a blog for Ashfield Baptist Church
The Bible readings for Sunday 22 and Monday 23 July are -- Num 21:10-22:41; Ps 36:7-12; Pro 8:27-29; Mk 16:1-20.
posted by Ps John @ 3:00 PM
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Hi and welcome. Ashfield Baptist Church is a "caring community church sharing God's love". We are very diverse in our nationalities, backgrounds and ages, but united in our desire to grow spiritually and to reach out and help others. Our vision is "to be a body of Christ-like people living out the great commandment and the great commission in the Holy Spirit's power". This blog is mainly for people connected with Ashfield Baptist Church. It has been set up as an "info & chat space" as we start the "THRU IN 2" challenge. This is our program for reading the Bible right through during 2007 & 2008. Many are using the Every Day With Jesus Bible which also has daily devotions from Selwyn Hughes. As we read through the Bible together over these two years, we can use this blog to share insights, stories, reflections, questions etc. The goal is to grow spiritually together. So leave your comments. Together we can help each other grow. Blessings. Ps John. To leave a comment about the readings for a particular day, or to view the comments of others, just click on "comments" at the bottom of the post.
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This is Gordon's helpful comment on Psalm 36:7-9 as printed in the church bulletin of Sunday 22 July 2007.
This passage from one of the Psalms that we are currently reading in "Thru' in 2" reminds us that there are some things that we cannot put a price on, things that simply cannot be expressed in terms of dollars and cents, silver and gold. Perhaps you have watched on e of those programmes on television where panels of experts put monetary values on antiques and other treasures that people have been keeping down through the generations. You may have noted the shocked expressions when values have been attributed that are much higher than people's expectations or witnessed the disappointment when the "Treasure" is determined to have much less value than hoped for. But the love of God is something that simply cannot be valued in that way -- it is beyond price. It is so precious -- in that it holds the key to our salvation and to our daily Christian living, yet in a way so available that anyone who chooses to do so can access it and live in its power. It is abundant love. The psalmist describes it as "abundance" -- full to the point of overflowing. It is a fountain, an ever flowing source of life. It is light, the light that guides us on life's journey. How great is God's love? "How priceless is your unfailing love!" Reach out today and enbrace the abundant love, the grace of God. Prove it for yourself!
Balaam's answer in Deut 22:18,19 seems on the face of it to be pretty spot on -- "If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go against the command of the LORD my God to do anything small or great. Please stay here overnight as the others did, so that I may find out what else the LORD has to tell me." And his 4 prophesies in chapters 23 & 24 seem to be true messages from God. But Balaam is condemned and held up as an anti-role model in several places in Scripture.
Here are 3 warnings for us from Balaam's story (as presented in my sermon on 22/7/07 pm).
(1) Don't let the Dollar Dominate.
Balaam asks God the second time if he can go, apparently because he really wanted Balak's fee. See Jude 11 and 2 Peter 2:15,16.
(2) Don't let Idolatry and Immorality Infiltrate.
See Rev 2:14. The Israelites began to have sexual liaisons with Moabite women and began to worship Moabite gods (Num 25). This was encouraged by Balak on Balaam's advice (Num 31:16).
(3) Don't let Compromise Captivate.
Balaam seemed to want to live in two camps and worship Israel's God as well as pagan gods. Three times in Num 23 Balaam and Barak offer sacrifices at places of pagan worship in Moab. Balaam is living with the Midianites when he dies (Num 31:8).
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