Genesis 13:5-15:21, Matthew 5:27-48, Psalms 6:1-10, Proverbs 1:29-33
Today is the 6th day of January welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it is a joy and a privilege and an honor to be here with you today as we move through…well this is the first hump day of the year isn’t it. So, we move through the center of our first full week together and I don’t know if you feel like you’re getting moved in, but I feel like I’m starting to feel that rhythm of a new year begin to get established and kinda get moved through the holiday season and feel like now we’re starting to move into building what this year is going to look like and build it through our thoughts, our words and our deeds because that’s how life…that’s how life shapes up. But to become aware of God’s presence in all of it and our utter dependence upon him in it will indeed be the path toward freedom. So, let’s dive in. We’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week. Genesis chapter 13 verse 5 through 15 verse 21.
Commentary:
Okay. Let’s do what we did yesterday and kind of work our way backwards because wisdom is still introducing herself and what we are hearing…well…what we are hearing is what we probably desire. Like, who among us does not want to live securely and be undisturbed by the dread of danger? Can we like all say yeah? Yeah, like so much of the energy of life is spent to arrange for that. Wisdom is saying, that’s kind of a byproduct of being wise. So, once again we are reminded to pay close attention to the voice of wisdom. And once again right here at the beginning of the year I remind you of the Daily Audio Proverb and the Daily Audio Psalm. This is the Daily Audio Bible and we’re going through the whole thing, but the Daily Audio Proverb lets you go through the entire book of Proverbs in a month and it takes less than five minutes a day. So, it’s like unfiltered wisdom is available and you poor that into your life over and over and over and over and you start remembering it and it starts seeping down inside of you and then you start remembering it when you need it and then you start becoming aware that you’re listening to the voice of wisdom and you’re becoming wise. And, so, let’s make it a point of the year to become wise. What would it look like if our wisdom increases exponentially throughout this year? That could be a game changer for the rest of our lives. It could be a game changer for future generations because we begin building foundations. So. well, all we can do here is to state the obvious. We should listen to wisdom. Whether or not we do, that’s one of those choices that we make. And the choices that we make end up telling the story of our lives over this year. We can choose to seek wisdom, or we can choose to ignore it. But I think it’s already become abundantly clear what happens either way.
And then we move into the Psalms that we read today and what we heard…what we heard was honesty, right? Honesty. “Be gracious to me Lord I’m weak. Heal me, my bones are shaking. My whole being is shaking with terror. Are you there? How long? Turn, rescue me, save me.” This should be talking our language. We should be reading in the Bible things that we have thought and said, and we should understand then the Bible isn’t this book that is God’s grand attempt to shame humanity for every failure that happens. What we’re seeing in the Bible is the heart cry to God, “I need you I’ve lost the plot again. I’ve lost the story again. I’ve forgotten who I am again. I’m lost again. I went into my own desires again. I ran into a brick wall again. I need you.” And the Bible affirms that that heart cry prayer is okay because we’re gonna hear it for the rest of the year at times in different books, especially in the Psalms. So, can we just state here, God is not looking for your dishonesty, doesn’t care about it at all. The stuff that we say to each other, right? We’re having a conversation we’re catching up and we’re giving a curated version of a story or a curated version of the last couple months or whatever and it’s all just nice and tidy how we want to tell the story but so much is skipped and it’s not…it’s true but is not the complete truth. The Bible is giving us permission. God desires complete honesty. How else do you base a foundation for any kind of relationship without honesty? And, so, let’s carry that with us as we move forward - honesty, being true.
Because when we go back to Matthew and Jesus is continuing the sermon on the Mount what we’re beginning to see here is an invitation to live true without pretense, that this is actually the way human beings were created to be - true. Falseness is the mask that we wear. You remember that story we read a couple days ago in Genesis 3, the serpent in the garden, tree of the knowledge of good and evil, all of this. They ate, right? And then they were ashamed, and they hid and what we begin to find in the message of Jesus is you don’t have to hide anymore ever again. You have permission to be true. In fact, that’s the trajectory, that’s the transformation that happens within us, that there is no falseness in us, that we are not hiding and ashamed, that we are not wearing a false mask, that we are children of the most-high God, we have already as a gift received the highest thing that is possible. We’re children of God and God made this world for us and we are upon it because we are created in His image. The falseness isn’t doing anything but keeping everybody on earth hiding from each other in big and small ways. So, to step towards truth, though, we realize pretty quickly…yeah, this is not the…how do you…it’s almost impossible to operate this…this way in our culture. This is the process of sanctification and transformation that is happening within us. It doesn’t have to happen today. We need to learn the ways of truth and the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth. That’s what the Bible promises us.
Prayer:
Father we thank You. We thank You for Your word. We thank You for the way that it does what it does no matter what year it is, no matter even what century or millennia it is Your word is a mirror into our souls and it is a lamp for our feet and a light to our path showing us the way that we should go. Holy Spirit come. Help us to be aware and pay attention. What we’re going to find is that that’s what we need more than anything, is to just be paying attention. So, many of our decisions are made as reactions to something when the voice of wisdom will show us in advance so that we have chosen in advance how we will handle all the situations of life. But that’s a learned thing and we can’t do it without You. And, so, we’re asking, we’re crying out to You. Give us wisdom. Show us the way to go. Lead us on the narrow path that leads to life we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.
Community Prayer and Praise:
Happy new year Daily Audio Bible family this is Denise sometimes known as the Airport Missionary. I just wanted to wish you all a happy new year and I…I have been hanging around in the background listening and listening, but I wanted to let you all know and thank you for your prayers. I…the job that you prayed me into has really been a very interesting experience about the people who need me to be there for them. And, so, on behalf of those people whose identities I will keep quiet, but they thank you for sending the them because they really needed the love and the comfort that you prayed into me and that I was able to bring to them. And then also for those of you who prayed for me to my husband and I to be able to conceive. We are not pregnant today but we did find a different doctor who is really amazing and regardless of outcome I just feel like I went to the right place and he has said things that made a lot more sense and that I really believe that you all opened the door and gave me courage to sit down and talk to someone different and tell my story and that is the gift that I will never be able to truly repay until I meet you all in heaven. But in the meantime, gracious heavenly Father I just pray over my family here at the Daily Audio Bible family. I pray over Brian. I pray over the new year. I pray over Father Your Holy Spirit to go to every ear that hears this and to let this ministry expand to find more ears. And Father let this year be a year of healing and redemption and growth for Your great body of Christ through this ministry. And let all hear this message on a daily basis…
Hello, I’m not sure whether the first recording I did was sent. This is my first time, so I’m just trying things. My name Zinab Genno. I’m sending this message from London. Actually, I came to know about this Daily Audio Bible through Alan Parr. I was watching one of his videos on YouTube. So, I went along and I downloaded the app and this is my first time. I’ve never really read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. I was a Muslim converted to Christianity. So, I will really need your support and I’m hoping to go through this journey with all of you as a community and I’m…yeah…I just need you’re lifting up. I just need your support. I…I came from predominantly Muslim background. So, I would do with some support and prayer just for strength in my faith and be able to…to fellowship with you guys and…and…I will be…I really really appreciate if I get some prayers and just encouragement from you…from all of you for this journey that I am embarking on this year. So, I’m hoping to spend the rest of this 2021 getting to know you and getting to know God more, coming closer to God. So, I look forward to this. I’m excited. You know, I’m both the Chronological and the Daily Audio Bible. Thank you.
Hello, everyone I’m, Selah from Canada and I just wanted to say that I appreciated two messages from first-time callers. So, I appreciate all the messages but two especially today really just hit my heart and I wanted to say I am praying for both of you. One is the young lady from Arizona and the other is the Cross Carrier from the Bay Area. I want you to know that I’m…I’m going to carry both of you in my heart as we go forward. I’m praying for you. Thank you for opening up the way you did. Your vulnerability is beautiful. I love it when people are real, and I think it gives others the opportunity to be real as well. So, thank you. I appreciate you. And Brian I appreciate you and your ministry very much. I’m a first-time caller but I have listened through the Daily Audio Bible before and this is my desire this year as well. So, thanks again. Love to all of you from Selah.
Hi folks this is James from the UK and just wanted to say a really happy new year to all the DABbers. I know that’s a little late, but it is so nice to be able to share with you and to be part of this community. Massive massive encouragement. I started listening now back in…we were living in Switzerland back in 2009, 2010. So, it’s been a long journey and it’s just so great to start another year and listen to people getting so excited about the Daily Audio Bible. And I just wanted to…I just wanted to pray for the long term listener for Arizona. She left a request for support and encouragement. She was tearful and I just felt I just want to pray. Lord, will you bless her, will you bless in a way this year that makes her feel your strength, your love, and your support around her, that she would know that you are there to take the burdens, that your yoke is light, and she’s yoked with you. I just pray that she would really experience your peace and she experience Holy Spirit you revealing yourself through helping her to solve and move through some of the challenges that she faces right now. In Your name, in Your holy name Jesus. Amen.
Hi, my name is Renzo from Maryland. I just want to pray for the one girl in Arizona on the other line. Father God I just pray that her faith is just…becomes stronger and for her to get closer to You every day and just thank You for bringing us here thank You for the Daily Audio Bible and thank You for them having encouragement every day and just thank You for the platform Jesus that You provide. Just please help that girl to just get closer to God and have faith in You. And we all fall short. We all fall down. __ for her faith to become strong in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. God bless you guys. Thank you for your ministry.