📖 There is only one creation account

I. The book of Daniel contains some of the most well-known Bible stories. For example, in Daniel 6 we read the story where Daniel was thrown into a lion’s den because he kept praying to God, which was a direct violation of an edict given by the king.

We can read that story and think, “Daniel was so courageous.” And sure, his decision to keep praying to the one true God was courageous.

But I wonder if Daniel would have described it that way.

I don’t think Daniel was thinking he was being brave by continuing to pray to God. I think he was just doing what he always did, praying, walking with the Lord, and obeying God because he loved Him.

In the same way, we may think we need more courage in our faith. But maybe what we really need is more consistency. Regular rhythms. Daily obedience. A steady walk with Jesus.

Then when hard moments come, we’re not choosing the “courageous” option. We’re just choosing to do the right thing because we love God, and it’s not hard for us to make the God-honoring decision.

So if you want more courage, don’t focus on trying to be more courageous. Focus on walking with Jesus, and courage will follow.

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II. In Matthew 6:5, Jesus says, “Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward.”

This means that prayer is not a performance. We shouldn’t pray before others with the hope of trying to impress them.

At the same time, we shouldn’t avoid praying in front of others because we worry we will sound dumb. That is also treating prayer like a performance.

Don’t be afraid to pray in group settings. It is okay if you don’t use the best words because we aren’t praying for the approval of others.

We pray to connect with the living God.

Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 are not two contradictory creation stories as some like the claim. They are two complementary accounts describing the same creation from different perspectives.

What is actually happening?

Genesis 1:1–2:3 gives the big picture.
• Six days of creation
• Clear structure and order
• The entire universe in view
• God is shown as the powerful Creator over everything

It is panoramic.

Genesis 2:4–25 does not restart creation.
It zooms in on Day 6.

• The creation of Adam and Eve
• The Garden of Eden
• The relationship between man, woman, and God

It is more personal and relational.

Genesis 1 shows us the full landscape. Genesis 2 brings us closer to see the details. It is not a contradiction. It is a closer look.

“Jesus” was one of the most common Jewish names in the first century. It is the Greek form of “Joshua,” meaning “The Lord saves.”

There are even other men named Jesus in the New Testament:

• Jesus Barabbas — In some early manuscripts of Matthew 27:16–17, Barabbas is called “Jesus Barabbas.”
• Jesus called Justus — Colossians 4:11
• Joshua (son of Nun) — In Hebrews 4:8, the name translated “Joshua” is the same Greek name used for Jesus.

What made Jesus of Nazareth unique was not his name, but who he truly was.

The Art of Asking Better Questions by J.R. Briggs

A book about the importance of questions, how to ask them, and how to get better at it.

This book was a mixed bag for me. It did a good job demonstrating the importance of good questions, what they do for people, and even the questions we see God ask throughout the Bible.

At the same time, a lot of it kind of felt like fluff. It wasn't bad stuff, but much of it was not all that helpful either.

Especially because the title of the book implies it will help you become a better question asker, but in the end, the book did not really do that.

Yes, it talked about the importance of asking questions and why you should do it, but there wasn't much that was practically helpful.

There is an appendix at the end with a list of questions, but many of them were simply self-reflection questions.

So the book was ok, but to me, it did not fulfill its title. It wasn't a long book to begin with, and in some ways it felt like extra words were added simply to make it into book-length.

5.5/10

P.S. Rivalries never die…