One Walk

Dear Lord God, thank you for all Your are doing I see Your hand at work, Your blessings are not over looked for You have giving me more than I desire and to date I have been a poor steward. But with Jesus in my heart and the Holy Spirit in my mind I seek to proven my love and obedience while setting an example to my family has my legacy for You. O Lord, that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory, that You would keep me from evil and from causing pain. My Lord God help me to decide the path You have in mind for me and give me a discerning heart to make the right choices. For I know I can trust only in You for honest men are hard to come by, and even an honest man is self serving by nature. Show me this coming week Your will for me and help me to produce fruit of the vine in all I say and do, leaving an example for You behind. These things I ask and pray in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior, Amen.

How can a man say he believes in Christ if he doesn’t do what Christ commanded him to do?

— St. Cyprian of Carthage

Exodus 2:1-15

1 Now a man from the house of Levi went and took to wife a daughter of Levi. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. 3 And when she could hide him no longer she took for him a basket made of bulrushes, and daubed it with bitumen and pitch; and she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds at the river’s brink. 4 And his sister stood at a distance, to know what would be done to him. 5 Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, and her maidens walked beside the river; she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to fetch it. 6 When she opened it she saw the child; and lo, the babe was crying. She took pity on him and said, "This is one of the Hebrews’ children." 7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, "Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?" 8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, "Go." So the girl went and called the child’s mother. 9 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, "Take this child away, and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son; and she named him Moses, for she said, "Because I drew him out of the water." 11 One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. 12 He looked this way and that, and seeing no one he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together; and he said to the man that did the wrong, "Why do you strike your fellow?" 14 He answered, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid, and thought, "Surely the thing is known." 15 When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh, and stayed in the land of Mid’ian; and he sat down by a well.

Psalm 69:3, 14, 30-31, 33-34

3 I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God. 14 rescue me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters. 30 I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving. 31 This will please the LORD more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs. 33 For the LORD hears the needy, and does not despise his own that are in bonds. 34 Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves therein.

Bible Study: [Psalm 69] Of David – A lament complaining of suffering in language both metaphorical (Psalm 69:2-3; 15-16 the waters of chaos) and literal (Psalm 69:4, 5, 9, 11-13, exhaustion, alienation from family and community, false accusation). In the second part the psalmist prays with special emphasis that the enemies be punished for all to see (Psalm 69:23-29). Despite the pain, the psalmist does not lose hope that all be set right, and promises public praise (Psalm 69:30-36). The psalm, which depicts the suffering of the innocent just person vividly, is cited often by the New Testament especially in the passion accounts, e.g., Psalm 69:5 in John 15:25; Psalm 69:22 in Mark 15:23, 36 and parallels and in John 19:29. The psalm prays not so much for personal vengeance as for public vindication of God’s justice. There was, at this time, no belief in an afterlife where such vindication could take place. Redress had to take place now, in the sight of all.

Matthew 11:20-24

20 Then he began to upbraid the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. 21 "Woe to you, Chora’zin! woe to you, Beth-sa’ida! for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And you, Caper’na-um, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you."

Bible Study: [21] Tyre and Sidon were pagan cities denounced for their wickedness in the Old Testament; cf Joel 3:4-7. [23] Capernaum’s pride and punishment are described in language taken from the taunt song against the king of Babylon (Isaiah 14:13-15).