40 days of Reading the Bible by a Clueless, Wandering, Wannabe Christian

13 March, Day 28: John 5:1-16 'Be the change you want to see in the world', said a famous person or a bumper sticker. Very few of us have the spirit or conviction to end up doing something radical and world-changing. As members of society/community, we are usually want to carry on with our little lives and are largely reluctant to want to be the first to speak out against anything. Well, now with the internet, everyone has a voice and an opinion, of course, on the most mundane and useless things on the planet. But, the majority of that is just empty noise, and canhardly qualify as revolutionary!! But, Jesus (and remember the times he lived in) was quite a rebel in this regard. And he had to have the qualities of one, to make a statement, to speak out against the status quo and change things. Today's verse from John 5:1-16 says: Jesus said to the invalid,“Rise, take up your mat, and walk.”  Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked. Thought...

12 March, Day 27: St. John 4: 43-54 It's very much part of human nature to want to see 'proof' before we believe anything. We tend to want to use fact and reasoning to shape our views of the world, and this is one of the ways we process information. However, there are things beyond human understanding that just cannot be proven - such as miracles, or faith. This is one of the reasons why so many dodgy 'spiritual people' exist and thrive. Because they tap into people's desire for the unknown. And this forces many of us to turn skeptics when it comes to God and spirituality. Today's verse is from John 4:43-54 : “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” Thoughts:  When Jesus travels from Judea to Gaililee, an official of the King come to him and begs him to heal his dying son. Jesus speaks the above words in response but declares to the Official that his son would live. Even before the Official reached hom...