a dangerous God

23 January, 2009 at 1:59 pm (Jesus)
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Job 36, 37 and Matthew 15:1-20

All right. Big day today. Job 36 is pretty freakin’ cool. Elihu is going crazy on Job and Job is feeling the burn. In chapter 36, Elihu goes on about how great God is, and if Job was God, he wouldn’t be so selfish or confused. Job needed to remember that this is the same God he served so faithfully before, and even though times are tough (that’s an understatement!), God is still in control. Then, in chapter 37, Elihu talks about the MAJESTY of God. This passage gave me chills.

Some verses that stuck out to me in chapter 36 were 10-11 and19. That first one tells how God rewards us when we honor Him. The second verse was more like a kick in the pants to me. Elihu is like, Is all this complaining going to help!? I’m a complainer, so this hit home. Verses 37:14 and 24 just made me stop. I paused and I reread them.

Stop and consider the wondrous works of God….he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit.

And now on to Matthew 15. I noticed that in the first verse here, it says the Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem. I don’t know how far that is, because I didn’t look it up, but I would imagine its a good distance. I chuckled a little. They thought they had something good on Jesus. Haha. He was pinned, they thought. But then Jesus, like a Bible-ninja, whips out Isaiah on them! Go Jesus. But then I read that passage from Isaiah. It’s us. It’s our generation, our country.

This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me.
Matthew 15:8-9a

So Jesus pissed off the Pharisees again, and the disciples were confused about the meaning of Jesus’ words. They are so dense! But Jesus teaches them. And I felt moved again in verse 19. These are things that my heart wants. It takes me making a conscious effort to worship Jesus alone, and love him alone.

Lord, thank you for speaking so many things to me today. I appreciate how much you care for me, even when I continually disobey you. Help me today to understand your majesty even more and remind me that you are a good God. Jesus, help me to have a heart for you. I want the outpouring of my life to be your fruit and sweet-tasting to you. I want to worship you alone, Jesus! Even when I make these stupid mistakes, I really just want you! Thank you for your Word and your teaching. I love you, Jesus.

Safe? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good.
– C.S. Lewis

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take my life (or just because i’m young)

21 January, 2009 at 10:43 am (Jesus)
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Job 32, 33 and Matthew 14:1-21

At the end of Job 31, Job was going on and on about all the things he has done in his life, justifying himself to be unworthy of the predicament he’s in. He’s been talking to three men, in their elder years, asking them what he’s done to deserve this. They have no answer, though they do believe he did do something to shame God. In chapter 32, Elihu speaks up. Apparently, he has been in the background this entire time, saying nothing because he is young and these men are older, so he wanted them to have the chance to respond first. But they didn’t have anything to say. Elihu is not happy. First, he goes off on the three men, exclaiming that he was mistaken: wisdom doesn’t come to the old, it comes to those who fear and seek God. Then in chapter 33, Elihu moves to Job. Job has been justifying himself and not God. He thought he was pure and blameless, and Elihu punches him in the face (metaphorically) by reminding him that no one is pure and blameless. We are all sinners, and we all deserve the punishment Job was receiving. Elihu isn’t all fire and flames. Late in chapter 33, he reminds Job that God is a good God, who forgives even when he shouldn’t. The chapter ends when Elihu tells Job that its time for a lesson in wisdom.

Switch gears to Matthew 14. The first part explains how John the Baptist was killed when King Herod’s mistress had her daughter dance for the the king, and in his gladness he promised her anything she wanted. The girl asked for John the Baptist’s head. Herod was sorry, because he didn’t want to do it, but he had made a promise. Jesus hears the story, and withdraws from the people. But the crowds followed him and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick. That’s when he performs the miracle of feeding the five thousand men, plus women and children.

This Job section reminds me of the passage in Timothy, where Paul tells Timothy to be strong, even though he is young. That’s the attitude of Elihu. Matthew reminds me of the importance of promises. Also, from verse 16, it teaches that we can do great things with what we have.

Lord, thank you for reminding me of these truths. Help me to be bold, even though I am young, and to offer you all I have. I ask that you would take my life and do something great with it. Thank you for your Word and your teaching. I love you, Jesus.

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where is wisdom?

20 January, 2009 at 3:24 am (Jesus)
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This blog will henceforth have but one purpose: to keep a record of my personal devotions and Scripture readings from today’s date on.

Now, I have never been particularly good at keeping these things, because I have never been very good at following through wiht plans to read the Bible consistently. But I have a new found fervor: I want to worship Jesus as much as possible in everything I say and do. This is simply my private time with God.

For the first year, I will follow one of the reading plans given to me by one of my pastors in last weekend’s seminar on how to study the Bible. I have no intention of reading the entire Bible in a year, but I will keep a record of what I have and have not read from this reading plan, and next time I go through it, I’ll cover the parts I didn’t initially.

I will be using the R.E.A.P. method of study. This was recommended in the seminar.

Where Is Wisdom?

Job 28-29, Matthew 13:1-30

I’ll start with the passage from Job. My Bible titles chapter 28 “Job Continues: Where Is Wisdom?” I think this is an excellent title. In chapter 28 Job is just explaining, either to himself or to his friends, that real wisdom doesn’t come from doing things, or amassing large amounts of wealth. Indeed, it seems the earth longs to find where it comes from, but doesn’t know (v20-21). But Job knows. At least, he knows who knows. Verses 23-24 explain that God alone knows how to obtain wisdom, and it is found through Him. But then in Chapter 29, Job talks about all the things he has done, as in a comparison to what God does. Did he start to think so highly of himself that he temporarily lost sight of God?

Let’s move to Matthew. Jesus is speaking at the start of this passage, teaching a parable to the crowds of people. In verse 10, the disciples talk to Jesus (more in private) and ask Jesus, not for the explanation of the parable, but why he is speaking parables and not just telling them what it means. Jesus explains that its to fulfill the prophecy in Isaiah 6:9-10, that the people will hear, but not understand, see, and yet not perceive. The verse that jumped out to me what what he told them next:

But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

Then Jesus explains the parable. After that, he gives them another parable that must have been for their eyes only (the Parable of the Weeds). I didn’t really understand this parable. But I felt like it just said that sometimes we are supposed to roll with the enemy’s punches, and in the end, it will be taken care of by our Master.

Lord, teach me to remember that You are the Keeper of Wisdom, and not to rely on my own great deeds. Also, thank you for allowing me to be a seer and a hearer. I love you, Jesus. Thank you for your Word and your teaching.

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