Reflections from Daily Reading, Feb 7th
Jesus gives us a very important lesson on how to read Old Testament prophecy in Matthew 11. Jesus is teaching about the importance of John the Baptist and his role as the forerunner to the Messiah. The prophet Malachi’s words are quoted by Jesus, “This is the one about whom it is written: ‘I will […]
Reflections from Daily Reading, Feb 6th
Psalm 25 is a beautiful prayer. As we’ve been thinking about prayer recently, part of this Psalm really jumped out to me. The psalmist writes, “For the sake of your name, LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.” Asking for forgiveness is linked to God’s name, his glory. I think there are two things […]
Reflections from Daily Reading, Feb 5th
Reading through the narrative of Scripture, it is easy to see that God progressively reveals himself to his people through the ages. Noah knows more of God than did Adam. Abraham knows more than did Noah. Moses knows more of God than did Abraham, Isaac or Jacob. God explicitly tells Moses this is the case […]
Reflections from Daily Reading, Feb 1
Today I began my readings in the book of Exodus. The first chapter chronicles the growth of Joseph’s descendants in Egypt becoming a mighty people. The Hebrews were so numerous the Egyptians feared them and tried to control the population through hard service, slavery and even infanticide. Yet, God’s people grew – “The more they […]
Reflection from Daily Reading, Jan 31
A couple of days ago I read the conclusion to Joseph’s story (Genesis 50). After the passing of their father, Joseph’s brothers fear he make repay them for the evil they had done to him by selling him into slavery decades prior. It is and understandable fear. But Joseph’s perspective is different. He reassures them, […]
Reflection from Daily Reading, Jan 25th
Today I read Genesis 49 and was reminded how NOT to seek the will of God. When I was in high school, I wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to go with my life other than NOT ministry. I went back to my room on a Sunday morning after hearing a convicting sermon about seeking […]
Reflection from Daily Reading, Jan 23rd
In my daily reading I am finishing up the book of Genesis, which means a lot about the story of Joseph. Consider how Joseph serves to foreshadow Christ for us. Joseph is the most beloved son of Jacob (Gen 37:3), as Jesus is God’s son, whom he loves (Matthew 3:17, Mark 1:11, et al). Joseph’s […]
Reflections from Daily Reading, Jan 18th
I love the realism of Scripture. I’m currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6 and read today the wonderfully convicting section about worry. In the midst of theses great reminders that God knows what we need and is committed to meeting our needs is this sentence, “Therefore do not worry about […]
Reflection from Daily Reading, Jan 16th
Reading earlier (and trying to catch up a bit) I read the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26ff). The eunuch was reading from a scroll of Isaiah when Philip, having been guided by an angel, crossed his path. Philip asks the Ethiopian if he understands what he is reading and the eunuch […]
Reflection from Daily Reading, Jan 13th
Yesterday I read the familiar story of Jacob tricking his father Isaac into giving him the blessing that, by all rights, belonged to his elder brother Esau. Esau was, obviously, a bit angry. Genesis 27:41-42 says, “He said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother […]