60IN60 Day 38 - Wed Jun 10

It's Day 38 and we're in Exodus 16.

If you come across something in your reading that doesn't make sense at first, be quick to re-read and to ask questions. If I can help answer anything, drop me an email.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 3-4 - More whining instead of asking God to supply. Why are we so quick to blame God instead of asking Him to take care of our problems?

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

If you have questions or comments, email me at butcher@ymail.com. 

Your Comments and Questions:

- A comment from one of our 60IN60 participants: Exodus 15. "These 'through the wilderness' passages always fascinate me. The chosen people complain about everything, eventually despising the manna and asking for meat, missing the onions in Egypt (onions!), and finally making a golden calf. Small wonder that Moses asked God to take his life rather than deal with them. A British journalist named William Norman Ewer once wrote:

'How odd

Of God

To choose

The Jews'

Having said that, I'm convinced we all need the same amount of patience."

60IN60 Day 37 - Tues Jun 9

It's Day 37 and we're in Exodus 15.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 24 - It's amazing how quickly we forget the miracles and answered prayers and come complaining instead of coming anticipating His provision.

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 36 - Mon Jun 8

 It’s Day 36 and we’re in Exodus 14.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 11 - When things get hard, we are so quick to romanticize the way things used to be. We cry out for deliverance, then long for our chains again when the walk of faith gets hard.

Help:

- Verses 21 - As you can read from the text, it didn't exactly happen the way it was portrayed in the old Charlton Heston movies. First of all, it was incredibly windy in the walk. Second, the path had to be really wide, rather than a narrow path, because there were hundreds of thousands of Israelites that had to make it through.

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 Questions and Comments:

- A comment from a 60IN60 participant: "Early in Exodus 11 God tells Moses to have the Israelites to '. . . ask their neighbors for gold and silver jewelry.'  He also made the Egyptians respect the Israelites and even have great favor toward Moses. Considering all the plagues the Egyptians suffered because of Moses and the slaves (Hebrews) - masters (Egyptians) society, this seems a little strange. In Exodus 12, we see this dynamic play out after the initiation of Passover and the deaths of the first born in every Egyptian home as Moses had forewarned. Only then did Pharoah relent, allow them to leave with all they asked for and '. . . the Israelites carried away the wealth of the Egyptians.' Truly remarkable."

60IN60 Day 35 - Sun Jun 7

It’s Day 35 and we’re in Exodus 13.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 17 - He knows we're fickle and sometimes chooses the long way around just to keep from getting so discouraged that we give up. 

Help:

- Verses 1-16 - Why this long discussion of the firstborn? I think the underlying principle is that we need to give the first portion to God. For instance, although it's partially just symbolic, the first check I write after every payday is my gift to the church. It's a reminder that what I give God comes first, not after everything else is taken care of.
- Verse 13 - Basically this means: donkeys are sufficiently important to your agriculture that I don't want you do sacrifice them; instead sacrifice a lamb in their place. 

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 34 - Sat Jun 6

It’s Day 34 and we’re in Exodus 12.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 13 - The blood covers us, protecting us from death. 

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 33 - Fri Jun 5

It’s Day 33 and we’re in Exodus 11.

When we were in Exodus earlier in the 60 days, we finished up in chapter 7. We've skipped through some of the plagues and are picking up with the last plague. 

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 3 - It's amazing what doors can open up when you have the favor of the Lord with you. 

Help:

- Verse 10 - As I've mentioned before, I think this hardening is a partnership of the Lord moving Pharaoh's heart in that direction and Pharaoh being inclined himself to go in that 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. 

Your Questions and Comments:

- John 14. "In today’s 60IN60 could you please explain verse 30: '. . . for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in regard to Me . . . .' Is He referring to his upcoming capture and death?" - The "ruler of this world" referenced here is Satan. There are at least a couple senses in which this is true. First, Jesus had never sinned, so Satan had no viable claim over Him with regard to His guilt. He wasn't guilty. He hadn't sinned. This is different than when Satan makes accusations before God the Father about the rest of humanity. In those situations, Satan can rightly say that we are guilty and deserving of punishment. Second, Jesus was not fooled (as many people are) by the temptations of Satan. So it is also true in the sense of Jesus saying something like "Satan's temptations are not enticing to Me. I'm not buying what he's selling."

60IN60 Day 32 - Thurs Jun 4

It’s Day 32 and we’re in John 14.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 12 - I want to see those "greater things."

Help:

- Verse 9 - If you've seen Jesus, you've seen the character and love of the Father.

- Verses 21, 23 - This is the standard: that we obey.

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 Questions and Comments:

- A comment from one of our 60IN60 participants: "Here are the central tenets of our faith as social people—service and love—and his news that his end on earth is near. This time I fixated on the simplest thing—the transfer of bread. Jesus declares one of the disciples will betray him, which naturally causes consternation. When asked he identifies the culprit not by saying “That bum Judas” but by offering him bread. Until this moment Judas betrayal is only intent. Satan enters to provide him the cajones to do what he’d been thinking of doing. Once identified, Judas can only confess and beg forgiveness or follow through, and he makes his choice. Still, that isn’t the tiny thing I focused on. It was the bread. Jesus dipped the bread in an oil and vinegar dressing, a traditional act of friendship and (I didn’t know this until now) a remembrance of Joseph’s betrayal. It’s the first I focused on. I do not think Jesus’s act was ironic, nor was it simply a revelation of the villain in the group. I think it was genuine, a last chance. I noted that Judas perfunctorily took the bread but he did not eat it. He chose to run—not only from the others but from what he might have become if he had accepted it. And at the end, as if to underscore that meaning, Peter is told that he will betray Jesus, and with him we learn that even treachery is forgivable if you accept the offer implicit in the bread."

60IN60 Day 31 - Wed Jun 3

It’s Day 31 and we’re in John 13.

If you struggle with the feeling that you need to hurry through the reading, it can be helpful to lay aside a certain length of time for the reading. "I'm going to spend the next ten minutes reading the Bible. If I get done early, I'll go back and re-read it. If I don't get it done, that's fine. Now I can relax and not try to hurry through so I can get on with the other things I need to get done today. I'm going to be here for ten minutes."

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 2 - He'd been prompted, but it was still his choice. And he chose in the wrong direction.

Help:

- Verse 1 - The "full extent of His love" was not the washing of their feet, but the willingness to go to the cross.

- Verses 8-9 - First Peter refuses (v. 8), then Peter draws the wrong lesson (v. 9). What he should have done is simply receive Jesus' word.

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 Questions and Comments:

- John 11. "I am somewhat puzzled by verses 47 - 53. If Caiphas as high priest prophesied that Jesus would die, was this revealed to him by God or was he just setting the narrative for the appropriate time and circumstance to justify the killing of Christ? Please clarify this for me. Thanks!" - I do not think God had revealed anything to Caiaphas in the sense that he was quietly listening for a word from God and then obediently spoke it in this moment. When v. 51 says, "He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation," the idea is more that Caiaphas said this just as a part of what he was thinking but the words had deeper significance than he understood as he spoke them. I think for him the thought behind his statement was something like this: "We Pharisees are God's representatives. God is working in Israel through us. We are God's chosen leaders. Now this Jesus guy comes along and he is threatening our power. If we lose our power, Israel as a nation is done because we are its only hope. Therefore it's better for one person to die than for the whole nation to perish." I think he was just saying something that expressed his justification for killing Jesus. He was unaware his words had a deeper meaning, but his statement fulfilled prophecy that the high priest would make a statement like that. It's a combination of personal freedom (Caiaphas said what he wanted) but divine foreknowledge (God had put the prophesy in the Bible because he knew the high priest would make that statement with a double meaning).

60IN60 Day 30 - Tues Jun 2

It’s Day 30 and we’re in John 12.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verses 9-11 - So often, once we get something in our minds, we stick with it, even to ridiculous ends. I need to follow the truth wherever it leads and not try so hard to hold onto to my pet ideas.

Help:
- Verse 8 - This is not an excuse to disregard the poor, just a statement of fact about the fallen world in which we live.
- Verses 20-26 - It's odd that His disciples come to Him with this straightforward question and goes off on this tangent. What's going on? I think I'd paraphrase it like this, "The time for talking is past. To really see a harvest, something greater is going to have to happen and the time for that is now. I have to die in order to open up new life."
- Verse 34 - "lifted up" - Just another way to say that He was on the cross.
- Verse 40 - The original Greek makes it clearer that this is not something God is doing by mere fiat, but this is what they have chosen for themselves and God is letting it happen.

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 and Questions:

- John 11. "This miracle is one of my favorites because it shows Jesus once again out smarting the Jews on their own terms. How? He tarried. And then Martha's statement  " By now, Lord, he stinketh." So was Lazarus dead or really dead?" Were there different gradations of dead among the Jews? Yes. There was a Jewish myth that the soul lingered about the body  for three days after bodily functions ceased in hopes of re-entering the body.  Not all Jews believed this, yet it was a well know belief and many did believe it.  By tarrying until the body had begun to decompose (and because the Jews were always trying to explain away his miracles), this was one miracle that couldn't be explained away. An in your face resurrection. Even then, some hurried away with plans to kill him."

60IN60 Day 29 - Mon Jun 1

It’s Day 29 and we’re in John 11.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verses 21, 32 - I like the fact that they could be honest about their questions and disappointments with Jesus and He doesn't condemn them for it. 

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 and Questions:

- A comment from one of our 60IN60 participants: 1 Timothy 6. "I love this chapter—for its message, yes, but also because of its sinuous reasoning. Although it only occasionally shows (as far as I know), I think Paul had a solid grounding in the philosophy that preceded his time. The term “sophistry” is fairly recent, but the contempt for Sophists is ancient. Plato loathed their specious reasonings because they were based more on the desire to win a point rat her than make a point. How modern can you get? They also fit here because they taught for money and had a reputation for turning reason into coin. When I mention sinuous reasoning, I am talking about how Paul ties together ideas that seem far apart from each other. He tells slaves to honor their masters, and then drops the anvil: masters should treat slaves well, and Christian masters should treat slaves as brethren. Not much of that seeped through to the antebellum South. Then he moves from demanding humility in masters to demanding satisfaction to one’s earthly lot generally. This, of course, in the context of a church of equals. Then he moves slickly from contentment to discontent and those who sew it—and ties that not just to intellectual arrogance but to greed—and thence to the love of money, which is, after all, the subjection of reason. And then to the base of proper reason, which is not Sophistic (or even Socratic) but a profession/confession of faith in the one who gifted us with reason. And then another quick pivot back to instructing rich people to use their riches as a profession of faith, namely good works. This is one slick dude!"

60IN60 Day 28 - Sun May 31

It’s Day 28 and we’re in John 10.

Remember that your daily reading in the Bible isn't about gaining information - it's about changing your life to be more like Christ. That means that you need to take action on what God speaks to you about. 

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 10 - He's not just offering adequate life; He's offering us abundant life.

Help:

- Verses 34-36 - This is a difficult saying. Unfortunately, it's really not an explanation that can be succinctly stated and I really don't have sufficient space here to explain it. Some answers take a whole sermon!

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 May 30

It’s Day 27 and we’re in John 9.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verses 6-7 - I like how Jesus' healings are not cookie-cutter. They happen different ways in different situations, just as He works differently in each of our lives.

Help:

- Verse 3 - Even in the midst of tragedy and heartbreak, God is working to bring something redemptive out of it.

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 May 29

It's Day 26 and we're in John 8.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 31 - This is what God expects of us. Obeying His teaching is not optional for a believer. 

Help:

- Verse 6 - What did He write? We don't know. One of the more interesting suggestions is that He was writing the sins of the men holding the rocks.
- Verses 58-59 - By using the phrase "I am," Jesus was equating Himself with God. 

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 and Questions:

- A comment from a 60IN60 participant: 1 Timothy 6 - "Where God Spoke to me:  '. . . protect what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly, empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”— which some have professed and thereby have gone astray from the faith.' Comment: Once you’ve learned the truth, once you’re convinced that Jesus is who he says he is, shut your ears to the speculations and/or ridicule of others. Protect your faith. Nourish your faith. Your biggest critics are the ones who don’t have a clue." 

60IN60 Day 25 - Thurs May 28

It's Day 25 and we're in 1 Timothy 6.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verses 6-8 - How badly do we need to heed these words in the culture in which we live? We have everything and we're still not content.

Help:

- Verses 1-2 - In other places, Paul advises slaves to get their freedom if they can, but he also puts a great emphasis on living out their faith even within their bonds.

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 and Questions:

- A comment from one of our 60IN60 participants: "Constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the good doctrine which you have been following. The spirit is fed by steady reading of the Word and  a sound doctrine is imperative for saving faith. Reading the Bible daily keeps you grounded, and out of the way of 'other gospels' that are appearing more and more in these latter days. Reading scripture daily is nourishment for the spirit. I watched my grandmother read the Bible daily growing up, and now I do the same.  Therefore,  I’m not tempted to explore 'another gospel,' I’m quite certain that the Bible, as we have it, is what God intended us to have and therefore don’t go exploring texts such as The Revelation of Thomas, The Revelation of Peter,  the Apocrypha or other obscure texts claiming to throw 'new light' on the character of Jesus. And I pray that I will never be moved."

60IN60 Day 24 - Wed May 27

It's Day 24 and we're in 1 Timothy 5.

One reason to be in the Bible regularly? It provides the answers to life's most pressing questions: "Why am I here?" "What value does my life have?" "What does God want out of me?" "What does a life well spent look like?" For all the time we spend daily on trivial things, it's essential that we spend some time on the big questions.

 

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 22 - We bear part of the responsibility when we put the wrong people in leadership positions. That's one reason we need to be careful and prayerful about those choices.

Help:

- Verse 9 - There was a list of widows who received financial help from the church and Paul is here talking about the requirements for being on that list.

- Verse 12 - "previous pledge" - Apparently getting on this list involved taking a pledge, perhaps to devote yourself to more prayer or something like that.

- Verse 23 - Timothy had some medical problems and Paul advises him to use a little wine to help with that.

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 Questions and Comments: 

- "Does the verses on overseers and deacons mean only one wife (not two or more as in that day) or does if reference divorce (which is Biblically approve in the case of adultery)?" - There are arguments for each option but I think the stronger one is that it references divorce. If Karen and I divorced I would resign as a pastor. (To my knowledge that's not a strong possibility right now, but I haven't talked to her in a couple hours!)

- A comment from one of our 60IN60 participants: 1 Timothy 1 - Where God Spoke to Me: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost. Yet for this reason I found mercy . . . ." Why: Paul is speaking here; the depth of his humility revealed when he calls himself the “foremost “ sinner. Yet, without St. Paul, Christianity wouldn’t have spread as it did. Years ago, I had a class in Mythology. The Professor was either an agnostic or an atheist, for she said, “If the Greeks  had had an evangelist like St. Paul, we might now be worshipping Zeus.” I didn’t know what to do with that statement then or now. 

60IN60 Day 23 - Tues May 26

It's Day 23 and we're in 1 Timothy 4.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 7 - "discipline yourself" - Spiritual growth doesn't happen by accident.

Help:

- Verse 10 - Jesus is the Savior of all people because He died to make it possible for everyone to be forgiven, but there is obviously a sense in which He is especially the Savior for those of us who have accepted His sacrifice.

- Verse 12 - "youthfulness" - Timothy was relatively young.

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 May 25

It's Day 22 and we're in 1 Timothy 3.

One problem that regularly bothers me as I read is a wandering mind. A word in the text will make me think of something that I have to do that day and my mind is off to the races, leaving the Bible behind. I've found it helpful to have something near me that I can make a note on when that happens so I can write down that thing I need to do later and get back to concentrating on the reading in front of me.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verses 2-13 - As it lays out the requirements for being a pastor (overseer) and deacon, we need to remember that we need to be careful in choosing people for those roles.  I've seen too many situations where they were chosen with no thought to the Biblical requirements.

Help:

- Verse 1 - "Overseer" means 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 21 - Sun May 24

It's Day 21 and we're in 1 Timothy 2.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verses 9-10 - A reminder that as we come into church it's not our fancy clothes that God's interested in.

Help:

- Verses 11-12 - A variety of interpretations have been offered down through the years, including: a. This was only for the time of Paul and is not applicable to today; b. This means that women shouldn't be pastors; c. This only has to do with the particular church Timothy was ministering in at that time, where perhaps the women were not particularly spiritually mature.

- Verse 15 - This is an obscure verse that's meaning is not clear.

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 May 23

It's Day 20 and we're in 1 Timothy 1.

What's the Bible say about the book you're reading today? "All Scripture is. . . profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). Reading the Bible will make your day more "profitable." 

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 6 - "fruitless discussion" - Still a popular thing today.  Debating religion for the sake of proving yourself right is largely a waste of time.

Help:

- Verse 18 - "the prophecies previously made concerning you" - Prophecies had been made when Timothy was younger about how God would use him.

- Verse 20 - "handed over to Satan" - These men had pursued what was evil, so Paul essentially released them from God's protection and asks God to allow Satan to have his way with them.  The goal is for them to repent and return to the truth.

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 May 22

It's Day 19 and we're in Exodus 7.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verses 11, 22 - This is a reminder to me that the forces of evil can duplicate some of the amazing things that God can do.  I shouldn't be too impressed by the miracle in and of itself.

Help:

- Verse 1 - "I will make you as God to Pharaoh" - That simply means that Moses would be God's chosen representative before Pharaoh, not that God was going to make Moses into a "mini-God."

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 and Questions:

- A comment from one of our 60IN60 participants: Exodus 6 - "Moses said this to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage." - Why: Sometimes when life has been hard for so long, it’s difficult to imagine it any other way. This is true in the case of the captive Israelites. They’d been downtrodden for 400 years, and couldn’t imagine life any other way. Despondency is a deep state of despair, a hopeless state. The Israelites couldn’t believe Moses because they’d lost their vision and had no courage to change. Perhaps the miracles (the plagues)  were  a sign for them as much as they were for Pharaoh. 

- A comment from one of our 60IN60 participants: Exodus 6 - Response: It appears in Exodus 6 that, while there is a Jewish people, Judaism is holding on by its fingernails. It is not surprising that no one listens to Moses. As we know from our own history, slaves may want to be free, but anyone who simply proclaims that he is the vehicle of God and promises freedom will be seen as a dangerous madman. Following such a person could easily get you killed. Moses needs a more persuasive voice. Enter Aaron. But the Jewish people also need to be organized, and God, in this passage, basically elects representatives for the tribes, probably out of a number of folks who saw themselves as representatives. It is these people Moses will speak to, given that no convention center for Jews is available. But Moses is already in negotiation mode, learning to become the guy who will later confront God when he feels God is becoming too impulsive. He’s just beginning to learn how to become God’s voice, and he’s beginning to learn how to become his people’s advocate, not just to Pharaoh but to God himself.

60IN60 Day 18 - Thurs May 21

It's Day 18 and we're in Exodus 6.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 9 - Sometimes people struggle to believe that's what God is offering could be real because their current situation is so bad.

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 and Questions:

- A comment from a 60IN60 participant: Exodus 5: Verse that spoke to me: "And they said to them, 'May the Lord look upon you and judge you, because you have made us repulsive in Pharaoh’s sight and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us!'”  Why: It’s so easy for us to judge or give into despair because we can’t see the end of things — the final working out of God’s plan. In this case, the Jews are taking out their anger on Moses and Aaron, and several times Moses is in danger of losing his life when he leads them through the wilderness to the Promised Land. At one point, Moses asks God to strike him dead because he can’t put up with his own people! I know I don’t understand unanswered prayer. I don’t understand evil. I don’t understand why some people suffer and others don’t. I often get angry at flagrant injustice or hopeless situations. I am not so different from the OT Jews. 

60IN60 Day 17 - Wed May 20

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

If it's hard to understand what you're reading in the Bible, make sure you have a translation that's a good fit for you. Reading the King James (a great historic translation) can be particularly difficult because of the antiquated language. Among the good options available today: New International Version (good all-around translation), English Standard Version (good all-around translation), New American Standard (a more literal translation, closer to the original manuscripts), and New Living Translation (a translation that focuses on readability and understandability). 

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 7 - Sometimes the first step toward God's deliverance looks like a step backward.  Things don't always immediately get better.

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 and Questions:

- Exodus 4: "Verses 24-26 - could it be that Moses, after being chosen by God, had not circumcised his son as had been instructed through Abraham?" - The first thing that needs to be said is that this passage is difficult and obscure, so we can't be strongly confident in our interpretation. Having said that, what you shared is a solid interpretation of what was going on there. It may well have been that God was displeased at Moses for not maintaining what He had revealed through Abraham.

- Comment shared by a 60IN60 participant on Exodus 4: “'Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.' And He said, 'I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God." - This verse is one of many which references something that is often overlooked in our current culture. The Holiness of God. I hear (or read) of so many life after death experiences, and out of all, I believe only one. The majority of them talk about a loving presence, seeing the face of Jesus, being folded in God’s arms and the tunnel of light, there’s always a tunnel of light, yet  no one is struck with fear. Even when those in the OT saw angels, they were struck with fear. Our culture has stressed God is love to the point  where it now means, “God will let me do what I want because he loves me.” Yes,  God is love, but his first attribute is holiness. “Be ye holy because I am holy”, “Be holy for you are God’s temple”,  For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness” are only a few of the many verses referencing his holiness. 

60IN60 Day 16 - Tues May 19

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

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 1 - How many excuses can we come up with as to why we shouldn't do what God is calling us to do?

Help:

- Verse 21 - Does this mean that God was overriding Pharaoh's free will?  I think it was a combination of two things: Pharaoh was inclined to be hard-hearted toward Israel and God orchestrated the situation to accentuate that.

- Verses 24-26 - This is an obscure and weird passage that has stumped scholars for centuries.  I can't really say that I have a good answer to what's going on here.

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 Questions and Comments:

- "No line caught my eye, but the overall quickness of Moses's sister has always intrigued me. She was undoubtedly hidden, watching over the basket. When she realizes the Pharaoh's daughter wants him, she is quick to recommend her own mother as wet nurse. Weaning took 2-3 years then; meaning Moses spent his earliest years with his biological mother."

60IN60 Day 15 - Mon May 18

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

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 11 - I think we all have moments of doubting that God could do something significant through us.  Ultimately, though, it's about how big He is, not how great 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.

Your Questions and Comments:

- "Because the midwives feared God, He blessed them and established households for them. Family was the center of Jewish life.  Establishing a household was not merely  building a house.  A household in that world meant a multigenerational unit where the family is protected and nurtured physically and spiritually.  From the blessing in the text, we can assume that  God gave the midwives  godly husbands as well.  A happy life." 

- Where God spoke to me: "The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, 'Why did you not bring Him?' The officers answered, 'Never has a man spoken in this way!'" Why: Imagine this: the chief priests send officers to arrest Jesus — men who daily deal with criminals and use force— and the officers don’t return with Jesus because “Never has a man spoken in this way.” They departed  because of his words. His words had enough power to send the squad back empty-handed to face the Jews.  This causes me to wonder what Jesus said to them, but I would venture to guess they were awed rather than frightened. I don’t think Jesus used scare tactics. 

- What Verse Spoke to Me: "Jesus answered and said to them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.'" Why: No one can manufacture belief in Christ. True belief.  It is God given, and is backed up by Christ himself (John 15:16)  “You did not choose me. I chose you.”