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
Saturday, 23 October 2010
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
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