The Bible in a Year - and Beyond!

Friday, January 27th

2012-01-27T10:46:00.002-06:00

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Genesis 43-45.

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 7:11-17.

11 If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the people), why was there still need for another priest to come—one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? 12 For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law. 13 He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. 14 For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. 15 And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16 one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is declared: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

The law demanded access to God, it demanded perfection, but the law couldn't provide it. The Levitical priesthood was not enough. Full relationship with God, complete communion with God, was not possible through the Levitical priesthood. If perfection could be achieved, in other words, if full relationship and communion with God could be achieved, through the Aaronic priesthood, there would have been no need for another one, for a better one.

But in Psalm 110 God declared that another priest would come, because the Levitical priesthood was not enough. And because it was not enough, this new priest could not be a Levitical priest from the order of Aaron, but rather a priest in the order of Melchizedek. A Superior Priest - and Jesus, descended from Judah, was that Most High Priest, in the order of Melchizedek.

The old system was replaced with a new one. There was no longer a need for the old system, the Aaronic priests and all the ceremonial laws that went with it. (The moral laws still apply of course!) They've been replaced by a new covenant, a new sacrifice, a new High Priest. In order for us to achieve perfection, full communion with God, we need to come through Jesus. Jesus is the door to God. Jesus is the Way to relationship with God.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 7:18-22

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Genesis 46-47

Thursday, January 26 ~ Miriam

2012-01-26T00:30:00.000-06:00

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Genesis 41-42.

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 7:1-10.

¹ This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, ² and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” ³Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever.

⁴ Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder! ⁵ Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, their brothers—even though their brothers are descended from Abraham. ⁶ This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. ⁷ And without doubt the lesser person is blessed by the greater. ⁸ In the one case, the tenth is collected by men who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. ⁹ One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, ¹⁰ because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.

Well, I don't know what to say. I am thoroughly confused about this Melchizedek business. There seem to be several different theories about who he was. There are about 5 different spellings of the name, to boot. Some believe this was a title, not a given name, and that it refers to Noah's son Shem. Others believe that Melchizedek is a previous incarnation of Jesus. Some think that he was an angel. Still others believe it is referring to the King of Sodom by another title. It's all very confusing and the commentaries are pretty daunting. I certainly wasn't about to wade through it all in one afternoon.

There is a sermon by John MacArthur called Melchizedek: A Type of Christ that goes into detail of the hows and whys this reference to Melchizedek is included in the book of Hebrews. The book is written to the Jews, right? They have priests. There are all kinds of rules about priesthood.

The priests had to be able to trace their genealogy back to Aaron, etc. It was hereditary, and they were priests only to the Jews. Now the Gospel is saying the Messiah is not ONLY for the Jews, but for the Gentiles as well. A Jewish priest cannot be a priest for the Gentiles. So Jesus could not be a priest in the order of Levi or Aaron, or whatever the correct terminology is, because then salvation would still only be for the Jews. There had to be another order, another "type" (as MacArthur puts it) for Jesus to belong to so that he could be the High Priest for ALL the people.

So Jehovah's not really the name of God. It's only that name which Israel came up with in an effort not to say Yahweh, and yet express who they wanted to express. So it's a combination word, Jehovah, and it deals strictly with Israel; and watch this. Aaron's priests were priests of Jehovah.

...but, watch this, it does not say that Melchizedek was the priest of Jehovah. It says he was the priest of what? The Most High God. Now, that is a universal name for God, El Elyon; and it reaches everywhere and everything in heaven and earth. It is the universal name of God that includes Jew and Gentile - far broader than the Jewish term Jehovah.

So whereas Aaron's priesthood related just to Israel, Melchizedek's was broader than that and related to all men. Now, when the Holy Spirit says Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek, do you see the significance? The significance is this. Jesus is not just the Messiah of Israel, but of the world; so it is very important to establish Melchizedek's priesthood as universal if you're going to say Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Pretty cool, huh? There is a lot more information and detail in the sermon, if you'd like to read it for yourself. Have a great day.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 7:11-17.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Genesis 43-45.

Wednesday, January 25th

2012-01-25T00:00:00.000-06:00

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Genesis 38-40

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 6:16-20

16 Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

God`s promises are trustworthy and never change because God is trustworthy and never changes. He can never do something that will go against His character. God is truth, therefore He cannot lie. It is impossible.

Because God is truth, because God never changes and because God is completely trustworthy, we can trust in all His promises. Our hope is completely secure when it is anchored in God.

Unlike the high priest who could only enter the Holy of Holies (the presence of God) for the briefest of times before escaping in fear for his very life, Jesus Christ, the perfect and greatest High Priest, not only entered into the presence of God, He sat down at His right hand (Hebrews 1:3). He`s not going anywhere! He is continually interceding on our behalf.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 7:1-10

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Genesis 41-42

Tuesday, January 24th

2012-01-24T00:00:00.000-06:00

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Genesis 35-37

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 6:13-15

13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” 15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.

Abraham waited 25 years from the time God first promised him a son until Isaac was finally born. After 20 years (shoot, after 5 years!) I'd be pretty temped to think God forgot about His promise.

We need to stop thinking that God works on our timetable.

He is faithful.
He will fulfill His promises to us.
In His time, not ours.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 6:16-20

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Genesis 38-40

Monday, January 23rd

2012-01-23T11:19:00.003-06:00

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Genesis 32-34

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 6:9-12

9 Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. 10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

MacArthur's sermon on this passage was helpful to me once again.

The writer of Hebrews wrote this letter to a whole group - some of which were true believers, and some of which were not. But we are not able to judge the heart. The wheat and the tares grow together and only God knows for sure which ones are wheat. So, the writer speaks to everyone, knowing that some are believers and some are not, but not knowing which is which.

And by this point the true believers are probably getting a bit nervous, thinking he's preaching to them. And so now in v9 & 10 he says directly to the true believers - don't worry. God knows that you are a true follower of Christ and He will not forget you. Your work of love is the fruit of your belief. You have faith, hope and love.

And then in v 11 & 12 he goes back to the unbelievers and challenges them to look at these true believers, to follow them, to mimic them, to pattern their lives after them.

Are we, as Christians, living our lives in such a way that the Holy Spirit could say that about us?

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 6:13-15

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Genesis 35-37

Sunday, January 22nd

2012-01-22T17:01:00.001-06:00

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Genesis 30-31

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 6:7-8

7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.

According to MacArthur these verses illustrate the interpretation of the previous verses.

He's saying, "All those who hear the Gospel are like the earth, and the rain falls. The Gospel message comes. In the context of the Gospels, the seed is planted. The Word is heard; but sometimes it brings forth herbs, fit for them by whom it is tilled." In other words, good for use. Oh, and that is blessing from God. But other times, under the same message, same Gospel, same preachers, some bring forth...in verse 8..."thorns and briars, and are rejected, and they're near to cursing. Their end is to be burned." You see God's grace falls, but some men bring forth fruit. Others bring forth thorns.

May we bring forth fruit!

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 6:9-12

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Genesis 32-34

Saturday, January 21st

2012-01-21T00:00:00.000-06:00

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Genesis 27-29

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 6:4-6

4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6 if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

The book of Hebrews is a contrast between Christianity and Judaism. It's an encouragement to those who have become Christians that they made the right choice. It's a call to those standing at the edge, those who know all the information, but haven't yet made the commitment. And it's giving information to those who have never heard it before.

According to MacArthur, this is how we need to view the entire book of Hebrews. Always asking ourselves what is it that the writer is saying about the superiority of Christianity over Judaism. He is not contrasting a new, baby Christian with a mature Christian. He is contrasting an unsaved Jew in Judaism with a redeemed Jew in the new covenant. The emphasis is the superiority of the new covenant over the old, the new mediator or great high priest, over the old, that Jesus is better than angels, that Jesus is better than Moses, better than Joshua, better than Aaron, better than Melchizedek, better than everyone.

In fact, MacArthur would disagree with our interpretations of our passages over the last few days.

Some have said that this is talking to Christians, and he's saying to Christians, "You shouldn't be immature Christians. You should be grownup Christians." That's a good principle. That's terrific principle. That's a Biblical principle. I don't think that's what being taught in Hebrews chapter 5. I think he's talking here to Jews who are intellectually convinced, but still hanging onto Judaism and, incidentally, folks, Judaism is the ABCs of the new covenant, is it not? And he is saying to them, "Come on to maturity in the new covenant."Now, I'm gonna try to defend that thesis, because it is a little foreign to most interpretations; but I think it's consistent. So we say then that the question is not a question of whether one's a baby Christian or a mature Christian. The issue is...is an evangelistic appeal. Come on to Christ. Come all the way. Many of these readers have professed to believe, but they're still hanging onto the patterns of Judaism. They wouldn't let go. They weren't saved, and they're in great danger, chapter 6 verse 4, of falling back and then finding it impossible to be renewed to salvation again. So when we're talking about maturity here, we're talking about the maturity of accepting Christ, you see, and coming into all the full-grown truths of the new covenant....

Now, lemme give you an overview of the passage very quickly. In 5:11 through 6:3, the Holy Spirit says, "Grow up from the...the ABCs of Judaism, and come all the way to maturity. Leave the milk of the Old Testament. Come to the solid food of the new covenant. Come to Christ. Leave Judaism." That's exactly what he's saying. Then in 6:4, he says, "If you don't, you're in serious danger of coming all the way up, hearing all of the truth, then falling away, and being lost forever." Because, my friends, if a man hears all the truth of Jesus Christ, considers it carefully, and walks away, he's hopeless. What else can God do once he's known the truth?

And, finally, in verse 9, he turns to Christians and says, "But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you and things which accompany salvation." And, at that point, he turns to Christians and lays on them the need to grow spiritually and to make sure they, too, don't fall back into old patterns. So the passage, then, is directed primarily as a warning to the unsaved. Now, someone is bound to ask me, "Do you think that the passage has anything to do with Christians?" Well, in an indirect sense, very definitely. If spiritual ignorance and fooling around with the ABCs is a serious problem for an unsaved person, how much more serious would it be for a Christian? How much more tragic for a Christian who never really grows up to fully understand the new covenant. But the direct issue is to the unsaved. Each warning in Hebrews is directed to the intellectually convinced who are on the edge of decision, but haven't yet responded to Christ. So we believe it to be a warning to them. (emphasis mine)

Sorry this got a little long, but I found that fascinating.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 6:7-8

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Genesis 30-31

Friday, January 20th

2012-01-20T10:01:00.002-06:00

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Genesis 25-26.

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 6:1-3.

1 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so.

The basics of Christianity are essential for every Christian to understand. The importance of faith, that you cannot be saved by works, the meaning of baptism and spiritual gifts, and the facts about the resurrection and eternal life - are all basic teachings. But we need to move beyond (not away) from those basic teachings and continue to learn and mature in the faith.

These particular Christians needed to move beyond the basics that they already knew from the OT, in order to understand Christ as the perfect high priest and the complete fulfillment to OT prophecies.

There is never room for stagnation in the Christian walk.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 6:4-6

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Genesis 27-29

Thursday, January 19 ~ Miriam

2012-01-19T00:30:00.000-06:00

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Genesis 22-24.

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 5:11-14.

¹¹ We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. ¹² In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! ¹³ Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Ouch. Slow to learn. Spiritual infants. Sound familiar to anyone else? I think, or hope, I've been moving from milk to solid food over the last couple of years. I had a decent spiritual education during the first 18 years of my life, but for the following... oh, I won't say how many... not so great. But in this case, I think slow to learn can also mean quick to forget, instead of just not knowing. Or going over the same ground again and again and not moving forward and building on that foundation. What do you think?

From Matthew Henry's commentary: To be unskilful, denotes want of experience in the things of the gospel. Christian experience is a spiritual sense, taste, or relish of the goodness, sweetness, and excellence of the truths of the gospel. And no tongue can express the satisfaction which the soul receives, from a sense of Divine goodness, grace, and love to it in Christ. (emphasis mine)

Can you imagine eating nothing but baby food your entire life and never moving on to taste a whole strawberry, or a crunchy Granny Smith apple, or whatever your other favourite foods are that babies don't eat? You'd miss out on a lot. I don't want to miss out on the mature, good, sweet and excellent truths of the gospel. I want to continue to learn. Anyone else?

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 6:1-3.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Genesis 25-26.

Wednesday, January 18th

2012-01-18T00:00:00.000-06:00

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Genesis 19-21

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 5:7-10

During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 5:7-10

According to the first portion of chapter 5, the high priest had to be appointed by God, be human, be humanly sympathetic and offer sacrifices for men. The Hebrews writer was showing the Jews that Jesus was the ultimate High Priest and that He fulfilled all these criteria. In V6 we see evidence of God appointing Jesus as High Priest. Jesus had to be incarnated in order to fulfill the human requirement. And in our passage today we see that due to the suffering He experienced as a man, He is fully able to be sympathetic. Yet He was also perfect, which makes Him the only possible sacrifice for our sins. He is both the Priest and the Sacrifice at the same time!

He learned obedience - this is not saying that He needed to conquer disobedience. Rather it proves His humanity and that He experienced human suffering in the fullest. And it proves His righteousness and therefore worthiness as the perfect sacrifice.

All so that He could become our High Priest - so He could be the mediator between us and God - forever!

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 5:11-14

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Genesis 22-24

Tuesday, January 17th

2012-01-17T00:00:00.000-06:00

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Genesis 16-18

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 5:4-6

No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.” And he says in another place, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 5:4-6

Quoting Psalm 2:7 and 110:4, the writer shows us that God Himself appointed Jesus to be His Son as well as Priest. Melchizedek was both King of Salem and priest of the Most High God during the time of Abraham. Psalm 2 recognized the Son as King and Messiah as well. Jesus is our ultimate King-Priest, called and appointed by God.

From my MacArthur commentary...
the two titles [Son, Priest] are titles of subordination - the subordination not being in regard to essence or nature (cf. John 10:30, 14:9, 11), but in regard to the fulfillment of the program of redemption. Neither office diminished the eternal deity of Christ or the equality of the Trinity. Both offices had a beginning.

We have made subordination mean inequality and yet it is not always so - certainly not in this case! Reminds me of submission as well. Submission does not mean inequality either.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 5:7-10

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Genesis 19-21

Monday, January 16th

2012-01-16T00:00:00.000-06:00

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Genesis 12-15

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 5:1-3

Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. Hebrews 5:1-3

The position of high priest in the Levitical system was by appointment only - you could not appoint yourself. When the priests offered sacrifices for his own sins, it reminds him of his own sinful humanity and keeps him humble, in order to deal compassionately towards others, especially those who were spiritually weak, ignorant or wayward.

The more we recognize God's holiness, the more we will recognize our own sinfulness and unworthiness. As we study and grow in our faith, we will likely sin less - however, our sin will distress us more because we recognize how much God detests sin of any kind.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 5:4-6

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Genesis 16-18

Sunday, January 15th

2012-01-15T01:36:00.002-06:00

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Job 40-42

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 4:14-16

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16

There's a lot packed into these 3 verses but I want to focus on the middle one.

I think we are quick to discount many of the things that Jesus did as being possible because He was God. Obviously it is true that He was and is God, but He was also fully human. He set aside His God-ness, so to speak, when He was born, and He faced temptation as a human, just as we do. Filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, and armed with the Word of God He had memorized as a man schooled in the Jewish synagogues, He faced temptation and yet was without sin.

We have that same power available to us! We have the very Word of God to study, to meditate on, to memorize, to rely on, to sustain us. And we have the power of the Holy Spirit within us. And because of this, Jesus called us to be like Him. To be like our Rabbi. And when we are like Him, we show the world who He is.

May we be like our Rabbi.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 5:1-3

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Genesis 12-15

Saturday, January 14 by Pamela

2012-01-14T06:39:00.002-06:00

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Job 38-39

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 4:12-13

^{Hebrews 4-12-13}

¹² For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. ¹³ Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

What a great reminder that the Bible is God's living and active message to us. It is as applicable now as it was when it was first written. I found this great insight about the application of God's word when He speaks:

"Then God speaks into us. It's the difference between hearing and listening. God's word becomes alive when hearts and minds open to the Spirit of God. God's word speaks into them – and we find that words that were just words come alive. How many times have you had that situation where you've looked at a passage of scripture and what were familiar words sometimes come alive and you know God is speaking to you personally through them?"

Then "There is this wonderful picture of the word of God being a double edged sword. It's a sword that can cut two ways. When God speaks into our lives, we can experience two extremes – judgement and blessing. But the other advantage of the Roman two-edged sword was that it was heavy – it could easily chop and enemy in two – not for the faint-hearted. It's the same when God speaks into our lives – He can cut right to the chase – He can get into the deepest part of our beings. If we are prepared, He can get right down to the very things in our lives that are stumbling blocks to us: those secret and hidden things – our thoughts and our attitudes. If you think that sounds bad; that you don't want to be reminded of all those things in your life ... – then remember that it's a two-edged sword. The challenge that God brings as He speaks to us also has blessing attached to it. As God deals with the deep things in our lives, He brings blessing too."

Nothing is hidden from God. Our thoughts. Our actions. Our words. Our attitudes. Nothing. It's amazing that this is passage was on my day (....speaking of God's word being living and active, lol!...) because I am dealing with a situation with my Mom and Dad and this reminder about everything being uncovered and that I need to give an account for my life before God directs my thoughts to what God will ask of me about this situation. Now it is my job to not just hear it but to listen as well.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 4:14-16

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Job 40-42

Friday, January 13th

2012-01-13T09:01:00.001-06:00

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Job 35-37.

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 4:6-11

It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. Hebrews 4:6-11

After reading this passage and the study notes from my Life Application Bible and MacArthur commentary, a few things jumped out at me.

First - simply the meaning of the passage....
God gave the Israelite the opportunity to enter the Promised Land, but they failed to receive this because of disobedience.

Even after they entered the Promised Land with Joshua, even in David's time (Psalm 95:7-11), God continued to offer spiritual rest.

And even now, God is giving everyone the opportunity for spiritual rest and inviting everyone to enter the eternal promised land of heaven through Christ - we must trust in God's promise, believe, repent and place God on the throne of our hearts and lives. We need to stop thinking we know a better way! That we can work for it, that we can earn it, or that we don't need it, or at least that we don't need it yet - maybe tomorrow. No! Today!! The invitation is combined with urgency and obedience - do not delay!

As Christians we can enjoy God's rest and peace on earth already (though it is imperfect and incomplete) as we look forward to entering His perfect rest and peace for eternity to come.

One point I appreciated from my study notes - often we work really hard the week before a vacation in order to tie up loose ends so we can relax. When we know rest is coming we put extra effort into our work. The same should be true of our Christian life here on earth. We know our eternal rest is coming, so let's work hard for God here while we can!

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 4:12-13

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Job 38-39

Thursday, January 12th ~ Miriam

2012-01-12T00:30:00.000-06:00

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Job 32-34.

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 4:1-5.

¹ Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. ² For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. ³ Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,

“So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’”

And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. ⁴ For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “And on the seventh day God rested from all his work.” ⁵ And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”

To all of us busy, busy people, doesn't "enter my rest" sound fabulous? I know for myself there are days where I just want a rest. A break. Because even when I'm not actually doing physical work, I'm planning, or mentally going over my to-do-tomorrow list, or to-do-next-week list.

I've started a while ago reserving Sundays for church and family, and since doing that, I find that I feel better about my whole week. I still prepare meals and clean up after them on Sundays, and I am involved in children's activities at church, so it's not a day where I don't do any work, necessarily, but I generally don't plan or schedule anything for Sundays. It makes Sunday, for me, more of a day to look forward to, and I find it refreshes me for the coming week. How do you keep the Sabbath?

I like what Matthew Henry had to say on the above verses:
As God finished his work, and then rested from it, so he will cause those who believe, to finish their work, and then to enjoy their rest. It is evident, that there is a more spiritual and excellent sabbath remaining for the people of God, than that of the seventh day, or that into which Joshua led the Jews. This rest is, a rest of grace, and comfort, and holiness, in the gospel state. And a rest in glory, where the people of God shall enjoy the end of their faith, and the object of all their desires. The rest, or sabbatism, which is the subject of the apostle's reasoning, and as to which he concludes that it remains to be enjoyed, is undoubtedly the heavenly rest, which remains to the people of God, and is opposed to a state of labour and trouble in this world. It is the rest they shall obtain when the Lord Jesus shall appear from heaven.

God really is good to us, isn't he?

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 4:6-11

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Job 35-37.

Wednesday, January 11th

2012-01-11T10:00:00.000-06:00

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Job 29-31

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 3:16-19

Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. Hebrews 3:16-19

The Israelites failed to enter the promised land because they didn't believe in God's protection and ability to help them conquer the giants of the land. They sinned due to their unbelief.

What are you not believing God for today?
How I am sinning due to unbelief?

God has always been faithful and trustworthy. He has never given us a reason for unbelief. Don't rely on your own faulty, human knowledge and understanding. Rely on our God who knows everything and trust in His promises.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 4:1-5

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Job 32-34

Tuesday, January 10th

2012-01-10T00:00:00.000-06:00

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Job 24-28

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 3:12-15

See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” Hebrews 3:12-15

There's a few tips in here about remaining faithful.

One is to recognize sin's deceitfulness - it can be attractive, but it is destructive.

Another is to encourage each other. Fellowship with other believers is vitally important for our own walk, and to encourage others in their walk.

And again, the urgency of "today". It never pays to put off strengthening our spiritual lives. There is no better moment to start then today, this very moment.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 3:16-19

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Job 29-31

Monday, January 9th

2012-01-09T11:33:00.003-06:00

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Job 21-23

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 3:7-11

So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ” Hebrews 3:7-11

No matter how many miracles God performed, no matter how faithful He was, the Israelites hardened their hearts over and over again. And so they missed out on the Promised Land. If we resist God's will over and over again, we will eventually harden our hearts and miss out on the rest God wants for us - spiritual rest in this lifetime, and eternity to come.

One thing that stood out to me was "Today". Today! Recognize God's voice, resist the hardening of your heart - today! Now is the time. We do not know when Christ will return. And we do not know at what point our continual bad choices will result in the hardening of our hearts. Our opportunity to repent is now...today!

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 3:12-15

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Job 24-28

Sunday, January 8th

2012-01-08T00:00:00.000-06:00

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Job 17-20

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 3:1-6

Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house. Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be said in the future. But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast. Hebrews 3:1-6

Moses was truly a great man. He led the Israelites from Egyptian bondage to the edge of the Promised Land, he was given the law by God, he wrote the first five books of the Old Testament, he was a prophet, he was a prayer warrior who interceded on the people's behalf so God would not destroy them.

But Moses was still only a human servant.

Jesus is more than just human. He is also God himself. And He is the One on whom our faith rests, giving us the courage and hope to live out our faith daily.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 3:7-11
Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Job 21-23

Saturday, January 7th

2012-01-07T00:00:00.000-06:00

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Job 14-16

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 2:14-18

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 2:14-18

I think often we make the mistake of thinking that it was easy for Jesus to be a human because He was also God. But I think that is faulty thinking. Jesus set aside His God-ness (so to speak) when He became human. He suffered trials and temptation as a human, not as God. He endured them as a human, not as God. He resisted temptation as a human, not as God. He does truly understand what it is like for us when we are tempted or when we suffer, because He Himself went through the same thing.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 3:1-6

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Job 17-20

January 6th

2012-01-06T00:00:00.000-06:00

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Job 10-13

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 2:10-13

In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. He says, “I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises.” And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again he says, “Here am I, and the children God has given me.” Hebrews 2:10-13

It was fitting, in other words, it was completely consistent with God's sovereignty, righteousness and holiness that the suffering and death of Jesus was necessary in order for our salvation.

And because Jesus, even though He was fully God, was fully human, when we receive that salvation we have the priviledge of being called the brothers and sisters of Christ. Isn't that amazing? He is our brother!

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 2:14-18

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Job 14-16

January 5th

2012-01-05T13:14:00.000-06:00

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Job 6-9

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 2:5-9

It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. But there is a place where someone has testified: “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet.” In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. Hebrews 2:5-9

According to my MacArthur commentary, when the writer refers to the world to come he is referring to the millennial kingdom, so he means that the angels will not reign over the messianic kingdom.

Then the question is asked, why would God even bother with mankind. Verse 9 answers that Christ is the greatest proof of God's love for humanity, and He was not sent in the form of an angel, but of a man.

There's at least two interpretations of the part about v8. My Life Application Bible says that God put Jesus in charge of everything but we do not yet see Him reigning on earth, though one day He will.

My MacArthur commentary says that God placed mankind in charge of the administration of the earth but that due to the fall, mankind has been incapable of fulfilling this position.

Which do you think rings true?

In v9 we see that though Jesus incarnation, sacrificial death, victory over sin and death, Jesus has fulfilled man's original purpose. And though He was made lower than the angels for a short time (when He was a man on earth), now He has glory and honour and all things (including angels) are subject to Him.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 2:10-13

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Job 10-13

January 4th

2012-01-04T00:38:00.002-06:00

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Job 1-5

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 2:1-4

We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. Hebrews 2:1-4

OK, loving this new format of studying the scripture! Totally learned something new today.

"For if the message spoken by angels was binding..."
This message refers to the teaching that angels, acting as God's messengers, brought the law to Moses.
Galatians 3:19 says What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator.

And in Acts 7:38 Stephen says "He was in the assembly in the desert, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers; and he received living words to pass on to us."
And again in Acts 7:53 Stephen says "you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it."

In Deuteronomy 33:2 we read He [Moses] said: "The Lord came from Sinai and dawned over them from Seir; he shone forth from Mount Paran, He came with myriads of holy ones from the south, from his mountain slopes."

Apparently, angels acted as messengers when God gave the law to Moses. That is fascinating to me! And even though it's mentioned 5 times in the Bible, and I've read it now at least 3 years in a row, I have never noticed that before!

Paul's point here is to show how, even though knowledge of and obedience to the law was very important, and it was spoken by angels and was binding - how much MORE important is salvation given by Jesus Christ Himself! The readers were 2nd generation believers so they had not seen Christ personally. Just like us, they were relying on eyewitness accounts of those who had seen Jesus in the flesh, whose words were confirmed by signs, miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The point? This is important stuff! And we are in danger of falling away from the Truth if we do not pay careful attention, if we do not make it more than mere intellectual assent, if we do not actively pursue Truth, if we do not focus and hear and obey, if we do not continue to walk out our faith every day.

Because Jesus is superior to angels, because salvation through Christ is superior to the law alone, we need to pay careful attention to this truth so we do not drift away!

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 2:5-9

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Job 6-9

January 3rd

2012-01-03T00:00:00.000-06:00

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Genesis 8-11

Today's scripture focus is: Hebrews 1:10-14

He also says, “In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.” To which of the angels did God ever say, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

The writer quotes Psalm 102:25-27 and Psalm 110:1 to testify to the deity of Jesus Christ and, therefore, His superiority to the angels.

He remains the same - forever. What comfort there is in that!

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 2:1-4

Tomorrow's Bible in a Year passage: Job 1-5

January 2nd

2012-01-02T00:00:00.000-06:00

Today's Chronological Bible in a Year passage: Genesis 4-7

Today's Scripture Focus: Hebrews 1:4-9

4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

⁵ For to which of the angels did God ever say,

“You are my Son;
today I have become your Father?

Or again,

“I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son”?

⁶ And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,

“Let all God’s angels worship him.”

⁷ In speaking of the angels he says,

“He makes his angels winds,
his servants flames of fire.”

⁸ But about the Son he says,

   “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever,
   and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.
⁹ You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
   therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
   by anointing you with the oil of joy.”

No creature is ever greater than his Creator. Angels are marvelous creatures to be sure, and I can't wait to see one, but they are only created beings, and are not to be worshiped.

The name Jesus inherited was the Son of God. This title made it beyond clear that Jesus is infinitely superior to the angels, and He alone is worthy of worship. Jesus is God's firstborn, His heir, holding the place of highest privilege and responsibility, superior to any created being.

Tomorrow's Scripture Focus: Hebrews 1:10-14
Tomorrow's Bible in a Year passage: Genesis 8-11

January 1st, 2012!!

2012-01-01T00:43:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year everybody!!

Welcome to the new version of the Bible in a Year and Beyond. I guess this is another version of the "beyond" phase as this year we move into studying the Bible in smaller sections, more in depth.

To review - the poster will be more of a conversation starter, using short Facebook style posts to either ask questions, share their thoughts on the passage, or something new or interesting they learned. Hopefully, as people participate, there will be an ensuing "conversation" in the comments.

As we will be taking the scripture in very small chunks, I would recommend that in your reading you build upon what we've already studied. (For ex - Day 1 you would read Hebrews 1:1-3 and study that section. On Day 2 you would read/study the next section, and then go back and read the two together. On Day 3, you would read/study the next section, and then go back and read all 3 portions together. And so on, for sure in 1 chapter segments, or more, however you choose to do it.

Hopefully that made sense ;)

Also, every day there will be a posting from the Bible in a Year Chronological Reading Plan for those who want to follow that as well - there is absolutely no pressure or expectation that you will/should be doing this, it is simply there for the convenience of those who are used to coming to this blog to find a Bible in a Year reference, or who want to continue to read a plan like that.

I am still working on the reading schedule and will post it as soon as I can - so sorry for the delay!

Anyway - on to today's new style post!

Today's reading from the Bible in a Year Chronological Reading Plan is Genesis 1-3

Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 1:1-3

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

What jumped out to me today is the fact that so much has changed from OT times to today (and the NT times). No longer is God only speaking through the prophets, now He is speaking through His own Son! No longer are we having to look forward to the fulfillment of the Promise, we can look back on the Promise being fulfilled in Christ. Everything changed at the coming of the Messiah!

What jumped out at you?

Tomorrow's Scripture Focus: Hebrews 1:4-9
Tomorrow's Bible in a Year passage: Genesis 4-7

December 31st, 2011

2011-12-31T00:00:00.000-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Malachi 3-4; Revelation 22

I can't believe we've reached the end of 2011 already! What an amazing journey this has been again this year for me. Tomorrow we start our new plan for 2012!! I'm excited about going in another direction with this blog (in depth studying of the Word with more of a conversational style posting/commenting discussion). A huge thank you to all the participants of 2011, especially our regular posters: Tammi, Miriam, Kathryn, Jody and Pamela. I know some of you will not be joining us this year and we will miss you! Maybe we'll see you back in 2013 or maybe you won't be able to stay away and we'll see you in 2012 after all :)

Anyway, on to today's post.

A few things stood out to me in today's passages. (all emphasis in the following scripture is mine)

"But you ask, 'How do we rob you?'
"In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse - the whole nation of you - because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." Malachi 3:8b-10

When we rob God of what is His, we are actually also robbing ourselves. We are robbing ourselves of God's blessings. God even says to test Him in this! I love His response - He will throw open heaven's floodgates and pour out blessing upon blessing! Truly we rob ourselves when we do not give to God what is rightfully His - whether that is tithes and offerings, our worship, our love, or our obedience.

But thankfully, the Lord has never-ending patience!

"I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have no kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 3:6

No matter how many times we mess up, He is faithful. He is faithful to forgive us and to restore us to right relationship with Him as long as we return to Him.

But in this struggle against flesh and blood (where we do what we don't want to do, and don't do what we want to do), we have hope. First, we have hope for this present day because we are filled with the power of His Spirit and strengthened by His very Word. But in the future, we can look forward to the day that is coming!

No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. Revelation 22:3-5

And that promise holds true for everyone who will come and accept the free gift God gave us in His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. Revelation 22:17

Come, Lord Jesus!

Tomorrow's passage: Hebrews 1:1-3
Bible in a Year: Genesis 1-3

2012!

2011-12-30T16:29:00.001-06:00

2012 is upon us!

I know we've been having discussions for awhile now and what we're going to do next year, but it's all been on our Facebook group and I just realized that I should let all of the blog readers who may not be part of that group, know what's going on! (Click here if you'd like to join our Facebook group.)

We've decided to take a break from reading through the entire Bible in a year, at least as a group, and instead focus on studying a few Books of the Bible slowly, and in more depth. I, personally, would like to continue to read through the Bible in a Year as well because I don't want to lose my momentum in reading the text and want to continue to cultivate a passion for the text. I know you can do that in slower study as well, but I would like to continue get to know the Bible better as a whole, while studying the smaller portions. There is absolutely no pressure for anybody else to do that, but just in case others are wanting to do the same, I will be posting the daily passages to this Chronological Bible in a Year plan every day as well.

We are going to be starting with the book of Hebrews. I am making the schedule of daily readings and will post the whole thing soon (obviously I need to do it soon!). Some days we will literally only do one verse, if it is a difficult one to understand. Other days it will be 3 or 4 verses, and others larger chunks. John will be the first gospel we study - likely not in quite as small chunks as Hebrews. Romans will be another one that we will take in very small chunks. We will probably do the other 3 gospels as well, unless I receive requests to do something else. Even after the schedule is out, we can change it as we feel led, please do not hesitate to request that!

Also - the daily posts will be a bit different this year. We are going with shorter posts - more Facebook status style. We'd like it to be a conversation starter - so either an observation you made about the verses, or a question you had, or something new you learned - which will hopefully spur on a conversation in the comments section.

A huge thank you to all who participated in 2011, especially our regular posters: Tammi, Miriam, Kathryn, Jody and Pamela. I know some of you will not be joining us in 2012, and we will miss you!! But hopefully we'll see you again soon.

Looking forward to starting this new adventure with you in 2012!

Friday, December 30 ~ tammi

2011-12-30T00:01:00.118-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Malachi 1-2; Revelation 21.

So we approach the end of the year with a sober warning from Malachi and the glorious presentation of the Bride of Christ in Revelation.

God's words through Malachi in chapters 1 and 2 blast the post-exile priests, who, within just a hundred years of the initial returning wave of exiles, have once again begun profaning the name of God and desecrating His house of worship ~ they're allowing imperfect animals to be offered as sacrifices. And we're not talking small, hidden imperfections either. They're allowing blind, crippled, and diseased animals!! God's Law clearly stated PERFECT, UNBLEMISHED animals were the only acceptable sacrifice, and the priests are teaching the nation by example that it doesn't matter what they give to God.

Not only that, but they're seeing worship and their duty as a burden. They're complaining about God's requirements and design for their lives. Because they broke the covenant that, centuries earlier, God had made with Levi, God essentially made the priests a laughingstock among the people. Everyone knew of their corruption and they were no longer revered or sought out when wisdom or advice was needed. Because they were responsible for leading God's people, they were held to a higher standard and God curses them.

Interestingly, roughly 450 years later, when the veil of the Holy of Holies was torn in half at Christ's death on the cross, that was the end of the line for the priests. The position of human intermediary between God and man was terminated as Jesus became our Great High Priest.

God then addresses the entire nation and accuses them similarly ~ of breaking their covenant relationship with Him. Notice though, that even though God voices His displeasure, there is no curse. He parallels what has happened in Israel as a nation spiritually, with what has been happening among them in reality: divorce. Because our relationship with God is what's to be mirrored in a marriage relationship, the fact that inter-marriage with pagans was again being regularly practiced and divorce was rampant, this was clear evidence that their hearts had turned from God, their deliverer, their first Love.

I find both of these warnings so applicable to us today. Pastors and other spiritual leaders are still leading church-goers astray. Christians ~ at least, particularly those in the Western world ~ are continually plagued with the feeling that church and serving in the Body of Christ is a chore, an obligation. We tend to grumble about not being able to sleep in on Sundays, about having to teach Sunday school or lead singing week in, week out, month after month, year after year... Not many of us see it as a privilege, a high honour.

But when we see the picture of Christ's Bride appearing, the Holy City, made pure and clothed in dazzling robes, covered with every imaginable precious stone, doesn't that give us incentive to change our hearts and our attitudes, to continue seeking to know Him better, and to remember why we love serving God? I think it does. We have an incredible reward awaiting us, and because it's there despite our failings and our sin, we should desire to live our lives as a sacrifice of gratitude to Him ~ faithfully, JOYFULLY serving Him each and every moment until He returns to perfect the work He began in us.

Tomorrow's readings: Malachi 3-4; Revelation 22

Thursday, December 29 ~ Miriam

2011-12-29T00:30:00.000-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Nehemiah 12-13; Revelation 20.

Wow, can you believe this is the 3rd last post of 2011 already? Unreal. I'm so pumped about having been through the entire Bible twice now and looking forward to carrying on in 2012 in a new way.

In Nehemiah today, we talk about what happened after the walls were rebuilt. Nehemiah had gone back to his important position as cupbearer to the king of Persia, but later he returns to Jerusalem to see how things are going. What does he find? Once again, the people have slacked off in their duties. They are not honouring the Sabbath and keeping it holy. They are once again intermarrying with foreigners. They are once again neglecting and misusing the house of God.

Nehemiah comes across, to me anyway, as a bit of a blunt instrument, if you will. He's not a politician. He doesn't use diplomacy or pussyfoot around the issues. He finds someone has been given lodging in the place where grain offerings and such are to be stored, and rather than sitting them down and talking to them about it, he chucks the guy's stuff out and has the room purified. When he finds that the tithes weren't being brought, he rebukes them. (Definition-Express sharp disapproval or criticism of (someone) because of their behavior or actions.) Not asks nicely, rebukes. Same with the ones who were working and selling things on the Sabbath. He rebukes them. The ones who'd married women from the surrounding areas were not only rebuked, but cursed and beaten! Now, he makes a good point about King Solomon and what marrying foreign women did to him, but boy, it kinda seems like he's letting his temper get away on him.

Having said that, sometimes it's really hard to know how to handle situations where you find someone in the wrong. Do you talk to them gently, or rebuke them? Do you shake your head and say "Someday you'll have consequences for these actions," or do you intervene in some way? Obviously, it depends greatly on the situation, who is involved, and your relationship to the people involved - and definitely prayer should be involved as well!

I marvel (and am thankful) once again that God can and does use us just as we are, as he's created us, with our strengths and weaknesses, gifts and flaws, to accomplish His purposes. Nehemiah may have been a blunt instrument, but look at what wash accomplished! He was strong and decisive and probably offended people, but without him, would the walls have been rebuilt? Would the Law of Moses have been re-read and re-instated?

I'm obviously not encouraging anyone to go around rebuking everyone and cursing and beating on people who disobey God's laws. Not even those people you know should know better. But maybe sometimes we should worry a little less about offending people and hurting their feelings and act in their best interests instead. They probably won't thank you for it at the time, but hopefully they will realize the value in it when they look back on it later. Our motivation, however, should always be from love, a desire to build the other person up (which sometimes requires a little breaking down first), or seeking to restore. We want to show love and kindness to people, as "love your neighbour as yourself" is one of the greatest commandments we are given in the Bible, but at times a stronger, blunter approach is actually more loving than tiptoeing around someone's feelings or standing by and allowing them to carry on down the wrong path until the inevitable consequences catch up to them. By then, it could be too late. Let us pray for the wisdom to know when to use delicacy and when to use the blunt instrument!

Happy Thursday, and Happy New Year!

Tomorrow's passage: Malachi 1-2; Revelation 21.

Wednesday, December 28 - Kathryn

2011-12-28T00:02:00.000-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Nehemiah 10-11, Revelation 19

Happy Last Wednesday of the year!

Scripture: Revelation 1:19

After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God...

Observation:
No one has the power to save except the Lord.

Application:
In our world of medical advances, insurance on cars, health, life, house, etc, we often feel we've made ourselves 'safe'. We think there are things we can do to protect ourselves from the inevitable, when really, we deceive ourselves.
For a long time I had fear of studying revelation and I was very afraid of the end times. I shied away from discussions surrounding the end times. But, then I started studying Revelation and I learned a thing or two.
Those who are the Lords are in His care. We need not fear the end because we are in the hands of the God who has the power to take us out of it, or carry us through it. He knows the end. Only He has the power to save.
The first part of that scripture can give us testament to just how much we can trust the Lord. The roar of a great multitude is telling us this. Have you ever been to an excited concert where a well known musicisian or group is about to come out? The sound can be deafening. All of those people can testify to the talent of the group. This great multitude is testifying to the salvation of our Lord, to the power of our Lord and to the glory of our Lord. We often learn a lot from word of mouth. This perhaps is the best.
I do not fear the end now, because I know who controls it. I trust Him.

Prayer:
Father God, as Your word says, You are awesome, glorious and most trustworthy. Please help us to trust You more. Illumine our hearts and minds to the truth You have given us in Your word. Salvation belongs to You. We trust You and we love You. Amen.

Tomorrow's passage: Nehemiah 12-13, Revelation 20

Tuesday, December 27th

2011-12-27T00:00:00.000-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Nehemiah 7-9, Revelation 18

I love Nehemiah Chapter 9.

Many prayers, speeches or passages of scripture in the Bible include a long summary of Israel's history, reminding the people of their great heritage and God's promises.

But what jumped out at me today when I read this was how absolutely focused on God this passage is. The passage blesses God, it praises God, it focuses completely on God and what He has done for His people, for His name.

Just take note of a few examples....
You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens...You give life to everything....You are the Lord God, who chose Abram...You found his heart faithful to you...You have kept your promise because you are righteous.....You saw the suffering of our forefathers in Egypt...You sent miraculous signs and wonders against Pharaoh.....You made a name for yourself, which remains to this day....You divided the sea....
And on and on it goes!

I love that. I love the complete and utter focus on God. That God is given the credit for absolutely everything. That He did it all. And He did it to glorify His name.

I love the descriptions of God's character also found in this passage. Here are more examples....
You have kept your promise because you are righteous....You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love....Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them....And when they cried out to you again, you hear from heaven, and in your compassion you delivered them time after time....For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you admonished them through your prophets....But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God...O our God, the great, mighty and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love....

Isn't that beautiful?

Oh our God, You alone are worthy of our utmost praise and adoration. You alone are worthy to sit on the throne of our lives. May we live what we say we believe.

Tomorrow's passage: Nehemiah 10-11, Revelation 19

Monday, Dec 26 - Jody

2011-12-26T10:33:00.000-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is: Nehemiah 4-6, Revelation 17

Happy Monday Everyone! Apparently I'm in holiday mode - sorry this post is late (and short)!

Scripture: Nehemiah 6:16
¹⁶ When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.

Observation
Nehemiah was strong in his communication with God and clear about identifying what others were trying to tell him and what God was telling him. This assurance of calling can only be attained through an intimate relationship with God.

Application
Sometimes, what we do might look crazy to the world - and even the loved ones around us. And it may in fact be crazy, but if God is calling us to crazy - we must be obedient!! The recurring message of relationship, communication, meditation on God's word and obedience is our application here. Success as a believer is measured in a different way than non-believers.

Prayer
Father God, thank you for speaking to me. Thank you for sometimes calling me to crazy and walking me through to success in you. Amen

Tomorrow's passage: Nehemiah 7-9, Revelation 18

Christmas Day - Sunday, December 25th

2011-12-25T00:00:00.000-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Nehemiah 1-3, Matthew 1, Luke 2

First of all - Merry Christmas everybody!! Hope you have a wonderful day celebrating the birth of Jesus with your family and friends.

Wow, there's a lot going on in today's readings! Maybe I'll start with Nehemiah and then go back to the Christmas stories.

One thing that is so evident in Nehemiah is how much he relied on prayer.

When he received the bad news about the state of Jerusalem's walls, his reaction was to pray. In his prayer he praised God, he thanked God, he confessed sin and asked for specific help. In doing so, he included God in his plans and concerns, prepared his own heart and gave room for God to work, and committed to doing his part.

Even during his conversation with the king he prayed (2:4), putting the results in God's hands.

As we get further into Nehemiah we will find that this is a consistent pattern.

Oh, how I need to work on this! I want my immediate reaction to bad news to be prayer. I want my first instinct when going into a stressful situation to be prayer. I want to pray without ceasing, to be in constant search of aligning my will with His. That He may be glorified.

On to our Christmas passages....

I love the genealogy portion of the Matthew passage. It lists 46 people, all ancestors of Jesus, but with huge differences between them. Some were heroes of faith (Abraham, Isaac, Ruth, David), some had shady reputations (Rahab, Tamar), some were ordinary (Ram, Akim), some were downright evil (Manessah, Abijah). God's plans and purposes are not limited by human failure or sins, and He can work through everyone from the ordinary to the extraordinary to accomplish His will. We will allow ourselves to benefit from willingly participating in His plan, or will His plan unfold despite us?

In Luke 2 what jumped out at me was Anna's situation. She was only married for 7 yrs before she was widowed, and she remained a widow until she was 84 (at which point, I assume she died). Assuming she married young - maybe around 13 or 14 years old, that would mean she was likely widowed at age 20 or 21 yrs of age. What a long long time! But she devoted her life to God, and was rewarded in an extraordinary way when she was chosen to be one of the first to bear witness to the Messiah. God always rewards our faithfulness, sometimes quickly, sometimes not for 60+ years, sometimes not until eternity - but it will be rewarded!

Blessings to you and your family as you celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Merry Christmas!

Tomorrow's passage: Nehemiah 4-6, Revelation 17

Saturday, December 24-guest post by Pamela

2011-12-24T06:56:00.003-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Ezra 8-10; Revelation 16.

Scripture: Ezra 10:2

² And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, addressed Ezra: “We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. ³Therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the Law.

Observation: Even when we have turned away from God this is still hope and we can make a plan to begin restitution with Him.

Application:

My thoughts on verse 2: Temptation can overtake us very quickly. It doesn't help with you are surrounded by others who are succumbing to the same temptation to act in a way that is against God's plan. When it seems like "everyone's doing it", it can be very easy to justify it as acceptable. When the Israelites married these foreign women, it became a slow fade into accepting their wives beliefs, and the worship of pagan gods, and making them their own. So, in actuality, it doesn't seem like the intermarriages themselves are the problem, but rather what happens to the Israelites' relationship with God as a result. However, regardless of how far the Israelites have moved away from God, "even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this". This is encouraging because sometimes people can feel that they are just too far away and that the separation from God is just too great...but there is hope.

Now I understand this adoption of foreign practices and beliefs as a problem but I am actually confused by verse 3: Why is it acceptable to "put away all the wives and children"? How can that be God's plan? For women to be abandoned...for children to grow up without being influenced by their father's guidance...for families to be torn apart?? How can this be? Is God saying -in this circumstance-that divorce is necessary and acceptable?

Maybe I am just hyper sensitive about divorce, as unfortunately it has affected people in my family, but I firmly believe that God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16) and that when you make the choice to marry someone-EVEN if it turns out to be the wrong person-you need to stay married to them. That's a tough thing to admit because I seem to be alone in that belief. The saturation of divorce in Christian circles has, I think, diluted our ability to recognize it as wrong. Maybe just like the foreign marriages of the Israelites just became "normal" because everyone was doing it and it the same way divorce has become "normal" because we know so many people who are doing it.

We, as Christians, are called to be different-to stand out, to be an example, to bring others to Christ. How can we do that when we openly adopt the ways of the culture around us. We are called to be in the world, not of the world and to "not conform to the pattern of this world" (Romans 12:2). To be different is to reconcile, to forgive, to demonstrate commitment and to wait on God to work in hearts to change. Again, my opinion is biased based on situations in my own family but I don't believe divorce is right and I know I could never do it.

What did happen to these abandoned wives and children? Did they continue worshipping their pagan gods because they were never given the opportunity to share in the faith of their husbands? Did they become angry at their Israelite husbands who served a God that would want them to be "put away"? Wouldn't it have been better for the Israelite husband to abandon all pagan worship in his house, lead his family in the way of God, and instruct his children to follow in his footsteps. Maybe I'm too much of an optimist.

Prayer: Lord, the Christmas Season is upon us and we are so thankful and grateful that you allowed Jesus to come to earth as a part of your rescue plan. We fall short of your plan so often and take matters into our own hands. We make mistakes, we fall, we hurt ourselves and others in the process. Thank you for the hope You gave through Jesus and that no matter how many times we fall, You gave us hope to get back up. Lord, be with all of the abandoned people this season and help them to see that You are hope for the hopeless. Be with the children of broken homes and help them to understand that this was not what You had planned for them. Lord, You own the perfect plan and when we stray from it, there are consequences. Help us to see those consequences before they hurt us and others and guide us to make better choices.

Tomorrow's passage: Nehemiah 1-3 - Matthew 1 - Luke 2

Friday, December 23 ~ tammi

2011-12-23T00:01:00.124-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Esther 9-10; Revelation 15.

Today's reading in Esther wraps up this amazing story, and once again, we see much is left out of the story we hear as kids! Since the laws of the Medes and Persians were irrevocable (Seriously, who thought that policy was a good idea?! Did the particular ruler who made up that rule never change his own mind about anything??), the king can't repeal the decree to annihilate the Jews. But he does what he can in chapter 8 and decrees the Jews are allowed to defend themselves. Remember, the Jews are a conquered people, enslaved here in Persia ~ they have enjoyed many freedoms, but they have few rights. Xerxes here gives them the "right to bear arms," as it were, and defend themselves and their property against attack.

So chapter 9 briefly chronicles a two-day, nation-wide bloodbath in which the Jews, as a people, are saved. On the first day, the Jews kill 500 men in the royal city of Susa and Esther asks permission to extend the edict to the following day. The king grants her request again, and on the second day, the Jews kill 75,000 Medo-Persians across the empire. In both cases, the author of the book thinks it worth mentioning his people took no plunder. They took no "spoils of war" ~ all they wanted was their own lives.

The book ends with a description of a new festival that is still celebrated by Jewish people to this day: Purim, a commemorative celebration of the day they were once again incredibly delivered by the all-powerful hand of God. I think, in a sense, Esther 9 ties in well with the reading in Revelation ~ two horrific days, followed by great celebration and a holiday that is still celebrated thousands of years later. In Revelation, we approach the beginning of the end, the last cataclysm before the ultimate wedding feast of Jesus Christ that will be celebrated for the rest of eternity.

As if what's already occurred in the preceding chapters isn't bad enough, Revelation chapter 15 introduces us to the last of the last ~ the seven deadliest punishments that will complete God's anger towards sinful humanity and sin itself; the last cleansing purge that will finally satisfy His perfect holiness. John sees the temple opened and the physical glory of God filling it, noting that no one can enter until justice is done and God's wrath is appeased.

My Life Application Bible notes that "The key to God's eternal glory and power is his holiness. God's glory is not only his strength but also his perfect moral character. God will never do anything that is not morally perfect. This reassures us that we can trust him, yet it places a demand on us. Our desire to be holy (dedicated to god and morally pure) is our only suitable response. Our eternal reign with Christ won't begin until all evil is destroyed by HIS judgment. We must wait for his timetable to be revealed." (emphasis added)

Those last two statements fly in the face of the idea more and more evangelicals seem to be embracing ~ that Christians are responsible for establishing the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth in order for Christ to return. As if it were possible for mere mortals to make this place fit for the King of Kings and usher Him into OUR presence! No, it will all be His doing, His timetable, His way. No matter how hard we try, we will never be the kind of holy that He can ~ and WILL ~ make us someday.

I don't know why that's a problem for people ~ I'd much rather have Him be responsible for ultimately making me truly holy than leaving it up to ME!!

Something tells me He'll do a much better job of it! ;)

Tomorrow's readings: Ezra 8-10; Revelation 16

Thursday, December 22 ~ Miriam

2011-12-22T10:20:00.002-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Esther 6-8; Revelation 14.

There are a few reasons to love the story of Esther. One of my reasons that we read today is how all of Haman's plotting turned against him. He plotted to kill Mordecai, but instead, not only did he die on the very gallows he had built for Mordecai, but he first had to lead Mordecai around the city to be honoured in the very way he himself had wished to be honoured. He thought much of himself, felt that he deserved or was owed honour and respect, but he was humbled greatly before finally being executed. Sometimes it seems that people do bad things all the time and get away with it, and good people work hard and work long and seemingly get the short end of the stick all too often. This is a story where the good people are rightly honoured and the bad guy is punished. Good stuff, right?

Justice is a good and important thing (justice, not revenge). And yet, what if there were only justice and not mercy? Would we not "drink of the wine of God's fury" (Rev. 14:10) along with everyone else?

Many people think that human beings are basically good. After all, most people haven't killed anyone, many don't steal or commit adultery, and they try to treat others the way they'd like to be treated most of the time. Too many people think they start off with an A and maybe move down to a B or a C if when they do bad things. God couldn't really send them to hell for a B or a C, right? Not if He is a God who loves them. Guess what? We're all getting an F without Jesus. Not a C or even a D. An F.

A God who loves us gave us a way to live instead of die. He doesn't spitefully pack people off to hell for disobeying Him. We were headed there already all on our own. He gave us our only way out because He is a God of love and mercy. He sacrificed his own Son, even after seeing and hearing him praying and crying out so desperately for another way that he was sweating drops of blood. To those who have lost a child, I can imagine it is hard to think this way when you are grieving, but I don't think anyone else could have more empathy for what that loss feels like than God. And yet, He did so willingly for US! Each and every one of us! How, in the face of all this, can we doubt God's love? I, personally, can't imagine why He would love each of us so much, and yet He must. If He could go through the pain and grief of the death of His own Son, who did nothing wrong, for the sake of human beings who mess things up ALL the time, He must love us. There is just no other reason why He would do such a thing.

As we celebrate the birth of Christ this weekend, I hope we'll all remember not only the miracle of a virgin conceiving and giving birth, or the star of Bethlehem, or the choir of angels, but why he came and that he was born in a lowly stable, and his birth was celebrated by kings (the high society) and shepherds (the lowest of the low) because he came for ALL people.

Hallelujah!

Tomorrow's passage: Esther 9-10; Revelation 15.

Wednesday, December 21 - Kathryn

2011-12-21T00:02:00.001-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Esther 3-5, Revelation 13

I have always enjoyed the book of Esther. Mostly because she was a woman of great strength coming from a difficult situation and put into an equally difficult situation. Her people had been deported to a pagan land, unable to sacrifice and so far away from home and the things they knew. Esther was also an orphan, not something well looked upon. And, she was beautiful. She had the cards stacked against her, but the Lord was with her.

I've learned a couple of things from reading Esther:

She listened to, respected and (I'm unpopular here) obeyed the men around her. This was both easy and not easy. Perhaps it was easy to listen to Mordecai because he was a trusted cousin to her. He had loved her and cared for her in place of her parents. It was not easy, however, to listen to the heathens around her. The eunuch placed over her, the King himself. But in these situations when she listened to and did what they told her to, she was saved. Mordecai asked her to go before the king, something no one could do unless called (punishable by death), yet she was saved.
She wasn't a pushover or timid. Even though she listened and obeyed the men around her, she voiced her opinion and opposition. She told Mordecai that hello! I'm going to die if I go before the king! Yet she was bold and courageous in going before the king and asking him twice to come to dinner.
She knew how to work within her God given parameters to get what she needed/wanted.She was not a stupid woman. She knew the way to endear a man. She wasn't going to get anywhere stamping her foot and going into a tirade, or even doing things herself. This is not popular thought today. Many women are proud to say they need no man. Yet this isn't scriptural, nor is it smart. Women have their own power, and don't need to borrow the power that God has given men. Both men and women were made to need each other in different ways.

Esther is a great example of how to be effective right where we are at. To be sure women were not revered or even valued in this culture, but Esther was able to work out God's will for her as a woman in that time. God is able to use us right where we are at, we just need to be willing and open to His leading.

Tomorrow's passage: Esther 6-8, Revelation 14

Tuesday, December 20th

2011-12-20T09:26:00.001-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Esther 1-2, Revelation 12

In today's reading from Revelation there's a shift in perspective. The previous few chapters have all been about God's judgement upon the unbelievers, still with the purpose of relationship restoration.

But what's going on, at the same time, is Satan's wrath and fury against believers.

No wonder it's a time of destruction like never seen before.

The woman represents Israel; the sun, moon and 12 stars represent Jacob, Rachel and the 12 tribes of Israel (Joseph's dream from Genesis 37). And the woman is pregnant and crying out in pain, longing to give birth - just like Israel had been longing for the coming of the Messiah. Israel has suffered throughout their entire existence it seems, because of God's discipline and because of Satan's efforts to destroy them so the kingdom couldn't come.

The audacity of that, really! As though Satan can somehow stop God from carrying out His plan! But he tries, oh how he tries. And in this passage he is symbolized as a red dragon which is a picture of how fierce, destructive and frightening Satan is, and the red also indicates bloodshed. He is a seven headed monster who rules over the worldly kingdoms, with horns representing power, strength and weaponry.

Over and over again, Satan has tried to destroy the Jews and therefore the Messianic line....
From MacArthur...
Satan had already tried to prevent Abraham from having a son of promise. He tried to destroy Jacob. Tried to kill the line of Judah. Tried to take Israel captive and eliminate ten tribes later on in the divided kingdom and failed. Though the captives from the north never returned, representatives from all ten tribes had filtered into the south and so all twelve tribes are still in tact. The archenemy of Israel tried to destroy the Jews through pagan kings and God used judges to deliver them. The dragon tried to get Saul to murder David and end all messianic hope through the line of David, and he could never succeed. Haman became Satan's tool to attempt genocide, but the nation was saved by Esther and Haman was executed on his own gallows.

He references 2 Chronicles 21 and 22 where, in two cases, the Messianic line had dwindled to only one child. Only one left before the Messianic line would be destroyed. (Jehoram slaughtered all his brothers so only he remained, and then all his sons, other than Ahaziah, were killed by raiders).

Revelation 12 then takes us back all the way to the beginning, when Satan rebelled against God and was thrown out of heaven along with a third of the angels. There are two thirds remaining, which means the forces of God are twice as many as the forces of Satan.

And now, as we remember the birth of Christ, Satan once again is making war against God and His redemptive plan. He tried to destroy Jesus through Herod. He tries to get Jesus to throw himself off a cliff, he tries to have him stoned - but he is unable to kill the Promise.

And our passage confirms that the child was born, despite Satan's best efforts, and that He is the Ruler of all nations.

But Satan is relentless and he doesn't give up. Throughout history he has continued to attack the Israelites. But he has not been able to succeed in destroying them, and he never will.

And during the tribulation, God will provide a refuge and protection from Satan for His people (v6) - for 3 1/2 yrs they will be cared for by God in the wilderness.

Satan's attacks are relentless. And his attacks are not limited just to the Jews. He's perfectly happy attacking Gentile Christians as well. And so we do suffer on this earth. We suffer from many things - from God's discipline (done in love to restore relationship), from Satan's wrath and fury, and from the consequences of our own sinful choices.

But we have this amazing hope.

We know that Christ came and He is coming again.

We know that Satan does not win. Really, he knows this too and it makes him desperate. Which means we suffer even more. But throughout that suffering we need to cling to the hope, to the knowledge that God will be victorious. And it won't just be a little victory. It will be definitive. It will be widespread, total and complete annihilation.

Tomorrow's passage: Esther 3-5, Revelation 13

Monday, Dec 19 - Jody

2011-12-19T06:58:00.000-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is: Ezra 5-7, Revelation 11

Happy Monday Everyone!

I don't have a lot of personal insight to add today. These chapters in Revelation are so overwhelming and interesting to me. I don't know about you, but whenever I read Revelation, a whole different feeling comes over me, it's like this one book of the Bible holds a more urgent message than the rest of the books. I want to highlight some things that John MacArthur has to say in his message Two Witnesses Part 3.

I believe that it's during the Tribulation that Israel will be saved and the last events of the Tribulation will be the great movement of God that causes the most immense reaction in Israel to saving truth. Already we know a hundred and forty-four thousand Jews have been saved and they are a hundred and forty-four thousand witnessing missionaries all over the globe. They've been sealed to witness during the seven-year period. They are protected from death and they go about the world proclaiming the gospel truth. Already we know that they have had an effect. Gentiles have believed. Jews have believed.
But in this scene in chapter 11 we meet two other preachers and they are the ones who really are used by God as the instruments of the final harvest of the nation Israel, right before the very end of the day of the Lord. They are identified for us as two witnesses and I believe that there have been Jews being saved since the hundred and forty-four thousand started preaching, but now there is going to be a tremendous response and we will note it as we finish this great section tonight. And it will be at the prompting and the preaching and under the power of these anointed two witnesses.
Let's look again at verse 3. "And I will grant authority to My two witnesses and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days clothed on sackcloth." Now let me remind you that this tells us about their duty, they will prophesy. These two men will preach warning. They will preach judgment. They will explain the coming wrath of God. They will explain what is going on at the present time since judgments have already been going on through the first of the seals and then the first of the trumpets and are about to break out in the final bowl judgments. They will be calling for repentance. They will be calling for belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Their duty, they will prophesy.

Won't this be amazing to see, whoever will be on this earth to witness it? MacArthur goes on...

But God is merciful and just before the final blowing of the seventh trumpet which contains the seven bowls which is the final rapid-fire holocaust at the end of the day of the Lord, leading up to Christ's return and the establishment of His Kingdom which involves the destruction of all the ungodly, before that happens the Lord sends two final powerful witnesses. Like Enoch and Noah before the Flood, like Moses in Egypt before the judgments, like John the Baptist before the Messiah and the destruction of Jerusalem, God mercifully sends preachers to warn.

Doesn't our God love us?? To even have a book in His Word like Revelation. To offer us so many teachings in the entire Bible, offer us all of the warnings and brilliant imagery in His final book - Revelation, and yet already have an added plan of grace and mercy in place for the final days of earth embodied in the Two Witnesses. Yes, our God loves us...

Tomorrow's passage: Esther 1-2, Revelation 12

Sunday, December 18th

2011-12-18T16:21:00.000-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Psalm 107, 127, Revelation 10

I learned a few really interesting things about our Revelation passage from John MacArthur in his sermon When God Breaks His Silence.

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. Revelation 10:1

MacArthur explains that the cloud was a symbol of judgement at which time God will destroy the wicked, but the rainbow is a reassuring sign to God's beloved that they would not be swept away in this judgement, but that God would remember them and spare them. His face was a blaze of glory that can light up the world like the sun can (and if the face of "just" an angel can do that, just imagine the face of God!), and his legs of fiery pillars represented the unbending holiness of the judgement activity.

MacArthur also suggests that the little scroll the angel is holding is the same one from Chapter 5 that no one but Jesus was worthy to open, and in it is contained the final judgement that is now visible - the seven seals, trumpets and judgements. And then the angel plants his right foot on the sea and his left on the land - which of course shows how incredibly huge this angel was, and basically tells us that God has put His foot down, He's had enough. And the angel shouts with the roar of a lion and thunder ringing out - you can just heart the judgement in this display of power and authority! And then God commands John not to write down the judgements, likely because they were simply too terrifying. And the things that have been written so far have been incredibly terrifying, so that's saying something!

And then the angel swears an oath before God that there will be no more delay. The day of judgment has finally come, and God will be silent in the face of evil no longer. The time will have finally come.

And then John is instructed to eat the scroll and it is sweet in his mouth and sour in his stomach (reminiscent of Ezekiel 2).

It means my Christ is glorified. It means He takes over the world destroying Satan and demons. It means the Kingdom comes, sin is conquered, salvation is revealed, Christ reigns. That's sweet. But it also means blood and wrath and vengeance and judgment and hell. Anyone who loves Christ can sense what John was experiencing here. The blessings of God are sweet, every message of hope, of blessing, of glory, every message of liberty, salvation of goodness, every promise of heaven is sweet. Every touch of love, every kiss of grace is sweet. But oh the bitterness of judgment. And so verse 11 says, "They said to me, you must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings."

What does that mean? Warn men, tell them of the bitter, tell them of the sweet. Tell them what's in the seventh trumpet. Tell them what's in the seventh bowl and all the ones preceding it. Tell them to taste the honey and avoid the bitter. He's saying to him...repeat what you've heard to peoples and nations in all languages. That's the call, that's the commission, that's the assignment.

So in this wonderful chapter of interlude there is certainly hope. The whole message of consummation to us who have asked the question...how long, O Lord, how long?...is hopeful. Christ will be exalted, the Kingdom come, hope realized, sin dethroned, Satan imprisoned with all his hosts and the earth filled with righteousness, the righteousness of God and Christ on the throne. But oh the bitterness, the price that sinners will pay. Like John we must preach, we must preach. Again, warning people, warning nations in all languages, even people in authority like kings.

So an interlude of hope with a serious touch of bitterness, calling us to evangelistic responsibility. (emphasis mine)

Tomorrow's passage: Ezra 5-7, Revelation 11

Saturday, December 17th

2011-12-17T13:28:00.004-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Psalm 83-84; Revelation 9

Psalm 83 is a prayer for God to do whatever it takes to convince the world that He is indeed God.

That's a scary prayer to pray. It's especially scary when you pray that prayer about a loved one. Because, when we read Revelation 9, we see that sometimes it takes a LOT.

In fact, after hail and fire destroyed a third of the earth, after a third of the sea was turned to blood and a third of the sea creatures died, after a third of the waters turned bitter causing people to die, after a third of the day and night was completely without light, after scorpions tortured people for five months, after a third of mankind was killed by plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur - after ALL THAT, it STILL says....

The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood - idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts. Revelation 10:20-21 (Emphasis mine)

I don't know about you, but to me, it makes it very scary to pray Psalm 83, and yet at the same time it makes me all the more determined. Because as horrible as the destruction of Revelation 9 is, the reality of hell will surpass it by far. And the fact remains that at the end of time as we know it, EVERY knee will bow and EVERY tongue confess that Jesus is Lord - but if they don't do it before they die or before the Lord returns, it will be too late.

Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord - that you alone are the Most High over all the earth. Psalm 83:18

Tomorrow's passage: Psalm 107, 127, Revelation 10

Friday, December 16 ~ tammi

2011-12-16T00:01:00.090-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Psalm 81-82; Revelation 8.

Well, of course there is much that could be said about today's New Testament reading! Hard to know where to begin with some of these, isn't it?? But because my last post was so stinkin' long, I'm going to keep it real short today.

I think I'd like to focus on what I see as being the fulfilment of the prayer in Psalm 82 happening in Revelation 8.

See, in Psalm 82 the psalmist is asking God how long before the wicked will be punished. How long until prayers for the repayment of evil done to believers will be answered? Some other Psalms express even more the strong desire to see wrongdoers repaid with God's wrath. Sometimes we wonder what the point is of standing out, of living counter-culturally, don't we? We wonder privately and out loud why God doesn't do anything, and how long He will wait.

There is no simple answer to how long, but in the opening verses of Revelation 8, we see ALL those prayers answered very decisively at a specific point in time.

In Old Testament times, the High Priest would take coals from the bronze altar in the tabernacle or temple courtyard from the burnt offering and light the incense on the golden altar at the entrance to the Holy of Holies. This burning incense was a symbol of what all the people were doing at the time of the morning and evening sacrifices ~ praying. And the smoke from the burning incense would rise, giving them a visual reminder of the pleasing aroma their prayers were to God.

Here in the first 5 verses of Revelation 8, we see all of heaven pause in silence as they see what will happen to the earth and its inhabitants when the seventh seal is opened. Up until now, heaven has been a rather loud place, but now, there is stunned silence. Trumpets are handed out to seven angels, and an eighth angel receives a golden censer with which to light the golden incense altar with the coals from the altar of the prayers of the saints. And the smoke rises as the prayers do...

...and the angel takes the censer, refills it with live, burning coals from the golden altar, and hurls it to the earth in what is the beginning of the end of humanity's rebellion against God. In direct answer to the prayers raised up to Him throughout all time, the pleas of believers wanting God's vengeance against those who curse and defame Him.

It's terrifying, and yet at the same time so encouraging, to know one day, justice will be done. God WILL be glorified!

Tomorrow's readings: Psalm 83-84; Revelation 9

Thursday, December 15 ~ Miriam

2011-12-15T09:03:00.000-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Psalm 79-80; Revelation 7.

I am going to focus on the Revelation passage today. Biblegateway.com has a detailed commentary here on the entire chapter, but there was a portion that I found really interesting. I never realized a distinction before between what John HEARD and what he then SAW.

The number 144,000 is something John says he heard(v. 4), not something he saw or was permitted to count. There were twelve thousand, he was told, from each of Israel's twelve tribes, in the following order (vv. 5-8): Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulon, Joseph and Benjamin (the list being framed by reminders in vv. 5 and 8 that the group was sealed against the terrors to come; the NIV fails to repeat the word sealed in v. 8).

John's list does not match exactly any of the traditional lists of the tribes of Israel (for example, Gen 35:23-26; 49:1-28; Deut 33:6-25), either in the names or in the order of the names. Most conspicuously, it is a messianic or distinctly Christian list in that it begins with Judah, the ancestor of David and of Jesus, the "Root of David" (5:5). Just as the elder's voice had announced earlier "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" (5:5), so now John heard a list of tribes announced beginning with the tribe of Judah. In each case, however, what John immediately saw was something quite different from what was announced. Instead of "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" he had seen "a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain" (5:6), and now instead of144,000 from all the tribes of Israel he sees a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb (v. 9).

In each case John's vision accomplishes a transformation (compare Gundry 1987:260). A Lion is transformed into a Lamb, and 144,000 Jews are transformed into an innumerable multitude from every nation on earth! The great multitude, wearing white robes and . . . holding palm branches in their hands (v. 9), break out in worship of God and the Lamb in a manner recalling chapters 4-5 (v. 10) and are answered by the amen of all the angels . . . standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures (vv. 11-12; compare 5:11-14). At this point, one of the elders (also familiar from chaps. 4-5) asks John, "These in white robes--who are they, and where did they come from?" (v. 13). When John disclaims any knowledge of who they are (v. 14), the elder answers his own question: "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (v. 14).

Very interesting! It also talks about the fact that John doesn't ask a single question in the whole book of Revelation. I never noticed that before either. Then it goes on to say:

In the real world, blood leaves unsightly stains on white clothing, but in the world of the Revelation blood washes away all other stains and makes the clothing pure and all the whiter. It is important to notice that these martyrs are not cleansed by the shedding of their own blood, but, like all Christian believers, by the blood of the Lamb (v. 14; compare 1:5, where John's doxology reminds all his readers that Christ has "freed us from our sins" by the shedding of his blood). Martyrdom has no merit in itself, yet John wants to make very clear to the congregations in Asia that martyrdom is likely to be the price of any serious commitment to Jesus Christ.

If this is so, it is important to assure the churches of the vindication of those who are (or will be) martyred. So the elder's explanation continues. The martyrs' vindication, he points out, consists partly of what John has just seen--that they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple (v. 15)--and partly of what he has not yet seen (vv. 15-17). The conclusion to the sixth seal provides a glimpse of the final blessedness of God's people. God will spread his tent over them (v. 15). They will never be hungry or thirsty again, and they will be protected from the scorching heat of the sun (v. 16; compare Is 49:10). The Lamb will become their shepherd, leading them to springs of living water (compare 21:6), and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes (v. 17; compare 21:4).

(I chose this picture because of the reference above to springs of living water.)

We probably won't be martyred in the way we typically think of it. Certainly the congregations in Asia had much more threat to their lives physically than do we. But a serious commitment to Jesus Christ is never the path of least resistance. It always requires sacrifice and effort on our parts. We are all called to give up or set aside certain things, or go through different troubles and trials. In the past, I've found it hard to remember to live for eternity. It's gotten easier as we've taken this journey together, but there are still many times where I just want to live right now for myself, as though this life is all there is. I don't mean that in the "you have to look out for number one first" sense, where everything is done from a selfish motivation, just in the "working towards heaven is really hard and I don't want to do it right now" sense. Are there ever times where the work of the Kingdom seems so hard and you just want to enjoy you life on Earth without worrying about eternity? Just hang out with your family and friends and buy whatever you want with your money and not worry about storing up treasures in heaven?

Most of the time I don't feel like that. Most of the time, I am VERY glad that God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to us to save us from our sin. Particularly now, as the Christmas season is upon us, I spend a lot more time remembering that and I am beyond extremely thankful, grateful, appreciative, delighted, humbled, and awed at His incredible gift. Most of the time I am thankful for the strengths He has given me and I pray to, and try hard to, use them in His service. Actually, I'm grateful for the opportunities to use them in His service. I guess the times where it is hard are the times when I am frustrated and upset with myself for always messing up. But one of the things I always try to remember, that I've learned from our readings and posts, is that GOD DOESN'T NEED TO WAIT FOR US TO BE "GOOD ENOUGH" BEFORE HE USES US. The only requirement is that we make ourselves available for His use. He will make us what we need to be, or give us what we need to have, to accomplish the purpose He set out for us. We don't have to achieve a certain "level" before we are fit to be His servants. What a relief that is!

Anyway, I apologize for getting so long-winded. I wish you all a wonderful Thursday and a wonderful week. May we all keep in mind and in our hearts the real meaning of Christmas as we rush around baking and shopping and wrapping and mailing and cooking and travelling. God bless you!

Tomorrow's passage: Psalm 81-82; Revelation 8.

Wednesday, December 14 - Kathryn

2011-12-14T00:02:00.001-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Psalm 77-78, Revelation 6

I think our psalm reading today is very apropos to the end of the year. I believe we've all had some pretty tough things that have left us grasping for God in prayer and tears. And if it hasn't been us, we know people who we love that are doing just that. It is good and right to grieve losses whether or not they are people. There is much we don't understand when it comes to life and God's way of dealing with things. But the psalmist has a great point:

¹⁰ Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:
   the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
¹¹ I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
   yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
¹² I will meditate on all your works
   and consider all your mighty deeds.
¹³ Your ways, O God, are holy.
   What god is so great as our God?
¹⁴ You are the God who performs miracles;
   you display your power among the peoples.
¹⁵ With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
   the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

God instructed the Israelites to set up memorials of things that God has done. God knew that there would come a time that they would forget the greatness, the power that God has. There would come a time that new ones would come along who hadn't experienced God's greatness yet, but those who had could share the story.
There is a woman in our church who has experienced God's greatness in many ways. Her grown son is dying of cancer. But she shared her great peace and comfort that could only come through the Lord. Her witness met me and assured me of my God. He will meet us even in our anguish of soul and comfort us. He cares not only for our doings but also for our beings, our minds, our emotions. He cares for the whole kit and caboodle. It is both good to tell of what the Lord has done and to hear of what the Lord has done.
I would like to invite you to set up a memorial, a verbal, or written one right here about what the Lord has done this year for you. How has He carried you? How has He provided for you? How has He met you right where you are at?

Tomorrow's passage: Psalm 79-80, Revelation 7

Tuesday, December 13th

2011-12-13T00:00:00.003-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Psalm 74-76, Revelation 5

We are given no miraculous signs; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be. Psalm 74:9

I'm not sure it's the exact context, but what this verse brought to mind was the long 400 year drought of silence between the OT and the coming of the Messiah. Can you even imagine that? The yearning and the longing for the Messiah to come - but with nothing but silence in response. No prophets, no miraculous signs, nothing. Only waiting.

So fitting for this season of advent, as we remember the period of waiting before the long-anticipated birth of our Saviour. And as we now wait for the Second Coming.

But, unlike the OT saints who longed for the first coming, we do not have silence.

We have the proof of the Christ's birth, death and resurrection.

We have the Holy Spirit.

We have both the OT and the NT scriptures.

And our NT scripture passage today quite fittingly proclaims Jesus, the Messiah whose birth was anticipated over 2000 years ago and whose Second Coming we've been anticipating ever since.....

You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth. Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise! To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honour and glory and power, for ever and ever! Revelation 5:9b, 10, 12b, 13b

Jesus, you came.

Come again, Lord Jesus, come!

Edited to add: I was listening to one of the Follow the Rabbi lectures (#10 I think) on the treadmill this morning and guess what was talked about? Revelation 5. He had been reading that exact passage in Israel on the island of Patmos when a cell phone rang with news of 9/11. And then he got it. This passage was written - yes, to let them know it was going to get worse. But more than that. It was written to say - it doesn't matter what Osama bin Laden or anyone thinks, says or does - God is still in control, God is still on His throne, God is still worthy of honour and glory and praise.

It reminds me of a post I read by Angie Smith and her reaction when they found out there was no medical hope for the daughter in her womb to survive - "I think my Jesus is the same as He was before I walked in that door".

Tomorrow's passage: Psalm 77-78, Revelation 6

Monday, Dec. 12 - Jody

2011-12-12T07:20:00.000-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is: Zechariah 13-14, Revelation 3-4

Happy Monday Everyone!

Scripture
¹ “To the angel^[a] of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits^[b] of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. ² Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. ³ Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
⁴ Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. ⁵ He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. ⁶ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Observation
By all ourward appearances, the believers in Sardis seemed to be believers. But they were dead in spirit. In this commentary, I found:
The believers in Sardis, however, do not have the Spirit of God. They had obviously received the
Spirit before, since their names were written in the book of life. But they do not enjoy the fullness of the Spirit. Their clothes are soiled and thus the Spirit had departed from them. They had fallen asleep and they departed from the grace they had originally received. We could use this epistle and tell Calvin that, obviously, not all saints persevere. God is faithful and eternally immutable, but if we receive the pardon of our sins and then fall asleep, our life is endangered. It is as dangerous as falling asleep with fire in our hands.There is a step we must make after conversion by which we burn our bridges behind us and make our relationship with God irrevocable. The church in Sardis had the reputation of being alive, but they were dead. The fact that Jesus mentions the seven starts in this context suggests a relationship between the condition of the leader of the church and the state of the church. Spiritual death had entered the church via its leader.

Application
The leaders of the church were looking around at other churches and judging their "spiritual success" based on what other pastors and churches were doing. By doing this, the leaders allowed spiritual death into the church by not using God's standards to measure spiritual health.

There are a couple of specific action steps I see coming out of this passage and commentary:
1) Pray for our church leaders. Pray wisdom, clarity to hear the voice of God and that God's will is the only measuring stick used for church success.
2) Ask questions, seek answers for yourself on the messages and studies done in your church. Not out of doubt, but out of truth seeking and to avoid putting your faith in church leadership.
3) Stop comparing your church to others. Worry about your own state of affairs and make sure that God is at the right place in your heart and your church. Don't put your "church success" above others. This is not the accurate measure of success. Pray for other churches in the same way you pray for your own. That the spirit of God is present throughout each and every heart!!

Prayer
Father God, make us aware. Open our eyes and hearts to YOUR spirit and be alive in us. Help us to avoid comparing our spiritual walk with other people and other churches. Be alive in each one of us by your standards, none other. Thank you for your grace that you extend each and every day. Amen.

Tomorrow's passage: Psalm 74-76, Revelation 5

Sunday, December 11th

2011-12-11T00:00:00.000-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Zechariah 11-12 - Revelation 2

A few different "themes" jumped out at me as I read the Revelation passage.

The first one is the fact that God is all-knowing and therefore He knows, not only every word we speak and every thing we do, but He knows the motive behind it.

I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Revelation 2:2-4

Here the Ephesians were being commended for their hard work, perseverance, resistance to sin, knowledge and ability to test false teachings and enduring hardships without growing weary. But it seemed that all these good efforts did not spring from a love for Jesus and God called them on it because He knew the motives behind their words and actions. Without love, we are simply clanging symbols (1 Corinthians 13). Good works must be motivated by love.

I know your afflictions and your poverty - yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crowns of life. Revelation 2:9-10

God knew that the church in Smyma was coming up against some serious persecution. He could see through the deception of the Jews who were actually serving Satan's purposes, not God's. And He asked them to be faithful through the persecution.

He did not stop it. He did not save them from persecution. He asked them to remain faithful in their suffering. In light of eternity, their suffering lasted a short time, and they received the gift of the crown of life.

What faithfulness!

And what shame when I think how hesitant I am to share my love for Jesus with those around me, under threat of what? Ridicule? Being labelled a "Jesus freak"? Being rejected? May God give us a spirit of courage and strength to be faithful as He calls us to be faithful in the circumstances He has put us in - He knows all about it.

There are similar words for the church in Pergamum - God knows where they live and how evil it was. But some of them were giving in a little. This quote from my Life Application Bible really hit me....

Don't tolerate sin by bowing to the pressure to be open-minded.

How true does that statement ring out today!

And then in Thyatira...

I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. Revelation 2:19-20

The church in Thyatira was doing a lot of good things, but they were beginning to be deceived into thinking that sexual immorality was not a serious matter for believers. Oh, does that sound like today's society!

But despite what society would like us to believe, sex outside marriage always hurts someone. It hurts God because it's going against what He has created and intended for us to enjoy and goes against His Word. It hurts others because it violates commitments we have made to them. It hurts ourselves, sometimes affecting us physically, but always affecting us emotionally and spiritually because God has designed that all to be connected with sexual intimacy.

My Life Application Bible hits the nail on the head again....

Sexual immorality has tremendous power to destroy families, churches, and communities because it destroys the integrity on which these relationships are built. God wants to protect us from hurting ourselves and others; thus we are to have no part in sexual immorality, even if our culture accepts it.

God knows.

He knows where He has placed us and what our circumstances are. He knows what temptations we are fighting. He knows our strengths and weaknesses. He knows our actions, words, thoughts and motives.

And He asks us to be faithful.

Will we be faithful to the end, no matter the cost?

Tomorrow's passage: Zechariah 13-14, Revelation 3-4

Saturday, December 10-guest post by Pamela

2011-12-10T02:05:00.000-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Zechariah 9-10; Revelation 1

Scripture: Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

Observation: God is beyond our human capacity to understand.

Application: As I read this portion of today's reading, this single verse stood out for me. Perhaps it is because I am doing the Jesse Tree devotions with my family (and also with my students at school) that I am again reminded about how God is, was, and yet to be. As we examine the stories that make up the fabric of the Christmas story, the way it all fits together is breathtaking. Only God, the maker and creator of it all, could possibly be able to orchestrate such an amazingly complex tapestry.

Many of my Grade 1 students, despite being in a Christian school, do not attend church. These stories from the bible that I have heard my entire life take on new meaning as I share them with children that are hearing them for the first time. As I read through the devotion about God creating everything out of nothing, I relived the story through their eyes and we imagined how there was nothing...and then God spoke it and it was so. How amazing!

As we've journeyed through the 9 stories so far, we can see God's hand leading and guiding each story to the need for a Saviour. How the world he created and saw as good, became full of sin. And yet, God already knew that it would and he already had a plan to bring us back to him. He let everything happen--in His time-according to His purpose. Our limited human capacity for understanding tries to make sense of circumstances and situations that do not make sense but it is impossible. Only God, who sees it all, can make it clear.

The Alpha and Omega-the beginning and the end. t=This seems impossible to understand because it sounds so completely opposite. As we approach Christmas, this theme is echoed in the Christmas story as the World's most powerful king is born in a stable. It seems so completely opposite and yet it makes perfect sense as a part of God's plan right from the start.

Prayer: Dear Lord. You are the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. You are the Almighty Saviour. We come before you as imperfect and undeserving humans who often fall short of understanding just what it means for You to be all-knowing and all powerful and forever. Thank you for knowing exactly what we need, when we need it, and how to give it to us. Thank you for sending Jesus as a part of Your plan right from the beginning as a way to bring us back to You. Be with us and increase our understanding so that we might catch a glimpse of how You have everything all worked out already. Amen.

Tomorrow's passage: Zechariah 11-12 - Revelation 2

Friday, December 9 ~ tammi

2011-12-09T00:01:00.303-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Zechariah 5-8; Jude 1.

I really don't want to spend much time in Zechariah today, though, of course, there is much that could be said. Mostly, we see a series of prophesies that move in succession from God's judgement of sinful people and of evil itself, to the restoration once again of the Holy City and God's chosen people. Zechariah's prophesies came during the time the temple was being rebuilt after the exile and these reminders and promises from God were to keep the people's hearts mindful of their mistakes in the past and dedicated to steadfastly, whole-heartedly serving God in the future.

It being the Christmas season, one can't go without pointing out the obvious allusion to the coming Messiah in 6:9-15, where Zechariah makes it known that He will be both high priest AND king, which, of course, since the time of the Israelites' deliverance, had been two very separate positions of rulership. Christ is already our Great High Priest, ruling in the hearts of believers, but will someday return as King of Kings to rule the physical world as well. We see and hear "separation of Church and State!!" everywhere, but someday under Christ, they will be united again. I find that extremely encouraging!

Okay, now that I've already said more about Zechariah than I originally intended, let's move on to Jude!

Jude is an interesting little book, warning believers against false teaching and apostasy and this time I tunred to John Piper, who makes a couple of very good points about this letter in his message on just the first few verses, which he feels contain the central theme ~ contending for the faith.

But before Jude really gets to the "meat" of his letter, he opens with very comforting words to Christians. He describes us as called, loved, and kept by God. All three verbs are passive ~ they have nothing to do with OUR accomplishments. They stress the action of God. Jude stresses the security of the believer in God's electing and preserving love. He ends his letter in similar encouraging fashion, but sandwiched in between these two comforting, empowering bookends is a call to be vigilant, to take up arms and FIGHT.

Piper makes a good point about how we're to understand all this encouraging stuff in light of the "call to arms" that makes up the main purpose of the letter: Just because the brilliant Commander in Chief promises victory on the beaches doesn't mean the troops can throw their weapons overboard. The promise of victory assumes valor in battle. When God promises that his church will be kept from defeat, his purpose is not that we lay down our sword and go to lunch, but that we pick up the sword of the Spirit and look confidently to God for the strength to fight and win. Wherever the promised security of God is used to justify going AWOL, we may suspect there is a traitor in the ranks. (all emphasis mine)

Which brings us to the main point of this little book of Jude: the duty of every genuine believer to contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints. Piper draws four conclusions from these verses, namely:

1. There is a faith ~ ONE faith ~ ONCE for ALL, DELIVERED to the Saints. Sometimes it is necessary to stress that Christianity is primarily a relationship with Jesus rather than a set of ideas about Jesus, because orthodoxy doesn't save. But if our stress on the personal relationship with Jesus leads us to deny that there is a set of truths essential to Christianity, we make a grave mistake. There are truths about God and Christ and man and the church and the world which are essential to the life of Christianity. If they are lost or distorted, the result will not be merely wrong ideas but misplaced trust. The inner life of faith is not independent from the doctrinal statement of faith. When doctrine goes bad, so do hearts. There is a body of doctrine which must be preserved.

2. This faith is WORTH contending for, but we must be careful to discern between the body of doctrine itself and its applications in our lives. Application of doctrine should NOT be an area of contention among believers (though it SO OFTEN IS!) because the Holy Spirit moves and convicts us all differently and independently as a rule.

It's tough to imagine contending, to the point of martyrdom, for a simple statement. For loved ones, yes. In nobler moments, even other people in general. But for a statement of faith? Tough to imagine. The blood of the martyrs is a powerful testimony that the faith once for all delivered to the saints is worth contending for, because when the faith is at stake, salvation is at stake. If the truth is lost, salvation is lost. The apostles and reformers were willing to die for the sake of the faith because they cared about whether the message of salvation would be preserved—they cared about people and about the glory of God.

We need to gain a whole new sense of the preciousness of biblical doctrine.

3. This faith is repeatedly threatened from WITHIN THE CHURCH. Piper cited numerous examples of Christians martyred at the command of Queen Mary of England, who lost their lives simply because they didn't agree Christ's body was literally present in the communion sacrements. However, he reminds us that "Bloody Mary" wasn't a pagan barbarian. She was a professing Christian. "The worst enemies of Christian doctrine are professing Christians who do not hold to the faith once for all delivered to the saints." (emphasis mine)

New Testament teachings repeatedly show us that the greatest threats will continuously come from within the Church. From those who wouldn't outrightly say "Jesus' teachings don't matter," but rather something more subtle, like: "If we are saved by grace, then it doesn't matter what we do morally. In fact when a Christian sins, it only serves to magnify the grace of God." "They turn the grace of God against the commandments of Christ and in effect deny the lordship of Jesus."

4. Every genuine believer should contend for the faith. This letter of Jude is not written to a pastor but to all believers everywhere. The duty to contend for the faith is, therefore, not just the duty of the ordained ministers of the Word, though they do have a special responsibility. It is the duty of every genuine believer.

The best thing we can do to become a church that is effective in contending for the faith is to become a church well built on the faith. "Build yourselves up on your most holy faith." Study! Meditate! Build! Grow! There is so much wonderful truth about God to learn. And the best defense of the faith is to know it and love it, which is why this blog was started! Piper also maintains that prayer is an indispensable part of contending for the faith.

Piper concludes by saying we need to remember that contending for the faith can be done in two ways: by intellectual effort or by moral reclamation. Sometimes only one approach is necessary or will work, sometimes a combination will be required. In reality these things always go together: an effort to change the mind and an effort to change the morals. Contending for the faith is never merely an academic exercise. It is never merely mental. "Because the source of all false doctrine is not the weakness of man's mind, but the pride of his heart."

This is why Jude tells us to grow and pray and stay in the love of God and depend on His mercy before anything is said about contending for the faith. The best argument for the faith is when the saints live it. The way you contend is as important as the content of your arguments.

Don't win with your logic and lose with your life.

Tomorrow's readings: Zechariah 9-10; Revelation 1

* As an aside, Jude presents some of the greatest ammunition for those who argue the Scripture is incomplete and/or infallible because he quotes or makes reference to two separate written works that are not included in the Orthodox Canon of Scripture ~ The Assumption of Moses (referred to in v9) and the Apocryphal book, 1 Enoch (ref. v14).

I think what's most interesting to me about all the fuss is that we seem to accept it when Paul quotes pagan poets and philosophers or when the inspired Scriptures record that Gamaliel spoke to the Sanhedrin in somewhat prophetic words, or Caiaphas prophesied about Jesus' death being a "once and for all" sacrifice, and yet here in Jude, including "uninspired" texts/authors/speakers is a problem. Doesn't that seem a little inconsistent? Anyway, if you're interested in reading a little more about the controversy and a good, not-too-lengthy look at the three main reasons it shouldn't really be a problem, click here.

I am SO SORRY for the WICKED LONG post!!!! I just couldn't bring myself to cut anything else out!

Thursday, December 8 ~ Miriam

2011-12-08T00:30:00.000-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Zechariah 1-4; 3 John 1.

So. Zechariah's job is, at least in part, to encourage the people. According to a study by Hampton Keathley IV on bible.org, the purpose of Zechariah's writings was as follows:

Zechariah was written to comfort and encourage the returned remnant to repent of their evil ways, to return to the Lord and to rebuild the temple. The people who had just returned from exile felt like their efforts were insignificant and the future was uncertain. They weren’t even an independent nation - just a client state of a mighty empire. Zechariah’s message focuses on the future and proclaims that God would send the Messiah to establish His Kingdom through the destruction of the Gentile empires and the salvation of His people Israel.

...the way Zechariah motivates the depressed remnant is by focusing on the future and God’s fulfillment of His promises. He begins by recording a series of visions which portray God’s plans for Israel’s future.

I'm just going to take a portion of Mr. Keathley's discussion on the first few verses of chapter 1 and what they have to say about repentance. There is a lot of great information on the rest of the book in the study, so if you have the time and the desire I would encourage you to read it.

Repentance and return are always the means by which the blessing of God may be experienced by Israel. The repentance Zechariah is referring to is from Jer 42:10-19. Repentance for Jeremiah’s audience meant recognizing that what God was doing in discipline was what was deserved. Jeremiah warned the people that they needed to stay and face the discipline from God (i.e. go into exile to Babylon). What is the message of Habakkuk? The just shall live by faith and faithfulness. Habakkuk said he would wait on the Lord. So the right response of the people to Jeremiah was to recognize that this was the discipline of the Lord and go submissively into exile. To resist the discipline of God would cause you to end up in a discipline that was far worse and would ultimately cost you your life. Those that went into exile were told how to live in exile (Daniel? ) making the best of it and actually experiencing some of the blessing of God. Many fled to Egypt thinking that would save them, but they died there. So, repentance meant recognizing that God did to them what they deserved. When was the last time you thanked God for discipline? We should, because it is an assurance that He is actively involved in your life and will also bless you for obedience. This is a common theme in Zechariah because they are just coming out of a time of discipline. (emphasis mine)

Whooooo-ee, when are we ever thankful for discipline? Usually not until WAY after the fact (if at all), when we can see the results that came from it. I remember after I'd been living on my own for a few months writing a letter or card or something to my parents and thanking them for some of the things they'd taught me that were hard lessons at the time, but helped to prepare me for being on my own. I sure didn't appreciate some of those lessons while they were going on, but what if I hadn't learned them? Any lessons you can think of that you hated to learn, but realized later their value?

Mr. Keathley goes on to say that too often we try to escape situations or circumstances instead of going through them - of course we do! Who wants to go every day to a job where someone is giving them a hard time, or come home every day to a spouse who seems to have forgotten all the reasons why he or she loved them, or live every day feeling worthless, useless, lethargic and depressed? But he says - [We] want to escape hard times through suicide, quitting, divorce, etc. What we are doing is demanding that God bring us relief now and if he won’t, then we will take care of it ourselves. Ouch. Did that stamp on anyone else's toes? I've obviously not committed suicide, nor have I gotten divorced, but how many things have I quit something without seeking God's will? There are times where God will say "Yes, quit. I have something else for you." But there will be times where He will say "No, this is something you have to go through."

If you are in the middle of a bad marriage, or a bad job situation, or a struggle with drugs, alcohol, depression, eating disorder, etc. and you trust God through it, you are a testimony to God’s faithfulness because most people bail out when the going gets tough.

Happy Thursday!

Tomorrow's passage: Zechariah 5-8, Jude 1.

Wednesday, December 7 - Kathryn

2011-12-07T00:02:00.001-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Haggai 1-2, 2 John 1

Good morning y'all! I am simply loving the prophets even if it seems they are all saying the same thing. No wonder these guys weren't popular.

I read this following quote concerning the theme of Haggai (which, by the way, I haven't heard very many sermons on, wonder why, it's got good stuff in it.)

The primary theme is the rebuilding of God’s temple, which had been lying in ruins since its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. By means of 5 messages from the Lord, Haggai exhorted the people to renew their efforts to build the house of the Lord. He motivated them by noting that the drought and crop failures were caused by misplaced spiritual priorities (1:9–11). But to Haggai, the rebuilding of the temple was not an end in itself. The temple represented God’s dwelling place, His manifest presence with His chosen people. The destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar followed the departure of God’s dwelling glory (cf. Ezek. 8–11); to the prophet, the rebuilding of the temple invited the return of God’s presence to their midst. Using the historical situation as a springboard, Haggai reveled in the supreme glory of the ultimate messianic temple yet to come (2:7), encouraging them with the promise of even greater peace (2:9), prosperity (2:19), divine rulership (2:21,22), and national blessing (2:23) during the Millennium. (obtained here)

I've been listening to an audio book called The Heavenly Man. Very powerful witness in this book. It concerns the Chinese church during the 80's and 90's under heavy persecution. During this time the church of China grew exponentially without buildings or organized religion. It was very organic. When Brother Yun visited the western churches (us) he stated that we had these big beautiful churches but we were dead inside. I began to struggle with having these beautiful ornate churches and the money we spend on decorating them.

And then I read this in Haggai. And I read the instructions God gave the Israelites with the initial building of the temple.

And I still struggle.

I believe there is pause for both. We humans attach great meaning to things with which we have experienced great emotion. I meet with two other ladies every week for prayer. We pray in the same room, often in our same chairs. Over the years my prayer time with them has become very deep and I believe it is due, in part, to the meaning I have placed there. Not that there is anything magical, or Godly about that room, or that chair, but it is the experience that I have there. I believe it is the same, or can be the same with a building. We meet God there. It is where we get to know Him, where we experience Him. Not that we can't experience Him in other places, but it becomes habitual. Just like a couple going back to the place they took their first date, the old memories and feelings come flooding back. And we remember why we fell in love.

God knows us. He knows that we need visual, auditory, olfactory and tactile to help us to learn. The same is true in learning about God. There are so many ways we can experience God and get to know Him. He is not all cerebral. He knows that by creating a sacred place set apart for Him we can get to know Him better. It's like going on a date with God. It is a time set aside to be with Him.

The danger is when we place all of our belief and trust in that place and not in the God that brings us to that place. I see it in our churches, people get boiling mad because someone moved the pulpit! Just like we place great meaning in a place, sometimes we can place too much. The place where we go to be with God has become god. It's a fine line. One of which we must be sure we are constantly evaluating, making sure we do not place too much value on.

Big beautiful churches are ok, even good, because they show us how, in one small way, just how big and beautiful our God is. They point us to God. And that's always a good thing.

Tomorrow's passage: Zechariah 1-4, 3 John 1

Tuesday, December 6th

2011-12-06T00:00:00.001-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Ezra 3-4, 1 John 5

For thoughts on our Ezra passage, see last year's post that I did - I noticed the same verses this year as I had last year, so there's no sense in just repeating myself! ;)

So, today I'm going to focus on our 1 John passage, specifically the last 9 verses.

According to society today, truth is completely subjective. What's true for some is not true for all. What kind of truth is that anyway? It's not truth.

There IS such thing as absolute truth. And that truth is certainly not subjective, it is objective. As believers we recognize that truth does not come from within us, as that would make it subjective. It comes for outside us - specifically from the Word of God. Everything the Bible teaches is truth, and anything that conflicts with it is not truth. The Word is the determining factor.

In our 1 John 5 passage, John outlines several things (according to John MacArthur, there's at least 5) that we can know for sure.

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:13

This one's pretty basic. According to the Word of God, all those who believe in the name of God have eternal life. Starting now! Of course, we won't have it in the fullness of heaven until we get there, but it starts now already.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him.

If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death. 1 John 5:14-17

So, the first part of this one is fairly straitforward as well. Even though we have the future of heaven to look forward to, God recognizes that we will be dealing with hard times down here while we wait. There will be problems. But God promises that when we come to Him in prayer and pray in line with His will, anything we ask for will be granted. He will always hear us, and He will always answer us.

Now, there is a rather confusing section that follows and MacArthur goes into it in a lot of detail in this sermon, but I'm going to see if I can summarize it here.

There are two possible meanings to this passage, and in fact both meanings may have been intended.

The first possible meaning is that it is a reassurance for those who prayed and prayed for someone to be restored into right fellowship and the person dies without that ever happening. Now we know that God would want a believer to be restored into fellowship with the church, so if that is the will of God why did it not happen? Because it fell into the category of divine judgment and God is not able to answer that prayer any longer. Divine judgment could mean that the person was not a true believer and that this person had willfully turned away from the truth and rejected God forever. But, we shouldn't stop praying, because we don't know the hearts or intent of people - only God does.

Divine judgment could also mean that the person was a true believer but had committed a sin that required their death in order to protect the church. God had to take their physical earthly life for the protection of the integrity and purity of the gospel and witness of the church. (ex in Acts 5 where Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead for lying to God, and in 1 Corinthians 11 believers who treated the Lord's table with hypocrisy and superficiality also died).

But either way, it's a sidenote for reassurance, it's an exception to the rule that God will answer the prayers of believers who pray according to His will.

We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. 1 John 5:18

According to this verse, and many others like it, we know that God has given believers victory over sin, and He keeps us secure.

We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 1 John 5:19

This one is pretty basic too. The world belongs to Satan, but believers belong to God.

We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true - even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. 1 John 5:20-21

We know that Christ is the true God and eternal life. And he warns us "keep yourselves from idols", don't get distracted by other false gods. All other gods are imposters and no one else is eternal life nor can they give it to anyone else.

Our faith is not theoretical, our faith is based on an abiding reality, the Son of God has come. Born of a virgin. Lived a sinless life. Died a substitutionary death. Rose literally from the grave. Ascended to the right hand of the Father interceding for us and some day will come again. And we not only know the Son of God has come but we know that He has given us understanding so that we might know Him who is true. And not only know Him but we are in Him who is true in His Son Jesus Christ.

We know we have eternal life. We know that along the way we have answered prayer. We know we have victory over sin. We know we belong to God. And we know Jesus is the one true God and eternal life.

That's the truth.

Tomorrow's passage: Haggai 1-2, 2 John 1

Monday, December 5th - Jody

2011-12-05T00:05:00.004-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Ezra 1-2, 1 John 4

Happy Monday Everyone!

I really enjoyed today's 1 John reading. It is a familiar passage but the message is just as relevant today as it was the day it was written. Beware of false teachings - and false teachers!

1 John 4:1-6
¹ Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
⁴ You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. ⁵ They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit^[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

I love what John MacArthur says about this passage here:
We are continually warned against error and the corruption that comes with it because that is precisely the strategy of the kingdom of darkness. God reveals the truth in the world and Satan counters with lies. If you want to know what spiritual warfare is, I can define it for you very simply. It is the battle between the truth and error. That is what's spiritual warfare. It's not chasing demons around, that is not a true understanding of spiritual warfare. Spiritual warfare is the battle for the mind. It is the battle between truth and error.

It is so important for us to constantly search out the truth. It is our only true defence and shield against the false teachings of this world. The people and false prophets around us will claim many things as truth. They will fill us with error-filled teachings, convincing us of so many "nice-sounding" teachings. What is our protection against this? How do we war against this corruption that so many fall innocently into?
We arm ourselves with the truth. The never changing, ever solid truth of God. It says so, right in verse 6 -
⁶ We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit^[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood. (emphasis mine).

See that - we must KNOW GOD to be able to discern the truth from error. And that my dear friends, is another good reason for why we are doing what we are doing with this blog. A group of faith-filled, truth-seeking Jesus girls with open hearts to know God's truth.

Tomorrow's passage: Ezra 3-4, 1 John 5

Sunday, December 4th

2011-12-04T00:00:00.000-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Ezekiel 47-48, 1 John 3

I love how the book of Ezekiel ends. We have a description of the new temple, the new city and the new people, all demonstrating God's holiness. And the final words.... "And the name of the city from that time on will be: THE LORD IS THERE." Ezekiel 48:35b

The Lord is there. The very presence of God is what is going to make His eternal kingdom so amazing. That is what we have to look forward to as children of God - being able to experience the presence of our Father, Messiah, Redeemer, Friend. Experiencing relationship with God with absolutely no hindrance of even the slightest hint of sin. It will be perfect relationship!

In the meantime though, we do need to continue to struggle against our tendency to sin. There should, however, be a distinct difference in the way we live our lives as Christians.

1 John 3:4-10 (NIV)
Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

1 John 3:4-10 (ERV)

Anyone who sins breaks God’s law. Yes, sinning is the same as living against God’s law. You know that Christ came to take away people’s sins. There is no sin in Christ. So whoever lives in Christ does not continue to sin. If they continue to sin, they have never really understood Christ and have never known him.

Dear children, don’t let anyone lead you into the wrong way. Christ always did what was right. So to be good like Christ, you must do what is right. The devil has been sinning since the beginning. Anyone who continues to sin belongs to the devil. The Son of God came for this: to destroy the devil’s work.

Those who are God’s children do not continue to sin, because the new life God gave them stays in them. They cannot keep sinning, because they have become children of God. So we can see who God’s children are and who the devil’s children are. These are the ones who are not God’s children: those who don’t do what is right and those who do not love their brothers and sisters in God’s family.

Simply put, Christian are incompatible with sin (continually practicing sin). I love how John MacArthur points out that John gives three arguments based on the Trinity.

First - Father God:

it is absolutely inconceivable that a Christian would practice sin which is lawlessness which is rebellion against the Law of God when they have come under the Law of God, seen that the Law is holy, just and good, confessed their sins and come to love the Law of God and obey it...So when God transforms a soul, defiance is replaced by compliance. Rebellion is replaced by submission. Lawlessness is replaced by obedience. Hate for God's Law is replaced by love for God's Law. And so the argument that we already studied, we're not going to go back over it again, is the simple argument that we cannot continue in an unbroken pattern of sin because we have a new relationship to the Law of God. We love it, we submit to it, we don't rebel against it, we don't despise it....

Second - God the Son, Jesus Christ:

Jesus Christ came to take away our sins. We became joined to Him, the Righteous One, and He defeated the work of Satan. He didn't save us just so we could keep on sinning at the same rate we did before. He saved us so we could be delivered from sin and pursue righteousness. John is really black and white here. He says that no one who continues to practice sin is saved. If someone is living contrary to God's Word (and, if claiming to be a Christian, does not repent after being confronted in love) then that person is, quite simply, not a Christian at all. Because Christians desire to act like Christ. We are not perfect, but we are in progress.

Third - God the Holy Spirit:

The Holy Spirit is the One who produces this new birth in our lives. We are reborn by the power of the Holy Spirit, not by our own power. When we truly become saved, we are a new creation - the old has gone, the new has come, and we will be forever different. And that powerful Word does not fade away.

And so, it should be obvious whether or not someone is a Christian or not, because of the way they live their lives.

Sin is incompatible with the believer because it is incompatible with the Word of God, incompatible with the work of Christ and incompatible with the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Tomorrow's passage: Ezra 1-2, 1 John 4

Saturday, December 3rd

2011-12-03T00:01:00.000-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Ezekiel 45-46; 1 John 2

I wanted to explore the 1 John 2 passage where it talks about children, young men and fathers - which is a description of how the Christian matures spiritually throughout our lifetime.

12 I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
13 I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, dear children, because you have known the Father.
14 I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

In his enlightening sermon The Stages of Spiritual Growth, John MacArthur paraphrased v12...

John says, "I'm writing to you, all of you Christians, because you've all been forgiven not by anything you deserve or merit. You've been forgiven because it pleases God to put on display the wonder and glory of His grace."

MacArthur tells us a few of the things spiritual maturity is not.

It has nothing to do with your standing before God, that's fixed. It has nothing to do with God's love for you, that's established for eternity. It has nothing to do with time, there are people who have been Christians a long time and they're not mature. There are people who have been Christians a short time and they're progressing rapidly toward maturity. It has nothing to do with information, even biblical information because you can have information that's not really applied. It has nothing to do with activity, busyness doesn't equate to spiritual maturity. It has nothing to do with prosperity, temporal success, material benefit, the size of ministry, level of influence is not necessarily a measure of one's maturity...

You could say that at any point in the life of a believer they're either in the Spirit or in the flesh, they're either functioning in obedience to God and walking in the Spirit, or they're functioning in disobedience to God and walking in the flesh....

It's not an absolute in that you are or you aren't, it's relative as you grow. But I will tell you this, the only times you grow are the times when you are spiritual. The times when you're carnal, you fall back. So spiritual growth is the relative spiritual development of a person through all the accumulated times of walking in the Spirit. So the more you walk in the Spirit, the more you're going to grow.

So, in verse 12 John is recognizing that they are all Christians, but that they're at different levels of spiritual maturity, and that's ok.

So, in verse 12, when John used the word children, he was meaning all the children of God - all believers.

But in verse 13, it's a different word, meaning babies, or new and/or immature Christians. And just like the relationship or bond with mom and dad is all important to babies, so is the newness of the relationship with Christ to new Christians. It's about the relationship, not the information or doctrine, which means they're more likely to be led astray by false doctrine. They don't have the necessary wisdom or discernment - just like young children.

According to v14 young men are strong and have defeated Satan because the Word of God lives in them. They have moved past the beginning stage of relationship alone, and have become knowledgeable in the Truth. They have sound doctrine which is grounded in the Word, they are no longer susceptible to the false teachers, and are not easily deceived. They have grown in wisdom and discernment and delight in the truth. They still sin, but there is a decreasing frequency of sin. Not only that, but even though they sin less, their increasing hatred of sin makes the sin they do commit, seem worse to them.

I love how he describes spiritual fathers.

The third stage of spiritual development is when you don't just know the doctrine, you know the God who revealed the doctrine. You've begun to plumb the depths of the character of God. This is when your life becomes an experience of worship. This is when it's not just warfare about the doctrine. This is when you understand what the hymn writer meant when he talked about being lost in wonder, love and praise. This is when you get to the point where your soul is exhilarated in the knowledge of God. It's not the parts anymore, it's the sum of the parts. And in some ways you're back to the relationship again only it's fuller and richer and fully informed by sound doctrine to know the author of that doctrine, to know the God who is behind it. It's to deeply, intimately know God. (emphasis mine)

Everyone is at a different stage in their spiritual development. And it's not so much about exactly where you're at at a given time, it's about progress. And the power behind that progress is, of course, the Word of God.

how can you be a spiritual young man? When you're strong in the Word. So there you go. You're not even going to be a spiritual young man if you're not strong in the Word. How you going to become a spiritual father? You're never going to know the God who wrote the Word until you know what He wrote. And as you go over it and over it and deeper and deeper into it, the character of God begins to develop and to grow and expand. You literally live your life in awe of the wonder of who God is. The Word is life itself. It is the living Word. The Word is life giving. We're begotten again and sanctified by the Word. The Word is life maturing, grow in grace and in the knowledge that the Word provides. The Word is transforming, "Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind." It is the bread of life by which we live and grow. And the pursuit of all of us is to become that spiritual father and the characteristic of that spiritual father is an intimate knowledge of God like the knowledge that Christ has of His own Father....

So if you wanted to pray an ultimate prayer, pray in your spiritual growth that God would bring you to the place where you would go from one level of glory to the next as you gaze at the image of Christ that you would literally get to the place where you know God in some measure the way Christ knows Him. (emphasis mine)

May that be our prayer today, and every day.

Tomorrow's passage: Ezekiel 47-48, 1 John 3

Friday, December 2 ~ tammi

2011-12-02T00:01:00.243-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Ezekiel 42-44; 1 John 1.

Today's chapters in Ezekiel continue the description of the new temple with incredible detail, including the priestly garments and sacrifices. At times, this seems to be the prescribed plan for the physical rebuilding of the temple (which happened a mere 70 years later in Ezra and Nehemiah's day), but at times, this is very obviously foretelling something that still hasn't happened.

Alicia did a great post on this last year, so I'll let you read her thoughts. My personal feeling is this is all yet to come. When I first read through Ezekiel the year before this Bible blog started, the sacrifices confused me. It all seemed to be foretelling Christ's millenial kingdom and yet the sacrifices had me stumped. But like Alicia points out in her post (quoting MacArthur, I believe), I discovered other Bible teachers who agree that these sacrifices will be ceremonial, not necessary for atonement. There were, after all, some prescribed sacrifices the Israelites made that had nothing to do with paying for their sins, but demonstrating their love and gratitude to God.

One point of interest from Ezekiel: just for the fun of it, I typed in "fell facedown" in Bible Gateway's search box because we see that phrase twice in these chapters. Of the 20 times it occurs in the Bible, there is only one account where it does NOT involve either the clear recognition of sin and/or fear of God's wrath in response to it, or reverence for His holiness. Nineteen times, it was God's holy presence or the fear of His judgement of sin that evoked this response. It is clear that when one recognizes he is in the physical presence of The Almighty, Most High God... he falls to his knees. Plain and simple. Even Balaam, who did not serve God, fell facedown when He realized he was in the presence of holiness.

Does this reinforce Paul's claim in Philippians that someday, at the name of Jesus EVERY knee ~ whether in heaven, on earth, or under the earth ~ will bow, and EVERY tongue will confess that He is Lord? I think so.

Moving on to the first chapter of 1 John, we find John addressing some false teaching. Apparently, some were teaching that people could claim a relationship with God despite living in obvious spiritual darkness. They also taught that people had no natural tendency toward sin and denied mankind's conduct contained any sin at all. So John argues that both of these are untrue, and points out these teachers were ignoring the basic truth that ALL people are sinners by nature AND by practice.

My Life Application Bible makes an interesting point about the Christian's need for confession here. My husband and I actually had an argument about this not that long ago and here I see we were both right, though I couldn't articulate my thoughts well enough to get my point across!

At conversion, all our sins are forgiven ~ past, present, and future. We agreed on this. But where we differed was the necessity to keep confessing sin and maintaining a posture of repentance. My husband was right in his argument that continuous confession and repentance after conversion isn't necessary. It isn't. Not for obtaining forgiveness, anyway. But had I known this passage better, I would have been able to argue that it is still necessary to maintain a vibrant, ever-growing relationship with God.

The believer's sins ~ confessed or otherwise ~ are covered once and for all by the blood of Christ, but left unconfessed, and compounded by additional unconfessed sins, they continuously widen the gap between the believer and God, deadening the relationship and gradually rendering the believer completely ineffective as a witness.

Confession isn't necessary for forgiveness,

but it's vital for fellowship.

Which is kinda like the idea of making ceremonial sacrifices in the millenial kingdom... :)

Tomorrow's readings: Ezekiel 45-46; 1 John 2

Thursday, December 1 ~ Miriam

2011-12-01T00:30:00.000-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Ezekiel 40-41; 2 Peter 3.

Well, I have to admit that my eyes glazed over a bit while reading the Ezekiel passage. Really... 1,000 measurements of various aspects of a temple to exist at some future time? I did a search on Bible.org to see what information appeared there about the passage, and came across an article discussing covenant theology vs. dispensationalism. The Relationship of the Church to Israel, if you care to look for yourself. I have to admit that I didn't read it thoroughly, but I found myself not agreeing completely with either side. One thing that seemed strange to me, however, was that I'd just finished reading two full chapters of measurements and detailed description (be forewarned, apparently the next seven chapters are more of the same) of a temple that covenant theology says is spiritual, not literal. If there will never be a literal, physical temple, then why the need to describe it in excruciating detail? In my view, a detailed physical description of the kind we find here would seem to refer to an actual place yet to be built, much like God gave Moses exact details of how the ark of the covenant and the tents, etc. were all to be constructed way back in Exodus. Those were literal instructions (blueprints, if you will) for actual physical objects. This would seem to me to be the same.

As Matthew Henry says in his commentary, "When we despair to be satisfied as to any difficulty we meet with, let us bless God that our salvation does not depend upon it, but that things necessary are plain enough; and let us wait till God shall reveal even this unto us."

Moving on to Peter, WOW. He talks in verses 3 and 4 about scoffers saying "Where is this "coming" he promised?" Remind anyone of the fiasco earlier this year with the (of course) false prediction of the end of the world? Then he talks about how people think "everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." Don't we all fall into that trap at times? I know I've sometimes thought "People have been saying it could be any time now for the last two thousand years.... why would it happen now?" The truth is, we just don't know. We will not know until it happens. Peter says that the Lord is patient and giving everyone the opportunity to come to repentance, but the day of the Lord will come. We don't know when, and it is easy to become complacent, thinking we have a lifetime, but when the day comes, you can be guaranteed that no one will feel ready. And yet, Peter urges us to look forward to it and speed its coming! I don't know whether any of you have experienced this, but I find it easier to look forward to the day of the Lord's coming and to heaven now than before, when my relationship with God was at a standstill.

The last verse is wonderful. "...grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen." Grow! I pray that all of us have grown and continue to grow as we read and study the Word of God. Never give up! Just like they say about smoking... keep trying to quit and sooner or later you will. Keep trying. If you miss a few days of Bible reading or spending time with God, that doesn't mean you give up and don't read anymore. Pick up and carry on and you will grow!

Happy Thursday!

Tomorrow's passage: Ezekiel 42-44; 1 John 1.

Wednesday, November 30 - Kathryn

2011-11-30T00:02:00.007-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Ezekiel 37-39, 2 Peter 2

This particular passage in Ezekiel holds special meaning for me, so I will comment on this one. At least one particular part.

¹¹ Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’

I believe this is the church of today. We are a vast army, dead in our graves and we have lost our hope. When I survey the church of America (sorry my friends to the north I don't know the state of the Canadian church) I do see, for the most part, a deadness and a hopelessness. We are beginning to allow ourselves to be shut up. We don't want to scare people off or offend people by what we say. Shameful. We have lost our hope of being effective, of changing our world for Christ.

But, there is hope.

¹² Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. ¹³ Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. ¹⁴ I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’”

As His Church we have an awesome opportunity and responsibility to bring our nation to our God. We can be instrumental in bringing about revival in our land. And it all begins and ends with prayer.

I believe we are on the threshold of something great and awesome about to occur, but we need to be on our knees and in the word. We need to be holding so tight to the Lord so that we know what we need to be doing and how when He asks us to do it. And think of the great army that can and will arise when breath is breathed into the church!

Pray for the lost, yes, absolutely! But pray for the church, His Church, His bride, to awake! To return to her first love and to repent. The lost need Jesus, oh my they need Jesus. But we as the church have lost our first love and we need to return and pray for that fire to burn brightly as it once did.

Oh Father God, we repent, we humble ourselves before You. Please forgive us for our negligence, please forgive us for putting idols before You. Please forgive us for not obeying Your commands. And Lord please restore the joy of our salvation. Please renew our love for You, Your word and Your church. Oh Lord God bring the church to it's knees in repentance and prayer. We are without hope, our hope is in You. Come to us, restore us, unite us with each other in Your spirit. Help us. We are nothing without You. We need You.
Amen.

Tomorrow's passage: Ezekiel 40-41, 2 Peter 3

Tuesday, November 29th

2011-11-29T00:00:00.000-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Ezekiel 35-36, 2 Peter 1

Scripture

Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 2 Peters 1:2

Observation

Grace and peace come through the knowledge of our God and Lord.

Application

My Life Application Bible says this....

Many believers want an abundance of God's grace and peace, but they are unwilling to put forth the effort to get to know him better through Bible study and prayer. To enjoy the privileges God offers us freely, we have "the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord."

In today's fast-paced world, we're always looking for shortcuts. Or the easy way to do something. The fastest way to get results with the least amount of effort. And hopefully, without having to change our current lifestyle too much. That doesn't work in dieting and it doesn't work in developing a stronger spiritual life either!

A strong relationship with God does not come without effort. You get out what you put in to it. You reap what you sow. This cause and effect reality should be crystal clear to us, but somehow we seem to forget it so often. Or maybe we just plead ignorance, hoping for a pass somehow. Or we put it off one more day, and another, and another.

That was me for 30+ years. Once again, so thankful for the blog helping to shake me out of my spiritual lethargy and making my faith real and truly applicable to my life. But the journey is never over. And so we have to keep on growing in the knowledge of our God and of Jesus our Lord!

Tomorrow's passage: Ezekiel 37-39, 2 Peter 2

Monday, November 28 - Jody

2011-11-28T00:01:00.001-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Ezekiel 33-34, 1 Peter 5

Happy Monday Everyone!

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:1-5
¹ To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: ² Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; ³ not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. ⁴ And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
⁵ Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”^[a]

Observation
What strikes me in these passages is some specific words around attitude and behaviour. I'll copy the scripture here again, with these words highlighted.
¹ To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: ² Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; ³ not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. ⁴ And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
⁵ Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”^[a]

Application
I know that we are supposed to read scripture in context, but with these verses, what if I take the highlighted words out and look at them pieced together? What kind of application does that give us?

"Shepherds, serving because you are willing, not greedy but eager to serve. Being examples, submissive to those who are older with humility toward one another".

Big shoes to fill. Straightforward instruction on our actions as believers, growing in spiritual maturity. Putting others first, and humbling ourselves to each other.

Prayer
God, give me your grace to be humble. Give me a servants heart to see the needs around me and take action to help. I ask you God to help me be a willing servant who never acts out of greed, but always out of love. Giving of my time, my heart, and my finances that I might be an example to everyone around me. Amen

Tomorrow's passage: Ezekiel 35-36, 2 Peter 1

Sunday, November 27th

2011-11-27T00:00:00.000-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Ezekiel 30-32 - 1 Peter 4

Scripture

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:10-11

Observation

God has blessed each person with gifts and we need to use them to serve others and glorify God.

Application

The first thing I noticed was a reminder of Friday's post about Ezekiel only speaking the words of God. "If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God". Our words have the power to wound as well as the power to glorify God and inspire others to serve Him. What are we using our words for?

The second thing is about our gifts. Some people are very aware of their gifts, and in fact are very proud of them and use them as they please in order to receive glory for them themselves. Other people think they have no special talents. Both extremes are addressed in these verses.

God has given everyone gifts. Claiming we have no special talents is an insult to the Creator who specifically gifted us as He saw fit. It is our responsibility to find those giftings and then to use them in a way that serves others and glorifies Him. When we use our gifts selflessly, others can see Jesus in our actions and He will be praised and glorified.

Prayer

Lord, we thank you for creating us each individually, purposefully and uniquely. We know that you have given each of us gifts that we are to use to serve the Church, to minister to the unsaved and to, above all, glorify You. If we are unaware of our gifts, please reveal them to us. If we take pride in our gifts, please humble us and help us to shift that focus away from ourselves and back to You so that You will receive all the glory and all the praise as we use our gifts the way You intended us to. Amen.

Tomorrow's passage: Ezekiel 33-34, 1 Peter 5

Saturday, November 26-guest post by Pamela

2011-11-26T06:59:00.004-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is

Ezekiel 27-29; 1 Peter 3

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:7

Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Observation: Sometimes what sticks out as most important overshadows our ability to hear what is really important.

Application: Society has brainwashed us to believe that women can do anything that men can do and that any admission that we can't is a sign of weakness. Verses like this, enrage the feminists. The "weaker vessel" part screams injustice, division, and outdated philosophy to scads of people who use verses like this to claim that the bible is no longer valid to our life today.

Admittedly, I am a terrible feminist. While I believe that women should have choices (they should have the right to vote, they should be allowed to choose marriage or not), I also believe that men should have a leadership role in the house. This is what God intended and I think he wired us that way. I will easily admit that I do like being taken care of and I have have no problem giving my husband that responsibility. I do work outside the home-a choice more motivated by what kinds of extra things we want for our kids than that I want to be a career woman- but I also think that my primary job is to be a wife and homemaker. I know that sometimes I struggle with my priorities but that just reinforces the idea to me that I was not meant to do it all. Being referred to as the "weaker vessel" doesn't bother me. However, those two words fire up many people and mask the most important parts of the verse.

Though shadowed by the "weaker vessel" notation, I think it is really important to notice that Husbands are commanded to "live with [their] wives in an understanding way" and to show "honour" to them. If you look in the dictionary, "understanding" means: "characterized by understanding; prompted by, based on, or demonstrating comprehension,

intelligence, discernment, empathy, or the like: an understanding attitude."

This sounds amazing! Husbands are commanded to appreciate the work of their wives and be prompted to live with their wives by recognizing their role as crucial. They are also called to "honour" their wives. If you look in the dictionary, "honour" means:

	to hold in respect or esteem
	to show courteous behaviour towards
	to worship
	to confer a distinction upon

It's a shame that criticizers of this verse don't highlight these things.

The most important thing that gets overlooked in this passage is that women are proclaimed as "heirs with you" or "joint heirs" of the gift of salvation. How can this be overlooked? Women are not proclaimed as the "weaker vessel" to belittle them. How can a "joint heir" be less important? Unfortunately, this part of the verse gets practically ignored as people focus on what they believe "weaker vessel" portrays about women.

How many times in our own life do we focus on what we perceive as insulting and ignore all of the other stuff around us? I think it is Satan who thrives on us failing to see what truly matters. If we don't take the context of a verse, a situation, or a story our perception of what we are led to believe as the main point is skewed. We percolate on stuff that is irrelevant (or at least insignificant) and ignore the stuff that truly matters.

Years ago, my cousin sent me information on a "Chicken Soup for the Bride's Soul" story submission opportunity. I knew instantly that I had to submit the story from our marriage counselling. During one of our first sessions with him, our Pastor took a piece of white paper and drew a dot in the middle of the page. He turned it around and asked what we saw. My then fiance and I looked at each other and said "a dot". He smiled and asked us what else we saw and we looked at each other in confusion. He then told us what we were missing: all the white space around the dot. He explained that in marriage, it is easy to see the troubles in a relationship as plainly as the dot on the page. However, looking closer, you can see all of the good things too like all the white space on the page. It was a great reminder. That story was actually published and you can check out my story on page 309! :) I think it applies to many circumstances in our life where we tend to focus on the dots and leave out all of the other important things.

Prayer:

Lord, Your word is true and timeless. Even though society has changed Your living word remains as applicable and helpful today as it was when it was first written down. Lord, our judgement is sometimes clouded by what others make us believe and we fail to focus on what is important. Guide our hearts, guide our thoughts, and guide our actions in a way that makes us obedient to Your plan. Help us to focus on what is significant and lead us away from what is insignificant. Be with everyone who is struggling with this and help them to see what is truly important. Amen.

Tomorrow's passage: Ezekiel 30-32 - 1 Peter 4

Friday, November 25 ~ tammi

2011-11-25T00:01:00.094-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Ezekiel 24-26; 1 Peter 2.

In today's reading, we come to the heart-breaking story of God informing Ezekiel that He, God Himself, would take the life of Ezekiel's wife as an illustration to the people of Israel. It doesn't really say how much time elapsed between God's announcement and her death one evening, but it sounds like it was just one day. How must they have spent their last hours together? What a sacrifice to be God's faithful spokesman!

Boy, this really kinda makes me a little ashamed of the times I've whined about my little commitments to the church! Ezekiel had to give something that was probably worth more to him than his own life. Giving your own life is challenge enough, but giving a loved one's life while you're left behind is entirely a different sacrifice. I wonder if Ezekiel pleaded with God that this was too much? I mean, he asked God for some leeway when he was told to defile himself by cooking food over a human feces-fueled fire... Yet here we see no bargaining, just willing submission. That's faith.

That's being willing to give anything and lose everything because you truly believe only Christ is real gain. Honestly, I don't think I can even imagine that kind of commitment.

One thing I found very interesting that I don't think I've noticed before is that last phrase in Chapter 24: "...At that time your mouth will be opened; you will speak with him and will no longer be silent. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the LORD."

My Bible noted a reference in chapter 3 and so I went back to check and look what happened there: "And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people. I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, though they are a rebellious house. But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says.’ Whoever will listen let him listen, and whoever will refuse let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house."

Doing a little more digging, look what I found in chapter 33: "In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month on the fifth day, a man who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, “The city has fallen!” Now the evening before the man arrived, the hand of the LORD was upon me, and he opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer silent."

So Ezekiel was mute for a period of about 7-1/2 YEARS, except for the words God specifically gave him to say! It almost sounds like he may have been somewhat imprisoned in his own home during this time as well. God wanted Israel to know beyond the shadow of a doubt that whatever this man said was a true message from the one and only God. The ONLY things that came out of his mouth were words God had put there until all the prophecies were fulfilled.

I wonder how much talking I'd do if I only spoke the words God specifically wanted other people to hear...

In 1 Peter, we continue looking at what it means to be holy as Christ is holy. To live the separated life; the life of a person called to the royal priesthood. This is the passage (beginning at 1:13) that first pricked my soul and started to make me aware that though I'd been a professing Christian for as long as I could remember, I had never really considered or cared much how that was supposed to make my life LOOK. Belonging to God, being CHOSEN by God for the express purpose of bringing Him glory by spreading His fame.... what an incredibly humbling thought!! Very sobering, too!

I find myself often wondering if God isn't a little sorry He chose me, like He seemed to regret choosing Israel.

And then I remember this letter was written by Peter. The man whose denial arguably hurt Jesus more than Judas ever did. And I remember the forgiveness and restoration that occurred on the beach that one morning, after the risen Jesus cooked the dejected fishermen breakfast. And I realize I, too, can be forgiven, recommissioned, and still be used in powerful ways. Because it is Christ who works through me if I am willing to let Him.

Sometimes it's difficult and He requires hard sacrifices, like He did from Ezekiel, but He promises "the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame."

Tomorrow's readings: Ezekiel 27-29; 1 Peter 3

Thursday, November 24 ~ Miriam

2011-11-24T00:30:00.000-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Ezekiel 22-23; 1 Peter 1.

Has anyone been finding our Ezekiel readings as shocking as I have? I don't recall my particular feelings about Ezekiel from last year's reading, but now, as I read, I am embarrassed for Jerusalem and Samaria at how their unfaithfulness is described. Not that it is untrue or undeserved, and of course it was described that way intentionally, but I still find myself uncomfortable with how bald and blatant the language in Ezekiel is. Just an observation.

1 Peter is a letter generally addressed to believers of the Gospel everywhere, and therefore to us as well. I could quote so many verses, but here are a couple that really spoke to me.

"...though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

See the recurring theme here? Perishable - gold, silver, the seed by which our earthly bodies are born. Imperishable - the treasures that come from genuine faith, the blood of Christ, the seed by which we are born again.

Last week I talked about putting too much value on my physical health and well being and not enough on the eternal. Today's passage talks about silver and gold (earthly treasures) as being perishable and genuine faith and redemption by the blood of Christ, as imperishable or eternal. Peter doesn't say it will be easy. He says we will have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. We are to be self-controlled. Be obedient. Do not conform to evil desires. Be holy. Love one another deeply, from the heart. All these are things that we hear again and again throughout the Bible, but yet things I still find myself needing to be reminded of over and over, no matter how many times I've read them previously. Another good reminder of how important it is to read and study the word of God, not just looking up answers to questions that come up or in certain circumstances, but as part of our everyday lives.

Tomorrow's passage: Ezekiel 24-26; 1 Peter 2.

Wednesday, November 23 - Kathryn

2011-11-23T00:02:00.000-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Ezekiel 20-21, 2 Timothy 4

I get the feeling God wants us to keep our Sabbaths. And not just for us to put our feet up. He always has a much deeper meaning than what we read or see at first.

12 Also I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the LORD made them holy.

This jumped out at me, along with "and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths" from verse 13. It's interesting that the Lord would put aside a day to remind us that the Lord has made us holy. It's like we need a mini-holiday (holy-day?) every week to remember that we are not just work horses or dogs, we are a sacred people, set apart and made holy by a holy God. We do need to work, but it is also important for us to remember that we are more than our work, our work does not make us who we are. God does.

Keeping the Sabbath shows faith in God that He will provide for our needs while we turn our faces and our hearts to Him to worship. It's more than just a physical rest, it is a spiritual re-centering. It is a re-focusing on our Lord and God. If we spent all the time with our noses to the grind we lose sight of who we are and what we are created to be. And that is a child of God created to be in fellowship with Him.

When I was in seminary I often would work on papers and school work on sunday. It was a 'free' day and I had time. I figured it was better for me to get it done than have it hanging over me. Well the Lord impressed upon me, three times in fact, that He wanted me to be taking a Sabbath. A whole 24 hours of rest. At that point I thought it was just physical rest and spiritual renewal. And He called me to do it at a very test/paper heavy time of the semester. I told Him ok, but He'd better help me get all this homework done. I looked forward in the week to all the work that needed to be completed and wasn't sure how I'd get it all done. I took my Sabbath on sunday and rested. It was good. I needed that. And then something wonderful happened, not only did I get it all done, but I had time leftover at the end of the week. I was flabbergasted. That solidified it for me! I took a Sabbath every week after that. And even now, though I am very involved in our church and my husband is the pastor, I try to make sunday's as Sabbathy as possible.

The Lord takes seriously our not taking Sabbaths. He is offended. Now I realize that we are under grace and not the law, but there is good reason for the Lord commanding that we take a rest. It causes us to stop, breathe, and just be. We are human BEings, not human DOings. It helps us to grow in our trust of God and His ability to provide. Provision for time to get everything done, provision for money and resources. Going all the time not only wears us out but in it we deceive ourselves into thinking that we can do it all. We can work, go to church, do yardwork, housework, take the kids to sports, have the relatives over for dinner...... Many of our lives are lived in high gear and we cannot survive like that. We NEED one day, at least, to rest and be still. We just don't stop. And having one day a week also promotes families. The state of the family is under attack and it's subtle. Good, quality programs that pull children and parents every which way. It's all good, but is it the best?

We've lost the value of a Sabbath in our lives. God is calling us to live it again. To come to Him and rest in His presence.

Tomorrow's passage: Ezekiel 22-23, 1 Peter 1

Tuesday, November 22nd

2011-11-21T09:57:00.003-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Ezekiel 18-19, 2 Timothy 3

I've read a few sermons on both of our passages today (or yesterday, by the time you read this), but my mind just isn't functioning anymore today. Today was a heavy day for us - Nathan's cousin and his wife had a baby but the doctors don't think he will live, and today was also the funeral of one of my cousins. A follower of this blog (his mom told me again today how much he appreciated reading this blog - so thank you all!), he was only 36 and died after a 1 1/2 yr battle with brain cancer, leaving behind his wife and their two children (ages 3 and 1). Even though I didn't know him well at all, this has really hit me quite hard as it is reminiscent of my family 32 years ago when my dad died when I was 2 1/2 and my sister 9 months old.

Anyway, I do apologize but I'm just not able to write a new post for today. So, instead I'm going to simply link you to the post I did last year on our Ezekiel passage. Thanks for understanding, and feel free to comment on whatever struck you as you read today.

2010 posting on Ezekiel 18

Tomorrow's passage: Ezekiel 20-21, 2 Timothy 4

Monday, November 21 - Jody

2011-11-21T07:41:00.000-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is: Ezekiel 16-17, 2 Timothy 2

Happy Monday Everyone!

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:22-24
²² Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ²³ Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. ²⁴ And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. ²⁵

Observation
We are called to PURSUE righteousness, faith, love and peace. It's not just going to magically happen as we have been believers for a long time. It is a pursuit that must be searched out. Verse 23 is one for me! Don't have ANYTHING to do with foolish and stupid arguments.

Application
There are several application steps for me in this passage.

Keep intentionally pursuing the righteousness of God along with other people searching for the same thing. Connect with other believers in this pursuit - don't do it alone!
Walk away from foolish conversations and arguments. How often don't I get sucked into this! I must admit, I'm a sucker for a good argument. I can actually be quite argumentative at times, and God has really been focusing on this aspect of my personality lately. Quite fitting that I get this passage today! :)
Finally, we must be kind to everyone. Everyone. Not just the people that are kind to us...

I know often for us "mature" Christians these messages are old and familiar. We sometimes skim over these thoughts because we've been hearing this our whole Christian lives. But the intentional acting out of these directions can still be a challenge, yet we are called to be different from those around us. We are called to always be ready to teach God's word, that means, we are called to always be a positive display of what that God can do in the life of a sinful person.

Prayer
God, help us pursue you today. Would you send your Holy Spirit to nudge us towards gentleness today? Give us the clarity of mind and action to walk away from foolish conversations and arguments. God, direct our words and actions today in pursuit of your righteousness. Amen.

Tomorrow's passage: Ezekiel 18-19, 2 Timothy 3

Sunday, November 20th

2011-11-20T00:35:00.002-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Ezekiel 14-15, 2 Timothy 1

In our Timothy passage Paul is writing to Timothy from a dungeon as he awaited what he knew was his imminent death. As he was waiting to die, he wrote these words to Timothy, the last words we have from Paul. And in this passage he's encouraging Timothy to be courageous.

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of his own purposes and grace.

Paul first reminds Timothy that God had given him specific gifts for the purpose of ministry and advancement of the kingdom. MacArthur puts it pretty frankly in his sermon ....

Courage then rises initially out of a sense of giftedness, that I have been enabled by the Holy Spirit, infused with a spiritual gift for the purpose of ministry in the name of Christ and for the advancement of His Kingdom. And if I know that I am divinely prepared and enabled to serve Christ and to proclaim His name and to represent Him and to build His body, then I have to do what I was designed to do. And frankly, if I don't do that I have violated the very reason for my existence. Not to use my spiritual gift is to place myself in a mode where I might as well be dead as far as usefulness to the church or the Kingdom. (emphasis mine)

Paul then tells Timothy to consider his resources. He's been given the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8), he's been given love (Romans 5:5) and he's been given self-discipline (Galations 5:23). He has been given the resources necessary to minister effectively.

He then reminds Timothy to accept and anticipate the fact that suffering and opposition is inevitable for anyone loyal to the gospel.

Then Paul charges Timothy to remember the power of God.

the God who from eternity past planned the plan of redemption, brought it to appearing in Jesus Christ, saved you, made you holy, gave you life. That same God is your God. So remember the power of God.

Paul then instructs Timothy to understand his duty. Paul was called to be a herald, an apostle and a teacher. When we have a duty, we are bound to do it, we are compelled to do it - it is not really even a choice.

duty can be the greatest joy or the deepest pain. And I'll tell you how. You do it and it provides the greatest joy. You don't do it and it provides the deepest pain. Duty undone is a killer.

Paul then goes on to explain why it is he is able to bear up under suffering and persecution. It's because he trusts his security and his security is found in this

because I know whom I have believed

Please notice it's not in what I have believed, it's in whom I have believed. The thing that sustained him in suffering was not his theology, it was his God. Do you understand the difference? The thing that sustained him in trials was not doctrine, but fellowship...And because I know Him, follow the verse, "I am convinced.".....I know that the Lord is able to hold on to my life until I stand that day to receive my eternal reward.....

"O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you." And what was entrusted to him? The truth, sound doctrine...sound doctrine.

The reason most people don't have the courage of their convictions is because they don't have convictions. Before you can put your life on the line for what you believe, you have to believe it....

So he is saying guard the truth, verse 14, retain the standard of sound wholesome life-giving words, be committed to the proper theological structure, the proper interpretation of Scripture, the proper outline of the truth that produces spiritual growth, spiritual maturity. Have a theology....

but hold it with faith toward God and love toward man. In that way you'll be doing it in the Spirit of Christ Jesus who provides that faith and provides that love...

So, how do you avoid being ashamed of Christ? Renew your gift, consider your resources, accept your suffering, remember your God, realize your duty, trust your Savior, affirm your doctrine, and lastly, choose your associates. (emphasis mine)

And, of course, I thought of this song

Tomorrow's passage: Ezekiel 16-17, 2 Timothy 2

Saturday, November 19th

2011-11-19T10:24:00.003-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Ezekiel 11-13; 1 Timothy 6

Two quick things I wanted to comment on for today's passages.

"This is what the Lord says: That is what you are saying, O house of Israel, but I know what is going through your mind." Ezekiel 11:5b

God is all-knowing. Not only can He see things we do in secret, He knows our very thoughts! He is the only legitimate mind-reader out there. So, why do we still try to hide our thoughts or motives from Him? We can't fool Him. We can't trick Him. We can't put a mask on in front of Him - He sees right through that. He sees into our very souls.

And the amazing thing is, He loves us anyway. He still longs for relationship with us. No matter how far we can get away from God, no matter how vile our actions or thoughts - He won't give up. He will go to incredible lengths to show us His love, or to discipline us, or to shake us out of our complacency. Truly amazing.

And just like God is far from a passive God, our faith should be far from passive too. Just look at this 1 Timothy passage....

But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:11-12 (emphasis mine)

We're not supposed to just sit around and wait for God to act on our behalf. Our faith must be an active one - training, discipline, obedience, working hard, sacrificing, standing up for Truth, doing the right thing even if we're the only ones.

We're part of a team. And when we slack off, it effects the whole team - others have to pick up our slack, our "reputation" is weakened and our effectiveness goes downhill.

But can you just imagine, for one second, the opposite? If every Christian vigourously trained spiritually, humbly sacrificed self, all in a unified front, in order to glorify God and spread the gospel - can you just imagine the results?!

Tomorrow's passage: Ezekiel 14-15, 2 Timothy 1

Friday, November 18 ~ tammi

2011-11-18T00:01:00.169-06:00

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Ezekiel 8-10; 1 Timothy 5.

Oh, these chapters in Ezekiel just made me want to cry. God's manifest presence ~ His glory ~ physically leaving the temple as a result of Israel's sin. How that vision must have pained Ezekiel!

There are so many things that stuck out for me, but I just want to draw your attention to a couple. Did you notice how Ezekiel had to dig through the wall of the temple in order to see the ugliness of the leaders' sin? It wasn't open and obvious. And none of the "detestable" things they're doing are things that would necessarily have made them "bad" people.

I couldn't help but think about our modern society where we are generally only concerned with "badness" as it relates to the world around us, not with regards for God's idea of bad and good, of detestable and holy. But this is a strong reminder that God sees it ALL ~ the big sins that everyone knows about and the hidden ones that we figure are our own little secret ~ and will judge it all according to HIS standards. I won't be measured against a pastor or a pedophile. I will be measured against God's standard of holiness.

And then comes God's very harsh punishment of those who've turned away from Him and those who've not been concerned about their spiritual condition. He tells one man to mark those who follow Him and who are grieved at Israel's rebellion, but He orders SIX to slaughter all the unmarked individuals. He saves the faithful remnant, true to His promises, but orders all the rest killed, every single one ~ man, woman, child. He tells the six men to go ahead and defile the temple by killing within its courtyards (something that was expressly forbidden according to the Mosaic Law) and then to spread beyond throughout the city and the whole land. It's interesting to me that God's judgement starts with the spiritual leaders and spreads from there. Somehow, I think that's probably significant.

These chapters in Ezekiel (as well as chapter 11 from tomorrow's reading) describe the incredible sadness, the desolation, and the judgment that come when the glory of God leaves its rightful place, but 1 Timothy gives us instruction on how to let that glory shine through our lives.

In chapter 5, we see again some helpful ideas for putting our religion into practice, as Paul puts it, and living lives that honour and glorify God. In the first few verses, we see God's plan for old age pension and how elderly parents should be looked after by their families, if they have. It seems to be assumed that a man will work for his own living, no matter how old he is, whereas the women are to be specially cared for by the church if they have no family of their own who can provide for them, and if they've proven to be a godly women. I don't know about you, but I just love it that "bringing up children" is seen here as a good deed! In fact, it tops the list of good deeds!!

Of course, just being a good mom doesn't mean we can neglect the other responsibilities of being hospitable, of ministering to the needs within our church, and of reaching out to the needy in our communities, but it's nice to know that it's considered a good deed all on its own, isn't it?! :)

I used to really bristle at Paul's teachings on how women should act and use their time, but you know, I'm beginning to see it again not as rules, but as a call for our physical and spiritual protection and provision. Paul knew ~ as we know (but don't like to admit!) ~ that when we have too much time on our hands, our tendency is to be lazy, unproductive, and often-times, to begin sticking our noses where they don't belong or filling our minds with harmful, wasteful things. When we're busy and productive in our homes, we don't have as much time for gossiping, for indulging our selfish desires, and worse. I don't think Paul is nearly as concerned here with the details of what, exactly, a woman should or should not be allowed to do as he is with her spiritual health and the development of her godly character. Again we see his reasoning: "...to give the enemy no opportunity for slander."

This is not about rules. This is all about the remnant, the Church ~ the Bride of Christ ~ looking her radiant best, reflecting the awesome glory of God.

Tomorrow's readings: Ezekiel 11-13; 1 Timothy 6