Daily Bible Reading - Monday - March 8th

As you see in Mark we’re almost up to the crucifixion again.  Mark has a different view of it all which I like; it gives us a few different details that Matthew didn’t describe.  Can you imagine being Judas and betraying Jesus? Jesus said it would have been better that he never had been born; I can just imagine the guilt Judas lived with.  As I read about the last supper I sat here thinking about what kind of meal Jesus had, I don’t think it ever really says exactly what they ate, it must not of been important enough to say what type of food and such, that just makes me think about the times now and how sometimes we put importance on food when really it shouldn’t be first place in our lives.  I know for such a long time I was addicted to food, esp carbs and such, being on this liquid diet with Susan has really humbled me to the fact that we only need so much to survive on, the rest is just pleasure and sometimes I know I would get way to much pleasure out of eating.  When we are through with this liquid stuff I am believing and praying we can finally keep the food addiction under our feet where it belongs, it’s a daily struggle that we all have to deal with I know, some more then others but the reward is great when we can stay on top of it.

***Bec & Jan*** I am with you both on the spring time.  This is my favorite time of year also, you can see God’s work being put together right in front of your eyes.  It’s coming up to planting time, through the bible God tells us of seed time and harvest, He uses the example of us planting seeds and harvesting what we’ve planted, He gives us that example for several different things and it’s just an amazing example of how God’s Word works in our lives and in the earth, simply amazing.

Today’s Reading

Numbers 6:1-7:89
Mark 12:38-13:13
Psalm 49:1-20
Proverbs 10:27-28

Daily Devotional

Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.
Genesis 26:12

As our nation experiences an economic crisis unlike that seen in years, it may be hard for some to conceive of sowing during a famine. But, Isaac had a choice to make, just as you have a choice to make in hard times. You can make a decision based on what makes good sense in the natural. You can say, "I'll move now, and then come back when things get better," or you can obey God.

Isaac chose to obey God. He took what precious little resource he had left, and he sowed that in the ground that had proven to be unproductive. In some people's minds, Isaac was taking a high risk. He had a Word from God, however, and that's what you need more than anything else, because wherever God's told you to be is where you'll have the greatest productivity.

Your prosperity has nothing to do with that of everyone else around you, especially if everyone else is out of work, losing their house, and losing their savings.
The Lord is looking for folks who are tough. You don't find out whether or not you have any faith, and you don't find out whether you have any Word in you until you face something tough. People in your family have been listening to you talk about your faith for years, and when something happens, they're looking to see whether you're going to be the oasis or whether you're heading to Egypt. Based on the choice you make, they'll either say, "I knew there wasn't anything to that," or "That cousin is serving God, and it's time I got with the God they're talking about."

The land Isaac sowed in may not have yielded for anybody else, but it yielded for the obedient man, the man who was in faith. Likewise, your neighbor may not prosper, but if you are obeying God and standing on the Word, you will be blessed. If you've heard from God, you have to stand on that Word until hell freezes over. That's the kind of determination you're going to need.

In Genesis 16:13-19, not only does Isaac receive a hundredfold harvest but also God blesses him so much that he's envied. He then gets something that is not seen at all in a land of famine-wells of water.

Do you know what that means? Everybody else had to buy water from him. Do you know when the greatest fortunes in America were made? They were made during the Great Depression. Some people saw hard times as great problems, and some people saw hard times as opportunity.
This is a great land and one with opportunities abound. Despite the high unemployment rate or any other famine, the Lord can turn what seems to be your problem into a bountiful blessing of opportunity if you listen to Him.

Prayer for Today

Father,
I will spend time in the Word, praying in the Spirit, and listening to Your voice. When You speak, I will be quick to obey and I will see victory every day. In Jesus' name, Amen!