For 2012 I have decided to follow a Bible reading plan which will take me through the entire Bible in one calendar year. I've known about them for a while, but never embarked upon one for a variety of reasons. This year I figured I had no reason why reading through the Bible would not be an attainable and beneficial aim. Anyways, the particular plan I started works through the Bible in chronological order. It's not vastly different from simply reading straight through, but it will be fun to read nonetheless.
Only three days in, I've read the first eleven chapters of Genesis. And reading them in order has been blessing already. It's not that I have found anything new or earth shattering, but I have found God still speaking through them thousands of years later and (possibly) hundreds of occurrences later in my own life.
Over the course of eleven chapters, I am once again reminded of the engaging nature of our God. Not once have any of the biblical characters been the ones to initiate relationship with God. It has always been God establishing relationship with His people.
In Genesis 1 & 2, God initiates all life through the means of creation. He creates the ability for life to exist, and then life itself out of nothing. Furthermore, He creates man in His image and communes with them as one does a close friend. Genesis 3 & 4 both show how God pursues His people even when they rebel against Him. He searches for Adam and Eve who hide after bringing sin into the world, and then He searches out Cain after bloodshed is introduced. And in both cases we see clear displays of God's grace by sparing lives and promising redemption.
Genesis 5 reveals God's hand at work in growing the descendants of Adam through Noah. Then in Genesis 6, the Bible makes it painstakingly clear that all the image bearers on earth want nothing to do with Him. They grow more and more wicked throughout the generation with no sense of remorse. And once again God engages with His creation by bringing about the flood, but graciously sparring one man, Noah, who was no more worthy then anyone else wondering the earth. Genesis 7 through 10 show the account of God's saving grace in the life of Noah followed by His establishing an eternal covenant with Him based solely upon the grace of God.
Genesis 11 demonstrates the corrupt nature of mankind in the face of God's constant grace. And in the midst of man's corruption, God once again steps down to engage His people and save them from themselves by confusing their language. And all of this sets the stage for God calling out Abram through whom God would thousands of years later step in and engage all of humanity in the person of Jesus Christ.
I praise God everyday for how He continually engages me even when I am not looking for or expecting Him. I praise Him when He reminds me of this simple truth throughout the pages of His Word.
Only three days in, I've read the first eleven chapters of Genesis. And reading them in order has been blessing already. It's not that I have found anything new or earth shattering, but I have found God still speaking through them thousands of years later and (possibly) hundreds of occurrences later in my own life.
Over the course of eleven chapters, I am once again reminded of the engaging nature of our God. Not once have any of the biblical characters been the ones to initiate relationship with God. It has always been God establishing relationship with His people.
In Genesis 1 & 2, God initiates all life through the means of creation. He creates the ability for life to exist, and then life itself out of nothing. Furthermore, He creates man in His image and communes with them as one does a close friend. Genesis 3 & 4 both show how God pursues His people even when they rebel against Him. He searches for Adam and Eve who hide after bringing sin into the world, and then He searches out Cain after bloodshed is introduced. And in both cases we see clear displays of God's grace by sparing lives and promising redemption.
Genesis 5 reveals God's hand at work in growing the descendants of Adam through Noah. Then in Genesis 6, the Bible makes it painstakingly clear that all the image bearers on earth want nothing to do with Him. They grow more and more wicked throughout the generation with no sense of remorse. And once again God engages with His creation by bringing about the flood, but graciously sparring one man, Noah, who was no more worthy then anyone else wondering the earth. Genesis 7 through 10 show the account of God's saving grace in the life of Noah followed by His establishing an eternal covenant with Him based solely upon the grace of God.
Genesis 11 demonstrates the corrupt nature of mankind in the face of God's constant grace. And in the midst of man's corruption, God once again steps down to engage His people and save them from themselves by confusing their language. And all of this sets the stage for God calling out Abram through whom God would thousands of years later step in and engage all of humanity in the person of Jesus Christ.
I praise God everyday for how He continually engages me even when I am not looking for or expecting Him. I praise Him when He reminds me of this simple truth throughout the pages of His Word.
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