Monday: Joshua 4
Tuesday: 2 Chronicles 11
Wednesday: Psalm 5
Thursday: Isaiah 9
Friday: Hosea 9
Saturday: Luke 17
Sunday: 2 Corinthians 8
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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.
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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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12 comments:
I love this picture of the rocks being taken up from the Jordan, testaments of what God had done, a visual reminder that would spark curiosity in the generations to come. It made me think of the Steve Bell song "here by the water"
"Here by the water
I'll build an altar to praise Him
out of the stones that I've found here
I'll lay them down here
rough as they are
knowing you make them holy"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oef8KFUarY8&feature=related
(steve bell is coming to do the special music for missions conference next year!!!!! so pumped!!!!)
okay, back to the stones. I was thinking how I could incorporate something like this into my life. I was thinking it would be so neat every time God does some amazing work in my life to take a stone, put it in a "special" location and then have a journal somewhere telling the story of what God had done for me, maybe with a bible verse that really applies to what took place.
If it was something He did not only for me, but for my family or in our marriage, or for a friend, I could have those people add rocks too. Maybe make a little pond with a fountain or something with all these rocks in the water being added over time. Wouldn't that be so cool? A visual reminder of God's goodness and work in our lives. I love it.
I love that too - it makes me think how important it is that we not only remember, but that we tell our kids about it too.
In my extended family, my grandparents went through some extreme experiences which made them iron clad in their faith, and yet I have Uncles and Aunts whose faith is mediocre, and cousins who are more washed out than their parents, and I have to wonder if it's because my grandparents never talked about their experiences - either because they were too painful or too private or whatever.
The more I think about it the more important it seems to me. That's one (of many) things that I love about Berry Guy - he started a prayer journal, where he has been writing things we have been asking God for, and answers that we have received. He's got a nice little record there of some of the bigger things that God has done for us or for people close to us, even when it was something we hadn't asked for. Love that.
Psalm 5:12 "You protect them like a soldier's shield."
Oooooh. I love that.
So, this psalm was incredibly meaningful to me today. I just talked to PC about needing to be in contact with God and how I need to put Him first in order to tackle the busyness of my life. The theme of Psalm 5 is deliverance in trouble. And I love my bible comments for the first three verses:
"The secret of a close relationship with God is to pray to him earnestly EACH MORNING. In the morning, our minds are more free from problems, and then we can commit the whole day to God. Regular communication helps any friendship and is certainly necessary for a strong relationship with God. We need to communicate with him daily."
So, morning it is! I think I need to put a little reminder up in my bathroom -- baby steps. Here I come Lord, I need you!
Aw, I LOVE that! LOOK how God spoke to you. So blessed. Love you.
"The Lord all powerful will do this because of His strong love for His people." Isaiah 8:7
That whole prophecy right before that just gave me goosebumps this morning. I have read is so many times. We read it every Christmas when we hang the silver sceptres on our tree to represent the Ruler aspect of Christ's relationship to us, but today, just being reminded how this was written centuries before that birth, it just made me marvel at the great lengths God has gone to to communicate to His people. The words of Revelation, where Jesus says "Blessed is He who reads and understands these words" is so true. When we take time to read and seek to understand God's words to us we are blessed because we come to see the depth of the love the Father has for us.
Well, I didn’t get here this morning but I still made it! Yahoo!
Isaiah 9:1 “In our gloom and despair, we fear that our sorrows and troubles will never end. But we can take comfort in this certainty: Although the Lord may not always spare us from troubles, if we follow him wholeheartedly, he will lead us safely through them.”
Isaiah 9:8-10 “Pride made Israel think it would recover and rebuild in its own strength. Even though God made the people of Israel a nation and gave them the land they occupied, they put their trust in themselves rather than in him. Too often we take pride in our accomplishments, forgetting that it is God who has given us our resources and abilities. We may even become proud of our unique status as Christians. God is not pleased with ANY pride or trust in ourselves because it cuts off our contact with him.”
So often I have come to the Lord for help from my troubles and I really do know that he will lead me safely through them. I tend to fall away from God when things are going really well or I am really busy. I find it interesting that God has loaded me up with some really great opportunities for work and family vacations – I came to the realization that I CAN do it all but ONLY if I rely on the Lord. He has given me the gifts and the opportunities and the realization that I STILL need to rely on him even through all of the good times!
Love you too PC!!!!
So glad you made time in your day to rest in Him, whatever time it was :)
This chapter in Hosea was so sad. How often do I pursue fulfillment in other venues when I am called to find my fulfillment in Him. When I am fulfilled in Him, I can count it all joy but when I chase after fulfillment where the world says I will find it, I am always left wanting more.
Luke 17
Forgiveness, Faith, Humility, Gratitude, Incarnational Living, Expectation.
As I read each subjection of this chapter this morning I realized that they were each addressing an individual and fundamental element of Christ centered living. They are not just words. They are a lifestyle. Many of these words have been the weekly topics in my summer women's bible study group and have really impacted my life. I have so much to learn about Christ centered and Christ modeled living!
Luke 17:5-6: The disciples’ request was genuine; they wanted the faith necessary for such a radical forgiveness. But Jesus didn’t directly answer their question because the amount of faith is not as important as it genuineness. What is faith? It is complete trust and loyalty to God that results in a willingness to do his will. Faith is not something we use to put on a show for others. It is complete and humble obedience to God’s will, readiness to do whatever he calls us to do. The amount of faith isn’t as important as the right kind of faith – faith in our all-powerful God.
Luke 17: 6: A mustard seed is small, but it is alive and growing. Almost invisible at first, the seed will begin to spread, first under the ground and then visibly. Like a tiny seed, a small amount of genuine faith in God will take root and grow. Although each change will be gradual and imperceptible, soon this faith will have produced major results that will uproot and destroy competing loyalties. We don’t need more faith; a tiny seed of faith is enough if it is alive and growing.
2 Cor 8:5 "They first gave themselves to the Lord and to us. This is what God wants."
"I want to see if your love is true..." v8
"Then your doing will be equal to your 'wanting to do'. v11
"Give from what you have." v11
True love will show itself in action. Love can not be only a sentiment and goodwill. True love will lay down its own life (agenda) for a loved one. I had to smile when I read all this. Just yesterday I was asking myself how I could help a friend in need and I found a way that worked for me. Take her kids for the day and cook them a meal so that they can face what they need to face. Love will find a way!
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