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."
Exodus 2-8
The life of Joseph is over, the lives of all of his brothers have ended as well, the Israelites are left in Egypt unprotected by the name and stature Joseph held and under the rule of a Pharaoh who does not know of or maybe just doesn't care about the reason these foreign people are living in his land. Soon the Pharaoh begins to oppress them and use them for labor and though they are multiplying in great number they still are bound. Enter Moses. Another babe born to save his people. A babe who whose story helps us develop the ability to understand the greater savior who is to come.
His mother saw that he was beautiful. I can't imagine that the other Israelite women thought their babies were ugly, but this mother saw a beauty so deeply that she was compelled to save her son. I've said often that the reason two and three year olds are so cute is so they'll stay alive when they act like two and three year olds! Maybe this is a little different but that mama set that baby afloat to his intended purpose and the part that got me the most this time reading the story was his sweet big sister who followed the basket to make sure he'd be ok!
The story of Moses is an epic one. This boy raised outside of his family who then comes back to rescue his family. This man who was terrified to go back, who didn't see himself as an able speaker. So much of this week's chapters had Moses riddled with doubt and has God continuously reminding him that I AM the Lord, I WILL be with you. Moses was not chosen by God because he was the bravest of his people. I love when God says in Chapter 4, "who placed a mouth on humans? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I will help you speak and I will teach you what to say." And he did. Through each situation God was right with Moses telling him exactly what to say, exactly what would happen, preparing and pursuing and following through and just plain showing off who He is!
Moses was 80 when God used him to save his people from oppression in Egypt. Aaron was 83. That's a long time after a wee baby took a ride down a river.
There's a desire in this world to always have new, hip, beautiful and fresh. Trade out old ideas for new progressive ones. Old people with younger more energized ones. God doesn't work that way. He uses all ages, not just the ones the world sees as stronger, but the ones He has taken through what they need to be taken through before they are able to fulfill their purpose in the Kingdom. 36 is still quite young. God is far from finished with me yet.
Luke 5-11
Again these gospel books and their absolute overwhelming amount of story and teaching. They each have their differences and it's interesting to me the ways they retell the same stories. For example the other gospels make it seem like Simon Peter immediately saw Jesus, heard him say follow me and then he ups and goes. Luke tells the story a little differently as he describes Jesus telling them to cast their nets to get fish on the other side of their boat which results in them hauling in a ton! This miracle is what got Peter's attention and encouraged him to say yes and follow Jesus. It helped me a bit with the times I have my own doubts and chastised myself for not being able to immediately go. Yes obedience is right but there is grace all over it too and my doubt can be erased as I look to the miracles in my own life that have been placed their to remind me of his righteousness and faithfulness so that I will continually say, "Yes, I will follow you."
Luke's description of loving your enemies in chapter 6 is a section to go back to again and again, hearing again about the feeding of the 5,000 and the good Samaritan who loves his neighbor so well, and the "pioneering pairs" Jesus sent out to pave the way and share his words comes up again as well.
After Luke is over there will still be one more gospel book to read. I don't wonder why these sames stories are put in here four times by four different people. Instead I wonder why they are not told by them all. We need repetition so badly, we are unable to get it the first time or the second or the third. These words are placed here in this book so that we can come back to them again and again for reminders, for new knowledge, for forming wisdom.
[Sarah, Sarah] you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary.
These stories of Jesus, about Jesus, preparing us for Jesus and point us to Jesus have one thing in common. Jesus, the one thing.
Job 19-26
Still trucking through Job, still have no clue if I am understanding it correctly or not but what I do understand is Job's despair and his present faith in the midst. Job 25 gives us his heartbreaking words that he can not see God alongside his comforting knowledge that God can still see him. In Chapter 26 he tells of God's creation and then shares that his description is still but the fringes of his ways. God is majestic.
1 Corinthians 6-12
The heart, it all comes down to the heart. I am not my own, I was bought with a price. The cost was my Savior's life and then he bested the grave. Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Sure I can do it because I am loved and forgiven, but is everything going to help another, benefit another, let another see Jesus? I am not my own, I am His, it's not all about me. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Let's build, build for the years we cannot see, build with love not impress with knowledge.
Things will happen, temptations will happen, but I am not alone. He will provide a way out, He does not let me fall to temptation, falling to temptation doesn't really happen, it's more of our flesh leaping at the chance, it isn't an accident, it's a choice. Choose his way out, the one He promises to provide.
We are all different, yet we are all the same. We each have our own intended purpose to be accomplished with our own special giftings, but alone it won't work. We are one body, each working for one purpose, for God's purpose. Find your place, do it all for his glory, let the other members to their part as well without telling them they should be different. Work together, separately yet together and if we are able to do that we will all rejoice.
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