My Daily Bible Reading

Today’s Life Journal Reading is from:

Matthew 20,21,22

Scripture

   
²⁰ And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?”
²¹ So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. ²² And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Matthew 21:20-22, New King James Version)

Observation:

I’ve always wonder what was the deal about the fig tree….really and why people couldn’t understand, but when one reads the passage as a whole, it becomes clear. The fig tree wasn’t being punished or look at anyone the wrong way, but being used as an example to illustrate the parable that Christ was about to share.

How many of us walk with those who go to church on the Sabbath, but then when things go wrong, and I mean things go wrong, react like a rubber ball let loose and just go bouncing all over the place, looking for and at everything, but at Him?

There gets to a point in our Christian journey that we can’t just keep “saying” the words as if they would be the cure all, end all. It’s like taking a plant, not taking care of it, not giving it water, not bothering to plant it where it would get sun or nutrients and then expecting it to flourish into a fruit bearing plant.

It’s not going to happen and the same with our walk.

We can’t ignore our faith, except when it suits us, not nourish our growth by not reading His word, except when we are in church, make choices that benefit our walk, except when it suits us, and expect a vibrant Christian growth.

Once a week, just isn’t enough if it gets buried by the rest of our lives that count more than what we are doing for Him.

….faith without deeds…it’s not about being legalistic as it is about, you’re not a “good person” just because you say you are.

People can try and self-talk, but eventually unless that self-talk is followed by actual transformative change from within, all that talk is….just talk.

Faith with deeds, mean everyday, making that difficult, and it’s difficult for a while, choice of do I do what will be pleasing to Him and bear good testimony, or do I just rebel (though we don’t say that to ourselves) and do what I and the world thinks is better.

Only trouble with the latter thought is, remember, even barely, where it got us in the first place?

As I read this passage, it was a reminder that, part of showing my faith in Him, includes willingly following Him and making the changes that is needed in my life that will suit Him, not me.

We may not want to wear a suit, but if we want that job badly, we will. Eventually, as we grow into our job, the suit becomes less noticable to the point that it becomes…..second nature.

Right now our initial nature is to sin.

We are all sinners and we will continue to sin, but it’s not the involuntary sins that are troublesome, because they are going to happen, even to the best of us, but it’s the voluntary sins that we voluntarily and with intent to sin that is going to knock us down and hurt us, those around us and more than anything Him.

We can’t hope to bear fruit if all we do is leave the plant out in the middle nowhere and not take the time to feed it (read God’s Word), nourish it (with prayer and fellowship), give it sun (going to church, having home church, just taking the time in our lives to worship Him) and more than anything, plant it (salvation in and through Him).

Application:

I need to remember that having faith in Him isn’t based on what I want or think or what other people want or think. It’s about what He wants.

I need to apply it to my life that just saying I believe, doesn’t work and only pays lip service, if my heart isn’t into it and He knows what is in my heart and it’s not what I think He thinks, it’s not something I can control or manipulate on the basis of making myself feel better.

For my life to bear the fruit that He wants to see, I have to be willing and submissive to His word and humble not so it impresses other people or when other people can see me, but for when no one but Him can see me.

Prayer:

Lord, I am thankful for the reminder of  Your blessings each and every day and not just on one day of the year or one season, but everyday and I pray that I always keep You first and foremost in mind, before everything else. Help keep my feet firmly planted in Your word and Lord, there are times I will involuntarily sin and I thank You for Your conviction and rebuke to get me back on my feet.

Help me remember that faith in You isn’t seasonal, based on what I feel, whose around me, or what people think. It’s only about and for You.

Amen.

****Purpose of this post****

Gentle Readers, There are days that I will read a verse or passage and just feel pulled to share here, but there are days when I will read something and just feel, I need to spend the day, in personal contemplation of what is being convey and may just post via Twitter, what passages I have read that day and post nothing on here.

That is what bible reading is about; It’s not about having to write something down everyday; There maybe days when you are reading say, Numbers and it’s just lineages, but other days, you may find yourself dealing with a “powerhouse verse” of the moment and have to just go “WOW” and seek God in personal time and prayer to understand what He is sharing.

I will try to post daily, but particularly on weekends, if I’m sick or I’m just completely in awe of what I’m reading or maybe I am trying to understand what I am reading, I may not post here, I may just write in my Life Journal (hardcopy), because I will find myself having to seek His Word and/or the Commentary and just seek in prayer to understand what our Father in Heaven is seeking to reveal.

Either way.

Reading His Word, is about getting to know Him better and developing your Christian growth and maturity. Do what is right and good for you.

If you do use the Life Journal and participate in the daily readings, I would like to hear from you and your perspective on each day’s reading, when I do have a post up, or feel free to comment on a previous “Daily Bible Reading post” or send me a quick email.

Please feel free to join in the linky that I post below, so others too, who uses the Life Journal/or SOAP method to read the bible can participate.

Don’t feel obligate to have to blog about each passage to be read, but if anything, feel free to share those passages that have the most impact on you that day.

There maybe some days that you may read your daily reading and find nothing to jot down in your journal or on your blog and that’s okay, but there maybe other days, that you will find yourself inspire.

This is about you being encouraged to have a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father, and spending each day with Him, You and Him.

It is my prayer and hope that this will be an encouragement to establish a personal daily reading as well.

To find out more about using the S.O.A.P. method, here’s a link to an ehow article and here’s the link to the Life Journal to find out more what it is, and how you can use it for your own daily bible readings. If you don’t want to order the journal or if it’s not available through your local church, another method is simply, buy a journal or notebook or even blog about your life journal readings.

Disclaimer: I am not personally affiliated with the church that the link goes to, but merely share it as a resource of what the Life Journal is, how to order it.

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