Some closing thoughts on 2 Chronicles

As I wrapped up reading through 2 Chronicles over the last 6 weeks, I came away with a couple of overall thoughts: 1. There are consequences to our actions. When the people of Judah had good kings who encouraged the people to follow God, the nation and the people prospered. When the kings were evil and led the people away from God, they were often attacked and conquered by the surrounding countries....

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Listening to God

In reading 2 Chronicles 18, I was struck by how Ahab refused to listen to the voice of God because he was so set on doing what he wanted to do instead of what God wanted him to do. And as a result, he lost his life. We are prone to do the very same thing. It's so easy to get caught up in all our own plans that we either fail to seek God's guidance or we refuse to follow it even when God makes it...

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Finally, a new post...

Obviously I haven't posted for a while. Just got out of the habit. For the last couple of months, those of you who have been on the 4 year reading plan with me have been reading primarily in 1 and 2 Chronicles. I'll have to admit that all the genealogies at the beginning weren't all that exciting, but going through the history of Israel again through the eyes of the author of Chronicles is a sobering...

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Revelation 12-17

In Revelation 13, the phrase "those who dwell on earth" is important. Those who are described in that way are deceived by the beast and worship him. This really reinforces the importance of realizing that as a follower of Jesus I am only a sojourner here on earth. My permanent dwelling place is in heav...

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Revelation 1-11

I'm really enjoying reading Revelation again. I especially love the peek that we get into the throne room of God in Revelation 4 and 5 where we see the worship that is going on constantly. And those who have placed their faith in Jesus will get to be part of that one d...

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Daniel 1-6

One of the great mysteries for me in this section of Daniel is how Nebuchadnezzar and Darius both acknowledged the power of Daniel's God. They even expected God to protect and save Daniel and made proclamations that commanded the people to fear Daniel's God. But they still always refer to "the God of Daniel" and do absolutely nothing to make God their own personal God. Unfortunately, that seems to...

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Lamentations

God did exactly what He warned the people He was going to do. But instead of listening to Him, the people chose to listen to false prophets who told them everything was going to be OK. I feel like our country is in a similar situation today, God's Word is still true, but so many people chose to ignore it and listen to those who justify rebelling against God in the name of tolerance and compassion....

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Jeremiah 43-52

As I wrap up the book of Jeremiah, I get a deep sense of God's sovereignty. Babylon thought that they had conquered Judah because of its own might. But they were actually being used as a tool by God to discipline His people. And once God was done using Babylon for that purpose, God used other nations to completely destroy that once great empire. Sometimes I think we get the sense that our country...

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Jeremiah 25-42

I know I haven't posted on the blog for a while, but I am still reading in Jeremiah and I hope you are, too. In this section of Jeremiah, there is certainly a lot of judgment for Judah as they continue to reject God. So God is warning them of the punishment to come for that sin. But at the same time, there is so much of God's mercy and grace - both present and future - for God's people. I am especially...

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Jeremiah 19-24

As we continue through the book of Jeremiah we continue to see God's justice and righteous anger toward those who have rebelled against Him. But we also see that tempered by His mercy and grace, especially toward those who are willing to repe...

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Jeremiah 13-18

Jeremiah 16:11-12: While each person is responsible for his or her own life, these verses point out why it is so important for parents to not just teach their children about God, but also to live in a way that is consistent with His Word. Otherwise each generation tends to fall further and further away from G...

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Jeremiah 7-12

In continuing my reading through Jeremiah this week, the thing that really sticks out to me is the fact that God is both loving and just. Although it pains Him to punish sin, His character requires that He must do so. But at the same time He continually extends His mercy and grace, particularly to those who are willing to repe...

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Jeremiah 1-6

We'll be in the book of Jeremiah for the next nine weeks. Jeremiah's name likely means "YHWH exalts". Jeremiah ministered to the southern kingdom of Judah after the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel to the Assyrians in 622 BC, during the reigns of five different kings (Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoaichin, and Zedekiah). His purpose was to warn the people of coming destruction and urge them...

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1, 2 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 describe the kind of pastor I am striving to become:  - one who works hard, lives in such a way that I can be an example to others, and who exhorts and to encourags others to live in a manner that is worthy of G...

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Psalms 7-12

According to Psalm 8, I am not just an accident or a mistake. God has been actively involved in every stage of my life. He thinks about me. He cares for me, He has given me dominion over the rest of His creation. Because I am made in His image, my life is characterized by glory and hon...

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Proverbs 1-8

Since I'm considering a sermon series on the Proverbs later this summer, I'm looking forward to reading in the Book this week. I look forward to hearing what God is showing you as you read His Word this we...

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Judges 8-14, 15-21

Didn't post last week after a busy Easter weekend. As I read the Book of Judges, it often seems like I'm reading a biography of my life. I think about the times in my life when I tried to live my own away apart from God. And then when I get in trouble and call out to God, He is patiently waiting there for me to return to Him and develop my relationship with H...

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Judges 1-7

This book certainly doesn't paint Israel in a good light as they continually turn away from God and to their own ways. And that kindles God's anger. But God remains faithful to His covenant with His people and continues to treat them with mercy and gra...

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Psalms 1-6

We'll be reading the Psalms in sections throughout the year. There is some good evidence that Psalms 1-2 were written as an introduction to the entire Book of Psalms. Notice that Psalm 1 begins with "Blessed is..." and Psalm 2 ends with "Blessed are..." There is a move from individual to corporate in these two Psal...

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1, 2, 3 John

Back to the New Testament for a week. I really love these short epistles from John. I'd love to hear your though...

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Genesis 43-50

We're on the home stretch for the book of Genesis. I've really enjoyed reading this book again and especially focusing on what I can learn about God from it. A few overall observations about God that really stand out to me: God is completely trustworthy. He keeps His promises even when the people to who he made those promises rebel against Him. God is so full of mercy and grace. The "God of the...

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Genesis 37-42

With the exception of the account of Judah and Tamar in Genesis 38, this entire section focuses on Joseph and God's providential involvement in his life. This section really emphasizes both God's sovereignty and His mer...

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Genesis 31-36

One thing that makes the Bible so believable to me is that the people in the Bible are portrayed realistically. None of them are larger than life - they all sin, sometimes a lot - but God delights in pouring out His grace and mercy on them. That seems to be especially true of Jac...

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Genesis 25-30

I'm really enjoying focusing on what the text is revealing about the heart of God. I'm consistently seeing a God who delights in keeping His promise to His people even when they continually fail Him. I am so grateful for God's faithfulne...

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Genesis 19-24

In Genesis 20 Abraham takes things into his own hands by saying Sarah is his sister for the second time. To me this is why it is so easy to believe the Bible is true. The "heroes" of the faith are shown "warts and all". They are never portrayed as larger than life. God chose Abraham to be the father of His people knowing that he was an imperfect man who would often fail in his faith. But God just...

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Genesis 13-18

Keep up the good work. Even if I don't always respond to all of your posts, I'm reading them all and benefiting from your insigh...

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Genesis 7-12

Hopefully, like me, you've now settled into our four year reading schedule. I'm finding I really like this pace - hope it's working for you, t...

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Genesis 1-6

Like John in the New Testament, Genesis is a book of beginnings - both books start with "in the beginning..." And there are certainly a number of parallels between the two books. for instance in Genesis 1:3 we see God creating light in the midst of darkness - the same way Jesus is described in John...

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John 18-22

I'm really enjoying reading through the Gospel of John again. I'd love to interact with you about what God is revealing to you from His Wo...

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John 12-17

Still hoping to get some more people involved in sharing what you are learning from God's Word. Let's encourage each other and build each other up with our insigh...

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John 7-11

This week we'll be reading John 7-11 - only 5 chapters, so plenty of time to think about what we're reading. Thanks Loren and Susan for your insightful comments last week. I enjoyed reading and thinking about them. Hopefully some others will join in this week, too. I'd love to see what God is impressing on your heart from His Wo...

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John 1-6

This week we'll be reading John 1-6. I'm really interested in seeing what God is revealing to you from this portion of Scripture. You can post your thoughts by commenting on this post. I'll also be sharing some of my thoughts throughout the we...

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