For a full description of the (Y4) reading plan, see the “About” page.
Gen. 45
This morning I was thinking about Jacob and his family’s journey to be with Joseph in Egypt. There are two things in particular about it that make me think of our journey when we come to Christ. First, among Pharaoh’s instructions to Joseph’s family, he said, “Do not concern yourselves with your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.” (Gen. 45:20). Jesus also asks us to leave everything else behind when we come to Him. And we can let it go because we know that the best of all heaven is ours. The second thing is how Joseph provided all that his family needed for sustenance on the journey. Likewise, God provides all that we need on our journey through life.
Mark 15
In this chapter, Simon of Cyrene is the detail that captured my attention this morning. Actually, it was Mark’s mention of Simon’s sons that got me. Mark knew them by name. And his mention of them suggests that his readers also knew them. Which leads me to believe that the three men, Simon, Alexander, and Rufus, were part of the overall Church. Since Mark pointed out that Simon was merely a passer-by when the Romans pressed him into service, this makes me think that he didn’t know Jesus before this moment. And that makes me think how a simple encounter with Jesus can completely change the course of our life. Not just our life, either, but also the lives of those close to us.
Job 11
Hmm…Zophar said, “Know then that God forgets a part of your iniquity.” (Job 11:6c). He then went on to basically say that if Job would turn from his iniquity then he would have peace. That sounds to me like Zophar was saying that of course men aren’t righteous before God, but God doesn’t punish every little sin. Therefore, Job must have done something significant to bring this punishment upon himself and he needed to confess that. Furthermore, I think I hear Zophar saying that Job was being stupid and stubborn. He said, “An idiot will become intelligent when the foal of a wild donkey is born a man. If you would direct your heart right…” (Job 11:12-13a). How we hate having our beliefs challenged! And how harsh and presumptuous we can become when they are!