Reading three days worth again today.....
From the 26th:
The NT reading from Mark 8 had an account of the Disciples arguing with one another because they forgot to bring bread to eat. Jesus got after them asking them about the two miracles of feeding the 5,000 and the feeding of the 4,000 both times having 7 baskets of leftovers to pick up. I feel like I would not have been worried about food if I had viewed those miracles, but the truth is God has taken amazing care of me and my family over and over and over and when worry creeps in my response is really no different than the disciples, so perhaps I should not be so sure of myself with regard to my reaction, because I don't have a great track record in the trust department. I am so thankful that Christ is so loving and patient with me.
The account of Jesus healing the blind man using spit.... that is so cool that I can't even call it gross. Because truly, if He can use spit to heal blindness then the possibilities are endless of how He can use me. I am a sinner for sure, but I still think I'm a step above spit! Well it was Jesus spit, that makes it extra special you may say.... not just regular spit. Well I am His child I say, a redeemed sinner, not just a regular sinner.... that is a pretty special feeling.
From February 27 Mark 9: 24 "The father instantly cried out, 'I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief'" I can relate to this Father so well. My head and my faith do battle on occasion, and at those times my prayer is the same as this Father's . I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief!
Today's Proverb (10:19) Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Pastor's explaination
I zipped Pastor an email regarding my last post, here is his response:
Just a quick reply for now - I’ve got to get to work studying my sermon – we can talk more later. In the Old Testament there was the moral law (Ten Commandments), political law (state law of the Israelites) and ceremonial law (all these rules and regulations concerning worship, etc. that you are now reading about). The moral law certainly still applies to us today, but the ceremonial law had meaning only until Christ came. I’m going to quote a commentary because others say and explain things so much better than I can. “The laws and restrictions of these chapters were given to keep Israel separate from the nations as the people from whom the Savior of the world would come. These regulations were not intended to apply forever (Jesus makes that point indirectly in your reading from Mark); they do not apply to us today (just like we no longer make animal sacrifices during worship – that too was commanded in the Old Testament), there are nevertheless good reasons for studying them carefully.”
Basically, Leviticus describes the worship of the Old Testament people of God. As it does so, it looks forward to Christ. Another quote: “The rituals, rules, and regulations (nice alliteration!) of Leviticus were God’s way of teaching His people about the importance of holiness in their lives. They learned that sin was a barrier between them and God, that this barrier would have to be done away with, and that atonement was necessary for them to stand before God and live in communion with Him.” Christ, of course, was that atonement. He removed that barrier. By the way, Jesus didn’t undo God’s command to Moses. Jesus is God. Jesus was the fulfillment of all that the Old Testament people of God looked forward to. The Old Testament Israelites were God’s chosen people from whom the Savior would come. God gave them special commands, laws, regulations, whatever, because of their situation and to teach them to rely on Him, and again to look to the coming of Christ. Christ has come. Worship is still very important to us today (reading Leviticus helps us understand the importance of worship) but we are not under those same ceremonial laws that God gave Israel .
Friday, February 25, 2011
February 25
Well, here I am three days behind again on the reading.... Thought I'd have the blog page up so I can type a thought as I go along. I get so frustrated with myself getting behind, seriously, I need to figure out a routine. (Honestly that applies to more areas of my life than I care to admit, but certainly including the Bible readings!)
So from the readings I should have done on the 23rd: More offering stuff. Seriously as I am reading this there is no way to explain the complexity of these offerings. I repeat, I am so thankful that Christ is the ultimate, and final sacrifice. There is no way I would ever get this stuff right. Example: ...using two live birds that are ceremonially clean, a stick of cedar, some scarlet yarn and a hyssop branch... And the supplies were the easiest part... Check it out in Leviticus 14:1-7, or this from vs 14 "The priest will then take some of the blood of the guilt offering and apply it to the lobe of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right foot of the person being purified."
From Mark 6:30-56. " Jesus said " Let's go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile." He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn't even have time to eat."
So today as I am trying to get caught up and lamenting the feeling of passing myself coming and going this spoke to me deeply. Plan rest. It's OK to take a breather, it's good to take a breather... Now to find a calendar square to write "breather" on....
February 24th's reading start right out with the instructions again.... regarding bodily discharge.... here we go with the complicated rules again. If he touches a clay pot it must be broken, a wooden utensil must be rinsed with water. (who does the rinsing? If you touch what he touched you are unclean. Then you'd have to take a bath, launder your clothes and wait til evening to be clean again. That's an awful lot of effort....)
In Mark 7:1-23 Jesus says that it's not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart. I believe he just un-did the command God gave to Moses to give to the people - all those directions about split hooves, or winged insects (Unless they have jointed legs by the way) "By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God's eyes." (vs 19) It makes total sense to me that the heart is more important than the stomach, but what makes me ponder this is that we are to measure everything against scripture to see if it is appropriate or not. By this, we will know if someone is truly speaking God's word, or is a wolf in sheep's clothing. I agree with this whole heartedly, and yet I just realized that given this practice Jesus would have been disregardable on these grounds, because what he said was opposite of what the word of God said. Hmmm.
OK, two days caught up one to go:
February 25th
Well the OT reading was all about not having sex with your relatives.. oh gross. At least this is not an area of scripture I struggle with!!
So from the readings I should have done on the 23rd: More offering stuff. Seriously as I am reading this there is no way to explain the complexity of these offerings. I repeat, I am so thankful that Christ is the ultimate, and final sacrifice. There is no way I would ever get this stuff right. Example: ...using two live birds that are ceremonially clean, a stick of cedar, some scarlet yarn and a hyssop branch... And the supplies were the easiest part... Check it out in Leviticus 14:1-7, or this from vs 14 "The priest will then take some of the blood of the guilt offering and apply it to the lobe of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right foot of the person being purified."
From Mark 6:30-56. " Jesus said " Let's go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile." He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn't even have time to eat."
So today as I am trying to get caught up and lamenting the feeling of passing myself coming and going this spoke to me deeply. Plan rest. It's OK to take a breather, it's good to take a breather... Now to find a calendar square to write "breather" on....
February 24th's reading start right out with the instructions again.... regarding bodily discharge.... here we go with the complicated rules again. If he touches a clay pot it must be broken, a wooden utensil must be rinsed with water. (who does the rinsing? If you touch what he touched you are unclean. Then you'd have to take a bath, launder your clothes and wait til evening to be clean again. That's an awful lot of effort....)
In Mark 7:1-23 Jesus says that it's not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart. I believe he just un-did the command God gave to Moses to give to the people - all those directions about split hooves, or winged insects (Unless they have jointed legs by the way) "By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God's eyes." (vs 19) It makes total sense to me that the heart is more important than the stomach, but what makes me ponder this is that we are to measure everything against scripture to see if it is appropriate or not. By this, we will know if someone is truly speaking God's word, or is a wolf in sheep's clothing. I agree with this whole heartedly, and yet I just realized that given this practice Jesus would have been disregardable on these grounds, because what he said was opposite of what the word of God said. Hmmm.
OK, two days caught up one to go:
February 25th
Well the OT reading was all about not having sex with your relatives.. oh gross. At least this is not an area of scripture I struggle with!!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
February 22
Today's reading continued my thankfulness that I do not live under the laws of Leviticus. And I especially appreciate that I go to the Dr. not the priest if I get a skin infection... If I thought the laws regarding clean and unclean food were confusing, well, skin disease and mildew are just as confusing. If it has a white hair in it..... but if it has a black hair in it.... Yikes.
On the up side I combined riding my stationary bike with reading today's reading benefiting my physical health and my spiritual health all in the same time frame. Yeah me!
On the up side I combined riding my stationary bike with reading today's reading benefiting my physical health and my spiritual health all in the same time frame. Yeah me!
Monday, February 21, 2011
February 21
I'm in Leviticus now. All those clean and unclean rules, so confusing! - It's unclean if it has this kind of hoof, but not if it has this kind, or if it chews the cud.... insects with wings are detestable to you and unclean unless it has a jointed leg, then its fine.... if an unclean thing falls onto something it has to be washed and it's unclean til evening, but if it's a clay pot it has to be smashed.... Oh my goodness, wash it, break it, eat it don't..... UGH so glad I don't have to think about such things anymore. Crazy!
Friday, February 18, 2011
February 18
Dear Blog,
Oh how I ignore you.... It has been nearly a week since I posted. I was getting really weary of the details of the building of the tabernacle. The curtains, the coverings, the specifics on everything.... Not exactly riveting reading after awhile. Still good to think about God being so specific in nature, and to be reminded when we want to be "generally" good etc. I was so excited to move on, and I suppose it is because I forgot that next comes all the specifics about sacrifice.... Now I am longing to hear about fine purple and blue thread again.... It's so gross all the sacrifice talk, and explained with every bit as much detail as the building of the tabernacle.
Some lovely notes from recent NT readings though: Mark 2:27 Then Jesus said to them, " The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath." We need to rest, to pause, to recharge our batteries and God knew this and built into His expectations for us a way to meet that need. But we ignore it and go go go go constantly. The Sabbath is a gift, and a command, not just a good idea. We are wired to be connected to our Heavenly Father through worship too. So often I think we do not tend to our spiritual health. Worship on Sunday, and get enough rest! Take a breath, enjoy the pause, you, your work, your spiritual life, your physical life will all benefit!!
Loved this from Psalm 36 (vs 5 -7) Your unfailing love, O Lord is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O Lord. How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings."
Also loved this from Psalm 37 (vs 5) Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you."
And some good advise from Psalm 37:8 "Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper- it only leads to harm."
It's Friday with a busy week end coming up. I find it doubtful that I will pay attention to you, dear blog, until sometime next week. However, I will keep reading, and if anything cannot wait, I promise to post it right away!
Oh how I ignore you.... It has been nearly a week since I posted. I was getting really weary of the details of the building of the tabernacle. The curtains, the coverings, the specifics on everything.... Not exactly riveting reading after awhile. Still good to think about God being so specific in nature, and to be reminded when we want to be "generally" good etc. I was so excited to move on, and I suppose it is because I forgot that next comes all the specifics about sacrifice.... Now I am longing to hear about fine purple and blue thread again.... It's so gross all the sacrifice talk, and explained with every bit as much detail as the building of the tabernacle.
Some lovely notes from recent NT readings though: Mark 2:27 Then Jesus said to them, " The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath." We need to rest, to pause, to recharge our batteries and God knew this and built into His expectations for us a way to meet that need. But we ignore it and go go go go constantly. The Sabbath is a gift, and a command, not just a good idea. We are wired to be connected to our Heavenly Father through worship too. So often I think we do not tend to our spiritual health. Worship on Sunday, and get enough rest! Take a breath, enjoy the pause, you, your work, your spiritual life, your physical life will all benefit!!
Loved this from Psalm 36 (vs 5 -7) Your unfailing love, O Lord is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O Lord. How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings."
Also loved this from Psalm 37 (vs 5) Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you."
And some good advise from Psalm 37:8 "Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper- it only leads to harm."
It's Friday with a busy week end coming up. I find it doubtful that I will pay attention to you, dear blog, until sometime next week. However, I will keep reading, and if anything cannot wait, I promise to post it right away!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
February 12
Kind of struggling with the daily part of this plan.... I had to read three days of readings today to get caught up again. I need to work out a plan so that I do not get behind like this, because I find that I do not enjoy reading this much at a sitting and tend to rush and not really think or contemplate it much. There was a lot of interesting stuff in this three days of reading, and I'm sure I'd have tons to comment on, but when it is three days worth, not only is it a lot to read, it's a lot to type about and I don't feel like doing that much of a book report! So, super going to try to get better at the daily part! It's only February 12th! I cannot let it slip away if I am to be successful with the goal of completing the "cover to cover" plan! But thankfully as of today again I'm all caught up!!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
February 9
Exodus 29:1-30.... Aaron and His sons are in their priestly garments, and directions for the sacrifices are given. What a blood bath. It just sounds so gross and stinky. It makes me think of flies everywhere. Maybe the incense that had to be burned helped with the smell?? Aaron's garments sounded so beautiful, trimming of pure gold, and gem stones.... And now sprinkled with blood. Even as I type this I can feel my face squished into a grimace..... EWW.
Matthew 26:14-46 is the account of the Last supper and the garden of Gethsemane. As I think about the sacrifice of Christ replacing the need for the sacrificing I read about in Exodus I am relieved that His blood took care of sin in a permanent way. I'm sad that my sin required such a tremendous payment, and truly unable to express appropriate gratitude for Christ's sacrifice. I am especially touched by Christ's prayer in the garden. "If it's possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine." Three times this prayer. So often I am about telling God my will in my prayers. May I be enabled to follow the example of my Savior and trust God's will for my life, even when it is impossibly hard.
Matthew 26:14-46 is the account of the Last supper and the garden of Gethsemane. As I think about the sacrifice of Christ replacing the need for the sacrificing I read about in Exodus I am relieved that His blood took care of sin in a permanent way. I'm sad that my sin required such a tremendous payment, and truly unable to express appropriate gratitude for Christ's sacrifice. I am especially touched by Christ's prayer in the garden. "If it's possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine." Three times this prayer. So often I am about telling God my will in my prayers. May I be enabled to follow the example of my Savior and trust God's will for my life, even when it is impossibly hard.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
February 7
As I expected, keeping up with the blog is a challenge! Sometimes I just am too lazy to log on and type something, and other times I don't have anything interesting to say!
Today's OT reading is a little on the dull side... Except that it's interesting to note the very explicit detailed instructions God gave with regard to the building of the Tabernacle, and for the making of the priestly garments. I suppose it would be good to remember the next time I want to fudge a little on the details of obedience that God is pretty specific in His nature, and not at all "general".
In the NT reading in Matthew it is several parables. In the story of the ten virgins the point is that we are all responsible for our own spiritual condition. It can't be bought or borrowed at the last minute.... The story of the talents shows how important it is to use well what God has entrusted to us. Not just money, but time talent etc. as well. It doesn't matter how much we have of something, but it sure does matter how we use what we do have. In the parable of the sheep and goats really emphasises the importance of serving others in the life of a Christian. "I tell you the truth" Jesus says, "whenever you did/didn't do.... onto the least of these brothers of mine you did/didn't do it unto me"
Today's OT reading is a little on the dull side... Except that it's interesting to note the very explicit detailed instructions God gave with regard to the building of the Tabernacle, and for the making of the priestly garments. I suppose it would be good to remember the next time I want to fudge a little on the details of obedience that God is pretty specific in His nature, and not at all "general".
In the NT reading in Matthew it is several parables. In the story of the ten virgins the point is that we are all responsible for our own spiritual condition. It can't be bought or borrowed at the last minute.... The story of the talents shows how important it is to use well what God has entrusted to us. Not just money, but time talent etc. as well. It doesn't matter how much we have of something, but it sure does matter how we use what we do have. In the parable of the sheep and goats really emphasises the importance of serving others in the life of a Christian. "I tell you the truth" Jesus says, "whenever you did/didn't do.... onto the least of these brothers of mine you did/didn't do it unto me"
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
February 2
I let myself get 3 days behind.... It's only the beginning of February, I can't start slipping already, or I'm going to be in big trouble! I got caught up, although some of it was more a quick skimming rather than a word for word reading. It's easy to convince myself that's ok when I am so familiar with the section. The OT had the parting of the Red Sea, and then the complaining starts pretty immediately following... We're hungry, we're thirsty, we should have just stayed in Egypt. Oh how often the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, and how quickly we forget that we (to keep with the analogy) didn't even have a lawn in the prior situation... Some things just don't change.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)