Bible Reading with DragoNate #156

Important to God

1 Chronicles 5

I pray blessings on you as you read.

(v. 1) "These are the sons of Reuben, Israel's firstborn. (Although he was the firstborn, his rights as firstborn were given to his nephews, Joseph's sons, because he dishonored his father's bed. However, Joseph couldn't be listed as he firstborn son." (v. 18) "The descendants of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 soldiers ready to go to war. They were skilled fighters who could carry shields and swords and shoot arrows."

My Thoughts

1 Chronicles 5 gives an account and genealogical record of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. That's kind of what 1 Chronicles in general is about. It shows how important things are to God and how important we are and the details of our lives to Him. Although good things are emphasized, the bad is not ignored.

Do you keep a journal or a diary that you just write down your thoughts in? You usually put down the things that are most important to you, right? Sure there may be some not so good things in there, but it's the good things that are emphasized. That's pretty equivalent to 1 Chronicles.

Reuben lost his birthright because he dishonored his father's bed, and that is remembered. Also in verse 25, it is noted that these three tribes were unfaithful to God. How many men and their skill at fighting is noted in verse 18 and that is a positive tick for them.

God absolutely cares about the bad things we do. If He didn't, we wouldn't have needed Jesus to die on the cross to forgive our sins. Even though God does care about the bad things, He cares more about the good things. No one is perfect and we all have our problems and make mistakes, but God doesn't hold every mistake as a bounty over our heads.

I am really only talking about 1 Chronicles right now, and not specifically about chapter 5 of it. I mean, I mentioned a couple things, but not much more. I couldn't seem to get anything specific from chapter 5 here, so I really hope that I can in other chapters. If you have any thoughts specifically from chapter 5 of 1 Chronicles, please let me know.

Our takeaway can't be that we should be skilled warriors. I guess, again, it would be to stay faithful to God and to use whatever skills and abilities He has given you faithfully as well.

Prayer Time

Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do.

Let me know your thoughts on this reading as well.

Thank you for taking the time to read, I pray that what you have read blesses and inspires you! Godbless!

Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #93

Ask

1 Chronicles 14

I pray blessings on you as you read.

(v. 9-10) "Now the Philistines had come and raided the valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of God: 'Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?' The Lord answered him, 'Go, I will hand them over to you.' " (v. 13-15) "Once more the Philistines raided the valley; so David inquired of God again, and God answered him, 'Do not go straight up, but circle around them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. As soon as you her the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move out to battle, because that will mean God has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.' "

My Thoughts

Sometimes we just want to do things on our own. Especially when we're younger. Older kids just want independence, younger kids don't want to be alone. When we're adults, we think we should be able to do things on our own without anyone's help. Sometimes we are wrong.

Everyone needs help sometimes, and there is absolutely no shame in that, no matter what it is for. In fact, it is a good thing to ask for help when you need it. It shows that you aren't arrogant and can make others like less intimidated by you.

David, the king of Israel, who had won so many battles and done so much, needed help. David knew that he was not perfect an that God knows best. When David wasn't sure of something, he asked God. In this case here, we see that David asks God if he should go and attack the Philistines or not. "Will you give them over to me?" He asks. We should all have the same mentality, not necessarily with the same situation.

There are some people that think they shouldn't make any decisions for themselves, but that for everything, they should be asking God. Now, there's nothing wrong with that, but God doesn't want us to be mindless robots either. He gave us freewill of choice for a reason, and He will not overstep that either. Other people don't want God to have any say in their life. What we really need is a good balance between the two.

When you are really unsure of something, ask God. Give it to Him and ask for His advice and what He wants you to do. There are many times when we really need advice. If we are not in our right mind to make any choices because we are angry or depressed or even extremely happy, we can end up making choices that are not necessarily the best at the time. Other times, asking for that advice save us. It saves us time or money or other things. Think if you didn't know the directions to someplace (and you don't have a map or GPS) and you wanted to find it on your own. You'd probably waste a lot of time, not to mention gas. If you asked for advice, however, you wouldn't.

Hey, asking God for advice on something just gives us another thing to talk to God about! Talking with God is so awesome, so whenever I have anything that I want to talk to Him about, tell Him or ask Him, it's actually very good for me because I get to spend more time with Him. God loves that so much, and I hope you do as well! I know I do!

Prayer Time

Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do.

Let me know your thoughts on this reading as well.

Thank you for taking the time to read, I pray that what you have read blesses and inspires you! Godbless!

Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #12

You have an Important Job

1 Chronicles 15

(v. 2) "Then David said, 'No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister before him forever.' "

My Thoughts



God had appointed the Levites as the only people who were allowed to touch the ark of the covenant. If anybody else were to have touched the ark, he would be struck down and die. The first time David tried to bring the ark back to Jerusalem, the cart that the ark of the covenant was being carried on tipped. A man by the name of Uzzah put his hand on it to keep it from falling and he died.

Now this is a very unpleasant thing, right? I mean, Poor Uzzah just didn't want the ark to fall on the ground, so he did what any person would do, even today: He put his hand on it to stop it from falling. Next thing you know, Uzzah is dead. What just happened? Why would God allow a man to die who was just trying to keep the ark from falling?

1. God's commands must be obeyed. God did not give us the 'Ten Suggestions'. It is the Ten Commandments for a reason. He gave us commands, that must be obeyed. Now, God forgives, remember, if our hearts are truly repentant, He will forgive us. That includes if we break any of these commands. The laws that God gives us will have consequences if they are broken. Just because He is forgiving, does not mean that we can blatantly disregard His commands. Uzzah disobeyed the command, but so did everyone involved, when he touched the ark and God had said before that anyone who touches it would die.
2. God is serious. He doesn't back down on His word, He is faithful and He is true. When God declares something, He doesn't put exceptions on it. It is a declaration from the mouth of God. God declared that anyone who touches the ark of the covenant, besides the people He chose for that job, would die. This was shown to be true in Uzzah's case.

We all have a job to do. Whatever your job is, your career, or if you're volunteering, God has put you there for  reason. Sometimes God puts us in a position temporarily. Just because you are a cashier now, doesn't mean that is your permanent job in life. For the time that you are a cashier, or whatever job it is you have, do your job diligently. Do your job for God. Even if no one else appreciates what you do, God sure does. Keep your heart centered on God in your job and that is what matters the most.

Even in a menial job, you can make someone's day and possibly bring them to Christ. Remember that Jonah brought a ship's crew to relationship with God by running away from God himself. Your superiors may not care what you do or appreciate it, but know that someone you interact with definitely does. Your job is important because God has put you there for His Glory.

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Prayer Time

Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do. Thanks for reading, Godbless!