Pray that GOD bless 7yr old Donnie forever with both of his parents & GOD. Let Donnie & his family be on fire for GOD. Remove ALL the darkness that hovers over Donnie & his family lives. Heal Donnie & his family relationship to a complete wholeness. Remove everyone & everything out of the way that is keeping Donnie & his family from being together as a healthy Godly family. Thank you!
Scripture : Genesis 43:8-9
Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life.”
Observation :
I noticed a different Judah in this passage. Genesis 37:26-27 tells us that it was his idea to sell Joseph to the Midianites in order to keep him from being killed by his brothers. But why sell their young brother like a property in the first place? What reasoning could justify this action? And then hide the truth by having their father believe that he was torn to pieces by a wild animal? He could’ve told his brothers – No! this isn’t right… don’t do this! Or was he, just like the rest of his brothers, jealous of Joseph, too, and deep down inside also wanted to ‘get rid’ of him? Did he (and his brothers) realize the pain this would cause their father ?
In Genesis 43:8-9, a new Judah has emerged. Here, he is taking personal responsibility to bring Benjamin back safely to his father. This time he can’t bear the thought of putting Jacob through the same sorrow and grief when he ‘lost’ Joseph. This time he was willing to stay behind in Egypt and be a slave in place of Benjamin so that he can go home to his father (Gen. 44:33-34).
Application:
Judah’s transformation is evident in these passages. Clearly, he had a change of heart and has learned his lesson from his past mistakes. As followers of Jesus, our hearts and lives must change, too. (Matthew 3:2; Matthew 4:17; Luke 13:3 New Century Version). We will still make mistakes, but, we should always be ready to learn from them, to make restitution and continue to have an attitude of humility knowing that there is always something to learn from the Holy Spirit because He wants to help us change our hearts and lives to make us more like Jesus (Romans 8:29).
Prayer:
Holy Spirit, teach me what it means to be a true follower of Jesus. Have your way in me and make me more like Him.
tet
Reading: Genisis 32:1-33:20 - “Jacob & Esau Reconcile”
Scripture:
Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissd him. And they both wept. Gen. 33:4
Observation:
God’s promise never returns void! There is no relationship so broken that God can’t fix it and bring healing to restore it. After what Jacob did to his brother he had every reason to fear what might happen when Esau finally met him, most people would be seeking revenge but instead Esau just embraced his brother and wept. We should cherish each moment that we have with our loved ones because life is far too short to remain angry at one another.
Application:
Esau clearly offered forgiveness with no strings attached…he didn’t even what to take the gifts that his brother Jacob had given him. It’s easy to hold on to things of the past when we’ve been “done wrong” even though when we want to let it go and move forward. Forgiveness doesn’t always seem to come so easily, so this scripture will offer a good reminder to embrace the moments we want to cherish and not dwell on the wrongs that have been done.
Prayer:
God help me to truly forgive - without strings attached. I pray that I will trust in You to bring healing and restoration to every broken or damaged relationship in my life. Thank you for being God of the Impossible! Amen.
Nina C
Today’s Reading: Psalm 6, 149 & 150, Proverbs 14
Theme: Music
Scripture: 1 Praise the LORD. 2 Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness ………….. Psalm 150 (whole chapter)
Observation:
The word “praise” is mentioned 13 times. The psalmist has reached the “Hallelujah Chorus” of the Hebrew hymnbook, I would say. Here, the object of praise is God alone and no other. The ultimate reason for the Israelites to express this heartfelt praise towards their God is, mainly, because He had liberated them from the Babylonians. Earlier, their temple was destroyed, Jerusalem was in ruins and they (Babylonians) took them as captives in Babylon. They lost everything and their lives were miserable beyond imaginable. Having been freed from their captors after hundreds of years, the Israelites had every reason to praise their God.
Application:
We, as followers of Jesus, have been called to live a lifestyle of praise. We can praise God for what He has done for us, His “mighty acts”. We can also praise Him, simply for Who He is, His “surpassing greatness”. God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). To experience the awesome presence of God means we should acknowledge that He IS God and we are not. He IS worthy to be praised and He deserves our praise! So, we shouldn’t wait for our circumstances to change to praise the LORD. Let’s make a commitment NOW to live a life of praise not only in the sanctuary, but also at home, at work, and in between. For as long as we have breath, let’s praise the LORD! Read also, Luke 19:37-40
Prayer:
Dear God, I praise you with all my mind, soul and strength because you came to my rescue when I needed you the most. I don’t know where I would be today if you didn’t show up. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to You. Truly, I praise You! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
junn
Enjoy viewing!
David DiSabatino
“The Incredible Family”
The family is an institution that has undergone extreme attack in recent years. For those who follow Christ it takes superhero qualities to become “The Incredible Family.” This series will teach you how to live an unstoppable life filled with courage, danger, hope, and God’s power. Join us as we engage in living the life God has called us to live!
David DiSabatino
“The Incredible Family”
The family is an institution that has undergone extreme attack in recent years. For those who follow Christ it takes superhero qualities to become “The Incredible Family.” This series will teach you how to live an unstoppable life filled with courage, danger, hope, and God’s power. Join us as we engage in living the life God has called us to live!
David DiSabatino
“The Incredible Family”
The family is an institution that has undergone extreme attack in recent years. For those who follow Christ it takes superhero qualities to become “The Incredible Family.” This series will teach you how to live an unstoppable life filled with courage, danger, hope, and God’s power. Join us as we engage in living the life God has called us to live!
David DiSabatino
“The Incredible Family”
The family is an institution that has undergone extreme attack in recent years. For those who follow Christ it takes superhero qualities to become “The Incredible Family.” This series will teach you how to live an unstoppable life filled with courage, danger, hope, and God’s power. Join us as we engage in living the life God has called us to live!
David DiSabatino
“The Incredible Family”
The family is an institution that has undergone extreme attack in recent years. For those who follow Christ it takes superhero qualities to become “The Incredible Family.” This series will teach you how to live an unstoppable life filled with courage, danger, hope, and God’s power. Join us as we engage in living the life God has called us to live!
It has been a great start to the summer so far, and we’ve been enjoying some really wonderful weather. But I must admit having three children out of school for two months can be quite stressful as I’ve come to realize this year. This is the first summer vacation that my children are not in daycare and I now recognize the challenge that many parents face each summer — the kids are off but the parents are not! So now what do we do??? That has been my question since the beginning of June when I realized I have to somehow find a way to keep my children (aged: 13, 9, & 7) busy while my husband and I both work…. believe me there is no easy solution, we’re still struggling to work out childcare arrangements for each week & we’re only halfway through month #1, YIKES!
Looking back now I felt confident heading into the month of July. My son (the 13-year-old) had to attend summer school for math, which at first I thought was unfortunate because as a mom I expected more from him but thinking it over now I realize it worked out better this way. He is occupied for the entire month of July learning, so I see this as a blessing for sure! When I was looking for day camps and summer programs for the girls I realized they are really expensive and not something our family budgeted for. Luckily two churches that we’ve had great experiences with in our community offered free VBS programs 
suited for daughters. Those programs took care of weeks 1 & 3 for the month of July, but this week was the one where I had no idea what to do about childcare…. I’m so thankful to have a supporting family that jumped in to help. Thanks to my aunt, grandma, cousin, & sister - I didn’t have to worry about where the girls would be this week, and I’m hoping they will do the same for the last week of July too (just putting it out there in case they happen to come across this blog :)).
Looking ahead to August this is the first year that my youngest daughter is old enough to attend the FREE overnight camp offered by Liberty - Camp Inner-Change! She is so excited and our own camp will kick-off the childcare planning schedule for next month because I know I won’t have to worry about the kids from August 1-5 while they enjoy a week away from the city at Braeside Camp.
As for the rest of the summer….I’m believing God will work it out as long as I do my part too! Hope you all have a refreshingly blessed week!
Nina
