Day 33 Bible Reading

Job 25-27, Matthew 21: 33-46, Psalm 16-24

Matthew 21: 45-46 (ESV)

“When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.”

Verses 45-46 from Matthew 21 made me reflect how these verses from the Bible are reflecting what we sometimes go through in life today. There seems to be a parallel between “chief priests and Pharisees” and mainstream media. Do we rely on mainstream media to tell us who to believe and who to not believe? Or do we as Christians rely on The Bible and our relationship with Christ and the Holy Spirit to guide us? If Christ were to show up today, would he be ridiculed and persecuted in the news because he did not follow their narrative? Who would we believe if we had personally experienced the teachings of Christ or had seen a YouTube video of him of one of his parables? Is our relationship with Christ strong enough to ignore what the mainstream media or the so-called “experts” are telling us? In my case, I try to first rely on my own discernment and then I pray to Christ and the Holy Spirit to guide me for more guidance. Christ has guided me my whole life and I have years of seeing and knowing that his plan for my life has always been correct. Christ is the only standard that I know I can trust because I know he has never failed me. And yes, sometimes it does feel like that I have been swimming upstream these last few years as I have relied on Christ to make decisions for my life. But I can only do that because I have many years of experience of relying on God’s guidance and seeing how better my life has been because of it.

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.