My Faith View from Here - Daily readings and thoughts

Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year) Judges 21:8-25, Psalm 148, Jeremiah 51:27-35, Acts 15:36-16:21 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges%2021%3A8-25%2C%20Psalm%20148%2C%20Jeremiah%2051%3A27-35%2C%20Acts%2015%3A36-16%3A21&version=NASB1995 United by Love We have reached the halfway point of this year's Bible reading plan.  I have been encouraged by the many people who have taken the time to do the reading, follow along with the blog, and share the journey. I started writing this for my own benefit.  At first, I simply posted the daily reading on Facebook along with a few thoughts about what stood out to me.  After only a handful of posts, it became clear that I needed something a little more structured, so I started this blog.  My original goal was simply to encourage a few people to walk through the Bible with me in one year. I have found it challenging to stay consistent. So far, I've been able to keep going, but there are many obstacles that compete...

Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year) Judges 20:18-21:7, Psalm 147, Jeremiah 51:15-26, Acts 15:1-35 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges%2020%3A18-21%3A7%2C%20Psalm%20147%2C%20Jeremiah%2051%3A15-26%2C%20Acts%2015%3A1-35&version=NASB1995 The Law of My Heart There is a story you may already know about a woman cooking a ham.  Before putting it in the oven, she cut off both ends and placed the remaining ham in a roasting pan.  Her husband asked why she cut off the ends, and she replied, “That’s what you do when you cook a ham.”  After thinking about the question, she asked her mother why she had always cut off the ends. Her mother wasn't sure either, so she asked her own mother, the younger woman's grandmother. The grandmother explained that she cut off the ends because it was the only way the ham would fit in her roasting pan. In Acts, we read about a debate over whether a person could be saved if they were not circumcised. Some Pharisees who had become Jesus...

Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year) Judges 19:22-20:17, Psalm 146, Jeremiah 51:1-14, Acts 13:44-14:28 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges%2019%3A22-20%3A17%2C%20Psalm%20146%2C%20Jeremiah%2051%3A1-14%2C%20Acts%2013%3A44-14%3A28&version=NASB1995 Searching for Truth The earth is flat! Though there are relatively few flat-earthers, polls consistently show that between 2% and 4% of the U.S. population firmly believes the earth is flat.  I suspect that percentage is similar in other parts of the world.  It does not matter how much scientific evidence exists, how many NASA missions have gone into space, how many satellites orbit the globe, or how many people have visited the moon.  There will always be some who insist the earth is flat.  For those who hold that belief, evidence often makes little difference. In politics, there is a large group of people in every country who lean conservative and a large group who lean progressive.  I know people in C...

Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year) Judges 18:14-19:21, Psalm 145, Jeremiah 50:28-46, Acts 13:26-43 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges%2018%3A14-19%3A21%2C%20Psalm%20145%2C%20Jeremiah%2050%3A28-46%2C%20Acts%2013%3A26-43&version=NASB1995 Turning Shame into Love I live in a rural community where I suspect the population within a 15 kilometre radius is only two to three thousand people.  Yet within that area there are a remarkable number of churches.  There are four Baptist churches from the Atlantic Baptist denomination, one Fellowship Baptist church, two Pentecostal churches, one Vineyard church, one Roman Catholic church, one United Church, one Anglican church, and one house church that I am aware of.  In addition, there is a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) congregation and a Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall.  That's twelve churches with broadly similar Christian beliefs and two others with different beliefs, yet all are communi...

Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year) Judges 17:1-18:13, Psalm 144, Jeremiah 50:11-27, Acts 13:1-25 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges%2017%3A1-18%3A13%2C%20Psalm%20144%2C%20Jeremiah%2050%3A11-27%2C%20Acts%2013%3A1-25&version=NASB1995 From Ants to Galaxies As I am writing this morning, a steady, replenishing rain is falling outside. The ground, the flowers, and the farmers' crops are all being watered. Without water, we would physically die. God created this world with everything required to support life. As I read Psalm 144, I was struck by verses 3 and 4: "O LORD, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You think of him? Man is like a mere breath; His days are like a passing shadow." I look at the universe and am amazed by the vastness of God's creation. Scientists continue to make new discoveries every day, and the universe itself continues to expand. NASA launched Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 in 1977, and today both sp...

Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year) Judges 16, Psalm 143, Jeremiah 50:1-10, Acts 12 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges%2016%2C%20Psalm%20143%2C%20Jeremiah%2050%3A1-10%2C%20Acts%2012&version=NASB1995 Restoration Samson may have been physically strong, but he often appeared weak in moral character. He visited a prostitute, and he seemed especially vulnerable in his relationships with women. Delilah was eventually able to persuade him to reveal the source of his strength in exchange for money. Clearly, Samson loved Delilah, but she did not appear to love him in return. Because of his gullibility and Delilah's manipulation, Samson lost his strength when his hair was cut, and the Philistines captured and blinded him. Yet God was not finished with him. In the end, God used Samson one final time to destroy those who were worshipping the god Dagon. It amazes me that God chose to use Samson as a judge of Israel despite his many weaknesses and failures. We see moral f...

Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year) Judges 14-15, Psalm 142, Jeremiah 49:23-39, Acts 11:19-30 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges%2014-15%2C%20Psalm%20142%2C%20Jeremiah%2049%3A23-39%2C%20Acts%2011%3A19-30&version=NASB1995 Weakness is Strength The physically strongest person can still be weak. Yet God can use both our strengths and our weaknesses for His purposes. As we read about Samson in Judges 14 and 15, we see a man with extraordinary physical strength.  He killed a lion with his bare hands. God made him physically strong, but God also knew his weaknesses.  Samson was weak when he chose a Philistine woman as his wife.  He was weak when he gave in to his wife's pressure and revealed the answer to his riddle.  He was weak when he hid from the Philistines in the cleft of a rock.  Yet God still used him. God used Samson despite his weaknesses and worked through him in powerful ways. Samson killed thirty men after his wife and her father were b...

Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year) Judges 11:29-13:25, Psalm 141, Jeremiah 49:7-22, Acts 11:1-18 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges%2011%3A29-13%3A25%2C%20Psalm%20141%2C%20Jeremiah%2049%3A7-22%2C%20Acts%2011%3A1-18&version=NASB1995 Keeping Your Word Be wise with the promises you make. Jephthah made an unwise vow to the LORD, one that he came to regret.  He vowed that if he returned home in peace, he would offer as a burnt offering whatever came out of the doors of his house to meet him.  Unfortunately, his daughter—his one and only child—was the first to come out, celebrating her father's return.  As I read this passage today, I could not help but wonder what Jephthah thought would come out of the doors of his house.  He had set himself up for this tragedy. When we make promises and vows, we need to do so wisely.  In our day and age, I believe we have loosened the seriousness of promises and commitments. It is not unusual to hear about, or b...