Day 19, 19th September: Genesis, Matthew, Psalms
A life of Righteousness
Andy Croft
Today’s readings:
Genesis 38:1-39:23
Matthew 13:36-58
Psalm 11:1-7
For commentary check out the video below!
Lots of you have been asking great questions over the past few days, here are some brief thoughts on some of them…
Why does God kill people – for example the sons of Judah in Gen 38:6, 10?
There are a number of places we’ve read about so far where God kills people – the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah and now this instance in Genesis 38. It can be really difficult to understand why God would do this – particularly when we’re so used to thinking and talking about his unconditional love; but as well as being holy God is a God of justice. Mike mentioned last week that God has to act against evil otherwise He’s not good – of course he hates rape, of course he hates wickedness, he wouldn’t truly be love if he didn’t. This is why sometimes he acts in a very direct way to stop evil dead in its tracks. Ultimately, when reading difficult passages like this we must remember to read them in the light of the New Testament – God stopped evil dead in its tracks here but it was by allowing himself to be killed. He did it so he could kill evil and sin without having to kill us. The cross is where God’s love and holiness meet.
What is the stuff about Judah and Tamar doing in the Bible, aren’t those stories a bit messed up?
There is this and other strange or disturbing stories about people doing things that seem shocking to us today. The point of these stories is not that we go and copy them. Sometimes we think that because the Bible tells us about people we have to then go off and be like those people. That’s not how it works. We’re not to copy the people of the Bible but the God of the Bible. At times people are a great example to us because they reflect God, but often they are not. Some of the stories we read seem strange partly because they happened in a culture that is different from ours and they happened a long time ago. They are in there not as a moral example (apart from perhaps an example of what not to do!), but to tell us what happened. The Bible is teaching us the history of the people of God – and it’s not always a glowing one.
Why are loads of women not able to have children in the Bible?
Children in the culture described in the Old Testament were a big deal. If you couldn’t produce an heir to carry on the family line it usually brought great shame. This is why there are examples of Abraham and others sleeping with maidservants to produce children. I’m not sure that so far we’ve read about hundreds of women who can’t have children, it’s more that for the one or two women we’ve read about (Sarah, Rachel), it’s been a big disgrace and a lot has been made of it.
What should we make of the bit about Jesus leaving his family to tend to his followers instead? (Matt12:46-50) It feels like in the NT everyone is told to leave behind their family and stuff but how does this fit in with being a good daughter/mother/wife/sister/father/ husband/brother etc?
Jesus often taught using something called hyperbole. This was what lots of rabbis of his time did – it pretty much means he would say something really strongly, almost to the point of exaggeration to make a point. This means we have to be careful to read his words in two ways: (a) Recognising that elsewhere there is lots of teaching about loving others and Jesus’ stress on the importance of things such as marriage. (b) But also we don’t want to lose the punch of what Jesus is saying – he’s saying it strongly because he really wants to make a point. Loving God has to come before any other relationship we have on earth, including our closest relatives. He demands not just a bit of our lives but the whole thing.
Jesus isn’t calling us to be bad sons, daughters, etc. In my experience falling more in love with God only leads us to becoming better sons/daughters etc.
What does Jesus mean in Matt12:32 when he says ‘anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven’? I thought God forgave all our sins?
In the context of this passage (see day 16) the Pharisees are saying that Jesus is operating under the power of Satan. They are taking Jesus, pure and good as He is and rejecting Him as evil. Jesus is warning them that if they reject the Holy Spirit in the same way they will be unforgivable – this isn’t because God won’t forgive them, it’s because people who deliberately trick themselves into thinking God is evil can never be in a position to repent. The Spirit is the one who convicts us of our sin but if we think He’s the power of Satan we’re never going to say sorry to God.
Sometimes people are worried by this passage because they fear they have committed the unforgivable sin – the fact that you’re afraid of committing this sin is a sure sign that you haven’t! If you had really deceived yourself into thinking the Holy Spirit was from Satan you wouldn’t be worried about rejecting Him – you’d want to reject Him.
We’re loving reading everyones comments and answers. Keep going, let’s keep chatting, Crofty.
109 responses to “Day 19, 19th September: Genesis, Matthew, Psalms”
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- - September 19, 2010
The Bible in One Year with Soul Survivor 
I found this session really good, especially when Andy talked about how we should never have to doubt whether or not we’re part of God’s family because at every moment, when we love and learn to trust in Jesus we are part of His family. I found it really awesome, because in my own family me and my sister have a lot of problems as she isn’t a Christian. We’ve never really had a great relationship and it’s something I continually pray for. It’s always incredible to hear about our brothers and sisters across the world working for God and to remember that our famly stretches that far. It’s so incredible and amazing!
It was also good to be reminded that we don’t have to earn our salvation because we’ve already got that salvation in Jesus when we believe in Him.
Keep up the good work (I know I am reading this from 2010’s archives.) You guys are still doing an incredible job, and the Holy Spirit is touching people’s lives because of it.
What a contrast there is between the unrestrained lust of Judah (Genesis 38) and the sexual restraint of Joseph – “How then can I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9). Joseph was unjustly treated, and put in prison. Nevertheless, God’s purpose was not hindered – “the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did” (Genesis 39:23). When we read of Joseph, being thrown into slavery and, later on, into prison, we see the similarity to Jesus – “Only in his home town and in his own house is a prophet without honour” (Matthew 13:57). Whenever things are going badly (Joseph in prison, Jesus – “a prophet without honour”), we must remember – “The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord is on His heavenly throne” (Psalm 11:4). We must learn to say, “In the Lord, I take refuge” (Psalm 11:1). We must rest in this assurance: “upright men will see His face” (Psalm 11:7).
Hey Just moved into Uni yesterday, and this reading and Andy’s video has really helped me to realise that although here i might be tempted and tried so much, I got Jesus and in comparison to those things, he is amazing 🙂
thanks. We will check this out.
Hi guys! Just wanted to say to all of you who are worried about the drop in numbers, i’ve read the BIOY every day but just never comment…!! also, there are loads of people at my church and youth group still doing it, but none of up comment so please don’t be disheartened by the falling comment numbers!! thanks so much to andy, ali and mike for helping us all with our meditations on the daily readings… i’m not sure i’d understand much of it otherwise! thanks a lot to everyone who does comment, it’s always helpful, inspiring and encouraging 😀 can’t wait for the rest of the year, this really is a great journey and i’m so glad that we’re all doing it together 😀 God bless you all xxxxxx
Yep, same, I’ve read all the comments but a lot of the time my questions have been answered elsewhere so I don’t end up commenting! Might do so a little more in the future though…
God Bless! 🙂
Hi
I was just wondering if I’m the only person still struggling to hear the talks? They are really interesting and I find it easier to hear them than read them but they do get really quiet at times, and I can’t work out if it’s the video or my laptop!
Thanks for all the work that’s going into this BIOY – it’s really opening the bible up in ways I’d never seen before.
Hi Nikki
Perhaps you need to turn up your sound, certainly it is audible!
If there is quiet in your place of listening then you should be able to hear. I pray that you get it sorted, as yes, I like the talks also.
Nice to hear Andy tell of his loves Beth, I think he is a lucky man, I would gladly replace my cd player with Beth, she could sing songs to me all day every day, and I would happily do all the washing and ironing and cooking (no turkey dinosaurs or chips)!
Keep talking for God Andy, keep singing for God Beth.
Keep up the ‘seeking’ Nikki and all.
love and hugs to all
Terry
Hey Terry
Thanks for the advice! I work in IT though… and know where the volume controls are! I think it’s a more fundamental issue with the speakers in my laptop or the soundcard… It’s a fair point though, as it’s easy to overlook the obvious at times 😉
So 347 days from now on September 1st 2011 when BIOY is over what are you going to do?
A) Start it all over
B) Do it in Reverse
C) Buy a different version and do another BIOY
D) Say “At last! its over” and take up Knitting
E) Listen to Pilavachi Sings Christmas
All of the above?
or read it in half a year,
or go book by book, focussing on the contexts and purposes of each book/letter/poem etc?
definatly e!
Following the readings and comments every day (great questions and answers – thank you!) but just not contributing – will also pray for those who may have dropped off. 🙂
Hey Guys,
Anyone else thinking “doesn’t Jacob learn!?”
His father preferred his brother, which jacob recognised as being pretty unfair but then goes and prefers Joseph- resulting in joseph being sold!
I just think its great though, that even in the bible, people didnt learn from past mistakes. But that god can still make good from it! Really comforting that we can keep making the same mistakes but he can always turn it around 🙂
xxx
I never even thought of that. but good point!
I call it ‘doing a George’ as in George Michael who also doesn’t seem to learn from his mistakes (don’t get me wrong tho.. He is great). That’s been my main reflection on the OT so far… they never seem to learn!
hello People of the interweb 🙂
Really loving the BIOY and this online community that is going on.
Really enjoyed the parables today and the video was really helpful and insightful (don’t know what that means just trying to sound clever)
🙂 🙂
hi guys, I’d really appreciate some prayer to help me sleep tonight, as I only got 2 hours last night and I can be such a horrible person when i’m tired
thankyou 🙂
Sure thing Katie! I hope that you have a better night’s sleep tonight. If it’s because there’s something niggling you or on your mind, take it to God! Sarah.x
Praying for you Hon – may you wake up from a good night’s sleep feeling refreshed and ready to face the new day.
thankyou both, your prayers helped, I slept great 🙂
Wow that whole judah and tamar thing was random to say the least!!! Not what you would expect to read but thanks crofty for your explanations and answers to some of the questions – the Bible is a book all about us looking at God and not the people who did the crazy stuff like all the guys in Sodom and Gomorrah wanting to have sex with the 2 angels visiting Lot’s house for instance.
We are God’s family – incredible to think that tbh because we are so small and He is so big yet He wants us IN to be a part of His family and kingdom!!!:) Thankyou Lord.
I love the story of Joseph tho – He was so faithful regardless of the circumstances he faced and the blows life dealt him he still had the confident assurance that God was with him and because of this God blessed him in all that he did!! Thats another challenge – BIOY is full of them and we’re only 19days in… can’t wait to see what is in store tomorrow.
Also the whole parable of the weeds thing for me took on another meaning – as we grow in our knowledge and trust of God the ride we’re on is going to get more bumpy and wild – we’re going to be dealt some pretty crazy blows – perhaps not uite as extreme as Joseph – yet we know from Joseph’s story that He is always with us encouraging us to keep our eyes fixed upon Him lighting the way ahead however bumpy and wild our life journey gets!!
Lets keep going guys and keep in step with Him:) Praise Jesus 😀
Here are a few comments on today’s reading from Matthew 13:36-58.
—
In verses 36-43, we have the explanation of Jesus’ parable of “the wheat and the weeds”(verses 24-30). This parable contrasts a real believing response to Christ with an empty profession of faith in Him. There is also something else – leave judgment to God. He knows those who are His and those who are not.
verses 44-58
Be patient. Do not doubt the power of God’s Word. Once God’s Word has begun to exert its influence among the people, great things will happen. The beginnings may seem small. Remember: nothing is insignificant when God is in it! Some may be on the verge of the kind of joyful discovery of Christ, described in 44-46! The parable of the net (47-50) is similar to the parable of the wheat and the tares (24-30). The separation of ‘the good’ and ‘the bad’ comes ‘at the end of the age’ (48-49). The Gospel is ‘old’ and ‘new’ (52) – we’ve known its teaching for years, yet there are always some ‘new treasures’ for us to discover. It’s sadly possible to hear the Word of God without believing it and enjoying its blessing. Don’t let Christ be ‘a prophet without honour’ (57). Honour Him in your heart and life.
Thanks, Andy, for giving some helpful comments on several questions that have been asked. May God bless you and make you a blessing to many. May He help each of us, as we read His Word, to grow strong in a life-changing commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ.
—
Here are some comments on today’s Genesis reading.
38:1-30
‘Judah went down from his brothers, and turned in to a certain Adullamite…’ (1-2). This is the sad story of so many people: Drawn away by an unbelieving man/woman from the fellowship of God’s people, the story then goes from bad to worse. A whole catalogue of disasters follows. God is mentioned in only two verses (7,10). Both speak of human sin and divine judgment. God’s Word is clear: Believers are not to be joined in marriage to unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14). Lower your spiritual defences at this point, and you are asking for big trouble! Satan is ready to sweep in and cause chaos. This sad story of sin and shame stands as a warning to us. Do not rush into sinful choices. Put God first, and let Him lead you in His perfect way: ‘Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well’ (Matthew 6:33).
39:1-23
In chapter 38, we read of unbridled lust. Here, we read of sexual restraint: ‘how can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?’ (9). Sin brings complications, and so does obedience! There is, in fact, only one complication – sin. We live in a sinful world, which has no real interest in obedience to God. We must be realistic: ‘all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted’ (2 Timothy 3:12). Obedience and persecution – we see both in the story of Joseph. He was tempted, but he did not sin (7-9). Temptation is not sin. God provides ‘the way of escape’ (1 Corinthians 10:13). Christ is ‘the way’ (John 14:6), God’s way of escape. We go to Him when we are tempted (Hebrews 2:16; 4:15-16). Joseph was put into prison, ‘but the Lord was with him, and showed him steadfast love’ (20-21) – ‘persecuted, but not forsaken’’ (2 Corinthians 4:9).
really appreciate the explanations ….. but it is really tons better seeing you guys explain things via video / You Tube. having read a whol echunk of the Bible, it is easier to listen and watch, rather than read another chunk of writing. Keep up the videos ….. and get Ali into the tech age!!! Looking forward to the next 346 days
great video today Andy 🙂 I’ve missed a few days this week so I’m catching up and todays video helped me realise a lot .
So today in my church us teens were all saying what we think of the pope and the fact that he’s making a man (dead man) a saint ,what do you all think of him and what’s he’s doing ?
Hi blessing.
I knwo im not crofty but funnily wnough was having the same covo in church today with some guys – we reckon that the pope in a lot of the stuff he’s said on his visit is a pretty sound guy! He is eager for us to come and unify together which can only be a good thing seeing as we all believe in Jesus at the end of the day and our world is pretty messed up already for churches to get hung up on the whole denomination thing wouldn’t you agree?!!
The pope emphasised the importance of coming together in love which for me sounds good…. as for the whole making a dead man a saint thing – in my humble, frank opinion I’m not sure God would be to bothered about giving someone already in heaven a sainthood… he’s been dead since the 19th century anyway… I think we get too caught up in focusing on “what about the pope this….” and “what about the pope that” when actually we just all need to come together as a church of brothers and sisters and shine for Jesus living for Him. The pope is important in some ways as he portrays a pretty big image of what people today think the church is… but he’s not as important as Jesus and the life He lived and we can be inspired by that example today:)
Sorry for the long rambling – and hope this helps
Yeah ,i you’ve helped actually thanks 🙂
But the thing that i dont understand is why people pray to the pope ,he’s not God
?
I don’t think anyone prays to the Pope. Catholics pray to saints but I couldn’t tell you why cos I have no idea.
praying to st’s isn’t so much as praying to them as praying with them, it’s a bit like how you’d ask a friend to pray with you about something you’re struggling with, another option is to pray with the saints, and as they have lived lives with God, we can find inspiration from them, hope that makes sense. I’ve never known of anyone praying to the Pope, but Catholics would listen to what he says as he has been chosen as the Catholic that would best lead all other Catholics through their life of faith. I hope this helps, I am a Catholic, and can try and answer any other questions you have the best I can, but i don’t have a mass of knowledge, just what ive picked up through my 16 years through going to church, conversations and youth groups and stuff
Hi Katie / everyone
I was also wondering why Catholics pray to God through saints and not directly. Someone said they thought it was because they felt they were not good enough to approach God directly with prayer and so asked to Saints to intercede on their behalf, but I don’t get this because it kinda makes Jesus dying for us to enable us to become God’s children pointless. I’d not want to speak to my Dad via a dead person…
Am I completely on the wrong track with this one?
Don’t you HAVE to be dead to become a saint?
yeah you do, and it’s often years and years after their death because it’s a very long process
Well that depends on your theology, many denominations refer to all believers as Saints.
346 days let – just a few!?
haha i know… only a few lol…. nice humour crofty
What am I going to do at Soul Survivor next summer? I hope they work out a way to give us access to the blog!!
i think they might play the blog in the big top
I think they should have a BIOY seminar and we could all meet each other and talk about how great/ hard/ encouraging it’s been 🙂
Pause the video on 1:16 🙂
lol 🙂
thanks for your commentary vid, andy, and congrats on one year!! to Alice and Nick, I’d say, keep going! there is lots thats unfathomable, strange, does not compute! in our eyes, but its a strange old universe! many mysteries too and perhaps some of the writings are poetic and yet have a great significance..one guide is to see how Jesus quoted scriptures eg about 7 days; feeling for you but don’t give up, even if you don’t get an adequate explanation straight off, there’s someone here we’re getting close to who’s wisdom is greater than solomon, and we need to be like queen of sheba and travel (time wise?) to hear more!
Guys, could really use some help. My friend on facebook – who I work with – has started asking me questions, please read the below as I’m not 100% sure how to answer. Please can anyone help – you’re welcome to add me as a friend and reply yourself if you want! HELP!
I do the best I can at everything I do. I never intentionally sin, not because I’m Christian, but because it’s just my nature. I shoot myself in the foot so many times by being good (even to people I don’t necessarily feel deserve any respe…ct). But I have never seen or felt a sign that would suggest that I’m being watched over. Things have happened to me that, if the Christian faith is true, should never have happened – based on how I live my life! Even if I was a believer at the time I would have seriously questioned God’s existence and certainly God’s view of ‘what’s best for me’.
Why do I have to make the first move by praying to God and asking for His help? Surely He must see my struggles and think “This guy needs a hand” and give me a sign out of His own free will.
I understand Christianity is about faith, and I’m capable of faith, but not in something or Someone that is supposed to be all-good but is so absent. For example, I have faith that my motorbike will take me many miles because there is evidence that the way my bike was built means it’s mechanically indestructible. I have faith because it’s there in front of me, I feel it underneath me when I ride it. I don’t feel or see God in anything I do, even though I personally believe I deserve something as Great as God is supposed to be.See more
Thanks!
hi! good to be asking questions! i used to ride a small honda 50 and really felt God’s protection on that! only fell off once and that was when practically at a standstill in snow..soft landing. I have had difficult things , not as bad as many peeps i know, so i understand God doesn’t give us bed of roses, but keep hoping and looking to him and i’m sure you’ll experience him, in worship, or in some fashion in your life maybe when you least expect it…let us know x
why don’t you read the story ‘footprints’ it is reaaly good and explains alot about living with god.
good thought Jack…
Hi Sarah, just a few thoughts
Rubbish things still happen whether a good person , bad person, Christian or non Christian, but we have an amazing God we can turn to for help. The bible says He is our counselor and friend and more.
The first step was Jesus amazing gift on the cross. Praying / accepting this gift is the second step – not first.
I think faith is “believing in that which we cannot see”. It wouldn’t take much faith to believe that I see a computer in front of me right now. I can see it. But it takes faith to believe in God.
Having said that I see God everywhere. His creation is beautiful.
Hope that helps your friend. It would be great if you could let us know how you get on.
Love and blessings
I totally second the whole amazing feeling you get when looking at God’s creation – check out Louie Giglio’s “Indescribable” and “How Great is our God” DVDs.
You can get the whole Indescribable dvd in 5 separate parts on youtube all about the majesty and splendour of space and the immense power God has shown in making all the incredible stars and galaxies… its phenomenal stuff and has blown away some of my mates who were interested in their words “the whole God thing!!”
we don’t have to take the first step. if there was 1000 stepsbetween us and God, God would walk all but one of them
Hi Sarah!
Just some thoughts on the one about making the first move with God… God isn’t intrusive, He loves us enough to give us the free will to choose whether we want him to be part of our lives or not. He wants a relationship with us, for us to be able to ask him for things we need, thank him for things and for us to be able to rely on him and trust him, He doesn’t want to be someone who just looks on from a distance and jumps in when needed. He wants to be there to celebrate the good times with us and help out during the bad!
I hope thats helpful… Keep us posted on how it goes! x
“I never intentionally sin, not because I’m Christian, but because it’s just my nature.” – I would say to them that being a Christian is not about doing everything right and being a perfect person, though these things are obviously not bad! The point of Christianity is that we’ve all got sin in us which means we screw up and do things wrong (I notice your friend says “I never intentionally sin” – they can’t claim to have done nothing wrong!). So, sin cuts us off from God, who’s perfect. Some say that’s unfair, to pass sin to everyone because of what Adam did, but the truth is any one of us would’ve done the same in his place. The point is that God sent Jesus to die for us so we can be free from sin, no longer thinking we have to do something to be ‘good’, but realising that He, by dying for us, did all that was needed and what we have to do is live to bring His light into a broken world, accepting Him as the price paid for us to be redeemed. So, basically what I’m trying to say is, your friend has the wrong end of the stick thinking the Christian faith is based on “how I live my life”.
The questions about evidence for God, I would suggest you answer by explaining your own faith; how do you know God’s there? I know that’s a difficult question to answer, especially the younger a Christian you are, but God will help you to give that answer. I also suggest you pray that God speaks to their heart and convicts them of the fact that, rather than deserving something as great as God is, they actually need someone as great as God to save them, because they’re a broken human being like the rest of us.
Moreover, get them to watch Rob Bell’s “Everything is Spiritual” – explains a lot about faith.
the bit about God being so absent- Just got given the book “God is closer than you think” and it is very good!
Hi Sarah
Here are a few thoughts I had when reading what you wrote:
I was reminded of a quote DC Talk used in one of their songs. Essentially it said that you don’t see the wind but you see the effects of the wind.
It really struck me – you never see God but you can see his hand in things when you look. Melski mentioned nature – God’s calling card. It is utterly amazing and yet so easy to take for granted.
Many people believe in ‘lucky coincidences’, but don’t see that often God’s hand is behind them.
One other point is that God gave us free will, incuding the free will to invite Him into our lives to help us and save us, but the free will also enables us to ignore Him. By God just intervening when things get tough, he’s taking away our free will.
These are just a few thoughts anyway. I pray when it comes to you giving answers to your FB friend / colleague that God will give you the answers your friend needs to hear, and that you will be at peace knowing that God is in control.
x
I haven’t commented every day but I have been reading BIOY every day so don’t worry if the comments number has gone down. I find that any questions or comments I have had have already been answered or said so there is no need to say them again.
But actually today I do have a question. God put Onan to death because he refused to get his brother’s wife pregnant. Now I know this is a cultural thing, but really, is it so bad and evil? I respect him for not doing it and obviously I’m wrong here because otherwise God wouldn’t have killed him so any explanation here would be greatfully received!
hi, wasn’t it something to do with continuing the family line? i think that catholics draw from this not to use contraception, but not sure that’s what God intended from this story! (see also 1 corinthians 7 2-9), ok?
Thanks for that Caroline. In Cor. it’s talking about married couples, these two weren’t married were they? But then he did sleep with her so why not just refuse the whole thing instead of just refusing to conceive with her?
And if that is where Catholic’s get no contraception from, then I’m really confused because God is obviously saying it’s not a good thing!
I think that how it worked in those days was that when a man died, his brother automatically became the husband of the widow if there were no children. I’m not sure marriage was as ceremonial as it is today (please correct me if I’m wrong anyone – this is conjecture!!!) because it says somewhere that Isaac/Jacob (forget which) took a girl into the tent and they were married. Just taking her in the tent seemed to be all it took – dunno if I’m right.
The problem was that Onan was supposed to be dutiful to his brother, by giving him a son, but deliberately refused to do this because he wanted any child to be his own. If Tamar had given birth to Onan’s child, it would have been seen as Er’s child, in that culture, and not Onan’s. So basically, it seems to me Onan was being selfish here; that was the wickedness God detested in him.
Hope this helps =)
Another great video Andy, the Q & A’s were very helpful too. I’m wearing that t-shirt today too :L
Just to say thanks andy for today’s video, it really helped me. I really like having videos, I find them easier to take in. Also thanks for the list of answers…many of them were questions I have had but forgotten to ask, so thanks 🙂 also thanks to everyone who leaves th comments I read them everyday I just don’t tend to write anything. It’s great to know we’re all doing this together 😀 I don’t think I’ve ever read my bible for 19 days in a row before, and I didn’t expect to find it so enjoyable. Keep going everyone xx
Script 🙂
So, what to make of Judah and Tamar? And the fact that Tamar pretends to be a prostitute to sleep with her father in law and then they give birth to Perez and Zerah. What’s that all about? One thing that struck me when I was reading this is I suddenly realised these guys are Jesus’ family, I mean they’re actually his family. If you look in Matthew chapter 1, on Day 1 of BIOY we read about it. It tells us the family tree of Jesus and it lists all the characters in the OT, and in it was have Judah, Tamar and their son Perez. Perez is Jesus’ great, great, great, great, great granddad.
I was reading it and I looked at the disgusting stuff these guys were getting up to and fair enough, it was a bit more common in the culture they lived in, but it’s still not exactly cool. When I was reading it I was thinking why is Jesus, the Son of God, who could have picked any family to be born into, why has he chosen these guys? Doesn’t he have taste? Doesn’t God have any standards? What’s going on?
Sometimes maybe we ask the same question when realise God’s our God. Every day the thought comes into my head at some point – why does God want to be near me? Isn’t there a standard I have to reach? Isn’t there something I have to hit before I really become part of his family? And the answer is actually yeah, there is a standard. God’s standard for us to be near him is total perfection. God’s standard for us to be near him is total righteousness.
But the amazing thing, and the good news is that Jesus loves us so much that he came anyway! Even when we fall so far short of the standard, Jesus comes anyway. To people as messed up as Tamar, Judah and Perez, people as messed up as me and as you. And he comes to be our righteousness – that’s the amazing thing. We hit the standard when we accept Jesus. We hit that standard that God requires because Jesus hits it for us. And we just get to share in that and become a part of that.
One of the things that means is that we don’t have to worry that we’re part of God’s family. We never have to question it. Any moment, we’re always part of the family because Jesus makes us part of the family. We accept him, and he accepts us. We have the righteousness of Jesus.
At the same time, where does that leave us? If we have Jesus’ righteousness, does that mean we can just do whatever we want? Can we just sleep around; shall we just allow bitterness and envy and grow in us? Because, hey, we’ve got the righteousness of Jesus so that’s our standard? No, that’s not the reaction God’s looking for.
The reaction God’s looking for is the reaction Jesus talks about in Matthew. And the picture is the guy who finds the pearl, the pearl beyond price or the treasure hidden in the field. And the idea is that he finds something so amazing that he gives everything else up. God doesn’t want us to be righteous, to earn our salvation, we’ve already got salvation in Jesus. At the same time, we’re to live a life of righteousness because we’ve already found salvation, because we’ve been given this amazing gift. And as a response to that we live it out.
And that’s sometimes difficult. That’s challenging. Joseph had Mrs Potiphar trying to pull the moves on him, which would have been a little bit tempting, and there are all sorts of temptations we face every day, to walk away from the path God calls us on or to live for something bigger, that’s easier to avoid doing.
Yet at the same time, the way it works is that because we’ve found something more amazing, it’s easier to give the other stuff up. Beth and I got married about a year ago so we’ve just had our first anniversary. I suspected this before I got married, but in the last year it has been confirmed, getting married has meant that I’ve had to make a whole lot of sacrifices. In mean, there was a day when I could live off turkey dinosaurs and McCain’s oven chips. Now I have to eat vegetables. There was a day when I could come home in the evening and watch TV. I now have to come in in the evening and have something Beth likes to call ‘a conversation’. But the thing is, when I got to our first anniversary, I wasn’t thinking, oh my word what a waste of a year. I was thinking I would have given even more stuff up. Why? Because I got Beth. In comparison to Beth, turkey dinosaurs are not that bigger deal.
It’s kind of like that with God, a little bit. In comparison to Jesus, the pearl beyond price, sleeping with Mrs Potiphar? Nah, I think I’ll leave the room. Slagging people off? No, I’ve got something bigger and better. We live a life of righteousness because we’ve already got the one who is righteousness – Jesus.
thanks andy… but I am little confused… could someone please explain about the twins being born. what was with the scarlet ribbon and things. I dont understnad…. sorry…
I think, because the birthright would always go to the eldest sibling, they put the red ribbon round the wrist of the baby who put his hand out first so that they would know after which one came out first (because they would look similar you wouldn’t be able to tell). However, the other baby actually fully came out first so im not really sure who would have got the brithright?
hope that helps,
natalie x
Pretty sure Perez got the birthright as he was Jesus’ descendant (the scarlet string was on Zerah).
Yeah I didne really understand that bit either
PLEASE PLEASEE HELP. earlier on someone recommended a good talk which you can buy for £1 off teh soul survivor website. does anyone know which day it was or what talk it was? really want to buy it. All i remember was that a girl said it?
Hi Natalie, I’ve had a quick look through the first weeks posts and a few different talks were mentioned. But I think the one you mean was a talk by Ellie Mumford at an evening meeting at Momentum. It was about healing and the ‘Now’ and the ‘Not Yet’
I was there for this talk and she is a very funny lady. It was a good talk too. I have a feeling it was day 4 but not 100%
If this isn’t the one you were after let me know and I’ll do some more digging.
Just consulted my Momentum notes, and it was definitely Day 4 :).
It may not be on there yet – I ordered the full CD of all the talks and it hasn’t come through yet. As far as I know it will be on there to buy towards the end of September or possibly the beginning of October.. and yes, it was on the Now and Not Yet – absolutely amazing talk and I highly recommend it!
Wow thanks guys, thats really helpful!
thank you very much!!:):) x
Thanks Andy! I loved the answers to the questions you put up – that was great! It answered a lot of my questions! 🙂
Sorry but we are finding Genesis really hard going. Woman made from a man’s rib. The earth made in seven days and Noah’s story in which a flood covered the whole earth which means Noah would have needed oxygen as he would have been above the height of Everest. It all sounds a bit improbable and today is the last straw. Can anyone explain why this is so assurably Gods word to Christians?
Yet we can not discount the OT completely. As has been pointed out, prophercy has been fulfilled and Jesus refers to it frequently but we find the difficulty between creationism and known scientific fact worrying. Is no one else concerned about this? Have most Christians discounted scienific fact or distorted science to fit the OT? Is is quite clear that the laws of physics seem themselves to be the product of exceedingly ingenious design. It is also clear Jesus respected the Old Testamant but was it the same document then as now or was Gensis added after? Any help would be appreciated
Hi Alice and Nick,
I don’t know a lot and I’m not the greatest of theologists, but what I would say is that, God is beyond our understanding. And he’s bigger than problems such as lack of oxygen. God created oxygen, so he’d have no problem providing it for Noah’s family for 40 days. Science can never fully explain God because he’s far too big for us to understand. I wouldn’t say that Christians discount science, it’s just we have to accept that we won’t fully understand God until we get to heaven.
I don’t know if you’ve seen it before, but if you search ‘The Awe Factor Of God – Francis Chan’ you’ll find an amazing clip that gives a glimpse of how big our God is. A God that big can do miraculous thing, from creating a woman out of a rib, to supernaturally providing oxygen to a boat full of people for 40 days, to raising a dead man back to life.
He’s beyond our understanding, but would you want to serve a small God?
Hope this is a little helpful.
Kirsty
Yes we understand what you are trying to say. We will discuss more
Hi Alice and Nick, thanks again for being so open and honest with your questions. I have more of a problem with science changing it’s “facts” as we make scientific discoveries. Here’s a thought to ponder though, if you look at the sequence of creation in the bible, I don’t fint it too dis-similar to the sequence put forth by most scientists – earth, plantlife, sealife, land life, Man. Mr Pilavachi made a wise observation on genesis, that we perhaps need to focus more on the “Why” than the “How”.
I’d also recommend getting hold of some of Chuck Missler’s Genesis teaching – you can listen on line at firefighters “dot” org, it really is superb in depth scientific bible teaching.
Finally, for now, genesis was certainly in the OT that Jesus had. I have a Jewish Bible and the only significant difference is the order of the books. Where the 39 books in our OT is split into 4 parts pentateuch, historical books, “writings” and prophets, the Jewish bible ot Tanakh is split into 3 Torah, prophets and Writings. Also the Jewish Bible counts only 24 books, as 1-2 samuel are counted a one, 1-2 kings as one, the 12 minor prophets count as one book, ezra& nehemia as one and 1&2 Chronicles as one. so what are 20 books in our OT count as 5 in the Yanakh. But they’re all there, Genesis to Malachi – just arranged and grouped differently. (oh and the names are less anglicised too e.g.Joseph is Yosef.) Makes interesting reading.
I hope some of this helps – do please check out Chuck Missler.
You’re in my prayers
Phil
Thanks Phil
Just watched video ofChuck Missler’s Genesis and we feel this is great help though only watched few minutes. Will let you know how we get on.
There’s a video ‘Everything is Spiritual’ by Rob Bell, which you can find on Youtube. I haven’t watched it for ages and am just watching it now. I seem to remember it had a lot of scientific stuff in it and I thought it might help you. It has a lot about the start of Genesis too.
Yes! We’ve got that Rob Bell one too! Great stuff.
Here’s a mad idea! 🙂
Anyone fancy meeting up in a big field Near Shepton Mallet? and hang out with loads of other other people wearing hoodies and funky wellies in a big tent?
Sing songs and read a 2000 Year old book and hang out with with God?
Maybe eat too much cake and drink a strange drink called hot chocolate mountain?
Then get chased around the food courts by wasps!
If so see you next summer! 😉
On a serious note (Yes I can be occasionally ) won’t it be cool to still be doing the bible in one year at soul survivor or momentum!
Do you think they will oranise anything? Be great to all do the reading together in the bit tent and then Mike & Crofty give there comments about it?
What do you reckon?
i like it 🙂
it would be cool but wouldn’t it have finished by then?
BIOY finishes on Aug 31st 2011
sleepy head this morning zzz another late night! anyway here are today’s funnies!
think I’ll run out of jokes by the end of BIOY!
Revelation
After a church service on Sunday morning, a young boy suddenly announced to his mother, “Mom, I’ve decided to become a minister when I grow up.”
“That’s okay with us, but what made you decide that?”
“Well,” said the little boy, “I have to go to church on Sunday anyway, and I figure it will be more fun to stand up and yell, than to sit and listen.”
Palm Sunday
It was Palm Sunday but because of a sore throat, 5-year-old Johnny stayed home from church with a sitter. When the family returned home, they were carrying several palm fronds. Johnny asked them what they were for.
“People held them over Jesus’ head as he walked by,” his father told him.
“Wouldn’t you know it,” Johnny fumed, “the one Sunday I don’t go and he shows up.”
I see why you say peeps cry at your jokes Jamie haha.
:p yes well am starting to run out of clean ones! 😛
But vegetables are good for you Andy! lol Great video today! But I have a question. When the twins were born, was the first one to come out the one with the red string on it’s wrist or the one who’s whole body came out first. Who would get the birthright etc…
Hey Jess,
It is a little confusing I agree. Perez came out first (perez means breaking out) and the one with the scarlet string is Zerah (Zerah means Scarlet or Brightness). I’m pretty sure the birthright was given to Perez, especially as he was Jesus’ distant relative.
Thank you Andy for a really good video today. When you said we should not be doing the wrong thing because we’d be forgiven anyway, I remembered an event from my childhood. My Granny, a member of the Scottish church, saying to my Great Gran (a Catholic) that Catholics thought they could do as they like, because they went to confession, said sorry then went and did it again because they weren’t sorry at all. My Great Gran took me to one side, and told me sternly in her thick French accent “When you go to confession, you can fool the Priest, you can even fool yourself, but God can read what is in your heart. If you’re not really sorry, He will know.”
The final verse of Matthew today got me thinking. I’ve booked to go to Soul Survivor’s Naturally Supernatural in Feb, as I often wonder why the Bible is full of miracles, the parting of the sea, Jesus and his disciples healing the sick, nets full of fish etc. But we don’t see that today, is that because of the lack of faith in the world?
Also, in Matt 39 v42 & 50, “the fiery furnace”, and in psalm 11:6 “fiery coals and burning sulphur” The imagery we have of hell being full of fire and unbearable heat probably emerged from phrases like this, I learnt that from one of the workshops at SS’10. But I am also wondering if the idea of heat, rather than constant cold, is used to describe hell as most of the Bible was written by people based in what is now known as the Middle East, where heat and scorching sun was a problem and something that others could relate to. Does anyone know, is there any mention in the Bible of anyone freezing to death? being turned to ice? or being caught in a blizzard? Which just goes to show God knew what he was doing, he was using imagery that is target audience would understand. Brilliant.
Keep reading everyone, it will be three weeks tomorrow!
Oh, and Happy Anniversary Beth and Andy!
Hi Mummy Snuggs, there are plenty of miracles happening today, sadly the media disregards them, even more sadly so does much of the church. But look at some of the things Rheinhard Bonkke sees in his crusades – healings : -blind eyes opened, lame walking, deaf hearing – even the dead raised! Dr Peter Gammons held meetings last month in the Phillipines, over 2million attending ONE meeting, with nearly a million responses to the call to salvation, and many many miracles of healing. God is still at work! Hope this encourages you!
yeh i know people including myself who have been healed
When we say that God is with us in every situation and circumstance, that’s so good to know – but when you find yourself in a prison because you refused to do something wrong, that would be really hard to understand. But to see that Joseph was as blessed in the prison as he had been in Potiphar’s house, and being left in charge of all the other prisoners, as he had been in charge in Pot’s house – that is surely a brilliant example of how God can prosper and bless us despite where we actually find ourselves.
We’ve certainly found a pearl today – worth giving everything we own for, and His name is Jesus! He never leaves us, nor forsakes us – no mater where we are! GB
Thanks for an amazing video this morning Crofty! 🙂
Great word of encouragement Crofty. Once again you’ve put things across much better than I usually manage to do.
Loved today’s passages and the video! Really great encouragement! Comparing it to your marriage, really helpful! Your right, what wouldn’t you give up for such a treasure! It’s such a great privilage to have a relationship with God and not doing certain things in order to keep that relationship strong is a good idea. I wouldn’t do something I know would hurt my husband so how could I do something I know would hurt Jesus!
Keep going everyone, I find it so encouraging to be doing this with all of you!
Wow ! The Psalm tells us that God is righteous and justice is important to Him. It also paints the picture of the wicked and evil in the world which will eventually be gone! That’s good news!! Matthew explains that Jesuss way is like a pearl , we would give everything else up to buy it, it’s like an amazing treasure!!! And Genesis talks about Jesuss family line, it’s funny how faithful he seems despite the offer of his masters wife day after day, even her lie, God was with him in jail and blessed him, whereever we are in life, God blesses us, his children, we also are in the family that we read of inGenesis , Gods family!! How brilliant! I just pray that although I’m not perfect, God will use me because I have accepted Jesus as my saviour…..I pray that I will see the things that God wants to change in me as precious pearls that I would give up anything in the way of that!!!! Jesuss family member was faithful and I pray that no matter what I face in life , jail , offer to have sex or whatever the world says is ok , that I would make a stand for Jesus and my guide be His pearls of wisdom in my life!!! …… What an exciting journey!!!!
Blessings Beth x
u
Beth, I’m pleased to see that you’re finding that reading the Bible is such “an exciting journey. It’s a journey of discovery. On this journey, we visit places we know well. We also travel to places we hardly know at all. We find many places of blessing – places where we meet with God and are blessed by Him.
—
In today’s Psalm , we learn that ‘the Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven’ (Psalm 11:4). We ‘take refuge’ in Him (Psalm 11:1). We are to seek His face, confident that ‘when He appears…we shall see Him as He is’ (Psalm 11:7; Psalm 27:8; 1 John 3:2).
—
In Psalm 11, we learn about God’s Way of Salvation.
This Psalm begins with a tremendous statement of faith – “In the Lord I take refuge.” The whole Psalm should be understood in the light of this tremendous statement of faith. * From the vantage-point of faith, the Psalmist is able to overcome the temptation to doubt God (vs. 1-3). – His enemies say to him, “”Flee like a bird to your mountain.” The Psalmist replies, “In the Lord I take refuge.” – The “wicked” are out to get him. The Psalmist looks at them, and says, “In the Lord do I take refuge.” – It seems that “the foundations are being destroyed.” The Psalmist looks to the Lord, and says, “In the Lord I take refuge.” * From the vantage-point of faith, the Psalmist views the whole of life in the light of God. The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord is on His heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; His eyes examine them. The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence His soul hates. On the wicked He will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot. For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see His face. —– “In the Lord I take refuge.” There is only one refuge. The Lord is our refuge. He is our salvation. There is only one place of safety – in Christ”.
In Ephesians 1:3-14, we read about Spiritual Blessings in Christ.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will— to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of His glory. — “It is by grace you have been saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8). By grace, we are in Christ. Through faith, we are in Christ.
* “He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock” – This is grace.
* “Rock opf ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee” – This is faith. Grace and faith belong together.
– We are not saved by grace apart from faith. We are saved by grace through faith. The grace of God reaches us as we receive Jesus Christ in faith.
– We are not saved by faith apart from grace. We are saved by grace through faith. Faith has no meaning in itself. Faith finds its meaning only in relation to the grace of God. Faith is God’s way for us to come to Him through our Lord Jesus Christ.
“By grace you have been saved through faith” – This is the Christian’s unshakeable foundation. With this unshakeable foundation, the Christian can face the attacks of the enemy with confidence.
“How then can you say to me: ‘Flee like a bird to your mountain. For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart. When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do ?'” (Psalm 11:1-3).
The devil is at work. He seeks to sow seeds of doubt into the heart of God’s people. He suggests to us that God’s gracious foundation for our faith can be destroyed. This is nothing new. It’s as old as Genesis 3:1 – “Did God say … ?“ The devil says to us, “Has God really forgiven your sins?” He says, “Has God really saved you?” The devil wants to get us on the run. He wants us to run away from him. We must not let him get the upper hand. We are to resist him in the strength of Christ’s victory over him. When we “resist the devil” in the strength of Christ’s victory, “he will flee from us” (James 4:7). To believe the devil is to believe the lie. The truth is that, when take our stand in Christ, the devil has no alternative but to ruin from us. Christ’s victory over the devil becomes our victory over Christ has won the victory over the devil. Through faith in Christ, His victory becomes our our victory over the devil.
Here are three important lessons concerning this victory.
* Through His death on the Cross, Christ has won the victory over the devil. He has won this victory for us. “Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Hebrews 2:14-15)
* On the basis of the victory that Christ has won for us, we can stand our ground against the devil. “So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed” (Isaiah 28:16).
* When we take our stand in Christ, the devil can do nothing else but flee from us. He is strong when we try to stand against him in our own strength. When, however we remind him of Christ’s victory over him, he can do nothing but bow before Christ’s superior power. Rejoicing in the victory that Christ has won for us, let’s remind the devil that he’s a defeated enemy. James 4:7 “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Our faith is built on a secure foundation. How do we know this? – “The Lord is on His heavenly throne” (Psalm 11:4). Knowing that the Lord is King, we are assured that God’s way of salvation is the one way of salvation. Salvation is by grace through faith. This salvation is centred on Jesus Christ. It is in Jesus Christ that we find the grace of God. It is Jesus Christ in whom we put our trust. Jesus Christ is God’s way of salvation. Through Jesus Christ, we have received salvation. There is no other way of salvation. God’s Kingship is revealed in His way of salvation. There is only way of salvation. It is God’s way of salvation. By grace through faith – This is God’s way of salvation. When we refuse to accept God’s way of salvation, we refuse to acknowledge His Kingship. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). We dare not attempt to dispute this point with God. Who are we to argue with God? We may attempt to save ourselves. We will not succeed. When we attempt to save ourselves, God looks upon us and He sees our sin. In ourselves, we are not “the righteous.” We may think that we are “righteous.” In God’s eyes, we are “the wicked.” This is the truth concerning every one of us: “There is no one righteous, not even one … all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:10, 23).
There is only one way in which “the wicked” can become “the righteous.” We must come to the God of perfect holiness through faith in Jesus Christ. We must remember that “Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). This is God’s way of salvation. We don’t tell God that He has to save us because we think that we have earned the right to be saved. He tells us that we are sinners. He tells us that we need to be saved. He tells us that “Jesus Christ is able to save to the uttermost completely those who come to God through him” (Hebrews 7:25). We have the great promise of the Gospel. In Christ, there is full salvation for all who come to God through Him. Alongside this great promise, there is also the warning of the Gospel. We read the solemn words of Psalm 11:6 – “On the wicked he will rain fire and brimstone; a scorching wind will be their lot”
“Fire and brimstone” – What are we to say about this? We must note that the Psalm doesn’t end with “fire and brimstone.” It ends with the words: “upright men will see His face” (Psalm 11:7). God doesn’t want to leave us where He finds us. He doesn’t want to leave us trembling in fear of “fire and brimstone.” He speaks to us of these things so that we might see our need of the Saviour. He speaks to us of these things so that we might”flee from the wrath to come” (Luke 3:7). He speaks to us of these things so that we might find our way to the Cross of Christ. He speaks to us of these things so that we might learn to confess our sins and receive God’s forgiveness: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Unbelievers have ridiculed “fire and brimstone” preaching. We cannot, however, allow their scornful attitude to lead us to dismiss “fire and brimstone” preaching. We dare not say that such preaching belongs to the past.
We must note that the Bible preaches “fire and brimstone.” We must ask, “How does the Bible preach “fire and brimstone”?”
The fact that the Bible preaches “fire and brimstone” means that this emphasis on divine judgment must not be excluded from our preaching in today’s world.
The way that the Bible preaches “fire and brimstone” teaches us that we must always preach with a view to leading men and women to know Jesus Christ as their Saviour.
Jesus Christ is the only way out of judgment. Jesus Christ is the only way into salvation. We hear the Gospel. we hear its promise. We hear its warning. The Gospel places us at a cross-roads. Each of us must decide. We must come to Christ. We must trust Him as our Saviour. We must come to Him, believing that He died on the Cross for us. We must come to Him and receive His free gift of the forgiveness of our sins. It is only through faith in Him that we will come to know, for ourselves, the truth of the final words of this Psalm: “upright men will see His face” (Psalm 11:7).
Wow!!! Charlie thanks for all your wise words! I’ve very greatful for all your info ! Thankyou XXXXXXXX Beth x
Hey All,
I know most have spotted this but really think prayer is needed for those who started BIOY, as the comments have dropped from over 600 on the First day, with the last week, consistently being around 80. I realise not everyone leaves a comment and or everyday but there must be some correlation with this. SO, lets all pray that those who started the BIOY and have stopped or are struggling, feel the Holy Spirit working in them and feel a real desire to read Gods word, which is real and life giving word! Well done to all who have continued, you’re doing great guys, and I know the Big G has got a bigger smile and is so proud of his children (or as Mike P says it, little ones).
Amen!
I’m in ! I’m praying!!! Beth x
Hi
Thanks for that thought and I am also going to pray. I think we should also take a little time to encourage any of our mates, perhaps share what we have been reading as well. Also don’t be too discouraged research into online discussion forums (how sad am I to have read it???) clearly identifies the ‘lurker’ meaning those that read but don’t contribute, usually a significant number.
God bless x
Ha ha I’m normally a lurker!!
I’ve not left a comment yet and I don’t think anyone else from my church has either but I have done everyday and we have been meeting as a group once a week to read one of the days together which has been really helpful and encouraging. I will join in with praying for those who are struggling as well. x
How about if everyone who is still going comments below? 🙂
whoop i am
I don’t think we need to tally numbers. Not everyone will leave comments, i’ve done every day so far and not commented on all of them. I’m sure there are a few people who have struggled to keep going and of course we will pray for them. Also pray for those who are still going, that they find comfort and truth in the word of God.
You’re right 🙂
Hey! I started off commenting and making notes every day but as the days go on I haven’t had as much time to do this, or I have talked through my questions / comments with a friend. So there may be others out there like me who at the start made comments every day but don’t do this every day anymore but are still following the readings each day…. just thought that might encourage you! 😀
Hey All,
Sorry for the late reply been super busy but had a amazing time today just giving some quality time to big daddy (God :p).
Great replies I’ve seen. What I wrote was just what I felt inspired by the Holy Spirit at the time and just felt I had to post a comment on it, so take it up with God hahaha.
Great prayer request and idea by Sally P about praying for mates and sharing word and thanks for the stat (Im an accountant so you’re know to flick my switches haha). Appreciate the prayers and thoughts/comments by everyone else.
Thanks n God Bless All, Peter, x