Month: January 2019

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Exodus 4:1 – 7:7

God gave Moses three signs to give to the Israelites so that they would believe. They needed those signs because God didn’t simply show up and lead them out of Egypt. Note from your reading why He didn’t make it that simple. He wanted to accomplish more than the freeing of His people; what was it that He wanted to do? Let’s pay attention to the next three days’ readings to see if His greater purpose was accomplished.

Do you suppose His people thought there was a greater purpose than their freedom? Do you think that God could have a greater purpose than your comfort in allowing the circumstances in your life? That’s an interesting question to ponder as we read through the Old Testament: how important to God is His people’s comfort and the fulfillment of their every wish? What might be more important to Him than that? If there are more important things to God than that, then where should we place our priorities?

What does this tell you about God today? Have you ever embarked on an adventure with God, expecting it to go smoothly because it was His work, only to find the way anything but smooth? Should our suffering difficulty when we step out in obedience to God discourage us, or can we trust Him to use that difficulty to accomplish something even greater than we could imagine? He wants to, you know. Consider Ephesians 3:20-21.

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Exodus 1 – 3

God was not surprised at the suffering of His people. His foretelling Abram of the very suffering the Israelites were experiencing at the opening of Exodus (Genesis 15: 13 – 14) reveals that He knew about it. Yet He still led Israel to Egypt, and He let the enslavement continue for 400 years. What does that reveal to you about God? Does this truth have any bearing on your own life? If you need some help here, you can refer to I Peter 4:12. How does this make you feel about God? If that answer is not what you wish it would be, please confess that to Him and ask Him to transform your thoughts toward Him. He knows your thoughts already, and trusting Him with them will build your relationship with Him.

What is the significance of the name by which God introduced Himself to His people? It is such a mysterious name, it can mean something different to every person who seeks to know God by it. I believe that is because God seeks to know each of us in a uniquely personal way. However, the relationship is on His terms, and the relationship is first and foremost about Him, not about me. I encourage you to ask God to show you what He wants you to understand about Him from this name, and spend some time listening to receive His response. He does want you to know Him and enjoy Him.

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Welcome to 2019’s Read Through the Bible

Sometimes I find God’s word boring. I’m so familiar with it that I find myself taking it for granted, if I’m not careful. In order to avoid the pitfall of a wandering mind as I read, I approach my year’s read through the Bible with a purpose in mind, so that I’m inclined to see the Scriptures in a new light and don’t miss the new revelations the Holy Spirit wants to give me.

My approach this year will be to seek to know God better through His word. Jesus said, “Now this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” If knowing God is equated with eternal life, can there be eternal life without knowledge of God? That makes knowing God very important! So this year I will ask myself the following questions as I read:

  • What does this reveal to me about God?
  • What impact does that truth have on my life?
  • What action is called for in light of this new revelation?

My purpose for writing this year varies from last year. Last year my intent was to give a basic understanding of the Scriptures to the person who needed it. If that is the help you need, please check out last year’s readings. The schedule I’ll follow this year will match last year’s schedule, so you’ll look up the same month and day from 2018’s posts.  To do that, find the day of the year in the reading schedule and click on it to link to the post.

This year I’m going to assume you have that background. I’m going to lead you in expanding your handling of Scripture so that ultimately you don’t need the crutch of a guide as you read; you will have learned to turn to God to gain inspiration directly from Him.