged believers to learn the ways to be prepared for the many sources of evil surrounding us, spiritually. The powers are greater than we understand. But no matter how difficult the attack, the Word of God is stronger and more powerful. We can count on the training from God to meet every trial and temptation.
We can be the clever Jacob out foxing those that would cheat us. We can tap into the Psalmist’s vision of how much God’s creation is amazing and providing for us. We can be prepared for anything that comes along.
Go out and be ready for God to do mighty things in your life—for the glory of God.*
Thank you for visiting ChapLynne’s Daily Encouragement and Bible Study. God bless you.
*If you do not know the Lord as your personal Savior and you are seeking, please contact me. A genuine and simple prayer, asking God into your heart for the forgiveness of your sins will also do.
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