Week 20
The Lords Day, Week 20!
Thoughts on 2 Corinthians 9 & 10:
· 2 Corinthians 9 - Paul is expecting a gift when he arrives and is giving instructions about this gift. It is an offering that had been previously promised. Paul had been speaking highly to the Macedonians of the generosity of the Corinthians and wants to make sure that the offering is ready when he arrives, and so he is giving them some lead time to prepare. But he goes on to make clear that it's not about the amount of this gift, it's about their attitude behind it. This needs to be given from a resolved heart, and there's no room for manipulation or compulsion thus the lead time in preparing. I think we should consider this when it comes to our giving at church, do we wait till we walk in on a Sunday morning to decide what we are going to give? Is it a matter of guilt when the offering plate comes by? Or have we prayed, have we spent time considering our offering so that when we give it's from a place of joy in being able to contribute in the Lords work? Today many of us give online and perhaps even have it set to do automatically so that we don't even notice it. But I'd want to encourage us all to take time either weekly or monthly to be praying about our giving, really seeking God to see how we can do more for His kingdom. Some months it'll be higher and some lower but it's the intentionality and the motive that matters more than amount. Paul here also discusses sowing and reaping, and some have attempted to make the connection between sowing materially and therefore reaping materially. But that's not the way Paul sees it! First He clearly sees God as the one who is doing all the supplying, just look at verse 10. But rather there is a connection that he is making with generosity and growing in grace, verse 8. God has given us abundantly more than we deserve, and when we have the opportunity to give in ways that bless others, even materially, financially, it is an opportunity to show His generosity and the more we give from cheerful and decided hearts, the greater we grow in grace. There is a spiritual reaping that occurs in this as we are being conformed to the image of Jesus who gave everything to save us. I need to emphasize again verse 7, because Paul and the Holy Spirit through him is not saying, give away all your material possessions and see what God does in your heart! No, that is not being a cheerful giver, that's actually the exactly what Paul is speaking against. You are giving out of compulsion, you are giving in order to receive something. The Christian gives because what we have received is greater than anything we can ever give away.
· 2 Corinthians 10 - There were those who were challenging Paul's authority, and responsible for false teaching and Paul here is returning to this issue and defending himself. Notice here that for Paul Spiritual warfare doesn't only take place with things like possession or demonic attack, but it is also a battle that happens when it comes to ideas and arguments. I think this is something for us, living here in the United States, where most people no longer believe in the supernatural have to be most careful about. We aren't seeing as many exorcisms here today, we don't have as many cases of physical manifestations of demonic forces working to destroy us. What we have here in the U.S. at work are godless ideologies that have completely infiltrated our society. Many of these ideologies have even infiltrated our churches by claiming to be Christian or compatible with Christianity. This has happened because we as a church have failed at taking every thought captive, we refuse to destroy arguments and lofty opinions raised against the knowledge of God. Instead we have a lot of talk about neutrality, and Christians seeking for ways to incorporate worldly ideas into the church so we see things like "Christian Yoga" or "Christian evolutionist" and on the lists go. Simply tacking on the word Christian doesn't make something holy! These ideas have other worldview's at their foundations that are incompatible with Christianity. If we started with taking every thought captive, we wouldn't find ourselves making such ridiculous statements and creating such contradictory categories. As I get older the more I realize I don't know, and the more I recognize my dependence on Gods word to teach me. Taking every thought captive starts with what we know about God, and what He has said in His word, if we don't know that, then we don't know anything. That's a fact. We can have all the worldly knowledge that's available and still be fools. It's having right knowledge and having it rooted in the right source that matters, and when that happens we are left with no room to boast because we recognize that this knowledge is endless, there will always be more that we don't know than that which we do know, it leaves no room for arrogance and pride because we recognize our absolute finiteness within the proper context of Gods infiniteness and beauty.
I hope and pray that you have a wonderful Lords day today! God bless you all and let me know how I can be praying for you.
Monday, Week 20!
Thoughts on Exodus 25-28:
· What this is all pointing to - To understand what’s taking place here we have to go way back to the very beginning, all the way back to the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve once walked with God in the Garden. It was there in the garden where all was exactly how it should be, man and woman together completely unashamed and in the presence of their creator, known fully by Him and by each other. Until Sin… When Adam sinned death entered the picture, which meant a separation between mankind and the God that had created them. Mankind would from that moment forward be unable to fulfill our purpose, to glorify God and enjoy Him because we could no longer physically be with Him. The end of Genesis chapter 3 says that “After God drove the man out (of the garden) He placed on the East side of the garden of Eden Cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way back…” Eden was ultimately the place where Heaven and Earth met, where they touched, mankind, the creation had complete access to the Creator, God, and since that separation man has been left with a longing to return to Eden, our first home, we are desperate to find heaven on earth… what’s taking place in our text today, is God revealing His heart to be with His people, and part of the restoration of heaven and earth. That is what the tabernacle represents…
· The tabernacle – This is where the instructions need to be followed exactly as God says… It is with the construction of the tabernacle that God is joining heaven once again with earth… Quickly let’s look at just some of the aspects of the tabernacle to see what they point to:
· The Ark - where the presence of God will meet with the people and give His commands for the Israelites, in other words it is the place from where God will reign over His people. In Eden it was the authority of God that was rejected, but with the Ark in place, Gods authority and life-giving rule is again set.
· The Holy of Holies - this was a section of the tabernacle where the Ark and the presence of God would rest, this is representative of the Garden, the place where Adam and Eve walked with God with the entrance to the Holy of Holies being set facing to the east, and whereas at one time no man could enter, man here has finally been given limited access. The curtain through which one would enter the Holy of Holies was blue, purple and scarlet, with Cherubim woven into it, just as God had left the entrance to Eden. The Cherubim still being that which stands between man and God. With only the High Priest being allowed entrance into the Holy of Holies.
· The Holy Place – the next section of the tabernacle was to have a table in it, a table that was to have 12 loaves of bread representing the twelve tribes. Indicating to the people, Gods invitation into community with Him once again, in ancient hospitality the host was required to provide protection as well as provision for His guests, and in this room on that table was a reminder that God was now providing both for His people. In addition to the table there was to be a lampstand, one who’s light was never to go out, according to Tim Chester this is to indicate “to the people that Gods home is a place of light and life”, also in the Holy place there was to be incense burning all day and night. At the entrance to the Holy place was another Curtain with Cherubim woven into it. Only the priests would be allowed into the Holy place as representatives of the people.
· The Courtyard – The courtyard was the outer section of the tabernacle and the place where all Israelites were welcome, there within the courtyard was a place for ceremonial cleansing, required before any sacrifice, and before entering the Holy Place. It was also in the courtyard that the altar was to be placed, and it was upon the altar that the sacrifices would be made, sacrifices that pointed to the cost of sin, and served as a reminder to the people that though God was with them, a penalty for sin still remained. As sacrifices were made, the people would watch while there in the back drop lied the entrance to Eden… God was slowly, bringing His people home.
· In addition to all of this there are several other details within the tabernacle all meant to point back to this return to Eden, to the place where God was with His people and will one day be with them again. God is at work with the tabernacle restoring the world to what it was meant to be. Gods desire to be with His people despite their sin, despite their rebellion and continued grumbling, in the tabernacle is being revealed for the Israelites to see. He is pointing them back home, and though access is limited, for the first time since Adam and Eve, there is finally access! This is Gods heart to be with His people…
· How we worship - Here's the last thing I want to point out, don't miss all the details here, God leaves nothing out, and this is just the construction. Things will continue to be detailed as He gives further instructions later on. In today's churches little care and focus is often given to how we worship, it's often just assumed that as long as God doesn't say not to do it, then we should be o.k. but look again, does it seem like our God takes such a laid back stance on worship? This tabernacle would be the place where the Israelites would worship Him for generations, and God goes through the trouble of telling them what every detail must look like, down to the hooks that hold up the curtains. We must be concerned with how we gather corporately for worship. God cares, God has given us instructions in His Word for how we worship and when we gather we should do all we can to honor God and worship Him the way He has asked us too. God is concerned with the details, He's concerned about the songs we sing, He is concerned about the elements of the service and what our liturgy looks like. Granted, the building is no longer the focus, but that is because we are the temple today, which means what we are doing with His temple when we come together is now the focus. God cares about how we worship (corporately), and so should we...
I hope you all have a wonderful day, we are in week 20 and I for one can't believe how fast this is all going. Stick with it, only a few more weeks in Exodus and before you know it we will be half way through the year. If this first half is any indication, I'm really curious to see what the rest of this year will look like! lol But no matter what, His word remains true, and as we continue to read His word, pray His word, speak His word, we will also be transformed by His word... Which means at the end of the year, our society may look very different, but so will we! God bless!
Tuesday, Week 20!
Thoughts on 2 Samuel 15-19:
· There are two points that I want to make for us to consider, first is Davids response to His sons attempt to overthrow him. We see this in chapter 15. They are taking the ark with them as they are fleeing and David instead recognizes that if it's the Lords will that this take place, then not even the presence of the ark will save him. He sends the ark back and says this, "if I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, He will bring me back and let me see both it and His dwelling place, but if He says, I have no pleasure in you, behold, here I am, let Him do to me what seems good to Him." David was completely submitted to Gods will, whatever God wants David was prepared to accept, whether it be victory or defeat. If this meant his reign was over, and it was time for his son to rule, he was ready to accept that. There is a humility present here in David, that we continue to see in the way he leads through this. My question for us is are we prepared to accept whatever comes from the hand of the Lord? are we submitted completely to His will? Notice, that Davids submission did not result in any inaction! He still prepares for victory, he still looks for whatever advantages he can when it comes to the battle. He still seeks wise counsel, and sends out troops to fight. His submission isn't one that comes from a place of defeat, or despair, but rather confidence in God and His plan. David recognizes his own responsibilities as King, but also knows God is sovereign and therefore God is ultimately the one who determines victory or defeat. How many victories had David won that he should not have won, how many times did David escape with his own life that he should have been dead. Now, here he is, an older wiser King, with all his years of experience behind him and in full recognition of who it is that is really in control. Brothers and sisters, God is in control, He is aware of absolutely everything that is going to take place, and our job is to trust Him, to know Him and know that He is good... But while knowing Him, and trusting Him we are still responsible for acting according to what He has prescribed for us to do. So we still must pray, we still must search the scriptures to know Him more and apply it to our lives, we must still prepare for battle while fully trusting the victory his the Lords and we are His to do with as He pleases.
· Secondly, let's look at Davids response to the death of Absalom in Chapter 18 and Joab's rebuke in Chapter 19. From a human perspective we are likely to want to be on David's side on this. He was grieving the death of his son, and anyone that has a child understands that even when our children disobey us and disrespect us, our love for them remains. But this wasn't simply a child rebelling against a parent, this was an enemy of God rebelling against the people of God. Consider the words of Jesus in Luke 14, "if anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters - yes, even their own life - such a person cannot be my disciple." In this instance Davids grief was greater than his love for God, and he is rebuked for it. Joab points to the fact that Davids actions are causing the people pain and shame over something that God Himself has done. God has brought victory to the people, and though the death of David's son is something David can mourn, it's not more important than the celebration of what God has done for His people. There is a separation between Gods people and those who are not, and that picture is painted for us here. Absalom was an enemy of God, who plotted against the people of God and was ultimately defeated by God and Davids actions showed a lack of discernment at best. His focus for this time needed to be on celebrating what God had done for the people. There would always be time for mourning later. This is hard for us to swallow, but only because we don't really believe Jesus words in Luke 14, because if we do, then this should be completely acceptable. Love God more than even your own family, and recognize that those who are united by His Spirit are family, His family, Gods family. It's hard for me to swallow too, I look at my kids and think, man, I hope I never have to choose between them and God, I hope they never depart from Him and that they love Him all their lives. But I also hope that I would trust God enough, and love Him enough to do that which honors Him in all circumstances... Let's all at least agree that we can pray for the same.
I hope and pray that you all have a wonderful day today! God bless!
Wednesday, Week 20!
Thoughts on Psalms 57-59:
· Psalm 57 - A cry for mercy, the context of this Psalm is said to be when David was fleeing for his life and hiding in a cave from Saul. As he hides, concerned for his life, he is praising God and proclaiming "be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth." The focus being on God, and not his own circumstances... Yes, he recognizes his circumstances, but the most important thing we can do in the midst of a trial, in the midst of suffering, or even persecution, is proclaim who God is and what He is capable of. We need to be reminded of the truth of Gods steadfast love, and though David was being hunted, and though he felt his life may be taken, he remembered the God he served. He gave thanks, and sung praises to His name. We don't feel like singing in the midst of a trial, but we also shouldn't be led by feelings... It's amazing what singing and proclaiming Truth in the midst of hardship can do, if we'd only actually do it.
· Psalm 58 - I would place this in the category of an Imprecatory Psalm, meaning it's a psalm of judgement. David begins by pointing out the wickedness and sin of the accused. The reference to "gods" in verse one, is a reference to rulers or judges, thus the line, "do you judge the children of man uprightly?" the tone indicates the answer is no. In verse 6 begins his call for judgement on those he has described in verses 1-5, starting with break the teeth in their mouths... Psalms of judgment are hardly read in church today, and that is a shame, because they teach us that God is the one who will ultimately punish the wicked, they teach us that we don't need to seek vengeance because it belongs wholly to the Lord. He is the one who judges on earth rightly, and there is nothing that takes place on the earth that is out of His sight. We can call on God to sweep away the wicked, and then rejoice at the fact that we will see complete and true justice one day enacted upon all the enemies of God. Unfortunately some Christians forget that, and in our striving for justice now, we can take to playing god... Rather than trusting Him. No matter what justice we see enacted on earth today, it will always fall short, that doesn't mean we don't want to see justice today too, as far as it can be accomplished. But it does mean that we aren't to be shaken by injustice because in a sinful world, injustice is going to always exist. But because God is Holy, and Just, we know that one day it will all be dealt with!
· Psalm 59 - We see in this Psalm a combination of the previous two, there is judgement called upon, a cry for mercy, and complete trust and confidence in God who is over all... "But I will sing of your strength, (even while I hide from my enemies and they seek to kill me..) I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress." Has He??? Has God been a fortress and a refuge in the day of your distress? I remember a few years back while I was still in the Marines, I was going through some difficulties in life, I was preparing to get out of the military and it just seemed like everything kept going wrong, I was still a young Christian and I planned to get away for a weekend with some friends... I took off on Friday, and checked into my hotel, when I found out my friends were no longer coming... I was so angry! I was counting on them to be my fortress and my refuge during my time in distress. Only then did I go to my room, sit in my bed, all alone, open up my bible and begin to read. That weekend was one of the most powerful times in my life, as all I did was pray on my hands and knees, cry out to God, and read His word. God showed me that He was with me and that He truly was my fortress and refuge. I'm so grateful to my friends for standing me up that weekend. I had to repent of my lack of trust in God, but God was so gracious with me in leading me to Him. Let Him be the first place you run too, and you'll find that you won't have to do much running at all.
Looking out my window and I see beautiful blue skies again! Please take advantage of the beautiful weather, and I hope you are all doing well and staying safe. If you need prayer for anything, let us know. God bless and have a wonderful day!
Thursday, Week 20!
Thoughts on Job 38 - 40:
· The Lord responds - Last week I said I would save chapter 38 for this week, so I am going to try to bring it all together for us... As Christians we pray and even cry out to God, and I think after reading through Job we can all agree that sometimes our prayers and our questions sound like Jobs. Why do the wicked prosper? Why am I suffering? Why won't God answer my plea? Where is God in this? and on the questions go... Well, God answers Job, and I want us to see Gods response clearly so that perhaps next time we would ask different questions.
· Here it is, The Lord answers Job with, Who are you to question me? Where were you when I created everything? Do you have any understanding at all? Can you tell me about the Oceans, or the clouds in the sky? Do you command the day and the night? Have you seen the bottom of the ocean? do you know what awaits after death? Have you even begun to understand how big the earth is? These questions continue for 3 chapters... Do you know... Where were you... Have you seen... Do you give... and then the Lord says to Job in Chapter 40 verse 2 let the one who accuses, the one who is attempting to point the finger and blame me step in and argue with me, let him answer me all of this and see if he can accuse me...
· Job responds, as only he can... I am nothing, I have nothing to say, I have no answers and will not even attempt to answer... Here is where reality has hit Job smack in the face. But then God continues and listen to His words: Dress for action like a man; I will question you and you make it known to me... God is not accepting Jobs nonresponse, Job had a lot of to say before but now he is silent? No Job, go ahead and put on your big boy pants and answer me! (my paraphrase) You wanted to accuse me of wrong doing Job, you wanted to condemn me so that you can feel better and wallow in your self-pity, you think you can serve justice better than me? you think your voice is more powerful than mine??? Then Go ahead and clothe yourself with glory, majesty etc... (this is to describe Gods clothing) Go ahead Job and humble the proud, break down the wicked, do all of this and then I, the Lord, will answer you... In the last section of 40 we have God once again referring to nature and His creation, the inference being that Job couldn't control the animals starting with the first of Gods creation and yet he accuses the one who does...
· What do we make of this? Last night I sat on my couch and just stared at my youngest daughter while she was playing. As I did, I thought of all my children, those I have with me here, and those we never got to meet and how desperately I wanted the best for all of them, how desperately I want the best for them now... Then I considered this world and all I could think of is man, they are going to have hard lives, they are going to suffer at times, they are going to experience pain and loss, and everything that all human beings experience and in that moment I felt completely powerless. Though I would do anything and everything in the world to save them from all of what they are likely to experience in this world, I can't... But, then I remembered who God is... How those same trials are dwarfed in His presence. They are made to appear so small in comparison to eternity and the glory of God and the truth is that if I only allow myself to consider these things from a human perspective, its overwhelming, it brings me pain because I never want my kids to hurt, I never want them to experience even a percentage of the pain that I've been through in life, and yet I know I'm not even done experiencing pain in my life. Perhaps you read the Lords response and think it's harsh, but when I read it I see mercy and grace... Job, you asked all these questions about me, but look at how much you don't know at all... your questions are all about you, but look at this universe, put your problems into the proper perspective Job, Ryan. If we know God we see things differently than the rest of the world, we see them as they really are. With a creator who is in charge of all things, who has walked the bottom of the seas, and is in control of the sun rising and setting, He has allowed you to take in each and every breath you've taken today and everyday up until today. You may have had pain today, you may have suffered today, but you and I also know that Joy does come in the morning because we know the God who is over all of it. I look at my kids and know that the best I can do for them in this life is point them to the God who will keep all their trials, all their sufferings in proper perspective... May all of us read the Lords response and allow it to put all of our lives in proper perspective... who am I??? May God be our everything... May we dwell more on who He is, over what we are going through... May we consider His goodness, HIs holiness, His love, His mercy, His justice, His power, HIs majesty, His wisdom, His sovereignty, and only in the light of all that consider ourselves and the fact that we are in His care, do you think that God isn't aware of your pain, but yet He is aware of the donkey who searches for pasture? He knows both, but in our pain their is greater purpose, we are becoming who He made us to be, we are becoming like His Son who also suffered... I can go on and on but I hope you get the point, we have to view our trials from the proper perspective... God is God... we are not.
Friday, Week 20!
Thoughts on Jeremiah 37-41:
· Summary - In the start it appears that Judah has been saved, as the Egyptians come to their rescue and put an end to the siege... However, the Lord had already spoken and given His command. Zedekiah was to surrender if he wished to save himself and the people. But believing that they are safe they seek Jeremiah asking that he pray for them, but Jeremiah had been given instruction already not to pray for the people, and the Word comes to Jeremiah reiterating the prophecy and demanding they surrender or suffer death at the hands of the Chaldeans. Jeremiah is imprisoned for his message yet again, and they lie in order to do it. Chapters 37 and 38 just continue in what we've seen, Jeremiah speaks the Word of the Lord, and the people hate Him for it. They don't want the truth, they want to be told lies that will make them feel better. This is pretty much what they say in 38:4, "...by speaking such words this man is not seeking the welfare of this people but their harm." Isn't this what we hear today? How dare you tell people they're sinners and they need to repent, do you want to make them feel bad? Don't you know that people are generally good, don't you know that what they need is love, what they need is encouragement, what they need is to have their ears tickled! In verse 15, Jeremiah has finally had it, he says to the king, "If I tell you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I give you counsel, you will not listen to me..." This is often the plight of the evangelist. Granted, today it's not that we are being put to death, but it is that people won't listen. They will seek for those who tell them only things they like to hear. But the Gospel in its fullness contains offensive truths. That every one of us is deserving of hell, that not any one of us can save ourselves but left to ourselves we will only continue to love our sin and trust in only ourselves. That our circumstances were so dire, and hopeless, that God Himself had to take on flesh, live the life that we are incapable of living and then die on a cross as a sacrifice for our sin. He then rose on the 3rd day defeating death, and now you and I have to turn from that sin that we love so much, and instead trust in the One who died for us and in our place... The Christian life, from that day forward is one of picking up our cross and following Him, it's a better life, but not an easy life, but it's one that is fulfilling and without the burden of our sin and death laying on our shoulders because Jesus took that away. The natural man scoffs at this, he mocks this idea and sees nothing of value in it. "why would anyone believe such craziness? There's no hope in that? Can you see that I'm actually a pretty good person! If I just keep doing good things, and living the best I can, in the end I'm sure it'll just be fine, stop speaking such nonsense to me" Even in the face of destruction, Zedekiah and Jerusalem were under siege for 2 years, 2 years that he could've finally submitted, 2 years that God gave him to save his life, and the life of his army and people, but a heart that's hard is completely blind to Gods truth, in fact hates it, and it was only fitting that his life ended being as blind to the world as He was to the Word of the Lord. But... Even though Jeremiah knew they wouldn't repent, he continued to preach, he continued to speak the truth, he continued to lay out their way of escape. And so, all of us are called to do the same, even if you aren't called to be an evangelist, you are called to preach and share the gospel with those around you... "but they won't listen!" That's not our choice, maybe they will, maybe they won't, but let's preach anyway, let's preach out of love for God and love for neighbor. Let's preach that even one would be saved!
Do the weeks seem to go by even faster now for anyone else? lol I hope you are continuing to read and that you aren't giving up... I hope that the Holy Spirit is convicting and transforming you with each word you read and pray, and that you are waking up every morning with a spiritual hunger that is greater than the day before, that you are beginning, if you weren't before, to treasure the thought of spending time with the Lord of Glory each and every morning, or whatever time you do your reading... These things and more I hope and pray for each and every one of you! God bless!
If the entire plan is to much, perhaps you can break it down into smaller chunks, or just do one or two types of literature for now. Psalms and Gospels for example, and look at what we are reading for that week, and spend the whole week reading just those readings...
Saturday, Week 20!
Thoughts on Luke 3 & 4:
· Luke 3 - Notice that Luke continues to do as he set out to do, to give an orderly account. He opens chapter 3 with the names of rulers, again meaning to pinpoint a specific point in time when these things took place. Then he goes on to the ministry of John the Baptizer, John's baptism was one of repentance for the forgiveness of sin, how often is baptism explained in this way today? Granted, this was before the death and resurrection of Christ, which we understand baptism to be a symbol and picture of. It's the Christian identifying themself with the death and resurrection of Christ, but it's still a picture of repentance also. The water still symbolizes being cleansed of sin, as we come out of the water a new creation. For your baptism, were you spoken to about repentance? were you asked if you had repented of your sin? Were you told of the new life you were expected to live walking in holiness, being sanctified and conformed to the image of Jesus? Were you asked to bear fruit in keeping with repentance? I hope the answer is yes, but if it's not consider yourself informed now. Though the symbolism of Baptism is clearer for us now, because we live in the shadow of the cross, the meaning has not become much different. Jesus Baptism being the only outlier, He was not baptized to show repentance, but to show obedience and be the first born among many. So look to your baptism, and recognize the importance of it, you were washed and made clean committing yourself to walk in a newness of life, and where you have been failing, repent today and begin to walk.
· Luke 4 - We've looked at some of these events already in the Gospel in Matthew, specifically the temptations. The only thing I will add to that commentary is notice that everything Jesus is tempted with, is that which the world tempts us with health, wealth, power and prosperity. The answer to those temptations is the Word of God. I want to focus instead on verse 43, here Jesus says these words, "I must preach the good news of the Kingdom of God..." In our individualistic culture, the gospel has become one of personal salvation. It is true that the Gospel saved me, but that gospel itself is the gospel of the kingdom, the good news of the kingdom. That I've been saved is to result in a bettering of this world too, not just a life lived waiting for the next. Yes, our ultimate hope is in Jesus and the glory that awaits us. But that hope should be lived out in this life by looking to give the world some of heaven now. We are taught to pray, "your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven..." Yet many of us live like we are just waiting for heaven and don't believe that heaven is coming to earth now. The gospel of the kingdom, is God coming to earth to be with His creation, and that Gospel is alive in each and everyone one of us who are His temple. Do you believe that you are a walking piece of heaven on earth? Or are you living like hell, and just waiting for it all to burn so you can enjoy the next life? I don't know if things will necessarily get better in my life, I don't know if I'll get to see or experience more of heaven on earth before I die, but I want to live in full expectation of it. I want to do my part by calling on more people to repent and trust in Jesus. I want to do my part by calling on our government to bend its knee to the true King of the Universe, I want to see Gods law in all the land because His Law is good and just. I want to point others to His wisdom and away from themselves, and not because I think my life will be easier by living this way, because it won't. But because I believe in Jesus and the power of the Gospel of the kingdom. I want to exhibit more of Jesus in my life that people will see more of Him and be drawn to Him for the good of the world and the glory of God. Do you? We have to do better when it comes to recognizing that the gospel isn't just me and my relationship with Jesus, yes it is that, but that relationship is supposed to result in Holy living that brings heaven to earth now, otherwise how do you know you really have that relationship?
Another week is over... What's impacted you the most during this reading over the past few months???