I love genealogy. I love finding out the stories of people's lives - their family, where they lived, what they did for a living, the culture of the time and so on. Well, John, the beloved disciple, has a story. He did not live in a vacuum. He was a man of his culture and time. As I did today's lesson of Beth Moore's study, "Beloved Disciple", I discovered that family life and spiritual life were intertwined. They were not separate activities. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 states: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." NIV ...
After experiencing such tragedy, Naomi decided to return home. The Lord had attended to His people by giving them food. I am also sure she was longing for the comforts of home and extended family. She left Moab with her daughters in law. On the way, Naomi encouraged them to return to their family homes. She wished them kindness and blessings. She wished that they would go and find husbands to care for them. However, Ruth and Orpah insisted that they would return to Bethlehem. At this point, Naomi tells the women she could not fulfill the levirate marriage custom [Duet. 25:5:10]. She was too old to have children and even if she could have children, it would be years before the sons would be old enough for them to marry. Naomi asks them,"Would you wait?" All of the women were sad because of the circumstances. Reality dawned on them. The only choice for Ruth and Orpah seemed to be to return back to their family. Choices needed to be made. There were two different response...
Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season. It is a time for reflection and preparation for Easter. There are many wonderful resources to guide us in this journey to the cross and the resurrection. Thirty Days with Jesus begins with a portion of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John and concludes with a fresh insight that will draw readers closer to Jesus. This devotional helps one to understand the character of God and the proper attitudes of the Christian life. Another resource is Devotions for Lent from the NLT Mosaic Bible. Each day provides a scripture to meditate on, prayers, poems, and hymns gleaned from every century of Christian history. It is available as a paperback book ($2.99) and as a Kindle download ($1.99 or free for Amazon Prime members). Also, Anne Voskamp of A Holy Experience is offering a free Lenten devotional and activities to make a Jesus Easter tree. It is free to anyone who subscribes to her blog. As this season begins, I wa...
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