February 26th One Year Bible Readings

Leviticus 19:1-20:21 ~ Mark 8:11-38 ~ Psalm 42:1-11 ~ Proverbs 10:17
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Old Testament - Today in Leviticus chapter 19 we read about holiness!  What a tiny but powerful little word - holy.  This chapter is of interest to me in that I continue to struggle with the call to holiness in my life.  I understand grace.  I get grace.  I'm good at receiving grace...  :)  But holiness?  Well, that's a bit trickier for me personally.  I guess where I am at these days in my walk with the Lord is really trying to balance grace and holiness.  I know we are saved through grace, not works - but, I also believe there is a call to holiness in our lives once we have received that gift of grace.   You know I love Bob Deffinbaugh's writings over at bible.org.  I think Bob's writings on Leviticus chapter 19 titled "How to Spell Holy" at this link is up there with some of his best stuff.  Please check out this link, and make sure you scroll down to read about Bob's take on "perversions of holiness" - 1. stained glass holiness 2. positional holiness 3. equating holiness with the miraculous 4. isolational holiness 5. holiness by redefinition.  Great stuff!

You'll notice lately that I've been punting over to Bob on many of the Leviticus chapters.   I'm honestly not finding as much time as I'd like to spend on study & prep as I'd like lately. But, I also think Bob's writings on Leviticus are powerful - and so here he is on Leviticus chapter 20 at this link.  Actually, one quick powerful note on Leviticus 19:18 - "Never seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD."  Jesus quoted the underlined portion of this Leviticus verse as we see in Matthew 22:36-40: ""Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?" Jesus replied, " `You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: `Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments."

New Testament - The last few verses in Mark's readings today are some of the most powerful verses that each of us should really reflect upon in our lives today! I wish I reflected on these verses more often.  Check out chapter 8 verses 34 through 38 and spend a few moments really reflecting on these verses and on how they speak to how you are living your life today: "Then Jesus called his disciples and the crowds to come over and listen. "If any of you wants to be my follower," he told them, "you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will find true life. And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process? Is anything worth more than your soul? If a person is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, I, the Son of Man, will be ashamed of that person when I return in the glory of my Father with the holy angels."

These are incredible verses above!  I think the first obvious question these verses open up to us is simply this - do you want to be a follower of Jesus?   If the answer is yes, then the instructions that follow are simple and yet not always so easy in our fallen world:  1.  give up your own selfish ambition.  2. shoulder your cross.  3.  follow Jesus.  How are you doing on these 3 points in your life today?   And what a profound truth there is in that we will find true life if we give up our life for Jesus - the Good News.  I actually have been thinking about this point quite a bit lately.  And my thoughts have revolved around "my identity" - and where I get my identity from.  I think so often I get my identity from my work or my ministry or my friends or my social life - the problem in all of this is that you'll keep seeing the word "my" in my identity.  And I'm realizing more and more that my identity should be in Jesus alone.  Jesus should be the identity.  The reality.  I think that I am really searching for true life in all the wrong places - in my work, in my friends, etc.  And true true life is really only found in one place - Jesus.  How about you?  What is providing your identity in your life today?  Do you think it is possible that your identity could simply be found in Jesus?  Do you want this to be the case?   I think each of us will do well to not be ashamed of Jesus and the Good News in these adulterous and sinful days...  Below is an interesting diagram showing Christian levels of commitment, suggesting that verses Mark 8:34-38 are the "conviction" stage highlighted below.  Which stage of commitment do you think you are at today?

Psalms - Today we read Psalm 42 verse 1, which is one of my favorite verses in the Bible! "As the deer pants for streams of water, so I long for you, O God."  That is so right on.  Lately these days I have been longing for God more than ever - and I love that.  I am thankful for that.  There have been seasons in my life - which can certainly be called "dry" seasons - where I have not longed for God.  Where I have not longed for the true Living Water.  I just love the picture this Psalm verse paints in my mind - a deer in the wilderness is fleeing from hunters.  It is literally dying of thirst as it runs.  It is tired.  It is weary.  It is running from death.  And it needs water.  It pants for streams of water.  Like this deer, I pray that I long for God in the same way.  As I flee from sin.  As I am tired.  As I am weary.  As I run from death.  I need God.  I long for God.   How about you?  Do you long for God these days as a deer longs for water?  Are you consistently drinking from the true Living Water?

Proverbs - Proverbs 10 verse 17 is a wonderful reminder to allow God to change us, transform us and correct us along the Way: "People who accept correction are on the pathway to life, but those who ignore it will lead others astray."  The second part of that Proverb is powerful too - if we don't accept correction, we'll not only be off the pathway, but we will be leading others astray too...  that's a scary thought.  If you don't accept correction, you'll be bringing others down with you!

(image courtesy of and copyright held by Heartlight Magazine - heartlight.org)

YouTube: Psalm 42 and my reflections above on Living Water reminded me of the Brother Yun book titled Living Water.  Brother Yun wrote the well-known book Heavenly Man, and Living Water is his second book.  Below is a 10 minute talk from Brother Yun about his imprisonment in China and his ultimate freedom in Christ.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDpDRTvRYZ0

Are you drinking deeply of the Living Water?  Click here for Water!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on two verses of Scripture today: "Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me — a prayer to the God of my life." Psalm 42:7-8 NIV

Prayer Point: Pray that the deep within you will call out to the Deep that is God today. Pray that God's waves and breakers of Living Water will sweep over you today and forevermore.

Comments from You & Questions of the Day: Based on Proverbs 10:17 today, do you accept correction in your life?  Do you accept correction from God?  Do you accept correction from others in your life?  Do you think that if you don't accept correction in your life that you will lead others astray?  Can you think of an instance in your life where you ignored correction and it ended up being bad for not only you, but others around you?  Can you think of an instance in your life where you heeded correction and it ended up being good for not only you, but others around you?  Also, 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

[Elizabeth]

Hello Everyone,

One thing I love about David's psalms is that through them I can sense his heart for God AND his own struggles to reconcile that love/faith with his turbulent emotions:

"Sorrow floods my heart,
when I remember
leading the worshipers
to your house. I can still
hear them shout
their joyful praises.
Why am I discouraged?
Why am I restless?
I trust you!
-Psalm 40:4-5

It's odd how you can trust God in your head and yet struggle with fear and discouragement. I think He delights when we bring our whole self to Him and lay it before Him--fears, worries, trust, faith, hopes. So glad He is big enough for all that ; )

About correction. Actually, I think I am fairly "correctable," but I struggle with the opposite. I struggle with being over-sensitive to correction or influence by the approval/opinion of men. I am prone to second-guess myself and over-analyze while struggling for excellence.

I imagine most people are of one ilk or the other---they either can't see their weaknesses and mistakes even when they are bludgeoned over the head with them OR they are sensitive to the point where they must be careful to keep their eyes on the approval of God and the grace of Christ, not on the approval of man or some kind of self-perfection.

I like simplicity of the Contemporary English Version here (though it misses the implications of leading others astray):

"Accept correction,
and you will find life;
reject correction,
and you will miss the road."
Proverbs 10:17

"Missing the road" is a great metaphor because it teases out the long-term reality of a stubborn spirit. When we miss the road, not only are we NOT on the right road, but we are cruising down the wrong one. It is a bad decision that progressively opens the door to further wrong decisions....

[Dee]

Hi guys!

I love the way that the scriptures throughout old and new testament coorelate so well. Just like in Leviticus and Mark it talks about holiness. Our level of holiness through God with the responsiveness and willingness of our self to "get" out of the way and allow Gods Way to carry out the diving purpose we have in our lives. And then in Mark the last verse about following Jesus and when he returns he and his holy angels of God will come for those who seek Him, that is awesome! Holy, Holy, Holy!! Love that old bible hymnal.. Also, I loved Mark 8 verse 17 and 18: "Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, "Why are you arguing about having no bread? Don't you know or understand even yet? Are your hearts too hard to take it in? 'You have eyes-can't you see? You have ears-can't you hear? Don't you remember anything at all?"
--Doesn't that sound typical of us, as humans..here the disciples had Jesus, the Living Son of God right there in their midst and they didn't register in their head the miracles that just always "showed up" in their lives..God says that His Ways are not our ways, His Thoughts not our thoughts..we can't even imagine or fathom the possibilities that God and the windows of Heaven will open up if we just believe! Put our hope and trust in Him, the author and finisher of our faith. Wow!! God is Good!! God bless..deedee

[Esther]

What does it mean to take up our cross?

[Raeann]

2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

[Melanie]

I am being consumed by my daily hurts. Why do I forget God and let the cares of the world consume me? How can I change? I am not a young Christian but I have let life's disappointments take me down. My soul does thirst for God...but not enough.

[Raeann]

Melanie this verse may help you.
16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;

17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.

[Dee]

Esther, to take up our cross, is to physically get on board with Jesus, be His disciple, walk in His shoes, so to speak on earth. What did Jesus do, well he preached the gospel to all who would listen, he healed the sick, fed all who were hungry, prayed without ceasing, faced persecution, died a sinners death and rose and defeated death on a cross. Are we going to have to face that kind of ending. Most likely, no. but I do believe when we truly get committed and on the board with Jesus, you may and will face persecution from family, friends, and such and you have to mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually, take up that cross, and follow our Lord. It sometimes is tough to be rejected and such, but the end result is beautiful! God will open up the windows of heaven and pour you out an abundant blessing that you can't contain. So take Jesus with you. Jesus said that "if you are my disciple, you must leave mother, father, sister, brother, and follow me" Luke 14:25-27. Matthew 16:25 says, For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. I hope this helps Esther, God Bless!!

[Jessica]

This is a link to a great poem that really speaks of what it means to die to ourselves.... http://www.allaboutfollowingjesus.org/living-sacrifice.htm

Dee, Your explanation of what it means to take up your cross was great. I remember when I first fell in love with Jesus I was rebuked by family and friends, and how it was a heavy pain to carry, but how wonderfully and faithfully He came along and gave me strength, filling my life with love and hope. He wants us to carry our cross, but He will help us when we are weary.
How awesome is He who loves us!

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Blessings, Jessica