Easter is fast approaching... Did I tell y'all about the challenge that God sorta dumped in my lap? Well, I was listening to Shine FM (our local Christian radio station), and I swear I heard a challenge from a congregation in the States to read thru either the entire Bible in 90 days, or the Hew Testament in 21. I was a little intimidated by the whole Bible in 90, and I thought the New Testament in 21 was a more "realistic" goal, so I decided to do that one. (Apparently, I was the only one I know that heard that challenge) Well, I DID it!!!! *insert cheering*
I did have to take 2 days off - I was so sick that I actually couldn't read because if I read, then I couldn't breathe because of all the congestion in my nose. I was so drugged! LOL But I did it....
This was my reading schedule:
March 8: Matthew 1-10, Revelation 1.
9: Matt 11-20, Rev 2
10: Matt 21-28, Mark 1 & 2, Rev 3.
11:Mark 3-12, Rev 4
12: Mark 13-16, Luke 1-6, Rev 5
13: Luke 7-16, Rev 6
14: Luke 17-24, John 1 & 2, Rev 7.
15: John 3-12, Rev 8
16: John 13-21, Rev 9
17: Acts 1-10, Rev 10
18: Acts 11-20, Rev 11
19:Acts 21-28, Romans 1-5, Rev 12, Philemon
20: Romans 6-16, Titus, Rev 13
21: I Corinthians 1-10, 1 Peter, Rev 14
22: 1 Corinthians 11-16, 2 Corinthians 1-13, Rev 15
********** sick & couldn't breathe*************
25: Galatians (all), Ephesians (all), Phillipians (all), Rev 16
26: Colossians (all), 1 & 2 Thessalonians (all), 1 Timothy (all), Rev 17
27: 2 Timothy (all), Hebrews 1-5, Rev 18
28: Hebrews 6-13, Rev 19
29: James (all) 1 Peter (again, apparently! :D), 2 Peter (all), Rev 20
30: 1, 2 & 3 John (all), Jude, Revelations 21-22.
Out of all that I read, I think reading the 4 Gospels were amazing, but I also loved Corinthians, and Romans, and Hebrews (but it was tough slugging there for a bit.... Lots of stuff I just didn't completely grasp). And Revelations??? Wow. I don't get that book at all. It's so full of imagery and symbolism that I find it hard to understand (what is the symbolism, and what is actually going to happen??? HAS it happened already? Why has God tarried for so long?). And the whole "whore of Babylon" thing - woo! Makes my head hurt. ;)
But, I was SO PROUD of myself for doing that.... I think I am going to commit to reading thru the Bible in a year. It's been a long time since I last did that... And reading every night was oddly right-feeling to me. (I did it as a teen every night, so maybe I feel that I'm getting back to myself... Who knows.) Often I'd be reading and I'd start being all excited and start talking to Hubby, "Honey! Wow! Listen to this...." and I'd look over, and he'd be hunched over his iPod, completely asleep. So I'd just underline it instead. (Why does it always seem that you get the best stuff late at night???)
But loads of amazing things have happened in conjunction to this spurt of Bible reading... I felt the utter breath of God one day, when I was praying where He busted my chops over my attitude of "God is my buddy, but not the King Of All" - I was only trusting Him to be the Lord over the "little things" in my life (like kitchen utensils, and where I'd park, and traffic, and finding me new plates). He busted me big time.... I didn't realize that I was putting God into a box! He wants to DAILY be transfigured in my life! He DAILY wants to show me that HE is Lord over ALL!!! That He is not some small thing to be taken out of a box, or to be given token prayers, but that HE is YHWH!!! He is the Alpha and Omega! He cares for me - absolutely. But He wants to be the God over ALL my life, not just where I park when I'm at Physio! And He wants me to believe Him and in His Might for more than just Corelle plates at an amazing deal.... He wants me to entrust Him with all my hopes, dreams, fears, and my everything. He is big enough to handle everything.
Too long I've been treating Him like He is this fragile being who is susceptible to "cracking under the strain" of my neuroses/neediness/fickleness/lack of commitment/lack of character (fill in the blank)..... If God can handle all my raw emotions, why can't He handle me in all my humanness???? As my Hubby is fond of saying, "Why are we surprised when we fall down? God isn't!"
God knows what we are. We are frail, we are prone to mistakes. We are bull-headed, stubborn, and oftentimes stupid as sheep. (Which is pretty stupid, from what I've been told.) But God doesn't let that color His perception of us.
Over all our faults.... God sees us as HIS.
If God had a fridge and a wallet, we would be displayed with the utmost of pride.
I don't know why that blows my mind like it does (for the love of Pete... How many seminars and conferences have I sat in? How much inner healing have I had? And I am still floored by the BASICS of the Father Heart of God towards me????). I'm not even sure that others are as impacted by this truth as I am.....
But if I am to live as a follower of Jesus, who is God's Only Begotten Son, who was crucified for my sins (even though He didn't have to - He was spotless! I was far from spotless....) then it looks like I have some life adjustments to be making. It looks like I have some appointments up on top of the Altar of the Lord, allowing Him to prune me (awwww, shit....), refine me, and teach me to be like Jesus.
What a way to start the Spring! And what a wonderful entrance to Easter!
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