It’s been awhile since I posted about my Bible reading. Let’s do a little catch-up.
Is 24-25 says destruction and desolation can be a good thing when it drives people to worship God. Too bad we are so hard-headed and hard-hearted that He has to resort to that to get out attention.
Is 26 – His judgments cause people to learn righteousness. Leviathan again. Some say it is God, that Job commentary I read suggested that at least in Job it was an agent of chaos, or evil, autocratic powers.
There is no compassion for people with no discernment. Just because you “feel” it doesn’t mean it is ok or right. But people won’t take correction or even disagreement any more. It’s a sad state.
Psalm 12 – shelter and protection as the wicked prowl every side and vileness is exalted among men. It sounds like society today.
1 Th 1 – praise for their faith and how it came and how it is seen and known by fruit. (Paul and James echoing here)
1 Th 2 – they are Paul’s glory and joy. As God rejoices in our faith and obedience, feeble as it is, so Paul also rejoices
He was afraid they would crumble in face of persecution and suffering. He had warned them and now sends Timothy to exhort them to stand firm in the faith.
Forewarned is forearmed. We should expect suffering. We should not be surprised or discouraged by it. In fact, we should rejoice as we share sufferings with Christ, our model and brother.
We often hear people say we are holding up so well or I’m an inspiration. And I do want my witness to show that my faith is real. I can tell you it is all God. He is holding us up, giving us strength, patience, and endurance to keep going. If I’m an inspiration – what am I inspiring you to do?
I read the memoir by Paul Kalanithi about his lung cancer diagnosis and journey to death. He quotes Samuel Beckett “I can’t go on. I’ll go on”. That’s how some moments of some days go. But God is always there when I cry out. (Fantastic book, by the way. I highly recommend it.)
The thing is, as Paul Kalanithi captures so well in his memoir, “death may be a one-time event, but living with a terminal illness is a process”. And I don’t know how long I have (I wanted to say ‘how long it will take’ 🙂 so I just keep enjoying every day and putting one numb foot in front of the other.
Back to that Bible reading.
Is 30 is like James 4 – you can make plans without God but it will go according to His plan every time. He is waiting to bless those who turn to Him.
Col 1 – we were once alienated and hostile in mind.
Is 32 – a righteous and just ruler is protection for the people and provides benefits, like water. Fools and scoundrels won’t be admired. The Lord is our stability. The pattern of desolation and renewal.
Leviticus – repetition over and over. Because we are stubborn and stupid.
I wonder if they had a whiteboard listing the different types of sacrifices and what the rules were for each.
Interesting that God gets the fat (yum) and the priest gets the skin (to wear or to eat, I wonder).
One last comment. I’m finding 1 John easier to read in the New Living Translation. The ESV feels like a bunch of exclamations cobbled together, while the NLT provides more continuity and coherence.
That catches us up. More later.
