It is intriguing to read through Jesus' work as depicted in Matthew 9 and 10. Mind you, this book was written by a tax collector, perhaps someone with a like-mindedness as an accounting. Things need to be neat and thorough. So, I'm sure that the words chosen were done so with care. Did Jesus heal these people because He was on a rampage, His mission, or was it really through faith. What if Jesus encountered someone who had just too little faith. Did He pass them by? Or were these people just lucky, being in the right place at the right time while Jesus was making a point? Each account is brief, almost like Matthew was keeping a blog. Why did he ask the blind men not to tell of His miracle? Surely, people already knew of His power. And were people really believing or did they go to Jesus for selfish reasons?

As He commissioned His disciples, there are some interesting points: He did not send them to the Gentiles but focused the efforts on the Israelites; He instructed them not to carry "baggage", but that things will be provided; be as shrewd (clever discerning awareness and hardheaded acumen) as snakes and as innocent as doves

Wow! It's been awhile since I last blogged. Appropriately, it mirrors my Bible reading, for which I am very far behind. I know that it's not suppose to be in spurts, but it should be spread out in manageable, chewable chunks. After all, how healthy is it to eat a buffet meal once a week?

In my bid to catch up, Genesis 46-50 reads as a nice ending to Joseph's story and most of the exciting events in Genesis. Interesting that Joseph died as a glorified Egyptian, fulfilling his vocational purpose in a foreign land that he had adopted. Yet, he still maintained his roots by asking to be finally buried in the land of his ancestors. He did not outlive his brothers, though he was living a life of splendor. Perhaps too much indulgence shaves years off your life?

It doesn't seem like Psalm 21 was written just before Psalm 22. 21 is very optimistic; I envision David feeling rather confident, knowing that God is shielding him from all attacks. He seems almost overly confident as he speaks of God's fury on his enemies. But then 22 starts with the famous line that Jesus quotes while grasping for his final breath: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?". Interesting to read through 21 to 22 and see the 180 that David does. Ironically, I relate more to 22 even though I yearn to be in the situation of 21. Cool how in 22 you can read it as if it was Jesus describing the scene at Golgotha e.g. casting of lots for his clothing. 23 is the famous Psalm which is quite descriptive.

Not losing sight that the purpose of this exercise is NOT to just finish reading a book, but to gleam as much of God's speaking as I can, I will stop here. Fairly tired, but I do feel refreshed that I have picked this up again.