Tuesday, March 30

Wow, what a day. This may have been the busiest day of my professional career. I literally had meetings from 9 - 5:30 with no break at all in the middle. Plus Ben's bachelor party is this Saturday so the planning is reaching a fever pitch for that as well...sigh...what a day.

On a happy note, my friend Chris Dela Cruz used a piece of this blog in a talk he have this evening at my old youth group. I was completely honored that he would use something I did for his talk. I need to follow up with him to see how it went...

Alright, let's hit the books...or book as it were...

Reading for March 30
Deuteronomy 13:1-15:23
Some things are being repeated here, with the main themes in this section being warnings against worshiping other gods, clean and unclean food and tithing. The last section, however, God talks about canceling debts. He makes it a command that everyone must forgive anyone indebted to them every seven years, but only if it is a fellow Israelite. If not, the rule does not apply.

There was something interesting in the section on worshiping other gods, as well. Not so much revealed specifically here, but its a theme I've been picking up on about God. I have drawn several conclusions about God over the past few months - overall that he is an unchangeable, thought being whose opinions and standards are stubbornly immobile, and that he is in fact, nothing like us. However, if there is one human element that God exerts over and over, it's jealousy.

God takes extreme care to make sure that his people don't go off and worship some other god. He goes so far as to say that if someone comes up to you and suggests worshiping another god, that person should be stoned to death. Any country that tries to persuade you to worship another god must be completely annihilated and their city burnt to the ground.

Why is it so important that God be worshiped? If he is like the heavenly equivalent of a programmed robot (as I've thought before) - what is the reasoning behind his jealousy coding? Does he run on worship? Are songs of praise his fuel? Isn't he perfectly capable of satisfying his ego on his own by creating sweet planets and stuff? Come to think of it, since he hates sin so much, why is he even bothering, wouldn't it be better if they were completely separated?

I guess this reveals a little more of God's humanity as well. No matter how rebellious his people become, no matter how long he must endure spiritual separation from his people, he still loves them and desires a relationship with them. Even if that relationship is almost pure punishment. Except for him providing the promised land of Canaan. I can't see the punishment in that.

Luke 8:40-9:6
I think Luke is almost identical to Matthew. There are three stories here that are almost word-for-word what had occurred in Matthew. The resurrection of a dead girl, the sick woman who touched Jesus robes and Jesus sending out the twelve disciples. There really isn't anything new at all that I could see. Maybe my next blog can focus exclusively on the gospels...

Psalm 71:1-24
A couple of "cubicle worthy" gems here:

 ²⁰ Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter,
       you will restore my life again;
       from the depths of the earth
       you will again bring me up.

 ¹⁵ My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
       of your salvation all day long,
       though I know not its measure. 

 I really like those two...

Proverbs 12:5-7
 ⁵ The plans of the righteous are just,
       but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.
 ⁶ The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
       but the speech of the upright rescues them.
 ⁷ Wicked men are overthrown and are no more,
       but the house of the righteous stands firm.

Alright, homies. Have a good night.