Bible Passage

I continue to use the Explore bible reading notes by The Good Book Company.

I found today's so helpful, I thought I'd share a snippet.

1 Thess 1:9b-10:

They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. 

We can overcomplicate the Christian life.  In some ways it's very simple.

We turn.
We serve.
We wait.

Turning. Serving. Waiting.  See how all three go together.  But some try to serve without having turned.  Others are waiting, not too bothered about serving.  Which of the three do you find the hardest?

  
And which idols to you find it hardest to turn from?

Burrowing into the Bible

Burrowing into the bible

Over the past few years, I have read the bible through each year. I have followed the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan and I have really enjoyed it. I got an overview of the bible and what the various books are about. I feel more confident in my way around the bible.

But like everything there are pros and cons. The downside for me is that I never read in much depth. It was 4 chapters a day, generally I would read them and my legalistic brain would go ‘tick, done my bible reading’, and that was all I thought about it.

This year I am trying to approach my bible reading a little differently – this is the year of ‘burrowing into the bible’. I am going to read small chunks, with a pen and notebook handy and sometimes a commentary nearby. While I will always tend towards the ‘tick, read it’ mentality – this is helping me to think more as I read. I have started in John’s gospel and already have more questions and thoughts than on any previous reading.

Such as:

• in John 1 where Jesus calls Andrew and then he goes to get his brother Peter, he says “we have found the Messiah” – how does he know Jesus is the Messiah? Has Jesus told him, is it just patently obvious?
• in John 2 (at the wedding in Cana) – why does Jesus say to his mother ‘My time has not yet come’, yet still go on to change the water into wine?

More of these questions keep coming up – and that’s good. We should want to think as we read the bible, even (or especially) about those sections we have read so many times we feel we know it already.

As I go along, I may share some thoughts along the way – we’ll see!

Resurrection riches

We are looking through Acts in church at the moment. This morning's passage was on Acts 4:32-5:11 - how the church share their possessions, and then how Ananias and Sapphira kept back their possessions by lying.

Chris (the preacher) made a point that really struck me, as he was talking about wealth and generosity:

To be rich is to know that you are going to be resurrected.

Is that how we view true wealth? The promise of what is to come?

So, are you really rich?

Waiting for the Lord

Our bible study groups continued on in Habakkuk this morning, and in the talk the speaker encouraged us to consider:

How do we live by faith?
How do we wait on the Lord?

He gave 4 suggestions as to how we might live by faith, using Habakkuk as our example:

1. Prayerfully - even though Habakkuk has questions, he speaks to God about them, trusting in Him for the answers.

2. With perspective - we also need to be able to wait at the ramparts (2:1), to to look with perspective and wait on what God is doing to achieve his purposes. We can keep in mind the words of Paul:

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. (Rom 8:18)

Not only that, waiting on the Lord is not passive, it enables us to be obedient now:

Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. (James 5:7-8)

3. With patience - we must persevere as we wait on the Lord:

we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. (Rom 5:3-4)

4. In peace - we will doubt and we will have questions, but we still wait on the Lord, Hab 2:20:

But the LORD is in his holy temple;
let all the earth be silent before him.

Sometimes, we need to stop and be silent before the Lord of everything and everyone.

James encouraged us to stop and be silent for a time this week, prayerfully asking God with patience for him to remind us of his perspective.


He finished with the words of Psalm 31:14-15a

But I trust in you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my God."
My times are in your hands

I have enjoyed this series on Habakkuk - however, there will be no postings from me on it next week - it's my turn on creche!

Trusting God

Our bible study groups started on Habakkuk this morning. We were studying Hab 1:1-11, looking at the questions Habakkuk asks of God: "why are you not acting to right the injustice of the world?"

How long, O LORD, must I call for help,
but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, "Violence!"
but you do not save?
3 Why do you make me look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate wrong?
Destruction and violence are before me;
there is strife, and conflict abounds. (Hab 1:2-3)

Then God responds: I am going to act, but in a way you would never have dreamed of - in judgement and in the sending of the Babylonians to invade you:

Look at the nations and watch--
and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days
that you would not believe,
even if you were told.
6 I am raising up the Babylonians,
that ruthless and impetuous people,
who sweep across the whole earth
to seize dwelling places not their own. (Hab 1:5-6)

It raises the question of how God acts in the world, using ways we never would have thought of. The speaker, James, asked all of us this insightful question:

Why do we think we can only trust God when we have all the answers?

God acts in surprising ways and ways we would never act, but He is God and He is almighty, all-knowing and all-powerful.

He ended by quoting from a hymn of William Cowper, Light shining out of Darkness - I have included all the words below:

God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never-failing skill,
He treasures up his bright designs,
And works his sov'reign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fasts,
Unfolding ev'ry hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flow'r.

Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain;
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain.
(sourced from here)

I found it an encouraging reminder of the character of our God in whom we trust.

Today's Bible Readings

Hey, I'm on a roll! Shorter comments today - I only have the amount of time covered by Play School!

Deuteronomy 9

Moses reminds the Israelites that as the enter the land, they are not to assume that it is because of their own righteousness that they will possess it:

It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the LORD your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Deut 9:5)

God is achieving two things at once then with the possession of the land - the fulfillment of his promise to his people Israel and punishment for the surrounding nations and their wickedness.

It's quite a harsh chapter in many ways - Moses does not spare from telling Israel how disobedient to God they have consistently been, ever since he saved them from Egypt, in v24 he says "You have been rebellious against the LORD ever since I have known you." Not a shining endorsement!

However, even with the evidence of their ongoing sin (and we are no better!), Moses still pleaded for the people before God,

But they are your people, your inheritance that you brought out by your great power and your outstretched arm. (v29)

They are still the people of God, and still the ones he chose to be in relationship with. Of course, they will need to also have hearts that are changed to show that they want to be in relationship with God, but at the moment they are the people of God.


Psalm 92 & 93

Psalm 92 starts with:

It is good to praise the LORD
and make music to your name, O Most High,
2 to proclaim your love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night (Ps 92:1-2)

Without reading too much into it, is this perhaps some guidance on how to approach the day? Praise God for his love for you as you wake and start the day, amazed that you have another day to serve him on this earth. And at night, thank God for his faithfulness in sustaining you through the day.

Psalm 93 is one of my favourites, because G wrote a song about it years ago (which did make it to a CD). It is a great picture of our God who reigns in power, and who in in control of all things for all time. God indeed is mighty.


Isaiah 37

The account continues of the Assyrians trying to invade Jerusalem under Sennacherib. Near the end, God speaks against Sennacherib, saying:

But I know where you stay
and when you come and go
and how you rage against me. (Isa 37:28)

A reminder for those that think they can avoid God, that he still knows everything! You can't hide.

And, even with the threat (and eventual) certainty of the invasion and destruction of Jerusalem and Judah, God still promises hope:

Once more a remnant of the house of Judah
will take root below and bear fruit above.
For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant,
and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this. (Isa 37:31-32)

Revelation 7

A glorious vision of heaven and the praise of God by all there. I will just include a few verses:

After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
"Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb." (Rev 7:9-10) ....

Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat upon them,
nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their
shepherd;
he will lead them to springs of living water.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." (Rev 7:16-17)

I know there are people who fear Revelation a little: it is confusing, challenging to get your head around and people interpret it so differently. But it does contain great passages of praise! And it certainly opens your mind to see how glorious our God is.

Hope you have a great day praising and thanking God.

Today's Bible Readings

The readings continue daily... so here are some more comments for today!

Genesis 8

A warning chapter. Moses reminds Israel how he provided for them in the desert.

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. (Deut 8:3)

This is one of two references in today's readings that Jesus uses to argue with the devil when he is tempted in the desert (see Matthew 4). Yet another example of how often when you read different passages of the bible they all link up together!

In this chapter God explains how wonderful the land will be for it is truly "a good land" (v7-9). Then he warns them:

10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

What is the risk? When life is good, they will forget God. They will forget he is the source of their blessing and instead they will claim that they are responsible for the good times themselves.

17 You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.

When are you tempted to claim blessing as something you brought upon yourself? From your wise desicions? Or your careful planning? Instead, we should thank God for his many blessings upon us. As it says in v18:

18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth...

Even our abilities to do things well come from God.


Psalm 91

Here is the second passage which is used in the account of Jesus' temptation in Matthew, although interestingly, it is used by Satan to try to tempt Jesus:

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

Jesus rebukes Satan for using this verse against him, saying "Do not put the Lord your God to the test" (Matthew 4:5-7). I guess this helps to show us that anyone can use part of the bible to their own means and out of context. Perhaps we should take it as a warning to be careful as we use the word of God?

I found the last few verses of this Psalm struck me:

14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."

In this passage we can see that God is with 'him' (perhaps the one in v1-2 who trusts in the Lord?). God will be with him in trouble, protect him, rescue him and he show him salvation. A reminder perhaps, that God is with us at all times and in all circumstances.


Revelation 6

An interesting reading, which evokes a number of images of judgement. Following on from ch 5 having found the Lamb who alone was worthy to open the scrolls, here the scrolls are opened. There is a strong picture of judgement at the end here and the fear that results, for everyone wants to hide:

16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"

There is great truth to the phrase "The great and dreadful day of the Lord" (Joel 2:31, Mal 4:5. The day of God's judgement is certainly real. However there is also great promise, as Joel also says:

Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.
(Joel 2:13b)

Let's thank God that while he judges, he is also slow to anger and abounding in love.

Today's Bible Readings

As I shared a few days ago, I am now following along with the M'Cheyne Bible Reading Plan. I will admit that I am only a week in and so it is early days, but I am loving it. G has been following this plan for a while now, and I have also done so a few times. What strikes us both again and again, is how linked all the passages are to each other. While you could attribute this to how M'Cheyne put the plan together, when you look closely he is just working through the bible in order! Rather we give the glory to God - who authored all of scripture and who reveals his plan of salvation throughout - it is all one unified account.

Occasionally I will share what I have read, and what I have learnt from it.

Here are some notes on some of today's readings:

Deuteronomy 7
What a great chapter! The Israelites are camped on the edge of the promised land and Moses is speaking to them before they enter. He reminds them that they are his chosen people, v6:

For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

He goes on to remind them, that he chose them, not because they were special, or more numerous than the other nations, but because:

⁸ But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. ⁹ Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

He chose Israel because he loves her, and out of his grace he chose to redeem her. Moses goes on to talk about how because they are saved, they now need to live in obedience to God and his way. He is guiding them on how they must now live as his people.

(I have recently done a series of bible studies and talks on God's promises and how he fulfills them over time. This is yet another passage we could have looked at!)

Isaiah 35
Isaiah is speaking about the joy that will come when the Lord comes to save his people. He talks of how in that day,

⁵ Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
⁶ Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.

Reading this, we are reminded of Jesus, when John asked if he was the one to come. Jesus replies in Luke 7:21-22:

21 At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. 22 So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.

Therefore, that day of the Lord arrived with Jesus.

The end of this chapter in Isaiah is one of those great passages:

¹⁰ and the ransomed of the LORD will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

To which I break into song:

The redeemed of the Lord shall return
And come with singing unto Zion
And everlasting joy shall be upon their head, upon their head.
They shall obtain, gladness and joy
And sorrow and mourning shall flee away, shall flee away... etc etc!

Therefore the Redeemed, Scripture in Song, 1972 (which can be downloaded from i Tunes!)

Revelation 5
A mind-broadening passage. The Lamb, and no one else, is the only one worthy to open the scroll:

⁹And they sang a new song:
"You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
¹⁰You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth."

Jesus, the Lamb, is the one whose blood purchased men for God - from all peoples to serve him always.

And then it goes on, and I will quote in length - for the word of God is always better than my words!

¹¹Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. ¹²In a loud voice they sang:
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honour and glory and praise!"

¹³Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honour and glory and power,
for ever and ever!"

¹⁴The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshipped.

To which all we can really do is agree with the living creatures and also say "Amen"!

All bible references are NIV.

How do you read the bible?

How do you read the bible?

Do you have a system?
Do you read along with another guide?
Do you just open it randomly and read whatever you find?
Do you only read familiar passages?
Or, if you were really being honest, perhaps do you just not read it at all?

I suspect all of us struggle at times to find a way that works for us to read our bibles. And while we want to read God's word and grow in our knowledge and love of him, other things take precedence. Not only that, but even when we find the time combined with the ability to think clearly, we can feel like we are just 'going through the motions'. A kind of 'yes, tick the box' - I have read my bible today, although I couldn't tell you much about what I read and I didn't bother thinking about how it applied to me. Sound familiar?

I think what I have come to realise in recent years is that (like every aspect of growth in the Christian life) this too is a journey. Sometimes I long to sit down and dwell in God's word and other times, quite frankly, I would prefer to do almost anything else.

So, what do we do then when it's all a bit of a struggle?

I suggest two things: 1) Just do it. & 2) Mix it up.

1. Just do it.

Really. Get on with it. Find 10 mins & sit down with the bible open. If you have no idea what to read, start with a Gospel - at least then you will be reading the words of Jesus. There have been many times over the years where I have not wanted to read my bible - it may have been due to tiredness, busyness, feelings of depression, feeling distant from God, feeling like I just didn't care. But in the end, sitting down with God's word was something I tried to force myself to do. Sometimes I was just 'ticking the box', and other times a verse would leap out piercing straight to my heart.

And, by not giving up - we are forming a habit. A habit that says - no matter what, no matter how I feel, I want to let God's word speak to me and change me.


2. Mix it up

There are a lot of resources out there that help us read our bibles and understand them better. Sometimes, it's a hard slog reading through parts of the bible (eg. Isaiah or Ezekiel), especially when we don't really know what they are talking about. However, we still want to read these books and not ignore them because they are a bit scary!

So, here are some resources that appeal to different people:

1. Don Carson's For the Love of God, vols 1 & 2. This excellent guide follows the M'Cheyne bible reading plan over the course of 2 calendar years. Carson has listed the 4 readings for the day and he makes comments on one of them in detail. Its advantage is that it gets you reading through the bible (all in one year) and adds insightful comments for further thought. You can see a sample page here. And really, anything that Don Carson writes is worth giving a go!


2. The Daily Reading Bible (14 vols), published by Matthias Media. These are collated readings and notes from The Briefing magazine Bible Briefs. There are 60 days of reading, designed to cover 3 months. These are short snippets, which start you thinking. Each reading is included (so you only need the book not a bible as well). Then there are 3 questions, something to ponder and a suggestion for prayer. I have done these on and off over the years, and at times they have been very helpful. However, they vary in quality (all are authored by different people) and I find that they are too short. Also, I don't really want to encourage people not to use their own bibles - for then you can't easily look up cross-references, etc. You can see a sample of them here. Don't let my hesitations put you off though, they may be perfect for you!

3. Something new we have recently come across is John Stott's Through the Bible, Through the Year. Stott, another highly respected Christian author has put together this resource, taking one through the Christian calender. He has divided it into three 4-month blocks. The first (Sept-Dec) covers the Old Testament (the Life of Israel), the second (Jan-April) is an overview of the Gospels (the life of Christ) and the third (May-Aug) is from Acts to Revelation (Life in the Spirit). I can't comment on this one in detail yet, as I am only up to week 2 myself. What I can say so far is that I like the idea, and Stott's insights are always worth reading. However, there is often one one verse that the comments are based on. So this is certainly worth reading, but probably also combined with some other larger chunks of scripture. You can see the whole book online here.

4. Various commentaries. If you decide you want to tackle a book of the bible, but don't really know much about it, ask around and see if someone (your minister perhaps?) can recommend a good commentary on that book. Look for a short one, one based on an English version (not the Greek or Hebrew) and one whose style you can easily read.

What are some other bible reading tools or guides you recommend?


HOWEVER, all of these are just tools - nothing beats reading the bible yourself and trying to figure out what it means. Sure, use resources that are available, but last not first - do the work yourself first. So, get your hands on:

• a wide margin bible - this is the best bible I own, there is heaps of space for me to write comments in it;
• a travel bible - my normal bible is too big and heavy to throw in a bag or take away on holidays, so I also have a little bible that fits into my handbag;
• lots of bookmarks - to put in where ever you are reading - privately (if you follow M'Cheyne's reading guide you need 4!), to follow along with church sermon readings at home & what you are doing in bible study;
• pencils, highlighters, whatever you want to write in your bible. It took me a long time to be comfortable writing in my bible (it felt too holy to write in!). In fact, I still refuse to mark any normal book I read, but now my bible is scribbled all over.

And aim to read more of the bible itself than someone's notes about it.


Which leads to me to what I am doing at the moment, for those that care!

• I want to cover some larger amounts of scripture - so I have just reprinted the M'Cheyne reading guide and am going to try to work through it. I just started it again today, so got going at May 28. It's amazing when you do this how often the readings are related to each other.
• I am also reading Stott's Through the Bible, Through the Year at the same time. This helps me to think in a bit more depth about a small passage or verse.

So, if you know me and see me around - ask me how I am going with it!



Photos from stock.xchng