BibleJournal.net

Today’s reading:  Matthew 6

At first blush, Matthew 6 sounds like guidance on how to (or how not to) properly carry out different spiritual activities.

• …so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you (Matthew 6:4).
• But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you (Matthew 6:6).
• …that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you (Matthew 6:18).

Jesus’ instruction is clear. These spiritual disciplines are to be performed in private.  The last two sections of the chapter, Lay Up Treasures in Heaven and Do Not be Anxious, help us understand this chapter is not really about how these disciplines are to be performed, rather it is about our motives and the condition of our hearts.  Is our focus on earthly things or spiritual things?  Is it on the temporal or eternal?  Is our focus on ourselves or on the Kingdom of God?

Merriam-Webster defines discipline as training that corrects molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character. Giving, praying and fasting are often referred to as spiritual disciplines because they help to shape the condition of our hearts.  Remember, God is perfect and complete in every way.  He doesn’t need our money and he doesn’t need us to talk to him in order to accomplish his purpose.  Instead, giving, praying and fasting, among other spiritual disciplines, help mold our thoughts and behavior from focusing on ourselves to focusing on the Kingdom of God.

Our family spent last week in Haiti partnering with the Welcome Home Haiti organization to build a house. The family of five for whom we built had been living in an unfinished concrete structure.  Only one room in their home was under roof, the bedroom where all five of them slept on the floor.  To say they were in need, is an understatement.

If you aren’t familiar with this organization, Welcome Home Haiti helps match teams from the U.S. with Haitian families in need of a home. With funding from the U.S. team, Welcome Home Haiti employs Haitian workers to begin construction.  When the U.S. team arrives, the Haitian crew, together with the U.S. team, complete construction and present the finished home to the Haitian family for which it was built.

Not only is Welcome Home Haiti helping provide improved living conditions for hundreds of Haitians, they are also providing jobs. These folks are learning marketable skills, they are earning wages to provide for their families, and they are being spiritually guided and mentored by Welcome Home Haiti leaders.  It is a truly amazing organization.

While U.S. teams are key to funding the project, after being there a day or so, it became abundantly clear that Welcome Home Haiti doesn’t really need unskilled U.S. teams (like me) to come help finish construction. They have trained capable Haitian workers.  However, our participation still served a vital purpose.  It improved the condition of our hearts.  Living in Haiti for a week, spending time with the family for which we were building and working alongside the Haitian construction crew required us to take our focus off of ourselves.

Much like performing the spiritual disciplines outlined in Matthew 6, our week in Haiti helped mold our character and guide our hearts to focus on others, to focus on building the Kingdom of God.

Change my heart O God, make it ever true.  Change my heart O God, may I be like you (Mercy / Vineyard Publishing, 1982).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEtsHWFE6-w

Today’s Reading: Matthew 1

Good morning and welcome to day 2 of Bible Journal 2017! As you likely read yesterday, we are beginning this year with the gospels. I’m so excited to dive in deep with you and learn more about Jesus through Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Today, as it is Monday and we are all robustly dedicated to new starts, we’ll begin with the gospel of Matthew. A little research taught me that the gospel of Matthew wasn’t actually the first of the four written, but appears first in all Bibles. A former tax collector, Matthew left everything behind when he became a disciple of Jesus. Some believe that Matthew was the unofficial recorder of Jesus’ teachings. Among the disciples he had the best literary skill given his previous occupation and therefore put his skill to use as a “secretary.” Matthew begins his account with the genealogy of Jesus. Was anybody else sort of disappointed? It’s ok, no one else is reading with you, go ahead and admit it! Sort of anticlimactic right? We’re all ready to do this Bible Journal 2017 thing…we’re super committed and excited about uncovering new life changing truths about Jesus…and then we get 14 generations of meaningless names.

Ok, before you give up on your diet too, stick with me! There are actually some really exciting messages hidden in today’s scripture. A little more research revealed that the Jews were actually excellent genealogists. Mathew shows us the thread that binds Jesus’ claim to the throne of David through his adoptive father, Joseph. Not a blood lineage but a legal path to the throne. By the end of the first paragraph, Matthew presents Jesus as the kingly Messiah promised from David’s royal line. Later, we’ll learn about Jesus’ blood lineage through Mary in the gospel of Luke. Although on the surface this long description seems rather cursory, there’s some real significance to be considered. For me, the realization that Jesus is truly the promised Messiah is so important. He’s not just some guy born to a young couple that happens to be the Son of God. This careful tracing back gives my scientist brain the evidence it craves that Jesus is the promised Messiah. It’s the solid foundation upon which His legacy is built.

So, now that we’ve covered the “who’s your Daddy” section we can move on to the second exciting segment of today’s scripture. We’ve all heard these familiar words about the conception and birth of Jesus. It’s easy to breeze past them. It’s like an old song, we know the words. Mathew tells us the story through the eyes of Joseph. What a great trial it must have been for Joseph to endure this most humiliating circumstance. Mary and Joseph only had the awareness of their own integrity and of course God to lean on. How many of us are living that reality day to day? Do we have the courage to lean on our own integrity and the love of God in ethically challenging situations? Are we brave enough to bear witness as Mary did with her pregnant belly? Or perhaps most importantly, are we brave enough to stand by our Mary as Joseph did? To be fair, Joseph did get some real guidance when he was visited by an angel in a dream.

The angel of the Lord says to him:

“Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:20-21

Bam! Did you notice that the angel said “his people” rather than “God’s people”? Jesus came to save His people, all of us, not just God’s people which at the time would have indicated just the Jews. One of the commentaries I read for today says this about the angelic message: “Jesus meets us in our sin but His purpose is to save us from our sins. He saves us first from the penalty of sin, then from the power of sin and finally from the presence of sin.” (Blue Letter Bible). The penalty, the power and the presence. Isn’t that so freeing? I’m starting the New Year with that idea, I’ve written it down in my journal like this:

• Jesus saves us first from the penalty of sin
• Jesus saves us next from the power of sin
• Jesus saves us finally from the presence of sin

As we continue to journey with Matthew over the next few weeks, we can build upon this foundation. Jesus was the promised Messiah. His legacy begins with Abraham and continues today through us, his followers. His parents, biologic and adoptive acted on blind faith in God to bring us salvation. The angel of the Lord promises that Jesus will save His people, not just the Jews but all of His people from the penalty, the power and the presence of sin. Matthew the former tax collector turned disciple scribe has so much in store for us. Praying he’ll reveal so much more in the coming weeks and welcome us into His presence with joy!

Thank you for choosing to join us again at 2017.  This year, our goal is to gain a deeper understanding of God’s Word.  One strategy is slowing down.  This means consuming fewer pages of scripture so that we can fully digest what we take in.  Sounds good, right?  As you have seen in our previous email, this begins today.  For the next few months, we are going to read through the Gospels.

Rather than dive right into Matthew 1, today we want to look at what the gospels are.  Have you ever wondered why there are four books in the Bible that say pretty much the same thing?  Or, maybe you are the one wondering why they don’t say the same thing.  Looking closer will give us a better picture.

First, the gospels, like the entire Bible, are intended to be a collection, standing together not separately.  Utilizing their own, unique perspective, each writer shares his perspective of  Jesus’ life.  But, that simplistic description leaves it short.  C.I. Scofield expounds, “the four Gospels, though designedly incomplete as a story, are divinely perfect as a revelation. We may not through them know everything that He did, but we may know the Doer. In four great characters, each of which completes the other three, we have Jesus Christ Himself. The Evangelists never describe Christ–they set Him forth. They tell us almost nothing of what they thought about Him, they let Him speak and act for himself.”  I find that statement remarkable.  When listening closely, we can detect the work of the Holy Spirit. It is He, working in us, through the gospel writers, enabling us to know the doer, Jesus.

So, we can conclude that these four accounts are an opportunity to share Jesus with the world.  That is a tall order.  Partly because people are separated and segregated by physical boundaries and cultural norms.  Every group operates with its own ideas, customs, and social behaviors. To fully communicate any message, a writer must know the cultural implications of that message.  It comes as no surprise then that God divinely appointed writers that were uniquely able to overcome these cultural barriers.  These writers are unique in their cultural perspectives, individual callings, and relational influences.  Consider how each of these four uniquely penetrates social groups:

• Matthew writes primarily to the Jewish nation. He focuses on the fulfillment of prophecy and the Mosaic law.  He successfully resets Jewish expectations of an earthly king, paving the way for the Holy Spirit.  Additionally, Matthew takes on the challenge of opening the Jewish people to acceptance of the Gentiles. We could classify Matthew’s testimony to be focused on our past beliefs and practices
• Mark, on the other hand, talks more to the Gentiles. One strategy he uses is talking about miracles.  In fact, he talks more about miracles than any other writer.  Because of the opposition and persecution that Christians faced from the Roman empire, he carefully explains how and why to be a Christ-follower in the midst of this opposition.  Additionally, Mark focuses on what Jesus did more than what he said.  He is also characterized by his often call to action, “immediately.” This leads us to the conclusion that Mark is also writing for our present lives.
• Luke provides us with more detail and style in his writing. It is known that he was thoroughly steeped in Greek culture which is highly focused on style and beauty.  Additionally, the Greeks were historians.  Luke, therefore includes eyewitness testimony to resolve any doubt of its accuracy.  Luke works diligently to present Jesus as the Savior of all men.  This leads us toward Luke focusing on our future selves.
• John does not follow the format or content of his fellow gospel writers. Therefore, his book is not included in what are called the “synoptic gospels.”  Instead, Mathew Henry explains that John gives us more of the mystery of Jesus while the others only give the history.  John, then, is building upon the foundation of the other writers.  He brings into focus the spirituality, specifically the divinity, of Jesus.  It is fitting to read what John writes in Revelation 12:1, when a loud voice from heaven says “come here.”  From this, we see that John is calling us toward eternity.

Admittedly, relative to the Gospel’s full message, this summary is embarrassingly small. Ironically, John understood this too.  He writes that the world could not contain all the book written about Jesus if they were written in detail (John 21:25).   Even so, I am excited to learn them each, a little better.  Each of them is, in fact, “good news.”  Even better, these writers are just as relevant today as they were nearly 2,000 years ago.  Prayerfully, over the next few months, we will experience the gospel writers’ message as “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).”

 

Resources and References:

Matthew Henry’s Commentary.  http://biblehub.com/summary/luke/1.htm

(2010-08-10). The MacArthur Study Bible (Kindle Location 226693). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

Scofield References Notes (Old Scofield 1917 Edition)

Stob, William S. (2015-06-17). The Four Gospels: A Guide to Their Historical Background, Characteristic Differences, and Timeless Significance (Kindle Locations 4590-4592). Ambassador International. Kindle Edition.

Guide to the Four Gospels.  http://overviewbible.com/four-gospels/

Why Are There Four Gospels? A.W. Pink.  http://www.jesus.org/is-jesus-god/the-gospels/why-are-there-four-gospels.html

Today’s reading:  2 Chronicles 36; Revelation 22; Malachi 4; John 21

I’ll be honest, when we started the biblejournal.net on January 1, 2016 I thought our goals were pretty lofty.  Can you believe today marks the 366^th day (2016 was a leap year) of our journey?  We read the Bible in a year (even more considering the M’Cheyne plan we followed took us through the New Testament and Psalms two times).  That is approximately 1,599 chapters, 41,520 verses, 807,370 words and 1,667 pages, depending on which version you read.  But we didn’t only read, we also took time to post about how God spoke to us through the assigned scriptures EVERY SINGLE DAY of 2016.  We didn’t miss even one time.  Wow!

More important than just achieving the tasks we set out to accomplish, I want you to know about the personal benefit I gained from being in God’s word every day and sharing my convictions with you.  It wasn’t always easy.  Some posts came easier than others, and some (obviously) turned out better than others.  I had weeks when I read my assigned scripture 4 and 5 times and still couldn’t come up with anything to write about.  It is disheartening to reflect on how easy it was, even when writing about the power of Jesus Christ, to feel like I had to rely on myself to deliver something meaningful.  Let me tell you, amidst my occasional struggles, when I finally turned it over to God, he sparked an idea and put a message on my heart EVERY SINGLE TIME.  Amazing.

On the last day of our 2016 journey, it only seems fitting to write about the last chapter of the Bible – Revelation 22. As we read through the Bible this year, we saw countless examples where God orchestrated every single detail to fulfill prophecy and point to Jesus Christ as the Messiah.  He kept his promises throughout the Old Testament and New Testament.  He is still keeping his promises today.  Did you notice his promise recorded in Revelation 22:20?

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon…”

After journeying with us in 2016, if you haven’t put your faith in Jesus Christ, would you consider taking that step?  You want to secure your place in eternity with God, not an eternity separated from him.  Time is of the essence, Jesus is coming soon.  Please pray this prayer with me:

God, I confess I am a sinner and deserve the consequences of my sin.  But, I believe that Jesus’ death and resurrection made a way for my forgiveness. Today, I am turning from my sin and putting my trust in Jesus and Jesus alone.  Thank you Lord, for forgiving me.  Thank you for saving me.

…Amen. Come, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:20).

Looking toward 2017, we must also ask ourselves if it is over.  Should we now stop, reverting to our old routines?  The answer, of course, is no.  So, what do we do?  If you are like us here at BibleJournal, another 1-year reading feels a little monotonous.  In fact, our evaluation of 2016 has revealed that we are all longing for a deeper consideration of Scripture.  It would be valuable to spend much more time on specific scriptures.  We are, therefore, bringing a new approach to BibleJournal.  You will still receive a daily scripture reading, along with a thoughtful journal entry from one of our writers, but it will be much more focused.  Starting on January 1, 2017, up to 14 different writers will be diving deep into the Gospels.  The daily reading will consist of one chapter and a personal response from the writer.  It is our hope and prayer that the time we spent reading four chapters can now be revised to include reading, meditation, and prayer.  Our journal entries will reflect this new focus.

I hope that you will continue with us.  I also hope that you will find an opportunity to comment or engage our daily posts.  We would love to hear from you in the comments section, on Facebook, or by a private email.  Additionally, if you know someone that would benefit from participating, please share a link or a post.

Thanks again for joining us in 2016.  I cannot wait to see what God has in store for us next.