July 7th One Year Bible Readings

1 Chronicles 4:5-5:17 ~ Acts 25:1-27 ~ Psalm 5:1-12 ~ Proverbs 18:19
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Old Testament - Today in 1 Chronicles 4 verses 9 & 10 we will read 2 verses that modern-day author Bruce Wilkinson wrote a best selling book upon called "The Prayer of Jabez: “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain." Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.” I’ll start off with a pretty high level question for you here – Why do you pray? How do you pray? What should we pray? Does God want us to pray? Did Jesus pray? Should we model Jesus in praying? I guess I’m coming to think more and more that we of course should pray. Often. Every chance we get really. “Pray without ceasing” ideally. But I’m starting to believe that we pray primarily to discern God’s will and God’s heart – to hear God’s still small voice – rather than to ask for stuff. I mean, I think it is certainly okay for us to ask for stuff on occasion – if it is within God’s will and plan for our lives. But I don’t think we should pray to God as if he was some cosmic slot machine, and that the more we pray, the more blessings & stuff we will get. I think we should be cautious to not view prayer as a “magical” thing that will produce “magical” results in our life. I believe we pray to know the heart of God. I believe we pray for intercession for others. I believe we do pray sometimes to ask for blessings within God’s will and plans for our lives – and I stress “we” and “our” here, as a collective community of the body of Christ. Why do you pray? Do you pray to “listen” to God? Do you pray to intercede on the behalf of others in need?

New Testament - We see continued incredible wisdom displayed by Paul in today's readings!  His appeal to Caesar may look like on first glance he was trying to save his life.  Many commentators believe that Paul was actually doing this strategically to get to Rome so he could preach the Gospel in Rome!  Yes, he'd be arriving in Rome as a prisoner, but, if we know Paul at all, we know that being a prisoner will not stop him from preaching the Gospel!  I love this whole scenario.  Paul certainly seems a bit "down and out" on the ways things are going in his life.  He's been imprisoned for two years, he is barely avoiding being killed or beaten, and yet he's continuing to think of every way to preach the Gospel and advance the Kingdom of God!  I wonder about this in our lives today?  Are we like Paul in this regard?  Are we constantly thinking of ways to preach the Gospel and advance the kingdom?  My hunch is that most of us are living very nice lives - no real threat of being killed or imprisoned.  And I sometimes wonder if our comfort is maybe the real enemy?  Are we not focused on preaching the Gospel or advancing the Kingdom of God because we are simply too comfortable?  I do think one of the devil's greatest tricks is to simply distract us.  Not to get us to do evil.  But to distract us.  Make us too comfortable perhaps?  I don't know...  I'm just so impressed with how Paul was so focused on the Gospel and building the Kingdom, in the midst of all his challenges.  And I worry about why we are not so focused - and I think it might be our comfortable distractions...

Below is a great image of Festus' conversation with King Agrippa about Paul's case from verses 21 & 22: "^"But Paul appealed to the emperor. So I ordered him back to jail until I could arrange to send him to Caesar." "I'd like to hear the man myself," Agrippa said. And Festus replied, "You shall--tomorrow!"

Bible.org's commentary on today's Acts readings titled "Paul's Appeal" is at this link.

Psalms - I love Psalm 5 verse 3: "Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly."  This is a great reminder to pray in the mornings - before we start the hustle and bustle of the day.  I know that many of you are reading the One Year Bible readings in the morning, which I think is a great way to start your day!  I do see a huge positive difference in my day if I do pray to God in the morning and pray specifically about the upcoming day - and pray for others that I will interact with that day as well.  Praise God for the morning!

Actually, while I'm talking about the morning here, let me go off on a tangent if you don't mind... :)  I honestly have lived much of my life as a "night owl."  I went to bed late and woke up late.  And I had all kinds of good "reasons" of why I was a night owl.  But, I will be honest here - I don't think being a night owl was good for me.  I honestly believe there is so much wisdom in the old adage of "early to bed, early to rise, helps make a person healthy, wealthy and wise."  I personally think that being a night owl was a lack of discipline on my part.  I don't mean to say all this to make you other night owls out there feel guilty...  :)  But, I do want to encourage you, in that if you think you are stuck being a night owl the rest of your life, I don't think it is true.  I believe you can make the transition to being a morning person.  I am an example of someone who has transitioned from being a late-night person to an early-to-bed person.  (well, yes, I'm still a bit in the transition phase sometimes it seems...)  And I am here to tell you, mornings rock!  Early mornings are so beautiful and peaceful!  They really are an amazing time of the day to connect with God...   Praise God for the morning!

Proverbs - Proverbs 18 verse 19 is very timely in my life... "It's harder to make amends with an offended friend than to capture a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with iron bars." Recently I received a voicemail from a friend that made me so angry when I listened to it!  And I thought to myself, "that is absolutely no way to talk to me.  I'm gonna call him back right now and set him straight on this!"  And then after settling down a bit, I decided this voicemail was not worth the argument.  I had every apparent "right" to take up an argument because of tone of the voicemail, but something inside of me (thanks God!) encouraged me not to do so.  And I ended up calling this friend back later and didn't address the voicemail tone, and things have been great ever since.  Did I do the right thing?  Should I have called him out on the voicemail tone?  Should I have started up an argument?  For some reason I didn't.  And this Proverb seems to make me think I did the right thing.  If I had taken up the argument about the voicemail, I just might have been clicking a "lock" that would have separated us for a season... Have you ever had an experience like this where you didn't allow your anger or frustration with a friend flare up in order to protect the friendship? Is this wise to do? Is there a time to allow the anger or frustration to not be held back?

YouTube Video: Today's readings remind me of the Michael W. Smith song on the radio called "Mighty to Save:"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYZQ6KN13jU

Do you believe our God is mighty to save?  Click here for Might!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: "In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. " Psalm 5:3 TNIV

Prayer Point: Pray to God each day in the morning for your day ahead. Share your requests with God and wait expectantly, trusting that God hears your voice.

Comments from You & Questions of the Day:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings?  Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!

God bless,
Mike

Comments

[Ramona]

Mike you wrote:

“Why do you pray? How do you pray? What should we pray? Does God want us to pray? Did Jesus pray? Should we model Jesus in praying?”

I have concluded at this time in my life that prayer for me is communicating with God, both listening and speaking. Praying should be more about listening then rattling off my laundry list to God for the things I think I need but in reality are wants. I hope my prayers are from the depths of my heart and not some ritual. I desire true intimacy, a relationship that is substantive, and not just talking to be talking.

Because my delimitation of prayer is “communicating with God,” and God knows my needs even before I do, I want to hear from God what He wants me to do. Jesus’ heard from His Father in his time of prayer and he always spent time with God right before something big was about to happen. May I strive to model my Lord and Saviors’ behavior.

I Chronicles 4:5-5:17
Since my habit ‘till a year ago was to read thorough the first eleven chapters of I Chronicles, like I read through the beginning of Numbers and Ezra, going 100 miles per hour, I don’t really remember when Jabaz’s prayer stopped me in my tracks, but it did. It was like hitting a speed bump going 60 on a wide opened highway then suddenly seeing this thing, this bump pop up in the road ten feet ahead. I figuratively flew in the air.

Every time I come to this section, I see something I’ve never seen before and am always amazed by the depth of this text. I’ve come to realize that Jabaz’s name is my name, is everyone on this board’s name. We all have been conceived in pain and scarred by the names given to us. Names like: You’re no Good, Just Like Your Father, Stupid, Dumb, Ugly, Why Don’t’ You Act Like Your Brother/Sister, and the names go on. These names define who we are from our childhood, reining us in and keeping us confined to the valley of despair and limited potential.

Jabaz, I believe, was more honorable than his brothers because he asked God to remove the limitations placed upon him so that he could be what God had called him to be and not what men told him he was.

I love how the Amplified translates this passage:

9 Jabez was honorable above his brothers; but his mother named him Jabez [sorrow maker], saying, Because I bore him in pain.

10 Jabez cried to the God of Israel, saying, Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and You would keep me from evil so it might not hurt me! And God granted his request.

Acts 25:1-27

I just realized the ruling officials of the day were also the judges. I’ve read this many times, but never noticed the political leaders having the dual role of judge and ruler. So Paul’s admonishment to Timothy (1 Tim. 2:1-3),

1I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3This is good, and pleases God our Savior,

Now has greater weight and depth of meaning because I realize these political leaders weren’t just politicians that could be voted out of office. They were appointed to carry out government business, oversee the citizens and inhabitants as well as judge their behavior and actions at trial.

I wonder what that would look like today in the USA if our elected officials ran the courts.

Psalm 5:1-12

Although using different words and more of them, David, like Jabaz, is asking God to remove the boundaries that have placed him in danger. Hmm, maybe God has already removed those boundaries, maybe we just need the vision to see past the cardboard walls and flimsy fences, smoke and mirrors the devil, and folk have built around us.

Proverbs 18:19

I went looking for the Hebrew word translated “offended” or “offend” in this passage and the primary English usage is not offend or offended but transgress and transgressor (26 times). Offend or offended is translated only once and it is in this verse. [Pasha` to rebel, transgress, revolt—Strong’s Number 06586]. This is not some little bit of rudeness or terse remark; this is a major breech or violation against another person. So I’m not so sure that this verse is saying not to allow an offence or slight to break up a relationship so much as it is a warning stating, “Don’t sin against a brother or close friend”. I will have to explore and study this further.

Grace and peace,
Ramona

[Luch]

I continue to be enriched by OYB community and by mike's creative touch with his posts. Re Paul's passion. He is truly as FF Bruce called him 'the apostle of the heart set free'. I love this daily OYB 'liturgy'.

[Janice]

Praying is so important because, even though God knows everything about us in the first place, it gives us that one on one relationship that God wants. Little talks with God (driving the car, taking a walk, etc) throughout the day keeps us focused on Him.

[Wanda]

The section on Jabez stood out to me today. Had me thinking that perhaps it's those things that are birthed in pain that are able to bring the Father the greatest glory. His very name identified him as pain and he sought God in manner that his destiny was not defined by the name/label given to him by his own mother. May we all transcend the labels that have been attached to us. Glory be to God that defies what attempts to constrict us!

[Karen]

I hope all who read this comment page are diligently praying for the USA. Even those who don't live in this country don't want to see it go down like so many nations in the old testament that we are reading about. The people turn from God and down goes the nation. God said in 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sins, and will heal their land." GOD BLESS AMERICA! Love in Christ.

[Molly]

The offended brothers in the New Testament crucified our Lord, Jesus. I believe it is a terrible thing to stay offended.