Deuteronomy 32-34; Mark 3; Psalm 40

Even while tinged with a measure of sadness that Moses will not enter the land promised to the Israelites, this is still a beautiful image: that God would show Moses the land. And this, a picture of his health and strength to the end:

⁷ Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated.

Deuteronomy 34:7, ESV

I’m moved by God’s mercy to share a glimpse of the future to Moses, the coming fulfillment of a promise. And I’m encouraged that Moses was vibrant and clear-sighted as he aged.

⁹ And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Deuteronomy 34:9, ESV

This transition of authority is intentional and strong. Joshua, full of the spirit of wisdom–what a description. Lately in my readings, I notice a fullness in some of the people. Faith. Wisdom. The Holy Spirit. I want to live in that fullness too.

¹³ And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. ¹⁴ And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach ¹⁵ and have authority to cast out demons. ¹⁶ He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); ¹⁷ James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); ¹⁸ Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, ¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Mark 3:13-19, ESV, emphasis mine

Here I notice how Jesus appoints. He calls those whom he desired. Chosen. Picked. Appointed.

I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he inclined to me and heard my cry.
² He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
    out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
    making my steps secure.
³ He put a new song in my mouth,
    a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
    and put their trust in the Lord.

Psalm 40:1-3, ESV

And here in Psalm 40, David sings–drawn up from the pit of destruction, feet set upon a rock, steps secure, and a song of praise to sing to God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.

Lord, you are not wasteful, but intentional. Equipping, appointing, calling. I love how even our worst situations/memories can become the music for our song to you–of your faithfulness, your salvation–to make you known and to glorify you. You can take it all and turn it to glory. You are the one who fills us with wisdom, faith, your Spirit, and song.

Courtney (66books365)

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Deuteronomy 23-26; Mark 1

I’m reading through Deuteronomy and seeing what the Lord values, his warnings, and his reasons why. Twice, I’m caught by the word “remember.”

¹⁷ “True justice must be given to foreigners living among you and to orphans, and you must never accept a widow’s garment as security for her debt. ¹⁸ Always remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God redeemed you from your slavery. That is why I have given you this command.

¹⁹ “When you are harvesting your crops and forget to bring in a bundle of grain from your field, don’t go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all you do. ²⁰ When you beat the olives from your olive trees, don’t go over the boughs twice. Leave the remaining olives for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. ²¹ When you gather the grapes in your vineyard, don’t glean the vines after they are picked. Leave the remaining grapes for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. ²² Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt. That is why I am giving you this command (Deuteronomy 24:17-22, NLT, emphasis added).

Here, calls to justice, mercy, compassion. These are things the Lord values. He reminds the people to remember where they came from–for they were all once slaves who received justice, mercy, and compassion from the Lord. And more: they received what they needed, perhaps in abundance, so that there was leftover to spare. They didn’t need to hold tightly. The Lord provides.

New Testament readings, and my heart swells at this:

¹⁰ As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹ And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”

¹² The Spirit then compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness, ¹³ where he was tempted by Satan for forty days. He was out among the wild animals, and angels took care of him.

¹⁴ Later on, after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee, where he preached God’s Good News. ¹⁵ “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News! (Mark 1:10-15, emphasis added)”

In Mark, Jesus, Son of God, who brings the Father great joy–even the angels take care of him. This is the God I love and who loves me too (Father, provider, protector, teacher–and so much more). I read of the healing that takes place as Jesus moves from place to place. Demons released, health restored, lives changed. He teaches with authority and shows the way.

³⁵ Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. ³⁶ Later Simon and the others went out to find him. ³⁷ When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.”

³⁸ But Jesus replied, “We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came (Mark 1:35-38, NLT, emphasis added).”

Self: do not live deceived by comfort. I was saved by grace. I know where I came from, and I know who I should have become in a lineage void of Jesus. I can trust him to show mercy, justice, compassion, generosity. He calls me to do the same–to remember where I came from and how he saved me. Lord Jesus, everyone is looking for you, to fill a void and soothe a cry, to show the way to freedom. I am so grateful I know you.

Courtney (66books365)

From the archives. Originally published March 14, 2019.

Deuteronomy 10-14; Acts 26

I nearly highlighted all of Deuteronomy’s readings today, they are so good. They tell of the Lord’s love and provision. It’s a guideline for good–to love the Lord. A holy stewardship to pass along. Love the Lord and serve him. Write it down. Everywhere. On my heart. On my hands. On my doorpost. Teach and talk. Day and night.

²⁰ You shall fear the Lord your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear. ²¹ He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen. ²² Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.

11 “You shall therefore love the Lord your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always. ² And consider today (since I am not speaking to your children who have not known or seen it), consider the discipline of the Lord your God, his greatness, his mighty hand and his outstretched arm, ³ his signs and his deeds that he did in Egypt to Pharaoh the king of Egypt and to all his land, ⁴ and what he did to the army of Egypt, to their horses and to their chariots, how he made the water of the Red Sea flow over them as they pursued after you, and how the Lord has destroyed them to this day, ⁵ and what he did to you in the wilderness, until you came to this place, ⁶ and what he did to Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, son of Reuben, how the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households, their tents, and every living thing that followed them, in the midst of all Israel. ⁷ For your eyes have seen all the great work of the Lord that he did.

⁸ “You shall therefore keep the whole commandment that I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and take possession of the land that you are going over to possess, ⁹ and that you may live long in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give to them and to their offspring, a land flowing with milk and honey. ¹⁰ For the land that you are entering to take possession of it is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and irrigated it, like a garden of vegetables. ¹¹ But the land that you are going over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water by the rain from heaven, ¹² a land that the Lord your God cares for. The eyes of the Lord your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.

¹³ “And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹⁴ he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil. ¹⁵ And he will give grass in your fields for your livestock, and you shall eat and be full. ¹⁶ Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them; ¹⁷ then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you will perish quickly off the good land that the Lord is giving you.

¹⁸ “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ¹⁹ You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. ²⁰ You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, ²¹ that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth. ²² For if you will be careful to do all this commandment that I command you to do, loving the Lord your God, walking in all his ways, and holding fast to him, ²³ then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you.

Deuteronomy 10:20-22, 11:1-23, ESV

Lord, you know man’s heart. This is why you remind us (me!) to keep your word close, to speak of you daily, to love you. Paul took your charge to heart–to go and make the most of every opportunity to share the gospel–and the sharing of the gospel prompted more and more occasions to share the message far and wide. Help me to be vigilant and aware to share your love, Lord, and to make the most of the opportunities you give me.

Courtney (66books365)

Numbers 26-29; Acts 21

Sacrifice always held a punitive meaning to me, until recently. I used to think it required suffering or mournful loss. Maybe that was because what was forfeited may have held worth or desire. But my view of it changed when posed a question about what I was willing to sacrifice for something I valued.

What would I sacrifice for: my health, my faith, my family? Was it really a sacrifice to give up junk food so that my body would stop being slammed with inflammation and sugar surges? Was it really a loss to say no to an event that cost me time and focus with the people I’m called to care for and who I love so much under my roof? Was it a hardship to turn away from media sources that promote dissension, perversion, and hatred? How did comfort foods, pressures and pop culture ever gain worth or desire in the first place?

In Numbers, there are stipulations of what an offering to the Lord looks like, by quality, frequency, and measurement.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Command the people of Israel and say to them, ‘My offering, my food for my food offerings, my pleasing aroma, you shall be careful to offer to me at its appointed time.’

Numbers 28:1, ESV

When finer things were offered up to the Lord, how does a cheap muffin even qualify for a sacrifice?

Paul demonstrates how to live life as an offering.

¹⁰ While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. ¹¹ And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” ¹² When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. ¹³ Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” ¹⁴ And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.”

Acts 21:10-14, ESV

He was willing to face imprisonment or even death for the name of the Lord.

Lord, you have given me time, ability, treasure, heart, and health to steward. My view of these things is clearer in light of these Scriptures–an offering of value and intention in the giving–for you, who I value most. It is all yours to begin with. If from these things I present an offering to you, please help me to be intentional to honor and glorify you with my life.

Courtney (66books365)

Numbers 8-11; Acts 16

God is on the move. It’s easy to see in these chapters: Cloud by day. Fire by night. Provision. An earthquake and prison doors flung open. Reading all this–a page turner, miraculous, and so marvelous that it all happened. God is great.

²³ And the Lord said to Moses, “Is the Lord’s hand shortened? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not.”

Numbers 11:23, ESV

Moses, who had been through so much, even then wonders how the Lord will provide. Thank you, Lord, for remind me of these page turning, miraculous marvels of history.

I can look back on my life and see you at work. Things that seemed miraculous to me and to know that it was from you.

Is the Lord’s hand shortened? No. Not then. Not now.

He is trustworthy and faithful.

Courtney (66books365)