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YouVersion :: One Year Bible :: Thursday, February 23; Day 54

February 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Day 54

To the YouVersion reading for the dayLeviticus 14

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19 ”Then the priest is to sacrifice the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be cleansed from their uncleanness. After that, the priest shall slaughter the burnt offering20 and offer it on the altar, together with the grain offering, and make atonement for them, and they will be clean.

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Yesterday, the focus was what made a person unclean.  And it was clear that our God is a God who demands perfection in every regard.  Even seemingly insignificant, or even uncontrollable ways, like with our bodies.  And yesterday our focus was turned on Jesus, who took every aspect of our sin-touched existence onto the cross- not just the spiritual moments of our sin, but also the physical fruits of it.  But now- now we see that even before the cross, God is constantly trying to make a way for us to get to him.  He is in the business of opening pathways to himself.

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Is there a new path in front of you today that God has made for you so that you can get to Him more easily?  Might you be a path for somebody else- somebody else who needs to get to God?  How might the Holy Spirit be directing your life right now?   Look for your path to God.  Be on the lookout for a way you might become somebody else’s path. 

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#fb, #waukee, #dailyscripture, #oneyearbible

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YouVersion :: One Year Bible :: Wednesday, February 22; Day 53

February 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Day 53 To the YouVersion reading for the day

Leviticus 13

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1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,2 ”When anyone has a swelling or a rash or a shiny spot on their skin that may be a defiling skin disease,t they must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sonst who is a priest.3 The priest is to examine the sore on the skin, and if the hair in the sore has turned white and the sore appears to be more than skin deep, it is a defiling skin disease. When the priest examines that person, he shall pronounce them ceremonially unclean.

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One of the most fascinating things I find in Leviticus is how thoroughly and overwhelming the laws and regulations were- particularly as it related to being clean and unclean.  Clean and Unclean was the difference between being within the community of God and outside of it.  Clean and Unclean was the difference between favored and rejected.  Between blessed and cursed.  Between acceptance and exclusion.
Now, when we talk about clean and unclean, we immediately spiritualize it.  But our God is perfect in every way, and absolutely nothing imperfect comes into his presence.  Even physical brokenness.  And these barriers- these insufficiencies in our physical-ness- were also mocked, spit-upon and nailed to the cross.  More than simply the acts of sin, but the physical effects of sin were taken to the cross so that we could peacefully, and fully enter God’s presence- or better put, so that He could fully enter ours.
Is there something in your physical-ness that Jesus needs to be allowed to cover? 

Maybe you have excluded somebody around you for some ailment or injury in their body, in their physicalness. 

Jesus has taken his shame away.  Jesus cross’ covers her ailment. 

Give over every imperfection in your body, and every imperfection in your peers’ bodies to Jesus cross, to be healed, and seen no more.  Step into the light of freedom that covers more than our acts of sin- but also our sin-touched existence.  Bring somebody with you.

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YouVersion :: One Year Bible :: Tuesday, February 21; Day 52

February 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Day 52 To the YouVersion reading for the day

Mark 5

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21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake.22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet.23 He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.”24 So Jesus went with him.

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In this, the earliest writings about Jesus’ ministry, we catch Jesus changing vectors midstride.  People, like Jairus, a member of the Jewish establishment, might not have come to Jesus unless they were out of other alternatives.  But Jesus isn’t offended.  He doesn’t brush them off or scold them for leaving him to the end.  He went with them.  Could there be desperate people in your life, coming to you as a last resort?  Are you desperate right now, and ashamed to come to Jesus?  Go to Jesus, even if you’ve stalled, or balked, or sought any other way.  Be Jesus for those who are looking for him.

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#fb, #waukee, #dailyscripture, #oneyearbible

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YouVersion :: One Year Bible :: Saturday, February 18, day 49

February 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Day 49  To the YouVersion reading for the day

Psalm 37

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3 Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
4 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires.
5 Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.
6 He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.
7 Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act.

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This is sometimes nearly impossible, isn’t it?!  Don’t worry?  Trust in God and he will give you your heart’s desires?  My heart desires a 71 Dodge Charger, but the garage is still empty… or maybe I am misreading the promise: what if my desires are what changes when I trust God fully?  What if trusting God and gaining everything my heart desires is more about my heart desiring God’s things for me.  So ask yourself, “what are the desires of my heart?  What do I crave?”  and then ask God, “What are your desires for my heart?  What do you want me to have and to desire?” 

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#fb, #waukee, #oneyearbible, #cravings

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YouVersion :: One Year Bible :: Friday, February 17; Day 48

February 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Day 48 To the YouVersion reading for the day

Leviticus 4:

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13 “ ‘If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though the community is unaware of the matter, they are guilty.

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One of the most difficult things about sin that is hard for us to swallow is that we can be wrong, and held accountable for it, even if we didn’t know it.  This is in connection with the principle that al of creation has been disturbed and corrupted by the fall of mankind into sin.  As the apostle Paul would write centuries later, “all creation groans as a woman in labor,” awaiting its redemption.  But the awesome thing is that the God to whom we owe all these debts- intentional or otherwise, has made accommodations for us!  He is creating pathways of mercy in our lives all the time:

How might you be a pathway of mercy to some unsuspecting person?  What might you do, or say, or NOT do or NOT say that might actually be a step towards God’s mercy to the world?  

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#fb, #westview, #waukee, #oneyearbible, #mercy, #people

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YouVersion :: One Year Bible :: Thursday, February 16; day 47

February 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Day 47 To the YouVersion reading for the day

Leviticus 1

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4 You are to lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you.

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Leviticus can be difficult for us to understand.  But begin by recognizing that Jesus is the slain animal in every case, in every scene of Leviticus.  Anytime there is an offering made to God on the altar, anytime an animal is killed, and blood is spilled, anytime a person gives up the very best of what he or she owns in sacrifice; that is the closest we can come to understanding what Jesus did at Gethsemane, at the cross, and in the grave.  He took the place of every sacrifice listed in Leviticus so that we could draw near to God unhindered.

How would your day look if you had to sacrifice a valuable asset; an animal, a needed food item, so that you could come to God without fear?  What might be different in how you approach God, even just in prayer? 

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YouVersion :: One Year Bible :: Wednesday, February 15; day 46

February 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Day 46 To the YouVersion reading for the day

Mark

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15 ”The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

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In this passage, Mark is retelling the story of John the Baptizer, connecting his story with the story of Isaiah “the prophet” in Hebraic culture.  While many in Jesus day believed the kingdom of God was a political, military kingdom, Jesus instituted a kingdom of the spiritual realm.  One more powerful, more present than any country or army.  His mission showed how the life of the kingdom intersected with our reality.  The kingdom of God is near!  How will your life represent the kingdom of God today?  How will you be an outpost of the Kingdom here, now?  What will it look like for the Kingdom to exist in the spaces of your life? 

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#fb, #waukee, #dailyscripture, #oneyearbible, #kingdomofgod

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YouVersion :: One Year Bible :: Tuesday, February 14; day 45

February 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Day 45  To the YouVersion reading for the day

Exodus 37

1 Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.2 He overlaid it with pure gold, both inside and out, and made a gold molding around it.3 He cast four gold rings for it and fastened them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other.4 Then he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.5 And he inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it.

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If you’re anything like me, it’s a lot easier to believe that you need grace and mercy than it is to believe that you are beautiful.  These passages go into great detail about the care and craftsmanship that went into vessels of God’s treasures and gifts to the people of Israel.

If this much effort and craftsmanship and beauty went into the boxes and ornaments of God’s first temple (a tent, let’s not forget), how much might you be worth, a vessel of His very Spirit?  By Jesus, God has made YOU His temple.  How can your beauty in God’s hands affect your mindset and your attitude today? 

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#fb, #waukee, #oneyearbible, #dailyscripture, #beauty

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YouVersion :: One Year Bible :: Monday, February 13; Day 44

February 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Day 44

Exodus 35  To the YouVersion reading for the day

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10 ”All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the lord has commanded:

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30 Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills—

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You know there’s something you are good at.  Something you just rock at.  And if you don’t know that?  You have something, something special, and you haven’t identified it.  Find it.  For the lord has chosen you and filled you with his own Spirit.  His own creative Spirit.  Maybe you don’t make things with your hands, but that doesn’t mean you don’t create space for His Spirit to operate in other people!  Where, how, and what has the lord chosen you and filled you with His Spirit; and wisdom?  And ability?  Where do you think God would have you especially working for Him?  

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#fb, #dailyscripture, #oneyearbible, #gifts, #strengths, #creative, #work

 

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YouVersion :: One Year Bible :: Saturday, February 11; Day 42

February 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Day 42

Exodus 33: To the YouVersion reading for the day

15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”

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“What else will distinguish me and all your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”  Moses is hitting on a foundational truth of life with God- with Jesus, we are different because of his manifest presence in us and through us.  Not names, deeds, or habits.  Jesus’ spirit.  “How is the Spirit of od evident to others through  your life?  How are you distinguished by the freedom that characterizes the presence of God’s spirit?  

 

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YouVersion :: One Year Bible :: Friday, February 10, 2012; Day 41

February 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Day 41:

To the YouVersion reading for the day

Exodus 41

1 Then the Lord said to Moses,2 ”See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills—

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This is such a small and exciting passage.  God chooses.  He fills.  He fills with Himself.  He gives good gifts, wisdom, understanding, and all kinds of skills.  And it’s always to do something.  What has God chosen you for?  If you don’t know, look at what He has chosen to fill you with?  What has he made you good at?  It is something that pleases him to see you do!

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#fb, #waukee, #dailyscripture, #oneyearbible, #mission, #gifts

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YouVersion :: One-Year-Bible :: Thursday, February 8; Day 40

February 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Day 40 To the YouVersion reading for the day

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Exodus 29

1 ”This is what you are to do to consecrate them, so they may serve me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without defect.2 And from the finest wheat flour make round loaves without yeast, thick loaves without yeast and with olive oil mixed in, and thin loaves without yeast and brushed with olive oil.3 Put them in a basket and present them along with the bull and the two rams.4 Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting and wash them with water.5 Take the garments and dress Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod itself and the breastpiece. Fasten the ephod on him by its skillfully woven waistband.6 Put the turban on his head and attach the sacred emblem to the turban.7 Take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head.8 Bring his sons and dress them in tunics 9 and fasten caps on them. Then tie sashes on Aaron and his sons. The priesthood is theirs by a lasting ordinance.

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God is directing the writer and His people how to prepare to meet with him.  In Jesus, we don’t need these elaborate things to meet with God.  We come under His blood.  But perhaps we must still make good preparations.  How might you be challenged to carefully and thoughtfully prepare for your life with God on this day?  What can you do to prepare yourself for God? 

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#fb, #waukee, #oneyearbible, #dailyscripture, #prepare

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YouVersion :: One Year Bible :: Wednesday, Feb. 8; Day 39

February 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Day 39

To the YouVersion reading for the day—

Psalm 31

14 But I trust in you, lord;
I say, “You are my God.”

15 My times are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
from those who pursue me.

16 Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.

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Following Jesus isn’t a ticket past the hard parts, is it.  But what it is- what it does, is reminds us that God is indeed God, our lives are in His care, and his face shines upon us.  His love is unfailing.  Are you being pursued by enemies?  What are your enemies?  How has God defeated your enemies in the past?  How might an act of service to God become His hand delivering you from your enemy? 

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#fb, #waukee, #dailyscripture, #oneyearbible, #pursued

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YouVersion :: One Year Bible :: Tuesday, February 7; Day 38

February 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Day 38 To the YouVersion reading for the day

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Matthew 25

14 ”Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more.17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more.18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

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Another glimpse into God’s character:  He is one who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.  He has given us great things, out of his wealth.  God gives out of His wealth, to enrich us, and also to enable us to do our missions.  What has he given you?  What does your gift tell you about your mission?  Are you doing it?  Or are you avoiding it?  

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#fb #waukee #westview #dailyscripture, #oneyearbible

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YouVersion :: One Year Bible :: Monday, Feb 6; Day 37

February 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Day 37

—To the YouVersion reading for the day

Exodus 23

20 ”See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.21 Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him.22 If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you.

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Something about God’s character is revealed in this passage: He goes ahead.  He guards.  He delivers us to the place He has prepared for us in advance.  He speaks.  He empathizes with us against our enemies, pride, greed, and death.  Something about our character is revealed too: We have to choose to follow.  We must strive to listen.  We must seek obedience.  Listen & do.  Where is God leading us today?  What is God saying to us today?  Where must we go?  Where are we being challenged to listen and do?  To obey? 

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#fb #waukee #dailyscripture #oneyearbible #today

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