And another blog!
Today’s readingsNumbers 11:4-13:25
Luke 3:23-4:13
Proverbs 7:21-27
Lots to confuse us in this passage from Numbers. First the moaning met with a blessing that is actually a curse of sorts. Then a false prophet. And finally some giants. Sometimes the Bible just outright confuses me and I have to come back to God and my basics of faith. So here's what I've got from this. First is that God hears us. And not only does He hear but He provides. Does He curse? I don't think so. I think that if you look at the abundance of meat that was provided and the subsequent illness it sort of mirrors how the Israelites who tried to hoard manna found that it was rotten by the next day. I feel as though God provided the quail but the Israelites greed is what made them ill from over indulging.
Also there's a message that God might use you a lot or a little but you're never less worthy because of it. It's tempting to want more and search for more which is great but then to get cross when we don't seem to get more. Humilty with God is everything and the answers and blessings are His to dish out as and when He deems it to be fit.
I think as well there is a message for those of us who are feeling like we're alone. Even though Moses is bringing bad news and is sceptical himself, God still provides and cares and supports. There's also a warning against gossiping, especially against people who are trying to work for God. He won't tolerate it and you'll not be getting blessed nor will it bring you closer to God.
As for the giants? Yeah I'm going to pull the symbolism card. The writers of this passage wanted to show just how amazing the land that God had prepared for them was and how fruitless (pun intended) the moaning of the people was. They missed slavery because they got a varied diet but they were being led to freedom and sustenance beyond their expectations!
Into the New Testament and we have Jesus' period of temptation after His genealogy. There's not a lot you can say for lists of relatives though I do like how Jesus' past shows He isn't from the best folk or the most holy folk but rather a real mix of stories and backgrounds. Now His temptations are a very interesting parallel to the Israelites' moaning. He's in the desert and is hungry but instead of moaning to God, He falls back on His core truths of loving God first and accepting His fate to be in God's hands. We make so much of free will and predestination sometimes that I think we forget that we should be desperate for God to lead us around by the nose because we'll end up where He wants us to be.
Finally we're back in Proverbs with our tempting lady and we get the end of the story where we find it quite clear what happens to people that chase sex rather than God first. It's some pretty powerful imagery brought out with calves being butchered and stags being shot with arrows. Temptations are everywhere but Jesus shows that humility and reliance are what get us through those "irresistible" temptations.
Onto the next one...
Friday 17 December 2010
Day 79
And another
Today’s readingsNumbers 9:15-11:3
Luke 3:1-22
Psalm 35:19-28
So we have the Israelites marching off and following God's cloud. I like this image and I don't know quite how literally to take it but what does strike me is how following the way that God had planned for them left them relatively incident free. It's like God wants the best for us... and that His plans actually work... Who'd have thought?! But seriously I really like this passage for showing the benefits of a journey with God. And when the Israelites forget how safe they've been and start complaining that they're not living in luxury I think it's understandable that God gets mad! But there's a lesson here. We need to accept that God's plan for us might not be the most exciting and thrilling earthly life. But we are here instead to live as He wants us and to use the gifts we have for Him. And I love the little aside about Hobab. Here we have a foreigner that Moses keeps with the people because he realises that God will be using Hobab regardless of his knowledge of God. We need to remember that God doesn't just work through Christians but is capable of using anyone's gifts and talents for His purpose. And as an incentive for us, notice that it's when Habob is surrounded by God's people that His skills are used. To me this says that we need to be willing to work with non-Christians in acheiving God's aims, even if they don't realise that's what they're doing!
We see John the Baptist again doing his thing but I think it's interesting to note that he says that being one of God's people isn't enough. And I think that still applies. We can't just rest on the knowledge that we're saved. We need to be striving for God and for His blessings rather than thinking we're forgiven so it's just a matter of waiting till we die. I believe that being a Christian is as much about making this world better for other people as it is about getting to heaven and I think this is what John is getting at. We need to be able to look at our lives here and be happy with them even though they will be sinful before we start thinking about the salvation that God gives us.
Finally the Psalm ends and I still think that this is a Psalm which shows how we can miss the point with our praise sometimes. God isn't there to make our lives easy. He's shown in Numbers that He won't put up with moaning about how hard we have it. Rather we should be worshipping God regardless of the outcome and trusting that His will is coming through. Verse 27 gets quoted a lot out of context as a way of saying that everything's going to go well for us as Christians. But look at the structure of the Psalm. Usually there is a piece to a Psalm when things do work out and God is praised. But here it just ends and I think that is because God isn't being praised for the right reasons. God can't be ordered or persuaded to step in when we need Him. Instead we need to seek His will and use our own strength and motivation, supported by His grace and power, to make changes to our own lives and more importantly, to other peoples. Lots of commas there but I hope that makes sense...
Onto the next one
Today’s readingsNumbers 9:15-11:3
Luke 3:1-22
Psalm 35:19-28
So we have the Israelites marching off and following God's cloud. I like this image and I don't know quite how literally to take it but what does strike me is how following the way that God had planned for them left them relatively incident free. It's like God wants the best for us... and that His plans actually work... Who'd have thought?! But seriously I really like this passage for showing the benefits of a journey with God. And when the Israelites forget how safe they've been and start complaining that they're not living in luxury I think it's understandable that God gets mad! But there's a lesson here. We need to accept that God's plan for us might not be the most exciting and thrilling earthly life. But we are here instead to live as He wants us and to use the gifts we have for Him. And I love the little aside about Hobab. Here we have a foreigner that Moses keeps with the people because he realises that God will be using Hobab regardless of his knowledge of God. We need to remember that God doesn't just work through Christians but is capable of using anyone's gifts and talents for His purpose. And as an incentive for us, notice that it's when Habob is surrounded by God's people that His skills are used. To me this says that we need to be willing to work with non-Christians in acheiving God's aims, even if they don't realise that's what they're doing!
We see John the Baptist again doing his thing but I think it's interesting to note that he says that being one of God's people isn't enough. And I think that still applies. We can't just rest on the knowledge that we're saved. We need to be striving for God and for His blessings rather than thinking we're forgiven so it's just a matter of waiting till we die. I believe that being a Christian is as much about making this world better for other people as it is about getting to heaven and I think this is what John is getting at. We need to be able to look at our lives here and be happy with them even though they will be sinful before we start thinking about the salvation that God gives us.
Finally the Psalm ends and I still think that this is a Psalm which shows how we can miss the point with our praise sometimes. God isn't there to make our lives easy. He's shown in Numbers that He won't put up with moaning about how hard we have it. Rather we should be worshipping God regardless of the outcome and trusting that His will is coming through. Verse 27 gets quoted a lot out of context as a way of saying that everything's going to go well for us as Christians. But look at the structure of the Psalm. Usually there is a piece to a Psalm when things do work out and God is praised. But here it just ends and I think that is because God isn't being praised for the right reasons. God can't be ordered or persuaded to step in when we need Him. Instead we need to seek His will and use our own strength and motivation, supported by His grace and power, to make changes to our own lives and more importantly, to other peoples. Lots of commas there but I hope that makes sense...
Onto the next one
Day 78
Here we go!
Today’s readingsNumbers 7:66-9:14
Luke 2:41-52
Psalm 35:11-18
So there're a few bits to the Numbers passage. First we have the end of the identical gifts which is showing again how everyone is valued equally and God doesn't require anyone to give differently than their neighbour, rather that they give their best. Then we have the purification of the Levites. I think this is very hard to get excited about but it does warm me how much attention God pays to those who are specifically going to be working for Him. Certainly we're all equal in His eyes but I think this shows that God realises how hard working for Him can be and so makes sure that there is provision for those who He calls. Finally we get a passage on the Passover and it made me think of all the hoo hah that happens every year over whether Christmas is too secular or what not. Well to me God is saying that everyone can celebrate and worship Him regardless of their background, as long as they keep Him at the centre. So we should be striving to keep Christian holidays important and God centred but rather than criticising the secular elements I think we should be highlighting the God elements and showing people that they can still have the same Christmas but should recognise God ought to be at the centre of it.
The New Testament passage starts with a quick fast forward as it appears nothing happened to Jesus and His parents for the next 12 years. I wonder what tribulations both of them went through in that time. Jesus was fully human after all and so must have bawled at times. I think it shows to me that God isn't going to make every day a highlight for us no matter how close we get to Him and sometimes it just takes us dedicating ourselves to Him and carrying on existing till He uses us again. It can seem like God forgets us sometimes I guess but here we have a 12 year period where nothing of consequence happens to Jesus, Joseph and Mary and there's obviously no way God forgot them! Then we get Jesus being a naughty runaway! Which some might see it as definitely. I could imagine many parents would go balistic at their child for running away as Mary does but I doubt the majority of them would ever accept an excuse for doing it. And for all the Daily Mail does to try and convince us that this is the scariest time to be a child in the world, things were a lot more dangerous and scary back then for a missing child! And yet through all of this torment and panic there's a sense of serenity and grace at the end as Jesus explains why He was in the Temple and then grows up to be a man obedient to His earthly parents as well as to God. This is a challenge to me at the moment because I feel like this is showing how distractions do happen but they really only ought to be from God. So focus Hancock. There's blogs to write and a God to get to know better!
Finally our Psalm continues and we see that God won't always step in as quickly as we need and I think the Psalmist is getting mixed up as to why they worship. He's seeming to expect that his praise will be rewarded with blessings but we have to realise that praise is what we ought to do regardless of the benefits! Trusting in God's wisdom, mercy and ultimate provision has to be our only hope.
Onto the next one
Today’s readingsNumbers 7:66-9:14
Luke 2:41-52
Psalm 35:11-18
So there're a few bits to the Numbers passage. First we have the end of the identical gifts which is showing again how everyone is valued equally and God doesn't require anyone to give differently than their neighbour, rather that they give their best. Then we have the purification of the Levites. I think this is very hard to get excited about but it does warm me how much attention God pays to those who are specifically going to be working for Him. Certainly we're all equal in His eyes but I think this shows that God realises how hard working for Him can be and so makes sure that there is provision for those who He calls. Finally we get a passage on the Passover and it made me think of all the hoo hah that happens every year over whether Christmas is too secular or what not. Well to me God is saying that everyone can celebrate and worship Him regardless of their background, as long as they keep Him at the centre. So we should be striving to keep Christian holidays important and God centred but rather than criticising the secular elements I think we should be highlighting the God elements and showing people that they can still have the same Christmas but should recognise God ought to be at the centre of it.
The New Testament passage starts with a quick fast forward as it appears nothing happened to Jesus and His parents for the next 12 years. I wonder what tribulations both of them went through in that time. Jesus was fully human after all and so must have bawled at times. I think it shows to me that God isn't going to make every day a highlight for us no matter how close we get to Him and sometimes it just takes us dedicating ourselves to Him and carrying on existing till He uses us again. It can seem like God forgets us sometimes I guess but here we have a 12 year period where nothing of consequence happens to Jesus, Joseph and Mary and there's obviously no way God forgot them! Then we get Jesus being a naughty runaway! Which some might see it as definitely. I could imagine many parents would go balistic at their child for running away as Mary does but I doubt the majority of them would ever accept an excuse for doing it. And for all the Daily Mail does to try and convince us that this is the scariest time to be a child in the world, things were a lot more dangerous and scary back then for a missing child! And yet through all of this torment and panic there's a sense of serenity and grace at the end as Jesus explains why He was in the Temple and then grows up to be a man obedient to His earthly parents as well as to God. This is a challenge to me at the moment because I feel like this is showing how distractions do happen but they really only ought to be from God. So focus Hancock. There's blogs to write and a God to get to know better!
Finally our Psalm continues and we see that God won't always step in as quickly as we need and I think the Psalmist is getting mixed up as to why they worship. He's seeming to expect that his praise will be rewarded with blessings but we have to realise that praise is what we ought to do regardless of the benefits! Trusting in God's wisdom, mercy and ultimate provision has to be our only hope.
Onto the next one
Day 77
Next please. No links till I catch up!!
Today’s readingsNumbers 7:1-65
Luke 2:21-40
Psalm 35:1-10
Man alive... That's possibly the driest bit of Bible I've read so far. So what do we get from a list of guys giving the exact same thing time and time again? Well it makes me wonder what I offer to God. And this to me shows that God requires the same thing from everyone. So what can we all offer regardless of our situation? I would say we can offer our day. I've been trying recently to make sure every morning I'm coming to God and giving the day to Him. And I think that's something we could all do
Then we get Jesus being offered to God. Mary knew that Jesus was God's Son but made sure still that He was formerly offered to God. I think we need to remember sometimes that even though we know that everything in this universe belongs to God, it's humbling for us to offer that up to Him in thanks and trust. Also I think that there's a lesson to learn here from Simeon and Anna. If we're willing to give our days to God then we will be repaid. It might take time and look at how long each of these people dedicated themselves to God before they saw Jesus. But God knows our commitment and is always working to bless us with a closeness to Him. Notice they didn't receive a luxury yacht for their dedication but a glimpse of God's true nature. This is what we strive for folks!!
Finally our Psalm begins with more requests for God's intervention. Now God isn't always going to be rescuing us from danger and one day we will die but we can't be waiting and praying for His earthly protection and salvation; rather we need to be praying for blessings of HIM to come to us and the people we love. And to be thankful that salvation after our time on earth is already secured.
Onto the next one
Today’s readingsNumbers 7:1-65
Luke 2:21-40
Psalm 35:1-10
Man alive... That's possibly the driest bit of Bible I've read so far. So what do we get from a list of guys giving the exact same thing time and time again? Well it makes me wonder what I offer to God. And this to me shows that God requires the same thing from everyone. So what can we all offer regardless of our situation? I would say we can offer our day. I've been trying recently to make sure every morning I'm coming to God and giving the day to Him. And I think that's something we could all do
Then we get Jesus being offered to God. Mary knew that Jesus was God's Son but made sure still that He was formerly offered to God. I think we need to remember sometimes that even though we know that everything in this universe belongs to God, it's humbling for us to offer that up to Him in thanks and trust. Also I think that there's a lesson to learn here from Simeon and Anna. If we're willing to give our days to God then we will be repaid. It might take time and look at how long each of these people dedicated themselves to God before they saw Jesus. But God knows our commitment and is always working to bless us with a closeness to Him. Notice they didn't receive a luxury yacht for their dedication but a glimpse of God's true nature. This is what we strive for folks!!
Finally our Psalm begins with more requests for God's intervention. Now God isn't always going to be rescuing us from danger and one day we will die but we can't be waiting and praying for His earthly protection and salvation; rather we need to be praying for blessings of HIM to come to us and the people we love. And to be thankful that salvation after our time on earth is already secured.
Onto the next one
Day 76
Right. I'm catching up before Christmas... Onto business then,
Today’s readings
Numbers 5:11-6:27
Luke 2:1-20
Proverbs 7:6-20
So the Old Testament readings continue with some tough reading on adultery which seems weighted against women. So much heartache and hurt comes from people misunderstanding or misusing the Old Testament laws and I feel this is another example here where this could really upset people and turn them away from God. So how do we understand it? Where's the truth? Well to me this isn't law or commandment meant for today but a historical record of how God was having to work hard to turn this rag tag bunch of people to Him and to having a loving attitude. They were so far removed from the ideal way of behaving that God seems to be having to drag people back little by little. I think that all of these laws need to be looked on as historical and within a context of Jesus' ethic of love for everyone. If we read something that doesn't seem like it can be carried out with a loving attitude then it can't be the way God intended it.
Reading this I'm straight away thinking of John's sermon at Impact with the POP :) There's two things that have settled on me today from this passage that we've all heard loads recently! First is how the shepherds RUN to see Jesus. I love that. They're terrified but excited and just go running without a thought for what they're leaving behind. Secondly is how their story impresses everyone who hears it. That's like someone on Jeremy Kyle captivating the whole tv audience with their wisdom! God's truth is so exciting and relevant that it makes anyone into an impressive speaker! Excellent news indeed and just showing why we should have confidence in inviting people to hear about God at Christmas.
Finally we get a very confusing bit of Proverbs which kind of needs the rest of its chapter to give it some context. But I think it shows that we have to be careful with being tricked by things that appear ok. This woman has prepared herself to sleep with this guy as though she's going to marry him but then let slips that she's married. I guess this is like the Old Testament laws. We need to be careful that we don't outright dismiss what is written there because God put that law there for a reason and so can't just hide behind what feels easiest. It's a tough cookie certainly...
Onto the next one
Today’s readings
Numbers 5:11-6:27
Luke 2:1-20
Proverbs 7:6-20
So the Old Testament readings continue with some tough reading on adultery which seems weighted against women. So much heartache and hurt comes from people misunderstanding or misusing the Old Testament laws and I feel this is another example here where this could really upset people and turn them away from God. So how do we understand it? Where's the truth? Well to me this isn't law or commandment meant for today but a historical record of how God was having to work hard to turn this rag tag bunch of people to Him and to having a loving attitude. They were so far removed from the ideal way of behaving that God seems to be having to drag people back little by little. I think that all of these laws need to be looked on as historical and within a context of Jesus' ethic of love for everyone. If we read something that doesn't seem like it can be carried out with a loving attitude then it can't be the way God intended it.
Reading this I'm straight away thinking of John's sermon at Impact with the POP :) There's two things that have settled on me today from this passage that we've all heard loads recently! First is how the shepherds RUN to see Jesus. I love that. They're terrified but excited and just go running without a thought for what they're leaving behind. Secondly is how their story impresses everyone who hears it. That's like someone on Jeremy Kyle captivating the whole tv audience with their wisdom! God's truth is so exciting and relevant that it makes anyone into an impressive speaker! Excellent news indeed and just showing why we should have confidence in inviting people to hear about God at Christmas.
Finally we get a very confusing bit of Proverbs which kind of needs the rest of its chapter to give it some context. But I think it shows that we have to be careful with being tricked by things that appear ok. This woman has prepared herself to sleep with this guy as though she's going to marry him but then let slips that she's married. I guess this is like the Old Testament laws. We need to be careful that we don't outright dismiss what is written there because God put that law there for a reason and so can't just hide behind what feels easiest. It's a tough cookie certainly...
Onto the next one
Saturday 4 December 2010
Day 75
More catching up. Onto business then,
Today’s readings
Numbers 4:1-5:10
Luke 1:57-80
Psalm 34:11-22
So here we have more history to start us off. One thing that I thought of was how God's always saying about people dying if they touch things. I wonder if any of you have seen Raiders of the Lost Ark, clearly the best of the Indiana Jones films. Well they find the Ark of the Covenant which is I think what we're talking about here, or certainly the start of the stuff that would go in the Ark. Now at the end all the Nazis open the Ark and get melted in impressively grusome special effects considering the film's nearly 30 years old. But this isn't because they're big nast evil Nazis. Well it kind of is but not entirely because Indy makes sure his eyes and the pretty lady's eyes are shut too when the Ark is opened. Even though he's the hero of the film and thus clearly a good guy, he realises that God's holy presence is contained within those artefacts and you shouldn't treat them flippantly. Now obviously this isn't factual because Star Wars are the only documentaries that George Lucas has made, but I think it's a good way of seeing that God wasn't just killing people for no reason. He was warning them not to do things because their own body wouldn't take the exposure. Think of it as though God said "and any who jump of a cliff will be die." You wouldn't think He was being bossy or unreasonable for saying that.
I also think it's interesting that everyone seems to have a role in God's new kingdom that He is building. I think a lot of the time we forget that God has a purpose and a role for us and it might not actually be what we want. Our attitude in any situation we're put should be that God has us their for a reason and we should be thankful that we're faithful and trusting enough to see it through with His blessings at the end.
Into the New Testament and we have John the Baptist being born. And before he was a baptist... So anyway, I like that Zachariah's words when he does finally get his speech back are a God given prophecy. If I were putting songs to these catch up blogs, this one would be a Toad The Wet Sprocket song called Something to Say. Well worth a listen if you can. I just think Zachariah had been serving God so long and doing his duties without ever really having that huge experience of God that we all search for and here before he died was this huge event that gave him something worthwhile to say.
I love that being called John is such a matter of intrigue too. Great men us Jons... Regardless of the spelling. Also I think the prophecy Zachariah brings is fantastic. It's full of humility and awareness that everything has been God's plan and that John's role won't be centre stage but he's not complaining but rejoicing that God has worked in his life. I think that's a definite lesson from today that we should be thankful that God does use us. Use us for what? Well I'm quoting lots of pop culture today but I read an old issue of the Avengers a couple of days ago and Captain America said that he did what he did because he knew it would make someone's tomorrow easier. That's a fantastic sentiment and one I think God wants from us.
Finally our Psalm continues and after such a mass of praise we get this joyful reassurance that running to God is never in vain. I especially like verse 12 saying that following God is having a lust for life. That's what we should be seeking. Life to the fullness of its potential!
And that's your lot. Onto the next one
Today’s readings
Numbers 4:1-5:10
Luke 1:57-80
Psalm 34:11-22
So here we have more history to start us off. One thing that I thought of was how God's always saying about people dying if they touch things. I wonder if any of you have seen Raiders of the Lost Ark, clearly the best of the Indiana Jones films. Well they find the Ark of the Covenant which is I think what we're talking about here, or certainly the start of the stuff that would go in the Ark. Now at the end all the Nazis open the Ark and get melted in impressively grusome special effects considering the film's nearly 30 years old. But this isn't because they're big nast evil Nazis. Well it kind of is but not entirely because Indy makes sure his eyes and the pretty lady's eyes are shut too when the Ark is opened. Even though he's the hero of the film and thus clearly a good guy, he realises that God's holy presence is contained within those artefacts and you shouldn't treat them flippantly. Now obviously this isn't factual because Star Wars are the only documentaries that George Lucas has made, but I think it's a good way of seeing that God wasn't just killing people for no reason. He was warning them not to do things because their own body wouldn't take the exposure. Think of it as though God said "and any who jump of a cliff will be die." You wouldn't think He was being bossy or unreasonable for saying that.
I also think it's interesting that everyone seems to have a role in God's new kingdom that He is building. I think a lot of the time we forget that God has a purpose and a role for us and it might not actually be what we want. Our attitude in any situation we're put should be that God has us their for a reason and we should be thankful that we're faithful and trusting enough to see it through with His blessings at the end.
Into the New Testament and we have John the Baptist being born. And before he was a baptist... So anyway, I like that Zachariah's words when he does finally get his speech back are a God given prophecy. If I were putting songs to these catch up blogs, this one would be a Toad The Wet Sprocket song called Something to Say. Well worth a listen if you can. I just think Zachariah had been serving God so long and doing his duties without ever really having that huge experience of God that we all search for and here before he died was this huge event that gave him something worthwhile to say.
I love that being called John is such a matter of intrigue too. Great men us Jons... Regardless of the spelling. Also I think the prophecy Zachariah brings is fantastic. It's full of humility and awareness that everything has been God's plan and that John's role won't be centre stage but he's not complaining but rejoicing that God has worked in his life. I think that's a definite lesson from today that we should be thankful that God does use us. Use us for what? Well I'm quoting lots of pop culture today but I read an old issue of the Avengers a couple of days ago and Captain America said that he did what he did because he knew it would make someone's tomorrow easier. That's a fantastic sentiment and one I think God wants from us.
Finally our Psalm continues and after such a mass of praise we get this joyful reassurance that running to God is never in vain. I especially like verse 12 saying that following God is having a lust for life. That's what we should be seeking. Life to the fullness of its potential!
And that's your lot. Onto the next one
Friday 3 December 2010
Day 74
Let's see how many we can get done on a day off. Onto business then
Today’s readings
Numbers 2:10-3:51
Luke 1:39-56
Psalm 34:1-10
Not a lot to say from Numbers. Mushi's a fun name :) The only thing I can really see is how God provides for those that are focused on what His will is. I sometimes wish that will was clearer but I do know that when our motives are right, provision comes!
Into the New Testament and you know how women witter and squeal over the slightest thing? Well imagine the cacophany when they actually have something important to celebrate! This isn't just a pair of shoes or a snog with that boy they both like but two miracle pregnancies which will change the whole world. But let's think about the joy that really flows through these two people. I keep struggling to cheer up at the moment and be positive about things which isn't usual for me but here the Bible shows us that what can make us happiest is an encounter with God. Now I'm not wanting to be pregnant of course... but why did we like Soul Survivor so much? The music and the mates might have helped but what made it amazing was the closeness with our God in one place. Let's be seeking that to give us the smiles.
Finally our Psalm starts and we get loads and loads of praise to God for all the things He does. But I think what's important is how God helps us feel. We're always looking for solid things but I think the best things that we get from God are the feelings of peace and joy that come free of any benefit. If you're struggling then wallow in a bit of abstract happiness for a bit!
And that's your lot. Onto the next one
Today’s readings
Numbers 2:10-3:51
Luke 1:39-56
Psalm 34:1-10
Not a lot to say from Numbers. Mushi's a fun name :) The only thing I can really see is how God provides for those that are focused on what His will is. I sometimes wish that will was clearer but I do know that when our motives are right, provision comes!
Into the New Testament and you know how women witter and squeal over the slightest thing? Well imagine the cacophany when they actually have something important to celebrate! This isn't just a pair of shoes or a snog with that boy they both like but two miracle pregnancies which will change the whole world. But let's think about the joy that really flows through these two people. I keep struggling to cheer up at the moment and be positive about things which isn't usual for me but here the Bible shows us that what can make us happiest is an encounter with God. Now I'm not wanting to be pregnant of course... but why did we like Soul Survivor so much? The music and the mates might have helped but what made it amazing was the closeness with our God in one place. Let's be seeking that to give us the smiles.
Finally our Psalm starts and we get loads and loads of praise to God for all the things He does. But I think what's important is how God helps us feel. We're always looking for solid things but I think the best things that we get from God are the feelings of peace and joy that come free of any benefit. If you're struggling then wallow in a bit of abstract happiness for a bit!
And that's your lot. Onto the next one
Thursday 2 December 2010
Day 73
One more while it's snowy then probably another couple before bed as I'm off tomorrow. Onto business then,
Today’s readings
Numbers 1:1-2:9
Luke 1:26-38
Psalm 33:12-22
Oh boy have I ever been looking forward to Numbers. If you've been doing 20 days of this without me then I salute you... I'm actually starting on the day it's meant to be finishing. Bad Jon. Much catching up to do! Little insight into Numbers from my handy little book. Numbers is basically showing that no matter how much we moan and forget God, He never forgets us. He might have to let us get into trouble so we remember Him but He'll never forget us or stop loving us. Off we go then...
So a big old list to start but I love how it begins. God says go and choose these men to help you but here's who you're going to pick. Free will can be confusing and the way I've always understood it is that a parent can give their child a free choice between a toy and a plate of sprouts and they'll know which they'll pick. Well our father God gives us the choices but He knows which we'll pick because He knows us inside out and plans accordingly.
Obviously we need a best name contest here too. Clearly Ammishaddai wins with Helon and Zuar close second and third. Another thing to notice though. 600,000+ men who can fight. Plus kids, women, pensioners and sick or disabled people and you're probably looking at 2 million plus that have been walking around listening to Moses. It's not surprising that some of them have been getting into trouble! And yet God manages to take this HUGE chunk of humanity and keep it safe. Wow.
Into the New Testament and we have a very short piece showing Mary being chosen and notice how differently she reacts to Zachariah. This is a girl who is probably under 15 years old being told she's going to get pregnant by a miracle and yet she doesn't panic or worry about the future. She just accepts and deals with it. Wow. I bet there's a few unwritten days when she did have a few little panic attacks but this makes me think of how God continually uses young people because they have that inner drive and lack of worry that He loves to work with. Jesus said you need the attitude of a child to get into heaven and I think we're seeing some of that in Mary here. People often say childlike trust as though it's blind faith but I think it's actually the trust that you will be able to cope because God is with you and that in that moment you believe in His plan.
Finally our Psalm harks back to the start of Numbers by telling us that a big army alone won't win battles. It's having God on our side and that trust that Mary had which carries us through. If there's a battle or a struggle in your life then keep giving it to God. At the moment I'm going through all sorts of angst about the future and this is a real challenge to me to stop looking at all the things I need or can do and start to ask what God is going to do for me.
And that's your lot. Onto the next one
Today’s readings
Numbers 1:1-2:9
Luke 1:26-38
Psalm 33:12-22
Oh boy have I ever been looking forward to Numbers. If you've been doing 20 days of this without me then I salute you... I'm actually starting on the day it's meant to be finishing. Bad Jon. Much catching up to do! Little insight into Numbers from my handy little book. Numbers is basically showing that no matter how much we moan and forget God, He never forgets us. He might have to let us get into trouble so we remember Him but He'll never forget us or stop loving us. Off we go then...
So a big old list to start but I love how it begins. God says go and choose these men to help you but here's who you're going to pick. Free will can be confusing and the way I've always understood it is that a parent can give their child a free choice between a toy and a plate of sprouts and they'll know which they'll pick. Well our father God gives us the choices but He knows which we'll pick because He knows us inside out and plans accordingly.
Obviously we need a best name contest here too. Clearly Ammishaddai wins with Helon and Zuar close second and third. Another thing to notice though. 600,000+ men who can fight. Plus kids, women, pensioners and sick or disabled people and you're probably looking at 2 million plus that have been walking around listening to Moses. It's not surprising that some of them have been getting into trouble! And yet God manages to take this HUGE chunk of humanity and keep it safe. Wow.
Into the New Testament and we have a very short piece showing Mary being chosen and notice how differently she reacts to Zachariah. This is a girl who is probably under 15 years old being told she's going to get pregnant by a miracle and yet she doesn't panic or worry about the future. She just accepts and deals with it. Wow. I bet there's a few unwritten days when she did have a few little panic attacks but this makes me think of how God continually uses young people because they have that inner drive and lack of worry that He loves to work with. Jesus said you need the attitude of a child to get into heaven and I think we're seeing some of that in Mary here. People often say childlike trust as though it's blind faith but I think it's actually the trust that you will be able to cope because God is with you and that in that moment you believe in His plan.
Finally our Psalm harks back to the start of Numbers by telling us that a big army alone won't win battles. It's having God on our side and that trust that Mary had which carries us through. If there's a battle or a struggle in your life then keep giving it to God. At the moment I'm going through all sorts of angst about the future and this is a real challenge to me to stop looking at all the things I need or can do and start to ask what God is going to do for me.
And that's your lot. Onto the next one
Day 72
A new day brings a whole slew of blogs with it. Onto business then,
Today’s readings
Leviticus 26:14-27:34
Luke 1:1-25
Proverbs 7:1-5
Urgh. Leviticus is a tough start today. We get a whole lot of reasons why you probably shouldn't ignore God (and interestingly a lot of them seem to point to Soviet Russia which was a completely atheist state) and then a whole big portion on making sure that you let God have the stuff that He's entitled to. Seems pretty straight forward really. I think for me this is just a reminder to keep giving God the time in my life that He's entitled to!
Into the New Testament we go and I know I'm nearly a month behind but I'm kinda glad to be covering the start of Luke this close to Christmas! I dunno what it is about Luke but I always think he's the gospel writer that most resonates with me and seems to have that little edge over the others in terms of having more style and content than Mark, not as much style as John and not as clear an agenda as Matthew. Sure it's all the Word of God but if I had to pick just one gospel? It'd be Luke's without a second thought. I love that he starts the story of Jesus by telling us about what happened before and not like Matthew with the genealogy but with actual people living their lives. Sure Zachariah is linked to Jesus through Mary but I think it's important to remember that Jesus's message is meant for the ordinary folks. No matter who you look down on in society, and I'd be impressed if there's no one you're even a little judgemental of, God's gift of Jesus is as much for them as for any of us.
One thing I love about Zachariah that always fills me with hope is how a man so old and experienced in serving God is paralyzed with fear when God actually speaks to him. I love that God never stops being a surprise and that you can never get complacent or even so holy and righteous that you expect God. To me, God should always be a surprise visit rather than an expected presence. He's too powerful to be at our beck and call surely? You also have an understanding of why John turned out to be so... unique shall we say. His parents aren't just ancient pensioners but his dad couldn't talk for nine months so his mum decided to be pregnant without him! This five months to me is Elizabeth really praising God and doing everything she can to make sure she gives birth. I'd imagine she was a little cross at Zachariah for doubting God's word even though he knew it was God's presence there!
Finally we start a new chapter of Proverbs and it's little more than an introduction today but worth remembering that these words are designed to help us in life and not just for the ten minutes we get our Bible's out in.
And that's your lot. Onto the next one...
Today’s readings
Leviticus 26:14-27:34
Luke 1:1-25
Proverbs 7:1-5
Urgh. Leviticus is a tough start today. We get a whole lot of reasons why you probably shouldn't ignore God (and interestingly a lot of them seem to point to Soviet Russia which was a completely atheist state) and then a whole big portion on making sure that you let God have the stuff that He's entitled to. Seems pretty straight forward really. I think for me this is just a reminder to keep giving God the time in my life that He's entitled to!
Into the New Testament we go and I know I'm nearly a month behind but I'm kinda glad to be covering the start of Luke this close to Christmas! I dunno what it is about Luke but I always think he's the gospel writer that most resonates with me and seems to have that little edge over the others in terms of having more style and content than Mark, not as much style as John and not as clear an agenda as Matthew. Sure it's all the Word of God but if I had to pick just one gospel? It'd be Luke's without a second thought. I love that he starts the story of Jesus by telling us about what happened before and not like Matthew with the genealogy but with actual people living their lives. Sure Zachariah is linked to Jesus through Mary but I think it's important to remember that Jesus's message is meant for the ordinary folks. No matter who you look down on in society, and I'd be impressed if there's no one you're even a little judgemental of, God's gift of Jesus is as much for them as for any of us.
One thing I love about Zachariah that always fills me with hope is how a man so old and experienced in serving God is paralyzed with fear when God actually speaks to him. I love that God never stops being a surprise and that you can never get complacent or even so holy and righteous that you expect God. To me, God should always be a surprise visit rather than an expected presence. He's too powerful to be at our beck and call surely? You also have an understanding of why John turned out to be so... unique shall we say. His parents aren't just ancient pensioners but his dad couldn't talk for nine months so his mum decided to be pregnant without him! This five months to me is Elizabeth really praising God and doing everything she can to make sure she gives birth. I'd imagine she was a little cross at Zachariah for doubting God's word even though he knew it was God's presence there!
Finally we start a new chapter of Proverbs and it's little more than an introduction today but worth remembering that these words are designed to help us in life and not just for the ten minutes we get our Bible's out in.
And that's your lot. Onto the next one...
Wednesday 1 December 2010
Day 71
These are roaring off quite nicely now. Onto business then,
Today’s readings
Leviticus 25:1-26:13
Mark 16:1-20
Psalm 33:1-11
The law that we read today is really complicated it seems and revolves mostly around property. Now the simple explanation in all of this is that God didn't want His people ot become obsessed with property and the things that they owned but to realise that everything they had came from Him and so they shouldn't guard it jealously. He also tells them that living by His laws means they will propser as a nation. So much of our faith revolves around us rather than us wanting the best for the world. In fact there are loads of times coming up where this promise is highlighted by the Israelites forgetting God and getting themselves into trouble.
Now there is a problem bit in here. I'd heard this passage referenced previously when my Mum was involved in the Jubilee 2000 campaign and I understood it to be about the end of slavery. But the passage does clearly say that it's ok to have slaves if they're foreign. Yikes... Let's think of the context though. Again, this is a people who are isolated and have no community. They'd be tired and fed up and would probably be thinking about taking slaves like they saw the Egyptians do to them. Now I think the easy way out here is to see how this law has changed with the removal of God's people just being the Jews and actually being all humanity. It's impossible to buy a slave who isn't a member of God's chosen people now. But that still leaves us with a real quandry here which I don't think I have a solution for. How can God ok the sale of children into a life of slavery?
Ok I've done some reading around and found this pretty handy thought out response on the internet amongst a bunch of idiots like me just wailing what they think :
The Bible acknowledged the slave’s status as the property of the master (Ex. 21:23; Lev. 25:46),
The Bible restricted the master’s power over the slave. Ex. 21:20).
The slave was a member of the master’s household (Lev. 22:11)
The slave was required to rest on the Sabbath (Exodus 20:10; Deut. 5:14)
The slave was required and to participate in religious observances (Gen. 17:13; Exodus 12:44; Lev. 22:11).
The Bible prohibited extradition of slaves and granted them asylum (Deut. 23:16-17).
The servitude of a Hebrew debt-slave was limited to six years (Ex. 21:2; Deut. 15:12).
When a slave was freed, he was to receive gifts that enabled him to survive economically (Deut. 15:14)
So slavery was happening and God had already given specific rules as to how they Israelites should treat their slaves. I think God understood the way that the world worked at that time and realised the sacrifices that needed to be made so that His people could be settled and then His plan continued. God is continually working against human free will in order to see His plan come to fruition and so must work within the confines of our own sinful choices sometimes. That's a challenge to me. My own sin contributes to a society and a culture that God must work within in order to make people understand and see Him.
The heavy stuff continues as we go into the New Testament with Mark's account of Jesus' ressurection. Well, it might be Mark's or it might have been added in later but remember folks; the Bible is God inspired, not God written and it's important to remember that humanity's messed up brains were involved in writing it. Just look at the original ending of Mark's gospel. The women are running scared after hearing that Jesus has been raised. What a fantastic cliff hanger! But seriously, that sort of reaction is fascinating to me. How many people do we know who reject Jesus because they are scared of the impact His truth would have upon their lives and their understanding of how the world should work. People will still hear the truth but run and hide from it. Small side note, I've written a 2000 word essay on verse 17 alone with the handling of snakes being a sign that some churches take literally. Interesting if completely potty belief which clearly ignores how the Old Testament refers to snakes in place of Satan or demons and remembering that Jesus speaks to His audience in ways they understand, it's pretty clear He's not instructing them to go pick up a rattlesnake to prove how holy they are.
Finally our Psalm reminds us again of the power of God and the reliability of His plans. He has done and continues to do great things and if we work ourselves and, more importantly, with each other then great communities and countries can be built.
That's your lot. Onto the next one...
Today’s readings
Leviticus 25:1-26:13
Mark 16:1-20
Psalm 33:1-11
The law that we read today is really complicated it seems and revolves mostly around property. Now the simple explanation in all of this is that God didn't want His people ot become obsessed with property and the things that they owned but to realise that everything they had came from Him and so they shouldn't guard it jealously. He also tells them that living by His laws means they will propser as a nation. So much of our faith revolves around us rather than us wanting the best for the world. In fact there are loads of times coming up where this promise is highlighted by the Israelites forgetting God and getting themselves into trouble.
Now there is a problem bit in here. I'd heard this passage referenced previously when my Mum was involved in the Jubilee 2000 campaign and I understood it to be about the end of slavery. But the passage does clearly say that it's ok to have slaves if they're foreign. Yikes... Let's think of the context though. Again, this is a people who are isolated and have no community. They'd be tired and fed up and would probably be thinking about taking slaves like they saw the Egyptians do to them. Now I think the easy way out here is to see how this law has changed with the removal of God's people just being the Jews and actually being all humanity. It's impossible to buy a slave who isn't a member of God's chosen people now. But that still leaves us with a real quandry here which I don't think I have a solution for. How can God ok the sale of children into a life of slavery?
Ok I've done some reading around and found this pretty handy thought out response on the internet amongst a bunch of idiots like me just wailing what they think :
The Bible acknowledged the slave’s status as the property of the master (Ex. 21:23; Lev. 25:46),
The Bible restricted the master’s power over the slave. Ex. 21:20).
The slave was a member of the master’s household (Lev. 22:11)
The slave was required to rest on the Sabbath (Exodus 20:10; Deut. 5:14)
The slave was required and to participate in religious observances (Gen. 17:13; Exodus 12:44; Lev. 22:11).
The Bible prohibited extradition of slaves and granted them asylum (Deut. 23:16-17).
The servitude of a Hebrew debt-slave was limited to six years (Ex. 21:2; Deut. 15:12).
When a slave was freed, he was to receive gifts that enabled him to survive economically (Deut. 15:14)
So slavery was happening and God had already given specific rules as to how they Israelites should treat their slaves. I think God understood the way that the world worked at that time and realised the sacrifices that needed to be made so that His people could be settled and then His plan continued. God is continually working against human free will in order to see His plan come to fruition and so must work within the confines of our own sinful choices sometimes. That's a challenge to me. My own sin contributes to a society and a culture that God must work within in order to make people understand and see Him.
The heavy stuff continues as we go into the New Testament with Mark's account of Jesus' ressurection. Well, it might be Mark's or it might have been added in later but remember folks; the Bible is God inspired, not God written and it's important to remember that humanity's messed up brains were involved in writing it. Just look at the original ending of Mark's gospel. The women are running scared after hearing that Jesus has been raised. What a fantastic cliff hanger! But seriously, that sort of reaction is fascinating to me. How many people do we know who reject Jesus because they are scared of the impact His truth would have upon their lives and their understanding of how the world should work. People will still hear the truth but run and hide from it. Small side note, I've written a 2000 word essay on verse 17 alone with the handling of snakes being a sign that some churches take literally. Interesting if completely potty belief which clearly ignores how the Old Testament refers to snakes in place of Satan or demons and remembering that Jesus speaks to His audience in ways they understand, it's pretty clear He's not instructing them to go pick up a rattlesnake to prove how holy they are.
Finally our Psalm reminds us again of the power of God and the reliability of His plans. He has done and continues to do great things and if we work ourselves and, more importantly, with each other then great communities and countries can be built.
That's your lot. Onto the next one...
Day 70
Intros are for wimps. Onto business then,
Today’s readings
Leviticus 23:1-24:23
Mark 15:33-47
Psalm 32:1-11
Few things hit me from Leviticus today. The first is how awesome God is to grant all these days off work. David Cameron gives us one day where we're going to watch a wedding and yet God just keeps on deciding on days off. I like that God is this joyful as I think that too often we see the Old Testament God as having only a hard heart and no love in Him.
Next thing is how harsh the stoning seems but then I look at what has happened and here you have someone who is fighting against someone else and uses God's name which had much more power and weight then that it does now sadly, in order to try and score points in a fight. This is just after God has blessed Israel with all this free time and during the time when the Israelites are still reliant on God for helping them out with the whole lacking a country thing! God does things for a reason and dissidents like this couldn't be tolerated within a society that was so desperately needing unity. Could they just have banished the offender? Well they might as well given him a death sentence as send him into the wilderness with no support or connections. This way the people saw the need to unite for God and that God's law applied to everyone, regardless of where they came from.
The final thing to hit me from this is how quickly the people follow the orders of God to execute this boy. Now how often are they whining and moaning about God's laws but the minute they are told to carry out something which could be tied into anger or revenge then there's no hesitation. I wonder about their motives and I take this a challenge for when we get too wrapped up in using the bits of God's word that we like rather than actually following the bits that we don't want to do.
Into the New Testament and here Jesus dies. Now I recently was challenged by something I heard from a comedian who often talks about Christianity. He suggested that Jesus' words here showed that maybe He was actually deluding Himself and didn't realise until the last moment that He was nothing more special than any other human. It's possible definitely isn't it? Hmmm... challenging stuff. But then Jesus was just a human. That's the point. He had our weaknesses and our fears. Our doubts were present in Him. But what is fantastic is the resurrection to come. Jesus was scared to die and was bound to be seperate from God until He rose again. It's no wonder that when this bond He had known since the start of time to the most perfect love was broken, He reacted with terror and anguish. How much should we strive to get this love for ourselves and others if the alternative can fill someone as powerful and wise as Jesus with such terror? Such a huge challenge...
Finally our Psalm today tells us not to keep our emotions stored up inside us but to let them out to God. Sometimes we think that prayers in our head and heart are all God needs and they are but they aren't necessarily all we need. We've just seen Jesus shout out a prayer of desperation that could potentially cause real problems for those who heard it. And yet He did it because He needed to get that release from the fear. God doesn't want us to be obsessed with keeping it together and appearing ok. Equally, He doesn't want us to flouncing drama queens. But He has given us emotions so that we express them when we need to. If there's something on your heart that is joyful or sorrowful then shout it to God. He wants you to release it to Him.
And that's it. Onto the next one...
Today’s readings
Leviticus 23:1-24:23
Mark 15:33-47
Psalm 32:1-11
Few things hit me from Leviticus today. The first is how awesome God is to grant all these days off work. David Cameron gives us one day where we're going to watch a wedding and yet God just keeps on deciding on days off. I like that God is this joyful as I think that too often we see the Old Testament God as having only a hard heart and no love in Him.
Next thing is how harsh the stoning seems but then I look at what has happened and here you have someone who is fighting against someone else and uses God's name which had much more power and weight then that it does now sadly, in order to try and score points in a fight. This is just after God has blessed Israel with all this free time and during the time when the Israelites are still reliant on God for helping them out with the whole lacking a country thing! God does things for a reason and dissidents like this couldn't be tolerated within a society that was so desperately needing unity. Could they just have banished the offender? Well they might as well given him a death sentence as send him into the wilderness with no support or connections. This way the people saw the need to unite for God and that God's law applied to everyone, regardless of where they came from.
The final thing to hit me from this is how quickly the people follow the orders of God to execute this boy. Now how often are they whining and moaning about God's laws but the minute they are told to carry out something which could be tied into anger or revenge then there's no hesitation. I wonder about their motives and I take this a challenge for when we get too wrapped up in using the bits of God's word that we like rather than actually following the bits that we don't want to do.
Into the New Testament and here Jesus dies. Now I recently was challenged by something I heard from a comedian who often talks about Christianity. He suggested that Jesus' words here showed that maybe He was actually deluding Himself and didn't realise until the last moment that He was nothing more special than any other human. It's possible definitely isn't it? Hmmm... challenging stuff. But then Jesus was just a human. That's the point. He had our weaknesses and our fears. Our doubts were present in Him. But what is fantastic is the resurrection to come. Jesus was scared to die and was bound to be seperate from God until He rose again. It's no wonder that when this bond He had known since the start of time to the most perfect love was broken, He reacted with terror and anguish. How much should we strive to get this love for ourselves and others if the alternative can fill someone as powerful and wise as Jesus with such terror? Such a huge challenge...
Finally our Psalm today tells us not to keep our emotions stored up inside us but to let them out to God. Sometimes we think that prayers in our head and heart are all God needs and they are but they aren't necessarily all we need. We've just seen Jesus shout out a prayer of desperation that could potentially cause real problems for those who heard it. And yet He did it because He needed to get that release from the fear. God doesn't want us to be obsessed with keeping it together and appearing ok. Equally, He doesn't want us to flouncing drama queens. But He has given us emotions so that we express them when we need to. If there's something on your heart that is joyful or sorrowful then shout it to God. He wants you to release it to Him.
And that's it. Onto the next one...
Day 69
Right. I'm catching up starting now. These are going to be short and swift to get us back on track because I've got a fair few to catch up on. No frills from now on until we're back up to date
Today’s readings
Leviticus 21:1-22:33
Mark 15:1-32
Psalm 31:19-24
The laws in Leviticus that are described here are a bit grim but I think it's telling us an important and challenging thing. It's vital that we bring our best to God. I've let this blog slip for a number of reasons, not just limited to Google not letting me sign in for a few weeks. But I'm definitely guilty of leaving it till the last minute or choosing my PS3 over it. Well here God is commanding that the people He calls to work for Him must stay clean for Him and be the best that they can be for Him. Remember, touching the dead and infectious at this time would have led to you most likely dying yourself and God needed these people to do His work. So if we're called to do His work then we should be trying our best not to interact with things that will damage us or stop us being able to carry out His will.
Into the New Testament and we're losing the verbs too till we catch up. Here we have Jesus being treated like a toy for the people. Executed for fun and revenge. I am really feeling challenged by God here because I can't help but think that it's not a coincidence that I start doing these again with something showing me just what suffering and degredation Jesus went through for me. How quickly do we forget that and hype up our own problems instead. I also think it's crazy that Simon of Cyrene was just coming home from work. I feel shattered when I come home from my job and yet I don't then have to drag a cross up a hill and watch my best friend be crucified on it. God's sacrifice of Jesus was so huge and yet we still try and put our own struggle before it.
Finally our Psalm is a real comfort to me at least. Coming back to this act of worship as I think it is and here God's telling me that blessings do wait for me. And for us! What a privelege it actually is to be able to read and study His word and share it with anyone who wants to read.
That's your lot. On to the next one!
Today’s readings
Leviticus 21:1-22:33
Mark 15:1-32
Psalm 31:19-24
The laws in Leviticus that are described here are a bit grim but I think it's telling us an important and challenging thing. It's vital that we bring our best to God. I've let this blog slip for a number of reasons, not just limited to Google not letting me sign in for a few weeks. But I'm definitely guilty of leaving it till the last minute or choosing my PS3 over it. Well here God is commanding that the people He calls to work for Him must stay clean for Him and be the best that they can be for Him. Remember, touching the dead and infectious at this time would have led to you most likely dying yourself and God needed these people to do His work. So if we're called to do His work then we should be trying our best not to interact with things that will damage us or stop us being able to carry out His will.
Into the New Testament and we're losing the verbs too till we catch up. Here we have Jesus being treated like a toy for the people. Executed for fun and revenge. I am really feeling challenged by God here because I can't help but think that it's not a coincidence that I start doing these again with something showing me just what suffering and degredation Jesus went through for me. How quickly do we forget that and hype up our own problems instead. I also think it's crazy that Simon of Cyrene was just coming home from work. I feel shattered when I come home from my job and yet I don't then have to drag a cross up a hill and watch my best friend be crucified on it. God's sacrifice of Jesus was so huge and yet we still try and put our own struggle before it.
Finally our Psalm is a real comfort to me at least. Coming back to this act of worship as I think it is and here God's telling me that blessings do wait for me. And for us! What a privelege it actually is to be able to read and study His word and share it with anyone who wants to read.
That's your lot. On to the next one!
Monday 8 November 2010
Day 68 - Everybody Hurts
Ok I was going to catch up today but work has been a mission to get to and from today so we'll do it tomorrow as I'll have the afternoon free. Well, some of it. But if you prayed for me today thank you because praise the Lord I managed to find work and it doesn't suck even though there were many hurdles that Satan threw in my way. Hurrah Jesus! Onto business then,
Today’s readings
Leviticus:19:1-20:27
Mark 14:43-72
Proverbs 6:30-35
So our first chapter is lots of don'ts. But what I like about them is the peppering of "I am your God". It's like God realises how hearing all these don'ts is going to get us down and so He keeps pointing with a why and the why is because we get God instead. Fantastic news! Oh and the sideburns and beard? That's contextual again. It's so that you don't look like some of the crazy cults that were running around at the time. All of these laws in fact are to either protect His people physically or to give them an identity and a sense of belonging that would protect them from other, unholy influences.
The next chapter is more don't but mostly to do with sex again. I think it's interesting to focus not on the punishments of death but instead on how God highlights the victims of the sin. We need to remember that our sin doesn't just upset God but creates victims of other people. And again at the end of the chapter God points out that these laws are designed to make His people seperate from what is around them. We need to realise that we are all special but that our relationship with God means that we are seperate and should be proud to be different from society, not because of laws that we follow but because of love and justice that we spread.
Into the New Testament we flop and first and foremost how epic is verse 51 and 52? Most Biblical scholars believe that this is Mark writing himself a small cameo into the Bible. I love that this has been left in though because the Bible should be enjoyed and I believe that it is a tool to see the whole personality of God, including His sense of humour. That it was left in the middle of such a serious passage shows to me that God wants humanity to always have some joy in their hearts, regardless of how serious a situation gets. Or maybe I'm misreading it entirely. Thoughts?
Then we have Jesus' trial and it's easy to think of Him being all serene and aloof but I'd imagine He was scared at what was to come and yet still measured in His tone and in the truth that He spoke. It's incredible the suffering that He knew awaited Him and yet He chose to go through it for us. There are times that settles on me and just pops my brain. Ridiculous levels of love that I just don't deserve. Wow...
Finally a bit of Proverbs and apologies for Bible Gateway not splitting up the verses properly again. It starts from "Hunger". Again we're getting told not to do things but again we're seeing the why is in the victims that come from the sin. We need to remember that our actions do have consequences. Jesus' arrest saw an awful lot of people acting and the consequences from that were huge. Victims in the shape of Jesus, the guard and even Judas suffering from the guilt of betrayal. But living for God has amazing consequences as Jesus' sacrifice shows and while we're not going to be redeeming humanity any time soon, our choices and consequences can either make victims or do wonderful things!
And that's your lot for today. Yesterday's song is here. Sing along but make sure you've got one hand over your ear! Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Today’s readings
Leviticus:19:1-20:27
Mark 14:43-72
Proverbs 6:30-35
So our first chapter is lots of don'ts. But what I like about them is the peppering of "I am your God". It's like God realises how hearing all these don'ts is going to get us down and so He keeps pointing with a why and the why is because we get God instead. Fantastic news! Oh and the sideburns and beard? That's contextual again. It's so that you don't look like some of the crazy cults that were running around at the time. All of these laws in fact are to either protect His people physically or to give them an identity and a sense of belonging that would protect them from other, unholy influences.
The next chapter is more don't but mostly to do with sex again. I think it's interesting to focus not on the punishments of death but instead on how God highlights the victims of the sin. We need to remember that our sin doesn't just upset God but creates victims of other people. And again at the end of the chapter God points out that these laws are designed to make His people seperate from what is around them. We need to realise that we are all special but that our relationship with God means that we are seperate and should be proud to be different from society, not because of laws that we follow but because of love and justice that we spread.
Into the New Testament we flop and first and foremost how epic is verse 51 and 52? Most Biblical scholars believe that this is Mark writing himself a small cameo into the Bible. I love that this has been left in though because the Bible should be enjoyed and I believe that it is a tool to see the whole personality of God, including His sense of humour. That it was left in the middle of such a serious passage shows to me that God wants humanity to always have some joy in their hearts, regardless of how serious a situation gets. Or maybe I'm misreading it entirely. Thoughts?
Then we have Jesus' trial and it's easy to think of Him being all serene and aloof but I'd imagine He was scared at what was to come and yet still measured in His tone and in the truth that He spoke. It's incredible the suffering that He knew awaited Him and yet He chose to go through it for us. There are times that settles on me and just pops my brain. Ridiculous levels of love that I just don't deserve. Wow...
Finally a bit of Proverbs and apologies for Bible Gateway not splitting up the verses properly again. It starts from "Hunger". Again we're getting told not to do things but again we're seeing the why is in the victims that come from the sin. We need to remember that our actions do have consequences. Jesus' arrest saw an awful lot of people acting and the consequences from that were huge. Victims in the shape of Jesus, the guard and even Judas suffering from the guilt of betrayal. But living for God has amazing consequences as Jesus' sacrifice shows and while we're not going to be redeeming humanity any time soon, our choices and consequences can either make victims or do wonderful things!
And that's your lot for today. Yesterday's song is here. Sing along but make sure you've got one hand over your ear! Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Sunday 7 November 2010
Day 67 - I've Gotta Get A Message To You
So i'm exhausted but Connect went ace I thought and I am definitely enjoying this more again so I need to keep up the pace! Starting work tomorrow in Runcorn so any prayers would be appreciated! Onto business then,
Today’s readings
Leviticus 17:1-18:30
Mark 14:17-42
Psalm 31:9-18
The first thing that strikes me is how God will speak to the Israelites when they need it. All of these laws come from God and He can be relied on to speak to us when we're at our most needy. What follows are the laws on blood in food. Now a lot of this is used by both Jehovah's Witnesses for justification not to have blood transfusions and by Muslims for how they prepare their meat. Now I think this shows the danger in being literal with every part of the Bible and not viewing it as a complete story within the context that it was written. Yes the Bible applies today but God wants us to pray and strive towards understanding Him, rather than just taking things at face value.
Then we have 20 verses that are a little too specific about incest. It makes me think of The Simpsons when God gives out the 10 commandments and how at each one someone's gutted. How mad were the Israelites that they couldn't keep their pants on around their family?! Again, God talks to us when we need it most and will steer us back towards Him with His word. Whether we choose to follow it is up to us but if we need the direction then God will provide it one way or another.
Verse 21 is weird. Time to Wiki who Molech is... Ok, apparently Molech was an idol with 7 tiers that people would fill with different animals including a human child in the top tier and then it would be burned. Yikes. God must face palm at how stupid humanity can be. This sort of stuff is obviously wrong to us but we must do wrong things that God feels just as infuriated about.
Verse 22 needs to be discussed and I genuinely can't cover all opinion. Is this a cut and dry verse banning homosexuality? I'm not sure myself. Personally I think it's not a verse to get hung up on. Homosexuality is not a person and we should first and foremost avoid condeming people for a sin when every sin is equal and why start the list there? I don't expect people to agree with me necessarily but personally I find it hard to think that God has created people's hearts with emotions that they can't change. They can choose not to act on them just as I can choose as a single man not to go lady hopping. But I can't start fancying guys just as a gay guy or girl can't change their mind. Hmmm... I'd imagine we'll return to this. Last thing on it is also to remember the cultural context that we have put all Leviticus in and many of the surrounding cultures were openly bisexual and promiscuous and God was so desperate to give His people an identity seperate from their surrounding, spiritual, influences. In fact the end of the chapter reinforces that with God stressing that the Israelites focus on their unique identity, centred on Him.
Into the New Testament we schlep and it interests me how Jesus knows when we will sin and actually will alert us to it. I think today we're seeing just how directly God can affect our life whether through direction, aid or even warnings. I love that Jesus sings in verse 26. 13 blokes, none of them trained singers, having a praise session without any instruments. Now there's your model for worship. It doesn't matter about quality but intent! Again Jesus warns His disciples against sleep, knowing that they'll fall asleep anyway. We get warned against behaviour all the time, even if it's just a feeling that we know something is wrong. And God also gets involved in Jesus life, giving Him a renewed sense of purpose and conviction in what He has to do. Direction, advice, help and warnings can all come from God. Hurrah!
Finally we continue our Psalm and we read about how enemies attack us and attempt to destroy our character. This might seem melodramatic but enemies can be people or just attitudes and behaviour we have. It can be Satan's demons trying to influence our minds and hearts. But we see the solution is focusing on God and His truth so that we can keep ourselves safe from the spiritual attacks.
And that's your lot for today. Previous song here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Today’s readings
Leviticus 17:1-18:30
Mark 14:17-42
Psalm 31:9-18
The first thing that strikes me is how God will speak to the Israelites when they need it. All of these laws come from God and He can be relied on to speak to us when we're at our most needy. What follows are the laws on blood in food. Now a lot of this is used by both Jehovah's Witnesses for justification not to have blood transfusions and by Muslims for how they prepare their meat. Now I think this shows the danger in being literal with every part of the Bible and not viewing it as a complete story within the context that it was written. Yes the Bible applies today but God wants us to pray and strive towards understanding Him, rather than just taking things at face value.
Then we have 20 verses that are a little too specific about incest. It makes me think of The Simpsons when God gives out the 10 commandments and how at each one someone's gutted. How mad were the Israelites that they couldn't keep their pants on around their family?! Again, God talks to us when we need it most and will steer us back towards Him with His word. Whether we choose to follow it is up to us but if we need the direction then God will provide it one way or another.
Verse 21 is weird. Time to Wiki who Molech is... Ok, apparently Molech was an idol with 7 tiers that people would fill with different animals including a human child in the top tier and then it would be burned. Yikes. God must face palm at how stupid humanity can be. This sort of stuff is obviously wrong to us but we must do wrong things that God feels just as infuriated about.
Verse 22 needs to be discussed and I genuinely can't cover all opinion. Is this a cut and dry verse banning homosexuality? I'm not sure myself. Personally I think it's not a verse to get hung up on. Homosexuality is not a person and we should first and foremost avoid condeming people for a sin when every sin is equal and why start the list there? I don't expect people to agree with me necessarily but personally I find it hard to think that God has created people's hearts with emotions that they can't change. They can choose not to act on them just as I can choose as a single man not to go lady hopping. But I can't start fancying guys just as a gay guy or girl can't change their mind. Hmmm... I'd imagine we'll return to this. Last thing on it is also to remember the cultural context that we have put all Leviticus in and many of the surrounding cultures were openly bisexual and promiscuous and God was so desperate to give His people an identity seperate from their surrounding, spiritual, influences. In fact the end of the chapter reinforces that with God stressing that the Israelites focus on their unique identity, centred on Him.
Into the New Testament we schlep and it interests me how Jesus knows when we will sin and actually will alert us to it. I think today we're seeing just how directly God can affect our life whether through direction, aid or even warnings. I love that Jesus sings in verse 26. 13 blokes, none of them trained singers, having a praise session without any instruments. Now there's your model for worship. It doesn't matter about quality but intent! Again Jesus warns His disciples against sleep, knowing that they'll fall asleep anyway. We get warned against behaviour all the time, even if it's just a feeling that we know something is wrong. And God also gets involved in Jesus life, giving Him a renewed sense of purpose and conviction in what He has to do. Direction, advice, help and warnings can all come from God. Hurrah!
Finally we continue our Psalm and we read about how enemies attack us and attempt to destroy our character. This might seem melodramatic but enemies can be people or just attitudes and behaviour we have. It can be Satan's demons trying to influence our minds and hearts. But we see the solution is focusing on God and His truth so that we can keep ourselves safe from the spiritual attacks.
And that's your lot for today. Previous song here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Day 66 - Part of the Process
Yeah maybe we'll be back up to date by tomorrow night... Maybe... Things are getting busy! Onto business then,
Today’s readings
Leviticus 15:1-16:34
Mark 13:32-14:16
Psalm 31:1-8
Ewww again. This is all a bit too much for a Sunday lunchtime. Bodily fluids all over the place! But it's the same message. God's bothered about us and wants us to stay healthy. God's laws are there to protect us and keep us safe as well as keeping other people safe too. Sometimes that actually means other people being kept safe in spite of our feelings or our pride but God loves them just as much as us and we have to remember that being a Christian means we need a level of humility in our lives also.
And why do we have these laws? Because God wants to spend time with us and be able to talk to us and love us. The next chapter illustrates to what lengths He is willing to go to ensure that the Israelites can be in a close relationship with Him. Fab news!
Into the New Testament we rise and it's interesting how Jesus tells His disciples to be alert for His return. He'd know that it wasn't going to be in their lifetime so why tell them this? Well I think that Jesus wants us to always be wanting His return but to also be living a life that we can be proud of when we do meet Him again. We then get the gift to Jesus of the expensive perfume. We've talked about this before but it's worth remembering again that we need to be giving our best and our all to Jesus because it will be used to make the world a better place, closer to His ideal plan.
Judas' betrayal is interestingly portrayed here. He doesn't even seem to want the money as it is an afterthought from the priests. Having done Connect this morning and talking about when we get thoughts that aren't actually ours but whispered to us from the Devil during this life of spiritual warfare. I find it hard to believe that Judas would betray Jesus so easily considering how close he would have been to Jesus. To me, this is another warning about being able to spot the thoughts and plans we have that come from Satan's demons and once we recognise them we should fall back onto the truths that God has given us in His word.
Finally our Psalm starts today and amidst the usual poetry of crying out for help we have verse 6 which seems a little odd. Hating religion but trusting God. We've been talking about how God's laws help us live our lives but here David says he hates religion but trusts God. So is religion God's laws? Should we hate it? I think the key here is to remember that the only thing that will save us is God and that while the church is a vital part of a Christian life, we should never place our hope or trust in the church or in another Christian but always look beyond it to God as our starting point.
And that's your lot for that one. Yesterday's song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Today’s readings
Leviticus 15:1-16:34
Mark 13:32-14:16
Psalm 31:1-8
Ewww again. This is all a bit too much for a Sunday lunchtime. Bodily fluids all over the place! But it's the same message. God's bothered about us and wants us to stay healthy. God's laws are there to protect us and keep us safe as well as keeping other people safe too. Sometimes that actually means other people being kept safe in spite of our feelings or our pride but God loves them just as much as us and we have to remember that being a Christian means we need a level of humility in our lives also.
And why do we have these laws? Because God wants to spend time with us and be able to talk to us and love us. The next chapter illustrates to what lengths He is willing to go to ensure that the Israelites can be in a close relationship with Him. Fab news!
Into the New Testament we rise and it's interesting how Jesus tells His disciples to be alert for His return. He'd know that it wasn't going to be in their lifetime so why tell them this? Well I think that Jesus wants us to always be wanting His return but to also be living a life that we can be proud of when we do meet Him again. We then get the gift to Jesus of the expensive perfume. We've talked about this before but it's worth remembering again that we need to be giving our best and our all to Jesus because it will be used to make the world a better place, closer to His ideal plan.
Judas' betrayal is interestingly portrayed here. He doesn't even seem to want the money as it is an afterthought from the priests. Having done Connect this morning and talking about when we get thoughts that aren't actually ours but whispered to us from the Devil during this life of spiritual warfare. I find it hard to believe that Judas would betray Jesus so easily considering how close he would have been to Jesus. To me, this is another warning about being able to spot the thoughts and plans we have that come from Satan's demons and once we recognise them we should fall back onto the truths that God has given us in His word.
Finally our Psalm starts today and amidst the usual poetry of crying out for help we have verse 6 which seems a little odd. Hating religion but trusting God. We've been talking about how God's laws help us live our lives but here David says he hates religion but trusts God. So is religion God's laws? Should we hate it? I think the key here is to remember that the only thing that will save us is God and that while the church is a vital part of a Christian life, we should never place our hope or trust in the church or in another Christian but always look beyond it to God as our starting point.
And that's your lot for that one. Yesterday's song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Saturday 6 November 2010
Day 65 - Would I Lie To You?
Only 300 to go!! That's a milestone isn't it? Maybe?? Onto business then,
Today’s readings
Leviticus 14:1-57
Mark 13:1-31
Psalm 30:8-12
So we get home improvement advice today... Well it's still continuing our theme of God wanting to look after us and speaking to us in ways we understand. But I think the one thing I've got out of this is how important it is to say thank you after something good does happen. We can spend so long expecting things to happen that sometimes we forget that we ought to thank God for everything that comes, regardless of its size or importance. God here gives the Israelites a whole heap of ways to say thank you because He deserves our respect,, praise and thanks. A lot of people find that hard to deal with but it should be a moment of joy to be able to thank our Lord and to relish in His presence.
Into the New Testament we jam and Jesus is talking about the finality of everything. This stuff is quite hard to read but it's important to realise that Jesus never hid the truth. He knew that suffering would happen to everyone, regardless of if they followed Him, and that the only thing that can keep you going through that suffering is the rememberance of salvation. Jesus foretells the destruction of the Temple which does happen in the lifetime of His disciples and then He foretells the chaos that will happen at the end of days. But this chaos has already started and was going on in Jesus' time too. I think it's really important that we realise that Jesus has never promised justice within our life time but instead compells us to go and deliver justice. Christianity is about love but it's not a fake love that doesn't deal with the real world. Jesus is well aware of the rubbish that happens in the world and calls us to run to Him for salvation from it. Of course running to Him involves doing His will which means we'll be running back out to do what we can in those situations!
Finally our Psalm shows that the promise of salvation does come. What I like most is how David says that his songs won't last after he dies. Little did he know! But that shows to me that God not only saves us but can blow our limitations and preconceptions out of the water too. Times will get hard and the Bible is clear about that. But it is Jesus who saves us and will continue to provide for us with the ultimate rescue.
And that's your lot for today. Unless I do one before bed. There's a chance certainly. Yesterday's song is here. Praise God for chavvy remixes! Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Today’s readings
Leviticus 14:1-57
Mark 13:1-31
Psalm 30:8-12
So we get home improvement advice today... Well it's still continuing our theme of God wanting to look after us and speaking to us in ways we understand. But I think the one thing I've got out of this is how important it is to say thank you after something good does happen. We can spend so long expecting things to happen that sometimes we forget that we ought to thank God for everything that comes, regardless of its size or importance. God here gives the Israelites a whole heap of ways to say thank you because He deserves our respect,, praise and thanks. A lot of people find that hard to deal with but it should be a moment of joy to be able to thank our Lord and to relish in His presence.
Into the New Testament we jam and Jesus is talking about the finality of everything. This stuff is quite hard to read but it's important to realise that Jesus never hid the truth. He knew that suffering would happen to everyone, regardless of if they followed Him, and that the only thing that can keep you going through that suffering is the rememberance of salvation. Jesus foretells the destruction of the Temple which does happen in the lifetime of His disciples and then He foretells the chaos that will happen at the end of days. But this chaos has already started and was going on in Jesus' time too. I think it's really important that we realise that Jesus has never promised justice within our life time but instead compells us to go and deliver justice. Christianity is about love but it's not a fake love that doesn't deal with the real world. Jesus is well aware of the rubbish that happens in the world and calls us to run to Him for salvation from it. Of course running to Him involves doing His will which means we'll be running back out to do what we can in those situations!
Finally our Psalm shows that the promise of salvation does come. What I like most is how David says that his songs won't last after he dies. Little did he know! But that shows to me that God not only saves us but can blow our limitations and preconceptions out of the water too. Times will get hard and the Bible is clear about that. But it is Jesus who saves us and will continue to provide for us with the ultimate rescue.
And that's your lot for today. Unless I do one before bed. There's a chance certainly. Yesterday's song is here. Praise God for chavvy remixes! Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Friday 5 November 2010
Day 64 - Listen To Your Heart
And here's part 2 to get us that little bit closer to being on track. Onto business then,
Today’s readings
Leviticus 13:1-59
Mark 12:28-44
Proverbs 6:20-29
Ewwww... boils, spots, growths and moulds. Just what I want to read before bed... So what's the truth in here? For me this is more of God being bothered about us and taking care of us. He's diagnosing the illnesses that will befall the people and letting the Israelites know that the most important part of their mission is to survive and so those who cannot be helped must be left to one side. That's hard to hear... Especially from a God who loves each person and rules by justice for His people. So what's the lesson. Well, like a lot of Leviticus, i feel this is a pointer of how things were at the time not how things need to be now. In fact I'd argue that this passage stirs up uncomfortable feelings in us so that we repsond in the opposite. God wants us to be loving and tohear His command with a loving heart rather than following text without the sentiment behind it. It really upsets me when you see Christians preaching hate and mistrust of other people or groups because of their choices. God teaches us to hate sin but love people. We shouldn't be in the business of condemning or judging but of nurturing and supporting.
Into the New Testament we bustle and Jesus is showing just that nurturing and supporting attitude. Notice how Jesus never criticises people because of who they are. He never judges the person but the act that they are doing. Here He doesn't condemn the priests for how they pray and give but warns against acting like that. We need to remember that we're not blameless in anything and that when we see something wrong, it's not up to us to condemn the person but to pray for them and support them, showing them the alternative of a Christlike life. There are a few other confusing bits in here, especially the bit about the Messiah being the son of David. Without going into too much Jewish theology, Jesus here is showing not only His wisdom but also His book smarts. And He's also allowing people to make a choice about who He is rather than stating it as fact. In fact Jesus could have pointed out how He was from David's line and so was the Messiah but instead He lets His actions and words make people's minds up. It's not all headstrong rebuking all the time; only when it's needed. Jesus' method of choice is to use His heart in making decisions and He tries to change people in as loving a way possible.
Finally we're back in Proverbs. Not much to say here. Don't sleep around. Pretty obvious. Listen to your parents' advice is a tad trickier as we all believe we're individuals who know what's better for us than they do. But it's important to listen at least, even if you don't always act on it. Remember Jesus' example. Don't cause a confrontation for the sake of it.
And that's your lot for today. Previous song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Today’s readings
Leviticus 13:1-59
Mark 12:28-44
Proverbs 6:20-29
Ewwww... boils, spots, growths and moulds. Just what I want to read before bed... So what's the truth in here? For me this is more of God being bothered about us and taking care of us. He's diagnosing the illnesses that will befall the people and letting the Israelites know that the most important part of their mission is to survive and so those who cannot be helped must be left to one side. That's hard to hear... Especially from a God who loves each person and rules by justice for His people. So what's the lesson. Well, like a lot of Leviticus, i feel this is a pointer of how things were at the time not how things need to be now. In fact I'd argue that this passage stirs up uncomfortable feelings in us so that we repsond in the opposite. God wants us to be loving and tohear His command with a loving heart rather than following text without the sentiment behind it. It really upsets me when you see Christians preaching hate and mistrust of other people or groups because of their choices. God teaches us to hate sin but love people. We shouldn't be in the business of condemning or judging but of nurturing and supporting.
Into the New Testament we bustle and Jesus is showing just that nurturing and supporting attitude. Notice how Jesus never criticises people because of who they are. He never judges the person but the act that they are doing. Here He doesn't condemn the priests for how they pray and give but warns against acting like that. We need to remember that we're not blameless in anything and that when we see something wrong, it's not up to us to condemn the person but to pray for them and support them, showing them the alternative of a Christlike life. There are a few other confusing bits in here, especially the bit about the Messiah being the son of David. Without going into too much Jewish theology, Jesus here is showing not only His wisdom but also His book smarts. And He's also allowing people to make a choice about who He is rather than stating it as fact. In fact Jesus could have pointed out how He was from David's line and so was the Messiah but instead He lets His actions and words make people's minds up. It's not all headstrong rebuking all the time; only when it's needed. Jesus' method of choice is to use His heart in making decisions and He tries to change people in as loving a way possible.
Finally we're back in Proverbs. Not much to say here. Don't sleep around. Pretty obvious. Listen to your parents' advice is a tad trickier as we all believe we're individuals who know what's better for us than they do. But it's important to listen at least, even if you don't always act on it. Remember Jesus' example. Don't cause a confrontation for the sake of it.
And that's your lot for today. Previous song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Day 63 - I Will Protect You
Still playing catch up. I'll try to get a couple in today and we'll still be on course for being up to date by Sunday. Onto business then,
Today’s readings
Leviticus 11:1-12:8
Mark 12:13-27
Psalms 30:1-7
Ok so Leviticus carries on with a whole list of things to eat and not eat and then a tiny bit on giving birth. There's not much to say here about what's written but I think the intention needs to be seen. God knows everything and this is Him saving His people once again without them realising and putting it in terms they understand. All of the animals God lists are likely to give you food poisoning if you eat them or fail to prepare them properly. Now the Israelites didn't understand germs so God made some broad ground rules to keep them out of danger. Similarly, after giving birth the woman is considered unclean and isolated because it will lower the chance of infection and strengthen the emotional bond between mother and child. Old Testament laws aren't necessarily meant to be carried through to today and I think the key to following them is to remember why they were created in the first place. Because God wants us to stay safe. Following God's will can put us in danger but a danger that He will rescue us from ultimately. But not following God's will can only lead us into danger without rescue. It's easy to forget that God doesn't hate us for sinning. He worries that He'll lose us because our way is the wrong way.
Into the New Testament we pulsate and Jesus is blowing people's minds away as usual! What I like here is how He is saved by God from persecution thanks to His amazing wisdom. In both cases Jesus' reputation and potentially His freedom and life were at stake. I think that today we're learning that everyone will die but God wants to save us until our time is right and if we focus on Him then we'll get to do everything He intended us to do.
Finally our Psalm begins and it's a Psalm of warning against thinking everything's going to be ok. I think that fits in nicely. We need to rely on God to rescue us, especially when we're following His will. But ultimately we have to relinquish the authority over our lives and our time on Earth to God because He will call us back at some point.
And that's this one in the bag. Yesterday's song is here and you've got to love how she rhymes wire, time and mine in one verse! Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Today’s readings
Leviticus 11:1-12:8
Mark 12:13-27
Psalms 30:1-7
Ok so Leviticus carries on with a whole list of things to eat and not eat and then a tiny bit on giving birth. There's not much to say here about what's written but I think the intention needs to be seen. God knows everything and this is Him saving His people once again without them realising and putting it in terms they understand. All of the animals God lists are likely to give you food poisoning if you eat them or fail to prepare them properly. Now the Israelites didn't understand germs so God made some broad ground rules to keep them out of danger. Similarly, after giving birth the woman is considered unclean and isolated because it will lower the chance of infection and strengthen the emotional bond between mother and child. Old Testament laws aren't necessarily meant to be carried through to today and I think the key to following them is to remember why they were created in the first place. Because God wants us to stay safe. Following God's will can put us in danger but a danger that He will rescue us from ultimately. But not following God's will can only lead us into danger without rescue. It's easy to forget that God doesn't hate us for sinning. He worries that He'll lose us because our way is the wrong way.
Into the New Testament we pulsate and Jesus is blowing people's minds away as usual! What I like here is how He is saved by God from persecution thanks to His amazing wisdom. In both cases Jesus' reputation and potentially His freedom and life were at stake. I think that today we're learning that everyone will die but God wants to save us until our time is right and if we focus on Him then we'll get to do everything He intended us to do.
Finally our Psalm begins and it's a Psalm of warning against thinking everything's going to be ok. I think that fits in nicely. We need to rely on God to rescue us, especially when we're following His will. But ultimately we have to relinquish the authority over our lives and our time on Earth to God because He will call us back at some point.
And that's this one in the bag. Yesterday's song is here and you've got to love how she rhymes wire, time and mine in one verse! Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Wednesday 3 November 2010
Day 62 - Stir It Up
And we're back within minutes. Literally nothing has happened since the last one so there's only one thing to say! Onto business then,
Today’s readings
Leviticus 9:1-10:20
Mark 11:27-12:12
Psalms 29:1-11
So chapter 9 seems like it's repeating what went before but I think it's really interesting and important to see that after all this preperation and instruction God gives out, the people act on it by doing what He's told them. Sometimes we do hear from God or we know what we ought to do but it's easier to sit and wait for the "right time" or until we're ready. Well God tells us to do things because He knows that the time is right and will use us regardless of how we think we're doing. The Israelites could have sat around for a few days talking about the different laws and sacrifices and making themselves worthy to be in the presence of God but they didn't. They just did what God told them to do straight away and were blessed because of it.
Chapter 10 seems like more of the angry Old Testament God everyone likes to talk about but here is God, finally spending time with His rescued people, everyone obeying His laws which are RIDICULOUSLY specific and yet Aaron's sons think that they can do a better job. Now death as the punishment might seem harsh but I think God realised their intention and would not have seperated them from Him in the afterlife but also needed to show the vital importance to this new nation that they follow what He had set out for them. We are ready to do what God wants as long as we're following His message. And that message is clear. Go out, spread love and justice and rely on God at all times!
Into the New Testament we boogie and did anyone else notice that verse 26 doesn't exist?! Tiny bit of research reveals that it's probably a later addition (like certain other bits of Mark might be) which was counted in the Latin translation but later omitted. Doesn't say anything new regardless.
Onto what we're actually reading though. The first thing I like about this passage is how Jesus appears to not answer the Pharisees but He actually does answer them through their own conscience and knowledge. Sometimes I wonder if we take God not answering our prayers as a nicer alternative to Him actually remaining silent because we already know the answer. And again in the parable Jesus tells, He is letting the Pharisees answer their own questions and their anger comes from them knowing the truth and not being able to argue against it. Jesus' teachings carry such weight because of their simple but plain truth. The convcition we feel within us at times, whether it be a positive motivator or a negative guilt trip, comes from our closeness to God's truth. Going with your gut can sometimes be a strategy that works, especially if that gut instinct comes from meditating on God's truth for us.
Finally our Psalm today is another from David and we see here a direct example of God's power having huge consequences but for the positive. God's presence can change and upset things in huge ways and I believe our message for today is that we should be wary of how God will shake and stir us up. He wants to be close and we need to first focus on His teachings to earn that closeness but then He wants to change and work in us and we need to be braced for that impact!
And that's your lot for today. Took me slightly longer due to a toilet break and mild distraction from sporcle.com (it was a Biblical quiz though...) Previous song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Today’s readings
Leviticus 9:1-10:20
Mark 11:27-12:12
Psalms 29:1-11
So chapter 9 seems like it's repeating what went before but I think it's really interesting and important to see that after all this preperation and instruction God gives out, the people act on it by doing what He's told them. Sometimes we do hear from God or we know what we ought to do but it's easier to sit and wait for the "right time" or until we're ready. Well God tells us to do things because He knows that the time is right and will use us regardless of how we think we're doing. The Israelites could have sat around for a few days talking about the different laws and sacrifices and making themselves worthy to be in the presence of God but they didn't. They just did what God told them to do straight away and were blessed because of it.
Chapter 10 seems like more of the angry Old Testament God everyone likes to talk about but here is God, finally spending time with His rescued people, everyone obeying His laws which are RIDICULOUSLY specific and yet Aaron's sons think that they can do a better job. Now death as the punishment might seem harsh but I think God realised their intention and would not have seperated them from Him in the afterlife but also needed to show the vital importance to this new nation that they follow what He had set out for them. We are ready to do what God wants as long as we're following His message. And that message is clear. Go out, spread love and justice and rely on God at all times!
Into the New Testament we boogie and did anyone else notice that verse 26 doesn't exist?! Tiny bit of research reveals that it's probably a later addition (like certain other bits of Mark might be) which was counted in the Latin translation but later omitted. Doesn't say anything new regardless.
Onto what we're actually reading though. The first thing I like about this passage is how Jesus appears to not answer the Pharisees but He actually does answer them through their own conscience and knowledge. Sometimes I wonder if we take God not answering our prayers as a nicer alternative to Him actually remaining silent because we already know the answer. And again in the parable Jesus tells, He is letting the Pharisees answer their own questions and their anger comes from them knowing the truth and not being able to argue against it. Jesus' teachings carry such weight because of their simple but plain truth. The convcition we feel within us at times, whether it be a positive motivator or a negative guilt trip, comes from our closeness to God's truth. Going with your gut can sometimes be a strategy that works, especially if that gut instinct comes from meditating on God's truth for us.
Finally our Psalm today is another from David and we see here a direct example of God's power having huge consequences but for the positive. God's presence can change and upset things in huge ways and I believe our message for today is that we should be wary of how God will shake and stir us up. He wants to be close and we need to first focus on His teachings to earn that closeness but then He wants to change and work in us and we need to be braced for that impact!
And that's your lot for today. Took me slightly longer due to a toilet break and mild distraction from sporcle.com (it was a Biblical quiz though...) Previous song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Day 61 - More Than Words
So I said I'd do 2 tonight and 2 I shall even if they both go up uber late and within minutes of each other! I've been to see Burke and Hare tonight. It was pretty rubbish to be honest. I wasn't sure how they'd make a comedy out of serial killers and it turns out the answer was to do an unfunny and completely different story which happened to be set in Scotland... Honestly, don't bother unless you're in love with one of the cast. Onto business then,
Today’s readings
Leviticus 7:11-8:36
Mark 11:1-25
Psalms 28:1-9
Ok so I've little to offer from the Leviticus reading today. It's all a bit gory really and the only thing I'm getting is how happy I am that I don't have to do anything like that to approach God and how I should probably thank Him more regularly that being a butcher is no longer a necessary part of getting into the right frame of mind to speak with Him. There's also I guess a historical realisation here and an appreciation of the lengths that God had to go to in order to make His people unite and get used to relying on Him. God will ultimately come to us on terms we can comprehend.
Into the New Testament we swiftly go and we have a case of Biblical Grand Theft Auto here... Jesus tells the disciples to go and donkey-jack a colt so He can ride on it but when the disciples are challenged and respond with the words of Jesus, the people who have seen them just let them go. The words of Jesus and the truth of His message has HUGE power and we need to remember that. And we see this followed up with the miracle of the fig tree and Jesus' actions in the Temple. He speaks and things happen. When we pray the Lord's prayer and say in the name of the Father, Son and Holy spirit, I wonder how many of us think about the power that those carry. The Bible we're reading is a human interpretation of God's message yes and it is open to human error at times but it is also the Word of God as we understand it and the power that word has is immense. Time and again we see the power of Jesus' simple truth and wisdom. Who are we to doubt the results that come from it? Trust in the promises that the Bible gives us because it's proven to be more than just a book.
Finally we have a new Psalm and the psalmist is once again complaining about how evil people seem to prosper. I find it interesting that this is still one of the big problems and the Bible does have a solution. Trust in God and work for Him. God can break down injustice through our actions. All of us for all of Him. It's right there written down and we've seen today how powerful God's words are.
And that's your lot for this one. I'm going to immediately start the next so feel free to time how long the average blog takes to make! Yesterday's last song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Today’s readings
Leviticus 7:11-8:36
Mark 11:1-25
Psalms 28:1-9
Ok so I've little to offer from the Leviticus reading today. It's all a bit gory really and the only thing I'm getting is how happy I am that I don't have to do anything like that to approach God and how I should probably thank Him more regularly that being a butcher is no longer a necessary part of getting into the right frame of mind to speak with Him. There's also I guess a historical realisation here and an appreciation of the lengths that God had to go to in order to make His people unite and get used to relying on Him. God will ultimately come to us on terms we can comprehend.
Into the New Testament we swiftly go and we have a case of Biblical Grand Theft Auto here... Jesus tells the disciples to go and donkey-jack a colt so He can ride on it but when the disciples are challenged and respond with the words of Jesus, the people who have seen them just let them go. The words of Jesus and the truth of His message has HUGE power and we need to remember that. And we see this followed up with the miracle of the fig tree and Jesus' actions in the Temple. He speaks and things happen. When we pray the Lord's prayer and say in the name of the Father, Son and Holy spirit, I wonder how many of us think about the power that those carry. The Bible we're reading is a human interpretation of God's message yes and it is open to human error at times but it is also the Word of God as we understand it and the power that word has is immense. Time and again we see the power of Jesus' simple truth and wisdom. Who are we to doubt the results that come from it? Trust in the promises that the Bible gives us because it's proven to be more than just a book.
Finally we have a new Psalm and the psalmist is once again complaining about how evil people seem to prosper. I find it interesting that this is still one of the big problems and the Bible does have a solution. Trust in God and work for Him. God can break down injustice through our actions. All of us for all of Him. It's right there written down and we've seen today how powerful God's words are.
And that's your lot for this one. I'm going to immediately start the next so feel free to time how long the average blog takes to make! Yesterday's last song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Tuesday 2 November 2010
Day 60 - Respect
So the second of today's blogs, it would have gone up sooner but I've been at a church meeting discussing vision. Interesting stuff indeed. What else has happened since the last blog? It rained a lot... Oh and I'm reading lots of the new Rick Riordan book. I might start up a new blog reviewing books. Any interest?
Today’s readings
Leviticus 5:14-7:10
Mark 10:32-52
Proverbs 6:12-19
So there's more dry stuff but I think there's one thing that's hit me while reading this. It's very easy to read these and dismiss them because of Jesus making the sacrifice for us but remember what we said about Leviticus; it's a book teaching us how to get closer to God. I think what today's reading is trying to tell me is that spending time with God is obviously the most desirable thing we can do but that it shouldn't be taken for granted and deserves a certain amount of reverence. We don't have to follow the rules specifically set out here as they apply to a different people who hadn't received Jesus yet and were getting the chance to do it themselves. But I do think that we need to remember that talking and listening to God isn't always something we should do informally. There's a definite value in taking the time to give God the respect and reverence He deserves by preparing our hearts and minds before praying or reading the Bible. I know I don't do that enough and it's something I'm going to consciously do this week as I try to keep up. It's vital that we feel comfortable praying with God but remember that He isn't someone we can take for granted or come to when we feel like it.
Into the New Testament we catapult and I love that first verse. It just seems to fit tonight's meeting so well. Jesus was followed by His disciples who were puzzled and not just a little afraid. That they were DIRECTLY following Him and feeling that makes me a whole lot happier when we get nervous and unsure as to trying to discern God's vision on a big scale. We also read about James and John asking for special treatment and Jesus' words again remind me of tonight. It's important not to want to be in charge or have influence and power but to serve first and foremost. Jesus at times was the guy who spoke and people listened but His whole life was one big service to humanity and the people immediately around Him also. And I chuffing love the last miracle. It's my favourite and not just because of Day Camp! Here we have what appears to be a standard (ha!) miracle where Bartimaeus' faith cures him. But there're two things I love here. Jesus hears Him and yet Bartimaeus has to shout and shout despite people trying to stop him. I think sometimes we need to remember that God wants us to not just expect Him to answer but that He wants us to grow through shouting and shouting. Because what are the results? Not only is Bartimaeus cured but he immediately follows Jesus. When we pray to God we should be persistent but also we need to remember who we're praying to and rely on His promise of love but respect His ultimate knowledge, wisdom and timing.
Finally Proverbs gives us a little bit of advice as to how we should communicate which I think can also be tied into our prayer life. We can't be crossing our fingers and holding things back from God. We can't be telling Him half the story or lying about what we did or really want. God knows us inside out and we need to be respectful of that. Sometimes it's tempting to pray around others for things that you ought to be praying for but God knows what you need to be praying for and what you want to be praying for. Don't be fooling yourself because you won't be fooling God.
And that's your lot for today. We'll bash out another two tomorrow plus a potential film review too you lucky people! This morning's song is here and I had a lot of choices from Leona to Elton to Blue to... Shane Richie?! But I went for that one. You'll have to click to find out! Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Today’s readings
Leviticus 5:14-7:10
Mark 10:32-52
Proverbs 6:12-19
So there's more dry stuff but I think there's one thing that's hit me while reading this. It's very easy to read these and dismiss them because of Jesus making the sacrifice for us but remember what we said about Leviticus; it's a book teaching us how to get closer to God. I think what today's reading is trying to tell me is that spending time with God is obviously the most desirable thing we can do but that it shouldn't be taken for granted and deserves a certain amount of reverence. We don't have to follow the rules specifically set out here as they apply to a different people who hadn't received Jesus yet and were getting the chance to do it themselves. But I do think that we need to remember that talking and listening to God isn't always something we should do informally. There's a definite value in taking the time to give God the respect and reverence He deserves by preparing our hearts and minds before praying or reading the Bible. I know I don't do that enough and it's something I'm going to consciously do this week as I try to keep up. It's vital that we feel comfortable praying with God but remember that He isn't someone we can take for granted or come to when we feel like it.
Into the New Testament we catapult and I love that first verse. It just seems to fit tonight's meeting so well. Jesus was followed by His disciples who were puzzled and not just a little afraid. That they were DIRECTLY following Him and feeling that makes me a whole lot happier when we get nervous and unsure as to trying to discern God's vision on a big scale. We also read about James and John asking for special treatment and Jesus' words again remind me of tonight. It's important not to want to be in charge or have influence and power but to serve first and foremost. Jesus at times was the guy who spoke and people listened but His whole life was one big service to humanity and the people immediately around Him also. And I chuffing love the last miracle. It's my favourite and not just because of Day Camp! Here we have what appears to be a standard (ha!) miracle where Bartimaeus' faith cures him. But there're two things I love here. Jesus hears Him and yet Bartimaeus has to shout and shout despite people trying to stop him. I think sometimes we need to remember that God wants us to not just expect Him to answer but that He wants us to grow through shouting and shouting. Because what are the results? Not only is Bartimaeus cured but he immediately follows Jesus. When we pray to God we should be persistent but also we need to remember who we're praying to and rely on His promise of love but respect His ultimate knowledge, wisdom and timing.
Finally Proverbs gives us a little bit of advice as to how we should communicate which I think can also be tied into our prayer life. We can't be crossing our fingers and holding things back from God. We can't be telling Him half the story or lying about what we did or really want. God knows us inside out and we need to be respectful of that. Sometimes it's tempting to pray around others for things that you ought to be praying for but God knows what you need to be praying for and what you want to be praying for. Don't be fooling yourself because you won't be fooling God.
And that's your lot for today. We'll bash out another two tomorrow plus a potential film review too you lucky people! This morning's song is here and I had a lot of choices from Leona to Elton to Blue to... Shane Richie?! But I went for that one. You'll have to click to find out! Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Day 59 - Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
Right. I'm back and on form. We're going to catch up by the end of this week and then I'll be working the week after so I should be able to keep to a regular schedule. Apologies for not keeping up with this folks! One thing I've found from not doing it is that it's been a lot harder to connect with God and I've realised that this has to firstly be for me and my relationship with God. So don't panic if you never comment! Onto business then,
Today's readings
Leviticus 4:1-5:13
Mark 10:13-31
Psalm 27:7-14
We're returning with lots more on sacrifice. I think it's interesting how much the Israelites needed in terms of guidelines and instructions. They'd been doing whatever they wanted and just trusted God would look after them regardless. I think I can be guilty of that and whilst a lot of what we're reading is there to help us realise just how much God wanted His people to be able to get close to Him, I think verse 5 of chapter 5 is very pertinent. Immediately confess the sin you have committed. It's scary and it can be uncomfortable but if we bring our sin to God we're straight away quicker in getting closer to Him again. And the brilliant part is that we don't have to bring pigeons or bulls or goats or flour. We have Jesus and so it's easy for us to confess but we have to do it rather than just assuming we'll be forgiven. If we don't admit we've sinned we'll never want to change our behaviour.
Into the New Testament we reappear and Jesus first is talking about coming to Him like a child. We've talked about this before but I think it's good to think of it in this context too. We need to be willing to tell our Heavenly Father when we've done something wrong so that He can love us regardless and help us through it. Nobody with even an ounce of love in them can stay mad at a genuinely sorry child and we need to be just like that.
Then we get the rich guy asking how he can get to Heaven and again, we've covered this in Matthew. Mark does add one little detail which Matthew left out. When Jesus sees this man who is convinced of his own worthiness for Heaven, He looks at him and He loves him. God's love isn't conditional on our behaviour and Jesus explains this to the disciples afterwards by pointing out how no one can get to Heaven on their own strength but only by following Jesus. But us trying to do it on ourselves will not stop Jesus loving us. So if we're wanting to get close to God and live His way but it's too much struggle then we need to remember that it's not down to our own efforts but down to the humility that we can't do it without asking for help and focusing ourselves daily on God. I think I've found that out in the last few days. Losing your focus on you and God means that while you might think you're doing things for Him, they're not necessarily working to their full potential.
Finally our Psalm continues and it's the last verse that really sums up what I'm feeling today from this reading. Stay with God. Take heart. Don't quit. Because He is faithful and reliable and loving. Hallelujiah!
And that's your lot for this one but I'll put another up this evening. Previous song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Today's readings
Leviticus 4:1-5:13
Mark 10:13-31
Psalm 27:7-14
We're returning with lots more on sacrifice. I think it's interesting how much the Israelites needed in terms of guidelines and instructions. They'd been doing whatever they wanted and just trusted God would look after them regardless. I think I can be guilty of that and whilst a lot of what we're reading is there to help us realise just how much God wanted His people to be able to get close to Him, I think verse 5 of chapter 5 is very pertinent. Immediately confess the sin you have committed. It's scary and it can be uncomfortable but if we bring our sin to God we're straight away quicker in getting closer to Him again. And the brilliant part is that we don't have to bring pigeons or bulls or goats or flour. We have Jesus and so it's easy for us to confess but we have to do it rather than just assuming we'll be forgiven. If we don't admit we've sinned we'll never want to change our behaviour.
Into the New Testament we reappear and Jesus first is talking about coming to Him like a child. We've talked about this before but I think it's good to think of it in this context too. We need to be willing to tell our Heavenly Father when we've done something wrong so that He can love us regardless and help us through it. Nobody with even an ounce of love in them can stay mad at a genuinely sorry child and we need to be just like that.
Then we get the rich guy asking how he can get to Heaven and again, we've covered this in Matthew. Mark does add one little detail which Matthew left out. When Jesus sees this man who is convinced of his own worthiness for Heaven, He looks at him and He loves him. God's love isn't conditional on our behaviour and Jesus explains this to the disciples afterwards by pointing out how no one can get to Heaven on their own strength but only by following Jesus. But us trying to do it on ourselves will not stop Jesus loving us. So if we're wanting to get close to God and live His way but it's too much struggle then we need to remember that it's not down to our own efforts but down to the humility that we can't do it without asking for help and focusing ourselves daily on God. I think I've found that out in the last few days. Losing your focus on you and God means that while you might think you're doing things for Him, they're not necessarily working to their full potential.
Finally our Psalm continues and it's the last verse that really sums up what I'm feeling today from this reading. Stay with God. Take heart. Don't quit. Because He is faithful and reliable and loving. Hallelujiah!
And that's your lot for this one but I'll put another up this evening. Previous song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Saturday 30 October 2010
Day 58 - All I Want Is You
Grrr... so I thought I posted on Thursday, apparently forgot and then definitely forgot yesterday due to new game syndrome so I'm going to try my best to do three blogs today. Not that anyone seemed to notice me disappearing! Onto business then,
Today's readings
Leviticus 1:1-3:17
Mark 9:33-10:12
Psalm 27:1-6
So starting today we have Leviticus. My handy little intro book to each Bible book tells me that the book is all about learning how we come to God. Let's try and remember that as a central theme as we go through it. It's also interesting to think that we've been talking alot so far about spending time with God; now it appears we'll be getting a little bit of insight as to how to do that.
So we start in Leviticus with a bit of an odd passage about sacrificing laws and how to tear a bird to bits correctly. Fun stuff for the vegetarians no doubt. So should we go slitting throats? Not really. The Jews sacrificed for one very important reason. Not because God demanded that they give Him stuff, certainly nowhere has God said they HAVE to do this. Only that if they are going to do it, here's how. The reason the Israelites sacrificed what was important to them was to get closer to God in that sacrifice. If you don't have something you're dependent on or relish particularly then you're more open to God's will instead of your own. I like how they describe the smells. It seems like the smell of the fat and the offal burning would be really nice and emphasise more the sacrifice that the person was making. I also think it's interesting what it says at the end of chapter 3 about the fat belonging to God. Now that isn't some call of ownership to myself and other portly souls. It's a signifier that the if we're going to give up something to God so that we get closer to Him, there's no point holding some of it back. If you want to give more time then don't just give the time when you're bored. If you want to sacrifice tv or the internet to spend more time praying or reading your Bible then don't just give the programmes you aren't as bothered about.
Into the New Testament with a flourish and we have Jesus' disciples missing the point for a change. They're asking about who is the best and totally ignoring the fact that it's not about who spends the most time listening to Jesus but who goes out there and does stuff for Him. Jesus tells us how to get closer to Him. Go and serve. Be kind and caring like He is to the child. Protect and love those who need it. He then talks about divorce and I genuinely don't think Jesus is saying divorce is wrong. What He says is that you shouldn't divorce because you fancy someone else and I'd be pretty much in agreement with that. No one will ever be 100% perfect for you but if you've made a commitment to them in front of God then you need to see it through and pray through the tough patches. What Jesus says is that no one should split a marriage up and I think that means outside influences more than internal strife. Now if there's domestic abuse, neglect of trust or that sort of thing... then I would think that it's ok. Jesus is pretty clear about divorce not just being an excuse to sleep around.
Finally our Psalm today starts with praise at how brilliant it is to be with God and have God with you. Today's readings seems geared towards actually appreciating why we should seek out God first and how we should go about it. Serve God by helping others and give up to God things the time and emotions that mean the most to you.
And that's your lot for this blog. I'll bash two more out today if you're keeping score though I know not many are. Wednesday's song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Today's readings
Leviticus 1:1-3:17
Mark 9:33-10:12
Psalm 27:1-6
So starting today we have Leviticus. My handy little intro book to each Bible book tells me that the book is all about learning how we come to God. Let's try and remember that as a central theme as we go through it. It's also interesting to think that we've been talking alot so far about spending time with God; now it appears we'll be getting a little bit of insight as to how to do that.
So we start in Leviticus with a bit of an odd passage about sacrificing laws and how to tear a bird to bits correctly. Fun stuff for the vegetarians no doubt. So should we go slitting throats? Not really. The Jews sacrificed for one very important reason. Not because God demanded that they give Him stuff, certainly nowhere has God said they HAVE to do this. Only that if they are going to do it, here's how. The reason the Israelites sacrificed what was important to them was to get closer to God in that sacrifice. If you don't have something you're dependent on or relish particularly then you're more open to God's will instead of your own. I like how they describe the smells. It seems like the smell of the fat and the offal burning would be really nice and emphasise more the sacrifice that the person was making. I also think it's interesting what it says at the end of chapter 3 about the fat belonging to God. Now that isn't some call of ownership to myself and other portly souls. It's a signifier that the if we're going to give up something to God so that we get closer to Him, there's no point holding some of it back. If you want to give more time then don't just give the time when you're bored. If you want to sacrifice tv or the internet to spend more time praying or reading your Bible then don't just give the programmes you aren't as bothered about.
Into the New Testament with a flourish and we have Jesus' disciples missing the point for a change. They're asking about who is the best and totally ignoring the fact that it's not about who spends the most time listening to Jesus but who goes out there and does stuff for Him. Jesus tells us how to get closer to Him. Go and serve. Be kind and caring like He is to the child. Protect and love those who need it. He then talks about divorce and I genuinely don't think Jesus is saying divorce is wrong. What He says is that you shouldn't divorce because you fancy someone else and I'd be pretty much in agreement with that. No one will ever be 100% perfect for you but if you've made a commitment to them in front of God then you need to see it through and pray through the tough patches. What Jesus says is that no one should split a marriage up and I think that means outside influences more than internal strife. Now if there's domestic abuse, neglect of trust or that sort of thing... then I would think that it's ok. Jesus is pretty clear about divorce not just being an excuse to sleep around.
Finally our Psalm today starts with praise at how brilliant it is to be with God and have God with you. Today's readings seems geared towards actually appreciating why we should seek out God first and how we should go about it. Serve God by helping others and give up to God things the time and emotions that mean the most to you.
And that's your lot for this blog. I'll bash two more out today if you're keeping score though I know not many are. Wednesday's song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Wednesday 27 October 2010
Day 57 - Changes
Yeah it's late but there's been a lot of Jon things happening today. Went to my new job induction which was a little dull but at least the company seems nice and the staff seem friendly enough. Got to get to Runcorn somehow... Any suggestions? Also went to the cinema tonight and saw Red. Really recommend this if you want a shooty film with a difference. John Malkovich is really funny and it's got Ernest Borgnine in it for crying out loud!! Onto business then
Today’s readings
Exodus 39:1-40:38
Mark 9:2-32
Psalm 26:1-12
So we finish out Exodus and what have we learned from reading this book? Well Exodus as shown God take His people out of a realtively safe place where they were going to be worked as slaves but still live in security inside the borders of Egypt. He gave them rules and laws which were complicated and went against their nature because they broke them straight away. He told them that they were going to get to a better place but then made them take ages. And He gave them a leader who was a nervous speaker. Hardly a glowing advert for following God. But this book heralds the start of God's people actually living for Him. To me Exodus is about how we have to accept that God wants us to live for Him but that we are going to have to change ourselves if we want to follow His will. There's no good staying where we are, doing the same things that trap us in our old ways and thinking God can still work there. He wants us to want to risk everything for Him and to seek out His will in the hard places. That might be physically but it might very well be emotionally or spiritually. What are we holding back from God? What do we fear to release to Him even though we are a slave to it. Security comes from the familiar but if that familiar isn't healthy then Exodus shows that God wants to change that and help us live to our potential even if it takes change and discipline from us.
And in case you're wondering, I did read the last two chapters :) I like especially how all the work that the Israelites put in is rewarded by God being present with them. That's a nice little reward that is sure to be applicable to us as well. If we follow God's will then He'll be there in what we do. Lovely stuff!
Into the New Testament we erupt and we're back at the transfiguration. Interesting reading this through how we understand God to be unchanging. Because I believe God can change but that He is also unchanging. Ha! Christians speak rubbish sometimes don't we... But what I mean is that God's promises are always there and not broken but God's methods can change. But here we have the disciples seeing Moses with Jesus and being good Jewish chaps, they'd remember all the bits we've just been slogging through and so are eager to build tents for Jesus and Moses and Elijah. But God speaks and commands them instead to listen to Jesus. I think today's reading is telling us that it's important to make ourselves ready for Jesus but that we need to be prioritising our time between being good enough to receive God and actually bothering to listen for His word. There's no point in us just trying to live according to God's will if we never stop to listen to Him and pray to Him about what we're doing.
The miracle Jesus performs is another interesting one. Andy highlights on the Soul Survivor vlog that Jesus is acting with compassion and cutting through the arguments that the disciples are having. But I think there's more to this if we think about it. Jesus' relationship with His disciples is fascinating. He goes from rebuking to loving to teaching to empowering and everything else at the drop of a hat. Especially in Mark we see Jesus being volatile with His repsonses and emotions. Now I think that this is also part of God being changing. Jesus isn't always in the best of moods with us and will get angry and heartbroken by what we do. Other times He'll be waiting to comfort us or give us wisdom. He knows what we need specifically. For example, I like how He swears the disciples who saw the transfiguration to secrecy from the other disciples. If Judas had known what had happened would he have acted the same? Or would Thomas have had the same doubts? Jesus knew what needed to happen and knows what we need too so changes according to that need. It's up to us though to communicate with Him as the disciples do and yes they do get their ears chewed off but look what comes next. Jesus first tells them about power coming through God not them and then He teaches them about what will happen to Him. It's never just a telling off. There's always the love and the wisdom waiting in the wings.
Finally our Psalm today shows David realising that the best way to receive God's love, blessings and wisdom is to be focused on Him and remove the influences in your life which draw your attention away from God. That's a nice little reference to our first point about being in God's presence when we concentrate our lives on Him. I love it when a plan comes together.
And that's your lot for today. Yesterday's song is here. Questions, criticisms and feedback welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Today’s readings
Exodus 39:1-40:38
Mark 9:2-32
Psalm 26:1-12
So we finish out Exodus and what have we learned from reading this book? Well Exodus as shown God take His people out of a realtively safe place where they were going to be worked as slaves but still live in security inside the borders of Egypt. He gave them rules and laws which were complicated and went against their nature because they broke them straight away. He told them that they were going to get to a better place but then made them take ages. And He gave them a leader who was a nervous speaker. Hardly a glowing advert for following God. But this book heralds the start of God's people actually living for Him. To me Exodus is about how we have to accept that God wants us to live for Him but that we are going to have to change ourselves if we want to follow His will. There's no good staying where we are, doing the same things that trap us in our old ways and thinking God can still work there. He wants us to want to risk everything for Him and to seek out His will in the hard places. That might be physically but it might very well be emotionally or spiritually. What are we holding back from God? What do we fear to release to Him even though we are a slave to it. Security comes from the familiar but if that familiar isn't healthy then Exodus shows that God wants to change that and help us live to our potential even if it takes change and discipline from us.
And in case you're wondering, I did read the last two chapters :) I like especially how all the work that the Israelites put in is rewarded by God being present with them. That's a nice little reward that is sure to be applicable to us as well. If we follow God's will then He'll be there in what we do. Lovely stuff!
Into the New Testament we erupt and we're back at the transfiguration. Interesting reading this through how we understand God to be unchanging. Because I believe God can change but that He is also unchanging. Ha! Christians speak rubbish sometimes don't we... But what I mean is that God's promises are always there and not broken but God's methods can change. But here we have the disciples seeing Moses with Jesus and being good Jewish chaps, they'd remember all the bits we've just been slogging through and so are eager to build tents for Jesus and Moses and Elijah. But God speaks and commands them instead to listen to Jesus. I think today's reading is telling us that it's important to make ourselves ready for Jesus but that we need to be prioritising our time between being good enough to receive God and actually bothering to listen for His word. There's no point in us just trying to live according to God's will if we never stop to listen to Him and pray to Him about what we're doing.
The miracle Jesus performs is another interesting one. Andy highlights on the Soul Survivor vlog that Jesus is acting with compassion and cutting through the arguments that the disciples are having. But I think there's more to this if we think about it. Jesus' relationship with His disciples is fascinating. He goes from rebuking to loving to teaching to empowering and everything else at the drop of a hat. Especially in Mark we see Jesus being volatile with His repsonses and emotions. Now I think that this is also part of God being changing. Jesus isn't always in the best of moods with us and will get angry and heartbroken by what we do. Other times He'll be waiting to comfort us or give us wisdom. He knows what we need specifically. For example, I like how He swears the disciples who saw the transfiguration to secrecy from the other disciples. If Judas had known what had happened would he have acted the same? Or would Thomas have had the same doubts? Jesus knew what needed to happen and knows what we need too so changes according to that need. It's up to us though to communicate with Him as the disciples do and yes they do get their ears chewed off but look what comes next. Jesus first tells them about power coming through God not them and then He teaches them about what will happen to Him. It's never just a telling off. There's always the love and the wisdom waiting in the wings.
Finally our Psalm today shows David realising that the best way to receive God's love, blessings and wisdom is to be focused on Him and remove the influences in your life which draw your attention away from God. That's a nice little reference to our first point about being in God's presence when we concentrate our lives on Him. I love it when a plan comes together.
And that's your lot for today. Yesterday's song is here. Questions, criticisms and feedback welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Tuesday 26 October 2010
Day 56 - Best Of You
Went to the Job Centre today for the most pointless half hour ever. Even though I have a job starting tomorrow I had to listen to how to find a job... Confusing stuff. But hey ho. Onto business then,
Today’s readings
Exodus 37:1-38:31
Mark 8:14-9:1
Proverbs 6:1-11
Gosh I love Mike P. I read today's Exodus and was just lost for things to type about that I hadn't already said... And so I looked to the Soul Survivor vlog for inspiration and... well it's funny stuff and I'd recommend you give it a watch. But they do make a good point which is the only thing I picked out too. The end of chapter 38 lists just how much money, time and labour the Israelites invested in making sure that God was honoured and present with them. That's some impressive prioritising and I think it's clear that we need to make sure we're giving God all our efforts and all our talents rather than hiding away for fear of failure or selfish worry.
Into the New Testament we scurry and we start with Jesus making a point about the two feeding miracles. Verse 21 has Him asking "Do you still not get it?" So what is there to get? I think that the disciples are not just missing that Jesus can provide for them. Although a point on that, I wonder if they're being stupid or if they're actually a bit embarrassed about constantly asking Jesus for help and to intervene. I know I can get like that sometimes and worry about asking God to help me with everything in case He gets angry. Well Jesus is saying here first that He is always going to want to help us and hear our complaints, especially when the alternative is us fighting amongst ourselves and not futhering His Kingdom. I also think He's making a point similar to yesterday as to how Jesus will take what we give Him, even if it's just a pure and true faith, and multiply it in ways we can't imagine.
And there's another meaning here. He's a clever chap that Jesus! Jesus initially talks about the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod. Now yeast is actually a mould which can be pretty nasty in a lot of situations. And that's Jesus' warning. He's wanting us to be wary of words and beliefs that successful or authoritative people use or have because when we start thinking that success means that they must have the truth, we start missing Jesus' truth. Let's not forget that He was a labourer who left His business to wander from town to town and then died a convicted criminal. We're not meant to look at people who have done amazingly for themselves as being Christ like purely for that reason and we have to be careful just what value and trust we put in people who appear to have it together. It's ok to listen to people like our parents, our teachers, our bosses (even our celebrity wise folk like Oprah and Jeremy Kyle can sometimes have wisdom) but we need to remember that the ultimate wisdom has to come from Jesus and has to fit with His ethic of loving everyone regardless of anything.
The miracle that follows is an interesting one and I feel a bit naughty that I'm cribbing so much from the Soul Survivor guys today but they've put together a really good video. Jesus' healings come so often in Mark it's easy to gloss over them as quickly as we would the dimensions of the table in Exodus! But let's not forget that this is a real example of Jesus have a direct impact in a person's life. Someone, no different from us, being led out away from the crowds, Jesus holding his hand, and healed through a means that made sense to the people there. I've said before how much I love when there are examples of Jesus being fully God and fully man. Now if Jesus had pulled out a big laser and done laser surgery to fix the guys eyes then people would have been screaming like the cavemen in Bill and Ted. But instead He works within their understanding and it's important to remember that Jesus doesn't want to be this mysterious figure all the time. Certainly there will always be a mystery about Him because we can't comprehend the holy until we're in Heaven, but when Jesus needs to have an impact in our lives and make a change then He will come to us on terms and in ways that we can understand.
Jesus then talks about who people think He is and Peter realises the truth. Now I find it interesting the Message's translation of how the disciples react to Jesus' prophecy about His own death and resurrection. They waver wondering what to believe. Interesting. Is that because they don't believe Jesus will die or because they don't believe He will rise again... I can imagine these young men who are so full of verve and passion for Jesus and His message suddenly being shell shocked by the news that it will all end much sooner than they realised. All the Old Testament prophets tended to live a long time and leave ministries that their followers could continue but here's Jesus saying He's going to leave and not only that but that His disciples will also have to be willing to suffer for their belief in Him. This is scary stuff to hear and it's understandable that they'd be shaken but Jesus calls us to a ministry that's risky and hard. Check the end though. Through all the trials, we will see the Kingdom of God one way or another.
Finally we get some Proverbs and there's one simple message here that challenges me quite a lot! Don't sit around and be lazy. Act for change! I find being lazy WAY too easy and appealing and it's tough to remember that Jesus calls us to serve, not just to be saved. With a new job starting tomorrow my whole life is going to change purely because I'm not going to have the same amount of time to watch YouTube, do this, play PS3, clean the house and all the other stuff I do to pass the time. But I'm already prioritising like we read at the start. I will keep this blog going. I will keep seeking God's plan for my life and I will keep trying new and different youth work experiences so that I can share the amazing news of eternal life and love and justice while we're here on earth in exactly the way God wants me to.
And that's your lot for today. The shortest Old Testament recap ever followed by a big ol' New Testament chunk and all sorts of different themes. Yesterday's song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Today’s readings
Exodus 37:1-38:31
Mark 8:14-9:1
Proverbs 6:1-11
Gosh I love Mike P. I read today's Exodus and was just lost for things to type about that I hadn't already said... And so I looked to the Soul Survivor vlog for inspiration and... well it's funny stuff and I'd recommend you give it a watch. But they do make a good point which is the only thing I picked out too. The end of chapter 38 lists just how much money, time and labour the Israelites invested in making sure that God was honoured and present with them. That's some impressive prioritising and I think it's clear that we need to make sure we're giving God all our efforts and all our talents rather than hiding away for fear of failure or selfish worry.
Into the New Testament we scurry and we start with Jesus making a point about the two feeding miracles. Verse 21 has Him asking "Do you still not get it?" So what is there to get? I think that the disciples are not just missing that Jesus can provide for them. Although a point on that, I wonder if they're being stupid or if they're actually a bit embarrassed about constantly asking Jesus for help and to intervene. I know I can get like that sometimes and worry about asking God to help me with everything in case He gets angry. Well Jesus is saying here first that He is always going to want to help us and hear our complaints, especially when the alternative is us fighting amongst ourselves and not futhering His Kingdom. I also think He's making a point similar to yesterday as to how Jesus will take what we give Him, even if it's just a pure and true faith, and multiply it in ways we can't imagine.
And there's another meaning here. He's a clever chap that Jesus! Jesus initially talks about the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod. Now yeast is actually a mould which can be pretty nasty in a lot of situations. And that's Jesus' warning. He's wanting us to be wary of words and beliefs that successful or authoritative people use or have because when we start thinking that success means that they must have the truth, we start missing Jesus' truth. Let's not forget that He was a labourer who left His business to wander from town to town and then died a convicted criminal. We're not meant to look at people who have done amazingly for themselves as being Christ like purely for that reason and we have to be careful just what value and trust we put in people who appear to have it together. It's ok to listen to people like our parents, our teachers, our bosses (even our celebrity wise folk like Oprah and Jeremy Kyle can sometimes have wisdom) but we need to remember that the ultimate wisdom has to come from Jesus and has to fit with His ethic of loving everyone regardless of anything.
The miracle that follows is an interesting one and I feel a bit naughty that I'm cribbing so much from the Soul Survivor guys today but they've put together a really good video. Jesus' healings come so often in Mark it's easy to gloss over them as quickly as we would the dimensions of the table in Exodus! But let's not forget that this is a real example of Jesus have a direct impact in a person's life. Someone, no different from us, being led out away from the crowds, Jesus holding his hand, and healed through a means that made sense to the people there. I've said before how much I love when there are examples of Jesus being fully God and fully man. Now if Jesus had pulled out a big laser and done laser surgery to fix the guys eyes then people would have been screaming like the cavemen in Bill and Ted. But instead He works within their understanding and it's important to remember that Jesus doesn't want to be this mysterious figure all the time. Certainly there will always be a mystery about Him because we can't comprehend the holy until we're in Heaven, but when Jesus needs to have an impact in our lives and make a change then He will come to us on terms and in ways that we can understand.
Jesus then talks about who people think He is and Peter realises the truth. Now I find it interesting the Message's translation of how the disciples react to Jesus' prophecy about His own death and resurrection. They waver wondering what to believe. Interesting. Is that because they don't believe Jesus will die or because they don't believe He will rise again... I can imagine these young men who are so full of verve and passion for Jesus and His message suddenly being shell shocked by the news that it will all end much sooner than they realised. All the Old Testament prophets tended to live a long time and leave ministries that their followers could continue but here's Jesus saying He's going to leave and not only that but that His disciples will also have to be willing to suffer for their belief in Him. This is scary stuff to hear and it's understandable that they'd be shaken but Jesus calls us to a ministry that's risky and hard. Check the end though. Through all the trials, we will see the Kingdom of God one way or another.
Finally we get some Proverbs and there's one simple message here that challenges me quite a lot! Don't sit around and be lazy. Act for change! I find being lazy WAY too easy and appealing and it's tough to remember that Jesus calls us to serve, not just to be saved. With a new job starting tomorrow my whole life is going to change purely because I'm not going to have the same amount of time to watch YouTube, do this, play PS3, clean the house and all the other stuff I do to pass the time. But I'm already prioritising like we read at the start. I will keep this blog going. I will keep seeking God's plan for my life and I will keep trying new and different youth work experiences so that I can share the amazing news of eternal life and love and justice while we're here on earth in exactly the way God wants me to.
And that's your lot for today. The shortest Old Testament recap ever followed by a big ol' New Testament chunk and all sorts of different themes. Yesterday's song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Monday 25 October 2010
Day 55 - You Get What You Give
I've been to the Impact Worship Workshop tonight which has a lot of potential certainly. It'd be good to see some folk wanting to do drama there too though! Onto business then,
Today's readings
Exodus 35:1-36:38
Mark 7:31-8:13
Psalm 25:16-22
So Moses tells the people what God wants of them. I like how he does it though. He starts by making sure people realise that even though this will be a big task requiring a lot of effort, the people must ensure that they have time to rest and refocus on God. I know that sometimes I get caught up in work and especially something that I'm passionate about for God, and then I lose track of Him because I'm working so hard myself. God will honour our time spent just with Him as well as working for Him. And in fact look at the rest of chapter 35 and 36. The Israelites have this huge shopping list of needs and God meets those needs through moving His people to action so much so that Moses has to tell people to stop giving! Only by taking the time to spend with God can He work through us and make us do more than we ought to be capable of.
Into the New Testament we barge and Jesus is being the action man again. There's some discussion among Bible scholars as to whether the 4000 people being fed was just someone retelling the feeding of the 5000. It certainly has a very similar pattern. Most scholars think that Mark's gospel was written as Peter the disciple's recollection of his time with Jesus and so it is very brief and full of spectacular moments. Does this mean Peter got confused and told the same story twice? It's possible certainly but I think that getting hung up on that misses the fact that Jesus one way or another did this incredible thing! It's interesting to me that His miracles sometimes come easily and sometimes come with strain but always involve prayer. Jesus knows that the power He has to perform miracles is from that reflection of God we all have but His is so much brighter thanks to Him being completely God Himself.If we tap into our reflection we can also achieve the unbelievable. God can multiply our work into massive blessings or can make our lives richer with the love and happiness that comes from loving other people and living for peace. This is fantastic news surely!
Finally our Psalm finishes and it finishes with a plea for help. Usually David ends his Psalms with resolution but to me this shows that sometime our devotion and time doesn't seem to produce any end result. What we shouldn't do though is give up trying. There's 125 Psalms to go so it's clear David still had reasons to talk to God even though sometimes there didn't seem a point.
And that's your lot for today. Yesterday's song was correctly identified by Jame-us as the horrific Melanie Chisolm and is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Today's readings
Exodus 35:1-36:38
Mark 7:31-8:13
Psalm 25:16-22
So Moses tells the people what God wants of them. I like how he does it though. He starts by making sure people realise that even though this will be a big task requiring a lot of effort, the people must ensure that they have time to rest and refocus on God. I know that sometimes I get caught up in work and especially something that I'm passionate about for God, and then I lose track of Him because I'm working so hard myself. God will honour our time spent just with Him as well as working for Him. And in fact look at the rest of chapter 35 and 36. The Israelites have this huge shopping list of needs and God meets those needs through moving His people to action so much so that Moses has to tell people to stop giving! Only by taking the time to spend with God can He work through us and make us do more than we ought to be capable of.
Into the New Testament we barge and Jesus is being the action man again. There's some discussion among Bible scholars as to whether the 4000 people being fed was just someone retelling the feeding of the 5000. It certainly has a very similar pattern. Most scholars think that Mark's gospel was written as Peter the disciple's recollection of his time with Jesus and so it is very brief and full of spectacular moments. Does this mean Peter got confused and told the same story twice? It's possible certainly but I think that getting hung up on that misses the fact that Jesus one way or another did this incredible thing! It's interesting to me that His miracles sometimes come easily and sometimes come with strain but always involve prayer. Jesus knows that the power He has to perform miracles is from that reflection of God we all have but His is so much brighter thanks to Him being completely God Himself.If we tap into our reflection we can also achieve the unbelievable. God can multiply our work into massive blessings or can make our lives richer with the love and happiness that comes from loving other people and living for peace. This is fantastic news surely!
Finally our Psalm finishes and it finishes with a plea for help. Usually David ends his Psalms with resolution but to me this shows that sometime our devotion and time doesn't seem to produce any end result. What we shouldn't do though is give up trying. There's 125 Psalms to go so it's clear David still had reasons to talk to God even though sometimes there didn't seem a point.
And that's your lot for today. Yesterday's song was correctly identified by Jame-us as the horrific Melanie Chisolm and is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Sunday 24 October 2010
Day 54 - I Turn To You
Silly Sundays always making me forget the blog because of church. Three days until I'm paid for doing something other than looking at the jobcentre website! Hurrah! Been spending most of today helping Harper clean up his downstairs so this his much better half has a least some semblance of normality. Of course her car then broke down near Carlisle so we'd have had to get the 60 minute make over team to really make an impression! Fun times though. Onto business then,
Today's readings
Exodus 33:7-34:35
Mark 7:1-30
Psalm 25:8-15
So first of all we've got Moses being in charge of the people getting God's word. What struck me straight away is verse 12-13. Here's Moses, witnessing massive things, receiving revolutionary laws and having the strength of character to lead a huge amount of people and yet he still privately quibbles with God. In public he's this stern face at the front of the tent who will hear God's word and the people are impressed but in private he's still questioning where God is in situations. I find that encouraging that God has made us human and enquiring and doubting too for our own safety. But also I find it encouraging that even when we get really close to God, it's not necessarily a fault of our own which makes us doubt, rather it happens to the best of us. But look at God's response to our questioning. He doesn't answer Moses' questions direct, He instead repeats His promise. Moses keeps demanding more to help him lead the Israelites and this is clearly a massively vital part of God's work for the future and yet God still puts a limit on what He will do. I think that it's important to realise that a no from God doesn't mean that what we are doing can't be done or isn't with Him, just that He might want us to put more of ourselves into it as Moses here seems more scared and shy than in desperate need. A no from God doesn't mean your problem isn't important to Him. It means that something else needs to happen.
And in fact Moses in the next chapter is blessed by God to such an extent that when he returns to his people, his face is shining bright with God's love and authority. We talk about being a light to the world and I think this is both symbolic and possibly miraculous here because Moses wasn't shining thanks to power within him because God hadn't changed him. He was shining because he had spent time with God and trusted His word so that the truth of God's love and provision shone out of him. Now not everyone will be provided for in this way and I think it's interesting that the miracles God lists are very specific so we shouldn't assume He will do anything we ask, but I do believe that God can work through anybody who seeks Him and His will, questioning what they believe when they have to but always looking for the answer and reassurance to come from God.
Into the New Testament we zoom and Jesus is rebuking the Pharisees for a change! But this is new stuff from Matthew and it's important to consider it. Jesus seems to talk about a fair few topics here and I'm going to focus on one in particular but feel free to comment if you want to point out other things. Though I know you won't ;) Jesus pulls up the Pharisees for bending God's law to suit their own lives and fit in with their own interpretations. Now a lot of people take this as meaning that God's law is fundamentally as it is written but I don't think that's the point here, nor do I think that fits in with the rest of Jesus teachings about fulfilling and changing the law Himself! I think Jesus' point here is one of motivation. It doesn't matter what you are doing outwardly no matter how helpful or holy it seems unless your motivation is true. There's a saying that the road to hell is paved with good intentions but I think that's not true as long as those good intentions are coming from God and are full of love, justice and acceptance. To me Jesus is saying that we should follow God's will because we want to and when it challenges how we live then we need to change our attitudes rather than misinterpreting or misrepresenting the way something was written. Stick to the truths that God loves each and every one of us equally and that He wants us to love each other just the same. Work from there!
There's a nice parallel also with the miracle here. Now Jesus appears to not have time for this woman and tells her to queue up. There's even a hint of racism as Mark goes to lengths to point out that she wasn't an Israelite. But I think that Jesus here is trying to be reasonable but is impressed by the woman's tenacity and faith that He will help her, regardless of how big the problem seems or how unsuitable most might think her to be. Just like Moses being unrelenting with God, the woman asks and asks again with a strong faith and Jesus responds with the blessing that He would have given anyway but gave out sooner due to her dogged pursuit of His will and His power. Change can happen in the world and in us but we'll only get it if we make sure our eyes are on Jesus and our will is unfaltering in seeking Him out.
Finally we go back to our Psalm and what is David saying but everything I want to in more impressive and clear terminology! The God worshipers are like arrows aimed at God's bull's-eye. God confides in His worshipers. Keeping our eyes on God stops us tripping over our own thoughts and solutions. Hallelujiah for days like this when it all fits into place eh?
And that's your lot for today. Bit longer and much later. We shall see how paid employment affects the bloggity. Yesterday's song is here though the video ought to be 12a at least with all the nudity... Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Today's readings
Exodus 33:7-34:35
Mark 7:1-30
Psalm 25:8-15
So first of all we've got Moses being in charge of the people getting God's word. What struck me straight away is verse 12-13. Here's Moses, witnessing massive things, receiving revolutionary laws and having the strength of character to lead a huge amount of people and yet he still privately quibbles with God. In public he's this stern face at the front of the tent who will hear God's word and the people are impressed but in private he's still questioning where God is in situations. I find that encouraging that God has made us human and enquiring and doubting too for our own safety. But also I find it encouraging that even when we get really close to God, it's not necessarily a fault of our own which makes us doubt, rather it happens to the best of us. But look at God's response to our questioning. He doesn't answer Moses' questions direct, He instead repeats His promise. Moses keeps demanding more to help him lead the Israelites and this is clearly a massively vital part of God's work for the future and yet God still puts a limit on what He will do. I think that it's important to realise that a no from God doesn't mean that what we are doing can't be done or isn't with Him, just that He might want us to put more of ourselves into it as Moses here seems more scared and shy than in desperate need. A no from God doesn't mean your problem isn't important to Him. It means that something else needs to happen.
And in fact Moses in the next chapter is blessed by God to such an extent that when he returns to his people, his face is shining bright with God's love and authority. We talk about being a light to the world and I think this is both symbolic and possibly miraculous here because Moses wasn't shining thanks to power within him because God hadn't changed him. He was shining because he had spent time with God and trusted His word so that the truth of God's love and provision shone out of him. Now not everyone will be provided for in this way and I think it's interesting that the miracles God lists are very specific so we shouldn't assume He will do anything we ask, but I do believe that God can work through anybody who seeks Him and His will, questioning what they believe when they have to but always looking for the answer and reassurance to come from God.
Into the New Testament we zoom and Jesus is rebuking the Pharisees for a change! But this is new stuff from Matthew and it's important to consider it. Jesus seems to talk about a fair few topics here and I'm going to focus on one in particular but feel free to comment if you want to point out other things. Though I know you won't ;) Jesus pulls up the Pharisees for bending God's law to suit their own lives and fit in with their own interpretations. Now a lot of people take this as meaning that God's law is fundamentally as it is written but I don't think that's the point here, nor do I think that fits in with the rest of Jesus teachings about fulfilling and changing the law Himself! I think Jesus' point here is one of motivation. It doesn't matter what you are doing outwardly no matter how helpful or holy it seems unless your motivation is true. There's a saying that the road to hell is paved with good intentions but I think that's not true as long as those good intentions are coming from God and are full of love, justice and acceptance. To me Jesus is saying that we should follow God's will because we want to and when it challenges how we live then we need to change our attitudes rather than misinterpreting or misrepresenting the way something was written. Stick to the truths that God loves each and every one of us equally and that He wants us to love each other just the same. Work from there!
There's a nice parallel also with the miracle here. Now Jesus appears to not have time for this woman and tells her to queue up. There's even a hint of racism as Mark goes to lengths to point out that she wasn't an Israelite. But I think that Jesus here is trying to be reasonable but is impressed by the woman's tenacity and faith that He will help her, regardless of how big the problem seems or how unsuitable most might think her to be. Just like Moses being unrelenting with God, the woman asks and asks again with a strong faith and Jesus responds with the blessing that He would have given anyway but gave out sooner due to her dogged pursuit of His will and His power. Change can happen in the world and in us but we'll only get it if we make sure our eyes are on Jesus and our will is unfaltering in seeking Him out.
Finally we go back to our Psalm and what is David saying but everything I want to in more impressive and clear terminology! The God worshipers are like arrows aimed at God's bull's-eye. God confides in His worshipers. Keeping our eyes on God stops us tripping over our own thoughts and solutions. Hallelujiah for days like this when it all fits into place eh?
And that's your lot for today. Bit longer and much later. We shall see how paid employment affects the bloggity. Yesterday's song is here though the video ought to be 12a at least with all the nudity... Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
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