Wednesday, Ordinary 25/Proper 20 - Sept 24
ChapLynne
Posts: 31 Member
Meditation
Wednesday, Ordinary 25, Proper 20 called attention to what was really important. The Psalmist said he loved God’s law—so much that the Words were sweeter than the taste of honey.
The Old Testament lesson packed a punch with God’s words to Moses after he had conveyed the complaints of the Children of Israel about being tired of eating manna and nothing but manna. God sent so much meat—quail that they were piled 3 feet deep across the camp; so much meat they would tire of it in a month.
‘23 But the Lord said to Moses, “Don’t limit my power! You will see that I can do what I say I can do.”’
A friend used to say, if I had my life to live over, I would ‘expect’ greater things of my God. She recognized that people could limit the power of God at work by their lack of faith and disobedience, just as Jesus didn’t do many miracles in Nazareth because they didn’t believe he could and he never would force it down their throats.
“Don’t limit my power,” were God’s words. Throughout Scripture, people put limits on God’s power, by boxing God into a small container. People miss the true message, God’s true meaning—the point of existence.
The New Testament lesson in the Gospel of Matthew revealed Jesus’ response to the question, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of God?” Essentially he said, “Be humble, and filled with wonder like a child, open to all the possibilities.”
From the Old Testament to the New Testament, God was faced with arrogant doubters and faithless followers. He used the visual image of a child, with the openness to learn, the lack of guile, and the humbleness to be filled with wonder and possibilities.
While serving in the Navy, there was a troublesome sailor, who constantly bragged about his excessive accomplishments. To hear him tell it, he was an award winning writer; a gifted singer; an expert at weapons,…and if he was allowed to ramble on, he might have been nominated for a Nobel Prize. He irritated people because his ‘tales’ were patently untrue, even though he believed his press releases.
Perhaps God—the infinite Creator of billions of galaxies and possibly the multi-verse, the all-knowing, all-powerful, all-wise and so one—would find human bragging about the miniscule accomplishments of our daily events. A game. A website. A single scientific breakthrough. An entrepreneurial business. Even those, who make billions, if they arrogantly credit themselves for brilliance, instead of bringing honor to God, risk irritating the God above all gods in the same way the sailor irritated all who listened to his fabrications and actual accomplishments.
God despised arrogance in the Old Testament—from Lucifer pre-fall; to Cain, who thought he could kill Abel with impunity; to the people building the Tower of Babel; to the Children of Israel, who grumbled because things were too hard and too repetitive, to the Pharisees of the New Testament, who pretended to be good, but were inwardly mean and prideful to his followers who fixated on who was the greatest.
Believers were to see themselves as the Psalmist David did. Who was humanity that God would be mindful of them? Lower than the angels, but full of promise, like a child hungry to learn. That openness to God and the humbleness to recognize one’s place in the universe, was the kind of behavior that pleased God.
If we are to really make a difference, we must be child-like, too, so that with God’s help great things can be accomplished. Let’s expect greater things of our God.
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 25, Proper 20
Bible Readings
http://legacy.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm 119:97-104;Numbers 11:18-23, 31-32;Matthew 18:1-5&version=KJV;ERV;GNT;NCV;NIV (multiple versions)
Wednesday, Ordinary 25, Proper 20
Psalm 119:97-104
Numbers 11:18-23 Numbers 11:31-32
Matthew 18:1-5
Daily Bible Verses to Memorize for Meditating
Philippians 1:21
King James Version (KJV)
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Single Bible Study chapter to study
Numbers 11:18-23
King James Version (KJV)
18 And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the LORD will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.
19 Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days;
20 But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the LORD which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?
21 And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.
22 Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?
23 And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the LORD'S hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.
Numbers 11:31-32
King James Version (KJV)
31 And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.
32 And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.
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, forgive our pride and help us be open like a child to the wonder of what you can help us become, help us accomplish, help us achieve. May we always be humble and give you the credit. In Jesus name, Amen
Conclusion
Wednesday, Ordinary 25, Proper 20 brought some sadness to the picture, when each lesson pointed out the lacks of humanity in that it ignored or dismissed the greatness of God. The Psalmist praised God, but acknowledged that there were things that led people away from God. The Hebrews grumbled about the daily routine and the redundancy of food choices, instead of being grateful for their freedom from slavery.
Someone once said, “If people were to pile their troubles in a towering pile and given the choice to select a trouble from the heap, they would root around until they retrieved their own troubles.”
Humanity preferred to complain than find solutions. Some preferred to blame than seek truth. Others, like the New Testament followers asked a useless question, “Who is greatest?”
Every day presents an opportunity to open our hearts and minds to the possibilities so that amazing things can happen and we can bring praise and glory to God.
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.
Wednesday, Ordinary 25, Proper 20 called attention to what was really important. The Psalmist said he loved God’s law—so much that the Words were sweeter than the taste of honey.
The Old Testament lesson packed a punch with God’s words to Moses after he had conveyed the complaints of the Children of Israel about being tired of eating manna and nothing but manna. God sent so much meat—quail that they were piled 3 feet deep across the camp; so much meat they would tire of it in a month.
‘23 But the Lord said to Moses, “Don’t limit my power! You will see that I can do what I say I can do.”’
A friend used to say, if I had my life to live over, I would ‘expect’ greater things of my God. She recognized that people could limit the power of God at work by their lack of faith and disobedience, just as Jesus didn’t do many miracles in Nazareth because they didn’t believe he could and he never would force it down their throats.
“Don’t limit my power,” were God’s words. Throughout Scripture, people put limits on God’s power, by boxing God into a small container. People miss the true message, God’s true meaning—the point of existence.
The New Testament lesson in the Gospel of Matthew revealed Jesus’ response to the question, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of God?” Essentially he said, “Be humble, and filled with wonder like a child, open to all the possibilities.”
From the Old Testament to the New Testament, God was faced with arrogant doubters and faithless followers. He used the visual image of a child, with the openness to learn, the lack of guile, and the humbleness to be filled with wonder and possibilities.
While serving in the Navy, there was a troublesome sailor, who constantly bragged about his excessive accomplishments. To hear him tell it, he was an award winning writer; a gifted singer; an expert at weapons,…and if he was allowed to ramble on, he might have been nominated for a Nobel Prize. He irritated people because his ‘tales’ were patently untrue, even though he believed his press releases.
Perhaps God—the infinite Creator of billions of galaxies and possibly the multi-verse, the all-knowing, all-powerful, all-wise and so one—would find human bragging about the miniscule accomplishments of our daily events. A game. A website. A single scientific breakthrough. An entrepreneurial business. Even those, who make billions, if they arrogantly credit themselves for brilliance, instead of bringing honor to God, risk irritating the God above all gods in the same way the sailor irritated all who listened to his fabrications and actual accomplishments.
God despised arrogance in the Old Testament—from Lucifer pre-fall; to Cain, who thought he could kill Abel with impunity; to the people building the Tower of Babel; to the Children of Israel, who grumbled because things were too hard and too repetitive, to the Pharisees of the New Testament, who pretended to be good, but were inwardly mean and prideful to his followers who fixated on who was the greatest.
Believers were to see themselves as the Psalmist David did. Who was humanity that God would be mindful of them? Lower than the angels, but full of promise, like a child hungry to learn. That openness to God and the humbleness to recognize one’s place in the universe, was the kind of behavior that pleased God.
If we are to really make a difference, we must be child-like, too, so that with God’s help great things can be accomplished. Let’s expect greater things of our God.
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 25, Proper 20
Bible Readings
http://legacy.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm 119:97-104;Numbers 11:18-23, 31-32;Matthew 18:1-5&version=KJV;ERV;GNT;NCV;NIV (multiple versions)
Wednesday, Ordinary 25, Proper 20
Psalm 119:97-104
Numbers 11:18-23 Numbers 11:31-32
Matthew 18:1-5
Daily Bible Verses to Memorize for Meditating
Philippians 1:21
King James Version (KJV)
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Single Bible Study chapter to study
Numbers 11:18-23
King James Version (KJV)
18 And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the LORD will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.
19 Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days;
20 But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the LORD which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?
21 And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.
22 Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?
23 And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the LORD'S hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.
Numbers 11:31-32
King James Version (KJV)
31 And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.
32 And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.
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, forgive our pride and help us be open like a child to the wonder of what you can help us become, help us accomplish, help us achieve. May we always be humble and give you the credit. In Jesus name, Amen
Conclusion
Wednesday, Ordinary 25, Proper 20 brought some sadness to the picture, when each lesson pointed out the lacks of humanity in that it ignored or dismissed the greatness of God. The Psalmist praised God, but acknowledged that there were things that led people away from God. The Hebrews grumbled about the daily routine and the redundancy of food choices, instead of being grateful for their freedom from slavery.
Someone once said, “If people were to pile their troubles in a towering pile and given the choice to select a trouble from the heap, they would root around until they retrieved their own troubles.”
Humanity preferred to complain than find solutions. Some preferred to blame than seek truth. Others, like the New Testament followers asked a useless question, “Who is greatest?”
Every day presents an opportunity to open our hearts and minds to the possibilities so that amazing things can happen and we can bring praise and glory to God.
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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