When I was a Freshman in college, reading my Bible definitely wasn't a priority for me. Actually, it was somewhere near the bottom of my list of things to do. I felt like a serious loser when my roommate Phillip pulled out his Bible and started reading one night before we went to sleep. He politely asked me if I was going to read my Bible and I said, "No, I left it out in my car." What he said next made me feel about an inch tall . . . "Is that the excuse you're going to tell Jesus?"
I believe that it is critical for our youth group to start reading the Bible together because it will bring us closer together and closer to God. I have chosen the Gospel of Matthew as our starting place because it tells us about the birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Every week I will post some verses to read along with some questions to get us started thinking. Please comment about your reactions to what you read or any questions you may have. Then, when we meet for youth group on Sundays we will use the week's blog conversation as a springboard for our devotional.
READ: Matthew 1:1-17
To access these verses just click the link below:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%201;&version=31;
THINK: There are four women other than Mary listed in Jesus' genealogy. This is interesting because the gospel of Matthew was written in a very male-dominated society where women did not have many rights. In other words, they believed the woman's place was in the kitchen. Investigate who these women were and think about why Matthew would have included these women in Jesus' family tree. Hint: What do they have in common?
- Tamar (Genesis 38:11-30)
- Rahab (Joshua 2:1-24, 6:22-25)
- Ruth (Book of Ruth)
- Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11, 12:24)
