Day 17 Bible Reading

Genesis 34 & 35, Matthew 12: 46-50, Matthew 13: 1-17, Psalm 10: 1-11

Matthew 13: 8 (ESV)

“Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

Verse 8 from Matthew 13 stood out to me today. I feel at times my Christian life is like the seed that fell on good soil, but the yield is often different from year to year. For the last three years, the seed has produced much grain which increases year by year. But the last three years prior to that, the seed produced barely any grain. I was trying to find a church to join, and I wasn’t having much luck. I did find a wonderful church where they had a 5 pm Saturday service that I loved. The pastor preached great sermons and the singing was very good, but that church was so far away from where I lived. Growing up we always walked to church, and I knew that if the church I joined was too far away I would find excuses not to attend. Three years ago I finally found a church I liked that’s a 10 minute drive from where I live, but I waited a year to join because I wanted to be sure it would be a good place for me to deepen my Christian faith. Holy Spirit led me to this church and I’m glad I followed God’s plan, because this church has exceeded my expectations of everything I was looking for in a church community.

Day 16 Bible Reading

Genesis 32 & 33, Matthew 12: 22-45, Proverbs 2: 1-11

Genesis 32: 24 (ESV)

“And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day.”

Verse 24 from Genesis 32 struck me today. Jacob wrestled with God, only he didn’t know it was God until the morning. I like to think that I sometimes wrestle with God in my mind at night when I can’t sleep because of an issue I am pondering. This seems to happen when the issue is about something that I want to or need to do, and I don’t know whether doing the thing would be good for my life. I lie in bed, and I pray to God for guidance for the right course of action to take. Sometimes I lie there for hours praying and waiting for Holy Spirit to whisper something in my mind. And when I get an answer that I don’t particularly like, that’s when I feel like I wrestle with God. And yes, God always wins, and I do the thing he wants me to do. And of course, it always works out for the best in the end.

Day 15 Bible Reading

Genesis 31, Matthew 12: 1-21, Psalm 9: 13-20

Matthew 12: 14-16 (ESV)

“But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him. Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all and ordered them not to make him known.”

Theses verse from Matthew 12 struck me today as I was listening to a Bible commentary, since this is the start of the Pharisees beginning to plot the death of Christ. Jesus knew what was going on, but he had to carry out his mission. He had to fulfill the will of God and keep healing people, and at the same time he had to quiet things down so he could arrive in Jerusalem and be betrayed. Everything had to be done according to his father’s plan, to God’s timing. Everything had to be perfectly timed and done, so it would all fall into place. Jesus had unfailing obedience to God’s plan for his life. I often wonder how many times I have railed against having to follow God’s plan, endlessly complaining how it was taking too long, and why couldn’t things be done in my timing and not God’s timing. But in the end, God’s timing was always perfect, and everything worked out better than I could have ever planned because God is the ultimate project planner. He leaves no stone unturned with every possibility having been analyzed, so only the actions with the best outcomes are part of his plan. I see it happening that way every time and yet time and time again, I often doubt God’s timing because I don’t have enough faith in him and his plan. I pray that God give me more faith to trust in him and his plans that always, always work out for the best.

Day 14 Bible Reading

Genesis 29 & 30, Matthew 11, Psalm 9: 1-12

Matthew 11: 28-30 (ESV)

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

I love these verses from Matthew 11. They are probably in my top 10 for favorite Bible verses. Jesus promises to give those of who are weary rest. Christ says he is gentle and lowly n heart, and that following him will be easy and our burden light because he will share it with us And by sharing it, he meant he will take our sins away from us when he goes to die on the cross. There have been so many times when I have been so weary in my heart in the past, and my only comfort was my faith in Christ. When my mother died and I felt so lost, I felt myself being held by Jesus in the palms of his hands because I was so emotionally fragile for a few days. I remember thinking back then, I don’t know how anyone deals with grief on their own without Christ in their life. I felt so luck and grateful to have my strong faith during that season of loss in my life. Jesus gave me rest from weariness, from my sadness, and he gave his protection.