Monday, June 20 - Jody

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is: Proverbs 27-29, Acts 5:1-21

Happy Monday Everyone!!

There were several verses that stuck out for me today so I’ve listed them all.

Psalm 27

15 A quarrelsome wife is like the dripping

   of a leaky roof in a rainstorm;

16 restraining her is like restraining the wind

   or grasping oil with the hand.

I interpret these verses on a couple of levels.  A wife who is constantly picking a fight is 1) Annoying 2) Slowly destructive 3) Closed to advice or behaviour change. When we got married 12 years ago, I was against the word “submit” in my wedding vows. I was bent on maintaining my own identity and doing things exactly as I had always done them. I must say, I’ve learned a lot in the last 12 years! I’ve learned that mindset is quarrelsome. It’s annoying, it’s destructive and obstinate. I’ve also learned that I didn’t want my husband to hold fast to those things either, so why was it ok for me to? I’ve learned peace and compromise. I’ve learned that in a marriage, we both submit to each other and that through the process, I actually gain more of myself. Ironic isn’t it?

 17 As iron sharpens iron,

   so one person sharpens another.

And isn’t this verse exactly about that? In a marriage, we sharpen each other through our submission and grace.

Psalm 28

9 If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction,

   even their prayers are detestable.

Communication with God is not just a one way street. We can pray and pray and pray, but if we turn away from his instruction, our prayers are detestable to God. This one sat with me for a long time. I imagine God just sitting there rejoicing in my every prayer – but I realize also how much he rejoices in my following of his instruction too. And that following is a tangible expression of my communication with God.

 13 Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper,

   but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

 14 Blessed is the one who always trembles before God,

   but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble.

I think that confession comes with trembling before God. It’s a lot harder to harden our hearts when we have a spirit of confession, always seeking God’s mercy for our human-nature shortcomings.

Psalm 29

17 Discipline your children, and they will give you peace;

   they will bring you the delights you desire.

As hard as it is to stay consistent and persistent with disciplining our kids, it really is the only way to have peace and delight in parenting. Fall of 2010 we took our kids to a hotel with a huge waterpark. The kids were 5 and 3 years old. We settled into our room, put on swimsuits and headed down to the waterpark. As we stood outside the doors, kids itching to run into the water, my husband stopped them, got down on his knees and look them both in the eyes and said: “If you run on the cement, we will ask you not to run one time, after that, we’re going straight back to our room. It is too dangerous for you to run on wet cement. Do you understand?” The kids nodded and said “yes”. They understood, Dad was serious. We were there for 3 days, and didn’t have to ask the kids once to not run. We had the most wonderful weekend and we DELIGHTED in our children. All of the discipline and consistency leading up to this vacation had paid off in a weekend of fun and enjoyment of our little family.

Praying a day of blessings on all of you!

Tomorrow's passage: Proverbs 30-31, Acts 5:22-42