One Year Bible Blog

March 22nd readings

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Numbers 33:40-35:34 ~ Luke 5:12-28
Psalm 65:1-13 ~ Proverbs 11:23

Old Testament - Today in Numbers chapter 34 we read about the boundaries of the Promised Land and in chapter 35 we read about the cities of refuge.  Check out this awesome map at this link for a great overview of how the tribes will divide Canaan - which we will read about later in the Bible in more detail.  And some cities of refuge are shown at this map link above too.  In chapter 33 of today's readings we read about the other nations in Canaan, which are overviewed briefly below in this map image from ebibleteacher.com - (photo in this image taken by NASA, which is cool!)

In chapter 35 verses 10-12 we read about the Cities of Refuge - "`When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, designate cities of refuge for people to flee to if they have killed someone accidentally. These cities will be places of protection from a dead person's relatives who want to avenge the death. The slayer must not be killed before being tried by the community."  Reading about the Cities of Refuge reminds me of our current day laws of "innocent until proven guilty."  It seems like the Cities of Refuge idea still lives on in our justice system today.

New Testament - In Luke chapter 5 we read one of my favorite healings' of Jesus - where he heals the paralyzed man on the mat - in very large part because of the paralyzed man's friends who carry him to Jesus!  I love that his friends did this.  I pray if I was paralyzd I would have friends like these!  Check out verses 18 through 20 - "Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to push through the crowd to Jesus, but they couldn't reach him. So they went up to the roof, took off some tiles, and lowered the sick man down into the crowd, still on his mat, right in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, "Son, your sins are forgiven.""   I am fascinated by this - "seeing their faith" - I don't know if this is a quirk of the New Living Translation or if indeed Jesus literally saw the faith of the paralyzed man's friends.  My hunch is that he did.  And this makes me realize that sometimes when our faith is at a low point, maybe our friends can help carry us along and bring us closer to Jesus.  And maybe we should act like these friends for someone in our life who is "paralyzed" by something....  Is there someone in your life that you can help "carry the mat for" and in doing so bring them closer to Jesus?  Wow.  I pray I have friends like this - and I pray I can be a friend like this to others...

Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Luke chapter 5 is at this link.

Psalms - Psalm 65 has some amazing verses about nature!  I love verse 8 - "Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders. From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy." When is the last time you have been inspired to shout for joy to God for the beautiful sunset he created?

Verse 7 of the Psalm says this - "You quieted the raging oceans with their pounding waves and silenced the shouting of the nations."  When is the last time you have stood in complete silence before God because of his beautiful Creation?

Proverbs - Today's Proverb reading is a great teaching that leading a godly life will lead to happiness.  And leading a wicked life....  brings wrath.  This is sobering to really ponder.  It's a choice each one of us must make.  What type of life will we lead?  And where will that life choice ultimately lead us.  I pray each of us are on the Path of Life toward and with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  It's the only path that leads to eternal happiness.

What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings?  Please post up in the Comments section below!

Grace,
Mike

March 21st readings

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Numbers 32:1-33:39 ~ Luke 4:31-5:11
Psalm 64:1-10 ~ Proverbs 11:22

Old Testament - Today in Numbers chapter 32 verse 23 we read this warning from Moses to the Reubenites & Gadites - "But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the LORD, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out."  I think this is powerful for us to keep in mind in our lives today as well.  It's important for us to keep our word.  If we're not sure we can keep our word, we shouldn't give it.  But if we do give our word, and we fail to keep it, we have sinned.  And I do believe the sin will still find us out today.  How are you at keeping your word?  Is there an area of your life where you gave your word and you now are wavering?  Can you keep your word in that area?  Will you pray to God to give you strength to do so?

Chapter 33 is a great re-cap of Israel's journey!  Check out a great map of Israel's journey and commentary at this link.  And another full sized map of Israel's journey is at this link - and a smaller sized map is below -

New Testament - In Luke chapter 5 verses 10 & 11 we read - "From now on you'll be fishing for people!" And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus."  Can you imagine being one of the two disciples in this image below?  If you were called by Jesus to stop your "work" that you are doing now and instead work to bring people closer to God, would you do so?  Can you imagine yourself today being like these disciples and leaving everything and following Jesus?

Bob Deffinbaugh with Bible.org's commentary on Luke chapter 4's readings today, focusing on Jesus confronting the demons, is at this link.   His commentary on Luke chapter 5's readings today entitled "How to hook a fisherman" is at this link.

Psalms - Psalm 64 verse 10 is beautiful - "The godly will rejoice in the LORD and find shelter in him."  Do you consider God a shelter for your life?  When storms come into your life, do you find shelter in God?  Bible.org's commentary on Psalm 64 is at this link.

Proverbs - Well, I looked at the TNIV to see if "woman" might be changed to "person", but it wasn't...  I still think this Proverb can apply to men too.  I think we are all beautiful, as sons & daughters of God.  And when we lack discretion in our God-given lives, then we indeed are like this ....  :)

What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings?  Please post up in the Comments section below!

Grace,
Mike

March 20th readings

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Numbers 30:1-31:54 ~ Luke 4:1-30
Psalm 63:1-11 ~ Proverbs 11:20-21

Old Testament - Today in Numbers chapter 31 verses 11 & 12 we read - "After they had gathered the plunder and captives, both people and animals, they brought them all to Moses and Eleazar the priest, and to the whole community of Israel, which was camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho."

New Testament - Today we read about the temptation of Jesus.  This is a powerful narrative for each of us to consider.  We all obviously face temptations in our life.  Jesus faced temptations as well.  The difference of course is that Jesus did not give into the temptations.  He did not sin.  I love the fact that Jesus combated the devil's temptations with the Word of God, the Bible.  We each would do well to pay attention to how powerful the Word is in thwarting the devil's temptations of us today.  Here's a very amazing image I found below, with a look at Jesus being tempted by the devil.  Check out the cloud of temptation above him... the devil.  Ever feel this cloud of temptation hovering above you?  I know I have...  And I know that faith in Jesus, calling upon Jesus' name, and bringing to mind the Word of God in times of darkness & temptation can send this cloud away from us....

Bob Deffinbaugh at Bible.org has 4 great commentaries on the temptation of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke at this link, and at this link, and at this link, and at this link.  And his look at verses 14 through 30 in Luke chapter 4 is at this link.

Psalms - Psalm 63 is beautiful!  So many amazing verses...  The imagery in verse 1 is fantastic - "O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water."  Do you earnestly search for God in your life?  Each and every day?  Does your soul literally thirst for God?  Does your whole body long for God in this dry and weary land....

Proverbs chapter 11 verse 20 is fascinating in that it talks about twisted hearts... I pray that our hearts are not twisted.  If they are twisted at all, I pray we allow God, Jesus & the Holy Spirit, the great surgeons, to untwist them.  Only They truly can.

What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings?  Please post up in the Comments section below!

Grace,
Mike

March 19th readings

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Numbers 28;16-29:40 ~ Luke 3:23-38
Psalm 62:1-12 ~ Proverbs 11:18-19

Old Testament - I read an interesting commentary today that said the giving of the instructions of the offerings for the festivals in today's readings was done as part of the transfer of power coming soon from Moses to Joshua.  As we saw in yesterday's readings with the census, there are 600,000 men about to enter the Promised Land - potentially 2 million or so total including women & children - who these instructions for the offerings for the festivals were given by Moses, as we see in chapter 29 verse 40 today - "So Moses gave all of these instructions to the people of Israel, just as the LORD had commanded him."

An image is below for Numbers chapter 29 verse 1 - "The Festival of Trumpets will be celebrated on the appointed day in early autumn each year. You must call a solemn assembly of all the people on that day, and no regular work may be done."

New Testament - You'll notice that Luke's genealogy is different from the genealogy in Matthew chapter 1 in a couple of ways - 1.  Matthew starts with Abraham and goes to Jesus & Luke starts with Jesus and goes all the way back to Adam.  This was done by Luke to show Jesus' relationship to the entire human race.  Matthew focused more on Jesus' relationship with the Jews by going back to Abraham.  2. Matthew traces Jesus legal genealogy through his father Joseph back to Solomon son of David, while Luke traces Jesus bloodline through his mother Mary back to Nathan son of David.  (interesting slight distinction.  line up Luke & Matthew's genealogies and you'll see the differences in the names between David & Jesus.)

Bob Deffinbaugh with Bible.org's commentary on the genealogy of Jesus is at this link.

Psalms - I love Psalm 62 verse 11 today - "God has spoken plainly, and I have heard it many times: Power, O God, belongs to you."  This is a powerful verse - no pun intended...  :)  Really, think about it.  Where does power come from.  Who gives power?  Who takes it away?  I think it is such a blessing when we truly understand this verse and truly live it out.  When we realize that we really have no power of our own.  Any power - any thing - we have comes from God and God alone.  And thank God for that.  It's when we start believing we create or own or control power that we begin to get prideful or we'll misuse the power given to us.  I think a great teaching on where power truly comes from comes from Jesus when he is before Pilate in John chapter 19 verses 10 & 11 - "“Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.""  Where do you think your power to do anything at all comes from?  Do you believe it was given to you from above?   If so, how might truly realizing this change how you live your life?  How might it change how you utilize the power given to you?

Proverbs - Today in Proverbs chapter 11 verse 18 we read – “who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.” Are you sowing righteousness in your life? How are you sowing righteousness in your life? Do you love others at the same level you love yourself? Are you working diligently for your employer? Are you serving the poor? Do you believe that the farming analogy of sowing and reaping in this Proverb is true? And like any good farming analogy, will you patiently sow and patiently await the time of reaping?

What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings?  Please post up in the Comments section below!

Grace,
Mike

March 18th readings

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Numbers 26:52-28:15 ~ Luke 3:1-22
Psalm 61:1-8 ~ Proverbs 11:16-17

Short post today.  Too much St. Patrick's Day fun!  :)  (just kidding... not really... just a very busy day today...)   Hope everyone had a good St. Pat's.  Actually, while I'm on this tangent, let me continue... :)  Have you ever read or heard about the prayer of St. Patrick called "St. Patrick's Breastplate"?  I actually first heard portions of this prayer prayed aloud several years back by Andy Crouch, a writer for Christianity Today, at a conference he was teaching at.  This is a cool prayer.... check it out at this link here.

New Testament - Commentary from Bible.org on Luke chapter 3's readings today is at this link.

Psalms - Today we read Psalm 61, which has some powerful verses for us to meditate upon when the storms of life come crashing down upon us. This Psalm reminds us of who is indeed our true Rock – our true Refuge. Verses 1 through 5 are so powerful to meditate upon when you are going through a storm in your life –

“Hear my cry, O God;
  listen to my prayer.
From the ends of the earth I call to you,
    I call as my heart grows faint;
    lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For you have been my refuge,
    a strong tower against the foe.
I long to dwell in your tent forever
    and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.
For you have heard my vows, O God;
    you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.”

Do you cry out to God in prayer during the storms in your life? When your heart grows faint, do you call on God’s holy name, and allow him to lead you to his Rock? Do you believe that God can be your refuge? Your strong tower against the foe? Do you long to dwell in God’s house forever? Do you long to take refuge in the shelter of God’s wings?

What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings?  Please post up in the Comments section below!

Grace,
Mike

March 17th readings

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Numbers 26:1-51 ~ Luke 2:36-52
Psalm 60:1-12 ~ Proverbs 11:15

Old Testament - Today in Numbers chapter 26 we read about Israel's second census, which was commanded by God.  (We'll read later in the Bible a census conducted by David that was not commanded by God, which was a sin.)  This 2nd census in numbers was taken approximately 38 years after the first census.  The first census in Numbers chapters 1 & 2 was taken after Israel had left Egypt.  This second census is being taken just before the conquest of the Promised Land.  In verse 51 today we read - "So the total number of Israelite men counted in the census numbered 601,730."  This total of the second census compares to 603,550 from the first census, so is very comparable.  These second census numbers obviously reflect the 24,000 deaths we read about in chapter 25 - so this number would have been higher.  To me, overall, to see the numbers so similar over 38 years in the wildnerness shows that God's hand of blessing was so clearly upon the Israelites.  They were flourishing in the desert.  Hopefully this is encouraging to us today.  If we are in right relationship with God, I believe our lives will clearly flourish in whatever circumstances we might find ourselves in - even if we are in the desert.

New Testament - In Luke chapter 2 today we read about Jesus' wisdom at the young age of 12.  How's this for a profound statement from Jesus to Mary & Joseph when they found him in the Temple in verse 49 - "But why did you need to search?" he asked. "You should have known that I would be in my Father's house." I like that!  And I like that Jesus was paying such respect for the Temple as well - essentially calling it the house of God.  I do believe this can be carried forward today to Jesus' love for his body, the church.  I often think to myself, when I'm on my way to church, that "I'm going to the house of God."  (and any Delirious fans out there will of course sing out the refrain, "Are you coming?  Are you coming?  We are going to the House of God!" from their GLO CD.... :)   Do you believe that we can find Jesus today in his Father's house?  Or are you searching elsewhere?  I do believe of course Jesus can be found outside of church... but I also know that I oftentimes experience his presence so profoundly at church - and Communion in church clearly being one such a time & place where I cannot help but find Jesus in a profound way.

Here's Jesus in the Temple at Twelve, by Duccio -

Click on this link for Bob Deffinbaugh's commentary on "The Day Jesus went AWOL" :) at Bible.org.

Psalms - I like the imagery of Psalm 60 verse 4 a lot - "But you have raised a banner for those who honor you -- a rallying point in the face of attack."  I do believe that if we honor God, he will in some profound way "raise up a banner" for us.  A banner that will rally and encourage us in the face of attack - in the face of doubt or despair or sickness or just plain old fashioned attack from the Enemy - I believe God will give us a banner of hope.  This banner could end up being one of a million different things I think, depending on the circumstances.  For me, certainly a banner that rallies me each and every day is God's very Word, the Bible.  I believe the Bible is indeed a banner that rallies us in the face of attack...   What are some banners in your life that God is providing to rally you in the face of attack?

Proverbs chapter 11 verse 15 is saying one thing - which I get - but for some reason today, something else is being said to my heart.  Here's the verse - "Guaranteeing a loan for a stranger is dangerous; it is better to refuse than to suffer later."  It's that last half of this verse that is jumping out at me - and in a way unrelated to loan guarantees.  :)  Here's the tangent this verse brought to mind for me today.  I am someone who does not do a very good job of "refusing" much of anything.  I say yes to way too much and take on way too much.  And part of me really enjoys this - I feel wanted, loved, invited, needed, busy, etc.  But then.... I suffer later.  I then feel overbooked, stretched thin, and just plain tired and grouchy.  So, for me, the second half of this verse tonight is a good verse on boundaries - it's better to refuse than suffer later.... I like that.... I need that....

What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings?  Please post up in the Comments section below!

Grace,
Mike

March 16th readings

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Numbers 24:1-25:18 ~ Luke 2:1-35
Psalm 59:1-17 ~ Proverbs 11:14

Old Testament - Today in Numbers chapter 24 we read about Balaam’s prophecies.  Verse 17 is thought by some commentaries to be prophetic of Jesus - "I see him, but not in the present time.  I perceive him, but far in the distant future. A star will rise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel. It will crush the foreheads of Moab's people, cracking the skulls of the people of Sheth."  Tyndale's commentary today suggests that the star rising from Jacob may be the prophecy that convinced the wise men to travel to Israel in search of the newborn Jesus.  Here's an image of Balaam prophesying over Israel's camp -

And just when it looks like Balaam was turning out to be maybe not so bad in chapter 24... we get to chapter 25...  In chapter 25 we read about Israel's sin in worshiping Baal and their sexual immorality.  What we don't find out until Numbers chapter 31 verse 16 is that Balaam was the principal instigator of the idea of leading Israel toward this sexual sin & idolatry - "They were the ones who followed Balaam's advice and were the means of turning the Israelites away from the LORD in what happened at Peor, so that a plague struck the LORD's people." Revelation chapter 2 verse 14 also refers to Balaam's hand in the incidents that took place - "Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality."

Bob Deffinbaugh's take on Chapter 25 and Balaam's behind the scenes work is at Bible.org at this link and leads off with, "Balaam’s Advice: “If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Join ‘Em”"!

New Testament - Okay, any fans out there of Charlie Brown's Christmas Special recognize anything here from Luke chapter 2?? :)  Yes, indeed, Linus' speech to Charlie Brown about the meaning of Christmas comes straight from the KJV of this chapter, Luke 2:8-14.  Great speech Linus!

One thing that seems to be standing out to me quite a bit in reading Luke this year is how much Luke writes about Mary.   I like how Luke gives us a little bit more of a glimpse of the mother of Jesus in his Gospel.  We saw this obviously in readings 2 days ago about the Magnificat.  And then today we read about Mary listening to the shepherds' words in verse 19 - "Mary quietly treasured these things in her heart and thought about them often."  And then in verses 34 & 35 today we read - "Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, "This child will be rejected by many in Israel, and it will be their undoing. But he will be the greatest joy to many others. Thus, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.""  This last sentence of Simeon's seems to be the first glimpse of Jesus' suffering and death that will come later in his life....  Here's a nice image of Simeon holding Jesus -

Bible.org commentary on Luke chapter 2 is at this link, and at this link, and at this link.

Psalms - Psalm 59 has some cool imagery of the "night of danger" in verse 14 and the "morning of deliverance" in verse 16 - "But as for me, I will sing about your power. I will shout with joy each morning because of your unfailing love."  I like that thought - shouting for joy each morning because of God's unfailing love.  I pray that in some way I "shout" for joy each morning because of God's love.  How about you?  Do you in some way "shout" for joy each day because of God?

Proverbs chapter 11 verse 14 is a great teaching that it is wise to seek the counsel of others.  Whether it is a nation or in our own lives, this is wise advice.  We can't figure it all out on our own.  We need many others to help counsel us along The Way.

What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings?  Please post up in the Comments section below!

Grace,
Mike

March 15th readings

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Numbers 22:21-23:30 ~ Luke 1:57-80
Psalm 58:1-11 ~ Proverbs 11:12-13

Old Testament - Today in Numbers chapter 22 we will read about Balaam’s talking donkey! Yes, this is a very unique portion of scripture, and, yes, one we can learn from. In verses 27 & 28 we will read – “When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat her with his staff. Then the LORD opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?" There is a lot going on in the verses leading up to this point, and in the verses thereafter – which you can study more at this link: http://bible.org/page.asp?page_id=2399 . I think one thing for us to pay attention to here is how we are sometimes saved from a bad situation by what at first glance appears to be an “inconvenience.” A donkey laying down and starting to talk is inconvenient to Balaam. But, this talking donkey saved Balaam from an angel with a sword in hand that Balaam could not see. Are there perhaps “inconveniences” in your life today that are maybe saving you from a bad situation? Or, do you recognize inconveniences in the past that saved you from a bad situation? I know I have. If my car breaks down or I get sick or I miss a flight – all inconveniences – I try to remind myself that it might just be possible that this inconvenience was meant to be. It may have saved me from something much worse happening. The inconvenience – the “talking donkey” – may have actually saved me from something I could not see. Keep your eyes open for inconvenient “talking donkeys” in your life :) – and praise God for them when they appear!

Here's Rembrandt's take on Balaam's talking donkey -

 

Bible.org commentary on Balaam in chapters 22 & 23 is at this link.

New Testament - I love Zechariah's prophecy in today's readings in Luke chapter 1!  In particular verses 76-79 - "And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord. You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins. Because of God's tender mercy, the light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.""  Amen!

Bible.org commentary on Luke's readings today is at this link.

Psalms - Psalm 58 verse 11 stood out to me today - ""There truly is a reward for those who live for God; surely there is a God who judges justly here on earth.""  I think this is wise for us to remember that God indeed judges.  We don't.  We shouldn't.  But God indeed judges justly.  This verse also brings up the question - are we living for God?  If so, what will our reward be?  Are you looking forward to the reward?

Proverbs - Proverbs chapter 11 verses 12 & 13 today talk about how foolish it is to belittle a neighbor or gossip about others.  I have to admit - these verses are convicting to me today - as I've been doing this recently.  It makes me sad to realize that I have, but I have.  I pray that instead of me thinking I am so righteous that I can talk behind someone's back that I will instead remain silent.  I pray for silence upon my tongue when it comes to gossip or belittling others...

What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings?  Please post up in the Comments section below!

Grace,
Mike

March 14th readings

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Numbers 21:1-22:20 ~ Luke 1:26-56
Psalm 57:1-11 ~ Proverbs 11:9-11

Old Testament - Today in Numbers chapter 22 we read about Balak sending for Balaam - hoping Balaam will curse the Israelites.   Balak sends messengers the 1st time and Balaam gets a messenge from God to not go with these messengers, as God has blessed the Israelites.  What is interesting to me are verses 15-17 - "Then Balak tried again. This time he sent a larger number of even more distinguished officials than those he had sent the first time. They went to Balaam and gave him this message: "This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Please don't let anything stop you from coming. I will pay you well and do anything you ask of me. Just come and curse these people for me!"  For some reason these verses really reminded me of temptation in our lives today.  Like Balaam with the messengers on their first visit, we may realize something is not what God would want us to do - and we send the temptation away.  But...  then the temptation can come back!  In a bigger way - with more distinguished officials than before... with more allure than before...  the temptation that we resisted once so valiantly can come back.  And then, the question becomes - with the opportunity to be "paid well" by the temptation, will we still resist the temptation?  Can we resist the temptation a 2nd time?  Through Christ, yes we can.

Bible.org commentary on Balaam and Numbers chapter 22 is at this link.

New Testament - In Luke chapter 1 verses 46 through 55 we read an amazing hymn known as Mary’s Song or the Magnificat, which means “glorifies” in the Latin Vulgate translation. This is indeed a song that glorifies God in a beautiful way from the mother of Jesus. As you read through this song, below, please meditate upon its words. And maybe ask yourself this – are there ways in your life that you “sing songs” like this to God? Maybe it’s not through literal song – but maybe you praise God through loving others, through serving others, through art, through prayer, through your church, and this list could go on… What is your unique way of glorifying God? Do you want to glorify God with all you do in your life?  Please take a few moments to mediate upon the glorious words of Mary’s Song –

“My soul glorifies the Lord
      and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
      of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
      for the Mighty One has done great things for me–
      holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
      from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
      he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
      but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
      but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
      remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
      even as he said to our fathers.”

Bible.org Commentary on Luke chapter 1 is at this link, and at this link.

Psalms - Psalm 57 verse 8 is amazing - "Wake up, my soul!"  What 4 great words ...  wake up my soul!  Do you ever feel like you need to say this to your soul?  I know that I have in my past.  There have been times in my life where I have felt spiritually asleep.  Just completely slumbering...  and I have begged my soul to wake up!  Fortunately, I finally learned that I could not wake up my soul on it's own.  I needed the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to wake up my soul...   and the Spirit keeps it awake today.  If you feel that you nned your soul to wake up, will you prayer to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to indwell your soul and to wake it up?

Proverbs chapter 11 verse 11 is a great reminder to each of us to be good citizens - "Upright citizens bless a city and make it prosper."  Are you striving to be an upright citizen blessing your city and helping to make it prosper?

What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings?  Please post up in the Comments section below!

Grace,
Mike

March 13th readings

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~
Numbers 19:1-20:29 ~ Luke 1:1-25
Psalm 56:1-13 ~ Proverbs 11:8

Old Testament - Today in Numbers chapter 20 verse 12 we read about God pronouncing that Moses & Aaron would not enter the Promised Land - "But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!""  Why did this happen?  Well, it's best to stick with Scripture - God says that Moses & Aaron did not trust God enough.  They did not trust God enough to demonstrate his holiness to the people of Israel.  Thus they will not lead them into the Promised Land.  Where was the lack of trust?   Go back to verse 8 and you'll see God tell Moses to "command the rock" for water - command meaning verbally... then in verse 11 we see Moses strike the rock twice - not using the verbal command God instructed him on, but using an action.   There also may have been a pride issue when Moses in verse 10 says "must we bring you water from this rock?"  You'll notice the little word WE - We being Moses & Aaron? -this is probably not the way to best recognize God for God bringing water out of the rock...  It looks like Moses is taking credit.   How about us in our lives today?  Are there times when we disobey God's direct commands to us?  Are there times when we take credit for God's work?  Even if we generally follow God's instructions - as Moses clearly does for the majority of his life - should we be on constant watch that we do not disobey God?

New Testament - Today we begin the Gospel of Luke!  Commentary on the Gospel of Luke is at these 3 links –
http://bible.org/page.asp?page_id=1226
http://bible.org/page.asp?page_id=1744
http://bible.org/page.asp?page_id=1745

In today's readings in Luke chapter 1 we read about the birth of John the Baptist being foretold by the angel Gabriel.   Gabriel shares with Zechariah this powerful message about John in verses 16 & 17 - "He will persuade many Israelites to turn to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah, the prophet of old. He will precede the coming of the Lord, preparing the people for his arrival. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will change disobedient minds to accept godly wisdom.""  This is a message for us to consider today - do we need to be persuaded to turn to God?  Do we need our disobedient minds changed to accept godly wisdom?  Can we open our ears to the message of John the Baptist some 2,000 years later?  Will we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Lord?

One interesting side note - only two angels are mentioned by name in the Bible - Michael and Gabriel.  And here is Gabriel delivering the message from today's readings to Zechariah -

Psalms - Psalm 56 verse 10 makes a One Year Bible blogger quite happy :) "O God, I praise your word. Yes, LORD, I praise your word."  Does this verse make you happy?  Do you praise God for the gift of the Bible?  Do you praise God's very Word, the Bible?  Why?  or why not?

Proverbs chapter 11 verse 8 is a great reminder that God rescues those who trust in him.  Has God ever rescued you?

What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings?  Please post up in the Comments section below!

Grace,
Mike