February 22
February 22
One Year Bible Readings:
Leviticus 13:1-59
Mark 6:1-29
Psalm 39:1-13
Proverbs 10:10
Supplemental Reading for The One Year Bible.
The following are excerpts from Mike’s One Year Bible Blog.
Leviticus:
Today in Leviticus chapter 13 we read about contagious skin diseases and mildew. Quite a chapter! It does make sense to me that this level of detail is given by God on these topics. These instructions were health instructions for the community of Israel as a whole. The NIV Study Bible notes that "the ceremonially unclean were excluded from the camp (the area around the tabernacle and courtyard), where the Israelites lived in tents. Later, no unclean persons were allowed in the temple area, where they could mingle with others." I look at this from the standpoint that they did not have medicines back then to heal people of these contagious diseases - and as such, the only way to keep the diseases from spreading to the entire population was to isolate the sick. I know this doesn't sound compassionate on the surface... but was there a better option at that time? In the New Testament we read about Jesus curing people of leprosy, which was a couple of thousand of years later. It's obvious that skin diseases were a major issue in Moses' day and through Jesus' day - as was mildew during Israel's rainy season of October through March - particularly along the coast and by the Sea of Galilee where it is very humid.
Q: What was your reaction to reading about the contagious skin diseases and mildew? Do you think these laws were compassionate or harsh for their time and place?
Mark:
Today we read in Mark Chapter 6 verse 4– “Then Jesus told them, "A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” This verse reminds me that sometimes when we really move forward in our faith, our friends (“hometown” from the verse above) and our relatives can sometimes not understand what is going on with us. I think there are phases of our walk with God where really it becomes very personal – between us and God – and through that process God will transform us. And our friends and relatives sometimes may not appreciate our change for various reasons – just as Jesus’ friends and relatives did not appreciate his ministry in this verse. I hope that this verse can be of comfort to you if by chance you are having challenges reconciling your faith and your changed heart with your friends & relatives expectations of who you were in the past. Know that you are on the right path. As long as you are staying focused on God and his will for your life, you may have to accept some loss of “honor” (per the verse above) in your status with your friends and relatives. You may not seem to be as “cool” or “fun” as you once were in your friends’ eyes. But – if in God’s eyes you are loving Him with all of your heart and you are loving your neighbors as yourself, then you are eternally cool and fun in the Kingdom of Heaven. And that’s where it really counts.
Q: Where are you seeking “honor” in your life today? In the eyes of your friends and relatives – or in God’s eyes? Have you ever sought honor in the eyes of the world and realized it was not worth it?
Psalm:
Today we read in Psalm 39 verse 5 – “My life is no longer than the width of my hand. An entire lifetime is just a moment to you; human existence is but a breath." This verse is a powerful verse for each of us to meditate upon.
Q: How does this verse speak to you? Do you feel like life moves fast sometimes? If so, how are you spending your time? Are you being intentional about how you invest your time? Are you being intentional about your work? Your friends? Your finances? Volunteering? Serving others? Loving others? Watching TV – or not watching TV? (Have I gone off on my “Kill Your Television” soap-box yet this year? :) I’ll save it for a future post...) Do you think life really is “but a breath”? Are you spending your breath wisely? With your breath are you constantly loving God with all your heart and loving your neighbor as yourself?
Proverbs:
Proverbs chapter 10 verse 10 today teaches us - "People who wink at wrong cause trouble, but a bold reproof promotes peace." This is a great reminder that in the long run it is so much better - more peaceful - to stand up to an injustice or wrong. We should not let things slide. I think this can apply to our own lives as well. If we know we ourselves are doing something wrong, we should not just "wink" at our wrong. But we must reproof it and confess it and let Jesus heal it.
Q: When was the last time you delivered a bold reproof? Do you think you should be delivering a bold reproof more often?
Copyright © 2004-2012 One Year Bible Blog
One Year Bible Readings:
Leviticus 13:1-59
Mark 6:1-29
Psalm 39:1-13
Proverbs 10:10
Supplemental Reading for The One Year Bible.
The following are excerpts from Mike’s One Year Bible Blog.
Leviticus:
Today in Leviticus chapter 13 we read about contagious skin diseases and mildew. Quite a chapter! It does make sense to me that this level of detail is given by God on these topics. These instructions were health instructions for the community of Israel as a whole. The NIV Study Bible notes that "the ceremonially unclean were excluded from the camp (the area around the tabernacle and courtyard), where the Israelites lived in tents. Later, no unclean persons were allowed in the temple area, where they could mingle with others." I look at this from the standpoint that they did not have medicines back then to heal people of these contagious diseases - and as such, the only way to keep the diseases from spreading to the entire population was to isolate the sick. I know this doesn't sound compassionate on the surface... but was there a better option at that time? In the New Testament we read about Jesus curing people of leprosy, which was a couple of thousand of years later. It's obvious that skin diseases were a major issue in Moses' day and through Jesus' day - as was mildew during Israel's rainy season of October through March - particularly along the coast and by the Sea of Galilee where it is very humid.
Q: What was your reaction to reading about the contagious skin diseases and mildew? Do you think these laws were compassionate or harsh for their time and place?
Mark:
Today we read in Mark Chapter 6 verse 4– “Then Jesus told them, "A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” This verse reminds me that sometimes when we really move forward in our faith, our friends (“hometown” from the verse above) and our relatives can sometimes not understand what is going on with us. I think there are phases of our walk with God where really it becomes very personal – between us and God – and through that process God will transform us. And our friends and relatives sometimes may not appreciate our change for various reasons – just as Jesus’ friends and relatives did not appreciate his ministry in this verse. I hope that this verse can be of comfort to you if by chance you are having challenges reconciling your faith and your changed heart with your friends & relatives expectations of who you were in the past. Know that you are on the right path. As long as you are staying focused on God and his will for your life, you may have to accept some loss of “honor” (per the verse above) in your status with your friends and relatives. You may not seem to be as “cool” or “fun” as you once were in your friends’ eyes. But – if in God’s eyes you are loving Him with all of your heart and you are loving your neighbors as yourself, then you are eternally cool and fun in the Kingdom of Heaven. And that’s where it really counts.
Q: Where are you seeking “honor” in your life today? In the eyes of your friends and relatives – or in God’s eyes? Have you ever sought honor in the eyes of the world and realized it was not worth it?
Psalm:
Today we read in Psalm 39 verse 5 – “My life is no longer than the width of my hand. An entire lifetime is just a moment to you; human existence is but a breath." This verse is a powerful verse for each of us to meditate upon.
Q: How does this verse speak to you? Do you feel like life moves fast sometimes? If so, how are you spending your time? Are you being intentional about how you invest your time? Are you being intentional about your work? Your friends? Your finances? Volunteering? Serving others? Loving others? Watching TV – or not watching TV? (Have I gone off on my “Kill Your Television” soap-box yet this year? :) I’ll save it for a future post...) Do you think life really is “but a breath”? Are you spending your breath wisely? With your breath are you constantly loving God with all your heart and loving your neighbor as yourself?
Proverbs:
Proverbs chapter 10 verse 10 today teaches us - "People who wink at wrong cause trouble, but a bold reproof promotes peace." This is a great reminder that in the long run it is so much better - more peaceful - to stand up to an injustice or wrong. We should not let things slide. I think this can apply to our own lives as well. If we know we ourselves are doing something wrong, we should not just "wink" at our wrong. But we must reproof it and confess it and let Jesus heal it.
Q: When was the last time you delivered a bold reproof? Do you think you should be delivering a bold reproof more often?
Copyright © 2004-2012 One Year Bible Blog
Recent
Archive
2024
January
One Year Bible CompanionJanuary 2January 3January 4January 5January 6January 7January 8January 9January 10January 11January 12January 13January 14January 15January 16January 17January 18January 19January 20January 21January 22January 23January 24January 25January 26January 27January 28January 29January 30January 31
February
February 1February 2February 3February 4February 5February 6February 7February 8February 9February 10February 11February 12February 13February 14February 15February 16February 17February 18February 19February 20February 21February 22February 23February 24February 25February 26February 27February 28February 29
March
Categories
no categories
No Comments