My Bible Journey: Week of April 13, 2008

bible

Joshua 7:19 = that’s pretty powerful, “give God glory by telling the truth”
7:20-21 = sounds a little like “be sure your sins will find you out”
8:1-29 = reflecting back over the last few chapters: when you trust God and live in obedience, huge problems are no problem; when you do not trust or are disobedient, small problems are overwhelming; when you trust in God and obey, small problems are put in proper perspective.
8:30-35 = Here is an OT practice we might want to reconsider. I know that Communion is pretty much the same idea, but having specific times in our churches when we remember the Covenent of Grace that has been given to us, apart from Communion services or Easter extravaganzas might be beneficial. It is good to remind ourselves about what God has done, and what our responsibilities are.
9:1-2 = when you’re on the right track with God, don’t be surprised if your “enemies” gather together in an effort to defeat you.
9:3-27 = an incredible example of the necessity of keeping your word, even when it hurts. breaking your word is a sin against God, even if you were tricked into giving it. also notice that the trickery backfired on the Gibeonites. another lesson learned: God will take care of getting even with those who deceitfully use you.
10:1-15 = the power of keeping your word.
10:16-43 = let’s be honest here, reconciling OT slaughters commanded by God is hard to square with the gospel of grace found in the NT. I’ll confess I am still unsure how to put it into proper context in our day, but I will say that it is better to be cautious, or you end up with a historical embarrassment like the Crusades.
11 (chapter) = how many times to we make the same mistake? thinking that if we didn’t succeed the first time, if we just throw more resources at it we can defeat it. how dumb can we be? especially if it is something God wants for us, no amount of anything is going to allow us to defeat Him.
12:24 = victory after victory after victory
13:6-7 = I have questions about these verses, but I’ll hold off asking because I’m pretty sure the Bible will answer them later on. yeah, the Bible’s usually like that.
14:12 = Let Caleb’s attitude toward life be our attitude: “But if the Lord is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the Lord said.”
15:63 = see, it is verses like this that make me have questions about verses like 13:6-7.
17:12-13 = more of the same question.
19:1-9 = the cities of refuge: cities of justice
Luke 16:8-9 = “And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light. Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.”
16:13-15 = to all the Prosperity Gospel preachers, you are teaching your followers to serve the wrong master.
16:17-18 = a word to the wise: though we now live under “grace,” the OT Law is still in force. Don’t equate grace with license to sin, because the smallest point of God’s word will not pass away.
16:19-31 = a cautionary tale to warn us to listen to the Word we’ve been given while we have the time. a “new Word” is not going to be given to us. stop looking for a “fresh Word” from the Lord, because He’s not going to say something contrary to what He’s already said.
17:1 = “There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting!”
17:3 = a hard verse to swallow, but more proof that our job as Christ-followers is NOT to judge the heart of another. real forgiveness is inhumanly hard.
17:6 = I really have not ever “gotten” these mustard seed saying of Christ. I think maybe my faith has always been too small.
17:7-9 = why many Christ-followers don’t really knuckle down and serve Christ. it’s really hard.
17:11-19 = we must change our church culture so that it reflects the one leper rather than the nine.
17:20 = “the Kingdom of God is already among you”
17:22-37 = regardless of what your view of end time prophecy is, you must agree we are living in the last days. Jesus is clearly describing our day-to-day lives. this doesn’t mean He’s necessarily coming tomorrow, it could still be centuries away.
18:1-8 = never feel like you are badgering God when you pray. in fact, Jesus here pretty much tells you that’s exactly how you should pray. pray over and over and over until God gives you an answer.
18:9-14 = self-righteousness breeds pride, while humility breeds righteousness.
18:18-19 = this is why being a good person cannot get you to Heaven, only God is truly good.
18:20-29 = modern American church culture has the exact same problem, we are so rich we don’t really follow Christ completely
18:35-42 = a blind man who was not so blind, he saw more clearly than the religious leaders of his day.
19:8 = an example of a heart truly changed: giving up “stuff” for Christ and His kingdom was not a hardship.
19:14 = we so often skip over this verse in the story. I wonder if they didn’t want him to be their king because he expected them to take responsibility for themselves and to do good.
19:22 = why was this servant wicked? because doing good is not the absence of doing bad. doing good means DOING good.
19:41-44 = foretelling 70 AD
Psalm 82 = a reminder that Justice is two-sided. On one side is the justice that is concerned with the poor and destitute, on the other is the justice that is concerned with righteous living and the consequences of not living in such a way.
Psalm 83 = how to deal with enemies: ask God to take care of the problem.
Psalm 84 = have you ever been in a congregational setting that you just never wanted to end? you knew the very Presence of the Lord was there and you were all dwelling together in His shadow and worshiping in holiness. that’s what this Psalm is describing, and what we have to look forward to.
Psalm 85:10 = THIS is the essence of justice, “unfailing love and truth have met together.” Remember, this was said after God had brought some measure of judgment over the years upon Israel. true love also brings discipline when necessary, but it is also a love that never gives up.
Psalm 86:5 = “O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive,
so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.”
86:11-13 = “Teach me your ways, O Lord,
that I may live according to your truth!
Grant me purity of heart,
so that I may honor you.
With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God.
I will give glory to your name forever,
for your love for me is very great.
You have rescued me from the depths of death.”
Proverbs 13:2-3 = I think James read the book of Proverbs don’t you?
13:4 = one of the reasons I am a “conservative” when it comes to government programs.
13:8 = a benefit to poverty.
13:9 = “The life of the godly is full of light and joy”
13:11 = take THIS prosperity gospel and give-me-a-handout people: “Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time.”