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In pastures green He leadeth me. Join me on the journey.
What's Going on Here?
We are reading our way through the bible one chapter per day. The idea behind my personal reading plan is to read through books chronologically, but not solely one book at a time. Thus on Monday we read from the books of the law, Tuesday the books of kings and judges, Wednesday the books of Jewish History, Thursday Books of Wisdom, Friday the Prophets, Saturday the Gospels and Sunday the Epistles. The next Monday we pick up at the chapter we left off in ancient history. You may think that this would be disjointed and would cause you to "lose your groove" but I have found the contrary to be true, the threads of promise, redemption and grace show up more clearly as I make my way slowly through these books in a parrallel fashion and when I pick up where I left off a week before I am reminded of things that stood out to me from last week's reading. Journaling is a big part of my processing scripture and fixing particular tidbits in my mind for the purpose of life application. I would love to have you join me!
Basic Reading Plan
Mon (Law): Genesis-Joshua
Tues (Rulers): Judges-Chronicles
Wed (History): Ezra-Psalms
Thurs (Wisdom): Prov-Jer
Fri (Prophets): Lam-Malachi
Sat (Gospels): Matthew-Acts
Sun (Epistles) Romans-Revelation.
The theme I have given each section is general. Joshua is not a book of the law and Psalms is not a book of history. The main chunk of reading in each section is, however, suitably classified as the theme it is under. In order to make the sections even out to have the same general number of books/chapters, this was the closest I could come. Otherwise one would be reading through certain sections (like the Law) for instance, much more often than the wisdom books, etc.
Posts
A Place of Fellowship....
(Fellowship is) an expression of both love and humility. [It] springs from a desire to bring benefit to others, coupled with a sense of personal weakness and need. It has a double motive – the wish to help, and to be helped; to edify, and to be edified. It has a double aim – to do, and to receive, good. It is a seeking by Christian people to know God better through sharing with each other what, individually, they have learned of Him already. J.I. Packer.
A few introductory words of encouragement....
Think of your time feeding on God's Word as a vital aspect of your health and wellness. You wouldn't go a week without brushing your teeth, or eating physical food, don't treat the nourishing of your soul by the Word of God with any less care.
Don't cram multiple chapters if you fall behind of plan, but *do* "back-read" if you have the passion and earnest desire to do so. My habit if I miss a chapter is usually to leave it until that book comes up again the next week (based on my own reading plan) and then read two consecutive chapters rather than the one I am scheduled to read.
Don't be legalistic about the when and how. If you don't get a quiet time in the morning, THAT'S OKAY. Find a moment in the afternoon to grab a drink, sit down and put your feet up, and soak up a chapter. And if that doesn't happen, THAT'S OKAY. Take 15-20 minutes at the end of the day to plump some pillows up in your bed and soak it up before you go to sleep. And if that doesn't happen, IT'S OKAY. Tomorrow is a new day. Don't let the enemy discourage you from spending time in the word TODAY because you didn't YESTERDAY. That's just dumb. Did you get that? DUMB.
If you don't have time to read, meditate. Allow God to bring a passage of scripture to mind and allow yourself to listen. Take time to be quiet in your spirit. While you are washing dishes, folding laundry, vacuuming... cleaning bathrooms.
Spruce things up. Get yourself a PRETTY journal and jot down little things that stand out to you. Use your favourite mug or a pretty glass to pour your favourite drink. Sit in your favourite spot (this could change from day to day and depending on the time of day you read. A sunny spot on the porch in the morning, a wing back chair and a blanket if it's chilly, a garden swing in the shade on a hot afternoon, or plumped up in bed with soft lamplight in the evening. Again, don't be legalistic about the location, pick a happy spot that fits the moment/opportunity.) Oh, and DON'T wait for the pretty journal. Plain lined notepaper or even a crumpled scrap paper will work just FINE until you get one....
Remember while you read, God's word is FOR YOU. yes, it was written to a particular audience in a particular time in history and for a particular reason. But it was also written with YOU in mind, TODAY in mind, and is designed to give you strength and wisdom for the journey.
Claim ONE part of the passage and take it to heart. Read through the chapter without too much introspection at first and see what part most stands out to you. Go back and look at that part more specifically and ask yourself what is in there for YOU?
Ask relevant questions. I usually look at a passage with 2 questions in mind. 1. What does this passage tell me about God's character? 2. What does this passage tell me about humanity (ie, ME, in relation to God? a final and very important question to ask is "What does this passage require of me on a practical level?" Write down one attitude, practice or truth you want you live out TODAY in light of what God has just revealed to you. This is how we take ownership of the Word of God and allow it to relate to us and shape us on a personal level.
Build yourself a monument. As I ponder a passages relevance to me I journal the thoughts that arise. Jotting them down somehow cements my convictions in my mind, almost like laying out stones in a monument so I can go back to that place later and be reminded. I also use those notes to come here and share my thoughts later with others.
Keep your actual quiet time concise. This will help make it more likely the habit will continue to happen on a regular basis. Better to spend 15 minutes in the word daily, than 1 hour once a week.
Don't require absolute "alone" and uninterrupted time (without kids around). If they are around, they can learn to not interrupt you for 15 minutes, just like you spend time with other people when they are around, you can spend time with the Lord with them around too.
Think of God’s Word as a love letter to you. When you read stories of God’s wrath in the Old Testament, think about WHAT love paid the price for all that wrath and how a hand that once smote anyone who dared touch the ark of His covenant now beckons YOU to draw near to the throne of grace. Read everything in light of who God is and how much He loves mankind that in spite of our being so deprived, His love story reaches out, encompasses us, washes us clean, and seeks to draw us near.
May you seek Him, may He be found by you, and may you be blessed on the journey.
Don't cram multiple chapters if you fall behind of plan, but *do* "back-read" if you have the passion and earnest desire to do so. My habit if I miss a chapter is usually to leave it until that book comes up again the next week (based on my own reading plan) and then read two consecutive chapters rather than the one I am scheduled to read.
Don't be legalistic about the when and how. If you don't get a quiet time in the morning, THAT'S OKAY. Find a moment in the afternoon to grab a drink, sit down and put your feet up, and soak up a chapter. And if that doesn't happen, THAT'S OKAY. Take 15-20 minutes at the end of the day to plump some pillows up in your bed and soak it up before you go to sleep. And if that doesn't happen, IT'S OKAY. Tomorrow is a new day. Don't let the enemy discourage you from spending time in the word TODAY because you didn't YESTERDAY. That's just dumb. Did you get that? DUMB.
If you don't have time to read, meditate. Allow God to bring a passage of scripture to mind and allow yourself to listen. Take time to be quiet in your spirit. While you are washing dishes, folding laundry, vacuuming... cleaning bathrooms.
Spruce things up. Get yourself a PRETTY journal and jot down little things that stand out to you. Use your favourite mug or a pretty glass to pour your favourite drink. Sit in your favourite spot (this could change from day to day and depending on the time of day you read. A sunny spot on the porch in the morning, a wing back chair and a blanket if it's chilly, a garden swing in the shade on a hot afternoon, or plumped up in bed with soft lamplight in the evening. Again, don't be legalistic about the location, pick a happy spot that fits the moment/opportunity.) Oh, and DON'T wait for the pretty journal. Plain lined notepaper or even a crumpled scrap paper will work just FINE until you get one....
Remember while you read, God's word is FOR YOU. yes, it was written to a particular audience in a particular time in history and for a particular reason. But it was also written with YOU in mind, TODAY in mind, and is designed to give you strength and wisdom for the journey.
Claim ONE part of the passage and take it to heart. Read through the chapter without too much introspection at first and see what part most stands out to you. Go back and look at that part more specifically and ask yourself what is in there for YOU?
Ask relevant questions. I usually look at a passage with 2 questions in mind. 1. What does this passage tell me about God's character? 2. What does this passage tell me about humanity (ie, ME, in relation to God? a final and very important question to ask is "What does this passage require of me on a practical level?" Write down one attitude, practice or truth you want you live out TODAY in light of what God has just revealed to you. This is how we take ownership of the Word of God and allow it to relate to us and shape us on a personal level.
Build yourself a monument. As I ponder a passages relevance to me I journal the thoughts that arise. Jotting them down somehow cements my convictions in my mind, almost like laying out stones in a monument so I can go back to that place later and be reminded. I also use those notes to come here and share my thoughts later with others.
Keep your actual quiet time concise. This will help make it more likely the habit will continue to happen on a regular basis. Better to spend 15 minutes in the word daily, than 1 hour once a week.
Don't require absolute "alone" and uninterrupted time (without kids around). If they are around, they can learn to not interrupt you for 15 minutes, just like you spend time with other people when they are around, you can spend time with the Lord with them around too.
Think of God’s Word as a love letter to you. When you read stories of God’s wrath in the Old Testament, think about WHAT love paid the price for all that wrath and how a hand that once smote anyone who dared touch the ark of His covenant now beckons YOU to draw near to the throne of grace. Read everything in light of who God is and how much He loves mankind that in spite of our being so deprived, His love story reaches out, encompasses us, washes us clean, and seeks to draw us near.
May you seek Him, may He be found by you, and may you be blessed on the journey.
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9 comments:
I had a couple of questions after reading this chapter. Only 3 of the 12 tribes are mentioned:the Levites (who were given land allotments by Moses but set apart for national priestly duty), the descendents of Benjamin and Judah. If I recall correctly, it was the tribes of Benjamin and Judah that primarily made up the southern kingdom of Judah and it was Judah that was sent into exile in Babylon in 586. Israel, the northern kingdom had fallen in 722 and the Israelites had been deported to Assyria. Did the two kingdoms return together to rebuild Jerusalem or was it just the Judeans who had been exiled? It mentions that a few of the Israelites were scattered around the country on their own land but otherwise they seem to be missing from the equation. It just peaked my interest as I have always thought that both kingdoms would have returned but perhaps not...had the Assyrians released the Israelites before this?
I love my study bible as it helps me put dates on these happenings and make some order of it...but sometimes it still leaves me with a few questions!
I gleaned a bit more from Dave's margin notes than I did from the passage today.
Not many volunteered to move back in to the city (would have been a lot of cost/work to rebuild/settle) (non-Jews often excluded Jews in trading due to religious beliefs) (living in Jer. there would be more pressure to obey God's word due to proximity of the temple) Because the numbers were few, Neh. determined by sacred lot who should move.
"Following him were..." v8
I know when I am immersed in thinking about something I tend to view everything through that lens, but here I couldn't help but think how everyone is a follower of someone. I want to follow in the footsteps of someone living a completely surrendered life with an undivided heart, and I want to leave the same kind of footprints in the path for those who come behind. What example am I showing to my children, to my friend's children, to anyone who watches and listens to my choices and my thoughts. Am I spinning in a million directions or pointing quietly and steadily (steadfastly) in one direction, whatever I do? To Him.
just wanted to say that my spirit rejoices everytime I turn my computer on and see you all have been before, sharing your thoughts from your time with Him.
Also wanted to share a word of encouragement with you both (take it or leave it!) of what I have found in my own devotional journey to be extremely revolutionary and to make me desire the word more and more.
I encourage you to look at the passage and rather than just looking at it as a history text, or a biography, or a scene from a movie, try to step back and ask yourself a few broad questions that will allow you to apply the passage to your own life. The questions I usually ask are;
1. What does this passage tell me about the character of God in relation to man?
2. What does this passage tell me about humanity (myself) in relation to God?
3. Who do I want to emulate or NOT emulate in this passage and what is it that I want to emulate or avoid in my own life?
I encourage you to try it! It will change the way you look at the Bible and interact with it. For the better!
Love you all. Have a great day.
um. please don't take that as condescending or lecturish? :P I totally see you guys doing this, often, just wasn't sure if you recognized it as such or had made it a part of the spiritual discipline of meditation. Owning the passage is vital to our being tied to it, and to it making a lasting difference in our life. I'll shut up now :P
wow. *I'll* shut up, but here's something I just heard in an introductory prayer to a sermon I'm listening to for small group.
"it is our prayer that by grace we would be imitators of you. That we would come to the scriptures not merely to study but to be studied, not merely to examine but to be examined, and not merely to be informed but to be transformed."
Just about knocked me off my feet. That's the key to the Bible becoming real and personal to us. Awesome.
"Most of the people continued to live in their own homes in the various towns of Judah, but some of the people resettled in Jerusalem." v3-4
God must of chosen the
people that resettled in
Jerusalem to settle in
Jeruselem for a reason. God might send us to do somthing and it
would be for a good reason to.
or he might give us a good home and be happy that we stay there and live for him there.
Thanks PC. I, for one, appreciate the guiding questions.
Many of these people may not have wanted to live in the city for various reasons but they went when Nehemiah instructed them to. What this reminds me of in myself is that I often have a poor attitude when asked to do something that I don't want to do, I grumble and whine about it. This I would like to change. I have noticed that even when it is God doing the asking my attitude is still poor. How must he feel?! I know how I feel as a mother and my children do the same...
Shailey! How wonderful to see you here!!!!! I loved your comments!
Thanks for the tips. I will certainly keep them in mind along with the ones on the My Faoth page.
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