Alright, so technology is working against me. I blog from my tablet, super slow, and for the 2nd time my Internet browser has deleted my blog or crashed after I finish it, not during it or at the beginning, but when it’s all done, so here we go. I was even going to copy this last one after I had typed it on my blog page before posting so I had a copy and I left in search of a video to post and my page automatically refreshed when I returned to my blog. And my “word” app sucks and doesn’t work well so I rarely type in it. Needless to say, I’m a bit frustrated and hating technology right now. All that to say, here goes round 2, hopefully God still uses it…
So, in Guatemala I felt called to read the Bible in 60 days. I had read through a good chunk of Genesis in 2 days and really felt like I was being called to read the whole Bible in 60 days. I was excited for a new challenge to my faith and how I read and understand God’s Word and God has really blessed this desire.
I have just finished day 23 and am a bit behind but I have chugged through 2 Chronicles 27 at this moment and am excited for what is to come. I have also been really surprised at all God has been teaching me. I figured I would learn some awesome, big picture ideas of the Bible, but I never imagined I would learn so many things from all the details the Bible has to offer. I have noticed details I’ve never noticed before and it has been amazing. Some of it is due to reading something earlier that day that reminds me of why a detail is important while other details are things from Bible knowledge I already had that is finally being applied. And my team has really supported and encouraged me, frequently asking me what I’m reading and learning which often sparks even greater discussions about God and His Word. They are such a blessing.
So, what are some things that God has been teaching me throughout this challenge?
The importance of the phrases Lord our God, Lord your God, God of your fathers, etc. because God is a personal God. We are His and He is ours. God is not just God or Lord, some all-powerful being who is far away from us, BUT He is an personal God who cares intimately about each and every one of us. He cares deeply about you and me. These phrases, these simple pronouns showcase how relational the God of the Universe truly is. He has the power and attributes of God because He is God, but He is also Father, He is Abba, He is relational and desires to be in relationship with all of us.
The title of servant in the Old Testament, because every great OT figure is a servant of God, but now, because of Christ, we are children. I used to pride myself on serving God and others really well, and that’s not a bad thing, BUT, I did it at the expense of claiming my sonship, claiming my inheritance as an adopted son of God. We are called to serve, but more importantly we are called to be in relationship with God and claim our sonship in the name of Christ.
The difference between knowing good/evil and discerning good/evil. Adam and Eve ate from the tree that gave them knowledge of good and evil but they had no discernment. Previously they only knew good and could only do good except for the One command God gave them. Solomon was given discernment between good and evil which is why he was so wise. We don’t really know how to discern between good and evil. We know of them, we have knowledge but how do we truly know what is good and what is bad? How do you discern that murder is bad? Someone told you that it is bad, and that someone is God, starting with when Cain murdered Abel, and then with the 10 Commandments. Only God can give true discernment between good and evil.
Finally, the importance of names has really stuck out to me. Names are extremely important throughout the Old Testament, particularly the meaning of names. People and places are renamed because of things God does or events that occur, and names often tell the future of people, hence why people changing names is important. Jacob means deceiver and he was certainly deceptive but God changed his name to Israel so he would no longer be the deceiver. More importantly is the story of Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4:9, because Jabez fights against his name which had a negative meaning and likely would’ve brought a negative future but Jabez prays for a big blessing and God gives it to him. We’ve also talked about the importance of names and their meaning on the Race. I found out that the name Nicholas means “Victor of the people” and I am trying to live into the promise of that, that in Christ I am a Victor and I have a special promise because of my name to truly have victory for people over things, particularly sin and death.
So, what are some things God taught me in my reading today?
2 Chronicles 6:41b states, ” Let your priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and let your saints rejoice in your goodness.” What’s neat is that in 1 Peter 2:9 we are called a royal priesthood. We are priests! We are the ones clothed in salvation, we get the honor and responsibility of sharing the Gospel with all people. We don’t bring salvation but we get to deliver the message and watch God save people. Then in 1 Cor. 1:2 Paul calls one of the worst churches in the New Testament “saints”, just read how dysfunctional the church in Corinth is. So, if they are saints then we must be saints as well in our sin and dysfunction and that is a huge honor.
Furthermore, a few verses later in 2 Chronicles 7:2 we see that the priests cannot enter the house of the Lord because God’s glory was filling the house, the temple. What’s awesome is that now we are God’s house. God enters us as the Holy Spirit and dwells in us in all of His glory, His wisdom, His honor, His power, His love, Himself. We don’t have to fear or avoid the glory of the Lord because God’s glory is already in all who believe. How incredible!
There are so many other things I wish I could mention, but for the sake of time I will mention one more thing I learned today. In 2 Chronicles 25:14 it talks about how king Amaziah defeats the Edomites but then brings back their gods and worships them. Why would you go to God asking for victory and then when God gives you victory over the Edomites you take their gods and worship them, God’s that are figurines and NOT living? It’s ridiculous. Yet how often does God do something amazing in my life and I glorify myself or something else. It was certainly a gut-check (for more about the ridiculousness of idols and idol worship check out my previous blog post)
I am not sharing this to glorify myself but to glorify God with everything He has been teaching me and the endurance He has been giving me to persevere to meet this goal. This is not about me, but it is about diving into God’s Word wholeheartedly so that as I love God and His Word more and more, I might love others more and more and God might be glorified through that. I could blog everyday about what God is teaching me through this, but I hope that once a week, maybe more will suffice and bring glory to His Name.
So, amidst my life of ministry, building relationships, working through struggles, etc. I am doing this. What are you already doing? What will you do now?
