I've been having a lovely lazy day today. Listening to podcasts, not getting my jeans on till after lunchtime, getting told I might get my redundancy at long last. It's a day of Sun through the window and smiles on Jon's face. Oh I suppose I should do my very quick film review. I ended up going to see Jonah Hex because Scott Pilgrim vs the World had just started when we got there (bloomin Pizza Express forgetting about us and making us late...) Now I only went to see Jonah because it's a comic film and I tend to have to watch them even though I know I'll be disappointed. For what it was, it wasn't that bad. It was a pretty standard cowboy film with a few explosions thrown in. John Malkovich did nothing and I bet they spent far too much money getting him to play the villain which they could have spent on more effects. I also have a problem with Megan Fox loving a man that looks like Jonah Hex. Google him and you'll see what I mean. Overall, it's rentable if you're into westerns but not worth it otherwise. On to business then!
Today’s readings
Genesis 19:1-20:18
Matthew 7:24-8:22
Psalm 7:1-9
I really don't think I'm going to type that much today although there is a lot we could cover. Genesis has some really tough and confusing words today. First you have Sodom. Now anytime there are angels involved, things can get confusing and you might not think it's factual. That's up to you but I'd urge you to look for the truth behind the story. Personally I believe (just like westlife) in angels and that God can protect people in bizarre ways. Now these two angels had been sent to find virtuous men remember? They get to the city and find Lot and are happy to sleep outside in the street. Lot insists they come in but it's not because he is being massively hospitable. Instead he knows that the way the city works is that strangers get attacked, raped and probably killed. Lot comes off in these two chapters as being essentially good but continually scared. He's afraid to stay in the city when he hears of its destruction but he's slow to leave because it's the only life he understands. He's scared of going to the mountains so goes to the small town but then is scared of staying in Zohar and ends up back in the mountains. Remember when we first met Lot and he chose all the fantastic lush land to settle in? What went wrong? To me this is a clear lesson of how you have to remember God in the fortunate times. If we cry out for God in the troubled times but then forget about what He would want when things go well then we're not going to stay prosperous in Him.
A quick word about the whole Lot being raped by his daughters. Obviously this is mega not ok and it shows just how much humanity needed God to give them laws. So much wicked behaviour happens in our world today because people accept it as normal. Injustice and slavery only exist because they are established and accepted. The child sex trade in India is obviously wrong but people are used to it. This to me is a lesson in keeping your mind fresh with God's rights and wrongs so that you don't become desensitized to evil.
The other big message of Sodom is of course one of redemption. Now reading this today and having it fresh in my mind has shown me a different side to the story. What used to seem like an act of punishment and fury is actually a form of salvation. The angels say that they have come because of the cries of the victims within the town. God is obviously condemning the behaviour but He's doing it because it is damaging to so many people. If we sin and it messes us up then that's bad but when our sin directly hurts other people, God's not going to stand for it.
Genesis continues with Abraham once again being an idiot when it comes to lying about who his wife is. I can't believe that Abraham is doing the exact same thing to get himself in trouble. It must have been hard to remember that God was with him and keep that faith when he was still just wandering and without children but really... Abraham's sin damages a lot of people here. It nearly costs Abimelech his life, it could have cost Abraham and all his people their lives. It meant that women stopped having children whilst Sarah was there. Just so much potential disaster because Abraham, even with his flimsy and somewhat disturbing loophole, can't trust that God will keep him safe and keep His promise to him.
Into the New Testament and we have the end of the Sermon on the Mount which rather beautifully ties in with the previous passage. All of these sins were because people had no foundation in God. Jesus says that the wise man roots his whole life on the reliable truths of God. Connect 2, our lesson on Sunday about holding onto truths to break misconceptions. This is the sort of thing that I was trying to say. If we keep our mind fixed on what God has promised us then we stay with a head that's full of a God type of attitude.
I love the picture Matthew paints at the end of the chapter with Jesus being cheered not just for his words but for how He lives them to the full unlike the other teachers. CHALLENGE!!!
Matthew could have stopped his gospel there really considering that's the most amazing teaching in the Bible (in my humble opinion) but he continues by showing Jesus not just being a man of great ideas but also a man of action. First he heals aa leper but it's his interaction with the Roman Captain which is fantastic to read. What I like most in this is that Jesus' is surprised. That to me is His fully human side. Now I believe that God knows everything but I could imagine it being very boring knowing exactly what we'll do. This shows though that God and Jesus can have emotional reactions to our choices. I love the idea of Jesus being taken aback with one man's huge faith. There's a challenge here to remember that just because we are Christians and some of us have been a part of church all of our lives, we don't have all the answers and should always be trusting God no matter how familiar He might become.
Our New Testament passage finishes today with a short bit of Jesus talking to people wanting to follow Him. Quite simply Jesus says that He should be your first priority. Can't argue with that and it's something we'll touch on throughout the year but in all things, Jesus can help you and support you so obviously He should be your first priority.
And finally our Psalm. David's again panicking. Again shouting. It's strange isn't it that so many of these opening Psalms are cries for help. I think that to me shows how easy it is to talk to God when we're needing things and how little comparitively we say the thank you and the sorry stuff, unless it's tied into the help and please stuff. There's a quick homework challenge for you all. In your prayer time today or tomorrow just say thanks and sorry. Focus on what God's done and what his forgiveness will do for you. David here is saying to God that he accepts that his sins must be punished but that he also knows in God there is a sense of being made ready and right for living. What a fantastic summary of today's readings!
So that's all for today. Hope you're keeping up alright. Anyone want to comment with their favourite verse or story so far? Questions, criticisms and feedback welcome as ever
Jon
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