3rd Messianic Checkpoint Today

 

For those who started the Bible in a Year on January 1, today is a bonus day.  The leaders of the study I've been following for 258 days, Fr. Mike Schmitz and Jeff Cavins, come together at various times throughout the daily podcasts for what's known as Messianic checkpoints, to help followers like me understand important transitions.  As one who struggles with deadlines, I wasn't sure I could handle a massive undertaking like going through the entire Bible in 365 days.  I'm happy to report that I'm just above 70% complete and on track to complete this goal by the end of the year. 

If you're reading this and saying to yourself, "No way, Jose, I can't do this,"  consider how you're using your time now.  What is it that you're now doing that is more important than getting closer to your Creator?  I'm not trying to lay a guilt trip on you, but I want you to consider if the way you're spending your time might be considered a false god.  Yep.  False god.  Maybe you never looked at your current activities as false gods.  I say it this way because God cautions us not to place false gods ahead of him.  These daily podcasts I listen to  average about 20 minutes a day excluding Messianic checkpoints which add another twenty minutes to the podcast.  If you're saying no to 20 minutes a day in the Bible, you're telling God everything else you're doing is more important. 

I said no for 61.5 years until I decided on New Years Day to eliminate the false gods in my life, like cable TV.  It sounds strange but cutting out just a half hour of TV a day gives you more than enough time to immerse yourself in the Bible and complete it cover to cover.  I prefer listening to the Bible on a podcast because it sinks in at a deeper level.  My daily sessions include commentary by the narrator to help me understand what's going on and how it relates to my life.

There may be one hidden objection to what I'm writing about today.  It's the elephant in the room.  You may be thinking, hey Michael, if my congregation from (fill in the blank of the name of your flock) found out I was listening to someone outside of our denomination I might be ostracized.  That's the primary reason I keep my flavor of worship out of these blogs because I don't want to divide my readers who may have concerns about my specific house of worship.  Just try visiting Arrowhead stadium wearing a Chargers jersey and you'll know what I'm talking about.  You can either be a rebel in your group and follow the same study I'm doing or you can miss out on a couple of amazing people who are giving their time to help others get closer to God.  I say, "Be a rebel.  Jump in."  Click here to get started.  Today is a great day to rearrange your priorities.  Have a great day.