Category: Daily Bible Reading Blog

A blog following the daily readings from the Revised Common Lectionary.

Psalm 75

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            Way back in the day, when I was in college, there were some lively characters within my group of friends and acquaintances.  One of those friends had a phrase he would call people out on whenever he discerned there was some sort of insincerity or disingenuous talk.  “Quit talkin’ out the side o’ ya’ neck!” he would say with some flavor.  His phrase captures the psalmist when he exhorts the boastful person to not “speak with a haughty neck” (ESV).
 
            Indeed, God will judge everyone on earth with equity, not showing favoritism.  Evil speech he shall not tolerate.  Instead of talking out of the side of our necks, the godly use their tongues in a different manner.  “We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near.  We recount your wondrous deeds.”  The way to avoid the proud words of the haughty person is to use our speech to express gratitude.  Generous words and proud words cannot co-exist in the same sentence.  Remembering God’s gracious works in the world and using our tongues to recount them has the effect of putting us in our proper place and shooing away the pride.
 
            One way of expressing gratitude to God is to take a few minutes each day to pause and give thanks for the things you notice.  If you take a walk, be intentional about noticing God’s creation and giving thanks for the specific things you see.  At your workplace, take note of the blessings for which you can give thanks.  When you are at home, notice the simple pleasures of being with family and be sure to give God praise for them.  For, if we do not observe God in the common and the mundane, we will likely miss him when he shows up in the dramatic and the awesome.
 

 

            Almighty God, you are the rightful Judge of all the earth.  Today I forsake all proud and haughty speech, and, instead, give thanks to you for your mighty acts of salvation and deliverance in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35b

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            My kids grew up in the ‘90s watching Veggie Tales.  The tunes were catchy and full of some solid truth about God.  One of their favorites was “God is Bigger.”  Here is the chorus:
 
God is bigger than the boogie man.
He’s bigger than Godzilla or the monsters on TV.
Oh, God is bigger than the boogie man,
And he’s watching out for you and me.
 
            Today’s Psalm expresses the bigness of God.  “You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent.”  God is big – bigger than anything and everything.  He is Sovereign over all his creation, and does what he wills to do.  He sees all and watches over his people.
 
            Sometimes we get lost in our situations, problems, and screw-ups and view them as larger than life.  We can become so overwhelmed and burdened with our inabilities, weaknesses, and lack of handling things well, that we lose sight of the reality that God is bigger than it all.  Instead of being afraid, I can allow sound theology to purge the anxiety and trouble from my mind and heart.  Using this psalm to pray and praise God is a foundational way of beginning to put into perspective the issues and problems of our lives.
 

 

            God Almighty, you are big and strong.  My problems are really small as I glimpse your sheer immensity.  O LORD my God, you are very great!  Bless the LORD, O my soul.  Praise the LORD.  Hallelujah, Amen.

Luke 16:19-31

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            Everyone looks for a miracle at some point in life, especially for family.  When we see relatives walking far from God or siblings living without much thought to the Jesus way, it can be disconcerting.  We may reason that if they could just experience or see some great miracle occur, then they will surely believe and embrace Christ. 
 
            Yet, Jesus’ parable to us of the rich man and Lazarus graphically depicts an important message:  God has already revealed himself to humanity through Moses and the Prophets (that is, the Old Testament).  If people are not convinced by what already exists and is, they will not respond when the miraculous slaps them in the face.
 
            Maybe we too often look for the dramatic because the mundane typically rules the day.  Perhaps what we are looking for is already present in God’s revelation to us.  It could be that the greatest task we have is not to beg for a miracle (even though there is nothing wrong with that!) but first to be quiet and listen to the Spirit of God speak through the Word of God so that our prayers to God arise in God’s way and God’s time.
 

 

            Mighty God, you have done miraculous things.  Help me to see what you have already done, and teach me to listen so that your revelation becomes alive to me.  Holy Spirit, impress the redemptive event of Christ’s resurrection on the hearts of all who do not know you in order that they might know your grace.  Amen.

Revelation 7:9-17

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            There is a day coming when followers of Jesus will be “before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.”  It will be a glorious time of unending peace, harmony, and rest.
 
            But first, before this permanent Sabbath, there will be trouble, hardship, trial, and even martyrdom.  There must be suffering before glory.  Sometimes the difficult circumstances of life seem to have no end.  Yet, they will eventually pass, and we must continually keep this in mind.  There is a day coming when God’s pastoral presence will forever guard and keep our lives, if we endure to the end.
 
            Perseverance, endurance, and pushing through hard situations are necessary to realizing the finish line.  We cannot just sit here on earth in some sort of holding pattern waiting for the end.  Just as an athlete must go into strict training in order to run the race well, finish strong, and cross the line, so we as Christians are to be in training utilizing an array of spiritual practices that will fortify our souls to keep going and finish the race.  The book of Revelation was a vision of the Apostle John given to believers in hardship needing to persevere.  Giving them a glimpse of the glorious ending was one way of helping them in the present to live for Jesus Christ.
 

 

            Patient God, you tediously work until your plans and purposes are accomplished.  As you are slowly bringing your kingdom to the world, strengthen me so that I do not give up.  Help me to persevere, living and loving like Jesus, to his glory.  Amen.