Day 262 Bible Readings – Psalm 139: 1-4 (ESV)

Isaiah 45-46, Galatians 4: 21-31, Galatians 5: 1-6, Psalm 139: 1-10

Psalm 139: 1-4 (ESV)

“O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.”

I like verses 1 through 4 from Psalm 139 because they tell us how familiar God is with us. He knows everything about us. He knows what we are thinking, what we will do, and what we will say before we say it. Yet even as God knows all of these things, he gives us free will to do whatever we want in in our life. God loves us so unconditionally that we can be free to disobey him, displease him, and go our own way. But like a good father, God will never abandon us. He will always await our return from our selfish ways and wanderings and welcome us back with open arms.

I think of my own journey with God. I was born into a religious home, and my parents did their best to instill a love of God within me. My mother would be glad to know that she was at least successful in giving me a love of God. But like any child, I had to find my own towards God. I was pointed in the right direction by my parents, but I still had to as an adult create my own relationship with God. And it’s been a roundabout journey with God sometimes being very prominent and sometimes being very absent in my life. But I know I can say honestly, God was always there in the background. I never quite left him or as I like to think of it, God never let me go no matter how much I tried to get away from him. And gosh darn it, did I every try! But now Holy Spirit is trying to once again deepen my relationship with God, and I am grateful that God never gave up on me. I am the prodigal child who has returned, and my father-God is celebrating my homecoming.

Day 261 Bible Readings – Galatians 4: 4-7 (ESV)

Isaiah 43-44, Galatians 3: 26-29, Galatians 4: 1-20, Psalm 138

Galatians 4: 4-7 (ESV)

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

Verses 4 through 7 from Galatians 4 shows Paul telling the Church of Galatia that God sent forth his son Jesus Christ at the right time in his plan, so the whole world could have the chance of becoming sons of God through adoption. After our adoption God sent Christ and the Holy Spirit into our hearts, so instead of slaves we are now sons and heirs of God.

I love how we can become heirs of God through our belief in Jesus Christ. When we become heirs of Christ, we are no longer slaves of our sinful nature. We have help and can rely not only on God, but also Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. I know in this season of my life that Holy Spirit is teaching me to rely solely on God for my abundance. I cannot rely on myself or others, but to rely only on the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I know I do rely on God, but not 100%. I also know that the times I haven’t relied on God didn’t always turn out so great. So I am grateful for the lessons, even though they are not easy. And I am looking forward to see what God has in store for me after this season is over.

Day 260 Bible Readings – Galatians 3: 13-14 (ESV)

Isaiah 41-42, Galatians 3: 1-25, Psalm 137

Galatians 3: 13-14 (ESV)

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”

Verses 13 and 14 from Galatians 3 shows Paul reminding the churches in Galatia that Christ was crucified for our sins so that the whole world (the Gentiles) could receive the blessings of Abraham through faith.  According to several Bible commentaries, the tree is a reference to verses 22 and 23 from Deuteronomy 21 – “And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.” Jesus received our curses when he was crucified on a cross, which is the same as hanging him on a tree.

God’s original covenant with Abraham in the Old Testament was only for the offspring of Abraham but with Christ’s hanging on the cross, the covenant is renewed and now applies to everyone who believes in Christ. God will save us not because we live in obedience to his laws, but because we believe in Christ. I don’t think this means we should not follow God’s laws, because Christ did not say to not follow the laws. We still need to follow God’s laws because they show us the standards of behavior that God expects in his people. But with Christ, we are saved by God’s grace and not by strict obedience to God’s laws. We will never be perfect in our behavior, but with God’s grace, we do not need to fear that our human imperfections will prevent us from being saved.

Day 259 Bible Readings – Isaiah 40: 3 (ESV)

Isaiah 38-40, Galatians 2: 11-21, Psalm 136: 13-26

Isaiah 40: 3 (ESV)

“A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

When I read verse 3 from Isaiah 40 I immediately thought of John the Baptist preaching in the desert. The prophet Isaiah predicted the life of John as he did the birth and life of Christ. John the Baptist has always been one of my favorite characters in the Bible. John had a miraculous birth, and his life was so focused and one-pointed on preparing the way for the arrival of Christ. I also find it interesting the John the Baptist and Jesus both had miraculous births, were cousins, and therefore peers. Christ also came to earth with a mission, so his life was also focused and one-pointed.

I believe if you are a person of faith, God has a mission for all of us. Our lives might not be as focused as Jesus or John the Baptist, but we have a mission from God nonetheless to fulfill his plan on earth for all of humanity.