For a description of the (Y2) reading plan, see the “About” page.
Acts 23
What do you learn from Paul’s tactic in the Sanhedrin of pitting Sadducees against Pharisees? (See Matthew 10:16) With his very first comment to the Sanhedrin, Paul received a strike to his mouth. That made it pretty obvious the group didn’t really want to listen to anything he had to say. So instead of trying to speak to them any further, Paul shrewdly decided to divert the attention off of himself. With one simple statement of truth, he turned them on each other. Here are my takeaways on that move:
- Pick your battles! Our mission isn’t to win, it’s to witness. If you find, like Paul, that you face stopped up ears, especially with hostility, find a way out!
- You can be shrewd and truthful at the same time. Shrewdness is not the same as dishonesty.
- Understanding human nature can serve you well.
- We can learn from the mistakes of others. The in-fighting that Paul initiated with his comment was a result of pride. As the body of Christ, we need to recognize this and guard against it. When we fight with one another, we cannot focus on our mission.
Lev. 3-4
Describe the purposes of the various offerings required so far in Leviticus. The Bible is full of obscure little details that easily go unnoticed. Yet they often carry some very cool meaning. I noticed one of those this morning in Leviticus 3. It says in verse 5 that the fellowship offering is to be burned on top of the burnt offering, which was made for atonement. If that isn’t a picture of how God’s atonement for our sins brings us into fellowship with Him, I don’t know what is!
A similar interesting detail is in the handling of any sin offering made for the unintentional sin of the entire community, whether caused by the anointed priest or the community itself. The fatty internal organs were offered to God and burned on the altar, just like the fellowship offering. Then the rest of the sacrifice was taken outside the camp and burned there. Again, this is a picture to me of how restored fellowship with God removes our sins far from us.
Prov. 4
What are some ways named here to get wisdom? What are you doing to actively gain wisdom? “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.” (Prov. 4:7a). I like it. Recognizing that you need wisdom and choosing to pursue it is the first step toward being wise! That seems a little obvious, but since they say that the first step of any journey is the hardest, I’d say this is the part we struggle with the most. Recognizing the need requires humility, and pride is a difficult thing to let go of. Then, to truly make a choice requires action. Until we act on a decision, we haven’t really made one. And there are so many things that can stand in the way of action. When we are being honest, we call them excuses.
Once we pass that first hurdle, it becomes all about living intentionally. We find that as we do wise things, we gain wisdom. And as we gain wisdom, we do wise things. To get that cycle started, we listen to the instruction of the wise. We accept what they say and we follow it. Then, as we learn to discern right from wrong, we choose to avoid the way of the wicked and seek the path of the righteous. As we establish ourselves on the right path, we begin to guard our hearts and be mindful about what comes out of our mouths. “Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.” (Prov. 4:26-27). Live intentionally.