A couple of weeks ago my son, Tim, and I finished a chronological reading of the Bible in one year. It was great, reading together — encouraging one another to keep on track. When the year came to an end, we took a week or so to consider what we would do next. We both decided to follow the Lookout Reading Plan found here. I like it because it gives you a day off each week. That may be a day to catch up, for me.
Today’s reading included Psalm 2 — Why do the heathen rage? When I read this, I was reminded of how foolish I used to be regarding the nature of humankind. Being reared in an educational system grounded in humanism, I was pretty convinced that it was Western Civilization that was corrupt — not humankind. However, anyone who observes the news today cannot help but see that corruption transcends culture. It is in the heart of humans.
My naïveté regarding this reminds me of a portion of Paris Reidhead’s sermon, Ten Shekels and a Shirt. Reidhead says…
If you’ll ask me why I went to Africa, I’ll tell you I went primarily to improve on the justice of God. I didn’t think it was right for anybody to go to hell without a chance to be saved. So I went to give poor sinners a chance to go to heaven. Now I haven’t put it in so many words, but if you’ll analyze what I just told you , do you know what it is? Humanism. That I was simply using the provisions of Jesus Christ as a means to improve upon human conditions of suffering and misery. And when I went to Africa, I discovered that they weren’t poor, ignorant, little heathen running around in the woods looking for someone to tell them how to go to heaven. That they were Monsters of Iniquity! They were living in utter and total defiance of far more knowledge of God than I ever dreamed they had! They deserved hell because they utterly refused to walk in the light of their conscious, and the light of the law written upon their heart, and the testimony of nature, and the truth they knew! And when I found that out I assure you I was so angry with God that on one occasion in prayer I told Him it was a mighty little thing He’d done – sending me out there to reach these people that were waiting to be told how to go to heaven. When I got there I found out they knew about heaven, and didn’t want to go there, and that they loved their sin and wanted to stay in it.
People are people. People are defective. That’s why Jesus came — to seek and to save what was lost. That would be me. You. When you see this and accept it, you find great blessing.
Unless you’re reading the Bible, you probably won’t discern the depth and reality of our need for God. But as you do, it draws you to a deeper appreciation of him and his grace toward us.
So if you’ve not a reading plan, join us. If you need a hardcopy of the plan, there is an outdated PDF HERE. Fix the dates in your head and you’ll be fine.
Tim and I started April 30, so you will have to do a double to catch up!
~Pastor Steve