60IN60 Day 29 - Mon Nov 30

It's Day 29 and we're in Genesis 23.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 4 - It's worth pondering that after all this time and all the promises God fulfilled that Abraham still dies as a stranger in a foreign land.

Help:
- Verses 3-16 - This is a depiction of the back and forth of an ancient negotiation.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

Your Comments:
"A comment in my Bible suggests Lot knew the men of Sodom wouldn't be interested in his daughters so his offer is safe and he bought some time.  If true, makes his offer slightly - but only slightly - less deplorable."

60IN60 Day 28 - Sun Nov 29

It's Day 28 and we're in Genesis 22.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Nothing really jumped out to me today.

Help:
- Verse 2, 10 - This is a troubling scene.  God is testing Abraham to see if He will trust Him even with his most beloved thing.  Still, even knowing that, the scene is disturbing.  We do know from verse 5 as well as from Hebrews 11:19 that Abraham expected God would raise Isaac from the dead.  Still. . .

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 27 - Sat Nov 28

It's Day 27 and we're in Genesis 21.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 1 - "The Lord did just as He promised" - You can count on Him for that.

Help:
- Verses 10-12 - This is a troubling incident.  Part of it goes to the fact that it was not God's will for Ishmael to be born.  Part of it that the focus needed to now be on the chosen child.  But in either event, it's a hard thing to watch a son being sent away by his father.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 26 - Fri Nov 27

It's Day 26 and we're in Genesis 20.

Where God Spoke To Me: 
- Verse 6 - Because he has acted in innocence, God keeps him from sin.  We need to make sure we're acting "in the integrity of [our] heart."

Help:
- Verse 2 - Yes, he's going to make the same stupid mistake again.  Just like we so often do.
- Verse 7, 17 - It does seem weird that the one who was in the wrong here has to pray for the one who was in the right.  Why?  Even though Abraham is in the wrong, he still has authority that's been given to him because he is God's chosen.  I think of it like God saying to the king, "See that guy over there?  The one that caused all this problem?  Yeah, well, he's my guy.  I know, I know, he was stupid in what he did.  But he's the one I chose a long time ago.  So go have him pray and we'll get this taken care of."
- Verse 12 - In the rural, often nomadic culture of that day, this was not unusual.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 25 - Thurs Nov 26

It's Day 25 and we're in Genesis 19.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Nothing really jumped out to me today.

Help:
- Verse 8 - Lot's offer is terrible.  It is again important to remember that not everything described in the Bible is endorsed by God.  We know from some other stories that Lot has been compromised morally by Sodom.  Why would Lot make such an offer, though?  Two main reasons: a. there was an enormous importance placed on hospitality and caring for your guests back then - to have his house guests harmed would have been (to his mind) the greatest of offenses; b. the obviously low moral standard in Sodom twisted his thinking in what was appropriate and what wasn't.
- Verse 26 - This was, apparently, a judgment from God.
- Verse 30-38 - This is pathetic and wrong.  Again, not everything we read in the Bible is approved behavior.  This is telling of how skewed these girls moral standards had gotten living in Sodom.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 24 - Wed Nov 25

It's Day 24 and we're in Genesis 18.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 22-32 - This is one of my favorite passages because it tells me that it's ok to bring my questions to God.  I can ask Him why things are happening and whether there are other options.

Help:
- Verses 2-8 - Hospitality to strangers was very important back then.
- Verse 20 - Presumably the outcry is from those being hurt by the sin in Sodom and Gomorrah.
- Verse 21 - It's not that God can't see from heaven, but simply that He is going down to confirm and execute the judgment.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 23 - Tues Nov 24

It's Day 23 and we're in Genesis 17.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 18 - Even when God has promised greater things, often we cling to our own manufactured plans.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 22 - Mon Nov 23

It's Day 22 and we're in Genesis 16.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 15 - Some things that we do in our moments when we're not trusting God have consequences that echo for years - or in this case, centuries.

Help:
- Verses 1-2 - Polygamy was practiced back then, so that part is not particularly unusual for the day.  The larger problem is that this was an attempt to manufacture an answer to what God had promised instead of trusting Him to come through.
- Verses 5-6 - Sarai is wrong and petty to do this; Abram is wrong and cowardly to give in.  Remember that not everything done by people in the Bible is approved by God.
- Verse 9 - This is not an endorsement of Sarai's behavior, but the child did need to be with Abram.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 21 - Sun Nov 22

It's Day 21 and we're in Genesis 15.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 6 - Having faith in what God says is one of the greatest things we can do to honor Him.

Help:
- Verses 12-13 - This is an unusual sequence.  Apparently God wants to let Abraham know the struggles that are ahead and so this dark incident occurs.
- Verse 16 - "the iniquity. . . is not yet complete" - In other words, they had sinned, but not enough to merit destructive judgment yet by a patient God.  It's an interesting phrase.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 20 - Sat Nov 21

It's Day 20 and we're in Genesis 14.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Nothing really jumped out to me today.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 19 - Fri Nov 20

It's Day 19 and we're in Genesis 13.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Nothing really jumped out to me.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 18 - Thurs Nov 19

It's Day 18 and we're in Genesis 12.

We'll be looking at the stories of Abraham over the next few days.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 10 - I think this verse is important.  We don't see where Abram is told to go to Egypt - he just does it on his own.  I wonder if God was planning to empty the Promised Land for him through this famine?

Help:
- Verse 15 - This was cowardice on Abram's part in being deceptive.  Then once he had been deceptive, he was stuck when they took her.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 17 - Wed Nov 18

It's Day 17 and we're in James 5.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 1-6 - Some harsh words for the rich.  Given that most of us in America would be rich by the definition the Bible is using, it's probably time for us to question our thoughts on money.

Help:
- Verses 14-15 - If someone is sick, one option for them is to have the leadership of the church anoint them with oil and pray over them.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 16 - Tues Nov 17

It's Day 16 and we're in James 4.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 10 - Be obedient and humble and wait on His power to lift you up.

Help:
- Verse 9 - Not that this should be our constant attitude.  He's speaking here in this context to those who are proud of themselves and their accomplishments.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 15 - Mon Nov 16

It's Day 15 and we're in James 3.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 13 - "the humility that comes from wisdom" - Nicely said.

Help:
- Verse 1 - Judgment is stricter or less so based on a number of factors, including the responsibility we've taken, our merciful to those around us, how much we've been given, etc.  As a pastor, I am subject to stricter judgment because of being a pastor.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 14 - Sun Nov 15

It's Day 14 and we're in James 2.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 13 - A reminder of how important it is that we're merciful to those around us.

Help:
- Verses 9-11 - The analogy I often use is that sin is like standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon.  I can take a tiny step forward (i.e. one sin) or I can rare back and take a huge flying leap (i.e. many sins), but either way I end up at the bottom.
- Verse 12 - We have been given freedom by the death of Christ.  
- Verse 19 - The demons don't have saving faith in God, but they do know without question that there is one.  The issue is not believing in God - it's serving and following Him.
- Verse 24 - The point: what we do is the evidence of what we really believe.  Faith in name only is empty and worthless.  My actions show the proof of my words.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 13 - Sat Nov 14

It's Day 13 and we're in James 1.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 27 - If we claim to be a nation of many Christians, why are there so many kids without families?

Help:
- Verse 2 - It's not that we're glad to have problems, but as the following verses indicate, it's that the struggles have a maturing effect.
- Verse 4 - The word "perfect" in some translations means "mature."  Even if we never achieve perfection in this life, we need to be striving for that great a spiritual maturity.
- Verses 9-10 - The poor person should remember that he is a child of the King; the rich person should remember that all his money isn't going to keep him from dying.
- Verses 23-24 - Basically this is saying that when we say we're Christians but we don't have deeds to back that up, we're like someone who sees himself in the mirror and then turns away and forgets what he looks like.  We've forgotten as Christians what defines who we are.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 12 - Fri Nov 13

It's Day 12 and we're in Luke 8.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 8 - "a hundred times as great" - Wow!  I want to see that in my life.

Help:
- Verse 10 - This sounds like it's saying God is trying to keep truth from them.  In fact, what it means is that the person's openness to what God is saying (see the end of v. 8) determines how much of the truth they get.  See also the below comment on vv. 16-18.
- Verses 16-18 - This is not about sharing the truth, but about receiving it.  Jesus is saying that the truth is there for the sharing, but they need to want to receive it (see v. 18).
- Verse 37 - The power Jesus displayed scared them and they wanted it gone.
- Verse 56 - It was probably in vain that He told them not to share the miracle.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 11 - Thurs Nov 12

It's Day 11 and we're in Luke 7.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 8-9 - Jesus is impressed because this man believes that what He says will happen.  He has faith in Jesus' power and that Jesus is a man of authority.

Help:
- Verse 19 - This is a stunning verse, because it means that John the Baptist was having doubts about Jesus.  Why?  Probably because John was expecting Jesus to come in and militarily take over and drive the Romans out.  Jesus wasn't doing that and John couldn't figure out why.
- Verses 31-34 - In other words, when someone came somberly, you complained.  When someone came joyfully, you complained.  You're (speaking of the religious leaders) dissatisfied no matter what.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 10 - Wed Nov 11

It's Day 10 and we're in Luke 6.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 3-5 - This really hit me hard.  How often do I say, "What that really means is. . ." and explain away a passage by making it easily fit within my theology?  I need to dwell with the verses and receive them on their own terms, even if that creates some struggle.

Help:
- Verses 1-2 - This was one of the rules the Pharisees had come up with: doing something as simple as this was classified by them as "work" and therefore banned on the Sabbath.
- Verses 3-5 - Jesus reminds them that others did things that would have been "immoral" by their made-up rules.
- Verses 20-26 - This speaks to who is more likely to have insight into God and who is less likely.
- Verses 29-30 - This doesn't mean that if we're beat up we can't defend ourselves.  The slapping has more to do with slapping as an insult.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 9 - Tues Nov 10

It's Day 9 and we're in Luke 5.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 5 - Sometimes we obey not fully understanding why we're being asked to do that particular thing.  We just trust Him.

Help:
- Verse 17 - The second half of this verse can be confusing.  Other passages tell us that Jesus' power came through the Father working in Him.  Apparently when there was a lack of faith on the part of the people, the Father limited the power that would flow.
- Verses 27-28 - Levi had met Jesus before.
- Verse 36-38 - Jesus is saying that He hasn't come to repair the old way (i.e. the Temple system), but to bring a new way.
- Verse 39 - This verse points out that most of us find it hard to reach out for the new, preferring instead the comfort of the old.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.