Reading With the People of God - #5 We Believe.Sample

Memorization Challenge of the Month:

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Reading with the People of God Primer:

Today’s reading starts in Psalms with a wonderful prayer to the Almighty in gratitude and praise, speaking to our relationship with the Word of God. The writer of Psalm 119 is directing his worship to God in spelling out the ways His statutes and commands have saved him from the arrogant mockers he encounters, the hope that the word of truth brings to his soul, and the delight that comes from obedience to God’s law…which has found its fulfillment in Jesus Christ our Lord. The gospel of John tells us in verse 14,

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”

The Old Testament saints had the Pentateuch and the Mosaic law to guide them to faith in God, and they still, by God’s grace, found peace, freedom, hope, comfort, and wisdom in the Word. These things and our very salvation await us as we stay near God's Word.

In Deuteronomy today, we find God’s instructions directly to Moses regarding travel plans to the promised land. God had wise instructions for the wandering Israelites in the wilderness: “Don’t hassle the locals” …leave the children of Esau, the Moabites, the Ammonites, and others in peace as you pass. Good counsel for all of us.

Finally, in our New Testament reading, there are two parables given by the Word himself when his disciples asked him about the Second Coming and the “end of the age.” The Parable of the Ten Virgins is a simple story steeped in the matrimonial ceremonies of the Jews. It is a cautionary tale of preparedness for a great event: the bridegroom's coming, Jesus. The wait for the bridegroom was long, and half the virgins were foolish and weren’t ready to celebrate the time of the bridegroom’s arrival. The wise virgins were ready because they took oil (God’s Word) with them as they waited. When the time came, the foolish virgins were not ready and had no oil for their lamps, so they went to buy some. But when they returned, the banquet had already started, and the bridegroom turned them away, saying, “Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.” How sad!

The next parable, the Parable of the Bags of Gold, shows us the wisdom and blessings that come from investing the gifts God has given each of us for the increase in God’s Kingdom. It pleases God when we recognize the gifts we have been given to further the cause of Christ until He comes again. To those who are given much, much will be required and will be rewarded accordingly. Those who are given little but do nothing with what gifts they do have…well, tune in tomorrow and see what the Master has to say about that!

- Matt Harry, Ministering Elder, Cornerstone Community Church, Chowchilla.