DAY 1: Re-Establishing The Norm
Matthew 1-3
Welcome to July’s REDIN30 reading cycle! To some of you, this is your first time. To others—welcome back.
This month’s reading cycle carries the theme: Reestablishing the Norm. What do I mean by that? Well, Jesus came to reestablish what the normal, or the normalcy, of being a child of God really is.
Many things in the system have made us run after other things and call those the normal. But in actuality, Jesus is reestablishing what it means to be one with God—what it means to have God’s nature, to carry His will on the inside of us.
As we read this month, I want us to get away from seeing certain things as extraordinary, or out of the ordinary, or “extra”. Instead, I want us to start seeing them as the way things should actually be—the normalcy of what God has already planned.
Today’s Reading: Matthew 1-3
Reestablishing Within Us the Art and Character of Humility
Today’s reading is Matthew chapters 1 through 3. And even here, we can see the reestablishment of the norm happening already. There’s a phrase in chapter 1 that says: “She was with child of the Holy Ghost.” In other words, this is the actual place we come from. To give a little background: In the beginning, God breathed. That’s how man started. God breathed into man, and man became a living soul. Therefore, man’s life—the very essence of who we are—starts with the breath of God.
For those who may not know, the word “spirit” in Greek actually means breath or wind. We are reestablishing where our true nature comes from: the Holy Ghost. (We also call Him the Holy Spirit—the Holy Breath.)
Then, in chapter 3, you see Jesus getting baptized by John the Baptist. Normal reverence—or at least the way we’ve learned reverence—would be something like: “Oh, He’s the Christ! He’s the One we’ve been waiting for! He should baptize me!”And John even says it: “I need to be baptized by you.” But Jesus replies, “Nope. Let it be like it’s supposed to be—because it’s written to be that way.” Here, He is reestablishing within us the art and character of humility—knowing that even though He was the Messiah, even though He was the One chosen to come, He still humbled Himself and was baptized. Not because He had to, but because it was written! Because that was God’s way of doing it.
So, let this journey reframe what you see as “normal” in life and help you return to what God originally designed.
Enjoy today’s reading. There are a few ways you can get the reading done: listen below via our YouTube video, open up the Bible App of your choice, or simply turn to the pages in your physical Bible.
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