We are on day 16 of blogging through the Bible using the Murray M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Genesis 17

Years later,while Abram is still awaiting the promise, The Lord comes to him again and this time changed his name from Abram “Exalted Father” to Abraham “Father of many” and again increases the promise. As a sign of the covenant that God is making with him, every Israelite must be circumcised.
Sarah is famous for laughing at Gods promised but here Abraham does to v17. The son that wil be born will be called Isaac.

Abraham is obedient and circumcises himself and his family. Do you trust God and obey what he has said?

Nehemiah 6

The scheming an opposition continue. Nehemiah will not give in. We will never surrender! He prays “Now strengthen my hands” – if you feel like giving in or giving up , why not try that prayer first?!

The people complete the vision in 52 days and the enemies lost their self-confidence, because they realised it had been done with God’s help.

Our goals in life and church need to be measurable but also so big, it has to be God working in and through us!

Matthew 16

The Jews wanted a sign, but Jesus won’t give them one. Except the sign of Jonah – who was three days in the fish. The sign of Jonah is resurrection of Christ. I believe we need more signs and wonders, but they won’t always convince. At the end of the day working out whether the sign of Jonah, the resurrection, happened is the clincher. Christianity stands or falls on the resurrection.

Peer gets revelation that Jesus is the Christ (the anointed Messiah everyone has been waiting for) and the Son of God, which is amazing! Then typically for Peter , pre Pentecost he makes a fool of himself by not wanting Jesus to die – he hasn’t understood what kind of Messiah God had sent. Peter is looking for a political Messiah who will save Israel from Roman rule, not yet grasping that Jesus is the Messiah who will save people from their sins.

Acts 16

Paul grabs the young man Timothy, who will be such a helper to him on his way through Lystra.
The Spirit guides them where to go – closing one door and bringing revelation to open another to Macedonia.

At Philippi they plant a church after meeting Lydia at the expected place of prayer. Where do enquirers hang out? Go find them there!

Paul and Silas get in tourble when they set a fortune-telling girl free of the demonic gifting. Horsocopes, fortune telling and the like are demonic counterfeits of God’s spiritual gift of prophecy. Setting her free has financial implications for the slave oweners who have them beaten and imprisoned.

Here is another account of angelic rescue – that results in the jailer and his household getting saved.