Luke 3-4

From John the Baptist to Jesus Christ, these chapters talk about who John the Baptist was in relation to Jesus. I found it interesting that John was so strong in his language and how direct he was with people that questioned him. Being the son of a priest, I'm sure some people thought he was crazy. But others may have seen him as similar to a yogi.

Some of what John preaches you hear about later in Acts as some of the most common things the community of the early church does. Giving to those that have need... I guess that's what true repentance is about. In the face of God's grace, especially the sacrifice of Jesus, the only proper response is repentance and that means you truly understand that nothing you have is truly yours. And because you understand that, you can give it away. Kinda like what Randy Alcorn is talking about in the Treasure Principle... Jesus' parable about selling everything to buy that field. We need to sell everything because we're going to get something far more valuable.

It's interesting to see the people in Jesus' family tree... lots of people that were "adopted" sons of Israel. Many of them plenty messed up in some of the wrongs they've committed. I guess it doesn't really matter what background you have, God's still able to use you even if you don't realize it or don't think you're capable.

I found it funny that Jesus rebukes demons and evil spirits when they reveal who he is. I don't know why he did that.

2 Samuel 1-4

In the aftermath of Saul's death... we see that more strife and conflict is the result. However, blood is met with more blood. David realizes that an eye-for-an-eye is not what God truly wants and repents of it even though it may seem like justice in our eyes.

I think that we should be like David, even though we do wrong when we think it's right, to see it and repent.

Mark 11-12

Sometimes in our worry, crisis, or whatnot we forget God in the midst of it. We surrender to worry and panic or some other selfish inward-looking view.

In the passages that I read today, it seems in every instance, Jesus faces people with one thing and one thing only... the truth! Sometimes we forget the power of prayer (as with Jesus and fig tree)... we forget it's our sin that he bore and how we sometimes revel in our rebellion. We fail to recognize what we need to give to God. He asks for a lot, but it's not like he gives little in return. Though sometimes it certainly seems that way, it doesn't seem like the wealthy at the temple, "We give so much!" But are we truly like the widow who God knew was giving her all? Truly relying on God for all things, even essential 'daily bread'?

I think that's pretty frightening how much God asks when he says, "to love him with all your heart." Emphasis on ALL. That's the hard part... it's definitely hard to do that. Forgiving people for their wrongs against you. Striving to truly be patient and kind even when sometimes people can't seem to muster that themselves. I guess that's what "long-suffering" is about...

Hardened hearts and Passover

Exodus 9-12

These chapters talk of Moses going to Pharaoh to speak for God. It's interesting to read that Moses always speaks saying, "The LORD says." I think maybe after that many encounters with God himself, you become more humble and fearful. But also you can more easily recognize God's sovereignty of all things. Moses and Aaron were simply obeying and wanted everyone to know that it was truly God's power.

I found it interesting that Pharaoh asks for blessing before he sends the Israelites away. Almost a sort of recognition that even the mightiest of leaders in civilization still answer to God, whether they'd like to or not. So in todays' world, with corrupt government and corporate leaders a dime-a-dozen, this seems like a reckoning. They "hardened" their hearts to the truth of their greed whether it was for money or power...

I had a seder meal with the Passantes the Saturday before Easter... it was nice to see Christ in so many aspects of the tradition. Even in the passage, it talks of how people become one with the nation of Israel before they can partake. It's interest to see how many ways the promise of God passes through Christ.

He died

My reading was in Samuel today... on Good Friday, I read that he died. Samuel. A great prophet in times of kings and wars... a single sentence.

How insignificant it seemed... jarring almost. Especially on a day that is so focused on the death of our savior... And if you think about it, how absolutely positively silly it is to follow a savior that died?? Hung on a cross, mocked, beaten, humiliated, and more for merely being who he was. And yet, without his sacrifice we are nothing.

It's contradiction and injustice made real. Probably more real than most people can handle... I still can't wrap my head around it sometimes. Why did God bother to do that? And how can people feel so self-entitled to think that we deserve better when we are so injust? It would be justice if we were all burned away, but he didn't do that. He broke the cycle... broke our chains to hatred upon hatred, evil upon evil, wrong upon wrong... by loving more than we can take sometimes.

It makes things like Saul's injust pursuit of David seem like a minor thing. We burn forests, slaughter children, poison rivers and wells, "honor" kill, beat and torture... people have dignity? What kind of creature with dignity does that? People say society has advanced... how? We've just gotten better at finding new ways of perpetrating injustice. Sure, we can be proud of what little we've done, but you have to be pretty full of yourself to think we can stop it all. The world's as broken as Jesus was on that cross. I'm glad that he rose again, if he didn't there's no hope in this world for something better. It would be like trying to use a Band-Aid on a lethal gunshot wound.

Isaiah 40-44

An immensely long passage... filled with prophecy and the first part is about Jesus and John the Baptist. However, what got me what that nearly all of the passages talk about the immensity (is that even a word??) of God.

So often we "put God in a box" but He is way more powerful, more grace, more glory, and more worthy than anything we can possibility imagine. It's kinda like trying to wrap your head around some basic quantum mechanics principles. And He's the one that put the those rules in there...

It really shows how small we really are and how awesome God is to save us.

Many times you question God about your situation... but to be honest, sometimes I think that it might be like Job questioning God. It's pretty darn stupid... who would know better than God what's right for you? Definitely a lot of times we are just flat out blind and deaf to what God asks us.

Pastor Peter emphasized one point in his sermon on Sunday. We need to come humble and grateful for that fact of the "design of grace" that we're saved and we can break the cycle. And even if we fail, God is there to pick you up.

Genesis 28-31

So this section of Genesis is the story of Jacob as he leaves his home and finally returns home.

Most of Genesis and the stories of the patriarchs reads like a soap opera with jealousy, machinations, and lots of people doing wrong to themselves and each other. I find it interesting that what we would call massive character flaws... even downright pettiness, these are the people God chose to be His people.

Isn't that messed up? Well, then again... if they're that messed up and God blessed them, definitely blessing us and staying with us shouldn't be out of the question. That's kinda comforting in a strange way, no matter how crappy and horrendous things are, God still finds a way to bring us back to him.

Still pretty stressed lately but you know reading about the messed up problems of other people sometimes makes you feel better.