July 28 Family and Spiritual Heritage

O Father, when I think of how fortunate I am, and all the blessings You have given me, it takes my breath away, and I am humbled to tears.

Even before I was born, You determined when I would be born, and where, and to whom.  There were generations who came before me who knew You and worshipped You.  That is a godly heritage I must not take for granted.

David was a man after Your own heart.  And yet his lineage is full of men who were idolatrous, murderous, and evil.  Jehoshaphat followed You and taught others to worship You, yet his own firstborn, Jehoram, when given the rule, murdered all his brothers to secure his reign.  He married a daughter of Jezebel, a manipulative and evil woman.

After Jehoram’s gruesome death, his youngest son, Ahaziah took over and was encouraged into doing more evil by his mother.  Later, this evil mother, upon learning of her own son’s death, murdered all the siblings and offspring so she could reign in her son’s place!

But she missed baby Joash.  Joash was hidden and raised by godly people.  When he came to reign at the age of seven, he ruled rightly in Your eyes.

I know, Father, that You call each of us.  Some come from broken homes and dark, painful backgrounds.  But we each owe You a debt of gratitude for every divine influence and godly person You put in our path.

I can think of relatives, Sunday School teachers, preachers who taught me to love You and seek to know You.  But I also remember neighbors, friends, even strangers, who taught me godly lessons – some without even knowing it.  I am grateful, and thank You for each one of these.

As I look back over my life, I can see that I would not have all I have now, be all I am now, or love You the way I do, without Your intervention and Your loving care.  There is no doubt in my mind – You were involved in a personal relationship with me before I even knew You.   Thank You for all You have done.

Father, it also challenges me to be that divine influence in the lives of others You bring across my path.  Help me see opportunities to point others to You.  Open my eyes to recognize when I can say something, do something, be something that will benefit the faith of others.  Use me Lord, to pass on the blessing.  Amen

2 Chronicles 21:1-23:11

July 28 Family and Spiritual Heritage

O Father, when I think of how fortunate I am, and all the blessings You have given me, it takes my breath away, and I am humbled to tears.

Even before I was born, You determined when I would be born, and where, and to whom.  There were generations who came before me who knew You and worshipped You.  That is a godly heritage I must not take for granted.

David was a man after Your own heart.  And yet his lineage is full of men who were idolatrous, murderous, and evil.  Jehoshaphat followed You and taught others to worship You, yet his own firstborn, Jehoram, when given the rule, murdered all his brothers to secure his reign.  He married a daughter of Jezebel, a manipulative and evil woman.

After Jehoram’s gruesome death, his youngest son, Ahaziah took over and was encouraged into doing more evil by his mother.  Later, this evil mother, upon learning of her own son’s death, murdered all the siblings and offspring so she could reign in her son’s place!

But she missed baby Joash.  Joash was hidden and raised by godly people.  When he came to reign at the age of seven, he ruled rightly in Your eyes.

I know, Father, that You call each of us.  Some come from broken homes and dark, painful backgrounds.  But we each owe You a debt of gratitude for every divine influence and godly person You put in our path.

I can think of relatives, Sunday School teachers, preachers who taught me to love You and seek to know You.  But I also remember neighbors, friends, even strangers, who taught me godly lessons – some without even knowing it.  I am grateful, and thank You for each one of these.

As I look back over my life, I can see that I would not have all I have now, be all I am now, or love You the way I do, without Your intervention and Your loving care.  There is no doubt in my mind – You were involved in a personal relationship with me before I even knew You.   Thank You for all You have done.

Father, it also challenges me to be that divine influence in the lives of others You bring across my path.  Help me see opportunities to point others to You.  Open my eyes to recognize when I can say something, do something, be something that will benefit the faith of others.  Use me Lord, to pass on the blessing.  Amen

2 Chronicles 21:1-23:11

July 28 Family and Spiritual heritage

O Father, when I think of how fortunate I am, and all the blessings You have given me, it takes my breath away, and I am humbled to tears.

Even before I was born, You determined when I would be born, and where, and to whom.  There were generations who came before me who knew You and worshipped You.  That is a godly heritage I must not take for granted.

David was a man after Your own heart.  And yet his lineage is full of men who were idolatrous, murderous, and evil.  Jehoshaphat followed You and taught others to worship You, yet his own firstborn, Jehoram, when given the rule, murdered all his brothers to secure his reign.  He married a daughter of Jezebel, a manipulative and evil woman.

After Jehoram’s gruesome death, his youngest son, Ahaziah took over and was encouraged into doing more evil by his mother.  Later, this evil mother, upon learning of her own son’s death, murdered all the siblings and offspring so she could reign in her son’s place!

But she missed baby Joash.  Joash was hidden and raised by godly people.  When he came to reign at the age of seven, he ruled rightly in Your eyes.

I know, Father, that You call each of us.  Some come from broken homes and dark, painful backgrounds.  But we each owe You a debt of gratitude for every divine influence and godly person You put in our path.

I can think of relatives, Sunday School teachers, preachers who taught me to love You and seek to know You.  But I also remember neighbors, friends, even strangers, who taught me godly lessons – some without even knowing it.  I am grateful, and thank You for each one of these.

As I look back over my life, I can see that I would not have all I have now, be all I am now, or love You the way I do, without Your intervention and Your loving care.  There is no doubt in my mind – You were involved in a personal relationship with me before I even knew You.   Thank You for all You have done.

Father, it also challenges me to be that divine influence in the lives of others You bring across my path.  Help me see opportunities to point others to You.  Open my eyes to recognize when I can say something, do something, be something that will benefit the faith of others.  Use me Lord, to pass on the blessing.  Amen

2 Chronicles 21:1-23:11

Jul 28 Family and Spiritual Heritage

O Father, when I think of how fortunate I am, and all the blessings You have given me, it takes my breath away, and I am humbled to tears.

Even before I was born, You determined when I would be born, and where, and to whom.  There were generations who came before me who knew You and worshipped You.  That is a godly heritage I must not take for granted.

David was a man after Your own heart.  And yet his lineage is full of men who were idolatrous, murderous, and evil.  Jehoshaphat followed You and taught others to worship You, yet his own firstborn, Jehoram, when given the rule, murdered all his brothers to secure his reign.  He married a daughter of Jezebel, a manipulative and evil woman.

After Jehoram’s gruesome death, his youngest son, Ahaziah took over and was encouraged into doing more evil by his mother.  Later, this evil mother, upon learning of her own son’s death, murdered all the siblings and offspring so she could reign in her son’s place!

But she missed baby Joash.  Joash was hidden and raised by godly people.  When he came to reign at the age of seven, he ruled rightly in Your eyes.

I know, Father, that You call each of us.  Some come from broken homes and dark, painful backgrounds.  But we each owe You a debt of gratitude for every divine influence and godly person You put in our path.

I can think of relatives, Sunday School teachers, preachers who taught me to love You and seek to know You.  But I also remember neighbors, friends, even strangers, who taught me godly lessons – some without even knowing it.  I am grateful, and thank You for each one of these.

As I look back over my life, I can see that I would not have all I have now, be all I am now, or love You the way I do, without Your intervention and Your loving care.  There is no doubt in my mind – You were involved in a personal relationship with me before I even knew You.   Thank You for all You have done.

Father, it also challenges me to be that divine influence in the lives of others You bring across my path.  Help me see opportunities to point others to You.  Open my eyes to recognize when I can say something, do something, be something that will benefit the faith of others.  Use me Lord, to pass on the blessing.  Amen

2 Chronicles 21:1-23:21

July 28 Family and Spiritual heritage

O Father, when I think of how fortunate I am, and all the blessings You have given me, it takes my breath away, and I am humbled to tears. Even before I was born, You determined when I would be born, and where, and to whom. There were generations that came before me who knew You and worshipped You. That is a godly heritage I must not take for granted.

David was a man after Your own heart. And yet his lineage is full of men who were idolatrous, murderous, and evil. Jehoshaphat followed You and taught others to worship You, yet his own firstborn, Jehoram, when given the rule, murdered all his brothers to secure his reign. He married a daughter of Jezebel, a manipulative and evil woman. After Jehoram’s gruesome death, his youngest son, Ahaziah took over and was encouraged into more evil by his mother. Later, this evil mother, upon learning of her own son’s death, murdered all the siblings and offspring so she could reign in her son’s place!

But she missed baby Joash. Joash was hidden and raised by godly people. When he came to reign at the age of seven, he ruled rightly in Your eyes.

I know, Father, that You call each of us. Some come from broken homes and dark, painful backgrounds. But we each owe You a debt of gratitude for every divine influence and godly person You put in our path. I can think of relatives, Sunday School teachers, preachers who taught me to love You and seek to know You. But I also remember neighbors, friends, even strangers, who taught me godly lessons – some without even knowing it. I am grateful, and thank You for each one of these.

As I look back over my life, I can see that I would not have all I have now, be all I am now, or love You the way I do, without Your intervention and Your loving care. There is no doubt in my mind – You were involved in a personal relationship with me before I even knew You.   Thank You for all You have done.

Father, it also challenges me to be that divine influence in the lives of others You bring across my path. Help me see opportunities to point others to You. Open my eyes to recognize when I can say something, do something, be something that will benefit the faith of others. Use me Lord, to pass on the blessing. Amen

2 Chronicles 21:1-23:21

Apr 24 Generations

Lord I can see how a generation of Israelites grew up different from their parents. They did not see the amazing battle victories and miraculous deliverances that You did for their parents. There was not as much visible reason to be grateful to You. Their peace was provided at seemingly no cost. They turned away from You.

My father and grandfathers lived in a time when there was war and the freedom for America had to be fought for and defended. Sometimes called “the Greatest Generation”, they poured into institutions and community in a sacrificial way to create a better life for their children and grandchildren.

My generation benefitted from that and in enjoying the freedom, stood on their shoulders to reach farther in science, technology and all kinds of advances because we didn’t have to worry about our national security. In that era of peace and advancement, we blessed our children with a sheltered, problem-free life.

I have seen in this generation of 25-40 “somethings”, some men and women who, not seeing their parents go off to war, never had their security threatened until 911, and grew into a people with a sense of entitlement. Many believe the world owes them a living doing whatever they choose to do. And the government owes them security without any of them having to fight for it. They seem unwilling to live a disciplined life to secure what they want.

But I also see many of them who are sold out to You, and living godly lives despite the worldly attitudes around them. Lord, encourage and strengthen them.

May all our generations wake up and realize how far we have come from true worship of the One True God before we are, like the Israelites, handed over to our enemies.   You raised up judges, deliverers in those days. I pray we will listen to the voice of those You send to wake us up.

Judges 2:10-23

May 9 How to remember

Lord, thank You for the reminders in scripture today. Reminders of things You’ve already shown me this year, but bear repeating so I can really get it! I need to mark the victories in my life, and trust that You can do much with little.

When You defeated the Philistines with Your thunder, Samuel set up a stone there and named it Ebenezer. From the Hebrew ‘even’ – pronounced eh-ben – meaning stone and ‘ezer’ meaning help: it is a ‘stone of help’.   Stones would last a long time, so for generations, when anyone passed by the ‘Stone of Help’ they would be reminded that God helped and delivered them at this place in the battle against the Philistines.

I too can commemorate significant moments in my life with things that remind me of Your deliverance and impact. It could be a piece of art, or jewelry, a song, poem or picture, something placed on my desk or walls or in my home or yard that has meaning to me, so that when someone comments on it, I can give the reason for its significance. That would be a fitting testimony to Your greatness. More than that, whenever I see it, it would be an encouragement to me of Your faithfulness and power in my life.

When You took the small offering of a young boy, two fish and five barley rolls, and fed five thousand with it, with much left over to spare; it reminds me that whatever gifts I bring to You, You can bless and multiply and use for purposes to glorify Your name. On those days when I feel like I have little to offer, I will remember that when I give it to You, the result is not dependent on the size of the gift. Whatever I bring, You can do and accomplish much more that I can even imagine.

Thank You for these reminders today, Lord. I will think back to remember times and events where You impacted my life in significant ways. And I will make my own ‘Ebenezers’ to be reminders for me and to be markers to others. And I will learn what my gifts are, and give them over to You to multiply and use to bless others. Thank You for knowing I need help remembering. Thank You for telling me over and over again things that are important, and of Your love for me. Amen

I Samuel 5:1-7:17; John 6:1-21

Apr 24 Generations

Lord I can see how a generation grew up different from their parents. They were at peace, so did not see the amazing battle victories and miraculous deliverances that their parents had been a part of. There was not as much visible reason to be grateful to You. All they knew was peace, so that seemed the norm for them, provided at seemingly no cost.

My father and grandfathers lived in a time when there was war and the freedom for America had to be fought for and defended. Sometimes called ‘the Greatest Generation’, they poured into institutions and community in a sacrificial way to create a better life for their children and grandchildren.

My generation benefitted from that and in enjoying the freedom, stood on their shoulders to reach farther in science, technology and all kinds of advances because we didn’t have to worry about our national security. In that era of peace and advancement, we blessed our children with a sheltered, problem free life.

I have seen in this generation of 25-40 ‘somethings’, that there are some men and women who didn’t see their parents go off to war, never had their security threatened until 911, and grew into a people with a sense of entitlement. Many believe the world owes them a living doing whatever they choose to do. And the government owes them security without any of them having to fight for it. They seem unwilling to live a disciplined life to secure what they want.

But I also see many who are sold out to You, and living godly lives despite the worldly attitudes around them. May all our generations wake up and realize how far we have come from true worship of the One True God before we are, like the Israelites, handed over to our enemies.   You raised up judges, deliverers in those days. I pray we will listen to the voice of those You send to wake us up.

Judges 2:10-3:31