Worship God
In having read through the entire New Testament there are chapters and verses I have had to read multiple times to understand parts to help me further understand the whole. I had to read through Revelation 22 a couple times and then a section of the chapter jumped out at me. Revelation 22:8-9 is significant as it clarifies the worship of the source and not the messenger. John, the writer and seer of the visions summarizes his experiences with the angel who showed him these things and he began to worship the angel. To me, this is a natural response to someone has helped you and revealed things to you that you now hold dear. For instance, you may praise the teacher aide for helping you understand math when you both have had the same teacher. Or you praise Jesus or angels and scoff at God. John, was not scoffing at God, but he did worship the angel and bow at its feet. The angel corrected John and told him that the angel is a fellow servant with (not above) John and the fellow prophets. We can do the same and focus on the messenger and not the message or even the source of the message. We need to remain focused on praising and worshiping God and not idolizing the messenger.
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The Scroll and the Lamb
Through reading an interpretation of the scroll and the lamb (Revelation 5:1-10) serve as God's will (the scroll) and Jesus (the lamb). The scroll is written on the front and back, which was not typical, could also represent the old and new testaments of the Bible. The scroll being handed to the lamb could signify that Jesus is the only one who has it within him (and his death) to unlock what is God's will. Therefore, if you really want to know what God wants from you, go to Jesus. Read about him and understand how he lived and why he lived and then you will know, what God wants from you.
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Take Ownership
Psalm 7:3-5. I have not fully read through the Book of Psalm yet, but this chapter jumped out to me in my head. I read the chapter until I came across something that would be interesting to write about. While reading, a few verses jumped out to me. I had to get some background on them so that I didn't misunderstand what was being said. Here, David is speaking to God. He says, "O Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands, if I have repaid my friend with evil, or plundered my enemy without cause, let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust." David lets God know "if" I have done something wrong to his friend or done wrong to an enemy for no good reason, then he says let them overtake me and trample my life to the ground. I like that David even looks at himself saying "if I" where many of us would not. There is no "if I have done wrong" in many arguments, disagreements, and issues in our lives. It usually is finger pointing. When, not if, but when you go to God for your troubles, open up and give Him the chance to show you if you have done others wrong. Maybe the trouble that you are experiencing is due to something you have done, not everything everyone else has done. Be honest with yourself and allow yourself to take ownership for your own problems.
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Established New Covenant
The writer here does a great job through thorough explaining and evidence and logic as to why Jesus is the new covenant. The writer does not just give his opinion but also backs it up with truth and even scripture from the Old Testament. In verses 8-12 the writer uses direct quotes from the book of Jeremiah which is an Old Testament book which clearly states that God will be establishing a new covenant. When you read through the life of Christ, the authority he had over the church leaders and culture with evidence from Old Testament scripture detailing the birth of Christ and his life, it further cements Jesus as the new covenant and our Lord and Savior.
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Grace and Giving
In verse 7 Paul goes back on the sarcastic correction angle by reminding the Corinthian Christians, who have not excelled in faith, speech, knowledge and earnestness, that they should excel in in being gracious/giving grace to others. This could also have been Paul's way of saying "well if you say you have been excelling in these areas then I will take your word for it. If you excel in grace then you are following the example of Christ. Christ was very gracious unless someone was misusing the house of the Lord and twisting the word of God. That is when Christ was known to do more than just speak out.
In the next section (2 Corinthians 8:8-14) Paul deals with the topic of giving. While the Old Testament had a standard of 10% (tithe) we see in the New Testament examples of giving what you have available to give. Dave Guzik's commentary focuses on the idea of 10% being more of an expectation and being seen like a tax rather than a giving from the heart. This is where grace can abound in giving. We give graciously and not from rule or regulation but from the heart.When we go to church is out of obligation or because we want to? When we give to the church is out of what we can or is it just what we want to give? Heart check! It matters.
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Why We Need God Time
Life is busy. There is so much to do everyday. You have to get to school
or wake up the kids and take them to school before work. One your day
gets started it is so hard to get refocused and spend time with God or even think about what God wants from you since you have been in 5th gear since you woke up. We need God time. It helps keep us focused on what God wants from us which should be (if you are a Christ follower) your number 1 priority.
Try this for a week: make time with God, first. Right when you wake up take 5 minutes to pray and read some scripture. or read the scripture and pray while you are showering. Make that happen. Devotionals
can be good, but if you go to those over reading the scripture as a
whole, the author of that devotional can become your new god, so to
speak. God's word provides direction as we see in James 1:5 that tells us to ask God for wisdom as He gives it to us generously. Go directly to God, not some other source like tarot cards and palm reading. That is not of God. Mediums are not of God. Seek God's direction.
We should seek God's peace in our lives. We need reminders that God wants our lives to be peaceful and that there is peace in Him. We don't need external things and drugs for God's peace. It is free and no one can charge you a dime for it. Look at Psalm 85:8 that tells us that David was seeking to heard what God would say knowing that God will speak peace to His people and not lead them into folly.
We also need understanding. We can try and function on our own and seek what we think is the best way, but since we didn't talk to God, how good can that way really be? We can look at Proverbs 21:2 and see the same thing said there that people think they know which way is right but God looks at the heart. God knows why we do what we do. We just need to seek His way so we know what to do and when to do it.
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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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Do Not Sit in Shame
When we look at the sword shame you can attribute it to various parts in your life such as guilt, shortcoming or embarrassment. You could feel guilt and shame from getting caught doing something you know you should not have (like stealing). Or you could feel shame from losing a competition (athletic, academic or business). Or you could have been trying to make a solid impression (maybe for a job) and you find out that how you saw yourself is not how you were seen. All these situations and many others can bring about that feeling of shame. It hurts. It hurts in public and it really hurts in private. But remember, God does not want you to carry that feeling. It does nothing good for you nor does it honor Him.
Shame started with Adam and Eve when they ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. When Adam heard God coming he hid. The text reads he was afraid (Genesis 3:10), but if you know you have done something wrong and the person who told you not to do it is coming back and they will see you did exactly what they said not to do, you will feel shame. Shame starts here but it does not end here as we know that God is our shield (Psalm 3:3) and when we do as He commands (for our own good) then we avoid shame.
For those who have accepted Christ we also know that there is no shame in that. When we mess up and repent, we sin no more. We do not carry that shame of the sin with us. That is not necessary. Granted, you will remember what you did and seek to avoid that again, but to carry the burden of the shame around with you does not honor God or your mission to fulfill His purposes for your life.
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The Resurrection Fulfills Prophecies
When you seek to understand the life of Christ and why he was the Messiah (proof) you will need to not only study the New Testament but the Old Testament as well.
In Luke 24:46-47, Jesus reminds the disciples of what was said in Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms. When he does this, he puts the pieces of the puzzle together.
For instance, Mosiac Law is seen as the 10 Commandments. When you break down each commandment from putting God first and honoring the Sabbath to not bearing false witness and not murdering, we are to do all of this because we are with Christ and seeking to be more like him. Since he was able to fulfill these laws (or even guidelines) and not sin, then the law is fulfilled.
One verse in Psalm 41:9, David references Jesus (before Jesus was born) being betrayed by Judas.
We do not live by blind faith in Jesus and just accept things as they are because someone told us that is the truth. That is how you can be tricked and fooled if you do not investigate on your own. I am still learning and seeking various tools to assist in my knowledge of Christ and growth in him.
If you seek knowledge and evidence please feel free to use 100 Prophecies and Got Questions. These two sites have helped me and will continue to do so as I strive to bring you meat and not just milk on a daily basis.
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