Category: Religion

Today´s reading:
OT: Judges 13-14
NT: John 1:29-51
Ps: Psalm 102
Pr: Proverbs 14:15-16

Today´s notable verse:

He then added, “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

John 1:51 (NIV)

The full meaning of Jesus’ statement here eluded me until compared with an in-depth study of Genesis. Jesus is invoking the very patriarch of Israel, Jacob:

¹⁰ Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. ¹¹ When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. ¹² He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. ¹³ There above it stood the LORD, and he said: “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. ¹⁴ Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. ¹⁵ I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.

Genesis 28:10-15 (NIV)

The reference would not have been lost on these first disciples, nor would have its meaning or impact been lost. Jesus is confirming the proclamation of John the Baptist concerning him, that He is indeed the Messiah, the Lamb of God.

The One Year Bible Blog‘s commentary for today.

Today´s reading:
OT: Judges 11-12
NT: John 1:1-28
Ps: Psalm 101
Pr: Proverbs 14:13-14

Today´s notable verse:

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it… ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹² Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. ¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:1-14 (NIV)

I love the affection and intimacy of the Gospel of John. I think none of the other disciples could have so eloquently or so beautifully described Jesus. I love the description of Jesus as the Word; such a powerful perspective, and such imagery it invokes! I am reminded of the Creation, which God the Father spoke into existence. The emanance of that which is spoken is the Word, which is carried on the breath. God the Father: Speaker/Voice; God the Son, Jesus: the Word, the spoken manifestation; God the Holy Spirit: the breath of life, carrying the Word. Perhaps it is just me, but this thought paints such a beautifully interwoven picture of the intimate involvement of the Triune God in the very act of creation.

The One Year Bible Blog‘s commentary for today

Today´s reading:
OT: Judges 9:22-57, Judges 10:1-18
NT: Luke 24:13-53
Ps: Psalm 100
Pr: Proverbs 14:11-12

Today´s notable verse:

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100:4-5 (NIV)

The One Year Bible Blog‘s commentary for today.

Posted April 29; back-dated.

Today´s reading:
OT: Judges 8:18-35, Judges 9:1-21
NT: Luke 23:44-56, Luke 24:1-12
Ps: Psalm 99
Pr: Proverbs 14:9-10

Today´s notable verse:

Fools mock at making amends for sin,
but goodwill is found among the upright.

Proverbs 14:9 (NIV)

The One Year Bible Blog‘s comments for today

Today´s reading:
OT: Judges 7, Judges 8:1-17
NT: Luke 23:13-43
Ps: Psalm 97-98
Pr: Proverbs 14:7-8

Today´s notable verse:

⁴⁰ But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹ We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” ⁴³ Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Luke 23:40-43 (NIV)

This last sentence sometimes perplexed me; Jesus was in the grave for three days, so how could he be with this forgiven criminal in paradise on the day of their death? But then I realized: Jesus was physically in the grave, yet spiritually he never died. He never sinned; therefore, spiritually He remained always alive to God the Father. Since Jesus is God, Jesus is omnipresent, and therefore He indeed was in Paradise with this man!

I pray that I have the humility and faith of this condemned man!

The One Year Bible Blog‘s comments for today.

Today´s reading:
OT: Judges 6
NT: Luke 22:54-71, Luke 23:1-12
Ps: Psalm 95-96
Pr: Proverbs 14:5-6

Today´s notable verse:

¹ Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
² Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.

Psalm 95:1-2 (NIV)

The One Year Bible Blog‘s comments for today.

Today´s reading:
OT: Judges 4-5
NT: Luke 22:35-53
Ps: Psalm 94
Pr: Proverbs 14:3-4

Today´s notable verse:

Blessed is the man you discipline, O LORD,
the man you teach from your law;

Psalm 94:12 (NIV)

Just as our parents’ rules for us when we were children were for our own good, protection, and benefit, so it is with God’s Law for us. Our pursuit of love, purity, holiness, and righteousness sets us apart from the sin around us, protects us from its snares, and enables God to bless our lives, work, and effort. So truly it is a blessing to be disciplined according to God’s Law.

The One Year Bible Blog‘s commentary for today.

Today´s reading:
OT: Judges 2:10-23, Judges 3
NT: Luke 22:14-34
Ps: Psalm 92-93
Pr: Proverbs 14:1-2

Today´s notable verses:

After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel.

Judges 2:10 (NIV)

What a tragic start to Israel’s life in God’s promised land! This verse reminds me of a quote by Billy Graham, and immortalized by one of his proteges, Argentinian evangelist Luis Palau, that “God has no grandchildren.” The generation of Israelites who took possession of the promised land utterly failed in their responsibility to pass on their knowledge of and relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to their descendants. This responsibility remains the same for each and every generation of Christians today. The heritage of faith must be passed on from generation to generation, from parents to their children.

I am so grateful to my grandmother, who truly is the matriarch of faith of my family. She raised my father and his siblings in the faith, and waited patiently for my grandfather to accept the faith, as well. (I didn’t know until recently that he was not baptized until my father had almost graduated high school.) I have been truly blessed to have a family of such strong faith, in large part due to the perseverance and patience of my grandmother.

Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea—
the LORD on high is mighty.

Psalm 93:4 (NIV)

Photo © Chip Bennett, all rights reserved.

The One Year Bible Blog‘s commentary for today.

Today´s reading:
OT: Judges 1, Judges 2:1-9
NT: Luke 21:29-38, Luke 22:1-13
Ps: Psalm 90-91
Pr: Proverbs 13:24-25

Today´s notable verse:

⁹ If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-
¹⁰ then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

Psalm 91:9-12 (NIV)

It is true that in this life we will face many hardships, but we have this assurance: that God will command His angels concerning us, to guard us in all our ways and to lift us up in their hands. How reassuring to know that God protects and ministers to us through the Host of Heaven!

The One Year Bible Blog notes:

Proverbs 13:24 is true – “If you refuse to discipline your children, it proves you don’t love them; if you love your children, you will be prompt to discipline them.” The one thing that makes me a bit nervous about this Proverb is that I have a hunch us humans can over-do our discipline. I think there is obviously a difference between loving / godly discipline of our kids and mean / destructive discipline. I pray that we are led by God to know the difference. Yes, discipline is good. Godly / loving discipline. Mean / destructive discipline is not good.

I think the key here is that “discipline” and “punishment” are not interchangeable here. Certainly, discipline includes administering punishment as part of the learning experience that all decisions and actions have consequences; however, discipline also involves positive-reinforcement methods of training. Consider the full definition of discipline (v.):

1. 1. To train by instruction and practice, especially to teach self-control to.
2. To teach to obey rules or accept authority. See Synonyms at teach.
3. To punish in order to gain control or enforce obedience. See Synonyms at punish.
4. To impose order on: needed to discipline their study habits.

Clearly, over-emphasis of only a part of the full meaning of discipline is improper. Also, emphasis on the various methods of discipline will change with the age and maturity/development of the one being disciplined. I was spanked as a young child, but because my parents understood and practiced the full and proper understanding of discipline, by the time I was an adolescent I no longer needed spanking as a form of discipline.

Further, note here the underlying assumption that discipline is administered out of love. Punishment meted out in anger is not loving, biblical discipline.

Posted April 23, back-dated.

Today´s reading:
OT: Joshua 24
NT: Luke 21:1-28
Ps: Psalm 89:38-52
Pr: Proverbs 13:20-23

Today´s notable verse:

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.

Joshua 24:15 (NIV)

We are presented with the same choice today – each day – and with each decision we make, we have this choice.

¹⁴ But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. ¹⁵ For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.

Luke 21:14-15 (NIV)

What comforting words from our Savior!

The One Year Bible Blog‘s comments for today.