Category: Daily Bible Reading Blog

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

Genesis 16:1-14

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            The way the daily lectionary readings work is that Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday lessons reflect on the Scriptures for Sunday; and, the readings for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday anticipate the Scriptures for the upcoming Sunday.  So, in today’s Old Testament lesson, we get some further rumination on the theme from this past Sunday on listening to the voice of the Lord.
 
            God had told Abram that he would give him and his wife Sarai a son.  But years had passed and the promise had still not materialized.  Thus, in contrast to hearing and internalizing God’s voice, the text says that “Abram listened to the voice of Sarai” to have a child through her servant, Hagar.  In his impatience and discouragement, Abram thought that maybe he had to use some ingenuity and think up a plan in order to see God’s promise realized.
 
            But this was not God’s intention.  All along the Lord had promised to give Abram and Sarai a son, the two of them, despite their advanced age and Sarai’s barren womb.  It did not seem very probable, especially when times passes and nothing seems to be happening.  We might understand why Abram and Sarai went with their own plan, thinking that it might be God’s means of fulfilling his plan.  Yet, it was neither sage nor right.
 
            I wonder if you, like me, expect immediate results to the promise that Christ will build his Church?  Perhaps you, like me, grow weary waiting for God’s promises and his Word to be fulfilled.  Sticking with basic spiritual disciplines such as silence and solitude so that we can listen well to God is a wise plan; going off the spiritual reservation to look for answers to problems or dilemmas because we are not sure if God is going to show up to help is a foolish plan.  We must trust God in what he says, and live our lives consistent with what he has told us he will do.
            O God, I admit that I am growing weary waiting for you to work!  Forgive me for my impatience, and strengthen me in my faith so that I will fully trust your revealed promises in Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Psalm 86

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            This psalm is a prayer of David.  David was a guy who knew what it was like to have evil men pursuing him and hating his life through no fault of his own.  I don’t know about you, but, although I have never faced adversity to such a degree as David, I do know something about people who, to put it bluntly, just flat-out hate my guts.  It is not a good feeling, and it can be terribly draining emotionally and even spiritually.  Having disrespectful and rude people who talk behind your back (and sometimes even to your face) is in direct contrast to who God is.
 
            God is described by David as merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.  Whereas insolent people objectify others and do not seek their best interests, God always acts in accord with his basic character of love and grace.  Based upon the nature of God, we can choose to cry out, just like David did, to show us a sign of God’s favor.  That is, we can pray for God to provide us with some tangible communication of his love on our level that we can grasp and understand so that we can be helped and receive the kind of comfort we need through our adversity.
 
            We can be assured that God will not only hear, but that such ungodliness will not go unnoticed.  While we receive divine guidance and help, we can trust God to address the insolence that exists around us and toward us.
            O God, I cry out to you!  Give me a sign that you are with me, that your love and grace are my twin companions through the difficulties I face.  Help me, strengthen me, and comfort me so that I can keep going for the sake of Jesus, my Savior.  Amen.

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            It is no wonder that so many people struggle with self-image today.  Beautiful people reign across the television channels and movie theatres; the rich and powerful are highlighted in the media; and, people with perfect teeth and immaculate attire are splashed in front of us in the daily barrage of advertisements.  Meanwhile, the rest of us 99% of the population quickly notice that we do not measure up to such a standard.  It only takes a few minutes of people watching at the local grocery store or mall to realize that the vast majority of persons have less than perfect bodies and do not have much of a budget to live like the other less than 1% of the famous.
 
            Into this dark abyss of feeling depressed about one’s image enters the biblical truth that each and every one of us, no matter our station in life, is “fearfully and wonderfully made.”  The Creator God took great care to make us and form us just the way he wants us.  The psalmist, David, praised God for the way we were created.  The real standard from which we ought to judge ourselves is this:  God knows us intimately, inside and out, and he does not condemn us or shame us but loves us wholly.  Why? Because he is the one who made us.
 
            So, rather than wasting our emotional energy and our mental faculties on wishing we looked different or were more like so-and-so who seems to always have it all together, try practicing what David did:  praising God.  Whenever we think we do not measure up to the standard by which we compare ourselves, the only real measurement is grace.  No matter who we are, the entire race of humanity has been created in the image of God, and, on that basis alone, we have inherent value, worth, and majesty.  Let us, then, treat ourselves and others with the yardstick of grace.
            O God, thank you that I am wonderfully made in your likeness.  I praise you that I am fully accepted, even when I do not accept myself.  In Jesus Christ you have demonstrated the height of your love and mercy.  May this grace be with me every day so that I will conduct myself in a manner worthy of being part of the human family.  Amen.

John 1:29-34

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            In a world where people do whatever seems best and feels right to them personally; on an earth where the environment and people are viewed as commodities to be used, abused, and/or manipulated for personal gain; in a place where sin is rampant and seems to run amok as if it’s ubiquity is a hopeless constant; into this world enters John the Baptist.  His message speaks to the sin of the age:  “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
 
            Jesus has come on the scene to tackle this sin issue once for all.  This is truly good news!  I must admit, and perhaps you will confess with me, that we sometimes get quite discouraged with the way things are.  As a pastor I am in the business of constantly dealing with sin issues.  Not only do I interact and shepherd people who traffic in sin, try to manage sin, ignore sin, or genuinely seek to face sin down, but I myself must deal with the presence of indwelling sin in the shadowy places of my own heart.  I suspect that you, too, must engage co-workers, family members, neighbors, and others on a daily basis for whom sin is an ever-present reality while monitoring your own responses to hard hearts and difficult situations.  It can be exhausting!
 
            Yet, since Jesus has come on the scene and has lived a holy life, taught us how to do the same, was crucified, died, rose again, and ascended, the pioneer of our salvation has set us up for success.  We can take courage, joy, and even rest in the gracious sacrificial Lamb who has dealt a death blow to sin’s power.  Jesus Christ always has the last word.
            O blessed heavenly Father, thank you for sending the Son, the Lamb of God, to take away the sin of the world.  Help me to walk in this reality every day, so that I might face down sin in my life, and gently assist others to do the same.  Amen.