Day 1

Scripture for Today

• Genesis 1:1-2:17
• Matthew 1:1-25
• Psalms 1:1-6

Reflections

On the reading in Genesis:

The Bible translation you choose can really enhance your reading experience. For example, I really enjoy reading the first chapter of Genesis in the NIV translation. The end of each day of creation has this dramatic emdash that adds to the drama; But more than that, you really get the sense of being there, and watching God create everything...you can almost hear the land and water shifting...you can hear the plants growing...the animals coming to life and making noise. The NIV does a great job letting you experience the majesty of God in Genesis 1.

You also get a great sense of the duty that God gives humans: to be stewards over his creation on Earth, and care for, and nurture it. That sense of responsibility...God's initial expectations of us...is very clearly spelled out without any ambiguity. More people should read Genesis 1:26-30 and really take it seriously, instead of wantonly and selfishly disrespecting and destroying his creation.

On the reading in Matthew:

Matthew 1:1-16 is a direct genealogy for Abraham to Jesus. I confess, I don't really know most of the names in the list once you get away from Abraham's grandkids. I pick them back up again around David and Solomon, but then lose it until we get back down to Joseph. Luckily, Matthew 1:17 gives us a nice summary:

"Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah." - Matthew 1:17

This is really very interesting...I wonder what the significance of the groups of fourteen generations are, or why Matthew pointed it out? I know that this was book was generally thought to be written for a Jewish audience, so maybe there's some special meaning...seems like something to look into at a later date!

Anyway, after the nice summary of the genealogy of Christ, Matthew 1:18-25 talks about Joseph accepting Jesus as his son. But rather than going deeper into the events of the Annunciation like Luke's gospel, this passage focuses on Joseph's obedience and faith, which I find very interesting. It speaks almost entirely to his character as a godly, kind, understanding man. It acknowledges his struggle with having a pregnant wife with whom he had not slept, but it doesn't dwell on the feelings of it, just on what he did after the fact.

When you think about it, Matthew is actually depicting Joseph setting the example for how all men should be toward God. You see this in the difference between how Adam and Joseph handled commands from God...Adam hears God’s command, doubts, disobeys, and speaks defensively. Joseph hears God's command, and he trusts, obeys, and says nothing. Where Adam asserts himself, Joseph yields himself...but this isn't weakness on Joseph's part, it's submission to God. Furthermore, if you look at Matthew 1:19 more closely:

"Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly." - Matthew 1:19

You see a man choosing mercy even before the angel explains anything to him in the subsequent verses. The man didn't want to smear this poor girl. He didn't need to be told to be kind and merciful, that was where his mind went by default.

Jesus had a great man to model his earthly life after in Joseph.

On the reading in Psalms:

The first Psalm is a farily short one, but is full of great real-world meaning. It praises those who keep God's law, and don't listen to wicked people or sinners. It says if you keep connected to God through his word, your life will bear fruit and you're prosper; But if you are wicked, you're no better than worthless chaff scattered to the wind.

I have seen this Psalm play out in real time over the past few months as I have begun to grow in my adult faith. I find that every day that I keep God at the forefront of my mind, at the top of everything I do, everything seems to just turns out right, and I feel cared for and happy. Conversely, if I start to get too focused on this world, and fall into old traps and lost my focus on God, things disintigrate quite quickly. The good news is, the more you staty focused on God, the more you learn to crave his presence, and the more you're drawn to doing good and keeping good company. It's kind of the opposite of dieting - it's actually EASY to stay connected to God once you've truly experienced that connection. You want it more than you want the temporary "good feelings" of the earth. That's an amazing thing!

Prayer for Today

Lord, thank you for your word, which is so full of meaning and depth. Help me to understand your word and apply it to my life in a meaningful way. Thank you for the world you created for us, and for the responsibility you gave us to take care of it. I pray that I can become a better steward of this beautiful world, and leave it in a better way than I found it. Father, please let me walk through life as your servent Joseph did - with kindness, mercy, and grace, and a respect for, and obedience to your law. Let me keep good company, be less judgemental, and more understanding. In Jesus' name I ask these things, Amen.