It's Tuesday and time for today's notes!!!!! Are you ready?
The Packers win the Super Bowl!!! Sock It To Me!! The United States no longer on the gold standard..... Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated in Memphis..... Richard Nixon elected President...... Elvis is back!!!! A Yellow Submarine is launched. All in one year....1968.
In 1968, the British Invasion was seen to be in its waning moments. The Rolling Stones, Herman's Hermits, Petula Clark, The Dave Clark Five and, of course, The Beatles had been topping the American music charts for over 5 years and American musical tastes were beginning to change as they so often do. Sensing this shift, the Beatles, who were under a three-movie contract with United Artists, decided to explore a different way of celebrating their music. Featuring a host of Beatles songs and under the production/direction of George Dunning, The Yellow Submarine was launched.
I will never forget the first time I saw this film. In the early 1970's it was broadcast on television as a Saturday matinee. I saw it one afternoon while spending time with my Aunt Carolyn. I was totally mesmerized as the Blue Meanies were eradicating the music of the people of Pepperland. I didn't get most of the jokes, but the animation was like nothing I had seen from Bugs or Scooby. I later learned that Psychedelic was the term most applied by adults while my initial reaction was that it was so weird it was cool. I was somewhat familiar with the music that appeared on the soundtrack as my mother was a closet American Bandstand watcher. The Yellow Submarine soundtrack wound up being a collection of songs by The Beatles. There was one song from Yellow Submarine that for some reason stuck with me... "Nowhere Man".
Having previously peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, "Nowhere Man" was prominently featured in The Yellow Submarine as the Beatles encountered Jeremy Hillary Boob, Ph. D., an eccentric being who quickly discovers that all of the knowledge that he had procured was nothing unless you have others in which to share it. A compassionate Ringo agrees to allow Jeremy to accompany the band in an effort to help the boys from Liverpool defeat the Blue Meanies, which they eventually do with "All You Need Is Love" providing the musical backdrop.
While
not a psychedelic adventure under the water in a submarine, many people
engage in an annual excursion of reading the entire Bible in a year.
This is
an exercise that takes discipline and effort. But the rewards are
incredible as you read the miraculous stories of the Bible. Tuesday's
Musical Notes highly encourages you to make the effort, find the
translation or paraphrase that you like and jump in with both feet as
you read the histories, poetry, tragedies, and victories that are
cataloged in the book that is the most revered by Christians all over
the world. Most smartphones feature free Bible apps with a myriad of
reading plans and other options for an annual outing with God's Word.
And you will probably read passages that you recognize from favorite
songs. Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Turn, Turn, Turn"
As you read its 66 books, 1189 chapters, and 31,273 verses it is sure that you will come to the conclusion that this is a book that could have only been assembled by God. It is the best selling book in the world and oddly enough the most stolen as Bibles placed in hotel rooms by Gideons International and other services usually go missing, and some Bibles, due to the expense of their cover treatment, are targets for shoplifters.
I am currently reading through the Bible in a year. This year's preferred translation is the English Standard Version. The reading plan I have chosen is a chronological one that is easily accessed through an app on my smartphone, provided by YouVersion. As you take on this challenge yourself, you may find that some books wind up being tedious reading, but if you make the effort, there are insights to be gained, actions to be applied, and examples to be followed. One such book that is difficult for most modern readers is the Book of Job...who in some ways could be considered... the original Nowhere Man.
In most Bibles, you find the book of Job with the poetic literature of Psalms, Proverbs, and Solomon's Song. Historically, however, most scholars believe that the story of Job would have occurred sometime in the period of the patriarchs (Abraham, Issac, Jacob, etc). There was an Eliphaz that was a son of Esau as well as one of Job's friends. A grandson of Esau was Teman. Eliphaz, again Job's friend, is also described as a Temanite. Some scholars conclude that the story of Job happened in the land of Edom, while the Israelites were in Egypt. While all of this is personally fascinating, I don't think this is necessarily what we are to get from Job.
I am not a theologian, but I think that Job is a book that we can all relate to in some way. Chances are, you know someone who is in a season of despair in their life through no fault of their own, or maybe you have been there yourself. That "Nowhere Man" feeling is just about to get the best of you when the Spirit of the Living God reminds you that you are God's precious creation and are of incredible value. This impression is not given to you by any friend or relation, but by daily working out your salvation as the scripture says in Philipians 2:12-18 English Standard Version of the Bible/King James Version of the Bible/The Message Paraphrase of the Bible parallel.
My strongest relationships are with people in which I invest the most time and effort. In recent years, I have discovered that my salvation is something that I have to invest time and effort into on a daily basis. It is not based on what I do to develop the relationship, but what He has already done to establish our relationship. It is very difficult to have a growing relationship with someone with whom you spend no time. I think this is the way that Job was able to sustain the attacks of Satan and eventually be restored for his faithfulness. He had a growing relationship with God that was evident.
My strongest relationships are with people in which I invest the most time and effort. In recent years, I have discovered that my salvation is something that I have to invest time and effort into on a daily basis. It is not based on what I do to develop the relationship, but what He has already done to establish our relationship. It is very difficult to have a growing relationship with someone with whom you spend no time. I think this is the way that Job was able to sustain the attacks of Satan and eventually be restored for his faithfulness. He had a growing relationship with God that was evident.
So friend, how is your relationship with Jesus? Have you intentionally spent time in His Word and communicated with Him through His Spirit today? As we read through the Bible together, let me challenge you to be consistent with how you work out your relationship with Jesus. While I certainly don't get the blue ribbon in applying Philipians 2:12-18, I do have a few things that might work for you. If I can help please let me know. Most importantly, as adopted children of God, there should never be a time where we feel that we are "a real Nowhere Man....sitting in his Nowhereland".
'Til Tuesday....
Serving HIM by serving You,
randy
Serving HIM by serving You,
randy
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