Day 19 - Never Forget

So church today was interesting... I wasn't in for long and Connect was slightly derailed by sugar filled boys. Lots of fun though!! Off out tonight for more Connect goodness so getting the blog up nice and early. This hopefully will become a regular occurence! Onto business then,


Today’s readings:

Genesis 38:1-39:23
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2038-39&version=MSG
Matthew 13:36-58
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2013:36-58&version=MSG
Psalm 11:1-7
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2011&version=MSG


Lots of things to talk about today so this might be a long one. You've now got my permission to get yourself a cup of tea before you carry on! Ok we ready? Well our reading today starts the with the story of Judah and Tamar which, quite frankly, is one of the most bizarre things I've read so far in the Bible. This is definitely the sort of story that won't make it into a junior Bible! The first thing that hit me about this story was how God just seems to kill Judah's sons for an infraction that isn't even mentioned. This is a bit challenging really as we've read about some pretty vile stuff so far but the author of Genesis at this point doesn't disclose the details of their sin. Now this might be because it was even grimmer than previous sins or it might be that it just wasn't important. I think this is a bit scary and that's actually a good thing. Too many times we rely on God as this all loving being that will always look out for us and that's true. But we need to remember how powerful He is and how He has to deliver justice on sin. Now the fantastic thing about the gospel is that Jesus' death is the ultimate price for our sin and God won't have to deliver that same brand of justice. But still, we should be wary of God and respectful of His power. Sometimes we can forget just how amazing He is and lose track of the awesome blessing we've received.

Secondly is the fact that Jacob's family once again has issues with where they put their privates... Crofty makes a great point about this on the vlog today and one that I hadn't realised till he said it. In Matthew chapter 1 which we read on Day 1, the family line of Jesus doesn't go through Joseph, who comes out the best of Jacob's sons, but through Perez who is the product of this awful state of affairs between Judah and Tamar. It's really wrong what they both did, Tamar trying to purposefully trick her father in law and Judah using a prostitute, but God worked within that sin and made a blessing come from it. Sometimes we get really hung up on the things we do wrong and panic about how we can never change them. The sin gets in the way of us living our lives and stops us seeing God. It's like all these problems rise up and make us think that God's nowhere but after we die. That's dangerous and yet really easy to get into. I'd encourage everyone to think about their last month and try and find those blessings that you should be thanking God for, no matter how small. Remember that God is involved in every aspect of our lives, even the secret, scary stuff and He will work through that without us even realising.

Told you we had a lot to talk about! Joseph's story continues with the story of Potiphar's wife and how refreshing is it to have an Old Testament story where someone doesn't sleep with someone else! Joseph's actions here seem like a direct comparison to all the rubbish that has gone before. And what happens? Well his situation seems to get worse and worse but every step along the way God provides for him and blesses him so that even in prison, he's instantly safe and being valued. Serving God isn't a pointless adventure. It might be rubbish at times and it might never seem to get better but God is always there. Just like He is there in our secrets and in our sins, He's there in the bad times and never forgets us, never lets us go. If you have asked God for help then He'll be giving it you, it just might not be that obvious

Into the New Testament we traverse (finding new verbs each day is going to be a fun challenge!). Jesus first of all explains the parable yesterday of the wheat and thorns. What I like about this is how the disciples wait until they're away from the crowd before they admit they didn't get what Jesus was talking about. Sometimes we feel the pressure on us as Christians to have the answers and be flawless in public but Jesus doesn't care and will explain and show the answers to our questions whenever we come to Him. Then we get a few parables about how glorious it is to find the truth. Now here the truth could be many things. It could be the saving grace of Jesus, the fact that God loves us, the fact that the Kingdom of God is going to come or even the truth behind the teachings Jesus gives us. We should be ecstatic when we work out any part of this truth. If you've been reading your Bible and discovered something you hadn't previously thought about then give yourself a huge pat on the back! I also like how the people in the parables act. Their behaviour is really odd unless you know the full story. Sometimes our passion for God will make us act strangely and we shouldn't be scared of that because God is in that situation and gets really excited and happy when we get a bit crazy with joy for Him!

Lastly into the Psalms and we get a complete Psalm today. And wow. I should say that I write this blog in chunks. Reading and praying over each section of the Bible and then typing my thoughts. Well if this Psalm doesn't reinforce what I'm feeling then I don't know what does. David is saying that when he's scared or in trouble he doesn't need to run away and take refuge in God because God is already there in the situation. Hallelujiah folks! In every trouble and turmoil we are shoulder to shoulder with our Lord and He is working in that situation to bless us because of the commitment we have made. Keep your faith strong and your mind open people. Realise that God is there in everything even when you forget that He is. Have a heart that rejoices in your salvation and in how doing God's work leads to daily blessings both big and small!

And that's your lot. REALLY got a lot out of today and feel enthused to go talk to Connect tonight and get through another week of job searching. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always

Jon