sheri carlstrom...slices of an ordinary life

Old Testament Journey - 1 Chronicles

With my renewed discipline during Lent, I have traveled back to the Old Testament. I read through 1 Chronicles and am now in the the 26th chapter of 2 Chronicles. Second Chronicles is a book where I am finding myself saying things like "No way" and "You've got to be kidding" and even find there are mornings when I just have to read the next chapter to see what's going to happen. There is much to write about in 2 Chronicles, but I will go back to 1 Chronicles and share a few nuggets first. (Click on the highlighted verse to read it on youversion.com)

1 Chronicles 5:20
Cry out to God during the battle. God delivered because the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh trusted in Him. It's easier at times for me to stop at the crying out to him, but they cried out and trusted him.

1 Chronicles 16:8-36
OK, lots here - some of the nuggets are:

• Give praise
• Tell what He has done
• Call on the LORD
• Sing to Him
• Seek His Face
• Remember wonders, miracles, judgments
• Sing to the LORD
• Proclaim His salvation
• Give thanks to the LORD

2 Chronicles 21:24
I will not sacrifice something to God that costs me nothing. Which makes sense really, but David said it, and I highlighted it, so I'm sharing it.

2 Chronicles 29:9
Leaders give first. If I'm a leader, I need to be giving first. My time, my talent, my treasure.

2 Chronicles 29:17
True. May I stand before the LORD and say this.

Next time I will come back to Chapter 21, this chapter is so full, I need to post on this by itself.

Old Testament Journey - Back to Nehemiah

There is so much in this book that is speaking to me, here are the few nuggets I'm chewing on today:

Chapter 3:
Rebuilding Jerusalem's walls and gates was a huge job. After Nehemiah finished his inspection of the walls, he did not simply get to work. He gathered the people together, affirmed the trouble they were in, and said "Come, let us rebuild the wall..."

My Take-away:
I love that they rebuilt the wall together. If we belong to a church body, the application I see is that when one of our leaders identifies a project, mission, outreach, then we should do what we can to begin the good work. There were many hands that contributed to the rebuilding. In the Archaeological Study Bible at the beginning of the book of Nehemiah it says, "The national identity of God's people were at stake". How true is this even today. Let's do this together, with intention.

Chapter 4:
As the Jews were rebuilding the wall there was constant ridicule, taunting and threats. Verse 9 says "But we prayed to our God..." and verse 14 says, "...Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your people, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes."

My take-away:
If you have not endured ridicule, taunting or threats to the walls of your family, there will come a time when you will. When that happens, let us each remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and lets fight for our people, our sons and our daughters, our husbands/wives and our homes. Seriously, this is something to be posted on our mirrors. Sometimes we will have to fight for what we have built.

Chapter 6:
When others were trying to drag Nehemiah and the work at hand off course, he knew he was being set up and he refused to engage, he stayed focused and on track. I love his response in verse 3, "I am carrying on a great project...why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?"

The attempts continue, lies are told by the enemies and yet here is Nehemiah's response, "Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up in your head." (this sounds like something one of my kids would say, but it is from the mouth of a great leader!) He knew they were trying to frighten the Jews thinking to themselves, "Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed." But Nehemiah prayed, "Now strengthen my hands."

My Take Away:
I lose focus all too often. I need to identify the great projects that I am working on, stay on track regardless of distractions, and ask God to strengthen my hands.

Bottom Line

• Let's do the work of God together.
• Fight for your sons, daughters, husbands, wives, and/or your home.
• Stay on track, pray for strengthened hands.

Old Testament Journey - Nehemiah

I love the wisdom and richness of the Old Testament, and I really like the book of Nehemiah. I was most recently struck by Chapter 9 in this book about the community of Jews who returned to their homeland from Babylon. Nehemiah went to Judah almost 100 years after the first exiles returned.

Let me start at Chapter 8. On the first day of the seventh month, all of the Israelites had assembled as one and Ezra read from the Book of the Law from daybreak until noon, (and we sometimes get itchy if the Sunday service goes past one hour) and as they read they gave the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read. (nice, or not...sometimes we like ignorance) Then everyone bowed down and worshiped the LORD.

The people were then instructed to not mourn or weep but to go enjoy food and drink for the "joy of the LORD is your strength", he said this because the people were weeping as the listened to the words of the law. (maybe out of shame, or from an awareness of the grief they must have caused the Lord, or an awareness of the great love and compassion the Lord has for them? I don't know, maybe if I spent that kind of time listening to the Word, I might find out.)

Moving on to Chapter 9...

Twenty-one days later, everyone is back together. They spent a quarter of their day listening to the Book of the Law being read, a quarter spent in confession and worship. (can you imagine? reminder, lets not feel restless if the Sunday service runs late) Their memories are refreshed about all the LORD has done for their people, from creation to deliverance from Egypt to the manna he sent and more...and then it goes on to say...they failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. Then here is the thing that really caught me, They became stiff-necked. They built a golden calf and sinned. (ouch)

But God sustained them. They were given kingdoms and nations and more. (wow)

Again they were disobedient. So they suffered. And then they cried out, and from heaven God heard and in his great compassion delivered them. But as soon as they were at rest, they did it again - forgot, turned away, got in trouble, and so they cried out to God again...who heard them from heaven and delivered them time after time. For many years God was patient with them. By His spirit he admonished them through his prophets, but they didn't pay attention.

Words that are thousands of years old, and yet so relevant to my life today.

I get close to God, He may have even recently delivered me through a terrible time, so I'm worshiping, confessing and listening. Then one morning, its cold and dark outside and I decide sleeping sounds better than getting up and meeting with God. Then its been weeks (and weeks) and I'm still sleeping in. And then its my schedule and the list of things to do that can't seem to wait, so my time with God gets pushed away...again. Then I'm in a place where I need him, so I call out, and He seems to hear me from heaven and in His great compassion, He meets my needs. And I get comfortable....and, well you followed the story line from chapter 9.

The point is:

• Even with the examples of the Israelites written out in black and white, I am still like them.
• I have golden calves, they are just shaped in the images of computers, lists, sleep and more....
• It would be good to spend a day reviewing all the God has done for me.
• I hope I never become too stiff-necked to remember all that God has done for me.
• It would probably do me good to spend more time reading the Word, confessing my sin and worshiping the LORD.
• I am grateful beyond words that God is compassionate and does hear my cries from heaven and rescues me from myself time and time again. (not something I am proud of, but grateful for certainly)

Focus = Time

While on an amazingly relaxing, wonderful vacation on Edisto Island in South Carolina I had some time to  b r e a t h e, move at a slower pace, and unwind that mind of mine.

I have been perplexed lately at how little I seem to be accomplishing. What's perplexing is that I always seem to be busy, but I have this feeling like I just can't get it all done, there seems to constantly be something else that needs to be done. (Now on some level this is true, but there are some things I would like to get to but don't.)

So taking advantage of quiet vacation mornings on the porch, I read devotions, the Bible, prayed and journaled. I recently had the opportunity through my job to spend some time with Tony Morgan, and one of the personal (as well as professional) challenges I heard from him was based on Genesis 11:31. Terah, father to Abram, Nahor & Haran set out to go to Canaan with his family, when they came to Haran, they settled there. This has settled into my thoughts since our time with him and I knew this was what I needed to process.

They set out for a destination but did not arrive (at least in Terah's lifetime) because they settled before arriving. Huh. So I wrote out this question:
Where have I set out for but settled short of?
This is a really good question. The even better question was What do I believe God has intended for me and am I moving in that direction?

Each one of us should ask ourselves this question. Terah lived 205 years and never arrived at his intended destination. I am likely to not have 1/2 of that lifetime, so its probably time to look around and see where I am.

There was one thing that really caught my attention as I journaled. There are some places that I never set out for, yet these things can take a majority of my focus. What I found interesting was, I wrote that some of these things get my focus, I didn't write my time. Now I know this is probably elementary, but what I realized that morning was this: whatever gets my focus gets my time.

The urgent is usually easy to take care of (and sometimes seems like the obvious thing to do) while the important gets shoved to the bottom of the pile. Usually the important takes more time, doesn't offer the instant gratification of accomplishing the urgent, and most times I can accomplish many little urgent things before I can accomplish one important thing. So I can feel more successful if I tackle lots of little things. Successful? Maybe superficially, but if I am not heading in the direction that I believe God has intended for me, than even if I look or feel successful, truly I am not.

So I have put a new strategy in place to help me keep my focus where it needs to be. It may or may not work, but at least I'm looking around and making sure I am on the trail and not settled in a land that was not to be my home. If I don't live 205 years, I'd like to at least be found heading to the land  God had planned for me. Ephesians 1:18 

(The above picture is the porch at a much busier ime of the day!)

The Gap - more than just a store

The stand out thing for today is prayer for others.

In Genesis 17 God is telling Abram that he will now be known as Abraham, he will become the father of many nations, he will be given the whole land of Canaan, and that Sarai will now be called Sarah and she will bear Abraham a son. 

After falling face down; he laughed to himself a bit, thinking all if this a bit far fetched for a man of 100 years, and then Abraham says to God, "If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!" Even after all the promises just made to him, his love for his son by Hagar prompts the request.

God says, yes, but your wife Sarah will bear a son, and you will call him Isaac. He also says, As for Ishmael, I have heard you; I will surely bless him..."

Genesis 18:16-33 finds Abraham being quite bold as he asks God to spare the righteous people in Sodom & Gomorrah. (this is where his nephew Lot is living with his family). In 19:29 it says, So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, He remembered Abraham, and He brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot lived.

I love that it says He remembered Abraham. It tells me that prayer and love for another matters greatly...it didn't say he remembered Lot was living there and he needed to get him out, it says he remembered Abraham.

Skipping ahead to Numbers 14:11-20, Moses stands before God pleading for the forgiveness of the Israelites. God responds with I have forgiven them as you asked.

• Standing in the gap for others is powerful and can make a huge difference.
• I need this reminder to approach God boldly for others.
• What if all the difference in the world came because of a prayer?

Are you in The Gap?

The Old Testament Journey...Stop.

In Genesis 8 Noah is on the Ark, the rain had finally stopped, the raven had been sent out, the dove is sent, returns as he finds nowhere to perch, goes out again, and then again, and then finally God says to Noah, Come out of the Ark, bring your family and all those animals, multiply and fill the earth.

So...Noah has to empty the Ark, build shelter, find food and of course there's that little assignment of filling the earth.

I'm thinking about my To Do list today, and honestly it cannot compare to Noah's at that time. But catch this...Genesis 8:20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD.

Fast forward to Genesis 12:7-8 The LORD appeared to Abram...There he built an altar to the LORD.
Genesis 13:14 The Lord said to Abram... vs. 18 ...There he built an altar to the LORD.

Here it is for me on this:

• Along the way, there is always a place and time for worship.
• As God reveals Himself to me, I need to worship Him for that. Truly, it is beyond amazing.

Old Testament Journey...Onward

In Genesis 12 Abram, the Father of Faith, is told by God to go to a land that He will show him and that God will make him a great nation, bless him, and more. (I sometimes wonder how God spoke to Adam, Eve, Cain, Able, Abram and on and on. Could they audibly hear His voice? Was it by the Spirit?) At any rate....Abram heard Him make amazing promises about his future.

Abram goes on to Egypt due to a famine. But as he is about to enter Egypt he tells his wife, who is beautiful, to say she is his sister. He is worried that the Egyptians will kill him to get to her if they know she is his wife. So, he tells her to lie.

Unbelievable when you consider the recent promises made to him by God.

So she is taken into the house of Pharaoh and Abram is treated well due to her. All is going as planned Abram may be thinking. But God inflicts serious diseases on the household until the truth comes out and Pharaoh asks Abram, What have you done to me? Why didn't you tell me she was your wife! And then Abram and Sarai are sent on their way.

Things for me to ponder:

• Trusting God does not necessarily come naturally. It is an act. Even for Abram.
• Instead of consulting God on what to do with his fear, Abram decides on his own what to do. How often do I act in fear before I consult in faith?
• The lies of Abram & Sarai caused others to suffer.

A good place to stop, reflect and pray.

 

The Right Stuff...(probably does not include a helmet)

As I continue my Old Testament Journey I stopped today on Genesis 4:7. It says, If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? If you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door, it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.

OK...pretty basic stuff here.  When I do what is right, I am accepted. When I choose wrong, sin is crouching at my door. I love the word picture there. It comes to my door and crouches, waiting to pounce. It desires to have me, but I can (and must) rule over it. I rule over it by simply choosing right.

More often than not, it is the basic, simple stuff that stops me in my tracks. Choose right, rule over sin. I needed to chew on that for a day.

On another note...my oldest daughter starts behind the wheel tomorrow, do you think its too much to ask her to wear a helmet?

Let There be Light

I have moved backwards...to move forwards. This morning I went back to Genesis. I find the Old Testament rich and deep. I learn so much that makes the New Testament make even more sense to me. It also draws me closer to Jesus, making me ever more grateful for freeing me from The Law. I am hungry for the old, where I am bound to learn something new so I went back to the beginning.

I walked through creation. A few thoughts I have are:

• God created light and darkness - even separated them, creating evening and morning on Day 1, but did not create the sun and the moon and the stars until Day 4. So light and darkness even in the beginning was more that just day and night. If you have any insight or thoughts on this - comment please.

• God seems to be about the business of order and foundation.  He didn't create the birds and then wonder where to put them to fly. Order is important.

• God rested from all his work. I am not always good at resting. Resting can feel unproductive to me. A nap is OK because even that can be productive, its gearing me up to go do more. But what about just resting. What defines resting? Could I be more intentional about resting? God created a whole day for this thing called resting, gave it value enough to bless this day and make it holy.

Today is Thursday, Day 4 of the Creation, so I took the creation story and applied it to my prayers -
May


God indeed separate the light from the darkness in me and in situations that need it. I also am inspired to be intentional about the order of my day today. The foundation was my time with God this morning, now I will look to an order that makes sense as I look at my "To Do" list. 

I believe I see light.