SHCOC Daily Bible Reading » God

Day 357: Revelation 12:1-6 – Two Signs

Randy Consford — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 11:00:22 +0000

Revelation 12:1-6 opens with the display of two signs. The first is a wondrous sign from the sky. A woman appears who is clothed with the sun, crowned with twelve stars, and the moon is under her feet. This woman gives birth to the Messiah. Early church history interprets this as the messianic community (God’s faithful people) and not the literal mother of Jesus. Medieval traditions misguidedly begin to interpret her as Mary. It is out of God’s faithful people that the Messiah would come. This radiant woman cries out in pain as Israel had done in the past when placed in bondage (Isaiah 26:17; Isaiah 66:7; Micah 4:10). Israel cries out in her struggle of expectation of the coming Messiah. A second sign appears in the sky. John sees an enormous red dragon with seven heads. The Old Testament is complete with allusions to dragons that often are associated with God’s and Israel’s enemies. The dragon stands ready to devour the child as a great drama unfolds. I can’t help but wonder what condition we would all be in if the dragon ultimately wins. This is our story throughout history, the great dragon battles to destroy us in this past and present danger. Yet, the proclamation of the church in history and today is that the great dragon cannot defeat our Lord. In fact, our Lord has already won in the resurrection. However, until our Lord returns, the church must flee to the desert (like Israel and the Exodus) where we depend on God to provide and we develop an intimate relationship with Him. While we live on earth, we may face many struggles but the ultimate end is learning to live faithfully through it all. We have two signs — who really is our Lord, Christ or Satan? Maybe the answer can be seen in our journey through the wilderness.

Day 350: Hosea 1:2-3 — Think about how God feels?

Randy Consford — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 11:00:32 +0000

In Hosea 1:2-3, God tells Hosea to marry an adulterous wife and take her children out of wedlock. This is a shocking action by God. Yet, it is in actuality God’s story that Hosea is called to live out. We think a lot about poor Hosea who had to enter into this awful situation. In reality, we are given an insight into how God feels. God marries or makes a commitment to His people. His people become unfaithful and break their commitment by seeking other gods and having a relationship with them instead of the one true God. Do we ever stop and think about the God who is faithful to us even though we have prostituted ourselves to other things besides Him? Yes, He disciplines and judges us because He loves us. If you get a chance, skip ahead to Hosea 11:1-9 and read the touching proclamation of God about how He loves us in spite of what we have done. Read this section and think about God when in anguish He asks the question, “How can I give you up…?” (Hosea 11:8) Have you ever stopped to think about how God feels? I read this story from Hosea and I realize, I have hurt my God. This is not the final part of the story because my God forgives. He sent us His Son!

Day 245: Psalm 84 — Drawing Close to God

Randy Consford — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:00:29 +0000

The ancient writings of the Psalms bring forth many beautiful images. One that is quite foreign for us is the image of a long pilgrimage to be close to God in His temple. We are blessed as Christians to have access to God. Yet, in the Old Covenant, God’s presence was not accessible except through the temple. For those who lived in other cities or even countries, a pilgrimage was often initiated to move closer to the temple where they believed God resided and to participate in some important spiritual activities. In Psalm 84:2, we see the writer yearning to draw close to the courtyard of the temple. In Psalm 84:3, it seems as if he has lingered in the courtyard of the temple and watched the birds make their nests near the altar of God where sacrifices for sins were made. He longed to be near the temple with a home like the birds so that he could visit often. Yes, this ancient writer knew the significance of being close to God. He longed to be able to have access to God. I am sure, he would never be prepared or have the ability to perceive the access to God that we have in Jesus Christ. He says in Psalm 84:4, “Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!” We really are blessed! Thank you God for allowing us access through your Son!

Day 236: Psalm 51 — “Only a broken heart is big enough for God to dwell in!”

Randy Consford — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:00:43 +0000

I think it was C.S. Lewis that said, “Only a broken heart is big enough for God to dwell in.” Read Psalm 51 and you will experience the depth of David’s sin against God. Have you ever been haunted by a wrong for a long period of time? Have you forgotten the meaning of sin because we live in a world that wants to rationalize our wrong or blame someone else? If we have guilt with no guilt feelings, then our spiritual nervous system is out of whack. If we have guilt feelings after we have been forgiven then we are basically neurotic, unable to find peace, and unable to accept the powerful sin-forgiving work of Jesus Christ. I think David provides us with a penitential psalm and teaches us a lot about the path to asking for forgiveness and obtaining renewal from God. What can we do about our guilt problem?

We ought to realize that guilt is a “good” and “natural thing” that points us back to our relationship with God. It is a potential blessing that moves us closer to forgiveness.
It should not mark defeat for us but a help. If it is not then we may have other problems that need to be dealt with.
We must remember who God is. He is above all things and loves all. He gave His son for us to become spiritually healthy.
We need to pray. We need to refuse to give up, let guilt do its work, until it leads us to repentance and “a broken heart that only God can dwell in.”

Day 228: Psalm 20:1-23:6; Romans 2:1-16 — How great Thou art !

Day 231: Psalm 33 — A New Song

Randy Consford — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 10:00:40 +0000

Psalm 33 is a psalm that calls us to “rejoice in the Lord.” Why? God is upright (Psalm 33:4). God loves righteousness and justice (Psalm 33:5). God is the creator (Psalm 33:6-9). God sees the acts of man (Psalm 33:13-15). God is a savior unlike the kings and powers on earth (Psalm 33:16-19). The community that waits and puts their confidence in God is blessed with His steadfast love.

Psalm 33:3 is an invitation for us to sing a “new song.” This does not mean just to sing the song in our hymnal with the name The New Song. This is a term used in several places (Psalm 40:3; Psalm 96:1; Psalm 98:1; Psalm 144:9; Psalm 149:1; Isa. 42:10) and may mean to speak in a new way of the ancient truths. It represents a continual originality and challenge of being God’s people. What new song will we sing today? How will we live our lives in praise to God for who He is and how He saves us? Will we just “rejoice in the Lord” because He has given us something or will we also “rejoice in the Lord” for who He is? God is upright, God loves righteousness and justice, God is creator, God sees the deeds of man both good and bad, God is our savior, and may we sing a new song in the way we live as a community of faith.

Day 224: Psalm 1 — “The Gateway To The Psalter”

Randy Consford — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 10:00:51 +0000

Just this week, I had to obtain my transcripts from the different colleges I attended. I was looking through my completed courses and I saw the Psalms class listed that I had taken. The first Psalm that came to mind was Psalm 1. I still remember my professor telling me that Psalm 1 is “The Gateway to the Psalter.” Why? It is the first Psalm collected and it introduces us to the rest of the Psalms. In class we went on to do an exegetical study that pointed out that in life there are two paths that we can take. Psalm 1 points out that one really isn’t a path at all.

As we begin to read through the Psalms, we will learn a lot about the path of God. Which path are you on? Do you spend most of your time with wicked men and woman? Do you surround yourself with those who would mock God or your belief in Him? Does your life seem to be like the chaff from wheat that is tossed around and blown away because it is worthless? This my friend is the path that really isn’t a path at all and will end in nothing worth mentioning. The real path is grounded in the Word of God. It is like a beautiful tree next to a stream and it produces good fruit. This tree never withers and up above God watches over the tree. Now this is the path I want to be on. How about you? Welcome to ”Gateway to the Psalter!” May God bless you as you enter in and experience our God.

Day 222: Job 38:1-40:2 — “Prepare Yourself To Answer God’s Questions!”

Randy Consford — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:50:25 +0000

It seems that all of us go through some trying times and it is easy to make whiny little questions about what God is doing. Yet, it is a whole different thing to prepare oneself to come face to face with God and allow Him to question us. Too many people go through life complaining, questioning, arguing, and never stopping to listen to God or answering His questions.

I have always loved this section of Job. It made a big impact on me when I was younger. In one of my times of suffering, I was reading the Bible to find comfort. I was always told growing up that God would comfort me when and if I read His Word. I was reading Job and I expected that after all that Job went through (I was really thinking about me) that God would appear and console me…I mean Job. Instead of the comfort I wanted or expected I came…I mean Job came in contact with God in His Glory, Majesty, and Holiness. Go ahead read Job 38:2-3.

I know in my wallowing in self-pity and sorrowfulness, these words made me sit up. It may be time for us to answer a few questions. As you listen to the Almighty God ask a few simple questions throughout chapters 38-40, you might begin to squirm like I did. Then it should hit you (see Job 40:2).

WHO IN THE WORLD DO WE THINK WE ARE TO ARGUE WITH GOD? “SHALL A FAULTFINDER ARGUE WITH THE ALMIGHTY?”

Day 307: Jeremiah 14-16, 1 Timothy 4:1-5:2 — Our Answer

Day 214: Job 17:1-19:29; Acts 21:1-26 — The Road Ahead

Powell Pendergraft — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:39:58 +0000

Sometimes the most exciting part of a trip is the travel itself. What we see as we travel, what we expect to do when we get “there.” For both of these righteous men the “trip” would not be called exciting, rather arduous and demanding for sacrifice of what makes sense to everyone else. Job “travels” in a vast desert of sorrow and human conundrums, the unnavigable maze of human suffering. Paul travels a physical road to a great spiritual destination, and everyone keeps telling him to get off at the next intersection.

“I got away by the skin of my teeth!” we hear at times to talk about close escapes and near tragedy. Job claims that is all he has left after everything was taken away, thin gums on old teeth. Job holds that he is righteous and one day a redeemer, my GOEL LIVES (גֹּ֣אֲלִי חָ֑י) — the one who will make it right — will take care of it all, that “mighty one/God” — ELOAH (אֱלֹֽוהַּ) — not the frequent Hebrew term for “God” in the OT, a more ancient and poetic term. You other humans, not bigger, not smarter, and most certainly not holier than I cannot tell me who I really am and who my God really is. That GOEL will come to this dusty earth, I know it, I will not let go of it, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it! Now, whether Job makes a statement about resurrection or not — well, that is not quite so clear. In retrospect we may want to read that into his statement. It seems more that he says, “If need be, and I think it will be needed, even if I am dead, my GOEL, the ELOAH for my life and reputation, will raise me from the dead and vindicate me, just to show everybody I WAS RIGHT AND THEY WERE WRONG! He’s pretty mad about it all and will continue to be until about chapter 38 when a greater God than he imagines will give Job perspective for the real road ahead.

Meanwhile, back in Jerusalem, Paul has some hard rebuffs about the road he takes. Those whom he loves and respects all tell him that Rome is not a good place to be for him. Paul knows that what they say is true. But Paul knows that his destiny is to take the road, and his destiny lies with the One who loved and gave Himself for Paul, Gal. 2:20. He cannot, must not give that up. Although undesirable and even horrible, bonds and death are only brief stops on the path he must take to serve the Eternal One and win the real prize, Phil. 3:12-16.

I think we can walk away from this one, theologically, agreeing that, indeed, our Redeemer, the Christ, lives and will raise us up at the last day to vindicate, not ourselves, but the God of Heaven and Earth Who is Himself Just and Holy, and the justifier of all who come to Him, Rom. 3:21-26…and that all is not as we see it to be or expect from our limited perspective, rather the ultimate reality lies with God in His plans.

Prayer: Holy, Righteous Father: I trust You and Your Spirit and the One Who gave Himself for me. That is all I know, and Jesus is the Way I must travel today. Thank You in Jesus name.

Day 211: Job 10:1-12:25, Acts 19:13-41 — Who Curdled My Cheese?

Matt Lee — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 07:26:51 +0000

I’m writing this after returning from a short business trip. Most of these thoughts came from my mind after as we descended from 30,000 feet into the Austin airport. I had just endured a 2 hour delay in the Chicago airport (stunning I know) after my previous flight had also been delayed. I began to wonder why the airline seats can wreak such havoc on my skeletal system and whether if I sat just the right way the seat could actually put my spine back into place. If it can move my bones one way, why not the other? The problem is a little thing called entropy and the second law of thermodynamics. Without specific corrective care (energy put back into the system) my spine will continue to get worse, not better, especially in the closed environment of an aircraft hull.

How does this relate to our scripture? Like I said, it’s late and so this may make no sense at all. But we don’t live in a closed system. God lives outside of the universe he created and can provide the anti-entropy medicine that we need so often. Job constantly reminds us of this as he is reminded of it himself. I was particularly struck by Job 10:10 “Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese?” Now, Job is a book of poetry but I don’t think we’ll be incorporating this line into our praise songs anytime soon. I mean just finding words to rhyme with “curdle” and “cheese” would take a stroke of genius (or maybe just cheese). But it reminds us along with the rest of the passage that God is the one who created and is in control of it all. And this is even a more personal creation. It reminds me of the book (which I have not read but need to) “Who Moved My Cheese?” The book discusses how we deal with change. Rather than asking who is to blame (as Job’s friends are doing), ask what we can do in spite of the situation to survive and make the best of it. Job’s handling of the situation puts into perspective my complaints of airline delays and hard seats.

Another verse that is intriguing but I can’t fully comprehend in my current state is Job 12:11 “Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes food?”

And speaking of entropy…

How about those Ephesian riots in Acts 19:23-41? A mob mentality is no stranger to us. We’ll riot if our team loses the championship. We’ll riot if our team wins the championship. Luckily it only took a little common sense injected into the situation to calm things down and disperse the crowd. “Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes food?” Maybe, but I’ll have to think about that some more.

Thanks to the Southwest pilots who provided us safe travel and to the stewards on the flights who provided an entertaining take on the security policy. And thanks to our God who gave me safe travel and who reduces entropy by curdling my cheese.

Mmmmmmmmm cheese.

No related posts.

Day 189: 2 Chronicles 25:14-16 — “America Bless God!”

Randy Consford — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:00:03 +0000

I was driving by a house in my neighborhood and I saw a sign. It said, “God Bless America.” I don’t have a problem with the sign or its message. Yet, it seems that we are always asking for God to bless us but we don’t spend a lot of time remembering that God has already blessed us many times over. I began to think, we should change the sign and say, “America Bless God.” Why? Well Amaziah in 2 Chronicles 25:14-16 was blessed by God to defeat the Edomites. As soon as the battle was over, Amaziah brought in the gods of a foreign country, set them up, and began to worship them. This angered our God and He sent Amaziah a messenger but Amaziah refused to listen to the prophet’s counsel from God. Maybe this is a stretch but isn’t this what we do in America? God has blessed us as a nation over and over and then we refuse to listen to His counsel from His Word. Paul says “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort…” (2 Corinthians 1:3). “Blessed” used by Paul comes from the word εὐλογητός (eulogētos) which if you look closely at this Greek word, you will see it is the etymology for the word “eulogy.” It means to speak well of someone, to bless, or to praise. This word is used in other biblical passages, for example, Genesis 14:20; Luke 1:68; Romans 1:25; 2 Corinthians 11:31; Ephesians 1:3; 1 Peter 1:3. Each of these examples shows that God is to be blessed. So, I say it is time we start blessing or praising our God and put some signs up that say, “America Bless God!” Maybe if Amaziah would have learned this, he might have continued to be blessed by God instead of ending up being cursed by God.

Day 188: 2 Chronicles 20:24-23:15 — The Battle That Wasn’t