January 1st: GENESIS 1:1-2:25, MATTHEW 1:1-2:12, PSALM 1:1-1:6, PROVERBS 1:1-1:6

Hi Everyone,
Welcome to my first attempt to read through the bible in one year. I am excited to do this. I decided a blog would keep me accountable and make sure I'm not just reading but actually thinking and applying something from each day. So- I'll try and give myself a daily challenge or two based on what I read each day. My first blog is ridiculously long. Bear with me. I'll edit it down later, and keep my future ones more concise! It's a skill I'm working on- summing stuff up shorter.

I've decided to go with a bible reading plan that will keep it diverse: A little from the old Testament, and a little from the new testament and some proverbs and psalms each day.
Keeping it fresh. That's how I roll.

I found a plan called "one year bible online"

They use the NLT. I'm going to take their daily reading & switch it to NIV cause I like it better. Then I'm going to make my own paraphrase or simply add in my thoughts and keep the numbers to correspond with my thoughts that go with each verse. You need to follow along with your own bible. I just chop up what I'm reading and write my thoughts.

So, today we are reading
GENESIS 1:1-2:25, MATTHEW 1:1-2:12, PSALM 1:1-1:6, PROVERBS 1:1-1:6.

Here we go.....


Genesis 1-2:25

On the First Day...
1 God starts everything when everything starts. He is the source. He is an artist and makes things. But not just a cool thing or two. He starts with everything in our world and everything out of this world.
2 It starts off bland. "Formless and void" No definition. Meaningless before God gets to work. Isn't that how things are before God takes a hold of our lives? His work in us gives clarity and definition and purpose to everything we do. But without Him at work it's missing everything meaningful. The picture starts off with a cloak of dark but that doesn't mean God is not there. God is everywhere. When things are bleak and dark, we shouldn't assume God is absent from the situation. He may be about to do something that will totally change everything and reverse everything that is without shape and give it a shape. He may take the lack of definition or meaning and infuse it with HIS clarity. He may be about to speak into that situation. He may be hovering over the specifics and getting something amazing started. I wonder if in darkness we have faith or if we feel alone often? In darkness we often have a chance to confront our doubts and worries. At night, at the end of a day when we are alone with our thoughts. Do we imagine Him hovering over us and each situation that plays out before us?

3 And God does something. He speaks into the darkness. His words create light. How will reading through Gods word create light in me this year? When God speaks into a situation, He takes away darkness. 4 We then see God enjoying what He created. He takes note of it. And He makes it distinct and separate from what is not light. He is not an author of confusion but draws lines between light and darkness and good and bad. If there was no distinction then there would be no appreciation for light. 5 Next we see organization: God labels things & sets up the schedule of a 24 hour day. Both the daytime and the nighttime are planned out.

Day 2 ~ a lot of things are made.
6-8 He makes sky. Air to breath. He starts with the basics. I wonder if we often start with the important stuff or do we major on minor things in life? Do we set foundations for our kids? Do we focus on what matters or do we get hung up on the less important?

Day 3
9-10 God gathers the waters in order to make dry ground. I like the concept of dry ground. Water is great to take a dip in but you need to dry off on a towel when you are done. There needs to be something separate. Ever tried to dry yourself with a wet towel? I'm so glad God creates "dry ground". What wet, cold and uncomfortable place do I need God to show me to dry ground in? God calls both the water and dry ground good and names them.

11-13 What would dry ground be without beautiful greens and other living things sprouting forth? It would be a desert. And that would be just as daunting as an ocean. But when God makes dry ground He wants to build there. It's not just there for no reason. He wants growth. He wants land with vegetation. Not just things that will grow, but things that will produce seeds that will then grow after it is gone. There is a fruitfulness and a growth that is not just a one time thing, but a continual process and that cycles down. And each thing produces what it was created to produce. God thinks that is good. He says so. What are we producing? I wonder if we spend too much time trying to be something or someone else? I wonder if we know what we are called to produce or do we look to something we are not to try and produce what we are not called to make? I used to imagine that the fruit of my ministry would like the fruit of someone else. But God has made me different then everyone else and what he produces in me will not look like what He will produce with someone else. He thinks what He does in ME is good. Not just what He does in someone else that I notice is good.

Day 4
14-19 This day reminds me of a verse in Romans 1. It says in verses 19 & 20: "what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. In the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."
When I look up at the stars or the sky at night or notice a beautiful sunset I am amazed by how GRAND the creation is. Moon & the Sun & stars are made on day 3. They have a purpose in days and years, seasons and special times during that, to serve as markers and signs. He uses stars in the bible to guide people to Jesus. He makes the sun stand still at another point in scripture. I wonder if He must have been thinking of all the cool things He would use His creation for.

I like how God put's a "night light" in the sky (the moon) for when people are usually asleep. Nothing escapes Him. He has lights for even the dark times. God uses many different ways to give us clarity or light in the middle of a hard or dark time. Sun, moon and stars, each were made to give light in a different way. I like how He doesn't just have one way of giving light but uses many different forms to give clarity. Again verse 18 talks about separating light from darkness. Just like in verse 4 we see a similar thing happening in this very first chapter that goes down twice. A separation of darkness from light. And God saw that it was good. He makes a point of the goodness of having light and darkness marked off from each other. He doesn't want confusion between the two but separation.

Day 5
20 I can hear those movie words "LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!!". But if day 1-4 were the lights and camera.... day 5 is ACTION. God speaks. And every blank canvas of sky and vast empty seas become alive with living creatures. Not just alive above the water and below, but "teaming". The word LIVING is there. The word FLYING is there. Life and movement and action God creates.
21 So not only does he create these living, teeming, moving, plentiful things, but He makes them each with a unique purpose. Yet again we see God has a specific function and reason behind each thing He makes. And they produce according to what they are created to produce "according to its kind." It's a theme of this chapter. "God saw that it was good." is another theme.

22-23 Now we see something special with His creatures that we don't see happen before this point even though He is always happy with each thing He makes. We see Him react to the animals in a way that He doesn't react to a sun or a plant! It says He blessed them. He blesses with fruitfulness and abundance. They are two different things, sometimes we see abundance as fruitfulness, but they are listed separate here.

Day 6
24-25
This is a good place to stop and notice some repetitive stuff in the first 25 verses. Repetition is to make a point.
Phrases we see over and over:

"And God said" followed by "And it was so" (6 & 5 times)
"And God saw that it was good" (6 times)
"According to it's/their own kind" (10 times)
"And there was evening, and there was morning" in each new day. (5 times)

I'm going to elaborate on those later on.

26-28 Now something new but really special happens. This is the first time we see God say "Our" when referring to Himself. It's also the first time anything is mentioned to be made in Gods likeness or in Gods image. It's interesting that those two are side by side. The mention of the Trinity and males and females made like God or in His image.
They are made like God "so that they may" or with a function: to rule. Mankind is given responsibility for others~ specifically for other creation God has made. Even when they are given a blessing similar to the animals there is one line that is different: "subdue it and Rule over the animals". To rule is to care for. It's not about bossing around but rather taking charge is having to manage. It requires, energy, focus and skill! It is time consuming and will take patience and endurance.

He blesses "them"- the male and female. Men and women are made in Gods image and likeness. Not just man. A very important point that is made right off the bat, right here in the beginning of the bible. That comes with big implications that both male and female are on that same footing, both blessed and given that same responsibility and instilled with the same worth to God.

29-31 But God doesn't give responsibility without resources. His next line starts with “I give you". He supplies us with what we need. He does not put us in charge and leave us on our own to do it on our own strength. He provides sustenance in a very real way. Next He gives to all of the life breathing creatures. He provides food for them all.

Then comes that famous Genesis 1 line "And it was so." followed by "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." and you know what else is coming to close off the chapter: "And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day."

So poetic to close it with all of those three famous lines one after the other. The other famous line "according to their own kind" gets a break, since it was mentioned 10 times unlike the others who had a mere 6 times each!
Yes, I think each of those lines have a deeper meaning to them.

For me they mean the following...
God speaks and does what He says. He is sovereign. Action and reliability are His.
God takes Joy in what He creates. He looks at it. He is the source of all goodness.
(He looks at us and takes Joy in us as well!)
Evening comes before morning. When something good is about to come, it is after the darkness. Wait in the middle of darkness and know that morning will come. Good comes out of Bad. Darkness will not last or have the final word!
"each according to their own kind" speaks to me of PURPOSE. God has a specific design in mind. We were not made to be like anything else. We should not compare ourselves to others. What we are is what we produce. We reap what we sow. If God is in us than the fruit will be Godliness. If He is not in us then we do not produce eternal fruit. We need to be mindful of being filled with Gods Spirit all the time, because we will produce what we are.

Genesis 2 starts with talking about how everything is COMPLETED. In detail and grandness, it is not left undone.

Verse 2-3 builds on this completion and says not only does He finish what he starts but He finishes by resting. Does God need rest? Does He wear Himself out? I can't imagine that being the case, nor is it stated that way. However there is an important example set up for all of us: resting. Taking time to rest. Setting aside a time to rest. Not wearing ourselves into the ground but putting aside a rest at the completion of something. God does it after 6 days. He rests on the 7th. This is a pattern He sets up of taking one day out of 7 to rest.
He sets it apart. He blesses it. He makes it special and separate. By His own example of resting, it is made Holy for everyone.

Adam and Eve come into verse 4. First time the word "LORD" pops up before the word God. Interesting. LORD in all capitals in the bible denotes something different then just Lord without the capitals. The small letter one can mean "Master" or just a special title. You need to look into the context of it. But for the all Capital one it almost always is the Hebrew word "Jehovah", God's proper name. Jehovah means "the existing one". It is often referred to as the Ineffable Name, the Unutterable Name or the Distinctive Name.
Jews did not spell out the name Jehovah, but would write YHVH.


Verse 5, 7, 8 & 9, 15, 16, 18, 19, 21 & 22 all repeat and use this YHVH or "LORD" God title over and over.

5-6 We see that nothing grows before God sends rain on the earth and He doesn't have man working the ground or created before he sets up His rain for the ground to water the crops. God takes care of the watering. He does it from under ground streams that well up. Very reminiscent of John 4:14
"but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Isaiah 58:11
"The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."


7 God FORMED Man from dust. Only He could take the yucky, dusty, unimportant dust, and turn it into something LIVING. Man did not become a living being until God breathed life into it's nostrils. A very intimate personal picture to imagine. Not just a waving of a magic wand or a "speaking" into existence like many other things He makes, but a personal breath of life right into the nostrils He forms. You can imagine God holding Adam and leaning in to breath right into his nose. That image is there to tell us something about Gods personal touch regarding our lives.


8 God continues to be personal. He doesn't speak a garden into existence but He himself plants a garden in a specific location. And puts the man right there where He plants the garden. 9 God makes things grow that are diverse and different yet again. But they are not just different and of variety but they are also good for eating and nice to look at. God knows that appearances have value. It is not the most important thing, but He makes food that is pleasing to the eye and not just useful for eating.
Then we see something in the middle. Center stage of the garden the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil plays out.

10-14 We learn of the river that waters the garden that is separated into four parts - all named. Geography mapped out. Good waters. Gold near one of them.

15 More actions: God takes the man. He also puts the man in the Garden. And he tells him to to work it and care for it. 16-17 The first commandment starts with freedom before the restriction. They can have any tree to eat from. Even the tree of life is there. Only one is off limits. The tree of knowledge of good and evil. Because it comes with the concequence of death.

People take different views on this command. Some say it means God wanted them to remain "innocent" so breaking the rules is all about gaining maturity and being less innocent. That giving into temptation is part of growing up and becoming wise.

Or people also assume that God wanted them to stay ignorant and didn't want them to compete with being as smart as Him.

This paints God as insecure or enjoying ignorance. That doesn't jive with everything else we know about Him. I think an explanation that makes more sense to me is that God Himself is the teacher who can let them know anything at the right time in the right way. He wanted to teach them himself. They did have an innocence and did not know the difference between Good and Bad. As bad as it sounds that they didn't know the difference, it is not so bad because part of the reason they didn't know bad, was because Bad was not there. It wasn't a bad thing that they didn't know Bad. God could give them knowledge but curiosity killed the man. Not just the cat. Disobedience also had that same effect of death.

18 This verse gets used by some to say that singleness isn't good. Or that all guys need a woman to complete them. I think this verse about it not being good for "man" to be alone doesn't just apply for males, and it goes deeper then the idea of marriage. I think it goes back to community. God created His people to be a body. We all need each other. Married or single we were created to be a part of a bigger body all depending on each other. God thinks being alone is not good, but this is not a matter of single or married but rather do we try and be self sufficient or do we realize God knows we work best when we rely on others and understand that we need the help of other people. God creates a suitable helper for Him. God also knows how to provide suitable help through other people for us today.

19-20 I like how God gives Adam (the first man) this big task of naming all the animals. He probably has to study and look at each one and figure out what makes them special. And so he does give them all names, and in doing all that looking at each creature he sees that in none of them is their proper help for him. There is no match with the animals or proper companion.

21-22 So God puts Adam to sleep to create a woman from his rib and then brings her to Him. The image is quite beautiful. Ever heard the expression:
"God did not take Eve out of Adam's head that she might rule over him or to be superior to him. Nor did God take Eve out of Adam's feet to be trampled upon by him or that she might be lower than him. But God took Eve out of Adam's side that she might be his equal, and from under his arm that she might be protected by him, and from close to his heart that she might be loved by him."

23 The guy wants to name her too, but this time He comments on how she is a part of Him and comes from Him. There is the identifying her with himself. Instead of focusing on how she is different or foreign or alien or frustrating or unlike himself or seperate from Him - his vision is the opposite.

24 "That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh." They have the right picture of "oneness" and "togetherness" rather then "otherness" or "seperatedness".

Rather then focusing on the differences He feels happy that she is suitable for Him and like Him. So much so that He is willing to leave his parents. A good example for anyone ready for marriage, they need to branch off from mom and dad to be united with the wife. :)

25 They are married and their naked bodies produce no shame because sin is not part of the picture. This is virtually impossible to imagine in our present condition. Clothing is something that will come quickly in our next study and it will never go back to walking around naked with no body shame after the fall... but that's it for chapter 2 for today. We are closing on a positive note for now.


Moving on to the NT.... right at the start.



Matthew 1-2:12


1-16
At a glance this looks like a list of names. But this has got to be important since this is "the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah."
God doesn't pick anyone by fluke. The names that stand out to me: Solomon being the son of Uriah's wife. He could have just named Bathsheeba the wife, but He (the murdered guy who isn't really in the genealogy technically) made the list. It made me glad for poor Uriahs wife as well and happy she got to be identified with Uriah rather then David. Her husband was murdered, slaughtered by David who initially used her- borderline raped her. Yet God chose Her out of all Davids wives to be in the geneology of Jesus.

I also like how in verse 16 (then also verses 18 , 24 & 25) Joseph is the husband of Mary the mother. He is not the bio dad but steppped up to that role and named Him. He was the adoptive father. Just like Jesus adopts us into his family- Jesus was also adopted as a human child. :)

Rahab the prostitute is also in that list. Ruth the "non Jew" who stuck by her mother in law~ a widow who God took care of and gave her a new family, also in that list. It's just a collection of neat stories when you know the history that goes beyond boring names to amazing stories of the kinds of people you would least expect for God to bring His Messiah into the world through! Gentiles, Prostitutes, Pagans, Widows, the down trodden, victims. You see redemption before the Messiah comes on the scene being played out through the lives of his ancestors.


17 God likes numbers. 14 is in three sets separating Abraham to David. David to the exile. And the exile to Messiah. Like three different chapters all evenly set out. For those of us who have compulsive personalities that count strange things and like seeing numbers match, we see God gets us here.

18-21 Jesus comes into the world in an "un ideal" fasion. I wonder why we expect any of our amazing things to come about in an ideal fasion if Jesus didn't come into the world that way. Mary was going to be used as the mother of Messiah but she gets to be in this really scary situation of being pregnant when she is not even married. The stigma and the doubt and suspicions people would have about her. The way they would assume the worst of her strikes me. Even Joseph assumed the worst, and he knew her best. But what sane person would just take someones word with a tale like that: "It was the Holy Spirit that got me pregnant". We learn about Joseph being an honorable guy. Not just someone that writes Mary off without cause. Rather He has a lot of self control rather then getting upset at her and wanting revenge for thinking He is cheated on- instead He is still thinking about how to make sure she is not exposed to public disgrace. He is also said to be faithful to the law.

It is no surprise that God defends the Honor of Mary and even Joseph in making a wrong judgement call here. An Angel of the Lord comes to him to tell him not to be afraid and to believe Mary that it was concieved by the Holy Spirit. I can get why he would be afraid. How awesome the angel reassures Him and tells Him not to be afraid. Even just that whole new idea that he would be the dad of Messiah would be daunting. So much for Joseph to digest at once.

21-23 He is told to name the baby Jesus,because he will save his people from their sins. Wow. We learn that all the details of how Jesus comes into the world are part of Gods bigger plan of fulfilling what the prophets had fortold. The un ideal stuff was part of the bigger picture. And His name Jesus is also listed as "Immanuel" which means "God with Us". Very cool that God is going to be with them in the flesh. And in Jesus God did come to live amoung His people and took on human form. Jesus came to earth born as a baby to be with us in a way that we would least expect as the way God would be with us. How reassuring to Mary and Joseph and how amazing for us to think about.

24-25 Jospeh obeys what God told him to do through the Angel. He takes her home to be his wife. Names Him what He is told to name Him. Another cool think he does is that he has self control and doesn't consummate their marriage till the baby is born. He does not put his impulses and even God given desires for his wife, before honoring what God would want Him to do.
How often to we come up with a good excuse for compromise? But Joseph denied his "rights" and very strong desires for His wife, in place of obeying God and honoring Him.

In Matthew 2:1-2 Jesus is born. Trouble is stiring while cool things are going on.
First off these Magi guys come - as foreigners wanting to worship this "King of the Jews". They followed his Star that told of his birth. Reminds us of Genesis when God makes stars as signs.

3 Instead of Jerusalem being excited and waiting for their messiah they are disturbed at the announcement of his arrival. What a warm welcome for baby Jesus (NOT!) And Herod is no better 4-8 He pretends He wants to worship baby Jesus. But really He wants to kill him. The teachers of the law all know the signs of Messiah. Where he is to be born is no mystery to them, yet they are all disturbed instead of rejoicing.

9-11 The magi are overjoyed however. They have a very different reaction. Instead of Gods people being overjoyed it is the foreigners who are guided right to the place where Jesus is born. They are the ones being carefully guided because they really do care. They come and bow down and really do worship Him. They come with treasures and costly gifts. They get it. Herod doesn't. Herod is thinking of himself and His power. He doesn't want to feel threatened. Whenever Jesus is not on the throne of our lives but we put ourselves on the throne we can feel threatened easily. We will be robbed of Joy. But when Jesus is in his rightful place we are overjoyed. It's a good litmus test we can each give ourselves. Check our emotions with in life situations.

12 God looks out for these Magi and warns them in a dream not to go back to Herod, so after they are done visiting with baby Jesus and worshiping him and giving him gifts they returned to their country by another route.

We do learn through the Magi the proper response to God. Worship, bowing down, bringing gifts, it costing something from us as a rightful response to God. And being overjoyed!!! :)


Next we will move on to
Psalm 1:1-6 which is a fitting start to reading my bible every day all year till I have made my way through it this year!

1 We learn that we are blessed if we don't walk, stand or sit in the way of the wicked/mockers/sinners.
2 Instead, we are blessed if we take our joy in YHVH/Jehovah's word- the bible,
and we study it and reflect on it day and night (Good start to 2011 for me!).
3 Speaking of streams of water early in Genesis.... "That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers."
4 The wicked are not in that category. They vanish. Blown away- gone.
5-6 God watches over the ones who obey Him, but those who don't die. They can't face Gods judgement or even been in the company of the ones who follow God.

And our final passage is from

Proverbs 1:1-6

1 History: proverbs inspired by God, written by Solomon son of David, 2 Purpose: "for gaining wisdom and instruction;
for understanding words of insight;"
3 it's about learning how to live and behave right and understand justice.
4-6 it teaches the naive how to be careful. It also guides the young who need to figure out life, but it's not just for them... because even the wise have a lot to learn from proverbs. Those who know a lot will be the ones who will listen to add to what they already know because they realize how much more there is to learn. Those who are smart and figure out things are the type to know they need to be guided by God not themselves and wont stop turning to His word, no matter how hard it may be- to gain more wisdom.

Good place to end.

I hope you've enjoyed our first day together. I think I've spent 3 hours typing on day 1. I'll try and be much more brief tomorrow. :)

Shalom.