April 6

April 6
One Year Bible Readings:
Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20
Luke 11:37-12:7
Psalm 78:1-31
Proverbs 12:19-20
Supplemental Reading for The One Year Bible.
The following are excerpts from Mike’s One Year Bible Blog.

Deuteronomy:
Deuteronomy chapter 29 verse 29 is intriguing today - "There are secret things that belong to the LORD our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our descendants forever, so that we may obey these words of the law."  I think this is good for us to remember - there are secrets of God that we will not know this side of heaven.  And I don't think we need to worry or speculate on what these secret things might be, because "the revealed things belong to us."  God has revealed himself to us in the Bible!  His very Word.  He has revealed himself in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  And he reveals himself in the life of the body of Christ today - the church.  We have everything we need to know to love & follow God.  And I think God's secrets can remain secret to us this side of heaven - I don't know about you, but I like a little mystery in God!  :)  
Q: Are you okay not knowing every single thing about God? Are you okay with a little bit of mystery in your faith in God?

Luke:

Wow... Jesus goes after the Pharisees in Luke chapter 11 today...  Verses 39 through 41 are powerful: "Then the Lord said to him, "You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are still filthy--full of greed and wickedness! Fools! Didn't God make the inside as well as the outside? So give to the needy what you greedily possess, and you will be clean all over."  I think these verses are important for us to meditate upon as well today.  
Q: How are we clean inside?  Or do we put on a show and just clean up our external appearances for others?  As we saw in Jesus' teachings in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew - God is very interested in the condition of our hearts.  Our insides.  Are our insides clean?  
 
Jesus' teachings in Luke chapter 12 verses 2 through 3 are also important for us to reflect upon in our lives today - "The time is coming when everything will be revealed; all that is secret will be made public. Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!"  I once heard a pastor say during a sermon - "nobody sins in a vacuum.  Meaning, nobody's sin does not affect others.  When we sin - even when we are "alone" - it affects our community in ways we do not fully realize."   I think this is so true.  When we sin - even what we have done or said in the "dark" - we hurt not only ourselves, but others.  And God the Father, Son & Holy Spirit, who is pure Light, have heard and know what we do in the dark.  We cannot hide it from them.  Better to confess it to God, repent, and be cleansed by the Light.  Then, go, and sin no more.  Plus - it's a darn scary thought to think that what we do in the dark might be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!  :)  Live your life such that no matter what you do or what you say, you wouldn't be embarrassed to read about it in tomorrow's papers...   
Q: Do you believe that every single thing you do will be revealed one day?  Do you believe that all of your secrets will one day be known?  Are you living your life in preparation for meeting Jesus face to face?

Psalm
:
Psalm 78 verse 4 is a wonderful reminder that we have an important opportunity to disciple and teach others in the generation coming up behind us - "We will not hide these truths from our children but will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the LORD. We will tell of his power and the mighty miracles he did."  Q:  How are you discipling or teaching someone about God's truth, deeds, and love?  How are you helping the next generation learn about God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit?

Proverbs
:
Proverbs chapter 12 verse 19 is a great testament to the strength of the Bible - now some 3,400 years old since the writings of Moses!  "Truth stands the test of time; lies are soon exposed."  
Q: Do you believe the Bible is Truth?  Do you think the rest of the world thinks the Bible is Truth? Do you think the Bible will stand the test of time?

Copyright © 2004-2012 One Year Bible Blog

No Comments