Leviticus 6:1-7:27, Mark 3:7-30, Psalm 37:1-11, Proverbs 10:3-4

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Old Testament - In Leviticus 6:13, the LORD said to Moses "The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out." That makes me think that our passion for the Word of God is like a fire - it must be kept burning in our heart continuously. We must not let it go out. Let these passages stoke your fire!

New Testament - Wow! Here is one of the greatest promises that Jesus makes. Mark 3:28 "I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them." He does go on to say, however, "But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin." Don't ever blaspheme against the Holy Spirit, because that is a sin that will condemn to death.

Another great part of today's reading is Jesus appointing His 12 apostles. Here they are:

1. Simon, who He called Peter
2. Andrew, brother of Simon
3. James, son of Zebedee
4. John, brother of James. He called them Sons of Thunder
5. Philip
6. Bartholomew
7. Matthew, the tax collector
8. Thomas
9. James, son of Alphaeus
10. Thaddaeus (a.k.a Judas, son of James in Luke's gospel)
11. Simon the Zealot
12. Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. (After Jesus' resurrection and ascension into heaven, Matthias, another of Jesus' followers was chosen for the twelveth leadership position among the apostles. See Acts 1:12-26)

Psalms - What a beautiful psalm this is. Listen to the wonderful blessings to those who commit themselves to the Lord: Psalm 37:4-6 "Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun."

Proverbs - Proverbs 10:4 makes me reflect on procrastination. I mentioned in my very first post on this blog that I had made several short lived efforts over the years to read the One Year Bible diligently. But I got lazy. I didn't stick with it. As a result, I became poor. I don't mean poor in monetary terms, but poor in spirit. One of the factors that is different this time around is the motivation that I have received from all of your blogs. You inspired me to create my own, and to journal my thoughts as I go on this journey with all of you. Now as a result, I feel like I am gaining great wealth. And that's a wealth that is worth much more than gold!