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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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7 comments:
"this is my lover and my friend." v16
so beautiful again, the marriage relationship is such a gift, and so beautiful how it represents our relationship with Christ. The picture of her self centredness of not wanting to get out of bed to open the door for him, it sticks with me. Am I like that? Do I wallow in the attitude of wanting to be served, rather than to serve. If so I will be the one to suffer, as she did, when she found that by not "letting him in" she lost out on his presence.
"But I said,'I have taken off my robe.Should I get dressed again?I have washed my feet should I get them soiled?'"v 3
The way the young woman is saying this it is like she wants her lover to come back later,sometimes we are like that to God,we think we can live without him.
"I opened to my lover,but he he was gone.I yearned for his voice!I searched for him,but I couldn't find him anywhere.I called to him, but there was no answer."v 6
If we leave God when he calls us and think we can go on living without God he will leave us and when we call for him he will not come for we have left him so he will leave us.
more thoughts. Shailey got my wheels turning. how often do I drag my feet, not having the energy to "get up, open the door, and speak with my lover." I reject Him for other pursuits,or for no pursuits at all.
And yet, the beauty of God's love is this, that he says; “Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.”
Isaiah 49:15-16a
"For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself." 1 Sam 12:22
"if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself" 2 Tim 2:13.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
and yet, as we learned in our small group reading last week, when we cut ourselves off from God, our father-child relationship with Him does not change, but our "relationship" with Him does suffer. When we refuse intimacy with the Lover of Our Souls, we seek to fill that void with something else, to our detriment and at the cost of a richer and fuller and more glorious relationship. In other words, we wallow with pigs when we could be seating ourselves at the banqueting table.
"this is my lover and my friend." v16
so beautiful again, the marriage relationship is such a gift, and so beautiful how it represents our relationship with Christ. The picture of her self centredness of not wanting to get out of bed to open the door for him, it sticks with me. Am I like that? Do I wallow in the attitude of wanting to be served, rather than to serve. If so I will be the one to suffer, as she did, when she found that by not "letting him in" she lost out on his presence.
But I said,'I have taken off my robe.Should I get dressed again?I have washed my feet should I get them soiled?'"v 3
The way the young woman is saying this it is like she wants her lover to come back later,sometimes we are like that to God,we think we can live without him.
"I opened to my lover,but he he was gone.I yearned for his voice!I searched for him,but I couldn't find him anywhere.I called to him, but there was no answer."v 6
If we leave God when he calls us and think we can go on living without God he will leave us and when we call for him he will not come for we have left him so he will leave us.
more thoughts. Shailey got my wheels turning. how often do I drag my feet, not having the energy to "get up, open the door, and speak with my lover." I reject Him for other pursuits,or for no pursuits at all.
And yet, the beauty of God's love is this, that he says; “Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.”
Isaiah 49:15-16a
"For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself." 1 Sam 12:22
"if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself" 2 Tim 2:13.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
and yet, as we learned in our small group reading last week, when we cut ourselves off from God, our father-child relationship with Him does not change, but our "relationship" with Him does suffer. When we refuse intimacy with the Lover of Our Souls, we seek to fill that void with something else, to our detriment and at the cost of a richer and fuller and more glorious relationship. In other words, we wallow with pigs when we could be seating ourselves at the banqueting table.
Today, we see in our reading of 1 Chr. 28:9 "if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever." which brought up this discussion for me again.
copying this over from that thread.
my thoughts; first important to understand the context of who this was being said to, right? to Solomon, in light of his future role as King, nothing to do with salvation, actually to do with relationship.
"forsake" is azab in Hebrew, meaning includes relinquish, refuse, leave.
"cast you off" is zanach, meaning includes push aside, reject, forsake, remove far away off.
I think this lines up with the idea I was trying to express to Shailey after the Song of Solomon reading. The idea of if we shut the door in God's face, we are refusing relationship with Him and while that doesn't mean that our Father/child relationship with Him changes (he doesn't disown us) it DOES mean that our relationship SUFFERS. We are estranged. He will not force us to "let Him in".
I think there might be something more here that I wasn't seeing before, and I think that Shailey might have actually hit the nail on the head. He will indeed "remove far away off" in order that we might feel that loss and desire closeness with Him once again. Like when the woman wouldn't get up to open the door to her lover in Song of Solomon, he went away, then she was desirious of him, but he had distanced himself. Maybe Shailey was more right than I realized.
But the only bone I might have to pick is with the thought that "If we call for Him, He will not come." but then again, upon reflection, maybe it *is* this way. Maybe when we have refused Him he wants US to come to HIM. Maybe He does maintain that distance and require us to "make the first move" if you will. Not just cry out, "my God, My God, why have you you left me?"
This is all a level of thought I've never delved into before. Love it.
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