Week 4

It's been nearly a month since we've started the "God's word in 365 days" plan! I'd like to thank my fellow co-bloggers in updating the blog regularly. And a special thank to Ivan's active contributions in blogging :) and thanks the Lord for leading me and giving me wisdom in trying to understand the Bible and in time management.

This week, the most difficult parts are still in Joshua, Job and Isaiah, in terms of historical background and the meaning of the passages. In this NT era, what's the point of knowing how people receive their inheritance? What should we focus on when reading Joshua 16 - 20? With Isaiah, I'm totally lost...

To me, Matthew 8-9 tells me different 'levels' of faith.
The ability of JC to heal those people and the willingness of JC to help them do not depend on how much faith they have

8:2 And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean."

8But the centurion replied, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." 10When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, "Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith."

26And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.


9:2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven."

28When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to him, "Yes, Lord." 29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done to you."

There are people who have stronger faith (the leper, the centurion, the paralytic, and the blind men) and weaker faith (the disciples). What difference does it make to have the different level of faith?
It is also quite surprising to see the people who have little faith are the disciples, who stay with Jesus day and night. However, the people who have strong faith are the people with illness, whose loved ones are dead or sick. It reminds me with the passage from Roman 5:3 from last week

we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope

I've read 10:34-39 many times, but still find it very challenging

34 "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

It is so great that, however, we read Roman 7 - 8 the next day

8:31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36As it is written,

"For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."

37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.