Blogging through the Bible in 90 Days: Day 17. Faith by osmosis....

#B90Days, Day 17.  Judges 2:10.

Reading:  Joshua 15: 1 - Judges 3 : 27

Scripture:  Judges 2 : 10

 After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel.

Observations:


Joshua died, and when everyone who was alive at the time of the crossing of the Jordan passed away, they remembered the Lord no more.

All of a sudden the repetition in Deuteronomy urging them to love and serve God with all their mind, soul, heart and strength, and to diligently teach their children all the time, make sense.

Deuteronomy 6:7 says:

You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

Something went wrong.

Maybe the glory of the Lord was so obvious to that generation that they took it for granted that the children would understand the magnitude of what He had done for them.   The adults at the time reveled in the Glory of God, and the young children watched as their parents served.  Perhaps the instruction, and talking about the laws never happened, because the adults didn't need the reminders.

When the adults passed on, and the children were grown, all of a sudden there is a generation of people that had been riding on the faith of their parents.  If they had heard, and learned, they would have made it their own.  But faith by osmosis cannot stand in the day of trials.  Faith by osmosis is not faith at all.

So the grandchildren of the ones that crossed the Jordan grew up barely hearing mention of God.

And God knew it would happen.  That's why He warned them over, and over again.... Don't forget.  Don't become complacent.  Remember all that I have done, and pass it along to your children.

But as it happened, a generation was raised that "knew neither the LORD, nor what He had done for Israel."


Application: 


Faith is a personal journey.  I could not bring my mother to the kingdom through my prayers for her.  She had to find it on her own. And she did.  And the faith of all of us cannot pray my sister into heaven. She has to find it on her own.  She can pick up the details by osmosis.... and learn a little Christianese... but the bottom line is a relationship with our Creator and Savior.

My faith in God has to be lived out, every single day.  It has to be in my words, and my actions.
My sons cannot hear my internal praying.   I have to bring it all out in the open, for them, so that they can see faith in action.

We need to talk about the God that loves us, all the time.  At the dinner table.  When we are walking down the road.  When we are driving in the car.

They need to see that trusting in the Lord is normal.
They need to see that making time to get up early to be in the WORD, to hear from Him is normal.

But more than seeing it....
They have to understand it, and choose it for themselves.
It needs to become their own.

Prayer:


 Father God,
What a wake up call.

Thank you so much for my sweet son, who every morning comes down and asks me, "Mommy?  Is your pray time with Jesus done?"  Thank you for helping me to establish the pattern of getting up early to meet with you during the school year, and then providing the discipline and motivation to continue it on through the summer time!

Help us, as parents, to live our faith out loud to our children.  Discussing You with them, all the time.
And help us to handle the boundary testing that is happening now with grace, and love...
Amen.

Blogging through the #B90Days: Day 14 - It's not all that different.

Reading (and semi-regularly blogging) through the Bible in 90 Days, through the challenge hosted at Mom's Toolbox.

Reading:  Deuteronomy 8:1 - Deuteronomy 23:11

Scripture:  Deuteronomy 10: 12 (13)

12 “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, ( 13 and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good? )

Observations: 


Verse 12 is very familiar. We hear it all throughout the New Testament.  Serve/Love God with our whole hearts, with all our souls, and to walk in His ways.

No so different.
The difference is because of verse 13.
The New Covenant frees us from being under the commandments and the statutes.  We are under GRACE.


Application:


He has not changed what He wants out of humanity over all of this time.
He wants us to CHOOSE HIM.
He wants us to FEAR HIM -- because He IS GOD -- He is HOLY.
He wants us to respect Him, and live the way that He is teaching us/commanding us.
He wants us to LOVE HIM.  Because He first loved US.


How much easier we have it as believers under the New Covenant.  We don't just have the invisible God. We have the Holy Spirit, there with us always. We have access to the throne of Grace, whenever we choose.  And we have a Savior, that died for us, individually and corporately.

When we, 21st century Christians, are downhearted, perhaps we need to come back to Deuteronomy and remember what a Holy God we serve, and how completely grateful we should be every. single. day. for the Cross.

Prayer:

Oh Lord,
You have searched me, and You know my heart.
Help these words, these insights that you have given me last throughout the night and into tomorrow.  Help these remembrances of you shape the new day tomorrow.
Help the gratefulness create the fragrance of You, and let it flow through our home, our community.

Thank you.
From the depths of my soul, and the deep of my heart,
thank you.

Amen.

Blogging through the #B90Days: Day 13

Blogging (sometimes) through the Bible in 90 Days.  There are SO many people reading it together through the challenge hosted on Mom's Toolbox.   This is my reflection and response to the reading for Day 13. Click here to read Amy's reflection.

Reading:   Numbers 32:20-Deuteronomy 7:26

Scripture:  Deuteronomy 6: 6-7

6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

Observations:


The Words of the Lord were/are supposed to be reflected upon more than a once a week, or even once a day.  All the time, we are to be discussing the commands of our God, and teaching our children by living the lives that He called us to live.

Application:


These verses jumped out at me, because thanks for the inquisitive heart of our five year old, this is exactly what we are doing.  He is asking questions all the time, and he is SO responsive to scriptural based correction.  We talk at the dinner table. We talk when we are sitting on our porch.  We talk when we are sitting together in the living room, in the middle of Angry Birds (he calls it Grumpy Birds) shots.

It was just a reminder that we need to be intentional about our sharing with him.  And we need to establish the pattern, because our younger son might not have the same questions, and might not be as receptive, or as in tune with spiritual things.

We are training our young boys in the way of worshiping the Lord our God, so that they will become young men who worship and follow after God, and become fathers who worship and follow after God.

(whoa.  My sweet son is starting Kindergarten in the fall. I don't want to fast forward that far yet!)

Prayer:

Father,
You are Holy.
Reading through Deuteronomy makes me realize just how Holy you are.
How often do I neglect the significance of the cross.  That I,  a gentile woman has the privilege of approaching your Throne of Grace, and calling you my Father, and that you are with me all of the time.

Lord, I am desperate to remain always thankful for the New Covenant.
Help me to live a live of overwhelming gratitude, that spills over onto every conversation with my son, with my co-workers, with my students, with my relatives, with my friends...

May Your commands, and Your WORD remain always on my mind, and may it become natural to teach, and not just answer questions.

In awe...
In humility,
Amen