The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and discipline.
This is an amazing scripture to me. Every time I read it, I am impacted by it. This morning it hit me that there will be times when a fool is to foolish to understand that they are being given wisdom. Plus I am always cut by the fact that the Bible says I am a fool becuase I don't like discipline.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Leviticus 18
The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'I am the LORD your God. You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the LORD your God. Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 18:1-5
I really liked this verse. It is a message of how the Israelites needed to be set apart from the customs of the cultures around them. I think this can be a problem that I face that I want to be accepted by society and have the things that other people value. Though what is especially interesting is the line, "Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them." I know that on one hand it says that obeying Gods commands will enable you to live. But I also think it is saying that it is not just a matter of obeying specific commands but also having the commands guide your life.
Leviticus 18:1-5
I really liked this verse. It is a message of how the Israelites needed to be set apart from the customs of the cultures around them. I think this can be a problem that I face that I want to be accepted by society and have the things that other people value. Though what is especially interesting is the line, "Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them." I know that on one hand it says that obeying Gods commands will enable you to live. But I also think it is saying that it is not just a matter of obeying specific commands but also having the commands guide your life.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Leviticus 10
"This is what the LORD spoke of when he said:
" 'Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.' " Aaron remained silent.
This scripture speaks so deeply to me. The first thing that I thought of was how this relates to our example as Christians and how we must honor him in all we do. It also caused me to think about going out on a date as a Christian. My belief is that Christians should only date Christians with similar belief about Gods word. Which can be very hard because there are people who go to my Church that have very different beliefs than I do.
It also made me think about how the scripture doesn't command us to show God as holy or honor God. The scriptures says that regardless of whether you want to honor God or not he will be honored.
" 'Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.' " Aaron remained silent.
This scripture speaks so deeply to me. The first thing that I thought of was how this relates to our example as Christians and how we must honor him in all we do. It also caused me to think about going out on a date as a Christian. My belief is that Christians should only date Christians with similar belief about Gods word. Which can be very hard because there are people who go to my Church that have very different beliefs than I do.
It also made me think about how the scripture doesn't command us to show God as holy or honor God. The scriptures says that regardless of whether you want to honor God or not he will be honored.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Trouble In the Book Of Exodus
I intended to write this blog daily as I went through the Bible, but since my time has been limited I have not been able to do that. With my second job and all my other commitments I have was moving right along with reading but as you might have noticed never really blogging. But lately I have been having trouble staying motivated.
Every one claims that people stop when they get to Leviticus, though I think that might be an overstatement. I am having trouble reading about the Tabernacle in the book of Exodus. I must redouble my efforts! So I don't go off track completely. I will also make every effort to write more.
Every one claims that people stop when they get to Leviticus, though I think that might be an overstatement. I am having trouble reading about the Tabernacle in the book of Exodus. I must redouble my efforts! So I don't go off track completely. I will also make every effort to write more.
1 Peter 1:3-9
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Friday, September 28, 2007
The Account of Terah
Genesis 11:27-31
This is the account of Terah.
Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. Now Sarai was barren; she had no children.
Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.
I have read this passage several times over the last few years. Each time I read it, I ponder if God had called Terah to go to Canaan. Going to Canaan is one of the things Hebrews 11 commends Abraham for. Verse 8 says that "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going."
So it was an unknown place but this is where Terah was headed before he got comfortable in Haran.
This whole passage emphasizes James 2:17 and 19"In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead... You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder." It seems like Terah knew God because even though Canaan was an unknown place to him and Abraham, they both wanted to go their. It seems that Terah did not accompany his belief in God with the action to do what God said. It seems like every one except for (Nahor Terah"s other son) had a belief in God but Abraham was the one that really put his faith into action.
Though this is all theory because the Bible doesn't really speak about why Terah wanted to go to Canaan or why Nahor didn't go with the rest of the family.
This is the account of Terah.
Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. Now Sarai was barren; she had no children.
Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.
I have read this passage several times over the last few years. Each time I read it, I ponder if God had called Terah to go to Canaan. Going to Canaan is one of the things Hebrews 11 commends Abraham for. Verse 8 says that "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going."
So it was an unknown place but this is where Terah was headed before he got comfortable in Haran.
This whole passage emphasizes James 2:17 and 19"In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead... You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder." It seems like Terah knew God because even though Canaan was an unknown place to him and Abraham, they both wanted to go their. It seems that Terah did not accompany his belief in God with the action to do what God said. It seems like every one except for (Nahor Terah"s other son) had a belief in God but Abraham was the one that really put his faith into action.
Though this is all theory because the Bible doesn't really speak about why Terah wanted to go to Canaan or why Nahor didn't go with the rest of the family.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Genesis 1
I find Genesis chapter one to be the hardest chapter in the Bible for me to read. I have read it so many times through out my life that it can seem boring. This seems weird as I am writing it because it is such an action packed event that it should just completely leave me in awe. It kind of feels like that is a rudimentary teaching that I should be able to move beyond. But every time I want to read Genesis I need to read Genesis 1.
Another thing weird for me about Genesis 1 is that is challenges my logic. I believe in creation and not in Evolution for 2 reasons. One being that creation seems to make more since and the second and more important reason is that I believe everything else in the Bible is absolute truth so how can I say that Genesis one is not. Though when I read Genesis 1:2-5 "Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day." It leaves me wondering why was there already water? How did God separate the light from the darkness?
Some other passage that seem troublesome are Genesis 1:6-8 "And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day." in combination with Genesis 1:14-18 "And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.'"
What is weird about these two passages to me is that God defines sky as an expanse between two waters so when God puts the stars and the Sun in this expanse it seems weird. Once again it doesn't make sense. So part of me wants to deny that it really happened. Though I have seen God do many thing that defy explanation. I have read about other things in the Bible that the only way to explain them is to say that God can do anything. So even though it seems that this explanation in Genesis 1 of how God created the world seems off. I trust that God can do it in any way he wants. Plus I have no clue how to create the universe so to claim that it seems wrong would be similar to me telling a heart surgeon or a nuclear scientist that the way they are explaining things doesn't make sense.
Another thing weird for me about Genesis 1 is that is challenges my logic. I believe in creation and not in Evolution for 2 reasons. One being that creation seems to make more since and the second and more important reason is that I believe everything else in the Bible is absolute truth so how can I say that Genesis one is not. Though when I read Genesis 1:2-5 "Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day." It leaves me wondering why was there already water? How did God separate the light from the darkness?
Some other passage that seem troublesome are Genesis 1:6-8 "And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day." in combination with Genesis 1:14-18 "And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.'"
What is weird about these two passages to me is that God defines sky as an expanse between two waters so when God puts the stars and the Sun in this expanse it seems weird. Once again it doesn't make sense. So part of me wants to deny that it really happened. Though I have seen God do many thing that defy explanation. I have read about other things in the Bible that the only way to explain them is to say that God can do anything. So even though it seems that this explanation in Genesis 1 of how God created the world seems off. I trust that God can do it in any way he wants. Plus I have no clue how to create the universe so to claim that it seems wrong would be similar to me telling a heart surgeon or a nuclear scientist that the way they are explaining things doesn't make sense.
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