This is the Bible reading plan I'm doing right now. I like having Psalms and Proverbs every day. I likely will continue this one again next year.

I am a very firm believer in reading the Bible every day, as you can tell by my previous posts about reading the Bible in a year and tips on how to read the Bible in a year.

So its almost August.  You’re wondering why I’m bringing this up.  Its because you should be reading your Bible.  Just start.  Whoever you are, whenever you are reading this, wherever you are at in life, I can confidently say that God wants to speak to you daily through His Word and you will be blessed by reading daily.  So let’s go:

Here’s how you can get started on your Bible-reading discipline.  Its really easy!

Get yourself a Bible reading plan (I’m doing the One Year Bible, which I HIGHLY recommend).  Print it up and stick it in your Bible.  Or you can use an app like YouVersion, although I still recommend going paper because it is much easier to jump around and view the context compared to a tiny screen.

Ok, here’s the most important step:  find today’s date on the Bible reading plan and JUST READ THE PASSAGES FOR THAT DAY!  That’s it!

What if you miss a day?  Oh well.  Don’t try to catch up, just continue with the next day’s reading.  What if you miss 6 months?  Pick up your Bible and look up THAT day and just read THAT day.  If you try to catch up, you never will.  Just read the day.  God wants to speak to you EVERY day.  Even if you’re in 1 Chronicles or deep in the minor prophets, God has something to speak to you that day!  It is amazing how relevant passages written almost 3000 years ago can be to your life today, if you allow God to speak through them.

Right now some of you are resisting because you don’t want to skip anything.  Die to that desire friend.  The beauty of this way of doing things is that it’ll help you make this a life-long discipline, so you’ll be sure to catch that passage in future years.

IF you are going to go back and “catch-up” in the reading (like if you’re in the middle of a narrative and are missing key context), then do it AFTER today’s reading.  Again, it sounds counter-intuitive, but trust me.  You want to make sure you get TODAY’S done first, else you’ll dig a deeper and deeper hole trying to “catch up” and will lose motivation.

May God bless you in your reading discipline and speak to you daily!

This is someone's actual food shelf in their house. Think how much time it takes to organize and constantly shift through all the food (eating the old and moving in the new). Is this being done in faith or fear

With much talk about “bad times” ahead, there is a growing subsect of Christians who are storing up food.  A lot of this is from the influence of Glenn Beck, who is a Mormon.  Mormons emphasize storing up food (see this FAQ or this recent blog post); a lot of Christians who follow Beck have followed suit and adopted these Mormon customs.

So the question really comes down:  should I be storing up canned food and water?  Here’s a simple questionnaire to self-evaluate:

1)  Do you have a real and legitimate need for provision?  Is it wise to store it up due to your circumstances?

People who live in a hurricane zone, like New Orleans, would be wise to have a couple week’s worth of food and water in case of a hurricane, which is a legitimate and highly probable concern.  People who live in Montana should not be storing up for a hurricane, because a hurricane hitting Montana is highly improbable.  For something else maybe, but storing up for a hurricane in Montana is simply foolish.

There also is always a risk of some kind of disaster that could disrupt easy access to food or water.  Weather, such as thunderstorms, tornadoes, or bad winter storms can all cause problems.  Last year when it snowed over two feet, it was impossible to travel for many days.  We had a neighbor who literally had nothing to eat and ended up driving out in the middle of the storm and wrecking her car in the process (granted, she could have simply gone to the store BEFORE the snow started too).

2)  What is a reasonable amount of food and water to have on hand?  What is a reasonable amount of time to spend in storing things up?

I had a friend whose parents were storing up food for Y2K.  Buckets of food lined their entire downstairs.  They spent literally years drying out fruit and making all the preparation.  A huge time investment.  And we all know what happened with Y2k…

Generally it is wise to have a week or two worth of food on hand.  That is wise because the time cost of shopping for food every day would put a large strain on a household.  That plus in most common disasters a couple weeks or a months worth of food would be more than enough.

When would having 6 months or a year’s worth of food be helpful?  Almost never.  Collecting and up-keeping that much food takes a lot of time and money.  You will not recoup that investment.

3)  Are you fearful or anxious about something?

I have already written previously about how faith and fear are opposites.

There is a big difference between fear and concern about probable circumstances.  If someone throws a ball toward my head, I can legitimately be concerned about it hitting me and I will duck.  But if no one has thrown anything at me, it would be silly for me to have concern about being hit and still ducking.  That’s fear.  Fear is usually irrational, although we always have some kind of explanation for it.  You can test how rational it is by trying to explain your fear to someone who does not share it.  That should quickly show how irrational you really sound.

Storing up food out of anxiety and fear is wrong for a Christian.  It is NOT trusting in God as our provider, our stronghold, and our king.

19 “Do not lay up (store up) for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matt. 6:19-21)

The more we focus on storing up stuff here, the more tied we are to this world and the less our hearts are relying on God.  In case you didn’t think this has to do with food, read the following verses that come after the above verses.:

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? (Matt. 6:25-27)

Most Christians I have talked to that are storing up food are doing so in an anxious way.  To be blunt: this is rejecting God as provider and is idolatry.    FOOD CANNOT SAVE YOU.  Only God can.

4)  Are you anxious about the end-times?

Many Christians are storing up food in preparation for the end-times.  What is the result of this?  They end up fearing the end-times.  They end up fearing Jesus’ return.

God wants us to not be anxious (as shown in the passage above).  We should instead wait joyously and excitedly – yet with patience and steadfastness – for our “blessed hope” to appear and bring us to Himself! (Titus 2:111-3, James 5:7-11, )

If you are anxious about the end times and hording food out of fear, please turn and trust God.  Also, stop listening to whoever is teaching you to fear (pastor, radio preacher, TV show host, whoever) and start listening to God’s call to trust Him and have peace.  Jesus has bought you with His blood.  He is your shepherd.  He will never leave you nor forsake you.  He will always be with you.  Our Father in heaven will give you whatever you ask.  Our Father gives good gifts.  Our Father clothes the flowers and feeds the birds, and we are even more valuable than they are.  We are so valuable that our Father gave His own Son for us.  Nothing can separate us from His love.  There is no need to fear.  There is no fear in love, but God’s perfect Love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all. (2. Thess. 3:16)

The Old Testament Roots of Nonviolence. Great title huh? Everything thinks of the Old Testament as extremely violent (which it is). But really this is a great book. If you want to be brought back to God's heart in the Bible, I recommend this book.

This clear truth has been lost.  My stomach often turns when I see the number of Christians ignore this truth and instead applaud war, take joy from the violence in movies and video games, and idolize violent tv and movie actors.  The recent incidents of violence throughout the world, especially in Oslo, should bring us back to this truth.  Christians are called to be peace-makers and ambassadors for our Lord, the Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6).  We cannot be that with guns in our hands, guns in our mouths, or guns in our hearts.

Below are a number of CLEAR and EVIDENT truths about God’s call to us to not be violent, to trust Him to be judge, and to love peace and justice.  I think this is a clear call for Christians to repent and seek the heart of God.  (I should clearly iterate that the Bible calls us to have a heart change.  This is not a set of clear rules about what you should do, like pacifism is.  I’m not arguing for pacifism or any other man-made rules of what to do or not to do.  If you are asking “is doing X okay?” then maybe you are not really focusing on the right thing.)

1)  God hates those who love violence

The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. (Psalm 11:5)

2)  God flooded the earth (think to the story of Noah) because of mankind’s violence

Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.  Make yourself an ark of gopher wood… (Genesis 6:1-14)

3)  All people are made in God’s image.  Doing violence to people is doing violence to God’s image.

Whoever sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed,
for God made man in his own image. (Genesis 9:6)

Yes, this passage does condone that someone die who kills someone else.

4)  We are NOT to  desire violence nor  envy those who do violence.

Do not envy a man of violence
and do not choose any of his ways (Proverbs 3:31)

From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good,
but the desire of the treacherous is for violence. (Pv. 13:2)

A man of violence entices his neighbor
and leads him in a way that is not good. (Pv. 16:29)

Be not envious of evil men,
nor desire to be with them,
for their hearts devise violence,
and their lips talk of trouble. (Pv. 24:1-2)

Even King David, the beloved one of God, was not allowed to build God’s temple because he was a man of violence (1 Kings 5:3).

5)  We are to seek peace and justice

“Thus says the Lord God: Enough, O princes of Israel! Put away violence and oppression, and execute justice and righteousness.” (Ez. 45:9)

These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord…. Therefore love truth and peace. (Zechariah 8:16-17, 19b)

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Matt. 5:7-9)

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (James 3:17-18)

6)  We are to let God be judge by having faith that He will do it.

17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:17-21)

This means instead of shooting our enemies we should instead be shooting prayers up to God on their behalf.

7)  Jesus is our example!

Prophecies about Jesus called him the prince of peace (Is. 9:6).  When the angels announced his birth, they declared “peace on earth!” (Luke 2:14).  Jesus did not come to take a Kingdom by force and violence.  He came and yielded his own life, showing love by laying down his life for others (John 15:13).  And in that he was glorified (Phil. 2:4-11).  And the scripture calls us to have that same mind:

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus (Phil. 2:4-5)

8 )  Peace is a Gospel Issue

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. (Eph. 2:13-16)

The Gospel is a declaration of peace between us, who are God’s rightful enemies because of our sin, and our holy God.  In Ephesians 3 and 4, Paul relates how this mystery now has brought peace between two people’s who previously did not have peace:  Jews and Gentiles.  Because of our peace with God, we can now maintain peace with people.  This is a Gospel result.

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Eph. 4:1-3)

But what about….

Now you may ask, what about all the violence in the Bible? That is a good question and would be another post all on its own.  I have some simple answers then a book to direct you to.

1)  Man’s Violence is a result of sin

Violence is our own fault, it is a result of our sin.  We cannot blame God for this, as God “neither is nor can be the author or approver of sin” (Westminster Confession 5:4).

2)  God uses man’s violence for His own purposes

God uses man’s violence to enact judgement or to accomplish his purposes.  The most violent act in history was the crucifixion of a completely innocent man:  Jesus Christ.  God used the most violent act, the killing of His own Son, to bring about the redemption of us all (John 3:16).  Likewise, throughout the Bible God uses the sinful violence of man to accomplish His purposes in redemption history.  And yet God still holds those who do the violent acts accountable to their own actions.  We see this clearly in the book of Habakkuk, where God says he’ll use the violent Chaldeans to punish Israel (Habakkuk 1) and then turn around and punish the Chaldeans for what they’ve done (Habakkuk 2).

3)  God is just and judge

God is justified in whatever He does because He is the standard of justice and righteousness (Job 37:23).  God is justified in doing violence to us all, because we deserve wrath for our sin.  But in Jesus Christ, God became both the judge and the justifier (Rom. 3:26), freeing us from His wrath and bringing us peacefully back into His love.

I would highly recommend you read this book by Philip Friesen:  The Old Testament Roots of Nonviolence. This book greatly challenged my perspective and pushed me to again review the Bible.  I don’t fully agree with how he reads all the passages, but I do find some of his insights greatly helpful.

The Old Testament Roots of Nonviolence: Abraham’s Personal Faith, Moses’ Social Vision, Jesus’ Fulfillment, and God’s Work Today

I agree that the end is coming. But quite honest if he was only going to have four words on a sign, it should be "Jesus paid your penalty" or "God loves you immensely" or "God can help you" or any other message of Hope in Christ.

On behalf of all Christians, his is an open apology for everyone for the crazy dude with the cardboard sign that relays some kind of judgment or condemnation.  You know the dude.  I’m sure you’ve seen him.  I’m sorry.  Really I am.

Today I talked with one of those guys.  He was out holding a sign saying the Christian college across the street had sold out like Judas for money.  In our brief conversation he spent a lot of time yelling at me and complaining about all the bad things everyone does.  I’ve met lots of these guys.  In Denver there was a dude called the “yeller”.  You could literally hear him 5-6 blocks away and easily hear him inside of buildings.  He would ride bike or walk and yell about wrath and condemnation.  There was a similar guy who used to stand outside our high school.  There’s also dudes who preach on the corners in downtown Minneapolis who wear “cover your nakedness” shirts and list out all the bad things everyone does.

I am REALLY sorry for these people.

Why?

Because they are not representing Jesus.  Rather, they represent themselves and condemn people out of their own standards, not necessarily God’s.

Yes, Jesus did talk about wrath.  There is and will be judgement for sin.  But the message of Christ is not bad news, its good news, because Jesus died for that sin on the cross.  We can be free from wrath and judgment and enjoy eternal life.  Its not because of something we do.  Covering up our nakedness doesn’t help anything.  It didn’t help Adam and Even in the garden either.  We cannot fix ourselves.  Only God can fix us.  And He wants to!  He wants to more than we want it for ourselves!  He even sent His own son to die for us, that’s how much He loves us.  He loves us SO much and wants to be a part of every piece of our lives.  It is when we show that kind of love off that we represent Jesus.

So again, I am sorry for these people.  Lord, please have mercy on them.  And Lord please have mercy on me for the times I’ve conveyed condemnation rather than salvation in Christ.

Now, I am not apologizing for the crazy people who hold up signs that quote John 3:16 (which happens often at football games).   This IS the right message.  And if you’re offended by that… well I’m just not sure why you’d want to be offended by such a wonderful free gift.  So if that does offend you, maybe you should think about it.  Maybe even try praying about it and see if God will answer you Himself.  Its much easier to go to the source than learn about Him from hear-say.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)