One Year Bible, April 4

DEUTERONOMY 26:1-27:26                                                                          
FIRSTFRUITS: Were brought before the Lord in a basket, confession made of God's faithfulness in their history.

TITHES: Were also brought before the Lord, and confession made of their own faithfulness.

DOUBLE VOWS: We vow to be God's possession, to walk in His ways, to keep His commandments, and to listen to His Voice.   In turn, the Lord vows that we will be His "treasure" (peculiar people), and we will be holy to the Lord, exalted above all nations "in praise (showcased); in Name (of distinction and eminence); and in honor (of eminent character and integrity).”   "I now pronounce you Husband and wife."

COVENANT RESPONSIBILITIES: To be blessed is to be empowered by God because of our obedience. To be cursed is to be assigned to destruction by God. These curses were pronounced so that we would understand that the consequences of disobedience are not a mere threat!

RESPONSE:   Because 6 tribes stood on each mountaintop to shout "amen" - the two mountains themselves would serve as a memorial that could be seen for miles around. By the way, Joshua actually led the nation to make these pronouncements after they got in the Land. Sin and disobedience brings a curse. All sin brings deception, because we can get numb to conviction and then walk in unreality. Only the Holy Spirit can change that. Imagine having an unreal view of Life, of not realizing you are walking in the wrong direction, making bad decisions to compound the original bad decision.

It is like aiming for the moon and being only 1/2 inch off. The farther away your travel, the farther away from the moon you go because of your trajectory. You miss the moon by miles, even though you started out only 1/2 inch off. Sin is like that. You are only 1/2 inch off - maybe a wrong attitude, a wrong thought, a little snit, but the longer you persist in it, the farther away from heaven you get.

LUKE 10:38-11:13                                                                                               

"Many things" vs. "one thing": "Many things" leave our hearts divided and distracted. There's a meal being served in this house, and it's not in the kitchen!

No bread, but plenty of crust: "three loaves at midnight" refers to revelation received in prayer. God gives willingly, freely, to everyone who comes.

Ask: Simply ask for certain things like Christian character traits, wisdom, more love, courage. Seek: A process over time of searching, getting understanding, insight, unraveling mystery. Knock: Both time and repetition to get behind a wall of resistance. All prayer ends in certainty. All fulfillment of need is an activity of the Holy Spirit.

RESPONSE:   I have to be careful that "many things" don't distract me from the "one thing" that I need - time with Jesus.   I am not only a Type A person, but I have a very full life. Sometimes I try to cram too much into one day, and then have to cry out to God to help me set priorities. "Tell me what's important today, Lord. Help me to center in on You so I don't get too tired, too hurried, too anything! Make me sweet as I go about Your business. Let people feel that they have been touched by God."

PSALM 76:1-12                                                                                                      
The occasion might have been 2Kings 19:35, the victory over the Assyrians. The enemy fell asleep and the Angel of the Lord killed 185,000! This Psalm is in Thanksgiving for Victory.

ZION (v.2) is God's stepping-stone for world takeover. It is His dwelling-place, " the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect." (Heb 12:22-23), the throne-room of God, the place of intimacy and prayer. God is here "Him that ought to be feared."

PROVERBS 12:15-17                                                                                         
Isn't it hard to give advice to someone who thinks he already knows it all? BUT "a wise man listens to advice."   He might learn something!   Passionate self-defense is ALWAYS evil.   If the SELF is "crucified with Christ", how can it respond to insult?

RESPONSE:   Never defend yourself. Never demand your own rights. Never complain.  They are cardinal rules learned in the Wilderness. If you want to make it out of there and then be blessed, that is.