I've been reading through Day 15 for the past couple of days, and I really haven't found very much to talk about.
Proverbs 15:22 Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. The NCV version phrases it like this: Plans fail without good advice, but they succeed with the advice of many others. Other people have learned lessons through experiences that we have not lived through, and so it is very helpful to consider what other people have to say when planning things in life, no matter how big or small they may be. Otherwise, we can plan to do something but have no idea how to avoid downfalls that could have been avoided.
In order to fully grasp what every chapter is saying, I've actually got 3 different versions of the Bible that I'm reading. The NIV is always first, but I've also got the NCV and The Message (and my NIV Quest Study Bible, which also helps greatly). It takes more time but it makes it so much easier to understand everything that I'm reading.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Days 9 through 14
Day 9
Genesis 9: I love how rainbows are a sign of God's promise to Noah that He will never again send a flood to destroy the earth (verse 11). I can't imagine there being a time where rain didn't exist.
Psalm 9: Verse 9 The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. LOVE this verse.
Joshua 9: Verse 14 The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord. This is where Joshua signs a treaty with the Gibeonites, who were deceiving them in order to be allowed to live. It reminded me that I should ask God for guidance before making any important decisions.
Acts 9: Saul's conversion is one of my favorite passages to read. Verse 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. I love how there was no hesitation. No "I'm not sure I'm qualified, I'm new at this" moment. It's pretty convicting to me; how I feel afraid to talk much about my faith because I'm afraid I don't know enough.
Day 10
Matthew 10: Verse 37 hits close to home with me, Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. The way I take this message in my life is that I had to disappoint my mom by leaving the church she raised me in so I could find my own way.
Romans 10: Verse 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
Day 11
Acts 11: Verse 29 The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea. We can all help people in need, and it will not always be the same way that other people can help. Everyone has their own thing they are strong in.
Proverbs 11: Verse 10 reminds me of what is going on with Elevation. When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices. As our church grows, I pray that we can change the city of Charlotte, make life better here.
Day 12
Romans 12: Verse 12 is my life verse, Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
1 Timothy 4: Verse 12: Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.
Day 13
Matthew 13: Verses 44-46 remind us that we must be willing to give up everything to follow Christ and get into the kingdom of Heaven. Verse 44: The kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Genesis 13: I love how Abram showed humility and let Lot choose the land that he wanted, which Lot chose the land that he could see. In turn, Abram was promised much more by God.
Day 14
Matthew 14: Twice in this chapter Jesus seeked solitude with God. He did not worry that the boat was moving away from the land. This passage challeneged me to start making more time for being alone with God. It seems like I'm always putting it off until late at night, because I always feel like I need to be somewhere, when I could really spare even 10 minutes and just read and focus on one chapter. I feel that I am at my best right before going to bed, because the house is quiet and there are no interruptions, but I need to make sure that I have enough time to read and still get plenty of sleep.
1 Timothy: Verses 6-8 are powerful. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. In the world we live in, it seems hard to be content with just the necessary things. We're so used to our cars and houses and air conditioning and technology, we would have a very hard time with just being content with food and clothes, at least at the very beginning.
There are two things on my mind since I've started this reading plan. One, Isaiah really confuses me. I hardly ever understand what he means by what he says. Two, Job really does complain a lot. Reba McEntire has a song where one of the lines is, "Love takes the patience of Job," and I'm just wondering exactly how he is displaying patience.
Genesis 9: I love how rainbows are a sign of God's promise to Noah that He will never again send a flood to destroy the earth (verse 11). I can't imagine there being a time where rain didn't exist.
Psalm 9: Verse 9 The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. LOVE this verse.
Joshua 9: Verse 14 The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord. This is where Joshua signs a treaty with the Gibeonites, who were deceiving them in order to be allowed to live. It reminded me that I should ask God for guidance before making any important decisions.
Acts 9: Saul's conversion is one of my favorite passages to read. Verse 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. I love how there was no hesitation. No "I'm not sure I'm qualified, I'm new at this" moment. It's pretty convicting to me; how I feel afraid to talk much about my faith because I'm afraid I don't know enough.
Day 10
Matthew 10: Verse 37 hits close to home with me, Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. The way I take this message in my life is that I had to disappoint my mom by leaving the church she raised me in so I could find my own way.
Romans 10: Verse 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
Day 11
Acts 11: Verse 29 The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea. We can all help people in need, and it will not always be the same way that other people can help. Everyone has their own thing they are strong in.
Proverbs 11: Verse 10 reminds me of what is going on with Elevation. When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices. As our church grows, I pray that we can change the city of Charlotte, make life better here.
Day 12
Romans 12: Verse 12 is my life verse, Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
1 Timothy 4: Verse 12: Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.
Day 13
Matthew 13: Verses 44-46 remind us that we must be willing to give up everything to follow Christ and get into the kingdom of Heaven. Verse 44: The kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Genesis 13: I love how Abram showed humility and let Lot choose the land that he wanted, which Lot chose the land that he could see. In turn, Abram was promised much more by God.
Day 14
Matthew 14: Twice in this chapter Jesus seeked solitude with God. He did not worry that the boat was moving away from the land. This passage challeneged me to start making more time for being alone with God. It seems like I'm always putting it off until late at night, because I always feel like I need to be somewhere, when I could really spare even 10 minutes and just read and focus on one chapter. I feel that I am at my best right before going to bed, because the house is quiet and there are no interruptions, but I need to make sure that I have enough time to read and still get plenty of sleep.
1 Timothy: Verses 6-8 are powerful. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. In the world we live in, it seems hard to be content with just the necessary things. We're so used to our cars and houses and air conditioning and technology, we would have a very hard time with just being content with food and clothes, at least at the very beginning.
There are two things on my mind since I've started this reading plan. One, Isaiah really confuses me. I hardly ever understand what he means by what he says. Two, Job really does complain a lot. Reba McEntire has a song where one of the lines is, "Love takes the patience of Job," and I'm just wondering exactly how he is displaying patience.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Do not worry
My thoughts on Days 6-8
Matthew 6- This chapter is filled with a lot of good stuff, but the part I always come back to is verses 25-34, where Jesus is teaching us not to worry about our lives. This is such a challenge for me, because I get bothered so easily when I see my bank account getting lower. I'm not even at the stage of being broke, but I like having my "safety net" amount in my account. Which leads me to feeling convicted every time because what it boils down to is I'm putting my faith in the dollar amount in my account instead of in my God who will take care of me. Verse 33 says But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. He was speaking of the basic necessities in life: food, clothing, etc. I feel like I need to read this chapter on a daily basis.
Day 7
Matthew 7: Verse 7 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. A guy at work told me about something that happened just a few days ago that was a perfect example of this verse. He and this other guy had been struggling in shipping for over an hour to get a trailer moved, but it was stuck on an incline in a way that the wheels couldn't get over the small hump. He finally sincerely asked God to move the trailer, because their own human efforts could not move it. Then they tried one more time, and the trailer moved without a problem! It was like it had never been stuck. This reminded me that I can ask God for help in any situation, even in one I think I have complete control over.
Day 8
Job 8: Verse 7 Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be. Everything has such a small beginning, and it is hard to believe it will ever grow into something big, but following God's will gives you a brighter future that you could never imagine.
Romans 8: This is a big one that Pastor preached on for 4 weeks. Such an amazing chapter in scripture. Verse 18: I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. There is no way to even imagine what God has in store for us. Verse 26 the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. I have felt sometimes while praying for something or somebody that I just didn't know the words to use. Instead, I just let a lot of emotions flow through me. And finally, verse 31, If God is for us, who can be against us? One of my favorite verses in the Bible.
Matthew 6- This chapter is filled with a lot of good stuff, but the part I always come back to is verses 25-34, where Jesus is teaching us not to worry about our lives. This is such a challenge for me, because I get bothered so easily when I see my bank account getting lower. I'm not even at the stage of being broke, but I like having my "safety net" amount in my account. Which leads me to feeling convicted every time because what it boils down to is I'm putting my faith in the dollar amount in my account instead of in my God who will take care of me. Verse 33 says But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. He was speaking of the basic necessities in life: food, clothing, etc. I feel like I need to read this chapter on a daily basis.
Day 7
Matthew 7: Verse 7 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. A guy at work told me about something that happened just a few days ago that was a perfect example of this verse. He and this other guy had been struggling in shipping for over an hour to get a trailer moved, but it was stuck on an incline in a way that the wheels couldn't get over the small hump. He finally sincerely asked God to move the trailer, because their own human efforts could not move it. Then they tried one more time, and the trailer moved without a problem! It was like it had never been stuck. This reminded me that I can ask God for help in any situation, even in one I think I have complete control over.
Day 8
Job 8: Verse 7 Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be. Everything has such a small beginning, and it is hard to believe it will ever grow into something big, but following God's will gives you a brighter future that you could never imagine.
Romans 8: This is a big one that Pastor preached on for 4 weeks. Such an amazing chapter in scripture. Verse 18: I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. There is no way to even imagine what God has in store for us. Verse 26 the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. I have felt sometimes while praying for something or somebody that I just didn't know the words to use. Instead, I just let a lot of emotions flow through me. And finally, verse 31, If God is for us, who can be against us? One of my favorite verses in the Bible.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Days 2 through 5
Apparently I am terrible at updating this thing. So here are days 2 through 5:
Day 2
Matthew 2:10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. I love how God used a star to lead the three wise men to the baby Jesus. I also love how God used dreams to communicate with Joseph and the wise men.
Job 2:13 Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was. This verse reminded me that sometimes the best thing I can do for someone in need is, someone in a rough situation, is to be silent and just be there with them.
Day 3
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Our understanding of the world and of what happens in our lives is so limited, because we cannot see the big picture that God sees.
Day 4
Romans 4:18-23 is such an incredible reminder to me that God has promised me permanent employment and I need to stop doubting that it will happen. Sometimes I have a good day, but some days I feel frustrated because I've been through this temp employee waiting game once before, and there's no guarantee this company is going to pull through and hire me. However, I was told by a preacher who works with me there that God told him I will be given permanent employment, and this has happened with him before with someone else that did receive the promise they were given. These verses talk about how Abraham kept his faith strong that God would fulfill his promise of having children in his old age. Verses 20-21 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God has power to do what He had promised.
Acts 4:13 mentions how Peter and John were unschooled, ordinary men. It shows that you don't have to have a degree in order to spread the news of Christ.
Day 5
1 Thessalonians 5:14 We urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. The last part, 'be patient with everyone', may be the biggest challenge in this verse. It means all of those close to you that you see on a regular basis, but it also means everyone else also. This includes the person who cut you off in traffic, the store customer ahead of you in line who bought 50+ items and then began writing a check for the purchase. Verses 16-18 are also wonderful: Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Job 5:9 He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. Such an amazing fact abbout God!
Day 2
Matthew 2:10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. I love how God used a star to lead the three wise men to the baby Jesus. I also love how God used dreams to communicate with Joseph and the wise men.
Job 2:13 Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was. This verse reminded me that sometimes the best thing I can do for someone in need is, someone in a rough situation, is to be silent and just be there with them.
Day 3
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Our understanding of the world and of what happens in our lives is so limited, because we cannot see the big picture that God sees.
Day 4
Romans 4:18-23 is such an incredible reminder to me that God has promised me permanent employment and I need to stop doubting that it will happen. Sometimes I have a good day, but some days I feel frustrated because I've been through this temp employee waiting game once before, and there's no guarantee this company is going to pull through and hire me. However, I was told by a preacher who works with me there that God told him I will be given permanent employment, and this has happened with him before with someone else that did receive the promise they were given. These verses talk about how Abraham kept his faith strong that God would fulfill his promise of having children in his old age. Verses 20-21 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God has power to do what He had promised.
Acts 4:13 mentions how Peter and John were unschooled, ordinary men. It shows that you don't have to have a degree in order to spread the news of Christ.
Day 5
1 Thessalonians 5:14 We urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. The last part, 'be patient with everyone', may be the biggest challenge in this verse. It means all of those close to you that you see on a regular basis, but it also means everyone else also. This includes the person who cut you off in traffic, the store customer ahead of you in line who bought 50+ items and then began writing a check for the purchase. Verses 16-18 are also wonderful: Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Job 5:9 He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. Such an amazing fact abbout God!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Day One
My friend Keirstin has been following a Bible reading plan, and after going through a week with almost no time spent in God's Word, I felt that this would be a good way to guarantee I read something every day. I'm already behind, but I'm focusing more on understanding what I'm reading than actually keeping up the pace. So here are my thoughts on Day 1's readings:
Matthew 1: The geneologies sometimes (Ok, most of the time) bore me, but here I really see the significance of listing the names. Jesus' lineage goes back to Abraham, and now that I'm becoming familiar with more of the stories, it's easier to identify with. Reading about King David and Solomon really sheds some light on why we needed to know they were in Jesus' family. One thing that stuck out was verse 23, "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel - which means "God with us".
Genesis 1: The more I read this chapter, the more I realize how hard it is to wrap my mind around the conecpt of earth being formless. No sky, no land, no trees...nothing. I just can't imagine that.
Romans 1: My favorite verse from this chapter, verse 12: "you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith." It is an amazing experience to spend time with a fellow believer, and to support each other's understanding and growth.
1 Thessalonians - Love how verse 3 corralates with 1 Cor 13:13. "We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ"
Proverbs 1: I like how the NCV phrases verse 5: "Wise people can also listen and learn; even they can find good advice in these words." It's a reminder that you can always learn something new, or change a behavior or attitude, by reading the Bible.
That's it so far. I'm really enjoying reading something from different books each day...I find it's a lot easier for me to stay focused on spending time reading when it's not 10 consecutive chapters.
Matthew 1: The geneologies sometimes (Ok, most of the time) bore me, but here I really see the significance of listing the names. Jesus' lineage goes back to Abraham, and now that I'm becoming familiar with more of the stories, it's easier to identify with. Reading about King David and Solomon really sheds some light on why we needed to know they were in Jesus' family. One thing that stuck out was verse 23, "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel - which means "God with us".
Genesis 1: The more I read this chapter, the more I realize how hard it is to wrap my mind around the conecpt of earth being formless. No sky, no land, no trees...nothing. I just can't imagine that.
Romans 1: My favorite verse from this chapter, verse 12: "you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith." It is an amazing experience to spend time with a fellow believer, and to support each other's understanding and growth.
1 Thessalonians - Love how verse 3 corralates with 1 Cor 13:13. "We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ"
Proverbs 1: I like how the NCV phrases verse 5: "Wise people can also listen and learn; even they can find good advice in these words." It's a reminder that you can always learn something new, or change a behavior or attitude, by reading the Bible.
That's it so far. I'm really enjoying reading something from different books each day...I find it's a lot easier for me to stay focused on spending time reading when it's not 10 consecutive chapters.
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