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
Saturday 30 October 2010
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
facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Saturday 23 October 2010
Day 53 - Pray
Hey gang. Going to get this done now before I forget. Plus I'm thinking God at the start/middle of the day is better than right at the end. Onto business then,
Today's readings
Exodus 31:1-33:6
Mark 6:30-56
Psalm 25:1-7
So we start with God finishing his instructions to Moses and the reason I wanted to talk about this is how God gives this huge list of demands to Moses but then points out that even though it seems intimidating, God has already provided all the people that Moses will need. I like that sometimes God seems to work backwards but I think what happens next shows that if people get given the workers and the skills before we hear the message or the calling then things can go wrong. Get your purpose from God before you apply yourself for Him.
What follows is one of my most challenging passages. First of all you've got the Israelites who never seem to stop doubting God working for them and so look to something physical that they can worship. How often do we fall in this trap of wanting God to give us something concrete and obvious to help us believe. Faith doesn't require proof or miracles to sustain it. Focusing on God will give us the blessings and peace to keep going.
But what really makes me struggle with this passage is how Moses changes God's mind. I think it's fascinating to think that we could plead our case to God and He would change His mind. Now obviously He will change His mind on one thing at least, when He lets us into heaven thanks to Jesus' sacrifice. But on other things? Can we make God change His mind? Does this make us know more than God? Tricky stuff... I think that when we are created in the image of God we retain a small aspect of that divine nature in us and so God's true nature is made up of all our reflections. Like a pane of glass shattered into billions of pieces. So maybe that means when we pray change can happen in God's heart because the prayer comes from the bit of God in us rather than our own desires or concerns. So prayer is a vital part of our lives. Something which can really make a difference in our and in other people's lives.
Into the New Testament we grind and we're back into two familiar miracles. But I think these fit with what we've just thought about. Jesus prays to bless the food and changes lives with His prayer. People are fed miraculously because of prayer. Then we have the stilling of the storm and Jesus walking on water and here again it is the power of Jesus intervening and saving lives. We need to be praying but we need to make sure our prayers are of God and wanting change to happen for the right reasons.
Finally we start a new Psalm and David is asking here for forgiveness. Again, his prayer is asking for mercy and a change in God's heart. If we're genuine with God and follow His will then we will see His wisdom and desires all the more clearly. I'd also encourage you to read these Psalms and highlight away. There's a lot of similar stuff here but the verses are well worth coming back to!
And that's your lot. Short and sweet again. Yesterday's song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
Today's readings
Exodus 31:1-33:6
Mark 6:30-56
Psalm 25:1-7
So we start with God finishing his instructions to Moses and the reason I wanted to talk about this is how God gives this huge list of demands to Moses but then points out that even though it seems intimidating, God has already provided all the people that Moses will need. I like that sometimes God seems to work backwards but I think what happens next shows that if people get given the workers and the skills before we hear the message or the calling then things can go wrong. Get your purpose from God before you apply yourself for Him.
What follows is one of my most challenging passages. First of all you've got the Israelites who never seem to stop doubting God working for them and so look to something physical that they can worship. How often do we fall in this trap of wanting God to give us something concrete and obvious to help us believe. Faith doesn't require proof or miracles to sustain it. Focusing on God will give us the blessings and peace to keep going.
But what really makes me struggle with this passage is how Moses changes God's mind. I think it's fascinating to think that we could plead our case to God and He would change His mind. Now obviously He will change His mind on one thing at least, when He lets us into heaven thanks to Jesus' sacrifice. But on other things? Can we make God change His mind? Does this make us know more than God? Tricky stuff... I think that when we are created in the image of God we retain a small aspect of that divine nature in us and so God's true nature is made up of all our reflections. Like a pane of glass shattered into billions of pieces. So maybe that means when we pray change can happen in God's heart because the prayer comes from the bit of God in us rather than our own desires or concerns. So prayer is a vital part of our lives. Something which can really make a difference in our and in other people's lives.
Into the New Testament we grind and we're back into two familiar miracles. But I think these fit with what we've just thought about. Jesus prays to bless the food and changes lives with His prayer. People are fed miraculously because of prayer. Then we have the stilling of the storm and Jesus walking on water and here again it is the power of Jesus intervening and saving lives. We need to be praying but we need to make sure our prayers are of God and wanting change to happen for the right reasons.
Finally we start a new Psalm and David is asking here for forgiveness. Again, his prayer is asking for mercy and a change in God's heart. If we're genuine with God and follow His will then we will see His wisdom and desires all the more clearly. I'd also encourage you to read these Psalms and highlight away. There's a lot of similar stuff here but the verses are well worth coming back to!
And that's your lot. Short and sweet again. Yesterday's song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
Friday 22 October 2010
Day 52 - If You Leave Me Now
Hey gang. I've noticed my hit counter's not rising as rapidly. Sigh. Looks like we're the hardcore remnants! I shall have to stir up interest again somehow. Possibly by making sure these go up during daylight. Onto business then,
Today's readings
Exodus 29:1-30:38
Mark 6:6b-29
Proverbs 5:15-23
Exodus is more laws and it's all stuff that's so detailed it's hard to get a sense of meaning from it. I think that this is still the case of God expecting His people to be focused on Him but also I think that it shows just how much the people would have to go to so that they felt acceptable to come to God. While reading this I just kept wondering why the early church thought it should be included in the Bible. Just because the Jewish faith included it? Well no, I think God put it here for a reason and I think that is to show us how lucky we are that we can come to God with whatever problem we have, whatever time of the day. Take advantage that there are no hoops to jump through or rules to follow with God. We just talk and He listens.
Into the New Testament we motor and we read of John the Baptist's execution. I like how it describes John as having something about him that Herod had to keep coming back to even though all John did was make Herod feel guilty. To me that's an amazing example of God being inside someone. When you see someone so commited to the work of God in their lives that they actually make you feel humble and guilty that you aren't doing more. Herod knew that when he looked at John, he was looking at God and being judged for his weaknesses. And God gives him chance after chance to change, compelling him to return to John time and again. But ultimately it's down to choice and even though, as king, he could have told Salome to pick something else, he turned his back on his heart and on God in order to stay in the same old rut. Feeling bad about yourself isn't a sin. It's often a calling to do something to change your situation. And if that something can be a way of spreading God's love and justice in the world then what a fantastic positon we'll be in!
Finally our Proverbs continue and we're reading about appreciating what you've got for the time you've got it. Specifically in marriage but this does apply to all sorts of situations. There are relationships we have that we might get bored of or tired of. Whether it's parents and siblings or friends who just won't stop demanding our time and attention, there are people we wish we could just toss aside. But this is warning us that the benefits and blessings we get from that person will be lost to us. Jesus was never in the habit of turning people away. People rejected Him certainly and He sometimes made it hard for people but He never told them to leave Him and not come back so to speak. Nor would He ignore those who wanted His attention. I think this portion of Proverbs is warning us about the dangers of ignoring the steadfast and reliable blessings in search of the more exciting and dangerous life we could have.I know that yesterday I was talking about taking chances and risks but I think this is different. We should be risking ourselves in doing God's work and in trying things we might not think we're suited to. But doing those things shouldn't leave behind the people that God has put in our lives.
And that's your lot for today. Three pretty disparate passages and dealt with nice and quick. Not that anybody seems to be reading these anymore! :p Why not remind Jon you read with a comment here or on facebook.com/british.hedgehog? Yesterday's song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
Today's readings
Exodus 29:1-30:38
Mark 6:6b-29
Proverbs 5:15-23
Exodus is more laws and it's all stuff that's so detailed it's hard to get a sense of meaning from it. I think that this is still the case of God expecting His people to be focused on Him but also I think that it shows just how much the people would have to go to so that they felt acceptable to come to God. While reading this I just kept wondering why the early church thought it should be included in the Bible. Just because the Jewish faith included it? Well no, I think God put it here for a reason and I think that is to show us how lucky we are that we can come to God with whatever problem we have, whatever time of the day. Take advantage that there are no hoops to jump through or rules to follow with God. We just talk and He listens.
Into the New Testament we motor and we read of John the Baptist's execution. I like how it describes John as having something about him that Herod had to keep coming back to even though all John did was make Herod feel guilty. To me that's an amazing example of God being inside someone. When you see someone so commited to the work of God in their lives that they actually make you feel humble and guilty that you aren't doing more. Herod knew that when he looked at John, he was looking at God and being judged for his weaknesses. And God gives him chance after chance to change, compelling him to return to John time and again. But ultimately it's down to choice and even though, as king, he could have told Salome to pick something else, he turned his back on his heart and on God in order to stay in the same old rut. Feeling bad about yourself isn't a sin. It's often a calling to do something to change your situation. And if that something can be a way of spreading God's love and justice in the world then what a fantastic positon we'll be in!
Finally our Proverbs continue and we're reading about appreciating what you've got for the time you've got it. Specifically in marriage but this does apply to all sorts of situations. There are relationships we have that we might get bored of or tired of. Whether it's parents and siblings or friends who just won't stop demanding our time and attention, there are people we wish we could just toss aside. But this is warning us that the benefits and blessings we get from that person will be lost to us. Jesus was never in the habit of turning people away. People rejected Him certainly and He sometimes made it hard for people but He never told them to leave Him and not come back so to speak. Nor would He ignore those who wanted His attention. I think this portion of Proverbs is warning us about the dangers of ignoring the steadfast and reliable blessings in search of the more exciting and dangerous life we could have.I know that yesterday I was talking about taking chances and risks but I think this is different. We should be risking ourselves in doing God's work and in trying things we might not think we're suited to. But doing those things shouldn't leave behind the people that God has put in our lives.
And that's your lot for today. Three pretty disparate passages and dealt with nice and quick. Not that anybody seems to be reading these anymore! :p Why not remind Jon you read with a comment here or on facebook.com/british.hedgehog? Yesterday's song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
Thursday 21 October 2010
Day 51 - Take A Chance On Me
Thought I'd treat everyone to a nice early one today. Off into town later and thought I'd get myself a bit of God's truth first. Onto business then,
Today's readings
Exodus 27:1-28:43
Mark 5:21-6:6a
Psalm 24:1-10
Exodus carries on with lots of instructions. The only thing that I could think while reading this is that God seems to be asking an awful lot of the Israelites here. They're still wandering through the wilderness and yet He wants them to find all this gold and all of these gems. Now maybe these instructions weren't carried out straight away and it wasn't till they were a more established people that they implemented all of the bits God ahd asked for. But it still seems like a huge amount of work and attention to detail. It's certainly not as user friendly as Ikea instructions. But I think that this is something we have to accept. Doing God's work does have benefits. It should mean that people live a life that has more justice and love within it. But it is work and it can be hard work that seems to big for us. What's important though is that God wants us to try to carry it out, aided by His grace and power. It might not work and it might look rubbish but God grades on effort not attainment. We need to be willing if not capable!
Into the New Testament we swerve and Jesus is still in action mode. I love how Mark just focuses on these amazing displays of power, his awe and enthusiasm at Jesus is obvious to spot. So we've the miracle of the woman and her bleeding, then Jairus' daughter being awoken after appearing dead. Both of these show people believing beyond belief. Jairus was told his daughter had died and still trusted Jesus to heal her, even though people started to mock him and Jesus. The woman was terrified Jesus would rebuke her but instead He praised her daring. I think that Jesus wants us to come to Him and kind of finds it funny that we don't always embrace Him rather than just reaching out for a quick touch. But I think these both fit in with our Exodus reading. God wants our effort and our enthusiasm. He knows that this world is in a bad shape and needs a lot of work but He wants our faith that if we try to fix things, He will work through us and in us, regardless of our abilities.
And that's shown in the next passage. Jesus wants to work with everyone but if we're stubborn or dismissive of Him then He won't do much at all. Jesus ensures that the people who did come to Him were helped but He was unable to do more because people didn't want to risk being seen as foolish or following someone they thought they knew everything about but yet missed the bigger picture.
Finally our Psalm today and to me David is not just marvelling at God's power but also realising how little we can achieve towards bringing love and justice to the world, without first focusing on God. This world is God's and we need to defer to Him when it comes to what needs to change and how it should happen.
And that's your lot for today. Yesterday's tune is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
Today's readings
Exodus 27:1-28:43
Mark 5:21-6:6a
Psalm 24:1-10
Exodus carries on with lots of instructions. The only thing that I could think while reading this is that God seems to be asking an awful lot of the Israelites here. They're still wandering through the wilderness and yet He wants them to find all this gold and all of these gems. Now maybe these instructions weren't carried out straight away and it wasn't till they were a more established people that they implemented all of the bits God ahd asked for. But it still seems like a huge amount of work and attention to detail. It's certainly not as user friendly as Ikea instructions. But I think that this is something we have to accept. Doing God's work does have benefits. It should mean that people live a life that has more justice and love within it. But it is work and it can be hard work that seems to big for us. What's important though is that God wants us to try to carry it out, aided by His grace and power. It might not work and it might look rubbish but God grades on effort not attainment. We need to be willing if not capable!
Into the New Testament we swerve and Jesus is still in action mode. I love how Mark just focuses on these amazing displays of power, his awe and enthusiasm at Jesus is obvious to spot. So we've the miracle of the woman and her bleeding, then Jairus' daughter being awoken after appearing dead. Both of these show people believing beyond belief. Jairus was told his daughter had died and still trusted Jesus to heal her, even though people started to mock him and Jesus. The woman was terrified Jesus would rebuke her but instead He praised her daring. I think that Jesus wants us to come to Him and kind of finds it funny that we don't always embrace Him rather than just reaching out for a quick touch. But I think these both fit in with our Exodus reading. God wants our effort and our enthusiasm. He knows that this world is in a bad shape and needs a lot of work but He wants our faith that if we try to fix things, He will work through us and in us, regardless of our abilities.
And that's shown in the next passage. Jesus wants to work with everyone but if we're stubborn or dismissive of Him then He won't do much at all. Jesus ensures that the people who did come to Him were helped but He was unable to do more because people didn't want to risk being seen as foolish or following someone they thought they knew everything about but yet missed the bigger picture.
Finally our Psalm today and to me David is not just marvelling at God's power but also realising how little we can achieve towards bringing love and justice to the world, without first focusing on God. This world is God's and we need to defer to Him when it comes to what needs to change and how it should happen.
And that's your lot for today. Yesterday's tune is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
Wednesday 20 October 2010
Day 50 - Here With Me
We've reached our half century! One arm raised and I'm accepting your applause with relish. Oh and I also got a job today so that's pretty cool. God provides see? Onto business then,
Today's readings
Exodus 25:1-26:37
Mark 4:30-5:20
Psalm 23:1-6
So God likes the bling clearly. What're these two chapters about? I mean apart from an INCREDIBLY detailed account of how God wanted to be with His people. Well maybe that's the answer. God wanted His people to have Him there and it be something that they could see but also revere. If God had said, just get any old crate and put those tablets in and keep it in a tent, then the people wouldn't have seen it as God's presence. And they NEEDED God to be present with them because that was all they had. Now the other thing I think is important here is the details. There are so many and I think that anytime God gets into detail it's because He wants to focus us on Him. I'd say that's not just the Bible. God spoke to me over the summer, encouraging me to seek His will in my life with what I was doing. But things like this blog and Connect are the details He gives me to focus on and get closer to Him. Work sucks, this is true. But God's work has all sorts of benefits and if we're called then we're called to do it right and to the right standard
Into the New Testament we bustle and Jesus does His standard teaching when recounted by Mark. Short, to the point and avoiding repeat examples. I especially like verse 33 where Jesus presents His message so that it can be understood by the right people at the right time. That's something for us to think about if we want to talk about Jesus. Don't be afraid to talk to people on their level about their interests.
Then we get two miracles that show a lot about Jesus. I like how the disciples are much more terrified in Mark's version. It seems likely that they'd go absolutely mad with fear and I can even understand the accusing Jesus of forgetting them. But Jesus doesn't get offended or in a strop. He makes things happen. We've got to be careful when we're doing God's work that we don't end up stopping because our feelings our pride have been hurt. And then Jesus goes and cures Legion. What I like most about this is the end. After Jesus has been chased away by a mob, not unlike the bunch of demons infesting the guy, He doesn't take Legion along with Him but sends him out to spread the news about Jesus. I think this is exciting because sometimes Jesus will work in us and do great things for us but we shouldn't dwell on it but use that experience to fuel our enthusiasm for Him and then give that love we've received out to others.
Finally we're onto one of the most famous Psalms in the Bible. It's possibly quite familiar to you but it still has a real beauty and truth about it. God looks out for us all the time, trying to find us and rescue us. What I find most interesting is the last verse in the Message translation. God's love and beauty chases after us every day of our lives. I like that because it doesn't say we're always in His love but that God is chasing us waiting for us to let Him catch us up. So it might seem like God isn't there but sometimes He just wants us to slow down and find Him again.
So I think today's readings tell us about how God is there waiting for us and wants to be alongside us when we need Him most. He will bless us and provide for us if we slow down or focus on Him but then He expects us to go and work for Him rather than resting on our blessings.
And that's your lot for today. Yesterday's song is here. It's an experience... Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
Today's readings
Exodus 25:1-26:37
Mark 4:30-5:20
Psalm 23:1-6
So God likes the bling clearly. What're these two chapters about? I mean apart from an INCREDIBLY detailed account of how God wanted to be with His people. Well maybe that's the answer. God wanted His people to have Him there and it be something that they could see but also revere. If God had said, just get any old crate and put those tablets in and keep it in a tent, then the people wouldn't have seen it as God's presence. And they NEEDED God to be present with them because that was all they had. Now the other thing I think is important here is the details. There are so many and I think that anytime God gets into detail it's because He wants to focus us on Him. I'd say that's not just the Bible. God spoke to me over the summer, encouraging me to seek His will in my life with what I was doing. But things like this blog and Connect are the details He gives me to focus on and get closer to Him. Work sucks, this is true. But God's work has all sorts of benefits and if we're called then we're called to do it right and to the right standard
Into the New Testament we bustle and Jesus does His standard teaching when recounted by Mark. Short, to the point and avoiding repeat examples. I especially like verse 33 where Jesus presents His message so that it can be understood by the right people at the right time. That's something for us to think about if we want to talk about Jesus. Don't be afraid to talk to people on their level about their interests.
Then we get two miracles that show a lot about Jesus. I like how the disciples are much more terrified in Mark's version. It seems likely that they'd go absolutely mad with fear and I can even understand the accusing Jesus of forgetting them. But Jesus doesn't get offended or in a strop. He makes things happen. We've got to be careful when we're doing God's work that we don't end up stopping because our feelings our pride have been hurt. And then Jesus goes and cures Legion. What I like most about this is the end. After Jesus has been chased away by a mob, not unlike the bunch of demons infesting the guy, He doesn't take Legion along with Him but sends him out to spread the news about Jesus. I think this is exciting because sometimes Jesus will work in us and do great things for us but we shouldn't dwell on it but use that experience to fuel our enthusiasm for Him and then give that love we've received out to others.
Finally we're onto one of the most famous Psalms in the Bible. It's possibly quite familiar to you but it still has a real beauty and truth about it. God looks out for us all the time, trying to find us and rescue us. What I find most interesting is the last verse in the Message translation. God's love and beauty chases after us every day of our lives. I like that because it doesn't say we're always in His love but that God is chasing us waiting for us to let Him catch us up. So it might seem like God isn't there but sometimes He just wants us to slow down and find Him again.
So I think today's readings tell us about how God is there waiting for us and wants to be alongside us when we need Him most. He will bless us and provide for us if we slow down or focus on Him but then He expects us to go and work for Him rather than resting on our blessings.
And that's your lot for today. Yesterday's song is here. It's an experience... Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
Tuesday 19 October 2010
Day 49 - It's A Mystery
Waved farewell to Tim today as he goes off to the grim Northern border again only to find that he's left his wallet behind like a numpty. Very tempted to see if I could use his ID to sign him up to a Matt Damon/Will Young lookalike agency... Onto business then
Today's readings
Exodus 23:1-24:18
Mark 3:31-4:29
Psalm 22:22-31
Exodus is more and more confusing as we get lots more laws which are still mostly relevant to the Israelites at the time. But let's look at what there is. A lot of what is in chapter 23 makes sense. There's laws on lying, gossiping and generally having some integrity. There's also a lot of religious laws and I think these were given by God for a specific reason. God was pulling his country together as they had nothing uniting them apart from the fear of Egypt and slavery. Then we get God's side of the deal because He wants to help us and He promises to protect the Israelites until they reach Canaan. And sure enough, it takes a fair amount of time but God doesn't break His promise.
We get a pretty confusing next chapter too. Moses scattering blood over the people is a bit odd and it just made me think that even the really holy people don't get God completely. He's so vast and mysterious that when people claim to understand Him or know Him completely or even to have disproven Him I know they're mistaken because He's too big for humanity to fully grasp unless they all follow His will. The meeting God has with Moses again is something that we can believe is true or symbolic but either way, not truly grasp the mystery and powerful nature of our God and His potential for miracles. God stuff can be weird and unbelievable and often that stuff is the best because it's so much from God and not from this world. If you feel like God has called you to do something or you haven't been sure if an emotion you had was God because of weirdness or unlikeliness then don't dismiss it outright. If it matches with God's character and teachings then who's to say what God can and can't do?
Into the New Testament we maneuver and Jesus is backing up His father's intentions of uniting people as one great big family. Whereas God was giving people guidelines and boundaries to keep them together, Jesus is instead inviting anyone who follows Him to regard Him as family. That's just amazing and something I don't appreciate often enough. He then teaches some parables we've already visited but they tell us of how God's truth and God's kingdom grow and spread. What I find interesting is that there's a mysterious element to it. Jesus uses the example of seed and no farmer can predict which individual seed will do what. Just like God being so big He's a mystery, sometimes the universe can be slightly too random for even the biggest brain and that's where God is working. Developing the mysterious and the unbelievable.
Finally we're back to our Psalm and David is once again doing his about turn of praise. He keeps complaining but then seeing God's glory regardless and I love the last verse. God does what He says. How fantastic that promise is. If we're believing in Him then we have eternal life to come because He says so.
Today's readings to me are about just how mind boggling God can be and how if we're not careful we can get hung up trying to understand, unwravel or even believe and prove that God is there. Instead we're shown that God will do His part. He will honour His promise to us of eternal life. He will give us strength and wisdom if we rely on Him. But God isn't a puzzle you can solve. He's a massive and amazing God who we are so lucky to have loving us.
And that's your lot for today. Yesterday's song is here. Questions, criticisms and feedback welcome as always,
Jon
Today's readings
Exodus 23:1-24:18
Mark 3:31-4:29
Psalm 22:22-31
Exodus is more and more confusing as we get lots more laws which are still mostly relevant to the Israelites at the time. But let's look at what there is. A lot of what is in chapter 23 makes sense. There's laws on lying, gossiping and generally having some integrity. There's also a lot of religious laws and I think these were given by God for a specific reason. God was pulling his country together as they had nothing uniting them apart from the fear of Egypt and slavery. Then we get God's side of the deal because He wants to help us and He promises to protect the Israelites until they reach Canaan. And sure enough, it takes a fair amount of time but God doesn't break His promise.
We get a pretty confusing next chapter too. Moses scattering blood over the people is a bit odd and it just made me think that even the really holy people don't get God completely. He's so vast and mysterious that when people claim to understand Him or know Him completely or even to have disproven Him I know they're mistaken because He's too big for humanity to fully grasp unless they all follow His will. The meeting God has with Moses again is something that we can believe is true or symbolic but either way, not truly grasp the mystery and powerful nature of our God and His potential for miracles. God stuff can be weird and unbelievable and often that stuff is the best because it's so much from God and not from this world. If you feel like God has called you to do something or you haven't been sure if an emotion you had was God because of weirdness or unlikeliness then don't dismiss it outright. If it matches with God's character and teachings then who's to say what God can and can't do?
Into the New Testament we maneuver and Jesus is backing up His father's intentions of uniting people as one great big family. Whereas God was giving people guidelines and boundaries to keep them together, Jesus is instead inviting anyone who follows Him to regard Him as family. That's just amazing and something I don't appreciate often enough. He then teaches some parables we've already visited but they tell us of how God's truth and God's kingdom grow and spread. What I find interesting is that there's a mysterious element to it. Jesus uses the example of seed and no farmer can predict which individual seed will do what. Just like God being so big He's a mystery, sometimes the universe can be slightly too random for even the biggest brain and that's where God is working. Developing the mysterious and the unbelievable.
Finally we're back to our Psalm and David is once again doing his about turn of praise. He keeps complaining but then seeing God's glory regardless and I love the last verse. God does what He says. How fantastic that promise is. If we're believing in Him then we have eternal life to come because He says so.
Today's readings to me are about just how mind boggling God can be and how if we're not careful we can get hung up trying to understand, unwravel or even believe and prove that God is there. Instead we're shown that God will do His part. He will honour His promise to us of eternal life. He will give us strength and wisdom if we rely on Him. But God isn't a puzzle you can solve. He's a massive and amazing God who we are so lucky to have loving us.
And that's your lot for today. Yesterday's song is here. Questions, criticisms and feedback welcome as always,
Jon
Monday 18 October 2010
Day 48 - Love Is The Law
Been at an amazing funeral service today for a lady at church who was such a massive inspiration in how to live your life for Jesus. Kind of hard to blog after that really without feeling lacking somehow... I think there's a lot we can learn from the example, both positive and negative, of people older than us. But that's probably going to be a blog subject one day. Onto business then,
Today's readings
Exodus 21:1-22:31
Mark 2:18-3:30
Proverbs 5:1-14
Crikey the Old Testament stuff is tough today. I'm actually not going to go into it in much depth, nor the next couple of days because a lot of this law is not meant for us today but for the people at the time. God told Moses what was necessary for the Israelites to survive and the majority of the law involve not doing things that will isolate you from the community or cause ill feeling. But all these death penalties... That's tricky stuff. Like I said though, this isn't laws for today. These are the laws that worked for the people before Jesus came with the new law. Death isn't a punishment that we should have to face as Jesus came to save us from death. Instead we need to apply love and forgiveness rather than revenge and retribution. Think of people that upset you and how the thinking behins this passage seems to say that if someone has done something bad to you then go to the most extreme measure to get a degree of payback. But Jesus tells us not to kill our little brother for being the most annoying creature alive; instead we should forgive him and try our best to love him. Challenging stuff indeed! One small thing that hit me was in verse 32 of chapter 21, the compensation for a slave being 30 silver pieces, the same amount of money that Jesus' life was valued at. Jesus always said that He came to serve humanity and this to me is a clear indicator of that.
Into the New Testament we sashay and we start with a rare bit of teaching and slow motion in Mark's gospel. Jesus is stressing here the importance of us as His disciples being new and alive with His message rather than carrying on with our usual lifestyle and believing Jesus will let us off in the end. If we really want to follow Jesus then we have to accept that our lives might have to change and develop as we go alongside Him. Jesus also talks about priorities within our lives and how we should never let an Old Testament law stop us from doign God's will. Now I'm not saying we pick and choose here but Jesus wants us to be active and is very clear that it is His new law that should be followed rather than the old law as this new teaching is what is relevant now. We should never get hung up on principles which stop us spreading the love of God with other people.
Jesus then makes sure He's called all His disciples before talking about people who claim that what He does is evil. This is very similar to what went before. People often don't like change and there were people scared of Jesus' power and authority because it went against what they believed. We need to be open to see Jesus in situations, even if that sight is not what we were expecting to see!
Finally we start a new chapter in Proverbs. It's a pretty straight forward bit of wisdom today about relationships and it can be applied to boys and girls! Starting a relationship is always the best part of any romance but that's because we don't see the whole picture yet. Solomon is telling us here to go slow with our feelings and not to hang our self worth or reason for existence on the decisions and values someone else puts on us. Instead we should remember that it God who will love us regardless because of the potential we have to love and care for other people.
And that's your lot for today. Yesterday's song is here. Tomorrow I'll be much more awake so if you've not enjoyed the last four or five, there'll be a return to previous quality! Questions, comments and criticisms welcome as always
Jon
Today's readings
Exodus 21:1-22:31
Mark 2:18-3:30
Proverbs 5:1-14
Crikey the Old Testament stuff is tough today. I'm actually not going to go into it in much depth, nor the next couple of days because a lot of this law is not meant for us today but for the people at the time. God told Moses what was necessary for the Israelites to survive and the majority of the law involve not doing things that will isolate you from the community or cause ill feeling. But all these death penalties... That's tricky stuff. Like I said though, this isn't laws for today. These are the laws that worked for the people before Jesus came with the new law. Death isn't a punishment that we should have to face as Jesus came to save us from death. Instead we need to apply love and forgiveness rather than revenge and retribution. Think of people that upset you and how the thinking behins this passage seems to say that if someone has done something bad to you then go to the most extreme measure to get a degree of payback. But Jesus tells us not to kill our little brother for being the most annoying creature alive; instead we should forgive him and try our best to love him. Challenging stuff indeed! One small thing that hit me was in verse 32 of chapter 21, the compensation for a slave being 30 silver pieces, the same amount of money that Jesus' life was valued at. Jesus always said that He came to serve humanity and this to me is a clear indicator of that.
Into the New Testament we sashay and we start with a rare bit of teaching and slow motion in Mark's gospel. Jesus is stressing here the importance of us as His disciples being new and alive with His message rather than carrying on with our usual lifestyle and believing Jesus will let us off in the end. If we really want to follow Jesus then we have to accept that our lives might have to change and develop as we go alongside Him. Jesus also talks about priorities within our lives and how we should never let an Old Testament law stop us from doign God's will. Now I'm not saying we pick and choose here but Jesus wants us to be active and is very clear that it is His new law that should be followed rather than the old law as this new teaching is what is relevant now. We should never get hung up on principles which stop us spreading the love of God with other people.
Jesus then makes sure He's called all His disciples before talking about people who claim that what He does is evil. This is very similar to what went before. People often don't like change and there were people scared of Jesus' power and authority because it went against what they believed. We need to be open to see Jesus in situations, even if that sight is not what we were expecting to see!
Finally we start a new chapter in Proverbs. It's a pretty straight forward bit of wisdom today about relationships and it can be applied to boys and girls! Starting a relationship is always the best part of any romance but that's because we don't see the whole picture yet. Solomon is telling us here to go slow with our feelings and not to hang our self worth or reason for existence on the decisions and values someone else puts on us. Instead we should remember that it God who will love us regardless because of the potential we have to love and care for other people.
And that's your lot for today. Yesterday's song is here. Tomorrow I'll be much more awake so if you've not enjoyed the last four or five, there'll be a return to previous quality! Questions, comments and criticisms welcome as always
Jon
Sunday 17 October 2010
Day 47 - Come Down
I'm exhausted but will blog none the less. Tim and his dog are asleep downstairs and my hectic weekend has finally finished. I've learned an important youth worky lesson this weekend about making sure you know what time it is and making sure that you have time to actually get across the point of your session. So yeah, connect was a bit hit and miss. Fun though. Onto business then
Today's readings
Exodus 19:1-20:26
Mark 1:29-2:17
Psalm 22:12-21
Can you believe we're nearly half way through Exodus already? Exciting times. Today's readings starts with just a fantastic bit of visuals as God shows His glory to Israel and it seems as though they're witnessing a volcanic eruption of some sort. I love hoe God can show Himself through nature and I get that there's a scientific reason for it happening but there's also a beauty in the power of nature. Moses seems fond of mountain climbing too... I wonder if when he goes up to God and down to the people, if it is a purely physical pursuit or if it's actually a spiritual mountain Moses has to climb to communicate with God but then has to bring himself down so that he can relate to the people. I think that's quite a decent message on leadership and being a good Christian to our friends and colleagues. It's not just about knowing God and living alongside His glory but also it's about being able to communicate to people in a real and relevant way. God wants us to be following Him as close as possible but part of that following is to not seperate ourselves from the rest of humanity because God calls us to bring them to Him. It's impossible to bring something to someone if you don't go and get the thing in the first place!
We then get the Ten Commandments and this is really the first guide to living God's given the Israelites. I was talking to Rob Price during Soul Survivor about other planets and how massive the universe is and we both thought maybe God's got other civilisations elsewhere that didn't need as much help as we do. They just understood Him better and got His will better. Or they got their first set of commandments and chose to live by it. Just a thought...
I love how the Message puts the commandments in very simple terms because I think that's how God's word should sometimes be. As simple and accesible and relevant as possible. verse 13-15 don't leave room for any legal sub clauses or arguments over the meanings of the words. They're just straight up commands. And 17 seems like Moses said one thing and then quickly rattled off a list to shut up the inevitable "well what about this..." questions that would follow. God knows our brains and hearts are often looking for loopholes and so He tends to make His will pretty cut and dry.
One thing I will say now is that Old Testament Law isn't always God's law for now. The first five books in the Bible have lots of do this or don't do this but lots of those laws were for God's people at the time to ensure they survived and stayed with God. If you read something in the law books that doesn't make sense to you or seems off then come back to your truths. Is it loving, does it encourage you to promote justice? These are the fundamentals of God's way and if it contradicts them then look at the context.
I like that God again speaks to Moses about how to worship Him. He doesn't want the ceremony and the granduer because the people can't afford to be spending time building elaborate places of worship when they're fighting for their survival. Once again, God dumbs Himself down for us so that we can see Him more clearly. People complain about not finding God but He's willing to come to our level if we're willing to truly seek out His will in this world.
Into the New Testament I collapse and Mark is still going at a million miles an hour. Even Simon's mother-in-law doesn't pause for breath as Jesus quickly heals her and she straight away puts dinner on. We then have Jesus making Himself available to everybody that can find Him. One thing you might find odd is how He goes from having a whole town queuing up to see Him but then decides after the leper to stay in more out of the way places. Well apart from the fact that Jesus knew when He was going to have to attract attention to Himself, there's also the safety factor but what I think is most important is that Jesus wanted the people who REALLY needed help to find Him. He didn't go and live in a cave, He went to the nasty parts of towns that most people avoided. If that isn't a call to witness I don't know what is! But Jesus realised that He needed to be available to people that really needed Him and so would make that extra effort to find Him. Once again, Jesus is lowering His standards to make Himself accessible to all of us, no matter our background. Jesus sums it all up in our last New Testament verse today. After being penned into a house by people not just wanting Him but also wanting to catch Him out and argue against Him, Jesus proves His power on earth by helping someone who truly needed it. And then He goes to the unfashionable and the avoided to eat. So yeah, Jesus would most likely have had chavs as mates guys... And then verse 17 sums it up. Jesus is there for anyone but His work and thus our work should be targetted at those who really need it.
Finally our Psalm continues and I've got this highlighted because John pointed out to me how much David's over the top description of suffering fits in with what actually happened to Jesus. So even this Psalm points again to the ultimate example of God making Himself relevant and accessible to humanity, Jesus' death on the cross. I think we've got a theme to this day's readings!
And that's your lot for today. Yesterday's song is here and is lovely little folk ditty. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
Today's readings
Exodus 19:1-20:26
Mark 1:29-2:17
Psalm 22:12-21
Can you believe we're nearly half way through Exodus already? Exciting times. Today's readings starts with just a fantastic bit of visuals as God shows His glory to Israel and it seems as though they're witnessing a volcanic eruption of some sort. I love hoe God can show Himself through nature and I get that there's a scientific reason for it happening but there's also a beauty in the power of nature. Moses seems fond of mountain climbing too... I wonder if when he goes up to God and down to the people, if it is a purely physical pursuit or if it's actually a spiritual mountain Moses has to climb to communicate with God but then has to bring himself down so that he can relate to the people. I think that's quite a decent message on leadership and being a good Christian to our friends and colleagues. It's not just about knowing God and living alongside His glory but also it's about being able to communicate to people in a real and relevant way. God wants us to be following Him as close as possible but part of that following is to not seperate ourselves from the rest of humanity because God calls us to bring them to Him. It's impossible to bring something to someone if you don't go and get the thing in the first place!
We then get the Ten Commandments and this is really the first guide to living God's given the Israelites. I was talking to Rob Price during Soul Survivor about other planets and how massive the universe is and we both thought maybe God's got other civilisations elsewhere that didn't need as much help as we do. They just understood Him better and got His will better. Or they got their first set of commandments and chose to live by it. Just a thought...
I love how the Message puts the commandments in very simple terms because I think that's how God's word should sometimes be. As simple and accesible and relevant as possible. verse 13-15 don't leave room for any legal sub clauses or arguments over the meanings of the words. They're just straight up commands. And 17 seems like Moses said one thing and then quickly rattled off a list to shut up the inevitable "well what about this..." questions that would follow. God knows our brains and hearts are often looking for loopholes and so He tends to make His will pretty cut and dry.
One thing I will say now is that Old Testament Law isn't always God's law for now. The first five books in the Bible have lots of do this or don't do this but lots of those laws were for God's people at the time to ensure they survived and stayed with God. If you read something in the law books that doesn't make sense to you or seems off then come back to your truths. Is it loving, does it encourage you to promote justice? These are the fundamentals of God's way and if it contradicts them then look at the context.
I like that God again speaks to Moses about how to worship Him. He doesn't want the ceremony and the granduer because the people can't afford to be spending time building elaborate places of worship when they're fighting for their survival. Once again, God dumbs Himself down for us so that we can see Him more clearly. People complain about not finding God but He's willing to come to our level if we're willing to truly seek out His will in this world.
Into the New Testament I collapse and Mark is still going at a million miles an hour. Even Simon's mother-in-law doesn't pause for breath as Jesus quickly heals her and she straight away puts dinner on. We then have Jesus making Himself available to everybody that can find Him. One thing you might find odd is how He goes from having a whole town queuing up to see Him but then decides after the leper to stay in more out of the way places. Well apart from the fact that Jesus knew when He was going to have to attract attention to Himself, there's also the safety factor but what I think is most important is that Jesus wanted the people who REALLY needed help to find Him. He didn't go and live in a cave, He went to the nasty parts of towns that most people avoided. If that isn't a call to witness I don't know what is! But Jesus realised that He needed to be available to people that really needed Him and so would make that extra effort to find Him. Once again, Jesus is lowering His standards to make Himself accessible to all of us, no matter our background. Jesus sums it all up in our last New Testament verse today. After being penned into a house by people not just wanting Him but also wanting to catch Him out and argue against Him, Jesus proves His power on earth by helping someone who truly needed it. And then He goes to the unfashionable and the avoided to eat. So yeah, Jesus would most likely have had chavs as mates guys... And then verse 17 sums it up. Jesus is there for anyone but His work and thus our work should be targetted at those who really need it.
Finally our Psalm continues and I've got this highlighted because John pointed out to me how much David's over the top description of suffering fits in with what actually happened to Jesus. So even this Psalm points again to the ultimate example of God making Himself relevant and accessible to humanity, Jesus' death on the cross. I think we've got a theme to this day's readings!
And that's your lot for today. Yesterday's song is here and is lovely little folk ditty. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
Saturday 16 October 2010
Day 46 - The Weight
Well today's been very interesting. I've spent it in Stockport at a youth work conference and had lots of interesting info and tips on how to do youth work. Really keeping me excited for pursuing it as a career. One of the things that I went to was a short talk on using the internet to connect with youth and also for them to connect with the church so I'll be trying to do more things like this in the future. Probably things that don't require such a massive daily commitment though! Onto business then
Today's readings
Exodus 17:1-18:27
Mark 1:1-28
Psalm 22:1-11
First things first we're going to start with the New Testament and have a quick think about the Gospel of Matthew that we've just read. Now all the gospels are about revealing more of Jesus and what He means to us but to me, Matthew's is about how God keeps His promises even though they can take ages to come true and not have the answers we're expecting. Matthew keeps pointing to how Jesus is fulfilling all the prophecies God has given out to His people and yet the answer the people were expecting was a king who would save them in this life with power and strength rather than a servant who would save them eternally with grace and sacrifice. Take an opportunity today to thank God for that gift that we are in no way entitled to but receive thanks to His grace. Hallelujiah!!
So we're continuing with Exodus and first we get two clear examples of God looking after His people even though they've still not learned to shut up and stop challenging Him. First with the water from the rock and then with the first real battle the Israelites have. Now this battle is interesting because these same people were terrified of the Egyptians pursuing them and certainly not up for putting up a fight and yet here God inspired them to victory. Moses arms being held up to win is an odd one. As though Moses was performing magic or God needed a sign but I think the arms weren't important to God, only to the people. They saw Moses praying clearly and so felt inspired to fight harder. We need to remember that God doesn't bother with gestures, He wants action and justice. There's nothing wrong with lifting your hands in praise or prayer but it's what you do with them in the world afterwards that God cares about.
The next chapter deals with Moses meeting up with his father-in-law. There's an important message here for those of you who make time for others. Moses was the go to guy for every single Israelite and his father-in-law realised that this was never going to work. We have to be careful that we balance ourselves between giving everything to God and having time to spend with God ourselves. I'm quite challenged that God's given me this reading today consdering I'm coming from the conference full of enthusiasm for God's work and desire to get out ministering and yet here is a reminder to make sure you don't over tax yourself and always have time to yourself so that you can spend it with God. I suppose this is also a challenge to me with the blog too. I need to be more strict with my time to ensure I have spent a good amount of time with God rather than squeezing Him in where I can.
We're dipping our toes back into the New Testament and starting Mark's gospel. Now obviously some of the stuff will have already been covered as Mark was the first to write his gospel and it was used by Matthew and Luke and a source for some of their writing. But Mark has a very different style to Matthew as I'm sure we'll see. Mark starts straight away with John the Baptist and whizzes through Jesus' baptism and approval from God. Notice also the cursory nod to Old Testament prophecy being fulfilled in verse 2. Mark doesn't like to hang about and to me it seems like today's reading is a way of saying that it's important to know why Jesus came and the proof that He is who He said He was but let's look at what He did and get the background stuff out of the way because we need to be looking at what we can do and not dwell on ours or anyone else's past.
Seriously, in 21 verses we've covered Jesus' childhood, His Old Testament links, the temptations, His calling of the first disciples and John's arrest. Notice how often Mark says at once or immediately. He wants us to realise that knowing Jesus is not a book thing but a doign thing. And here then we have an example of Jesus teaching and having a power in that teaching which causes people to talk. And it's not the miracle but that it was true teaching. This is an example for us. People notice miracles but they also notice reliable and genuine people. That's the least that we can be for Jesus' sacrifice.
Finally we get a new Psalm. David is again crying out to God for help but look at that last verse. In the Message translation verse 11 says that David felt like God had moved away and trouble moved in next door. And it finishes with the simple admission, I need a neighbour. Well if there's one thing I've learnt through daytime tv, it's that everybody needs good neighbours! And here is David saying that he can't see God and can only see trouble so needs a neighbour to help him. And Jesus calls us to be a neighbour to everyone. To me, today's readings are about knowing your boundaries with how much you give but also realising that Jesus' truth and the gospels' call is for us to go and be neighbours rather than spreading ourselves too thin or ignoring people all together.
And that's your lot for today. We're back on schedule!! Yesterday's song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
Today's readings
Exodus 17:1-18:27
Mark 1:1-28
Psalm 22:1-11
First things first we're going to start with the New Testament and have a quick think about the Gospel of Matthew that we've just read. Now all the gospels are about revealing more of Jesus and what He means to us but to me, Matthew's is about how God keeps His promises even though they can take ages to come true and not have the answers we're expecting. Matthew keeps pointing to how Jesus is fulfilling all the prophecies God has given out to His people and yet the answer the people were expecting was a king who would save them in this life with power and strength rather than a servant who would save them eternally with grace and sacrifice. Take an opportunity today to thank God for that gift that we are in no way entitled to but receive thanks to His grace. Hallelujiah!!
So we're continuing with Exodus and first we get two clear examples of God looking after His people even though they've still not learned to shut up and stop challenging Him. First with the water from the rock and then with the first real battle the Israelites have. Now this battle is interesting because these same people were terrified of the Egyptians pursuing them and certainly not up for putting up a fight and yet here God inspired them to victory. Moses arms being held up to win is an odd one. As though Moses was performing magic or God needed a sign but I think the arms weren't important to God, only to the people. They saw Moses praying clearly and so felt inspired to fight harder. We need to remember that God doesn't bother with gestures, He wants action and justice. There's nothing wrong with lifting your hands in praise or prayer but it's what you do with them in the world afterwards that God cares about.
The next chapter deals with Moses meeting up with his father-in-law. There's an important message here for those of you who make time for others. Moses was the go to guy for every single Israelite and his father-in-law realised that this was never going to work. We have to be careful that we balance ourselves between giving everything to God and having time to spend with God ourselves. I'm quite challenged that God's given me this reading today consdering I'm coming from the conference full of enthusiasm for God's work and desire to get out ministering and yet here is a reminder to make sure you don't over tax yourself and always have time to yourself so that you can spend it with God. I suppose this is also a challenge to me with the blog too. I need to be more strict with my time to ensure I have spent a good amount of time with God rather than squeezing Him in where I can.
We're dipping our toes back into the New Testament and starting Mark's gospel. Now obviously some of the stuff will have already been covered as Mark was the first to write his gospel and it was used by Matthew and Luke and a source for some of their writing. But Mark has a very different style to Matthew as I'm sure we'll see. Mark starts straight away with John the Baptist and whizzes through Jesus' baptism and approval from God. Notice also the cursory nod to Old Testament prophecy being fulfilled in verse 2. Mark doesn't like to hang about and to me it seems like today's reading is a way of saying that it's important to know why Jesus came and the proof that He is who He said He was but let's look at what He did and get the background stuff out of the way because we need to be looking at what we can do and not dwell on ours or anyone else's past.
Seriously, in 21 verses we've covered Jesus' childhood, His Old Testament links, the temptations, His calling of the first disciples and John's arrest. Notice how often Mark says at once or immediately. He wants us to realise that knowing Jesus is not a book thing but a doign thing. And here then we have an example of Jesus teaching and having a power in that teaching which causes people to talk. And it's not the miracle but that it was true teaching. This is an example for us. People notice miracles but they also notice reliable and genuine people. That's the least that we can be for Jesus' sacrifice.
Finally we get a new Psalm. David is again crying out to God for help but look at that last verse. In the Message translation verse 11 says that David felt like God had moved away and trouble moved in next door. And it finishes with the simple admission, I need a neighbour. Well if there's one thing I've learnt through daytime tv, it's that everybody needs good neighbours! And here is David saying that he can't see God and can only see trouble so needs a neighbour to help him. And Jesus calls us to be a neighbour to everyone. To me, today's readings are about knowing your boundaries with how much you give but also realising that Jesus' truth and the gospels' call is for us to go and be neighbours rather than spreading ourselves too thin or ignoring people all together.
And that's your lot for today. We're back on schedule!! Yesterday's song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
Friday 15 October 2010
Day 45 - Back For Good
Here we go. Only just too late! So I've got a big weekend coming up and I'm going to do my best to get these up but they might be late or missing. Saturday I'm at a youth work conference and then at a Borders reunion, Sunday is church, Connect 1 and then Tim, my best chum, is coming up for a couple of days. Monday too will be tough as Tim'll be around all day but I will find an hour somewhere! But yeah, worse case scenario I'll catch up Tuesday and possibly do a vlog to make things quicker. Onto business then,
Today's readings
Exodus 15:1-16:36
Matthew 28:1-20
Psalm 21:8-13
So today's reading seems to show how God has to give us consequences and directions so that we can live for Him. First we see the Israelites praising and relishing God's power and saving them but then they seem to think that everything will be immediately brilliant and complain that they are going to die of thirst. God blesses them again but He then makes it clear that they need to make themselves ready for His blessings by being closer to His will rather than by moaning and crying out. I've been thinking about prayer a lot recently and this seems to me to be a clue in how to pray. If we are desperate for God's intervention then our prayer shouldn't be that He intervenes but that He draws us to Him so that we can see His will, whether that be our solution, His solution or Him using us as the solution.
Moses in verse 7 of chapter 16 makes it quite clear that when we complain to people acting out God's will, it is actually God we're having a pop at. God then instructs the Israelites about the Sabbath. Now what can we learn from this Jewish tradition? Most Christians will still cook and work on the seventh day certainly. But I think there is a really important message here about our Sundays. Verse 29 says that the sabbath has been given to us by God so that we can avoid having to scrabble about trying to survive for a day. Now for some this means washing their car and eating roast dinner but it should also mean that we take the time to really appreciate what we have and switch off from life a bit and onto God.
Into the New Testament we trundle and we're reading the last chapter of Matthew's gospel! I'll do a recap on the gospel tomorrow. Here we have the best bit of the gospel. Jesus' resurrection meaning He returns to God's presence and sends out his disciples to work for His will. Now there's a slight discrepancy as we'll see later on with the details here as Jesus is meeting His disciples on a hill, rather than in a house or on a road as other gospels say. To me, this is Matthew's way of finishing his gospel his way. Jesus was always meant to be a fulfillment of a great prophecy and Matthew chooses to have Him displayed for all to see on a high place so that His final words can have real impact. And what a call! Go and do things He says. Not sit on your faith or build your family. Go and tell others! We should always be excited at opportunities to stand up for Jesus and show His love in this world. And why? The final verse says it all. Jesus has promised He will never leave us, even when all other hope is lost. Hallelujiah!
And finishing off with the next part of our Psalm, and there's several fantastic parallels with today's story. First Jesus is radiant as the Psalmist describes, secondly He has beaten death and vanquished it. Third, David says that he is singing out the good news just as we ought to be. Declaring loudly and with conviction that Jesus loves us and every other person on this planet. That's a bloomin exciting thing to remember any time of the day!
And that's your lot. Yesterday's song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
Today's readings
Exodus 15:1-16:36
Matthew 28:1-20
Psalm 21:8-13
So today's reading seems to show how God has to give us consequences and directions so that we can live for Him. First we see the Israelites praising and relishing God's power and saving them but then they seem to think that everything will be immediately brilliant and complain that they are going to die of thirst. God blesses them again but He then makes it clear that they need to make themselves ready for His blessings by being closer to His will rather than by moaning and crying out. I've been thinking about prayer a lot recently and this seems to me to be a clue in how to pray. If we are desperate for God's intervention then our prayer shouldn't be that He intervenes but that He draws us to Him so that we can see His will, whether that be our solution, His solution or Him using us as the solution.
Moses in verse 7 of chapter 16 makes it quite clear that when we complain to people acting out God's will, it is actually God we're having a pop at. God then instructs the Israelites about the Sabbath. Now what can we learn from this Jewish tradition? Most Christians will still cook and work on the seventh day certainly. But I think there is a really important message here about our Sundays. Verse 29 says that the sabbath has been given to us by God so that we can avoid having to scrabble about trying to survive for a day. Now for some this means washing their car and eating roast dinner but it should also mean that we take the time to really appreciate what we have and switch off from life a bit and onto God.
Into the New Testament we trundle and we're reading the last chapter of Matthew's gospel! I'll do a recap on the gospel tomorrow. Here we have the best bit of the gospel. Jesus' resurrection meaning He returns to God's presence and sends out his disciples to work for His will. Now there's a slight discrepancy as we'll see later on with the details here as Jesus is meeting His disciples on a hill, rather than in a house or on a road as other gospels say. To me, this is Matthew's way of finishing his gospel his way. Jesus was always meant to be a fulfillment of a great prophecy and Matthew chooses to have Him displayed for all to see on a high place so that His final words can have real impact. And what a call! Go and do things He says. Not sit on your faith or build your family. Go and tell others! We should always be excited at opportunities to stand up for Jesus and show His love in this world. And why? The final verse says it all. Jesus has promised He will never leave us, even when all other hope is lost. Hallelujiah!
And finishing off with the next part of our Psalm, and there's several fantastic parallels with today's story. First Jesus is radiant as the Psalmist describes, secondly He has beaten death and vanquished it. Third, David says that he is singing out the good news just as we ought to be. Declaring loudly and with conviction that Jesus loves us and every other person on this planet. That's a bloomin exciting thing to remember any time of the day!
And that's your lot. Yesterday's song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
Day 44 - Go Your Own Way?
Hey folks. Absolutely definitely going to catch up today. Yesterday i got side tracked with cooking, pubbing and role playing. None of these are particularly good excuses but I figured I'd get home earlier than I did and when I didn't I went to sleep instead of blog because I had a job interview today. Which went well I think so thank you God for at least making me do my best! Onto business then
Today's readings
Exodus 13:1-14:31
Matthew 27:45-66
Proverbs 4:20-27
So Moses today gets his instructions on how to move the Israelites out of Egypt. I think it's interesting that God chose the route which would avoid conflict, not because the Israelites would be killed but because He knew they'd get fed up and go back to Egypt. Sure enough the minute they see the Egyptians chasing them they lose all faith and have a go at Moses for freeing them from slavery. As stupid as that sounds... But I think there's an interesting parallel here with us. God's plan for our lives might take us a longer route and it might be a harder route but it's the right route and that's what we have to remember when we feel like giving up. There's a reason He wants us to do things this way.
We've then got the miracle of the parting of the sea. Now notice that although it said they were going around the Red Sea, it doesn't say that it was the Red Sea Moses parted. Recently scientists have decided that this was perfectly possible given the time frame and the weather and that it would be dry for four hours before crashing back but that it would have happened near the Nile. Well here are God's people escaping Egypt still and it takes all night for them to cross till Pharoah tries to cross in the morning. Seems to me that once again God's miracles can be true! And yes, I accept that it is physics and nature that made it happen but it's a freak occurence with a very useful result. Think of it this way, if Moses and the Israelites didn't escape Egypt then and in such a way that the Egyptians wouldn't bother following them later on then none of the rest of the Bible would have happened. Israel wouldn't have been a country, the Jewish population would have been the Egyptian slave caste and probably absorbed into their culture. Who knows how that would have changed the world. God does still perform great miracles but their consequences are huge and I believe this is one of the reasons that He chooses not to save every situation or cure every disease, because the consequences would be massive and would stop His plan.
Into the New Testament we amble and we get Jesus' last words. Chilling stuff. Jesus was about to be seperated from God for the first time in His long existence and the thought terrified Him. I think that's a big helpful pointer to why we should be pursuing a life alongside God. If this man, who was calm and without fear in front of two courts wanting to execute Him, was only afraid when He realised that God would no longer be with Him when He died then being with God is clearly a massive blessing. There's loads that can be said about the Temple curtain and the Centurion's words but largely, Jesus' death shows us that we need to remember to focus on God and gain that closeness with Him and that God wants to reach out to us too and not hide behind a curtain or limit Himself to a certain type of person.
Finally we get a bit of Proverbs and here Solomon is telling us the importance of keeping focused on God's word and not being distracted by opinion or gossip, only focus on the truth. We know the truth of love and salvation is the key to our faith and what we should allow to shape our lives. The challenge is to then ignore the rest that seems to add flavour but actually masks the truth.
And that's your lot for today. Well apart from the one I'm posting this evening when I get back from a planning meeting. Yesterday's song is here and is bloomin brilliant. Oh and enjoy the wrestling vid that goes with it! Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
Today's readings
Exodus 13:1-14:31
Matthew 27:45-66
Proverbs 4:20-27
So Moses today gets his instructions on how to move the Israelites out of Egypt. I think it's interesting that God chose the route which would avoid conflict, not because the Israelites would be killed but because He knew they'd get fed up and go back to Egypt. Sure enough the minute they see the Egyptians chasing them they lose all faith and have a go at Moses for freeing them from slavery. As stupid as that sounds... But I think there's an interesting parallel here with us. God's plan for our lives might take us a longer route and it might be a harder route but it's the right route and that's what we have to remember when we feel like giving up. There's a reason He wants us to do things this way.
We've then got the miracle of the parting of the sea. Now notice that although it said they were going around the Red Sea, it doesn't say that it was the Red Sea Moses parted. Recently scientists have decided that this was perfectly possible given the time frame and the weather and that it would be dry for four hours before crashing back but that it would have happened near the Nile. Well here are God's people escaping Egypt still and it takes all night for them to cross till Pharoah tries to cross in the morning. Seems to me that once again God's miracles can be true! And yes, I accept that it is physics and nature that made it happen but it's a freak occurence with a very useful result. Think of it this way, if Moses and the Israelites didn't escape Egypt then and in such a way that the Egyptians wouldn't bother following them later on then none of the rest of the Bible would have happened. Israel wouldn't have been a country, the Jewish population would have been the Egyptian slave caste and probably absorbed into their culture. Who knows how that would have changed the world. God does still perform great miracles but their consequences are huge and I believe this is one of the reasons that He chooses not to save every situation or cure every disease, because the consequences would be massive and would stop His plan.
Into the New Testament we amble and we get Jesus' last words. Chilling stuff. Jesus was about to be seperated from God for the first time in His long existence and the thought terrified Him. I think that's a big helpful pointer to why we should be pursuing a life alongside God. If this man, who was calm and without fear in front of two courts wanting to execute Him, was only afraid when He realised that God would no longer be with Him when He died then being with God is clearly a massive blessing. There's loads that can be said about the Temple curtain and the Centurion's words but largely, Jesus' death shows us that we need to remember to focus on God and gain that closeness with Him and that God wants to reach out to us too and not hide behind a curtain or limit Himself to a certain type of person.
Finally we get a bit of Proverbs and here Solomon is telling us the importance of keeping focused on God's word and not being distracted by opinion or gossip, only focus on the truth. We know the truth of love and salvation is the key to our faith and what we should allow to shape our lives. The challenge is to then ignore the rest that seems to add flavour but actually masks the truth.
And that's your lot for today. Well apart from the one I'm posting this evening when I get back from a planning meeting. Yesterday's song is here and is bloomin brilliant. Oh and enjoy the wrestling vid that goes with it! Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
Thursday 14 October 2010
Day 43 - My Sacrifice
Right. I messed up and forgot to post yesterday. Apologies to all. I'll be putting two up today and making sure I'm a lot less tardy! In short news though, I went to see Back to the Future last night and loved it on the big screen :) Onto business then,
Today's readings
Exodus 11:1-12:51
Matthew 27:11-44
Psalm 21:1-7
So we're with Moses during the preperation for the final plague and it's easily going to be the worst. I can't imagine how must it must break God's heart to have to let people die to show others the truth. I still believe though that our just God will have given all of those people a chance to respond and be saved. It's interesting how many rules and parts are put in place to the ritual of Passover. I think sometimes God seems to make people jump through the strangest hoops but all of the things done were for a reason. The food was to give them strength for the start of their journey, then the bread because they didn't have time to hang around for it. The exclusivity of it because God knew that the Israelites would need to keep their identity as a nation and not be diluted by people not willing to follow Him. God's plans are often strange and seem to take the wrong route or the longest route but if we trust them and do our part then things will start to happen.
Into the New Testament we sprint and Jesus is in the last hours of His time on earth. Pilate's actions to me show that we all have a responsibility for what happened to Jesus. He washes his hands to try and save himself the blame but God had tried to warn him through his wife's dream and he knew that something was wrong about letting Jesus be executed. But he prefered to try and pass the blame. God puts us in positions of responsibility a lot of the time and anytime we have any degree of control or influence over someone else then we need to think all the more how we can be more Christ like in our actions. Jesus knew the influence and responsibility He had and He showed just how to mentor, rebuke, lead and ultimately sacrifice for people that trust you or look up to you.
I also think that sometimes we forget the torture and pain that Jesus went through. I remember as a teenager I believed in Jesus' salvation but just couldn't emotionally connect with the crucifixion till someone pointed out just how much torment Jesus went through and how the whole reason He had to was because of my wrong choices. And because he loves me. It's never a bad idea to meditate for a bit on just how much Jesus loves you. How fantastic we are to Him!
Finally we start a new Psalm and David is praising God for all the gifts and blessings He places on the king. But I think that there's another message here about Jesus. Jesus is our king and look at the parallels with him being dressed in bright colours and filling his arms with gifts instead of a cross. To me this is letting us know that God never forgets or leaves us and will have blessings and peace waiting for us after the torment. Hallelujiah!
I can't see much of a connection today beyond the continual reassurance that God's plans might be complicated and involve heartache because of other people's choices but that ultimately we have paradise to come!
And that's your lot. Short and sweet because we'll have another one today and there's 3 more chances to talk specifically about the crucifixion. Yesterday's tune is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
Today's readings
Exodus 11:1-12:51
Matthew 27:11-44
Psalm 21:1-7
So we're with Moses during the preperation for the final plague and it's easily going to be the worst. I can't imagine how must it must break God's heart to have to let people die to show others the truth. I still believe though that our just God will have given all of those people a chance to respond and be saved. It's interesting how many rules and parts are put in place to the ritual of Passover. I think sometimes God seems to make people jump through the strangest hoops but all of the things done were for a reason. The food was to give them strength for the start of their journey, then the bread because they didn't have time to hang around for it. The exclusivity of it because God knew that the Israelites would need to keep their identity as a nation and not be diluted by people not willing to follow Him. God's plans are often strange and seem to take the wrong route or the longest route but if we trust them and do our part then things will start to happen.
Into the New Testament we sprint and Jesus is in the last hours of His time on earth. Pilate's actions to me show that we all have a responsibility for what happened to Jesus. He washes his hands to try and save himself the blame but God had tried to warn him through his wife's dream and he knew that something was wrong about letting Jesus be executed. But he prefered to try and pass the blame. God puts us in positions of responsibility a lot of the time and anytime we have any degree of control or influence over someone else then we need to think all the more how we can be more Christ like in our actions. Jesus knew the influence and responsibility He had and He showed just how to mentor, rebuke, lead and ultimately sacrifice for people that trust you or look up to you.
I also think that sometimes we forget the torture and pain that Jesus went through. I remember as a teenager I believed in Jesus' salvation but just couldn't emotionally connect with the crucifixion till someone pointed out just how much torment Jesus went through and how the whole reason He had to was because of my wrong choices. And because he loves me. It's never a bad idea to meditate for a bit on just how much Jesus loves you. How fantastic we are to Him!
Finally we start a new Psalm and David is praising God for all the gifts and blessings He places on the king. But I think that there's another message here about Jesus. Jesus is our king and look at the parallels with him being dressed in bright colours and filling his arms with gifts instead of a cross. To me this is letting us know that God never forgets or leaves us and will have blessings and peace waiting for us after the torment. Hallelujiah!
I can't see much of a connection today beyond the continual reassurance that God's plans might be complicated and involve heartache because of other people's choices but that ultimately we have paradise to come!
And that's your lot. Short and sweet because we'll have another one today and there's 3 more chances to talk specifically about the crucifixion. Yesterday's tune is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
Tuesday 12 October 2010
Day 42 - It's A Sin
Sorry for the lateness. I'll warn you now that it'll probably be a running theme this week as I'm mega busy morning, noon and night. Did get a job interview today though so pray for Friday morning please! Onto business then,
Today’s readings
Exodus 9:1-10:29
Matthew 26:69-27:10
Psalm 20:1-9
So Moses keeps showing God's power and Pharoah keeps saying no. The sixth plague is just dismissed, the seventh is interesting because not only can the magicians not counter due to them being affected by the boils (which is surely proof of God's power over them) but also in verse 12 it says that God hardened Pharaoh's heart so that he wouldn't listen to Moses. This seems a little strange but how often do we wonder why God doesn't act to stop evil? Well I think here is a case of God stepping in and making sure that not only is His prophecy fulfilled but also that Pharoah pays for his arrogance and stubborness by suffering the consequences of those attitudes taken to their most extreme. That's an important lesson for all of us and definitely for me. If we have an attitude that we know isn't Christ like, it's dangerous to not address that and let it linger inside us. While God won't necessarily punish us for it now that Jesus has paid the price, it will lead to us finding it harder to change our ways back to God's example. I'm sure we can all think of one trait we have with how we interact with people that isn't necessarily Christ like and maybe today's the day we pray hard for it to be broken and moulded into something better.
What I think is mindblowing for several reasons is how God has kept Moses safe through all this. Clearly Pharoah recognises that God is working through Moses and that God's power is there because he won't kill Moses and yet he still chooses to be stubborn and protect his own interests first. We beg God to show up in our lives so often and I just wonder how guilty we can be of then ignoring that presence because our way is better for us or certainly seems that way. I also like verse 31-32. It seems strange to put some agricultural information in here but to me it shows that God was showing His power but ensuring that the Egyptians wouldn't starve because of Pharoah's sin. But then Pharoah still tries to bargain with God and not give into His way so the locusts take away that chance they had to continue with at least something left instead of having to rebuild and regrow everything. How often do we sound like Pharoah in verse 17? Forgive me again, I promise I'll change! Forgiveness is such a huge blessing and to treat it like a plaster you stick onto your sin but then peel off when it suits you is just disrespectful to God. If we're sorry then it should break our hearts to do the same thing again. Yes we'll always sin but do we just shrug and accept that or challenge ourselves to make the right choices more often.
Into the New Testament we spring and we have two prophesies fulfilled and two realisations of just how big sin can get. Peter denying Jesus three times was always going to happen as Jesus had foretold it but Peter had been so sure that he wouldn't do it that he hadn't prepared himself for the possibility. We have to be realistic with sin and accept that we will sin but our attitude shouldn't be that we stop caring about sinning and we should still have sorrow like Peter, and then like Judas. I feel so sorry for Judas carrying such a legacy of betrayal because I believe God loved him like a son and wouldn't be surprised if his sin was forgiven before he ended his life. The remorse he shows is so great. It's more than refusing the payment. Judas realises how great Jesus was to the world and can't live with the guilt he has. I'd never recommend suicide as an option even if it's something I've been close to in the past. I believe that Judas could have repented and gone onto work for the Lord in some way just as Paul turned his life around. But Judas couldn't handle the burden of his sin and crumpled under it. Guilt's a terrifying emotion and I believe it's not a healthy one. God wants to forgive us and take away our guilt. He wants to give us opportunities to fix injustices and sins that are caused either directly by our sin or by humanity's wrong doing. Being emotionally overwhelmed by injustice is definitely a sign of being like Christ but then allowing the guilt to weigh on you and prevent you from action comes from the Devil as God wants to take that burden away.
Finally our Psalm and David here is praising God again for His faithfulness in rescuing David, even though at the time he wrote it he was in danger! It's hard to say new things about the meaning of the Psalms because they tend to be similar but I do think it's worth reading them seperately from the rest of our reading, maybe after a cup of tea,
because they just seem so affirming in their promises.
I think today's message is about what happens when we do things wrong and how we should handle it. Sneaking a look at tomorrow there's an obvious solution to sin but it's important to remember that Jesus' death won't stop us from sinning. We should be wary of what we do wrong and whilst we can't continually bear the burden of guilt for our sin, we should always be praying for God to help us change our attitudes and not just forgive us. I believe that while a person will always sin and fall short of Jesus, they can definitely stop doing something as often and that choice will focus them on getting closer to God and on making a real difference in the world. There's a YouTube channel I subscribe to called the vlogbrothers which features my favourite author, a guy called John Green, and they have a mission for their followers (or nerdfighters; proud citizens of nerdfightaria) to decrease worldsuck and promote awesome. I just keep thinking of that and smiling at how God moves people to make a difference even when they don't realise they're doing it for Him. This is what our goal should be folks and we can't let sin and guilt get in the way! Deal with the fact you will do stuff wrong and give that up to God. Ask Him to help you change but don't let it stop you shining your light!!
And that's your lot for today. Yesterday's tune is here and whilst it does talk about Jesus, it also talks about Martin Luther King and probably secretly Bono and how fantastic a bloke he really believes he is. Good tune though. I really wanted to use an obscure New Order tune called "Guilt is a useless emotion" for today's title but that might have been a tad self indulgent. Much more mainstream a choice today. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
Today’s readings
Exodus 9:1-10:29
Matthew 26:69-27:10
Psalm 20:1-9
So Moses keeps showing God's power and Pharoah keeps saying no. The sixth plague is just dismissed, the seventh is interesting because not only can the magicians not counter due to them being affected by the boils (which is surely proof of God's power over them) but also in verse 12 it says that God hardened Pharaoh's heart so that he wouldn't listen to Moses. This seems a little strange but how often do we wonder why God doesn't act to stop evil? Well I think here is a case of God stepping in and making sure that not only is His prophecy fulfilled but also that Pharoah pays for his arrogance and stubborness by suffering the consequences of those attitudes taken to their most extreme. That's an important lesson for all of us and definitely for me. If we have an attitude that we know isn't Christ like, it's dangerous to not address that and let it linger inside us. While God won't necessarily punish us for it now that Jesus has paid the price, it will lead to us finding it harder to change our ways back to God's example. I'm sure we can all think of one trait we have with how we interact with people that isn't necessarily Christ like and maybe today's the day we pray hard for it to be broken and moulded into something better.
What I think is mindblowing for several reasons is how God has kept Moses safe through all this. Clearly Pharoah recognises that God is working through Moses and that God's power is there because he won't kill Moses and yet he still chooses to be stubborn and protect his own interests first. We beg God to show up in our lives so often and I just wonder how guilty we can be of then ignoring that presence because our way is better for us or certainly seems that way. I also like verse 31-32. It seems strange to put some agricultural information in here but to me it shows that God was showing His power but ensuring that the Egyptians wouldn't starve because of Pharoah's sin. But then Pharoah still tries to bargain with God and not give into His way so the locusts take away that chance they had to continue with at least something left instead of having to rebuild and regrow everything. How often do we sound like Pharoah in verse 17? Forgive me again, I promise I'll change! Forgiveness is such a huge blessing and to treat it like a plaster you stick onto your sin but then peel off when it suits you is just disrespectful to God. If we're sorry then it should break our hearts to do the same thing again. Yes we'll always sin but do we just shrug and accept that or challenge ourselves to make the right choices more often.
Into the New Testament we spring and we have two prophesies fulfilled and two realisations of just how big sin can get. Peter denying Jesus three times was always going to happen as Jesus had foretold it but Peter had been so sure that he wouldn't do it that he hadn't prepared himself for the possibility. We have to be realistic with sin and accept that we will sin but our attitude shouldn't be that we stop caring about sinning and we should still have sorrow like Peter, and then like Judas. I feel so sorry for Judas carrying such a legacy of betrayal because I believe God loved him like a son and wouldn't be surprised if his sin was forgiven before he ended his life. The remorse he shows is so great. It's more than refusing the payment. Judas realises how great Jesus was to the world and can't live with the guilt he has. I'd never recommend suicide as an option even if it's something I've been close to in the past. I believe that Judas could have repented and gone onto work for the Lord in some way just as Paul turned his life around. But Judas couldn't handle the burden of his sin and crumpled under it. Guilt's a terrifying emotion and I believe it's not a healthy one. God wants to forgive us and take away our guilt. He wants to give us opportunities to fix injustices and sins that are caused either directly by our sin or by humanity's wrong doing. Being emotionally overwhelmed by injustice is definitely a sign of being like Christ but then allowing the guilt to weigh on you and prevent you from action comes from the Devil as God wants to take that burden away.
Finally our Psalm and David here is praising God again for His faithfulness in rescuing David, even though at the time he wrote it he was in danger! It's hard to say new things about the meaning of the Psalms because they tend to be similar but I do think it's worth reading them seperately from the rest of our reading, maybe after a cup of tea,
because they just seem so affirming in their promises.
I think today's message is about what happens when we do things wrong and how we should handle it. Sneaking a look at tomorrow there's an obvious solution to sin but it's important to remember that Jesus' death won't stop us from sinning. We should be wary of what we do wrong and whilst we can't continually bear the burden of guilt for our sin, we should always be praying for God to help us change our attitudes and not just forgive us. I believe that while a person will always sin and fall short of Jesus, they can definitely stop doing something as often and that choice will focus them on getting closer to God and on making a real difference in the world. There's a YouTube channel I subscribe to called the vlogbrothers which features my favourite author, a guy called John Green, and they have a mission for their followers (or nerdfighters; proud citizens of nerdfightaria) to decrease worldsuck and promote awesome. I just keep thinking of that and smiling at how God moves people to make a difference even when they don't realise they're doing it for Him. This is what our goal should be folks and we can't let sin and guilt get in the way! Deal with the fact you will do stuff wrong and give that up to God. Ask Him to help you change but don't let it stop you shining your light!!
And that's your lot for today. Yesterday's tune is here and whilst it does talk about Jesus, it also talks about Martin Luther King and probably secretly Bono and how fantastic a bloke he really believes he is. Good tune though. I really wanted to use an obscure New Order tune called "Guilt is a useless emotion" for today's title but that might have been a tad self indulgent. Much more mainstream a choice today. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
Monday 11 October 2010
Day 41 - Pride
Ooops... Late because I've been planning next month's Impact with John and Wayne plus our ever dedicated youth! Apologies folks. Let's make it snappy so I can get some sleep. Onto business then,
Today’s readings
Exodus 6:13-8:32
Matthew 26:47-68
Psalm 19:7-14
I love Old Testament names!! Sorry, just a small point but Hanoch and Nepheg might now be going on the future child name list! So the point of this first bit is really just to show Moses' connection with Joseph and thus; Jacob, Issac and Abraham. So God's promise keeps on going through all these generations. Patience folks! The Bible never stops telling us to have some!
So we have Moses trying to get through to Pharoah and I've never noticed Pharoah's response. He says no obviously but his reasoning is because his sorceror's and magicians can do the same sort of tricks. Now I think this is important for a few reasons. Firstly, I think it's naieve of us as Christians to dismiss anything else supernatural as being fake. But we also have to see that if we're trying to do things that would normally come from God on our own power then they'll be getting in the way of us seeing God's truth. In a way this could also apply to crazy science like human cloning. But ethics is a complicated thing and we're late at night! I do think it's worth noting though that Pharoah convinces himself that he is right because he can dismiss God's actions, rather than fixing his people's problem. You would think he's want his magicians to turn the blood back to water rather than add to the problem! If we're ignoring God's message to us because we think we can prove it wrong or not special then we're going to miss our chance at doing God's will and getting the path that is the easiest option because God won't give up but our actions will make it harder.
Eventually even his magicians can't compete and realise it's God doing this. I like to think that their trickery on the first three miracles could quite easily be magic circle stuff too but turning dust into living things requires something a little more powerful! And even after Pharoah sees God's release he convinces himself that he is in the right. Pharoah would have been taught from an early age that the position of Pharoah made him a god and what pride this man has to ignore the suffering and clear solution that he has all for the sake of keeping his own status intact and exercising power over a slave nation. Pride's such a tricky thing as we should be proud in what God does and also what he enables us to do; but Jesus called us to be meek and humble. Speak out when you see injustice, but don't let your own convictions contribute towards it.
Into the New Testament we stomp and we're continuing Jesus' last days on Earth. I love how Jesus reacts to His arrest with calm but also with such wisdom and authority. I don't know if any of you have had run ins with the police and mine are very limited. But the one time I have had a police man asking me questions, I hasten to add it was a witness statement, I felt nervous and shaky and completely unsure of myself. If instead of one guy sitting me in his car (front seat...) and asking me some simple questions had actually been a half dozen police officers in riot gear trying to forcefully carry me off I doubt I'd have the composure to not only stop the violence but also point out the cowardly way they had planned to arrest me. Jesus though knows God and knows His scripture and so is armed and ready to respond to these men with a grace that blows my mind.
Jesus' trial is another example of his presence being so powerful. We talk about having the presence of Christ in us but do we really realise what authority and grace that potentially gives us? Here is a man who can stay silent in a court that is completely against Him and yet no single charge will stick to Him! He realises He needs to be arrested and that the prophecies have to be fulfilled so it is actually Jesus Himself who provides them with the reason they need to call for His execution. Insanity? Or just mind blowing love and sacrifice. And just imagine for a moment how Jesus felt here. Again, we have this tendancy to demonise the priests and pharissees but they were God's children and Jesus loved them all. Yet here they were lying about Him. It genuinely gives me goosebumps to think about how ridiculously loving Jesus is to us all. Compare this to Pharoah's actions and see how Jesus shows that you can be humble and yet powerful, influential and authoritative all at the same time. Mind blowing stuff.
Finally we dip back to our David Psalm. David finishes his psalm with words of praise for the truth and the direction we can receive from God's word. Like I was trying to say about Pharoah refusing the easy option, David says it oh so much better here! Following God isn't easy but if we look for His will first then situations will work for the better than if we try to manage it ourselves and then look to God to pick up the pieces.
So today I think there's an overwhelming message about pride. I feel more and more confident in God and close to Him, largely through this blog and through my growing youth work. But today's readings are a warning that we should never assume that any sort of connection with God gives us the ability to go it alone or to think we know best. God ultimately will always be there for us but He'd definitely prefer sooner rather than later and we should be careful not to let ourselves ignore Him because we believe too much in ourselves.
And that's your lot for today. Yesterday's song is here and is lovely when played loud! Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
Today’s readings
Exodus 6:13-8:32
Matthew 26:47-68
Psalm 19:7-14
I love Old Testament names!! Sorry, just a small point but Hanoch and Nepheg might now be going on the future child name list! So the point of this first bit is really just to show Moses' connection with Joseph and thus; Jacob, Issac and Abraham. So God's promise keeps on going through all these generations. Patience folks! The Bible never stops telling us to have some!
So we have Moses trying to get through to Pharoah and I've never noticed Pharoah's response. He says no obviously but his reasoning is because his sorceror's and magicians can do the same sort of tricks. Now I think this is important for a few reasons. Firstly, I think it's naieve of us as Christians to dismiss anything else supernatural as being fake. But we also have to see that if we're trying to do things that would normally come from God on our own power then they'll be getting in the way of us seeing God's truth. In a way this could also apply to crazy science like human cloning. But ethics is a complicated thing and we're late at night! I do think it's worth noting though that Pharoah convinces himself that he is right because he can dismiss God's actions, rather than fixing his people's problem. You would think he's want his magicians to turn the blood back to water rather than add to the problem! If we're ignoring God's message to us because we think we can prove it wrong or not special then we're going to miss our chance at doing God's will and getting the path that is the easiest option because God won't give up but our actions will make it harder.
Eventually even his magicians can't compete and realise it's God doing this. I like to think that their trickery on the first three miracles could quite easily be magic circle stuff too but turning dust into living things requires something a little more powerful! And even after Pharoah sees God's release he convinces himself that he is in the right. Pharoah would have been taught from an early age that the position of Pharoah made him a god and what pride this man has to ignore the suffering and clear solution that he has all for the sake of keeping his own status intact and exercising power over a slave nation. Pride's such a tricky thing as we should be proud in what God does and also what he enables us to do; but Jesus called us to be meek and humble. Speak out when you see injustice, but don't let your own convictions contribute towards it.
Into the New Testament we stomp and we're continuing Jesus' last days on Earth. I love how Jesus reacts to His arrest with calm but also with such wisdom and authority. I don't know if any of you have had run ins with the police and mine are very limited. But the one time I have had a police man asking me questions, I hasten to add it was a witness statement, I felt nervous and shaky and completely unsure of myself. If instead of one guy sitting me in his car (front seat...) and asking me some simple questions had actually been a half dozen police officers in riot gear trying to forcefully carry me off I doubt I'd have the composure to not only stop the violence but also point out the cowardly way they had planned to arrest me. Jesus though knows God and knows His scripture and so is armed and ready to respond to these men with a grace that blows my mind.
Jesus' trial is another example of his presence being so powerful. We talk about having the presence of Christ in us but do we really realise what authority and grace that potentially gives us? Here is a man who can stay silent in a court that is completely against Him and yet no single charge will stick to Him! He realises He needs to be arrested and that the prophecies have to be fulfilled so it is actually Jesus Himself who provides them with the reason they need to call for His execution. Insanity? Or just mind blowing love and sacrifice. And just imagine for a moment how Jesus felt here. Again, we have this tendancy to demonise the priests and pharissees but they were God's children and Jesus loved them all. Yet here they were lying about Him. It genuinely gives me goosebumps to think about how ridiculously loving Jesus is to us all. Compare this to Pharoah's actions and see how Jesus shows that you can be humble and yet powerful, influential and authoritative all at the same time. Mind blowing stuff.
Finally we dip back to our David Psalm. David finishes his psalm with words of praise for the truth and the direction we can receive from God's word. Like I was trying to say about Pharoah refusing the easy option, David says it oh so much better here! Following God isn't easy but if we look for His will first then situations will work for the better than if we try to manage it ourselves and then look to God to pick up the pieces.
So today I think there's an overwhelming message about pride. I feel more and more confident in God and close to Him, largely through this blog and through my growing youth work. But today's readings are a warning that we should never assume that any sort of connection with God gives us the ability to go it alone or to think we know best. God ultimately will always be there for us but He'd definitely prefer sooner rather than later and we should be careful not to let ourselves ignore Him because we believe too much in ourselves.
And that's your lot for today. Yesterday's song is here and is lovely when played loud! Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
Sunday 10 October 2010
Day 40 - Fear Of The Dark
Hey folks. Part 2 of my Jesus bits for Sunday. Connect this morning was good and I hope everyone got something out of it. Impact tonight should be quality :) Onto business then,
Today’s readings
Exodus 4:1-6:12
Matthew 26:31-46
Proverbs 4:10-19
So we have Moses getting his last instructions and how many excuses does he come up with despite God revealing all of his power to Moses? It must be scary to get called in such a direct way but you'd think the one thing you could rely on in that situation would be that you'd go for it full pace! Obviously there's a message here for us about believing in our potential and not second guessing God's plans. I also think that there is a nice reassurance here over our free will. A lot of times we think of God acting and people having no choice because He is so powerful but God will always let us deem whether or not we do what He asks us, no matter how direct. Now this obviously required a more drastic intervention to get Moses' attention but in our lives when we're waiting for that word from God we also have to have the courage and conviction to go for it and not just think that because God's planned it then it'll happen regardless.
There's an odd bit surrounding willies that we'll skirt over quickly. Basically Moses would have been raised an Egyptian so wouldn't have been circumcised and I think the writer here was keen to show that Moses was a part of God's people rather than show God being tricked or being unreasonably angry! We're back to remembering our key truths when we get to a tricky bit.
Moses and Aaron, and I think it's fantastic that God not only works with Moses' gifts but also makes him feel more confident about the things he might not be so gifted in, then go to Pharoah and basically make life a whole lot harder for the people they are trying to help. Sometimes our best intentions and even us following God's will doesn't give us the answer that we thought we'd get or the outcome we want. The world has been given free will by God and people will always get in the way of His will. But God knows this and will work round it. All He requires from us is the patience to see it through. Remember, we've already won in the long run, it's just the getting there that takes a slog. There's a lot of foreshadowing of the rest of Exodus here as the Israelites are often quick to give up hope and turst when faced with hardship. But we need to remember to not give up. God knows that some people require a lot of convincing and breaking down and He keeps sending Moses and Aaron back even when it appears hopeless to everyone else.
Into the New Testament we pounce and Jesus is basically saying His goodbyes to His disciples. I think there's some really interesting parallels here with how Jesus, Moses, the disciples and the Israelites react to bad news. Jesus is much like Moses in that He doesn't want to suffer as much as He knows He will and is pleading with God like Moses did. It's nice to know that being scared and having that longing for an easier life don't make us bad or evil people. But whereas Moses required God to keep prodding him and instructing him, Jesus knows what He must do and after laying His fears and concerns with God, gets on with it. The disciples are much more hopeful than the Israelites were and don't believe Jesus that they will falter when everything goes wrong. Initially they do and they lose hope, bar themselves up in their house and it takes another direct intervention from God to get them off their bums again. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I think it's important to realise from this that it's ok to be scared about doing God's work. It's normal not to want to suffer and to not want to be seperated from God. But we have to remember that it is the closeness with God that will carry us through the rubbish times.
I think it's interesting too how Peter, James and John are taken to wait for Jesus. Here you have the guy who is convinced his love for Jesus will never falter and the two brothers who were trying to bargain their way into being Jesus' right hand men in Heaven. And even though they're full of zeal, they still fall asleep. Now Jesus would have been gone a long time but it's still somewhat amazing that these three grown men, who were used to fishing through the night, just fell asleep when they had been told that their best friend would be getting taken from them that night. You'd think that would make them more vigilant! But look what Jesus' reaction is. Initially He wakes them but then He lets them sleep till He's ready to go. Jesus wants us to be the best we can and to reflect His glory but if we're stubborn and choose to go our own way then He'll let us do that too, regardless of what amazing time with Him we might be missing out on.
Finally we have Proverbs and Solomon is still telling us the benefits of wisdom. They must be quite big if he's got so much to say about them! But his main point is clear, if you seek God's wisdom and follow His advice then your path will be lit up. Does that mean it's clear of danger? No but it means it's less scary and more easy to avoid.
So today we've been reading how it's scary to step out for God. This can apply to any part of your life. Whether you're at school, uni or work; it's never easy to do what God wants us to do. And we don't have to. There is that choice and God would never take that away from us. But look what we'd be missing out on! It'd be worse than the end of Bullseye... You lose that closeness, that potential for rescue or a light to your path. The security and love that knowing God really provides!
And that's your lot for today. I've had a nap in the middle of this so sorry if it's gibberish... Yesterday's song is here. Hope you've all had a great weekend. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
Today’s readings
Exodus 4:1-6:12
Matthew 26:31-46
Proverbs 4:10-19
So we have Moses getting his last instructions and how many excuses does he come up with despite God revealing all of his power to Moses? It must be scary to get called in such a direct way but you'd think the one thing you could rely on in that situation would be that you'd go for it full pace! Obviously there's a message here for us about believing in our potential and not second guessing God's plans. I also think that there is a nice reassurance here over our free will. A lot of times we think of God acting and people having no choice because He is so powerful but God will always let us deem whether or not we do what He asks us, no matter how direct. Now this obviously required a more drastic intervention to get Moses' attention but in our lives when we're waiting for that word from God we also have to have the courage and conviction to go for it and not just think that because God's planned it then it'll happen regardless.
There's an odd bit surrounding willies that we'll skirt over quickly. Basically Moses would have been raised an Egyptian so wouldn't have been circumcised and I think the writer here was keen to show that Moses was a part of God's people rather than show God being tricked or being unreasonably angry! We're back to remembering our key truths when we get to a tricky bit.
Moses and Aaron, and I think it's fantastic that God not only works with Moses' gifts but also makes him feel more confident about the things he might not be so gifted in, then go to Pharoah and basically make life a whole lot harder for the people they are trying to help. Sometimes our best intentions and even us following God's will doesn't give us the answer that we thought we'd get or the outcome we want. The world has been given free will by God and people will always get in the way of His will. But God knows this and will work round it. All He requires from us is the patience to see it through. Remember, we've already won in the long run, it's just the getting there that takes a slog. There's a lot of foreshadowing of the rest of Exodus here as the Israelites are often quick to give up hope and turst when faced with hardship. But we need to remember to not give up. God knows that some people require a lot of convincing and breaking down and He keeps sending Moses and Aaron back even when it appears hopeless to everyone else.
Into the New Testament we pounce and Jesus is basically saying His goodbyes to His disciples. I think there's some really interesting parallels here with how Jesus, Moses, the disciples and the Israelites react to bad news. Jesus is much like Moses in that He doesn't want to suffer as much as He knows He will and is pleading with God like Moses did. It's nice to know that being scared and having that longing for an easier life don't make us bad or evil people. But whereas Moses required God to keep prodding him and instructing him, Jesus knows what He must do and after laying His fears and concerns with God, gets on with it. The disciples are much more hopeful than the Israelites were and don't believe Jesus that they will falter when everything goes wrong. Initially they do and they lose hope, bar themselves up in their house and it takes another direct intervention from God to get them off their bums again. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I think it's important to realise from this that it's ok to be scared about doing God's work. It's normal not to want to suffer and to not want to be seperated from God. But we have to remember that it is the closeness with God that will carry us through the rubbish times.
I think it's interesting too how Peter, James and John are taken to wait for Jesus. Here you have the guy who is convinced his love for Jesus will never falter and the two brothers who were trying to bargain their way into being Jesus' right hand men in Heaven. And even though they're full of zeal, they still fall asleep. Now Jesus would have been gone a long time but it's still somewhat amazing that these three grown men, who were used to fishing through the night, just fell asleep when they had been told that their best friend would be getting taken from them that night. You'd think that would make them more vigilant! But look what Jesus' reaction is. Initially He wakes them but then He lets them sleep till He's ready to go. Jesus wants us to be the best we can and to reflect His glory but if we're stubborn and choose to go our own way then He'll let us do that too, regardless of what amazing time with Him we might be missing out on.
Finally we have Proverbs and Solomon is still telling us the benefits of wisdom. They must be quite big if he's got so much to say about them! But his main point is clear, if you seek God's wisdom and follow His advice then your path will be lit up. Does that mean it's clear of danger? No but it means it's less scary and more easy to avoid.
So today we've been reading how it's scary to step out for God. This can apply to any part of your life. Whether you're at school, uni or work; it's never easy to do what God wants us to do. And we don't have to. There is that choice and God would never take that away from us. But look what we'd be missing out on! It'd be worse than the end of Bullseye... You lose that closeness, that potential for rescue or a light to your path. The security and love that knowing God really provides!
And that's your lot for today. I've had a nap in the middle of this so sorry if it's gibberish... Yesterday's song is here. Hope you've all had a great weekend. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
Saturday 9 October 2010
Day 39 - Here Comes The Sun
Hey folks. It's a new day and we're blogging before 7pm on a Saturday. The times, they are indeed a changing. Onto business then
Today’s readings
Exodus 1:1-3:22
Matthew 26:1-30
Psalm 19:1-6
And first things first, good job I checked my hard copy of the Bible in One Year because the Soul Survivor website got the reference wrong for today. Tsk!
Right, well we're into Exodus and it's new book time so what I'm going to do from now on is give a bit of a intro to the book as a whole before ploughing into it, that way it might cut down on the day to day exposition. (Big word :D) These will be short and taken from a nifty little book called The Challenge which I can lend to anyone that wants a look.
Exodus is a bit like Job in that it is a story about struggle. But it's also a story of rescue and God's massive power in making change. God is at work loads throughout Exodus saving his people from their oppressors but also from themselves. Exodus (which means to leave) is about how God puts up with us when we ignore Him but also will step in to guide us when we need it, sometimes even if we don't ask. It has one very important lesson running through it. That the only way the Jewish people would ever be safe is if they trusted in God. And that should be our goal for the world. God's chosen all of us now and it's up to us to make the world a better place!
Right, let's start with our reading then. What strikes me first when I read today's passage is how God is working through the evil of man. Pharoah is justifiably, from a political stand point, worried for the security of his country but rather than confront the problem of this huge foreign population by getting them to leave, he realises that he can keep them as a slave population and get some use out of them. Then he starts killing off all of their newborns. Where's God in this situation? Things seem bleak and against God's will. Yet here's Moses being born, being hidden, being protected whilst he's in his little boat and then being raised into safety because God will work despite the evil of man. Not everyone will be rescued by Superman flying down but God will make sure that people have a chance to hear His truth and are given a chance to choose His way.
Moses quickly grows up and kills a man. Not the best of starts for the leader of God's people but Moses in Exodus always seems to be learning how he should act. Possibly because he had such a strange upbringing! He has to hide away and eventually gains a wife through an act of kindness. One quick thought, wells seem to be like night clubs in this time! Everyone pulls at the well! Chapter 2 ends with an interesting bit on God hearing the Israelites prayer. Now it doesn't say God acted or God fixed but God understood. Our prayers are never guarantees and God doesn't always intervene. But He always understands our needs and the potential for our relief is always there, even if He calls someone else to help us. If you thnk about Moses, he wasn't born when the Israelites were being slaved and he was old by the time he led them out so there's not always a quick solution despite what we want.
God's commission to Moses is interesting too. He says in verse 20 of chapter 3 that He will do what He has to but His plan also requires Moses' action. It's not just God on His own. We need to remember our part in serving God. And what does God mean by I am what I am? Well there's a few theories and if you Wiki I Am That I Am then you can read more into it. For me, this is God saying that people will always ask for proof of Him or try and understand His mystery but the key thing to remember is that He is, regardless of what that is might be.
Into the New Testament we parachute and we're getting to the end of Jesus' time on Earth. We start with a story of the woman who pours perfume on Jesus' feet. This to me is Jesus showing that we need to check our priorities. First in our actions should be a love of God and a respect for God before we go into the world, otherwise we'll be crushed without His strength and blessings behind us. Jesus then has the first communion with his disciples and I love that He includes Judas in this despite His betrayal and subsequent lie to Jesus. Judas' betrayal must rank up there with the worst mistakes people have made and yet Jesus wants him to remember that he is part of God's family and loved. It's really poignant the way that the Message sets the scene for what is coming and I think that at communion we need to remember that it is Jesus accepting us for who we are, regardless of what we've done to Him or to other people than has then hurt Him.
Finally we start a new Psalm today and David's back. David is talking about the Sun but I like that he's using imagery of an athlete. Very topical with the Commonwealth Games on! But verse 6 is the key one here. It is God's word that shines across the land, melting ice and warming hearts. If we know places that are dark or frozen with hurt or fear then it is the power of God's word and the truth of the gospel that will light them up and thaw them out!
Is there a link today? Maybe not. But to recap; God knows our situation and understands it. He will do what we can't but wants us to do what we can to help others. Jesus wants us to put Him first in what we do for others and to come back to Him even when we don't do it. And God's word and truth are the best things for making things turn out better. I guess they do link together after all!
And that's your lot. Yesterday's song is here and I hope you super fans enjoyed it. Today's has nothing to do with someone's potential 70th birthday, it just fit! Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
Today’s readings
Exodus 1:1-3:22
Matthew 26:1-30
Psalm 19:1-6
And first things first, good job I checked my hard copy of the Bible in One Year because the Soul Survivor website got the reference wrong for today. Tsk!
Right, well we're into Exodus and it's new book time so what I'm going to do from now on is give a bit of a intro to the book as a whole before ploughing into it, that way it might cut down on the day to day exposition. (Big word :D) These will be short and taken from a nifty little book called The Challenge which I can lend to anyone that wants a look.
Exodus is a bit like Job in that it is a story about struggle. But it's also a story of rescue and God's massive power in making change. God is at work loads throughout Exodus saving his people from their oppressors but also from themselves. Exodus (which means to leave) is about how God puts up with us when we ignore Him but also will step in to guide us when we need it, sometimes even if we don't ask. It has one very important lesson running through it. That the only way the Jewish people would ever be safe is if they trusted in God. And that should be our goal for the world. God's chosen all of us now and it's up to us to make the world a better place!
Right, let's start with our reading then. What strikes me first when I read today's passage is how God is working through the evil of man. Pharoah is justifiably, from a political stand point, worried for the security of his country but rather than confront the problem of this huge foreign population by getting them to leave, he realises that he can keep them as a slave population and get some use out of them. Then he starts killing off all of their newborns. Where's God in this situation? Things seem bleak and against God's will. Yet here's Moses being born, being hidden, being protected whilst he's in his little boat and then being raised into safety because God will work despite the evil of man. Not everyone will be rescued by Superman flying down but God will make sure that people have a chance to hear His truth and are given a chance to choose His way.
Moses quickly grows up and kills a man. Not the best of starts for the leader of God's people but Moses in Exodus always seems to be learning how he should act. Possibly because he had such a strange upbringing! He has to hide away and eventually gains a wife through an act of kindness. One quick thought, wells seem to be like night clubs in this time! Everyone pulls at the well! Chapter 2 ends with an interesting bit on God hearing the Israelites prayer. Now it doesn't say God acted or God fixed but God understood. Our prayers are never guarantees and God doesn't always intervene. But He always understands our needs and the potential for our relief is always there, even if He calls someone else to help us. If you thnk about Moses, he wasn't born when the Israelites were being slaved and he was old by the time he led them out so there's not always a quick solution despite what we want.
God's commission to Moses is interesting too. He says in verse 20 of chapter 3 that He will do what He has to but His plan also requires Moses' action. It's not just God on His own. We need to remember our part in serving God. And what does God mean by I am what I am? Well there's a few theories and if you Wiki I Am That I Am then you can read more into it. For me, this is God saying that people will always ask for proof of Him or try and understand His mystery but the key thing to remember is that He is, regardless of what that is might be.
Into the New Testament we parachute and we're getting to the end of Jesus' time on Earth. We start with a story of the woman who pours perfume on Jesus' feet. This to me is Jesus showing that we need to check our priorities. First in our actions should be a love of God and a respect for God before we go into the world, otherwise we'll be crushed without His strength and blessings behind us. Jesus then has the first communion with his disciples and I love that He includes Judas in this despite His betrayal and subsequent lie to Jesus. Judas' betrayal must rank up there with the worst mistakes people have made and yet Jesus wants him to remember that he is part of God's family and loved. It's really poignant the way that the Message sets the scene for what is coming and I think that at communion we need to remember that it is Jesus accepting us for who we are, regardless of what we've done to Him or to other people than has then hurt Him.
Finally we start a new Psalm today and David's back. David is talking about the Sun but I like that he's using imagery of an athlete. Very topical with the Commonwealth Games on! But verse 6 is the key one here. It is God's word that shines across the land, melting ice and warming hearts. If we know places that are dark or frozen with hurt or fear then it is the power of God's word and the truth of the gospel that will light them up and thaw them out!
Is there a link today? Maybe not. But to recap; God knows our situation and understands it. He will do what we can't but wants us to do what we can to help others. Jesus wants us to put Him first in what we do for others and to come back to Him even when we don't do it. And God's word and truth are the best things for making things turn out better. I guess they do link together after all!
And that's your lot. Yesterday's song is here and I hope you super fans enjoyed it. Today's has nothing to do with someone's potential 70th birthday, it just fit! Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
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