So the second of today's blogs, it would have gone up sooner but I've been at a church meeting discussing vision. Interesting stuff indeed. What else has happened since the last blog? It rained a lot... Oh and I'm reading lots of the new Rick Riordan book. I might start up a new blog reviewing books. Any interest?
Today’s readings
Leviticus 5:14-7:10
Mark 10:32-52
Proverbs 6:12-19
So there's more dry stuff but I think there's one thing that's hit me while reading this. It's very easy to read these and dismiss them because of Jesus making the sacrifice for us but remember what we said about Leviticus; it's a book teaching us how to get closer to God. I think what today's reading is trying to tell me is that spending time with God is obviously the most desirable thing we can do but that it shouldn't be taken for granted and deserves a certain amount of reverence. We don't have to follow the rules specifically set out here as they apply to a different people who hadn't received Jesus yet and were getting the chance to do it themselves. But I do think that we need to remember that talking and listening to God isn't always something we should do informally. There's a definite value in taking the time to give God the respect and reverence He deserves by preparing our hearts and minds before praying or reading the Bible. I know I don't do that enough and it's something I'm going to consciously do this week as I try to keep up. It's vital that we feel comfortable praying with God but remember that He isn't someone we can take for granted or come to when we feel like it.
Into the New Testament we catapult and I love that first verse. It just seems to fit tonight's meeting so well. Jesus was followed by His disciples who were puzzled and not just a little afraid. That they were DIRECTLY following Him and feeling that makes me a whole lot happier when we get nervous and unsure as to trying to discern God's vision on a big scale. We also read about James and John asking for special treatment and Jesus' words again remind me of tonight. It's important not to want to be in charge or have influence and power but to serve first and foremost. Jesus at times was the guy who spoke and people listened but His whole life was one big service to humanity and the people immediately around Him also. And I chuffing love the last miracle. It's my favourite and not just because of Day Camp! Here we have what appears to be a standard (ha!) miracle where Bartimaeus' faith cures him. But there're two things I love here. Jesus hears Him and yet Bartimaeus has to shout and shout despite people trying to stop him. I think sometimes we need to remember that God wants us to not just expect Him to answer but that He wants us to grow through shouting and shouting. Because what are the results? Not only is Bartimaeus cured but he immediately follows Jesus. When we pray to God we should be persistent but also we need to remember who we're praying to and rely on His promise of love but respect His ultimate knowledge, wisdom and timing.
Finally Proverbs gives us a little bit of advice as to how we should communicate which I think can also be tied into our prayer life. We can't be crossing our fingers and holding things back from God. We can't be telling Him half the story or lying about what we did or really want. God knows us inside out and we need to be respectful of that. Sometimes it's tempting to pray around others for things that you ought to be praying for but God knows what you need to be praying for and what you want to be praying for. Don't be fooling yourself because you won't be fooling God.
And that's your lot for today. We'll bash out another two tomorrow plus a potential film review too you lucky people! This morning's song is here and I had a lot of choices from Leona to Elton to Blue to... Shane Richie?! But I went for that one. You'll have to click to find out! Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
Day 59 - Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
Right. I'm back and on form. We're going to catch up by the end of this week and then I'll be working the week after so I should be able to keep to a regular schedule. Apologies for not keeping up with this folks! One thing I've found from not doing it is that it's been a lot harder to connect with God and I've realised that this has to firstly be for me and my relationship with God. So don't panic if you never comment! Onto business then,
Today's readings
Leviticus 4:1-5:13
Mark 10:13-31
Psalm 27:7-14
We're returning with lots more on sacrifice. I think it's interesting how much the Israelites needed in terms of guidelines and instructions. They'd been doing whatever they wanted and just trusted God would look after them regardless. I think I can be guilty of that and whilst a lot of what we're reading is there to help us realise just how much God wanted His people to be able to get close to Him, I think verse 5 of chapter 5 is very pertinent. Immediately confess the sin you have committed. It's scary and it can be uncomfortable but if we bring our sin to God we're straight away quicker in getting closer to Him again. And the brilliant part is that we don't have to bring pigeons or bulls or goats or flour. We have Jesus and so it's easy for us to confess but we have to do it rather than just assuming we'll be forgiven. If we don't admit we've sinned we'll never want to change our behaviour.
Into the New Testament we reappear and Jesus first is talking about coming to Him like a child. We've talked about this before but I think it's good to think of it in this context too. We need to be willing to tell our Heavenly Father when we've done something wrong so that He can love us regardless and help us through it. Nobody with even an ounce of love in them can stay mad at a genuinely sorry child and we need to be just like that.
Then we get the rich guy asking how he can get to Heaven and again, we've covered this in Matthew. Mark does add one little detail which Matthew left out. When Jesus sees this man who is convinced of his own worthiness for Heaven, He looks at him and He loves him. God's love isn't conditional on our behaviour and Jesus explains this to the disciples afterwards by pointing out how no one can get to Heaven on their own strength but only by following Jesus. But us trying to do it on ourselves will not stop Jesus loving us. So if we're wanting to get close to God and live His way but it's too much struggle then we need to remember that it's not down to our own efforts but down to the humility that we can't do it without asking for help and focusing ourselves daily on God. I think I've found that out in the last few days. Losing your focus on you and God means that while you might think you're doing things for Him, they're not necessarily working to their full potential.
Finally our Psalm continues and it's the last verse that really sums up what I'm feeling today from this reading. Stay with God. Take heart. Don't quit. Because He is faithful and reliable and loving. Hallelujiah!
And that's your lot for this one but I'll put another up this evening. Previous song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Today's readings
Leviticus 4:1-5:13
Mark 10:13-31
Psalm 27:7-14
We're returning with lots more on sacrifice. I think it's interesting how much the Israelites needed in terms of guidelines and instructions. They'd been doing whatever they wanted and just trusted God would look after them regardless. I think I can be guilty of that and whilst a lot of what we're reading is there to help us realise just how much God wanted His people to be able to get close to Him, I think verse 5 of chapter 5 is very pertinent. Immediately confess the sin you have committed. It's scary and it can be uncomfortable but if we bring our sin to God we're straight away quicker in getting closer to Him again. And the brilliant part is that we don't have to bring pigeons or bulls or goats or flour. We have Jesus and so it's easy for us to confess but we have to do it rather than just assuming we'll be forgiven. If we don't admit we've sinned we'll never want to change our behaviour.
Into the New Testament we reappear and Jesus first is talking about coming to Him like a child. We've talked about this before but I think it's good to think of it in this context too. We need to be willing to tell our Heavenly Father when we've done something wrong so that He can love us regardless and help us through it. Nobody with even an ounce of love in them can stay mad at a genuinely sorry child and we need to be just like that.
Then we get the rich guy asking how he can get to Heaven and again, we've covered this in Matthew. Mark does add one little detail which Matthew left out. When Jesus sees this man who is convinced of his own worthiness for Heaven, He looks at him and He loves him. God's love isn't conditional on our behaviour and Jesus explains this to the disciples afterwards by pointing out how no one can get to Heaven on their own strength but only by following Jesus. But us trying to do it on ourselves will not stop Jesus loving us. So if we're wanting to get close to God and live His way but it's too much struggle then we need to remember that it's not down to our own efforts but down to the humility that we can't do it without asking for help and focusing ourselves daily on God. I think I've found that out in the last few days. Losing your focus on you and God means that while you might think you're doing things for Him, they're not necessarily working to their full potential.
Finally our Psalm continues and it's the last verse that really sums up what I'm feeling today from this reading. Stay with God. Take heart. Don't quit. Because He is faithful and reliable and loving. Hallelujiah!
And that's your lot for this one but I'll put another up this evening. Previous song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Saturday, 30 October 2010
Day 58 - All I Want Is You
Grrr... so I thought I posted on Thursday, apparently forgot and then definitely forgot yesterday due to new game syndrome so I'm going to try my best to do three blogs today. Not that anyone seemed to notice me disappearing! Onto business then,
Today's readings
Leviticus 1:1-3:17
Mark 9:33-10:12
Psalm 27:1-6
So starting today we have Leviticus. My handy little intro book to each Bible book tells me that the book is all about learning how we come to God. Let's try and remember that as a central theme as we go through it. It's also interesting to think that we've been talking alot so far about spending time with God; now it appears we'll be getting a little bit of insight as to how to do that.
So we start in Leviticus with a bit of an odd passage about sacrificing laws and how to tear a bird to bits correctly. Fun stuff for the vegetarians no doubt. So should we go slitting throats? Not really. The Jews sacrificed for one very important reason. Not because God demanded that they give Him stuff, certainly nowhere has God said they HAVE to do this. Only that if they are going to do it, here's how. The reason the Israelites sacrificed what was important to them was to get closer to God in that sacrifice. If you don't have something you're dependent on or relish particularly then you're more open to God's will instead of your own. I like how they describe the smells. It seems like the smell of the fat and the offal burning would be really nice and emphasise more the sacrifice that the person was making. I also think it's interesting what it says at the end of chapter 3 about the fat belonging to God. Now that isn't some call of ownership to myself and other portly souls. It's a signifier that the if we're going to give up something to God so that we get closer to Him, there's no point holding some of it back. If you want to give more time then don't just give the time when you're bored. If you want to sacrifice tv or the internet to spend more time praying or reading your Bible then don't just give the programmes you aren't as bothered about.
Into the New Testament with a flourish and we have Jesus' disciples missing the point for a change. They're asking about who is the best and totally ignoring the fact that it's not about who spends the most time listening to Jesus but who goes out there and does stuff for Him. Jesus tells us how to get closer to Him. Go and serve. Be kind and caring like He is to the child. Protect and love those who need it. He then talks about divorce and I genuinely don't think Jesus is saying divorce is wrong. What He says is that you shouldn't divorce because you fancy someone else and I'd be pretty much in agreement with that. No one will ever be 100% perfect for you but if you've made a commitment to them in front of God then you need to see it through and pray through the tough patches. What Jesus says is that no one should split a marriage up and I think that means outside influences more than internal strife. Now if there's domestic abuse, neglect of trust or that sort of thing... then I would think that it's ok. Jesus is pretty clear about divorce not just being an excuse to sleep around.
Finally our Psalm today starts with praise at how brilliant it is to be with God and have God with you. Today's readings seems geared towards actually appreciating why we should seek out God first and how we should go about it. Serve God by helping others and give up to God things the time and emotions that mean the most to you.
And that's your lot for this blog. I'll bash two more out today if you're keeping score though I know not many are. Wednesday's song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Today's readings
Leviticus 1:1-3:17
Mark 9:33-10:12
Psalm 27:1-6
So starting today we have Leviticus. My handy little intro book to each Bible book tells me that the book is all about learning how we come to God. Let's try and remember that as a central theme as we go through it. It's also interesting to think that we've been talking alot so far about spending time with God; now it appears we'll be getting a little bit of insight as to how to do that.
So we start in Leviticus with a bit of an odd passage about sacrificing laws and how to tear a bird to bits correctly. Fun stuff for the vegetarians no doubt. So should we go slitting throats? Not really. The Jews sacrificed for one very important reason. Not because God demanded that they give Him stuff, certainly nowhere has God said they HAVE to do this. Only that if they are going to do it, here's how. The reason the Israelites sacrificed what was important to them was to get closer to God in that sacrifice. If you don't have something you're dependent on or relish particularly then you're more open to God's will instead of your own. I like how they describe the smells. It seems like the smell of the fat and the offal burning would be really nice and emphasise more the sacrifice that the person was making. I also think it's interesting what it says at the end of chapter 3 about the fat belonging to God. Now that isn't some call of ownership to myself and other portly souls. It's a signifier that the if we're going to give up something to God so that we get closer to Him, there's no point holding some of it back. If you want to give more time then don't just give the time when you're bored. If you want to sacrifice tv or the internet to spend more time praying or reading your Bible then don't just give the programmes you aren't as bothered about.
Into the New Testament with a flourish and we have Jesus' disciples missing the point for a change. They're asking about who is the best and totally ignoring the fact that it's not about who spends the most time listening to Jesus but who goes out there and does stuff for Him. Jesus tells us how to get closer to Him. Go and serve. Be kind and caring like He is to the child. Protect and love those who need it. He then talks about divorce and I genuinely don't think Jesus is saying divorce is wrong. What He says is that you shouldn't divorce because you fancy someone else and I'd be pretty much in agreement with that. No one will ever be 100% perfect for you but if you've made a commitment to them in front of God then you need to see it through and pray through the tough patches. What Jesus says is that no one should split a marriage up and I think that means outside influences more than internal strife. Now if there's domestic abuse, neglect of trust or that sort of thing... then I would think that it's ok. Jesus is pretty clear about divorce not just being an excuse to sleep around.
Finally our Psalm today starts with praise at how brilliant it is to be with God and have God with you. Today's readings seems geared towards actually appreciating why we should seek out God first and how we should go about it. Serve God by helping others and give up to God things the time and emotions that mean the most to you.
And that's your lot for this blog. I'll bash two more out today if you're keeping score though I know not many are. Wednesday's song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Wednesday, 27 October 2010
Day 57 - Changes
Yeah it's late but there's been a lot of Jon things happening today. Went to my new job induction which was a little dull but at least the company seems nice and the staff seem friendly enough. Got to get to Runcorn somehow... Any suggestions? Also went to the cinema tonight and saw Red. Really recommend this if you want a shooty film with a difference. John Malkovich is really funny and it's got Ernest Borgnine in it for crying out loud!! Onto business then
Today’s readings
Exodus 39:1-40:38
Mark 9:2-32
Psalm 26:1-12
So we finish out Exodus and what have we learned from reading this book? Well Exodus as shown God take His people out of a realtively safe place where they were going to be worked as slaves but still live in security inside the borders of Egypt. He gave them rules and laws which were complicated and went against their nature because they broke them straight away. He told them that they were going to get to a better place but then made them take ages. And He gave them a leader who was a nervous speaker. Hardly a glowing advert for following God. But this book heralds the start of God's people actually living for Him. To me Exodus is about how we have to accept that God wants us to live for Him but that we are going to have to change ourselves if we want to follow His will. There's no good staying where we are, doing the same things that trap us in our old ways and thinking God can still work there. He wants us to want to risk everything for Him and to seek out His will in the hard places. That might be physically but it might very well be emotionally or spiritually. What are we holding back from God? What do we fear to release to Him even though we are a slave to it. Security comes from the familiar but if that familiar isn't healthy then Exodus shows that God wants to change that and help us live to our potential even if it takes change and discipline from us.
And in case you're wondering, I did read the last two chapters :) I like especially how all the work that the Israelites put in is rewarded by God being present with them. That's a nice little reward that is sure to be applicable to us as well. If we follow God's will then He'll be there in what we do. Lovely stuff!
Into the New Testament we erupt and we're back at the transfiguration. Interesting reading this through how we understand God to be unchanging. Because I believe God can change but that He is also unchanging. Ha! Christians speak rubbish sometimes don't we... But what I mean is that God's promises are always there and not broken but God's methods can change. But here we have the disciples seeing Moses with Jesus and being good Jewish chaps, they'd remember all the bits we've just been slogging through and so are eager to build tents for Jesus and Moses and Elijah. But God speaks and commands them instead to listen to Jesus. I think today's reading is telling us that it's important to make ourselves ready for Jesus but that we need to be prioritising our time between being good enough to receive God and actually bothering to listen for His word. There's no point in us just trying to live according to God's will if we never stop to listen to Him and pray to Him about what we're doing.
The miracle Jesus performs is another interesting one. Andy highlights on the Soul Survivor vlog that Jesus is acting with compassion and cutting through the arguments that the disciples are having. But I think there's more to this if we think about it. Jesus' relationship with His disciples is fascinating. He goes from rebuking to loving to teaching to empowering and everything else at the drop of a hat. Especially in Mark we see Jesus being volatile with His repsonses and emotions. Now I think that this is also part of God being changing. Jesus isn't always in the best of moods with us and will get angry and heartbroken by what we do. Other times He'll be waiting to comfort us or give us wisdom. He knows what we need specifically. For example, I like how He swears the disciples who saw the transfiguration to secrecy from the other disciples. If Judas had known what had happened would he have acted the same? Or would Thomas have had the same doubts? Jesus knew what needed to happen and knows what we need too so changes according to that need. It's up to us though to communicate with Him as the disciples do and yes they do get their ears chewed off but look what comes next. Jesus first tells them about power coming through God not them and then He teaches them about what will happen to Him. It's never just a telling off. There's always the love and the wisdom waiting in the wings.
Finally our Psalm today shows David realising that the best way to receive God's love, blessings and wisdom is to be focused on Him and remove the influences in your life which draw your attention away from God. That's a nice little reference to our first point about being in God's presence when we concentrate our lives on Him. I love it when a plan comes together.
And that's your lot for today. Yesterday's song is here. Questions, criticisms and feedback welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Today’s readings
Exodus 39:1-40:38
Mark 9:2-32
Psalm 26:1-12
So we finish out Exodus and what have we learned from reading this book? Well Exodus as shown God take His people out of a realtively safe place where they were going to be worked as slaves but still live in security inside the borders of Egypt. He gave them rules and laws which were complicated and went against their nature because they broke them straight away. He told them that they were going to get to a better place but then made them take ages. And He gave them a leader who was a nervous speaker. Hardly a glowing advert for following God. But this book heralds the start of God's people actually living for Him. To me Exodus is about how we have to accept that God wants us to live for Him but that we are going to have to change ourselves if we want to follow His will. There's no good staying where we are, doing the same things that trap us in our old ways and thinking God can still work there. He wants us to want to risk everything for Him and to seek out His will in the hard places. That might be physically but it might very well be emotionally or spiritually. What are we holding back from God? What do we fear to release to Him even though we are a slave to it. Security comes from the familiar but if that familiar isn't healthy then Exodus shows that God wants to change that and help us live to our potential even if it takes change and discipline from us.
And in case you're wondering, I did read the last two chapters :) I like especially how all the work that the Israelites put in is rewarded by God being present with them. That's a nice little reward that is sure to be applicable to us as well. If we follow God's will then He'll be there in what we do. Lovely stuff!
Into the New Testament we erupt and we're back at the transfiguration. Interesting reading this through how we understand God to be unchanging. Because I believe God can change but that He is also unchanging. Ha! Christians speak rubbish sometimes don't we... But what I mean is that God's promises are always there and not broken but God's methods can change. But here we have the disciples seeing Moses with Jesus and being good Jewish chaps, they'd remember all the bits we've just been slogging through and so are eager to build tents for Jesus and Moses and Elijah. But God speaks and commands them instead to listen to Jesus. I think today's reading is telling us that it's important to make ourselves ready for Jesus but that we need to be prioritising our time between being good enough to receive God and actually bothering to listen for His word. There's no point in us just trying to live according to God's will if we never stop to listen to Him and pray to Him about what we're doing.
The miracle Jesus performs is another interesting one. Andy highlights on the Soul Survivor vlog that Jesus is acting with compassion and cutting through the arguments that the disciples are having. But I think there's more to this if we think about it. Jesus' relationship with His disciples is fascinating. He goes from rebuking to loving to teaching to empowering and everything else at the drop of a hat. Especially in Mark we see Jesus being volatile with His repsonses and emotions. Now I think that this is also part of God being changing. Jesus isn't always in the best of moods with us and will get angry and heartbroken by what we do. Other times He'll be waiting to comfort us or give us wisdom. He knows what we need specifically. For example, I like how He swears the disciples who saw the transfiguration to secrecy from the other disciples. If Judas had known what had happened would he have acted the same? Or would Thomas have had the same doubts? Jesus knew what needed to happen and knows what we need too so changes according to that need. It's up to us though to communicate with Him as the disciples do and yes they do get their ears chewed off but look what comes next. Jesus first tells them about power coming through God not them and then He teaches them about what will happen to Him. It's never just a telling off. There's always the love and the wisdom waiting in the wings.
Finally our Psalm today shows David realising that the best way to receive God's love, blessings and wisdom is to be focused on Him and remove the influences in your life which draw your attention away from God. That's a nice little reference to our first point about being in God's presence when we concentrate our lives on Him. I love it when a plan comes together.
And that's your lot for today. Yesterday's song is here. Questions, criticisms and feedback welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Tuesday, 26 October 2010
Day 56 - Best Of You
Went to the Job Centre today for the most pointless half hour ever. Even though I have a job starting tomorrow I had to listen to how to find a job... Confusing stuff. But hey ho. Onto business then,
Today’s readings
Exodus 37:1-38:31
Mark 8:14-9:1
Proverbs 6:1-11
Gosh I love Mike P. I read today's Exodus and was just lost for things to type about that I hadn't already said... And so I looked to the Soul Survivor vlog for inspiration and... well it's funny stuff and I'd recommend you give it a watch. But they do make a good point which is the only thing I picked out too. The end of chapter 38 lists just how much money, time and labour the Israelites invested in making sure that God was honoured and present with them. That's some impressive prioritising and I think it's clear that we need to make sure we're giving God all our efforts and all our talents rather than hiding away for fear of failure or selfish worry.
Into the New Testament we scurry and we start with Jesus making a point about the two feeding miracles. Verse 21 has Him asking "Do you still not get it?" So what is there to get? I think that the disciples are not just missing that Jesus can provide for them. Although a point on that, I wonder if they're being stupid or if they're actually a bit embarrassed about constantly asking Jesus for help and to intervene. I know I can get like that sometimes and worry about asking God to help me with everything in case He gets angry. Well Jesus is saying here first that He is always going to want to help us and hear our complaints, especially when the alternative is us fighting amongst ourselves and not futhering His Kingdom. I also think He's making a point similar to yesterday as to how Jesus will take what we give Him, even if it's just a pure and true faith, and multiply it in ways we can't imagine.
And there's another meaning here. He's a clever chap that Jesus! Jesus initially talks about the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod. Now yeast is actually a mould which can be pretty nasty in a lot of situations. And that's Jesus' warning. He's wanting us to be wary of words and beliefs that successful or authoritative people use or have because when we start thinking that success means that they must have the truth, we start missing Jesus' truth. Let's not forget that He was a labourer who left His business to wander from town to town and then died a convicted criminal. We're not meant to look at people who have done amazingly for themselves as being Christ like purely for that reason and we have to be careful just what value and trust we put in people who appear to have it together. It's ok to listen to people like our parents, our teachers, our bosses (even our celebrity wise folk like Oprah and Jeremy Kyle can sometimes have wisdom) but we need to remember that the ultimate wisdom has to come from Jesus and has to fit with His ethic of loving everyone regardless of anything.
The miracle that follows is an interesting one and I feel a bit naughty that I'm cribbing so much from the Soul Survivor guys today but they've put together a really good video. Jesus' healings come so often in Mark it's easy to gloss over them as quickly as we would the dimensions of the table in Exodus! But let's not forget that this is a real example of Jesus have a direct impact in a person's life. Someone, no different from us, being led out away from the crowds, Jesus holding his hand, and healed through a means that made sense to the people there. I've said before how much I love when there are examples of Jesus being fully God and fully man. Now if Jesus had pulled out a big laser and done laser surgery to fix the guys eyes then people would have been screaming like the cavemen in Bill and Ted. But instead He works within their understanding and it's important to remember that Jesus doesn't want to be this mysterious figure all the time. Certainly there will always be a mystery about Him because we can't comprehend the holy until we're in Heaven, but when Jesus needs to have an impact in our lives and make a change then He will come to us on terms and in ways that we can understand.
Jesus then talks about who people think He is and Peter realises the truth. Now I find it interesting the Message's translation of how the disciples react to Jesus' prophecy about His own death and resurrection. They waver wondering what to believe. Interesting. Is that because they don't believe Jesus will die or because they don't believe He will rise again... I can imagine these young men who are so full of verve and passion for Jesus and His message suddenly being shell shocked by the news that it will all end much sooner than they realised. All the Old Testament prophets tended to live a long time and leave ministries that their followers could continue but here's Jesus saying He's going to leave and not only that but that His disciples will also have to be willing to suffer for their belief in Him. This is scary stuff to hear and it's understandable that they'd be shaken but Jesus calls us to a ministry that's risky and hard. Check the end though. Through all the trials, we will see the Kingdom of God one way or another.
Finally we get some Proverbs and there's one simple message here that challenges me quite a lot! Don't sit around and be lazy. Act for change! I find being lazy WAY too easy and appealing and it's tough to remember that Jesus calls us to serve, not just to be saved. With a new job starting tomorrow my whole life is going to change purely because I'm not going to have the same amount of time to watch YouTube, do this, play PS3, clean the house and all the other stuff I do to pass the time. But I'm already prioritising like we read at the start. I will keep this blog going. I will keep seeking God's plan for my life and I will keep trying new and different youth work experiences so that I can share the amazing news of eternal life and love and justice while we're here on earth in exactly the way God wants me to.
And that's your lot for today. The shortest Old Testament recap ever followed by a big ol' New Testament chunk and all sorts of different themes. Yesterday's song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Today’s readings
Exodus 37:1-38:31
Mark 8:14-9:1
Proverbs 6:1-11
Gosh I love Mike P. I read today's Exodus and was just lost for things to type about that I hadn't already said... And so I looked to the Soul Survivor vlog for inspiration and... well it's funny stuff and I'd recommend you give it a watch. But they do make a good point which is the only thing I picked out too. The end of chapter 38 lists just how much money, time and labour the Israelites invested in making sure that God was honoured and present with them. That's some impressive prioritising and I think it's clear that we need to make sure we're giving God all our efforts and all our talents rather than hiding away for fear of failure or selfish worry.
Into the New Testament we scurry and we start with Jesus making a point about the two feeding miracles. Verse 21 has Him asking "Do you still not get it?" So what is there to get? I think that the disciples are not just missing that Jesus can provide for them. Although a point on that, I wonder if they're being stupid or if they're actually a bit embarrassed about constantly asking Jesus for help and to intervene. I know I can get like that sometimes and worry about asking God to help me with everything in case He gets angry. Well Jesus is saying here first that He is always going to want to help us and hear our complaints, especially when the alternative is us fighting amongst ourselves and not futhering His Kingdom. I also think He's making a point similar to yesterday as to how Jesus will take what we give Him, even if it's just a pure and true faith, and multiply it in ways we can't imagine.
And there's another meaning here. He's a clever chap that Jesus! Jesus initially talks about the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod. Now yeast is actually a mould which can be pretty nasty in a lot of situations. And that's Jesus' warning. He's wanting us to be wary of words and beliefs that successful or authoritative people use or have because when we start thinking that success means that they must have the truth, we start missing Jesus' truth. Let's not forget that He was a labourer who left His business to wander from town to town and then died a convicted criminal. We're not meant to look at people who have done amazingly for themselves as being Christ like purely for that reason and we have to be careful just what value and trust we put in people who appear to have it together. It's ok to listen to people like our parents, our teachers, our bosses (even our celebrity wise folk like Oprah and Jeremy Kyle can sometimes have wisdom) but we need to remember that the ultimate wisdom has to come from Jesus and has to fit with His ethic of loving everyone regardless of anything.
The miracle that follows is an interesting one and I feel a bit naughty that I'm cribbing so much from the Soul Survivor guys today but they've put together a really good video. Jesus' healings come so often in Mark it's easy to gloss over them as quickly as we would the dimensions of the table in Exodus! But let's not forget that this is a real example of Jesus have a direct impact in a person's life. Someone, no different from us, being led out away from the crowds, Jesus holding his hand, and healed through a means that made sense to the people there. I've said before how much I love when there are examples of Jesus being fully God and fully man. Now if Jesus had pulled out a big laser and done laser surgery to fix the guys eyes then people would have been screaming like the cavemen in Bill and Ted. But instead He works within their understanding and it's important to remember that Jesus doesn't want to be this mysterious figure all the time. Certainly there will always be a mystery about Him because we can't comprehend the holy until we're in Heaven, but when Jesus needs to have an impact in our lives and make a change then He will come to us on terms and in ways that we can understand.
Jesus then talks about who people think He is and Peter realises the truth. Now I find it interesting the Message's translation of how the disciples react to Jesus' prophecy about His own death and resurrection. They waver wondering what to believe. Interesting. Is that because they don't believe Jesus will die or because they don't believe He will rise again... I can imagine these young men who are so full of verve and passion for Jesus and His message suddenly being shell shocked by the news that it will all end much sooner than they realised. All the Old Testament prophets tended to live a long time and leave ministries that their followers could continue but here's Jesus saying He's going to leave and not only that but that His disciples will also have to be willing to suffer for their belief in Him. This is scary stuff to hear and it's understandable that they'd be shaken but Jesus calls us to a ministry that's risky and hard. Check the end though. Through all the trials, we will see the Kingdom of God one way or another.
Finally we get some Proverbs and there's one simple message here that challenges me quite a lot! Don't sit around and be lazy. Act for change! I find being lazy WAY too easy and appealing and it's tough to remember that Jesus calls us to serve, not just to be saved. With a new job starting tomorrow my whole life is going to change purely because I'm not going to have the same amount of time to watch YouTube, do this, play PS3, clean the house and all the other stuff I do to pass the time. But I'm already prioritising like we read at the start. I will keep this blog going. I will keep seeking God's plan for my life and I will keep trying new and different youth work experiences so that I can share the amazing news of eternal life and love and justice while we're here on earth in exactly the way God wants me to.
And that's your lot for today. The shortest Old Testament recap ever followed by a big ol' New Testament chunk and all sorts of different themes. Yesterday's song is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
www.facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Monday, 25 October 2010
Day 55 - You Get What You Give
I've been to the Impact Worship Workshop tonight which has a lot of potential certainly. It'd be good to see some folk wanting to do drama there too though! Onto business then,
Today's readings
Exodus 35:1-36:38
Mark 7:31-8:13
Psalm 25:16-22
So Moses tells the people what God wants of them. I like how he does it though. He starts by making sure people realise that even though this will be a big task requiring a lot of effort, the people must ensure that they have time to rest and refocus on God. I know that sometimes I get caught up in work and especially something that I'm passionate about for God, and then I lose track of Him because I'm working so hard myself. God will honour our time spent just with Him as well as working for Him. And in fact look at the rest of chapter 35 and 36. The Israelites have this huge shopping list of needs and God meets those needs through moving His people to action so much so that Moses has to tell people to stop giving! Only by taking the time to spend with God can He work through us and make us do more than we ought to be capable of.
Into the New Testament we barge and Jesus is being the action man again. There's some discussion among Bible scholars as to whether the 4000 people being fed was just someone retelling the feeding of the 5000. It certainly has a very similar pattern. Most scholars think that Mark's gospel was written as Peter the disciple's recollection of his time with Jesus and so it is very brief and full of spectacular moments. Does this mean Peter got confused and told the same story twice? It's possible certainly but I think that getting hung up on that misses the fact that Jesus one way or another did this incredible thing! It's interesting to me that His miracles sometimes come easily and sometimes come with strain but always involve prayer. Jesus knows that the power He has to perform miracles is from that reflection of God we all have but His is so much brighter thanks to Him being completely God Himself.If we tap into our reflection we can also achieve the unbelievable. God can multiply our work into massive blessings or can make our lives richer with the love and happiness that comes from loving other people and living for peace. This is fantastic news surely!
Finally our Psalm finishes and it finishes with a plea for help. Usually David ends his Psalms with resolution but to me this shows that sometime our devotion and time doesn't seem to produce any end result. What we shouldn't do though is give up trying. There's 125 Psalms to go so it's clear David still had reasons to talk to God even though sometimes there didn't seem a point.
And that's your lot for today. Yesterday's song was correctly identified by Jame-us as the horrific Melanie Chisolm and is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Today's readings
Exodus 35:1-36:38
Mark 7:31-8:13
Psalm 25:16-22
So Moses tells the people what God wants of them. I like how he does it though. He starts by making sure people realise that even though this will be a big task requiring a lot of effort, the people must ensure that they have time to rest and refocus on God. I know that sometimes I get caught up in work and especially something that I'm passionate about for God, and then I lose track of Him because I'm working so hard myself. God will honour our time spent just with Him as well as working for Him. And in fact look at the rest of chapter 35 and 36. The Israelites have this huge shopping list of needs and God meets those needs through moving His people to action so much so that Moses has to tell people to stop giving! Only by taking the time to spend with God can He work through us and make us do more than we ought to be capable of.
Into the New Testament we barge and Jesus is being the action man again. There's some discussion among Bible scholars as to whether the 4000 people being fed was just someone retelling the feeding of the 5000. It certainly has a very similar pattern. Most scholars think that Mark's gospel was written as Peter the disciple's recollection of his time with Jesus and so it is very brief and full of spectacular moments. Does this mean Peter got confused and told the same story twice? It's possible certainly but I think that getting hung up on that misses the fact that Jesus one way or another did this incredible thing! It's interesting to me that His miracles sometimes come easily and sometimes come with strain but always involve prayer. Jesus knows that the power He has to perform miracles is from that reflection of God we all have but His is so much brighter thanks to Him being completely God Himself.If we tap into our reflection we can also achieve the unbelievable. God can multiply our work into massive blessings or can make our lives richer with the love and happiness that comes from loving other people and living for peace. This is fantastic news surely!
Finally our Psalm finishes and it finishes with a plea for help. Usually David ends his Psalms with resolution but to me this shows that sometime our devotion and time doesn't seem to produce any end result. What we shouldn't do though is give up trying. There's 125 Psalms to go so it's clear David still had reasons to talk to God even though sometimes there didn't seem a point.
And that's your lot for today. Yesterday's song was correctly identified by Jame-us as the horrific Melanie Chisolm and is here. Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Sunday, 24 October 2010
Day 54 - I Turn To You
Silly Sundays always making me forget the blog because of church. Three days until I'm paid for doing something other than looking at the jobcentre website! Hurrah! Been spending most of today helping Harper clean up his downstairs so this his much better half has a least some semblance of normality. Of course her car then broke down near Carlisle so we'd have had to get the 60 minute make over team to really make an impression! Fun times though. Onto business then,
Today's readings
Exodus 33:7-34:35
Mark 7:1-30
Psalm 25:8-15
So first of all we've got Moses being in charge of the people getting God's word. What struck me straight away is verse 12-13. Here's Moses, witnessing massive things, receiving revolutionary laws and having the strength of character to lead a huge amount of people and yet he still privately quibbles with God. In public he's this stern face at the front of the tent who will hear God's word and the people are impressed but in private he's still questioning where God is in situations. I find that encouraging that God has made us human and enquiring and doubting too for our own safety. But also I find it encouraging that even when we get really close to God, it's not necessarily a fault of our own which makes us doubt, rather it happens to the best of us. But look at God's response to our questioning. He doesn't answer Moses' questions direct, He instead repeats His promise. Moses keeps demanding more to help him lead the Israelites and this is clearly a massively vital part of God's work for the future and yet God still puts a limit on what He will do. I think that it's important to realise that a no from God doesn't mean that what we are doing can't be done or isn't with Him, just that He might want us to put more of ourselves into it as Moses here seems more scared and shy than in desperate need. A no from God doesn't mean your problem isn't important to Him. It means that something else needs to happen.
And in fact Moses in the next chapter is blessed by God to such an extent that when he returns to his people, his face is shining bright with God's love and authority. We talk about being a light to the world and I think this is both symbolic and possibly miraculous here because Moses wasn't shining thanks to power within him because God hadn't changed him. He was shining because he had spent time with God and trusted His word so that the truth of God's love and provision shone out of him. Now not everyone will be provided for in this way and I think it's interesting that the miracles God lists are very specific so we shouldn't assume He will do anything we ask, but I do believe that God can work through anybody who seeks Him and His will, questioning what they believe when they have to but always looking for the answer and reassurance to come from God.
Into the New Testament we zoom and Jesus is rebuking the Pharisees for a change! But this is new stuff from Matthew and it's important to consider it. Jesus seems to talk about a fair few topics here and I'm going to focus on one in particular but feel free to comment if you want to point out other things. Though I know you won't ;) Jesus pulls up the Pharisees for bending God's law to suit their own lives and fit in with their own interpretations. Now a lot of people take this as meaning that God's law is fundamentally as it is written but I don't think that's the point here, nor do I think that fits in with the rest of Jesus teachings about fulfilling and changing the law Himself! I think Jesus' point here is one of motivation. It doesn't matter what you are doing outwardly no matter how helpful or holy it seems unless your motivation is true. There's a saying that the road to hell is paved with good intentions but I think that's not true as long as those good intentions are coming from God and are full of love, justice and acceptance. To me Jesus is saying that we should follow God's will because we want to and when it challenges how we live then we need to change our attitudes rather than misinterpreting or misrepresenting the way something was written. Stick to the truths that God loves each and every one of us equally and that He wants us to love each other just the same. Work from there!
There's a nice parallel also with the miracle here. Now Jesus appears to not have time for this woman and tells her to queue up. There's even a hint of racism as Mark goes to lengths to point out that she wasn't an Israelite. But I think that Jesus here is trying to be reasonable but is impressed by the woman's tenacity and faith that He will help her, regardless of how big the problem seems or how unsuitable most might think her to be. Just like Moses being unrelenting with God, the woman asks and asks again with a strong faith and Jesus responds with the blessing that He would have given anyway but gave out sooner due to her dogged pursuit of His will and His power. Change can happen in the world and in us but we'll only get it if we make sure our eyes are on Jesus and our will is unfaltering in seeking Him out.
Finally we go back to our Psalm and what is David saying but everything I want to in more impressive and clear terminology! The God worshipers are like arrows aimed at God's bull's-eye. God confides in His worshipers. Keeping our eyes on God stops us tripping over our own thoughts and solutions. Hallelujiah for days like this when it all fits into place eh?
And that's your lot for today. Bit longer and much later. We shall see how paid employment affects the bloggity. Yesterday's song is here though the video ought to be 12a at least with all the nudity... Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
facebook.com/british.hedgehog
Today's readings
Exodus 33:7-34:35
Mark 7:1-30
Psalm 25:8-15
So first of all we've got Moses being in charge of the people getting God's word. What struck me straight away is verse 12-13. Here's Moses, witnessing massive things, receiving revolutionary laws and having the strength of character to lead a huge amount of people and yet he still privately quibbles with God. In public he's this stern face at the front of the tent who will hear God's word and the people are impressed but in private he's still questioning where God is in situations. I find that encouraging that God has made us human and enquiring and doubting too for our own safety. But also I find it encouraging that even when we get really close to God, it's not necessarily a fault of our own which makes us doubt, rather it happens to the best of us. But look at God's response to our questioning. He doesn't answer Moses' questions direct, He instead repeats His promise. Moses keeps demanding more to help him lead the Israelites and this is clearly a massively vital part of God's work for the future and yet God still puts a limit on what He will do. I think that it's important to realise that a no from God doesn't mean that what we are doing can't be done or isn't with Him, just that He might want us to put more of ourselves into it as Moses here seems more scared and shy than in desperate need. A no from God doesn't mean your problem isn't important to Him. It means that something else needs to happen.
And in fact Moses in the next chapter is blessed by God to such an extent that when he returns to his people, his face is shining bright with God's love and authority. We talk about being a light to the world and I think this is both symbolic and possibly miraculous here because Moses wasn't shining thanks to power within him because God hadn't changed him. He was shining because he had spent time with God and trusted His word so that the truth of God's love and provision shone out of him. Now not everyone will be provided for in this way and I think it's interesting that the miracles God lists are very specific so we shouldn't assume He will do anything we ask, but I do believe that God can work through anybody who seeks Him and His will, questioning what they believe when they have to but always looking for the answer and reassurance to come from God.
Into the New Testament we zoom and Jesus is rebuking the Pharisees for a change! But this is new stuff from Matthew and it's important to consider it. Jesus seems to talk about a fair few topics here and I'm going to focus on one in particular but feel free to comment if you want to point out other things. Though I know you won't ;) Jesus pulls up the Pharisees for bending God's law to suit their own lives and fit in with their own interpretations. Now a lot of people take this as meaning that God's law is fundamentally as it is written but I don't think that's the point here, nor do I think that fits in with the rest of Jesus teachings about fulfilling and changing the law Himself! I think Jesus' point here is one of motivation. It doesn't matter what you are doing outwardly no matter how helpful or holy it seems unless your motivation is true. There's a saying that the road to hell is paved with good intentions but I think that's not true as long as those good intentions are coming from God and are full of love, justice and acceptance. To me Jesus is saying that we should follow God's will because we want to and when it challenges how we live then we need to change our attitudes rather than misinterpreting or misrepresenting the way something was written. Stick to the truths that God loves each and every one of us equally and that He wants us to love each other just the same. Work from there!
There's a nice parallel also with the miracle here. Now Jesus appears to not have time for this woman and tells her to queue up. There's even a hint of racism as Mark goes to lengths to point out that she wasn't an Israelite. But I think that Jesus here is trying to be reasonable but is impressed by the woman's tenacity and faith that He will help her, regardless of how big the problem seems or how unsuitable most might think her to be. Just like Moses being unrelenting with God, the woman asks and asks again with a strong faith and Jesus responds with the blessing that He would have given anyway but gave out sooner due to her dogged pursuit of His will and His power. Change can happen in the world and in us but we'll only get it if we make sure our eyes are on Jesus and our will is unfaltering in seeking Him out.
Finally we go back to our Psalm and what is David saying but everything I want to in more impressive and clear terminology! The God worshipers are like arrows aimed at God's bull's-eye. God confides in His worshipers. Keeping our eyes on God stops us tripping over our own thoughts and solutions. Hallelujiah for days like this when it all fits into place eh?
And that's your lot for today. Bit longer and much later. We shall see how paid employment affects the bloggity. Yesterday's song is here though the video ought to be 12a at least with all the nudity... Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always,
Jon
facebook.com/british.hedgehog
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