Blake Rispens, Sr.

I love the Old Testament because there are so many things about these stories that foretell about something greater to come. It was like God was giving clues and hints about what His ultimate plan was. I’m sure it was really hard to see and interpret for those in that time, but we get to look back and connect the dots. The readings this week were super cool to dive into.

This week’s reading was very interesting. So much was going on in these few chapters, along with different stories, but I think there is a common thread. The word that comes to mind to summarize our reading for this week is the word “transition.”

When you plan to read through the entire Bible, there will be plenty of opportunities to read things that seem boring, make no sense, or seem to have no meaning.

Genealogies are pretty boring at face value. But there must be a reason God wanted them included. One of the reasons may be to show his faithfulness throughout the generations.

The Christian life can easily become a list of tasks to accomplish, boxes to check, and making sure we’re living up to a certain standard that may or may not be a true requirement of the Christian life. It doesn’t help that we live in a society and culture where performance and being driven are valued so highly. That type of thinking is so prevalent and pervasive that it can find its way into Christianity as well. It’s easy for us to complicate the message and meaning of Christianity if we’re not careful to remember what defines Christianity at its core. Christianity can quickly become about what you do for God rather than what God has done for you.

If you’re not too familiar with the Old Testament, reading Zephaniah this week was probably quite intense. I’ve read it before and it was still intense. Some of the words that stuck out to me were:

• destruction
• distress
• anguish
• trouble
• darkness
• wrath
• gloom