Day 25 Genesis 50:1-26; Exodus 1:1-2:10; Matthew 16:13-17:9; Psalm 21:1-13; Proverbs 5:1-6 The Mystery of Human Responsibility and God’s Providence. Genesis 50:20 – “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” Even though Joseph’s…
Day 24 Genesis 48:1-49:33; Matthew 15:29-16:12; Psalm 20:1-9; Proverbs 4:20-27 Not Just the King’s Battle! Psalm 20 is a prayer of the people of Israel for their King to have success in battle. What is the relevance of this for us? We are not kings riding into battle against enemies. Yet, in light of the…
Day 23 Gen 46:1‐47:31, Matt 15:1‐28, Ps 19:1‐14, Prov 4:14‐19 We’ve Never Done It That Way Before The seven most deadly words for any congregation are, “We’ve never done it that way before.” Traditions held too tightly can become precarious if we don’t understand their purpose. Translated from the Greek word “paradosis,” tradition means to…
Day 22 Genesis 44:1-45:28; Matthew 14:13-36; Psalm 18:37-50; Proverbs 4:11-13 Divine Strength for Earthly Weakness Most recall the Feeding of the 5000––the only miracle recorded in all four gospels. But of note is that immediately preceding that high point of Jesus’ ministry is the beheading of John the Baptist. Note how Matthew today begins with…
Day 21 Genesis 42:18‐43:34; Matthew 13:47‐14:12; Psalm 18:16‐36; Proverbs 4:7‐10 The Hometown Prophet In this reading from Matthew, Jesus has returned to His hometown and began teaching the people in their synagogue. Even though they were amazed at how knowledgeable He was with the Scripture, they asked, “Where did this man get this wisdom and…
Day 20 Genesis 41:17‐42:17; Matthew 13:24‐46; Psalm 18:1‐15; Proverbs 4:1‐6 The Perceived Jewish Messiah vs. Jesus Christ It was no surprise that many who heard the rumor that Jesus was the Messiah that they had been waiting for wondered when He might break out the sword, take out the Romans, and conquer all the land….
Day 19 Genesis 39:1-41:16; Matthew 12:46-13:23; Psalm 17:1-15; Proverbs 3:33-35 Just Desserts? Sometimes, I hear someone sigh and say, “Ah well… no good deed goes unpunished!” The saying is sardonic, but I sympathize with the sentiment. Life doesn’t seem to turn out the way we think it should. There’s just no justice in the world!…
Day 18 Genesis 37:1‐38:30; Matthew 12:22‐45; Psalm 16:1‐11; Proverbs 3:27‐32 Do Unto Others Last year our next-door neighbor borrowed the hand tool my husband uses to trim the tree limbs around our house. As far as I know, it is still in our neighbor’s garage and probably will be until we need to cut away…
Day 17 Genesis 35:1-36:43; Matthew 12:1-21; Psalm 15:1-5; Proverbs 3:21-26 Desecrating the Sabbath It is a constant temptation for those of us who are religious to maintain balance between religion and relationship. We can fall into the seductive trap of the Pharisees that says, “If I do my religion right then I am surely going…
Did you know? The Bible Challenge website has a “Going Deeper” section. There are in-depth study guides for each book of the Bible, and accompanying audio lectures that you can listen to at your convenience. These lectures were recorded live from St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Lake Mary, FL as we went through the Bible Challenge in…
Day 16 Genesis 32:13‐34:31; Matthew 11:7‐30; Psalm 14:1‐7; Proverbs 3:19‐20 Wise or Smart? We have two dogs in my household. “Natty” is clearly the smarter of the two. She understands commands quickly and even untangles her own rope when she gets wrapped around the grill. Yet, “Charlie” is the one we think of as the…
Day 15 Genesis 31:17-32:12; Matthew 10:26-11:6; Psalm 13:1-6; Proverbs 3:16-18 Follow Jesus… That’s Easy Right? Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven. ~ Matthew 10:32 Jesus teaches the disciples, “It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher” (24a), suggesting that being a…
