Today’s reading is Acts 9:1-10:48.

“And he said to them, ‘You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean’” (Acts 10:28).

I should not call any person common of unclean. It doesn’t matter if they are black or white, rich or poor, educated or uneducated, employee or employer, upper or lower class, southern or northern, Democrat or Republican, whatever or whatever else.

It doesn’t matter if their hair is painted green, if their pants are hanging low, if they have tattooes or nose rings. It doesn’t matter what they have done. They may have been idolaters, coveters, adulterers, or homosexuals.

Peter’s statement is not saying the person is holy. They need to be in Christ for that. The point is I must not believe that somehow I’m so good and someone else so bad that he can defile me by simply being near me. The point is I must not look down on anyone as if they cannot be saved by the blood of Jesus. I must not look down on anyone as if they need to be saved more than I do. I must not look down on anyone as if they are so bad I must not share the freeing message of Jesus with them.

I am so glad Peter learned this lesson, since I am a Gentile and not Jewish. I would be upset if anyone viewed me as common or unclean. I must not do the same for others.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Romans 9:1-10:21.

Once again, the reading of scripture throws my own personal concepts on their head. I so want to prove I’m good enough by figuring out how to dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s. I want to know the ins and outs of every potential rule God has established in this new covenant law and show that I can keep them all. I want to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant, you out of all my disciples kept my laws.” But Romans 9:30-33 gives me pause.

What shall we say, then? That gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

The Jews seemed to have the advantage. To them belonged “the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises” (Romans 9:4). When Jesus came on the scene, they should have been on top of things, ready to surrender their lives to Him. Instead, they killed Him. Paul says of them in Romans 10:1-4, that they have a zeal for God but they are ignorant. They are ignorant of the righteousness of God and therefore are trying to establish their own righteousness by keeping the law. 

Here is what concerns me about me. Am I doing the same thing at times? Instead of allowing the New Covenant to be a system of faith in Christ by which I gain righteousness through His strength as I believe Him and turn my life over to Him, am I turning it into another system of law. Am I pursuing righteousness by pursuing a law that I think will lead to righteousness? Didn’t the Jews prove that wouldn’t work under the Old Covenant? Doesn’t trying to simply keep a law always end for me in learning that I don’t succeed in reaching that law? Instead of pursuing it by faith, I’m pursuing it by works. I’m sure that I’m saved because of the things I have gotten right and done properly instead of my faith in Jesus.

Am I ignorant of God’s righteousness that comes through faith in Jesus? Have I stumbled at the stone of stumbling, all the while thinking I’m relying on that cornerstone? 

I am certain that this doesn’t mean I get to live how I want. I’m certain this doesn’t mean that serving Christ means giving mental assent to Him and then just sincerely doing whatever feels right to me. I’m certain that if I truly surrender to Christ, I’ll follow the pattern He has established. I’m simply afraid that I get it backwards most of the time. I want to prove I’m good enough by keeping the New Law instead of admitting that I will never attain righteousness by keeping any law and can only have righteousness by increasingly casting myself onto Jesus, believing in Him and living by faith in Him (Galatians 2:20).

I’m concerned that perhaps I too am ignorant of the righteousness of God and therefore am seeking to establish my own righteousness most of the time. I have to remind myself today that won’t work. I can’t establish my own righteousness. Today, instead of seeking God’s law so I can establish my own righteousness, I want to seek Christ, draw near to Him and simply do what He has said to me. Through that means I will attain the righteousness of God. I know it seems counterintuitive, but I’m certain that will work even when my own strength and works would fail.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Acts 1:1-2:47.

I love to read Peter’s words in Acts 2:39: “For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

I don’t think Peter fully understood what the Spirit was saying through him here. It would be 10 to 15 years before Peter would actually get who the “far off” really were. Even on this first day, the Spirit was revealing that Christianity was not just for Jews. I’m sure that initial audience heard this statement as saying the promise was for the Jews who had traveled to Jerusalem for Pentecost and for those who had stayed in their far off homes.

However, in Ephesians 2:11-13 explains that those who are “far off” actually refers to the Gentiles. They were “far off” not because they were geographically separated but because they were spiritually separated from God.

Peter was saying the promises were for the Jews who were listening to him then, for the descendants of the Jews listening to him then, and for the Gentiles. 

The reason I love this so much is because I am a Gentile. The promise of salvation through the Holy Spirit is for me. I can be saved even though I wasn’t raised under Moses’ law. I can be saved even though I don’t live by that law. I can be saved because Jesus died for me just as He did for everyone else.

Therefore, just like the Jews who heard the message Peter preached on that day, I can be baptized for the remission of my sins and be added to Christ’s body. So can you.

***Question: What provides comfort to you about your relationship with God through Jesus?

Keep the faith and keep reading?

ELC

Today’s reading is Matthew 15:1-16:28. 

The story of the Syro-phoenician widow struck me today. It struck me in a little different way than before. I’ve always been impressed with her faith. She so believed Jesus could heal her daughter that she simply kept on begging. However, what really hit me was what Jesus called her and how she responded.

Jesus said, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

What? Is Jesus calling her a dog? WOW!

Yet, she doesn’t even bat an eye. She doesn’t get defensive. She doesn’t say, “Wait a minute here. I know I’m a Gentile, but a dog? You need to get your act together Jesus, you’ll never attract people that way.” She doesn’t stalk off in anger at His insensitivity.

Rather, she just says, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”

She was willing to accept the epithet of “dog.” She was humble enough to admit she was begging. She was humble enough to admit her own poverty. Jesus was the master. He was the one with the power. He was the one she had to latch on to and honor. She was willing to cast away all personal honor in order to honor Jesus. When she did, Jesus healed her daughter.

What about me? How much of my pride do I like to hang on to. I mean, I know I’ve messed up royally, but really, I’m not that bad. I’m really a great person. Don’t dare call me a dog. If Jesus is going to call me a dog, then I’m going some place else. 

Of course, the problem is there is no other place to go. 

In one sense, I am a dog. My sins have separated me from the master. I have wallowed in the mire and returned to my own vomit again and again and again. Yet, when I come to Jesus willing to cast aside all my pride, humble myself under His hand and admit that only He can fix whatever it is I need fixing, then He’ll be able to act. Notice, I didn’t just say He will act, but He’ll be able to act. The fact is, I’m only able to be a tool for Jesus when I put aside all my pride and humble myself before Him. To the degree that I hang on to my pride and my own ideas of personal powerfulness, Jesus is unable to work in my life. Not because He can’t overpower me, but because He refuses to.

Can I admit I’m a dog to receive the mercy of Jesus?

That’s a tough one.

Keep the faith and keep reading.

ELC

P.S. What did you get out of today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Galatians 1:1-2:21.

I’m so glad Peter is in the Bible. I mean, I know there are plenty of other people in the Bible whose warts are uncovered. But Peter’s are all over the place. Yet, he still has a place in God’s kingdom. Even after becoming an apostle, he really blew it over this issue with the Gentiles and Jews. Even after he had been the one who first brought the Gospel to the Gentiles, had convinced the Jews in Jerusalem it was alright, and been vocal in the Acts 15 argument in favor of the Gentiles, he fell to temptation and had to be rebuked.

Maybe there is still hope for me.

Thank You, God, for leaving Peter as an example.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

Some Pre-post Encouragement

Before we get to today’s post, I just want to offer encouragement. If you don’t want any encouragement, then just skip to the post at the heading below. We’ve been at this reading plan for just over five weeks. We’ve read two books. If you’re like me, it’s easy to drop out about now. Life is happening. We keep meaning to get to our Bible reading, but for some reason we just haven’t made it. Listen, I know for me it’s easy. I get to sit in an office all day, all by myself and do nothing but study the Bible. For you, it’s a bit tougher. 

Even though it’s easier for me, I still have a hard time keeping up with it. That’s why I put this book together in the first place. What would always happen to me is I would get a plan going and then miss a day. That meant I had to catch up the next day. Well, then there was more and I didn’t have time to catch up. So I put it off another day. Each day the backlog piled up until it finally seemed insurmountable and I felt like I had failed once again at keeping up with Bible reading. Why bother?

Don’t let that happen to you. This isn’t a race to make sure you read the whole New Testament. This is just a plan to provide you with something to read today. We’re starting a new book in today’s post–Romans. If you got behind in Luke and Acts, don’t drop out thinking you have to catch up. Instead, just pick it back up today in Romans.

Finally, I just want to say thank you for dropping in here and reading. I hope it’s helpful. I invite you to let us know what you’re getting out of the readings.

Thanks. And now for today’s post.

Both Jews and Gentiles Need Jesus

Today’s reading is Romans 1:1-2:29.

Romans 2:17-29 is easily misunderstood. I know for years as I read the passage, I thought Paul was telling the Jews they were a bunch of hypocrites who needed to buck up and start keeping the law God had given them. They boasted in the Law, but they didn’t actually keep it. 

That was not Paul’s point. Paul was not encouraging the Jews to keep the Old Law. He was pointing out they couldn’t keep the Old Law. He was not accusing every Jew of being a hypocrite about stealing, adultery or idolatry. He was pointing out that while they taught the Law, every single one of them had violated it–without exception. Since they’d broken the Law, in what could they boast? Their circumcision didn’t help them any. Woohoo, they had kept one precept of the Law! How many others could be found that they had broken?

Paul was driving home that those who had been brought up under the Law, were actually no different from those who were without the Law. They were sinners. They could not boast in their Law because they hadn’t kept it.

Of course, our reading today doesn’t get to the main point. Paul will get to that later in this letter. But we know what it is. Both Jew and Gentile need Jesus. The Gentiles need Jesus because despite the clear evidence in the world around us, we have turned to worship the creature rather than the Creator. The Jews need Jesus because despite having the Law and the oracles of God, they couldn’t keep the Law.

Paul will sum it up in Romans 3:23. All have sinned. Then he’ll drive it home in Romans 3:26 we can all be justified by faith in Jesus.

Are you a Gentile? Are you a Jew? Your ancestry doesn’t matter. You need a Savior to cleanse you of your iniquities and set you free from your sins.

Keep the faith and keep reading.

ELC

P.S. What did you get out of today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Acts 9:1-10:48.

Peter had never eaten anything unclean. Though, interestingly, he was at a tanner’s home. That would almost seem to test the bounds of a statement that said he’d never eaten anything unclean. He was in the home of a man whose livelihood was touching dead animals. That touch made him unclean. But, let’s not get distracted from the main point.

He saw the foods in the sheet and knew they violated God’s Old Testament dietary laws (cf. Leviticus 11:1-47). He had not ever violated those laws and wasn’t about to start now. But God’s response was, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” In the big picture of this story, God was indicating to Peter that Gentiles were not common or unclean. They could be saved by Christ’s gospel just like Jews could. This led to the baptizing of Cornelius and his household.

However, this statement struck me today. “What God has made clean, do not call common.” I get two things out of this statement. First, if God has made something clean and proper, it doesn’t matter whether I like it or not. It is lawful. The Jews were not likely to come around on eating pork, but their lack of comfort wasn’t going to change God’s law. In the same way, there may be things in God’s word that rub me the wrong way. Because of my background, I may not like them. That doesn’t change that they are lawful and I shouldn’t place myself as judge over someone because they simply do what I don’t like.

Second, what God has made clean, should not be called common. However, if God has not made it clean, then it is common. Many today have the idea that just about anything is good unless God has called it bad. I suggest unless God has made it clean through the authorization of His scripture, then it is common and we should not arise and eat that. All scripture has been given to equip us for every good work (II Timothy 3:16-17). If God has not authorized it through His scripture, then we should not assume it is good.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What did you get out of today’s reading?