Day 1: Gen 1:1 - 3:24

Today I read the beginning of the Bible as I have many times before. But I am determined to get farther than the first few books of the Bible, or even the first few chapters of Genesis. I am determined to finish reading the entire Bible by this time next year! While I'm reading through the Bible over the next year, I've decided to do something a little different - I'm going to post my Daily Bible Journal at http://ryansbiblejournal.blogspot.com and on my facebook page. If other people end up reading it and if it helps change one small part of anyone's life over the next year, then I've accomplished something. But even if I'm the only one who ever sees it, I'm mainly doing this because I've been asking God for an opportunity for me to get closer to Him and for a way that I can be a little more accountable for spending time with Him. I would ask that if you do begin reading this blog, that you continue to come back and see if God is speaking to you in any way, shape, or form, and if it's been a day or two and I haven't posted anything, shoot me an email or send me a comment reminding me about it. And to take it one step further, if you haven't been in the Word lately, take note of the Scripture references in the title and begin your own Bible regimen so we can get into the Word together. Thank you so much for reading this and I know that God will show you something if you'll just be willing to open your heart.

It’s interesting how the devil will often times insert a tiny bit of truth into any lie that he sends our way: “(4)The serpent told the Woman, “You won’t die. (5)God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you’ll see what’s really going on. You’ll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil.” In fact, in this case, he was absolutely right – if they ate from the Tree of Life, that wouldn’t ever die, and if they ate from the Tree-of-the-Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil, then they would be able to see all things ranging from good to evil – much like God does. The trick was in his presentation; “Smoke this and it’ll totally make you loose control,” Dude, we should just go and get so drunk that we can’t help but puke all over ourselves tomorrow!” “Come on, let’s go to that club, I hear the girls will practically take their clothes off for free!” These are all examples of things that should repulse a believer, but, even as bad and tasteless as they sound, can end up being a stumbling block if the believer is in the wrong place at the wrong time spending time with the wrong people.

I would also like to quickly acknowledge something I’ve heard and known for years, but it’s still definitely worth re-visiting: by an act of disobedience of one man, we were all given a curse, yet by an act of obedience of another man, we have received salvation from that curse. Adam sinned and pretty much screwed it all up for the rest of us, but it’s amazing to see that even as God was issuing the curse to the first man and woman, the wheels were already turning and He was already thinking about how he would reverse what had been done. It’s even a little poetic to think about how it happened: Adam ate something, an act that essentially keeps one alive, and man was sentenced to death. Jesus was hung on a cross and beaten to an unrecognizable hunk of meat, an act that would undoubtedly end ones life, and man was given the opportunity to live a life free from the curse and live in eternity with our Lord and Savior.

-Dear God, thank you so much for sending Your Son to die for our sins and restore what man had so recklessly broken. Thank you for seeing through what had happened to what will happen if we will stay faithful to you. Help me to stay in the right places and be near the right people so that I don’t fall for the tricks that the devil will try to throw at me, and help me to keep your Word, and not my opinions, on my tongue at all times.-

This concludes my first entry. Most of them will probably not be nearly this long. I don’t work today and I really don’t have much to do, so I’ve had plenty of time to type this out.