Genesis 22

Abraham's obedience caught my attention so much. When God told him to go take his son up to the mountain and offer him as a sacrifice, he didn't hesitate. He went without complaints, without asking God WHY... he just went, out of obedience.

How many times do have to barter with God just so we can get our way? Maybe what he wants us to sacrifice is a little too much for us to give up? Too uncomfortable?

It's incredible to see how much faith Abraham has in God, and I hope it encouraged you the same way it encouraged me. Hopefully, we continue to put our faith in God whenever he asks us to do something that we may not understand. Sometimes we are put in seasons of testing but it's important to know that "God will provide" just like God provided for Abraham so that he wouldn't have to kill his son.

Let's continue to trust God with all that we have, because all in all, everything belongs to Him.

-Dorothy

Day 8 :)

Happy Sunday! Found a great quote to share:
"Begin today! No matter how feeble the light, let it shine as best it may. The world may need just that quality of light which you have."       -Henry Blinn
Morning verse: Matthew 6: 19-34
Evening verse: Genesis 20, 21, 22

Day 7 :)

Happy Saturday everyone!

morning verse: Matthew 6:1-18
evening verse: Genesis 18, 19

Matthew 5:42 particularly struck me. It states, "Give to anyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you." At the bottom of the page, my Bible has a life application topic on giving and it states, "The true meaning of giving--charity--is solidarity. We are in solidarity with the poor when we recognize how we are all interrelated. What we have is related to what the poor do not have. We must give of what we have, not of what we have left over...Solidarity--giving--is living simply: opposing consumerism, not turning wants into needs, living with less comfort so the poor can simply live."
Over the past few days, I've realized so many different things that I do wrong that I hope to fix, and I think that concerning giving, I really struggle with "living on less." But, I think that "opposing consumerism," and working on other traits like patience (which is a life-long thing to learn) as well as constant concern for others are things to consider. Also, it was eye opening to remember that swearing, or making promises, is something that we should not really do...I guess I have to work on that one too ;)

Day 6 :)

Happy Friday!
morning verse: Matthew 5: 27-48
evening verse: Genesis 16, 17

I love the Beatitudes in the Bible because this section clearly mentions the characteristics that we should try to live by every day. I think the characteristics that are stated are so important and definitely contrasts much of what the world portrays as a person of "strength" and good-standing. In the Beatitudes, the "meek" are blessed, as well as those with many other characteristics. One characteristic that really resonated with me is that of being a "peacemaker." I think that a lot of times, we feel the need to fight our own battles and stand up for ourselves. At the same time, I think this scripture is a reminder that it should be our goal to "do no harm." With that being said, we must be careful not to be hypocritical, and to really think about all the words that come from us. We need to think about others in all that we do so that we know we are not purposely negatively affecting other people. I think a great example of a peacemaker is Abram--in Genesis (13:8), when Abram realizes there is conflict between his livestock and Lot's livestock, he allows Lot to choose for himself what land to take, and he does his best to remain a peacemaker when Lot is in trouble.

God loves the mind, but sometimes our mind tries to get in the way of our heart - our heart can take us places our brains can never fit.

I heard this quote today from a video that I was watching, and it may not be directly related to our readings but I just really wanted to share it with you guys:)

As a college student, I realized that as most of us are acquiring a higher education we are being fed a lot of information that may or may not hinder our walk with God. From the evolutionary aspects of Biology, to the problem of evil in Philosophy.

In our classes, we are taught these things, and WHY they are. And as we are on our quest to higher knowledge, some of us may begin to doubt God and his existence… we begin to question how this world came about… we begin to question a lot of things.

This gives a foothold to the enemy and the enemy begins to use your intellect against you. He begins to plant doubts in your mind about God.

From personal experience, I took a philosophy class that just challenged me, not academically but spiritually. I was taught a lot of things that I don’t necessarily agree with. And for me, it helped draw me closer to God as opposed to me beginning to question Him. I knew that if I hold steadfast to His word, that I will be able to learn more about Him and depend on Him, and not on my own intellect.

Also, as a Biology major I always hear about evolution. Obviously I have to deal with learning it… but every time we talk about it in class, I just become so amazed instead at how God created everything. How he planned everything. God granted me the ability to learn the things I need to learn, yet still stand firm in His word and I thank Him for that.

So, I just want to encourage you to not let your intellect get in the way of your heart - Don’t get hardhearted.

Day 5 :)

Happy Thursday everyone!
Today's morning verse is: Matthew 5: 1-26
evening verse: Genesis 13, 14, 15
Have a great day ;)

So today when reading Matthew, I really thought it was interesting to see how Jesus himself overcame temptation. I think this story shows that God really understands our day to day trials, and by Him sending His son to live as a "human," God shows His empathy for us. I think it is also interesting that Satan knows so much scripture and tries to use it against Jesus. As a Christian, I think this gives me even more of a reason to truly know God's word and to understand who God is and what He wants for my life.

I am also touched by the obedience that many of the people in the Bible have for God. In Matthew, when Jesus asks the different men to be his disciples, they "immediately left their nets and followed Him." In Genesis, when the Lord asks Abram to leave his country, Abram immediately goes. This not only demonstrates obedience but also complete faith in God.

Day 4 :)

We're halfway through the week and already on Day 4! Happy Wednesday!
For today,
morning verse: Matthew 4
evening verse: Genesis 10, 11, 12

In Matthew, the humility of John the Baptist is something I hope to have throughout life. Even when Jesus came to him to be baptized, John's response models what I think we should aim for as Christians--we should always approach people with the greatest humility.

In Genesis, the story of the Great Flood continues to reveal God's mercy and love. Despite destruction, God makes a covenant with Noah--and this covenant is something that shows God's love for man, even though people constantly commit sin.

Day 3 :)

Good morning and happy Tuesday!


Morning verse: Matthew 3
Evening: Genesis 7, 8, 9


Have a great day!

I continued on with Gen chapters 4,5,& 6 and Matt 2
all very interesting -- God is a just God.

"See Through the Eyes of God" By Todd White

Hey guys! I just wanted to share a video with you all:

http://www.xpmedia.com/h3oKT7vmlUwJ

The message was so powerful and I hope that you all find it powerful as well.

It talks about how reaching out to people should not be about what denomination you are or what prayer you pray - But instead, all about Jesus and His love.

-Dorothy

Day 2 :)

Happy Monday!
Monday's have not always been my favorite day of the week, but now I've found something that makes them a lot better:
Today's reading is:
morning: Matthew 2
evening: Genesis 4,5,6
enjoy ;)

Genesis 1-3

After re-reading the first 3 chapters of Genesis, I was just so amazed at how God planned everything. How he carefully crafted each and every living thing that is on this earth.

Another thing is that God is a god of choice. He gave Adam and Eve instructions not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and instead they can partake in everything else besides the fruit of that tree. He gave them a choice - He wasn't going to force them... obviously they disobeyed and that caused the fall.

With that said, God gives us choices every single day... one of them would be: to obey Him or not. Do we choose to put our faith and trust in Him, or do we decide to take things upon our own strength? I encourage you all to say a prayer every morning (if you don't already do so) asking God to lead you throughout the day and let Him know that you're putting your trust in Him. This will strengthen your relationship with Him in that you'll become more sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

I pray that God continues to reveal new things to us, through His word, every day. God bless!

Wow what a challenge, but I think I'm up to it. Forgive me in advance if I fall off the wagon. I do not plan to do that. I don't intend to do that. But like they say, there are lots of folks going to "you know where" who intended to do something for God.
So anyway here I am at the nth hour trying to blog.
Gen Chap 1-3 and Matt 1 I have read before but I gleaned this on this time reading that the Spirit of the Lord hovered over the water that part of the trinity God's Spirit hmmm
God Created heaven and the Earth but His Spirit Hovered over what was then darkness.
I 'll stop at that point which impacted me.
ok I will go on:

God is a God of Order and perfection who sets things in to motion in an organized way making many provision for us and the earth as He goes. From darkness to light to moving waters where they needed to be --He took care of all of that. Filling the seas, the skies setting the time,seasons so you never have to ask "what time is it?" He did that! What a mighty God we serve!

Day 1 :)

A friend once mentioned a great analogy that stuck with me when I heard it. In the solar system, there is the Sun, and the planets are constantly moving around this central thing. In the same way, God is a constant. He doesn't change and nor does His love for us. In reading the New Testament and Old Testament concurrently, I believe that it is important to keep this in mind. I challenge you to see and understand how God's mercy and grace was, has always, and forever more will be present and constant.

Time To Start ;)

Hope everyone is doing well!
I will post readings to the blog as well as my facebook wall. Also, for those who want to get ahead or who wake up early, the morning passage is: Matthew 1 and the evening is: Genesis Chapters 1, 2, and 3 (don't let so many chapters intimidate you...promise it's worth the time, and there won't be three evening chapters every night, but in the beginning, it will kinda be like that).
Enjoy ;)