Deuteronomy 4:19

¹⁹ And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the Lord your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage.

I have to check myself, constantly. Some time ago, I came to the conclusion that I, like most, am surrounded by an abundance of blessings.  However, those blessings are encased in a great deal of daily dealings, i.e., life events.  And often I misappropriate their priceless worth and thus, reduce them to common and ordinary.

On the other hand, there are those people, places and things that I tend to idolize, from time to time.  And before I know it, my actions and attitude are greatly affected. At that point, prayer and Bible reading take a back seat to those “affections.”

It is true, like God’s precious people, Israel, we are all subject to forget when the “going gets good.”  When it’s tough, even the hardest of hearts knows how to pray.  But when blessings are all around, the dearest of souls might fail to remember to whom the glory belongs.  So, pray for me and I will pray for you!

Reading through the Bible: February 28, 2012

Deuteronomy 3-4 http://www.blueletterbible.org/reader/daily/generic.cfm

February 27 – Star Light, Star Bright

Numbers 1:10,11

¹⁰ The LORD your God has increased your numbers so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky. ¹¹ May the LORD, the God of your ancestors, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised!

While we are away from our desk, we are on to Deuteronomy!!! Yahoo!

Reading through the Bible: February 27, 2012

Deuteronomy 1-2 http://www.blueletterbible.org/reader/daily/generic.cfm

February 26 – Jesus is the City of Refuge

Numbers 35:9,10

 ⁹ Then the LORD said to Moses: ¹⁰ “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, ¹¹ select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone accidentally may flee.

While we are away from our desk, we hope you are “keepin’ on” with your bible reading!

Reading through the Bible: February 26, 2012

Numbers 35-36  http://www.blueletterbible.org/reader/daily/generic.cfm

Numbers 33:2

2 At the LORD’s command Moses recorded the stages in their journey.:

I have a journal for each of my children.  Yep, that’s nine journals.  And one for the baby on the way.  It’s been my goal to write in them periodically when momentous moments happen.  Well, that’s a lot of moments, and they happen all the time!  No, the jounrals are not full, and they are not all current, but the effort is being made. It’s a start!

When my husband had a conference in the city one spring, he met an amazing older gentleman and they became friends.  He had six grown children and many grandchildren, he was over 80 years old.  He was a man full of energy and vitality.  Of course, Lorenzo wanted to know his “secret” for living a youthful life.  His one and only answer was this:  “Every day, write down your life.  If you drive to the grocery store, if a friend passes away, if your child loses a tooth.  You will look back and see the handiwork of God. If you miss a day, keep going.”  My hubby took this seriously and since that time has filled many journals.

Throughout scripture, God asks us to “remember.”  Remember what He’s done, remember what we’ve walked through, remember His faithfulness when we wanted to give up.  He knows that this earthly life will afford us many challenges and we will need to remind ourselves that we’ve made it through, many times before.  For the Hebrews, this remembrance was paramount in getting them to the “promised land.”  Hmmm. Sounds like we might need the very same thing.  Start writing, and start remembering.

 Reading through the Bible: February 25, 2012

Numbers 33-34 http://www.blueletterbible.org/reader/daily/generic.cfm

Numbers 31:23a

 ²³Every thing that may abide the fire, ye shall make it go through the fire, and it shall be clean:

Reading through the Bible is not easy.  Partly because you run across accounts that appear cruel and barbaric according to modern-day standards.  As long as we walk this planet, we will try to tell God how to do His job.  Nevertheless, this is where I find myself with the slaughter of all the Midianites.  I don’t quite get it, but I read on and I listen for something that grabs me.

And that’s when I see this bit about fire.  From all the plunder the fighting men acquired in the raid on Midia, they were to be purified.  And those precious metals that could withstand the heat, they were to pass through fire, but the rest would be purified by water.  That’s when I made a correlation with what so often happens in the life of those who follow God.  As we grow and as we advance His plans and precepts, conflict with forces seen and unseen happen.

Therefore, we can feel like, at times, all hell is breaking loose all around us.  Kids are getting sick, weird things are going on with the electrical devices and people are acting downright strange.  This kind of stuff used to launch me into a crazy search and rescue mindset.  But now, I just try to treat it like the devil is mad or God is growing me up.  So I thank the Lord for the blessings and ask Him to fulfill His will in the way He sees fit.

This takes the worry and stress away and I relax.  Then the fire comes and goes and I find I am a better “me” when it’s all said and done.

Reading through the Bible: February 24, 2012

Numbers 31-32 http://www.blueletterbible.org/reader/daily/generic.cfm

Numbers 28:18

On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.

Our passage today seems like a dichotomy.  Scattered throughout is the phrase “on the ‘so-and-so’ day, hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.”  But in between those phrases is a detailed job description of all of the festivals, offerings, etc. to be done daily, weekly, and monthly.  If you can imagine all of the work it would take to take care of all the animals and fields of produce involved, then preparing it all for offerings and sacrifices, without electricity or running water….YIKES!  It sounds like tons of work!!!

The dichotomy is that the scriptures are telling us to do both.  Yes, do the work, then yes, rest. In our marriage, my husband’s schedule in his head runs like the Energizer bunny.  He can think of 15 different things he wants to accomplish in one day, and the next day, and all week long.  He can just go and go.  I, however, have a head that works like this: do the next thing. I am very methodical, checking off my list, giving lots of room for, uhm, interruptions. (I am a momma of several!)  The harmony we strive for involves a lot of give and take on both of our parts. He’s usually the “burr” in my saddle and I’m trying to hold back the reins. We truly do need the “tortoise and the hare” mindset to make this thing work.

God has such infinite wisdom that He knew we would need the complete picture as we walked out this strange and wonderful earthly life.  I believe a measure of our success could simply be how much time we spend on the road after falling one day into the “tortoise” ditch, then over the other side to the “hare” ditch.  Balance.  We need the balance of both vigorous work and refreshing, worshipful rest.  By the way, the tortoise and the hare do both cross the finish line!  

Reading through the Bible: February 23, 2012

Numbers 28-30  http://www.blueletterbible.org/reader/daily/generic.cfm

Just click the link below to find out more about our latest book.  You can also now find Dunford Family Ministries on Facebook.

Are You Listening Mission Notice

Numbers 27:21b

At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in.”

Training our children to obey is a full-time job.  Even with a troupe of angels, prayer, grace for our mistakes, and Jesus Himself, moms and dads have their hands full with this one endeavor. Though many would jump at the chance to train a prize dog, we can shirk at the hope that our children will ever respond to “yes, no, and who’s in charge.”  But children who can obey their parents grow up to be adults who can obey God.

I am amazed at Joshua (and we are just beginning his story).  But the truth is, I’d love to hug his mom and dad!  If you notice, when his name is mentioned, it usually says, “Joshua, son of Nun.”  His dad gets the credit, but mom’s name isn’t even mentioned.  YET, their diligent training became world-renown….through their son!

Obedience doesn’t come just because we demand it, or even from using training and discipline alone, it comes from building a relationship.  And it is life and death, because we can all face a time when a child tries to run towards a busy street.  Then, obedience can save their life. Thankfully it seems like it doesn’t take perfect people to parent children to obey. It does take commitment and consistency, though.  And when we fall, the God of Heaven is more than able to get us back on the right track.  He’s got a lot on the line, you know. Us, and our children!

Reading through the Bible: February 22, 2012

Numbers 26-27 http://www.blueletterbible.org/reader/daily/generic.cfm

Numbers 23:19

“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

Throughout the course of time, men endure times of plenty and times of lack.  When the grass is green and everyone is enjoying abundance, few pay attention to the prevalence of dishonesty.  You would think that the more we have the more grateful we would be, and thus, more content.  But that’s just not the case.

On the other hand, when times are lean, a man’s word becomes weightier than gold.  Everybody bonds together and shares the little that they have and prays for more to give.  And it’s during such times that a neighbor might need to borrow a pinch of this or a dab of that, for which they might say, “If you loan me two eggs today, I will get you some more by Friday; I’m good for it.”  Honestly, I live for days like that.

That’s God.  His Word, every promise of it, is sealed in these words of Numbers 23.  If He ever said He would never leave us or forsake us, you can take it to the bank.  I might forget a date on the calendar or you might have forgotten about a cookie sheet somebody loaned you a year ago.  But God is not like us in that way. His Word is good and His Memory is even better.

Reading through the Bible: February 21, 2012

Numbers 23-25 http://www.blueletterbible.org/reader/daily/generic.cfm

Numbers 22:32-34

³² The angel of the LORD asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me. ³³ The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared it.”

I wonder how Balaam felt that day, knowing he almost got killed, along with knowing his donkey saved his life? I do wish sometimes we could get very clear, outspoken messages from the Lord like Balaam did, but the consequences of “missing it” look like they were pretty tough!

The angel called Balaam’s path “reckless.”  How often do I walk recklessly and have absolutely no idea that I am doing so?  How many times have I completely missed the Holy Spirit’s direction for me to stop and repent?  Oh, how I need a “donkey” to give me a clue sometimes.

³⁴ Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.”

Balaam’s response is the aim of my heart in this life.  Yes, I will miss the “donkey” and the clues I should have seen.  Yes, I will be reckless in thought, word, or deed.  And not only must my heart be repentant and tender, I must be willing to “go back.”  And grace covers backward as well as forward, as long as I get back on the road.

Reading through the Bible: February 20, 2012

Numbers 21-22 http://www.blueletterbible.org/reader/daily/generic.cfm