The readings as of yesterday: Genesis 1-17, Psalm 1-6, Matthew 1-3, Acts 1-4:22.
Thoughts:
- Shame. Reading through the first two chapters of Genesis, you realize how perfect it all was. Then you hit the last verse of chapter 2: "And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed." They had no shame. No need for it, because there was nothing for them to be ashamed of. Sin had not yet entered the picture. This is a brutal reminder than everything we deal with on a daily basis was not God's intention. Shame was not part of the original package. And as you keep reading into chapter 3, after the forbidden fruit is eaten, shame enters the story: they knew they were naked. Innocence is lost and now you not only do you have sin, but you have shame. Jesus didn't just die to take away the penalty and guilt of our sin. He came to remove the shame, the stigma of our sin as well. God killed animals for their skins to cover the shame. Jesus' blood does the same for us. For those in Christ, you can be freed from the shame and guilt of your sin just as freely as the condemnation. "Let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you." (Psalm 5:11)
- Genesis 12:7. This is in that great section where God calls Abram and he goes, following the Lord where he tells him to go. Then they arrive in the promised land and God drops the bomb on Abram "To your offspring I will give this land." Not to you, but to your offspring. We complain about an instant gratification culture today and yet later on in Abram's story, there are examples he is just as impatient as we are. And yet here we see God telling Abram basically, I've called you out not for your sake for to give this land to your offspring. Oh, yeah and I know you don't have any of those yet either. And Abram's response was not to say no, or to say how long (here). His response was worship. There is something profound in knowing that you are doing something not for yourself, but for the next generation, those who aren't in front of you right now. May God allow us to have the same mindset for our congregation, that we would think of it as building his church for those who aren't here yet. It takes humility to do that, pray that He would give us that in abundance.
- Acts 3&4. Peter is a personal hero. I look at his life and see me. Mostly in his impatience and his stumbles. While Jesus was on Earth, he seemed to take one step forward and then two steps back. But after Pentecost, he was a different man. First, he steps out and preaches a powerful sermon calling all who were listening to repentance (Acts 2). Then, he continues with his boldness by healing a man who was begging, telling him at once to stand up and trusting that God would heal the man. He gets called in to the religious authorities and is told to stop talking about Jesus raised from the dead. His response? Keeps on preaching. He trusted the Holy Spirit to speak and act through Him and God to take care of the rest, even if it meant danger. May we be the same!
- Genesis 12-17. God's faithfulness to his promise. Time and time again in these chapters, God reminds Abram of the promise that he made with him, the promise of land and numerous offspring. Despite the constant reminders, Abram is less faithful (sounds like that will be a trend throughout Scripture). He lies and puts his wife Sarah in a terrible position, isn't patient, and yet each time God remains faithful with his promise. He keeps his word. Important reminder to us all that He always keeps His word no matter how we act. He is faithful.
That's week 1. I've been blessed going through this, hoping you have been as well!
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