...take us as Your inheritance

Some time go, while reading Exodus, I 'got stuck' in chapter 34.  Ever happen to you?  You're reading something and all of a sudden you.are.stuck. No matter what, you cannot seem to continue reading but must keep reading and re-reading that same portion, verse, quote, whatever.


It happened to me when I came to this:  "Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped.  "Oh Lord, if I have found favor in Your eyes," he said, "then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance." " (Exodus 34:8, 9 italics added for emphasis).


Guess where I got stuck.


Yup. Where Moses pleads to God, to the one perfect, Almighty and all-knowing God to take this people, as sinful they are, as His own inheritance.


An inheritance.  Something containing value.  Something to be received or passed on from another person.  As the first online definition to pop up states:

a thing that is inherited.

1. "he came into a comfortable inheritance"

   synonyms:

   legacy, bequest, endowment, bestowal, provision; More birthright, heritage, patrimony; devise "a comfortable inheritance"

   • the action of inheriting.

     "the inheritance of traits"

     synonyms:

     succession to, accession to, assumption of, elevation to More "his inheritance of the title"

I got to thinking.  Why such a fuss over Israel as God's chosen people, His inheritance?  Just how does God view 'His people'?  In cross-referencing this verse, what I stumbled upon transformed some of my thinking.  If you read right through to the bottom you'll understand why I was so deeply impacted:


Israel...

• He has chosen you and taken you
• You are chosen to be God's treasured inheritance
• He has taken you out of harm
• You are holy to the Lord and chosen
• You have been redeemed by God's powerful hand
• You are holy to the Lord, you have been chosen out of all to be God's treasured inheritance
• You are declared as God's people, treasured, and are to keep His commands
• He will set you above all the nations, you will be a holy people to the Lord
• You are God's portion
• You are God's inheritance, singled out from all nations
• You will be blessed
• You are God's purchased people, His redeemed inheritance
• You are a people not rejected, not forsaken
• You are a prosperous, joyous and praise-giving inheritance!

"The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance." "  (Isaiah 19:25).  As I read this verse, I am reminded that the earth is the Lord's and all that is in it! (Psalm 24:1)


"Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance?" (Micah 7:18)  Even though only a remnant remained, God pardoned their sin.  He did not forsake or reject His people who are His treasured inheritance!


"I will take you as my own people, and I will be Your God.  Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians." (Exodus 6:7)


"Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.  Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation..." (Exodus 9:5, 6a)


And to think we, WE who believe and receive this story of love God has laid out for all, we have been grafted in.  Just as one grafts in one olive branch into another making them one, God has grafted US in to His holy inheritance.  Romans 11 speaks about the gentiles being grafted in as a result of the unbelief of the Israelites.


So me - a gentile - has been grafted in to be part of God's holy inheritance, His treasured possession, His chosen one!  I have been purchased and redeemed, I am neither rejected nor forsaken.  I am part of a prosperous, joyous and praise-giving inheritance!


"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."  Romans 10:9, 10


It's as simple as that.  Believe Christ died on the cross for your sin (John 3:16) and receiving His love and forgiveness into your heart then confess your belief to another!  (there's something about God's love that is just so difficult to contain!)


Thanks for reading - I pray you are blessed and encouraged and among God's treasured inheritance.


Exodus 6:7; 19:5; Deuteronomy 4:20; 7:6; 9:26, 29; 14:2; 26:18; 32:9; 1 Samuel 10:1; 2 Samuel 14:16; 1 Kings 8:51, 53; Psalm 28:9; 32:12; 74:2; 79:1; 94:14; 106:5, 40; Isaiah 19:25; 63:17; Jeremiah 10:16; 51:19; Micah 7:18; Zechariah 2:12

Comfort, Come Quickly

Today my heart is full and sad, but not in despair.

 

I have a friend.  A beautiful woman who loves to love large.  That's just how big her heart is.

 

Today my heart breaks for her. 

 

It breaks because today she shared her pain with me.  It's been about four years since her husband died.  Quietly, in his sleep, while in his homeland he was taken home to be with the Lord.  She never shed a tear at his funeral, she says, because God had given them such a rich full life together.  Married while very young and together for twenty-five years, their marriage was beautiful, she says.  It wasn't void of arguments or disagreements as any good marriage has and was filled with laughter, practical joking, taking in children in need, travel and from what I gather much more laughter.

 

So she never truly grieved.  Until today.  When the floodgates of emotion were opened and her need to be real, to be honest, to be transparent about where she's really at came out.

 

I cried with her, I listened to her, I prayed with her, I held her tight.

 

So today I am thanking God for my family.  I am thanking Him for my husband.  I am asking forgiveness for the times I've said, "God - that man YOU gave to me..."  Sound familiar?  That's just the same prideful, sinful accusation Adam gave God just before they were banished from the Garden of Eden as a result of their sin.  Not sounding familiar?  You can check it out in Genesis 3 - the first book of the Bible.

 

Since the beginning of time, God has been in the business of making the sad things come untrue.  I know He will do this for my sister in Christ.  And I know that as she trusts in Him and surrounds herself with people who love her and love God she can make it through.  I know this because my God - the God of Heaven and earth and all that is in it, has promised to never leave her nor forsake her (http://utmost.org/the-never-forsaking-god/).

 

And for this I am thankful.

 

Comfort, come quickly for my sister.

Two Months Later...

August 30th.

That was the date of my last entry.

Today is October 27th.  Nearly two full months since my last post.  Has that much time really gone by so quickly?

Our full homeschooling days, my countless hours spent in the kitchen learning this new way of eating (or rather elmin-eating!) on top of the ever-present tasks of maintaing a somewhat clean (or at least tidy!) house (not to mention the month or so my internet was agonizingly slow that I absolutely did not want to even attempt to blog...) all have contributed to my months away from my site.

So although I've blogged in my head, I am finally able to get back to blogging for real. 
Today's inspiration?  Yet another homemade concoction:

The makings of Apple Cider Vinegar - to get 'the mother' (sorry it's sideways - it absolutely would not rotate).  This is my stuff - chopping up outdated apples, core, seeds et all.

then under the cheesecloth (well, paper towel in my case) the cuts are covered in a 1/4 cup of sugar diluted in a quart of water where I'll let it sit for a few weeks, stirring daily to keep it doing it's stuff.  It'll be a great science teaching for the kids if I can only remember what's happening in this mixture sitting on my counter!  And hopefully, my husband won't be too terribly annoyed at the potent aroma I understand will occur over the next couple of weeks when I tell him of the amazing health benefits derived from consuming apple cider vineger "with the mother".

And to think this all came about when I bemoaned my case to some homeschooling mom's about the box of pesticide-free box of apples sitting in my garage, likely rotting, before I even had the time to turn them into applesauce!  In unisen, these two lovely ladies I was enjoying conversation with said "Apple Cider Vinegar!".

I love all things homemade.  And even though I always end up doing things the hard way, the hard way will so often procure amazing results.  One way I know this is simply by watching how my own sister has homeschooled my three amazing niece and nephews.  Doing things the hard way just might (well, probably will) make things much tougher for you initially, but the results are sooo rewarding!

So to all who like to do things the hard way, who love all things homemade or home-concocted:  May The Force be with you (and by that I mean the only One True Force Jesus Christ).

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His One and only Son,

that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."  John 3:16

 

 

For those of you who'd like to know my source and perhaps learn how to have your own science experiment, this is the site given to me:

 

http://hipgirlshome.com/
http://hipgirlshome.com/blog/2011/11/15/homemade-apple-scrap-vinegar.html

 

 

Thanks so much, Kim & Pamela!

 

Friday!

Will wonders ever cease!?

It's Friday afternoon and I've made it through to Day 8
on my attempts to go wheat, dairy and refined sugar freeeeee!

I say yipeeee 'cause for those of you who don't know me, I am a bread-bakin' (and lovin'), potato chip-cravin', desserts kind'a girl.  I've thought this through before, but could never agree to give up my fave's.  I mean - Pumpkin Pie?!  I'd rather die...  However, I now see there might be another way to still enjoy my yearly meetings with Mr. Pumpkin Pie...

So here's what my week has looked like.  Other than a few
'grump-a-lumps at the distasteful Quinoa and carb 'n sweets cravings'
I began to realize how much better I was starting to feel.
Yummy meals were created, new ways of eating are being thought of, and I've even been through a few days withouth ANY coffee.  Huh.  Who knew that could be possible? 
In fact,
I'm fighting the COFFEE URGE right now.
Will I win?

I did give in last night (oh why didn't I take a picture?!):
Farmer Sausage from the best farmer-sausage making little dot in Saskatchewan,
(and one thing I won't give up unless under pain of death)
from  my own garden:
Jeweled Beets, Beans 'n Onions, Carrots
all cooked with a couple of the sausages and drizzeld with Roger's Golden Syrup
(it's nothing but pure cane sugar! yum!)

So shamefully no pictures of last night's dish, with the beautiful red color
from the beets seeping into the other veggies.

But here are a few meals I've made this week which have brought sustenance and feelings of good health!  So to those of you who have been cheering me on this week, praying for me or just reading my posts -
thank you for your support!!!!
To those of you who know you need to try a new way of eating - YOU CAN DO IT! 
If I, who loves food 'n snacks and all things yummy, can change the way I eat and feel so much better physically, then you can too. 

Trust me, I'll be cheering you on and praying for you, too!

Buckwheat - wait - wheat?  But the list says it's allowed!  Anyway, sooo good with blueberries, banana's and almond milk.

Mashed cauliflower.   I don't even like cauliflower and I certainly don't like how it smells when being cooked!  But man, was it yummy - cooked in chicken stock and garlic, then mashed to smitherines.  Even my family enjoyed this dish!

And finally, this week's breakfast - I prepared a HUGE pot of rice, a HUGE pot of veggies all cooked in coconut oil (my new best friend) with a bit of dill, sea salt and fresh ground pepper.  The only thing it was missing were the tomatoes, but ya know, I didn't even miss them too much!

Blessings,
SMC

Public Living

Doing this publicly is definitely a good fit for me.  So as I start Day Four on the wheels of your encouragment I am feeling more empowered to do this today.  (hey FB friends, feel free to follow and post those comments after my posts, if you like!)

Friends are a good thing.  There are reasons why God created us for community.  When one falls down, the other is there to help him up.

So folks, you are helping me up today!  And if any of you have any wheat/dairy/sugar-free breakfast ideas for me, I would love to hear them....