Category: Religion

Today´s reading:
OT: Exodus 12:14-50, Exodus 13:1-15
NT: Matthew 20:29-34, Matthew 21:1-22
Ps: Psalm 25:16-22
Pr: Proverbs 6:12-15

Today´s notable verse:

²¹ Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. ²² If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Matthew 21:21-22 (NIV)

Seems pretty simple, doesn’t it? Why is it so tough, though, in practical application? “If you have faith and do not doubt…”; “If you believe…” I am struck at how weak and pathetic we are, that cannot tap into this simple principle – but then, that is the key to allowing Christ in us to operate, isn’t it?

The One Year Bible Blog asks:

Comments from you & Question of the Day – …How about you? Are there some goals and resolutions for 2006 that you feel like you might be behind on? Do you agree that reading from God’s Word each day and growing in your love relationship with God is more important than those goals and resolutions?

You know, I’ve not set “New Year’s” resolutions in a long time. My thinking is, if I decide I need to make a change in my life, or accomplish something, why should I wait until what is essentially an arbitrary day to start? “Now is the day of salvation; now is the time of God’s favor” (I Corinthians 6:2). “[Make] the most of every opportunity” (Ephesians 5:16). I think that reading the Word each day and growing in my relationship with God are extremely important in part because they help reveal those changes in my life I need to make, and those things that I need to accomplish, according to God’s plan and will for my life.

Today´s reading:
OT: Exodus 10, Exodus 11, Exodus 12:1-13
NT: Matthew 20:1-28
Ps: Psalm 25:1-15
Pr: Proverbs 6:6-11

Today´s notable verse:

Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember be, for you are good, O Lord.

Psalm 25:7 (NIV)

Thank God that He is good, and that He chooses to see us not in our own sinfulness, but through Christ’s perfection!

The One Year Bible Blog notes:

Comments from you & Question of the Day – Based on the lesson from the ant in today’s Proverbs, how do you balance working hard in your life with getting proper rest and relaxation? How do you find the balance?

The balance of work and rest comes from the balance of three things: perspective, priorities, and discipline. I would elaborate, but I don’t have time this morning. 🙂

Today´s reading:
OT: Exodus 8-9
NT: Matthew 19:13-30
Ps: Psalm 24
Pr: Proverbs 6:1-5

Today´s notable verse:

But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.

Exodus 9:16 (NIV)

God, through Moses, spoke these words to Pharaoh, whose heart was unyielding to the will of God; how much more, then, do these words apply to those of us who love Him? In Pharaoh’s case, God demonstrated His power to and against Pharaoh. Praise God that, for those of us who love Him, He demonstrates His power through us!

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

Matthew 19:29 (NIV)

Maybe I’m exaggerating when I think that I have given up some of these things for Christ’s sake; but the greatest desire of my heart has always been to be a husband and a father. Words can’t express how happy I was to have in my life the woman I considered to be my future wife – and to consider her daughter my future daughter; nor how humbled and blessed I was to consider that God would so richly bless me. But I know that I’m pursuing God’s will for my life with all my heart, and in doing so, God will be faithful to give me the desires of my heart – desires that I know come from Him (Psalm 37:4). God’s will for my life is so much more important than even these desires, and I will continue to pursue the Giver of my heart’s desire, rather than those desires themselves. I know it’s nowhere near what the 12 disciples endured, but in my own way, I can empathize.

The One Year Bible Blog notes:

Comments from you & Question of the Day – Based on the Proverbs verses going into debt, does anyone have debt-relief resources, websites or books you could share with everyone in the Comments section below? …I’ve often heard that it is wise to tithe 10% of income and save 10% of income with each check that comes in. What’s your reaction to this type of formula?

Being an engineer-type, I’m all for formulas; however, I believe God is Lord of our hearts, not our calculators. Certainly, the tithe is a well-established principle (and one to which I can attest personally); however, our giving (and our financial management in general) must come from a right attitude.

⁶ Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷ Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

II Corinthians 9:6-8 (NIV)

If we tithe or otherwise give out of a sense of “duty” or “following the formula” rather than out of a desire to bless the Lord who has provided for our needs, then what blessing will we receive from our giving?

But in answer to your question: yes, giving first to God, then setting aside some form of savings/investment, is wise. I’m starting a Community Life group on Finances at my church this week, based on Crown Financial Ministries resources, so I may have more to say on the topic over the next 12 weeks.

Today´s reading:
OT: Exodus 5:22-23, Exodus 6, Exodus 7:1-24
NT: Matthew 18:23-35, Matthew 19:1-12
Ps: Psalm 23
Pr: Proverbs 5:22-23

Today´s notable verse:

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalm 23:6 (NIV)

I notice that David doesn’t say that life itself will always be easy, or happy, or good, etc.; but that goodness and love – God’s goodness and love – will follow him. Of course, this king who had written much of the past few Psalms about war, would know better than anyone the reality of life. However, as many of my experiences of the past several months have proven to me, life is hard, but God is still good. When I consider the fleeting nature of life – the good and the bad – compared to spending eternity dwelling in the house of the Lord, I find it much easier just to do what is right in the eyes of my Lord no matter what the consequences.

The One Year Bible Blog notes:

Comments from you & Question of the Day – Based on the topic of divorce that comes up in today’s Matthew readings, please do share your wisdom / thoughts / books / websites / other resources on this topic.

Being still single, I really don’t have anything to add with respect to my own experience. Having just gotten out of an engagement, the whole subject is still a bit difficult to discuss anyway. Today was a good day for us to read Psalm 23.

Welcome Thousands and Millions to the OYB blogroll!

P.S. Shout out to Manchester! I was there during the Commonwealth Games in ’02 doing mission work though World Harvest Bible Church in Salford.

Today´s reading:
OT: Exodus 4, Exodus 5:1-21
NT: Matthew 18:1-20
Ps: Psalm 22:19-31
Pr: Proverbs 5:15-21

Today´s notable verse:

¹¹ The LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD ? ¹² Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

Exodus 4:11-12 (NIV)

I am struck by the thought that Moses really wasted an opportunity here by appealing to God out of a desire to make excuses for and to rationalize not following God’s command, rather than out of a sense of humility toward his own ability. God still used Moses, to be sure – but what potential was lost for God to demonstrate His power through Moses even more? Even so, I love God’s response: I created your senses; am I not capable of using them for my purposes? Also, how often do I rely on God to help me speak and to teach me what to say in the circumstances in which I find myself daily?

¹⁹ “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

Matthew 18:19-20 (NIV)

What an amazing declaration of the power of but two believers standing in faith on God’s will!

The One Year Bible Blog notes:

Comments from you & Question of the Day – With my thoughts above on the serious topic of sexual sin – does anyone have any resources, books, websites, that you can recommend to folks that are struggling with sexual temptation or sin? Have you seen people in your life be enslaved to sexual sin? Hopefully you have also seen people also be freed from that enslavement through Jesus? Do you think that sexual sin – lust, pornography, adultery, etc. – is a rampant issue in our society today? Do you think it’s worse now than the past? Or do you think sexual sin has always been an issue in the past and will be until Jesus returns again?

There are a lot of great books out there – some of which I’ll review when I get the opportunity. Sin is sin, to be sure – and all sin enslaves just as Christ redeems us from all sin. Yet, sexual sin is given special treatment in the Bible, since we sin against ourselves, and against the Spirit, since our bodies our His temple. Sex is so pervasive in our society today, but I think that sexaul sin has always been as rampant, if not always openly so. Consider that polygamy – as adultery, a form of sexual sin – was one of the first sins recorded in the Bible for Cain’s line of descent (Lamech), and sexual depravity was almost always indicative of the most perverse civilizations (e.g. Sodom). Remember, there is nothing new under the sun! Satan isn’t inventing new sins; just new ways to tempt and ensnare us in those sins.

Yesterday’s OYB reading led me to ask the question:

A thought occurs to me: what, exactly, does Jesus mean here by “cross”? What is it that we must take up in order to follow Him? I understand the denial of self, but what of the cross? The cross is a burden, a punishment, a symbol of sin; but do these things represent what Jesus calls us to “take up” in order to follow Him? Aren’t these the very things we give up to Him – the things He took upon Himself for us? So, if not these things, then what?

Commenter John responded:

16:24 Now the Lord Jesus plainly states what is involved in being His disciple: denial of self, cross-bearing, and following Him. To deny self is not the same as self-denial; it means to yield to His control so completely that self has no rights whatever. To take up the cross means the willingness to endure shame, suffering, and perhaps martyrdom for His sake; to die to sin, self, and the world. To follow Him means to live as He lived with all that involves of humility, poverty, compassion, love, grace, and every other godly virtue.

MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. 1997, c1995. Believer’s Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

(Emphasis added)

Interesting thought; this commentary seems to say that for one to “take up his cross” really means to take up the Cross of Christ. That is, we take on the same suffering Christ endured and die to the very things for which Christ died. What an interesting paradigm: Christ died for our sins, so likewise we die to our sins. Christ suffered for our sins so that we might live; likewise we suffer for the cause of Christ, that Christ may be glorified in our lives. Christ endured the pain, suffering, and punishment for our sins; we allow our own sinful nature to be changed into His likeness, and our iniquities to be eradicated and replaced with His Spirit. He chose to endure all in order to fulfill and perfect our faith; we choose to throw off every sin and hindrance that sets itself against us and we choose to have faith in the one who conquored that sin and shame.

You know, we really do get the good end of this deal!

Today´s reading:
OT: Exodus 2:11-25, Exodus 3
NT: Matthew 17:10-27
Ps: Psalm 22:1-18
Pr: Proverbs 5:7-14

Today´s notable verse:

God said to Moses, “I AM who I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.'”

Exodus 3:14 (NIV)

“I AM” – YHWH – Yahweh: The Name of God! Reading here that God names Himself “I AM” reminds me of several instances where Jesus uses “I AM” or similar: Mark 14:61-63, John 4:25-27, John 8:57-59, John 18:5-9, Revelation 22:7-20.

The One Year Bible Blog notes:

Comments from you & Question of the Day – I realize that reading Psalm 22 and seeing some of the images I posted up can evoke a lot of emotions. I am wondering, how often do you meditate upon Jesus’ passion and death? Do you do this just around Good Friday each year? Or more often? How do you meditate upon the Lord’s passion and death? Are movies like “The Passion of the Christ” helpful for you to do this? Or are their other things you read or watch or do? Do you think we should or should not meditate upon Jesus’ passion and death more often than once a year? Why or why not?

Wow, talk about a heavy discussion topic! I never did see The Passion in the theater, though I did finally buy it on DVD to watch it at home. What stuck out to me about the movie – and what I think is the very reason it was so impactful – was how vividly the movie depicted Jesus’ demonstration of true, perfect, complete, God-like love. The longer I live, and the more experiences I have, the more I meditate on the passion and death of Christ – for it is the humility and perspective gained from such meditation that enables me to emulate that love more and more. As “die to self” becomes a more daily principle, the more I am keenly aware of Christ’s death – for it is in comparison to His ultimate sacrifice that I realize that any sacrifice I could make not only pales in comparison, but also that any such sacrifice – impossible on my own – is entirely possible when I allow the power of identification of Christ’s death to work through me.

Today´s reading:
OT: Genesis 50, Exodus 1, Exodus 2:1-10
NT: Matthew 16:13-28, Matthew 17:1-9
Ps: Psalm 21
Pr: Proverbs 5:1-6

Today´s notable verse:

²⁴Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.

Matthew 16:24-25 (NIV)

A thought occurs to me: what, exactly, does Jesus mean here by “cross”? What is it that we must take up in order to follow Him? I understand the denial of self, but what of the cross? The cross is a burden, a punishment, a symbol of sin; but do these things represent what Jesus calls us to “take up” in order to follow Him? Aren’t these the very things we give up to Him – the things He took upon Himself for us? So, if not these things, then what?

The One Year Bible Blog notes:

In Exodus chapter 1 verse 12 is awesome – “But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more quickly the Israelites multiplied!” It’s amazing how when God wants people to flourish, they flourish! Even in the midst of oppression. This verse kind of reminds me of the flourishing of churches over the centuries and even today where the body of Christ is still often oppressed. It flourishes!

I would even suggest that opposition is beneficial to flourishing. This principle is true in nature (predators improve the health and strength of their prey, who otherwise become weak and even less healthy in their absence), it was true in the early Christian church (which saw exponential growth in the face of severe persecution), and it is true in the world today (see this study).

In verse 18 we read – “Now I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” Praise God for Jesus instituting the church! And all of the powers of hell will not conquer Jesus’ church!

I think it is important to understand what Jesus is saying here, if we are to know how the church He instituted is to withstand the powers of hell. I believe that when Jesus says, “this rock”, He is referring to Peter’s previous statement:

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Matthew 13:16 (NIV)

I believe that Jesus here is instituting His church on the faith contained in Peter’s statement about Jesus’ identity, for it is our faith that is our bedrock. Even a “little pebble” (Peter) can withstand the gates of hell when founded on the “immovable stone” (rock) of faith in Jesus. Here is a very involved study of Matthew 16:18.

Comments from you & Question of the Day – In our Matthew readings today Jesus institutes the church. I’m curious what your thoughts are on the church today? And I’m not talking about any one denomination – I mean church as the overall “body of Christ” Christian churches worldwide. Do you personally go to church regularly? Why or why not? Have there been periods of your life where you have not gone to church regularly? Have these been good or not so good periods of your life? What would you say to someone now who might be reading this blog who does not go to church about church? How might you encourage someone to go to church? Why does it matter if they go to church or not?

My thoughts on the church today? I think the church isn’t doing such a good job of “keep[ing] the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). I think the church has given up to worldly means many of the ministries for which it was instituted, such as caring for the poor, the orphaned, the widowed, and the imprisoned. But I also think that the church is still the single greatest agent for good in the world! I do go to church regularly. We are called not to “give up meeting together”, but to “encourage one another” and to consider how we may “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24-25). To me, a local church provides many things vital to the life of a Christian: an opportunity to serve, fellowship with other believers for encouragement, teaching, and admonishment, corporate worship of our Lord, and many others. Our salvation does not depend on the existence or regularity of our church attendance; however, the prosperity of our lives as Christians certainly does!