May 1

May 1
One Year Bible Readings:
Judges 13:1-14:20
John 1:29-51
Psalm 102:1-28
Proverbs 14:15-16
Supplemental Reading for The One Year Bible.
The following are excerpts from Mike’s One Year Bible Blog.

Judges:
Today we begin reading four chapters about Samson, the last of the judges.  You'll notice that the author of Judges often compares the story of Samson's birth and life with the story of Israel.  Samson was a Nazirite, which meant he could drink no alcohol, could not cut his hair, and could have no contact with the dead.  I found it interesting that Samson's mother was commanded by the angel in Judges 13 today to not drink any alcohol during her pregnancy.  Obviously this is important for health reasons, but also it seems it is important because Samson was a Nazirite - whose life began in his mother's womb.  More info on Nazirite's is at this link.  Interesting story today about Samson & the lion!  Pretty gross that he ate the honey made in the lion's carcass on the way to his wedding!  :)   You'll note in our readings of Samson that he is drawn to Philistine women, which was against God's law and the Philistine's were Israel's enemies then.  Hence, his parents did not approve of the marriage early in chapter 14.
Q: How did the readings about Samson stand out to you?

John:
I absolutely love John chapter 1 verse 29 - "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"  
Q: Do you believe Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world?  Has Jesus taken away your sin? How?
 
Verses 45 & 46 I find so truthful, along with Nathanael's reply being amusing - but mostly Nathanael's reply demonstrates how very humble of a background Jesus came from - "Philip went off to look for Nathanael and told him, "We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth." "Nazareth!" exclaimed Nathanael. "Can anything good come from there?"
Q: Are we ever like Nathanael - having preconceived notions about places or things or maybe even Jesus?  Can we leave our preconceived notions about things behind us and move forward in the spirit of truth, particularly when it comes to Jesus and who He is?

Psalm:
Psalm 102 is a great reminder to us on the importance to pray. To bring our troubles to the Lord. Psalm 102 can also definitely be a comfort for us during a time of sorrow.  I love the reminder about God in verse 27 (which Hebrews also reminded us of today in the verses above...) - "But you are always the same; your years never end." God does not change.  He is perfectly consistent.  We are oftentimes inconsistent.  But, our inconsistencies do not change God's consistency.  He is always the same - yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever.  God is the one sure thing in life that you can count on - forever.  
Q: Do you believe God is the same yesterday, today and forever?  Do you believe God is the same God in the Old Testament and the New Testament?

Proverbs:
Proverbs chapter 14 verse 16 is a bit convicting for me - "The wise are cautious and avoid danger; fools plunge ahead with great confidence."  As I look at my life I think that I often plunge ahead with great confidence...  and recently I was called out on this - wisely I think.  I do see the wisdom of being cautious and avoiding danger.  But, I also think that we shouldn't avoid some risks of failure - particularly when it comes to God's Kingdom work...  but...  I do see that it is foolish to plunge ahead only with great confidence.  We should only move forward with God.  
Q: How about you?  Are you cautious and do you avoid danger?  (maybe too cautious sometimes?)  Or, do you plunge ahead with great confidence?  With too much confidence?  Is this foolish?

Copyright © 2004-2012 One Year Bible Blog