Day 32 Bible Reading

Job 22-24, Matthew 21: 18-32, Psalm 18: 7-15

Job 23: 8-9 (ESV)

“Behold, I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I do not perceive him; on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him; he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him.”

Verses 8 and 9 from Job 23 made me feel for Job. I understand his suffering because I have gone through it myself. When I was in a dark season and going through the things and events that life sometimes brings you and the world seemed dark, I wondered where was God in all of my suffering? In the dark hole I was in, I felt like I couldn’t feel God nor hear him, even though I was crying out for him. And I felt the kind of pain that made me double over and sob. The kind of pain that made me rock back and forth like a baby trying to somehow comfort myself. And I remember hearing ever so faintly a voice in my head that I associate with the Holy Spirit saying “Everything will be okay. Everything will be all right.” So even when I felt like I was in the darkest of dark holes, Christ reached out to me and sent me a lifeline of hope. I was comforted as only someone with faith in Christ can be comforted, and I was grateful that God had heard me and responded.

Day 31 Bible Reading

Job 18-21, Matthew 21: 1-17, Psalm 18: 1-6

Matthew 21: 12-13 (ESV)

“And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.””

I am pretty sure Verses 12-13 from Matthew 21 are lines that are the subject of many pastor sermons. I had always thought this was Jesus’ way of letting everyone know that a church shouldn’t be a place of business. But over the years, I found out I was wrong. Only people of Jewish descent could go into the Temple in Jerusalem at the time. Non-Jews including the blind, handicapped, and others could only worship outside of the temple. Having the money-changers outside of the temple disrupted the prayer place for non-Jews. I always think of this verse when I am in a church service and people start talking during the sermon. I know these folks think they are whispering, but for me their voices are loud because everyone else is listening or taking notes. And it angers me so much when people talk during the sermon. The sermon is the best part of a church service, and why I go to church and how I choose a church. If the pastor cannot deliver good sermons, I will not stay in that church. I grew up Catholic, but childhood priests gave amazing sermons. I know from listening to other folks that great sermons is not normal in a Catholic church, but it was in my childhood experience. Sometimes I wish Christ would appear and shush the people who want talk during the sermons and tell them “my house is a  house of prayer, and you are an attention-robber!”

Day 30 Bible Reading

Job 15-18, Matthew 20: 20-34, Psalm 17: 13-15

Matthew 20: 26-28 (ESV)

“It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.””

These verses from Matthew 20 stood out for me today. Jesus gave us by his life the true example of what it means to serve. He healed so many people, ministering to their needs, and doing whatever he could to bring comfort to their life. Christ gave us the model for what it means to serve in God’s name. I think sometimes when we have service opportunities in Ministry, it can sometimes inflate our ego and make us feel like we’re special and chosen by God. But we have to remember that through God’s grace we the opportunity to bring comfort to people, to ease their burdens and pains, and to follow in Christ’s footsteps as he served the people in Galilee.

Day 29 Bible Reading

Job 11-14, Matthew 20: 1-19, Psalm 17: 6-12

Matthew 20: 14-16 (ESV)

“Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last.””

These Bible verses of Matthew 20: 14-16 made me reflect on how hard it is to sometimes to watch how God blesses people. Some people seem to get all the breaks, whether they deserve it or not. But I am reminded in these verses that God’s grace is according to his will and plan and not what it seems like each of us deserve. God’s grace is full of surprises, according to one commentator. We also cannot really see the other person’s life. We only see what they want us to see. We don’t know what they went through to get to the point where they are now. I know I have the grace and protection of God, and have been aware of it most of my life. That awareness is in itself a gift of God’s grace. When my mother died and I felt held and safe and protected in the palm of Christ’s hand during my saddest moments, I wondered what it would be like not feel that sense of protection. I remember thinking to myself, I don’t know how people face the death of a parent without knowing Christ in their life. When I read about someone struggling to understand what is going on in today’s world and how confused and fearful they feel, I wonder if they have Christ in their lives. It’s not that I don’t experience fear and confusion, because I do, but I also have my faith in Christ to pull me back from the edge, to remind me that whatever is going on is a part of God’s plan for humanity. I might not understand it all right now, but I know that at some point in the future it will all make sense and I will have that “Aha!” feeling. That’s what God was intending, that’s what he wanted to happen so it all works out for the best for all of us.