Thou Shalt Not Covet

A few days ago Prince, Princess and I were in the grocery store.  We were walking along and Prince begins telling me about a spy kit he wants for Christmas.  I was in the zone, trying to think of what else I needed to get as he is talking about this really cool toy he wants.  I will admit that I was half listening when Princess mentioned that she wanted one too and did I think she could get one for Christmas too.  Below is the conversation as it took place.  I can't make this stuff up ~
Princess: Mommy, do you think I could get that too? 
Me:  I don't know if we need two of them in our house.  Don't you think one is plenty and you can share?
Princess: Listen Mommy, I need to tell you something.  Do you know what coveting is?
Me: Yes, I know what coveting is.  Do you know what it is?
Princess:  Coveting is wanting what your neighbor has and we've been learning about it in school and it's a sin.
Me:  That's right.
Princess: So if Prince gets the spy thing and I don't get one I might covet what he has and that would be bad but if you will go ahead and just buy me one then I won't want it cause I'll already have it.  See?  Then I won't have to covet.

I think I'm in trouble.  We send her to a Christian school to learn the Bible and she's definitely doing that, but this child is smarter and has more angles than I could ever think of. 

The Living Word

Isn't it amazing how you can read the same Bible verses throughout the years but they mean different things to you in different seasons in your life?  This morning as I opened my Bible God gave me the words I needed to hear.  This morning I turned to Galatians 6:
"1 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. 4 Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, 5 for each one should carry their own load. 6 Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.

7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

It isn't that I hadn't read these verses before, but they took on new meaning as I read them this morning.  Do you ever find that you compare yourself with other people?  Me neither.  Just checking to see if you do.  Do you ever get tired of trying to do the right thing and feel like you don't see the results you'd hoped for?  Me neither.  Not that I needed these words or anything. 
OK, so maybe I have been feeling a little weary lately and wondering if I make any difference with some of the things I'm involved in.  But here's the thing: it doesn't really matter if I see the results because I don't really know what God is doing behind the scenes.  God has a plan for everyone and there are things at work that I can't see or know about.  Do you ever wish you could look into other people's hearts and see what they really think and feel?  It might be more gratifying for us, but we might also get puffed up with pride and think that we ourselves are the ones doing the work and not God doing a good work through His people. 
And perhaps I just might look at other people and compare myself with them...good, bad or indifferent.  I just might wish that I could be more like them, abandoning the call God has placed on my own life because at times it seems difficult or perhaps I don't see the point in what I'm doing.
I may not always know the how or why of God's plan, but I do know something.  God is faithful and He gives us what we need, when we need it.  His love and mercy extend farther than we can imagine, much more than we could ever deserve and He keeps His promises.  I am so blessed to serve such a good God.

My Bible

I love my i-phone.  Hubby bought it for me this summer and I love all of the information that is at my fingertips any time I want it.  I can check email, facebook, the news, get directions...Technology is a wonderful thing.  One of my favorite apps is a Bible that I have put on my phone.  It really comes in handy if I need to look up a verse and I don't have my Bible nearby.  On Sunday mornings I can follow along with Pastor on my phone and then I can take notes right there on my phone and flag the scripture that goes with it.  I love that it is all right there at my fingertips and I don't have scraps of paper to try to file, or papers hanging out of my Bible with little scribbles of ideas but don't know what to do with them.  But this morning, I pulled out my actual Bible.  The first Christmas after we were married Hubby gave me a navy blue leatherbound Bible with my name stamped on the front.  As I open the pages, I see notes I have scribbled on its pages, bent corners, an inscription Hubby wrote when he gave it to me...all of these are precious to me.  I love the feel of my Bible.  It has seen me through a lot of hard times and has been a constant in my life as I grow in Christ.  I love to read the notes and think of what I was learning at this time or another.  I love the feel of the pages, the crinkle sound they make as I turn to another page.  There's just something familiar and comforting about my Bible.  Technology is constantly changing and it makes our lives easier and more efficient but some things never change.  While it is convenient for me to use my iphone to organize thoughts and notes, that phone will never replace my Bible.  As I sat this morning in prayer, I had my Bible on my lap and I thanked God for this special, living book that carries His words to me each and every day.

They Ate Mammoths?!

Sunday afternoon, as is our custom, Hubby and I were talking to the twins about what they learned about in Sunday School. Princess said, "There were these people from the Bible and they ate mammoths!" While she was talking, I was searching my brain for a story about mammoths in the Bible and couldn't figure out what in the world she was talking about.

Me: Mammoths? You mean wooly mammoths like in the Ice Age movie?

Princess: Yes, they ate mammoths and then tried to save them but God didn't like it.

Me: Tell me more about the story.

Princess: The mammoths were falling from the sky and the people were eating it and they tried to save the leftovers but God said no.

Me: Oh! You mean MANNA!

Princess: Yeah, I guess it was manna. They ate it and God told them not to save the leftovers but to wait for him to give them food for each day. Then people tried to save it and eat the leftovers but they turned rotten so they couldn't eat it.

Well, at least she got most of the story right. Mammoth, Manna...in her mind it was all the same.

A few minutes later, the phone rang and it was one of the Sunday School teachers. She wanted to talk to me about something Prince said in Sunday School that day. She continues to tell me that during the singing time he says to her, "How do I give my heart to Jesus? I can't take it out and give it to him." As he's asking this, he's pointing to his chest. His sweet teacher said that she tried to explain to him that it doesn't mean his heart in his body, but that Jesus loves him so much and that He wants us love Him with all that we are. She was calling to tell me because at the the time Prince was asking, there was a lot going on and she felt she couldn't explain it in as much detail as she would like, so she wanted for me to know so I could talk to him about it more. I am so glad my kids are paying in attention in Sunday School. I must say that these dear sweeties are keeping me on my toes.

Proverbs: 31 Chapters in 31 Days

Tomorrow is July 1st and I have committed to a new Bible study. There was a group created on facebook inviting people to read Proverbs this month. The idea is that there are 31 days in July and 31 chapters in Proverbs. We are reading a chapter a day to get through the entire book by the end of the month. If you are on facebook, I encourage you to look for Facebook the Proverbs: 31 Chapters in 31 Days: July 2010
and join us. You can post your comments and reflections on the discussion pages. If you aren't on facebook, join us in reading anyway. You can always comment on here and I am going to try to post some of what I'm getting from it on here as well. This is going to take discipline for me because I am going to be on vacation for a week this month and will have to be sure to make time in my schedule to do this.