For a description of the (Y2) reading plan, see the “About” page.
Acts 1
Why do you need the Holy Spirit? What will He do in your life? Jesus’ apostles still had their sights set on the Messiah as the conquering king. Since Jesus got that whole death and resurrection thing out of the way, surly it was time for Him to restore the kingdom! But Jesus quickly set their focus straight. He told them, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…” (Acts 1:7-8a). He gave them a mission and promised them the means to fulfill it.
That mission, to be a witness for Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, has been passed down to us. We are not to spend this life sitting around waiting for the next. We are to live this life in a way that reveals Christ to the world around us. Our lives should look different – different than they did before we knew Christ and different than the lives of those who still don’t. God has given us a great light – the Holy Spirit in us. We need to let that light shine through us into the darkness. As the old saying goes, we must be careful that we are not so heavenly minded that we are of no earthly good.
Gen. 49-50
On what basis did Jacob make his predictions about his sons? I often wonder about these blessings in the Bible – Noah’s blessings on his three sons, Isaacs’ blessings on his two, Jacob’s on his twelve, and others. I am guessing this was a custom of the time, but the blessings noted in the Bible are so prophetic. Was it common for God to give prophecy to fathers when they blessed their sons? Are blessings synonymous with prophecies? We certainly see God’s promise proclaimed through Noah’s blessing on Shem, Isaacs’ on Jacob, and Jacob’s on Judah.
Looking at Joseph as a type or representation of Christ gives an interesting perspective to Genesis 50:15-19. Joseph had clearly forgiven his brothers for what they did to him as a youth. He had told them that though they had evil intentions, God intended it all for good. God had used their actions to rescue them, along with many others. So Joseph held no ill will toward them. After Jacob died, however, the brothers lost trust in Joseph’s forgiveness. How often do we respond in the same way to God, who saves us? He tells us He forgives us and gives us life under His grace. Yet we doubt Him and think we need to do more to save ourselves. Even so, time after time, as Joseph did for his brothers, God kindly reassures us. “Don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” (Gen. 50:21a).
Ps. 11
What does the psalmist say (a) God does, and (b) the psalmist does? This Psalm is quite the statement! People look around at what the wicked are doing, how they seek to destroy the righteous and consume all that is good. They look and they say, “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Ps. 11:3). David, the Psalmist, however, marvels at how they can say such a thing. He knows that those who take refuge in God have a foundation that can never be destroyed. There is hope in God, “for the LORD is righteous, He loves justice; the upright will see His face.” (Ps. 11:7).