Two Thoughts from Today’s Bible Reading

Join me in reading the Bible this year. Click here to learn more.

Today’s Reading: Genesis 8-10, Matthew 3

1.    God is a promise making and promise keeping God.

Genesis 8:1a, “But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark, . . .”

Genesis 9:11 “I will establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.”

In Genesis 6, God called Noah to build a big boat in order to escape God’s wrath in the form of a world-wide flood. God established a covenant with Noah, and God remembered Noah when he, his family, and the animals were adrift in the boat in the flood. God rescued Noah and set him on dry ground, as He promised. God promised to never destroy the earth again by flood, and gave the rainbow as the sign of that promise.

God has made promises to us, His children by the blood of Jesus. How can we even begin to remember all the promises He has made to us? He promised us the Holy Spirit. He promised us that He would never leave us or forsake us. He promised us forgiveness of sins. He promised us eternal life. He promised us that He would return again to receive us unto himself. He promised to hear our prayers. He promised so many things. God has demonstrated His faithfulness to His children over and over again. He will keep His promises to you and me.

2.    God expects us demonstrate our relationship to Him in the way we live daily.

Matthew 3:8, “Therefore, bear fruit in keeping with repentance;”

John the Baptist was baptizing people in the Jordan river as a public declaration of their repentance. God was using him to prepare the hearts of the people for the coming of the Messiah. As John’s ministry gained notoriety, some religious leaders came to be baptized by him as well. John refused to baptize them because they were not repenting of their sins, choosing rather to continue in hypocrisy. He told them they could not depend on their identity as a descendant of Abraham to be accepted by God. They must repent of their sins.

It is possible for people to believe they are accepted by God because they are members of a church, because they have been baptized, because they intellectually accept the claims of Jesus, or for some other reason. However, Scripture makes clear that a person who genuinely belongs to Christ will evidence that relationship by their lifestyle. We are not saved by good works, but a saving faith produces good works. We are new creatures in Christ with the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, how could our lives not be different?

So continue to serve the Lord, and continue to work at repentance (confession and forsaking of sins). 

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Now Is a Good Time for an Overhaul

I took my first flight in a Cessna 172 in 2015. The Cessna 172 is a 4-seat, single engine plane that has been manufactured since 1956. To date, Cessna has manufactured more than 44,000 Cessna 172s and still produces them today. Measured by its longevity and number of units produced, it is the most successful aircraft in the history of flight.

During my flight, I learned that all airplanes are required to be overhauled after a certain number of operating hours. The Cessna 172 is overhauled every 1,800 or 2,000 operating hours depending on the specific motor. During an overhaul, a trained aircraft mechanic completely disassembles the motor, inspects every inch, machines the rough places smooth, replaces worn parts, and reassembles it. Overhauls are expensive but help ensure the plane is airworthy and make a mechanical failure less likely to occur. In other words, the overhaul keeps the passengers safe and the plane flying at peak efficiency and power.

The beginning of a new year is a great time to perform an overhaul of our lives. In Psalm 139:23-24, David writes, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.” I wonder if you would be willing to pray the same prayer.

Set aside some time this month to get alone with God and ask Him to do a couple of things. First, ask Him to reveal to you every area of sin in your life that you have not completely put away. Write them down. Second, ask the Lord to reveal to you everything He has commanded or led you to do that you have not obeyed. Write them down. After the Lord has spoken, take those things to the Lord in confession and repentance (1 John 1:9), and believe Him when He says He forgives you and cleanses you of all unrighteousness.

Next, ask the Lord to lead you into habits and activities that cause you to grow in your love for Him, in your service to Him, and in your love and service to others. As we take time to evaluate our lives, taking each piece apart and surrendering it afresh to the Lord, we will begin to live our lives in His will, enjoy His blessings, and accomplish His works in our lives and the lives of those around us.

The Cessna 172 on which I flew was built in 1966. On the day of my flight, the plane was 49 years old. Yet, the pilot flew the aircraft to our destination and back without a hitch. Because of regular overhauls and scheduled maintenance, it performed beautifully and will likely continue to do so for years to come.

In like manner, we need to perform regular maintenance in our spiritual lives to be sure we are on track, serving the Lord and people at peak efficiency and power.

Four Thoughts from Genesis 1-3

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Today's Reading: Genesis 1-3, Matthew 1

There is so much to contemplate in the first three chapters of Genesis that we could focus on it for weeks. Here are several things that stand out to me.

1. In Genesis 1:1, God creates everything in the beginning.
This means that He existed before the beginning of time. Beyond that, He created everything that exists by the power of His word. Wow. Because He is the creator (and sustainer) of the world, He is the most important person in the universe and should be our number one priority.

2. In Genesis 1:26, God creates man in His image and gives him dominion over creation.
There is a lot in that statement. We are created in the image of God. Although sin has distorted God’s image in us, we still have an innate sense of right and wrong, we still have the ability to think about abstract things, we still have the ability to create, build, study, and so forth. We are different from the rest of God’s creation and we have been given dominion over His creation.

3. Genesis 2:24 describes God’s institution of marriage.
Earlier in the reading we see that God created humans male and female. Here we see God calling us to leave our fathers and mothers and cleave to our wives (or husbands for the ladies). If you are married, your marriage is your most important human relationship; more important than relationships with your friends, parents, children, and other family members.

4. In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve sin against God, bringing condemnation on themselves and on all mankind.
Yet in 3:9, God comes to Adam although He knew about Adam’s sin. Don’t miss that, God sought sinful Adam and Eve. He is a seeking God who still seeks out sinners, otherwise we would never be made right with Him. Certainly, He sought me or else I would never have been saved. Even when I sinned after I was saved, He continued to seek me and bring me to repentance and restoration. Where would we be if God were not a seeking God? We would still be lost in our sins and on our way to eternal separation from God in hell. Thank you, Lord, for seeking us and saving us when we were still in our sins!

Read Genesis 1-3 for yourself, there is so much more to learn.

Read the Bible with Me in 2020

I try to read through the entire Bible devotionally each year. Would you like to join me this year? Here is a one-year bible reading plan for 2020. It has a reading from both the Old and New Testaments each day, and gives you a “catch-up day” each week. You can download the .pdf and save it in your books app on your iphone or ipad, or print it, or do whatever you android users do to save and read .pdf files with it. I hope this is a help to you and gives you a place to meet the Lord in His word each day.

Download the reading plan here.

On Twitter Mobs, Mockery, and Sarcasm

“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!”

Psalm 1:1 NASB

This well-known verse of Scripture warns against three things: walking in the counsel of the ungodly, standing in the way of sinners, and sitting in the seat of scoffers. I am especially struck today by the part about sitting in the seat of scoffers.

“Scoffer” (NASB/ESV), “scornful” (KJV), “mocker” (CSB and others) refers to one who routinely expresses contempt and derision for something or someone. The Bible says that the mocker is proud and haughty (Prov. 21:24), delights in mocking (Prov. 1:22), cannot find wisdom (Prov. 14:6), is an abomination to men (Prov. 24:9), is a fool in the language of wisdom (Prov. 14:6), does not respond to instruction (Prov. 15:12), and continually stirs up strife by insults (Prov. 22:10). Apparently scoffing is a serious offense to God and men and one who is a scoffer does not demonstrate the fruit of godly wisdom.

I suppose one of the reasons this stands out to me is that I have the gift curse of a sarcastic mind. (I read somewhere that those who are sarcastic are actually intelligent, but I digress.) Sarcasm is by definition using irony to mock or show contempt, and it comes naturally to me. Sarcasm, however, is in many ways antithetical to love. God has not been sarcastic with me but has dealt with me in love. Even when God rebukes me and calls me to repent, it is not by mocking me or making snide, critical comments to me. Even His rebuke is motivated by His love for me.

I am challenged here to lay down my sarcastic and snarky ways and relate to people in love. I confess this is a challenge, but it is right. I am calling on my brothers and sisters in Christ to do the same. Our sarcasm, snark, and flat out mocking needs to stop. I suppose I see it most often on social media, where it is easier to hide behind a phone, tablet, or keyboard and say things that are clearly not motivated by love. Christians should not be a part of twitter mobs and the like.

Lord, please help us not to sit in the seat of scoffers. Rather, help us to use our words, posts, and tweets to bring glory to God.

Thoughts on March 20 Bible Reading

March 20, 2018
Reading: Joshua 4-6; Luke 2:1-24

I recorded a video with thoughts on today's Bible reading.

Thoughts on March 17 Bible Reading

March 17, 2018

Reading: Deuteronomy 33-34; Luke 1:24-56

I recorded a video with thoughts on today's reading.