I appear to have misplaced my bible in a year... I think it's down the side of my sofa but i'm on my message until it reappears so apologies for the crossed translations. I had one feedback to me doing my vlog so I think i'm going to post one up this week at some point covering everything that we've done so far in a fairly short and chatty Jon way :)
Today I've mostly been mulling around in a bit of a stupor as I stayed up far too late last night. I of course blame this entirely on this blog having to be written and me forgetting to do it. So in fact it's all your fault for reading it!! But check me out making sure I'm doing it on time, if not early, today. Off out to the sillyma later to see a film of something so I have to make sure I'm posted within the next half and hour. Best get a move on then. On to business
Today’s readings
Genesis 17:1-18:33
Matthew 6:25-7:23
Proverbs 1:8-19
We start today with a passage that's just... ow. All the girls are giggling at the poor grimaces on the boys' faces. First of all God reminds Abram that he's going to have a huge family and Abram just doesn't seem to get it as God continually tells him this, albeit over 20+ years. At the start of this passage Abram's clearly forgotten (he is getting on a bit after all) and falls flat with surprise at the news. Then God brings out the big news. That Abram is now going to be called Abraham and his wife be called Sarah. Why change the names? Well God wants to show that Abraham and all his family belong to God and so as well as... what we'll come onto in a minute, God renames Abraham so he belongs to Him. I remember when my Gran and Grandad got a new dog from a rescue shelter and it came with a name but that wasn't the name they picked at it was a name that the dog had been given by people that had hurt and abused him. So they gave him a new name along with his new start. This seems very similar to me.
And then there's the other sign... All the blokes had to cut of a bit of their *ahem* to show that they belonged to God. Now I can understand doing it to new borns (the 8 day rule was probably to ensure that the baby would be strong enough to survive the operation) but imagine having to go to the doctor as an adult and ask for that to be done. And then imagine having to do it without any anaesthetic, any surgical instruments, just whatever you'd use to cut your dinner with most likely. OW!!! But Mike made an interesting point on the Soul Survivor blog. This is probably the bit of a guy that we're most keen to keep safe. And yet for God we have to risk everything. There's no holding back a little bit of our lives from what He wants from us. Challenging stuff...
The passage continues with an interesting interlude where Abraham is visited by three strangers. They say they'll be back to see Sarah have a child and then God straight away says that He'll be back to see Sarah have a child. Now this to me is another example of the Trinity existing throughout the Bible.
That's followed up by the start of the downfall of Sodom. Now Sodom is a problem for a lot of Christians and non Christians as it seems hard to accept a loving God destroying a city for their sin. The usual argument is that God is just and He is punishing the city for their sins. But I think what is more interesting is how God's actions are a direct consequence of prayer. He says He's heard the people crying out. He then talks to Abraham about the situation and again listens to prayer and acts upon it. Obviously God knew that there weren't any righteous people in Sodom but He listened to Abraham. Sometimes we pray as though God doesn't realise what's going on. But God does know and He does listen. But He also knows much more than us and just because we're praying for something it doesn't mean it can or ought to happen. God knows the bigger picture most certainly.
Onto the New Testament and we continue the Sermon on the Mount. We start with a brilliant bit about not worrying. It's so hard to not get caught up in the realities of life and to see that things just aren't as great as we want them to be. And then we start fretting that we're not doing enough or the right thing in the situation. But by doing that we're wasting time. There's nothing we can do in certain situations beyond trust that God has His plan and seek out that plan. It's incredibly hard to do this at times and I hope that I remember this passage as time passes where I don't have a job but I believe (certainly at the moment!) that God has moved me around this last year because He knows what He is doing.
There's an interesting verse that I've never really thought about until I read it in my Message translation (and that's saying something considering the amount of essays I've written on these three chapters!) in Chapter 7 verse 6 the NIV says "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces." Which sounds very much like a warning to keep your valuable things safe. Maybe Jesus is talking about love and family as He doesn't usually talk about money.
But the Message translation says this "Don't be flip with the sacred. Banter and silliness give no honor to God. Don't reduce holy mysteries to slogans. In trying to be relevant, you're only being cute and inviting sacrilege." Now that's a jaw dropper for me. I know that God has a sense of humour and values laughter. In today's Old Testament passage he chooses Issac as a name because it means laughter. But God is saying that you have to be very careful when it comes to talking with Him, about Him or spending time for Him not to become flippant and jokey. I'm very guilty of this at times and I'm sure others are but here's Jesus specifically telling us to remember to respect the time we have with God and to give it the seriousness it deserves. By all means have a laugh when it's right to but if you're praying, worshipping or listening to His word then you should give God the opportunity to speak to you by giving Him the respect He deserves.
The passage finishes off with a further reminder that we'll get what we need and want if we ask for it and are ready to receive. People sometimes think that if you don't get an answer then God isn't there but if you're speaking to someone you have to listen. If you're knocking on a door you have to wait around for it to be answered. If you're searching for something you have to look and not just hope someone points it out. Jesus is true in saying that God will provide for us but we don't just get it by asking. We have to be ready and alert to receive His blessings. Finally there's a warning against other paths to God and the fact that there aren't any! Jesus warns against quick fixes and about showy Christianity. He tells us again not to be all about ego when it comes to God but to realise that we're a) way below God but b) equal to everyone else no matter what we do.
Finally our Proverbs. We start with a very important proverb about listening to your parents. Now this one gets trickier with the way the world changes and a lot of times our parents seem less and less wise but this proverb isn't just saying listen to them I think. I think it's also telling you to see how they act and to take that as an example, whether it's a good or a bad one. Don't make all the mistakes yourself if someone older than you has already made them for you. And then finally a rather obvious point about not robbing people. I'm hoping we don't need to study that one! There is a secondary warning in there too about trusting people that hurt other people. Be very careful who you deem trustworthy in your life and think about if they've proven they can be trusted.
And that's my lot. Off I go to the sillyma. Possibly to see Karate Kid, possibly Toy Story 3 if it's still on. I'll feedback tomorrow. Comments, criticisms and questions welcome as always.
Jon
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