60IN60 Day 30 - Tues Feb 3

It's Day 30 and we're in Matthew 10.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 39 - I have to be willing to lose my desires and follow Christ, presuming He has a bigger and better plan.

Help:
- Verses 5-6 - During Jesus' earthly life, His specific mission was to Israel.  It's only after His rejection and crucifixion that in Acts the door is opened to Gentiles.
- Verse 34 - This means that Jesus is divisive and is going to cause some disagreements as some follow Him and some dismiss Him.
- Verse 37 - This is not to say that we should not love our families (after all, the second greatest commandment is about loving people), but it does mean that our love for God should be the primary love of our lives.
- Verse 38 - Taking up your cross means sacrificing for Jesus.
- Verse 39 - We have to follow Christ and His teaching and presume that this will lead to a greater life than our own direction.

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 29 - Mon Feb 2

It's Day 29 and we're in Matthew 9.

What's the Bible say about the book you're reading today? We have the Word so that as believers we can be "equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:17). Read the Word so you're ready for what life throws at you. 

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 36 - Do I look at the lost with compassion or dismissal?

Help:
- Verse 3 - They believed Jesus was blaspheming because only God has the right to forgive sins and they didn't believe that Jesus was God.
- Verse 9 - Jesus had met Matthew before.
- Verse 15a - Jesus is the bridegroom.
- Verse 15b - Yes, this means you should be fasting regularly.
- Verses 16-17 - Jesus hasn't come to repair the old way but to bring a new way.
- Verse 30 - Jesus didn't encourage people to publicize these miracles because they generally just brought gawkers and not people genuinely interested in being disciples.

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 28 - Sun Feb 1

It's Day 28 and we're in Matthew 8.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 10, 26 - A reminder of the need to have faith in His power.

Help:
- Verse 4 - Jesus told the man to tell no one because that type of publicity generally brought gawkers and not people who were seriously interested in His message.
- Verse 9 - The centurion is saying, "I know you are a person with spiritual authority and what you say will happen."
- Verse 10 - The faith the centurion had was faith that what Jesus said would happen.
- Verse 12 - Many Israelites will find themselves condemned.
- Verses 21-22 - The presumption here is that the man's father had not died yet, but that he was implying that his father was sick and he needed to wait on that situation to play out.

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 Jan 31

It's Day 27 and we're in Genesis 35.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 10 - It's worth some pondering why God chose as the person who would receive the name Israel someone whose primary trait was being a deceiver.

Help:
- Verse 2 - Why Jacob hadn't done this up to this point speaks to his lack of fervor for God.
- Verse 4 - Apparently the earrings were a way to express their allegiance to that god.
- Verse 22 - More family dysfunction.
- Verse 28 - Back in that day, people lived longer.  God would shorten the typical lifespan later.

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 Jan 30

It's Day 26 and we're in Genesis 34.

What's the Bible say about the book you're reading today? "All Scripture is inspired by God. . ." (2 Timothy 3:16). So reading the Bible helps me know how God sees things. 

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

Help:
- Verse 2 - He raped her.
- Verses 3-4, 7, 19 - Yes, this is sick.  As you can see throughout Genesis, there's a lot of dysfunction and evil in this family.
- Verse 8 - Hamor didn't know what had happened.
- Verses 20-24 - Their motive in this was to provide an opportunity to plunder them.  See verse 23.
- Verse 25 - Remember (and this is important to remember throughout the book of Genesis) that not everything the Bible describes is approved by God.  This is an evil response to the original wrong that was done.
- Verse 31 - They justified their evil in their minds.

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 Jan 29

It's Day 25 and we're in Genesis 33.

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

Help:
- Verse 10 - "as one sees the face of God" - That is, he was expecting judgment.
- Verses 14, 17 - Again Jacob deceives, saying he's going to one place and then ending up somewhere else.
- Verse 15 - He accepts Esau's offer.
- Verses 17-18 - Jacob eventually settles in a different city.

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 Jan 28

It's Day 24 and we're in Genesis 32.

One reason to be in the Bible regularly? It cuts through the clutter. We are surrounded by tons of information, but so much of it is essentially irrelevant to a meaningful life. The Bible speaks to the issues that matter. 

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 28 - The word "striven" is interesting to me.  God seems to appreciate the fact that Jacob battled with Him.

Help:
- Verses 22-23 - Jacob sent them across and stayed behind, but when it came time to face Esau, he was out front (33:1-3).
- Verses 24-32 - This is an important but peculiar scene.  It is apparently a pre-Incarnate appearance of Christ and they battle.  There is some resonance to the scene of all the times we "wrestle" with God spiritually during difficult times.

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.