The end

Well faithful readers, it's over.
If you followed along, you will have finished reading the entire bible in 9 months as of yesterday.  It has been quite a journey!  I've learned a lot, and I hope you have too.  Although one thing I learned is that it's difficult to get into the meat of the bible when you're trying to race through it at lightning speed to get it done in 9 months.  It was a great experience, but I think a slower pace would be the best way to go.
I hope you'll stick with this blog even now that the reading plan is over, because I still intend to keep on reading my bible, as you should as well.  I've certainly gotten into the habit of regular bible reading!
Stay tuned for more conversations on topics relating to the bible and Christian theology and history.  I'm sure there's a lot more to uncover than what we have discovered over the past nine months.

Forgiveness

Philemon
I just noticed that I had to revise the last day of the reading plan to ensure that I indeed read the whole bible in the 9 months.  So today's reading included Esther 7-10, Proverbs 17, Philemon (the whole book), and Luke 20:9-26.  That's it!  We have finished the journey!
I would just like to comment briefly on Paul's letter to Philemon.  Paul requested that Philemon welcome back a runaway slave who had become a Christian while he was away from Philemon.  The outcome isn't clear, as we are only privy to Paul's request, not Philemon's response.  However, we know the right response - welcome back the one who wronged you with open arms, especially since Onesimus (the runaway slave) was repentant.  We must extend grace to those who have wronged us, just as Jesus did.  Even if they aren't requesting forgiveness, we should respond in grace and love.  This may have been a tough ask for Philemon, and for us, and we'll have to rely on God's strength to help us make that move.  Just remember though, it can be done!

Proverbs
Just a side note on Proverbs 17:17, which says "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."  I never saw the connection between the two parts of the verse before, but now I have realized something.  When it says that a friend loves at all times, there should be a focus on the fact that a good friend is with you not only in the good times, but also in the bad.  Since a brother is "born for adversity" that means that the brother will be with you in troubled times, like a friend is.  I'm not sure why I didn't clue in to this before now, but there you go.  It pays to re-read your bible!

Man's way leads to death

Proverbs

Proverbs 16:25 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”  Our judgment is fallen due to original sin, so regardless of what we do, if God isn’t in our plans, we won’t get too far.  The moral of this verse seems to be, make sure you consult God first!
This is in line with yesterday's post about committing your plans to God.  If you haven't done that already, make sure you do!

Commit to the Lord

Proverbs
Proverbs 16:3 says "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."
I wonder if this is a conscious commitment that you have to make every time you plan something.  I know deep down that everything I do is dependent on God, and I want Him involved in everything.  But do I have to tell Him every time I'm hoping to do something that I trust it is in His will?  I've laid my plans in His hands even before I start to make them; when I plan out specifics, should they be brought to His attention as well?
What is your approach to planning? Do you commit your plans to the Lord?  If so, how?

Eager to do good

Titus
Paul said that God brought us salvation that gives us the ability to have self-control, to live godly lives while we wait for the return of Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to purify for himself a people that are eager to do what is good (Titus 2:11-14).  I read that, and it sounded great, but am I eager to do good?  Not all the time!  Sometimes it is such a chore.  Why do we always have to put others ahead of ourselves?
In the end, it is more rewarding to do good.  Proverbs has tried to teach us that over and over again.  I think the desire has to be consciously cultivated, though.  So that's something I'll be praying about - being eager to do good!

You cretin

Titus
Well, the first chapter of Titus sure gives us a good picture of the origins of the word cretin.  The people of Crete were loud, boisterous, drunken, lazy, and mischievous.  All these things as Christians we should not be!  So if someone calls you a cretin, make sure it's not true of you!

Rich people going to heaven

Luke
I want to build on my previous post about the eye of the needle and a rich man going into heaven.  Check out the blog post on March 24 (click here).  That one was about the parallel passage in Mark 10.  Today's reading is Luke 18:18-30.  Not only is it impossible for a camel to go through the eye of an actual needle, but it is also impossible for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of heaven... on his own.  The ruler in this story had asked "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"  This question is similar to the one of the rich young man in Matthew 19, which I posted about on January 27 (click here).  It's all about doing.  We can't do anything, so of course it is impossible for us to get to heaven.  But with God, through Jesus Christ, we can!
I think that the emphasis on the fellow being rich demonstrates that rich people don't think they need God as much as poor people, because they have the resources to get through life comfortably without really having to rely on God.  So for rich people, it is more difficult to get to the point where they can depend on God for salvation.  Of course, this is a major generalization, so if you have a differing view, let me know.

The tax collector and Pharisee

Luke
I find the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (see Luke 18:9-14) almost similar to the parable of the lost son.  The Pharisee is sort of close to God, in that he is always trying to do his duty and pray and all that, but he really doesn't understand God at all.  The tax collector has little regard for the law, has previously abandoned God, but realizes his need for God and repents from the depths of his heart.  He desires to get back to God.  The Pharisee is like the older brother in the parable of the lost son, and the tax collector is like the son who ran away from home.
The tax collector, as Jesus points out, is the one who God really listens to.  That doesn't mean that if you haven't committed terrible sins, God won't listen to you.  The point here is that we have to approach God with sincerity of heart and in humility.  That was the prayer of the tax collector, and that should be our prayer too.

The persistent widow

Luke
When I hear the story about the persistent widow, I'm somewhat surprised.  It seems to me that nagging away at someone until they give in to your request is not the best way to go about getting what you want.  And yet that's what Jesus seems to be telling us.  Granted, he didn't call it nagging, but rather persistence.
On that note, I suppose, you could look at this lesson with the view that persistence creates character.  Persistence is perseverance and patience, and both those qualities we should certainly aspire to have.  Although it gets tiresome to continually ask for the same thing, God is at least making sure you really want what you're asking for.  And if you aren't getting your answer, perhaps you should re-evaluate your request; you may find out that you really don't want God to give it to you!

The kingdom of God is in you

Luke
At the end of Luke 17, we have another example of 'early scribal emendation' (so called by the Archaeological Study Bible).  If you were reading along and seemed to think a verse number was missing, you weren't crazy!  Luke 17:36 was added to a later version of the manuscript, and is not part of the original book.  Check out Matthew 24:40 - you'll notice that this is the 'missing' Luke 17:36, which a scribe probably copied into Luke because of his familiarity with this particular teaching.

Luke 17:21 says that the kingdom of God is in us.  That sounds almost like eastern mysticism or something, where we have the power deep within us somehow.  Anyway, that's not what the text means.  What is the kingdom of God?  I've talked a little bit about this in earlier posts.  The kingdom of God is wherever his will is being extended and lived out.  God came down to earth as Jesus to bring healing, eternal peace, joy, and righteousness.  If we have accepted his mission, the kingdom of God is now within us!  It has very little to do with what we can do, and has a lot to do with how we partner with God on his mission.

Receive your due

Proverbs
I can see how the wicked only receive their due on earth, as is stated in Proverbs 11:31, but it's a little more difficult to understand the first part of the verse - that the righteous also receive their due on earth.

"If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner!"

I always tend to think of the righteous having to wait for the afterlife to receive their reward - store up treasures in heaven, and all that.  There are other verses that suggest that righteous people are rewarded on earth, but that seems a little hit and miss.  Lots of godly people live really great lives, but there are a lot of godly people who have a lot of hardship!  What do they think about receiving their due on earth?

We have only done our duty

Luke
Check out Luke 17:1-10, particularly the last few verses.  Jesus is basically talking about humility.  He says that when servants do what they're told, they shouldn't expect praise and rewards; they're just doing their job.  Likewise, if we do what God has commanded, we shouldn't feel more important or worthy of a prize; we're just doing our job!
Trying to fulfill our duties or supposedly working beyond what God has called us to do (which is impossible, since he called us to perfection) won't get us anyway - for it is through grace and faith we are saved, not through our own deeds, so we really can't boast about anything.  Sometimes it's still easy to fall back into that mentality that if we just do what God told us to do, we'll be okay.  In one sense that's an acceptable attitude, but once we turn it into a task list of sorts, hoping to curry to God's favour, we've really lost the point.  Doing what he wants us to do won't make Him love us less or more; but it'll help us love Him more, especially if we don't get a big head about it.

Fear of God adds length to life

Key verse
2 Timothy 1:7 - For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

Proverbs
Proverbs 10:27 says "The fear of the Lord adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short."
I wonder if the author was thinking that fearing God would prolong life because then God wouldn't punish you as he would the wicked.  My first thought was the fear of the Lord would also include having common sense, a logical mind (to some extent, at least), and belief in absolutes, like absolute morality, and right and wrong.  All of those things are extremely helpful in living a successful life. 

God, the blessed and only Ruler

1 Timothy 6:11-16
What an exhortation!
"But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.  In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen."
That last verse there about God living in unapproachable light, and no one seeing Him - it is yet another great reminder of how full of glory He is.

Nehemiah

Key verse
Proverbs 9:10 - The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.


Nehemiah
Now this is interesting - Ezra wrote the book of Nehemiah (or at least presumably)!  Curious.  I thought it was Nehemiah, particularly since it is written in the first person.  Also, what a great job to have - being a cupbearer for the king.  Imagine the joys of having to taste someone's wine to make sure it wasn't poisoned....

The lost son

Luke
Here's another parable about being lost - the parable of the lost son (or prodigal son).  Many times, the focus is on the lost son, rather than the one who was never lost.  That second son who never ran away, he had it made the whole time, with constant access to the father and the wealth!  And yet, he was really the one squandering what he had.  I can see in this parable how there is more rejoicing over the son who returned than the one who was there all along.  If you aren't lost from God, are you rejoicing with him and enjoying all that he has given you?  As much as there is a lot of rejoicing when the lost people come home, there is so much more available to those who have been with God the whole time; he loves all of us with an extravagant love.

One lost sheep

Luke
The parable of the lost sheep teaches that there is more rejoicing about the one lost sheep that is found than the other 99 who were saved already.  The earthly part of me wonders if God loves those recently lost but now found people more than the others.  That seems to be a reflection of our attitude toward lost things, which we think about more than all the possessions still safe in our homes.  The next series of parables are on this same idea of being lost.

Just a little rest, but no lying

Proverbs
A few verses from chapter 6 of Proverbs really stuck out to me.  For one, make sure you don't sit down for too long!  Check out verses 10-11: "A little sleep, a little slumber, a little fold of the hands to rest - and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like and armed man."
Apparently, I really like this passage, because as I was typing it out, I felt that it was awfully familiar to me on this blog, and I actually posted specifically on this phrase on October 1, 2010.  The verse was different - in Proverbs 24, but it was the exact same phrase.  So clearly this message is important!  I think that is because I myself am one to work hard and not take many breaks, which isn't always a good thing.

Anyway, the next passage that popped out to me was verses 16-19.  These verses give us a list of things the Lord hates.  Interestingly, lying is mentioned twice, which makes it a double sin??  I wonder, above all, does that mean the Lord does not like lying?
Well, I just read into this issue a bit further, and Gill's Exposition on the Bible makes the distinction between lying in general (the first mention) and "bearing false witness" (the second mention).  The bearing of false witness is speaking untruthfully about your neighbour, whereas lying could just mean speaking the non-truth in any situation.  Regardless, I think the point we can get from this is, always speak the truth!  It'll get you a lot farther in life.

The Great Banquet

Luke
Jesus told the story of a man inviting guests to a great banquet.  His closer friends were invited, but they all made excuses: I just bought some land, or some oxen, or I just got married.  These excuses may sound okay when talking about just being invited over for dinner somewhere.  But the point of the passage here in Luke 14 is the kingdom of God.  Jesus is talking about being given a chance to participate in God's kingdom.  Suddenly those excuses don't seem very good.
What do we do when we hear God asking us to get involved?  Do we make excuses and hem and haw, and try to avoid working with God?  Or do we hear his voice and say, yeah, sign me up!  I'd love to come and help you out.

Wisdom

Proverbs
The book of Proverbs is all about wisdom.  We are exhorted to follow after wisdom, to give all we have for understanding, and to esteem wisdom above all else.  I find this message to be particularly important in today's culture where we are continually pressured to follow after foolishness and cheap thrills.
Sometimes it may seem difficult to forsake the world's dreams and seek wisdom and understanding in God.  But I think we (who try to do so) can admit, at least deep down, that a life of wisdom is a life that is sustainable and full of integrity.  Wisdom leads inevitably to following after God because God is the author of wisdom.  From that come moral absolutes, which are far from popular in a relativistic world.  I won't get into the moral absolute vs. relativism debate here, but you should read up on it (check out Greg Koukl and Stand to Reason, for starters).  You'll see that wisdom really is the only way to go.

Women in leadership

1 Timothy
Women in leadership... that's a hot topic!  Check out the last bit of 1 Timothy chapter 2.  Paul's message that women should be silent in church is, in my opinion, culturally based.  I believe there is a time and place for women to be in leadership, simply because the bible also says that there is neither male nor female, slave nor free, etc.  We're all the same in Christ, at least in terms of human equality.  My personal take is that men should be the head, as it often says in scripture, but that in no way limits women from participating in some form of church leadership.

It's just not the same

Ezra
It's interesting how different people can have such different reactions to the same event.  In Ezra 3, the temple has just been rebuilt (or at least started to be rebuilt) in Jerusalem after years of exile.  Many of the Jews have now returned to Jerusalem and the temple is back, although not in its former glory.  Almost all of the people were ecstatic, gave shouts of praise to God, and offered up thanksgiving.  But some of the older people there, the priests and Levites, wept aloud when they saw the temple because they remembered the former temple of Solomon from many years ago.  This new temple wasn't nearly as good as the old one.
What do you say to those people who aren't happy?  Don't look a gift horse in the mouth?  After all, it was only by the goodness of Cyrus of Persia that the temple rebuilding took place anyway.  Or do you just tell them to forget about the past and move on with life?  None of these words would be that comforting.  I think we all just have to come to the realization that our sin is really going to make things worse, and even after God has forgiven us, we've got to deal with the consequences of the our sin, and whatever circumstances we got ourselves into.
What about the people that were happy just to have a temple?  Maybe it would have been a good reminder for them to think of the former temple and see just where rebellion against God had got them.  Perhaps they did realize that and understood how great it was just to have a temple and their homeland back at all.
Read on in the rest of Ezra and we'll see where this temple story leads us.

Endless genealogies

1 Timothy
1 Timothy1:4 mentions 'endless genealogies'.  Paul warns against false teachers who devote themselves to these 'endless genealogies'.  What's so wrong with genealogies?  Apparently the Jewish bloodlines had become so intricate that tracing lineage back to the twelve tribes really did make for endless genealogies.  The importance of keeping the twelve tribes separate really disappeared after Jesus, the Messiah, came to save the whole world, rather than just the Jewish nation.  Devotion to these genealogies wasn't necessary, and was likely a sign that the false teacher was, well, false, and insistent on still following the Jewish law rather than God's grace.  So in this case, I guess genealogies really aren't that great after all.