New reading plan...

I finished the reading plan of Characters..., Bible survey... and Biblegateway.com has one more chronological reading plan, listing all the major events in chronological order... of course story such as Job, where we're not sure when it took place is skipped in this plan... Anyway, after this plan, I guess I'll just start reading the Bible from beginning til end, unless I find some other more interesting plans! ;)

Today's first reading was of course about Adam and Eve. This story alone is kinda like a mini-bible. It talked about how God created everything... it talked about how when humanity screws up, we tend to first cover up ourselves and blame others for the messes. It's also interesting how Adam and Eve went into hiding when God comes over... I guess fear of the LORD is indeed the beginning of wisdom? ;) And interestingly that in the beginning, it was God who made the animal "sacrifice" to cloth Adam and Eve with garment of skin. God really is doing 'everything', including cleaning up the messes!

This is the same basic formula thru out the Bible. Although time, location, characters may change, but the same formula is applicable thru out the Bible. Will humanity ever change?

Probably not.

As Pastor Jim said on sunday, we'll probably continue to:

1) worry about things, just as Eve worried about humanity not being wise enough... so she has to eat that fruit of knowledge!!!

2) doubt God. Surely we won't die by eating that?

3) regret... well, actually Adam and Eve probably had no regrets before the fall, but of course they probably regretted afterwards. But Pastor Jim was speaking mainly about us not doing anything... and then regret our inaction afterwards. He was saying it's better to live with a failure, than to live with regret..., but in A&E's case, I'm sure Pastor Jim was talking about avoiding regret by trying to do godly things, instead of try doing serpently things! ;) Nobody ever regret, 'oh shoot, I wish I had tried drugs... I wish I were divorced... I wish I had that affair...

4) focus on the wrong things. We put so much of our attention on the minor stuffs and we forget about the major stuffs. This is a problem for us since the beginning. Why were A&E focusing on that particular tree? If they really want knowledge, why can't they ask God for it?

So our worries, doubts, regrets, and wrong focuses will likely distract us away from God. This is why most of the bible stories continues on with the same formula. This is why things don't ever change.

Is it really all that easy to stop worrying, doubting, regretting, or majoring on the minor things?

Of course not. This is where we need help from God. We cannot climb back into our mommy's wombs to be born again, but we can only be born again by God. If God doesn't transform us, then there's absolutely nothing we can do. But of course first thing's first..., do we really want to undergo such transformation? That decision is left to us...

Interestingly pastor Jim also offered another alternative..., that is we act out our faith. We become actors!!! Yes, we are all pretty good hypocrites anyway, so turn yourself into a hypocrite! When you feel bad, act like you feel good! When you hate your wife, act like you love her! When you doubt God, act like you believe in Him. Basically to try to reverse your thinking. Learn to doubt your doubts! ;)

Of course this kind of wishful thinking won't really work in the end if God doesn't exist. But in all honesty, what benefit would it get you to act out your bad mood? To actually hate your spouse? To actually not believe in God and His Word?

May God help us all experience His grace and peace that's beyond understanding. Transform our old wineskins to be born again into new ones so that new wine can be poured in us...., so that we don't have to repeat the same old pathetic stories...