Magnify... and Listen...

Psalm 28 to 34

Episode 153 on the Read and Rant Podcast

Today, we read Psalms 28 to 34 being reminded that we ought to magnify the Lord and to invite others to as well. But how do we magnify Him? First, by acknowledging Him in a personal way. Declare He is “my God, my Fortress, my Redeemer, my Strongtower, my Salvation, …” By acknowledging Him personally we magnify Him in our lives. When we do that we open our heart to hear the powerful, yet still, small voice of God.

In the land of the living...

Psalm 23 to 27

Episode 153 on the Read and Rant Podcast

Today, we read Psalms 23 to 27. Psalms 27, David reminds us to never lose hope! That we should believe that we will see the goodness of God IN the land of the living. No matter how far we are in life, we can still experience His goodness in THIS life! He teaches us to anticipate what God is doing. That is, when we anticipate our strength in being renewed. We don’t need to wait on a glimmer of hope to be hopeful. We just need to wait on the Lord.

Remember...

Psalm 19 to 22

Episode 152 on the Read and Rant Podcast

Today, we read Psalms 19 to 22. There’s so much to talk about in this reading! But, if we could hold on to one thing today, it’s “remember His name.” Some of us have been hurt by leaders in the faith. And many of us have left the churches we knew. In many instances, it’s necessary. But unfortunately, some have lost faith in Jesus because of it. Could it be because our hope was in the institution and the leaders and not in Jesus? Could we have attached our faith to a person or organization and not the Way, the Truth, and the Life? I invite you to revisit your experience and to discover who Jesus truly is.

What are we waiting for?

Psalm 13 to 18

Episode 151 on the Read and Rant Podcast

Today we read Psalms 13 to 18. Over and over again the Lord reveals to us in His word how much He loves us! He DELIGHTS in us! As Psalm 18:19 tells us, He delivers us because He delighted in us. So before we were delivered, He delighted in us. So let this be a reminder to you today, that God loves you and delights in you NOW. He loved while you were a sinner and died for you. So make that your thought today, that God DELIGHTS IN YOU.

Pour In... Pour Out...

Psalm 6 to 12

Episode 150 on the Read and Rant Podcast

Today we read Psalms 6 to 12. I can’t help but be reminded that God, who is the creator of the universe, is MINDFUL of us… Of us! What confidence we can find in that knowing that no matter what we’re going through God has us in mind. And that even when we know how wretched our thoughts are and how inclined we are to do what He hates, He knows and He’s still mindful of us! God loves you and in mindful of you. Let’s soak in that today.

Release the Mixtape

Psalm 1 to 5

Episode 149 on the Read and Rant Podcast

Today we started the book of Psalms! I'd like to think of Psalms as a compilation of mixtapes, 5 books comprised of multiples "songs". What I love about Psalms is that it is theological rich but because it is written in song it is emotionally deep. It reminds us that when we read the word, we shouldn't simply know the word with our minds but to be transformed by the word with our heart.

Victory IN Suffering

Job 40 to 42

Episode 149 on the Read and Rant Podcast

We did it today! We finished reading the book of Job! Of the many things we talk about this morning, this one thing stands above them all. We win IN OUR SUFFERING. Of course, most of us don’t naturally think this way but think of Jesus. He won on the cross. He suffered and before breathing his last breathe He said it is finished; BEFORE the resurrection! We don’t need to wait for our breakthrough to know that we have won. Job didn’t because in his suffering he saw God. Let us win in our suffering. Let us see God in our suffering.

Knowing About God vs. Knowing God

Job 32 to 39

Episode 147 on the Read and Rant Podcast

Today in our Read & Rant, we read Job 32 to 39. The verse that pops out is 36:26 when Elihu says that “God is great, and we do not know Him.” This comes from Elihu’s rebuttal to Job about considering himself to be righteous. Elihu accuses him of being without wisdom for saying such a thing. Elihu exposes everything he knows about God (and it’s all true!) but unfortunately, he admits that he doesn’t know God. Many of us have studied a lot about God but to find righteousness in Him, we need to know Him.

Lose It All & Gain Everything

Job 25 to 31

Episode 147 on the Read and Rant Podcast

Today in our Read & Rant, we read Job 25 to 31 being reminded that suffering brings wisdom. Sometimes you have to lose it all to discover who you really are. Because the heart is tempted to define you by your wealth, success, and relationship. Often when you are stripped of these things, you can truly discover who you are in the eyes of God.

Refining...

Job 20 to 24

Episode 145 on the Read and Rant Podcast

Today in our Read & Rant, we read Job 20 to 24. Job 23:10 pops out at us. Like Job, we are often left trying to figure out why we’re suffering and often we’re left with no answer. But we can have to confidence to know that our suffering refines us so that God’s face can shine through us.

Distractions & Prescriptions

Job 15 to 19

Episode 144 on the Read and Rant Podcast

Today in our Read & Rant, we read Job 15 to 19 discovering how Job in the midst of his suffering went back and forth with God and his friends. It’s a visceral reminder to us that we can often be so distracted explaining or defending ourselves to our friends and family that we are distracted from what God is revealing to us in the midst of our pain. By God’s grace though, Job ends his time with the hope beyond the suffering about a Redeemer who lives that he will one day see. Don’t let defending yourself to your friends distract you from what God is doing in your life. Let us not lose hope in our suffering let us keep our focus on Jesus.

I'm Frustrated, but I Trust You!

Job 10 to 14

Episode 143 on the Read and Rant Podcast

Today we read Job 10 to 14 where we see Job’s third friend, Zophar, implore him to repent. Just like the first two friends, they believed Job was going through all of this because he sinned against God! Job starts by defending himself but then quickly moves to a discourse about who God is rather that what He is going through. That’s the wisdom that we in Christ have through our bouts of suffering. Suffering gives us a wisdom not only about life but about God! It should remind of the reality that wisdom comes at a cost. If you show me a wise person, I’ll show you someone who’s been through it! But Job also reveals to us that even though he knew who God was in his mind, he was still given the freedom to come to God with how he feels. Job isn’t in conflict. He knows who God is but he also knows how he feels. So today, if you’re going through it. It’s safe to come to God with how you feel, no matter how dark and hopeless it may seem. But come to God with the confidence of what you know about who He is!

Pain is an Invitation

Job 5 to 9

Episode 142 on the Read and Rant Podcast

Today we read Job 5 to 9 to find that pain has a way of inviting us to the presence of God. Pain has a way of isolating us because only we can feel our pain individually. And yet, Christ knows our suffering and invites us to take fellowship in His suffering. Job reminds us today that next time we’re in pain, let’s take it is an invitation to pray and seek the presence of God, not just to understand why but to just know Him.

Part of the Process

Job 1 to 4

Episode 141 on the Read and Rant Podcast

It was great to be back today, after almost two weeks of recovery! We started the book of Job. What our reading today exposed is the tendency for us to equate pain with punishment and pleasure with reward. But in this reading Job is a righteous man but he is enduring almost every category of pain imaginable. His wise friend Eliphaz thinks as most of us do when He said “...who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright ever cut off?” (Job‬ ‭4:7) Often we go through pain, not because of what we’ve done but because it is part of the process.

The Switch Up

Esther 5 to 10

Episode 140 on the Read and Rant Podcast

Today we read the remainder of the book of Esther and can’t help but notice that even though God isn’t mentioned in any part of this text that we can see how God is moving through every part of this text. The book is replete with examples of unlikely occurrences and unlikely promotions and demotions. Our walk with God is a series of divine “coincidences". Nothing happens by happenstance with God. Yet it’s through these improbabilities that we see how God moves; that even though we may not see Him explicitly, He is always moving.

If I Perish, I Perish

Esther 1 to 4

Episode 139 on the Read and Rant Podcast

Today we read the remainder of the book of Esther and can’t help but notice that even though God isn’t mentioned in any part of this text that we can see how God is moving through every part of this text. The book is replete with examples of unlikely occurrences and unlikely promotions and demotions. Yet it’s through these improbabilities that we see how God moves; that even though we may not see Him explicitly, He is always moving.

The Law Doesn't Work

Nehemiah 5 to 8

Episode 138 on the Read and Rant Podcast

Today, we conclude our reading of the book of Nehemiah. Things seemed to be going well!! The temple was rebuilt, the wall was restored, and the people covenanted with God again to submit to the Law. By every measure, Nehemiah should feel that he brought the children of Israel back on the right path. But after spending some time with King Artaxerxes, he returns to find the people deviated again from God, profaning the temple and the Law. The book closes with the words, “Remember me, O my God, for good.” What Nehemiah didn’t realize that we now know is that the Law doesn’t work to transform people. We need to seek a transformation of heart that can only come from Jesus.

Read It and Weep?

Nehemiah 5 to 8

Episode 137 on the Read and Rant Podcast

Our attention is brought to Nehemiah 8 today in our reading. At this point, the walls have been rebuilt and the homes are being restored. Nehemiah governs and Ezra stands before the gathering of the people to read the law of Moses to the people. The people respond in worship. Afterward the Levites are delegated to teach the word be they exhort them concerning one thing; even though the generations before them wept when they read the law, they’re told to read it with joy. It’s interesting how two people can read the same word and receive two different responses on the opposite of the spectrum. And yet it happens here in this text! For many of us, we have read the Bible with conviction and condemnation but never with joy. One reason is because some of us have experienced pain and abuse from the Bible. Another reason is because many of us have only read it in part and have not read the entire thing! But when we read it in full, we can’t help but respond in joy! That’s why we do the Read and Rant, so that we all can experience the ENTIRE thing and find joy, hope, and love in it; the heart of God.

Walls Up

Nehemiah 1 to 4

Our reading today exposes the challenge that we all face. Nehemiah has been commissioned to build Jerusalem’s walls but what precedes the rebuilding project is the restoration efforts of the community to restore the buildings. Before building the wall, the city was under repair. This speaks to the conviction that one must seek internal restoration before establishing external fortification. Before repairing our image to others we must seek Jesus to repair our hearts.

Mass Divorce

Ezra 7 to 10

Today, we wrestled with the anticlimactic end of the book of Ezra. Granted, Ezra is just the first half of a book (Nehemiah is the second half). Regardless, the ending is quite bothersome. It begins with Ezra, who was sent by Artaxerxes, leading another round of Israelites back to Jerusalem. He was highly regarded as a Torah scholar and had a priestly pedigree (descendant of Aaron). Knowing the Torah as well as he did, he observed that exiled men returned and married the locals, pagans, who we aren’t exactly sure about who they were and where they were from but we know that they were pagan. Ezra saw this as an egregious sin against the Torah equating the locals to Canaanites and calling for repentance and divorce. All this at first glance is troublesome because this is how the book ends. And yet we know that God hates divorce. How can this happen? While we may not have all the answers, we are certain of this, marriage is important to God, and God takes who we marry seriously. Marriage is about the glory of Christ not a function of our preferences. Marriage is a symbol pointing to God’s relationship with his people and, by consequence, with humanity. And so if we see divorce, let it be a reminder of the fracture that humanity has with God, the need that we have for God to bring us all to restoration, and the hope that there is a marriage to come the will consummate humanity back to God through Christ.