Each year, I listen to a daily audio Bible podcast—and complete the Bible in one year. This year marks my sixth year through the Bible.
Why don’t I stop?
Every year, I learn new aspects of the Bible because each year, I am in a different place in my life, and the Holy Spirit speaks to me where I am.
The Bible is always fresh! It is always alive!
It is the only book that has a Living Spirit within it.
Each year, when I get to Judges in the Old Testament, I say, “Oh boy!” because I know what is ahead.
Passover begins this evening.
It is one of the most significant Jewish Holidays, commemorating when the angels of God “passed over” the Hebrews as the firstborn children and animals of the Egyptians were killed—all because Pharoah would not set the Hebrews free as God commanded.
With this final plague on Egypt, Pharoah agreed to free the Hebrews so they might begin their journey to the promised land.
God instructed the Jews to commemorate the first Passover, when they had marked their houses with blood, alerting the angels to “pass over” their homes.
Christians draw parallels in their faith,
This week, I was listening to a minister on the radio who noted that in the days after His resurrection, Jesus did not appear to Pilate to tell him that he had been wrong in ordering His crucifixion.
Jesus did not appear to the Jewish leaders and chastise them for not believing and demanding His death.
He did not appear to the Roman soldiers who nailed Him on the cross.
Why?
Today, I was drinking in the beautiful hymns of Psalm Sunday. They are majestic, powerful, and inspirational!
Among my very favorites is All Glory, Laud and Honor. When I close my eyes and listen to the lyrics, I can feel all the emotions I imagine those present at Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. The hope. The joy. The expectation.
As Christians, we carry the hope, joy, and expectation at our Lord’s second coming. Feel this excitement. Play this song and sing along. It is a wonderful way to enter into the spirit of Holy Week.
What are some of your favorite Holy Week Hymns/ song?
The power of a new year rests in one word: New.
Newness is something we seek. We want new life, new chances, new hopes. As we go through life, we know as Christians that key components of this life are endurance and perseverance. Yet, in the midst of difficult times—when our perseverance wears thin—we all want “new” hope, new dreams, a new life.
So how do we satisfy this desire for a “new” or “renewed” life?
There is an ancient story known as “The Stone in the Road.” The story concerns a wealthy man who lived in a castle. He loved the people of his village and worked hard to serve them, planting lovely trees in the village, making picnics for the children, putting up Christmas trees. He wanted their world to be beautiful and pleasant.
But, this wealthy man was concerned because the people of the town did not seem to want to work, Instead, they seemed to envy his wealth.
One day, he placed a large stone in the middle of the road and hid behind a nearby bush to see what would happen.
What is Christian hope?
And, how is it different from secular hope or a wish?
A wish as defined by Merriam Webster is having a desire for something, often something that is unobtainable.
Hope is defined by Merriam Webster as to want something to happen or be true and think that it could happen or be true.
So, it seems, the difference between hoping and wishing in the secular sense is the difference in the degree we think something could happen.
A wish seems unobtainable.
Hope seems more probable—though not guaranteed.
How do they contrast with Christian hope?
Generally, when we are facing a new year, many of us set goals, listing out all we hope to accomplish in the year to come. But, surveys tell us that only between 8% and 9% of Americans realize the goals they set for the new year.
Why such a low rate of achievement?
Marcel Schwantes, in an article in Inc. magazine, details what the eight percent who successfully achieve their goals do on a regular basis that the other ninety-two percent don’t consistently do.
According to Schwantes, those who succeed:
