Day 52 Bible Reading

Exodus 29-30, Mark 6: 1-29, Psalm 27: 7-14 

Mark 6: 11 (ESV)

“And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.””

I like Verse 6 from Mark 6 because it reminds me that I may not be liked wherever I go. We’ve been taught that everyone is supposed to like us and if they don’t, then there is something wrong with us. Here Jesus is saying to his disciples if people do not receive or like you, move on and don’t worry about it. Remember the parable of the sower. Not everything you say will take root. But you must keep sowing. But be kind and treat them well. This is a good reminder when telling someone you are a Christian. You many not be received with kindness, but that is okay. Shake off the dust and move on.

Day 51 Bible Reading

Exodus 27 & 28, Mark 5: 21-43, Psalm 27: 1-6

Psalm 27: 1 (ESV)

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

I love verse 1 from Psalm 27. I remember reading this psalm, but this verse never stood out until today. I am developing a love for any bible verse that refers to Jesus as a light in the darkness, and this verse is perfect. I’m not a tattoo-type person, but “Psalm 27: 1” might be a good candidate for a tattoo if I were to ever get one. I also like the use of the word “stronghold” because this word is often used to talk about addictions. But instead of an addiction, my strong “stronghold” is God. Does that mean I’m addicted to God? I kind of like that thought.

Day 50 Bible Reading

Exodus 25 & 26, Mark 4: 30-41, Mark 5: 1-20, Psalm 26

Mark 4: 30-32 (ESV)

“And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.””

I love the mustard seed parable, which I posted earlier when we were going through the Gospel of Matthew. After reading a few bible commentaries, I didn’t know that some theologians consider these birds as “emissaries of Satan” because of what Jesus said earlier in Mark 4 in the parable of the soils. The birds devoured some of the seed and Jesus tells his disciples that “Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.”  Some theologians say that the size and status of God’s work are not necessarily a benefit because of our sinful nature.  Was Christ referring to the corruption in the temples in his time? There have been many large Christian churches that end up in the headlines because of their corrupt practices. One thing I do believe is that our sinful nature will come out eventually, no matter how hard we try to push it down, and we have to pray to God to help us detect those “birds” early and keep them out of every growing faith tree.

Day 49 Bible Reading

Exodus 23 & 24, Mark 3: 31-35, Mark 4: 1-29, Psalm 25: 16-22

Mark 4: 9 (ESV)

“And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.””

Verse 9 from Mark 4 is one of my favorite sayings of Christ. God is all around us, in everything we do, in what we say and sometimes in what other people say, but only if we have the “right” ears to hear will we hear it as God. I think of all the times I have prayed for answer from from God, and the answer has come from a random thing I’ve seen on TV, from a random passage from a book, from a conversation with a friend even. But only if I was open to hearing it. If wasn’t open to hearing it, then I think God could have sat down next to me on my bed and shouted it in ear my ear and I wouldn’t have heard it, because I was too wrapped up in wanting to get the answer in the way that I wanted to receive the answer and I already knew what the answer should be. I didn’t want God’s way and his answer. I wanted my way and my answer. I had an issue that I was praying about and I wasn’t getting an answer. A friend suggested that I do a certain thing to solve it, and I dismissed it because it wasn’t the answer that I wanted. But after a few months, God did start to give me clues as to what his answer would be and, and in the end his answer was exactly what my friend had recommended months earlier. God was speaking through her to me, but I didn’t have the ears to hear it because I was too caught up in wanting my way and my answer, and not God’s way and answer. I could have saved months of anguish and doubt, if only I had ears to hear.