john14six

Don't be a stiff-necked people

I am in Deuteronomy now and I came across the expression: "...you are a stiff-necked people." Deuteronomy 9:6 (NIV).  What in the world does that mean...it does not sound good, but I thought I would go a little deeper and see what it means.

To set the context, Moses is about to send God's chosen people across the Jordan to settle in the land the Lord has given to them.  Moses is not allowed to go with them and stays there, where he ultimately dies on Mount Nebo in the care of our Lord....that alone is amazing.  Maybe more on that later.  Moses is sending them off and is restating the laws and commandments to them.  He tells them not to be arrogant.

1 Hear, O Israel. You are now about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities that have walls up to the sky. 2 The people are strong and tall—Anakites! You know about them and have heard it said: "Who can stand up against the Anakites?" 3 But be assured today that the LORD your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the LORD has promised you. 4 After the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, "The LORD has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness." No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is going to drive them out before you. 5 It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the LORD your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 6 Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people. Deuteronomy 9:1-6 (NIV)

The adjective "Stiff-necked" was coined by William Tyndale for his 1526 translation of the Acts of the Apostles (7:51).  Their necks are called stiff, because they refuse to bend to God's will.  This unwillingness to bend is well documented from Exodus through Deuteronomy, despite all the Lord had done for his people.

How often we are stiff-necked to things we know we should be doing.  It is a constant struggle.  I pray that you remember to bend to the will of the Lord and not be a stiff-necked people.

Reading for the week of: 3/23/2008 - 3/29/2008

Psalms 82-88

Romans 10-16

Deuteronomy 11-24

Read from: NIV, King James, New Living Translation (link to BibleGateway.com) Link will open in a new window.

Reading plan from "Maranatha Chapel's: A Year in The Word"

impress them on your children

I am now in Deuteronomy and Moses is reminding Israel of the struggles they went through, the commandments the Lord gave then, and to keep God's laws.

He says: Hear, I Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit in your home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of you houses and your gates.  Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NIV).

The most segregated hour

I hear the speech of Senator Obama this morning.  It was a good speech about our society and racism today.  He made a very interesting statement:

"The most segregated hour of life occurs on Sunday morning."

What would Jesus say about this?  Makes you think.

Reading for the week of: 3/16/2008 - 3/23/2008

Psalms 75 - 82

Romans 3 - 10

Numbers 33 - 36

Read from: NIV, King James, New Living Translation (link to BibleGateway.com) Link will open in a new window.

This week we start new chapters:

Deuteronomy 1 - 12

Read from: NIV, King James, New Living Translation (link to BibleGateway.com) Link will open in a new window.

Reading plan from "Maranatha Chapel's: A Year in The Word"

The first will be last and the last first???

31But many who are first will be last, and the last first." Mark 10:31(NIV)

I have never quite understood this verse. I am still not sure this is what it means, but here is what I have come to the conclusion on...as of right now: If you read it as: Those who put themselves first will be the last to enter the gates of heaven, but those who but others ahead of themselves, they will be the first to enter the gates of heaven. The idea that we are not here to be served by this world, but rather to serve others...to help out your neighbor, the homeless, the less fortunate...to try to make this world a better place, even if that means personal self sacrifice. We often get caught up in the mindset that the world owes me, I need to look out for number one, do whatever need be to get ahead. The Lord wants us to love one another, help each other out, and try to leave this world a little better than the way we found it....even if it means sacrificing our own personal interests. That is what I think Jesus was trying to get across with this versus.

Reading for the week of: 3/9/2008 - 3/15/2008

Psalms 68-74

Mark 12-16

Numbers 19-32

Read from: NIV, King James, New Living Translation (link to BibleGateway.com) Link will open in a new window.

This week we start new chapters:

Romans 1-2

Read from: NIV, King James, New Living Translation (link to BibleGateway.com) Link will open in a new window.

Reading plan from

Posted at 07:16 PM in Reading Plan | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

I am reading Numbers chapter 11, and Moses is leading the tribes through the desert.  The people become restless and are tired of eating manna everyday.  They complain to Moses that they just want some meat, that when in Egypt, they had all the fish they could dream of for free.  Moses goes to the Lord and cries out: why does the responsibilty for these people fall on my shoulders?  The weight is too much to bear.  The Lord tells Moses that he is there with him and he will find someone to help carry the load. The Lord replied "is the Lord's arm too short?" Numbers 11:23 (NIV) Soon the seventy elders are out preaching and there is more quail to eat than they can carry. 

At times we all feel that the weight of the world is on our shoulders and it seems to heavy to bear.  Do as Moses does, even if it seems impossible, and pray for help.  The Lord has long arms and can help carry the load.

Psalms 61-67

Mark 5-11

Numbers 5-18

Read from: NIV, King James, New Living Translation (link to BibleGateway.com) Link will open in a new window.

Reading plan from "Maranatha Chapel's: A Year in The Word"

The Parable of the Sower

1Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. 2He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3"Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times." 9Then Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

10When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12so that,
" 'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'[a]"

13Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14The farmer sows the word. 15Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown." Mark 4:1-20 (NIV)

I have said it before, and say it again: I love the parables!!! Take the seed and be good soil!!

This is one of my favorite stories:

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

1A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
6Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7"Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

8Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? 9Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? 10But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ." He said to the paralytic, 11"I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 12He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!" Mark 2:1-12 (NIV)

Seeing miracles is awesome, but Jesus reminds us that it is nothing compared to forgiveness of sin. I have a hard time fully grasping and understanding how truly incredible it is that our sins can be forgiven. I also love how Jesus would do things to make his point. Here he is being called out by the priests for blasphemy. In an answer to this, he not only shows his power and authority, but let's us know how incredible forgiving us of our sins can be. I can only imagine the reaction from the crowd and how little those priests must have felt. Awesome.

Is the Lord's arm too short?

I am reading Numbers chapter 11, and Moses is leading the tribes through the desert.  The people become restless and are tired of eating manna everyday.  They complain to Moses that they just want some meat, that when in Egypt, they had all the fish they could dream of for free.  Moses goes to the Lord and cries out: why does the responsibilty for these people fall on my shoulders?  The weight is too much to bear.  The Lord tells Moses that he is there with him and he will find someone to help carry the load. The Lord replied "is the Lord's arm too short?" Numbers 11:23 (NIV) Soon the seventy elders are out preaching and there is more quail to eat than they can carry. 

At times we all feel that the weight of the world is on our shoulders and it seems to heavy to bear.  Do as Moses does, even if it seems impossible, and pray for help.  The Lord has long arms and can help carry the load.

Reading for the week of: 3/2/2008 - 3/8/2008

Psalms 61-67

Mark 5-11

Numbers 5-18

Read from: NIV, King James, New Living Translation (link to BibleGateway.com) Link will open in a new window.

Reading plan from "Maranatha Chapel's: A Year in The Word"

Take the seed and be good soil

The Parable of the Sower

1Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. 2He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3"Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times." 9Then Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

10When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12so that,
" 'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'[a]"

13Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14The farmer sows the word. 15Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown." Mark 4:1-20 (NIV)

I have said it before, and say it again: I love the parables!!! Take the seed and be good soil!!

Get up, take your mat and walk

This is one of my favorite stories:

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

1A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
6Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7"Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

8Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? 9Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? 10But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ." He said to the paralytic, 11"I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 12He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!" Mark 2:1-12 (NIV)

Seeing miracles is awesome, but Jesus reminds us that it is nothing compared to forgiveness of sin. I have a hard time fully grasping and understanding how truly incredible it is that our sins can be forgiven. I also love how Jesus would do things to make his point. Here he is being called out by the priests for blasphemy. In an answer to this, he not only shows his power and authority, but let's us know how incredible forgiving us of our sins can be. I can only imagine the reaction from the crowd and how little those priests must have felt. Awesome.