April 6 - I Chronicles 1-4
Every time I read a genealogy, it reminds me that each person is important to God. He does not forget anyone. The second thing that I think about is my life. What would God say about me, if my name was included in one of these genealogies? Would it simply say my name like many of these, or would there be an extra description of my faithfulness or sinfulness? There are several in this list who are noted for their sin. What a way to be remembered in the pages of the Bible! Some are remembered for their faithful actions. That would be wonderful. However, each of us will stand before God, and He will tell us in person what He thinks of how we lived our lives. That is what we should remember, and we should live accordingly.
If you are able to read slowly and thoughtfully, you will read some names you know, and your mind can recall that person. In other cases you can learn about new people. Nimrod was a mighty man. Peleg lived when the land (the continents) were divided. The kings of Edom came before the kings of Israel, so maybe they were the ones the people were longing to copy by having a king. Er was wicked, so God killed him. He was the opposite of Enoch. Achar was the troubler of Israel. If you stop and think about people you have known, you probably have known people who could be described in these ways. This makes it a lot more personal.
In chapter four we read about Jabez and his simple prayer. I do believe it is a significant prayer, because it is in the Bible and because God answered it. I would commend it to you for meditation. Take each of the four parts of the prayer and consider what it means. Then, pattern some of your praying after what you learn. Like the Lord's prayer in the New Testament, I don't think we need to pray it word for word each time, but I do believe the meaning is important. When we find a Biblical prayer, we must realize God thought enough of it to inspire someone to write it down for us. That means God listened to that prayer in a special way or for a particular reason. We should want to know that reason and apply it to our prayers. We should make it very personal and not just say a prayer because it is in the Bible. That is one way to grow in our prayer lives.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Chronicles 5-8.
If you are able to read slowly and thoughtfully, you will read some names you know, and your mind can recall that person. In other cases you can learn about new people. Nimrod was a mighty man. Peleg lived when the land (the continents) were divided. The kings of Edom came before the kings of Israel, so maybe they were the ones the people were longing to copy by having a king. Er was wicked, so God killed him. He was the opposite of Enoch. Achar was the troubler of Israel. If you stop and think about people you have known, you probably have known people who could be described in these ways. This makes it a lot more personal.
In chapter four we read about Jabez and his simple prayer. I do believe it is a significant prayer, because it is in the Bible and because God answered it. I would commend it to you for meditation. Take each of the four parts of the prayer and consider what it means. Then, pattern some of your praying after what you learn. Like the Lord's prayer in the New Testament, I don't think we need to pray it word for word each time, but I do believe the meaning is important. When we find a Biblical prayer, we must realize God thought enough of it to inspire someone to write it down for us. That means God listened to that prayer in a special way or for a particular reason. We should want to know that reason and apply it to our prayers. We should make it very personal and not just say a prayer because it is in the Bible. That is one way to grow in our prayer lives.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Chronicles 5-8.