Archive for the ‘Bible in a Year’ Category
Bible in a Year… Day 83 (Mark 3-4)
April 25th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in » Bible in a Year
Just a quick thought tonight…
Mark 3:1-6 (NIV)
1Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”4Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.
5He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.
Ever hear the phrase, “no good deed goes unpunished”? Ever feel that way?
I’m sure Jesus understood that all too well. Funny thing, thought… I don’t think He let it bother Him a whole lot. If you ask me, that’s a pretty good thing to remember when we want to throw ourselves a pity party because we’re experiencing difficulty because we’ve stood firm for Christ.
Bible in a Year… Day 81
April 23rd, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in » Bible in a Year
Back to Job today, again with a bit of catch-up to do.
Job 21:7-13 (NIV)
7Why do the wicked live on,
growing old and increasing in power?8They see their children established around them,
their offspring before their eyes.9Their homes are safe and free from fear;
the rod of God is not upon them.10Their bulls never fail to breed;
their cows calve and do not miscarry.11They send forth their children as a flock;
their little ones dance about.12They sing to the music of tambourine and harp;
they make merry to the sound of the flute.13They spend their years in prosperity
and go down to the grave in peace.
Job 21:17-18 (NIV)
17“Yet how often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out?
How often does calamity come upon them,
the fate God allots in his anger?18How often are they like straw before the wind,
like chaff swept away by a gale?
Job asks questions we all do from time to time here… why do evil people prosper? Why doesn’t God intervene?
Like Job, I don’t know that I really have an answer, but I will say this… if you think following Christ is all about prospering financially or going through life without pain or difficulty, you’re sorely mistaken about the reason He died for us. The prosperity gospel (despite it’s popularity), is simply off-base Biblically.
The simple fact is that we cannot know the mind of God. We cannot know why He allows certain things to happen… be it why you sometimes find those who reject Him prospering, why His most devoted servants sometimes have lives of extreme difficulty, or even simply why bad things sometimes come our way. God is sovereign… He’s God… He does as He pleases and allows what He chooses to allow.
We don’t have to know WHY… we just have to know that we need to trust Him and follow Him. It’s a tall order, knowing that good things aren’t guaranteed for us here on earth… but easier when we really know Him.
Truth be told, growing our relationship with God that we might KNOW that He is good (not only in theory, or simply intellectually… but really KNOW with every fiber of our being)… that’s what gets us through this life and keeps us on a path that continually runs toward Him.
No biggie, right?
(Don’t we wish!)
Bible in a Year… Day 80
April 22nd, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in » Bible in a Year
Back to Psalms today. I’m playing a bit of catch up from last week, so today’s reading covers Psalm 30-35.
Psalm 30 (NIV)
1I will exalt you, O LORD,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.2O LORD my God, I called to you for help
and you healed me.3O LORD, you brought me up from the grave;
you spared me from going down into the pit.4Sing to the LORD, you saints of his;
praise his holy name.5For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.6When I felt secure, I said,
”I will never be shaken.”7O LORD, when you favored me,
you made my mountain [c] stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
I was dismayed.8To you, O LORD, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy:9“What gain is there in my destruction,
in my going down into the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?10Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me;
O LORD, be my help.”11You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,12that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.
I’m not sure exactly what it is about this Psalm that stands out to me, but I really like it. Perhaps it’s the imagery running through my head when reading it, seeing despairing individuals turned into joyous worshippers of God. Perhaps it’s the thought of answered prayers. Whatever the case, the theme of God’s mercy and love for us runs deep here, and it’s powerful.
We all need reminders of the joy that’s found in Christ sometimes. This Psalm does the trick.
As a side note, there’s a great song based on this Psalm, in case it didn’t click for you… “Trading My Sorrows”. Great lyrics on the same theme…
I’m trading my sorrows
I’m trading my shame
I’m laying them down
For the joy of the LordI’m trading my sickness
I’m trading my pain
I’m laying them down
For the joy of the Lord.(Yes Lord refrain…)
I’m pressed but not crushed
Persecuted not abandoned
Struck down but not destroyed
I am blessed beyond the curse
For his promise will endure
That his joy is going
To be my strengthThough my sorrows may last for the night
His joy comes with the morning.I’m trading my sorrows…
Bible in a Year… Day 79
April 21st, 2008 | 1 Comment | Posted in » Bible in a Year
Quite a bit of catch up reading again today… you definitely don’t want to fall behind too far in this Bible in a Year stuff!
1 Samuel 1:19-22 (NIV)
19Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the LORD and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. 20So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the LORD for him.”21When the man Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the LORD and to fulfill his vow, 22Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, “After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the LORD, and he will live there always.”
What an interesting start to Samuel’s life… his mother, childless for a long time, prays and God hears her, giving her a child. Out of gratefulness to the God she worships, she dedicates Samuel to God’s service… giving away the most precious gift she had ever received.
Now that’s faith.
I wonder, how many of us pray for our children in such a manner as Hannah? That God has given them to us, and that we want to offer them back to Him that He might be glorified?
If not, shouldn’t we? I know God has unique plans for each of us, but don’t we, as parents, tend to more often try to impress our will into our kids than His? As if we know better?
I pray that I’ll be willing to trust God with my kids. Not that I want to offer them wholly to God to be raised by strangers as Hannah did Samuel, but simply that I’ll be willing to trust God’s wisdom in how He’s made them… that I’ll be able to guide them to discover their God-given gifts and not try to impress my desires into their lives.
To make the most obvious statement you’ll hear today… parenting ain’t easy, is it?
1 Samuel 8:19-20 (NIV)
19But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”
Interesting response here from the people of Israel… “no, we want to be like all the others!”
God’s people, chosen specifically by Him… called out to follow Him… blessed to witness miracles of God we can hardly imagine… wanting to be like other nations.
Funny how we, as Christians, often think similarly. While we know God’s ways our best for our lives, and we understand that devoted faith and obedience leads to a life far better than anything we can imagine on our own… we often want to be like those outside a relationship with Christ. Sin looks fun sometimes… God’s expectations and commands seem too hard sometimes… faith is simply a struggle, and we’re tired sometimes.
We try to do life our way, and wonder why we find ourselves miserable.
Hello?
Bible in a Year… Day 78 (Genesis 44-47)
April 20th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in » Bible in a Year
For the past three Sundays, Bible in a Year readings have focused on the story of Joseph. Today, we get the conclusion… Joseph is able to rescue his family from famine and death following the long chain of events that began with his brothers selling him into slavery.
Genesis 45:1-13 (NIV)
1Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.3Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.
4Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. 7But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
8“So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. 9Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay. 10You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me — you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. 11I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’
12“You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. 13Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.”
Isn’t it an amazing thing how God uses all circumstances to accomplish His will? Even the vilest of sin can work for God’s purposes.
I wonder if we really spend enough time thinking about the concept of God’s sovereignty in all things? I wonder how our perspectives on circumstances and situations would change if we had more of an understanding of this? Wouldn’t we have more peace in our hearts in difficult times? Wouldn’t we look to the future with hopeful expectation, knowing God’s working will surely be revealed in time?
What do you think?
Bible in a Year… Day 76
April 18th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in » Bible in a Year
Two Fridays ago, I was sitting alongside Lake Taneycomo, fishing with some other men from my church, enjoying God’s creation. Last Friday, I felt it far more important to post about the Pesina family and the dream that was developing to give them a home than to continue with my daily posting schedule.
Tonight, I find myself two weeks behind on my Friday Bible in a Year readings, and I’m playing catch-up, reading Matthew 23-28 and Mark 1-2.
Thoughts follow.
Matthew 23:1-4 (NIV)
1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
Matthew 23:23-24 (NIV)
23“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices — mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
Matthew 23:27-28 (NIV)
27“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. 28In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
Of all the people Jesus ministered to, Jesus was most harsh on the Pharisees. They were the religious leaders of their day… they were the ones who were supposedly holy and right before God… and they were the ones who were most deceived.
I wonder if Jesus were to come today if He would point to the church and admonish us as He did the Pharisees in this passage? “They do not practice what they preach.” “They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.” “You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.” “You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean.”
I wonder sometimes if we have totally missed the boat with our particular brand of Christianity here in America. So often we build beautiful churches for us to sit in and worship God… and ignore everyone outside our stained-glass walls. If we do go outside, we search out people who look just like us, blind to the needs of those who need the Lord most because we’re uncomfortable that they don’t look and act just like us. And we wonder why God doesn’t bring revival to our land? How pleasing can our worship and offerings really be to Him?
I don’t mean to rant about the all churches and all believers… there is good there without a doubt. If anything, perhaps I’m ranting about tendencies I see in myself. It’s just that reading a passage like Matthew 23, I can’t help but wonder how Jesus would react if He came to America today and observed us for a while.
What about you? What do we need to do differently as the church to truly worship and serve God as we should? What are we doing right? What are we doing wrong?
Anyone?
Bible in a Year… Day 71 (Genesis 40-43)
April 13th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in » Bible in a Year, Christian Living, My Life
Given the time I’m spending with our efforts to help the Pesina family, my Bible in a Year blogging efforts may be a bit spotty. If you’ve been following along, please try to stay on top of your readings even if I don’t have posts up. Again, the reading plan can be found here.
Today’s reading was from Genesis 40-43, where we learn more of the story of Joseph. In previous chapters, he had been sold into slavery by his brothers… his father believing him dead.
We pick up in chapter 40, where Joseph, under God’s guidance, interprets dreams. Joseph’s response to the predicament of the cupbearer and baker is interesting:
Genesis 40:8 (NIV)
8“We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.”
Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”
Did you catch that?
It’s called faith.
Joseph heard their problem, recognized that God could help by using him to interpret their dreams… and basically said, “alright, let’s go… God will help”.
Joseph’s response is one I can relate to right now… it’s what we’re doing in helping the Pesinas. We’re not interpreting dreams, of course… but we are seeing a need, recognizing that God can meet it, and stepping out in faith waiting for God to provide.
You see, Joseph had no assurance… no guarantee… not even any clear-cut communication that God would do what Joseph needed Him to do. But Joseph had faith, and God met him in mid-leap.
We have no clear-cut assurance that God will answer our prayers and meet the needs of the Pesina family as we envision. But we have faith, and we have complete confidence God will catch us now that our feet have left the ground.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a Christian, it’s that faith is required for God to do anything… certainly anything big. We’ve got to step out, take risks, and simply trust that God will be there to meet our needs. It’s scary sometimes… no doubt. But it’s utterly thrilling to see God working, surpassing all our hopes and expectations.
Bible in a Year… Day 67 (Job 19-20)
April 9th, 2008 | 1 Comment | Posted in » Bible in a Year
Job 19 presents a powerful example of faith for us. Check it out…
The chapter starts with Job describing his situation…
Job 19:8-21 (NIV)
8He has blocked my way so I cannot pass;
he has shrouded my paths in darkness.9He has stripped me of my honor
and removed the crown from my head.10He tears me down on every side till I am gone;
he uproots my hope like a tree.11His anger burns against me;
he counts me among his enemies.12His troops advance in force;
they build a siege ramp against me
and encamp around my tent.13“He has alienated my brothers from me;
my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.14My kinsmen have gone away;
my friends have forgotten me.15My guests and my maidservants count me a stranger;
they look upon me as an alien.16I summon my servant, but he does not answer,
though I beg him with my own mouth.17My breath is offensive to my wife;
I am loathsome to my own brothers.18Even the little boys scorn me;
when I appear, they ridicule me.19All my intimate friends detest me;
those I love have turned against me.20I am nothing but skin and bones;
I have escaped with only the skin of my teeth.21“Have pity on me, my friends, have pity,
for the hand of God has struck me.
But it’s ending? Incredible faith.
Job 19:25-27 (NIV)
25I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.26And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;27I myself will see him
with my own eyes — I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!
How often do you respond to trouble in such a manner? Appealing to what you know rather than what you feel in the moment… that our Redeemer lives, and that regardless of our situation, His plans and purposes will rule? That after we pass from this world, we will be with God as a result of our faith and trust in Jesus?
I’m just amazed by Job’s continued faith in spite of trouble… trouble most of us can’t imagine, no less.
Bible in a Year… Day 66 (Psalm 27-29)
April 8th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in » Bible in a Year
Well, I’m back from the fishing trip / men’s retreat now, so it’s time to get back to the normal blogging schedule with Bible in a Year. We’re in Psalm 27-29 today, but Psalm 28 stands out to me.
When is the last time you felt as David did… crying out to God, desperately needing to hear from Him? Asking for God’s mercy and assistance? Wondering if He’ll really answer?
Verses 1-2 capture these feelings and pleas well…
Psalm 28:1-2 (NIV)
1To you I call, O LORD my Rock;
do not turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you remain silent,
I will be like those who have gone down to the pit.2Hear my cry for mercy
as I call to you for help,
as I lift up my hands
toward your Most Holy Place.
When we finally do hear from God, it’s an amazing thing… our hearts are almost instantly filled with joy and praise… whatever depression, despair, hurts or pains that were there, suddenly gone.
Check out how verses 6-7 describe the moment…
Psalm 28:6-7
6Praise be to the LORD,
for he has heard my cry for mercy.7The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy
and I will give thanks to him in song.
We definitely need to hear from God regularly, not only for direction in our lives, but also simply for our well-being.
Bible in a Year… Day 61 (Isaiah 45-50)
April 3rd, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in » Bible in a Year
Back in Isaiah today… Notes follow.
Isaiah 45:9-12 (NIV)
9“Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker,
to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,
’What are you making?’
Does your work say,
’He has no hands’?10Woe to him who says to his father,
’What have you begotten?’
or to his mother,
’What have you brought to birth?’11“This is what the LORD says—
the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker:
Concerning things to come,
do you question me about my children,
or give me orders about the work of my hands?12It is I who made the earth
and created mankind upon it.
My own hands stretched out the heavens;
I marshaled their starry hosts.
I don’t know about you, but I’m prone to whining in prayer… to complaining to God about things I struggle with consistently, things I’m unhappy about, things I grow tired of… I’m just generally very frank with God in prayer.
While I think that’s a good thing (after all, we can’t hide ANYTHING from God), I wonder if many of us (again, I’m chief among sinners here) take that a bit too far. God created us as we are… allowing us to experience certain things and have certain weaknesses. I tend to believe those things are intended to teach us to rely on God for strength… yet we whine and complain about them?
This Scripture passage is a pretty solid reminder of our place in the universe. Just created beings, with no real right to question God the creator.
Humbling, isn’t it?
