Day 37 Bible Reading

Job 37-39, Matthew 24: 32-51. Psalm 19: 1-6

Matthew 24: 42 (ESV)

“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”

Verse 42 from Matthew 24 I believe is a message for all Christians that can apply not only to when Christ returns but to our death. We do not know when our time will come to depart from the earth and we will meet Jesus in heaven, so we must prepare daily that our hearts are clean. We must ask nightly for forgiveness, tell God all that we have done good and bad, and be strong in our faith. I don’t want my last thought to be “am I right with God?” as I lay there dying. I want to wake up every morning knowing I am right with God. Every year I also think about everyone I know and ponder that if today was my last day, if there is anything I need to any of my friends that I would regret I didn’t say. I’m pretty much a straight shooter so I believe I’ve very honest with people, probably much more than they would like. But there are always a few things I know I hold back just because it’s not the right thing to say. I always ask myself if these things I’m holding back from a friend or relative, something I would regret not saying to them if I had the chance. Then if the Lord comes or my time comes, I know I will face either even with a clear mind and heart.

Day 36 Bible Reading

Job 34-36, Matthew 24: 1-31, Psalm 18: 43-50

Matthew 24: 4-7 (ESV)

“And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.”

Verses 4-7 from Matthew 24 made me think about whether we are now living in this time described by Christ. Because of social media we live in a time when people can become famous very quickly. Something they’ve said or done goes “viral” and they get millions of views. I don’t believe anyone has said that they are “the Christ”, but they come very close in terms of their influence and fame. People follow them until something happens and their new “idol” becomes tarnished. We hear rumors of wars, and sometimes it feels like nations are ready to go to war with each other. There are famines but they are not widespread yet, but there does seem to be a rise in earthquakes around the world. Are we in the end times? I don’t know. All I know is our world is shifting quickly and because of social media, we know about it in “real time”. I think what we need to hold onto in our seemingly “chaotic” world is The Bible and the teachings of Christ. They have survived for over 2,000 years in a world that is always changing and in times of world wars has been even more chaotic than they are now.

Day 35 Bible Reading

Job 31-33, Matthew 23, Psalm 18: 27-42

Matthew 23: 8-10 (ESV)

“But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ.”

Verses 8-10 from Matthew 23 reminded me today I shouldn’t hold anyone up as greater than Christ. I can read commentary about the Bible from others, but my true authority is how I understand the text for myself according to my relationship with Christ. I felt convicted when I read these verses because there are so many people I admire and read their words and listen to them speak. I read everything they put out, buy all their books, listen to their podcasts if they have them, and ponder their words. These verses are reminding me that no one should stand above Christ for my authority. That when push comes to shove, the words of Christ and in the Bible are my true authority. Sadly some of the people I admire and listen to don’t have a relationship with Christ, but they are true giants in their areas of study. I know I have to be careful because their words and their theories do not have Christ at the center. And I think Jesus is reminding me as well with these verses that my true authority should only come Christ. He is my one teacher, my one father, and my one instructor. I need no other but Christ.

Day 34 Bible Reading

Job 28-30, Matthew 22, Psalm 18: 25-36

Psalm 18: 28 (ESV)

“For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness.”

I love Bible verses such Verse 28 from Psalm 18 that talk about God being a light in the darkness. When I am in a dark space of fear, hopelessness, abandonment, or even confusion, I look to God to help me find my way out of the darkness. And even when I am feeling so lost that I forget sometimes that I have a relationship with Christ, it is he who reaches out to me to let me know that I need to call out to him, to reach for the light, and that light will help me find a way out of the darkness. I had a bad dream a few months ago where I was in a dark hall, and I kept calling out for someone to turn on the light so I could see and not feel afraid. In the dream. Eventually someone turned on the light and I felt the fear leave me immediately, and I woke up. In the dream I didn’t see who was it that turned on the light, but as I was thinking about what happened in the dream I realized that it was Christ who did it. Christ will always be the one to turn on the light in the darkness, and no one else, but Christ.