What’s been on my mind lately… Our own stubbornness causes us to suffer Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. The most important message I picked up from today's readings overall is God will not allow us to comfortably ignore him Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. The most important message I picked up from today's readings overall is When things get crazy do your work and trust God Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. The most important message I picked up from today's readings overall is When God calls us to do his work he equips us with all we need. Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. The most important message I picked up from today's readings overall is The prayer of the blameless is impossible, but do your best to be honest and stay out of trouble while... Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. The most important message I picked up from today's readings overall is We are all God’s ambassadors to everyone we meet, regardless of our culture, customs, or circumstances, and should make the... Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. The most important message I picked up from today’s readings overall is We are only one small part of God’s great tapestry of life Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. The most important message I picked up from today’s readings overall is Even our suffering is part of God’s plan for the greater good Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. The most important message I picked up from today’s readings overall is We cannot hide from the things we have done and must eventually face the consequences Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. The most important message I picked up from today’s readings overall is Karma is inevitable and every lesson is a double-edged sword Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. The most important message I picked up from today’s readings overall is « Previous 1 … 5 6 7 8 9 … 13 Next »
Our own stubbornness causes us to suffer Ceilon Aspensen, January 30, 2024February 4, 2024 Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. The most important message I picked up from today’s readings overall is our own stubbornness causes us to suffer. My primary takeaway from each of the passages was this: Exodus 9,10 – Like Pharoah, we tend to forget our promises and oaths when things are going well. It is oftentimes our own stubbornness that causes us to suffer. Mark 2 – God is not dependent on, nor subject to, man’s traditions. Neither is he static. God is living and ever-changing, and we are expected to keep up. Psalms 30 – God answers our prayers and deserves our gratitude and praise. Proverbs 30 – The universe is full of mysteries we cannot understand, but God is master of them all. Today in Exodus we see Pharoah doubling down on his stubborn refusal to let the Hebrew people go, and more plagues. Every time I read this passage it occurs to me how much of our own suffering is because of our own stubborn refusal to surrender to God. I talked about that at length yesterday. In Mark 2, Jesus is repeatedly rebuked by the local authorities for healing people, forgiving them of their sins, and not strictly observing the local customs. This passage is all about how people with authority and power given to them by the church and the state can feel very threatened when someone comes along who has authority and power outside of their organization. It’s a perfect illustration of the ways in which the letter of the law can interfere with the spirit of the law. The spirit of the law is the intent behind the law. For example, in our time that means making sure that the citizenry is cared for and has access to employment, food, clean water, healthcare, transportation. In the United States we call this “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” In Jesus’ time there was no social safety net. If you got sick you suffered, and usual died. If you ran out of food you starved unless your neighbors had mercy on you and shared with you. It was a brutal world. Jesus breaks a bunch of laws and social mores in order to act on the spirit of the law. He feeds people who are hungry, heals the sick, and hangs out with people who were social outcasts. The local authorities didn’t like that because it made them look bad and also diminished their authority in the eyes of the people they were lording it over. Jesus didn’t care and he used their own legal jargon to confound them. They had no way to legally make him stop. As we see at the end of every gospel, this did not go well for Jesus later on. The people he was dealing with were willing to kill him (to kill God) to get him to stop challenging their authority. We still see this kind of thing here in the present day. When we go out of our way to make sure the poor are taken care of, those with all the money and power squawk about it and do all they can to silence us. A little charity here and there is fine, but real, lasting change is threatening to those who hold the most power in our society. It is much easier to lay low and mind our own business; to not make waves or rock the boat. But that’s not the example Jesus set for us. “It is the not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. I came to call not the upright, but sinners.” (Mark 2: 17). Whenever I read this passage I wonder if I’m rocking the boat enough. Am I helping people? Am I spending time with the lonely? Am I taking care of my neighbor? Am I voting in a way that makes sure that every fellow citizen, regardless of their circumstances or means, has access to basic human necessities such as food, clean water, healthcare, and housing? Do I live in such a way that people know I’m here for them? If I’m not, I’m not doing enough and I need to rock the boat a little more. It’s what Jesus would have done. It’s in fact what Jesus did. Psalms 30 is all about crying out to God when we need help. He will answer us. In fact, the way he usually answers is through the people around us. When I reach out to help someone else, when I provide for someone in need, or vote for important social safety net initiatives, I become the answer to their prayers. So do you. God works through us. He provides for those in need through us. I frequently ask myself, “Am I being responsive to God’s prompting?” Proverbs 30 warns us against wanting or acquiring too much in the way of worldly possessions. When one has a lot to protect, one tends to forget to take care of God’s concerns, which are all about loving our neighbor as ourself. Too little of what we need causes despair and desperation. Too much causes fear of losing what we have. In both of those extremes we can forget who we are: children of God walking through this world with other children of God. There are many lessons in this chapter of Proverbs about balance between too much and too little. There is also a warning about covetousness, which is illustrated through adultery (the ultimate act of covetousness and theft). We are to be satisfied that what we have is enough and not go grasping for too much. We are to share what we have with those who have nothing. We are to do good work to earn what we need, and we are to balance that work with enough rest. We are to avoid extremes. That’s what I got out of it. What did you get out of the readings today? You can join us in our private Facebook group that I set up specifically for sharing what we take-away from the readings each day. If you haven’t gotten the FREE “Read the Bible in a Year” worksheet yet, you can Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. It is not necessary for you to start on January 1st–you can start from the beginning on whatever date you get the worksheet. Join us! Learn more about why I read the Bible all the way through every year, and feel free to share with anyone you think could benefit. This post is part of the series, “Read the Bible in a Year.” To see other posts in this series, go to the Chronological Index of Read the Bible in a Year Posts.
God will not allow us to comfortably ignore him Ceilon Aspensen, January 29, 2024February 4, 2024 Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. The most important message I picked up from today’s readings overall is God will not allow us to comfortably ignore him. My primary take-away from each of the passages was this: Exodus 7, 8 – God will not allow us to comfortably ignore him. He will find ways to trouble us until we choose to listen. Mark 1 – If we are willing Jesus can heal whatever ails us. Psalms 29 – The evidence of God is everywhere in nature, reminding us that we are subject to a mystery much greater than ourselves. Proverbs 29 – Pride and inflexibility prevent us from hearing from God. Be humble, receptive, and flexible. In today’s Exodus passages, we see Moses repeatedly asking Pharoah to let the people of Israel go and worship God, and Pharoah stubbornly refusing. God sends plagues to trouble Pharoah and make him uncomfortable enough to relent. While troubled by the various plagues, Pharoah promises to relent if Moses will convince God to remove the plagues. Over and over again we see the pattern of plagues, promises, withdrawal of the plagues, and broken promises. Moses stands firm, Pharoah grows obstinate, wash, rinse, repeat. Many people read these verses and try to figure out how these plagues happened, and try to come up with scientific explanations. However, the Bible is not a science book. The story of Moses and the plagues is one that represents a long history of storytelling traditions designed to teach a lesson. The parts of the story that are historical are the parts where Jacob’s children take refuge in Egypt and prosper there, are forgotten by the subsequent Pharoahs after a number of generations have passed and they have become enslaved over time, and then Moses comes along and becomes the leader who will finally free the nation of Israel from their captivity in Egypt. Details like the hardening of Pharoah’s heart and him becoming obstinate, alternated with moments of relenting in the face of plagues are storytelling devices that kept the listener gripped in the palm of the storyteller’s hand, much like our modern day cliff-hangers and hair’s-breadth escapes in modern day movies and literature. The repetition of the plagues is designed to draw our attention to the way in which we, ourselves, can be stubborn and obstinate, how we bargain with God when we are faced with seemingly insurmountable difficulties of our own, how we make promises (“Dear Lord, if you get me out of this I promise I’ll [fill in the blank with whatever we promise in the heat of the moment]…”), and then go straight back to business as usual once we’re out of trouble, forgetting our promises. Again, we are presented with a double-edged sword in this story: there’s the big story of the Hebrew people and their journey from Adam to Jesus, and then to us, and then there are infinite little stories contained within that point directly back to each of us and the way we are living out our own lives and faith in God. God will not let us comfortably ignore him. He will continue to trouble us in order to get our attention, and until we learn the lesson. If we continue to be seriously troubled, it is usually because we stubbornly and obstinately refuse to listen and obey his instructions. Anyone who has ever experienced this “troubling” by God will recognize the pattern. In my own case, there have been many times when I thought I had learned the lesson and cried out to God to please go work on someone else’s character for a while and give me a break. For moments like those, it’s good to remember the next passage in today’s reading. In Mark 1: 12-13 we are reminded that Jesus himself was sent out into the desert immediately after being announced by John the Baptist and baptized, and there he was tempted and tested for forty days before beginning his ministry. If Jesus is not immune from testing and trials, then neither are we. However, that is not the most important message I get out of Mark 1 (although it is another example of the “coincidences” that occur in these coordinated readings). In Mark 1 there are two things that stand out for me: how many times Jesus and the people he calls to him do things “at once,” and all the sick and tormented people Jesus healed and cured. There is a sense of urgency in this stage of Jesus’ ministry. He and his disciples act upon the situations they are presented with “at once,” without hesitation. And when people cry out to him for help and healing he gives it “at once.” There is no review process by which he decides if they are deserving. He simply does it “at once.” We could learn a lesson from that. When people ask us for help, if it is within our means to give it we should do so “at once.” If it is not within our means to help them, we should direct them to the resources that can help them, “at once.” In today’s reading in Exodus (and in previous passages in this book), we see how hesitant Moses was to take up the work God was putting before him to do. This is the opposite of what Jesus did. Moses protests and makes many excuses, and finally does what he is tasked by God to do, reluctantly. Jesus and his disciples respond to God’s call “at once.” Eventually, Moses (with God’s help) gets the job done; but I can’t help but wonder what might have happened if he had done everything God asked him to do “at once.” In today’s Psalm, we are presented with the reason we should not hesitate in the work God has for us to do: God is in control, and the evidence of that is all around us in the natural world. We are part of God’s creation, and we are the least of it. God is in the thunder and the lightning, and all the other powerful and glorious natural phenomena in the Universe. God is able to provide for and protect us, and equip us for the work he sends us out to do. He is bigger than our troubles and difficulties. Making a full circle and underscoring the lessons in Exodus, today’s Proverb underscores the pitfalls of persisting in stubbornness and obstinacy. The entire passage is a portrait of Pharoah. It is also a portrait of us when we stubbornly persist in our own resistance to whatever it is that God is urging us to do. The problem and the solution are both summed up in verse 23: “Pride brings humiliation, whoever humbles himself will win honor.” This is one of the great paradoxical teachings of Jesus: who is first shall be last, and who is last shall be first. “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35) That’s what I got out of it. What did you get out of the readings today? You can join us in our private Facebook group that I set up specifically for sharing what we take-away from the readings each day. If you haven’t gotten the FREE “Read the Bible in a Year” worksheet yet, you can Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. It is not necessary for you to start on January 1st–you can start from the beginning on whatever date you get the worksheet. Join us! Learn more about why I read the Bible all the way through every year, and feel free to share with anyone you think could benefit. This post is part of the series, “Read the Bible in a Year.” To see other posts in this series, go to the Chronological Index of Read the Bible in a Year Posts.
When things get crazy do your work and trust God Ceilon Aspensen, January 28, 2024February 4, 2024 Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. The most important message I picked up from today’s readings overall is when things get crazy do your work and trust God. My primary takeaway from each of the passages was this: Exodus 5, 6 – Doing the work God gives us is rarely easy and often fraught. It is easy to second guess ourselves and question whether it really is God’s work. Remember your initial call and do it anyway, without wavering. Matthew 28 – God’s ways are strange and we cannot understand them. Still, he is with us always. Psalms 28 – When I am surrounded by evil-doers if I cry out, God hears me, and he rescues me. Proverbs 28 – Work your “land,” trust in God, and prosper. When all around you is going crazy and there’s nothing you can do about it, do your work anyway and trust in God to bless both you and your work. [NOTE: I actually wrote this on January 29 of 2020, so it’s not really tomorrow, I’m not sick today, and I’m actually not feeling ambivalent about my purpose. However, this is so emblematic of why reading the Bible every day, year after year, provides us with timeless insight and advice for our daily lives. As I read this today–Sunday, January 28, 2024–it spoke to me perfectly about where I am in my life and what I am doing. It will likely speak to me next year, too; and the year after that; and the year after that.] Today’s takeaway from Exodus was particularly apt for me this week. I have been sick and fell behind in these blog posts. I started to wonder if I am really supposed to be doing this; if it really is a calling, or whether I just made it one in my own mind. I felt that if it were really a calling it would be all smooth sailing (as it seemed in the beginning). Although I’ve been doing the reading and writing my takeaways every day on the appropriate day, I haven’t been able to post them here in my blog in a timely fashion, and I was starting to feel I would never catch up. Then I started to feel discouraged. Then I started to wonder if I should continue. Then I read today’s passage in Exodus. Although the post date on this blog entry will say January 28th, I’m actually posting it on the 29th. I’m posting backward from the 29th to the last date I was current (the 20th) because I have to be caught up at some point if I’m going to keep doing this. It finally occurred to me that I don’t have to do this extended commentary section every day! If the point is to read the Bible every day then writing about it is of no consequence. My commitment should be to the quick takeaways. What’s ironic is that as soon as I realized I don’t have to write the extended commentary, well….here I am writing the extended commentary. It just flowed out of me because this was part of the lesson for me today. One of the things I love about reading the Bible every day is that every time I go through it there is something new in it for me to learn about myself and about God. The Word of God never changes; God never changes, but I do change as I learn the lessons God intends for me to learn. That results in me seeing new things that I’ve never seen before in the readings, which means it’s like reading a different book every time I go through it. The other neat thing about that is that you will see something different in it than I do, and you will see something different in it every time you read through it, too. God is infinite and eternal. This is just one of the many ways that we experience this. That’s what I got out of it. What did you get out of the readings today? You can join us in our private Facebook group that I set up specifically for sharing what we take-away from the readings each day. If you haven’t gotten the FREE “Read the Bible in a Year” worksheet yet, you can Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. It is not necessary for you to start on January 1st–you can start from the beginning on whatever date you get the worksheet. Join us! Learn more about why I read the Bible all the way through every year, and feel free to share with anyone you think could benefit. This post is part of the series, “Read the Bible in a Year.” To see other posts in this series, go to the Chronological Index of Read the Bible in a Year Posts.
When God calls us to do his work he equips us with all we need. Ceilon Aspensen, January 27, 2024February 4, 2024 Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. The most important message I picked up from today’s readings overall is when God calls us to do his work he is fully aware of all of our limitations and equips us with all we need to get the job done. My primary takeaway from each of the passages was this: Exodus 3, 4 – God reveals his name to Moses as “I Am” because he is eternal and ever-present. Additionally, when God calls us to do his work he is fully aware of all of our limitations and equips us with all we need to get the job done. Matthew 27 – God’s purposes will always be fulfilled and completed, even if we don’t understand them. Psalms 27 – Seek God, hide in his shadow, call on him, and he will have mercy on us. Proverbs 27 – Tend your “flocks”! Know the status of your “flocks” at all times! Be a responsible steward of all the resources God gives you, and frugal in their consumption, but generous in the application of them to the work he gives us to do. That’s what I got out of it. What did you get out of the readings today? You can join us in our private Facebook group that I set up specifically for sharing what we take-away from the readings each day. If you haven’t gotten the FREE “Read the Bible in a Year” worksheet yet, you can Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. It is not necessary for you to start on January 1st–you can start from the beginning on whatever date you get the worksheet. Join us! Learn more about why I read the Bible all the way through every year, and feel free to share with anyone you think could benefit. This post is part of the series, “Read the Bible in a Year.” To see other posts in this series, go to the Chronological Index of Read the Bible in a Year Posts.
The prayer of the blameless is impossible, but do your best to be honest and stay out of trouble while trusting in God Ceilon Aspensen, January 26, 2024February 4, 2024 Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. The most important message I picked up from today’s readings overall is the prayer of the blameless is impossible, but do your best to be honest and stay out of trouble while trusting in God. My primary take-away from each of the passages was this: Exodus 1, 2 – Everyone’s fortunes change, and so did the Israelites’. Even so, God sees all and he is with us. Matthew 26 – “Stay awake and pray not to be put to the test. The spirit is willing but human nature is weak.” Psalms 26 – Praying from a clean conscience is a blessed thing, to be cherished. However, no one is completely innocent, so be wary of praying prideful prayers. Proverbs 26 – Be wise, avoid fools, ignore gossip and slander, and if you can’t avoid hearing it, put an end to it by letting it die in your ears. In Genesis, a few opening sentences carries us through generations of history for the Egyptians and Hebrews; long enough that the new Pharaoh doesn’t even know who Joseph was. The Egyptians have forgotten what he did to save their people and their nation. We see the seeds of ethnic dissension planted between the Egyptians and the Hebrews, and the beginning of Moses’ story, which is the beginning of the next great story for the Hebrews. In Matthew, “Jesus had now finished all he wanted to say,”1 and he begins his journey toward the end of his ministry on Earth, and his death on the cross. We see a shift in Jesus’ ministry from being joyfully followed by people seeking healing to him being aware of his impending death, and preparing himself and his disciples for that inevitable outcome. He makes predictions about what will happen to him and them, speaking of Judas’ betrayal, Peter’s denial, and his funeral preparations. He takes his disciples to the garden of Gethsemane to pray, but becomes dismayed that they simply fall asleep. He is arrested, taken before the Sanhedrin, and is abused and tormented by them. Then Peter does deny him. The disciples begin to see everything falling apart, and they start falling apart. In both Exodus 1-2 and in Matthew 26 we see a reversal of fortunes for everyone we have been reading about. The previously blessed fall into darkness in both situations. Joy turns into sadness, and even despair. The faithful become disheartened. Today’s Psalm has always perplexed me. It has always struck me as prideful. There is a heading under the chapter number that says, “Prayer of the blameless.”2 However, none are blameless before God. In 2005, I wrote this in the margin: “Whenever I read this, I wonder who is self-righteous enough to pray this prayer. If my salvation depended on my innocence, I would be doomed. I’m glad it does not depend on me. This is the prayer of the Pharisees of the New Testament. If I ever find myself earnestly praying this prayer I will know I’m in trouble.” Of course, that may be the point. It may be an example of how not to pray. When Psalm 26 is juxtaposed against Matthew 26, it really does emphasize the enormous differences between Jesus and the rest of us. When you further compare this prayer with the fact that Jesus told his disciples to “Stay awake and pray not to be put to the test. The spirit is willing but human nature is weak,” the contrast is even more stark. None of us can pray Psalm 26 with a clear conscience; we are more apt to fall asleep when Jesus is telling us to pay close attention. If we needed convincing that we are not worthy to pray Psalm 26 with sincerity, Proverbs 26 provides us with all the evidence of our basic human nature that we need to understand this. I have lost count over the years of all the times I have heard people with positive attitudes and hopeful spirits say, “All people are basically good.” I wish it were true. I do believe that most people have the capacity and potential to be good. So does God. That is why he gave us a path to him through Jesus that allows us to constantly be redeemed. However, Proverbs 26 gives us a pretty good portrait of human nature when left to our own devices. We fall into trouble, injure ourselves and our neighbors. We make foolish mistakes and do it over and over again. We gossip and hold onto grudges. And there are some of us who actively seek to do harm to others, intentionally. If you’ve never read, The Sociopath Next Door, by Martha Stout, PhD, I highly recommend it. According to research that has now been widely published (and cited by Dr. Stout and many others), 4% of the human population are sociopaths. They are born that way and there is no way to rehabilitate them. When I first read that, I wondered how that could be possible, since God has given us a plan for redemption that is available to all. The answer to that question is in Jesus’ stories of the wheat and the tares back in Matthew 13:24-30. Review those passages and think about it. Then read Dr. Stout’s book. My favorite verse from Proverbs 26 is verse 17: “He takes a stray dog by the ears who meddles in someone else’s quarrel.”3 There are so many times when the trouble we find ourselves in was completely avoidable, if only we had minded our own business. When we see others in dissension, for some of us it is only natural to want to help. However, it is not always wise. Most often, the wisest thing we can do is stay out of it, mind our own business, let them sort it out, and if we feel a burden on our heart to do something about it, the best thing we can do is pray and give it to God. That’s what I got out of it. What did you get out of the readings today? You can join us in our private Facebook group that I set up specifically for sharing what we take-away from the readings each day. If you haven’t gotten the FREE “Read the Bible in a Year” worksheet yet, you can Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. It is not necessary for you to start on January 1st–you can start from the beginning on whatever date you get the worksheet. Join us! Learn more about why I read the Bible all the way through every year, and feel free to share with anyone you think could benefit. This post is part of the series, “Read the Bible in a Year.” To see other posts in this series, go to the Chronological Index of Read the Bible in a Year Posts. 1 Matthew 26: 1, New Jerusalem Bible, 1985. 2 Psalms 26, New Jerusalem Bible, 1985. 3 Proverbs 26:17, New Jerusalem Bible, 1985
We are all God’s ambassadors to everyone we meet, regardless of our culture, customs, or circumstances, and should make the most of the hands we’ve been dealt. Ceilon Aspensen, January 25, 2024February 4, 2024 Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. The most important message I picked up from today’s readings overall is we are all God’s ambassadors to everyone we meet, regardless of our culture, customs, or circumstances, and should make the most of the hands we’ve been dealt. Genesis 49-50: We are God’s ambassadors to everyone we meet, regardless of culture or customs. Matthew 25: Each of us is responsible for our own salvation. No one else can do it for us. Regardless of the hand we are dealt, we are to play that hand for all its worth for the maximum payout. We are responsible for making the most of what God gives us. Psalms 25: We all make mistakes, but if we seek God and cry out for his help and forgiveness he will restore us to himself. Proverbs 25: The ways of God are unfathomable. We can only do all we can to stay close to him and be true to his commandments and the spirit of the law in all of our dealings, and in doing so we will be provided for. In these last chapters of Genesis, we see several important things. The first is the reminder that no matter what kind of life we live, whether glorious and full of successes, or persecuted and full of injustices, or something in between, we all face the same fate in the end–our individual stories will all come to an end at some point and we will all die. It’s one of the only guarantees of life on Earth. We see not only the end of Jacob’s story, but the circle of life, completed. Jacob dies and is laid to rest in the burial place he chose for himself so many chapters ago, back in Canaan. Joseph honors his father’s wishes about where to be buried, and once they have traveled to that place he is buried and mourned according to the customs of Jacob’s ancestors. Another important thing we see in these chapters is that before carrying Jacob back to Canaan, Joseph has him embalmed as per the Egyptian custom and Jacob is mourned by the Egyptians according to those customs. This is something important that I think a lot of people (particularly traditionalists) miss altogether. Joseph has become an Egyptian, culturally. He has embraced all of their customs, right down to observing their rituals of death and burial. What Jesus says in Matthew 8:22 comes to mind when I read this passage: “Follow me and leave the dead to bury their dead.” There are God’s laws and there are human customs. While they are not always aligned, the two are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Additionally, Joseph did not stop following God when he became an Egyptian. In fact, he modeled God for the Egyptians and the previous stories associated with Joseph in Genesis demonstrate the ways in which the Egyptians saw God through Joseph and his behavior. God uses us wherever we are, in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, if we stay close to him. The Egyptians mourning for Joseph’s father demonstrates to us that Joseph had a great impact on them, and they felt a great connection to him; so much so that they grieved his father’s death with him. If you have never read about Hudson Taylor, the English missionary who established the China Inland Mission in 1865 (which is still operating today as Overseas Missionary Fellowship), I highly recommend that you read his autobiography. What Joseph did in Egypt was what Hudson Taylor did in China. They both seemed to know that cultural customs are of humankind’s making and they make no difference to God. There is no culture or custom on the planet that is more preferred by God than another–he created us all. Joseph and Hudson Taylor both knew that people are entrenched in their customs, which can prevent them from seeing God; so they both embraced the customs of the countries and cultures they found themselves immersed in, and in doing so removed a primary barrier between the people amongst whom they were living and their ability to see God for who he really is. Two other great missionaries who learned and practiced this were Bruce Olson (Bruchko) and Don Richardson (Peace Child). I highly recommend their books. The last important thing I’ll talk about from these chapters in Genesis is Joseph’s unconditional forgiveness of his brothers, and perhaps the greatest lesson of the life of Joseph. With Jacob dead and buried, Joseph’s brothers become afraid that his kind, benevolent treatment of them may have just been a kindness to Jacob. Without Jacob as a buffer between them, they seem afraid that Joseph may now seek vengeance and retribution upon them. They throw themselves at his feet and on his mercy and offer themselves as his slaves in order to avoid the worst they think he might have planned for them. To their surprise, Joseph replies, “Do not be afraid; is it for me to put myself in God’s place? The evil you planned to do me has by God’s design been turned to good, to bring about the present result: the survival of a numerous people. So there is no need to be afraid; I shall provide for you and your dependents.”1 It can be difficult to impossible for devious people to believe that not everyone has an ulterior motive for their kindness, but Joseph spent the rest of his life demonstrating it for them. You can join us in our private Facebook group that I set up specifically for sharing what we take-away from the readings each day. If you haven’t gotten the FREE “Read the Bible in a Year” worksheet yet, you can Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. It is not necessary for you to start on January 1st–you can start from the beginning on whatever date you get the worksheet. Join us! Learn more about why I read the Bible all the way through every year, and feel free to share with anyone you think could benefit. This post is part of the series, “Read the Bible in a Year.” To see other posts in this series, go to the Chronological Index of Read the Bible in a Year Posts. 1 Genesis 50: 19-21, New Jerusalem Bible, 1985.
We are only one small part of God’s great tapestry of life Ceilon Aspensen, January 24, 2024February 4, 2024 Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. The most important message I picked up from today’s readings overall is we are only one small part of God’s great tapestry of life. Genesis 47-48: The story of Jacob comes to a close and the story of the Hebrews in Egypt begins. Jacob bids a deathbed farewell to Joseph and blesses his two grandsons by Joseph. Matthew 24: Remain diligent and vigilant in your work and in your faith until the end of your life. Do not grow weary or disheartened before you reach the end, because there is no reward in that. Psalms 24: We are part of God’s creation, and we belong to him in the same way that all of the rest of his creation, by which we benefit in our daily lives, also belongs to him. It is only on loan to us for the duration of our lives and we should be grateful. Proverbs 24: Be wise and be able to recognize and differentiate the wise from the foolish. Be diligent in your work and do not quit before the job is done. In today’s reading in Genesis, we see the culmination of Joseph’s steadfastness through his previous life of suffering. He holds fast to the end and is reunited with his father and gets to see him bless his children. Then in Matthew and Proverbs we get the same message: remain diligent in your faith and your work until the end, so that you can obtain your reward and not lose out. In Psalms we are reminded that all we have in this world isn’t really ours to begin with. It all belongs to God and is merely on loan to us. When we put those three things together it makes for a powerful lesson. Suffering is never an enjoyable experience, but we are not owed an enjoyable experience. All experiences are what we make of them, and our job is to keep our eyes on and our faith in God through whatever we are experiencing, whether it be suffering or joy. When suffering, we call out for help and trust that God will see us through and comfort us. When we are experiencing joy in our circumstances we should express gratitude to God. In all circumstances we should be mindful of the fact that we only have knowledge of one little part of God’s great plan. None of us can see it all. Only God can. However, when we love our neighbor as ourself we come close to understanding it. In the words of Ram Dass, “We are all just walking each other home.” When we keep each other company in our suffering or our joy, when we share our stories with each other, we come close to seeing the whole vast tapestry of God’s story, of which we are all a part. You can join us in our private Facebook group that I set up specifically for sharing what we take-away from the readings each day. If you haven’t gotten the FREE “Read the Bible in a Year” worksheet yet, you can Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. It is not necessary for you to start on January 1st–you can start from the beginning on whatever date you get the worksheet. Join us! Learn more about why I read the Bible all the way through every year, and feel free to share with anyone you think could benefit. This post is part of the series, “Read the Bible in a Year.” To see other posts in this series, go to the Chronological Index of Read the Bible in a Year Posts.
Even our suffering is part of God’s plan for the greater good Ceilon Aspensen, January 23, 2024February 4, 2024 Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. The most important message I picked up from today’s readings overall is that even our suffering is part of God’s plan for the greater good. This verse is not part of our daily reading today, but it was the first thing (and is always the first thing) that comes to my mind when reading this chapter in Genesis: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” –Romans 8:28 Genesis 45-46: When we are suffering and subject to unjust judgements and circumstances, we should keep our focus on God and what he requires of us in all things: trust, obedience, faithfulness to his laws. Matthew 23: Practice what you preach, obey and live out the spirit of the law, not the church traditions that create burdens for the congregation, and be humble servants. Psalms 23: God is with me every step of my life, guiding me to good things, keeping my feet on the path, and keeping me from danger and harm. Proverbs 23: Discipline and focus are the way to peace and prosperity. Don’t focus on the outcome; focus on the work. Today’s installment from Genesis show us that we cannot know the “big picture” that we are part of, and all we can do is to behave as gracefully as possible in our situation. If we stay true to God’s principles until the end, we may get to see the meaning of it all, and that is the real reward for not having wavered from the path. Joseph endured a lot of suffering over the decades. His brothers plotted to murder him because they were jealous. They settled for selling him into slavery. While a slave, his master’s wife tried unsuccessfully to seduce him and when he spurned her she framed him for attempting to seduce her (a crime punishable by death at that time, but Potiphar seemed to know his wife and simply sent Joseph to prison). In every situation, Joseph made the best of his circumstances and trusted in God to take care of him. he never sought vengeance or revenge–he left the fate of his persecutors to God and stayed out of it. As a result, he became the second most powerful man in Egypt. He also ended up saving his own family from death by starvation in the process. Because he was patient, focused on his own work, and minded his own business for the duration of his trials, in the end he was given the gift of being able to see his part in God’s larger plan for the entire country of Egypt, all the surrounding countries that depended on Egypt for their survival during the famine, and also his brothers’ repentance, restoration, and redemption. He was also reunited with his father and his younger brother. It is a classic happy ending. When we become impatient with our circumstances and our suffering and take matters into our own hands, we may deprive ourselves of the kind of resolution Joseph was able to experience. God’s timetable can seem slow by our standards, but it is worth it to leave matters to him and keep ourselves busy doing good while we await the outcome. In today’s passage from Matthew, we see that anyone who uses Jesus’ teachings to exalt himself instead of serving the people is a false prophet. Our purpose is to live the teachings of Jesus and demonstrate his love for others so that people can see him through us and come to know God themselves as a result. We are to facilitate that process without placing unnecessary burdens on people. Also: Jesus teaches us in this passage how to recognize the con artists who use the trappings of the church to manipulate and use people for their own gain. Beware of these people and don’t get involved with them. Most of the people I’ve ever met think Psalm 23 is for funerals. It’s not. It’s for dark times. Every time I read the Lord of the Rings and get to the part where Frodo and Sam are walking through Mordor I think of this psalm. “The Valley of the shadow of death” is this earthly existence which is full of snares and pitfalls. God will guide us through it all of our days if we let him. This short little psalm describes our relationship to God in this world, what he does for us to guide us from birth to death, and what awaits us in the end if we are faithful and trust his guidance. Proverbs 23 is all about discipline: how we discipline ourselves, how we discipline our children. It is also about staying focused on what is important and the law of logical, natural consequences. We are instructed to work diligently to provide for our families, but we are also instructed to not focus on the outcome. Rather, we are instructed to focus on the work for the sake of the work. It’s the work we do that is important, not the outcome. We should be present in the NOW. If we are diligent, focused, and honest in our work, the outcome will take care of itself, and it will also take care of us. By that same token, when we become acquainted with people who want to do us harm we should not focus on them; we should continue to focus on the work and our own behavior. We should remain faithful to God’s laws. If possible, we should get as far away from them as we can and keep doing what we know is right. As with the work, if we don’t focus on wrongdoers and retribution, their own bad behavior will take them down. This is none of our business; their evil deeds are between them and God. You can join us in our private Facebook group that I set up specifically for sharing what we take-away from the readings each day. If you haven’t gotten the FREE “Read the Bible in a Year” worksheet yet, you can Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. It is not necessary for you to start on January 1st–you can start from the beginning on whatever date you get the worksheet. Join us! Learn more about why I read the Bible all the way through every year, and feel free to share with anyone you think could benefit. This post is part of the series, “Read the Bible in a Year.” To see other posts in this series, go to the Chronological Index of Read the Bible in a Year Posts.
We cannot hide from the things we have done and must eventually face the consequences Ceilon Aspensen, January 22, 2024February 4, 2024 Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. The most important message I picked up from today’s readings overall is that we cannot hide from the things we have done and must eventually face the consequences. My primary take-away from each of the passages was this: Genesis 43-44: Everyone is hiding or concealing something in this chapter. God is not fooled, and everyone will eventually have to own up and reveal themselves and what they have done. However, God is full of mercy and compassion, and even though this chapter focuses on the fear that everyone involved is feeling about whatever it is they are most afraid to lose, the chapters ahead reveal how God takes care of all of us when we come clean, own up to our behavior, and truly repent. Matthew 22: The story of the wedding feast demonstrates God’s love for us all. Everyone is invited but not everyone accepts the invitation. Those who do accept the invitation are held to minimum standards of decorum. Some will not dress for the occasion, which represents a disregard and disrespect for the host, as well as a desire to take advantage of all of the perks of attendance at the event without meeting any of the minimum expectations and standards for behavior. This represents the way in which some will call themselves Christians but never change their behavior or let God do his work in them. They want to straddle the fence, keep each foot in both worlds. They are who Jesus is talking about in another chapter when he speaks of those who are lukewarm. This is not only disrespectful to the banquet host but it doesn’t work. God’s kingdom is for those who are willing to go all in, take on his customs, and obey his laws. This is what Jesus means when he says we cannot serve two masters–we end up serving one or the other. How fitting that toward the end of this passage Jesus tells us exactly how change into our wedding garments: Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. Psalms: When we are suffering, we should call out to God. He hears our cries for help and will comfort us. He will rescue us if we hold fast and endure our trials to the end, and also remain faithful. Proverbs: This chapter summarizes the Biblical formula for avoiding trouble and maintaining our affairs in a way that is pleasing to God. Jacob is still doing the same thing he has always done, and seems to be a slow learner in this regard. He continues to hide and hope for the best, seeming to think that that’s the best way for trouble to pass him by. He also continues to play favorites. In the same way he agreed to go to Esau’s camp when fleeing Laban earlier in Genesis, but then never showed up, he chooses to ignore Joseph’s directive to send Benjamin back to him in Egypt while Simeon remains imprisoned there until they do show up. Jacob is willing to risk the health and safety of his other nine children, all of his wives, their wives, all of their children, all the members of their camp, and all of their livestock, to hold onto the last son he has by Rachel. He continues to hide and hold on until he has no choice but to send them back to Egypt because they have nearly run out of food again. He seems to have learned nothing and persists in his old habits. This hearkens back to his birth when he is born holding onto the heel of his brother. Jacob is one who holds on and won’t let go, even to his own detriment and that of those who depend on him. Jacob’s sons, however, seem to be learning a little bit. They seem haunted by their guilty consciences and fear the worst at every moment, assuming that the time may have finally come when they will pay for their crimes against Joseph, potentially being enslaved by him just as they sold Joseph into slavery all those years ago. They see their karma bearing down on them at top speed and there doesn’t seem to be anything they can do about it. Despite this, they seem willing to embrace their fate and go back to Joseph to save Simeon, even at the risk of their own lives and freedom. At this point it is unclear what Joseph’s motives are. Is he being vindictive and toying with them to give them a taste of their own medicine? Or does he have a plan? Stay tuned! All shall be revealed in the next few chapters! When I read this part of Joseph’s story, I am always struck by the family dynamics and the role each of the sons and the father play in this little melodrama. It is also fascinating to see the way in which God brings each one of them face to face with their own faults and inadequacies, and inches them toward repentance. Even Joseph seems to be up against his own “stuff” in this story. After so many years as a slave and in prison before becoming the second most powerful man in Egypt, the temptation to exact revenge on his brothers for what they did to him must have been very strong. He does seem to toy with them a bit and cause them a great amount of distress, but he also withholds any kind of real punishment from them. He allows himself to be God’s instrument in their redemption while also being overwhelmed with compassion for the same men who doomed him to decades of slavery and imprisonment out of sheer jealousy. That last bit is the main thing that I get out of this reading every time. How do I respond when I find myself having the upper hand over people who have caused me to suffer? Do I have compassion for them or do I try to exact revenge. It turns out that I never exact revenge, however I am not always filled with compassion. Sometimes the best I can do is pray for them and let God sort it out. I openly admit that I am not as clever and wily as Joseph when it comes to manipulating a situation for the good of those involved. I also don’t have it in me to toy with people that way. The best I can do in situations like this one is to forgive them, wish them the best, and walk away, allowing God to work it out with them. How do you handle situations like these? I think that’s what this passage is primarily designed to get us to consider. You can join us in our private Facebook group that I set up specifically for sharing what we take-away from the readings each day. If you haven’t gotten the FREE “Read the Bible in a Year” worksheet yet, you can Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. It is not necessary for you to start on January 1st–you can start from the beginning on whatever date you get the worksheet. Join us! Learn more about why I read the Bible all the way through every year, and feel free to share with anyone you think could benefit. This post is part of the series, “Read the Bible in a Year.” To see other posts in this series, go to the Chronological Index of Read the Bible in a Year Posts.
Karma is inevitable and every lesson is a double-edged sword Ceilon Aspensen, January 21, 2024February 4, 2024 Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. The most important message I picked up from today’s readings overall is that karma is inevitable and all lessons in life are a double-edged sword. My primary take-away from each of the passages was this: Genesis 41-42: When we endure suffering with grace, dignity, and faithfulness to God, we experience the reward of knowing that we have been faithful and done our best under difficult circumstances. Sometimes we are rewarded beyond that, as Jacob was, with a reversal of his fortunes. When we hid our sins and transgressions against others, as Jacob’s brothers did, the truth will eventually catch-up to us. Matthew 21: Embrace your destiny and do all that is required of you with grace, faithfulness, purpose, and dignity, even when the outcome may be unsure or appears to be grim. Psalms 21: Evil cannot prosper and to practice it is futile. God and God’s ways will always prevail. Proverbs 21: Natural consequences are built into all of our actions. When we do good. that good will come back to us. When we do evil, that evil will come back to us. In all things we should do what God has deemed right and good, no matter what. We should always be prepared for whatever comes our way by working diligently and walking in God’s way, but the outcome is always up to God. I never cease to be amazed at the remarkable coincidences I find when reading the Bible the way I do (two old testament chapters, one new testament chapter, a Psalm and a Proverb, from the beginning of the book to the end, simultaneously). Coincidence number one: In the same way that Jesus fulfills his role by performing all of the prophesied steps predicted for him in the old testament, Joseph faithfully and gracefully fulfills his responsibilities and duties in a life he did not choose for himself because his brothers sold him into slavery. He maintains his faith in God gives God all of the credit and glory when any praise comes his way for his talents and hard work. Coincidence number two: Today’s psalm shows us that no matter what evil people may plan for us, God is in control and his plan for us always prevails. We are to trust in that promise whether or not we understand what will happen at the end of our service to God. Coincidence number three: Today’s psalm underscores the karmic reality of life and our actions, as well as the lesson that it is our job to show up faithfully in all things and trust God with the outcome. Now I’ll remind you that coincidence is God winking at us. Joseph is my favorite character in the Bible, because he provides us with such a wonderful example of how we are to behave during trying times and difficult circumstances, especially those we find ourselves in where we cannot see how we might have contributed to our circumstances, or in which we really may not have done anything to contribute to our unfortunate circumstances. In Joseph’s case, he did not deserve to be sold into slavery, even if he had been a holier-than-thou little know-it-all with his brothers. Nothing he did was worth more than a scolding for pride. Yet he was sold into slavery, and was nearly murdered. But God took care of him, spared his life, and saved him for greater purpose in the future. I identify with Joseph because I have also felt unjustly relegated to difficult circumstances despite doing everything right (from my point of view and my understanding of God’s plan and laws). I find comfort in knowing that he was not merely restored to and through justice, but was elevated above those who had tormented him. He ended up having all the power over them, which was quite the reversal from his original circumstances. The story gives me hope that those who have committed evil against me and sought to do me harm will come to justice one day (even if that justice is on the other side of the veil of this life). I find myself envious of Joseph’s ability to endure his suffering with grace, faithfulness, and dignity. I am faithful in my suffering, but I don’t always feel gracious or dignified about it. I tend to whine. I become impatient waiting for justice to be meted out to those who have delighted in my suffering. The story of Joseph serves to remind me that God is in control, and that no one gets away with anything they ever do to cause another’s suffering. The ending is rarely as neat, tidy, and satisfying as the one Joseph got, but karma is inevitable–everyone suffers the logical, natural consequences of their own actions, eventually. This is where the double-edged sword comes in. When someone commits evil against me, there’s a lesson in that for me and for them. For me it is that I must endure the suffering that follows with grace, faithfulness, and dignity, and in doing so God is smoothing out my rough edges and making me more like Jesus. For the perpetrator of the evil there is an opportunity to see the error of their ways, repent, make restitution and amends, and work out their own relationship with God. It is absolutely none of my business how they do that, whether they do that, or whether they ever come to justice. As Proverbs 21: 31 states, it’s just for me to prepare myself and my horses for the battles that God places before me, but the outcome is his responsibility and I’m not to interfere; I’m just supposed to show up and do my best in all circumstances. You can join us in our private Facebook group that I set up specifically for sharing what we take-away from the readings each day. If you haven’t gotten the FREE “Read the Bible in a Year” worksheet yet, you can Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. It is not necessary for you to start on January 1st–you can start from the beginning on whatever date you get the worksheet. Join us! Learn more about why I read the Bible all the way through every year, and feel free to share with anyone you think could benefit. This post is part of the series, “Read the Bible in a Year.” To see other posts in this series, go to the Chronological Index of Read the Bible in a Year Posts.