Before I write anything about today’s reading let me share a couple caveats (and this is true for future posts on the book of Job as well). First, I believe the book of Job to be an absolutely true story, a historical account and not an allegory. Second, I don’t fully understand why it seems God “recommends” Job to be harassed by Satan. I understand it from the viewpoint of the great controversy, but not emotionally. As I’ve matured as a Christian I’ve learned to be okay with not always understanding everything, and I’ve learned that often times if I wait on the Lord in due time He does give me understanding. In my life I have discovered the immense goodness of God and so in Job 1 where I see something that does not seem so “good” I don’t accuse God, rather I recognize my own limitations and I choose to be as the just and live by faith and not by sight. That said I do have points of views on these texts that have helped ease my concern over the years, but since I cannot support them 100% Biblically I refrain from putting them out there. If you have similar concerns about the book of Job I encourage you to “taste and see that the Lord is good!” and then to live by faith when understanding is limited, remembering, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.”

Job 1 & 2:

Job was the greatest of all men of the east (1:3b) How? Job “was blameless, upright, fearing God, and turning away from evil.” (1:1). Don’t be fooled the greatness comes from verse 1 not verse 3a. How do we know this? Because in chapter 1 verses 13 through 19 he lost all of what was listed in 3a and then we read in chapter 2 verse 3b, “There is no one like him on the earth…”

Greatness comes from character not possessions or accomplishments.

How could Job stay this great, and not sin in light of these challenges?

1:20, “Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and WORSHIPED.”

The scriptures do not say Job was okay with what happened. Or he said, “such is life,” no, he is broken, distraught, in such grief the strength in his legs has gone out…have you been there? I have!

Yet when he was lying on that ground in pain deeper than words can express, he worshiped, “Blessed be the name of the Lord” (1:21)

Incredible. I won’t give away the end of the book of Job…but knowing the end of the book makes all of this even more amazing to me…okay I’ll give it away, from what we read at the end of Job God never explains, God doesn’t give Job the insight He gives us into seeing that this was all a live action drama of the great controversy, in which Job is one of the greatest character witnesses on God’s behalf. Job doesn’t know any of that yet he remains faithful. Wow!

To close this post today I want to share the insights I read from the Facebook page of my good friend Kim Taylor after she read today’s reading:

1. May I be like Job…How awesome would it be if this is the way God described me to Satan: “Have you considered my servant Kim? There is no one on earth like her; she is blameless and upright, a woman who fears God and shuns evil.” (insert your name and gender rather than Kim’s)
2. May I not be a wife like Job’s…may I always support and pray for my husband no matter what he is going through (men may we be husbands that always support and pray no matter what)
3. May I be like the friends were at first… at the end of Ch. 2, when they first come, they just sit there and support him by being there but don’t say a word. If only they had stayed that way

Tomorrow’s Reading: Isaiah 1-6

The progression of the first verse of Psalm 1 is insightful. It is almost as if the psalmist is telling us that getting near (walking) wickedness will eventually lead us to pause and examine (stand) longer than we should in the ideas of sin, which then will lead us to fully invest (sit) in sinful ways.

What is the anecdote to avoid getting near, examining, and ultimately investing in this sinful world?

It is found in verse 2—We delight in the Word of God…not just occasionally, we see just like yesterday’s reading showed us the way to be strong and courageous in Joshua 1:8 is by meditating on scripture day and night, this is also the way to delight in the Word of God. I know me and I’m pretty sure I know a thing or two about most of humanity. If we are not reading the Bible every day then we are not thinking about the Bible every day, especially not day and night—which is basically a way of saying, “all the time.”

If we do meditate (think on) the scriptures day and night this will help us to be firmly planted in Jesus (v. 3). You may say I don’t see that in verse 3…I see it indirectly in this verse through the eyes of Paul, Colossians 2:6, 7:

“Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”

When the Bible speaks of being rooted it is speaking of being grounded in Jesus.

Speaking of Jesus, He is all over Psalm 2. It is a Psalm of David and we can see David addressing the things He is going through as King of Israel, but woven throughout are subtle or maybe not so subtle references to Jesus and prophecies regarding His time on this earth.

Did you see them? Verses 2, 7, 12 these all have reference to Jesus.

In closing though I want to look at verse 3 of Psalm 2,

“Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us!”

This is the cry of the wicked they believe the bondage they feel is due to God and His ways. When really the bondage they are under is because they don’t really know His Son.

Psalm 2:1, 2 are a people plotting against Jesus. Why? Verse 3 because they feel like His ways are slavery.

If we are not rooted in Jesus, Psalm 1:3 we will feel like Jesus is slavery; the devil will convince us of this, just as he convinced 1/3 of the angels in heaven. Just as he convinced Eve. The devil is a liar though!

Can I testify that the freest I ever felt was the day I said “yes” to Jesus and His ways.

If you tear away the fetters of God and the cords of His Son and the Holy Spirit, you’ll find what it truly means to be in bondage, because sin is a terrible master!

Tomorrow’s Reading: (Poetry) Job 1 & 2

As I have done most years since I’ve been blogging I would like to share with y’all some of the “Top Lists” (this year it will be 15) of 2015.

I want to thank by the way the 17,879 people that read this blog in 2015. In 2013 there were 9300 readers, in 2 years we’ve almost doubled, so thank you, thank you!

Here are the Top 15 countries represented in my readership:

1. United States
2. Canada (which overtook Australia as my usual #2)
3. Australia
4. The United Kingdom
5. South Africa
6. Kenya
7. Brazil
8. Philippines
9. New Zealand
10. Indonesia
11. India
12. Netherlands
13. Germany
14. Zimbabwe
15. Jamaica

Here are the Top 15 States represented in my readership:

1. California
2. Maryland
3. Washington
4. Texas
5. Florida
6. Tennessee
7. Michigan
8. Georgia
9. Ohio
10. Oregon
11. New York
12. Illinois
13. Colorado
14. Virginia
15. District of Columbia (I know not really a state :))

Here are the Top 15 cities represented in my readership:

1. San Francisco
2. Washington D.C.
3. Los Angeles
4. New York
5. Sydney
6. Atlanta
7. Chicago
8. London
9. Visalia (miss y’all)
10. Seattle
11. Portland
12. Brisbane
13. Dallas
14. Oronoko charter Township
15. Houston

And now for the Top 15 most read posts in 2015:

1. The Mess We’ve Made of Ordination
2. The Local Church is Killing Adventist Education : I wrote this in 2011 yet it received new life and a great many readers again this year.
3. A Sincere Inquiry to Those Opposed to Women’s Ordination
4. A Nice Man, But Still the Same System
5. The Four Most Important Evangelists in The Adventist Church I’m not sure how this is marked to have it found so often in google, but this post from 2013 has a consistent stream of readers.
6. I Miss My Friend!  a lament following the death of one of my closest friends, it still hurts.
7. A Response to Elder Stephen Bohr’s “Reflections on Deborah & Huldah” I’m not sure if it is Steve Bohr fans or foes that continue reading it, but it continues to be well read.
8. The Superiority of Adventist Education This one was also written in 2011 but continues to be a main stay on the leaderboard of posts.
9. Multifarious Thoughts on Women’s Ordination What a shocker another post on women’s ordination that gained traction in 2015
10. How I Hope Adventists Will Respond to the Kenneth Copeland/Pope Francis Video The interesting thing to note, the individual, Tony Palmer, that facilitated this entire thing died shortly after this in a motorcycle accident.
11. The Ordained Women Pastors of China Still love this video no matter how many times I see it!
12. Random Thoughts Concerning GYC & The ONE Project: There is actually no link to this post because I removed it. I removed it because there was such a defensive reaction by both groups, but in particular ONE Project supporters that I felt it wasn’t worth the hassle. However, after I removed it several associated with the ONE Project said I should have left it up and informed me they appreciated the perspective. You’ll just have to trust me it was well read 🙂
13. Sometimes You Have to Ask More Than Once to Get to Yes
14. Why The Recent Rhetoric in the Church Makes Me Want to Shout About “SPIRITUAL FORMATION”
15. Women’s Ordination: The Greatest Danger It seems only fitting that the first and last on this list are related to women’s ordination, a topic that very much dominated the thoughts of many in this General Conference Session Year.

Thank you for reading in 2015. I hope you’ll join me and invite your friends to read along as well in 2016. There will be at least one post every day in 2016 because I am blogging through the Bible daily in 2016. So check-in every day.

I love the book of Joshua. It is not because I am a war monger or because I revel in blood shed, there is a lot of both in this book. I love this book because in the midst of all the war there is a great deal of practical principles we can all live by.

In Joshua chapter 1 verses 6, 7, & 9 God states to Joshua three times, “Be strong and courageous.” The repetition of this phrase shows the importance of an idea. Now we would put an exclamation mark on a big idea, but in the Bible repetition is like an exclamation mark.

“Be strong and courageous” is God’s appeal, His command to Joshua but the appeal does not come without justification for why Joshua should be strong.

• Be strong and courageous: (v. 6) because I have made a promise years ago and I always keep my promises.
• Be strong and courageous: (vv. 7, 8) Joshua you will find all the strength and courage and at the end of it success through God’s Word.
• Be strong and courageous: (v. 9) because the Lord is always with you!

I like verse 8 of chapter 1: careful obedience to the Word of God requires careful study, “you shall meditate on it Day & Night”

In chapter 2 Rahab’s story is such a lesson of faith driven works for believers!

1. Rahab was a prostitute, but she ends-up in the family line of Jesus, Matthew 1:5
2. Rahab was a prostitute, but she is found in the Hall of Faith, Hebrews 11:31
3. Rahab was a prostitute, but James cites her as an example of justification by faith which produces works, James 2:25

In Joshua 2:3-6 are the actions that show the legitimacy of Rahab’s faith statement found in Joshua 2:9-11.

Some believe that the scarlet cord that Rahab was to hang-out her window has relation to the blood posted above the doorposts at the time of the Passover in Egypt.

Rahab should be a witness to us that God did not destroy one group simply to build-up another group. He saved all who were willing to be saved, Israelite and pagan.

I love 2:21, it is a mini-sermon on preparation for the second coming. The spies tell Rahab that if a red cord is not in the window when they return they will not be responsible for her death, so in verse 21 we read, “So she sent them away, and they departed; and she tied a scarlet cord in the window.” Logically she had to have known they wouldn’t return that night, but she wasn’t going to miss out on not being ready. The moment they were gone she started to prepare for them to return. Jesus is in heaven right now, but we should be preparing like He is coming back immediately!

What a witness this woman is to us!

In the last chapter of our reading today, chapter 5 I love the final verses! They leave with us an important truth to remember.

“Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” 14 He said, “No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his servant?” 15 The captain of the Lord’s host said to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.”

Joshua here encounters the pre-incarnate Jesus Himself, and just like Moses he is told to remove his shoes because the ground is holy.

But what I love about this text and I believe other versions than the NASB capture it a little better, Joshua asks the individual “whose side are you on?” And the NASB translates it, “No” but what the Lord was saying is, “neither”

This is a good point for us to remember. God is not on my side or your side. He’s not on the Christian side or the Muslim side. God is on His side and He calls us to join Him, to follow Him, to recognize His holiness letting Him lead the way.

Tomorrow’s reading: Psalms 1 & 2

Before I begin with my official blogging of today’s reading, I want to let you know these blog posts are not going to be of sermonic quality…maybe you want to leave now? What I will be writing in these blogs is what touches my heart, my mind. What questions I have. You’ll find sometimes I won’t have the answers to those questions, and if that bothers you I apologize. Basically what I’ll be blogging are the thoughts that I’ve written in the margins of my Bible like this:

For those of you that may be wondering, I am doing my daily devotions primarily in the New American Standard Bible but I also have a New Living Translation (they call it a translation, though I would say the word “translation” should be used loosely in regards to the NLT), I am not necessarily a fan of the NLT for exegetical study…I haven’t actually read the NLT since I was a Senior in academy…but I am using it because this edition of the NLT uses not only red letters in the New Testament, but also blue letters in the Old Testament to highlight references to Jesus or texts related to something Jesus did or said in the New Testament. I really love it and am glad one of my elders told me about this “Jesus Centered” Bible.

So here we go…If you’re still with me up to this point I hope you’ll join me all 365 days. Oh and please comment on these posts if you so desire. Keep the comments kind and kosher. Comment on the text not at the individuals that may also comment please…

Okay…day 1

Romans chapter 1 & 2

Romans 1: 3, 4: Jesus’ birth shows His humanity (v.3) His resurrection shows us His divinity (v. 4)

Romans 1:12 is a beautiful reminder of one of the great purposes of the church and why no one should think being a loner Christian is truly productive. Paul wanted to connect with the Roman Christians so they could be encouraged by him and he by them.

The doctrine of a literal 6-day creation and God/Jesus (John 1) as creator is being attacked. I believe it is because the devil knows that God’s creation reveals “His (God’s) invisible attributes, His eternal power, and His divine nature (character)” (Rom. 1:20)…the saddest thing about these attacks, people within the church are assisting the world and thus assisting with the machinations of the devil. SMH. The Bible has a word for these folk, FOOLS (Rom 1:22).

I see vv. 23, 24, 26, 27 as a result of denying God as creator. I see vv. 25 & 28 confirming this truth. “exchanged the truth of God for a lie…worshiped creature rather than creator.” (v.25); “they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer” (v. 28) Why? Romans 1:20 Because they ignored the evidence of God seen through creation.

Two sins Paul mentions: idol worship (vv. 23, 24) and same gender sexual relations (vv. 26, 27).

Was Paul inspired to highlight these two sins because they aptly illustrate in their own manifestations the consequences of denying God as ultimate creator and thus our ultimate authority?

Idol worship in this context is actually worshiping something that is crafted…CREATED…by the hands of men. Making man the creator and thus all powerful, thus the authority.

Same gender sexual relations denies the creative power that God gave us and is an attack against what is the pinnacle of the sixth day of creation (Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:18-25).

I do not believe Paul was highlighting same gender sexual relations because it is a “greater sin” as some purport.

In fact it is almost as if Paul anticipated some would feel this way…so then he lists, while not highlighting, but he still lists a bunch of other sins. A list that includes many sins I think we’ve all committed at some point or another: “gossiping (guilty), disobedient to parents (guilty), unloving (guilty), unmerciful (guilty)” and I’m sure we could throw in many others I’m guilty of.

And here is the real dagger for any of us that only want to condemn one of the two sins Paul highlighted Paul doesn’t just say the first two sins, idol worship and same gender sexual relations are worthy of death, v. 32 “that those who practice such things” Which things? All of the above and more I’m sure! “are worthy of death.” And wow this really hits me, by embracing certain sins and being okay with certain sins we embrace ALL the sins “they not only DO THE SAME, but also give HEARTY approval to those who practice them.”

Are we gossips? It is as if we had homosexual sex…yep that is how I read Romans 2:1, “Therefore you have no excuse, EVERYONE of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge PRACTICE the SAME things.”

This fits with James 2:10, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.”

But then Paul as if he would know that then people would say, “see, see, don’t judge me for my sin.”

Turns to that crowd and states, “do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance.” (Rom. 2:4)

Paul here tells one group “if you deny your sins by judging others and not looking at your own you’re guilty.” To another group he then says, “If you don’t think you need to repent (confess and turn away from) as a result of the kindness and patience of God you’re guilty too.”

In closing what struck me during this reading is something I was convicted to do as I read Romans 2:17-29…maybe you’d like to do the same.

Every time Paul writes “Jew” insert the word “Adventist.” And then when I read the word “circumcision” I replaced it with the word “Sabbath”—though probably any doctrine that you know at times you judge others in you could put in there…that just happens to be mine.

Verses 28 & 29 of chapter 2 bring context to all the statements regarding law keeping in Romans 1 & 2.

If someone read all of this (Romans 1 & 2) and thought, “oh I have to work harder to keep the law,” they’d come to verses 28 & 29 of chapter 2 and realize if it isn’t out of a response from my heart…if it is just a rule…if it is just a law…if it is just about doing right to earn something…if it isn’t a response of my heart to the invisible attributes, the eternal power, and the divine nature of God then it is all for naught!

“For he is not a Jew (Adventist) who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision (Sabbath) that which is outward in the flesh (attendance at church). But he is a Jew (Adventist) who is one inwardly; and circumcision (Sabbath keeping) is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.”