Read – John Markum

From my personal devotions: Psalm 112

Posted on July 12, 2011 by johnmarkum

I started this blog to give people in my church, family, and friends in ministry a means to better connect with me, and hopefully (more importantly) with God. Along those lines, about a week ago, I thought that it might be a good idea to start sharing some of my thoughts straight out of my personal time in God’s Word with my blog viewers. There’s nothing particularly special about what I think, of course. But I hope that as I try out this newer idea that it could serve as an encouragement to many of you, and perhaps for some viewers who may be unsure of where to start in the Bible for your quiet time with God, this can be something that you do with me.

Psalm 112 –

Praise the Lord! How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying his commands. Their children will be successful everywhere; an entire generation of godly people will be blessed. They themselves will be wealthy, and their good deeds will last forever. Light shines in the darkness for the godly. They are generous, compassionate, and righteous. Good comes to those who lend money generously and conduct their business fairly. Such people will not be overcome by evil. Those who are righteous will be long remembered. They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them. They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly. They share freely and give generously to those in need. Their good deeds will be remembered forever. They will have influence and honor. The wicked will see this and be infuriated. They will grind their teeth in anger; they will slink away, their hopes thwarted.

My Observations:

Joy, fear of God, and obedience all go together. (v. 1)
My children’s generation will be affected by my obedience to God. (v. 2)
When I walk with God, I have light even in dark places. (v. 4)
3 Words describing those who walk with God: generous, compassionate, righteous. (v. 4)
Bad stuff still happens to righteous people (v. 7), and
by the grace of God, they inevitably win anyway. (v. 8 )
God deals with my adversaries for me. (v. 10)

Blessings,

John

Challenge #1: Read through the Bible

Posted on February 16, 2011 by johnmarkum

Edgewood Challenge #1: Read through the Bible in one year.

For many years, Edgewood has maintained a focus on teaching the Word of God. But you shouldn’t take our word for it! You should read it for yourself and see what God says. And so we are unashamedly calling all of our people to begin reading through the entire Bible over the next year.

Let’s break that down… In order to read through the entire Bible in 365 days, you would need to read on average approximately 4 chapters a day. Which takes the average 8th grader 15 minutes to read. For a mere fifteen minutes a day, you can read through the Bible. You could pull that off during the commercials of your favorite 1 hour TV show!

As many of you know, I am currently in the middle of reading through the entire Bible in 90 days. I am on day 46 and am about 4 days behind. But I was behind almost an entire week, so I’m catching up! When I get completely back on track, I’ll be just over the halfway point. I find that if I can stay focused on reading for 1 hour a day I can stay on track and even get ahead.

Our church has provided 1 year reading plans that split the reading up chronologically – an excellent resource. In addition to that, I want to direct your attention to a great online, Bible reading resource: youversion.com. YouVersion provides several different reading plans so one is bound to fit you. You can also choose to read in almost any translation. I happen to be reading in the New American Standard Bible (NASB) which I would recommend among a few others.

Bottomline: Get in the Bible! Spend some time in God’s Word. Create a regular time of 15 minutes to an hour and get alone with God. This requires you to be intentional about your relationship with God. Nothing worthwhile happens by accident. Including marriage, parenting, school, work,… and our relationship with God!

Imagine the change that we could create if, as a church, we all became faithful to reading God’s word? It would absolutely change the way we live, love, work, and relate to others. Let’s do this church!

Blessings,

John

Click here and check out www.youversion.com for yourself!

B90X: Day 4

Posted on January 4, 2011 by johnmarkum

So after 4 days into reading the entire Bible in 90 days, I have finished reading the book of Genesis. The perspective that you gain from reading larger portions of Scripture at a time is unique. Whereas reading smaller portions enables you to dissect verses in greater detail, reading 11 – 16 chapter in a day tends to reveal trends, plots, and the bigger picture. Here are some of the observations I had to share after getting through the first book of the Bible:

Satan is a liar. In Genesis 3:4, Satan in the form of a snake, says to Eve, “Surely, you will not die!” The next several chapters include the genealogies of the first humans, each ending with the statement, “and then they died.”
Sin is serious. God killed a calf to make tunics for Adam and Eve after they ate the fruit and tried to hide from God. God shed the first blood. It must have been a ghastly sight for Adam and Eve. Some have the same view of the cross. “How terrible! Surely God could forgive mankind in some less drastic way!” As commentator, John Phillips says, “A radical disease, calls for a radical cure.”
God keeps His promises. Even when it may look doubtful from our perspective. One of my favorite lines throughout Genesis, and the whole Old Testament for that matter, is “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” God is essentially saying, “I know the promises I have made, and I will do good on them.” He doesn’t break His word, and He doesn’t break promises. Embrace it.
God is faithful,… period. Adam and Eve disobeyed – God promised redemption. Cain committed the first murder – God pardoned. Abraham lied (twice) about His wife – God protected her. He later took her bad advice and took a mistress in order to get a son – God still provided the son of promise through Sarah. Jacob committed the first identity theft – God gave Him a new, true identity. Jacob’s sons threw their little brother into slavery and told their father that he died – God used Joseph to save the lives of his brothers and theig families. God’s faithfulness is, likely, the only consistent theme in Scripture… that, and man’s unfaithulness.

Tomorrow I begin digging into Exodus, although I might take the time and get a little ahead tonight… we’ll see. Regardless, if you are looking into reading the Bible this year, you can find a reading plan that fits you here.

Blessings,

John