Exodus 29-30    This passage brings new meaning to me, and perhaps a glimpse of why Jesus’ blood was/is so precious!  All that blood just for consecrating the priests.  I am astounded, and a little confused about why, but if that is what was pleasing to the Lord, I am no one to say don’t make Him happy!  I’m so struck how Jesus’ blood took all that away, and how His life changed EVERYTHING.  It’s so cool to really get to know him more everyday.  I must have just been reading the who begat who time after time because I never got so much out of scripture as I am in these devotions.

Thank you God for sending your son Jesus to die for little ol me!  I am amazed that you desire my worship and adoration, that I am significant to you, and that you love me.  Thank you so much for all that you do for me, my family, my friends, and all my brothers and sisters in Christ.  Thank you for delivering me from sin, and from making all those blood sacrifices!  You are great, and I adore you!  Amen

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/n/b/nbtblood.htm

Words & Music: bio(“Ro­bert Low­ry”,”l/o/w/lowry_r”)Ro­bert Low­ry, in Gos­pel Mu­sic, by bio(“How­ard Doane”,”d/o/a/doane_wh”)How­ard Doane and Ro­bert Low­ry (New York: Big­low & Main, 1876)lmn(“n/o/Nothing%20but%20the%20Blood”) (MI­DI, score).

Psalm 38 

Do Not Forsake Me, O LORD

A Psalm of David, for the memorial offering.

38:1 O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger,
nor discipline me in your wrath!
For your arrows have sunk into me,
and your hand has come down on me.

We plead for mercy from the Father, but I think we must keep in sight how we deal with others as well.  This may be WAY off topic, but it’s what’s convicted in me.  I love my daughter very much, but even just today, She struck me, and I struck her back… of course, in the form of a spanking.  As I read this verse, it is also true, not just of me to my heavenly Father, but for my daughter with me.  And also admittedly me with my father… no it doens’t matter that I’m in my 30′s.  My dad can discipline me just as well now as he did back in the day… because he’s my dad!

Now, where else would Jesus have gone…???  When ever we go out in public, I always worry where Della is, and how far away she will try to get from me! It amazes me how that feeling even a couple thousand years ago, that same sentiment is true…

 Luke 2

And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.

Lord, thank you so much for the lesson that you spoke to me today…  It’s somehow very comforting knowing that even Jesus’ parents had a difficult time with their emotions and their child!  Help me to be the best parent that I can.  I love you Lord, and thank you for blessing me everyday!

Exodus 20-21 thoughts…

I love rules!  No, really I do!  They give us our boundary markers, and just like all the child rearing books say (well, the one’s I’ve ready anyway) they make me comfortable.  I know how far I can go and what I can do, and if I go beyond that, I know my consequences clearly.  I’ve always been a “good girl” because I’ve always been afraid to get or be in trouble, so I’ve always been a fan of rules.  My parents growing up didn’t have many rules for me, so at times I imposed my own rules on myself, although I will say, I always did a better job of following my parents’ rules.  Like I said, they didn’t have many, so as a teenages and as my dad used to say, “Just use your common sense.  Talk to us and keep us informed of where and what you are doing, and come in at a reasonable hour.  If you are in trouble, call us and we’ll come help you.  Don’t lie or steal from us.  Just ask, and we’ll do our best.”  I loved my parents’ rules.  They provided a boundary for me, and they let me know what things I was in charge of in my own life.  However, I know that some of my friends didn’t have any rules, and they always got into so much trouble from every authority figure out there.  They had no boundaries given to them, so when in any situation, they always went too far because they didn’t know where or when to stop.  They became careless instead of cautious.  They were selfish instead of compassionate.  They were reckless instead of aware.  I felt sorry for them, but it wasn’t until later that I figured out why.  I appreciate my parents for being aware of my needs as their child, and allowing me the freedom to grow up and experience my own independence and trust that they did a good enough job that I wouldn’t get myself into too much trouble!

God is wonderful like that.  In the 10 commandments he lets us know what we can and can’t get away with.  He lays the common sense rules down for us to keep us safe and those around us.  He even lays out rules of how we should show our love for him.   Don’t worship false things, or create things in a manner that is self exalting.  I hadn’t ever known that about making an alter, but don’t make any steps or to create an alter where it has been worked on with tools.  The Lord requires all of us, simply, not complicated.  We are to come to him as we are, and let him do the work in us instead of us trying to help him out.  I know I always try to complicate matters, but when I remember that His requests are to love him and follow His examples, He will take care of us.  How comforting is that?  He gives is all to us, the rules, the examples, His love… what more could we ask for?

Lord I LOVE you, and I thank you for loving me so much that you would give me rules as a father should.  Please help me to remember that you love me freely even when I mess up, and you are sure to forgive me when I ask.  You are an amazing God, and you have got it all figured out.  Help me not to help you out in your plans for my life!  You are MORE than enough for me, and I thank you so much!  Amen

Oh my goodness!!!!  What a different kind of staying awake we are reminded of today…

Mark 13:32-37    No One Knows That Day or Hour

“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” (ESV)

After my day yesterday of being so tired, I now have a spiritual wake up call!  We all have one!  I know I don’t want to miss the call of the Lord beckoning us home, and this passage, I believe it charging us to not let our guard down, don’t miss the call when the Master comes!  Satan is always on the prowl, looking how he can steal, kill and destroy us, Christians and non believers as well.  I will say though that Satan is after us more than he is the unbeliever!  If we fall asleep and let auto-pilot take over, our sin nature emerges quickly, and we can hurt our own testimony to the lost.  Like Dr. Phil says, “It takes 1,000 attaboys to make up for 1 you aren’t good enough. “  We as Christians are like that, too.  Now, I understand that we are human, and we do make mistakes, but we need to be aware of the things that we do and the reflection that it not only has on us, but the reflection that it makes for Christians as a whole.  People are so judgemental, and I know that I try to be extra careful when in a public situation that I keep strong my witness for God.  The most powerful statements that we make don’t always come from words, but out actions.  So be careful, and stay awake!

Lord Jesus, please help me stay strong for those who may see me and don’t know you.  Shine through my life and use me to be a vessel for your will.  Help me Stay Awake!  I love you, Amen.

I must be really tired today because I had an awful time of staying awake just now listening/reading the scriptures! Della Ro doesn’t seem to have a problem staying awake! She supposedly been asleep since 2, but she hasn’t shut down yet! In fact, she’s on the couch singing “Jingle Bells” right now! I think a nap for her at this point it moot point! LOL

Anyway…

Psalm 33:12

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

Is it any wonder that the US is struggling?

Ok, really Psalm 33 second part of verse 5 and verse 6:

…the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord. 6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
and by the breath of his mouth all their host.

God is so good to us… He made us in His image to worship him, and what do we do with it? Well, you know and see everyday the insane amount of crap that people do, not thinking about how their actions impact others or themselves. I get so frustrated at people who waste their talent by not using it for the glory of God. I have to say that I am guilty of that in part because at times, I’m just plain lazy. Yep, that’s right, Nikki can be lazy! However, I’m not talking about me right now! LOL God loves us so much that He gave HIS SON!!!!! His SON for us, you and me! I can’t say that I’d give Della Ro up to save anyone else from their own sins. I’d say that they should be responsible for themselves! The Lord gave precious much for undeserving us. It blows my mind each and every time I think about it!

Lord, please help me appreciate all that you do for me and those around me, and those that I don’t even know. Your love is so big that it spans the whole of Your creation, and I just don’t understand why you chose to give us all such grace. Your love is amazing, and I thank you so much. Please watch over our country, and bless us Lord. Help our leaders make the right decisions for us, and keep those protecting our freedoms safe from harm. Thank you for all you do, have done and will continue to do. Thank you Lord, Amen.

While listening to the scripture being read and reading along, I kept waiting for what I was getting out of it… and then I heard at the last word spoken/read… *children’s song playing* My God is SO BIG, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do!” As with the Egyptians and later in the temple with the chief priests, scribes and elders, God shows his ‘bigness’ in different ways. Allow me to explain myself. God wanted to show His strength and power to the wavering Israelites who would have rather stayed in slavery to be safe than to be a free nation! Those people needed a wake up call, and boy did they ever get one! God is bigger than our situation, bigger than our selfish desires, bigger than our sin… He is MORE THAN ENOUGH for each and everyone one of us… BIGGER! I just love that. He’s bigger than any problem that I have, and not only that, He wants to be bigger for us because He loves us! Amazing isn’t it?

Also God wanted to show us that He doesn’t have to answer to anyone, especially the wishy-washy nay-sayers who want to question everything that He wants/does do for us everyday! I am just awestruck by His unwavering love for us… we don’t deserve it because we mess up so much, but He gives it to us anyway! I just can’t hardly believe it!! =)

God, thank you so much for all that you do that we don’t deserve. Thank you for your Might, your Strength, your BIGNESS! You take such good care of us. Thank you for looking out for me!

Lord of heaven and earth, I praise you for all that you are, all that you do, and all that is to come. I wait in eager anticipation to see what is next for me and those around me! You are AWE-some, and I marvel in utter amazement at your glory. In all my situations, you have complete control, and I am so unworthy, yet completely stoked that you would want to do that for me! I give it all over to you. I’m so glad that you are who you are… that you can be precious and wonderful and gentle, yet at the same time be a rock star for me! That’s just GREAT! I love you forever and forever… Amen.