Good morning! We're almost finished with Genesis! How does it feel to almost have the first book of the year under your belt?! Jan 21 Reading: Genesis 47:29-50:26
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The Word is rich, isn't it? I {Mandy} never fail to be taught something new! Jan 20 Reading: Genesis 45:16-47:28
Good morning! Join the conversation about our reading in our Facebook BIY Group! Jan 19 Reading: Genesis 42:6-45:15
Reading in Genesis for the Bible in a Year Chronologically Plan with Deliberate Women is eye-opening. I've {Mandy} read these passages many times, but the Lord never fails to reveal something new and profound to me each time. For example, reading about Abraham and his son Isaac is heart-wrenching and convicting all at once. If you're not familiar with the story, read Genesis 22:1-19. I am a very feeling, emotional person and that includes when I read. Especially when I read scripture, the words leap off the page and it's as if I can sense the emotions of those in the selection. The section about Abraham and his son Isaac brings me to tears. Abraham longed for children. In fact, he was 100 when Isaac was born! His wife Sarah was barren and they had resigned themselves to being a childless couple. Then, the Lord promised Abraham to make his descendants as many as the sand of the ocean and the stars in the sky. Imagine his joy when Sarah does indeed give birth to Isaac! Now, imagine his horror when the Lord asks of him the very thing Abraham treasured and longed for. To our sensibilities, God's request is unthinkable. In fact, even to those in Abraham's day, it was unthinkable. Even though God's warnings against child sacrifice had not yet been written (Lev 20:1-5; 2 Kings 23:10; Jer 32:35) God had molded Abraham's sense of values and this request would clearly have been inconsistent with those values. Add in the heart strings attached and the length of time Abraham believed in and waited for this promised son and we can begin to get a clear picture of how devastating and unfathomable this sacrifice was. I find myself holding my breath as I read verses 7-8: Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, 'Father?' Oh, how I wish the Bible included more of the emotion involved in these settings at times! Did Abraham have to clear his throat and hold back tears as he answered his sweet son? Did his chin quiver or his voice shake as he looked upon his promised son with sorrow? Did he even consider for a moment turning back? Chapter 22 goes on to describe how Abraham binds Isaac and places him on the altar. There is no mention made of whether or not Isaac struggled or whether he panicked (I read an interesting piece at She Reads Truth saying that, like Jesus, the perfect sacrifice presented by God, Isaac didn't struggle). Perhaps he didn't because he trusted his father and knew Abraham was a Godly man of the Lord. Perhaps he didn't because he recognized Abraham trusted his Father, the Lord. What we are told from scripture is that Abraham was ready to follow through with what was arguably the hardest act of obedience he'd ever be asked to fulfill. His actions were such that the angel of the Lord called out to him from Heaven with exclamation: But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, 'Abraham! Abraham!' What amazing faith. And, I got to thinking...maybe God doesn't have the emotion included in scripture for many accounts because emotion isn't what He wants us focusing on in acts of obedience. Emotion is not a reliable factor when determining a course of action. Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Obedience, by definition, is: compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another's authority. Submission requires yielding our will to another. I don't know that I could do it. I hope and pray for faith like that, but in so doing, I must realize that praying for something typically requires that I'm put in a position to flex and strengthen that particular muscle. Praying for patience doesn't mean God zaps us with patience. No, instead, we are placed in situations and seasons that grow and cultivate our patience. Likewise, praying for faith will undoubtedly put us in situations where we must act and live in faith. God tested Abraham's faith by asking of him the very thing God had promised him. God doesn't always make sense to us. Actually, He usually doesn't (Isaiah 55:8). We must learn to trust Him, even in those situations in life that don't make sense to our limited, human understanding. A section of commentary in my Quest Study Bible wrapped up this section nicely: Our God does not require human sacrifice, but heart sacrifice. God desires in us an obedient heart willing to do what he asks. Are you willing to do what He asks, even when it's hard and doesn't make sense?
Good morning, ladies! We hope you're enjoying and learning from your readings! Today is Sunday. As detailed in yesterday's post, we will no longer be scheduling in "Grace Days" because it derailed us from the reading plan laid out in The Daily Bible. Instead, we encourage you to keep up with the schedule in this 7-day-a-week plan as best as you can, rest when needed, and catch up as you're able. Today's reading will catch us up and put us back on track for the remainder of the reading plan. Jan 17 Reading: Genesis 34-38
Good morning! I {Mandy} posted in the BIY Facebook group yesterday that I made an error when creating the Deliberate Women printed reading schedule. In an effort to create a six-day reading week and allow you one "Grace Day" per week, it ended up putting us behind the Daily Bible's schedule. In an effort to keep us on track with the Daily Bible schedule, we have updated our printed schedule. We will be reading seven days per week in order to keep up with the Daily Bible's reading plan, as it was designed. Should you find yourself falling behind, don't stress! Take the time needed to catch up. Remember, it's about taking in the Word and getting closer to the Lord. Jan 16 Reading: Genesis 31-33
Happy Friday! The weekend is almost here! How are you doing on your reading plan? Are you behind? No worries! I {Mandy} found that when I'd get behind, as soon as I picked back up where I left off, the Word for that day fit in perfectly with whatever I was going through. God is So good! He reaches us at exactly the right time! Please make note that if you are following along in the Daily Bible, the schedule varies slightly from the printed schedule we created for Deliberate Women. we will even out and eventually be on the same schedule, but in order to create "Grace Days" we had to alter it slightly. Jan 15 Reading: 29-30
It's a mid-week check-in! How is your reading going? If you find yourself rushing to get through it just to "check it off the list" pause, pray, and slow down. The point of reading through the Bible is to take in the written Word of God. We're looking to get to know Him better. This isn't a race. Jan 13 Reading: Genesis 25-26:33
(There is an error on today's reading if you're following along with our printable schedule. The above reading is correct.) |
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