Day 119 Bible Reading - John 1: 1-5 (ESV)

Joshua 15-16, John 1: 1-28, Psalm 68: 15-20

John 1: 1-5 (ESV)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

I love the way verses 1-5 was depicted in The Chosen TV series. It shows a fictional version of the disciple named John and how he might have been inspired to write this gospel in the way he did. Whenever I watch this scene, it brings tears to my eyes. The actor who portrayed John did such a good job of showing how much his character loved Christ. I love that Jesus said to John that a favorite memory of his how the world was created, which implies that Christ was there with God when the world was created. Or maybe not exactly physically there, but since Christ is part of the trinity he shared memories with God his father.

Although some may argue that this fictional recreation of how John came up with the beginning of his gospel may be heresy, there is no evidence to suggest that it is because we simply don’t have much information on how these gospels were created and their author. The assumption among biblical scholars is that John wrote this gospel, but we don’t really have evidence to confirm or deny its authorship. I love the idea of Christ as the “Word”, because words create reality. And the reality that Christ created in our world is beautiful and positive.

For your viewing pleasure from The Chosen Season 2, episode 1:

Many thanks to John Hilton III who put together this show excerpt - please subscribe to his channel.

Google Analytics 4 - Step 1

 I finally got the blog connected. YAY! 

The second one I started because something wasn't working with the first one. Let's hope this one will work better. 

Google 4 Analytics Blues

I'm trying to move the new Google Analytics 4 platform, and I having such a hard time. I thought I connected my property and it seemed to be collecting data, and then it stopped. So I tried to start over again and now I can't get the blog to collect data. UGH!!!

Day 118 Bible Reading - Luke 24: 45-47 (ESV)

Joshua 13-14, Luke 24: 36-53, Psalm 68: 7-14

Luke 24: 45-47 (ESV)

“Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”

Verses 45 through 47 from Luke 24 show Jesus talking to his disciples about how his death and resurrection were written in the scriptures. David Guzik wrote the following about these verses, “Jesus wanted them to understand that the cross was not some unfortunate obstacle that had to hurdled. It was a necessary part of God’s redemptive plan for man, and that it would be in the name of a crucified and risen Savior that repentance and remission of sins will be brought to the world.” I think it was probably hard in the beginning for the disciples to understand why Christ had to be crucified because of their personal relationship with him. I don’t think any of us even today can fully understand and appreciate the sacrifice that Christ made for us. I don’t think I fully grasp it either, but I know that what Christ did changed our world for the better.

Day 117 Bible Reading - Luke 24: 6 (ESV)

Joshua 11-12, Luke 24: 1-35, Psalm 68: 1-6

Luke 24: 6 (ESV) 

“He is not here, but has risen.”

When I was reading bible commentaries for Luke 24, one pastor said the following about verse 6 - “these were some of the most important words ever spoken by an angel to men.” We don’t have a description of the resurrection, which many pastors have said that this fact makes the gospels more authentic because they don’t describe what happened or try to embellish it. We just have the two angels who tells the women that Jesus is not there, because he told them himself that he would rise after three (3) days. I like that the bookends of the life of Christ are angels making an announcement about him. The angels announced his birth to the shepherds and the angels announced to the women that he is risen. Without the resurrection of Christ, we would have a Christian religion. This simple fact and statement from the angels helped to spawn a brand new religion that eventually became one of the foundations of Western culture. And because we are all sinners, two things happened. One, there have been countless attempts from this point forward to prove the resurrection did not happen. And two, we as sinners feel our lives are saved by Christ because the resurrection did happen. Two sides of the same coin, always at war with each other, and where one could not exist without the other. With the only thing separating the two is the faith of the sinner.

Day 116 Bible Reading - Psalm 67: 1-2 (ESV)

Joshua 9: 16-27, Joshua 10, Luke 23: 26-56, Psalm 67

Psalm 67: 1-2 (ESV)

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.”

When I read verses 1 and 2 from Psalm 67, I immediately thought of The Blessing Song by Kari Job featuring Cody Carnes because of the line “make his face shine upon us”. In this song, they sing “make his face shine upon you”. I saw Kari Jobe in concert many years ago and I loved her music so much, I bought one of the CDs they were selling at the concert. A friend had invited me to go my first Christian music concert, and Kari was part of the line-up. I had never been to an event like that, and I was stunned to see so many people praising God at a music concert. I think that was the start of my road back to the church, after years of not wanting to ever get involved in a church again because of the politics I had witnessed in a church I had been attending. I’m glad my friend invited me and although we’ve lost touch, I still think of her very fondly.

For your listening pleasure, the live version of The Blessing Song by Kari Job featuring Cody Carnes from Elevation Worship:

Day 115 Bible Reading - Psalm 66: 63-65 (ESV)

Joshua 8, Joshua 9-15, Luke 22: 63-71 Luke 23: 1-25, Psalm 66: 13-20

Luke 22: 63-65 (ESV)

“Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him.  They also blindfolded him and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” And they said many other things against him, blaspheming him.”

Verses 63 to 65 from Luke 22 illustrate what Jesus experienced before he was crucified. If you watch the movie The Passion of the Christ which came out in 2004 and directed by Mel Gibson, you will see a graphic and perhaps a very realistic depiction of these verses. In David Guzik’s bible commentary on these verses, he said the following:

• It was important that Jesus demonstrate that the proper replay to hate is not more hate but love. Christ did nothing during this beating. He did not fight. 
• Christ endured the beating to demonstrate his own trust in God, and he did not defend himself.
• Christ faced the abuse from the Roman soldiers so that those who are abused, beaten, and humiliated can find refuge in a God who knows firsthand what they’ve experienced. 

The well-known English pastor Charge Spurgeon also noted that Christ’s persecutors could not make him give way to anger. They did not destroy his mercy or his love. They did not make Christ want to stop what was happening to him because he wanted to save us as sinners.

I find the depiction of these verses very hard to watch, and it makes me cry every time I watch this scene. But this scene is a reminder of what Christ endured and suffered for us, and his obedience to his father’s will. I always think to myself whenever I watch this scene that I do not have the right to say how horrible my life is, because nothing in my life is as painful and degrading as what Christ had go through at the hands of the Roman soldiers.

Thank you for viewing my blog!

 It appears people are finding my blog and reading my posts.

THANK YOU! 

I am touched, truly. If I can just make one person smile or think a new thought, that makes happy. Everyone should have that feeling that people view and perhaps appreciate your creativity. 

Wow - progress is made on updating the blog

 It's taken all day, but I've the following:

• Got rid of the subscribe code that wasn't working at the bottom of the page.
• Managed to get Google 4 analytics to work.

I was ready to cry 😫, but YAY! I got it all done. I was so happy with myself that I sort still know how to code a tiny bit in HTML.

I need to more things to update the blog, but I am happy that I made progress today.

Updated the look of the Blog

I decided my blog needed to be updated, so I change the look and rearranged everything. I think it looks better. I hope you agree. If there are widgets you think I need to add, let me know in the comments. 

Day 114 Bible Reading - Luke 22: 43 (ESV)

Joshua 5: 13-15, Joshua 6-7, Luke 22: 39-62, Psalm 66: 1-12

Luke 22: 43 (ESV)

“And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.”

After reading bible commentaries for today’s verses, I found verse 43 from Luke 22 to be the most poignant. Jesus was praying to God and saying “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” God’s answer to Christ was to send an angel to strengthen him. Sometimes when we pray to God to lift a burden from our lives, what we get instead is the feeling of being strengthened by God so we can go through the burden and experience it. I know what this feels like, and it seemed to me very cruel at the time. But when the experience of the burden was completed, I realized it was for my own good and it strengthened me instead of weakening me. God was right as always, and in my agony, I doubted his intentions for my life. But as the years go by, I’ve come to believe that God always has my best interests in mind and will always act in a way that always benefits me.

Christ knew this. He never doubted his father’s love for him. Christ took the burden of the cross for us because he loved us, because it was his father’s will for him. And if it wasn’t for Christ’s love for us, we would be paying the price for our own sins.

10 Albums that greatly influenced my taste in music

Just added to my profile

1. Prince – Prince (1979)
2. Led Zepplin IV (1971)
3. Vivaldi: The Four Seasons – can’t remember which one
4. Miles Davis – Kind of Blue (1959)
5. The Cure – Three Imaginary Boys (1979)
6. Crosby, Stills & Nash (1969)
7. Musica Reservata – Medieval Music & Songs of The Troubadors (1968)
8. Jackson 5 – Third Album (1970)
9. U2 – October (1981)
10. The Velvet Underground & Nico (the banana album) (1967) - I own an original album

Death Wish Coffee – Love this brand!

Where I sometimes shop for groceries at Natural Grocers, they had a sale on Death Wish Coffee so I bought it. I love the name and was interested in whether the coffee was worth drinking. After a month, it has become a favorite. The taste of the coffee is not bitter and considering the name, the taste is mild. Whether I make a strong cup with two (2) heaping teaspoons or weak cup with one (1) heaping teaspoon, the taste is just amazing. And the coffee does not need a sweetener and I hate not having sweetener in my coffee.

If you see it on sale or if you really just like a great cup of coffee, try Death Wish Coffee.

Death Wish Coffee - Dark Roast

Day 113 Bible Readings - Joshua 4: 20-24 (ESV)

Joshua 3-4, Joshua 5: 1-12, Luke 22: 1-38, Psalm 65

Joshua 4: 20-24 (ESV)

“And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’  then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

Verses 20 through 24 from Joshua 4 show us the important of memorializing and remembering the good things God has done in your life. Science tells us that we are more likely to remember events that have a high emotional significance for us, and that sadly often includes memories of pains and losses. God understands us more than we seem to do ourselves, so he told Joshua to make a memorial out of the 12 stones from the river Jordan so the Hebrews would always be reminded of the miracle God performed when they left Egypt.

My daily practice this year has been to write down every night 10 miracles that I’ve experienced that day. I received the inspiration to do this from the Holy Spirit, so I would be always conscious of God’s miracles in my life no matter how small. Some days it’s easy to remember 10 miracles, and other days it’s hard and I end up writing down that “getting up in the morning” is a miracle. What I love about this practice is that I am reminded daily of God’s presence in my life. For example, I was not having a very good day today. Something that I thought was going to be a very process turned out to be a much harder process than I realized. That experience bummed me out and I really did not want to go to the midweek service. I wanted to say home and sulk, but I made myself go to church. When I was sitting in the garden of the prayer chapel before the service, I saw two bunnies. I absolutely love seeing cotton-tail bunnies hopping around the desert. I didn’t think I was going to see any bunnies because the temperature was in the mid-90’s, and seeing the bunnies touched my heart because I was so sure I wasn’t going to see them since it was so hot. Seeing the bunnies seemed so miraculous to me because I was having such a bad day. It’s like God knew what I was going through and sent the bunnies to cheer me up. I’m going to “memorialize” this experience by writing it down, and have a record of all the small things God does to keep me happy.

Day 112 Bible Reading - Luke 21: 34-36 (ESV)

Joshua 1 and 2, Luke 21: 5-38, Psalm 64

Luke 21: 34-36 (ESV)

“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Verses 34 through 36 from Luke 21 reminds us we need always be ready for the return on Christ. It seems like with event going on in the world today, many people are saying we are the crest of the end times warned about in the bible and especially in Revelations. Are we going through end times? It seems to me whenever there were problems in the world, I picture pastors preaching about the end times in their churches. I can imagine it happened in World War 1 and World War 2, especially in Europe. A study of history shows us that Christians have been persecuted since the death of Christ, and the persecution of Christians continues today. But are we in end times? I don’t know. I think of people who have lost their jobs and are going through a difficult time financially. Do they think they are in end times? Or are they just going through a season of distress? What about people who are suffering from an illness who are suffering? Do they think they are in end times?

Even Jesus says the end times will come as a surprise like a trap. I think the only thing we can do is watch what is happening in the world, and as always strengthen our relationship with God. We need think every night before we go to sleep, am I right in my relationship with God? Am I right in my relationship with my family and friends? If the world ended tonight, am I ready to stand before God with confidence? And if we’re not, what is our action plan to do something about it?

Day 111 Bible Reading - Luke 21: 1-4 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 33 and 34, Luke 20: 27-47, Luke 21: 1-4, Psalm 63

Luke 21: 1-4 (ESV)

“Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them.  For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

Verses 1 to 4 from Luke 21 is the well-known story of the widow’s offering. This year I am reading bible commentaries from well-known scholars on my bible readings, and many of them have said it was the “spirit of giving” that determined the worthiness of the widow’s gift more than the amount. God doesn’t want us give money grudgingly or guilt money. God wants a cheerful giver. God doesn’t need our money. God values the gift on what it costs the giver. If this is true, I wonder how much a very rich person needs to give in order for God to be pleased? Would the person need to give their wealth all away? I started tithing 10% to my church last year. Tithing made me feel so abundant and wealthy and made me wonder why I didn’t tithe 10% in the past. I knew previously I always thought tithing that much money would make feel so poor, but I was so wrong. Is it a stretch to tithe? Yes, it is given the current state of our economy. But like any bill you get used to that money coming out your account. And I do like the feeling of wealth and abundance that comes to me when I think about how much I tithe. That feeling is priceless!

Day 110 Bible Reading - Luke 19: 45-46 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 31: 30, Deuteronomy 32, Luke 19: 45-48, Luke 20: 1-26, Psalm 62

Luke 19: 45-46 (ESV)

“And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”

Verses 45 to 46 from Luke 19 depict the well-known scene of Jesus thrashing the money changers and other vendors who were doing business in the Gentile court of the temple. While reading some bible commentaries on these verses, I found out that the money changers and other folks doing their business were also cheating people by as much as 20 times with the cooperation of the priests of the temple. No wonder Jesus was so angry. I always thought this scene was about the vendors doing their business and not allowing the Gentiles who wanted to worship in the temple to pray. Christ was angry at not only sellers, but the buyers as well since they were participating in the trading spirit and turning the Temple into a marketplace. The Temple priests who allowed these activities took place completely disrespected the Gentile. Why even build a place for Gentiles to pray in the Temple, and then allow the area to disintegrate? Could not the money changers and the people selling the sacrificial animals have done their business outside of the temple? Scholars have said the Jesus’ actions did not cause any lasting reform, because the people carried on as usual the next day. These verses stand out today as a stark reminder to the people who follow Christ to not let their churches become places where believers cannot worship in peace and/or be cheated.

Day 109 Bible Reading - Psalm 61: 1-3 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 30: 11-20, Deuteronomy 31: 1-29, Luke 19: 11-44, Psalm 61

Psalm 61: 1-3 (ESV)

“Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.”

Verses 1 to 3 from Psalm 61 remind us that when our hearts are troubled, we need to remember that God is our rock and save us drowning in our melancholy. We also need to remember that God has been faithful to us and has answered our prayers in the past. He has been a refuge and often a “strong tower” when we were filled with fear. I love Psalms of David. I love to read them when I feel sad and overwhelmed and need encouragement. David was always praying to God for help when he needed it. Even if he doubted God in the beginning of a Psalm, he would always remind himself of God’s faithfulness to him and his trust in God was restored. David is great example of someone who was favored by God, but still needed to constantly pray to him for favor, when he was afraid, for everything it seems. David was not afraid to pray to God for everything in his life, and his prayer most likely increased his favor with God. I think sometimes when I feel favored by God, I forget to pray and I know this has been a mistake. Prayer to God keeps him in the forefront of my mind, so I never forget his faithfulness.

Day 108 Bible Reading - Deuteronomy 29: 29 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 29, Deuteronomy 30: 1-10, Luke 18: 31-43, Luke 19: 1-10, Psalm 60: 5-12

Deuteronomy 29: 29 (ESV)

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

I was struck by verse 29 from Deuteronomy 29. Some bible commentaries have said that Moses was describing how God speaks to us in this verse. God has secrets and will always have them because he is God, and therefore God never declares everything to us. But God is not silent, and when he does reveal some things to us, we must pay attention. Whatever God does reveal to us, there is a meaning for us. Moses is indirectly saying God doesn’t just speak to us to make conversation. When God speaks there is always a message for us, although we might not understand it at the time. God’s words were not just for Moses and his people but for all the generations which follow. God’s messages for us are eternal and they last forever. They are forever relevant. Lastly, whatever God reveals to us must matter to us because he has spoken to us to affect the way we live. We must follow his words and obey them.

What I love most about this verse is God has secrets and he need not reveal them to us. God has such an amazing plan for the whole world, and he has so many things to keep track of and balance out. I’m not sure we would we even understand it if God did reveal everything to us. It would simply blow our minds because I’m sure it would be like the most complicated puzzle, with so many twists and turns, like a giant “what if” diagram. We need to have trust and faith in God that he has our backs, and we will not be forgotten in this giant puzzle of life.

Day 107 Bible Reading - Luke 18: 11-14 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 28: 15-68, Luke 18: 1-30, Psalm 60: 1-4

Luke 18: 11-14 (ESV)

“The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’  But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Verses 11 through 14 from Luke 18 is from the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, where it is said Jesus told this parable to those who thought of themselves as righteous and treated others with contempt. The Pharisee prays to God, but it sounds like a litany of all the things the man is proud of compared to other people. He seems to be propping himself up to God at the expense of putting down those around him especially the Tax Collector. The Tax Collector in his prayer to God had no such pretensions. He knew he was a sinner, and he felt so guilty that he could not even lift his eyes to heaven. The Tax Collector prayed to God for mercy, while the Pharisee prayed to God to praise him because he needed nothing from God and thought of himself as without sin. But the Pharisee was not sinless; he had the sin of pride in his prayer. Some might say the Pharisee also had the sin of ignorance, since he did not seem to know or act like pride was a sin. The Tax Collector knew he was full of sin and prayed to God to forgive him. No wonder God looked more kindly upon the Tax Collector than the Pharisee. We cannot be too self-righteous when we pray to God. We cannot assume that we are without sin even if we do all the right things. We must always pray to God to forgive our sins because we have a nature that always sins, whether we are aware of it or not. In a small way, I do admire the Pharisee because he was so self-confident in himself. But his self-confidence turned into the sin of pride, which made him look down on others who weren’t like him.

Day 106 Bible Reading - Luke 17: 32-33 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 26-27, Deuteronomy 28: 1-14, Luke 17: 11-37, Psalm 59: 13-17

Luke 17: 32-33 (ESV)

“Remember Lot's wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.”

Verses 32 through 33 from Luke 17 are about Jesus telling his disciples to not be like Lot’s wife when the world ends. I’ve always felt bad for Lot’s wife. Whether out of morbid curiosity or because she so regretted leaving her home, she looked back when the angel told her not to and was turned into a pillar of stone. I think there is that regret in anyone when they are forced to give up their way of life. You look back with longing and regret at what you lost, and these feelings prevent you from moving on from your old life and being happy about your new life. Having these feelings of regret can become a literal or metaphorical death. Looking back at your old life while running from it can be dangerous in terms of slowing you down or making you unaware of your dangerous physical surroundings. But looking back can also represent a metaphorical death because the loss of familiar surroundings means you can feel like you are losing a part of your identity. That loss will feel like death. Christ is saying if you can willing give up your old life, you will be better off in the long run because you will be able to make a smoother transition into your new life. But like anything Jesus says, giving anything up takes great faith. Faith that Christ is leading you to a better life. Faith that tells you God will provide and take care of you in your new life. Lot’s wife didn’t have this kind of faith, and she paid a price for it. Christ tells us we must total faith in him when he comes back to the world, and that our faith will be rewarded in the end.

Day 105 Bible Reading - Luke 17: 10 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 23-25, Luke 16: 19-31, Luke 17: 1-10, Psalm 59: 1-12

Luke 17: 10 (ESV)

“So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”

I was listening to a bible commentary on verse 10 from Luke 17 which said that we will never be able to put God in debt to us because anything we do for him is such a small repayment for his work in our life. The pastor said even if one were to give up their life, it would still not be payment enough for everything God has done for us. If we were to truly realize how much God has done for us, we would want to serve him out of gratitude. In fact, we would see it as a privilege of being allowed to serve God.

To be honest, I had never thought of my service to God in this way. I am one of those people who constantly complain about how much God wants me to do, and I’m just talking about the laws. I feel like Holy Spirit has been encouraging me to eat kosher style because of my food allergies. I had no idea how hard it was to stop eating dairy and meat products together until I started doing it. I am still bemoaning the loss of eating a “normal” pizza, because according to Kosher dietary rules I can now only eat cheese or vegetarian pizza. But since my food allergy reactions have subsided, I know that eating Kosher style is probably a good way of eating for me and Holy Spirit was right as usual. There is that part of me that is still very independent and resentful of having to follow God’s laws, even if they are good for me. But perhaps the pastor is right. If I think about all the miracles God has performed in my life, I know that I would never be able to repay him for his mercy and generosity through my obedience and service to him.

Day 104 Bible Reading - Deuteronomy 21: 22-23 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 21 & 22, Luke 16: 1-18, Psalm 59: 1-8

Deuteronomy 21: 22-23 (ESV)

“And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.”

Verses 22 and 23 from Deuteronomy 21 remind us of the sacrifice Jesus made for us when he died on the cross. According to David Guzik, there was nothing worse for the ancient Hebrews than being put to death and have the corpse left exposed on a tree to shame, humiliation, and scavenging animals. This type of punishment was reserved only for those who are “accursed of God.” Christ took the place of the one who is “accursed by God” when he was hung on a tree (the cross) and exposed to shame and humiliation for all to witness. We as sinners deserved this kind of punishment, but Jesus took our place so we could receive the blessings of Abraham. I love how everything Christ did could be referenced back to the Old Testament. When I read this verse, I also thought of Judas who hung himself on a tree. Judas knew what was considered the worse punishment for his people, and we must give him some props for killing himself according to Mosaic law so he would become “accursed of God.”

Day 103 Bible Reading - Luke 15: 24 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 19 and 20, Luke 15, Psalm 57: 7-11

Luke 15: 24 (ESV)

“For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.”

Verse 24 from Luke 15 is the parable of the prodigal son and tells us how happy the father was when his son returned.  We are reminded in this parable how happy Christ is when we return to him and are repentant. God loves us so much that he gave us free will to do what we want, and that includes letting us make decisions that sometimes aren’t for our own good. When we realize the error of our ways and ask God for his forgiveness, he rejoices that we have learned the error of our ways and takes us back with joy and in celebration. I have often felt like the prodigal child in my relationship with God. I left him and learned my lessons and came back to God several times. Each time Christ was always joyful that I returned and welcomed me back with open arms. What other God would do this for his followers? Only Christ would love us so much to take us back when we leave him.

Day 102 Bible Reading - Psalm 57: 1 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 16: 21-22, Deuteronomy 17 & 18, Luke 14: 15-35, Psalm 57: 1-6

Psalm 57: 1 (ESV)

“Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.”

I love verse 1 from Psalm 57 and the imagery of God as a bird where one can find refuge during storms. I’ve been watching live cams on YouTube of bald eagles laying eggs and then both the mom and day eagle taking turns sitting on the eggs to incubate them. There was one video where the mama eagle spread her wings over her baby eaglets to shield them from the rain. 

Here's the video - Mombrella Popcorn:

We are like the baby eaglets taking refuge under God’s wings from the storms. Whenever I’ve felt a major loss in my life, I always felt like God was holding me in the palm of his hand and taking care of me and shielding me from the depression that was threatening to overwhelm my life. I don’t know how I would have gotten through those intense periods of loss without Christ in my life. I used to wonder how anyone gets through an intense loss without God in their life. How frightening it must be to think you’re all alone in the world with nothing outside of yourself to help you get through your life. I began to understand that without a strong faith in God, how easy it would be to turn to drugs and alcohol to help cope with feelings of pain and loss. Drugs and alcohol provide an escape from your feelings, if only just for a little while. I was lucky. My faith in Christ helped me to deal with the feelings of pain and loss, and I didn’t need to escape these feelings. With God’s help, I was able to move through the grieving process quicker and come out of it much stronger.

Day 101 Bible Reading - Luke 14: 11 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 15, Deuteronomy 16: 1-20, Luke 13: 31-35, Luke 14: 1-14, Psalm 56

Luke 14: 11 (ESV)

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Verse 11 from Luke 14 reminds us of life of Christ, and how he is a model for how we need to lead our lives. He humbled himself when he came to earth to be with us, and when he gave up his life for us he was exalted. If we can embrace being humble with joy, we will not be filled with a high opinion of ourselves and can enjoy life fully. We will be content in whatever places God gives to us. When we our full of ourselves and haughty, inevitably there will always be someone who comes along who will greater than us. At the same time, we cannot act humble so that other notice our behavior and we enjoy a very subtle form of spiritual pride. But in modern life, it is hard to be humble because we live in a society that praises achievement. I know for myself that when I try to be humble, I wonder if I’m being too meek or just lacking in self-confidence. I always pray to God that I’m doing the right thing because half the time I don’t know how I’m supposed to behave. But I think that’s a good thing for me, to always ask God what I need to do. It strengthens my faith and my relationship with him. And that’s the important thing to me right now.

Day 100 Bible Reading - Deuteronomy 13: 3-4 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 13-14, Luke 13: 1-30, Psalm 55: 12-23

Deuteronomy 13: 3-4 (ESV)

“..For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.”

These two verses from Deuteronomy 13 are Moses’ response to false prophets and others who say they can see the future and tempt us to worship other “gods”. When we come across these people, we must ask God for discernment. God allows such people to exist among us so he can test us. Are we truly faithful believers in him and his word or are we merely seeking a spiritual experience or even sign? Christ is our savior, but he also has commandments for us to follow. These are the few things God asks of us – to keep his commandments, obey him through the voice of the Holy Spirit, and serve him. I think the most important thing here in my experience is asking God for discernment. I constantly pray to God for discernment on what to do if I am at all confused or something doesn’t feel right, and I can’t come to an instant decision on what to do. Sometimes I do argue with God when he does give his advice, but over the years I’ve learned that if I don’t follow him my life doesn’t always turn out as well as I thought it would. Even if the response from God seems crazy and nonsensical, God always ends up being right.

Day 99 Bible Reading - Luke 12: 35-36 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 11-12, Luke 12: 35-59, Psalm 55: 1-11

Luke 12: 35-36 (ESV)

“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.”

Verses 35 through 36 from Luke 12 give us advice from Jesus about waiting for his return and how we need to be focused on it and ready. I think it would be so amazing if Jesus returned, but at the same time I fear the return of Jesus because of what is written in the book of Revelations. My pastor talked about this year that we are starting to see the signs of the return of Christ as mentioned in Revelations. I do think there is a culling going on in mainstream denominations as they seem to be shrinking, and after COVID many churches closed. But I think the events I most fear from Revelations are the earth changes because those seem so destructive and disrupt so many lives. What I do not fear is Christ returning and the time of the judgement, because I have a good relationship with God. I know Jesus will recognize me and welcome me into his kingdom.

Day 98 Bible Reading - Luke 12: 22-23 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 9-10, Luke 12: 1-34, Psalm 54

Luke 12: 22-23 (ESV)

“And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.”

Verses 22 through 23 from Luke 12 remind me of how I used to be many years ago before my faith become very important to me. I was very anxious about my job because the company I was with at the time was struggling financially since the 2008 recession. VPs came and went if they didn’t perform and we even had a work stoppage of two weeks. Then came the layoffs every two to three years, which were small at first with the last one being a 10% reduction in force across the board. I was so afraid of losing my job, always wondering if I was going to be in one of the layoffs for several years. It was a stressful environment to work in and I hated it. But Holy Spirit urged me to stay in that job until one day, I got the inspiration to move to be closer to family. I moved without a job and found another one within six months in my new city. That job was okay for awhile until it wasn’t, then I got the message from Holy Spirit to leave that job. Quitting a job because I wasn’t happy was a bucket list item for me, so I was happy to leave that job and thereby fulfilling a lifelong wish. I was only able to  quit the new job, because I listened to the Holy Spirit about staying in the old job. When I quit the old job, I walked away with a nice chunk of change. Not being anxious about my job situation led me to focus more on God, and I can honestly say that I am more rich in God now than I’ve ever been before in my whole life. I owe all of this to listening to the Holy Spirit and following most of the advice I was given. God has truly taken care of me even when I was so far away from him because I was too worried about having money in my life.

Day 97 Bible Reading - Luke 11: 35-36 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 6 – 8, Luke 11: 33-54, Psalm 53

Luke 11: 35-36 (ESV)

“Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.””

Verses 35 through 36 from Luke 11 is a warning from Jesus of having darkness within ourselves. Jesus could perceive it and others can as well. If you live without the light of Jesus within you, the light within you will not be bright. Not having the light of God within you will also make you spiritually blind. You will be blind to the miracles of Jesus and live as a hypocrite. In my life, I’ve had people come up and tell they see so much light within me. Or they look at a photograph of me and tell me, “you have so much light in your eyes.” When I look at myself in the mirror, I cannot see the light that they see. I wonder if it’s because I am so used to looking at my own face, I cannot see any difference. I’ve had a relationship with God since I was a child. The most touching thing to me is when old people tell me I have so much light. They come up to me and they want to touch me, and they smile and tell “I can tell you are a good person. Do you go to church?” When I answer yes, they smile and go on their way. I had an older woman say to me when I was sitting outside of a store resting with my mask on during the COVID mask days, “I can tell you are smiling because of your eyes. You seem like such a nice person.” Even under my mask, my light shone. Does the light of God shine within you so much that random people tell you how much light you have? If not, why not?

Day 96 Bible Readings - Luke 11: 2-4 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 4: 15-49, Deuteronomy 5, Luke 11: 1-32, Psalm 52

Luke 11: 2-4 (ESV)

“And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.””

Verses 2 through 4 from Luke 11 shows Jesus teaching his disciples to say the Lord’s Prayer. I still remember a sermon I heard about the Lord’s Prayer when I was in junior high. The catholic priest at my childhood church was crying as he was talking about the Lord’s Prayer. He told us we should pray this prayer like we really meant it, and when we did we would feel tears streaming down our faces as we thought about each line we were saying especially the part about forgiveness. He said if we really thought about what it mean about God forgiving our sins and us forgiving everyone, we would cry at the power of God’s love and its ability to work through us because forgiveness was only possible with God’s help. The tears of our priest was so shocking to me. I remember my mother saying she had never seen Father Turgeon cry during a sermon because he was so moved. I remember him as a very kind, middle-aged man, with a wry sense of humor who always had a cigarette in hand after church. I remember trying to cry like he did when I said the Lord’s Prayer in my bedroom and being so proud of myself when I succeeded. It’s been a long time since I’ve cried saying the Lord’s Prayer, but I know someday the tears will come again as I recite the words about forgiveness and ponder on the power of God’s love to work through me.

Day 95 Bible Reading - Luke 10: 41-42 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 2: 24-37, Deuteronomy 3, Deuteronomy 4: 1-14, Luke 10: 25-42, Psalm 50: 10-19

Luke 10: 41-42 (ESV)

“But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.””

I love the story of Mary and Martha. In verses 41 and 42 from Luke 10, we see Christ’s answer to Martha when she complains about her sister Mary not helping her to serve. I know what it’s like to be Martha, when you feel like you need to serve and play the good host. I’ve never been a “Mary” who can just seemingly drop everything to just and listen to a guest. From reading several bible commentaries, Jesus was praising Mary’s simple devotion to him by sitting at his feet and listening to him. Mary shows a continued focus on Jesus. Her submission to him brings her peace. She is gifted with strength. By listening to Jesus, she gains wisdom and learns not to sin. Martha tries to serve Christ, but without a continued focus on him which resulted in frustration. Martha needed to diligently serve and keep her focus on Christ, and if she did that, she wouldn’t have complained about Mary. We need to remember that as we serve God – to always keep our focus on him.

Day 94 Bible Reading - Luke 10: 3 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 1, Deuteronomy 2: 1-23, Luke 9: 57-62, Luke 10: 1-24, Psalm 51: 1-9

Luke 10: 3 (ESV)

“Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.”

Verse 3 from Luke 10 reminds us we need to be like lambs when doing the work of God. A lamb is totally dependent on his shepherd to care for him, to guide him, and protect him. If we think of ourselves as a lamb and God as our shepherd, we can do the work of God without fear knowing that we are dependent on God. God will guide us and work through us in what to say and how to act. God will care for us to make sure we are headed in the right direction. And finally, God will protect us as we do our work for him in the world of “wolves.” And I know sometimes it does feel like sometimes when you are doing the work of God, that you are a sacrificial lamb. There is fear, there is trepidation, there is even a metaphorical fear of death and in some cases perhaps a literal fear of death. But we have to have faith that even if we experience a metaphorical death of our ego, God is working through us and that out of the death of our ego God will be able to speak through us in faith.

Note: I was a day behind in posting my bible readings, but I am finally caught up. YEAH! Praise God!

Day 93 Bible Reading - Luke 9: 46-48 (ESV)

Numbers 35 and 36, Luke 9: 28-56, Psalm 50: 16-23

Luke 9: 46-48 (ESV)

“An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.””

Verses 46 through 48 from Luke 9 reminds us that to be great in God’s kingdom you need to be like a child and be “least”. A child is humble and does not tell lies, much like Jesus, who was sinless. Jesus was not concerned about his own status and he doesn’t have to be the center of attention like a child. Jesus also told us to be “least” or humble, and not powerful. Jesus wants his followers to not crave power or be the person out front and be happy about it. This recommendation is hard to do in the competitive world we live in today. But to be humble is powerful in God’s kingdom. When I do work in God’s name, I try to be humble about it but it’s hard. A few weeks ago, I volunteered to help a new church get ready to open on Easter. I ended up cleaning the women’s bathroom and I felt very happy doing it, until other volunteers wanted to use the bathroom. One of the women told me that she was glad I was cleaning it and not her. I thought that such a strange remark. I was cleaning the bathroom because this church was God’s house, and I felt privileged to be cleaning it. I was cleaning it hard like it was my own house because it was God’s house. But that woman’s remark unsettled me somehow or I let it unsettle me. Maybe I was too full of pride for cleaning that bathroom because it was really disgusting, and I was so proud and happy with myself. But at the end of the day, one of the women from the church remarked that she was so happy the bathroom was clean and smelled so good. This woman’s remark made me so happy and I felt happy that I had cleaned that bathroom for God.

Day 92 Bible Reading - Luke 9: 16-17 (ESV)

Numbers 33 and 34, Luke 9: 10-27, Psalm 50: 1-15

Luke 9: 16-17 (ESV)

“And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.”

Verses 16 and 17 from Luke 9 comes from the famous story of Jesus feeding the 5000 with only fives loaves and two fish. I heard a commentary today which I found very moving. Back in the time of Christ, the people who came to listen to him did not indulge in food like they do in our time. People in those times rarely ever ate until they were satisfied. People ate food but most likely just enough to calm the hunger inside of them. Jesus really loved people and if he was going to feed them food, he was going to give them enough until they were full and satisfied. Jesus shows that God will always give us enough of what we need, and we will always be satisfied. God will not give us less than we need or just enough of what we need. God will give us what we want until we are satisfied, because that is how much God loves his people.

Day 91 Bible Readings - Luke 9: 1-2 (ESV)

Skipped a couple of days...

Numbers 31: 25-54, Numbers 32, Luke 8: 40-56, Luke 9: 1-9, Psalm 49

Luke 9: 1-2 (ESV)

“And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.”

Verses 1 to 2 from Luke 9 tells us that Christ did not send his disciples out on their mini missions without equipping them first. These verses show how considerate Christ was for the people who followed him. From these verses we need to be assured that when God sends out on mission or has a task for us that he will equip us with whatever we need to be successful. This reminds me of saying that God would never give us anything to do that we couldn’t handle. Even when it seems like the task or mission is overwhelming, we have to have the faith that God knows what he is doing and he knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows we could handle the task and if needed, he supernaturally equipped us with what we needed. I’ve read bible commentary that said the trouble comes when we go out and do a work and were not called to do it, or when we are called to do the work but we don’t take advantage of equipping that God had offered us. These verses assure that whatever we’ve been asked to do by God, he will equip us with what we need and he has confidence in us that we can do the task.

Day 90 Bible Reading - Luke 8: 22-25 (ESV)

Numbers 30, Numbers 31: 1-24, Luke 8: 19-39, Psalm 48: 9-14

Luke 8: 22-25 (ESV)

“One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?””

Verses 22 through 25 from Luke 8 remind me that even though the disciples of Jesus trusted him and had seen all the miracles that he had performed, they still panicked. But I don’t blame the disciples. I think that this is the way of human nature, that we always constantly doubt even though we know better. Isn’t our life like that sometimes? Our faith is tested. We have this incredible faith in Christ and our life is calm and going forward. We think our faith is so unshakable. Then a storm comes along in our life, and our calm life goes into a tailspin and our faith disappears. We think God is punishing us, or worse has forgotten us. But then we pray and Jesus helps us through the storm and gets our life back to calm waters. And I can imagine Christ saying to us “Where is your faith?”

Day 89 Bible Reading - Luke 8: 4-8 (ESV)

Numbers 28 and 29, Luke 8: 1-18, Psalm 48: 1-8

Luke 8: 4-8 (ESV)

“And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable,  “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it.  And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it.  And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.””

I read a commentary on verses 4 through 8 from Luke 8 which was new for me. Instead of thinking we are one of the soils (the path, the rock, the thorns, and the good soil), we should see ourselves in seeing bit our ourselves in all four soils.

Sometimes we are like the path where we allow the word of God to have no room in our lives. Sometimes we are like the rock when we have feel moved by the word of God, but whatever we feel is quickly burnt out. Sometimes we are like the thorns because we hear the word of God, but the cares of lives and the love of money are constantly threatening to choke out God’s word and our faithfulness. And finally, sometimes we are like the good soil because the word of God takes root in our heart, mind, and soul and bears fruit in our lives.

I think if we can determine what type of soil we are that day when we hear God’s word, we can figure out how to turn it around and make sure God’s words takes root in our hearts, mind, and soul and bears fruit in our lives.