Do you ever feel like evil is triumphing all around you? Do you wonder why ungodly, even openly evil people, are allowed to succeed? Where is God when evil seems to get the upper hand? Is He still in control? If so, why would He allow it to happen? How do we maintain hope and trust that He will deal with evil and the people behind it? How do we trust what He’s up to in our lives when our prayers seem unanswered and life is hard and confusing?
Joseph had been betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery. He was far from home and from the eyes of everyone who knew him. But God was with him and allowed him to be promoted to steward in the house of his master, a man named Potiphar. That must have been heady stuff for a young man. But Joseph was not just smart, he was also handsome. And his master’s wife had taken notice. The next thing he knew he was faced with a moment of temptation. With Potiphar away on business and the house empty, Potiphar’s wife made an all-out attempt to seduce him.
Remember, Joseph was a man in his prime, single, abandoned by his family, and alone. Who would know? Why not do what everyone else does and simply give in to the temptation?
How many of us have been faced with that kind of temptation? Given the attention of an important person? Told we can have what our heart or our flesh craves? Away on business so who will know? What happens in Vegas … and all that? Do we give in?
Can God redeem your past? What things in your family or your past do you wish weren’t part of your personal history? Can God really use them for good? Do they disqualify you from serving God or ever being used in a meaningful way? Check out today’s reading in Genesis, especially the story of Judah and Tamar.
Our New Testament reading today is about the heart. What kind of heart do you have? Is it hard, stony, full of thorns, or is it the good ground?
“Is there an “unpardonable sin”? and “Could I have committed it?” Many people have wondered about and struggled with those questions. Maybe you have heard someone say, “I just don’t think God could forgive me for what I have done.” Maybe you’ve said it yourself. Jesus did address a sin that would not be forgiven. What was it?
Besides talking about the unpardonable sin, we’ll look at what it means when Jesus said that a house is swept and empty and why that is so dangerous. And we’ll look at one important requirement if we’re to trust God when life is hard. So, be sure to keep reading.
How many, seemingly, small compromises and decisions turn out to reap deadly consequences in our marriages, our parenting, or our thinking? What small things can turn our lives in directions we never intended?
Have you ever felt like you are wrestling with God? In Genesis 32, Jacob did just that. What was it all about? Did Jacob “win” a wrestling match with God? And why did he go away with a permanent limp?
Also, why would Jacob’s wife Rachel, after seeing all that God had done for her family, steal pagan idols from her father? And how did she use the fact that it was “that time of the month” to cover her sin? Is it possible we ladies do much the same thing?
I will still be here in the coming year blogging through the Bible in a Year. But beginning this January, I’ll also be posting Bible in a Year videos on YouTube. You can view several of them right now including...
Why a fresh start through the Bible? Why “through” the Bible? Why not just read here and there, perhaps finding a subject that interests you? Or how about a short devotional? As long as you read something every day, isn’t that good enough? Today’s reading from the book of Psalms gives us a very good illustration of why it’s so important to read God’s Word in context.
The psalmist in Psalm 1 talks about a man who is like a tree planted on a riverbank where it gets plenty of water and is always fruitful. The psalmist goes on to say that God prospers whatever this man does.
I don’t know about you, but I want my life to be like that. But despite some who teach that God wants to make every believer prosperous, there are requirements for this prosperity. There are things we must do and other things we are to avoid. We also need to understand what the psalmist meant when he wrote about prosperity. If we don’t, we may find ourselves disillusioned, even angry, with God.
But this is just one example of the importance of understanding God’s Word in context, in its entirety. One of the biggest problems I find among believers is a failure to know God, to know His character, to know how He works through our tests and trials. As a result, far too many lead faithless, defeated lives.
But when we read through all of Scripture, we begin to see the big picture. As we go through the book of Genesis, we’ll look at the creation account and what it tells us about our incredible God. It will launch us on a journey through the history of God’s people and some of the most fascinating stories even recorded. As we go through the Prophets, we’ll see the many examples where their prophecies have already come to pass and our faith will grow. We will, also, come to better understand what was really happening in the book of Job, how much the psalmists were like us, and see the wisdom we can gain from Proverbs. In the New Testament, we’ll walk with Jesus and the Apostles, read Paul’s letters with fresh understanding, and marvel at the glories of eternity future.
So, why read “through” the Bible and not just here and there? So we understand the whole counsel of God and so we know the God of the Bible and not God as we think He should be.
Perhaps the question should be, “Why not read through the Bible in 2022?”
2022. A new year stands before us. 2021 and 2020 before that have been challenging to put it mildly.
Viruses. Bombings. Senseless murders. Shut-downs. Financial hardships. Crime. Dirty, partisan politics. Suicide. Sexual immorality. Anger. Road rage. Persecution. The loss of religious freedoms.
The world around us has been and continues to be in upheaval. Everything is changing right before our eyes.
Even within the church world, there are many false gospels.
So, how will we know truth from lies? How can we stand strong in a changing world, when life gets hard, or stays hard?
This year is fast drawing to a close and many of us are thinking about our goals for 2022. And there are many important goals and resolutions we can make as we look forward.
Certainly, these last two years have reminded us all that it’s important to take care of our health. And while, as believers, we shouldn’t live in fear, we should use wisdom in that area. Maybe you have career, financial, or other personal goals for 2022, as well.
But we should never neglect the most important area of life … our spiritual life. One of the most valuable goals is to read the Bible regularly. And I would like to suggest one of the best ways is to read through it in a systematic way. So, how about you? Do you want to grow spiritually in 2022? If so, what is your plan to do so?
Why is reading through the Bible so valuable? Can’t we get everything we need by going to church, reading a verse or two each day and listening to podcasts here and there? Isn’t it just too time-consuming? One more thing on a long to-do list?
Or what if you’ve tried in the past, only to fall behind and give up? How can you do it successfully in 2022?
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