It took less than a day of reading to get a deeper understanding of why one can study the bible for a lifetime and still glean new things. In truth a lifetime is not enough. As Saint Augustine said, "The bible is shallow enough for a child not to drown, yet deep enough for an elephant to swim. Each verse opens up a new thought, a new question, a new understanding of what God has done and sometimes a confusion of why He is doing it. In moments of questions research is good but there are times where I need to submit to His authority remembering what A.W. Tozer said in his book Pursuit of God, "God will not hold us responsible to understand the mysteries of election, predestination, and the divine sovereignty. The best and safest way to deal with these truths is to raise our eyes to God and in deepest reverence say, "O Lord, Thou knowest." Those things belong to the deep and mysterious Profound of God's omniscience. Prying into them may make theologians, but it will never make saints."
Genesis 8-15
This week began with all of mankind, save one family, being wiped from the earth and ended with Abram staring at the stars being promised that his offspring would be as numerous as them. As I read, I am trying to place myself into the story and think about what reactions or emotions I might have. This COULD lead to heretical observations as I emote my own sins onto others or it could open my heart to how much struggle, endurance, and faith was and still is needed to walk with God in this fallen world. I am hoping the Holy Spirit is leading me towards the latter or if nothing else makes it extremely clear when I am drifting towards the former!
The first thoughts I had when rereading this well known story of Noah was how LONG they were on that stinking boat, adjective very much on purpose. Months with very little fresh air or bathing and lots of animals and all the things that come along with that. There are more than a few times I have found myself in uncomfortable, unfavorable situations wondering where God is and why he has left me there when in truth he could have been keeping me on that 'boat' to save my life.
And then, through the line of Shem, comes Abram who with no warning hears God tell him to leave his land and go to a new land that God promises, not so much to him, but to his offspring. Abram obeys, immediately, completely on faith and goes out to the unknown, and waits and waits. Through famine, his wife being taken as a wife for the Pharoah for a bit (I mean what the heck is that about), rescuing his nephew from the enemy, He waits. At the end of this week we left him asking God, not through doubt and unbelief, but with confusion about how his offspring would inherit when he has none.
I love God's grace in this part, because God explains not moment for moment but in the big picture of what He is going to do and the exact land He is going to provide. I find myself wanting this same conversation with God where it speaks to me and lets me know what He is going to do for me and then I remember I have all those things, in this very book we have committed to reading through. Not the specifics of my day to day life of course, but the promises of eternity with Him.
Matthew 8-14
It is one thing to just read seven chapters of the bible in a week and quite another to study, take notes, and attempt to comprehend seven chapters of the bible in a week, especially when it's this book right here. Maybe using a quote from Hamilton is not the best way to describe Jesus's years of ministry while he physically walked here on earth, but I can't help it, because, Man, the Man is NON-STOP! He worked like he was running out of time, because He knew He was, even when his disciples didn't.
From preaching on the mountainside, to healing a man with leprosy, to healing a Centurion's servant and declaring His intent to be here for anyone who believes, to more healing, to calming the sea, to adding Matthew to his Disciples, to raising a girl from the dead, to healing the blind, to commissioning his 12 disciples, to warning about persecution and so on and so on with more healing, preaching with parables, feeding 5,000 people with a few loaves of bread and two fish, to going to the mountain alone to pray, and then walking on water. All this in 7 chapters.
I have read more sermon texts googled from verses this week than I have in a lifetime. From why do we fast in chapter 9, to what it means when he says you will not have gone through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes in chapter 10, to learning the reason--which was not as simple as I assumed--Jesus speaks in parables in chapter 13, this was a knowledge learning week.
It some ways it was great to see these verses from a different angle as all of scripture, though it only holds one truth, can teach lessons in numerous ways but there was a tendency this week to see negatives where I had never seen them before. Understand me when I say that word, I do not mean negative as in bad scripture, I mean negatives as in hardships, and hard truths. The pharisees and their insane intent on disproving and discouraging the gospel at every turn and warnings of hardships and persecution and being sheep among the wolves of the world can start to take your focus away from the amazing work of Jesus.
All those hard things are true, and still happen and will happen, but mixed among them all is a gospel that keeps going and a faith of His people that keeps growing believing that just a touch of his robe or just a word from his mouth makes all the difference in your life. In the beginning, in the middle, and in the end, it really is just all Jesus.
Ezra 8-10, Nehemiah 1-4
Through research, I learned that Ezra and Nehemiah used to be one book and was split up sometime in the 3rd century which makes sense, since they flow from one to the other seamlessly and are about the same structure. Nehemiah is a brand new book to me as well and my heart is comforted by it as much or more than Ezra. Again we see a faith and pioneering spirit. A man whose heart God stirs because of the troubles of His people who wants to complete a task for the Kingdom, rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. This faith led others to believe and want to help and thus a domino effect began as willing hard laborers built. God's people, with one purpose, building the tangible wall that would later be witness to the work of Jesus that would build The Kingdom. Ya'll. Such good stuff!
They, as in Nehemiah and his fellow workers, had no clue what would be done later at these same locations. All they knew was they were called to a task, a hard, heavy task that brought opposition and danger from those annoying enemies still bent on destroying anything that might glorify God, and they were not going to let anything keep them from completing it.
I know a lot of us feel like our tasks are also hard, heavy, and monotonous, but take heart my friends. The mundane tasks of today could be witness to the miraculous, gospel spreading work of Jesus later.
Acts 8-14
We started Acts with Saul and his heavy persecution against The Way (Christians) and continued with this same man becoming with not just a heart for the Gospel but a key apostle in the spreading of the Gospel who would eventually write half of the New Testament. God uses who He chooses and He rarely chooses those we would choose. He began his day one way and ended in quite another. It only takes a moment for God to change your life, your heart, your direction.
Within these chapters the truth was told to both Jews and Gentiles that Christ is open to all despite heritage. Gentiles rejoiced, some Jews rejoiced, many Jews grew angry and bitter and immediately became enemies to Christ and these converts. The thought of preconceived notions weighed heavily on my mind this week. Had the Jews not had preconceived notions on what they wanted, namely a King to come and kill their Roman oppressors in revenge for the brutal treatment they had received, would they have been so hard hearted towards Christ. Their thoughts of what they wanted, what they assumed was best, kept them from seeing Christ for who He was, so many examples in my own life where preconceived notions have caused struggles.
Week 2 is complete, there are 50 more to go. That is both a lot, and not so much. Just remember, one day is better than no days, one verse is better than none. He promises His word will not come back void, so don't let getting behind get you down. Each day is a new day with new mercies every morning!
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