With the Clouds
Revelation is not one of my favorite books. It can be read literally for its entirety, but I do not think that is the purpose and how it was intended to be written. I am not going to analyze every passage from Revelation, but I will pick something out from each chapter and write about it. For instance, the image of Jesus coming back to earth on a cloud or in clouds can be found in Revelation 1:7. It reads, " Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him." The word "clouds" here does mean an actual cloud as he ascended into Heaven with a cloud and he will descend from Heaven with the clouds (Acts 1:9-11). But the term "clouds" also has another meaning. It was used to describe the multitude of believers (Hebrews 12:1) and also to describe God's presence and glory (Exodus 13:21-22). My point is just because the Bible says it, doesn't mean that it means what you think it means. Do some research. Here is the source I use for clarification: https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/guz/revelation-1.html
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Is God #1
Have you ever read through Exodus and the story of the Golden Calf (Exodus 32)? Moses had not yet come down from Mount Sinai and the people, instead of waiting for leadership, talked to Moses' older brother Aaron and asked him to make them a god. Aaron obliged and had them give him their gold and he made it into a golden calf for them to worship and give offerings to. Obviously, what they did was wrong which is why God sent Moses back down the mountain to destroy the idol. While we don't have golden calves in our homes there are things in our lives that get in the way of making God number 1.
Work for many has become God. Think about it, if your boss calls, you answer. Your boss says that you need to come to work and you go without fail. Then when you are at work you work extra hard and get no kudos, but only a bunch of stress. Your health is getting worse and you aren't making time for the people in your life (loved ones, family, friends). And what is most important, you are not making time for God. Remember how upset God was with Cain (Genesis 4) because Cain gave God the leftovers from his sacrifice? God wants you to make Him your priority? Do you only talk to Him when you need him, but never to just thank Him for being an awesome God? I often refer back to the first 4 commandments because they all focus on making God first, especially the 4th commandment (Exodus 20:8-11) which reminds us to have a Sabbath. Take a day off, not just to rest but to also give God His due praise.
Money is another idol people can have as a replacement for God. They do everything they can to make sure that they can make more and more money and spend, spend, spend. They have to have the newest everything (car, phone, gadget) and they do whatever they can to make sure they can afford it. But they haven't seen their Bible or read from a Bible in ages. See the focus here? The focus has moved from God being #1 to money being #1. We must remember that man cannot serve 2 masters as he will love one and hate the other (Matthew 6:24). Jesus said this. Can we really ignore it? We all need to work and make money, but if that is your focus more than serving the Lord and giving back to Him then the priority is not God.
My point is not to condemn people but just to show how easy it is to let other things that are important become more important than what really matters in God's eyes. My prayer is that we all can see those roadblocks in our lives and make sure to make God's will for our lives #1.
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Paul is Spared
In Acts 23:1-5, we see Paul get punched while being held down. The command to punch him came from the High Priest Ananias. Paul's response was an insult to whoever commanded the punch, but according to Exodus 22:28, Paul was wrong to insult a ruler of people.
Then in Acts 23:6-11, Paul knows that the Sadducees and the Pharisees were divided on their stance of Paul's innocence and guilt, he lets the crowds know that he is a Pharisee. Because he believed in the resurrection of Christ (the dead being a risen is believed possible by Pharisees and not Sadducees), then he aligns himself with the Pharisees saying that he is one of them. The disagreements became violent and in order to keep Paul from being harmed he was moved. The next night he was told by God “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome (Acts 23:11).”
There was a plot to kill Paul and the Jews made an oath to not eat or drink until Paul was dead. Paul's nephew (his sister's son) found out about this and told Paul who had his nephew taken by the centurion to tell the tribune of what was waiting for him. Paul was then sent to Felix the Governor. A letter was accompanied with Paul and those he was sent with explaining Paul's situation including his possible innocence (Acts 23:28-30). After the arrival, Felix decided not to charge Paul with anything until the accusers arrived and he could hear them out.
I learned from Paul's trials that when you are led by the Holy Spirit, keep going. I see Paul as an example of courage in the Spirit of God to keep pressing on even when it seems hopeless. I see God's hand guiding Paul the whole way. Have you ever taken the time to look back at life and see where God's hand was guiding you in accordance with the Bible?
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Unbelievers, Healing and Humility
Unbelievers can really cause some trouble. Their unbelief and hard hearts can stir up those who are seeking. Unbelievers can be cynical and overlook truth and proof due to their personal issues, not because what they do not believe in is not true. The unbelievers here in verse 2-6 were Jewish poisoned the minds of the Gentiles and turned them against the brothers Barnabas and Paul. But, Barnabas and Paul found out about and fled and continued preaching the gospel. I love the dedication here. I think many would find it easy to say "if I keep hitting these roadblocks, then it isn't meant to be." When you are doing God's will, it isn't about what the naysayers and haters say.
Being in God's will can also allow you to heal those that are sick and disabled. In verses 8-10 we see that man who had never been able to walk was commanded to stand by Paul's voice and the man was healed. Once again, the Holy Spirit has healing power. It isn't just physical. If you have ever had the Holy Spirit work through your life in restoring a relationship or helping you through a personal problem, then you too know of the Holy Spirit's power and have a testimony to tell.
But, sometimes people get things twisted and confused. We see good things people do and we begin to worship them or make false idols (see Exodus 32). In verses 11-18, when the crowds saw what Paul had done with healing the man, they began to refer to them as gods and wanted to offer a sacrifice to them. When Barnabas and Paul heard about this they stopped them and showed them that they were also men and need not be worshiped. Barnabas and Paul could have used that time and gotten the glory like Herod wanted, but they chose the humble route.
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Giving Thanks to God and Loving Family
As we get ready for Thanksgiving tomorrow let us not forget what is really important. It isn't about the food and the fixin's. It isn't about the football games (hard for me to say that one haha). But our focus should be on God first and then the family unity.
As we look at Psalm 100, the title of this chapter is A Psalm for Giving Thanks. The focus is giving thanks to God. The opening 2 verses tell us to make a joyful noise to the Lord and serve Him with gladness. We are to come in God's presence with singing. We are to be singing the Lord's praises. Yes, there are times were God needs to hear from us that we are upset, but are we complaining more to God than we are giving thanks to Him. We overlook what we are thankful about many other days of the year. Can't this be the year the beginning of a time where we let God know that we are thankful to Him for all He has done. Personally, God has done so much in my life from the jobs I have had, the people I have met, the schools I have attended. But, even more so the things I overlook every day. I don't always thank God for the fact that my car works (a huge blessing if you have known me since my first car in 1997). I have forgotten to thank God for where I live. I could have lived in a horrible neighborhood with horrible neighbors and crime, but I don't. When was the last time I thanked God for those simple things? Now is a very good time. And tomorrow. And for years to come.
And when it comes to family, how often do we tell them not just that we love them, but how we appreciate them? Do we come home and complain about work and life problems? Can't we start greeting each other with love and a "holy kiss? (Romans 16:16 and GotQuestions.org)" Let us pray with the family as we should. If we are not praying with the kids and our spouses and significant others, how then are our relationships based in God's word? We need to honor our parents, not just during holidays, but at all times (Exodus 20:12). Fathers need to not provoke their children to anger (Colossians 3:21). Mothers can wisdom and kindness to their children (Proverbs 31:26).
No matter which holiday has arrived let us remember to give thanks to God and let Him lead us as we connect with our families and friends whether it is a holiday or just any old day. Let us love regardless of the day (John 15:12).
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Lord of the Sabbath
Many times I have heard that Christianity is about rules, regulations and religious rituals that have no meaning and make no sense. In many instances, Jesus thought similarly about being Jewish in his day.
In Luke 6:1-5, we have another example of the Pharisees were trying to trap Jesus into saying something that was wrong. Jesus often paid no attention to rules that were set forth by man's foolishness in order to supplant God's will.
One of the Ten Commandments is to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy (Exodus 20:8-11). Pharisees took that to an exponential level and literally would not even do what was right ion God's eyes because they thought they were doing the right thing. But often, Pharisees were not as concerned with God's will as they were their appearance to others and displaying their self-righteousness. They were trying to call out Jesus for rubbing in his hands the seeds he had picked to eat. Really? Seriously?! That is what you criticize??
The Pharisees made a list of what you could and could not do on the Sabbath. But, the will of God cannot be contained in do's and dont's. Yes, we have the Ten Commandments, but those are not the only commands God or Jesus gave through the entire Bible. Following God's will is bigger than a list.
Jesus said that he was "Lord of the Sabbath." This was one of his claims to being God in the flesh. As Jesus lived, we got to see his miracles and his heart through his actions. The great part about him saying that he was "Lord of the Sabbath" was that on another Sabbath, he healed a man with a withered hand (Luke 6:6-11). Would God really have you wait until the next day if you could serve Him or people on the Sabbath?
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