Day 2 Reviewed

Genesis 38 - Exodus 23

• Joseph seems to be the next character fitting of being an example of living at ease. 

     Gen. 39 reads, "the Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man." By the hand of God, Joseph's been put in charge of the affairs of the very Pharaoh of Egypt! A foreigner in a foreign land, he was even unsupervised in all that he did!
     The ease in Joseph's heart and the ease of his success can be summed up in this statement, "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer." Joseph knew and acknowledged it was God working through him and not by his own effort he attained to the position he was in. Joseph is an admirable man. He even blesses the very brothers that sold him into slavery! He tells them (before he's revealed his identity) "Be at ease, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks..."
     Joseph is a story of FORGIVENESS! And his life was one of grace and ease because of it. He tells his brothers, "you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about his present result, to preserve many people alive."

• God works through Moses, as Moses gives opportunity

     Moses seemed a little reluctant at times to step up and believe God would work powerfully through him. It's not that he doubted God's ability (just as most Christians would claim) but he doubted his own ability. But wait, if we doubt what we are able to do, how is that different than doubting the God who promises to do it through us? Moses said, "What if they will not believe me, or listen to what I say?" Hopefully, he eventually learned that was the Israelites own stubborn issue.
     God wanted so dearly to communicate with his people, he so quickly gave substance to Moses' simple acts of faith, which would have remained empty without the hand of God transforming them into full fledged signs, wonders, and miracles.  
     Moses = grab the snake   ...   God = turns it to a staff
     Moses = tell people to stand by/ keep silent   ...   God = brings salvation, fights for the people
     Moses = stretch out hand   ...   God = sweeps back the sea
     Moses = tells people to listen and watch   ...   God = rains down breakfast from the sky
 **Moses = tells people not to worship fake gods/ serve the real God   ...   God = TOTAL BLESSING: No sickness, no miscarriage, long life!!! Oh wait, they never experienced this one that side of the Jordan :(

Day 1 Reviewed

Genesis 1 - Genesis 37

• "In the beginning," the earth seems to be in the most peaceful state that it ever was! God ordered the world into being. He did it with ease and was at ease with it! "Let there be," was the single command issued toward every created component. "Let us make man," is the first hint of effort exposed. Then again, He called the rest of creation "good," and He called man "very good." God was at ease after creating everything (He rested!) And all creation was at ease, and meant to be that way!

• It seemed that Adam and his bride were at peace until they were told not to be (by the scaly menace). "Who told you that you were naked?" Ha! 

I used to be so much this way. Actually, I can't remember ever being at peace with myself, the world, life in my younger days, and not surprisingly I was constantly feeding myself with any reasons not to be. What about you? Are you at ease, or do you cultivate discontent?

• Not many people seemed at ease from Adam's generation on! The first person I found who really displayed being at ease was Abraham. In Gen 22, Abraham is obeying God and about to sacrifice his own son. "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering," he proclaims. I noticed that obedience, but especially trust (more than just obeying, but believing that God has good intentions for His faithful ones) is closely related to being at ease! Of course, God provides for Abraham, in this and many other situations. (A son - prior, an honorable grave site for his wife, and of course, the very generations as his inheritance!!) From everything said about Abraham, I must conclude that "by FAITH," Abraham was at ease!

• Genesis 27 - If it was God's plan to prosper Jacob, why did it happen through deceit? Maybe it was still because of his grandfather Abraham? Beyond this experience, Jacob did seem to trust God and be at ease somewhat. Though I think he fought it. Maybe he was one of those kids that knew what to do but learned to hard way. God tell him, "I am with you, and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Definitely a good reason to be at ease! Maybe this gave him the confidence and faith to work fourteen years for the wife he wanted!

Day 31!!!

     I did it!!!
     Sorry there was a bit of a hiatus on the blog. I've been busy, reading of course, among other things. I'm not going to say it was easy. It wasn't. But, I'm so glad I did this!
     I read diligently until I left town almost two weeks ago. I continued to keep up on the road until the last 2 days I was at the wedding. I didn't read at all the Saturday of the wedding or Sunday. Sunday I was on the (snowy!!) road for about 4 hours. In the few days following, I just had to double up on my reading. I would read one day's worth in the morning, and one in the afternoon. It was A LOT of reading, but God's timing is perfect, and I didn't have many other obligations during those days, so it worked out!
     And...today was the LAST day! Sure enough, I finished up the last few epistles, and the book of Revelation, which I ended up reading OUT LOUD :)
     Of course, it took a little longer to do it that way, but it was the end!
     The next month I'll be reviewing each day and hopefully typing out a few thoughts on what the Holy Spirit highlighted to me during this time, especially relating to the theme I chose.

Day 15

     Half way through! I'm more than half way through the Bible! I just started the book of Isaiah tonight.
     Read through the entire book of Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon today! I love the book of Song of Solomon so much that I entirely forgot to pay attention to the theme. I guess I was too at ease, too swept away in the love story! Such a nice break - lest I forgot the author of that book is the same author who inspired the entire Bible! And He never changes. The love He pours forth in the pages of that book extends to the "stiff-necked" version of His people in the first part - Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, etc...

Day 13

     Through Job and into the Psalms!

     I mentioned near the beginning of the journey that I had chosen I theme for my reading. That theme is "ease." As in, being "at ease," and doing things "with ease." The idea was just something that stood out to me as a was preparing to begin the journey. I looked up the word, and this is what I found:

    

1. the state of being comfortable: as  

a : freedom from pain or discomfort  

b : freedom from care  

c : freedom from labor or difficulty  

d : freedom from embarrassment or constraint : naturalness <known for his charm and ease of manner> 

e : an easy fit 

2. relief from discomfort or obligation 

3. facility, effortlessness <did it with ease>

   

4. an act of easing or a state of being eased

— ease·ful \-fəl\ adjective

— ease·ful·ly \-fə-lē\ adverb

— at ease

     1: free from pain or discomfort

     2a : free from restraint or formality <feels most at ease with old friends>        b : standing silently (as in a military formation) with the feet apart, the right foot in place, and one or both hands behind the body —often used as a command 

     
      Pretty neat, huh? Well, thus far (Genesis through Job, basically) I've been at a loss to find things that relate directly to this. No one seems to be, uh, at ease (to say the least!) But, I think today, God began highlighting some really outstanding ideas that I didn't see before. Stay tuned next month when I start elaborating on each days reading...

Day 12

     Made it to Job -- and almost through Job thankfully. Technically, I am still one day ahead! (Just finished reading Day 13) I'm going to have to get even more ahead if I want to reach my goal seeing as how I'm leaving town next week for about a week and a half. I'll have to plan my time wisely while on the road!
     It's going well. I'm not comprehending everything, which makes me kind of excited to go back and study certain books in depth later. Esther, for example, I have done an in depth study on, which made it very enjoying (and much more comprehendable) to read all in one sitting, today!

Day 4

     I've finished 8 days worth of reading and am in the second book of Samuel. I try to vary the places I'm at when I read, because it's boring to coop myself up in my room. So, sometimes I stay in the room with people who are conversing with each other quietly, or watching TV. Sometimes this has gone alright, but usually, it is a pretty big distraction, slows me down a great deal, and really hinders my comprehension. I'll probably keep varying the location where I read, but I'll try to knock out larger section, more quickly, when I'm alone.
     Oh...and if you're wondering why I'm mostly just talking about the mechanics of the reading and not the substance, that is because I'm planning on doing that the month after I finish. I'm planning on going back and reviewing more in depth the quick notes that I'm making now during my readings.
     Also, as I mentioned, I am reading with a focus, a theme that I'm searching for. I'll save talking about that for next time!