I’m doing this Bible-in-a-year thing and thought I might post my daily readings in my blog. This is the only one I’ve posted so far. I don’t know that I will post any others here, but I’ll leave this one published for now.
Hope y’all are at peace in our frenzied world and can find your slice of heaven today.
Tuesday February 20, 2024
Today’s readings:
Lev 9:7-10:20 * Mark 4:26 – 5:20 * Ps 37:30-40 * Pr 10:6-7
Lev 9:7 – 10:20
Lots of mornings I lie in bed and listen to Brian read to me. It’s a great way to wake up. Today’s reading in Leviticus made me sit up in bed and think, “Whattt? Why do I not remember hearing that before?” And this is my third year of listening to Brian narrate! Just goes to show you how we glaze over the parts of the Bible that we deem insignificant.
In case you haven’t listened or read it either, Aaron and his sons are now ordained priests (chapter 8) and they have begun their ministry (chapter 9) with very specific instructions from God on how to offer sacrifices and conduct worship. But the boys didn’t follow directions, and God burned them up, right there in front of their dad and the public. Why?
First I suggest you go back and read chapters eight and nine if you haven’t. You most likely understand by now that God’s detailed instructions have a purpose, just like yours do when you’re telling your kids- if you have any – how or why to do something a certain way. There’s a right way and wrong way and there are consequences for doing it the wrong way. Pretty simple.
We don’t burn up our kids by fire, but I hope we know how to discipline effectively. I sure do know what happens when we don’t. I wasn’t the best at that part of parenting when I was raising kids. It bit me in the butt by the time they were young teens. The study Bible explains that the unauthorized fire that they boys offered was what sparked the incident. (hahaha – no pun intended).
We’re not sure why it was offensive, but “the point is that Nadab and Abihu abused their office as priests in a flagrant act of disrespect to God, who had just reviewed with them precisely how they were to conduct worship. As leaders, they had special responsibility to obey God. In their position, they could easily lead many people astray. If God has commissioned you to lead or teach others, never take that role for granted or abuse it. Stay faithful to God and follow His instructions.”
As parents, or teachers, or mentors, we have a responsibility to do things correctly out of respect for God, or whatever authority we are under at our jobs or in our own businesses. It’s so easy to get careless about being obedient. We like to bend the rules to suit our wants and our preferred lifestyle. If our way was ok God wouldn’t have commanded us to live life His way. When we do bend those rules, it becomes easier and easier to accept a lower standard, and more importantly, can undermine the example we are to set for those coming up behind us.
If you’re a lover of God, and you profess to be a Christ-following Christian, people are watching you. People are waiting for you to slip up, just so they can point their fingers and say, “See! They’re not perfect! They did _________!” Or if you’re a judgmental, finger-pointing, picket sign carrying ‘christian,’ even worse. It makes all Christians look bad. It makes God look bad! Sometimes church people are worse than unchurched people. I hope I don’t appear this way to my non-believing friends. The last thing I want anyone to think is that I see myself as ‘holier than thou.’
At the end of the day, especially when it comes to the people that knew me when…like my kids…all I can do is pray and set a good example. A wise, old sage of a woman at my church told me that way back in 2009, at the very beginning of my walk with Jesus. We were talking about our children. I was lamenting over how I raised them. She said to me, “I raised all three of my kids in the church and only one practices our faith. So stop worrying, start praying, and leave it at the feet of Jesus. And don’t preach to them! All that does is alienate them!”
Pretty good advice. I get my digs in now and then with little statements like, “Count your blessings!” or “Don’t forget why you’re so amazing!” But for the most part, I shy away from blatant preaching for sure. I am happy to say that one of my kids has been seeking and asking questions and is considering attending a local church with her children. I am excited about that 😊
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Mark 4:26 – 5:20
In the book of Mark today Jesus continues talking about soil and seeds, comparing the Kingdom of God to a farmer scattering seeds and to a tiny mustard seed that grows into the largest of plants in the garden. Just as the farmer has no knowledge of what is happening in the ground until the seeds sprout and begin to grow, we who scatter and plant seeds among those in our sphere of influence have no idea who is listening or who will sprout and begin to grow.
Our job, as His seed sowers, is to do just that. Sow, cultivate, and sometimes harvest! A young woman who is reading along with me proved that to me a few weeks ago. “Keep writing,” she said, “you have no idea who is being touched by it.”
I have no more time to write today. Gotta go. But let me spoil you and provide the Psalm and Proverbs readings for today after this copy/paste of our readings from Mark.
I pray you’re reading or listening, and that your seed is germinating as we speak. This kind of garden doesn’t care what color your thumb is. All it needs is open hearts, eyes, and ears.
Peace in Christ on this Tuesday in February 2024
Parable of the Growing Seed
26 Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. 28 The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. 29 And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.”
Parable of the Mustard Seed
30 Jesus said, “How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it? 31 It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds, 32 but it becomes the largest of all garden plants; it grows long branches, and birds can make nests in its shade.”
33 Jesus used many similar stories and illustrations to teach the people as much as they could understand. 34 In fact, in his public ministry he never taught without using parables; but afterward, when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.
Jesus Calms the Storm
35 As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36 So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). 37 But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.
38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”
39 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”
Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Man
5 So they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gerasenes.[a] 2 When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil[b] spirit came out from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain. 4 Whenever he was put into chains and shackles—as he often was—he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones.
6 When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to meet him, and bowed low before him. 7 With a shriek, he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had already said to the spirit, “Come out of the man, you evil spirit.”
9 Then Jesus demanded, “What is your name?”
And he replied, “My name is Legion, because there are many of us inside this man.” 10 Then the evil spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place.
11 There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby. 12 “Send us into those pigs,” the spirits begged. “Let us enter them.”
13 So Jesus gave them permission. The evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd of about 2,000 pigs plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water.
14 The herdsmen fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. People rushed out to see what had happened. 15 A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. 16 Then those who had seen what happened told the others about the demon-possessed man and the pigs. 17 And the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone.
18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. 19 But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.” 20 So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns[c] of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.
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Psalm 37:30-40
30 The godly offer good counsel;
they teach right from wrong.
31 They have made God’s law their own,
so they will never slip from his path.
32 The wicked wait in ambush for the godly,
looking for an excuse to kill them.
33 But the LORD will not let the wicked succeed
or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial.
34 Put your hope in the LORD.
Travel steadily along his path.
He will honor you by giving you the land.
You will see the wicked destroyed.
35 I have seen wicked and ruthless people
flourishing like a tree in its native soil.
36 But when I looked again, they were gone!
Though I searched for them, I could not find them!
37 Look at those who are honest and good,
for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.
38 But the rebellious will be destroyed;
they have no future.
39 The LORD rescues the godly;
he is their fortress in times of trouble.
40 The LORD helps them,
rescuing them from the wicked.
He saves them,
and they find shelter in him.
Proverbs 10:6-7
6 The godly are showered with blessings;
the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions.
7 We have happy memories of the godly,
but the name of a wicked person rots away.
PEACE IN CHRIST
God Loves Bad Girls, Too! 