Category: 1 Year Bible Reading Plan

Today’s readings offer much about which we could comment. In each chapter we find a major event that overshadows the rest. This is commonly the case as we read the Bible.  (Before I comment on the “big story” in each chapter, let me say something about the chapter and verse divisions found in the Bible.  You might know chapter and verse markings weren’t part of the original biblical manuscripts. They were added hundreds and in some cases thousands of years after the particular passages were written. The reason for the addition was to make locating specific passages much easier. Imagine if your Bible contained only the specific book headings:  Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus… but no chapters and verses.  How would you locate a particular account from Genesis? To find a particular reading from Isaiah’s prophecy, you would have to go through the entire book [or scroll, as Jesus did in Luke 4!]. Thankfully, that work has been done for us, so we can locate passages much more quickly.)

In Genesis 24, Abraham sends his most trusted servant back to Abraham’s homeland to find a wife for Isaac.  The account is amazing in that the servant prayed for God to show him the right woman, and set extremely specific parameters, yet God provided Rebekah nearly instantaneously. God doesn’t always answer our prayers that quickly. (In my experience, He doesn’t often answer our prayers that quickly.) Yet, this account shows us God is engaged in our lives, and responds to our prayers.

In Genesis 25, Jacob and Esau are born and grow up. (This shows us how some chapters cover minute details of a particular event, while others span year and even decades.)  The event that stands out, though, is when Esau sells his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of soup. In their culture, the first-born son received a double portion of his father’s property as an inheritance when the father died. That means Esau’s birthright was one third of Isaac’s wealth! While, Esau told Jacob he was starving, we know that was an exaggeration. Imagine, giving up fifty percent of your future inheritance for a bowl of soup. The lesson here is clear: 15 minute decisions can haunt us for the rest of our lives.  Esau giving up his birthright was definitely a 15 minute decision!

Genesis 26 seems like Deja Vu, doesn’t it? Just as Abraham had deceived the King of Egypt and Abimelech regarding his relationship with Sarah, Isaac does the same thing regarding his relationship with Rebekah. Deception is never a good thing, but we see this family tendency being lived out in a second generation, and as we will see, Jacob will carry out the biggest deception of all concerning his father’s blessing. We learn from our parents, and the challenge is we learn both the good and the bad lessons our parents teach us. While Isaac and Jacob both exhibited the faith of their father and grandfather, Abraham, they also exhibited his tendency to use deception. For those of us who are parents, this is a vital lesson: We are always teaching our children! They won’t always believe what we say, but they will always believe what we do.  Let’s rely on the Holy Spirit to lead us, so the lessons we teach will bring God glory.

Finally, in Mark 7, the passage that stands out to me, is Jesus’ healing of a foreign woman’s son. What stands out to me is it seemed at first that Jesus would respond to the woman’s request. Only after she responded to Jesus’ comment about not feeding the children’s bread to the dogs, does He do so. Why? Why would the Savior of the world, not be concerned about saving all people? Why did He tell the woman, He was only sent to the children of Israel? It was a matter of focus. Jesus limited His ministry primarily to Israel. He equipped His disciples for a world-wide mission. Had He let Himself be distracted from that mission, you and I might not know about Jesus today. Think about that. Because Jesus stayed on task, the disciples were equipped to extend Jesus’ influence “to the ends of the earth,” but had Jesus not equipped them, when He returned to heaven, the mission might have ended with Him. That’s a lesson I need so much. My tendency is to “jump on my horse and ride off in all directions,” rather than staying focused on the one thing that will make the most impact for the Kingdom of God in that moment. My prayer for each of us is we will keep our focus on the one thing today that Jesus is calling us to do, that He will be glorified!

When Abraham was 100 years old Isaac was born to him and Sarah. That sentence shows us the amazing power of God to keep His promises. God had told Abraham he would become the father of many nations, and Isaac was the “down payment” on that promise. After all, before one can have descendants as numerous as the sands of the seashore, one must have one descendant. God always keeps His promises. We are beneficiaries of one of God’s promises to Abraham. God told Abraham all the nations of the earth would be blessed through Him. Through Jesus that promise is being fulfilled across the planet. God told Abraham the promise of land for his people wouldn’t be fulfilled for 400 years, long after Abraham would see the fulfillment. Yet, Abraham believed God and experienced many blessings from Him throughout his life.

In Genesis 22, we read of God’s “test” for Abraham. Imagine waiting all your adult life, waiting until you were 100 years old, before having your first-born child. Then, after the joy of having a son, and watching him grow, God tells you to take that only son, whom you love a great deal, and offer him as a sacrifice to God. Unimaginable, right? Actually, quite imaginable to any of us who have read the Bible in even a cursory way, because the account of Abraham’s willingness to offer Isaac as a sacrifice to God is one of the most familiar stories in Genesis. We know God spared Isaac at the last minute, telling Abraham to put down the knife. But Abraham’s obedience to God went to the extreme of being willing to offer Isaac as a sacrifice to Him.

Living in the 21st century, as we do, we find it hard to imagine “our” God, carrying out such a test in anyone’s life. “Our” God is loving and kind. He doesn’t hurt anyone, or want us to hurt anyone. Our God is loving and kind. He is also holy and majestic. He alone is God, and He deserves our absolute allegiance. Jesus’ fame and miraculous ministry demonstrated God’s power in ways the people of Israel must have nearly forgotten. Yet, when Jesus went home to Nazareth, the people didn’t acknowledge His authority and power. As a result Jesus wasn’t able to do many miracles there. “All” He could do was lay His hands on a few sick people and heal them.  (I’ve always thought laying my hands on a few sick people and healing them would be a fantastic day!) Jesus was amazed at the people’s unbelief. What a sad reason for Jesus’ amazement. I often wonder whether Jesus is amazed at our unbelief, and at how often we mold God into our image of what we think He ought to be like, rather than loving and serving Him for who He is.

God is not nice. He isn’t sweet. God does call us to radical obedience, and He has given us the same Spirit that was in Abraham. He has also given us salvation through the blood shed by Jesus on the cross.  We must read every passage in the Bible, and must live out our lives remembering that God has never been formed in our image. His constant goal is to shape us into His! For Abraham the greatest test was to give up His beloved son, Isaac. He passed the test with flying colors. Whatever tests God sends our way today, may we call on the power of the Holy Spirit that we, too, may pass!

While the “action” in Genesis 17-20 is compelling, let’s focus on our reading from Mark 5 today.  I have always loved Mark 5, because it contains three amazing examples of Jesus’ love and power. First, Jesus encountered Legion, a man possessed by “many” demons. We’re told the man had suffered much, and lived among the tombs, because no one could bind him. Imagine the torment, not only did Legion suffer internally from the demon possession, he also suffered externally, because no one could be near him. In the midst of that pain and isolation, Jesus came and provided wholeness. Legion was so filled with gratitude that he asked Jesus to let him accompany Jesus and the disciples, but He told Legion (who probably needed a new name!) to go home and tell everyone what God had done for him. Imagine the amazement of Legion’s family and friends when they saw him sane, dressed, and proclaiming the good news of Jesus!

As Jesus continued on, Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and begged Jesus to heal his daughter who was dying. That a synagogue leader, a leader among the Jews, would come to Jesus and ask for a healing miracle shows his desperation. The Jewish leaders had already turned against Jesus, but Jairus would have done anything to save his daughter.

Jesus agreed to go with Jairus, but as they walked along, a huge crowd gathered, and pushed against Jesus on all sides. In the hustle and bustle of the moment, a woman who had a terrible bleeding disorder saw her opportunity to receive healing. According to Moses’ Law, she was “unclean” and wasn’t permitted to be near people.  She certainly wasn’t permitted to touch them. Yet, in her desperation she conceived a plan: if she could just touch Jesus’ robe, she knew His power would heal her. The plan was sound. She was right. She touched Jesus’ garment, and immediately she was healed. One thing she hadn’t considered, was Jesus would feel the healing power go out of Him. He asked, “Who touched me?”

You have to love the disciples. They looked around, saw hundreds of people pressing in on Jesus from all sides and asked, “Really? Look, Master, with this crowd how would we ever be able to tell?” The woman realized she was revealed. Her plan had worked, but now she would suffer the humiliation of being called out by Jesus for breaking Moses’ Law. Precisely the opposite happened. Jesus not only didn’t reprimand her, He called her “daughter.” This is the only place in the four gospels where Jesus called anyone daughter. Then Jesus affirmed her faith, telling her it was her faith that had made her well.

By this time, some folks arrived from Jairus’ house and told him they didn’t need to bother the Teacher further, because the little girl had died. Jesus looked at Jairus and said, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.” Wow! having daughters of my own, I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for Jairus in that moment. Whatever the distance to his house from where they were, it must have seemed like forever before they arrived. As they entered the house, family and friends were weeping and wailing as we would expect in such a tragic moment. But Jesus told them the girl wasn’t dead. She was just sleeping. They laughed at Jesus, but He went to the girl, took her hand and told her to get up. She did!

Each of the three accounts isn’t only an account of an exorcism or a healing, but a demonstration of God’s awesome power in Jesus. In each case, the person healed had been separated from loved ones in extreme ways, and Jesus restored each one to life, health, wholeness and community. I’m grateful Mark included these accounts for us, because they show us nothing is too hard for God, and that Jesus cared not only about the physical well-being, or even only about the spiritual well-being of those He healed, but even for their social well-being–their ability to live in and be part of their families and communities.

As we go about the day, let’s remember the same power that came from Jesus is part of our lives as His followers. We have the same Holy Spirit in us who lived in Jesus. Let’s be ready for the opportunities God sends our ways as we go about the day, just as Jesus was ready for Legion, the woman, and Jairus’ daughter.

One of the most important truths we learn from Abram is when God makes a promise don’t take matters into your own hands. God promised Abram He would give him a son, but Abram and Sarai decided God was taking too long, so they took matters in their own hands. Sarai gave Abram her maidservant, Hagar, so Abram “they” would be able to have a son. In truth, Hagar’s son would be Abram’s son, but that son would not be the child God promised him. We will see as we read in the days ahead that Hagar’s son, Ishmael, became a challenge and a problem, for Abram and Sarai. That could have been avoided had they only waited for God’s timing instead of insisting on moving in their own.

How many times have you been impatient with God’s timing in your life? I know it’s been far too often for me. I have never had such a specific promise from God as Abram and Sarai, but I remember when Nancy and I were praying for God to give us a child, a period that lasted for nearly a decade, so many times I thought God had forgotten us. In much smaller matters, I push my will thinking it is God who is challenging me to step forward in faith. The question becomes, “How do we know when God is speaking to us, and when it’s our own desire?” Henry Blackaby offers a great response to that question in his book Experiencing God. Blackaby tells us God speaks to us in four primary ways: 1) through His written word–the Bible; 2) through prayer; 3) through circumstances; and 4) through other believers.

Let’s look a little closer at each way.  When we read the Bible we find principles and promises that speak clearly to us. I’m not talking about a “name it and claim it” theology, where we find and verse that says what we want to hear or have and claim it as a promise from God. Rather, I mean when Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33 if we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, God will add everything we need to our lives, that as we put God first, He will see our daily needs are provided.

God speaks to us through prayer in many ways. In my experience, God has spoken audibly to me only a couple of times, but He often speaks in my Spirit when I pray. The temptation is always to speak to myself and call it God, but my discernment process involves being certain the “answer” I receive is consistent with God’s revealed will in the Bible. After all, God will never tell us something that isn’t consistent with what He has already said in His word.

God speaks through our circumstances. For example, I have often prayed God would use our home effectively for His purposes. Since Abby and Emmy moved out of the house several years ago, we have had a big house all to ourselves. We have hosted a couple of short-term house guests over the years, but last August when Pastor Joe Tung from Canada e-mailed me and told me their church had three teenaged girls who needed a home, I immediately sensed this was God answering my prayer. Of course, with such a major decision, Nancy and I needed to discern together that God was, indeed, calling us to become parents again.  The opportunity to serve Him through parenting Teresa, Yukina, and Yumiko has been His voice speaking clearly through circumstances.

Finally, God sometimes speaks through other believers. When I was seventeen, and had accepted an appointment to West Point, I had one last opportunity to preach in my home church in Gipsy, PA. After the service, a  close family friend, Shyrl Spicher looked me in the eyes and said, “I think you have missed your calling.” She didn’t know, that I knew God was calling me to be a pastor, but I was doing everything I could to avoid that call in my life. Her words echoed in my mind and heart for years. I knew God was speaking through her, and ultimately, I responded to that call.

In each of our lives, we can do our will or God’s will. God’s will is always better for us! I pray we will take the time to listen for and to God’s voice in whatever manner He speaks to us today.

Genesis 11 offers us an intriguing look at human nature after God spared it from total destruction. With new opportunities to turn to God and serve Him, instead we decided to “make a name for ourselves.” The amazing thing is God acknowledged our capacity was unlimited. He said whatever we set our minds to do, we would accomplish–and that was without the power of the Holy Spirit. In God’s mercy, He confused the languages of the people, which caused them to abandon the building project and scatter over the earth.  How ironic, God’s original intention was for us to be fruitful and multiply and rule over the whole earth with Him. That would have included covering the earth, but the difference would have been our travels would have fulfilled God’s purpose. Now, humanity scattered and divided, becoming distinct peoples who would ultimately war and strive against God and one another rather than working in unity.

Thankfully, that was not the end of the story. As we see in Genesis 12-13, God called Abram, and started establishing the fulfillment of His plan for humanity through him. Notice Abram was far from perfect. He told Sarai to lie about their relationship as husband and wife, when they went to Egypt to protect himself from harm, and at the potential cost of having her become someone else’s wife. God didn’t call Abram, because Abram was perfect. That’s good news for us: God calls us despite our sin and shortcomings, not because of how good we are! He starts with where we are and through the blood of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, transform us from he inside out.

As we go about the day, remember God’s purpose is to draw us together, not scatter us, and to redeem us from the sins and shortcomings of our lives, to be His sons and daughters. No wonder Jeremiah would one day proclaim God has plans for our good and to provide us a future and a hope! We see that future and hope embodied in the life of Jesus. In our reading from Mark 3, Jesus healed the sick and cast out demons to demonstrate the power of God’s future for us. Notice, though, the religious leaders and even Jesus’ own family members didn’t see what He was doing as from God. God’s ways are often misunderstood by those who haven’t yet experienced His saving touch. Take that to heart the next time you offer someone the truth and love of Jesus and they reject it, make fun of it, or ignore it.

As we open our Bibles today, Genesis 5 is the first chapter before us. The chapter is a genealogy of people from Adam through Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth. To me, it is not exciting reading. To you, it may well be. Genealogies have never been overly exciting to me. To others they offer a door of understanding. When I come to them in the Bible, I typically skim through to see whether there are details about a particular person or family line that offers insight. Other than that I move quickly through the lists of names in search of the next section of narrative.

That next section in Genesis starts in chapter six and continues through Genesis nine, with us being told humanity had degenerated in not too many generations from fallen to reprobate. what an incredibly rapid descent. God “repented” (in the old King James Version) of having made humanity. While God knew where humanity would go once sin entered the world, He created us anyway. Why? We can’t answer that question with absolute certainty, but it seems God’s love for us, and God’s desire for our love for Him to be genuine and without coercion, had to allow for our rejection of God. That rejection has been absolute in so many cases, and without skipping over the amazing account of that rejection leading to God’s destruction of all but eight human beings, let’s turn to our own rejection of Him.

You and I are descendants of Adam. If we could reconstruct the genealogy of our family trees all the way back to Adam we would find them connecting somewhere with the list in Genesis 5. We inherit Adam’s sin nature at birth. As the old saying goes, “We aren’t sinners, because we sin.  We sin because we’re sinners.” It’s our nature. Thank God we were born on this side of the flood! God has continuously reached out to humanity. He did it through Noah, through Abraham, through Moses, through the judges and kings of Israel, and ultimately through Jesus. While that’s getting way ahead of the story, the Bible’s connective thread is God’s ongoing effort to intercede in our behalf to overcome the sin we brought into the world. Preserving Noah and his family was a vital moment in that effort.

As we read through the Bible, we see God is always plotting to do us good. As  our reading from Mark 2 reminds us, Jesus’ ministry brought healing to the sick, welcome to the outcast, and victory over the rigid ways of legalism. Such amazing good would ultimately be rewarded with crucifixion, which shows us the depth of human sin and Satan’s desire to defeat God’s goodness. That crucifixion resulted in Jesus’ ultimate defeat of sin, death and Satan, which is one more example of how God is, indeed, always plotting to do us good!

In the beginning God… so begins the book of Genesis. Before the beginning was also God.  The age-old question of “Who created God?” goes unanswered in the Bible, because God is the uncaused caused. He always existed. How? We cannot say or know.  Why? We cannot say or know. Part of the nature of God is being unknowable and beyond the capacity of the creatures He has created. Yet, God has made Himself known to us. He has revealed Himself to us in creation. (A creation requires a Creator, right?) He has revealed Himself to us in the history of the people of Israel. He has revealed Himself to us most clearly through His Son, Jesus Christ. Why? That we know. He tells us in the Bible.  From cover to cover we read of God’s love for us, of God’s desire to be in relationship with us.  That’s why reading and living God’s word in the Bible is vital to a growing relationship with God.

On this Easter day 2018, the greatest evidence and revelation of God’s love is the remembrance of Jesus walking out of the tomb, thus announcing sin and death had been defeated! You might never have experienced that love, or you might live in it daily. Either way, my prayer for you is you will experience God’s great love in Jesus Christ right now.  Know God created the universe for His glory and so you and I might rule over it with Him. Know that when we rejected God (which we read about in Genesis 3) God continued to care for us. Know Jesus is the ultimate evidence of God’s goodness and love.

We will always have many questions about God we cannot answer in this life. That is to be expected of a being whose thoughts and ways are as high above ours as the heavens are above the earth, according to prophet Isaiah. The good news, the amazing news is God loves us so much He has revealed everything of Himself we need to know to experience abundant life and salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ! To God be all the glory, honor and praise!