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Happy Friday everyone.  I had a great day with a group of pastors I meet with once a month.  What a source of encouragement they are to me.  Who do you meet with for encouragement?

Here is the Bible reading for today:  Genesis 13:5-15:21; Matthew 5:27-48; Psalm 6:1-10; Proverbs 1:29-33

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus paints for us a picture of what His Kingdom is like.  In a word, that Kingdom is RADICAL. How about this:  Matthew 5:39 (NIV) “But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”  What!? That is not natural.  It is supernatural.  EXACTLY.  God’s Kingdom is supernatural.  The citizens of that Kingdom can only live out the values of the Kingdom when the Holy Spirit unleashes a supernatural power within them.  We are called to stand out from the culture by living out values that we cannot live out on our own.  But when God’s Spirit empowers us to do so, God gets the glory.  May His Kingdom come and His Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Are you supernaturally living out the radical values of God’s Kingdom or doing what comes naturally by conforming to the values of the culture?

Good morning, everyone.  Hope you are doing well today.  I am taking my turn with the respiratory crud.  My cracking voice is causing me to relive puberty all over again–it takes a special dad to do whatever it takes to connect with his 13-year-old son. My voice recognition software is quite confused.  So, hopefully this will make sense.

Here is the Bible reading for today: Genesis 11:1-13:4; Matthew 5:1-26; Psalm 5:1-12; Proverbs 1:24-28.

I don’t remember many specific lectures from seminary, but one that I do remember illustrated the contrast between the Tower of Babel and Pentecost. At the Tower of Babel, people came together to glorify themselves, and God brought a supernatural confusion of languages that divided them. At Pentecost, people came together to glorify God, and God brought a supernatural understanding of languages that united them. The Tower of Babel is a picture of living life in the flesh, while Pentecost is a picture of living life in the Spirit.  Does your life look more like Babel or Pentecost?

I love Psalm 5:3 (NIV)

In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation.

What are you expecting from God today?

I’m headed to L.A. today to meet with a new neurologist.  The drive will provide some good quiet time with God.

Here is today’s reading:  Genesis 8:1-10:32; Matthew 4:12-25; Psalm 4:1-8; Proverbs 1:20-23

Matthew 4:18-22 (NIV)
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. [19] “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” [20] At once they left their nets and followed him.
[21] Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, [22] and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

This passage paints for us a vivid picture of what it means to truly be a disciple of Jesus Christ.  These first followers were all in.  They left behind their comfort and security for a life of struggle and faith.  But it was a life with Jesus.  It was a life lived to the full.  These first disciples were privileged to walk the earth with the very Son of God.  And do you know what?  So are we!  But, it is important for us to count the cost of discipleship.  Many are fans of Jesus–following Jesus as long as the path is smooth for what good He may bring to their lives.  Fewer are truly disciples–following Jesus even through the valleys because He is Lord and deserves our total allegiance.

Are you a fan or a follower?   What is it that Jesus is calling you to leave behind to be totally committed to Him?

Have an awesome Wednesday.  I look forward to seeing you here tomorrow.

Our community is growing!  Yesterday 126 folks stopped by here to see what we are doing, so be encouraged that others are engaging the Word right along with you.

Here is our reading for today:   Genesis 5:1-7:24; Matthew 3:7-4:11;  Psalm 3:1-8; Proverbs 1:10-19.

How did God speak to you today?

How I love the Psalms.  David was a man after God’s own heart, yet he shows us that God’s people are not immune from tough times.  Many of the Psalms are his personal heartfelt cries to God in the midst of his pain.  But, David’s cries always end in worship.  God lifts up David’s head.  David receives a fresh vision of who God is.  David views life through the lens of eternity.  David worships God in the midst of his personal storm.

Psalm 3:3-4 (NIV)  
    But you are a shield around me, O Lord;
        you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.
    [4] To the Lord I cry aloud,
        and he answers me from his holy hill. 

May God lift up your head today, bringing you a fresh vision of who He is, and the capacity to worship Him passionately–even in the midst of your personal storm.

Josh at the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in Macon:

Anybody else get absolutely hammered by the evil one yesterday?  Tough day.  We sorted through the mail that came while we were gone and received a letter from the insurance company denying the appeal for the IVIG treatments.  That combined with physical fatigue and just not feeling good provided satan with the opportunity to attack with a good dose of despair and discouragement.  But it is into that darkness that God’s Word brings light and drives the darkness away.  Praise God for the Bible which is a lamp and a light.  In its presence, darkness has to flee.

Here’s the reading for today: Genesis 3:1-4:26; Matthew 2:13-3:6;  Psalm 2:1-12; Proverbs 1:7-9.   

The theme for today is the catastrophic consequences of sin.  The reading begins with Adam and Eve living in paradise and in such communion with God that they walk with Him in the Garden in the cool of the day. 

By the time the reading is over, they are overcome with shame, separated from God, kicked out of the Garden (an act of God’s grace, by the way), experiencing strife in their marriage, and pain in childbirth.  Work would be a drudgery and filled with difficulty.  And to top it off, their older son murders the younger.  In case we haven’t figured it out yet, sin is devastating. 

Yet, we treat it so casually.  We don’t hate it the way God hates it.  Our culture desensitizes us to what sin even is.  In our incessant need to be entertained, we cozy up to it through our TVs, music, and reading material.  We forget that God is holy, holy, holy and calls His children to be holy because He is holy.  May we raise the standard of holiness in our lives.  And when we do sin, rather than lower the standard to make it more attainable, let us cry out to God for the forgiveness that He so generously gives and ask for His power to make us what He desires us to be. 

How is the Holy Spirit bringing conviction into your life today and calling you to repent?  How is God calling you to raise the standard of holiness in your life?

Thanks for being among the many who are journeying with us.  May God give you a fresh vision of holiness today.

(Sorry for the click on ads.  I think I’m going to have to get the WordPress upgrade to get rid of them.)

Good morning and Happy New Year!  We pulled into the driveway at 12:01 AM (3:01 EST)  after our flight from Atlanta.  I had every intention of sleeping-in this morning as Zac is preaching, but I am awake, so let’s get busy.

I listened to a John Piper talk recently about Jonathan Edwards.  He said that Edwards methodically tore every page out of a Bible so that he could insert blank pages between each Bible page for notes.  Edwards would be very jealous of our computers and the ability to cut and paste.  I am going to try to create my own Edwards Bible as a Word doc.

Just a note about our journey:  My plan is to share primarily what I am hearing from God in regard to application and not so much a discussion/debate about technical issues of interpretation (though I imagine these will come up from time to time).

The theme of today’s reading seems to be fruitfulness.  In Gen. 1:22 God told the animals he created to be fruitful.  In Gen. 1:28 He told Adam and Eve to be fruitful.  In Psalm 1:3 we read about the Godly person who yields his or her fruit in season.  God calls His children to be fruitful.  So, what does a fruitful life look like?  I believe the fruit is…

1. Internal – The Fruit of  the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). 

2. External – Saving lost souls

3. Eternal – John 15:16 (NIV)  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last. 

I am definitely not content with my current fruitfulness.  This is a big prayer of mine for 2012.  How would you evaluate your level of fruitfulness?  Are you most lacking in internal or external fruit?

Fruitfulness comes by abiding in the vine Jesus Christ (John 15:5).  Saturating ourselves with His Word is an important part of abiding.  We are off to a good start.

How did God speak to you through today’s reading?

Here is the reading schedule for the first three days:

Sunday, January 1:  Genesis 1:1-2:25; Matthew 1:1-2:12; Psalm 1:1-1:6; Proverbs 1:1-1:6

Monday, January 2: Genesis 3:1-4:26; Matthew 2:13-3:6; Psalm 2:1-2:12; Proverbs 1:7-1:9

Tuesday, January 3: Genesis 5:1-7:24; Matthew 3:7-4:11; Psalm 3:1-8; Proverbs 1:10-19.

Rather than focus on just completing the task, take the time before you read to ask God to speak to you.  That is the goal.  I love the words of Samuel, “Speak, Lord for your servant is listening.”  I can’t wait to see how God is going to speak to each one of us.  Thanks for being a part of this journey.

The ship is about to sail!  The boat is filling nicely, but there is definitely room for more.  I am really excited by the number of people who have chosen to be a part of the through the Bible journey in 2012.  God promises to be found by those who seek Him with all their hearts.  I can’t wait to find Him with you day after day in His Word.

So, let’s get started.  To prime the comment pump a little bit and get you comfortable with responding, leave a comment on this blog entry with the Bible translation you will be primarily using for your reading.  There are so many good translations.  Simply choose the one you like the best.

Reading through the Bible in a year is a great thing.  Doing it with a bunch of friends is even better.  What if we embarked on a journey through God’s Word together in 2012 and shared regularly what we are learning and how we are growing?  If you would be interested in doing this, respond to me by comment, email, or Facebook personal message.  I will be following a plan that includes daily reading in the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs.  You can follow this plan at the One Year Online Bible.  Another helpful site that follows the same schedule is The Daily Audio Bible.  I really believe there is a lot we can learn from each other.  Plus, we have the opportunity to encourage one another along the way.  I look forward to journeying with you.