Guests, Tax, Confession

Yesterday
We said good bye to Luke and Kat, then they received Wade and Lydia while we were at class. We really enjoyed our time with both... today we are due to receive Angelyn and Jessica.

Studying Chinese. This is my life now. It seems I will one day learn the language, but it won't be anytime soon. When Jaime returns to the States in February, I will spend my days studying Chinese intensively. This month will become a linguistic boot camp.

The Daily Bible - Genesis 45-47
Israel comes to Egypt. Years of plenty and years of famine occur. I have always found it interesting that Joseph took 1/5 (20%) of all the people's produce for 7 years before the famine, then as the famine is winding down Joseph takes 1/5 (20%) again and seems to have established it as a flat tax.

Israel/Jacob lived 17 years in Goshen, Egypt. He lived well past the famine. I wonder about the normalizing of prices, crop yields, and such. How did this famine change the culture of the region, especially now that all the people and land were Pharaoh's. Obviously the Israelites were not taxed or required to sell themselves to Pharaoh due to Joseph's high position. So they would quickly become some of the wealthiest people in the land.

Boundaries in Marriage - Setting Boundaries with Yourself
In the heading Process, Not Perfection, "Here are some character issues in our own lives on which we can set limits:"
Playing God
This is the most hurtful of all our character defects resulting from the Fall. We need to continuously submit our hearts to God, ask for his blessing on us and our marriages, exercising spiritual disciplines, and continually seek the most loving path. (Romans 6:13; John 14:23)

Denial
1 John 1:8, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." Confession is necessary to allow all parts of your life to come into relationship and be loved by your spouse. This also allows your mate to minister to the most vulnerable parts of your life. Many spouses report a loving compassionate understanding during confession because eternity is set in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11) and we long to live in the light of God's love.

Prayer
God you are all powerful, able to overcome all obstacles, Lord direct my paths to line up with yours. Forgive my sin, set aside my arrogance and desire to be you, but help me to love and serve like you. Grant me humility and strength. Allow me to give all of my heart to you.