I never was much of a runner, but I do know that running a race can be sometimes exhilarating and sometimes exhausting — maybe even simultaneously. However the race goes, crossing the finish line is an accomplishment!
Many of you have gone with us on Odyssey ’08 — a journey through the Bible. Even though I’ve heard from some of you along the way, I am anxious to hear and read your reflections now that we are approaching the finish line.
Was it a good trip? Did you learn anything new? Did God speak to you through what you read?
If you’ve been on Odyssey ’08 — even only part of the way, please add your comment to this post and give us your reflections.
December 25, 2008 at 3:26 pm
This was such an awesome blessing to me and I suggest and encourage this to Everyone!
Before reading the One Year Bible, I didn’t realize how much of an unorganized reader I was when it came to reading the bible!
Before reading this, I had heard in the past how ‘boring’ the Old Testiment was. Of course, God always allowed Pastor Mark to jazz it up to where it was all very intriguing and fundamental, but I personally just stuck to the New Testiment for the most of my personal reading. Through the One Year Bible, God opened my eyes to Who God really is and how much abundant love He has for all of us. I knew about Jesus from the New Testiment, which is obviously vitally important to know, but for first time believers, I now strongly encourage them to read the Old Testiment for the purpose of knowing the One who sent Jesus, and Why, so they can really try to grasp who our God is and how Big He is.
Through reading the Old Testiment, I found myself realizing how truly undeserving I am to have the Free gift of eternal life through believing in Jesus. God allows us to know the true meaning of sin and Why we have the 10 commandments…which is only to allow us to see at the end of the day how truly inadequate We are, but to know how truly awesome He is and how much love He really has for us. It is an honor to know that a person like me can be His* child and know that He alone is my strength, advocate, protector, Father, and Creator who has allowed…and is allowing…everything He leads me to for a divine reason. I am here for His glory, and everything He allows me to go through is for Some type of reason…it is just my job to remember that and Trust He will use it all for good, as He promises.
Throughout the Old Testiment, He kept revealing to me to Remember and keep in focus what He has done, as well as remembering everything I have that is Good comes from Him, to where I can’t become prideful in any way. Us humans…especially me…can lose track of where we Used to be, or where we would be without His grace and all He has done for us by His power and mercy through our ancestors. It’s so easy to take our day to day living for granted, but He wants us to Continuously remember…and take serious…all He has done for Our happiness. I can’t say I blame Him though honestly, but without Him telling us this in a clear way through His word, it would be really easy to just keep that truth on the back burner and treat it casually…which satan loves because he can come in and totally blur us of all that truth eventually.
He also taught me a lot about idols. In this culture, a lot of us may not bow down to wooden carvitures or silver or gold pieces, but the world has taught us to idolize people, money, and even words in a personal opinion. People can say, ‘God bless!’, but then turn around and say, ‘Well, I wish you luck..’ First of all, what is a Wish?…Of course this is a personal opinion, but why Wish, when we can Pray and Trust God to do His will as we pray…? Then, what is Luck? I see luck as a type of an idol that satan is allowing to be blurred. Even, ‘good luck’. We are putting our trust into something that is actually nothing. Which is what He allowed me to realize when people were worshiping wooden idols. Reading that, seemed so ridiculous to me, but we have our own ridiculous idols that seem to go un-noticed. I would Much rather someone bless my by saying ‘God bless’ rather than saying ‘good luck’. I will be able to trust in the fact that God will bless me and allow His will to be done through the ‘God bless.’ I used to have a rabbits foot too, or like the song says in ‘just a dream’, where it says, she has a ‘six pence in her shoe, something borrowed, something blue.’ Sure, that may be for a ‘traditional’ thing, but do we Really believe that a Penny, or even a rabbits foot…like the one I used to carry around Everywhere with me…is going to make our lives Better? It’s material, it will all fade away just like us! Our God is Everlasting and eternal, He does not fade away and He is the only One who can save us which is why it is So important to fear and obey Him. He is our only hope.
God touched my heart through reading the Whole bible, but I have to say that in the Old Testiment, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, and Lamenations were my absolute favorites.
One of the stories that caught my attention the Most, was with Moses striking the rock and not giving God the total credit He deserved. It amazed me at how faithful Moses had been, it took that One time of fault that caused God to declare Moses to die. That story Alone allowed me to see how serious God is about sin, and how we can’t be perfect…which allows us to truly honor Him. His punishment for sin is serious, and He warns us over and over in the bible about that.
The Lord allowed this entire book to be just Awesome, but I now have a lot of questions and I can’t Wait for Him to answer them to me in His perfect timing, as He is the only One who knows how to Specifically answer them according the brain He has created in me. I could go on an on about stories that revolutionized my life, but I think this has been long enough 🙂
January 2, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Reading through the Bible has been an act of obedience for me. Would I be able to stick with it? But somehow I felt as I did it that it wasn’t “me” who was able to accomplish it, but a God given desire to want to do it.
I was also blessed by the discussions it opened up with my husband & son along the way. One discussion with my 22 yr. old son really blessed me. He said “but mom, it can get so boring reading in the old testament because it seems like the same thing gets repeated over & over…why do they have to say it so many times?!!” I reminded him that I too as a parent had to tell him things “over & over” before he actually “got it” when he was growing up. But now I see him growing spiritually and understanding so many of God’s promises as the result of hearing it “over & over”! It was a reminder for me that the next time I read something in the Bible that seems to get repeated many times, maybe I need to “listen” more closely to the point being made and not skim over it & “tune it out” because it seems boring. There’s usually a reason it gets repeated.
January 2, 2009 at 6:11 pm
This was a way for my mom and I to connect with one another at least once a day to read the bible together (although there were days we read the bible separetely). I liked Proverbs the best and the books on Jesus. Not a huge fan of the begets…it probably serves some purpose to the more “historian” readers who understand the lineage. I found Revelations not to be as scary as most think, but that is probably from the belief system I have in Jesus and the fact I won’t be here for the wrath.
January 8, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Yes, that is the great thing about running. As exhausting as it may be (and a daunting task at times)it still feels so good. This was one of my New Year’s Resolutions!