Genesis 29, Esther 5, Matthew and Acts 28

We closed out the books of Matthew and Acts, and I feel like it is truly fitting to close these books out together. Throughout Matthew we have read along as Jesus bring the kingdom of Heaven crashing to earth...as he shows what true humanity looks like...as he calls people to follow in his footsteps. In the book of Acts, we see the first Christians living out the call of Jesus Christ. Regardless of how the culture around them perceives their allegiance, nothing changes about their dedication. Much of the book centers around Paul who is a living breathing example of the Great Commission throughout the book of Acts. He is constantly going...he is ever in search of new disciples...he is unafraid to teach people about the truth of Jesus Christ...he is a great example of what the discipleship Jesus has called us to looks like lived out. What needs to change in our lives so that we can better reflect true Christian discipleship?

Genesis 28, Esther 4, Matthew and Acts 27

"Bethel" - the house of God. Jacob falls asleep on the way to Laban's land and God reconfirms the ancient Abraham covenant with him. He wakes and calls the place "the house of God" because he knows that God has met him there. Jesus, in Matthew 27, is put through a mock trial, tortured, ridiculed and slaughtered on the cross. This has been the plan since sin first entered into the world. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were told that the nations would be blessed through them...and there on the cross, the ultimate blessing takes place. Jesus makes the sacrifice that was required to offer salvation to the sinful masses of the world. Because of that sacrifice, we can become the "Bethel"...the house of God. Through the righteousness of Jesus, the chasm that sin caused between God and man is removed and God meets us where we are. We become the temple of the living God! Praise Jesus! Do you think about this amazing truth on a daily basis? Do you realize the guidance and strength that you have within you as followers of Christ? Do you live as men and women housing the Spirit of God?

"For such a time as this" - I love that phrase! Why was devout Jewish woman chosen to be the wife of a powerful pagan king (Other than the fact that she was smokin'...)...for such a time as this. Once again the children of Israel re threatened, and once again God has put events into motion that will bring about their deliverance. Esther knows that her life is on the line, but she is willing to step out in faith because she knows that God is faithful. Paul is trapped on a ship...in the middle of a storm...with no food...and everyone has given up hope. Yet, he knows that he has been placed there "for such a time as this." Surrounded by hardened criminals and seasoned warriors, Paul alone has the strength to stand up and lead because his strength does not come by human will. He holds a communion service and promises everyone that they will be delivered by the one and only God. Paul was ready to act because he lived every moment with the understanding that God had brought him to that place "for such a time as this." Do you live with the same confidence? Why had God brought you through the experiences of your life...why has He placed you where you are right now? For such a time as this!

Genesis 27, Esther 2, Matthew and Acts 26

The two meals that are depicted in these passages speak a powerful message of God's sovereignty. Esau is the firstborn child of Isaac, but through deception he loses the blessing of his father (Which is fitting since he stupidly lost his birthright over a bowl of soup before that). Jacob uses a shared me to lie to his father and cheat his brother out of a blessing...yet he is the one who becomes the Father of Israel (He actually becomes Israel himself - his name gets changed!) and ancient ancestor of Jesus. Skip forward 2,000 years and Jesus is sitting down at a meal with his disciples...a meal he shares with someone he knows is going to betray him. He breaks bread with the disciples who will abandon him and the traitor who will turn him in to the Jewish authorities. God eventually uses their cowardice to cement their commitment to the way of Jesus when he is resurrected and he gives them a second chance - almost every one of them is violently killed because of their unshakable faith in Jesus. God uses Judas' betrayal as the catalyst that will end with Jesus' death on the cross...a sacrifice that was willingly made to offer salvation to all who believe. We see over and over that God uses the imperfect...the rejects...the cowards...the betrayers to bring about His will. In our weakness, God is strong.

Fast forward another 2,000 years to now. You may have failed in some areas...you may have betrayed Jesus...turned your back on him...you may be scared of truly following Jesus because of the cost. Remember that you are in good company! You are a faith descendant of Jacob the trickster and Peter the coward. Use these passages as a reminder that it is true - you aren't good enough to change the world...you aren't smart enough to know what to do...you aren't ready to fight for the faith - but God is. We are made righteous through his sacrifice. We are made wise through His Spirit. We are given the strength to do things we never thought we could. Let God's strength show clearly in light of your weakness...trust your life to Him and see what happens!

Genesis 25/26, Esther 1/2, Matthew and Acts 24/25

Why eight chapters today? I'm trying to catch up for missing yesterday, and had a nice quiet morning at the house to read...so here we are! I would love to hear your thoughts on the texts or help you with any questions you might have...feel free to comment.

I have never read through the Bible like this - going back and forth, throughout scripture - and I really like the perspective it gives. Jesus teachings in Matthew today are focused in on improperly using the gifts God has given. We are called to honor God with every aspect of our lives. We are not supposed to wait around for a miraculous sign about how to expand His kingdom...we are supposed to be living to honor Him every moment. Our words...our thoughts...our actions...the little things...the big things...all of these things have been entrusted to us so that we can make a positive impact on this world and make God's name great. In the readings today we see the fallout from those who refuse to take up God's cause in the world and we see the world-changing influence of the "good and faithful servants."

Ishmael, though blessed by God by becoming a father of his own nation, can never move beyond the hurt that Abraham/Sarah caused him and leaves behind a legacy of chaos in his dealing with Isaac's descendants. The fallout from his choice to maintain bitterness instead of fighting for peace is sill felt around the world to this day (i.e. the craziness in the Middle East).

Esther uses her forced marriage as a launching pad for saving both the King's like (Though Mordecai's waning) and the Jewish nation as a whole (later).

Paul is bounced around from prison to prison...from trial to trial...from false accusation to false accusation...and never strays from his commitment to The Way. In fact, it is through these terrible circumstances that Paul is able to make a case for the Gospel in front of the most powerful people in the world.

I want to be that "good and faithful servant." I want to take advantage of every opportunity that is put before me by God...I want to be ready to impact His kingdom...make His name great...introduce people to the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Faithful followers do that every day...in the interactions with their families...in their conversations at work...in the way they view the world...in the good times and especially in the hard times (where it seems that God often works the most powerfully!). May you see every day as a new opportunity to expand the kingdom of our awesome Lord (Because that is exactly what it is).

Genesis 24, Nehemiah 13, Matthew and Acts 23

There is one word that comes into my mind after reading through these passages today - legacy. This reading has got me thinking about the legacy that we all leave behind. Abraham was nearing the end of his life and he wanted the legacy of his faithfulness to continue on through the generations...he wanted to make sure his son had a God-fearing wife and made his servant promise to bring such a woman to Isaac. Jesus confronts the Pharisees about the negative legacy that they are leaving behind them. They burden people with rules they cannot even follow themselves...they live in hypocrisy...they care more about how other people view their actions, then they do about honoring God with their lives. Throughout the final chapter of Nehemiah, the author wants to make sure that the good he did and the way he honored God with his life are know to all by repeating the phrase, "Remember me, O my God, for good." It is vital to him that he is remembered by his life of faithfulness. Finally, we see Paul once again defending his commitment to upholding the Jewish faith while standing firm in his knowledge that Jesus is the promised Messiah. No amount of torture, jail time, arguing, and harassment can shift Paul away from what he knows is true. That is a legacy!

Think about your own life...what kind of legacy are you leaving behind? What would your spouse say? Your kids? Your friends? Your co-workers? What is your legacy?

Genesis 23, Nehemiah 12, Matthew and Acts 22

After reading about Sarah's tomb in Genesis 23, I decided to do a little research (meaning I looked it up on Wikipedia). Here is the link to the site http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_the_Patriarchs ...it is an interesting read. The heartbreaking thing about this tomb is that it has become a place of violence and murder as the Jews and Muslims have fought over the site for centuries. They are completely missing the point!!! What should be a celebrated site - where people rejoice in the faithfulness of the patriarchs and matriarchs of Israel, and people praise God for His faithfulness to bless through world through His chosen people - has become a place of petty human struggle, selfishness, pride and violence. It is a sad situation.

Jesus himself also teaches on our human ability to entirely miss the point of what God is doing in the world in the book of Matthew. In his parable about the wedding feast for the son, the master of the house has prepared an incredible party...amazing food...he is wanting to celebrate and connect with the people he has invited; yet, they are just too busy to care....they have other things to do...some of them even react violently against the host and his servants. It seems that we spend a great deal of time missing the point don't we? We spend our lives ignoring the invitations God has given us to connect with Him...to celebrate with Him...to honor His son by accepting the invitation to join in with the party...and we are missing the point. We were made to be with God. We were made to walk in step with Him...to be connected to Him...and the only way that is ever going to happen is if we have accepted the invitation to put on the wedding clothes and attend the party (i.e. to put on the righteousness that can only come through Jesus Christ and live for him/with him). We don't have anything better to do! There is nothing more important! Don't miss the point.

Genesis 22, Nehemiah 11, Matthew and Acts 21

Unshakable faithfulness stands out to me today. Abraham is told by God to sacrifice his one and only son...the son who is the heir to the huge nation that God has promised will come from Abraham's line...and what does Abe do? Does he scream and argue and beg God to do something else? Does he weep and stall hoping God will change His mind? No. He gets up the next day and he leaves so that he can sacrifice his son. He acts when called on by God. He moves. He trusts that God knows what He is doing. Whether Abraham believes that God will provide another sacrifice, or that God will resurrect his sacrificed son...he believes. He allows his life and actions to be completely shaped by his faith in God!

In the book of Acts we see the same from Paul. Everywhere he goes, prophets and wise church leaders are telling him not to go to Jerusalem. They know that the Jews there have been stirred up against Paul. They know that the Romans are becoming less and less inclined to allow these "trouble making" Christians to cause problems in their empire. They beg Paul to go somewhere else...apparently they start weeping in front of Paul because they feel so strongly that he will be imprisoned or killed. And how does Paul respond? He says, "I will face any imprisonment, pain, suffering and even death for the sake of the Gospel." That is faith!!! That is the answer of a man who trusts God...a man who absolutely believes that God's Will will be done and that there is true life after our deaths in this half-life world. Nothing can stop Paul from living for Christ and preaching to good news, because he knows int he very core of his being that it is all true.

Do you?

Does your life look like the life lived by a person who utterly trusts God?

Are you driven by unshakable faithfulness?

Genesis 21, Nehemiah 10, Matthew and Acts 20

I was really intrigued by the community covenant that the Israelites make in Nehemiah as they work at getting back on track with their relationship with God. They very clearly set out for themselves exactly who they are going to be. They talk about what they will and will not do to honor God with their lives. They talk about the expectations that they have as a community for generosity towards God and others. They lay out a specific plan for what it looks like to be a member of the nation of Israel...what it looks like to live as God's chosen people.

I find this interesting, because I wonder if this is something that members of current day churches in the US are often missing. Sure, there are plenty of lists in the New and Old Testaments that lay out for us what the lives of followers of God should look like, but it seems like we don't ever really hold ourselves to those expectations. We don't really expect much of each other. I work on a church staff...I know what goes on behind the scenes...I am a part of the problem....it seems like we spend more and more time each year trying to figure out how to make church attending as easy as possible for people. Finding the perfect service times. Attractive programming. Great childcare. Convenient parking. It all fits perfectly in with a consumer culture, but it doesn't fit so well with real discipleship. It seems like we are making Christianity so easy. Pray this prayer. Go to this class. Attend church. Throw a couple of bucks in the offering plate. And you're a Christian - YAY! That was easy.

Yet every time somebody talks to Jesus about following him, he hits them right between the eyes. Remember Matthew chapter 20? The sons of Zebedee want to be big shots in Jesus' kingdom. What does he say to them, "I really think you can drink from this cup?" He is telling them...this is hard...this requires sacrifice...you have to be serious about this...following me is not convenient. I wonder if we need to stop making Christianity so easy for everyone and work on making it a little tougher. I'm not saying we should not be welcoming...that we should not let sinners in the door (Nobody could come in then, right?)...I am saying that we should expect more of ourselves and those we are in community with when it comes to following Jesus. I'm saying that we should start entering into covenant relationships with one another like the Israelites did...hold each other accountable...push each other...EXPECT MORE.

What would a covenant for Christians today look like? What would it require? Thoughts? 

Genesis 20, Nehemiah 9, Matthew and Acts 19

Sorry I have been slacking!!!

Genesis 20 - Do we trust God regardless of the situations that we find ourselves in? (Abraham decided that since he was surrounded by godless heathens, he could lie and hide who he was - do you do that?)

Matthew 19 - Is everything on the table for us? Am I willing to offer anything...leave everything for the sake of God's Kingdom? Are you? (Jesus says, it is worth the sacrifice - do you believe that?)

Nehemiah 9 - Nehemiah sums up the OT very well in this chapter. Major point? God is righteous and deals faithfully with His people, even when His people have rejected Him...even when they have done wicked things. The same God is still God of everything...do I believe in that truth? Do I live like it?

Acts 19 - Even the demons in the chapter recognize Paul and understand the power he has received because of his faith in God. Interesting question - are we known to demons...are we feared by the forces of evil because of our utter reliance on God and committment to the Way of Jesus? Or are we left alone because of hypocrisy and spiritual apathy?

Genesis 19, Nehemiah 8, Matthew and Acts 18

There are so many intriguing portions of these texts, that it was really hard to focus in on one thing that really jumped out at me. Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot's wife. His daughters desperate actions - EWWW! Jesus' teaching on temptation and forgiveness. Nehemiah's creative teaching style. So much good stuff!!!

Yet the passage that really stood out in my mind had to do with Jesus' teaching on the humility and innocence of children. His teaching is just as crucial today as it was 2,000 years ago. Human beings, myself included, constantly fight and scratch to prove their worth...better their opponents...achieve their goals regardless of the cost...most of us are on an unending quest to be The Greatest. Yet, Jesus teaching here flies in the face of everything this world teaches us about greatness and power. Jesus says, "You wanna no what true greatness looks like - look at a little child." Innocent. Trusting. Faithful. Pure. Filled with a sense of wonder and imagination. Believing nothing is impossible. These are the incredible traits of children. I see them all the time in my own kids, and it breaks my heart when I see them start to fade away as my kids get older. Dane has transitioned from saying that God has healed his boo-boos, to understanding the regenerative properties of the human body through kid's anatomy books (don't ask). He is starting to transition from playing for fun to competing to win. The innocence is fading...the human pride is growing...and this happens because he has seen it modeled in me. I want that child-like faith. I want to look around each day in wonder at the miracle of creation. I want to think the best of people. I want to unconditionally trust God. Time to get to work...to work at being my Father's child.

Genesis 18, Nehemiah 7, Matthew and Acts 17

A couple interesting things pop out of these texts...

Does Abraham have a better plan than God with regard to Sodom? It seems that God acquiesce to Abraham's merciful wishes - what does this mean - does God change His mind? I believe that God is simply treating Abraham with mercy. Abraham does not yet understand that there is hope for the righteous after death. God understands that if Sodom is leveled...the righteous will experience perfected life after death...Abraham cannot grasp this concept. So God offers to spare the city if there are even 10 righteous people inside because of his love for Abraham, not because Abraham saw something that God overlooked.

I love the story of Paul in the Areopagus!!! He is relentless in his declaration of God's truth. Whether it is in Jewish synagogues or pagan gatherings...Paul fearlessly proclaims the truth of God. This is a great model for all Christ-followers to emulate...a great challenge for me...where is my Areopagus? This story is so fitting because it is directly applicable to every era of human history. These pagan men and women were caught up in idolatry and desperately seeking fulfillment through false gods. Paul steps into their lives...meets them where they are...uses their language...and shows them that what they have always been seeking in the one and only God that he follows. Nothing about this truth has changed, and there are countless people around us who need to hear about this reality...they need to be met where they are and hear the Gospel presented in their own "language" (meaning - not in Christianese).

Genesis 17, Nehemiah 6, Matthew and Acts 16

I found it interesting that circumcision came up in two of the passages today. The first came from Genesis where God made the practice of circumcision part of the covenant with Abraham. The second came when Paul took Timothy, whop had a Greek father, to be circumcised as part of the process of becoming an evangelist with Paul. I know circumcision is a pretty uncomfortable topic (Especially for men - OUCH!!!), but I think these experiences offer us a great challenge. Abraham is a 100 years old when God makes this covenant with him - 100!!! And what does he do when God tells him that part of the covenant is that he must cut off a piece of his skin that has been attached in a very sensitive area for 100 years? He goes out the same day and gets circumcised...in fact he had every single man and boy in his household circumcised. He has been called by God to do something, and so he acts...it is another great example of faith from Abraham. He could have made excuses...he could have tried to wait until God made Sarah pregnant (just to be sure)...but instead he stepped out in faith and did what he knew God was telling him to do. In the same way, Timothy agrees to get circumcised as a young man...circumcised in a time where God was revealing to the followers of Jesus that they didn't really have to be circumcised. Timothy gets circumcised anyway...the question is why? Because he thought he could do more effective ministry to his Jewish brothers. The ministry that God called him to was more important than his comfort. He was willing to make sacrifices to honor God with his life. Jesus talks about counting the cost of discipleship in Matthew chapter 16...both of these men counted the cost of following God and they decided it was worth anything to honor their Master. How about you? I have seen people who have been convicted by God to change things in their lives...who end up making excuses...end up dragging out taking any decisive action...and then they never end up truly following God. They get back into the swing of things in life and ignore the call of God. There is a reason we are still reading about Abraham and Timothy...and a reason that we know nothing about the people that refused to offer themselves to God...be men and women of action, and when God is calling you to change...do whatever it takes to honor Him with your life.

Genesis 16, Nehemiah 5, Matthew and Acts 15

In Acts 15, we see something that at first seems pretty heartbreaking. After a very successful time of doing ministry together, Paul and Barnabus get into an argument and go their separate ways. It would be easy to think about the destructiveness of fighting among fellow Christians...I could easily write about instances I have seen in the church where petty arguments have led to fractured relationships and church splits...but I want to focus on the positive nature of the argument Paul and Barnabus have. Apparently they strongly disagree with one another about whether John Mark should join them on their next missionary venture...they argue an decide to go their separate ways. Yet in doing so, they each take on the role of mentor for a younger believer and they go to different places doubling the impact of their ministry. Yes, they get in an argument...but they move on...they don't try to stir other people up against their opponent...they get back to God's work. This is what arguments in the church should look like! I work on a church staff, and though we are all close...we do not always see eye to eye...in fact we are rarely all in 100% agreement (Sometimes people have trouble understanding that my way is the best - LOL)...yet, we move forward to do the ministry that God has called us to. Even when there are hard words spoken...even if feelings are hurt...there has to be a moment of clarity in Christian minds when we come back to understanding that there is a greater task to be worked out than trying to get our own way. Human beings argue...people don't always see eye to eye...but if these people are brothers and sisters in Christ, they should be able to walk away from an disagreement without bitterness and with an understanding that there is work to be done in God's Kingdom!

Genesis 12, Nehemiah 1, Matthew and Acts 11

A thought...

Though it is easy to get caught up in Abram's lies to the Pharaoh in this passage (not smart!)...I am drawn more to the way he travels. He picks up everything...leaves everything he knows to follow God, and throughout the journey he stops to build altars and praise God. He is continually reminding himself of why he is traveling...who he is following. This is a great example. A great many people get fired up about following God for a short time, but they fall away when it gets hard or when they don't feel the same passion as they did before...Abram gives us a practical way to combat that falling away - make it a point to stop and praise God...make it a point to remember who you are following and why you are living sacrificially.

Fell free to share any of your thoughts on the passages, in the comments section.

Genesis 11, Matthew, Ezra and Acts 10

It is hard for me to focus any comments on anything other than Matthew because that passage is so full of powerful teachings from Jesus. I really appreciate that Jesus sends his followers out with a clear understanding of what they are getting into. They will have power...they will do incredible things...but it is going to be very difficult. They will be persecuted...they will be hated...they will be rejected by family and friends. When Christians choose to boldly follow Christ wit their lives, there will be negative response from the evil forces of the world. The cost of discipleship is high...but the gain is absolutely priceless. Look at what Jesus says in 10:32ff...when we acknowledge Christ before the people of this world, we can be certain that Jesus will acknowledge and defend us before God the Father!!! That is incredible! It does not matter if our lives are hard...it does not matter if we experience physical and emotional suffering...we know how this story ends!

Genesis 9 and 10. Matthew, Ezra and Acts 9.

A question came to mind as I was reading today's passages. Why does Jesus jump all over the Pharisees for hating sinners, while the Israelites in the Old Testament are forbidden to have anything to do with people that were different than them? Doesn't that seem like a contradiction? Aren't the Pharisees basically living out a worldview that was given to them by God in the OT? What do you think about it? I think the big issue is not being around "sinners," the big issue is the purpose and outcome of the interactions. Jesus is meeting with sinners and tax collectors because he wants to bring life change to them...he wants to bring them into his kingdom...he wants to share a message of hope with them. They need to hear that - everybody needs to hear that! In the Ezra passage we see that the issue is not just hanging out with non-Jews...the issue is that Jews have been marrying pagans, who remain pagan after the marriage. The Jewish people have allowed their families and communities to be infiltrated and corrupted by pagan worship practices, which is what got them into the whole exile predicament in the first place...and that is just crazy!!! Jesus encourages his followers to bring everyone from the darkness into the light, and to do that...you have to sometimes go out into the darkest corners of the earth. The corrupted Jews were just interested in finding the hottest most exotic looking women around to marry, not caring if they ever became God-followers. That's the difference. What about you? It is fine to hang out with non-Christians as long as you know you are on a mission to influence them towards Christ. If you feel yourself being dragged away from God and towards corruption, then you need to find more positive community to grow as a disciple of Christ.

Genesis, Matthew, Ezra and Acts 8

There are four really great examples of the faithfulness of God followers in these passages. In Genesis, we see Noah immediately worship God after being brought through the flood...it is the first thing he does! In Matthew, the pagan Roman commander shows his faithfulness by understanding that Jesus had the power to heal with a word...he didn't try to make a production out of Jesus coming to his house - he simply had faith. In Ezra, the leaders of the returning exiles begin their journey back to Jerusalem with a time of fasting and prayer...they fully understand that their endeavor will be meaningless without God's blessing. And finally, in Acts Philip listens to the voice of God and gets the chance to share the Good News with the Ethiopian eunuch...then the eunuch takes the first step in faith and immediately asks to be baptized. Great examples to have on the mind today! Does faithfulness permeate every area of your life? Are you more focused on what you can do for yourself...or what you deserve...or the comfort of your life...or are you focused on faithfully following God regardless of what you are experiencing?

Genesis, Matthew, Ezra and Acts Chapter 5

Again, it seems that parallels between these passages seem to just jump off the pages (They also happen to really be greats texts by themselves as well!). For me these 4 chapters are really summed up by the words of the disciples in chapter 5 of Acts. They say in verse 29, "We must obey God and not men!" In Genesis we are introduced to Noah, who will be a man who chooses to listen to God even though everyone else thinks he is crazy. In Matthew, Jesus destroys cultural boundaries and false beliefs by showing what a God-following life actually looks like lived out. The whole Sermon on the Mount is basically saying, "Man has corrupted what God intended through the Law!" In Ezra, the returning Jews refuse to stop building the temple because they know that God wants them to continue construction. And finally in Acts, the apostles refuse to stop talking about Jesus because they know it is the truth. Very challenging passages for us...are you willing to follow God and live faithfully regardless of what people around you think? Regardless of persecution? Regardless of consequences?

Genesis, Matthew, Ezra and Acts 4

I find it interesting that each of these stories highlights conflict for those who are trying to follow God. Abel is killed because Cain is jealous of the offering that Abel makes. Cain resents the close connection Abel has to God because it magnifies his own separation from God. In Matthew, we see Jesus confronted face to face by Satan. Satan quotes scriptures, uses brides and temptation, and does everything he can to convince Jesus to act selfishly. In Ezra the Jews who have returned to the horrible living conditions of destroyed Jerusalem meet hostility and deception while trying to rebuild God's temple. Finally, the leaders of the growing church are brought before the Jewish council and told to stop teaching about Jesus Christ.

There is something that we must all remember as God followers - we are at war! Since the Fall there have been forces of evil working in opposition to the work of God in the world. When we choose to faithfully follow God, we do not get a free pass from trouble. In fact, these verses seem to show us that people who are doing God's work will often face the greatest trials, temptations and opposition! I might even be bold enough to say that you should probably be a little worried about the level of your commitment to Christ if you never face any persecution or trials. Those who sit back and do nothing for the kingdom of God are often left alone.

I love the prayer that the disciples pray after being accosted by the leaders of the Jewish council. Look again at Acts 4:29, it says, "And now Lord, look upon the threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness." That is their prayer...in the face of persecution and rejection from their own people, they want only to have the strength to keep on speaking boldly about their belief in Jesus. Is that what you pray on a daily basis? God no matter what happens today, let me be used to positively impact this kingdom...let me be used to tell people about your truth. Pray that prayer everyday and you will really start making a difference (And probably start experiencing some persecution).

Ezra 2, Acts, 2, Genesis 3, Matthew 3, Ezra 3 and Acts 3

I was on retreat and missed a few days of the M'Cheyne, so I did a couple extra chapters to catch up a little. It is a lot of reading, but also a great overall picture as you see God's story unfold before your eyes. The Fall in the Garden. The beginning of Jesus ministry with his baptism. The desire for the Jews to rebuild their temple and offer pure sacrifices once again. The beauty of Spirit filled followers of Christ living out their faith. These are all threads of the same story....we lost that beautiful intimate relationship with God in the Garden but were reunited with it once again through the sacrifice of Jesus. Like the beggar who is healed in Acts 3, we should live out each day in a celebration of the healing and righteousness that we have been given through Christ. Does your life reflect the newness you have in Christ every day?