71st Week Numbers, Chapters 34-36 & Psalm 105 (Click on the Title for a Video Intro)

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 Click on the Title for a Video Introduction



Monday,  Numbers Chapter 34
Numbers 34
Jane Jones

THOUGHT 
The Promised Land was given by God as an Inheritance.

WOW!! In today’s world one great item of purchase that is so expensive and a worthy investment is land. Land in Iowa is an easy $5,000/acre. (June 2009)  But yet the Lord led His people to the Promise Land and gave it away. He did not charge for it, bargain with it, set up a lottery, gamble it away.  He just gave it away. He did not let the tribes claim it. He had it all allotted out and gave it away. In today’s world it is very rare where receiving land as a gift is ever done. It is too valuable a tool. Do you think ‘God’s People’ truly appreciated what God gave them?

I can’t help but think of the Strayer farm. That farm goes back into the history of time over 130 years, and one day Matt and Bart will be recipients of that land. What an awesome gift that will be. But whether it be land, house, jewels, a Family Bible, pocket watch, a DeLorean, etc., it all came from God to begin with. It is in the receiving of such gifts that we must make time to thank the man leading the orchestrated opera. The director of the symphony has everything all mapped out for us. Our true task is to be good stewards of the gifts, and it is in that gift where we truly acknowledge the power and wonder of our Lord.

PRAYER
Lord God, may we make time today to give thanks for at least one gift we have received from You that we are to be stewards of. Thank You for Your giving heart. Your power and might is unreachable and unimaginable. So today to You be the true glory forever and ever. AM



Tuesday, Numbers Chapter 35
Numbers 35
Jane Jones

THOUGHT
Numbers 35 speaks of the towns of the Levites and all the organization that the Lord had planned. All this planning in the book of Numbers about the promise land and what God had all mapped out is truly an amazing thing. The Levites alone were given 48 cities and six of them were to be used as cities of refuge.

God worked very, very, very hard at the planning and the execution of the Promise Land. He must have been so proud and felt so good about giving it to His people. Can you imagine planning all of that? There are days and/or weeks that seem overwhelming to me. Also, when you plan something really big and nice, you want everything to go perfect. People, I am only dealing here with a small family.  The Lord is working His dream through cities and a super amount of people.

Can you imagine the disappointment He experiences when His people don't do as He wants? May we be in prayer daily seeking out the desires of His heart. They may not match with the desires of ours.

PRAYER
Lord, may we always be conscious of how hard You work for us and how much You love us. We ask forgiveness when all Your planning and desires go down fruitless. May we always be aware of how hard You are working for us day by day. AMEN

Wednesday, Numbers Chapter 36
Numbers 36 
Jane Jones

THOUGHT
The last chapter of Numbers shares with us the inheritance laws and rules that God set down for his tribes. The symphony was well written but not very well played out. We let our Lord down.

The book of Numbers covers 39 years and closes with the Israelites poised near the banks of the Jordan River with the Promised Land in sight. The wanderings in the desert have come to an end, and the people are preparing for their next big move--the conquest of the land.

The Apostle Paul says that the events described in Numbers are examples that warn us and help us avoid the Israelites mistakes. Please, Salt Shakers, take the time to read I Corinthians 10:1-12. It sums up what we have just read so well.  From the experiences of Numbers we learn that unbelief is disastrous. We also learn not to long for the sinful pleasures of life, to avoid complaining and to stay away from all forms of compromise.

If we choose to let God lead our lives, we should not ignore His message in the book of Numbers. What a book!

PRAYER
Lord, thank You for the book of Numbers and for showing us what You do to direct our paths even though we sometimes fail to listen for Your direction. Thank You for our jobs and the opportunity to work. You are the best, Lord. In Jesus Name.  AMEN



Thursday, I Corinthians Chapter 10:1-13
I Corinthians 10
Verse 13
Jane Jones

Verse 13:  “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

THOUGHT
Family, there is no greater assurance for us today.  The Bible tells us that GOD IS FAITHFUL.  And not only that, but that He will also provide a way out of our temptation.  All we have to do is follow his lead.  For example, how tempting it is sometimes to talk about a person who has wronged you in some way so that you can get even with him for the lies he shared with someone.  Your fist instinct is to get even, to correct the lie with slander to a fellow co-worker.  But the Bible is very specific to tell us that God will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.  Possibly, he will put that exact co-worker in your path at that very moment, to stop the dreadful “getting even”.  It is not by chance that you see this person coming your way.  If this stops you from hurting that individual, you are on your way to victory.

PRAYER
Father God, we thank You for the Sabbath.  Today was such a day to renew our hearts and spirits so that we can better serve you this week.  We thank You for Your faithfulness.  As we enter a new week, may we be strong in our weakness of temptation, and may we continually be reminded of Your faithfulness as You provide a way out to victory in the name of Jesus.  To You be the Glory forever and ever.  AMEN



Friday, Psalms Chapter 105
Psalm 105 
Verse 4
Delores Little

Verse 4:  Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.

THOUGHT
If God seems far away, persist in your search for Him.  God rewards those who sincerely look for Him.  The Psalmist suggested a valuable way to find God and become familiar with the way He has helped His people in the past.  The Bible records the history of God’s people.  In searching its pages we will discover a loving God who is waiting for us to find Him.  

We cannot read this ancient history without reflecting on how consistently God’s people failed to learn from the past.  They repeatedly turned from fresh examples of God’s faithfulness and forgiveness only to plunge back into sin.  God can use these psalms to remind us how often we do exactly the same thing.  Having every reason to live for God we choose instead to live for everything but God.  If we paid more attention to “His Story”, we wouldn’t make so many mistakes in our own stories. 

PRAYER 
Heavenly Father, take any rebellion out of us and let us be all You want us to be, to glorify You daily in our walk, talk, singing and actions.  As stated in verses 1-5, “Let us be the light to others in this world who walk in darkness.  Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done. Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts. Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always. Remember the wonders He has done, His miracles, and the judgments He pronounced. In Jesus Name we pray. AMEN




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