Job was the first book of the Bible I have ever read "cover to cover." I'm so proud of myself! What I love about having completed one entire book is that now I understand it so much more. I've since seen quotes from it and actually knew the context. This seems simple, but so many times I've seen quotes from books and really had no idea what the context was or what even that book was about.
Job on the whole was a disturbing book. God allowed Satan to take away everything Job had for the sake of proving that Job would still be righteous. It was also a hard book to muster through because it was a lot of back and forth between Job and these supposed wise men. Job was saying he is righteous and the men were saying he needs to repent and he life would be alright again. I thought I would be less confused when God finally got his say at the end, but I'm not. I think this book and all the questions I have is something I'm going to have to put in my "Jesus Pocket" (which exists thanks to Pastor Arp). This is where I store all the questions I have that are just un-answerable. Jessica Thompson, a good friend, helped me out with this a bit though. She said how she explains things like this to her middle school students is to draw a little dot on the blackboard, then a huge circle. These represent ours and God's brains. God knows the whole story and everything which is so much more than what our little brain can understand. We just can't know his complete purpose right now and that's ok.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Friday, November 4, 2011
Starting the book of Job
I'm super excited to get to start a new book today! I actually started yesterday by reading the the forward that precedes all the books in my Bible. It's really helpful actually. I really like this quote from it:
"The relationship between God and man is not exclusive and closed. A third party intrudes, the great adversary. Incapable of contending with God hand to hand, power pitted against power, he is bent on frustrating God's enterprise embodied in the creation and centered on the God-man relationship. As tempter he seeks to alienate man from God; as accuser he seeks to alienate God from man. His all consuming purpose is to drive an irremovable wedge between God and man, to effect an alienation that cannot be reconciled."
Obviously this speaks to how Satan tries to lead us astray in our lives and that his goal is to remove us from God. I'm also struck by the notion of how Satan seems to have always been and always will be. Who created him? Certainly not God... but then who created God..... ok ok enough of that.
So back to Job. I'm actually a bit disturbed by the beginning of Job. Job is a righteous man. It seems to me that Satan tempts, maybe challenges (?) God to prove that Job is only righteous because everything is going great in his life and he has everything he needs. God allows Satan to destroy Job by killing his family and flocks and later by "[afflicting] Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head" 2:7.
So Job reacts, but does not sin in what he says even though his wife says, "Curse God and die!" Instead Job basically wishes he was never born. After this is where I am grateful to have a study Bible to explain to me all the metaphors. Some friends come along and Eliphaz (a wise man) says, "Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty..." because he will bless you in the end.
That is where I stop reading for the day, not only because my schedule says so, but because I am left with much to ponder anyway. Tomorrow Job will reply to him, or, more correctly, I'll read about it.
But still I'm haunted at the way God allowed Satan to ruin Job's life even though he was a man who worshiped and loved God and although he was a sinner, he lead an upright, moral and (umm I want to say Christian, but that doesn't really apply to this time so I'll just leave it there) life. I think this is a question that I will discover the answer to as I read through the book of Job.
This is a cool genealogy I found: http://www.everlastingstrength.org/content/biblestudy/diagrams&timelines/diagrams/bookofjobstructureandoutline/genjob.pdf
"The relationship between God and man is not exclusive and closed. A third party intrudes, the great adversary. Incapable of contending with God hand to hand, power pitted against power, he is bent on frustrating God's enterprise embodied in the creation and centered on the God-man relationship. As tempter he seeks to alienate man from God; as accuser he seeks to alienate God from man. His all consuming purpose is to drive an irremovable wedge between God and man, to effect an alienation that cannot be reconciled."
Obviously this speaks to how Satan tries to lead us astray in our lives and that his goal is to remove us from God. I'm also struck by the notion of how Satan seems to have always been and always will be. Who created him? Certainly not God... but then who created God..... ok ok enough of that.
So back to Job. I'm actually a bit disturbed by the beginning of Job. Job is a righteous man. It seems to me that Satan tempts, maybe challenges (?) God to prove that Job is only righteous because everything is going great in his life and he has everything he needs. God allows Satan to destroy Job by killing his family and flocks and later by "[afflicting] Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head" 2:7.
So Job reacts, but does not sin in what he says even though his wife says, "Curse God and die!" Instead Job basically wishes he was never born. After this is where I am grateful to have a study Bible to explain to me all the metaphors. Some friends come along and Eliphaz (a wise man) says, "Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty..." because he will bless you in the end.
That is where I stop reading for the day, not only because my schedule says so, but because I am left with much to ponder anyway. Tomorrow Job will reply to him, or, more correctly, I'll read about it.
But still I'm haunted at the way God allowed Satan to ruin Job's life even though he was a man who worshiped and loved God and although he was a sinner, he lead an upright, moral and (umm I want to say Christian, but that doesn't really apply to this time so I'll just leave it there) life. I think this is a question that I will discover the answer to as I read through the book of Job.
This is a cool genealogy I found: http://www.everlastingstrength.org/content/biblestudy/diagrams&timelines/diagrams/bookofjobstructureandoutline/genjob.pdf
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Eagles wings
When I was looking for Bible covers today online I found a quote from one of my favorite verses: Isaiah 40:31, "Those who trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary; they will walk and not grow weak."
This seems like a very fitting motto for my blog. I know I'm going to need help along the way and what better help to get them from the Lord? Remember in my first post when I said I was terrified? God has found a little way to remind me that he is always there with me and especially in this journey. If I find myself faltering I will turn back to this and try to remember that he will raise me up on wings like eagles.
This seems like a very fitting motto for my blog. I know I'm going to need help along the way and what better help to get them from the Lord? Remember in my first post when I said I was terrified? God has found a little way to remind me that he is always there with me and especially in this journey. If I find myself faltering I will turn back to this and try to remember that he will raise me up on wings like eagles.
Monday, October 31, 2011
In the beginning
Genesis 4-7
While pregnant and preparing for a natural childbirth I often thought of the verse, "With pain you will give birth to children" Genesis 3:16. I was thrilled with my childbirth experience and in some weird way felt like I was living out God's law. I know that doesn't really make sense, and maybe I was actually somehow trying to atone for my sins. That's just silly though, because only Jesus can do that.
One thing I'm really interested in finding in the Old Testament is how it all points us to Jesus. Jesus paid for our sins and saved us.
Chapter 4: Cain and Abel
Chapter 5: Adam and Eve genealogy
I know all this genealogy stuff is important but all these weird names can be so hard to follow!
Chapter 6: Noah
We all know the story of Noah. What catches my eye though is the line, "Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God" 6:9. I wonder what it means that he "walked with God." This is something I'll have to look into.
Alright, the footnotes in my Study Bible say, "Walked with God. The phrase replaces the word "lived" in the other paragraphs of the chapter and reminds us that there is a difference between walking with God and merely living." So I guess it's not literal, more like what we would say today that he is a follower, a believer.
While pregnant and preparing for a natural childbirth I often thought of the verse, "With pain you will give birth to children" Genesis 3:16. I was thrilled with my childbirth experience and in some weird way felt like I was living out God's law. I know that doesn't really make sense, and maybe I was actually somehow trying to atone for my sins. That's just silly though, because only Jesus can do that.
One thing I'm really interested in finding in the Old Testament is how it all points us to Jesus. Jesus paid for our sins and saved us.
Chapter 4: Cain and Abel
Chapter 5: Adam and Eve genealogy
I know all this genealogy stuff is important but all these weird names can be so hard to follow!
Chapter 6: Noah
We all know the story of Noah. What catches my eye though is the line, "Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God" 6:9. I wonder what it means that he "walked with God." This is something I'll have to look into.
Alright, the footnotes in my Study Bible say, "Walked with God. The phrase replaces the word "lived" in the other paragraphs of the chapter and reminds us that there is a difference between walking with God and merely living." So I guess it's not literal, more like what we would say today that he is a follower, a believer.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Reformation
How appropriate that I would choose Reformation Sunday to begin my journey.
While sitting in church today I decided to make a real commitment. Something I've been wanting to do for a long time, but never had the guts to really say, "Ok I'm doing it!" Well, I decided today is the day I'm going to start on a year long journey to read The Bible in a year. I've set out to read the Bible many times but never with any real conviction or direction. It was always 10 minutes a day, or a chapter a day, something like that. I'm not really sure what it was today that moved me to say I'm going to make the commitment, but I am.
It kinda terrifies me. I mean, it's a really big book, right? Actually, it's a lot of books. 66. My anxiety about taking this on comes from fear of failure. But, for now, I am going to put those feelings aside and take it one day at a time. Reading the Bible and spending time with God should be as vital to me as water, but it hasn't been. I mean to change all that though. I want to spend this year not only reading the Bible but trying to be a better Christian, wife, mother, person, and get to really know God. Not just the little glimpses I get of him in Church on Sunday, or the 5 or so minutes I spend at bedtime praying. To really get to know God is going to require some time and commitment. A great place to start is in His word.
Pastor Abel said in a sermon one time something along the lines of how the Bible is the inspired word of God, our maker and ruler of all things has given us this guide, this wonderful thing how can you not want to read it and spend time in it every day? As I start the blog I'm also reminded of the quote from Matthew 6:21, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." I often think of this quote when I get wrapped up in material things. Reading the Bible everyday for a year should help contribute to me putting God first in my life. I also had a moment in Bible study a couple weeks ago that really stuck me. Pastor Arp mentioned the quote, "Seek first the kingdom of God and all else will enter it." I think that quote is powerful enough in itself, so enough said.
Ok, so as for the blog aspect of this I would ideally like to write summaries everyday of what I read. So many times do I read and not remember or want to go back to something, some thought, and forget? Or, how often have I read parts of the Bible and thought, "say what?!" I would like to put those in this blog. Realistically though, getting time to pick up the Bible will be challenging in itself, so this probably won't happen but once a week. If I'm lucky.
I've decided I'm going to read in chronological order and use this guide to read by:
http://www.ewordtoday.com/year/niv1984/cnov01.htm
Join me if you will because this is going to be an amazing journey!
While sitting in church today I decided to make a real commitment. Something I've been wanting to do for a long time, but never had the guts to really say, "Ok I'm doing it!" Well, I decided today is the day I'm going to start on a year long journey to read The Bible in a year. I've set out to read the Bible many times but never with any real conviction or direction. It was always 10 minutes a day, or a chapter a day, something like that. I'm not really sure what it was today that moved me to say I'm going to make the commitment, but I am.
It kinda terrifies me. I mean, it's a really big book, right? Actually, it's a lot of books. 66. My anxiety about taking this on comes from fear of failure. But, for now, I am going to put those feelings aside and take it one day at a time. Reading the Bible and spending time with God should be as vital to me as water, but it hasn't been. I mean to change all that though. I want to spend this year not only reading the Bible but trying to be a better Christian, wife, mother, person, and get to really know God. Not just the little glimpses I get of him in Church on Sunday, or the 5 or so minutes I spend at bedtime praying. To really get to know God is going to require some time and commitment. A great place to start is in His word.
Pastor Abel said in a sermon one time something along the lines of how the Bible is the inspired word of God, our maker and ruler of all things has given us this guide, this wonderful thing how can you not want to read it and spend time in it every day? As I start the blog I'm also reminded of the quote from Matthew 6:21, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." I often think of this quote when I get wrapped up in material things. Reading the Bible everyday for a year should help contribute to me putting God first in my life. I also had a moment in Bible study a couple weeks ago that really stuck me. Pastor Arp mentioned the quote, "Seek first the kingdom of God and all else will enter it." I think that quote is powerful enough in itself, so enough said.
Ok, so as for the blog aspect of this I would ideally like to write summaries everyday of what I read. So many times do I read and not remember or want to go back to something, some thought, and forget? Or, how often have I read parts of the Bible and thought, "say what?!" I would like to put those in this blog. Realistically though, getting time to pick up the Bible will be challenging in itself, so this probably won't happen but once a week. If I'm lucky.
I've decided I'm going to read in chronological order and use this guide to read by:
http://www.ewordtoday.com/year/niv1984/cnov01.htm
Join me if you will because this is going to be an amazing journey!
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