The One In Which I Shall Not Be Easily Convinced

So, I really, truly am planning to take up the Bible in a Year Challenge with the rest of Mavuno, so I downloaded the reading plan and today was my first day. I did day 1 this afternoon to catch up and now I just finished day 2.
Some old "Sunday school"/C.R.E favorites...The Fall in Eden, Cain and Abel, The Three Wise Men and Jesus, God's provision of safety to Joseph and his new family i.e. God warning them to move from Bethlehem to Egypt and Nazareth. Then there's Psalm 2 which talks of how God laughs at the plans of the wicked and from what I learned in High School verses 5-9 are a prophecy of the then coming Messiah i.e. Jesus. Read this; 
Psalm 2:6  "On Zion, my sacred hill," he says, "I have installed my king." v.7  "I will announce," says the king, "what the LORD has declared. He said to me: 'You are my son; today I have become your father. v.8  Ask, and I will give you all the nations; the whole earth will be yours. v.9  You will break them with an iron rod; you will shatter them in pieces like a clay pot.' 

Then there's "Proverbs 1:7  To have knowledge, you must first have reverence for the LORD. Stupid people have no respect for wisdom and refuse to learn. v.8  My child, pay attention to what your father and mother tell you. v.9  Their teaching will improve your character as a handsome turban or a necklace improves your appearance. 


Now, for what I've learned, be prepared for a huge new revelation.......

(crickets chirp in the background)

O.k maybe it's not that bad. I have to admit I was hoping for a huge lesson to be learnt, maybe even for the lights in my room to flicker like an imaginary light bulb over my head. But, sometimes its the simple things, that gentle whisper in the wind [which also didn't happen :-D] but there were a few tiny little lesson to be learnt. Here's mine:

• Eve, like me, was so easily convinced to let go of God's teachings and believe what someone else was telling her though they were completely antonymous to God's word. I was just thinking today how it's difficult for me to say "no" to people, not because I'm a super nice person, but just because maybe I don't have the power or confidence to say no or I'm afraid of the argument and the endless talk and persuasion that would ensue. But, this is a character trait that has and will continue to bite me in the *backside* So, for this year I pray God will help me discern and know when to say no and be bold as I do.
  
• God has a plan (His plan for Jesus spans out through the Old Testament like the prophesy in Psalm 12) and He's all-knowing, but because we're in a relationship, he wants to encourage us to talk to Him even when we've screwed up. That right there, is good parenting. When the time comes, I'll know I'm an awesome mom when my kids screw up and they can come and tell me about it (even though I might still punish them).
• Even in punishment, God never quits being our father and he provides, just as he gave Adam and Eve clothes and just as he gave Cain a mark for protection so no one would kill him as he wandered.
• Lastly, to have knowledge, you must first have reverence for God.

I love reading the Bible for myself though. It's nice because its sort of like MY conversations with God and there's a stark difference between a direct written message and when someone forwards you a message he'd earlier received.
Now, I am in no way, shape or form a pastor or any sort of authority on the Bible so I may be wrong but here is what Pastor M wrote about Day 2. If you want to join the challenge, click here for more info and to download the pdf reading list, or invest in buying the actual Bible...It's never too late to start, just begin on the day you get it and work your way forward. If you've only skipped a little bit, you can catch up with time and if you've missed more I don't think God will care that you finished on February 28th rather than December 31st :-D

Tomorrow is back to business, all things University/College Life, the intricate workings of a financial mind, and the end of waking up way past 8 a.m. as I have this past December holiday.

< :-/ sigh :-/ >


Images from Mavuno and Clker respectively.