Ruth Woodworth

Be strong and courageous

Moses tells the people first -- Be strong and courageous! The LORD will go ahead of you, and He will not leave you or abandon you. Then he (Moses) tells Joshua the same thing, and then the LORD Himself…

Deuteronomy 31:23 (NLT)

we're accountable for what we know

This verse - Deuteronomy 29:29 - tells us that the secrets that God has revealed to us, we are responsible for. It says that the secrets God has not revealed we are not responsible for. I think about…

Deuteronomy 29:29 (NLT)

Hold tightly to God

My prayer is this: God help me to live my life, in the everyday routine, so that Your light shines through me. Help me to hold tightly to You, so that your precepts and Your ways are written on the wall…

Deuteronomy 11:16 (NLT), Deuteronomy 11:17 (NLT), Deuteronomy 11:18 (NLT), Deuteronomy 11:19 (NLT), Deuteronomy 11:20 (NLT), Deuteronomy 11:21 (NLT), Deuteronomy 11:22 (NLT)

How to please God

This verse makes me think of the passage in the New Testament where Jesus is asked what the most important commandment is -- this is similar. How do I please God? Fear Him, live in a way that pleases…

Deuteronomy 10:12 (NLT)

Be careful in plenty

I find it highly applicable to our current North American culture that God reminds us that it's in the time of plenty, when we have houses and food and we aren't in want, that we need to be careful. He…

Deuteronomy 8:11 (NLT), Deuteronomy 8:12 (NLT), Deuteronomy 8:13 (NLT), Deuteronomy 8:14 (NLT)

leadership in the church

A couple of things that make me take notice here -- one is that Moses is whining!!! Yes, he is, but God sees the actual need behind Moses' words, and steps in. I love that! The second thing is that I…

Numbers 11:16 (NLT), Numbers 11:17 (NLT)

God's spoken blessings

We had the pastor read this blessing at our wedding -- it's one of my favourites in Scripture. The King's Version says something like "the LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee;…

God's glory displayed to the community

So Aaron blessed the people, then he and Moses went back into the tabernacle -- to talk with God, I wonder? When they came out, the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people, and they shouted for joy,…

Leviticus 9:22 (NLT), Leviticus 9:23 (NLT), Leviticus 9:24 (NLT)

Changed by God's presence

Can we claim this for us, today? I think we can. I think we can be changed - transformed - by basking in the presence of God. Is it like the way the sun changes the colour of my skin? I can't change my…

Exodus 34:29 (NLT)

This is OUR God

God of compassion, slow to anger, quick to forgive -- this is the God we serve! God help us to learn from these ancestors of ours in the faith, who experienced such amazing miracles from the hand of God,…

Exodus 34:6 (NLT), Exodus 34:7 (NLT)

Returning good for evil

Lord God, help me to remember that even when others intend evil, as Joseph's brothers did, You are determined to bring good to those who love You. I want to find the good even in the darkest of circumstances.

Genesis 50:17 (NLT), Genesis 50:19 (NLT), Genesis 50:20 (NLT)

Joseph's mixed feelings

Joseph's brothers still feel guilty, of course -- they immediately assume that they're being punished for what they did all those years before. Joseph must be between 35 and 40 now, and he was only 17…

Genesis 42:21 (NLT), Genesis 42:22 (NLT), Genesis 42:23 (NLT), Genesis 42:24 (NLT)

God's favour

Isn't it interesting that living with excellence and enjoying God's favour seems to happen regardless of life's circumstances? Joseph was a slave, belonging to someone else, but he did the best he could…

Genesis 39:20 (NLT), Genesis 39:21 (NLT), Genesis 39:22 (NLT), Genesis 39:23 (NLT)

Jacob's attitude

I love that part -- I am not worthy of the love and faithfulness God has shown to me.

Genesis 32:10 (NLT)

Rachel and Leah

This is an amazing story! I forget the name of the author, but the book "The Red Tent" tells the story of Jacob, Rachel and Leah in an historical context. It's a very good read, and fairly close to…

Genesis 29:10 (NLT), Genesis 29:35 (NLT)

the first tithe?

I'm thinking this is the first example of a tithe in the Bible -- both Cain and Abel brought sacrifices to God, but Jacob is bringing a tenth of whatever God gives him just because. It's also kind of…

Genesis 28:22 (NLT)

Abram believed...

OK, so I love this part! Abram whines just a bit -- "I don't have any kids, so I'm going to have to leave all my stuff to my servants..." -- and God tells him no, he's going to have more descendants…

Genesis 15:6 (NLT)

Melchizedek - priest of God Most High

Isn't it interesting that the Bible tells us that the king of Salem was also a priest of God Most High? I'm not sure, but that seems to tell me that even though the Old Testament focuses on God's love…

Genesis 14:18 (NLT)