bible in a year: week 18

This year a goal has been set to read the entirety of God's word and there is a host of women joining in on the journey.  Failure is always an option as we are each imperfect people but it is never a reason to give up!  Whether each day is done without fail, catch ups are needed, or some have to stop for a variety of reasons, each word read, no matter how many, will lead us to grow in wisdom, grace, and fellowship with both us and our creator.

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."


Numbers 7-14

I didn't expect Numbers to have so much plot in it.  I expected it to have more, well, more numbers I guess.  I haven't avoided it my whole life exactly, but I have never been too pumped up to read it.  It's sad to think that now.  Not having studied for so long the history of the Kingdom means I have been missing an intense ability to be so thankful for the relative ease of my salvation and the full weight of what Jesus took upon himself starting with the sin of the first generation.

The tabernacle has been erected and the tribes set up each with their own specific job for among Israel.  The Levites become the priests and before their tasks begin the ENTIRE ISRAELITE COMMUNITY (aka millions of people) come together and lay hands upon them.  This is a biblical tradition dear to my heart for the love and support it shows to our brothers and sisters in Christ, physically wrapped in the arms of community while wrapped in words of prayer.

We also see again the way God was continuously with them as a huge cloud or a fire that they daily watched and followed, leaving and staying as commanded, completely dependent, teaching them to be completely dependent.  However, the people, being people, began to complain.  They complained about their food.  I want to be astounded.  I mean, food fell from the sky just for them to eat that was described as "pastry cooked with the finest oil" but instead they grew tired of it and wanted meat.  After everything God had done for them they still found cause for complaint.  You read that and get frustrated, yet it describes so much of me as well.  God then gives them exactly what they wanted and within eating that meat a plague was brought on that killed many.

Then comes more complaining.  First from Miriam that God doesn't speak through them, but only through Moses.  But there is much beauty in here as well.  God and Moses have a beautiful relationship.  Moses is described as the most humble man on earth, which means when he is before God he puts himself beside and listens only to his Father.  When we get out of our own way, setting ourselves, our desires, our plans to the side we see God more clearly than ever.  We see God for who he is and what he is doing and trust him even in the ways we can not see.

One of the saddest stories, in my opinion, came from this week as well.  In Numbers 13-14 after about only a year since their exodus from Egypt.  The Lord tells Moses to send one man from each tribe to scout out the land.  Twelve came back saying how wonderful the land was, exactly as God as described it to be, but only two of them came back confident that they could take the land that had been promised.  Caleb and Joshua tried to spread Faith, knowing that with God they would take possession of their promise, but it wasn't these two that the people listened to.  Instead, they listened to the other ten who spread fear.  It only takes one word to plant doubt in the heart of another.  One small sentence that ends up condemning a generation and keeps them from entering the land God had already picked out for them.


Psalms 42-50

For me, this line of Psalms was very rich.  Going through them one at a time...

42-43 were so rich with feelings that I understand all too well.  Why my soul are you so dejected?  I remember what it feels like to not be that way, but yet to still know you must praise him and still have that desire to praise.  There are times Praise does not come from a place of joy and thankfulness, there are instead times where praise just comes because you know he is still worthy and that he will send his light and truth and the joy will return.

44 contains the idea of a word I learned recently, diaspora.  In order to plant them, you displaced the nations by your hand.  God spreads us.  Over and over in the bible he separates his people using many, often undesirable methods, to send those He loves around in order to make more people aware of him.  They felt in this Psalm what can be known as the Silence of God, where they didn't hear him or feel him but still they have not forgotten him.  We are told many times throughout scripture to be still, to wait on the lord.  He is always working.

46 had two sentences that if I didn't already have three tattoos would be seriously considered.  42:5 says God is within her; she will not be toppled.  God will help her when the morning dawns.  When the Spirit of God is within you you WILL NOT be toppled.  Know he holds you securely and will be there daily to help.

48 Often I forget what forever means.  I forget that forever means forever, I convince myself that forever will run out.  I need as 48:9 suggests to contemplate his faithfulness and remember that the forever he promised is indeed forever and to as it says in Psalm 50:5 to gather to him knowing that (50:15) I can call on him in a day of trouble and he will rescue me.

Song of Songs 5-8

I know I am supposed to look upon Song of Solomon and see beauty and romance and a connection with how Christ loves us his bride, but it's not easy.  After learning that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines it's hard to believe him when he speaks so lovingly about a woman.  Add that to the bizarre imagery and I was a little lost.  I need to read it again with a different mindset and a different attitude.

Isaiah 1-4

Isaiah was called to prophecy to a people who had lost their way and shifted their focus from where it should have been.  Israel does not know him any longer, they do not understand.  Instead, they are making their own way, doing their own thing.  Being demanded from them is heart felt action.  Stop bringing useless offerings that do not truly come from a repentant heart, instead stop doing evil and love what is good.

I love that I get to read it from the perspective of the 'now' instead of the 'not yet'.  I read this rich words and I see their fulfillment through Jesus, "though your sins are scarlet, they will be white as snow."  They had the promise of the will, I have the surety of the have been.

Chapter 2 of this week was my favorite.  The City of Peace.   ALL nations will stream to Him and he will teach us about his ways so that we may walk in his path.  Thank you that your name is spread throughout the world and we have your Word to teach us!   Then to read "No nation will take up the sword against another and never again is there a need to train for war."  Lord, we anxiously await this day.


Hebrews 5-11

I have read Hebrews several times and each time one of two things happens, either I understand all of it and glean a ton or I understand nothing and am super confused.  It all depends on my mindset at the time as to whether I can follow or not.  Many times I find myself at the end of a chapter and think hold on, how did I get here?  I might be revealing too much of my ignorance right now, but hopefully more people can relate than lose respect ;)

One word that keeps coming to mind the entire book is the word empathy.  Much different than sympathy, empathy provides a comfort of being completely known and understood.  We are gotten, all the parts of our actions and minds and sin filled hearts poured over with that sacrificial blood are gotten, not by man, but by Jesus.  he gets us.  We have THAT kind of high priest who fully understands man and fully understands God.  Again we live in the now instead of the not yet as we rest in the New Covenant.  He is our God and we are His people and never again, NEVER AGAIN, will he remember our sins.

bible in a year: week 16

This year a goal has been set to read the entirety of God's word and there is a host of women joining in on the journey.  Failure is always an option as we are each imperfect people but it is never a reason to give up!  Whether each day is done without fail, catch ups are needed, or some have to stop for a variety of reasons, each word read, no matter how many, will lead us to grow in wisdom, grace, and fellowship with both us and our creator.

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."


Leviticus 20-26  

Part of me is glad we are almost through Leviticus, but then Numbers comes next so I don't know how excited I should be getting about moving on.  All of the bible is God breathed so I know this words carry just as much weight and purpose as the praises in Psalms and the encouragement and instruction of Paul's letters, but man, sometimes it's a struggle.  I think the hardest part is coming to terms with why God needed to explicitly say all of these things.  Instructions to not do all of this was because people were doing all of this.  I know I said that last week, but it holds true again. 

Two things struck me this week and saddened my heart while making me rejoice that they were no longer true.  Near the end of chapter 21 The Lord tells Moses to tell Aaron that none of his descendants with a physical defect may come before him.  Anyone in Aaron's line who should be able to be a priest and come into the holy place can not if they are physically disfigured.  He can still eat the holy food, but he is not to desecrate the holy places by going near the curtain or approaching the altar.

I've done a little research and I truly don't completely understand the reasoning behind this.  There was mention of the need to not place a stumbling block between the Israelites and God since the Priest was supposed to be a direct line to God a physical disfigurement could have been a distraction.  Other's talked about medical care.  Then there is also the knowledge that God needs a holy sacrifice, unblemished, perfect.  And he loved us so much that he wanted us to be able to draw near to him which is why he sacrificed His son. 

I know this requirement is no longer true and the the gospel of grace allows all of us, in all our defects, to come before his throne, but the sad part is thinking of how many people have used this passage to attack another, to put down another, to destroy another, to tell another they are not worthy of God's love.  God let us see your words and the intended Truth they are to bring!

The second section that brought much thought and then rejoicing was in Chapter 24.  For generations it was an eye for an eye, a life for a life.  Retaliation.  There must be punishment for action and that punishment was to do whatever had been done.  Jesus immediately made this disappear.  Turn the other cheek he said. 

I never understood how completely foreign that concept was at the time.  After generations and generations of being able to retaliate, Jesus told them instead to forgive, there was no longer a need to even the score, because he was going to pay the ultimate price to do so for eternity.  It's a completely beautiful change, brought on by the Grace of God, but oh man, that could not have been an easy eternal shift for everyone.  Some would embrace that, knowing that they had just been pardoned so much, but others, who couldn't see their own wrong doings would become angry because the Justice they so wanted to dish out was not longer their 'right.'  I have been on both sides of that line, it's a hard one, but a needed one to process through.

Psalm 25-33

*NO one who waits for you will be disgraced
*Make your ways known to me, teach me your paths, guide me in your truth and teach me for YOU are the God of my salvation.
*I wait for YOU all day long
*You are my light and my salvation
*Seek his face
*I am CERTAIN I will see the Lord's goodness in the land of the living.
*Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart be courageous.  Wait for the Lord.
*My heart trusts in Him and I am helped
*The Lord is the strength of His people
*Save, Bless, Shepherd, Carry
*You make me stand like a strong mountain
*Into your hand I entrust my spirit;  you have redeemed me.
*You have set my feet in a spacious place

Him not David,  Him not me, Him not us.  Over and over again in the Psalms David praises allowed reminding himself that it is all God.  He is the only Hope.  He is the one who has done, is doing, and will do. 

We wait for the Lord he is our help and shield.  For our hearts rejoice in him because we trust in his holy name.  May your faithful love rest on us, Lord, for we put our hope in you.

Ecclesiastes 3-9

God is a mystery.  We can know him but we will never understand why he does what he does sometimes.  His ways are bigger, His thoughts are higher, His timing is perfect.  This is often frustrating but more often a comfort.  I don't have to figure it all out.  I just have to rest and know that (3:14) everything God does will last forever, there is no adding to it or taking from it.  God works so that people will be in awe of him.


1 Timothy 5-6

I want a Paul who writes to me such encouragement and advice.  Chapter 6 is a big hearty, you can do this!  God is with you!  No matter what others do hold strong to what you know to be true!  He is the only thing worth setting your Hope on.

2 Timothy 1-4

Do we know if Timothy ever made it to see Paul before he was martyred?  I hope so.  I hope they were able to embrace a last time and that words were able to be spoken in person instead of just through a letter, but I am so very thankful for this letter. 

The word of God is not bound.  That is what Paul wrote, what God breathed.  It's not bound.  It reigns free flowing and is profitable for all.  We must use it wisely, for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training.  This can be done without love and cause tremendous damage or it can be done through the love of Christ and cause eternal joy.  4:2 says to do it with "great patience and teaching"  which is another way to say without anger and frustration to prove someone is wrong. 

God speaks through our patience and gentleness, that is how we help others draw near to God.

bible in a year: week 15

This year a goal has been set to read the entirety of God's word and there is a host of women joining in on the journey.  Failure is always an option as we are each imperfect people but it is never a reason to give up!  Whether each day is done without fail, catch ups are needed, or some have to stop for a variety of reasons, each word read, no matter how many, will lead us to grow in wisdom, grace, and fellowship with both us and our creator.

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."


We made it past the 100 day mark this week!  Triple digits!


Leviticus 13-19

Ahem, so, Leviticus this week was full of information.  It was not information I wanted to read while eating breakfast, but I didn't know it at the time.  Nothing like a chapter on skin diseases to boost the appetite.  In a brief summary Chapter 13 was on skin disease, 14 was cleansing skin disease, 15 was bodily discharges, 16 was putting all your sins on a goat and releasing it into the wild, 17 was not eating an animal's lifeblood, 18 was who and what not to have sex with, and 19 was a little more clarification on the specifics of the ten commandments.  

I am not saying this to make fun, because all of this information was very beneficial and VERY needed!  You don't tell a man not to have sex with his sister unless someone is doing it.  I'm just saying.  As a mama I understand all too clearly the needed to say phrases you never ever thought you would have to say.  I didn't know I needed to have told my three year old to not stick his head in a toilet.  I didn't know I needed to have told my six year old to not ride his bike down the street and take things out of our neighbors mailboxes.  I didn't know I needed to say that, but God knew exactly what he needed to say.  And he said it so we would not only clearly know His expectations, but to also save us from the consequences of living a life apart from His commands.  

We are depraved individuals, without God's law people run amok.  Without the Holy Spirit's guidance we do the same thing.  But in the middle of all these chapters of yuck and no-nos there was a scapegoat.  Once a year placed upon this animal were the sins of all and they were cast into the uninhabitable places.  Once a year the Israelites saw their sins taken away, were trained to watch as they were carried on the back of another.  For generations and generations this happened and they were expectant and anticipated that day.  And it trained their hearts and minds to recognize and comprehend the sacrifice of Jesus when it came.  Those with eyes saw that ultimate scapegoat and praised God for eternal atonement.

Thank you Jesus.


Psalm 15-24

There were some beautiful Psalms this week.  David prayed for protection in 17 and praised God for his deliverance in 18.  I love these back to back.  Prayer and answer.  God heard and immediately David praised him for it.  I love reading David's exact words, because no matter what they are and from which emotion he is writing, there on paper are his conversations with his creator.  We get to look back and see it.  Journaling prayers was a daily occurence for me until this year.  I haven't quite figured out how to fit in all the reading in the morning along with prayer journlaing.  I guess I should say instead, I haven't taken the extra time to do it.  David's Psalms this week have pricked the desire in my heart to start again.  To write my own praises to look back on as reminders of prayers and answers and thanksgivings and praises.

My favorite thing this week was from Psalm 20.  In five short words God gave me a clarity I haven't felt in months.  I will share with you here what I already shared in other media...

I wake up each morning with a different schedule, piecing together randomness from the countless areas of life. Not still a mom with children at home all day, but not yet a mom who goes off to work either. This middle has been a struggle, a struggle I did not expect. It's caused grief, it's caused guilt, it's caused confusion. What is the answer to give when asked the question "so what do you do?" What am I supposed to do? 

I read Psalm 20 this morning and at the end of verse 4 it says he will fulfill your whole purpose. My whole purpose. We have purpose and He promises to fulfill it.

Right now, on the journey to my whole purpose, I am beginning to understand that God is asking me to just be available. Depending on the week, sometimes this feels lazy and selfish and then sometimes it feels crazy and overwhelming. 

I don't say this to fish for encouragement for myself, but to give it out to you. I don't know what your feelings are on this. Is it a struggle for you, is it not. Just know that your purpose is being fulfilled, right now in this moment, whether you can see it or not. Praying for you to see.

Proverbs 27-31

Here are some certain Proverbs that stood out to me this week.  Some seemed new, others just need to be more constant reminders.

* Let another praise you, and not your own mouth
* Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another (fun fact, I got to tell the boys this was from the bible when they heard it on a Ninjago episode!)
* The one who conceals his sin will not prosper but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy
* Every word of God is pure!
* Give me neither poverty nor wealth, feed me with the food I need.
* Speak up for those who have no voice
* She rewards with good, no evil
* She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household
* She draws on her strength and reveals that her arms are strong
* Her hands reach out to the poor and she extends her hands to the needy
* Strength and honor are her clothing and she can laugh at the time to come.  Her mouth speaks wisdom and loving instruction is on her tongue.  She watches over the activities of her household and is never idle.
* Charm is deceiving and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.


Ecclesiastes 1-2

"I have seen all things that are under the sun and have found everything to be futile, a pursuit to the wind."

Solomon is explaining to us how nothing we create, make, do, accomplish, or acquire on this Earth will last.  It is all futile, all a vapor.  When we leave this Earth none of it comes with us.  

I just happened to visit an Estate Sale down the street from my house this week as I was reading Solomon's words.  As I walked around this beautiful old home with it's charms and looked at the items that had been left behind for the rest of us to pick through this words felt very alive, they rung very true.  It's not bad to buy pretty things, it's bad to assume they will complete you.  This goes for wisdom, good business, pleasures, and all the other categories Ecclesiastes will cover in the next few days.

There is only one thing that can fulfill us!


2 Thessalonians 1-3

I know it's obnoxiously trendy right now but when I think about the church at Thessalonica it's #goals.  Paul's words in vs 3 are "your faith is flourishing and the love each one of you has for one another is increasing" and for that Paul wants to thank them.  I mean, they get it.  They get the gospel.  They heard and understand and you know it by their fruit!

At the end of this short letter in 3:11 he gives them a great reminder, be busy not busybodies.  I stopped and took stock of myself in that respect.  Am I busying myself with the work of God or am I being a busybody?  Sometimes they can look the same, only our heart knows which is which.


1 Timothy 1-4

I try to read Timothy as if I am him and am getting a letter from my mentor full of instruction and encouragement because truly that is what it is.  A wiser, more seasoned apostle discipling another so that he can carry on.  There is plenty in these four chapters to share, plenty to reread and remember and apply.  But one thing in particular stuck out to me.  This year I have written a lot about gifts, spiritual gifts, and again this week the topic came up again.  4:14 says "Don't neglect the gift that is in you." Timothy was being timid, not quite speaking out to his fullness because of age and experience and many other things I am sure.  Paul reminds him and therefore reminds us to not neglect the gift that is in us.  God put it there and He put it there to be used and we must have faith that He is the one who will work through that gift, but we must put it to use for that to happen.

bible in a year: week 14

This year a goal has been set to read the entirety of God's word and there is a host of women joining in on the journey.  Failure is always an option as we are each imperfect people but it is never a reason to give up!  Whether each day is done without fail, catch ups are needed, or some have to stop for a variety of reasons, each word read, no matter how many, will lead us to grow in wisdom, grace, and fellowship with both us and our creator.

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."

On to week 14.  Yes, week 12 & 13 didn't happen.  Well, technically they happened.  I read and gleaned and read and was confused and read, but being Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday life needed more communicating and fellowshipping than typing.  Today, April 8th, marks 98 straight(ish) days in the Word and 19 books completed.  This is a HUGE deal.  That's 98 days of asking God's word to wash over us.  19 books full of stories and wisdom that tell of Jesus or point to Jesus.  None of these words have left us unchanged.  Whether in life-altering ways or small thoughtful ways, His Word moves within us, doing what is needed.  Bring on the next 267!

Leviticus 5-12

Leviticus is surprising me in two very different ways. 

The first is how disgusting life was.  Seriously, hearing detailed descriptions of the sheer amount of blood and guts and fire and ashes.  Blood being rubbed here and splattered there and poured out over there.  Guts washed in water and burned.  After reading in weeks 12 and 13 of the planning and creating of this beautiful intricately made tabernacle with the finest of cloth and gold and the careful construction of all the pieces of Aaron and his sons' priestly garments only to have them all splattered with the blood of sacrifice is just, well it's yucky, to put it mildly.  And the time, oh man, the amount of time it takes to make just one sacrifice, which leads me to the second thing.

The second thing is that Leviticus is convicting, which I was not expecting.  Between sacrifices for unintentional sin, and sacrificing for intentional sin, and sacrificing as a pleasing sacrifice of thanksgiving, and being unclean until night if this and this happens and so on, you could spend everyday doing nothing but walking back and forth from your pasture to the tabernacle.  God's people had to know and understand so much because of the law.  They had to work, literally work, to please Him, to make a "pleasing aroma."  And, like in the case of Aaron's sons who ended up being consumed by fire, there can be intense consequences at times for not doing what is commanded.  But, we don't.

I'm not going to get into the why of it all now.  Why they needed the law then, why we need the law still, but why we can't and don't have to live strictly by the law because of Jesus.  All I'm trying to get across now is, in reading Leviticus and it's gross descriptions of sacrifice, I see how much I don't appreciate enough the freedom I have to walk straight up to the throne of God and speak to Him, directly to Him.  Without being cleansed first, without sacrificing for my sins first, I, because of Jesus, can enter His throne room and lay it all down in frustration, in joy, in anger, in thanksgiving and he hears me.  He hears me and he holds me and he comforts me because when he sees me he doesn't see the stains of sin, he sees the holiness of his son.  Y'all.  That's amazing.

Psalms 3-14

Psalms can be hard for me to read.  David speaks so much of his "enemies"  which in turn makes me want to plug the names of my "enemies" in to the verses.  It's not the same, that's not supposed to be what I do.  I'm not supposed to read Psalms wishing that my enemies' bones will be ground into dust and whatnot.  Psalms can also come across as whiny went I'm not in the mood to read.  I want to tell David to get over it.  Then I remember, Psalms are prayers, Psalms are David and others, laying it all out, their frustrations and fears and grief and pain, and then at the end having them be turned in to thanksgiving as they remember again and again what God has done in the past and what he will do again for them in the present and future.

3:3-4 you are our shield, you lift up our heads, you answer us from your holy mountain

4:6 you light will shine on our faces so that they can see that there is Good

9:1-2 I will thank you with all my heart, declare your wondrous works, rejoice and boast about you, sing your name.  Lord, help make this an I Will instead of an I Should!

When we feel like the enemy always seems secure, when it seems like all loyalty has disappeared from the human race, when we remember that in us there is nothing good, let us remember that...

13:3 You can restore the brightness to our eyes
13:5 You will treat us generously
14:7 Deliverance has come now because of your Son and we can rejoice and be glad.

Proverbs 20-26

Seek righteousness and wisdom.  In a nutshell, this is Proverbs.  There are handfuls of quotable verses, ones I need to read again and again, some to remember and some to finally understand for the first time.  But in each there is a driving force to the basics.  Righteousness and Wisdom.  If this is what you are seeking then the rest seems to fall into place.  Does this lead to a perfect life? No.  But it will lead your heart and mind away from other things so that you don't fall prey to them.

Colossians 3-4, Thessalonians 1-5

Paul's letters are indescribable.  I love them so and can never get enough.  There in them lie the instruction we all long for.  Our to do list so to speak, but not in a legalistic way, in a because of Jesus we can do this way.  Because as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, we can put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another.  We CAN do this because we are His. 

Reading the end of Colossians and then the book of Thessalonians we see Paul reaching out to his friends and sheep reminding them of their identity and what they are able to do because of Jesus.  We all need to be reminded of this, and often.  We are His so we CAN... I read this beautiful books of loving instruction differently than I used to.  Instead of feeling guilty that I wasn't living how they instruct and trying harder my view has been altered so that I now feel capable of living this way even when I'm not.  It's no longer guilt pushing me, it's love guiding me.  I want to Devote myself to prayer as it says and encourage others by my faith and I am encouraged by theirs.  I want the Lord to increase and overflow with love for another but I also want to recognize when he is overflowing in another for the sake of me. 

As Thessalonians ends like a grandma getting out every bit of advice as you back out of the driveway, we are reminded that He who calls us to all of this is faithful.  He will do it in us.  Him, not me.  Him, through me.

bible in a year: week 11

This year a goal has been set to read the entirety of God's word and there is a host of women joining in on the journey.  Failure is always an option as we are each imperfect people but it is never a reason to give up!  Whether each day is done without fail, catch ups are needed, or some have to stop for a variety of reasons, each word read, no matter how many, will lead us to grow in wisdom, grace, and fellowship with both us and our creator.

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 23-29

Sitting in the wilderness God is laying out before Moses the exact things he wants them to do.  From the big 10 to anything else you could possibly think of.  He is instructing them and even explaining to them how He will hand their land over to them.  The people obviously respond to God with the words "We will do everything that the Lord has commanded."

And then Moses goes back up to the mountain, the presence of God was like a consuming fire on the mountaintop and there Moses will sit for 40 days and listen to God tell him the rest of the law.  And there the rest of the people will sit for 40 days without knowing what is happening and will quickly forget the words they uttered about obeying God's commands.  We quickly forget when we are without our leader.  This will not be the only time this will happen, again and again God's people will try and fail over and over, if only to prove that this Law God is currently passing down can not be fulfilled.  He is setting up their understanding that a Savior is needed.

Meanwhile on the top of the mountain with Moses listening intently, God is laying out in very precise ways exactly what should be done.  The description of the Ark of the Covenant, the Tabernacle, and the priestly garments is filled with beauty and extravagance.  They are building and creating for their creator and He is describing the best and the most beautiful.  And then He turns to describing how the priests must be consecrated and that beauty is interrupted by blood, entrails, and burnt offerings.  They are not worthy to be in his presence.  The killing of innocence is needed, daily.  The regular sacrifice of these lambs are required throughout all their generations.  But still they have God's promise that He will meet with them, He will speak with them, He will dwell with them and be their God.  He is never the one who leaves or turns away.

John 2-8

Jesus is patient.  Of course he is, but then you look at individual stories and people and the way he responded and then you stop yourself and think, man, Jesus was PATIENT.  Discipling another is not a quick job.  It requires repetition and patience, repetition and patience.  Each encounter whether with the twelve or another results in Jesus listening, speaking, questioning, and teaching.  Then, like with the woman at the well, those he encounters go off and tell others and when they seek him out they experience the same thing.  Jesus is consistency.  Giving again and again so that others may hear and believe.  I cannot imagine having the ability to do that.  I cannot imagine because I will never have the ability to do that.  Christ in me, like John the Baptist said, I must decrease and He must increase.  It's all Him in me.

Job 41-42

Praise Jesus Job is done.  That book kicked my mental tail.  The next time I read it it needs to be alongside an easy to understand commentary.  However it is hard to miss the meaning in that last chapter.  Job completely broken and humble, aware of how much he doesn't understand about God because He is simply to wondrous to know, is restored.  He died old and full of days.  I love that.

Proverbs 1-5

Proverbs can be read again and again without ever growing tired of it and with always learning new things.  I love the description in the first chapter.  "For learning wisdom and discipline; for understanding insightful sayings; for receiving prudent instruction in righteousness, justice and integrity...let a wise person listen and increase learning; and let a discerning person obtain guidance.

There are two things I see repeated over and over.  One is If, Then statements.  Cause and effect is huge.  There is an effect for every action.  Listening to God's commands will always bring a positive reaction.  Not always what we want, but always what is Good.  Also, over and over you see the reminder to Listen and Pay Attention.  We see how quickly we forget, we were reminded of that in Exodus.  We, no matter how highly we think of ourselves, quickly forget God and His teachings.  Over and over be reminded to listen and pay attention.  The moment our mind focuses elsewhere is the moment we can not focus on God.  

2 Corinthians 11-13

Paul finishes his second letter to the Corinthians in which he talks about the thorn he was given to keep him humble.  It makes me wonder, do I exalt my weaknesses knowing that in them Christ can be shown.  The answer, no.  Not nearly often enough.  I see my weaknesses as lacking instead of gaining.  In them I gain Christ.  Like John said, I decrease, Jesus increases.  

Galatians 1-4

This letter is not for the faint of heart.  Paul starts it off pretty angry and pulls no punches.  However, it is not a new thing being preached about.  "I am amazed," Paul says, " that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel..."

No, the Israelites we have already spoken about did not have the gospel of Christ, but they did have the very presence of God around them and still they turned away quickly.  We turn ya'll.  We start with Jesus and then we try to take over.  "Are you foolish ?  After beginning by the Spirit are you now finishing by the flesh?"  Why yes, yes we are.  We don't think Jesus is enough, we somehow think we an do better or at the very least owe him something besides just the act of abiding in Him.  We want the push but then are bound and determined to do our own pedaling.

Galatians isn't sugar coated.  I want Paul to be sweet and say it's ok, just try again.  But sometimes that is not what we need.  We need blunt truths as well.  Ones given from someone who loves these people so much he refuses to let them waste their lives heading down a wrong directions.  He is loving with Gospel driven love.  I pray I can listen.

bible in a year: week 9

This year a goal has been set to read the entirety of God's word and there is a host of women joining in on the journey.  Failure is always an option as we are each imperfect people but it is never a reason to give up!  Whether each day is done without fail, catch ups are needed, or some have to stop for a variety of reasons, each word read, no matter how many, will lead us to grow in wisdom, grace, and fellowship with both us and our creator.

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 9-14

"Pharaoh, Pharaoh, oh baby let me people go. Uh! nah nah nah nah nah nah nah I said Pharaoh, Pharoah..."

I know I am not the only one who was taught that song at church camp, walking like an Egyptian and singing like I knew exactly what I was talking about.  I don't want to use an ugly word, so I won't, but read between the lines when I say stuff is about to get REAL up in Egypt.  Ten plagues.  Ten different items ranging from some of the most annoying bugs, to disgusting water, to loss of livestock and crops and ending with the loss of lives.  

Never before had I noticed that "let my people go" was not the end of Moses' sentence.  He in fact , each time, says [in God's stead of course] 'let my people go SO THAT they may worship me"  This was not just a physical oppression the Israelites were under, but a religious one as well.  Because it was detestable to the Egyptians the Israelites were not able to fully worship God with the offerings they long to give that he so rightly deserved.  

Over and over again God hardens Pharaoh's heart after a plague is released so that Pharaoh will not let them leave.  It's hard to read that part at times, hard to realize that the God who shows mercy can also withhold it.  He is Just and the fact that I am still sitting here today completely forgiven because of His Son magnifies that sacrifice all the more.  I do not deserve it.  But I do notice, that it isn't until after Pharaoh gets what he wants that he changes his mind about letting them leave.  A lesson perhaps, or a caution even, that we cannot only ask God for mercy when things aren't going well and then go back to our old ways when things are as we like them.

As the story goes, they were released, almost 2.5 million people left that area in a day, more if you count the Egyptians that went with them.  And on their journey God was with them, not just in spirit but in a very visible way, as a cloud in the day and a pillar of fire at night.  He was guiding their front and leading them on and when the Egyptians pursued he went behind them instead, much like a father here on earth would push his child behind his back to get inbetween the danger and his love.

Were they scared?  Wouldn't you be.  But here is where we are reminded again of God's protection, His faithfulness, His unending love.  "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and see the Lored's salvation that he will accomplish for you today...The Lord will fight for you, and you must be quiet."  The Israelites could have used their number and might to try to stave off the Egyptian army coming, but that was not necessary.  God with His power saved each and every one of the Israelites and destroyed each of the Egyptians with Red Sea.  And at the end of it all, after seeing what they had seen, they believed in the Lord.

Luke 11-18

Is it ok to have "favorites" in the bible?  It makes me feel bad to think I have a favorite story, or book, or person. I mean it's THE BIBLE, it's like all good for me.  But if it IS ok to pick favorites, these stories in this section of Luke would qualify for that list.  

First up is the reminder that God will give good gifts.  I tend to think His goodness is only shown through the struggles and that what He sees as good and what I know will turn out to bring good does not actually look good from the beginning.  It's hard, when you have been through tough stuff, to believe that He will give good gifts, that he does bring good gifts.  

Next was the reminder of your eye being the lamp of the bible.  "Be careful little eyes what you see..."  Another popular song from childhood, this one brings more Truth then I ever really understood.  When my eyes are healthy my whole body is full of light, when they are not my body is in darkness.  So does this mean that I need to only look upon good things, beautiful things, clean things?  Well yes, and no.  It does not mean ignore the darkness around you it means make sure your eyes are focused on the light no matter what darkness you might be near.  The light of Christ.  

We move on to trusting the Holy Spirit to tell us what we need to say in the hours we need to say it and storing up treasures that can not be destroyed, the treasures of heaven.  Then being reminded that fruit comes from cultivation from the gardener and that the Kingdom of God, like leaven in bread, works its way into all parts of you, impacts all parts of you.  Because of this, because of the impact you can reach out to those who can not pay you back, those you need what you have, that you can simply give to without expecting something in return.

And now for the stories, these stories that do something that we still have trouble doing, celebrating repentance.  We celebrate good choice, bravery, talent and perfection but what we need to celebrate is a repentant heart.  A heart that makes it's way to salvation, that sees it's own loss and despair and reaches out to the One who can bring peace.  That one sheep searched and celebrated when it's found.  That son who is run to, hugged, and given a feast upon his return.  Celebrate repentance, celebrate that which brings you to the presence of God.

Job 27-33

Another character shows up in Job this week.  Elihu, who much younger has been silent the entire time, has heard every word and is compelled to speak.  As he says "I thought that age should speak and maturity should teach wisdom.  But it is the spirit in a person that gives anyone understanding.  It is not only the old who are wise or the elderly who understand how to judge" but "I must speak so that I can find relief."  In other words, he thinks Job's friends and Job are doing a pretty crappy job of explaining the character of God and understanding who He is and is therefore going to tell them what He thinks about where God is in all of this that Job is going through.

1 Corinthians 13-16, 2 Corinthians 1-3

Yes, this week had 1 Corinthians 13 in it.  This passage on love, real love, is wonderful, but there were three new things I read in other parts of the week and pondered...a lot.

1)  15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain.  Paul is talking about himself and all I can say is #goals.  I want this to be true of me, pray that it is true of me, that HIS grace towards me will not be in vain, that His grace towards me will result in accomplishments for the Kingdom.

2)As Paul is closing out his letter he mentions a handful of people who have made a significant impact in his ministry and in the places he visited.  He reminds the Corinthians to "recognize such people that have refreshed my spirit and yours."  This hit me in two different ways.  The first is that so many have refreshed my spirit that I need to thank and show appreciation to.  The second is to actually recognize, as in pay attention to, or draw near to, or get to know, people who refresh the spirits of others.  His people are everywhere, His Light is everywhere through others, look for them, recognize them.  Recognize the refresh that comes from those He has placed on Earth.

bible in a year: week 8

This year a goal has been set to read the entirety of God's word and there is a host of women joining in on the journey.  Failure is always an option as we are each imperfect people but it is never a reason to give up!  Whether each day is done without fail, catch ups are needed, or some have to stop for a variety of reasons, each word read, no matter how many, will lead us to grow in wisdom, grace, and fellowship with both us and our creator.

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.

bible in a year: week 7

This year a goal has been set to read the entirety of God's word and there is a host of women joining in on the journey.  Failure is always an option as we are each imperfect people but it is never a reason to give up!  Whether each day is done without fail, catch ups are needed, or some have to stop for a variety of reasons, each word read, no matter how many, will lead us to grow in wisdom, grace, and fellowship with both us and our creator.

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."

I got behind a couple days this week and had to spend a good amount of time on Saturday getting caught up.  But behind or not, I am loving what I am learning through out this year.  The habit to dig into and familiarize myself with this story in its entirety.  This one story that weaves itself in and out of each individual book.  It holds a beauty that nothing will ever come close to comparing to.

Genesis 45-50, Exodus 1

Brothers making peace, Father and Son reunited.  Forgiveness.  This story was just all the things!  When Joseph, overcome by emotion, can no longer hold in the truth and yells out so loudly that it was heard outside, "I AM JOSEPH" I felt the emotion.  Weeping on his brother Benjamin's shoulder and then again on his Father's.  Y'all.

Joseph knew his purpose, the reason God had allowed and orchestrated the difficulties of his earlier life.  He was sent ahead of them to preserve life.  He tells them when he reveals his identity and then again after the death of their father.  "You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result--the survival of many"  He pioneered this area to preserve the life of God's people, to place them in an area where they can grow and prosper. and they did.

The 12 tribes of Israel.  The sons of Jacob.  Continuing to carry on the promise made to Abraham years ago.  More numerous than the stars.  

But then comes Exodus.  And even though Joseph was told by Jacob that God would bring them out of Egypt and then Joseph told his brothers that God would bring them out of Egypt, I doubt any of them would realize how that story would play out.  God doesn't just easily bring them out of Egypt.  First they prosper, then they are enslaved.  Struggle comes before deliverance.  Is it so we glorify God all the more when deliverance comes?

Mark 15-16, Luke 1-4

Mark closes out his gospel with the death and resurrection and then Luke begins to tell the story himself in a letter to Theophilus, a fact I had never realized until this week.  Two things from the end of Mark that stood out to me were both about women in the narrative of Jesus.  The woman who anointed him with perfume, the woman they looked down upon for "wasting" such expensive perfume, was lifted up by Jesus when he said, "Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her."  She was remembered for her dedication to her Lord, she was remembered by her fruit.  Again, after the resurrection, he appears to Mary Magdalene, a woman who loved and followed him devotedly.  Mark describes her as a woman out of whom he drove out seven demons.  Did I know this before?  She not only knew of His power, but had experienced that power and devoted herself to Him since.  

I don't know if we should read into the female/male aspects of these situations or not, but I do love the dedication of these women, their love for Jesus, and their commitment to being near him no matter the situation.

Job 11-17

Alright, full disclosure, Job confuses the heck out of me.  Not Job the person, Job the book.  I'm trying to hang in there, I'm getting the jist, but I know there is TONS I am missing.  If anyone knows of any book, study, sermon series, anything that might help shed some light on this I would love to know about it.

However, one thing I did fully understand was a simple sentence Job uttered to his friend.  A sentence I have been tempted to say to others many times in life.  "If only you would shut up and let that be your wisdom."  Sometimes shutting up is the best thing you can do.  If you have nothing good to say, don't say anything at all.  There is a reason this phrase is uttered by everyone everywhere.  

Words can bring the most comfort in the midst of the darkest times, but they can also be a hammer that drives the nails in deeper.  Watch your words, don't say them just for the sake of saying them.  Sometimes, wisdom comes from silence, and just standing closely by.

Romans 15-16, 1 Corinthians 1-5

Paul can straight write a closing paragraph.  "Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation about Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept silent for long age but now revealed and made known"...  He gives you strength through the gospel, this mystery that His people had been waiting for for so long that has now been revealed through Christ.  To Him, and his amazingly sovereign, encompassing plan, to Him be the glory.

And now Paul begins the next letter, this time to the Corinthians, urging them to be united under the one true Gospel, reminding them that we are all under Jesus, not the one who happens to be telling you about him.  How often we honor the messenger instead of the One his message is about.  It's difficult at times because people we can understand and much of God is a mystery, but we are managers of that beautiful mystery, those plans that God has ordained and omnisciently pieced together.  Honor Him, not others.  Learn that we can not add to what has been said, "NOTHING beyond what is written."

But you have to look carefully at what is written.  Though the Word can be applied to many parts of your life, there is only one Truth that can be extracted from it.  I learned this week that I might have been told, taught, or thought, I'm not sure which, a meaning from scripture that wasn't exactly right.  

In 1 Corinthians 5:9-13, Paul says, (my paraphrasing) I wrote to you to not associate with sexually immoral, greedy, idolatress people BUT I did not mean immoral people of the world (non-believers); otherwise you would have to leave the world (because there are so many you wouldn't be able to do anything or go anywhere).  I actually wrote to not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister who is doing these things.

We are warned to stay away from the "bad" kids, "bad" people of the world.  Yes, there is a need to be careful and show wisdom, but we can not cocoon ourselves from the world, we are to enter into the world and show Truth.  THIS is being like Jesus.