New Reading Plan Starts this Sunday (9/5)

A new plan is now available that will start this Sunday, September 5, 2010.  It is part 2 of reading through Psalms.  We’ll be continuing reading in Psalms for 30 days.

You can get the plan and more details by clicking on the “current plan” page above.

A Lesson in Anger Management

Most of us have done something we later regretted out of anger.  Maybe words or actions toward someone that ended up making the situation even worse.  And then it hit a point where you calmed down and wished you had not said or done that.  You probably know what I’m talking about.

Right now our current plan is taking us through Nehemiah and Esther.  We’re in Esther now and I’ve been enjoying reading through this narrative in the Old Testament.  Nehemiah is a challenging book on many levels, and Esther presents many lessons for us as well.

One of those lessons is on anger management.

The summary (of Esther 1 and a little bit of 2)- King Ahasuerus became angry when Queen Vashti would not appear before him after he summoned her.  Esther 1:10 makes it clear that he was “merry with wine” (ESV), which didn’t mix well with his anger, and he banished Queen Vashti from his presence forever, and decreed that her royal position be given to another woman of his liking.

What’s interesting is Esther 2:1–After these things, when the anger of King Ahasuerus had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her.

What’s the lesson here? Let anger subside before acting out on a situation. King Ahasuerus apparently had some second thoughts about his actions, but it was too late.  He had already issued a decree that could not be revoked.  He had to move on.  But he didn’t have these second thoughts until his anger had abated.

Often, the hurtful words or actions we express toward someone in anger and later regret could have been avoided if we would let our anger die down and then think through the situation. But this is not our human nature.

But consider the nature of God, the one in whom we are to be constantly striving after:  the New American Standard Bible (NASB) references God as being “slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness” 9 times (Ex. 34:6; Num. 14:18; Neh. 9:17; Ps. 86:15, 103:8, 145:8, 14:29; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2; Nahum 1:3 [the Nahum reference omits lovingkindness and mentions power instead]).

The beginning of the narrative in Esther gave us an example of what happens when we act outside of the character of God.  Proverbs 14:29 teaches us:Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly. And James 1:19 teaches us:  Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.

Let’s learn this lesson in anger management, and continue to strive toward living out the character of God in our lives.

New Reading Plan Starts Today (Aug. 4)

A new 24-day reading plan starts today.  This plan will take readers through the books of Nehemiah and Esther.  Both are important accounts of God’s plan unfolding through the Israelites.  There are lessons in many areas of life to be learned from these books, so as you’re learning, come back here to comment on this post to tell others what you’re learning.

Click on the current plan page to access the plan in PDF format.

New Plan: The Book of Psalms, Part 1

Starting this coming Sunday, the new reading plan will be the Book of Psalms, Part 1.  Part 1 does not correspond with the sections of Psalms in the Bible (book 1= Psalm 1-41; book 2= Psalm 42-72; book 3= Psalm 73-89; book 4= Psalm 90-106; book 5= Psalm 107-150), but is just the first part of our reading schedule.

You can access the plan here, or by clicking on the current plan page above.

As you read, you can leave comments on what you’re learning on this post or any that are after it that relate to this plan.

Be refreshed by your reading in Scripture!

The Ruth Challenge

Our pastor issued “The Ruth Challenge” as our current Bible reading plan to allow for the church to be saturated in this Biblical book and prepared to receive fresh instruction from it in the upcoming sermon series through Ruth.  The sermon series starts on June 27.

The Ruth Challenge is to read the entire book of Ruth (4 chapters) once a week for the next 3 weeks (leading up to 6/27), asking the Holy Spirit to reveal new insight every time you read it.

One comment that was shared already was that it was helpful for one to read through the book from the specific perspective of one of the characters (Ruth, Boaz, narrator, etc.).  This technique can bring new understanding into the message it contains.

Take the Ruth challenge! And as you go through your readings, help teach each other by sharing any thoughts/insight by commenting on this post.

New Reading Plan Started on Good Friday

This past Friday, April 2, was the starting date for the new plan on the book of Job.  Click on the current plan page to access the new plan in pdf format that you can print out.

Job is a book that will teach us much about suffering.  Over 35 days, readers should develop a better grasp on God’s sovereignty and his goodness even in the midst of pain and suffering.

Enjoy this time in Scripture!

Thoughts on Acts

We are almost finished our reading plan through the book of Acts and the new plan starts on Wednesday (John’s gospel and letters).  I just wanted to leave some thoughts on the book of Acts that I had when reading through it, and open it up to you to leave comments sharing with everyone something that impressed you in Acts.

Here are a few thoughts in Acts:

• The passion of the followers of Jesus to tell others about Jesus no matter what the cost. If you missed this theme throughout Acts, you weren’t reading it!  It’s amazing how Peter, Paul, and others continued telling others about Jesus even through beatings and other persecution.  The Scripture says they shook the dust off their feet, continued on, and even encouraged others in the faith right after persecution (16:40).
• The criticism the early followers of Jesus faced by the “religious” people. Chapter 11 showed a case of what happens still today in churches, where Peter went back to the Jewish people after preaching to the Gentiles and faces opposition from the Jewish people.  Some people will criticize efforts even without knowing the facts.  In Acts 11:4, Peter had to put it “in order” for them.  Christians- we will face opposition and criticism when following the will of God, sometimes even from other Believers. We must press on though.
• Nothing will stop the Word of God from accomplishing its purpose! Look at 12:23-24.  Even when others try to overshadow the Lord, His Word will prevail!  What hope and comfort we find here!
• The emphasis on mission work.  It’s powerful in this book.  The journeys taken, the risks taken–these guys were about doing the work of the Lord.  We should be too, in the ways that God has called us.
• The end of Acts is great! Regarding Paul, it tells us: He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. What a great reminder to leave us with- that no matter where we live, we should be open to sharing the gospel of Jesus with boldness to all who will hear!

Anything that stuck out to you?  Leave a comment and share it with everyone so we can all learn together.