Bible Dash Day 10

DAY 10 John 8 – Revelation 22

In John 19:12 it speaks of being a friend of Caesar. Is this like the close court official mentioned elsewhere – “and so and so was the king’s friend”, as though it were an office. Are they implying intimacy and power? Is Pilate trying to get at the truth independently of politics.

Silas and Judas were prophets in Acts 15:32. Why don’t we normally think of them along with Agabus and Philip’s daughters?

Principle: God deals with things as they come up, and we can, by our prayers, make them “come up”.

Bible Dash Day 9

DAY 9 Mark 5 – John 7

Luke 1:6 – Blamelessly. They fulfilled all the commandments at this time in their lives. They offered the sacrifices that would render them blameless for a time. For us, Jesus offered the sacrifice which renders us blameless absolutely.

Bible Dash Day 8

DAY 8 Joel 2 – Mark 4

The main theme of the minor prophets seems to be that God is the restorer. See Joel 2 and Haggai 2:9 for instance. This would make a good message threading all of these 12 books together on this one theme.

BIble Dash Day 7

DAY 7 Jeremiah 16 – Joel 1

There is always opposition.

Ezekiel 45:17 – The prince provides the offerings.

Bible Dash Day 6

DAY 6 Proverbs 11 – Jeremiah 15

Comparisons:

The New Testament tells us that God will make us righteous, but Proverbs makes it clear that God will not do righteousness for us.

Ecclesiastes 3:15 etc. sees nothing new, but God did a new thin in Jesus and does a new thing in us.

Bible Dash Day 5

DAY 5 Nehemiah 11 – Proverbs 10

In Job they’re all trying to rationalize. We will never arrive at truth if we start with ourselves. That was the basic error of Descartes. He could only assert his existence, not explain the cause of it or the rest of the world. We have to start with something objective, and the only changeless objet ive is God. That is why the element of revelation is important. It writes more surely on the tablet of our heart than experience does.

Elihu did not take God’s place. Even though he’s not rebuked, he still wasn’t “it”. in fact in 37:23 Elihu says we can’t find God. Two verses later God speaks. This contradicts verse 24, too, for God regards Job (wise in heart or not) since He speaks only to Job at first. Interestingly God doesn’t speak to Elihu or even about him at all.

The ultimate answer of the book of Job is that God is in charge. This does not teach fatalism or quietism, but simply sets the record straight.

Bible Dash Day 4

DAY 4 I Kings 18 – Nehemiah 10

II Kings 6: “Open their eyes” is a good prayer.

Even though God knows ahead, he lets us “play out the game as we will.

If asked like Solomon in II Chronicles 1, what I would like, I would say, “Give me the ability to penetrate people’s hearts with the word.”

Bible Dash Day 3

DAY 3 Deuteronomy 25 – I Kings 17

Let’s see how you did it. That’s what God is saying in this section.

In the law there are more curses than blessings.

Bible Dash Day 2

DAY 2 Exodus 23 – Deuteronomy 24

Complete directions for everything. See especially Deuteronomy 10:12-22.

We usually think only of the 10 commandments.

Bible Dash 2011 Day 1

Every year since 1995 I have done at least one “Bible Dash” during the year. This is a time where I put other things aside and read through the Bible as fast as I can, not for the purpose of plumbing the depths and following out every point, but for getting the big picture. In getting the big picture I’ve often also gotten insights. Here, day by day are the insights from the reading along with the heading telling of the passages covered. Some days will have more than others, but it all depends on what I happen to write down.

DAY 1 Genesis 1 – Exodus 22

God engages us by questioning us to draw us out in to the open.
He asks Adam, “Where have you hid?” He asks Cain, “Where is your brother?

We also see a progress;
Adam talks with God in Genesis 3.
Men called on the name of God in Genesis 4:5.
Abraham believed in Yahweh in Genesis 15:6

In Genesis 19 and 20 relationships changed from natural to the wrong. This always opens the door to later dangers.
Ammon and Moab were enemies of Israel.
Sarah’s deception could have harmed Abimelech; it was probably the source of the later conflict Isaac had with Abimelech.

Genesis 22: Is God testing Abraham to see if he will go off track again as he did with Hagar? By contrast, the children of Genesis 25 were just children; there was no intention to make them the heirs of the covenant.

Genesis 37: The brothers and father interpreted these dreams. Joseph didn’t. Also, Jacob interpreted the blood stained coat. We get into trouble when we interpret things for ourselves. The brothers thought to thwart the dreams and take control of the situation. WRONG!.

FAVORITE GOSPEL RECORDINGS ACQUIRED IN 2010

Everyone has their own awards; these are mine. Since 1982 I’ve awarded a favorite quartet album title. Since then I’ve added a non-quartet Southern Category and an Other Category for everything else. This is simply an award of what is my favorite for the year, not the greatest. Also, it’s based on what I acquire during the year, not the year of release.

In the past 10 years five out of the 10 favorite quartet albums have been old lps I’ve picked up at yard sales and Goodwill type stores. Actually a 6th is a CD release of an old album by the Statesmen from the 50s. So, my tastes are more nostalgic than ever before. That’s not so true in the other two categories.

Quartet Album: The Statesmen “Message In The Sky”. This is an RCA Camden album that I discovered in a little store in Leadville, Colorado. I don’t agree with the theology of the title song that God actually purposely sends heartaches our way, but the rest of the album is great. It has the reverse song to “Everybody Will Be Happy” on how everyone will have a terrible time down there. I had heard it before on a different old album of theirs which someone had when I was in college. A few other songs I’ve heard on some of their pre-RCA old compilations. There is more life and fire in this album than in anything else I’ve heard all year.

Southern (non-quartet) Album: Karen Peck and New River “Ephesians One”. The title song would merit this one getting the award. I haven’t heard anything in a long time that has so captivated me. It is one of the most encouraging songs ever written. The other songs are all on a high spiritual level with the concluding track being the rousing “We Shall Wear A Robe And Crown”.

Other: Ricky Skaggs “Mosaic”. My friend, Larry Biller, was the one who introduced me to Ricky. I haven’t gotten many of his albums, but this one could stand alone for his entire gospel oeuvre. It is one of the most insightful spiritual albums I’ve ever heard. It instantly struck a chord deep inside me. George Beverly Shea, age 101, does a small segment on it. If you are down and discouraged, this one will lift you up into the heavenly places. It transcends its country/bluegrass roots to become something truly universal.