Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Hebrews 8-10
So many glorious verses in this section of scripture today! Wonderful stuff high above man's thinking.
I really liked the following verse:
"If the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,
how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God,cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"
"How much more...." oh, indeed! It's a verse that pounds you with the severity and the significance of what Christ has done for our sin.
However, I was intrigued more by the verses in Chapter 9 (16 +17) that spoke of the death requirement for covenants. So I went to John Mac Arthur's Commentary for Hebrews.
"A testament, by it's very nature, requires the death of the testator. Covenant, or testament, is from the Greek diatheke, the basic meaning of which corresponds closely to that of our present-day will. A will does not take effect until the one who made it dies. Until that time, its benefits and provisions are only promises, and necessarily future. The point being made in verses 16-17 is simple and obvious. (really John MacArthur? LOL. Well, maybe when you're John Mac Arthur!!!:)
It's relevance tot he Old Covenant, however, was anything but obvious to the Jews being addressed here, so the writer briefly explains how it applies. Building on verse 15, he is saying that God gave a legacy, an eternal inheritance, to Israel in the form of a covenant, a will. As with any will, it was only a type of promissory note until the provider of the will died. At this point, no mention is made of who the testator is or of how Christ fills that role in life and death." (Okay, now I'm catching on better.......Am I Jewish???)
My confusion was in how the covenants were therefore valid in the OT when they were not made with the blood of the testator. So, here he explains to me that once again, the rituals are symbolic of things to come. Completion in the future is shadowed. In order for them to be forgiven there had to be blood (and yes, like any good Lewis fan, I was having "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe" flashbacks) but the real true will and testament of God had not really been made yet.
This brings me to the next segment that was intriguing to me:
"But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year." Heb 10:3
I've thought of the sacrifices as rituals of forgiveness, and I've thought of them as symbolic of Christ work to come, but I had now thought of them as reminders of sin. I mean, really, how can you forget that you sin!!? I know I can't usually. Yet, then, I remember that the Holy Spirit, given to me, had not been sent out then! These people in the OT times needed a real, bleeding reminder that they were sinners and needed a savior! Through Christ's finished work, I have this reminder all the time. John Mac Arthur states:
"Even the covering of the sin was temporary. It lasted only until the next sin. It was a burdensome, disappointing system."
I am, like them, reminded of my sin. Yet unlike them, I am consoled by hope in forgiveness. The people of Israel needed to be reminded but once they remembered they had to also realize that their sin was not cured, it was just cleared each and ever time through sacrifice.
"Suppose you get sick and the doctor gives you a prescription. You get it filled and start taking the medicine. If it works, every time you look at the bottle you are happy and are reminded that you are cured, that the sickness is gone. But if it does not work, every time you look at the bottle it reminds you that the medicine is ineffective and that you are still sick. It may sometimes give relief from the symptoms, but it does nothing to cure the disease. A person who must take a medicine to stay alive cannot be said to be cured.
The Old sacrifices and ceremonies had somewhat this same effect on Israel. Instead of removing her sins, they only gave temporary relief and were a constant reminder that her sins were still there. Another year, another lamb, another sacrifice- and the sins were still there. The sacrifices kept reminding the people that they were sinful, and that they were at the mercy of God and could not enter into His presence. Far from erasing sin, the Tabernacle and temple sacrifices only served to call attention to it."
Well, you might say, I still sin! The significant difference is found in Chapter 10 ironically also verse 16-17:
I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART,
AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM,"
He then says,
17"AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS
I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE."
Through Christ, God sees our sin no more! We are cured! The Holy Spirit testifies to this! Even as he works to convict us of our sin so that we may live for the Glory of God more and more and be conformed to the image of the Son, our status is clear despite our sanctification process. We are justified! The people of Israel were not.
I have to say, it's good to be on this end of the will, the Covenant, the Testament of God's redemptive plan!
Tomorrow's passage: Heb 11-12:29
Showing posts with label Mrs.Oz (Alicia)'s Posts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mrs.Oz (Alicia)'s Posts. Show all posts
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Sunday Guest Post by Alicia
Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Acts 27
Sermon by John Mark Wiemann on Acts 27
Paul advised the men not to rush into this voyage. They did not heed his advice but started out anyway.
It's amazing how God uses times in our lives when we don't do the wise thing and yet on the other end of our mistake he has a great growth lesson for us.
I have a close friend who just had this happen to her. Her husband made a decision to be untruthful on some application information. The benefit in his mind was a better chance at getting what they wanted. It backfired and his untruth was discovered by the provider. She had no idea this had happened till he told her after words. He is the type who is tough to tell what to do or even respond humbly when things go wrong for him. Yet, God softened his heart and led her to talk to him about trusting God and his sovereignty instead of rushing, sinning, or pushing to get what they need. She would never have had that opportunity had this not happened. He is a baby Christian so this was a huge growth time for him.
As I read acts 27 I started to see the ship itself as a symbol of faith. Paul says that the men are not to get off of it and try to save themselves. Sometimes in moments of fret we are tempted to work to make something happen. We think the opportunity will pass us up and we won't have a chance again. The ship of faith so to speak is staying in the hand of God and trusting his promise to provide and safely carry us to the end. The trials and storms may rage around us, we may feel tempted to save ourselves, we may even regret decisions that got us to the place we are but the ship of faith in God requires one thing and that is to stay on board.
We may even look around us and see the boards falling off, the sails ripping, and the provisions floating away from us. The ship of faith is not held together by what we see, but by the power of the promises of God.
Hebrews 11:1
For faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen.
is Tomorrow's passage:
Acts 281-31; Ephesians 1-2:22
Sermon by John Mark Wiemann on Acts 27
Paul advised the men not to rush into this voyage. They did not heed his advice but started out anyway.
It's amazing how God uses times in our lives when we don't do the wise thing and yet on the other end of our mistake he has a great growth lesson for us.
I have a close friend who just had this happen to her. Her husband made a decision to be untruthful on some application information. The benefit in his mind was a better chance at getting what they wanted. It backfired and his untruth was discovered by the provider. She had no idea this had happened till he told her after words. He is the type who is tough to tell what to do or even respond humbly when things go wrong for him. Yet, God softened his heart and led her to talk to him about trusting God and his sovereignty instead of rushing, sinning, or pushing to get what they need. She would never have had that opportunity had this not happened. He is a baby Christian so this was a huge growth time for him.
As I read acts 27 I started to see the ship itself as a symbol of faith. Paul says that the men are not to get off of it and try to save themselves. Sometimes in moments of fret we are tempted to work to make something happen. We think the opportunity will pass us up and we won't have a chance again. The ship of faith so to speak is staying in the hand of God and trusting his promise to provide and safely carry us to the end. The trials and storms may rage around us, we may feel tempted to save ourselves, we may even regret decisions that got us to the place we are but the ship of faith in God requires one thing and that is to stay on board.
We may even look around us and see the boards falling off, the sails ripping, and the provisions floating away from us. The ship of faith is not held together by what we see, but by the power of the promises of God.
Hebrews 11:1
For faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen.
is Tomorrow's passage:
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Sunday Guest Post by Alicia
Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is here
I found it odd that out of all these passages I came back to the very first verse. I think the reason why was because the Lord convicted me this morning to do one thing toward my daughter (13 on Christmas day) this week. Edify, Edify, Edify. Not really just encourage, thought that is in there, but to build up with godly example and teaching and love shown and spoken.
At this age, it's so easy to say this line over and over to my eldest "act your age" or "you're old enough to know better!". Yet this verse convicted me to remember that I am older and stronger in my faith, life experience and even human development than she is. I should not be expecting her to just take on Christian character by default.
John Mac Arthur says about this verse:
"As with the principles of receiving one another with understanding and building up one another without offending, responsibility for pleasing one another falls on all believers but especially those who are strong. Consequently, they ought to bear the weakness of those without strength."
This really hit me. I need to be willing to bear more.
"Therefore, to bear the weakness of fellow believers is not simply to tolerate those weaknesses but to help carry them- by not being critical or condescending and by showing respect for sincere views or practices that we may not agree with. It is to "do nothing from selfish or empty conceit, but with humility of mind...(to) regard one another as more important than" ourselves, not merely looking "out for (our) own personal. interests, but also for the interests of others" (Phill 2:3-4)
Someday my daughter will sit (Lord willing) at my table as my mom and I did last night after a bowl of turkey soup, and talk about the world through maturity and perspective she does not have right now. Tiny petty things are huge to her right now, and spiritual things are still very much a mystery. She is weak, and I have to bear, or carry, her weakness with patience instead of expecting her to leap in her journey so I can have the prideful satisfaction of having her "get it" now.
Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves.
I heard this as parent, as that was what the Lord had for me in it this time, but this is meant to apply to the body of believers as well. It also applies in the area of Christian liberties as Paul later states in 1 Cor 9 that he may be free to do this or that, but he will consider the weakness of those others around him before taking part in that freedom or passing on it.
It can also apply just in the way as it did with my daughter, that I need to bear some weaknesses in my sisters on certain things. The interesting thought about this is that someone is probably bearing me as well.:)
Tomorrow's passage:
2 Corinthians 2:5-6:13
I found it odd that out of all these passages I came back to the very first verse. I think the reason why was because the Lord convicted me this morning to do one thing toward my daughter (13 on Christmas day) this week. Edify, Edify, Edify. Not really just encourage, thought that is in there, but to build up with godly example and teaching and love shown and spoken.
At this age, it's so easy to say this line over and over to my eldest "act your age" or "you're old enough to know better!". Yet this verse convicted me to remember that I am older and stronger in my faith, life experience and even human development than she is. I should not be expecting her to just take on Christian character by default.
John Mac Arthur says about this verse:
"As with the principles of receiving one another with understanding and building up one another without offending, responsibility for pleasing one another falls on all believers but especially those who are strong. Consequently, they ought to bear the weakness of those without strength."
This really hit me. I need to be willing to bear more.
"Therefore, to bear the weakness of fellow believers is not simply to tolerate those weaknesses but to help carry them- by not being critical or condescending and by showing respect for sincere views or practices that we may not agree with. It is to "do nothing from selfish or empty conceit, but with humility of mind...(to) regard one another as more important than" ourselves, not merely looking "out for (our) own personal. interests, but also for the interests of others" (Phill 2:3-4)
Someday my daughter will sit (Lord willing) at my table as my mom and I did last night after a bowl of turkey soup, and talk about the world through maturity and perspective she does not have right now. Tiny petty things are huge to her right now, and spiritual things are still very much a mystery. She is weak, and I have to bear, or carry, her weakness with patience instead of expecting her to leap in her journey so I can have the prideful satisfaction of having her "get it" now.
Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves.
I heard this as parent, as that was what the Lord had for me in it this time, but this is meant to apply to the body of believers as well. It also applies in the area of Christian liberties as Paul later states in 1 Cor 9 that he may be free to do this or that, but he will consider the weakness of those others around him before taking part in that freedom or passing on it.
It can also apply just in the way as it did with my daughter, that I need to bear some weaknesses in my sisters on certain things. The interesting thought about this is that someone is probably bearing me as well.:)
Tomorrow's passage:
2 Corinthians 2:5-6:13
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Sunday's Guest Post By Aicia
Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan 1 Cor. 11:2-13:13
I came to this blog to do my post today with a bit of a grudge. Today has been a rough day for my ongoing struggle with hormone difficulties. I've really struggled to finish this reading program (this is no reflection on the wonderful ladies here whom I've really enjoyed in every way) and do do my weekly post. For some reason, blogging has become quite a chore for me instead of the hobby I use to love. It's just where my life is right now.
So, I clicked on the reading and of course God decided to bless me. He gave me the passage that is very special to me. I'm thankful he chose to remind me of his past intimate direction.
Like a child who goes through both physical and mental growth spurts, my spiritual walk has been one of varying intensity. The last year, and especially the last six months I've felt spiritually numb. I know whom I have believed, I know what is true, and I know what I need to obey and persevere with but I have not felt intimate delight with my savior. The world has been overwhelming to me the last few months, my load as a mom of a developing woman (who turns 13 on Christmas day), and the practical struggles of human life have smudged out my passion. I know it's still there, deep down, like a true love I have for my husband but it's not ridding on the surface with infatuated expulsions. That's okay, I don't fret about it and know it's a life phase, but I'm not enjoying it.
So, going back to this passage took me back to a time of intense growth in my life. God started taking me through this exactly one year after my dad passed with cancer. Through Randy Alcorn and my dad's death, God had pushed my heart into a never before comprehended understanding of my God and his plan for our lives, now he was about to rip open my understanding of the law and who I was in him. He was breaking me out of trapped thinking into the freedom of intimacy with Him and His perfect will for me.
I've had few times in my life when God has spoken nearly audibly to me to turn to a certain passage but as I sat in my car one afternoon waiting for my husband and children to come out of a store he did just that. I was praying and he led me to 1 Cor 12:19. When I read it, I started crying intensely because it was so obviously the answer to what my heart was dealing with.
If you wish, please to to...
this post
to read the testimony of this passage in my life. I hope it's easy enough to jump in to know what was going on. If not, go here for the complete set of links. To preface this exactly though, I was in a place in my life where I was falling into Christian uniformity where all Christians should do this and look like this. Yet, God was calling me out of what I thought my mold should be and on this day he was using the above passage to say to me "my body is many parts, how ridiculous if it all looked like one part, and how disfunctional it would be for my glory!". Anyway....read if you can, if not just move on:)
I realize this is an non-conventional way to do this post and I hope that's okay. I think testimony is one of the best ways to see God's glory in our lives, so, what more can I say that what I posted on this all ready.
is Tomorrow's passage:1 Corinthians 14-15:58
I came to this blog to do my post today with a bit of a grudge. Today has been a rough day for my ongoing struggle with hormone difficulties. I've really struggled to finish this reading program (this is no reflection on the wonderful ladies here whom I've really enjoyed in every way) and do do my weekly post. For some reason, blogging has become quite a chore for me instead of the hobby I use to love. It's just where my life is right now.
So, I clicked on the reading and of course God decided to bless me. He gave me the passage that is very special to me. I'm thankful he chose to remind me of his past intimate direction.
Like a child who goes through both physical and mental growth spurts, my spiritual walk has been one of varying intensity. The last year, and especially the last six months I've felt spiritually numb. I know whom I have believed, I know what is true, and I know what I need to obey and persevere with but I have not felt intimate delight with my savior. The world has been overwhelming to me the last few months, my load as a mom of a developing woman (who turns 13 on Christmas day), and the practical struggles of human life have smudged out my passion. I know it's still there, deep down, like a true love I have for my husband but it's not ridding on the surface with infatuated expulsions. That's okay, I don't fret about it and know it's a life phase, but I'm not enjoying it.
So, going back to this passage took me back to a time of intense growth in my life. God started taking me through this exactly one year after my dad passed with cancer. Through Randy Alcorn and my dad's death, God had pushed my heart into a never before comprehended understanding of my God and his plan for our lives, now he was about to rip open my understanding of the law and who I was in him. He was breaking me out of trapped thinking into the freedom of intimacy with Him and His perfect will for me.
I've had few times in my life when God has spoken nearly audibly to me to turn to a certain passage but as I sat in my car one afternoon waiting for my husband and children to come out of a store he did just that. I was praying and he led me to 1 Cor 12:19. When I read it, I started crying intensely because it was so obviously the answer to what my heart was dealing with.
If you wish, please to to...
this post
to read the testimony of this passage in my life. I hope it's easy enough to jump in to know what was going on. If not, go here for the complete set of links. To preface this exactly though, I was in a place in my life where I was falling into Christian uniformity where all Christians should do this and look like this. Yet, God was calling me out of what I thought my mold should be and on this day he was using the above passage to say to me "my body is many parts, how ridiculous if it all looked like one part, and how disfunctional it would be for my glory!". Anyway....read if you can, if not just move on:)
I realize this is an non-conventional way to do this post and I hope that's okay. I think testimony is one of the best ways to see God's glory in our lives, so, what more can I say that what I posted on this all ready.
is Tomorrow's passage:1 Corinthians 14-15:58
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Sunday Guest Post By Alicia
Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is
GALATIONS 3:24-6:18 ACTS 15:1-21
The Balance of Truth
"So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law."
Could there be a better chapter in the bible on the practicality of living out the Christian life than we have in Galations 5? Our big struggle as believers is to figure out what these ideas of "freedom" and "live by the Spirit", and "law" really look like in our lives. More than that, to find the balance when definitions and lines are not always crystal clear. The reason they are not is because we are given the freedom to enjoy many things that can become idols in our lives or flesh feeding distractions.
In our thinking we usually separate flesh and law as two different avenues we can slide down in our walk. They are actually the same. Under Christ and the New Covenant, the law can actually feed the flesh. What do I mean by that? Well, it's quite simple really. We can feed our flesh by focusing on what we do or don't do as Christians and how that makes us more or less pious. Many Christians living this way look down on others feeding their flesh in other ways: "She spends too much money on her appearance", "they allow their kids to listen to secular music", and so on. When in actuality, they are feeding their own flesh with pride producing works. They are finding their salvation in their law abiding.
Then, on the other hand, we have the free spirited Christian. Their struggle is usually in letting things that are free to be enjoyed become determining factors in their happiness rather than Christ. They are encouraged to serve others, just the antidote to their tendency to serve themselves with too much indulgence. It's interesting that vs. 19 sums up aspects of both ends of feeding the flesh.
It's the age old comic strip of Christianity called "Calvin and Arminius" (as apposed to the more light hearted Hobbs :) The delicate debate of faith vs. works. Personally, I think both sides have a great deal of truthful perspective to give to each other.
Still, the dividing lines are the problem and men tend to lean toward prideful division with a side order of "my way is best". Paul has a strong admonishment for the church in this: "If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other."
The key is in the above verse. This is one I'm committing to memory the past few months. Unfortunately I've had some pretty intense experiences with the law side of Christianity. I have an extremist personality so when I was around these Christians I became like Paul's description of them. Thankfully some tough things happened to open my eyes to the wrong of this distraction for Christ. Yet, now I struggle with the other side of it. So, this verse covers the whole solution. You are free from the law, but not free to indulge your flesh and grieve the Spirit.
So, how to deal with fellowship with other brother's and sisters who we feel are leaning one way or the other? Well, first I think is to take the log out of our own eye, and then pray these very words for them. "Lord, help them, and help me, to be led by your Spirit. Convict us of your will and ways and let truth set the scales of balance straight in our lives. Not so that I can think I'm right, or that they can feel right, but that you may be glorified in both our lives. Give me grace for them when I feel frustrated with their decisions and convict me to fellowship with them despite our differences so that we have unity. May I not participate in biting and dividing whether spoken, or unspoken. Let nothing distract from your glory and your kingdom purposes."
Tomorrow's reading is:Acts 15:22-17:15
GALATIONS 3:24-6:18 ACTS 15:1-21
The Balance of Truth
"So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law."
Could there be a better chapter in the bible on the practicality of living out the Christian life than we have in Galations 5? Our big struggle as believers is to figure out what these ideas of "freedom" and "live by the Spirit", and "law" really look like in our lives. More than that, to find the balance when definitions and lines are not always crystal clear. The reason they are not is because we are given the freedom to enjoy many things that can become idols in our lives or flesh feeding distractions.
In our thinking we usually separate flesh and law as two different avenues we can slide down in our walk. They are actually the same. Under Christ and the New Covenant, the law can actually feed the flesh. What do I mean by that? Well, it's quite simple really. We can feed our flesh by focusing on what we do or don't do as Christians and how that makes us more or less pious. Many Christians living this way look down on others feeding their flesh in other ways: "She spends too much money on her appearance", "they allow their kids to listen to secular music", and so on. When in actuality, they are feeding their own flesh with pride producing works. They are finding their salvation in their law abiding.
Then, on the other hand, we have the free spirited Christian. Their struggle is usually in letting things that are free to be enjoyed become determining factors in their happiness rather than Christ. They are encouraged to serve others, just the antidote to their tendency to serve themselves with too much indulgence. It's interesting that vs. 19 sums up aspects of both ends of feeding the flesh.
It's the age old comic strip of Christianity called "Calvin and Arminius" (as apposed to the more light hearted Hobbs :) The delicate debate of faith vs. works. Personally, I think both sides have a great deal of truthful perspective to give to each other.
Still, the dividing lines are the problem and men tend to lean toward prideful division with a side order of "my way is best". Paul has a strong admonishment for the church in this: "If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other."
The key is in the above verse. This is one I'm committing to memory the past few months. Unfortunately I've had some pretty intense experiences with the law side of Christianity. I have an extremist personality so when I was around these Christians I became like Paul's description of them. Thankfully some tough things happened to open my eyes to the wrong of this distraction for Christ. Yet, now I struggle with the other side of it. So, this verse covers the whole solution. You are free from the law, but not free to indulge your flesh and grieve the Spirit.
So, how to deal with fellowship with other brother's and sisters who we feel are leaning one way or the other? Well, first I think is to take the log out of our own eye, and then pray these very words for them. "Lord, help them, and help me, to be led by your Spirit. Convict us of your will and ways and let truth set the scales of balance straight in our lives. Not so that I can think I'm right, or that they can feel right, but that you may be glorified in both our lives. Give me grace for them when I feel frustrated with their decisions and convict me to fellowship with them despite our differences so that we have unity. May I not participate in biting and dividing whether spoken, or unspoken. Let nothing distract from your glory and your kingdom purposes."
Tomorrow's reading is:Acts 15:22-17:15
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Guest Post By Alicia for Sunday
Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is: Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1-2
These passages are some of my favorite in scripture. I love the book of Acts. I am very blessed to be in a church with a pastor passionate about expository preaching. He took years to go through the book of Acts, so forgive me if I reference him a great deal. He was blessed to be taught at The Master's Seminary under the leadership of John MacArthur. The book of acts amazes me because it's the empowerment of the Spirit of Jesus in the ordinary men to accomplish extraordinary events for God's kingdom.
For today's passages his sermon's include:
Mission Possible Acts 1:1-3
Empowered For Ministry Acts 1:4-5
Final Instructions Acts 1:6-14
Credible Christianity Acts 1:15-16
Pentecost Acts 2:1-13
The First Sermon Acts 2:14-41
For further sermons on Acts from Pastor John Marc go here.
There are so many momentous occasions in these passages! The choosing of the disciple to replace Judas, the coming of the promised helper, the first sermon of the spreading of the gospel! Wow.
Just a little note on the choosing of Matthais. This is the last time that lots are cast. Once the Holy Spirit came, there would be no more need for this kind of decision making. We would have the personal, intimate spirit of Jesus to guide us through prayer, council among brothers and sisters, and conviction. I just think it's noteworthy and obvious in timing as the next chapter changes this method forever in the church.
Another great reference for the New Testament books, and especially for Acts, are the John MacArthur commentaries. I highly recommend the reading there to really open up the passages fully.
I will focus on the Pentecost as it is my favorite part of this segment due to the amazing providence of God's timing.
We know that timing and festivals are important to God, numbers and patterns as well. I love when parts of God's personality come out in these events so we can learn who He is more intimately. What is important to Him? How organized he is:)
These passages are some of my favorite in scripture. I love the book of Acts. I am very blessed to be in a church with a pastor passionate about expository preaching. He took years to go through the book of Acts, so forgive me if I reference him a great deal. He was blessed to be taught at The Master's Seminary under the leadership of John MacArthur. The book of acts amazes me because it's the empowerment of the Spirit of Jesus in the ordinary men to accomplish extraordinary events for God's kingdom.
For today's passages his sermon's include:
Mission Possible Acts 1:1-3
Empowered For Ministry Acts 1:4-5
Final Instructions Acts 1:6-14
Credible Christianity Acts 1:15-16
Pentecost Acts 2:1-13
The First Sermon Acts 2:14-41
For further sermons on Acts from Pastor John Marc go here.
There are so many momentous occasions in these passages! The choosing of the disciple to replace Judas, the coming of the promised helper, the first sermon of the spreading of the gospel! Wow.
Just a little note on the choosing of Matthais. This is the last time that lots are cast. Once the Holy Spirit came, there would be no more need for this kind of decision making. We would have the personal, intimate spirit of Jesus to guide us through prayer, council among brothers and sisters, and conviction. I just think it's noteworthy and obvious in timing as the next chapter changes this method forever in the church.
Another great reference for the New Testament books, and especially for Acts, are the John MacArthur commentaries. I highly recommend the reading there to really open up the passages fully.
I will focus on the Pentecost as it is my favorite part of this segment due to the amazing providence of God's timing.
We know that timing and festivals are important to God, numbers and patterns as well. I love when parts of God's personality come out in these events so we can learn who He is more intimately. What is important to Him? How organized he is:)
Pentecost took place 50 days from the Passover. The Passover Lamb was ultimately sacrificed for us in our sins and 50 days later, just as in Old Testament tradition, the Feast of Weeks (Ex 34:22-23) took place and this time it brought forth the first fruits of the church. The day after Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread took place which was to celebrate an offering of the first fruits of the grain harvest. Notice the Unleavened bread, the sinless sacrifice as yeast represented the sin that effected the bread. This was celebrated on the first Sunday after Passover. Jesus was raised from the dead on Resurrection Sunday after the Passover. He was the very first fruit of the sacrifice.
Now, at Pentecost we have the disciples and believers in the upper room and they become the first fruits of the harvest through the Holy Spirit's dissension.I consider the above fascinating fact set number one. :)
Second is that the Jews from all over were gathered there to hear the spirit move and be drawn to what was going on at this location. Only this huge Jewish tradition would bring these men to Jerusalem and those that came would indeed be the devout. They were astonished to hear men speaking to them in their own languages (for indeed the tongues were real languages and not muttered gibberish but that is for another post and another person to do:). What they were hearing were the praises of God Almighty in traditional scripture they were accustomed to. The Spirit uses this preface to let the Jews gathered know that these men are worshipers of the same one true God, that God is there in their midst making Himself known by sounding wind and miraculous occurrences, and that something important is starting. They would return like messanger birds to their lands with news of this new gospel.The Spirit sets the stage for the first sermon ever from Peter to the Jews first as the gospel was to come "to the Jews first and also to the Greeks." Peter's sermon is fascinating too but I had to choose what to comment on or I'd write a novel here:) There is so much great stuff in these passages because they are one of the most momentous moments in the history of the Church.
Tomorrow's passage: Acts 3-5:42Sunday, October 31, 2010
Sunday Guest Post By Alicia
Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is John 15:18-17:26
Reflections:
YOU....of all people...YOU.
YOU, the precious Son of the Most High, pray....
FOR ME?
Not only do you give up all to humble yourself,
and wear the very fabrics of human life.
Not only do you gently speak words of healing and truth,
And help our simple minds understand your vast wisdom.
Not only do you make yourself an example in baptismal profession,
and eat the bread at the table of man.
Not only to you take the cup and drink it's awful dregs of suffering and pain.
Not only do you bear the awful punishment my soul would be condemned for,
And draw me to yourself continually in intimate love.
YOU....
PRAY FOR ME.
Like a tenderhearted husband, you pray for me.
Selflessly and full of compassion you bring me before the Father.
Knowing the fragile state of my spiritual mind,
And the power of your Father to enable.
Not for my glory do you pray, but for His.
Yet, for the joy also of my spirit being with yours, for this also do you pray.
Wanting to keep me close and guided...
YOU PRAY.
For your church, your bride, you love, do you pray.
For each part of it in unique purpose and place.
Like a husband who loves all of his wife from head to toe,
You hold precious the body of your bride.
You know what will keep her together and unified,
For this YOU PRAY.
FOR ME.
I could ask for friend or family, for sister or brother to pray,
as I should.
Yet, to know always that my great mediator stands...
BEAUTIFUL...
Glowing with glory and grace,
TO PRAY continually,
FOR ME.
How can my heart ever feel you don't care?
How can my soul now doubt?
How can I forget and feel alone?
For YOU PRAY,
CONTINUALLY,
FOR ME.
THANK YOU.....FOREVER.
Tomorrow's passage:
John 18:1-2; Mark 14:32-42; Matthew 26:36-46; Luke 22:39-46; Mark 14:43-52; Matthew 26:47-56; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:3-24
Reflections:
YOU....of all people...YOU.
YOU, the precious Son of the Most High, pray....
FOR ME?
Not only do you give up all to humble yourself,
and wear the very fabrics of human life.
Not only do you gently speak words of healing and truth,
And help our simple minds understand your vast wisdom.
Not only do you make yourself an example in baptismal profession,
and eat the bread at the table of man.
Not only to you take the cup and drink it's awful dregs of suffering and pain.
Not only do you bear the awful punishment my soul would be condemned for,
And draw me to yourself continually in intimate love.
YOU....
PRAY FOR ME.
Like a tenderhearted husband, you pray for me.
Selflessly and full of compassion you bring me before the Father.
Knowing the fragile state of my spiritual mind,
And the power of your Father to enable.
Not for my glory do you pray, but for His.
Yet, for the joy also of my spirit being with yours, for this also do you pray.
Wanting to keep me close and guided...
YOU PRAY.
For your church, your bride, you love, do you pray.
For each part of it in unique purpose and place.
Like a husband who loves all of his wife from head to toe,
You hold precious the body of your bride.
You know what will keep her together and unified,
For this YOU PRAY.
FOR ME.
I could ask for friend or family, for sister or brother to pray,
as I should.
Yet, to know always that my great mediator stands...
BEAUTIFUL...
Glowing with glory and grace,
TO PRAY continually,
FOR ME.
How can my heart ever feel you don't care?
How can my soul now doubt?
How can I forget and feel alone?
For YOU PRAY,
CONTINUALLY,
FOR ME.
THANK YOU.....FOREVER.
Tomorrow's passage:
John 18:1-2; Mark 14:32-42; Matthew 26:36-46; Luke 22:39-46; Mark 14:43-52; Matthew 26:47-56; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:3-24
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Guest Post By Alicia
Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is
John 6:22-71; Mark 7:1-23; Matthew 15:1-20
Forgive me if this is brief, I've had a small flu bug since last night.
I loved Jesus talking about being the bread of life. It brought me back to my post last Sunday about the Lord's prayer and made me rethink what that means. "Give us this day, our daily bread." I usually think that means that he provide what we need to survive. Yet, he is our daily bread! Daily I need to partake of what he has provided. That was convicting to me.
It's true that the stark word images he discusses before may of the disciples leave him, are quite odd. Perhaps they thought they had come across some weirdo with gory ideas. Of course, as Jesus himself says, these things are not made understandable to men until God the Father makes them so.
Then, the rest of the passages deal with the importance of a clean heart over outward "clean" living. I find this very interesting. It is still so easy for Christians to focus on outward ritual rather than inward need of cleansing. The fact is, inside any great looking Christian exterior is a liar, a thief, an adulterer, a murderer and so on! No matter how we dress ourselves up with spirituality, we are the same dirty rags inside. Just like the previous teaching of the bread for our life, so the unclean heart can only have one cure, the work of Christ.
How quickly we want to pull out our Godly checklists and feel the satisfaction of making off our spiritual completion. We forget our true need which is not for covering, but for cleansing. We forget him, we don't believe. We believe instead that our checklist is helping us. We believe that working for our physical food will satisfy. We forget that we are not just flesh but spirit. Trying to perfect and provide for the flesh while leaving the spirit starving and filthy is our mistake. Jesus is trying to teach us to make us hunger for intimacy from him and cleansing from his work alone.
Tomorrow's passage:
Mark 7:24-30; Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:31-37; Matthew 15:29-31; Mark 8:1-10; Matthew 15:32-16:4; Mark 8:11-21; Matthew 16:5-12
Prayer Request: If you don't mind, I'd like to ask for prayer that I'd get back to doing my daily reading. Many times I have to catch up but it's been hard for me the past few weeks to have time with the Lord. I really need to get my priority back in place. I'd appreciate prayer for that and I hope it's okay that I post this on my post.
John 6:22-71; Mark 7:1-23; Matthew 15:1-20
Forgive me if this is brief, I've had a small flu bug since last night.
I loved Jesus talking about being the bread of life. It brought me back to my post last Sunday about the Lord's prayer and made me rethink what that means. "Give us this day, our daily bread." I usually think that means that he provide what we need to survive. Yet, he is our daily bread! Daily I need to partake of what he has provided. That was convicting to me.
It's true that the stark word images he discusses before may of the disciples leave him, are quite odd. Perhaps they thought they had come across some weirdo with gory ideas. Of course, as Jesus himself says, these things are not made understandable to men until God the Father makes them so.
Then, the rest of the passages deal with the importance of a clean heart over outward "clean" living. I find this very interesting. It is still so easy for Christians to focus on outward ritual rather than inward need of cleansing. The fact is, inside any great looking Christian exterior is a liar, a thief, an adulterer, a murderer and so on! No matter how we dress ourselves up with spirituality, we are the same dirty rags inside. Just like the previous teaching of the bread for our life, so the unclean heart can only have one cure, the work of Christ.
How quickly we want to pull out our Godly checklists and feel the satisfaction of making off our spiritual completion. We forget our true need which is not for covering, but for cleansing. We forget him, we don't believe. We believe instead that our checklist is helping us. We believe that working for our physical food will satisfy. We forget that we are not just flesh but spirit. Trying to perfect and provide for the flesh while leaving the spirit starving and filthy is our mistake. Jesus is trying to teach us to make us hunger for intimacy from him and cleansing from his work alone.
Tomorrow's passage:
Mark 7:24-30; Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:31-37; Matthew 15:29-31; Mark 8:1-10; Matthew 15:32-16:4; Mark 8:11-21; Matthew 16:5-12
Prayer Request: If you don't mind, I'd like to ask for prayer that I'd get back to doing my daily reading. Many times I have to catch up but it's been hard for me the past few weeks to have time with the Lord. I really need to get my priority back in place. I'd appreciate prayer for that and I hope it's okay that I post this on my post.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
October 3rd - Alicia
Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Matthew 6:5-7:6; Luke 6:37-42; Matthew 7:7-20; Luke 6:43-45; Matthew 7:21-29; Luke 6:46-49 (New American Standard Bible)
Scripture:"And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words."
Observation: Isn't this the most ironic thing!? We are so use to the Lord's prayer I think we don't see this warning right before it in scripture. How sad that this is EXACTLY what the Lords Prayer has become for us as Christians. This really struck me when my pastor brought it up just two seeks ago. So true, I thought. How often I say the Lord's prayer without really thinking about what I was saying. He broke down the prayer into a more thoughtful observation of what we should be thinking about when we pray.
Application: Here are his points...(thank you to my husband for contributing his notes;)
A. Our Father who art in heaven, holy is your name
- I am not on my own
- All Powerful Father Who Cares for us
- Protection from Pride, Fear, etc.
B. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven...
-What do you want God?
-Your kingdom, not mine!
- Pursue God's Kingdom and his rule.
C. Give us this day our daily bread...
- You are my provision
-Daily implies that I can be glad when I'm given small amounts so I come back
- I am needy and I should be (no self confidence here)
- I depend on God for EVERYTHING!
D. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive others
-Make me realize how much I've been forgiven!
- I am flawed, my friend are flawed, my spouse is flawed
E. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
-Even Jesus prayed this which encourages me that he was tempted
F. For thine is the kingdom and the glory forever....Amen!
- It's all you God! It's all about you, for you through you!
Prayer: Well, just pray the Lords prayer! But think about it. Don't say it mindlessly.
Tomorrow's passage: Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-17; Matthew 11:1-19; Luke 7:18-35; Matthew 11:20-30; Luke 7:36-50
Scripture:"And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words."
Observation: Isn't this the most ironic thing!? We are so use to the Lord's prayer I think we don't see this warning right before it in scripture. How sad that this is EXACTLY what the Lords Prayer has become for us as Christians. This really struck me when my pastor brought it up just two seeks ago. So true, I thought. How often I say the Lord's prayer without really thinking about what I was saying. He broke down the prayer into a more thoughtful observation of what we should be thinking about when we pray.
Application: Here are his points...(thank you to my husband for contributing his notes;)
A. Our Father who art in heaven, holy is your name
- I am not on my own
- All Powerful Father Who Cares for us
- Protection from Pride, Fear, etc.
B. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven...
-What do you want God?
-Your kingdom, not mine!
- Pursue God's Kingdom and his rule.
C. Give us this day our daily bread...
- You are my provision
-Daily implies that I can be glad when I'm given small amounts so I come back
- I am needy and I should be (no self confidence here)
- I depend on God for EVERYTHING!
D. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive others
-Make me realize how much I've been forgiven!
- I am flawed, my friend are flawed, my spouse is flawed
E. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
-Even Jesus prayed this which encourages me that he was tempted
F. For thine is the kingdom and the glory forever....Amen!
- It's all you God! It's all about you, for you through you!
Prayer: Well, just pray the Lords prayer! But think about it. Don't say it mindlessly.
Tomorrow's passage: Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-17; Matthew 11:1-19; Luke 7:18-35; Matthew 11:20-30; Luke 7:36-50
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Sunday Guest Post By Alicia
Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Matthew 2:1-23, Luke 2:41-52, Mark 1:2-8, Matthew 3:1-12, Luke 3:1-18, Mark 1:9-11, Matthew 3:13-17, Luke 3:21-22
For less flipping: Matthew 2:1-3:17, Luke 2:41-3:18, 21, 22, Mark 1:2-11
There is so much in these passages one could focus on. The prophecy of Rachel crying for her children being fulfilled, the calling of God's son from Egypt being fulfilled, the declaration of Jesus as a child to be about his father's business, and on and on. My thoughts were very focused on Jesus being baptized however. Perhaps because we are in discussion with our near 13 year old daughter on the importance of baptism. She was deadly afraid of her head going under water until two years ago so when she came of age to take communion we allowed her to on basis of her profession of faith. Now however, we are bringing her back to the table on the issue as she is no longer afraid of water and she needs to obey God's command to be baptized. So, it's on my heart and mind lately.
It got me wondering why the sinless son of man really wanted to do this. I've read it before and understood the main concept John MacArthur explains here:
Yet, I wondered if there was more significance as well. I found some interesting thoughts.
"Quite simply, Jesus was baptized so he could enter into the Melchizedek priesthood so He could be the High Priest and offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins.
In Matthew 3:13-15 it says, "Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?' Jesus replied, 'Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.'" Jesus got baptized to fulfill all righteousness.
Exodus 29:1-7, "This is what you are to do to consecrate them, so they may serve me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without defect. And from fine wheat flour, without yeast, make bread, and cakes mixed with oil, and wafers spread with oil. Put them in a basket and present them in it -- along with the bull and the two rams. Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water. Take the garments and dress Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod itself and the breast piece. Fasten the ephod on him by its skillfully woven waistband. Put the turban on his head and attach the sacred diadem to the turban. Take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head."
Oil is a type of the Holy Spirit: "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth...As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit -- just as it has taught you, remain in him," (1 John 2:20,27).
The Holy Spirit descended from heaven as a dove and rested upon Jesus (Matt. 3:16).
Jesus was baptized because He had to fulfill the legal requirements for entering into the priesthood. He was priest after the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4; Heb. 5:8-10; 6:20). Priests offered sacrifice to God on behalf of the people. Jesus became a sacrifice for our sin (1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Cor. 5:21) in His role as priest.
To be consecrated as a priest, He had to be:
•Washed with water (Lev. 8:6; Exodus 29:4, Matt. 3:16).
•Anointed with oil (Lev. 8:12; Exodus 29:7; Matt. 3:16).
Both of these were bestowed upon Jesus at His baptism.
Additionally, He may have needed to be 30 years old - (Num. 4:3)
•Exodus 29:1 - "This is what you are to do to consecrate them, so they may serve me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without defect."
•Exodus 29:4 - "Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water."
•Exodus 29:7 - "Take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head."
"Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets," (Amos 3:7). "
(Taken from here.)
I thought this gave some further valid insight into this event.
It is interesting note also in the life of Christ, a great respect for the law. He was circumcised, baptised (the new sign of cleansing and anointing) and he kept the passover and Jewish feast ordinances. None for the purpose of cleansing sin, but for fulfillment of righteousness.
Tomorrow's passage:
Mark 1:12-13; Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-15; John 1:19-2:25
For less flipping: Matthew 2:1-3:17, Luke 2:41-3:18, 21, 22, Mark 1:2-11
There is so much in these passages one could focus on. The prophecy of Rachel crying for her children being fulfilled, the calling of God's son from Egypt being fulfilled, the declaration of Jesus as a child to be about his father's business, and on and on. My thoughts were very focused on Jesus being baptized however. Perhaps because we are in discussion with our near 13 year old daughter on the importance of baptism. She was deadly afraid of her head going under water until two years ago so when she came of age to take communion we allowed her to on basis of her profession of faith. Now however, we are bringing her back to the table on the issue as she is no longer afraid of water and she needs to obey God's command to be baptized. So, it's on my heart and mind lately.
It got me wondering why the sinless son of man really wanted to do this. I've read it before and understood the main concept John MacArthur explains here:
Yet, I wondered if there was more significance as well. I found some interesting thoughts.
"Quite simply, Jesus was baptized so he could enter into the Melchizedek priesthood so He could be the High Priest and offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins.
In Matthew 3:13-15 it says, "Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?' Jesus replied, 'Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.'" Jesus got baptized to fulfill all righteousness.
Exodus 29:1-7, "This is what you are to do to consecrate them, so they may serve me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without defect. And from fine wheat flour, without yeast, make bread, and cakes mixed with oil, and wafers spread with oil. Put them in a basket and present them in it -- along with the bull and the two rams. Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water. Take the garments and dress Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod itself and the breast piece. Fasten the ephod on him by its skillfully woven waistband. Put the turban on his head and attach the sacred diadem to the turban. Take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head."
Oil is a type of the Holy Spirit: "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth...As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit -- just as it has taught you, remain in him," (1 John 2:20,27).
The Holy Spirit descended from heaven as a dove and rested upon Jesus (Matt. 3:16).
Jesus was baptized because He had to fulfill the legal requirements for entering into the priesthood. He was priest after the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4; Heb. 5:8-10; 6:20). Priests offered sacrifice to God on behalf of the people. Jesus became a sacrifice for our sin (1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Cor. 5:21) in His role as priest.
To be consecrated as a priest, He had to be:
•Washed with water (Lev. 8:6; Exodus 29:4, Matt. 3:16).
•Anointed with oil (Lev. 8:12; Exodus 29:7; Matt. 3:16).
Both of these were bestowed upon Jesus at His baptism.
Additionally, He may have needed to be 30 years old - (Num. 4:3)
•Exodus 29:1 - "This is what you are to do to consecrate them, so they may serve me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without defect."
•Exodus 29:4 - "Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water."
•Exodus 29:7 - "Take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head."
"Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets," (Amos 3:7). "
(Taken from here.)
I thought this gave some further valid insight into this event.
It is interesting note also in the life of Christ, a great respect for the law. He was circumcised, baptised (the new sign of cleansing and anointing) and he kept the passover and Jewish feast ordinances. None for the purpose of cleansing sin, but for fulfillment of righteousness.
Tomorrow's passage:
Mark 1:12-13; Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-15; John 1:19-2:25
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Sunday Guest Post By Alicia
Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Nehemiah 3:7:3
Scripture: Nehemiah 4:6 So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
Observation: I remember this being a Teen Missions verse we had to memorize. At the time I thought they were using the bible to make us work:). I did not enjoy TMI my first year, but it grew on me and I ended up loving it. Still, this verse was quoted a lot for team unity and diligence on the mission field. Yet, when I really learned what that verse meant was when our Pastor went through this series at our church. Unfortunately they are no longer on our church site (though he just finished a few years going through Acts which was excellent so when we get there the links will be great. We are blessed with a great expository pastor who trained at The Master's Seminary under John MacArthur's leadership. I learned about church body unity and the importance of the work God has each of us focused on. These people faced incredible opposition and potential for great discouragement, mainly in themselves. Having a heart to work had to have a lot to do with getting over themselves and realizing what they did was for God and not about or for them. They learned to run the race that Paul spoke of later.
Application: Having a mind to work demands a lot. It means not letting discouragement nest in our minds and hearts. Keeping our eyes on Jesus and not our failings. It also means not sitting down and expecting others to do our part in the kingdom. Even if our part is changing diapers and taking cookies to our neighbor or helping out at our kids school and planting seeds there. The work God has for use is part of the walls of his amazing Kingdom! Every stone is important and cannot be missing.
Prayer: Lord, help us to have unity. Help the church to have a mind to work, and to work TOGETHER. Help us let go of where we have let you down or ignore the darts of the enemy against us that would slow us down or even stop us in our tracks. More than anything, help us keep our eyes on you and your purposes. May we have joy in seeing your walls being built today whether literally or figuratively in your Kingdom.
Tomorrow's passage:
Nehemiah 8:13-10:39
Scripture: Nehemiah 4:6 So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
Observation: I remember this being a Teen Missions verse we had to memorize. At the time I thought they were using the bible to make us work:). I did not enjoy TMI my first year, but it grew on me and I ended up loving it. Still, this verse was quoted a lot for team unity and diligence on the mission field. Yet, when I really learned what that verse meant was when our Pastor went through this series at our church. Unfortunately they are no longer on our church site (though he just finished a few years going through Acts which was excellent so when we get there the links will be great. We are blessed with a great expository pastor who trained at The Master's Seminary under John MacArthur's leadership. I learned about church body unity and the importance of the work God has each of us focused on. These people faced incredible opposition and potential for great discouragement, mainly in themselves. Having a heart to work had to have a lot to do with getting over themselves and realizing what they did was for God and not about or for them. They learned to run the race that Paul spoke of later.
Application: Having a mind to work demands a lot. It means not letting discouragement nest in our minds and hearts. Keeping our eyes on Jesus and not our failings. It also means not sitting down and expecting others to do our part in the kingdom. Even if our part is changing diapers and taking cookies to our neighbor or helping out at our kids school and planting seeds there. The work God has for use is part of the walls of his amazing Kingdom! Every stone is important and cannot be missing.
Prayer: Lord, help us to have unity. Help the church to have a mind to work, and to work TOGETHER. Help us let go of where we have let you down or ignore the darts of the enemy against us that would slow us down or even stop us in our tracks. More than anything, help us keep our eyes on you and your purposes. May we have joy in seeing your walls being built today whether literally or figuratively in your Kingdom.
Tomorrow's passage:
Nehemiah 8:13-10:39
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Sunday Guest Post By Alicia
Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Ezekiel 44:1-46:24
Okay, seriously, I've had about three cups of coffee today to keep my brain going in order to get into this. It's Saturday here and of course my kids are home and one has a friend over so thinking deeply or waxing eloquent with Mario (it's 103 outside!) in the background is not easy. Bear with me.
I've been dragging myself through the last three days of reading. As the temple descriptions were being read I thought "oh, no not again, more blue print reading", I am not detail oriented. Then, I realized I was confused. What temple was this? When did it happen? Is it figurative or literal language? So, I decided I may not be the only one who was getting a little lost and thinking I was just taking a dive back into previous such passages about lineage and floor plans.
I admit it...I'm the bad Christian who has never read Ezekiel! So, yes, I was getting lost. As I dove in to start answering my own questions I was flabbergasted at the different speculation out there. I'm still not sure what I think. I'd like to hear what you guys think. I did realize that that which I thought was boring is actually the tip of a fascinating biblical iceberg that I'd like to come back to and explore. I think this book is one of those that you have to take some time in. I'm reading the bible in a year chronologically because I've never done it this way before but the hard thing is that you don't have time to follow those rabbit trials of depth. Maybe you can come back to this blog and use it as a reference some day.
For general reference for all things Ezekiel start here.
Okay, seriously, I've had about three cups of coffee today to keep my brain going in order to get into this. It's Saturday here and of course my kids are home and one has a friend over so thinking deeply or waxing eloquent with Mario (it's 103 outside!) in the background is not easy. Bear with me.
I've been dragging myself through the last three days of reading. As the temple descriptions were being read I thought "oh, no not again, more blue print reading", I am not detail oriented. Then, I realized I was confused. What temple was this? When did it happen? Is it figurative or literal language? So, I decided I may not be the only one who was getting a little lost and thinking I was just taking a dive back into previous such passages about lineage and floor plans.
I admit it...I'm the bad Christian who has never read Ezekiel! So, yes, I was getting lost. As I dove in to start answering my own questions I was flabbergasted at the different speculation out there. I'm still not sure what I think. I'd like to hear what you guys think. I did realize that that which I thought was boring is actually the tip of a fascinating biblical iceberg that I'd like to come back to and explore. I think this book is one of those that you have to take some time in. I'm reading the bible in a year chronologically because I've never done it this way before but the hard thing is that you don't have time to follow those rabbit trials of depth. Maybe you can come back to this blog and use it as a reference some day.
For general reference for all things Ezekiel start here.
- Ezekiel's Temple Does Not Yet Exist- It is believed to be the temple of the Millennium when Christ will rule the earth for 1000 years. Simple archeology and human history has no record of such a structure ever existing. Still, I think the most compelling evidence of this being true is when God says he will come down and stay forever with his people.
- Land Changes- Even the topography will have to change for the temple description to fall into place. There is a river coming from the temple that is not even there yet. Zechariah 14 (which will parallel these passages) describes some intense changes to the structure of Jerusalem due to earthquakes at the coming of Christ.
- Reinstated Sacrifices- This was the part I was the most confused about. Just as the deminsions and details of temple design seem too important to be played with or stretched and skewed into all kinds of allegorical interpretations, so the specific plan for sacrifices must have literal validity. This is a hard one for all of us. Didn't Jesus say "It is Finished!"? That was my thought. So I began to search. This was interesting:
One may well ask, if Ezekiel's temple is indeed literal, future, and millennial in nature, what purpose the temple sacrifices (44:15) serve. Since Christ has already provided a once-for-all atoning sacrifice for sin (Heb. 7:27, 9:12,26-27), is it not blasphemy to suggest that in His earthly kingdom any blood sacrifices would be necessary? Does the presence of sacrifices therefore not point so a symbolic or historical interpretation of the passage? The answer to both questions is no. There is no reason to believe that a future sacrificial system could not be perfectly within the will of God for His people. Firstly, the emphasis in Ezekiel's temple is on holiness. By faithfully following the Lord's commandments regarding worship and sacrifice, the nation of Israel will demonstrate to the world the transforming power of God in their once-stubborn and idolatrous hearts, and their unique relationship to Him. Secondly, the sacrifices offered are symbolic, not efficacious. This was also true even of the Mosaic sacrifices (Heb. 9:9, 10:1-4) -- the only difference here is that the millennium looks back at Christ's death as a historical reality, whereas the Israelites of the Old Testament economy looked forward to a Messianic promise of cleansing and atonement in the shadowy future.
If at first the suggestion that the blood sacrifices in Ezekiel's temple serve a purely commemorative purpose seems bizarre, one may well consider the ordinance of the Lord's Supper. At this present time the church, composed of Jew and Gentile united in Christ, is in focus. Though the reality -- the suffering and death of Christ -- has already taken place, the church today still partakes of bread and wine in remembrance of His past work (1 Cor. 11:23-26). This institution was set up by the Lord Jesus Himself. However, in the millennial kingdom restored Israel, not the church, is the focus. In keeping with the Mosaic covenant unique to Israel, animal sacrifices will remind the believing Jews of Christ's finished work. Note, however, that in the millennium there is no Day of Atonement, and numerous other distinctions serve to remind us that Christ's death forever altered God's dealings with mankind. Also, Ezekiel's temple and its unique sacrificial system come into play after Israel has recognized Jesus as the Messiah they pierced (Zech. 12:9). There can be no danger that these Jews will forget His death on their behalf.
In light of these evidences, then, there seems no reason to believe that Ezekiel's temple is any less than it seems to be from the text itself -- a literal building constructed by a truly repentant and restored nation of Israel, and in which they will worship the Lord by offering and sacrifice.
I thought this whole article above (short as it was) was good but I wanted to find someone who's study of the word I trusted. I searched out some men of faith today for their thoughts. I found some help from John MacArthur. He is one of my favorites, and no, not because I went to his school or because my husband graduated from there, or because we've talked to him and he's a nice guy, but because he is theologically sound. I may not agree with everything from him (and really, it's good to disagree and search out points from well known bible teachers as the Bereans did) but the man has studied the word and his hermeneutics are sharp.
This is his answer to this odd occurrence:
“How does the Lord’s table relate to the fact that Christ’s sacrifice is a once for all sacrifice? The Old Testament sacrifices were not a substitute for Christ, they were a depiction, they were a picture, they were a picture, a type, prior to the cross, pointing to the cross. The Lord’s table is a picture of the cross, past the Cross, pointing back, and the best understanding that I have of the millennial temple in Ezekiel 40 to 48 and the millennial sacrifices is that in the kingdom, which is for Israel in fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant and Davidic covenant and new covenant promise of Jeremiah 31, Ezekiel 36 and 37, Israel is featured. The apostles, Jesus said from His own lips, will sit on 12 thrones ruling the 12 tribes of Israel. And so it is uniquely Jewish and it is uniquely for them and I think the Lord will reinstitute the Old Testament symbols that pointed to the cross and they will carry out some of those symbols which will then be infused with a full understanding of what they meant in the light of the cross, and they will by then have come to look on Him whom they have pierced and mourn for Him as an only son, have had the fountain of cleansing opened to them, they will be in the kingdom, Christ will be present and it will all become clear to them. It will be a complete unveiling of all of those sacrifices which were so richly symbolic to Israel in the past.”
It really stretches my biblical horizon to learn these new things. I've gone from bored to intrigued about these passages and I'm starting to wonder if there is so much more to understanding Revelation than just the book itself. I've known there were prophetic references in Daniel and other places, but I did not realize these other puzzle pieces were scattered about. Sadly, there is little commentary on Ezekiel. One man seemed passioned about the book however and he has written a mini-commentary. This article told about the book and why he wrote about it and contained some interesting tid-bit's along the way.
Bottom line, I don't understand it yet. I look forward to learning more. Instead of intimidated or bewildered I'm amazed once again that there is always more to learn about God and his plan. It reminds me of what I'll be doing for an eternity and I'm joyful at the prospect.
Tomorrow's passage: Ezekiel 47-48:35; Ezekiel 29:17-30:19; 2 Kings 25:27-30; Jeremiah 52:31-34
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Sunday Guest Post By Alicia
Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Jeremiah 42-44, Ezekiel 33:21-33
" My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. 32 Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice."
33 "When all this comes true—and it surely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them." Ezekiel 33: 31-33
I thought that last verse in today's reading summed up the attitude of the people so well. Or as John Calvin states:
The sum of what is said then is, that the Jews who dwelt in Egypt were unworthy of any pardon, because they had, as it were, designedly rejected the favor of God, and their obstinacy had become altogether hopeless.
He now begins with reproof, because they were so stupid as not to remember the vengeance which God had executed on themselves and on the whole nation. They had been left alive for this end, that they might acknowledge God’s judgment, and thus return to a right mind. Here, then, the Prophet upbraids them with their insensibility, that they had profited nothing under the scourges of God. They commonly say that fools, when they are beaten, become wise. As then the Jews had not repented, after having been so grievously chastised, it was a proof of extreme perverseness; for if the remnant had a grain of a sound mind, they would have been humbled at least by the final destruction of their nation, and when the city and the temple were demolished. Since then they followed the same wicked courses, for which God had inflicted so grievous a punishment, it was evident that they were wholly irreclaimable and destitute of reason and judgment.
(Taken from here)
I'm not sure why but while reading this story a verse kept coming to my mind:
Proverbs 26:11 "As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly." or 2 Peter 2:22: "Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit," and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud."
This is how I felt about this remnant returning to Egypt. EGYPT! Of all places...really? REALLY? So, I ask myself how this can happen and I think it's because these people were indeed so far gone as John Calvin above stated. Their heart motives are clear here:
"May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the LORD your God sends you to tell us. Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the LORD our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the LORD our God."
That was really the only part of that statement the people really said sincerely. All of their motives at this point are in the area of self interest, safety and prosperity. They are a little nervous that God has done something to them and they should probably seek Him as to what to do, but only if the plan sounds as good as the one in their heads. I think they half expected confirmation of their plan rather than opposition. Perhaps just something similar would have gone over better for them. Egypt looked powerful and safe, Babylon looked powerful too but deadly against them. They were willing to listen as long as they liked God's plan.
When it's not what they like they are ready to reject the man God has sent. I think there is great danger of this in our culture today. Men of the word are rejected for ministers who promise all the good things from God. They don't mention sin or judgement but seek to build up the self esteem of others with the love of God and the prosperity he provides (wrongly judged as being temporal when God promises treasures eternally).
So, when the shoe does not fit, they throw it off and turn back to the Queen of Heaven (otherwise known as the goddess Astarte congruent with Aphrodite and Venus, the goddess of fertility, sexuality and war). Why? Well, we read the reason here:
"We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our fathers, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm. But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine."
Their world view was so far off and ours is too when we let our selves be drawn to that which makes us think we are secure, prosperous and happy here. This view lead them open to the deception of another nation being their savior so to speak and if there was anything they believed, it was this. They believed it so well, they were willing to reject the messenger of God when they did not like his words. When the plan did not sound as soft and secure as theirs. When it seemed to put them in earthly harm and under the thumb of powerful man. They were forgetting that God turns the heart of the king, that nations rise and fall at his command, and that all the gold and silver are his.
There are people today, Christians today who reject God when he is no longer benefiting them. I've witnessed this personally. It shocked and surprised me but these views of God that are wrong are hard to see until trail brings them out.
The passage today also made me think of this clip by John Piper on the prosperity gospel. I found this a year after my dad died and I cried and cried through it. Not because it made me sad but because the truth that he spoke had become a part of my reality and I KNEW IT TO BE TRUE like never before. Let's not bow the the idol of "what God can do for me" because when God doesn't do what we want, we will be looking for another god.
Tomorrow's passage: Ezekiel 34-36:38
" My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. 32 Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice."
33 "When all this comes true—and it surely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them." Ezekiel 33: 31-33
I thought that last verse in today's reading summed up the attitude of the people so well. Or as John Calvin states:
The sum of what is said then is, that the Jews who dwelt in Egypt were unworthy of any pardon, because they had, as it were, designedly rejected the favor of God, and their obstinacy had become altogether hopeless.
He now begins with reproof, because they were so stupid as not to remember the vengeance which God had executed on themselves and on the whole nation. They had been left alive for this end, that they might acknowledge God’s judgment, and thus return to a right mind. Here, then, the Prophet upbraids them with their insensibility, that they had profited nothing under the scourges of God. They commonly say that fools, when they are beaten, become wise. As then the Jews had not repented, after having been so grievously chastised, it was a proof of extreme perverseness; for if the remnant had a grain of a sound mind, they would have been humbled at least by the final destruction of their nation, and when the city and the temple were demolished. Since then they followed the same wicked courses, for which God had inflicted so grievous a punishment, it was evident that they were wholly irreclaimable and destitute of reason and judgment.
(Taken from here)
I'm not sure why but while reading this story a verse kept coming to my mind:
Proverbs 26:11 "As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly." or 2 Peter 2:22: "Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit," and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud."
This is how I felt about this remnant returning to Egypt. EGYPT! Of all places...really? REALLY? So, I ask myself how this can happen and I think it's because these people were indeed so far gone as John Calvin above stated. Their heart motives are clear here:
"May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the LORD your God sends you to tell us. Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the LORD our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the LORD our God."
That was really the only part of that statement the people really said sincerely. All of their motives at this point are in the area of self interest, safety and prosperity. They are a little nervous that God has done something to them and they should probably seek Him as to what to do, but only if the plan sounds as good as the one in their heads. I think they half expected confirmation of their plan rather than opposition. Perhaps just something similar would have gone over better for them. Egypt looked powerful and safe, Babylon looked powerful too but deadly against them. They were willing to listen as long as they liked God's plan.
When it's not what they like they are ready to reject the man God has sent. I think there is great danger of this in our culture today. Men of the word are rejected for ministers who promise all the good things from God. They don't mention sin or judgement but seek to build up the self esteem of others with the love of God and the prosperity he provides (wrongly judged as being temporal when God promises treasures eternally).
So, when the shoe does not fit, they throw it off and turn back to the Queen of Heaven (otherwise known as the goddess Astarte congruent with Aphrodite and Venus, the goddess of fertility, sexuality and war). Why? Well, we read the reason here:
"We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our fathers, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm. But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine."
Their world view was so far off and ours is too when we let our selves be drawn to that which makes us think we are secure, prosperous and happy here. This view lead them open to the deception of another nation being their savior so to speak and if there was anything they believed, it was this. They believed it so well, they were willing to reject the messenger of God when they did not like his words. When the plan did not sound as soft and secure as theirs. When it seemed to put them in earthly harm and under the thumb of powerful man. They were forgetting that God turns the heart of the king, that nations rise and fall at his command, and that all the gold and silver are his.
There are people today, Christians today who reject God when he is no longer benefiting them. I've witnessed this personally. It shocked and surprised me but these views of God that are wrong are hard to see until trail brings them out.
The passage today also made me think of this clip by John Piper on the prosperity gospel. I found this a year after my dad died and I cried and cried through it. Not because it made me sad but because the truth that he spoke had become a part of my reality and I KNEW IT TO BE TRUE like never before. Let's not bow the the idol of "what God can do for me" because when God doesn't do what we want, we will be looking for another god.
Tomorrow's passage: Ezekiel 34-36:38
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Sunday Guest Post By Alicia
Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is:
EZEKIEL 22:17-23:49 2 KINGS 24:20-25:2 JEREMIAH 52:3-5 JEREMIAH 39:1 EZEKIEL 24:1-14
" 'I the LORD have spoken. The time has come for me to act. I will not hold back; I will not have pity, nor will I relent. You will be judged according to your conduct and your actions, declares the Sovereign LORD.' "
Ezekiel 24:14
This verse made me think of how a parent gets at times. When you have just had it and you resolve that the line is drawn, this kid need to learn such and such and you are not going to let them get away with it anymore. You are not going to give into letting it slide. Of course, God is perfect righteousness, we are not and the struggle to parent properly will never be what we want it to and will always take us to our knees. Still, I recognize a bit of God's "I've had it" in this final verse from the passage today. It's actually quite scary to read. Don't you think?
Oholah and Oholibah- Samaria and Jerusalem; Ongoing Discontent
God made a covenant (symbolized by marital language) to these two. The children from there were considered the children of that covenant. The language of this story really punches the reader with the emotions God really has about his people and what they have done. It's uncomfortable, convicting and heart breaking when one reminds oneself that these women symbolize his passionate love. Thus, the imagery of the wife. It's the same old story but more intense this time.
Think about it. While in the wilderness, what were we hit with the people doing over and over? Complaining, and being discontent. Back then it was "little stuff" like food and water, the basic essentials. They struggled over and over to trust God for His provision and be happy with what he did give them.
Now, the story of the two sisters shows us the level of depravity the people have gone and the depth of their adultery.
The sexual imagery is intense, and in fact, it is said to be the most pornographic chapter in the bible. Probably not one you want your husband to read at family time. Yet the shocking imagery is to show the intensity of lust. The lovers virility symbolizes their strength and military might. Instead of trusting the God of their covenant to fight for them with slings and stones and men of little might, they are craving the connection to power. The sexual imagery is to give us a taste of the intensity of their lust for this when God is on the other side wanting that simple yet satisfying intimacy with His people. It's loud and obvious and a huge blow to Him as their God. In order to gain this military might they have to "go to bed" as the saying goes, with these foreigners. They have to sacrifice their devotion, intimacy and communion with God to attain it, and they decide it's worth that price. Just as an adulterous woman would decide it was worth breaking communion with her husband to give herself to her lust for a man.
These women now had to take on the religion of their lovers, the political views, and worse of all, the battles they fought. The lovers are fighting for power, and selfish gain, and the sisters have to fight right along side them. These are not the motivations of the Holy God of Israel, but of bloodsheding men. That is why the passage says that their is blood on their hands. When God sent them to kill, it was for HIS purposes and it was therefore a righteous war.
Trust in another power, another provision, another might are all problems in this story. Trust enough to give up oneself in the most intimate ways. Mind, body and soul are given over. All which God wanted for himself and he wants from all of us.
I think Ezekiel will tie in well with Hosea and I think some of us will be having flashbacks when we get there. The journey of these people gets seemingly worse before it gets better, but it allows us to see the passion of God for his people and the heartache we can cause him with our idolatrous hearts and minds and even bodies.
Tomorrow's passage:
Ezekiel 24:15-25:17; Jeremiah 34:1-22; Jeremiah 21:1-14; Ezekiel 29:1-16; Ezekiel 30:20-31:18
EZEKIEL 22:17-23:49 2 KINGS 24:20-25:2 JEREMIAH 52:3-5 JEREMIAH 39:1 EZEKIEL 24:1-14
" 'I the LORD have spoken. The time has come for me to act. I will not hold back; I will not have pity, nor will I relent. You will be judged according to your conduct and your actions, declares the Sovereign LORD.' "
Ezekiel 24:14
This verse made me think of how a parent gets at times. When you have just had it and you resolve that the line is drawn, this kid need to learn such and such and you are not going to let them get away with it anymore. You are not going to give into letting it slide. Of course, God is perfect righteousness, we are not and the struggle to parent properly will never be what we want it to and will always take us to our knees. Still, I recognize a bit of God's "I've had it" in this final verse from the passage today. It's actually quite scary to read. Don't you think?
Oholah and Oholibah- Samaria and Jerusalem; Ongoing Discontent
God made a covenant (symbolized by marital language) to these two. The children from there were considered the children of that covenant. The language of this story really punches the reader with the emotions God really has about his people and what they have done. It's uncomfortable, convicting and heart breaking when one reminds oneself that these women symbolize his passionate love. Thus, the imagery of the wife. It's the same old story but more intense this time.
Think about it. While in the wilderness, what were we hit with the people doing over and over? Complaining, and being discontent. Back then it was "little stuff" like food and water, the basic essentials. They struggled over and over to trust God for His provision and be happy with what he did give them.
Now, the story of the two sisters shows us the level of depravity the people have gone and the depth of their adultery.
The sexual imagery is intense, and in fact, it is said to be the most pornographic chapter in the bible. Probably not one you want your husband to read at family time. Yet the shocking imagery is to show the intensity of lust. The lovers virility symbolizes their strength and military might. Instead of trusting the God of their covenant to fight for them with slings and stones and men of little might, they are craving the connection to power. The sexual imagery is to give us a taste of the intensity of their lust for this when God is on the other side wanting that simple yet satisfying intimacy with His people. It's loud and obvious and a huge blow to Him as their God. In order to gain this military might they have to "go to bed" as the saying goes, with these foreigners. They have to sacrifice their devotion, intimacy and communion with God to attain it, and they decide it's worth that price. Just as an adulterous woman would decide it was worth breaking communion with her husband to give herself to her lust for a man.
These women now had to take on the religion of their lovers, the political views, and worse of all, the battles they fought. The lovers are fighting for power, and selfish gain, and the sisters have to fight right along side them. These are not the motivations of the Holy God of Israel, but of bloodsheding men. That is why the passage says that their is blood on their hands. When God sent them to kill, it was for HIS purposes and it was therefore a righteous war.
Trust in another power, another provision, another might are all problems in this story. Trust enough to give up oneself in the most intimate ways. Mind, body and soul are given over. All which God wanted for himself and he wants from all of us.
I think Ezekiel will tie in well with Hosea and I think some of us will be having flashbacks when we get there. The journey of these people gets seemingly worse before it gets better, but it allows us to see the passion of God for his people and the heartache we can cause him with our idolatrous hearts and minds and even bodies.
Tomorrow's passage:
Ezekiel 24:15-25:17; Jeremiah 34:1-22; Jeremiah 21:1-14; Ezekiel 29:1-16; Ezekiel 30:20-31:18
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Sunday Guest Post By Alicia
Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Jeremiah 37:11-38:28, Ezekiel 1-3:15
I'm sorry for getting this out so late, it was so much to digest that I was having a difficult time.
Jeremiah leaves us rather on the brink of the final curtain falling. We head over into Ezekiel who was taken exile after Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem on March 16, 597 BC. He was one of 10,000 taken at this time. Final destruction would come in 586 BC.
Since this is a pretty intense book of the bible, I really recommend taking the time to read the introduction to the book if you have a study bible. Although it will be interesting, it's full of difficult and debated imagery. I even found it interesting when looking at my two favorite pastor's (besides my own who is excellent) John MacArthur and John Piper did NOT have Ezekiel in their scriptural sermon menu.
The first section of Ezekiel introduces us right away to some of the most intense imagery. My personality is to investigate as much as I can to practically understand these images. So, I will link you in a moment here to what I felt was very helpful for that. Instead of reading much here, I think you would benefit more from being sent to this link, and it's not very long.
Before I do I wanted to say something I was thinking about though regarding this imagery. Like doctrinal differences, which are important, imagery interpretation (more so I think) can be a distraction from the main point God wants us to get. It's incredibly fascinating that God put this imagery and vision in scripture and I'm sure he's excited when we run with our investigations into what he put there for us. However, I was reminding myself not to forget the point of these passages. They are bringing the judgement of an all knowing, directional, focused, sovereign God on a people who he has long warned this was coming. It's obviously a huge historical occasion in God's mind to let us see the supernatural side of these happenings. Though we are awed, we have to remember this supernatural stuff is going on around us all the time unseen. God's purposes are awesome and intense. The point of the beginning of Ezekiel is to take God seriously at what he warns and says he will do. To recognize the power of his glory and might and the lesson to be learned of his judgements.
On that note, I hope you enjoy this page on the details of some of that intriguing imagery.
Tomorrow's Passage:
Ezekiel 3:16-4:17; Jeremiah 27-28:17; Jeremiah 51:59-64
I'm sorry for getting this out so late, it was so much to digest that I was having a difficult time.
Jeremiah leaves us rather on the brink of the final curtain falling. We head over into Ezekiel who was taken exile after Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem on March 16, 597 BC. He was one of 10,000 taken at this time. Final destruction would come in 586 BC.
Since this is a pretty intense book of the bible, I really recommend taking the time to read the introduction to the book if you have a study bible. Although it will be interesting, it's full of difficult and debated imagery. I even found it interesting when looking at my two favorite pastor's (besides my own who is excellent) John MacArthur and John Piper did NOT have Ezekiel in their scriptural sermon menu.
The first section of Ezekiel introduces us right away to some of the most intense imagery. My personality is to investigate as much as I can to practically understand these images. So, I will link you in a moment here to what I felt was very helpful for that. Instead of reading much here, I think you would benefit more from being sent to this link, and it's not very long.
Before I do I wanted to say something I was thinking about though regarding this imagery. Like doctrinal differences, which are important, imagery interpretation (more so I think) can be a distraction from the main point God wants us to get. It's incredibly fascinating that God put this imagery and vision in scripture and I'm sure he's excited when we run with our investigations into what he put there for us. However, I was reminding myself not to forget the point of these passages. They are bringing the judgement of an all knowing, directional, focused, sovereign God on a people who he has long warned this was coming. It's obviously a huge historical occasion in God's mind to let us see the supernatural side of these happenings. Though we are awed, we have to remember this supernatural stuff is going on around us all the time unseen. God's purposes are awesome and intense. The point of the beginning of Ezekiel is to take God seriously at what he warns and says he will do. To recognize the power of his glory and might and the lesson to be learned of his judgements.
On that note, I hope you enjoy this page on the details of some of that intriguing imagery.
Tomorrow's Passage:
Ezekiel 3:16-4:17; Jeremiah 27-28:17; Jeremiah 51:59-64
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Sunday Guest Post By Alicia
Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Jeremiah 8:4-11:23
Scripture:
Jeremiah 10:23-24
"I know, O Lord, that a man's way is not in himself,
Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.
Correct me, O Lord, but with justice;
Not with Your anger, or You will bring me to nothing."
Observation:
I cannot find it within me to obey God or know how to do so. I, like the people of Israel am prone to my own idol worship. Not just one or two, but many. John MacArthur states in his commentary from the passages today that "Judah was so filled with idolatry that there were false deities for every city and a polluted altar on every street." That sounds so polluted and then I remember how easily my own life can become polluted.
I've been thinking a lot on this lately as I just blogged about the abundance of wayward thinking and theology from even inside the "Christian" sphere. One of our major idols in Christianity today probably on the other side of legalism, is the idol of experiential theology. Yet, this verse says so truly that it is not within us to know or direct ourselves.
"Man is incapable of guiding his own life adequately. This prayer shifts to his need of God, who had a plan for Jeremiah before he was even born." John MacArthur
So verse 23 presents the problem and it's a big one. Therefore verse 24 presents a solution. "Correct me" Jeremiah cries.
"Jeremiah saw himself ("Correct Me") in solidarity with his people and understood the nation must be punished, but desired some mercy and moderation; he prayed that God's full fury would be poured on the nations that induced the Jews into idolatry." John MacArthur
Application:
It begins with me, hold high the Word of God. Turn to it, study it, make it first say. Then, be aware of the wrong thinking out there building mental idols of self-made theology and Christianity (I use the term loosely for that is not really what it is at all) and take a stand for why and how it's wrong. Know that any truth is not going to be found in me, or my brother or sister (though God may use them through the Holy Spirit for my direction or growth as long as anything they say does not contradict the Word of God but aligns with it and I am commanded by Paul to find that out like the Bereans. See Acts 17:11)
Pray that God will "correct me", again it starts with me. I can pray that He will glorify himself by correcting those who are declaring mis-truths about Himself or His gospel as well.
Prayer:
Lord, you are the way I don't know and don't possess on my own. You are the truth that will guide me and that knows my beginning, journey, and end. Let me not direct myself but seek your direction for your Glory and not mine. Thank you that you guide me with loving justice and correct me which saves me from a pit of despair.
Help me to ask you daily for this correction and speak my dependance on You in this way.
The balm so to speak, for this set of verses is found in chapter 9:24
"but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the Lord.
Help me not boast in my knowledge, experience, understanding, but in You and all You define YOURSELF to be.
Tomorrow's passage:
Jeremiah 12-15:21
Scripture:
Jeremiah 10:23-24
"I know, O Lord, that a man's way is not in himself,
Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.
Correct me, O Lord, but with justice;
Not with Your anger, or You will bring me to nothing."
Observation:
I cannot find it within me to obey God or know how to do so. I, like the people of Israel am prone to my own idol worship. Not just one or two, but many. John MacArthur states in his commentary from the passages today that "Judah was so filled with idolatry that there were false deities for every city and a polluted altar on every street." That sounds so polluted and then I remember how easily my own life can become polluted.
I've been thinking a lot on this lately as I just blogged about the abundance of wayward thinking and theology from even inside the "Christian" sphere. One of our major idols in Christianity today probably on the other side of legalism, is the idol of experiential theology. Yet, this verse says so truly that it is not within us to know or direct ourselves.
"Man is incapable of guiding his own life adequately. This prayer shifts to his need of God, who had a plan for Jeremiah before he was even born." John MacArthur
So verse 23 presents the problem and it's a big one. Therefore verse 24 presents a solution. "Correct me" Jeremiah cries.
"Jeremiah saw himself ("Correct Me") in solidarity with his people and understood the nation must be punished, but desired some mercy and moderation; he prayed that God's full fury would be poured on the nations that induced the Jews into idolatry." John MacArthur
Application:
It begins with me, hold high the Word of God. Turn to it, study it, make it first say. Then, be aware of the wrong thinking out there building mental idols of self-made theology and Christianity (I use the term loosely for that is not really what it is at all) and take a stand for why and how it's wrong. Know that any truth is not going to be found in me, or my brother or sister (though God may use them through the Holy Spirit for my direction or growth as long as anything they say does not contradict the Word of God but aligns with it and I am commanded by Paul to find that out like the Bereans. See Acts 17:11)
Pray that God will "correct me", again it starts with me. I can pray that He will glorify himself by correcting those who are declaring mis-truths about Himself or His gospel as well.
Prayer:
Lord, you are the way I don't know and don't possess on my own. You are the truth that will guide me and that knows my beginning, journey, and end. Let me not direct myself but seek your direction for your Glory and not mine. Thank you that you guide me with loving justice and correct me which saves me from a pit of despair.
Help me to ask you daily for this correction and speak my dependance on You in this way.
The balm so to speak, for this set of verses is found in chapter 9:24
"but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the Lord.
Help me not boast in my knowledge, experience, understanding, but in You and all You define YOURSELF to be.
Tomorrow's passage:
Jeremiah 12-15:21
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Sunday's Guest Post by Alicia
Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Isaiah 48:12-52:12
Scripture:
Isaiah 49:15-16
"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you.
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands, your walls are ever before me."
Observation:
The whole time I was reading these passages I kept being drawn to the perspective of reading it as it applied to me, a child of God. For in fact, I am Israel, I am the wayward child that is bought and loved. It was so evident that I could not seem to hardly read it in it's OT context. Still the fact is, it is very much the sentiment God has for those He has purchased in Christ as well. This verse in particular declares His deep passion for His people.
As a mother, to imagine forgetting your child rips your heart out and yet, God's affection and devotion is deeper still.
"your walls are ever before me" is a reference to Ex 13:9 which is believed to be a reference to the tradition of the people to engrave the image of their city on their hands to show loyal devotion to it. I'm not sure if that was a tattoo but it would have to be something permanently evident.
The verse is filled with heart wrenching word pictures to get across His statement of faithfulness.
Application:
We are his people. He has chosen us and written us on his hands. He can no more reject us than reject his son for indeed rejecting his people would be to destroy the whole sacrifice of His son and He would never do that or even make light of it. The covenant to his people Israel has been given to us at the cross, it has transferred over to his bride the church and we are in Him. A covenant written in the precious blood of Christ that causes God to look on his people as if we had always obeyed. The motivation for devotion to our faithful God that comes from pondering this is powerful. Guilt will never motivate us, it will tear us down and stop us because it's all about us and our performance. Preaching this gospel of the purchased people over and over, will take the light off us and always put it back on Christ where it belongs. We are His, His people, to eternity.
Prayer:
Lord help us wrap our heads around this more clearly. Let it become part of who we are so our devotion is genuine and our praise of you thick and true. Thank you that you did what we could never do, and help us not fall into the trap of trying to do it now and therefore spit on the work of your son to make it "finished". Let us think about what it cost you, not just in the pain, but in the tearing of the trinity. The painful separation even for a moment from your Son as you had to turn your face from Him for our sakes. Let us ponder the agony of his rejection because of our sin and the love for you that powered that in obedience. Help us get it Lord. Let us not build up our own glory story with our 10 steps to being a better Christian, but to really know that this is your work, done and finished and working daily to sanctify us. You work in us to make us more like yourself. Help us get our mind on you, you, you and our covenant with you that YOU have perfected. Let it explode within us the return sentiment of praise to your name and works to your glory powered by genuine want of you and love for what you did.
Tomorrow's reading is:
Isaiah 52:13-57:21
Scripture:
Isaiah 49:15-16
"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you.
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands, your walls are ever before me."
Observation:
The whole time I was reading these passages I kept being drawn to the perspective of reading it as it applied to me, a child of God. For in fact, I am Israel, I am the wayward child that is bought and loved. It was so evident that I could not seem to hardly read it in it's OT context. Still the fact is, it is very much the sentiment God has for those He has purchased in Christ as well. This verse in particular declares His deep passion for His people.
As a mother, to imagine forgetting your child rips your heart out and yet, God's affection and devotion is deeper still.
"your walls are ever before me" is a reference to Ex 13:9 which is believed to be a reference to the tradition of the people to engrave the image of their city on their hands to show loyal devotion to it. I'm not sure if that was a tattoo but it would have to be something permanently evident.
The verse is filled with heart wrenching word pictures to get across His statement of faithfulness.
Application:
We are his people. He has chosen us and written us on his hands. He can no more reject us than reject his son for indeed rejecting his people would be to destroy the whole sacrifice of His son and He would never do that or even make light of it. The covenant to his people Israel has been given to us at the cross, it has transferred over to his bride the church and we are in Him. A covenant written in the precious blood of Christ that causes God to look on his people as if we had always obeyed. The motivation for devotion to our faithful God that comes from pondering this is powerful. Guilt will never motivate us, it will tear us down and stop us because it's all about us and our performance. Preaching this gospel of the purchased people over and over, will take the light off us and always put it back on Christ where it belongs. We are His, His people, to eternity.
Prayer:
Lord help us wrap our heads around this more clearly. Let it become part of who we are so our devotion is genuine and our praise of you thick and true. Thank you that you did what we could never do, and help us not fall into the trap of trying to do it now and therefore spit on the work of your son to make it "finished". Let us think about what it cost you, not just in the pain, but in the tearing of the trinity. The painful separation even for a moment from your Son as you had to turn your face from Him for our sakes. Let us ponder the agony of his rejection because of our sin and the love for you that powered that in obedience. Help us get it Lord. Let us not build up our own glory story with our 10 steps to being a better Christian, but to really know that this is your work, done and finished and working daily to sanctify us. You work in us to make us more like yourself. Help us get our mind on you, you, you and our covenant with you that YOU have perfected. Let it explode within us the return sentiment of praise to your name and works to your glory powered by genuine want of you and love for what you did.
Tomorrow's reading is:
Isaiah 52:13-57:21
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Sunday- Guest Post By Alicia
Today's reading in One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Psalm 42-46.
Two tid-bits I had to comment on before I really get started:
As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
Started reading and found myself in a familiar place, a lovely place, one of the best word pictures of Psalms. The panting deer, the water we long for. Over and over, we've heard it quoted and sung but the last line is new to me! I'm sure I've read it before but not noticed it enough. "When can I go and meet with God?"
There is such longing in that line and I want it to sink down in my soul. There is a relationship longing there, not a religious practice. There is a response to God that he must so take delight in, what he created us for.
I think I'll write the verse down fully to include that because it seems to add so much more to it.
My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you ...
In times of sorrow, trial or depression I have to make a conscious decision to remember God, and therefore my hope in Him. The "therefore" tells me what I ought to do when I'm overwhelmed with these feelings. It's a "because of this, do this". It's a solution, a real one, open and always avaliable through the grace of Christ to me.
Your "light" and your "truth" are parallels to the word of God. "Your word is a lamp unto my feet and light to my path."
Still, I wanted to focus on the truth more here. In speaking of the important armor of God the belt of truth is mentioned first and it really is the most important. Without the belt, the whole armor falls apart (besides the helmet of salvation). The belt heald the breastplate in place, carried the sword and allowed for mobility with the garmets below. I found this pop out to me because I've noticed how many times in our OT reading the phrase "gird up your loins" was used by God. I always liked that line but wanted to find out more about it. It turns out, it's the same really as God saying "put on your belt of truth!" Paul uses it in Eph 6:14 when he says "having your loins girt about with truth"
To gird up the loins in putting on armor (or even for others not wearing armor but doing the same with thier clothing) was to pull the fabric of the lower garmet that would otherwise hang about possibly tripping up the runner or getting caught and snagged along the way. In a spiritual sense this would mean to get rid of anything that would stand in the way of the race with the goal of arriving at the "the holy mountain, the place where you dwell".
Truth is the stabalizer for the Christian, and it comes from the light of the word of God. It keeps us from getting tripped up in false teaching, and keeps us in a frame of mind of running the race.
Here are some excerpts from a John Piper sermon that goes very well with this verse as well as these segments of the Psalms because they talk about focusing on HOPE.
The Sermon is: Girding the Mind to Guard Your Hope
The first one is "gird up the loins of your mind." Turn the robes of your mind into running shorts. Pull them up between your legs and tuck them into your belt. But what does that mean in real life? Well, we know that girding the mind is a means to hoping fully in grace. "Having girded up the loins of your mind, hope fully . . . " That's what our minds are running for. But what are they running in? What are they active in? What is the mind to be doing so actively that it produces hope?
The answer is TRUTH. Hope happens when our minds are girded up with truth, and active in truth.
I think Peter means for the mind to be active and running in truth is that this is exactly what Paul says when he uses this very same metaphor in Ephesians 6:14, "Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth." And I think it would be completely faithful to Paul's meaning there if we said, "Stand therefore in hope, by having girded your loins with truth." Girding up the mind in truth and letting it be active in truth is the means of sustaining full hope in God's grace.
So Peter's first secondary command, "Gird up the loins of your mind," means engage the mind with truth in the service of hope. Especially the truth about grace found in the Bible. Run with the truth of Scripture. Work with the truth of Scripture. Live with the truth of Scripture. "Whatever was written in former times was written for our instruction, that by the steadfastness and encouragement of the scriptures we might have HOPE" (Romans 15:4).
The word, the word, the word. Let it guide us till we reach that holy hill where you are. Ironically it goes right along with the previous post when Tammy talked about memorizing scripture. I found that post very convicting.
With all these great Psalms, I'm sure there is so much more. What parts did God ring a little bell in your ear about?
Tomorrow's reading is Psalm 47; Psalm 48; Psalm 49; Psalm 84; Psalm 85; Psalm 87
Two tid-bits I had to comment on before I really get started:
As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
Started reading and found myself in a familiar place, a lovely place, one of the best word pictures of Psalms. The panting deer, the water we long for. Over and over, we've heard it quoted and sung but the last line is new to me! I'm sure I've read it before but not noticed it enough. "When can I go and meet with God?"
There is such longing in that line and I want it to sink down in my soul. There is a relationship longing there, not a religious practice. There is a response to God that he must so take delight in, what he created us for.
I think I'll write the verse down fully to include that because it seems to add so much more to it.
My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you ...
In times of sorrow, trial or depression I have to make a conscious decision to remember God, and therefore my hope in Him. The "therefore" tells me what I ought to do when I'm overwhelmed with these feelings. It's a "because of this, do this". It's a solution, a real one, open and always avaliable through the grace of Christ to me.
Send forth your light and your truth,
let them guide me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.
Your "light" and your "truth" are parallels to the word of God. "Your word is a lamp unto my feet and light to my path."
Still, I wanted to focus on the truth more here. In speaking of the important armor of God the belt of truth is mentioned first and it really is the most important. Without the belt, the whole armor falls apart (besides the helmet of salvation). The belt heald the breastplate in place, carried the sword and allowed for mobility with the garmets below. I found this pop out to me because I've noticed how many times in our OT reading the phrase "gird up your loins" was used by God. I always liked that line but wanted to find out more about it. It turns out, it's the same really as God saying "put on your belt of truth!" Paul uses it in Eph 6:14 when he says "having your loins girt about with truth"
To gird up the loins in putting on armor (or even for others not wearing armor but doing the same with thier clothing) was to pull the fabric of the lower garmet that would otherwise hang about possibly tripping up the runner or getting caught and snagged along the way. In a spiritual sense this would mean to get rid of anything that would stand in the way of the race with the goal of arriving at the "the holy mountain, the place where you dwell".
Truth is the stabalizer for the Christian, and it comes from the light of the word of God. It keeps us from getting tripped up in false teaching, and keeps us in a frame of mind of running the race.
Here are some excerpts from a John Piper sermon that goes very well with this verse as well as these segments of the Psalms because they talk about focusing on HOPE.
The Sermon is: Girding the Mind to Guard Your Hope
The first one is "gird up the loins of your mind." Turn the robes of your mind into running shorts. Pull them up between your legs and tuck them into your belt. But what does that mean in real life? Well, we know that girding the mind is a means to hoping fully in grace. "Having girded up the loins of your mind, hope fully . . . " That's what our minds are running for. But what are they running in? What are they active in? What is the mind to be doing so actively that it produces hope?
The answer is TRUTH. Hope happens when our minds are girded up with truth, and active in truth.
I think Peter means for the mind to be active and running in truth is that this is exactly what Paul says when he uses this very same metaphor in Ephesians 6:14, "Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth." And I think it would be completely faithful to Paul's meaning there if we said, "Stand therefore in hope, by having girded your loins with truth." Girding up the mind in truth and letting it be active in truth is the means of sustaining full hope in God's grace.
So Peter's first secondary command, "Gird up the loins of your mind," means engage the mind with truth in the service of hope. Especially the truth about grace found in the Bible. Run with the truth of Scripture. Work with the truth of Scripture. Live with the truth of Scripture. "Whatever was written in former times was written for our instruction, that by the steadfastness and encouragement of the scriptures we might have HOPE" (Romans 15:4).
The word, the word, the word. Let it guide us till we reach that holy hill where you are. Ironically it goes right along with the previous post when Tammy talked about memorizing scripture. I found that post very convicting.
With all these great Psalms, I'm sure there is so much more. What parts did God ring a little bell in your ear about?
Tomorrow's reading is Psalm 47; Psalm 48; Psalm 49; Psalm 84; Psalm 85; Psalm 87
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Sunday Guest Post By Mrs. Oz
Today's reading in One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan: : 2 Kings 14:1-14, 2 Chronicles 25:1-24, 2 Kings 13:12-13, 2 Kings 14:15-16, 2 Kings 14:23-27, 2 Chronicles 25:25-28, 2 Kings 14:17-22, 2 Kings 15:1-15, 2 Chronicles 26:1-21, Jonah 1-4. For less flipping read 2 Kings 13:12-13, 2 Kings 14:1-27, 2 Kings 15:1-15, 2 Chronicles 25-26:21, Jonah
In all this reading, just like reading earlier about the people of Israel, it's exhausting how many kings just don't get it. It's sad how many of them are assassinated. There are so many of them that when you get to one that reads "he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord" you get so excited.....for a while.
Pride. Oh, that glorious sin of pride. Amaziah seems on the right track, until pride takes over. His son Uzziah seems a little stronger in his stride for the Lord when pride once again, overcomes him. Pride is the proven destroyer of amazing good but what is it rooted in?
If you asked someone what the original sin was that Satan committed (before he was Satan, but the angel described by God as "blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you." Ezekiel 28:15) they would probably say pride. Some people will say selfishness is right there with pride. Yet, what is it that birthed pride? It is the deeper sin of unbelief.
Each of us in our thought processes that produce what we do in our life we have a choice to believe (trust) God or not. We start by analyzing what God wants and what we want, what we think is good and what he says is good. We then will find ourselves either agreeing or disagreeing with him. Even that stage is perfectly fine as a child may very well disagree with a parent, but we should expect that we would disagree with him at times since his thoughts are higher than ours and there is no way for us to "get" his wisdom. From there however is the first sin, to believe or not to believe, that is the question! Do we take God at his word when he says "this is what's best", or "the way I want things is for my glory and your good"? Do we trust him? Do we say "yes, I believe you" or "no, my way would be better for me". Once this sin or submission is decided we act on it in one of two ways: humility or pride. Pride is the road the blameless angel took after he decided he did not believe or trust God's good plan for his joy, but rather he believed his own deduction that being equal with God would make him happier.
We have the same chance at this process every day and on every level. I think it's good to identify it because it's important to know how your heart and your mind connect to respond to God. It makes more clear that all sin is rooted in unbelief. Daily we get chances to believe and trust God and to act on it. Humility says "He is in control and his way is best". Humility breeds faith because it empties us out and fills us with the God who, as stated in these most recent passages, provides the victory.
It's sobering to think we have the same choices that Satan did on every day of our lives. The turning point can be severe when we choose unbelief. Both Amaziah and Uzziah thought they had this down, God was on their side right? It proves that we always have to be on our toes to turn to God and not our strength, to ask of him and not trust the counsel of men alone, to lean on what he has stated in the past is good for us, and never to reduce him to a good luck charm we carry in our pocket with us. To always view him as the Almighty God, truly interested in our doings, but also passionate about his own glory which he wants us to participate in and not distract from.
Tomorrow's reading is Amos 1-6:14
In all this reading, just like reading earlier about the people of Israel, it's exhausting how many kings just don't get it. It's sad how many of them are assassinated. There are so many of them that when you get to one that reads "he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord" you get so excited.....for a while.
Pride. Oh, that glorious sin of pride. Amaziah seems on the right track, until pride takes over. His son Uzziah seems a little stronger in his stride for the Lord when pride once again, overcomes him. Pride is the proven destroyer of amazing good but what is it rooted in?
If you asked someone what the original sin was that Satan committed (before he was Satan, but the angel described by God as "blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you." Ezekiel 28:15) they would probably say pride. Some people will say selfishness is right there with pride. Yet, what is it that birthed pride? It is the deeper sin of unbelief.
Each of us in our thought processes that produce what we do in our life we have a choice to believe (trust) God or not. We start by analyzing what God wants and what we want, what we think is good and what he says is good. We then will find ourselves either agreeing or disagreeing with him. Even that stage is perfectly fine as a child may very well disagree with a parent, but we should expect that we would disagree with him at times since his thoughts are higher than ours and there is no way for us to "get" his wisdom. From there however is the first sin, to believe or not to believe, that is the question! Do we take God at his word when he says "this is what's best", or "the way I want things is for my glory and your good"? Do we trust him? Do we say "yes, I believe you" or "no, my way would be better for me". Once this sin or submission is decided we act on it in one of two ways: humility or pride. Pride is the road the blameless angel took after he decided he did not believe or trust God's good plan for his joy, but rather he believed his own deduction that being equal with God would make him happier.
We have the same chance at this process every day and on every level. I think it's good to identify it because it's important to know how your heart and your mind connect to respond to God. It makes more clear that all sin is rooted in unbelief. Daily we get chances to believe and trust God and to act on it. Humility says "He is in control and his way is best". Humility breeds faith because it empties us out and fills us with the God who, as stated in these most recent passages, provides the victory.
It's sobering to think we have the same choices that Satan did on every day of our lives. The turning point can be severe when we choose unbelief. Both Amaziah and Uzziah thought they had this down, God was on their side right? It proves that we always have to be on our toes to turn to God and not our strength, to ask of him and not trust the counsel of men alone, to lean on what he has stated in the past is good for us, and never to reduce him to a good luck charm we carry in our pocket with us. To always view him as the Almighty God, truly interested in our doings, but also passionate about his own glory which he wants us to participate in and not distract from.
Tomorrow's reading is Amos 1-6:14
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Sunday- Guest Post By Mrs.Oz
Today's reading in the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is 1 Kings 22:10-28; 2 Chronicles 18:9-27; 1 Kings 22:29-35; 2 Chronicles 18:28-34; 1 Kings 22:36-40; 1 Kings 22:51-53; 2 Chronicles 19-20:30
(I don't know how do do the condensed reading link so Tammy, you can add it here if you like. I really like using those links but don't know where you get them).
Tammy here - for less flipping read 1 Kings 22:10-40, 1 Kings 22:51-53, 2 Chronicles 18:9-20:30
I won't be able to do a post today unless I can manage to get back to it after church.
Please go ahead and post any reflections you had on the reading in the comments and they will still be there if I come back and edit to add anything. It's been a crazy busy week.
Tomorrow's readings are:
2 Kings 1:1-18; 2 Kings 3:1-27; 1 Kings 22:41-49; 2 Chronicles 20:31-37; 1 Kings 22:50; 2 Chronicles 21:1-4; 2 Kings 8:16-22; 2 Chronicles 21:5-7. For slightly less flipping read 2 Kings 1 & 3, 1 Kings 22:41-50, 2 Kings 8:16-22, 2 Chronicles 20:31-21:7
(I don't know how do do the condensed reading link so Tammy, you can add it here if you like. I really like using those links but don't know where you get them).
Tammy here - for less flipping read 1 Kings 22:10-40, 1 Kings 22:51-53, 2 Chronicles 18:9-20:30
I won't be able to do a post today unless I can manage to get back to it after church.
Please go ahead and post any reflections you had on the reading in the comments and they will still be there if I come back and edit to add anything. It's been a crazy busy week.
Tomorrow's readings are:
2 Kings 1:1-18; 2 Kings 3:1-27; 1 Kings 22:41-49; 2 Chronicles 20:31-37; 1 Kings 22:50; 2 Chronicles 21:1-4; 2 Kings 8:16-22; 2 Chronicles 21:5-7. For slightly less flipping read 2 Kings 1 & 3, 1 Kings 22:41-50, 2 Kings 8:16-22, 2 Chronicles 20:31-21:7
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