One of my New Year's resolutions is to read the entire Bible. I got a late start, beginning on the first of February, but I figure it doesn't really matter when the year starts or stops, as long as it happens. Now admittedly I am not always on track with the days and I often find myself doubling up to make up for reading I've missed. But once again, what matters is that it happens.
The structure I'm using to read the Bible is a combination of Old and New Testament each day.
Honestly, I felt when I started this little adventure that I needed to have some New Testament each day because I thought the Old Testament always seemed so strange with its laws and dry with its long genealogies. But I have found true beauty in the old and God is speaking to me more than I ever would have imagined as I explore the stories of his ancient people. So in honor of that, here are my 3 favorite Old Testament stories so far (keep in mind I'm only in Exodus and I'm already having a hard time deciding favorites!):
3. Joseph - His brothers sell him into slavery, but God is faithful and he eventually becomes head of his master's house. Oops! But then he's thrown in jail...and once again God is faithful and Joseph rises to leadership in the jail. He is eventually freed by Pharaoh and guess what, he becomes head of his household and eventually all of Egypt! He eventually saves the people from starvation in a time of famine. In the end, when reunited with his betraying brothers, he grants them mercy because he knows that the Lord has used his life and his circumstances to be a blessing to others and to bring him glory. (Lesson: Get over my woe-is-me attitude about the struggles I face. God is at work!)
2. Moses and the Israelites - Moses, feeling totally inadequate, is called by the Lord to go to Pharaoh and request that he free the Israelite people. God gives him a miraculous staff to perform wonders and a range of plagues to convince the king of Egypt, but He also says He will harden Pharaoh's heart and the king will not give in. What? You see, God is the God of the Impossible. He wants there to be no doubt that it is He who has freed his people, not the works of any man. And just to make sure they're all paying attention to who deserves the credit, he corners them against the Red Sea as the Egyptians pursue them and miraculously orders the sea to part for his people and to rejoin to consume the enemy. (Lesson: God can and will do anything for his people and he deserves all the glory.)
1. Creation - This is by far my favorite part of the entire Bible. God so lovingly creates the world from nothingness, giving attention to every detail, recognizing its beauty and goodness along the way. But creation is not complete without his most wonderful masterpiece - humans. From his very breath and the dust of the ground we are formed - each gender intentionally and purposefully. And even when Adam and Eve sin for the first time and bring about the eternal separation of God and man, we see God's unending grace and love for us. He seeks them out in the garden, calling to them. He is just in his punishment, but still gracious in his care. (Lesson: God will always seek us when we stray, rebuking us in love and drawing us back to his care.)
I'm sure as I continue to read through the Word that I will discover and re-discover more stories that touch my heart in ways I didn't expect. What are your favorites?
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