Day 56 (Saturday) - Deuteronomy 4:1-6:15

There is one theme that is getting repeated again and again and that’s to remember what God did and not forget it. The call to tell our children so they will remember what God did is a command from God. Has God done anything in your life? Anything at all? I know he has in mine and this passage reminds me to share my faith. Christianity is one generation from extinction. Who have you told?

Day 55 (Friday) - Deuteronomy 1:16-3:29

Excuse me for getting personal in the entry today, but there are moments in reading these texts that the details jump off the page and become real life for me. When Jenny and I went to the Holy Land, we stood on the same mountain that Moses stood on when God showed him the land they were to posses. In the picture, I’m showing Jenny some of these very sites that are listed in this passage, the palaces where the fights took place and the land that was given to each tribe. It was very surreal to stand in the dirt Moses stood in and look over the land that is still theirs today.

Day 54 (Thursday) - Numbers 34-36; Deuteronomy 1:15

When I was in Israel last January of 2008, I was struck by the fighting over land in the region. On the news you hear about it, but until you see it, it’s hard to make heads or tails of it. There are large portions of land that are disputed and no one claims occupation of. When I read the Old Testament, I can’t help but realize that this land does belong to the Jewish people. Not because the Israelis are better of more powerful than the Jordanians, but because God said it was their land. I would make a bad president because I would end up sighting the Bible when it came to foreign policy and I’m not sure I would get too far with the king of Jordan when I pointed to Numbers 34 during a summit meeting!

Day 53 (Wednesday) - Numbers 31:48-33:56

Chapter 33 sure doe put it all into perspective. God has brought them a long way since Egypt. They now stand at the gateway to the Promised Land. For 40 years it has been the next item on the agenda and now they are there. You can almost feel their excitement and anticipation as they dream about what life will be like. I don’t mean to mess up the story for you, but it’s not going to go much better than it has been. Same story, different location. The land didn’t do it. These people have a heart issue.

I find it interesting that even today this land that was give by God to the Israelite people is still under contention. If the people were going to fully occupy the land, they would need to follow God. Today they have not taken possession of their whole property and the holiest spot for all of Israel is occupied by their strongest enemy (Dome of the Rock). I wonder what it will take to follow God?

Day 52 (Tuesday) - Numbers 29:1-31:47

Let me state something as clearly as I can and hopefully you will not think I’m saying something I’m not saying. I don’t like these battles in the Old Testament. This is the beginning of many battles. God is a warrior, and though I am comforted in his willingness and ability as a God who goes to war, I live in a post Jesus reality and the thought of killing anyone, especially women (and later, children) is hard to stomach. I think I’m much like the person who likes to eat steak but hates the idea of killing a cow. I tend to make fun of these people because they prefer to believe steak magically appears in cellophane in the super market. I know I need to embrace these qualities of God and trust him, but I find it so difficult. I don’t want a cellophane faith, but it’s tough.

Day 51 (Monday) - Numbers 26:35-28:31

There seems to be a lot of busy work in the Israelite world. There was the counting of the people, the distribution of land, the making of sacrifices, the planning for festivals, the setting up and tearing down of the Tabernacle, and the keeping of so many laws. Does the job of overseeing all of this sound inviting to you? Not to me, but God selected Joshua, to shepherd the sheep. I hope I can serve God as a result of obedience and not out of preference. I have so many pastoral friends that leave their ministry for greener grass…grass they never seem to find. How about you? Are you ready to serve and go where God calls you? Do you ever get the itch to move on for the sake of moving on? Moses has been a great example of perseverance, not only for Joshua but for all of us.

Day 50 (Sunday) - Numbers 24:1-26:34

Blessings and curses. Doesn’t it seem interesting that all the people have to do is follow God and get blessed but every time they disobey they get cursed? It makes you wonder about the I.Q. and brain power of these people. Did they have some medical condition that caused short term memory loss? If you’re like me, you’re probably shouting out to the text, “Stop it, this isn’t going to end well for you!”

I need more friends that will read my life and shout the same thing to me. When it comes to my walk with God, I think I’m a few fries short of a Happy Meal, if you know what I mean. I want to be more like Christ because the world is blessed when I do. God, please help me be more like you today!