Genesis 4: 1-15
Ahhh the story of Cain and Able. A tale of two brothers, jealousy, and murder. It’s crazy and scary to me what jealousy can lead us to do. When I think of this story it seems like Cain is this mad, crazy, murder, but when I think about this verse and read it how many times have I sinned in my own jealousy…not murder but definitely gossip, bitterness, anger, self pity, etc. I see that God gave both men jobs to do and provided for their every need, but when it came time to give back to God, God chose to approve the sacrifice that was given with a pure heart; the best of the best, Able trusted God with his best and didn’t just offer generic produce, his scraps, or the over pouring of this crops. God told Cain to stop sulking, to offer up his best as well and to do well and his sacrifice too would be accepted. God knew Cain had killed Able and still asked him where Able was. Cain lied to God, God punished Cain for committing murder and when Cain asked to be killed God wouldn’t allow it because he wanted Cain to have to work and slave instead of dying…which to me is much worse than dying!
This applies to my life because I find myself being Cain so often. I look at my life, my abilities, my finances, people, my efforts and I give things to the Lord, I surrender them to Him but sometimes with wrong motives, sometime with a spirit of speculation, inadequacy, comparison and often I don’t give Him my all. I come to God to surrender things in my life to give back to Him because He has given me so much and I don’t give him 100%. It’s because I don’t trust Him with those things. Even when I know I need to give him ALL I come with my leftovers, I come with 40% and not 100% of what He has given me and why? Because I don’t trust Him with my best, with my 100% even though He has given me everything I need, provided my every need, I still have this sense that maybe I can be in control of what He has given me…..how selfish! Then I let jealousy creep in and hinder and destroy relationships with other people who are seeking the Lord. I see them giving their all to the Lord and even though I know I am only giving some…I find myself bitter and angry and jealous against them for what the Lord has given them. Majority of us wouldn’t dare think to murder our family member, friend, or loved one because of comparison and jealousy but we all definitely at some point have sinned against them in some way because of it.
Oh God make our hearts like yours, make my heart like yours! Allow us to first of all bring our best, bring our all, bring 100% to you, and surrender to you with trust, with no reservations, with no turning back. Allow us to celebrate when other surrender their all to you, to celebrate what others have and how you have made them rather than compare, speculate, become bitter and angry and jealous over them! God you have given me this heart but so often my heart is filled with such hardness, such sin. Give me a new heart, a new mind, and a life that is willing to surrender my ALL to you!!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Day 2
So today I felt very strongly that the Lord was telling me to go to Isaiah. I wasn't sure where but I kept praying and felt that today I was to read Isaiah 62, a chapter in Isaiah that I just love. I find God's love baffling. I cannot fathom how someone could love us, could love me, unconditionally and want so much for someone. I love that He made us all unique...no one person the same as another. I also love that He wants a relationship so deep that He wants us to know His name for us. I love that in chapter 62 God gives Zion a new name.
Isaiah 62
Zion's New Name
1 For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,
for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet,
till her righteousness shines out like the dawn,
her salvation like a blazing torch.
2 The nations will see your righteousness,
and all kings your glory;
you will be called by a new name
that the mouth of the LORD will bestow.
3 You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD's hand,
a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4 No longer will they call you Deserted,
or name your land Desolate.
But you will be called Hephzibah (my delight is in her)
and your land Beulah (married) ;
for the LORD will take delight in you,
and your land will be married.
5 As a young man marries a maiden,
so will your sons [c] marry you;
as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,
so will your God rejoice over you.
6 I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;
they will never be silent day or night.
You who call on the LORD,
give yourselves no rest,
7 and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem
and makes her the praise of the earth.
8 The LORD has sworn by his right hand
and by his mighty arm:
"Never again will I give your grain
as food for your enemies,
and never again will foreigners drink the new wine
for which you have toiled;
9 but those who harvest it will eat it
and praise the LORD,
and those who gather the grapes will drink it
in the courts of my sanctuary."
10 Pass through, pass through the gates!
Prepare the way for the people.
Build up, build up the highway!
Remove the stones.
Raise a banner for the nations.
11 The LORD has made proclamation
to the ends of the earth:
"Say to the Daughter of Zion,
'See, your Savior comes!
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.' "
12 They will be called the Holy People,
the Redeemed of the LORD;
and you will be called Sought After,
the City No Longer Deserted.
I also love the way the Message phrases this:
Isaiah 62
Look, Your Savior Comes!
1-5 Regarding Zion, I can't keep my mouth shut, regarding Jerusalem, I can't hold my tongue,
Until her righteousness blazes down like the sun
and her salvation flames up like a torch.
Foreign countries will see your righteousness,
and world leaders your glory.
You'll get a brand-new name
straight from the mouth of God.
You'll be a stunning crown in the palm of God's hand,
a jeweled gold cup held high in the hand of your God.
No more will anyone call you Rejected,
and your country will no more be called Ruined.
You'll be called Hephzibah (My Delight),
and your land Beulah (Married),
Because God delights in you
and your land will be like a wedding celebration.
For as a young man marries his virgin bride,
so your builder marries you,
And as a bridegroom is happy in his bride,
so your God is happy with you.
6-7I've posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem.
Day and night they keep at it, praying, calling out,
reminding God to remember.
They are to give him no peace until he does what he said,
until he makes Jerusalem famous as the City of Praise.
8-9God has taken a solemn oath,
an oath he means to keep:
"Never again will I open your grain-filled barns
to your enemies to loot and eat.
Never again will foreigners drink the wine
that you worked so hard to produce.
No. The farmers who grow the food will eat the food
and praise God for it.
And those who make the wine will drink the wine
in my holy courtyards."
10-12Walk out of the gates. Get going!
Get the road ready for the people.
Build the highway. Get at it!
Clear the debris,
hoist high a flag, a signal to all peoples!
Yes! God has broadcast to all the world:
"Tell daughter Zion, 'Look! Your Savior comes,
Ready to do what he said he'd do,
prepared to complete what he promised.'"
Zion will be called new names: Holy People, God-Redeemed,
Sought-Out, City-Not-Forsaken.
I just LOVE how God is gushing about Zion. He gushes about us too! He calls us Hephzibah (my delight) and we are his bride...we are married to the Lord! I love that it says we are no longer rejected, that we are a torch, that we are stunning. I look at myself sometimes and think "why does God love me?! I am so undeserving of such love" but he looks at me and sees a treasure, He see's a masterpiece, He sees beauty. I think of friends who are dating or married that have "pet names"/"special names" for each other. Names that mean sooo much when spoken to by the other. When one person calls the other by that special name there is meaning...significance behind it even if it makes no sense to anyone else, and it makes that other person feel loved and cherished by the other when called that name...as basic or as silly as it may be. That is what I feel God is speaking to me from this verse. That me, his daugher...His love...I have a special name that when spoken by Him is such a special treasure shared between us!
I met with a friend back in February and we went through the book together. What a sweet season of my life that was! She challanged me to ask God what my new name is...what His name is for me, so that when I pray to Him, and seek Him its on a much deeper, intimate level. I have been praying for months and am still seeking Him on that name, but I do know when He reveals it to me it will be such a sweet time, just like it was for the people of Zion to be called Hephzibah! I am swept away by God's love, and am honored and privilleged to be a part of His family. I pray that we can all be challenged to ask God what His name for us specifically is! I know I am still asking :)
Isaiah 62
Zion's New Name
1 For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,
for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet,
till her righteousness shines out like the dawn,
her salvation like a blazing torch.
2 The nations will see your righteousness,
and all kings your glory;
you will be called by a new name
that the mouth of the LORD will bestow.
3 You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD's hand,
a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4 No longer will they call you Deserted,
or name your land Desolate.
But you will be called Hephzibah (my delight is in her)
and your land Beulah (married) ;
for the LORD will take delight in you,
and your land will be married.
5 As a young man marries a maiden,
so will your sons [c] marry you;
as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,
so will your God rejoice over you.
6 I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;
they will never be silent day or night.
You who call on the LORD,
give yourselves no rest,
7 and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem
and makes her the praise of the earth.
8 The LORD has sworn by his right hand
and by his mighty arm:
"Never again will I give your grain
as food for your enemies,
and never again will foreigners drink the new wine
for which you have toiled;
9 but those who harvest it will eat it
and praise the LORD,
and those who gather the grapes will drink it
in the courts of my sanctuary."
10 Pass through, pass through the gates!
Prepare the way for the people.
Build up, build up the highway!
Remove the stones.
Raise a banner for the nations.
11 The LORD has made proclamation
to the ends of the earth:
"Say to the Daughter of Zion,
'See, your Savior comes!
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.' "
12 They will be called the Holy People,
the Redeemed of the LORD;
and you will be called Sought After,
the City No Longer Deserted.
I also love the way the Message phrases this:
Isaiah 62
Look, Your Savior Comes!
1-5 Regarding Zion, I can't keep my mouth shut, regarding Jerusalem, I can't hold my tongue,
Until her righteousness blazes down like the sun
and her salvation flames up like a torch.
Foreign countries will see your righteousness,
and world leaders your glory.
You'll get a brand-new name
straight from the mouth of God.
You'll be a stunning crown in the palm of God's hand,
a jeweled gold cup held high in the hand of your God.
No more will anyone call you Rejected,
and your country will no more be called Ruined.
You'll be called Hephzibah (My Delight),
and your land Beulah (Married),
Because God delights in you
and your land will be like a wedding celebration.
For as a young man marries his virgin bride,
so your builder marries you,
And as a bridegroom is happy in his bride,
so your God is happy with you.
6-7I've posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem.
Day and night they keep at it, praying, calling out,
reminding God to remember.
They are to give him no peace until he does what he said,
until he makes Jerusalem famous as the City of Praise.
8-9God has taken a solemn oath,
an oath he means to keep:
"Never again will I open your grain-filled barns
to your enemies to loot and eat.
Never again will foreigners drink the wine
that you worked so hard to produce.
No. The farmers who grow the food will eat the food
and praise God for it.
And those who make the wine will drink the wine
in my holy courtyards."
10-12Walk out of the gates. Get going!
Get the road ready for the people.
Build the highway. Get at it!
Clear the debris,
hoist high a flag, a signal to all peoples!
Yes! God has broadcast to all the world:
"Tell daughter Zion, 'Look! Your Savior comes,
Ready to do what he said he'd do,
prepared to complete what he promised.'"
Zion will be called new names: Holy People, God-Redeemed,
Sought-Out, City-Not-Forsaken.
I just LOVE how God is gushing about Zion. He gushes about us too! He calls us Hephzibah (my delight) and we are his bride...we are married to the Lord! I love that it says we are no longer rejected, that we are a torch, that we are stunning. I look at myself sometimes and think "why does God love me?! I am so undeserving of such love" but he looks at me and sees a treasure, He see's a masterpiece, He sees beauty. I think of friends who are dating or married that have "pet names"/"special names" for each other. Names that mean sooo much when spoken to by the other. When one person calls the other by that special name there is meaning...significance behind it even if it makes no sense to anyone else, and it makes that other person feel loved and cherished by the other when called that name...as basic or as silly as it may be. That is what I feel God is speaking to me from this verse. That me, his daugher...His love...I have a special name that when spoken by Him is such a special treasure shared between us!
I met with a friend back in February and we went through the book together. What a sweet season of my life that was! She challanged me to ask God what my new name is...what His name is for me, so that when I pray to Him, and seek Him its on a much deeper, intimate level. I have been praying for months and am still seeking Him on that name, but I do know when He reveals it to me it will be such a sweet time, just like it was for the people of Zion to be called Hephzibah! I am swept away by God's love, and am honored and privilleged to be a part of His family. I pray that we can all be challenged to ask God what His name for us specifically is! I know I am still asking :)
Monday, September 20, 2010
So I have been MIA in the blogging world for a while now, and to be honest it is just laziness. I love to put my thoughts on a blog but often don’t feel like taking the time to do so. Hopefully for the next 40 days at least I will be consistent, even if the post is short but sharing what the Lord is speaking to me each day. Why am I taking this challenge…..please read….
Yesterday my friend Matt Cote brought an amazing message and challenged our local church to a 40 day challenge to get into God’s world (if you want to listen online you can go to www.brentwoodchurch.org and download the podcast…I think you should it was awesome). I wanted to take on this challenge to not just “talk the talk” but to actually get into the word, learn, and show Christ that he is my ultimate authority and deserving of my time! The challenge is that for 40 days, everyday, you designate 20-25 mins in the word. I have to admit this is always a struggle for me. When life gets busy it seems as if God takes a back seat first, and I hate that! I will get my tail out of bed at 5:00 in the morning to take care of myself physically for an hour, I will have no problems chatting it up with a friend on the phone or at a coffee shop for hours, but to wake up early, or to set aside 20-25 mins to be with God seems challenging……why is that!!??? I want a change!
My small group is doing a study right now called “No Other God’s” by Kelly Minter. At first I think we were all like “oh…idols….yeah it will be a good study….but I don’t have idols in MY life.” Little did we know that all 6 of us have been blown away by this study the past four weeks. It has been revealing, challenging, hard, and humbling. Today I started the 40 day challenge. I asked God “Lord what do you want me to read today”, and after a while I wasn’t hearing anything, I already found myself frustrated. So I started my study for this week and that is when God said “Erin….THIS is what you need today” and did I ever!!
I have read the book of James numerous times, but for some reason this verse has not popped out to me the way it did today. I read it and re-read it, and had a pang of conviction each time. James 4: 1-3 (NIV) says “What causes quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” I also like how the Message phrases this passage: “Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don't have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn't yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it. You wouldn't think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you'd be asking for what you have no right to. You're spoiled children, each wanting your own way.
Wow…see sometimes idols…”functional gods” are things that really are good things…its just the way we handle those desires that can turn them into idols. The word desire from verse 2 means to “covet or to lust”, Kelly Minter says that it is taken from the Greek word epithumio with literally means “to set the heart upon, i.e. long for (rightfully or otherwise)-covet, desire, lust (after). Kelly also says that an example of a “good” desire that we have may be the struggle for relationships, and the desire to be loved. Not that men don’t have this desire but she says that she thinks the pervasive desire to be loved and chosen is especially innate in women. This desire is a very good thing, a God-given thing, however we’ve all been on both sides of what happens when this desire becomes the dominating force in a person’s life. This is seen through friendship, families, and marriages that are utterly destroyed over an obsessive and consuming desire to be loved by someone. Again…taking a natural desire but making it an idol by being willing to sin (covet, lust, jealousy, bitterness, anger, and even murder) to get it.
How many times have I asked God over and over again for something….most of the time something “good” with “wrong motives” vs. 3, or having no right to have it at that time knowing that if I got it would be a consuming idol in my life? How many times have I desired to have something in my own life, and seen it in someone else’s and allowed jealousy, anger, bitterness, disconnect, and covetousness to enter the scene and either destroy a relationship, prevent one from happening, or “fighting and quarreling” with that person. How sad! I don’t want that!
Day 1…wow….amazing! I know that James 4: 1-3 spoke to me and challenged me in areas that I needed to hear! Thank you Lord for showing that to me today!
Yesterday my friend Matt Cote brought an amazing message and challenged our local church to a 40 day challenge to get into God’s world (if you want to listen online you can go to www.brentwoodchurch.org and download the podcast…I think you should it was awesome). I wanted to take on this challenge to not just “talk the talk” but to actually get into the word, learn, and show Christ that he is my ultimate authority and deserving of my time! The challenge is that for 40 days, everyday, you designate 20-25 mins in the word. I have to admit this is always a struggle for me. When life gets busy it seems as if God takes a back seat first, and I hate that! I will get my tail out of bed at 5:00 in the morning to take care of myself physically for an hour, I will have no problems chatting it up with a friend on the phone or at a coffee shop for hours, but to wake up early, or to set aside 20-25 mins to be with God seems challenging……why is that!!??? I want a change!
My small group is doing a study right now called “No Other God’s” by Kelly Minter. At first I think we were all like “oh…idols….yeah it will be a good study….but I don’t have idols in MY life.” Little did we know that all 6 of us have been blown away by this study the past four weeks. It has been revealing, challenging, hard, and humbling. Today I started the 40 day challenge. I asked God “Lord what do you want me to read today”, and after a while I wasn’t hearing anything, I already found myself frustrated. So I started my study for this week and that is when God said “Erin….THIS is what you need today” and did I ever!!
I have read the book of James numerous times, but for some reason this verse has not popped out to me the way it did today. I read it and re-read it, and had a pang of conviction each time. James 4: 1-3 (NIV) says “What causes quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” I also like how the Message phrases this passage: “Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don't have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn't yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it. You wouldn't think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you'd be asking for what you have no right to. You're spoiled children, each wanting your own way.
Wow…see sometimes idols…”functional gods” are things that really are good things…its just the way we handle those desires that can turn them into idols. The word desire from verse 2 means to “covet or to lust”, Kelly Minter says that it is taken from the Greek word epithumio with literally means “to set the heart upon, i.e. long for (rightfully or otherwise)-covet, desire, lust (after). Kelly also says that an example of a “good” desire that we have may be the struggle for relationships, and the desire to be loved. Not that men don’t have this desire but she says that she thinks the pervasive desire to be loved and chosen is especially innate in women. This desire is a very good thing, a God-given thing, however we’ve all been on both sides of what happens when this desire becomes the dominating force in a person’s life. This is seen through friendship, families, and marriages that are utterly destroyed over an obsessive and consuming desire to be loved by someone. Again…taking a natural desire but making it an idol by being willing to sin (covet, lust, jealousy, bitterness, anger, and even murder) to get it.
How many times have I asked God over and over again for something….most of the time something “good” with “wrong motives” vs. 3, or having no right to have it at that time knowing that if I got it would be a consuming idol in my life? How many times have I desired to have something in my own life, and seen it in someone else’s and allowed jealousy, anger, bitterness, disconnect, and covetousness to enter the scene and either destroy a relationship, prevent one from happening, or “fighting and quarreling” with that person. How sad! I don’t want that!
Day 1…wow….amazing! I know that James 4: 1-3 spoke to me and challenged me in areas that I needed to hear! Thank you Lord for showing that to me today!
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