Thursday, March 17 ~ Miriam

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Numbers 17-19; Mark 15:1-25.


Happy St. Patrick's Day, everybody!  Are you wearing green?


Scripture - 
Numbers 17:8 - "The next day Moses entered the Tent of the Testimony and saw that Aaron's staff, which represented the house of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds."


Observation - 
God had told Moses that the staff belonging to the man he chose would sprout, but he exceeded their expectations by far.


Application - 
When God chooses to bless us, he not only meets our needs, but often exceeds our expectations and sometimes even gives us things we hadn't dared to hope for.  


For example, when we accept the sacrifice of Jesus and ask for our sins to be forgiven, not only are our sins forgiven, not only are we made pure and holy enough to stand before God, not only are we given the gift of the Holy Spirit, but we are also blessed with the immense privilege of going to heaven one day to live in joy and peace, praising God, and never having to worry, cry, or feel pain ever again.  


Closer to home, in our life on this earth, it is true that we will suffer sorrow, pain, and sickness, but we are also given the beauty of God's creation to enjoy, the privilege of a relationship with him in spite of our human nature and proclivity to sin, we are blessed with opportunities to serve others and thereby serve Him, we are entrusted with land and growing things, the care of His children (the children we raise as our own, as well as our families both genetically and through the blood of Christ), we are given opportunities to enjoy fellowship through church services, Bible studies, care groups, or whatever you choose to call them, and we are blessed with the hope and joy that looking forward to forever with Him offers us.


I wish I could remember to look at things from this standpoint all the time.  I'm a naturally optimistic person, so a lot of times I do remember how blessed I am and ignore the things I'm not so happy with, but we all have our days where we're down, or tired, or just generally feeling grumbly and we think of only the things we don't have and forget how much we've been given.  Even those of us with normally sunny dispositions have days where the clouds roll in.  (And suddenly the movie Annie is popping to mind... "Theeeeee sun'll come out, tomorrow...")  Sorry.  Anyway, the other song that comes it mind is 

Count Your Blessings

Johnson Oatman, Jr., pub.1897

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,

1. When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
   Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
   And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
   • Refrain:
     Count your blessings, name them one by one,
     Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
     Count your blessings, name them one by one,
     *Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.
     [*And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.]
2. Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
   Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
   Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
   And you will keep singing as the days go by.
3. When you look at others with their lands and gold,
   Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
   Count your many blessings—wealth can never buy
   Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
4. So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
   Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
   Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
   Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

*Alternate text.

Prayer - 
Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day, we thank you for the participation and encouragement of everyone who is coming along on this journey this year, we thank you that we have a venue like this in which to be accountable to each other and grow together.  Thank you for all the many ways you bless us each and every day.  Help us to count our blessings and to remember all the things you have given us that we didn't even know to ask for.  Give us the resources we need to serve others as you would have us do, help us to be good stewards of all you have entrusted to us, and when we're struggling with circumstances here on earth that we don't understand, help us to remember that there is more for us.  This is not all there is and we thank you for the promise of our reward in heaven and our home on high.  Bless each of us today as we seek to know you and serve you better.  In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen.


 Tomorrow's passage:  Numbers 20-22; Mark 15:26-47.