From January 31, One Year Bible

Today's Scriptures:

Exodus 12:14 ~ 13:5; Matthew 20:29 ~ 21:22; Psalm 25:16 ~ 22; Proverbs 6:12 ~15

My One Thought Scripture: Exodus 12:29 ~ 32, 13:3 (NIV)

29 At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well.

30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.

31 During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested.

32 Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go.

Exodus 13:

3 Then Moses said to the people, "Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand.

Today, there is terrific unrest in Egypt. There are riots and political unrest as Egyptians call for the ouster of their leader and his government. People are even dying as the riot continues and the government tries to quiet the situation. This morning I heard one report that as many as 90,000 Americans are being urged to leave the country for their own safety. You can imagine the problems and pressures that situation puts on airlines and other means of transportation. But the 90,000 are only the Americans. There must be citizens of other nations as well. I have not heard anyone venture a guess on that number but it must be astounding. Governments, corporations, transportation venues...they are all scrambling.

In today's Old Testament reading from Exodus, I see Moses in a similar situation. God has sent the death-angel...the first born of the Egyptians have died. In the night, the Egyptian people awoke to the sound of “loud wailing” throughout the land. There was not a single (Egyptian) house where someone had not died. Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron in the middle of the night and told them to “get out”! They were told to take the people, flocks and herds and leave! All the begging, pleading, planning, the plagues and “mind-changing” that has gone on between Moses (God) and Pharaoh has now suddenly come to a head. It is time to act! We are told that on the night the people of Israel left Rameses and started for Succoth, there were 600,000 men, plus all the women and children to begin this evacuation all at one time. Since the day that Joseph's family came to settle in Egypt until now, it had been 430 years.

As the Israelites began their journey, in Exodus 13:3, we read, “...Moses said to the people, 'This is a day to remember forever ~ the day you left Egypt, the place of your slavery. Today the Lord has brought you out by the power of His mighty hand.'” When I read that, my mind returned to events in my own past that I can now look back on and say, “that was a day to remember forever ~ the day You, God brought me out of slavery...the day I was brought out by the power of Your mighty hand.” Never forget the important days in your own spiritual walk.

From January 30, One Year Bible

Today's Scriptures:

Exodus 10:1~12:13; Matthew 20:1~28; Psalm 25:1~15; Proverbs 6:6~11

My One Thought Scripture: Psalm 25:1~15 (NIV)

1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;

2 in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.

3 No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.

4 Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths;

5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

6 Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.

7 Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord.

8 Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.

10 All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant.

11 For the sake of your name, O Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

12 Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.

13 He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land.

14 The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.

15 My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare.

One reason I attempt to write these “blogs” based on the One Year Bible readings is not to show my talent, wisdom and biblical knowledge. In fact, you won't read very much here before you realize that I don't have much of the above to blog about. I could just read the assigned passages and let it go at that. I've done that plenty of times in the past. The reason I am trying to do this is to force me to seek a truth from God's Word each day that applies to my life and will help me get through the day.

As I read this Psalm today some of my own past flashed before my eyes! Verse 7 says, “Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord.”   How grateful I am that my God has forgiven me and forgotten the “sins of my youth and my rebellious ways...”

I found many “hints” in this passage that show us WHO our God is; WHAT our God is; and WHY our God is. The psalmist (David) pleads with God in verse 6 to “Remember” His (God's) great mercy and love. Verse 8 states flatly, “Good and upright is the Lord” (as our pastor reminded us this morning...”God is good...all the time...”) In verse 10, we are reminded that “All the ways of The Lord are loving and faithful”. These are some of the ways we can know WHO our God is.

Some of the ways we can know WHAT our God is are written about as well. In verses 4 and 8 we learn that God is a dedicated teacher. Verse 8 states: “...therefore he instructs sinners in his ways...”. Verse 9 also tells us He teaches what is right...His way. He is the guide (teacher) of the humble. The ways of our God are loving and faithful, (verse 10).

Finally, the WHY. There are several hints in this Psalm about why my God will bless me (and you) so profoundly. Words that I see are “trust” (verse 2); “hope” (verse 3); “humble” (verse 9); “keep the demands” (verse 10); and “fear” (verse 12 & 14).

It is incumbent on me to always approach Him in these ways. If I will, HE will! How grateful I am that our God is the God of love. His mercy, love, goodness, teaching, guiding and forgiveness are never-ending.

With King David, I can say, “...My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare...”

From January 27, One Year Bible

Today's Scriptures:

Exodus 4:1~5:21; Matthew 18:1~20; Psalm 22:19~31; Proverbs 5:15~21

My One Thought Scripture: Exodus 4:1~9 (NIV)

Exodus 4:1-9

“Moses answered, 'What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The Lord did not appear to you'? Then the Lord said to him, 'What is that in your hand?' 'A staff,' he replied. The Lord said, 'Throw it on the ground.' Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. Then the Lord said to him, 'Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.' So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 'This,' said the Lord, 'is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers ~ the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob ~ has appeared to you.' Then the Lord said, 'Put your hand inside your cloak.' So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was leprous, like snow. 'Now put it back into your cloak,' he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh. Then the Lord said, 'If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first miraculous sign, they may believe the second. But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground.'"

God really wanted Moses to be “His man” to take care of a special task that must be done. It would eventually become the job of Moses and his brother Aaron to His children out and then lead them on to Caanan, the land He had promised Abraham centuries earlier.

In the Old Testament accounts of Abraham and of Noah, for example, we saw men who responded quickly and without question when God told them what to do. On the other hand, here Moses was a “hard sell”. Moses did not realize that his entire life up to now had all been basic training or “boot camp” for this moment. He was spared from murder as a baby, then raised and educated as an Egyptian probably giving him the best education available. His life had been spared as a young adult when Egyptians sought to kill him in retaliation for his slaying an Egyptian guard. Moses spent the next forty years living as a shepherd where he most likely learned how to survive in the “wild”.

I see all of this as God directing, planning and training Moses for the task He has had for him since before his birth. Now, God further provides Moses with some special “tools” that he would need for his task. There was the miraculous staff that first turned into a serpent...then back into a staff. God demonstrated it to Moses, but then told him that he could prove that God sent him by using this same demonstration. If Pharoah did not believe him by that act, God used a second demonstration of making his hand leprous, then restoring it to health. A third “miracle” God supplied was that of turning water from the Nile river to blood. But, Moses was still uncomfortable.

What “tools” or past experiences does God want me to draw on to use now for His glory? I believe that past experiences and even past sins or “errors”, no matter how good or evil can be forgiven...but also used to help make us what we are today and we, in turn, can use them as God directs for His glory.

From January 24, One Year Bible

Today's Scriptures:

Genesis 48:1 ~ 49:33; Matthew 15:29 ~ 16:12; Psalm 20:1 ~ 9; Proverbs 4:20-27

My One Thought Scripture: Proverbs 4:20-27 (NIV)

“My son, pay attention to what I say;

listen closely to my words.

Do not let them out of your sight,

keep them within your heart;

for they are life to those who find them

and health to a man's whole body.

Above all else, guard your heart,

for it is the wellspring of life.

Put away perversity from your mouth;

keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

Let your eyes look straight ahead,

fix your gaze directly before you.

Make level paths for your feet

and take only ways that are firm.

Do not swerve to the right or the left;

keep your foot from evil.”

We probably all agree that if parents could convince their children to “listen” a lot of sadness and grief could be avoided. Parents have already made the mistakes and do not want to see their children repeat them.

The writer of this Proverb has several bits of advice to offer and since I have probably been guilty of each of these at some time, I would say that the most important thing he says is that we should “listen” or “pay attention”. Some of the “direct” or specific things he tells us are: “put away perversity from your mouth...” (Oh, how that needs to be addressed today); “Let your eyes look straight ahead...” (King David made that mistake and you see what it cost him); “Make level paths for your feet...” (things will go along much easier and will less effort); and “Do not swerve to the right or left...” (the shortest distance between two points is a straight line). Sounds like practical advice to me!

From January 23, One Year Bible

Today's Scriptures:

Genesis 46:1 ~ 47:31; Matthew 15:1 ~ 28; Psalm 19:1 ~ 14; Proverbs 4:14 ~ 19

My One Thought Scripture: Matthew 15:1-9 (NIV)

“Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their hands before they eat!"

Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, 'Honor your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,' he is not to 'honor his father' with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'"

Are we guilty of nullifying the Word of God for the sake of our own tradition? In this passage, Jesus is tangling with the Pharisees and teachers of religious law. You would consider these men to be the theological experts of the day. They attacked Jesus by attacking some of the habits of His disciples, who, in their opinion had broken one of their traditions. Jesus was never short on words when it came to these encounters. He outright called them “hypocrites”, but His intention was not for the purpose of name calling. He backed up his accusation with words these men would recognize and understand...The words of Isaiah.

What would you feel if Jesus said to you, “You honor Me with your lips, but your heart is far from me.” Or if He called your worship “in vain”? Is MY worship genuine? Is “a wonderful worship service” what I want to experience or what He wants from me? Do I worship just so that I can leave church with a good feeling and be “pumped” for the week ahead?

Worship is intended for expressing our praise and honor to God. It is time we align our hearts with God and seek to focus our praise toward Him and Him alone.

From January 22, One Year Bible

January 22 Readings:

     Genesis 44:1-45:28; Matthew 14::13-36; Psalm 18:37-50; Proverbs 4:11-13 (NIV)

My OneThing Thought key verses for today: Genesis 45:5-8a

5 “And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.

6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping.

7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

8 So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God...”

This is a well-known story in the Bible that we have heard since our early Sunday School days. Joseph has been sold into slavery and ends up in Egypt. He suffered and was abused, but now, many years later his brothers come seeking help without knowing who he really is. In these verses, Joseph is finally revealing himself to them.

As I read verses 5-8, I could not help but think of Jesus. My sins have served as abuse to Him, yet He tells me “...don't be upset and don't be angry with yourself because of the way you have treated me...It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your life...God has sent me...to keep you and your families alive and preserve many survivors.”

Later in today's reading was a passage in Psalms. Psalm 18:46-50 is a fitting response to the lesson picked up from this moment in Joseph's life and what it taught me this morning:

“The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!

Exalted be God my Savior!

He is the God who avenges me,

who subdues nations under me,

who saves me from my enemies.

You exalted me above my foes;

from violent men you rescued me.

Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O Lord;

I will sing praises to your name.

He gives his king great victories;

he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,

to David and his descendants forever.”

From january 20, One Year Bible

Proverbs 4:1~6 (NIV)

1 Listen, my sons, to a father's instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.

2 I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching.

3 When I was a boy in my father's house, still tender, and an only child of my mother,

4 he taught me and said, "Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live.

5 Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them.

6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.

I remember the “corrections” of my father. I would classify him as a stern disciplinarian who was never inclined to “spare the rod”.  He was not abusive, but I sure thought he was.  I can't say that I listened to his instruction as we are encouraged to do here in Proverbs 4. There are some things here that the writer tells us to do. He also lists some benefits if we will do them.  We are to listen and pay attention.  He says that if we do, we will gain understanding, sound learning and wisdom.

When I was a kid at home and my father tried to teach me some important things, about life.  I don't recall that he ever promised understanding or sound learning.  He told me what to do and expected me to do it.  If he had made only promises, I probably would not have heard him anyway. I was too caught up with my own intelligence. One day, when I was beginning to raise children myself, I began to realize how much he seemed to have recently learned. I realized the importance of his wise teachings. He was wise in many ways...much wiser than I was.

Our writer of this Proverb encourages us to follow the commands. He encourages us to work for wisdom and understanding. The encouraging word from our Heavenly Father today is to listen to His instruction; pay attention; do not forsake His teaching; lay hold of His words; and keep His commands. To do these things will result in wisdom, understanding and protection.