Day 56 Bible Reading

Exodus 37 & 38, Mark 8: 1-38, Psalm 30: 8-12

Mark 8: 33 (ESV)

“But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.””

I’ve always found verse 33 from Mark 8 very interesting. When I read his passage, I always think of Peter as just being mindful of any harm coming to Jesus and warning him. When Christ scolds him, it makes me realize that a person can so easily and unwittingly be used by Satan. God can do all things, but Satan whispers doubts in our ears and make us wonder if God is really that powerful even though we have evidence as did Peter to the contrary. We have always remind ourselves if our thoughts and words are contrary to the truth we know about God and the Christ.

Day 55 Bible Reading

Exodus 35 & 36, Mark 7: 31-37, Psalm 30: 1-7

Exodus 36: 1 (ESV)

“Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whom the Lord has put skill and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary shall work in accordance with all that the Lord has commanded.”

I find verse 1 from Exodus 36 very intriguing. God filled the people who would be building the ark of the covenant with the necessary skills to build and decorate it. Does this mean if God tasks us with doing something, he will fill us with the “skill and intelligence” to complete the task? I think the answer is yes. I think of all the times God has asked me to do something, and I had doubts about doing the task. But if I just allowed myself to follow God’s wishes, I found myself able to complete the task even though I wasn’t sure at the start that I knew what I was doing. Did God fill me with “skill and intelligence” but I didn’t know it? I don’t know. I would like to think God did, because I know without God’s help I wouldn’t have been able to complete the task. So the next time God asks me to do something, I’m not going so much of doubter. I’m going to just do it, and trust that God will provide me with the skills I need to get the job done.

Day 54 Bible Reading

Exodus 33 & 34, Mark 7: 1-30, Psalm 29

Mark 7: 18-23 (ESV)

“And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean. And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.””

In these verses from Mark 7, we read of Jesus redefining the strict laws for eating laid down by the Pharisees. But I think Jesus in some way also expanded the kosher laws to include all things that enter our heart. If we hear things and let it enter our heart that are not in keeping with God’s laws in the both the Old an New testament, then slowly but surely it can start to poison us so when it does come out it will defile us. These last few weeks, Holy Spirit has been convicting me of listening to people who are all doom and gloom. I told myself I listen to these people because I am an open-minded person and I like to hear different points of view on a topic. But Holy Spirit has been warning me that listening to people with negative points of view is not a good thing for me because I feel depressed afterwards. If I look back on the track record of these people in predicting world events and trends, I have to say that 80% of the time their predictions have not come true. Some people even refer listening to doom and gloom as “fear porn”. So I stopped listening to them and my mood has improved because I think I am by nature a very optimistic person. And of course, Holy Spirit was right. I was letting myself take in something that started to defile me inside.

Day 53 Bible Reading

Exodus 31 & 32, Mark 6: 30-56, Psalm 28

Mark 6: 48-50 (ESV)

“And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.””

Something about these verses from Mark 6 struck me today. It must have been so terrifying for the disciples to see Christ walking on the water. But then Jesus says to his disciples, “Take heart, it’s me. Do not be afraid.” Wouldn’t it be so amazing to hear the voice of Christ crying out to us when we are in scary situation? I was trying to remember if I was ever in a scary situation and praying to hear God’s voice, but getting to scary situations isn’t a normal event for me. The last situation I was in where I think I had some fear was the first time I drove cross country, which was six years ago. I had mapped out my route so I knew where I was going and the route, but I had never driven over two days by myself to another state. I have friends who do it all the time over the holidays, when they drive cross country to visit parents. My cousin drove from California to New Jersey by herself to visit her parents, and she was under 21 years old. I was so proud of her. I’m not sure I could make that same trip, because I have fears of travelling alone in my car for that many days. But if I did make a similar trip like my cousin, it would be so cool to hear the voice of Christ telling me not be afraid because he is with me and guiding me the whole way.

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.