September 30th -- Luke 23:13-34
It's a bit lengthy, but please read the passage!
So, we've already recently looked at basically this same passage. One difference, though, is this one includes something Jesus says to a bunch of upset women who followed him to Golgotha. Now, one might expect a comforting "It'll be okay" or "Don't cry. Things will get better" right? Well, this is not at all what they got. They were told to be upset, but just for different reason. Instead of for him, be sad for themselves, their families, etc. He talks basically about many worse days coming. Now, you may disagree, but I'd say we can see evidence of those days even now. Life is becoming something that many people, instead of seeing as a blessing, see as a curse. This world is so broken that so many people just don't want to be a part of it. Some hate it so much that they take themselves out of it... when Jesus said that it made me think of today's world. The brokenness runs so rampant and so many people are knocked down/out by it. Fortunately, we know if Jesus is the tree, though it is dead now while he is in Heaven, it will be green when he returns again!
God bless! Shalom!
Monday, September 30, 2013
Sunday, September 29, 2013
September 29th
September 29th -- Matthew 28:8-15
It's just short, so please read the passage!
I think most of us have undoubtedly seen those movies where there's a good guy and a bad guy, and the bad guy just seems unbeatable. He seems to hold all the strings and be able and willing to pull them at will to get what he wants and keep his position of power. When anything that threatens his power appears, he wipes it out. It's one of those movies where everything returning to good seems hopeless. But, there's suddenly a good guy. He pulls of something nobody has done before - he actually starts to take some of the bad guy's power and drives the bad guy to desperation, which he shows by acting out of that desperation.Then, though, the hero seems to vanish for ages. People tell stories of him, talking of the hero who overpowered the villain. Few believe, most falling back into the power of the villain. However, normally at the end of the movie, the hero suddenly magically appears out of nowhere and takes out the bad guy and all his baddies for good. It's a somewhat common movie plot, really.
It's a lot like God and the devil, or more specifically in the instance of this passage. The religious leaders really were a bit like a dictatorship or an aristocracy. Jesus was the hero who came out of nowhere. He drove the religious leaders to such desperation that they bribed their soldiers to lie. For thousands of years so many people have believed that lie that it Jesus never rose - his disciples merely took his body from the tomb. However, it's not the end of the movie. The movie ends when Jesus returns. That's when he'll wipe out the bad guy, being the devil, for good.
Pardon my weird comparison, that's just what it made me think of...
God bless! Shalom!
It's just short, so please read the passage!
I think most of us have undoubtedly seen those movies where there's a good guy and a bad guy, and the bad guy just seems unbeatable. He seems to hold all the strings and be able and willing to pull them at will to get what he wants and keep his position of power. When anything that threatens his power appears, he wipes it out. It's one of those movies where everything returning to good seems hopeless. But, there's suddenly a good guy. He pulls of something nobody has done before - he actually starts to take some of the bad guy's power and drives the bad guy to desperation, which he shows by acting out of that desperation.Then, though, the hero seems to vanish for ages. People tell stories of him, talking of the hero who overpowered the villain. Few believe, most falling back into the power of the villain. However, normally at the end of the movie, the hero suddenly magically appears out of nowhere and takes out the bad guy and all his baddies for good. It's a somewhat common movie plot, really.
It's a lot like God and the devil, or more specifically in the instance of this passage. The religious leaders really were a bit like a dictatorship or an aristocracy. Jesus was the hero who came out of nowhere. He drove the religious leaders to such desperation that they bribed their soldiers to lie. For thousands of years so many people have believed that lie that it Jesus never rose - his disciples merely took his body from the tomb. However, it's not the end of the movie. The movie ends when Jesus returns. That's when he'll wipe out the bad guy, being the devil, for good.
Pardon my weird comparison, that's just what it made me think of...
God bless! Shalom!
Saturday, September 28, 2013
September 28th
September 28th -- John 20:1-18
Please read the passage!
Okay... I love this part of the Bible, but I don't have much to say on it. Just recognize, I guess, that there were eyewitnesses to Jesus' resurrection. It wasn't some sort of fabricated story. It was real. I mean, I know this seems like cheating for a Bible Study, but it made me remember this video. It's really great and I know it's long but it's really worth taking the time to watch. Enjoy!
God bless! Shalom!
Please read the passage!
Okay... I love this part of the Bible, but I don't have much to say on it. Just recognize, I guess, that there were eyewitnesses to Jesus' resurrection. It wasn't some sort of fabricated story. It was real. I mean, I know this seems like cheating for a Bible Study, but it made me remember this video. It's really great and I know it's long but it's really worth taking the time to watch. Enjoy!
God bless! Shalom!
Friday, September 27, 2013
September 27th
September 27th -- Matthew 27:57-66
Give the passage a read, please!
You know, it's almost comical, once you know Jesus has risen, to read about the soldiers being placed to guard the tomb. These people are so paranoid the disciples will take the body out that they actually place guards by the tomb. And what happens three days later? It wasn't any disciples who rolled away that stone - an angel came and rolled in. I almost feel bad for those poor guys who had to report that. "Y-y-y-yes, Pilate, sir. There was this huge man with wings dressed in white. He started to m-m-move the stone... and th-th-then we passed out, sir..." I can't imagine that went over well... However, it just goes to show you how flimsily our plans fall in comparison with God's.
God bless! Shalom!
Give the passage a read, please!
You know, it's almost comical, once you know Jesus has risen, to read about the soldiers being placed to guard the tomb. These people are so paranoid the disciples will take the body out that they actually place guards by the tomb. And what happens three days later? It wasn't any disciples who rolled away that stone - an angel came and rolled in. I almost feel bad for those poor guys who had to report that. "Y-y-y-yes, Pilate, sir. There was this huge man with wings dressed in white. He started to m-m-move the stone... and th-th-then we passed out, sir..." I can't imagine that went over well... However, it just goes to show you how flimsily our plans fall in comparison with God's.
God bless! Shalom!
Thursday, September 26, 2013
September 26th
September 26th -- Luke 23:32-49
Read the passage, please!
Okay, first, I recommend you all look up all the prophecies that were perfectly fulfilled in Jesus' crucifixion. Mainly there's one from the OT where a man prophesied the events of Jesus' crucifixion in detail, even though crucifixions had not even been invented at that time, so the man could have had no idea what they were like. I'd love to tell you what passage it is but I'm blanking on it.
Secondly, I want to just point out that even as he held all our sins, he asks God to forgive us for, as he says, "they know not what they do." It's so true. We are so lost we don't even see how lost we are. So much of our world is so disillusioned to that idea. So much of us are so beyond belief in God we don't recognize what we do to Him when we sin. For example, I was at a Shakespeare play today. Merchant of Venice. It was fantastic, by the way, but it also has a lot of elements that, as a Christian, bothered me. Namely the crude jokes and the extreme anti-Semitic take of the whole play. Yet, I feel bad for those actors acting it out and even Shakespeare as he wrote it - they all have/had no idea what they are/were really doing. Sinning. None of them have/had a clue. Thank goodness Jesus knew that and loves us enough to think of that of all things as he hang dying, or we'd all be headed somewhere I don't wanna' go...
God bless! Shalom!
Read the passage, please!
Okay, first, I recommend you all look up all the prophecies that were perfectly fulfilled in Jesus' crucifixion. Mainly there's one from the OT where a man prophesied the events of Jesus' crucifixion in detail, even though crucifixions had not even been invented at that time, so the man could have had no idea what they were like. I'd love to tell you what passage it is but I'm blanking on it.
Secondly, I want to just point out that even as he held all our sins, he asks God to forgive us for, as he says, "they know not what they do." It's so true. We are so lost we don't even see how lost we are. So much of our world is so disillusioned to that idea. So much of us are so beyond belief in God we don't recognize what we do to Him when we sin. For example, I was at a Shakespeare play today. Merchant of Venice. It was fantastic, by the way, but it also has a lot of elements that, as a Christian, bothered me. Namely the crude jokes and the extreme anti-Semitic take of the whole play. Yet, I feel bad for those actors acting it out and even Shakespeare as he wrote it - they all have/had no idea what they are/were really doing. Sinning. None of them have/had a clue. Thank goodness Jesus knew that and loves us enough to think of that of all things as he hang dying, or we'd all be headed somewhere I don't wanna' go...
God bless! Shalom!
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
September 25th
September 25th -- Mark 15:6-24
Please read the passage!
All I can think when I read this passage is "broken". Our world is so broken. The people were given Jesus, who they all knew to be innocent, and a man who was known to be guilty of many horrible crimes. They should have let Jesus go. Instead, though, they let Barabbas go. They chose a known criminal over a man known to be innocent. I think that really this passage just shows how fallen and broken our world is...
God bless! Shalom!
Please read the passage!
All I can think when I read this passage is "broken". Our world is so broken. The people were given Jesus, who they all knew to be innocent, and a man who was known to be guilty of many horrible crimes. They should have let Jesus go. Instead, though, they let Barabbas go. They chose a known criminal over a man known to be innocent. I think that really this passage just shows how fallen and broken our world is...
God bless! Shalom!
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
September 24th
September 24th -- John 23:1-12
Read the passage, please! It's short!
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Not sure who said it but it is a well-known phrase. We often follow it, too. In this case, Herod and Pilate followed it. They became friends, as the text says, although they were enemies. Now, that's the negative application of it. We should be positively applying it. Our enemy is the devil. Therefore those who are also enemies of the devil should be our friends. This means our fellow brothers and sisters. I'm not saying I agree with "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" as I find it rather hateful, but I find the principle idea of it is accurate. You are that much closer, in theory anyways, with someone you share a common cause or goal with. This should be true for all of us and our siblings in Christ. We share a common cause, so it should be enough to cover over any status we had as "enemies" without that cause.
Sorry if that was confusing...
God bless! Shalom!
Read the passage, please! It's short!
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Not sure who said it but it is a well-known phrase. We often follow it, too. In this case, Herod and Pilate followed it. They became friends, as the text says, although they were enemies. Now, that's the negative application of it. We should be positively applying it. Our enemy is the devil. Therefore those who are also enemies of the devil should be our friends. This means our fellow brothers and sisters. I'm not saying I agree with "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" as I find it rather hateful, but I find the principle idea of it is accurate. You are that much closer, in theory anyways, with someone you share a common cause or goal with. This should be true for all of us and our siblings in Christ. We share a common cause, so it should be enough to cover over any status we had as "enemies" without that cause.
Sorry if that was confusing...
God bless! Shalom!
Monday, September 23, 2013
September 23rd
September 23rd -- Matthew 27:1-10
It's short so please go give the passage a read!
Honestly, just because I am SUPER busy tonight, and because I feel I touched on this a lot in a previous post, please just go read this post.
Thanks! God bless! Shalom!
It's short so please go give the passage a read!
Honestly, just because I am SUPER busy tonight, and because I feel I touched on this a lot in a previous post, please just go read this post.
Thanks! God bless! Shalom!
Sunday, September 22, 2013
September 22nd
September 22nd -- Matthew 26:57-75
Please go and read the passage!
Sometimes we are Peter. We hide our faith. We deny that we're Christians, servants of Christ, the hands and feet of God, His children. We flat out lie and say we're not. Perhaps you're thinking "I've never lied about being a Christian, though..." That may be true. You may never have said "No, I'm not a Christian" when asked if you are. However, how often do you hide your faith? Just not mention it. Try and avoid the topic. Do all you can short of lying to ensure that nobody finds out. Probably more often than one would think. Definitely more often than we should. Our faith is not something to be hidden. It's the greatest gift we have and one that needs to be shared. However, you can't share something if you're hiding it. So don't deny it and don't try and hide it. Let it out, let it shine, and let it spread!
God bless! Shalom!
Please go and read the passage!
Sometimes we are Peter. We hide our faith. We deny that we're Christians, servants of Christ, the hands and feet of God, His children. We flat out lie and say we're not. Perhaps you're thinking "I've never lied about being a Christian, though..." That may be true. You may never have said "No, I'm not a Christian" when asked if you are. However, how often do you hide your faith? Just not mention it. Try and avoid the topic. Do all you can short of lying to ensure that nobody finds out. Probably more often than one would think. Definitely more often than we should. Our faith is not something to be hidden. It's the greatest gift we have and one that needs to be shared. However, you can't share something if you're hiding it. So don't deny it and don't try and hide it. Let it out, let it shine, and let it spread!
God bless! Shalom!
Saturday, September 21, 2013
September 21st
Bible in 365 -- John 18:1-24
Please read the passage!
Scapegoat. Jesus is ultimate scapegoat. He puts his life on the line in order to save all of ours. He did nothing wrong, but he was the one who was seen as needing to be punished for the rest of his people. Caiaphas even says "It's better that one man should die for his people." And so Jesus did. Here's the thing - he knew he didn't have to. He knew that it was within his power to say no, and not go through with it. He did it anyways. Why? He was the ultimate scapegoat. He wasn't the scapegoat because he was forced to be - he was because he loves us enough that he wanted to be. He chose it to show us his love. Words cost nothing - actions are priceless. The act of dying to save the ones even who hate you - that is incredible. Don't forget the love of our "scapegoat". Don't forget to return it as best you can.
God bless! Shalom!
Please read the passage!
Scapegoat. Jesus is ultimate scapegoat. He puts his life on the line in order to save all of ours. He did nothing wrong, but he was the one who was seen as needing to be punished for the rest of his people. Caiaphas even says "It's better that one man should die for his people." And so Jesus did. Here's the thing - he knew he didn't have to. He knew that it was within his power to say no, and not go through with it. He did it anyways. Why? He was the ultimate scapegoat. He wasn't the scapegoat because he was forced to be - he was because he loves us enough that he wanted to be. He chose it to show us his love. Words cost nothing - actions are priceless. The act of dying to save the ones even who hate you - that is incredible. Don't forget the love of our "scapegoat". Don't forget to return it as best you can.
God bless! Shalom!
Friday, September 20, 2013
September 20th
September 20th -- Mark 14:26-52
Read the passage, please!
Jesus brought along three disciples to keep watch. Twice they fell asleep. It makes me think of all the times we make promises or say without giving much thought to it that we'll do something for someone, then we fall through. It's so easy to commit to those things and not follow through on them. Just like the disciples said they'd stay awake but slept, often we say we'll help all we can and when the time comes that we are needed, we back away making excuses as to why we no longer can. We need to be more reliable. A while ago I talked about how God says whatever we do to "the least of these" we do to Him. That includes when we leave them hanging because of a promise or commitment. Leaving them hanging is just like leaving God hanging. The disciples did it to Jesus, but I can't imagine how horrible I'd feel if I had done it - I'm sure they feel horrible as well. So instead of thinking "Oh, but it was just ___ or ___ and ____(name) is only human like me and I'm sure they've done it before" own up to your mistake. Apologize. Mean it when you do. Be truly sorry, as if you had just done that to God. In a way, you did.
God bless! Shalom!
Read the passage, please!
Jesus brought along three disciples to keep watch. Twice they fell asleep. It makes me think of all the times we make promises or say without giving much thought to it that we'll do something for someone, then we fall through. It's so easy to commit to those things and not follow through on them. Just like the disciples said they'd stay awake but slept, often we say we'll help all we can and when the time comes that we are needed, we back away making excuses as to why we no longer can. We need to be more reliable. A while ago I talked about how God says whatever we do to "the least of these" we do to Him. That includes when we leave them hanging because of a promise or commitment. Leaving them hanging is just like leaving God hanging. The disciples did it to Jesus, but I can't imagine how horrible I'd feel if I had done it - I'm sure they feel horrible as well. So instead of thinking "Oh, but it was just ___ or ___ and ____(name) is only human like me and I'm sure they've done it before" own up to your mistake. Apologize. Mean it when you do. Be truly sorry, as if you had just done that to God. In a way, you did.
God bless! Shalom!
Thursday, September 19, 2013
September 19th
September 19th -- John 17
It's a whole chapter, but please go read it!
I love this last section of the passage. "Jesus Prays for Future Believers". He knew his life was coming to an end, and none of us would have blamed him if we learned he spent all his time praying for himself, as he knew what he would have to go through. Instead, though, who does he pray for? Us. He prays for us. People, even when he hung on the cross for us, he loved us. Even when he knew soon he would go through that for us, although we deserve Hell, he prayed for us because he loves us. I really don't have anything else to say on this passage. I just want you to realize the immense love Jesus has for us.
God bless! Shalom!
It's a whole chapter, but please go read it!
I love this last section of the passage. "Jesus Prays for Future Believers". He knew his life was coming to an end, and none of us would have blamed him if we learned he spent all his time praying for himself, as he knew what he would have to go through. Instead, though, who does he pray for? Us. He prays for us. People, even when he hung on the cross for us, he loved us. Even when he knew soon he would go through that for us, although we deserve Hell, he prayed for us because he loves us. I really don't have anything else to say on this passage. I just want you to realize the immense love Jesus has for us.
God bless! Shalom!
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
September 18th
September 18th -- John 16:5-33
Please read the passage!
So, this is gonna' be short, sorry, but I'm exhausted and still have physics homework to do because I worked earlier.
Jesus didn't just give the people who he was there with a chance. He didn't just tell them all these commandments and let them give him memos to pass to heaven when he was crucified. He left something for all of us, so we can all walk with God daily, if not as literally as those who walked with Jesus did. We all have the Holy Spirit. Typically we like to call it our conscience or our common sense, or even our "moral compass". That would be the Holy Spirit. Since Jesus isn't here with us to guide us, the Holy Spirit guides us. We have a sort of built in detector of good and evil - right and wrong. However, we have to let it in. It's not just gonna' enter everyone. You have to let it in. Then you have to listen for there to be any point to it. Just think on whether you've been paying it enough attention, or if maybe your flesh has been drowning it out lately.
God bless! Shalom!
Please read the passage!
So, this is gonna' be short, sorry, but I'm exhausted and still have physics homework to do because I worked earlier.
Jesus didn't just give the people who he was there with a chance. He didn't just tell them all these commandments and let them give him memos to pass to heaven when he was crucified. He left something for all of us, so we can all walk with God daily, if not as literally as those who walked with Jesus did. We all have the Holy Spirit. Typically we like to call it our conscience or our common sense, or even our "moral compass". That would be the Holy Spirit. Since Jesus isn't here with us to guide us, the Holy Spirit guides us. We have a sort of built in detector of good and evil - right and wrong. However, we have to let it in. It's not just gonna' enter everyone. You have to let it in. Then you have to listen for there to be any point to it. Just think on whether you've been paying it enough attention, or if maybe your flesh has been drowning it out lately.
God bless! Shalom!
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
September 17th
September 17th -- John 15:17-16:4
Please read the passage! It looks long but it's not really!
Now, this warning may seem irrelevant, right? It was thousands of years ago to the people actually with Jesus on earth.
Wrong. It's still relevant.
People today are still gonna' hate you for your faith because they have also rejected God in their hearts. The rejection we face today is just as real as that which the disciples faced back then. Yes, the outcome nowadays isn't as severe most of the time (you don't see people being stoned in downtown Toronto for preaching the gospel, whereas in Bible times public stonings would occur) but the rejection is still rejection.
YOU WILL FACE IT!
You will be laughed at for your faith.
You will be teased for your faith.
You will be isolated for your faith.
You will be stereotyped for your faith.
YOU WILL BE REJECTED for your faith.
Jesus warns us of this so it wouldn't be a huge shock when it happened. SO remember that. It will happen. Just be ready to accept it and move on when it does.
God bless! Shalom!
P.S. Yes this is short. I'm exhausted. On a personal note I have a lot going on. School, 2 part-time jobs, and some major family health problems (like hospital trips and constant care needed). So if my blogs are short for a while, that's why. I just haven't been sleeping much because of it all and I've been rather distracted. Just keeping y'all in the loop. Thanks.
Please read the passage! It looks long but it's not really!
Now, this warning may seem irrelevant, right? It was thousands of years ago to the people actually with Jesus on earth.
Wrong. It's still relevant.
People today are still gonna' hate you for your faith because they have also rejected God in their hearts. The rejection we face today is just as real as that which the disciples faced back then. Yes, the outcome nowadays isn't as severe most of the time (you don't see people being stoned in downtown Toronto for preaching the gospel, whereas in Bible times public stonings would occur) but the rejection is still rejection.
YOU WILL FACE IT!
You will be laughed at for your faith.
You will be teased for your faith.
You will be isolated for your faith.
You will be stereotyped for your faith.
YOU WILL BE REJECTED for your faith.
Jesus warns us of this so it wouldn't be a huge shock when it happened. SO remember that. It will happen. Just be ready to accept it and move on when it does.
God bless! Shalom!
P.S. Yes this is short. I'm exhausted. On a personal note I have a lot going on. School, 2 part-time jobs, and some major family health problems (like hospital trips and constant care needed). So if my blogs are short for a while, that's why. I just haven't been sleeping much because of it all and I've been rather distracted. Just keeping y'all in the loop. Thanks.
Monday, September 16, 2013
September 16th
September 16th -- John 15:1-16
Read the passage!
Okay, more emphasis on two topics I've pointed out recently. Since I'm really tired I am just gonna' sum them up fast.
1) We can't do anything apart from God. If we're the branches, he's the vine. If you cut a new little branch from a vine off and leave it, it can't do anything on its own but slowly die. This is the same way with us and God. If we do not have God, all it will lead to is death. To live (looking on an eternal level) we must be near to Him and to be near to Him we must love Him. Our proof of this is to obey His commandments. So be obeying them so you are not seen as a branch that needs to be pruned from the vine, being left to die and be burned.
2) Love each other. That command keeps coming up. We are told our following God's commands will prove our love for Him - He has commanded us to love each other. But more so (as mentioned a few posts ago or so) to love each other as He loved/loves us. That's a lot of love. That's hard. As people we're sometimes far from easy to love. It's not in our human nature to love, either. We need God for that. We need Him to give us that ability to love the unlovable. Ask and it will be given. If you are having trouble loving, ask God to help you love that person/those people you cannot seem to love. He will. After all, He does want you to.
Hopefully these themes are really sticking in your head by now! Haha!
God bless! Shalom!
Read the passage!
Okay, more emphasis on two topics I've pointed out recently. Since I'm really tired I am just gonna' sum them up fast.
1) We can't do anything apart from God. If we're the branches, he's the vine. If you cut a new little branch from a vine off and leave it, it can't do anything on its own but slowly die. This is the same way with us and God. If we do not have God, all it will lead to is death. To live (looking on an eternal level) we must be near to Him and to be near to Him we must love Him. Our proof of this is to obey His commandments. So be obeying them so you are not seen as a branch that needs to be pruned from the vine, being left to die and be burned.
2) Love each other. That command keeps coming up. We are told our following God's commands will prove our love for Him - He has commanded us to love each other. But more so (as mentioned a few posts ago or so) to love each other as He loved/loves us. That's a lot of love. That's hard. As people we're sometimes far from easy to love. It's not in our human nature to love, either. We need God for that. We need Him to give us that ability to love the unlovable. Ask and it will be given. If you are having trouble loving, ask God to help you love that person/those people you cannot seem to love. He will. After all, He does want you to.
Hopefully these themes are really sticking in your head by now! Haha!
God bless! Shalom!
Sunday, September 15, 2013
September 15th
September 15th -- John 14:15-31
Read the passage, please!
"If you love me, obey my commandments." "All who love me will do what I say."
How many times do we hear people call themselves Christian, then act in any way but what that should mean? Often, right? Or more often than it should happen, at the very least. Now, you're probably wondering how that relates, right? That's not technically saying "I love God/Jesus" then acting like they don't, right? Wrong. Claiming to be Christian is claiming to know and love Christ. Meaning, if we are claiming that, we should be following his commandments, too. To the best of our abilities, at least (we obviously can't always, because we all sin sometimes - otherwise we wouldn't have needed Christ in the first place). I think that obeying God or not obeying God is one of the true tests of being a Christian. It tends to make me think of Paul and James. Paul preached that all you had to do was accept Christ and you would be saved. It always seemed like James was totally disagreeing when he said that you had to also obey his commandments and basically let your life glorify him, because merely belief on its own was not enough. See, they're actually both right. James was not trying to say Paul was wrong, but merely expanding on what Paul suggested. When one accepts Christ - truly accepts Christ - it should be followed by obeying God's commands and living their life for His glory. So, the two ideas actually marry, really. Those who truly love Christ will obey his commandments.
Have you been acting like you love or hate him lately?
God bless! Shalom!
Read the passage, please!
"If you love me, obey my commandments." "All who love me will do what I say."
How many times do we hear people call themselves Christian, then act in any way but what that should mean? Often, right? Or more often than it should happen, at the very least. Now, you're probably wondering how that relates, right? That's not technically saying "I love God/Jesus" then acting like they don't, right? Wrong. Claiming to be Christian is claiming to know and love Christ. Meaning, if we are claiming that, we should be following his commandments, too. To the best of our abilities, at least (we obviously can't always, because we all sin sometimes - otherwise we wouldn't have needed Christ in the first place). I think that obeying God or not obeying God is one of the true tests of being a Christian. It tends to make me think of Paul and James. Paul preached that all you had to do was accept Christ and you would be saved. It always seemed like James was totally disagreeing when he said that you had to also obey his commandments and basically let your life glorify him, because merely belief on its own was not enough. See, they're actually both right. James was not trying to say Paul was wrong, but merely expanding on what Paul suggested. When one accepts Christ - truly accepts Christ - it should be followed by obeying God's commands and living their life for His glory. So, the two ideas actually marry, really. Those who truly love Christ will obey his commandments.
Have you been acting like you love or hate him lately?
God bless! Shalom!
Saturday, September 14, 2013
September 14th
September 14th -- John14:1-14
Please go and read the passage through!
Jesus is our way to God. When he was crucified, the Bible mentions a veil being torn. I think many people fail to realize the significance of that veil. In OT times, when the Temple of the Lord was still bring carried around, and even when it was set up as a proper building, before Jesus' death, there were different temple sections. There were three parts. The innermost part was separated by a veil. Nobody entered except the High Priest who was only allowed in once a year in order to intercede of behalf of all the people. (PS these facts may be minimally off, as I'm trying to remember them all from school a few years ago, but they're basically accurate) So, this veil tearing when Jesus died represented his taking over as our High Priest. He is the one who intercedes for us. He is our direct line up to God. He built a bridge over that gaping chasm that ran between us and God. Jesus literally is our way to God. So don't worry. He's preparing a place for all his followers. He's coming to get us when it's ready. So do not worry because you know you have that place.
God bless! Shalom!
Please go and read the passage through!
Jesus is our way to God. When he was crucified, the Bible mentions a veil being torn. I think many people fail to realize the significance of that veil. In OT times, when the Temple of the Lord was still bring carried around, and even when it was set up as a proper building, before Jesus' death, there were different temple sections. There were three parts. The innermost part was separated by a veil. Nobody entered except the High Priest who was only allowed in once a year in order to intercede of behalf of all the people. (PS these facts may be minimally off, as I'm trying to remember them all from school a few years ago, but they're basically accurate) So, this veil tearing when Jesus died represented his taking over as our High Priest. He is the one who intercedes for us. He is our direct line up to God. He built a bridge over that gaping chasm that ran between us and God. Jesus literally is our way to God. So don't worry. He's preparing a place for all his followers. He's coming to get us when it's ready. So do not worry because you know you have that place.
God bless! Shalom!
Friday, September 13, 2013
September 13th
September 13th -- John 13:21-38
Please read the passage!
Gonna' just narrow in the focus to verses 34-35. Do you recognize the significance of what Jesus says in that passage? Our love for each other is what is meant to be helping prove we are his disciples. So when we're not loving each other, then we're not acting like the disciples we should be. It's hard, folks. It really is. Sometimes we just start out a relationship on the wrong foot and that can be all it takes to keep us holding a small little looming grudge in the back of our mind. We think it's fine, sometimes, I think, because we don't act on it. However, that's wrong. The fact that we don't act on it doesn't justify it. A single other soul on this planet may never know if you are harboring hatred and not love for another, but God will always know. He sees our hearts and mind. We can't trick Him. We can't pull the wool over His eyes if we act kind on the outside but aren't truly loving and letting that transform us from the inside out. It will, too. It will transform you from the inside out. When you start to actively attempt to love those around you - unconditionally and without expecting anything in return - you will find that you will begin to change before your very eyes and the eyes of those around you. You will be a nicer personal in general. You will care more. Sometimes, things will hurt more, yes, but you will also be able to be that much happier over things. There will be a huge and wonderful change in your life. All it takes is a little -or sometimes a lot of- effort on your end.
God bless! Shalom!
Please read the passage!
Gonna' just narrow in the focus to verses 34-35. Do you recognize the significance of what Jesus says in that passage? Our love for each other is what is meant to be helping prove we are his disciples. So when we're not loving each other, then we're not acting like the disciples we should be. It's hard, folks. It really is. Sometimes we just start out a relationship on the wrong foot and that can be all it takes to keep us holding a small little looming grudge in the back of our mind. We think it's fine, sometimes, I think, because we don't act on it. However, that's wrong. The fact that we don't act on it doesn't justify it. A single other soul on this planet may never know if you are harboring hatred and not love for another, but God will always know. He sees our hearts and mind. We can't trick Him. We can't pull the wool over His eyes if we act kind on the outside but aren't truly loving and letting that transform us from the inside out. It will, too. It will transform you from the inside out. When you start to actively attempt to love those around you - unconditionally and without expecting anything in return - you will find that you will begin to change before your very eyes and the eyes of those around you. You will be a nicer personal in general. You will care more. Sometimes, things will hurt more, yes, but you will also be able to be that much happier over things. There will be a huge and wonderful change in your life. All it takes is a little -or sometimes a lot of- effort on your end.
God bless! Shalom!
Thursday, September 12, 2013
September 12th
September 12th -- John 13;1-20
Please read the passage!
Why did Jesus wash his disciples' feet? When he knew his life was nearing its end, why did he do that? It says right in the passage - to set an example. Now, that's not an example restricted to foot-washing. That is an example of how one is meant to serve. By choice, willingly, and out of love. Nobody made Jesus do it - he chose to. Jesus didn't go about it grumbling or complaining - he did it willingly. It wasn't done to later pull a "you owe me because of that..." or settle something by being able to say "now we're even..." - it was done out of love. We have chances every day to live as servants and we pass up most of them. So, try not to. Try and think of Jesus' example. Then, don't just think about it - follow it.
God bless! Shalom!
Please read the passage!
Why did Jesus wash his disciples' feet? When he knew his life was nearing its end, why did he do that? It says right in the passage - to set an example. Now, that's not an example restricted to foot-washing. That is an example of how one is meant to serve. By choice, willingly, and out of love. Nobody made Jesus do it - he chose to. Jesus didn't go about it grumbling or complaining - he did it willingly. It wasn't done to later pull a "you owe me because of that..." or settle something by being able to say "now we're even..." - it was done out of love. We have chances every day to live as servants and we pass up most of them. So, try not to. Try and think of Jesus' example. Then, don't just think about it - follow it.
God bless! Shalom!
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
September 11th
September 11th -- Luke 22:1-13
Please read the passage!
I think if there were a list of "Most Disliked Bible Characters" Judas would be on it for most people. Now, I don't agree with what he did, obviously, but I don't agree with hating him, either. So, then I clearly must have a good reason why to not hate him, right? Right. Firstly, God wants us to love one another, not hate His children - enough said. Secondly, good people do bad things sometimes. If you were suddenly hated eternally for one mistake how would you feel? Even if it was something horrible, you'd probably be upset if it was something you came to regret later (to the point of hanging yourself...) and yet people still hated you, right? I know I would. We are all sinners. So let's not hold something against Judas that could just as easily be held against us. Additionally, someone had to do it. Someone had to betray Jesus. Jesus' death had to happen, so his resurrection could happen, so he could have overcome death and freed us from our sins. Judas didn't pick for it to be him. Nobody would choose that job of betraying Jesus, but someone did have to do it. It just happened to be Judas. I also want to point out that when he did it, he wasn't acting as himself, really. The beginning of verse 3 says "Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot,..." Just like Eve messed up and ate the apple because of the devil, Judas messed up and betrayed Jesus because of the devil. So, just think about that. Try to remember that sometimes people just get the nasty place in history or the horrible title to be remembered by. Judas is just one case. So, yes he sinned and was wrong, but yes he was still God's child, and we are meant to love each and every child of God - NOT hold grudges or hatred against them.
God bless! Shalom!
Please read the passage!
I think if there were a list of "Most Disliked Bible Characters" Judas would be on it for most people. Now, I don't agree with what he did, obviously, but I don't agree with hating him, either. So, then I clearly must have a good reason why to not hate him, right? Right. Firstly, God wants us to love one another, not hate His children - enough said. Secondly, good people do bad things sometimes. If you were suddenly hated eternally for one mistake how would you feel? Even if it was something horrible, you'd probably be upset if it was something you came to regret later (to the point of hanging yourself...) and yet people still hated you, right? I know I would. We are all sinners. So let's not hold something against Judas that could just as easily be held against us. Additionally, someone had to do it. Someone had to betray Jesus. Jesus' death had to happen, so his resurrection could happen, so he could have overcome death and freed us from our sins. Judas didn't pick for it to be him. Nobody would choose that job of betraying Jesus, but someone did have to do it. It just happened to be Judas. I also want to point out that when he did it, he wasn't acting as himself, really. The beginning of verse 3 says "Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot,..." Just like Eve messed up and ate the apple because of the devil, Judas messed up and betrayed Jesus because of the devil. So, just think about that. Try to remember that sometimes people just get the nasty place in history or the horrible title to be remembered by. Judas is just one case. So, yes he sinned and was wrong, but yes he was still God's child, and we are meant to love each and every child of God - NOT hold grudges or hatred against them.
God bless! Shalom!
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
September 10th
September 10th -- Matthew 25:31-46
Please read the passage!
Just gonna' focus in on one part of this passage. I really love this particular part, is all. When God begins saying that the righteous at His right hand fed Him, clothed Him, or cared for Him in any other way, those He is speaking about/to are incredibly confused. They ask Him what He means, and He tells them that everything they did "for the least of these" they were doing to Him. He says the same basic thing to the ones on His left - when they saw people who needed caring for, they left them, which was like leaving God. Have you ever looked at it that way? REALLY looked at it that way? Really, we sort of all are God in some sense. Not in the sense of being in any way omniscient, omnipotent, or omnipresent, but in the sense that we are all made in His image. We are all made in the image of God and image-bearers of God (basically the same thing - I just phrased it two ways). Each and every one of us is made in the image of God in some way or another. Now, people can be exceptionally hard to get along with - trust me I know. Sometimes, our life seems miserable or just chaotic - trust me, I know that, too. However, think of how many people you pass on any given day. 200? 300? Maybe even 1000? There are so many lives. Now, I'm not encouraging anyone to run up and hug strangers, but imagine seeing God or Jesus in that crowd - wouldn't you go way out of your way to reach them? So, why is it when we see God in those crowds, maybe holding a sign begging for money, or crying alone on a park bench, or just in some way obviously struggling, we pass right by like we don't even see the person? I think we just lose perspective. I think that we get so lost in our human nature's calls to put ourselves first, that sometimes we do it without noticing. So we don't help, because then we have to give up something of our own. However, that is basically leaving God there without help. I would hope you'd help God, so help those made in His image. Also, although it shouldn't need to be incentive, just remember that you will be rewarded for what you give for His glory. Luke 6:38 "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Treat each person in need like you would treat Jesus or God Himself! God bless! Shalom!
Please read the passage!
Just gonna' focus in on one part of this passage. I really love this particular part, is all. When God begins saying that the righteous at His right hand fed Him, clothed Him, or cared for Him in any other way, those He is speaking about/to are incredibly confused. They ask Him what He means, and He tells them that everything they did "for the least of these" they were doing to Him. He says the same basic thing to the ones on His left - when they saw people who needed caring for, they left them, which was like leaving God. Have you ever looked at it that way? REALLY looked at it that way? Really, we sort of all are God in some sense. Not in the sense of being in any way omniscient, omnipotent, or omnipresent, but in the sense that we are all made in His image. We are all made in the image of God and image-bearers of God (basically the same thing - I just phrased it two ways). Each and every one of us is made in the image of God in some way or another. Now, people can be exceptionally hard to get along with - trust me I know. Sometimes, our life seems miserable or just chaotic - trust me, I know that, too. However, think of how many people you pass on any given day. 200? 300? Maybe even 1000? There are so many lives. Now, I'm not encouraging anyone to run up and hug strangers, but imagine seeing God or Jesus in that crowd - wouldn't you go way out of your way to reach them? So, why is it when we see God in those crowds, maybe holding a sign begging for money, or crying alone on a park bench, or just in some way obviously struggling, we pass right by like we don't even see the person? I think we just lose perspective. I think that we get so lost in our human nature's calls to put ourselves first, that sometimes we do it without noticing. So we don't help, because then we have to give up something of our own. However, that is basically leaving God there without help. I would hope you'd help God, so help those made in His image. Also, although it shouldn't need to be incentive, just remember that you will be rewarded for what you give for His glory. Luke 6:38 "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Treat each person in need like you would treat Jesus or God Himself! God bless! Shalom!
Monday, September 9, 2013
September 9th
September 9th -- Matthew 25:1-30
Please go read the passage!
More parables about the kingdom of God. Again, sorry, but I don't have much to say. I think everyone will take parables like this a little bit differently. Just please always be ready for Jesus' return and the coming of the Kingdom of God at any time, because it could very well be at any time. So just always be ready and waiting. Be prepared. But also be excited. For those of us who are saved and know we will be able to enter that Kingdom, be excited because it will be amazing beyond words.
God bless! Shalom!
Please go read the passage!
More parables about the kingdom of God. Again, sorry, but I don't have much to say. I think everyone will take parables like this a little bit differently. Just please always be ready for Jesus' return and the coming of the Kingdom of God at any time, because it could very well be at any time. So just always be ready and waiting. Be prepared. But also be excited. For those of us who are saved and know we will be able to enter that Kingdom, be excited because it will be amazing beyond words.
God bless! Shalom!
Sunday, September 8, 2013
September 8th
September 8th -- Luke 21:25-38
Please go give the passage a read!
I just don't really have much to say on this passage, sorry, because it's rather self-explanatory. I guess all I'd want to say is be watching. Be watching for those signs. But always also be aware that Jesus could return at any time. So live for Him like Jesus will be back in the next hour. Don't be pulling stunts thinking "I have time to patch this up on my record before the world ends." For all any of us know, you won't. (Plus, that whole attitude of justifying sin is wrong in the first place anyways... but that's for another day) So don't be that guilty kid who threw a party on the weekend only to have his parents come back early because their business trip was cancelled - be the responsible ones who lets his parents come home to a clean house where no party took place in their absence.
He's coming back some day! God bless! Shalom!
Please go give the passage a read!
I just don't really have much to say on this passage, sorry, because it's rather self-explanatory. I guess all I'd want to say is be watching. Be watching for those signs. But always also be aware that Jesus could return at any time. So live for Him like Jesus will be back in the next hour. Don't be pulling stunts thinking "I have time to patch this up on my record before the world ends." For all any of us know, you won't. (Plus, that whole attitude of justifying sin is wrong in the first place anyways... but that's for another day) So don't be that guilty kid who threw a party on the weekend only to have his parents come back early because their business trip was cancelled - be the responsible ones who lets his parents come home to a clean house where no party took place in their absence.
He's coming back some day! God bless! Shalom!
Saturday, September 7, 2013
September 7th
September 7th -- Luke 21:1-24
Give the passage a read over, please!
I just wanna' look at the widow versus the other people who came and gave gifts in the Temple. All these people were giving large amounts, and the widow gave only 2 small coins of little value. Yet Jesus said she gave more. Why? She gave all that she had, while the others gave only small portions of their wealth. I think sometimes we are a lot like the rich in this passage and often look down on those like the poor woman, too. Sometimes we make our selves feel better because we think we tithed more, or we know we volunteer more at shelters or maybe we donate to a lot of organizations and the other person doesn't. However, for all we know, that other person is doing all they can. We have no right to judge. This is especially true when we are not doing all we can. Imagine there was a woman who worked 12-hour days just to make enough to get by. She attends church, but she never gives additional offerings. She never comes and helps with church events. She doesn't donate to any organizations. You, on the other hand always give money for extra offerings. You've spent huge numbers of hours helping with events. You donate to tons of organizations and charities. Who looks better? You, probably. However, that lady doesn't give additional offerings because she already loses money she needs in order to tithe, so she trusts God will honor her for obeying Him and He will provide. She doesn't help with church events because she spends all her time working in order to make enough to get by. She doesn't donate to charities and organizations because in the rare case she has a few spare dollars, she gives it to a homeless person so they can buy lunch. You give extra offerings because you don't want to look bad. You volunteer and donate because you want people to have a good image of you. Now who looks better? Her. What matters is not the amount of what you give, but the meaning behind it - is it be a lot because you can afford to give whatever you want, really, or is it just a little because that is all you have to give? So, don't become like the rich people in this story. Don't give God just the bare minimum of what you have to. Give Him everything. Do all you do for Him.
Give Him everything and you will not be disappointed. God bless! Shalom!
Give the passage a read over, please!
I just wanna' look at the widow versus the other people who came and gave gifts in the Temple. All these people were giving large amounts, and the widow gave only 2 small coins of little value. Yet Jesus said she gave more. Why? She gave all that she had, while the others gave only small portions of their wealth. I think sometimes we are a lot like the rich in this passage and often look down on those like the poor woman, too. Sometimes we make our selves feel better because we think we tithed more, or we know we volunteer more at shelters or maybe we donate to a lot of organizations and the other person doesn't. However, for all we know, that other person is doing all they can. We have no right to judge. This is especially true when we are not doing all we can. Imagine there was a woman who worked 12-hour days just to make enough to get by. She attends church, but she never gives additional offerings. She never comes and helps with church events. She doesn't donate to any organizations. You, on the other hand always give money for extra offerings. You've spent huge numbers of hours helping with events. You donate to tons of organizations and charities. Who looks better? You, probably. However, that lady doesn't give additional offerings because she already loses money she needs in order to tithe, so she trusts God will honor her for obeying Him and He will provide. She doesn't help with church events because she spends all her time working in order to make enough to get by. She doesn't donate to charities and organizations because in the rare case she has a few spare dollars, she gives it to a homeless person so they can buy lunch. You give extra offerings because you don't want to look bad. You volunteer and donate because you want people to have a good image of you. Now who looks better? Her. What matters is not the amount of what you give, but the meaning behind it - is it be a lot because you can afford to give whatever you want, really, or is it just a little because that is all you have to give? So, don't become like the rich people in this story. Don't give God just the bare minimum of what you have to. Give Him everything. Do all you do for Him.
Give Him everything and you will not be disappointed. God bless! Shalom!
Friday, September 6, 2013
September 6th
September 6th -- Matthew 23:1-39
Give the passage a read over, please, even though it's long!
Wow. Jesus really seems to slam the religious leaders, here. However, all of what he said is true. Now, there's on verse that I find sums up most of this passage. Verse 24 says "Blind guides! You strain your water so you won't accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!" The religious leaders became so caught up in all the tiny, nitpicky details that they forgot the point. They put their relationship with Christ on the backburner in order to make sure every tiny tassel was the right place, and every last vow was spoken properly. They were so heavily focused on the rules of God that they were looking everywhere but in front of them for the answer in front of them. Not only were they all missing out on finding the Kingdom of God because of this, but they were leading other people off on the wild goose chase, too, where the rules must be some sort of clues which lead to some sort of answer when they're all properly handled. Now, I know myself well enough to know -and admit- I can be a bit OCD about stuff at times. Details are a big thing to me. I have to have things properly organized or I don't function as well in that environment. So, sometimes with school projects, or while trying to clean my room, I miss the bigger pictures because I get way too focused on the smaller details. I know I do that with my faith, sometimes, too. That's something I have been trying not to. It's easy to put your faith in a box and leave it in a shelf at the back of your mental closet. Pull it down and open it for Sunday, maybe youth group, or perhaps whenever you are so desperate you call on God. That's the attitude some of us have. We focus too much on those details, and forget to remember that faith is a big, general thing. We need to look at the big picture. Our faith covers all our life. We just need to let it.
So, are you straining for minor stresses and swallowing down catastrophes? Let go and let God. Your faith covers your whole life, so let it.
God bless! Shalom!
Give the passage a read over, please, even though it's long!
Wow. Jesus really seems to slam the religious leaders, here. However, all of what he said is true. Now, there's on verse that I find sums up most of this passage. Verse 24 says "Blind guides! You strain your water so you won't accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!" The religious leaders became so caught up in all the tiny, nitpicky details that they forgot the point. They put their relationship with Christ on the backburner in order to make sure every tiny tassel was the right place, and every last vow was spoken properly. They were so heavily focused on the rules of God that they were looking everywhere but in front of them for the answer in front of them. Not only were they all missing out on finding the Kingdom of God because of this, but they were leading other people off on the wild goose chase, too, where the rules must be some sort of clues which lead to some sort of answer when they're all properly handled. Now, I know myself well enough to know -and admit- I can be a bit OCD about stuff at times. Details are a big thing to me. I have to have things properly organized or I don't function as well in that environment. So, sometimes with school projects, or while trying to clean my room, I miss the bigger pictures because I get way too focused on the smaller details. I know I do that with my faith, sometimes, too. That's something I have been trying not to. It's easy to put your faith in a box and leave it in a shelf at the back of your mental closet. Pull it down and open it for Sunday, maybe youth group, or perhaps whenever you are so desperate you call on God. That's the attitude some of us have. We focus too much on those details, and forget to remember that faith is a big, general thing. We need to look at the big picture. Our faith covers all our life. We just need to let it.
So, are you straining for minor stresses and swallowing down catastrophes? Let go and let God. Your faith covers your whole life, so let it.
God bless! Shalom!
Thursday, September 5, 2013
September 5th
September 5th -- Mark 12:28-37
Give the passage a read, please!
Anyone who knows me well enough will know that I look at my faith as religion, yes, but mostly relationship > religion. See, what the Pharisees had was religion. Obeying God's laws - the religion side of things - is still important. However, the most important part about our faith is our relationship with God. This passage says that the greatest commandment is to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength." You can't love someone without having some form of relationship (whether that be as family, a friend, or a significant other). The stronger your relationship grows with someone, the more you come to love them. If we are supposed to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, then we need to have a really tight relationship with Him in order to be able to do that. This passage also says the second greatest commandment is to "love your neighbour as yourself". Again, this is a form of relationship, even if it is one-sided when we treat another with love and are not treated so in return. However, it is important. God has commanded us to do this. Why? Well, we are all made in the image of God - by loving others we are loving God still more. So, the rules and laws of faith are important - for example, it's important we don't have idols, we don't steal, we don't murder, and we obey our parents. However, the most important focus of our faith should be our relationship with God. When that falls into place, everything else will, because you will start to follow the religion side and its rules out of a love for God and a desire to please Him in all you do.
So, push yourself daily to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love all these children of God on this earth! Even the lost ones!
God bless! Shalom!
Give the passage a read, please!
Anyone who knows me well enough will know that I look at my faith as religion, yes, but mostly relationship > religion. See, what the Pharisees had was religion. Obeying God's laws - the religion side of things - is still important. However, the most important part about our faith is our relationship with God. This passage says that the greatest commandment is to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength." You can't love someone without having some form of relationship (whether that be as family, a friend, or a significant other). The stronger your relationship grows with someone, the more you come to love them. If we are supposed to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, then we need to have a really tight relationship with Him in order to be able to do that. This passage also says the second greatest commandment is to "love your neighbour as yourself". Again, this is a form of relationship, even if it is one-sided when we treat another with love and are not treated so in return. However, it is important. God has commanded us to do this. Why? Well, we are all made in the image of God - by loving others we are loving God still more. So, the rules and laws of faith are important - for example, it's important we don't have idols, we don't steal, we don't murder, and we obey our parents. However, the most important focus of our faith should be our relationship with God. When that falls into place, everything else will, because you will start to follow the religion side and its rules out of a love for God and a desire to please Him in all you do.
So, push yourself daily to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love all these children of God on this earth! Even the lost ones!
God bless! Shalom!
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
September 4th
September 4th -- Luke 20:20-40
Please go and read the passage!
There's really not a huge amount I can actually think to say on this particular passage. Maybe one point would be don't try and use your faith as an excuse to claim that you can't pay taxes on religious grounds, or anything ridiculous like that. God doesn't care for our money because it means nothing to Him, and, like Jesus told the Pharisees to give to Caesar what belonged to Caesar, so should we give to the government what belongs to the government (and I'm not about to argue if it actually belongs to the government or not, because I am not a politically savvy person). Also, the point about marriage is interesting. I think people often wonder about what we, as people, will be like in Heaven. Now, all the answers aren't here, but a few are. Often, people do wonder about marriage in Heaven - it's not even there. There won't be that sort of relationship present. Basically, we will all just be nothing more or less than brothers and sisters in Christ, sort of like how the angels are with each other. It's a really neat thought, although some people do find the prospect of not enjoying their marriage on earth for eternity in Heaven. God know best, though.
So, I hope everyone's doing well! If you need prayer, feel free to send me requests on my Tumblr ask box, found here. Unless you have a Tumblr account and are signed in, all requests will remain anonymous.
God bless! Shalom!
Please go and read the passage!
There's really not a huge amount I can actually think to say on this particular passage. Maybe one point would be don't try and use your faith as an excuse to claim that you can't pay taxes on religious grounds, or anything ridiculous like that. God doesn't care for our money because it means nothing to Him, and, like Jesus told the Pharisees to give to Caesar what belonged to Caesar, so should we give to the government what belongs to the government (and I'm not about to argue if it actually belongs to the government or not, because I am not a politically savvy person). Also, the point about marriage is interesting. I think people often wonder about what we, as people, will be like in Heaven. Now, all the answers aren't here, but a few are. Often, people do wonder about marriage in Heaven - it's not even there. There won't be that sort of relationship present. Basically, we will all just be nothing more or less than brothers and sisters in Christ, sort of like how the angels are with each other. It's a really neat thought, although some people do find the prospect of not enjoying their marriage on earth for eternity in Heaven. God know best, though.
So, I hope everyone's doing well! If you need prayer, feel free to send me requests on my Tumblr ask box, found here. Unless you have a Tumblr account and are signed in, all requests will remain anonymous.
God bless! Shalom!
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
September 3rd
September 3rd -- Matthew 22:1-14
Read the parable, please!
Admittedly, when I first read this passage, I just sort of sat there at first shaking my head like "Uhm... wait... what?" I was more than a little confused. Haha. THANK GOODNESS FOR STUDY BIBLES. Lo and behold, there is a nice little explanation of the parable as well as an additional note on the meaning behind the guest without wedding clothes. So, for anyone who doesn't have a study Bible... get one...haha... but for now I'll explain it.
In this parable, the guests invited and brought in would be all of us. The king in the story represents God. In my opinion, Jesus as well as the prophets and anyone else in modern ministry would represent the servants who were sent to invite guests. The wedding feast is salvation, or heaven, or an eternity on the new earth, once God has turned it into the City of God. I say that those in ministry (as well as Jesus and the prophets, obviously) are like the servants sent to invite guests because they are the ones who typically invite us into a relationship with God, being the same idea as the servants inviting the guests to the banquet. Just like the servants who were killed, many of those who are calling people to God will face hatred from this world, and like the murderers of the servants, those in this world who show the hatred to God's children will be punished for it. So, where does the wedding clothes stuff come in? Well, the king was holding a wedding feast. When guests came, they were the be given what was known as wedding clothes. If a guest refused, it was dishonoring to the one who invited them, as it gave the idea that they didn't want to take part in celebrating the wedding, or they were simply too prideful to accept them, thinking their clothes were fine. Sometimes, when we come into a relationship with God, we forget to "change clothes". I'm obviously talking about metaphorical clothes. You could, if you wanted to, think of it as the armor of the Holy Spirit (from the helmet of salvation right down to the boots of peace). However, I do mean it even more figuratively than that. I mean are you "clothing" yourself in selfishness or selflessness? Are you "clothing" yourself in love or hate? Sometimes, people try and get into Heaven but won't wear the right "clothes" - you think what you had on before was good enough, but if you won't change, you will be thrown out. See, the ticket to Heaven isn't belief in God - even the devil believes in God. The ticket to Heaven is obeying His commandments and living for Him - or, taking part in the life He wants for you to have, like the guests took part in the wedding feast.
So, what spiritual clothes are you wearing? Are they the ones God wants you to be, or should you be looking to get some of those on?
Think on it! God bless! Shalom!
Read the parable, please!
Admittedly, when I first read this passage, I just sort of sat there at first shaking my head like "Uhm... wait... what?" I was more than a little confused. Haha. THANK GOODNESS FOR STUDY BIBLES. Lo and behold, there is a nice little explanation of the parable as well as an additional note on the meaning behind the guest without wedding clothes. So, for anyone who doesn't have a study Bible... get one...haha... but for now I'll explain it.
In this parable, the guests invited and brought in would be all of us. The king in the story represents God. In my opinion, Jesus as well as the prophets and anyone else in modern ministry would represent the servants who were sent to invite guests. The wedding feast is salvation, or heaven, or an eternity on the new earth, once God has turned it into the City of God. I say that those in ministry (as well as Jesus and the prophets, obviously) are like the servants sent to invite guests because they are the ones who typically invite us into a relationship with God, being the same idea as the servants inviting the guests to the banquet. Just like the servants who were killed, many of those who are calling people to God will face hatred from this world, and like the murderers of the servants, those in this world who show the hatred to God's children will be punished for it. So, where does the wedding clothes stuff come in? Well, the king was holding a wedding feast. When guests came, they were the be given what was known as wedding clothes. If a guest refused, it was dishonoring to the one who invited them, as it gave the idea that they didn't want to take part in celebrating the wedding, or they were simply too prideful to accept them, thinking their clothes were fine. Sometimes, when we come into a relationship with God, we forget to "change clothes". I'm obviously talking about metaphorical clothes. You could, if you wanted to, think of it as the armor of the Holy Spirit (from the helmet of salvation right down to the boots of peace). However, I do mean it even more figuratively than that. I mean are you "clothing" yourself in selfishness or selflessness? Are you "clothing" yourself in love or hate? Sometimes, people try and get into Heaven but won't wear the right "clothes" - you think what you had on before was good enough, but if you won't change, you will be thrown out. See, the ticket to Heaven isn't belief in God - even the devil believes in God. The ticket to Heaven is obeying His commandments and living for Him - or, taking part in the life He wants for you to have, like the guests took part in the wedding feast.
So, what spiritual clothes are you wearing? Are they the ones God wants you to be, or should you be looking to get some of those on?
Think on it! God bless! Shalom!
Monday, September 2, 2013
September 2nd
September 2nd -- Matthew 21:28-46
Please go read the passage!
Okay, sometimes parables are a bit over my head just because the connections aren't the ones I would have made. This is one of those times. However, I think I sort of understand the main idea of the parable about the evil farmers, so here goes:
God's like the landowner. He left us -the farmers- the earth -His land- to take care of. Some of us are like the evil farmers, while others are like the good farmers. The evil farmers are those who do not follow God, but who instead live selfishly, plotting against the landowner in order to get what they want. They are the ones who intentionally kill his son -Jesus- out of anger and selfishness. The good farmers are the ones trying to get in to care for the fields and give the crop to whom it belongs - God. However, the good farmers -those who follow God- are destroyed by the evil farmers -those who follow the devil. In the end, though, the father of the son the evil farmers maliciously killed comes back and sentences them to an awful death, bringing in the good farmers to tend his lands. So, we need to make sure we're being the good farmers and not the evil farmers. It's really a choice between Hell -for the evil farmers- and Heaven -for the good farmers- where we get to choose. Hell's ticket is not accepting God and Heaven's ticket is accepting God and living for Him.
Simple enough, really, I guess. God bless! Shalom!
Please go read the passage!
Okay, sometimes parables are a bit over my head just because the connections aren't the ones I would have made. This is one of those times. However, I think I sort of understand the main idea of the parable about the evil farmers, so here goes:
God's like the landowner. He left us -the farmers- the earth -His land- to take care of. Some of us are like the evil farmers, while others are like the good farmers. The evil farmers are those who do not follow God, but who instead live selfishly, plotting against the landowner in order to get what they want. They are the ones who intentionally kill his son -Jesus- out of anger and selfishness. The good farmers are the ones trying to get in to care for the fields and give the crop to whom it belongs - God. However, the good farmers -those who follow God- are destroyed by the evil farmers -those who follow the devil. In the end, though, the father of the son the evil farmers maliciously killed comes back and sentences them to an awful death, bringing in the good farmers to tend his lands. So, we need to make sure we're being the good farmers and not the evil farmers. It's really a choice between Hell -for the evil farmers- and Heaven -for the good farmers- where we get to choose. Hell's ticket is not accepting God and Heaven's ticket is accepting God and living for Him.
Simple enough, really, I guess. God bless! Shalom!
September 1st
September 1st -- Mark 11:20-33
Please go read the passage!
Just gonna' look at the part about prayer/asking for things. Jesus says that the disciples could tell a mountain to be thrown into the sea and if they really believed it would happen, it would. Seeeeems pretty hard to believe, right? Well, the disciples DID do miracles in God's name. I think part of the reason our prayers don't quite work like that nowadays is what Jesus mentions and I think there are also other factors. Jesus says that the disciples had to first make sure they weren't holding a grudge against anyone. So, this sort of thing is not even a mere possibility for us when we're holding grudges. Now, you may say "Oh, I'm not! I forgave them ages ago!". Yet, as you think of that, you're probably rehashing those situations, right? Probably also thinking "I forgave them, yeah... even though they ____ and ____ and ____ and totally didn't deserve it. They didn't even say they were sorry! And even if they had that doesn't excuse it!" Okay, so, maybe not quite that extreme for some of you, but I bet that reaction, even on a small scale, is there. So, have you truly forgiven them, then? Forgiven them way deep down in your heart? No. And therein lies the problem. Also, though, I think part of the problem is that God can see our hearts and minds - even when we don't fully admit to ourselves what they're up to when we don't wanna' know - and so He knows the intention of our prayer. Let's say you had NO grudge against anyone and had COMPLETELY forgiven everyone. You sit down and pray "God, PLEASE let me and ___ get married! Amen!" You totally believe it's gonna' happen. It doesn't. Why not? What's the intent of that prayer? It's selfish. It is not asking God's will to be done - it's asking for what you want. Now, same situation as before, but your prayer is that you become a famous singer! Great news for God, right, because you're spreading His word through your song lyrics? But what if God knew you'd get there and claim all the credit and glory, saying it was by your merit alone, and not give the credit to God, where it belongs? You can bet that's probably not gonna' be an answered prayer. I guess what I'm saying is, you can pray for anything, and you can ask God for everything. It's not all gonna' be answered how you want it to, though. The only time that's gonna' work out is when you are so in-tune with the Holy Spirit inside of you that you are just praying for God's will and legitimately want that more than your selfish desires. Then you can know your prayers will be answered.
So, how are you praying?
God bless! Shalom!
Please go read the passage!
Just gonna' look at the part about prayer/asking for things. Jesus says that the disciples could tell a mountain to be thrown into the sea and if they really believed it would happen, it would. Seeeeems pretty hard to believe, right? Well, the disciples DID do miracles in God's name. I think part of the reason our prayers don't quite work like that nowadays is what Jesus mentions and I think there are also other factors. Jesus says that the disciples had to first make sure they weren't holding a grudge against anyone. So, this sort of thing is not even a mere possibility for us when we're holding grudges. Now, you may say "Oh, I'm not! I forgave them ages ago!". Yet, as you think of that, you're probably rehashing those situations, right? Probably also thinking "I forgave them, yeah... even though they ____ and ____ and ____ and totally didn't deserve it. They didn't even say they were sorry! And even if they had that doesn't excuse it!" Okay, so, maybe not quite that extreme for some of you, but I bet that reaction, even on a small scale, is there. So, have you truly forgiven them, then? Forgiven them way deep down in your heart? No. And therein lies the problem. Also, though, I think part of the problem is that God can see our hearts and minds - even when we don't fully admit to ourselves what they're up to when we don't wanna' know - and so He knows the intention of our prayer. Let's say you had NO grudge against anyone and had COMPLETELY forgiven everyone. You sit down and pray "God, PLEASE let me and ___ get married! Amen!" You totally believe it's gonna' happen. It doesn't. Why not? What's the intent of that prayer? It's selfish. It is not asking God's will to be done - it's asking for what you want. Now, same situation as before, but your prayer is that you become a famous singer! Great news for God, right, because you're spreading His word through your song lyrics? But what if God knew you'd get there and claim all the credit and glory, saying it was by your merit alone, and not give the credit to God, where it belongs? You can bet that's probably not gonna' be an answered prayer. I guess what I'm saying is, you can pray for anything, and you can ask God for everything. It's not all gonna' be answered how you want it to, though. The only time that's gonna' work out is when you are so in-tune with the Holy Spirit inside of you that you are just praying for God's will and legitimately want that more than your selfish desires. Then you can know your prayers will be answered.
So, how are you praying?
God bless! Shalom!
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