Our Covenant God (Blogging Through the Bible)

Welcome to another week of Blogging Through the Bible! Here is our reading plan for this week:

Today's reading shows us again that God is our covenant God! All of God's promises will be fulfilled - in His time.

I love what Psalm 89:34 says in The Living Bible translation:

No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back one word of what I said.

Hang on to that truth in whatever promise of God you are clinging to dear friend!


Here are my S.O.A.P.s from Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Genesis 14

Scripture: Genesis 14:12 They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom.

Observations: Lot’s choices continue to get him in trouble. Again, we see Lot identified with Sodom. First he is referenced to “pitching his tent near Sodom”; now we see here Lot is referenced as “living in Sodom.” His greed and covetousness led him to disregard the covenant God had made with Abram and thus he removed himself from the protection of God. Lot, his family, and all of his possessions became spoils of the war as they were carried off by the victors of the war. Everything Lot had was lost in the blink of an eye!

Application: Realize the power of our choices. One bad choice can continue to develop into more bad choices. It’s a downward spiral that will take us where we never intended to go. It can cost us everything.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I pray to walk in Your will for my life. Help me to make choices that keep me within Your will. I pray that my heart’s desire would always be to walk with You and to rest in Your promises for me. I pray that the things of this world would not cause me to take my eyes off of You and lead me astray. Give us all a hunger and a thirst for more of You. In the satisfying name of Jesus I pray. Amen!

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Genesis 15

Scripture: Genesis 15:17-19  When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. ¹⁸ On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates— ¹⁹ the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, ²⁰ Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, ²¹ Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”

Observations: In Abram’s time, binding agreements were formalized in the form of a covenant. The covenant was sealed by the dividing of an animal(s) and the two parties would walk between the halves. This was their way of saying the fate of those animals would be theirs if either of them should break their part of the covenant.

What makes this covenant different is that only God passed through it in the appearance of “a smoking firepot with a blazing torch” signifying that the covenant was unilateral and unconditional. No conditions were placed on Abram for the fulfillment of this covenant God had made with him.

Application: What God promises will surely come to pass. There may be a period of waiting for the promise to come to pass as we will see with Abram, but rest assured God’s promises will be fulfilled. We can have hope in this fact as we wait for Jesus’ promised return.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the initiative You have taken in reaching out to Your people. Your love toward us is truly amazing! I pray to keep my eyes focused on the hope I have in Jesus and in His return. Thank You for all of Your promises and for Your faithfulness to fulfill each one. In the saving name of Jesus I pray. Amen!

**It's Your Turn - is there a promise of God that you are holding on to? You can share it with me in the comments and I'll be sure to pray for you!**

 

See you back here on Wednesday for another #BloggingThroughtheBible post! 

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie

 

Choices: Where Are Yours Leading You? (Blogging Through the Bible)

Choices...we all have to make them - every.single.day.

Meet Abram.

Abram had a choice to make when God called him to leave everything that was familiar to him - even those of his extended family that he loved. But Abram loved God more than what was familiar and comfortable to him and chose to take his wife and follow Him. Abram didn't even know where God was taking him, but yet he trusted God without having all the answers. Now that is walking by faith! Abram's faithfulness led him to the promises of God.


Now meet Lot.

Lot decided to take his wife and children and go along with Abram. Conflict arose between Abram's and Lot's herdsmen and when given the choice by Abram of any land for his own, Lot makes a choice that will ultimately cost him those he loves. Lot walked by sight and that took him right out of the will of God for his life. We will find out in our reading in the next few days exactly what happens to Lot and his family. 

Our choices not only affect us, but they affect those around us too.

Our choices are either taking us closer to God or they are taking us away from Him.

Choices: Where are yours leading you?

***Here are my S.O.A.P.s for Thursday and Friday. Please share your thoughts in the comments below. I would love to hear from you!


Thursday, October 9, 2014

Genesis 12

Scripture: Genesis 12:1-3 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Observations: Here is the call of God upon Abram’s life to leave his country, his people, and his father’s house in order to follow Him. All of these were dear to Abram, but this was a call to love God more and leave it all in order to go with Him. God doesn’t tell Abram where He is taking him. God asks Abram to leave everything that is familiar to him to go to an unknown land.

This call tried Abram’s love, his trust, and his faith in God.

In return, there are six promises of God given to Abram:

1.     I will make you into a great nation. (He took Abram from his own people and made him the head of another.)

2.     I will bless you. (Obedient believers will inherit the blessings of God.)

3.     I will make your name great. (He would be losing his name in his country, but God would be promoting him!)

4.     You will be a blessing.

5.     I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse.

6.     All peoples on earth will be blessed through you. (The crowning promise of the Messiah!)

Application: God calls us all at some point in our lives to leave behind all the enticements of this world to follow Him. We trade what is seen for what is unseen to us right now. We have His ultimate promise of Heaven that far outweighs anything this world has to offer. We must hold on to all the promises of God while we wait for Jesus’ return.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us not to become distracted by the trappings of this world that would take our attention off of our promises of Heaven and of Jesus’ return. We know that You are faithful to do all that You have promised. Thank You for calling me out of this dark world. Help me to remember that this world is only temporary and let my love for You guide me. In the precious name of Jesus I pray. Amen!

Friday, October 10, 2014

Genesis 13

Scripture: Genesis 13:10-13 Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) ¹¹ So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: ¹² Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. ¹³ Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.

Observations: What stands out to me in these verses is Lot’s greediness and that he walked by sight which led to a decision that would end in complete failure as he stepped outside of the will of God. Lot had left with Abram who had followed the call of God to leave everything he knew to inherit the promise of God. Once the going got tough, Lot chooses for himself to go to a place away from Abram who continued to walk by faith toward the promise God had given to him. This is Lot’s first mistake.

His second mistake was in pitching his tents near Sodom, a land filled with wicked people who were sinning against God.

Application: The wickedness of this world continues to grow every day and sin is totally out in the open. Satan tries to make sin look good so that we will be tempted to partake in it. We have to choose to stay close to God and walk by faith toward the promise of Jesus’ return – when He will take us out of here to our glorious home in Heaven. We cannot desire the things of this world above God as Lot did. The choices we make every day determine whether we are walking toward God or walking away from Him.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You have made me a promise – a promise that one day Jesus is coming back to take us home. This world is not my home, and there is nothing here that can fulfill the longing of my heart. Help me to walk by faith and not by sight. Help me to keep my eyes focused on You in a world that screams for my attention. May the daily choices I make lead me closer to You. I pray this for all Your children, Father. Let us all run the race that is set before us so that when Jesus returns, we will all hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” In the mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen! 

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie

 

This week's reading plan goes through Saturday. Meet me back here on Sunday for next week's reading plan.

It's Friday, so that mean's it's time to link-up this #bloggingthroughthebible post with Courtney Joseph at Women Living Well home of Good Morning Girls! Please click on the image below to read others posts for Blogging Through the Bible.

X is for the Ten Virgins (Women of the Bible)

X is for the Ten Virgins.

(Like how I used the Roman numeral X which stands for the number ten?!)

Scripture Reference:

Matthew 25:1-13

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish and five were wise. ³ The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. ⁴ The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. ⁵ The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
⁶ “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
⁷ “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
⁹ “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
¹⁰ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
¹¹ “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
¹² “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
¹³ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Names Unknown:

These women are not named in this parable told by Jesus.

Interesting Facts about the Ten Virgins:

• This parable of the Ten Virgins was told by Jesus relating it to what the Kingdom of Heaven will be like at Jesus' return.
• Five of the ten virgins were wise and brought along oil for their lamps while they were waiting for the bridegroom to arrive.
• The other five of the ten virgins were foolish and did not bring oil for their lamps.
• They all became drowsy and fell asleep while waiting for the bridegroom.
• When the bridegroom finally arrived at the wedding banquet, the five wise virgins who had oil for their lamps were ready to enter into the wedding banquet.
• The five foolish virgins had to leave to go get oil for their lamps, and while they were gone the bridegroom arrived and the door to the wedding banquet was shut so that the foolish virgins could not enter.
• The five foolish virgins begged for entrance into the wedding banquet, but they were refused.

What We can Learn from the Ten Virgins:

• Jesus is returning as He promised.
• We do not know the day or the hour when He will return.
• We must be ready for His return at all times.
• Sinners must repent and believe in Jesus now before He returns.
• We, as believers, must shine our lights for Jesus in this dark world and not be lulled to sleep by the allurements of this world.

"William blake ten virgins" by William Blake - http://www.humanitiesweb.org/human.php?s=g&p=c&a=p&ID=667. 

Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons. 

Thanks so much to Marcy at Ben and Me for hosting this Blogging through the Alphabet challenge! We are almost at the end of the alphabet!

You can find all of my posts in this series on my Women of the Bible page.

If you'd like to read what others are #abcblogging about, simply click on the image below. 

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie

Building on the Promises of God (Blogging Through the Bible)

God is a covenant God. He is faithful to keep all the promises He has made to us in His Word.

Nimrod led the people of his time in a rebellion against God by attempting to build the tower of Babel. He cast fear and doubt into their minds concerning the promise of God that He would never flood the earth again. Nimrod convinced them that this tower would be so high that it would save them should God fail to keep His promise to never flood the earth again.

Isn't that just like the devil?! He wants us to doubt the promises of God that are ours as His children. The devil will use fear and doubt to try to cripple us and go outside the will of God in an attempt to save ourselves.

We cannot save ourselves friends. It is only by the blood of Jesus applied to our lives that we can be in right standing with God. We do this by believing Jesus died on the cross for our sins and arose from the dead conquering sin, death, and the grave. We ask Him to forgive us of our sins and invite Him into our lives.

This world as we know it will one day end.

Jesus is returning - this is one of the many promises we have in God's Word. Acts 1:11 says:

"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

Jesus, Himself, tells us in John 14:3:

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

We must build our lives on this promise.

We must be looking for Jesus' return.

There are many more promises of God that we can build our lives on while we wait for Jesus' return. The Bible is filled with them. I'm excited that we'll be learning more about these promises as we continue to read the entire Bible together!

Thanks for listening to what's on my heart tonight.

It's been great going through Genesis with this study. I look forward to reading your thoughts...just leave them in the comments below.

***Here are my S.O.A.P.s for Genesis 9, 10, and 11.


Monday, October 6, 2014

Genesis 9

Scripture: Genesis 9:8-17  Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: ⁹ “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, ¹⁰ and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. ¹¹ Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” ¹² And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: ¹³ I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. ¹⁴ It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; ¹⁵ and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶ The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” ¹⁷ And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Observations: The word “covenant” is repeated 7 times in this portion of Scripture. This repetition is powerful and it strengthens the covenant. God initiates the covenant in verse 9, God enacts the covenant in verse 11, and God completes the covenant in verse 17.

The sign of the covenant – the rainbow – is also repeated. The sign of the covenant is stated in verse 12; it is established in verse 13; in verses 14 and 15 it is guaranteed for future generations. Finally in verse 16, we see that God will look on the rainbow and remember His covenant promise.

“As for Me” – God is establishing this covenant on His own, without any involvement on mankind’s part – it is unconditional – there are no conditions to meet in order to validate the covenant, to deserve it, or to cause the termination of the covenant. The covenant is secure and it is fixed.

Application: We can see the faithful character of God in the fact that God keeps His covenants – His promises to us. God cannot lie and whatever He says – He will do (Numbers 23:19).

As a child of God, I want to be faithful in all of my relationships. I don’t want to put conditions on others that, if not met, would determine how I treat them in return.

As a child of God, I need to be sure that I do whatever I say I am going to do.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I am so thankful that You are faithful to keep Your promises. Help me to be careful in what I say I am going to do so that I’m not just throwing out words with no intentions. I pray that You would help me to love others without putting conditions on them. I desire to be faithful to others as You have always been so faithful to me Father. Mold me and shape me into the person You desire for me to be I pray so that others can see Jesus in me. It is in His life-changing name I pray. Amen!

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Genesis 10

Scripture: Genesis 10:8, 10  Cush was the father of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth. ¹⁰ The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad and Kalneh, in Shinar.

Observations: Nimrod - his name means “we shall rebel”. He was the son of Cush, the grandson of Ham, and the great-grandson of Noah. We’ll see in Chapter 11 of Genesis that it is Nimrod who leads the people in rebellion against God in efforts to build the Tower of Babel.

Sin survived the flood and here we see another display of its effects on man. Nimrod was building his own kingdom for his own glory.

Application: What kingdom am I building on? – the kingdom of this world which will one day end or the kingdom of God which will last for eternity. I want to focus on storing up treasures in Heaven where moth and rust cannot destroy (Matthew 6:20). How am I leading people? We all are influencing others by the life we live. I want my life to point others to Jesus and to new life through Him.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are the One true God and it is Your Kingdom that I long for. This world has nothing that I desire above You. Help me to live my life in full surrender to You and Your power at work within me. I pray that I would live in such a way that others would be drawn into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. This world is not our home. One day Jesus will return for His followers. I pray that the allurements of this world would pale in comparison to the glories of Heaven that are to come so that we all would be ready when Jesus comes back. It’s in His redeeming name I pray. Amen!

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Genesis 11

Scripture: Genesis 11:1-9 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. ² As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. ³ They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. ⁴ Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” ⁵ But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. ⁶ The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. ⁷ Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” ⁸ So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. ⁹ That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

Observations: In these verses we see how – in one single act – God created the nations and various languages of the earth because of this act of rebellion against God. In verses 1-4 we have the actions of man and in verses 5-8 we have the actions of God.

“Come let us” is spoken by man in his rebellious attempt to achieve self-glory and self-fulfillment apart from God by building up this structure.

“Come let us” is spoken by God as He steps in and stops their work by confusing their language so that they cannot understand each other anymore. God scatters them over the earth, and the building of the structure and the city is ended.

Application: Personal pride can lead to rebellious acts that will take us out of the will of God for our lives. We must be careful of prideful and rebellious attitudes by maintaining a direct line of communication with God through prayer. In those prayers, we need to ask God to help us be sensitive to His leading so that we stay in the center of His will for our lives.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You always know what is best for me and for my family. Help me to be mindful of Your leading and direction for my life. I want to be in the center of Your will. I know there is peace there that surpasses all understanding. I know there is provision there from Your capable hands. I pray that my attitude would be one of complete surrender to You so that pride and rebellion would not take root in my heart. Thank You, Father, for hearing my prayer this morning. In the powerful name of Jesus I pray. Amen!

Here's the reading plan for the rest of this week:

I'll see you back here on Friday!

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie

Peace and Patience ~ Making Your Home a Haven ~

Welcome to week 1 of the Making Your Home a Haven 5th Annual Fall challenge! I'm joining Courtney Joseph over at Women Living Well in this challenge where for the next four weeks we will be focusing on how to let the fruits of the Spirit set the tone of the environment of our homes.

This week we are working on having peace and patience in our homes.

Oh my!

Did God know what He was doing when He brought to my attention this Making Your Home a Haven challenge!

Let me tell you why...and let me also tell you all the things that helped to bring PEACE into the unexpected situation that had interrupted our lives and how I and my husband were able to experience PATIENCE through it all.

It all started when I was awakened by my cell phone at 5:15 a.m. last Wednesday morning - it was my husband on the other end of the line who told me the dreaded news - his car had broken down on his way into work. He was just up the road at a local convenience store and needed me to come pick him up and take him to work. So this meant I had to wake up our son and we both got into my mini van with our pajamas still on, drove up to the convenience store to pick up my husband, and proceeded to drive him to work.

Positive: My husband was not hurt.
Positive: I heard the cell phone and answered it when my husband really needed me.
Positive: He was able to get his car off of the road and into the driveway of a sweet elderly woman.
Positive: He still got to work on time. ;)

Later that day we went to pick up my husband when he was finished working. We had to call to get his car towed to a mechanic who would later tell us that the motor was DEAD! This means we are now down to one car in our home - mine. Now granted, I don't have an outside job since I stay at home to homeschool our son. Whatever errands I need to do, I can just wait until my husband gets home from his job which is usually no later than 2:00 p.m. each day.

Positive: We have my vehicle that we can share until God blesses us with another car for my husband. 
Positive: Our car insurance will be lower.
Positive: Less money for gas each week.

All of these positives helped us to have peace within the midst of this unexpected event in our home. My husband and I encouraged each other by **intentionally** looking for these positives that would bring peace into our hearts at what would normally be a troubling time. Let me tell you, we had to grow in our relationship with God and in His fruit of the Spirit over these past 17 1/2 years of our marriage to be able to walk through this experience together as we are. :)

Today we began the journey of patience as my husband searched for a place that would buy his car for parts. We had been praying all weekend that God would help us to get a good amount of money from it. Our prayers were answered and tomorrow Phil goes to pick up the check from the company who will haul his old car away.

Peace and patience. They are both fruits of the Spirit that God wants to develop in our hearts so we can live them out in our lives.

We can truly have peace and patience in the midst of the unexpected twists and turns of life when we rest in God and in His promises.

Can I tell you that God has put it on a dear couple's heart to give us a car that is just sitting in their yard. There is a repair that needs to be done on it, but it is in good running condition. We are praying now that the money Phil will be getting tomorrow from his old car will be enough to cover the repair for his "new" car as well as getting the plate/tags for it. We would appreciate your prayers as well.

With all of this going on, I admit that I didn't get around to buying my candle and lighting it today. But that's okay because all throughout the day I had this challenge on my mind. I was thanking God for His peace that has surpassed all understanding - that has guarded my and my husband's mind through Christ Jesus during these past several days. I've thanked Him for the patience both my husband and I have had with each other as our days have been out-of-whack with having to deal with all of this.

So there you have it! Yes, God knew exactly what He was doing when He brought the Making Your Home a Haven challenge my way! I am so thankful that God sees around corners and knows what we need even before we ask.

It's going to take intentionality on our parts if we want to make our home a haven. It's going to take us surrendering ourselves to the Spirit of God at work within us to cultivate His fruits of peace and patience within our hearts. When we do this we will begin to see changes take place inside of our homes...good changes...and isn't that what we all want?

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie

Noah's Example of Obedience and Patience (Blogging Through the Bible)

Welcome to another week of Blogging Through the Bible! We continue in the book of Genesis this week, and I must say it has been great digging into this familiar story of Noah's Ark. God has been faithful to show me new things in this story, and I trust that He is doing the same for you!

Here are my S.O.A.P.s since my last post on Friday. As a reminder, I'll be posting here every Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday for Blogging Through the Bible. I am loving your thoughts and comments, so please keep sharing here with me!

My S.O.A.P.s for Genesis 7 and 8

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Genesis 7

Scripture: Genesis 7:1 Then the Lord said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.

Observations: Noah did not go into the ark until God commanded him to come into it with his family because Noah was found righteous before God in a wicked generation.

Application: God bids us all to come unto Him. We can trust that wherever He calls us that He goes with us and will protect us.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, what comfort we have as Your children to know that You go with us wherever You call us to come. Help us to trust that all things are working out for our good because You love us and call us according to Your purposes. In the loving name of Jesus I pray. Amen!

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Genesis 8

Scripture: Genesis 8:7-8 Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. ⁸ He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground.

and

Genesis 8:13-16 And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, that the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and indeed the surface of the ground was dry. ¹⁴ And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dried. ¹⁵ Then God spoke to Noah, saying, ¹⁶ “Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.

Observations: I was curious about why a raven and a dove. Noah sent a raven because a raven is a scavenger bird. The assumption is that it found dead carcasses for food and that’s why it never came back into the ark. He sent out a dove because it ate vegetation and would find a plant to eat. Noah needed to know that the waters had receded and that there was life outside of the ark. The dove does come back with an olive branch in its beak after being sent out a second time. The earth was blooming again!

Noah had learned to be patient and obedient to the Lord during this time. He waited until God told him he could leave the ark with his wife and family. They were on the ark for a whole year! Wow!

Application: Be patient and wait on the Lord. Don’t rush into anything – wait for His leading and for His perfect time. Be obedient to what the Lord asks of me…even if it may be uncomfortable or unpopular.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to remember that You are always on time and that Your timing is always perfect. Help me not to rush out ahead of You or for that matter, lag behind from where You desire for me to be. I pray to have an obedient spirit, willing to obey whatever You ask of me. I want to live my life in sweet surrender to You Father. In the wonderful name of Jesus I pray. Amen!

*****Here is this week's reading plan:

I'll see you back here on Wednesday so we can share again! Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section below. I'm praying for you and hope you have meaningful times this week in the Word of God!

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie