Hypocrisy
What the? Brent how come you took so long to post? Well I'm going to give you the shortest version of what's been going on, I've been depressed, and being having a large losing conflict with my flesh, its desires, and God's plan for me, and not to meation being stuck to seeing it from a runners perspective through the hedge maze of life (Only Ashley Mayer will understand that part).
So for Christmas, I got a stocking stuffer wrist band that says Disciple on it. It's really neat, but I don't think it should say Disciple, or at least I shouldn't wear it with honesty. My wrist band lately would have the words hypocrite written all over it.
You see, I've had my angry discussions with God lately, and one I don't like having discussions with God b/c I'm super frustrated and my flesh and Satan have being kicking my butt in the struggle between God's plan, and my fleshly desires. But I have had a few interesting visions, insights from God, yes God, even though my flesh has been telling me over and over that they were just thoughts in my head, stupid flesh, I'm going to talk about them whether it likes them or not.
One was actually really had nothing to do with anything I've talked about, or does it, I don't see from the bird's eye view on this one (again Ashley knows what that truely means, and I'm going to be a jerk and not explain it to the rest of you :P).
Anyway, it had to do with Stars, you see Christians are like the stars in the sky. When we are born again, we start off like a small dwarf star, not very bright, nor very big, but when surronded by many other stars these can make the most beautiful of constilations. Anyway, as we grow, so does are light to the world, its our job to shine it, you see our faith is what makes us grow, just like how expanding gases make stars grow, the more the gas spreads, the bigger the star gets, the bigger we expand our faith, the bigger we grow as Christians. Where would I be on this star perspective, well, I've grown alot during this past year, even though my flesh doesn't want me to know that, nor is Satan very happy about it. I would be a very bright star, but the only problem, is I'm a star way to far away from the telescope for you to see. See I've fallen short of God, and it's gotten me down, so I stopped trying, I was lost in my depression and self sorrow, I'm far away from God, just like a star to far away in the night sky. I don't very bright when I'm far away, and I need to strive to be more closer to the Lord so all can see the light of God shine through me.
It's too bad that no matter how far you are from the telescope, God can see you, and see what your doing.
Stars are very different, some go dim before they burnout, some burn brightest in their entire lives before they explode, impacting all the other stars in the galaxy. I want to be the one that burns as bright as it can, it's whole life, the one that impacts the whole world before it goes out. It's not impossible to win the world for Jesus, if you believe it is, stop listening to the enemy. I like the fact that stars also get sun spots, the parts that become dark, they sorta take away the beauty of the star, just like sin stains us as Christians, unlike sun spots though, sin can and will be taken away because of what Jesus did for us. He is the brightest most flawless star of them all, and will never go out.
So I'm going to be posting a bit more about other subjects, especially one about my blogs, and how I need to stop doing them for people to read, but doing them to share the news of what God has spoken to me.
I've stopped memorizing scripture and reading daily passages for now, that doesn't mean I won't read my bible, or memorizing scripture, it just means, I don't need to be held accountable by you guys anymore, I need to not do it b/c I'm oblegated to, but to do it to bring God pleasure. Now I have a house to get back to cleaning.
-Brent
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Monday, December 12, 2005
Day Twenty Eight
Scripture Read:
1 John 1
1From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in--we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. 2The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we're telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us.
3We saw it, we heard it, and now we're telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. 4Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!
Walk in the Light
5This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light; there's not a trace of darkness in him.
6If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we're obviously lying through our teeth--we're not living what we claim. 7But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God's Son, purges all our sin.
8If we claim that we're free of sin, we're only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. 9On the other hand, if we admit our sins--make a clean breast of them--he won't let us down; he'll be true to himself. He'll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. 10If we claim that we've never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God--make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.
What it means to me:
Where's the next installment of Isaiah? Well like I said in my last post, I'm really confused and I'd like to learn about it, instead of trying to stumble in the dark about it.
I like how John talks about the whole, "We have faith, because we have seen". To me that really just implied that he was complimenting Christians in their walk who believe though they have not seen. I have had it revealed to me though, that it means more. It implies to have seen the light of Christ, and not just saying one thing, but also sharing it because of our faith. Short, it talks about evanglising to others if we truely believe. John is sharing this for our strengthing of faith in Christ as so we should share our faith with others to strengthen others.
The next part, is really talking about God's perfectness. He is without sin. He is the sun in the night sky so to speak. Even though at night when we can't see the sun anymore, we know that it is still there, and in the morning it shines bright so we can go about our day without stumbling in the dark. John stresses the point that, just because we are covered in darkness doesn't mean that our actions go unnoticed. Like for example robbing someone's house during the night, they might sleep right through it, but in the morning everyone knows that there has been a break in. If we are going to witness to others we have got to strive to not be covered in darkness ( in otherwords, sin). If we say we are sinless we are lying, for we still sin, everyone sins, only one person in history lived without sin, and that was Jesus. John says, basically, to not be a hypocrite. Don't judge sinners, for you sin as well, also don't say one thing and do the opposite.
John then talks about walking a Christ like life, how it will be covered in the light. Just because you can see what your doing doesn't make it easy though. But at least you arn't stumbling in the dark anymore right?
Because Christ died for me, and for you, we have to oppertunity for eternal life, but we also have to admit our sins. Say your in a dark room with a light switch, and you know the only way you can see the door out of the room is to flick on the light switch that you know is there, you still have to turn it on. Just like we have to choose to except that Christ died for us.
Remember everyone is a sinner, but Christ also died for everyone so that everyone can live eternally if they put to death the sin that has held them back from a life in the light.
Memory Verse:
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
1 John 1:9 (NIV)
1 John 1
1From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in--we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. 2The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we're telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us.
3We saw it, we heard it, and now we're telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. 4Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!
Walk in the Light
5This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light; there's not a trace of darkness in him.
6If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we're obviously lying through our teeth--we're not living what we claim. 7But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God's Son, purges all our sin.
8If we claim that we're free of sin, we're only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. 9On the other hand, if we admit our sins--make a clean breast of them--he won't let us down; he'll be true to himself. He'll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. 10If we claim that we've never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God--make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.
What it means to me:
Where's the next installment of Isaiah? Well like I said in my last post, I'm really confused and I'd like to learn about it, instead of trying to stumble in the dark about it.
I like how John talks about the whole, "We have faith, because we have seen". To me that really just implied that he was complimenting Christians in their walk who believe though they have not seen. I have had it revealed to me though, that it means more. It implies to have seen the light of Christ, and not just saying one thing, but also sharing it because of our faith. Short, it talks about evanglising to others if we truely believe. John is sharing this for our strengthing of faith in Christ as so we should share our faith with others to strengthen others.
The next part, is really talking about God's perfectness. He is without sin. He is the sun in the night sky so to speak. Even though at night when we can't see the sun anymore, we know that it is still there, and in the morning it shines bright so we can go about our day without stumbling in the dark. John stresses the point that, just because we are covered in darkness doesn't mean that our actions go unnoticed. Like for example robbing someone's house during the night, they might sleep right through it, but in the morning everyone knows that there has been a break in. If we are going to witness to others we have got to strive to not be covered in darkness ( in otherwords, sin). If we say we are sinless we are lying, for we still sin, everyone sins, only one person in history lived without sin, and that was Jesus. John says, basically, to not be a hypocrite. Don't judge sinners, for you sin as well, also don't say one thing and do the opposite.
John then talks about walking a Christ like life, how it will be covered in the light. Just because you can see what your doing doesn't make it easy though. But at least you arn't stumbling in the dark anymore right?
Because Christ died for me, and for you, we have to oppertunity for eternal life, but we also have to admit our sins. Say your in a dark room with a light switch, and you know the only way you can see the door out of the room is to flick on the light switch that you know is there, you still have to turn it on. Just like we have to choose to except that Christ died for us.
Remember everyone is a sinner, but Christ also died for everyone so that everyone can live eternally if they put to death the sin that has held them back from a life in the light.
Memory Verse:
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
1 John 1:9 (NIV)
Monday, December 05, 2005
Belated Day Twenty One, Twenty Two, Twenty Three, Twenty Four, Twenty Five, Twenty Six, Twenty Seven ( Although this is today)
Scripture Read:
Isaiah 1
Quit Your Worship Charades
1The vision that Isaiah son of Amoz saw regarding Judah and Jerusalem during the times of the kings of Judah: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.
2Heaven and earth, you're the jury.
Listen to GOD's case:
"I had children and raised them well,
and they turned on me.
3The ox knows who's boss,
the mule knows the hand that feeds him,
But not Israel.
My people don't know up from down.
4Shame! Misguided GOD-dropouts,
staggering under their guilt-baggage,
Gang of miscreants,
band of vandals--
My people have walked out on me, their GOD,
turned their backs on The Holy of Israel,
walked off and never looked back.
5"Why bother even trying to do anything with you
when you just keep to your bullheaded ways?
You keep beating your heads against brick walls.
Everything within you protests against you.
6From the bottom of your feet to the top of your head,
nothing's working right.
Wounds and bruises and running sores--
untended, unwashed, unbandaged.
7Your country is laid waste,
your cities burned down.
Your land is destroyed by outsiders while you watch,
reduced to rubble by barbarians.
8Daughter Zion is deserted--
like a tumbledown shack on a dead--end street,
Like a tarpaper shanty on the wrong side of the tracks,
like a sinking ship abandoned by the rats.
9If GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies hadn't left us a few survivors,
we'd be as desolate as Sodom, doomed just like Gomorrah.
10"Listen to my Message,
you Sodom-schooled leaders.
Receive God's revelation,
you Gomorrah-schooled people.
11"Why this frenzy of sacrifices?"
GOD's asking.
"Don't you think I've had my fill of burnt sacrifices,
rams and plump grain-fed calves?
Don't you think I've had my fill
of blood from bulls, lambs, and goats?
12When you come before me,
who ever gave you the idea of acting like this,
Running here and there, doing this and that--
all this sheer commotion in the place provided for worship?
13"Quit your worship charades.
I can't stand your trivial religious games:
Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings--
meetings, meetings, meetings--I can't stand one more!
14Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them!
You've worn me out!
I'm sick of your religion, religion, religion,
while you go right on sinning.
15When you put on your next prayer-performance,
I'll be looking the other way.
No matter how long or loud or often you pray,
I'll not be listening.
And do you know why? Because you've been tearing
people to pieces, and your hands are bloody.
16Go home and wash up.
Clean up your act.
Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings
so I don't have to look at them any longer.
Say no to wrong.
17Learn to do good.
Work for justice.
Help the down--and-out.
Stand up for the homeless.
Go to bat for the defenseless.
Let's Argue This Out
18"Come. Sit down. Let's argue this out."
This is GOD's Message:
"If your sins are blood-red,
they'll be snow-white.
If they're red like crimson,
they'll be like wool.
19If you'll willingly obey,
you'll feast like kings.
20But if you're willful and stubborn,
you'll die like dogs."
That's right. GOD says so.
Those Who Walk Out on God
21Oh! Can you believe it? The chaste city
has become a whore!
She was once all justice,
everyone living as good neighbors,
And now they're all
at one another's throats.
22Your coins are all counterfeits.
Your wine is watered down.
23Your leaders are turncoats
who keep company with crooks.
They sell themselves to the highest bidder
and grab anything not nailed down.
They never stand up for the homeless,
never stick up for the defenseless.
24This Decree, therefore, of the Master, GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies,
the Strong One of Israel:
"This is it! I'll get my oppressors off my back.
I'll get back at my enemies.
25I'll give you the back of my hand,
purge the junk from your life, clean you up.
26I'll set honest judges and wise counselors among you
just like it was back in the beginning.
Then you'll be renamed
City-That-Treats-People-Right, the True-Blue City."
27GOD's right ways will put Zion right again.
GOD's right actions will restore her penitents.
28But it's curtains for rebels and GOD-traitors,
a dead end for those who walk out on GOD.
29"Your dalliances in those oak grove shrines
will leave you looking mighty foolish,
All that fooling around in god and goddess gardens
that you thought was the latest thing.
30You'll end up like an oak tree
with all its leaves falling off,
Like an unwatered garden,
withered and brown.
31"The Big Man' will turn out to be dead bark and twigs,
and his "work,' the spark that starts the fire
That exposes man and work both
as nothing but cinders and smoke."
What it means to me:
Ok, so I chose Isaiah really b/c God told me to read it on Sunday evening but I kinda failed the whole obedience at once thing, by procrastinating and playing video games and writing my chemistry lab instead. So I'm doing it now, sorry this is late Jesus.
Anyway, Isaiah, if you could list some of the most famous people in the old testament, I'm pretty sure Isaiah would be on that list. Anyway, I'm kinda like Isaiah, I get prophetic words from God as well, where I fail, is to share them more with the body, but then again, I don't really feel comfortable with my body of believers.
So ya, Isaiah. Basically God is angry at his chosen people, if your not into the whole Old testament, which really I haven't read all of it, I'm still trying to interpret the New testament, I think I should go over some of this with Cory, but then again, he doesn't read my blogs even though I favorited them on his computer.
So ya, Isaiah, I'm really confused by a bunch of this, I'd really like it if someone went over it with me so I have a better understanding, I'll put memory verses and such afterwards, I want to pick stuff out that speaks to me, but right now it's uber confusing. Help!
Isaiah 1
Quit Your Worship Charades
1The vision that Isaiah son of Amoz saw regarding Judah and Jerusalem during the times of the kings of Judah: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.
2Heaven and earth, you're the jury.
Listen to GOD's case:
"I had children and raised them well,
and they turned on me.
3The ox knows who's boss,
the mule knows the hand that feeds him,
But not Israel.
My people don't know up from down.
4Shame! Misguided GOD-dropouts,
staggering under their guilt-baggage,
Gang of miscreants,
band of vandals--
My people have walked out on me, their GOD,
turned their backs on The Holy of Israel,
walked off and never looked back.
5"Why bother even trying to do anything with you
when you just keep to your bullheaded ways?
You keep beating your heads against brick walls.
Everything within you protests against you.
6From the bottom of your feet to the top of your head,
nothing's working right.
Wounds and bruises and running sores--
untended, unwashed, unbandaged.
7Your country is laid waste,
your cities burned down.
Your land is destroyed by outsiders while you watch,
reduced to rubble by barbarians.
8Daughter Zion is deserted--
like a tumbledown shack on a dead--end street,
Like a tarpaper shanty on the wrong side of the tracks,
like a sinking ship abandoned by the rats.
9If GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies hadn't left us a few survivors,
we'd be as desolate as Sodom, doomed just like Gomorrah.
10"Listen to my Message,
you Sodom-schooled leaders.
Receive God's revelation,
you Gomorrah-schooled people.
11"Why this frenzy of sacrifices?"
GOD's asking.
"Don't you think I've had my fill of burnt sacrifices,
rams and plump grain-fed calves?
Don't you think I've had my fill
of blood from bulls, lambs, and goats?
12When you come before me,
who ever gave you the idea of acting like this,
Running here and there, doing this and that--
all this sheer commotion in the place provided for worship?
13"Quit your worship charades.
I can't stand your trivial religious games:
Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings--
meetings, meetings, meetings--I can't stand one more!
14Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them!
You've worn me out!
I'm sick of your religion, religion, religion,
while you go right on sinning.
15When you put on your next prayer-performance,
I'll be looking the other way.
No matter how long or loud or often you pray,
I'll not be listening.
And do you know why? Because you've been tearing
people to pieces, and your hands are bloody.
16Go home and wash up.
Clean up your act.
Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings
so I don't have to look at them any longer.
Say no to wrong.
17Learn to do good.
Work for justice.
Help the down--and-out.
Stand up for the homeless.
Go to bat for the defenseless.
Let's Argue This Out
18"Come. Sit down. Let's argue this out."
This is GOD's Message:
"If your sins are blood-red,
they'll be snow-white.
If they're red like crimson,
they'll be like wool.
19If you'll willingly obey,
you'll feast like kings.
20But if you're willful and stubborn,
you'll die like dogs."
That's right. GOD says so.
Those Who Walk Out on God
21Oh! Can you believe it? The chaste city
has become a whore!
She was once all justice,
everyone living as good neighbors,
And now they're all
at one another's throats.
22Your coins are all counterfeits.
Your wine is watered down.
23Your leaders are turncoats
who keep company with crooks.
They sell themselves to the highest bidder
and grab anything not nailed down.
They never stand up for the homeless,
never stick up for the defenseless.
24This Decree, therefore, of the Master, GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies,
the Strong One of Israel:
"This is it! I'll get my oppressors off my back.
I'll get back at my enemies.
25I'll give you the back of my hand,
purge the junk from your life, clean you up.
26I'll set honest judges and wise counselors among you
just like it was back in the beginning.
Then you'll be renamed
City-That-Treats-People-Right, the True-Blue City."
27GOD's right ways will put Zion right again.
GOD's right actions will restore her penitents.
28But it's curtains for rebels and GOD-traitors,
a dead end for those who walk out on GOD.
29"Your dalliances in those oak grove shrines
will leave you looking mighty foolish,
All that fooling around in god and goddess gardens
that you thought was the latest thing.
30You'll end up like an oak tree
with all its leaves falling off,
Like an unwatered garden,
withered and brown.
31"The Big Man' will turn out to be dead bark and twigs,
and his "work,' the spark that starts the fire
That exposes man and work both
as nothing but cinders and smoke."
Isaiah 2
Climb God's Mountain
1The Message Isaiah got regarding Judah and Jerusalem:
2There's a day coming
when the mountain of GOD's House
Will be The Mountain--
solid, towering over all mountains.
All nations will river toward it,
people from all over set out for it.
3They'll say, "Come,
let's climb GOD's Mountain,
go to the House of the God of Jacob.
He'll show us the way he works
so we can live the way we're made."
Zion's the source of the revelation.
GOD's Message comes from Jerusalem.
4He'll settle things fairly between nations.
He'll make things right between many peoples.
They'll turn their swords into shovels,
their spears into hoes.
No more will nation fight nation;
they won't play war anymore.
5Come, family of Jacob,
let's live in the light of GOD.
6GOD, you've walked out on your family Jacob
because their world is full of hokey religion,
Philistine witchcraft, and pagan hocus-pocus,
7a world rolling in wealth,
Stuffed with things,
no end to its machines and gadgets,
8And gods--gods of all sorts and sizes.
These people make their own gods and worship what they make.
9A degenerate race, facedown in the gutter.
Don't bother with them! They're not worth forgiving!
Pretentious Egos Brought Down to Earth
10Head for the hills,
hide in the caves
From the terror of GOD,
from his dazzling presence.
11People with a big head are headed for a fall,
pretentious egos brought down a peg.
It's GOD alone at front-and-center
on the Day we're talking about,
12The Day that GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies
is matched against all big-talking rivals,
against all swaggering big names;
13Against all giant sequoias
hugely towering,
and against the expansive chestnut;
14Against Kilimanjaro and Annapurna,
against the ranges of Alps and Andes;
15Against every soaring skyscraper,
against all proud obelisks and statues;
16Against ocean-going luxury liners,
against elegant three-masted schooners.
17The swelled big heads will be punctured bladders,
the pretentious egos brought down to earth,
Leaving GOD alone at front-and-center
on the Day we're talking about.
18And all those sticks and stones
dressed up to look like gods
will be gone for good.
19Clamber into caves in the cliffs,
duck into any hole you can find.
Hide from the terror of GOD,
from his dazzling presence,
When he assumes his full stature on earth,
towering and terrifying.
20On that Day men and women will take
the sticks and stones
They've decked out in gold and silver
to look like gods and then worshiped,
And they will dump them
in any ditch or gully,
21Then run for rock caves
and cliff hideouts
To hide from the terror of GOD,
from his dazzling presence,
When he assumes his full stature on earth,
towering and terrifying.
22Quit scraping and fawning over mere humans,
so full of themselves, so full of hot air!
Can't you see there's nothing to them?
Isaiah 3
Jerusalem on Its Last Legs
1The Master, GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies,
is emptying Jerusalem and Judah
Of all the basic necessities,
plain bread and water to begin with.
2He's withdrawing police and protection,
judges and courts,
pastors and teachers,
3captains and generals,
doctors and nurses,
and, yes, even the repairmen and jacks-of-all--trades.
4He says, "I'll put little kids in charge of the city.
Schoolboys and schoolgirls will order everyone around.
5People will be at each other's throats,
stabbing one another in the back:
Neighbor against neighbor, young against old,
the no-account against the well-respected.
6One brother will grab another and say,
"You look like you've got a head on your shoulders.
Do something!
Get us out of this mess.'
7And he'll say, "Me? Not me! I don't have a clue.
Don't put me in charge of anything.'
8"Jerusalem's on its last legs.
Judah is soon down for the count.
Everything people say and do
is at cross-purposes with GOD,
a slap in my face.
9Brazen in their depravity,
they flout their sins like degenerate Sodom.
Doom to their eternal souls! They've made their bed;
now they'll sleep in it.
10"Reassure the righteous
that their good living will pay off.
11But doom to the wicked! Disaster!
Everything they did will be done to them.
12"Skinny kids terrorize my people.
Silly girls bully them around.
My dear people! Your leaders are taking you down a blind alley.
They're sending you off on a wild goose chase."
A City Brought to Her Knees by Her Sorrows
13GOD enters the courtroom.
He takes his place at the bench to judge his people.
14GOD calls for order in the court,
hauls the leaders of his people into the dock:
"You've played havoc with this country.
Your houses are stuffed with what you've stolen from the poor.
15What is this anyway? Stomping on my people,
grinding the faces of the poor into the dirt?"
That's what the Master,
GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies, says.
16GOD says, "Zion women are stuck-up,
prancing around in their high heels,
Making eyes at all the men in the street,
swinging their hips,
Tossing their hair,
gaudy and garish in cheap jewelry."
17The Master will fix it so those Zion women
will all turn bald--
Scabby, bald--headed women.
The Master will do it.
18The time is coming when the Master will strip them of their fancy baubles-- 19the dangling earrings, anklets and bracelets, 20combs and mirrors and silk scarves, diamond brooches and pearl necklaces, 21the rings on their fingers and the rings on their toes, 22the latest fashions in hats, exotic perfumes and aphrodisiacs, gowns and capes, 23all the world's finest in fabrics and design.
24Instead of wearing seductive scents,
these women are going to smell like rotting cabbages;
Instead of modeling flowing gowns,
they'll be sporting rags;
Instead of their stylish hairdos,
scruffy heads;
Instead of beauty marks,
scabs and scars.
25Your finest fighting men will be killed,
your soldiers left dead on the battlefield.
26The entrance gate to Zion will be clotted
with people mourning their dead--
A city stooped under the weight of her loss,
brought to her knees by her sorrows.
Isaiah 4
1That will be the day when seven women
will gang up on one man, saying,
"We'll take care of ourselves,
get our own food and clothes.
Just give us a child. Make us pregnant
so we'll have something to live for!"
God's Branch
2And that's when GOD's Branch will sprout green and lush. The produce of the country will give Israel's survivors something to be proud of again. Oh, they'll hold their heads high! 3Everyone left behind in Zion, all the discards and rejects in Jerusalem, will be reclassified as "holy"--alive and therefore precious. 4GOD will give Zion's women a good bath. He'll scrub the bloodstained city of its violence and brutality, purge the place with a firestorm of judgment.
5Then GOD will bring back the ancient pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night and mark Mount Zion and everyone in it with his glorious presence, his immense, protective presence, 6shade from the burning sun and shelter from the driving rain.
Isaiah 5
Looking for a Crop of Justice
1I'll sing a ballad to the one I love,
a love ballad about his vineyard:
The one I love had a vineyard,
a fine, well-placed vineyard.
2He hoed the soil and pulled the weeds,
and planted the very best vines.
He built a lookout, built a winepress,
a vineyard to be proud of.
He looked for a vintage yield of grapes,
but for all his pains he got junk grapes.
3"Now listen to what I'm telling you,
you who live in Jerusalem and Judah.
What do you think is going on
between me and my vineyard?
4Can you think of anything I could have done
to my vineyard that I didn't do?
When I expected good grapes,
why did I get bitter grapes?
5"Well now, let me tell you
what I'll do to my vineyard:
I'll tear down its fence
and let it go to ruin.
I'll knock down the gate
and let it be trampled.
6I'll turn it into a patch of weeds, untended, uncared for--
thistles and thorns will take over.
I'll give orders to the clouds:
"Don't rain on that vineyard, ever!'"
7Do you get it? The vineyard of GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies
is the country of Israel.
All the men and women of Judah
are the garden he was so proud of.
He looked for a crop of justice
and saw them murdering each other.
He looked for a harvest of righteousness
and heard only the moans of victims.
You Who Call Evil Good and Good Evil
8Doom to you who buy up all the houses
and grab all the land for yourselves--
Evicting the old owners,
posting NO TRESPASSING signs,
Taking over the country,
leaving everyone homeless and landless.
9I overheard GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies say:
"Those mighty houses will end up empty.
Those extravagant estates will be deserted.
10A ten-acre vineyard will produce a pint of wine,
a fifty-pound sack of seed, a quart of grain."
11Doom to those who get up early
and start drinking booze before breakfast,
Who stay up all hours of the night
drinking themselves into a stupor.
12They make sure their banquets are well-furnished
with harps and flutes and plenty of wine,
But they'll have nothing to do with the work of GOD,
pay no mind to what he is doing.
13Therefore my people will end up in exile
because they don't know the score.
Their "big men" will starve to death
and the common people die of thirst.
14Sheol developed a huge appetite,
swallowing people nonstop!
Big people and little people alike
down that gullet, to say nothing of all the drunks.
15The down--and-out on a par
with the high-and-mighty,
Windbag boasters crumpled,
flaccid as a punctured bladder.
16But by working justice,
GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies will be a mountain.
By working righteousness,
Holy God will show what "holy" is.
17And lambs will graze
as if they owned the place,
Kids and calves
right at home in the ruins.
18Doom to you who use lies to sell evil,
who haul sin to market by the truckload,
19Who say, "What's God waiting for?
Let him get a move on so we can see it.
Whatever The Holy of Israel has cooked up,
we'd like to check it out."
20Doom to you who call evil good
and good evil,
Who put darkness in place of light
and light in place of darkness,
Who substitute bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter!
21Doom to you who think you're so smart,
who hold such a high opinion of yourselves!
22All you're good at is drinking--champion boozers
who collect trophies from drinking bouts
23And then line your pockets with bribes from the guilty
while you violate the rights of the innocent.
24But they won't get by with it. As fire eats stubble
and dry grass goes up in smoke,
Their souls will atrophy,
their achievements crumble into dust,
Because they said no to the revelation
of GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies,
Would have nothing to do
with The Holy of Israel.
25That's why GOD flamed out in anger against his people,
reached out and knocked them down.
The mountains trembled
as their dead bodies piled up in the streets.
But even after that, he was still angry,
his fist still raised, ready to hit them again.
26He raises a flag, signaling a distant nation,
whistles for people at the ends of the earth.
And here they come--
on the run!
27None drag their feet, no one stumbles,
no one sleeps or dawdles.
Shirts are on and pants buckled,
every boot is spit--polished and tied.
28Their arrows are sharp,
bows strung,
The hooves of their horses shod,
chariot wheels greased.
29Roaring like a pride of lions,
the full-throated roars of young lions,
They growl and seize their prey,
dragging it off--no rescue for that one!
30They'll roar and roar and roar on that Day,
like the roar of ocean billows.
Look as long and hard as you like at that land,
you'll see nothing but darkness and trouble.
Every light in the sky
will be blacked out by the clouds.
Isaiah 6
Holy, Holy, Holy!
1In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Master sitting on a throne--high, exalted!-and the train of his robes filled the Temple. 2Angel-seraphs hovered above him, each with six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two their feet, and with two they flew." 3And they called back and forth one to the other,
Holy, Holy, Holy is GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies.
His bright glory fills the whole earth.
4The foundations trembled at the sound of the angel voices, and then the whole house filled with smoke. 5I said,
"Doom! It's Doomsday!
I'm as good as dead!
Every word I've ever spoken is tainted--
blasphemous even!
And the people I live with talk the same way,
using words that corrupt and desecrate.
And here I've looked God in the face!
The King! GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies!"
6Then one of the angel-seraphs flew to me. He held a live coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7He touched my mouth with the coal and said,
"Look. This coal has touched your lips.
Gone your guilt,
your sins wiped out."
8And then I heard the voice of the Master:
"Whom shall I send?
Who will go for us?"
I spoke up,
"I'll go.
Send me!" 9He said, "Go and tell this people:
""Listen hard, but you aren't going to get it;
look hard, but you won't catch on.'
10Make these people blockheads,
with fingers in their ears and blindfolds on their eyes,
So they won't see a thing,
won't hear a word,
So they won't have a clue about what's going on
and, yes, so they won't turn around and be made whole."
11Astonished, I said,
"And Master, how long is this to go on?"
He said, "Until the cities are emptied out,
not a soul left in the cities--
Houses empty of people,
countryside empty of people.
12Until I, GOD, get rid of everyone, sending them off,
the land totally empty.
13And even if some should survive, say a tenth,
the devastation will start up again.
The country will look like pine and oak forest
with every tree cut down--
Every tree a stump, a huge field of stumps.
But there's a holy seed in those stumps."
Isaiah 7
A Virgin Will Bear a Son
1During the time that Ahaz son of Jothan, son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel attacked Jerusalem, but the attack sputtered out. 2When the Davidic government learned that Aram had joined forces with Ephraim (that is, Israel), Ahaz and his people were badly shaken. They shook like trees in the wind.
3Then GOD told Isaiah, "Go and meet Ahaz. Take your son Shear-jashub (A-Remnant-Will-Return) with you. Meet him south of the city at the end of the aqueduct where it empties into the upper pool on the road to the public laundry. 4Tell him, Listen, calm down. Don't be afraid. And don't panic over these two burnt-out cases, Rezin of Aram and the son of Remaliah. They talk big but there's nothing to them. 5Aram, along with Ephraim's son of Remaliah, have plotted to do you harm. They've conspired against you, saying, 6"Let's go to war against Judah, dismember it, take it for ourselves, and set the son of Tabeel up as a puppet king over it.'
7But GOD, the Master, says,
"It won't happen.
Nothing will come of it
8Because the capital of Aram is Damascus
and the king of Damascus is a mere man, Rezin.
As for Ephraim, in sixty-five years
it will be rubble, nothing left of it.
9The capital of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the king of Samaria is the mere son of Remaliah.
If you don't take your stand in faith,
you won't have a leg to stand on." 10GOD spoke again to Ahaz. This time he said, 11"Ask for a sign from your GOD. Ask anything. Be extravagant. Ask for the moon!"
12But Ahaz said, "I'd never do that. I'd never make demands like that on GOD!"
13So Isaiah told him, "Then listen to this, government of David! It's bad enough that you make people tired with your pious, timid hypocrisies, but now you're making God tired. 14So the Master is going to give you a sign anyway. Watch for this: A girl who is presently a virgin will get pregnant. She'll bear a son and name him Immanuel (God-With-Us). 15By the time the child is twelve years old, able to make moral decisions, 16the threat of war will be over. Relax, those two kings that have you so worried will be out of the picture. 17But also be warned: GOD will bring on you and your people and your government a judgment worse than anything since the time the kingdom split, when Ephraim left Judah. The king of Assyria is coming!"
18That's when GOD will whistle for the flies at the headwaters of Egypt's Nile, and whistle for the bees in the land of Assyria. 19They'll come and infest every nook and cranny of this country. There'll be no getting away from them.
20And that's when the Master will take the razor rented from across the Euphrates--the king of Assyria no less!-and shave the hair off your heads and genitals, leaving you shamed, exposed, and denuded. He'll shave off your beards while he's at it.
21It will be a time when survivors will count themselves lucky to have a cow and a couple of sheep. 22At least they'll have plenty of milk! Whoever's left in the land will learn to make do with the simplest foods--curds, say, and honey.
23But that's not the end of it. This country that used to be covered with fine vineyards--thousands of them, worth millions!-will revert to a weed patch. 24Weeds and thorn bushes everywhere! Good for nothing except, perhaps, hunting rabbits. 25Cattle and sheep will forage as best they can in the fields of weeds--but there won't be a trace of all those fertile and well-tended gardens and fields.
What it means to me:
Ok, so I chose Isaiah really b/c God told me to read it on Sunday evening but I kinda failed the whole obedience at once thing, by procrastinating and playing video games and writing my chemistry lab instead. So I'm doing it now, sorry this is late Jesus.
Anyway, Isaiah, if you could list some of the most famous people in the old testament, I'm pretty sure Isaiah would be on that list. Anyway, I'm kinda like Isaiah, I get prophetic words from God as well, where I fail, is to share them more with the body, but then again, I don't really feel comfortable with my body of believers.
So ya, Isaiah. Basically God is angry at his chosen people, if your not into the whole Old testament, which really I haven't read all of it, I'm still trying to interpret the New testament, I think I should go over some of this with Cory, but then again, he doesn't read my blogs even though I favorited them on his computer.
So ya, Isaiah, I'm really confused by a bunch of this, I'd really like it if someone went over it with me so I have a better understanding, I'll put memory verses and such afterwards, I want to pick stuff out that speaks to me, but right now it's uber confusing. Help!
-Brent
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Day Twenty
Scripture Read:
Ok today is a bit different, since I spent the day reading all of 1 Thessalonians, for day 20 I wanted to just talk about a song I heard a few weeks ago on the radio that really spoke to me.
I'll host the mp3 on one of my servers, so you can look for the link below.
It's the song called "What if" writen by Nicole Nordeman who is a very talented composer.
Basically the words that spoke to me is the lyrics to this song.
"What if you're right and he was just another nice guy?
What if you're right?
What if it's true? They say the cross will only make a fool of you.
And what if it's true?
What if he takes his palace in history, with all the prophets and the kings who taught us love and came in peace, but then the story ends?
What then?
But what if you're wrong?
What if there's more?
What if there's hope you never dreamed of hoping for?
What if you jump?
And just close your eyes?
What if the arms that catch you, catch you by surprise?
What if He's more than enough?
What if it's love?
What if you dig, What if you dig way down deeper than your simple-minded friends?
What if you dig?
What if you find a thousand more unanswered questions inside?
That's all you find.
What if you pick apart the logic and begin to poke the holes?
What if the crown of thorns is no more then folklore that must be told and retold
But what if you're wrong?
What if there's more?
What if there's hope you never dreamed of hoping for?
What if you jump?
And just close your eyes?
What if the arms that catch you, catch you by surprise?
What if He's more than enough?
What if it's love?
You've been running as fast as you can, you’ve been looking for a place you can land, for so long.
But what if you're wrong?
What if you jump?
And just close your eyes?
What if the arms that catch you, catch you by surprise?
What if He's more than enough?
What if it's love?
What it means to me:
In this song there are far more What if's for if God isn't real than if he is. That shows two things, the argument that if Jesus truely wasn't the son of God would be supported on a bunch of What if's, and if your going to make the argument that God isn't real by saying to "What if he isn't real?" then you also must ask yourself what if your wrong? To me it's a very powerful song, that also speaks to me.
I don't know about you at all, but if you can comprehend for a second, and take Jesus seriously about the fact that who he said he was is who he is ( not saying that I don't believe), your whole outlook for that second is going to change. Its just so hard to truely get the full grasp of it. This guy was the son of God. God in flesh. On earth, with us, knowing what its like to go through all the crap we deal with and more, and to make a huge sacrifice like he did. Can you honestly say that you can fully comprehend the agony he went through. I think as Christians we don't focus on the realness of Jesus Christ enough and this song basically challenges that. You either believe or you don't, I don't think you can be sitting on the fence about this.
Basically if you can understand what I'm saying here, then post a comment. Heck post a comment anyways. But take some time to imagine the realness of Jesus Christ before you post that comment.
Memory Verse:
"Jesus once again addressed them: 'I am the world's Light. No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in.'"
John 8:12
Download File
If you have a pop-up blocker, you have to disable it to download this file.
-Brent
Ok today is a bit different, since I spent the day reading all of 1 Thessalonians, for day 20 I wanted to just talk about a song I heard a few weeks ago on the radio that really spoke to me.
I'll host the mp3 on one of my servers, so you can look for the link below.
It's the song called "What if" writen by Nicole Nordeman who is a very talented composer.
Basically the words that spoke to me is the lyrics to this song.
"What if you're right and he was just another nice guy?
What if you're right?
What if it's true? They say the cross will only make a fool of you.
And what if it's true?
What if he takes his palace in history, with all the prophets and the kings who taught us love and came in peace, but then the story ends?
What then?
But what if you're wrong?
What if there's more?
What if there's hope you never dreamed of hoping for?
What if you jump?
And just close your eyes?
What if the arms that catch you, catch you by surprise?
What if He's more than enough?
What if it's love?
What if you dig, What if you dig way down deeper than your simple-minded friends?
What if you dig?
What if you find a thousand more unanswered questions inside?
That's all you find.
What if you pick apart the logic and begin to poke the holes?
What if the crown of thorns is no more then folklore that must be told and retold
But what if you're wrong?
What if there's more?
What if there's hope you never dreamed of hoping for?
What if you jump?
And just close your eyes?
What if the arms that catch you, catch you by surprise?
What if He's more than enough?
What if it's love?
You've been running as fast as you can, you’ve been looking for a place you can land, for so long.
But what if you're wrong?
What if you jump?
And just close your eyes?
What if the arms that catch you, catch you by surprise?
What if He's more than enough?
What if it's love?
What it means to me:
In this song there are far more What if's for if God isn't real than if he is. That shows two things, the argument that if Jesus truely wasn't the son of God would be supported on a bunch of What if's, and if your going to make the argument that God isn't real by saying to "What if he isn't real?" then you also must ask yourself what if your wrong? To me it's a very powerful song, that also speaks to me.
I don't know about you at all, but if you can comprehend for a second, and take Jesus seriously about the fact that who he said he was is who he is ( not saying that I don't believe), your whole outlook for that second is going to change. Its just so hard to truely get the full grasp of it. This guy was the son of God. God in flesh. On earth, with us, knowing what its like to go through all the crap we deal with and more, and to make a huge sacrifice like he did. Can you honestly say that you can fully comprehend the agony he went through. I think as Christians we don't focus on the realness of Jesus Christ enough and this song basically challenges that. You either believe or you don't, I don't think you can be sitting on the fence about this.
Basically if you can understand what I'm saying here, then post a comment. Heck post a comment anyways. But take some time to imagine the realness of Jesus Christ before you post that comment.
Memory Verse:
"Jesus once again addressed them: 'I am the world's Light. No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in.'"
John 8:12
Download File
If you have a pop-up blocker, you have to disable it to download this file.
-Brent
Day Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, and Nineteen
Scripture Read:
1 Thessalonians 1
1I, Paul, together here with Silas and Timothy, send greetings to the church at Thessalonica, Christians assembled by God the Father and by the Master, Jesus Christ. God's amazing grace be with you! God's robust peace!
Convictions of Steel
2Every time we think of you, we thank God for you. Day and night you're in our prayers 3as we call to mind your work of faith, your labor of love, and your patience of hope in following our Master, Jesus Christ, before God our Father. 4It is clear to us, friends, that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special. 5When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn't just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions.
You paid careful attention to the way we lived among you, 6and determined to live that way yourselves. In imitating us, you imitated the Master. Although great trouble accompanied the Word, you were able to take great joy from the Holy Spirit!-taking the trouble with the joy, the joy with the trouble.
7Do you know that all over the provinces of both Macedonia and Achaia believers look up to you? 8The word has gotten around. Your lives are echoing the Master's Word, not only in the provinces but all over the place. The news of your faith in God is out. We don't even have to say anything anymore--you're the message! 9People come up and tell us how you received us with open arms, how you deserted the dead idols of your old life so you could embrace and serve God, the true God. 10They marvel at how expectantly you await the arrival of his Son, whom he raised from the dead--Jesus, who rescued us from certain doom.
1 Thessalonians 2
1So, friends, it's obvious that our visit to you was no waste of time. 2We had just been given rough treatment in Philippi, as you know, but that didn't slow us down. We were sure of ourselves in God, and went right ahead and said our piece, presenting God's Message to you, defiant of the opposition.
No Hidden Agendas
3God tested us thoroughly to make sure we were qualified to be trusted with this Message. 4Be assured that when we speak to you we're not after crowd approval--only God approval. Since we've been put through that battery of tests, you're guaranteed that both we and the Message are free of error, mixed motives, or hidden agendas. 5We never used words to butter you up. No one knows that better than you. And God knows we never used words as a smoke screen to take advantage of you.
6Even though we had some standing as Christ's apostles, we never threw our weight around or tried to come across as important, with you or anyone else. 7We weren't aloof with you. We took you just as you were. We were never patronizing, never condescending, but we cared for you the way a mother cares for her children. 8We loved you dearly. Not content to just pass on the Message, we wanted to give you our hearts. And we did.
9You remember us in those days, friends, working our fingers to the bone, up half the night, moonlighting so you wouldn't have the burden of supporting us while we proclaimed God's Message to you. 10You saw with your own eyes how discreet and courteous we were among you, with keen sensitivity to you as fellow believers. And God knows we weren't freeloaders! 11You experienced it all firsthand. With each of you we were like a father with his child, 12holding your hand, whispering encouragement, showing you step-by-step how to live well before God, who called us into his own kingdom, into this delightful life.
13And now we look back on all this and thank God, an artesian well of thanks! When you got the Message of God we preached, you didn't pass it off as just one more human opinion, but you took it to heart as God's true word to you, which it is, God himself at work in you believers!
14Friends, do you realize that you followed in the exact footsteps of the churches of God in Judea, those who were the first to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ? You got the same bad treatment from your countrymen as they did from theirs, the Jews 15who killed the Master Jesus (to say nothing of the prophets) and followed it up by running us out of town. They make themselves offensive to God and everyone else 16by trying to keep us from telling people who've never heard of our God how to be saved. They've made a career of opposing God, and have gotten mighty good at it. But God is fed up, ready to put an end to it. 17Do you have any idea how very homesick we became for you, dear friends? Even though it hadn't been that long and it was only our bodies that were separated from you, not our hearts, we tried our very best to get back to see you. 18You can't imagine how much we missed you! I, Paul, tried over and over to get back, but Satan stymied us each time. 19Who do you think we're going to be proud of when our Master Jesus appears if it's not you? 20You're our pride and joy!
1 Thessalonians 3
1So when we couldn't stand being separated from you any longer and could find no way to visit you ourselves, we stayed in Athens 2and sent Timothy to get you up and about, cheering you on so you wouldn't be discouraged by these hard times. He's a brother and companion in the faith, God's man in spreading the Message, preaching Christ.
3Not that the troubles should come as any surprise to you. You've always known that we're in for this kind of thing. It's part of our calling. 4When we were with you, we made it quite clear that there was trouble ahead. And now that it's happened, you know what it's like. 5That's why I couldn't quit worrying; I had to know for myself how you were doing in the faith. I didn't want the Tempter getting to you and tearing down everything we had built up together.
6But now that Timothy is back, bringing this terrific report on your faith and love, we feel a lot better. It's especially gratifying to know that you continue to think well of us, and that you want to see us as much as we want to see you! 7In the middle of our trouble and hard times here, just knowing how you're doing keeps us going. 8Knowing that your faith is alive keeps us alive.
9What would be an adequate thanksgiving to offer God for all the joy we experience before him because of you? 10We do what we can, praying away, night and day, asking for the bonus of seeing your faces again and doing what we can to help when your faith falters.
11May God our Father himself and our Master Jesus clear the road to you! 12And may the Master pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you, just as it does from us to you. 13May you be infused with strength and purity, filled with confidence in the presence of God our Father when our Master Jesus arrives with all his followers.
1 Thessalonians 4
You're God-Taught 1One final word, friends. We ask you--urge is more like it--that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance. 2You know the guidelines we laid out for you from the Master Jesus. 3God wants you to live a pure life.
Keep yourselves from sexual promiscuity.
4Learn to appreciate and give dignity to your body, 5not abusing it, as is so common among those who know nothing of God.
6Don't run roughshod over the concerns of your brothers and sisters. Their concerns are God's concerns, and he will take care of them. We've warned you about this before. 7God hasn't invited us into a disorderly, unkempt life but into something holy and beautiful--as beautiful on the inside as the outside.
8If you disregard this advice, you're not offending your neighbors; you're rejecting God, who is making you a gift of his Holy Spirit.
9Regarding life together and getting along with each other, you don't need me to tell you what to do. You're God-taught in these matters. Just love one another! 10You're already good at it; your friends all over the province of Macedonia are the evidence. Keep it up; get better and better at it.
11Stay calm; mind your own business; do your own job. You've heard all this from us before, but a reminder never hurts. 12We want you living in a way that will command the respect of outsiders, not lying around sponging off your friends.
The Master's Coming
13And regarding the question, friends, that has come up about what happens to those already dead and buried, we don't want you in the dark any longer. First off, you must not carry on over them like people who have nothing to look forward to, as if the grave were the last word. 14Since Jesus died and broke loose from the grave, God will most certainly bring back to life those who died in Jesus.
15And then this: We can tell you with complete confidence--we have the Master's word on it--that when the Master comes again to get us, those of us who are still alive will not get a jump on the dead and leave them behind. In actual fact, they'll be ahead of us. 16The Master himself will give the command. Archangel thunder! God's trumpet blast! He'll come down from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise--they'll go first. 17Then the rest of us who are still alive at the time will be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Master. 18Oh, we'll be walking on air! And then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master. So reassure one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 5
1I don't think, friends, that I need to deal with the question of when all this is going to happen. 2You know as well as I that the day of the Master's coming can't be posted on our calendars. He won't call ahead and make an appointment any more than a burglar would. 3About the time everybody's walking around complacently, congratulating each other--"We've sure got it made! Now we can take it easy!"-suddenly everything will fall apart. It's going to come as suddenly and inescapably as birth pangs to a pregnant woman.
4But friends, you're not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this? 5You're sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under wide open skies and know where we stand. 6So let's not sleepwalk through life like those others. Let's keep our eyes open and be smart. 7People sleep at night and get drunk at night. 8But not us! Since we're creatures of Day, let's act like it. Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation.
9God didn't set us up for an angry rejection but for salvation by our Master, Jesus Christ. 10He died for us, a death that triggered life. Whether we're awake with the living or asleep with the dead, we're alive with him! 11So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you'll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you're already doing this; just keep on doing it.
The Way He Wants You to Live
12And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. 13Overwhelm them with appreciation and love!
Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. 14Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. 15And be careful that when you get on each other's nerves you don't snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.
16Be cheerful no matter what; 17pray all the time; 18thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.
19Don't suppress the Spirit, 20and don't stifle those who have a word from the Master. 21On the other hand, don't be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what's good. 22Throw out anything tainted with evil.
23May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together--spirit, soul, and body--and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. 24The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it!
25Friends, keep up your prayers for us. 26Greet all the Christians there with a holy embrace. 27And make sure this letter gets read to all the brothers and sisters. Don't leave anyone out.
28The amazing grace of Jesus Christ be with you!
What it means to me:
See my original excuse as to why I didn't post was because I couldn't think of anything good next to read and memorize. But then God hit me in the face with the fact that everything in the bible is worth memorizing, especially the genology of Jesus Christ, so don't bother bringing that up.
So Thessalonians. If only all body of believers were like this Church. But were not, and that's why we are all unique and such. But let me point out to you some of the things Paul states that this Church has that are essential for a good church to have.
Faithful, Patient for the Return of the Lord, Loving, Living a Christ like life, perservering through trials ( in this case, having joy), turned from their wicked old lives and much more.
I know I don't have all those qualities, and I know I need to definitly work on some of them.
Paul then talks about how God tests his apostles ( which includes us today) so that we speak the word of God with the truth of God. What that means is the words they taught were didn't have a motive of teaching behind it only a motive of truth. Even if the truth offended those they taught it had to be said, for it came right from God. Makes you want to persevere more trials eh?
Then Paul, whom in the Message translation, seems to lack humility, talks about how we as Christians shouldn't act superior, but rather serve the ones we teach, not to be lazy and act like kings. Well thats what it says to me, but then again this whole section is about that right?
Then in chapter four is where it really applies to me lately. Doing stuff to please God instead of doing it because you have to. God wants us to live a pure life for him, then Paul urges us not to abuse our bodies, which for one I haven't in the mind set of deformity but there are many other ways to abuse your body, like for example letting it control you via you eat when your hungry, go to bed when your tired. ( I won't forget to fast Cory, you can be sure of that).
Also Paul talks about Judging others, and how that matter is best left for God in verse six.
God has called us to live a holy life, so obey the teachings and live them out.
Love everyone, no matter what. For we have been forgiven so we can forgive.
Then we go into a little bit of the rapture which is always good.
We don't have to worry though is the whole point at the end, for we are already in God's family, now we just need to finish the work God has given us to prepare us for eternity.
"And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. 13Overwhelm them with appreciation and love!
Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. 14Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. 15And be careful that when you get on each other's nerves you don't snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.
16Be cheerful no matter what; 17pray all the time; 18thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.
19Don't suppress the Spirit, 20and don't stifle those who have a word from the Master. 21On the other hand, don't be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what's good. 22Throw out anything tainted with evil."
Seriously such a great list there of what we need to do.
I don't know about you, but I'm sure as heck going to do what it takes to bring pleasure to my God.
Memory Verses:
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
1 Thessalonians 1
1I, Paul, together here with Silas and Timothy, send greetings to the church at Thessalonica, Christians assembled by God the Father and by the Master, Jesus Christ. God's amazing grace be with you! God's robust peace!
Convictions of Steel
2Every time we think of you, we thank God for you. Day and night you're in our prayers 3as we call to mind your work of faith, your labor of love, and your patience of hope in following our Master, Jesus Christ, before God our Father. 4It is clear to us, friends, that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special. 5When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn't just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions.
You paid careful attention to the way we lived among you, 6and determined to live that way yourselves. In imitating us, you imitated the Master. Although great trouble accompanied the Word, you were able to take great joy from the Holy Spirit!-taking the trouble with the joy, the joy with the trouble.
7Do you know that all over the provinces of both Macedonia and Achaia believers look up to you? 8The word has gotten around. Your lives are echoing the Master's Word, not only in the provinces but all over the place. The news of your faith in God is out. We don't even have to say anything anymore--you're the message! 9People come up and tell us how you received us with open arms, how you deserted the dead idols of your old life so you could embrace and serve God, the true God. 10They marvel at how expectantly you await the arrival of his Son, whom he raised from the dead--Jesus, who rescued us from certain doom.
1 Thessalonians 2
1So, friends, it's obvious that our visit to you was no waste of time. 2We had just been given rough treatment in Philippi, as you know, but that didn't slow us down. We were sure of ourselves in God, and went right ahead and said our piece, presenting God's Message to you, defiant of the opposition.
No Hidden Agendas
3God tested us thoroughly to make sure we were qualified to be trusted with this Message. 4Be assured that when we speak to you we're not after crowd approval--only God approval. Since we've been put through that battery of tests, you're guaranteed that both we and the Message are free of error, mixed motives, or hidden agendas. 5We never used words to butter you up. No one knows that better than you. And God knows we never used words as a smoke screen to take advantage of you.
6Even though we had some standing as Christ's apostles, we never threw our weight around or tried to come across as important, with you or anyone else. 7We weren't aloof with you. We took you just as you were. We were never patronizing, never condescending, but we cared for you the way a mother cares for her children. 8We loved you dearly. Not content to just pass on the Message, we wanted to give you our hearts. And we did.
9You remember us in those days, friends, working our fingers to the bone, up half the night, moonlighting so you wouldn't have the burden of supporting us while we proclaimed God's Message to you. 10You saw with your own eyes how discreet and courteous we were among you, with keen sensitivity to you as fellow believers. And God knows we weren't freeloaders! 11You experienced it all firsthand. With each of you we were like a father with his child, 12holding your hand, whispering encouragement, showing you step-by-step how to live well before God, who called us into his own kingdom, into this delightful life.
13And now we look back on all this and thank God, an artesian well of thanks! When you got the Message of God we preached, you didn't pass it off as just one more human opinion, but you took it to heart as God's true word to you, which it is, God himself at work in you believers!
14Friends, do you realize that you followed in the exact footsteps of the churches of God in Judea, those who were the first to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ? You got the same bad treatment from your countrymen as they did from theirs, the Jews 15who killed the Master Jesus (to say nothing of the prophets) and followed it up by running us out of town. They make themselves offensive to God and everyone else 16by trying to keep us from telling people who've never heard of our God how to be saved. They've made a career of opposing God, and have gotten mighty good at it. But God is fed up, ready to put an end to it. 17Do you have any idea how very homesick we became for you, dear friends? Even though it hadn't been that long and it was only our bodies that were separated from you, not our hearts, we tried our very best to get back to see you. 18You can't imagine how much we missed you! I, Paul, tried over and over to get back, but Satan stymied us each time. 19Who do you think we're going to be proud of when our Master Jesus appears if it's not you? 20You're our pride and joy!
1 Thessalonians 3
1So when we couldn't stand being separated from you any longer and could find no way to visit you ourselves, we stayed in Athens 2and sent Timothy to get you up and about, cheering you on so you wouldn't be discouraged by these hard times. He's a brother and companion in the faith, God's man in spreading the Message, preaching Christ.
3Not that the troubles should come as any surprise to you. You've always known that we're in for this kind of thing. It's part of our calling. 4When we were with you, we made it quite clear that there was trouble ahead. And now that it's happened, you know what it's like. 5That's why I couldn't quit worrying; I had to know for myself how you were doing in the faith. I didn't want the Tempter getting to you and tearing down everything we had built up together.
6But now that Timothy is back, bringing this terrific report on your faith and love, we feel a lot better. It's especially gratifying to know that you continue to think well of us, and that you want to see us as much as we want to see you! 7In the middle of our trouble and hard times here, just knowing how you're doing keeps us going. 8Knowing that your faith is alive keeps us alive.
9What would be an adequate thanksgiving to offer God for all the joy we experience before him because of you? 10We do what we can, praying away, night and day, asking for the bonus of seeing your faces again and doing what we can to help when your faith falters.
11May God our Father himself and our Master Jesus clear the road to you! 12And may the Master pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you, just as it does from us to you. 13May you be infused with strength and purity, filled with confidence in the presence of God our Father when our Master Jesus arrives with all his followers.
1 Thessalonians 4
You're God-Taught 1One final word, friends. We ask you--urge is more like it--that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance. 2You know the guidelines we laid out for you from the Master Jesus. 3God wants you to live a pure life.
Keep yourselves from sexual promiscuity.
4Learn to appreciate and give dignity to your body, 5not abusing it, as is so common among those who know nothing of God.
6Don't run roughshod over the concerns of your brothers and sisters. Their concerns are God's concerns, and he will take care of them. We've warned you about this before. 7God hasn't invited us into a disorderly, unkempt life but into something holy and beautiful--as beautiful on the inside as the outside.
8If you disregard this advice, you're not offending your neighbors; you're rejecting God, who is making you a gift of his Holy Spirit.
9Regarding life together and getting along with each other, you don't need me to tell you what to do. You're God-taught in these matters. Just love one another! 10You're already good at it; your friends all over the province of Macedonia are the evidence. Keep it up; get better and better at it.
11Stay calm; mind your own business; do your own job. You've heard all this from us before, but a reminder never hurts. 12We want you living in a way that will command the respect of outsiders, not lying around sponging off your friends.
The Master's Coming
13And regarding the question, friends, that has come up about what happens to those already dead and buried, we don't want you in the dark any longer. First off, you must not carry on over them like people who have nothing to look forward to, as if the grave were the last word. 14Since Jesus died and broke loose from the grave, God will most certainly bring back to life those who died in Jesus.
15And then this: We can tell you with complete confidence--we have the Master's word on it--that when the Master comes again to get us, those of us who are still alive will not get a jump on the dead and leave them behind. In actual fact, they'll be ahead of us. 16The Master himself will give the command. Archangel thunder! God's trumpet blast! He'll come down from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise--they'll go first. 17Then the rest of us who are still alive at the time will be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Master. 18Oh, we'll be walking on air! And then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master. So reassure one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 5
1I don't think, friends, that I need to deal with the question of when all this is going to happen. 2You know as well as I that the day of the Master's coming can't be posted on our calendars. He won't call ahead and make an appointment any more than a burglar would. 3About the time everybody's walking around complacently, congratulating each other--"We've sure got it made! Now we can take it easy!"-suddenly everything will fall apart. It's going to come as suddenly and inescapably as birth pangs to a pregnant woman.
4But friends, you're not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this? 5You're sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under wide open skies and know where we stand. 6So let's not sleepwalk through life like those others. Let's keep our eyes open and be smart. 7People sleep at night and get drunk at night. 8But not us! Since we're creatures of Day, let's act like it. Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation.
9God didn't set us up for an angry rejection but for salvation by our Master, Jesus Christ. 10He died for us, a death that triggered life. Whether we're awake with the living or asleep with the dead, we're alive with him! 11So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you'll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you're already doing this; just keep on doing it.
The Way He Wants You to Live
12And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. 13Overwhelm them with appreciation and love!
Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. 14Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. 15And be careful that when you get on each other's nerves you don't snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.
16Be cheerful no matter what; 17pray all the time; 18thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.
19Don't suppress the Spirit, 20and don't stifle those who have a word from the Master. 21On the other hand, don't be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what's good. 22Throw out anything tainted with evil.
23May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together--spirit, soul, and body--and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. 24The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it!
25Friends, keep up your prayers for us. 26Greet all the Christians there with a holy embrace. 27And make sure this letter gets read to all the brothers and sisters. Don't leave anyone out.
28The amazing grace of Jesus Christ be with you!
What it means to me:
See my original excuse as to why I didn't post was because I couldn't think of anything good next to read and memorize. But then God hit me in the face with the fact that everything in the bible is worth memorizing, especially the genology of Jesus Christ, so don't bother bringing that up.
So Thessalonians. If only all body of believers were like this Church. But were not, and that's why we are all unique and such. But let me point out to you some of the things Paul states that this Church has that are essential for a good church to have.
Faithful, Patient for the Return of the Lord, Loving, Living a Christ like life, perservering through trials ( in this case, having joy), turned from their wicked old lives and much more.
I know I don't have all those qualities, and I know I need to definitly work on some of them.
Paul then talks about how God tests his apostles ( which includes us today) so that we speak the word of God with the truth of God. What that means is the words they taught were didn't have a motive of teaching behind it only a motive of truth. Even if the truth offended those they taught it had to be said, for it came right from God. Makes you want to persevere more trials eh?
Then Paul, whom in the Message translation, seems to lack humility, talks about how we as Christians shouldn't act superior, but rather serve the ones we teach, not to be lazy and act like kings. Well thats what it says to me, but then again this whole section is about that right?
Then in chapter four is where it really applies to me lately. Doing stuff to please God instead of doing it because you have to. God wants us to live a pure life for him, then Paul urges us not to abuse our bodies, which for one I haven't in the mind set of deformity but there are many other ways to abuse your body, like for example letting it control you via you eat when your hungry, go to bed when your tired. ( I won't forget to fast Cory, you can be sure of that).
Also Paul talks about Judging others, and how that matter is best left for God in verse six.
God has called us to live a holy life, so obey the teachings and live them out.
Love everyone, no matter what. For we have been forgiven so we can forgive.
Then we go into a little bit of the rapture which is always good.
We don't have to worry though is the whole point at the end, for we are already in God's family, now we just need to finish the work God has given us to prepare us for eternity.
"And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. 13Overwhelm them with appreciation and love!
Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. 14Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. 15And be careful that when you get on each other's nerves you don't snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.
16Be cheerful no matter what; 17pray all the time; 18thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.
19Don't suppress the Spirit, 20and don't stifle those who have a word from the Master. 21On the other hand, don't be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what's good. 22Throw out anything tainted with evil."
Seriously such a great list there of what we need to do.
I don't know about you, but I'm sure as heck going to do what it takes to bring pleasure to my God.
Memory Verses:
"For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord."
1 Thessalonians 3:8(NIV)
"Learn to appreciate and give dignity to your body,"
1 Thessalonians 4:4(Msg)
"Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens."1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
"Throw out anything tainted with evil."
1 Thessalonians 4:22
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Day Fourteen
Scripture Read:
2 Peter 3
In the Last Days
1My dear friends, this is now the second time I've written to you, both letters reminders to hold your minds in a state of undistracted attention. 2Keep in mind what the holy prophets said, and the command of our Master and Savior that was passed on by your apostles.
3First off, you need to know that in the last days, mockers are going to have a heyday. Reducing everything to the level of their puny feelings, 4they'll mock, "So what's happened to the promise of his Coming? Our ancestors are dead and buried, and everything's going on just as it has from the first day of creation. Nothing's changed."
5They conveniently forget that long ago all the galaxies and this very planet were brought into existence out of watery chaos by God's word. 6Then God's word brought the chaos back in a flood that destroyed the world. 7The current galaxies and earth are fuel for the final fire. God is poised, ready to speak his word again, ready to give the signal for the judgment and destruction of the desecrating skeptics.
The Day the Sky Will Collapse
8Don't overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. 9God isn't late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn't want anyone lost. He's giving everyone space and time to change.
10But when the Day of God's Judgment does come, it will be unannounced, like a thief. The sky will collapse with a thunderous bang, everything disintegrating in a huge conflagration, earth and all its works exposed to the scrutiny of Judgment.
11Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life? 12Daily expect the Day of God, eager for its arrival. The galaxies will burn up and the elements melt down that day-- 13but we'll hardly notice. We'll be looking the other way, ready for the promised new heavens and the promised new earth, all landscaped with righteousness. 14So, my dear friends, since this is what you have to look forward to, do your very best to be found living at your best, in purity and peace. 15Interpret our Master's patient restraint for what it is: salvation. Our good brother Paul, who was given much wisdom in these matters, 16refers to this in all his letters, and has written you essentially the same thing. Some things Paul writes are difficult to understand. Irresponsible people who don't know what they are talking about twist them every which way. They do it to the rest of the Scriptures, too, destroying themselves as they do it.
17But you, friends, are well-warned. Be on guard lest you lose your footing and get swept off your feet by these lawless and loose-talking teachers. 18Grow in grace and understanding of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Glory to the Master, now and forever! Yes!
What it means to me:
Darn Karyn Baker, chapter three does rock my socks off. So were've got to be ready to be mocked. woot persecution! Bring it Satan. My God word is with me and I shall not fall. The mockery will end, oh yes, it will. "God is poised, ready to speak his word again, ready to give the signal for the judgment and destruction of the desecrating skeptics." I love it, so true. But he is very merciful in giving everyone enough time to change, he wants to win back the world. He's God, he loves us so much, he bled and died for us. Now that is love. God isn't late with his promises, your just impatient, God's timing is God's timing, it's perfect, don't forget that. Your reward is coming, still, the day of judgement will come as a surprise, but to those who believe, it will be like nothing has changed, for if you've been living a Christ like life, you have a grasp of what is in store in heaven. Live for today, in the set that it will be your last, because it could be, the day of judegment could come tomorrow. If it does, this blog probably will go unread, but I'm prepared to face that fact. God is patient with his judgement, be glad and use that time to win another for Jesus.
Memory Verse:
"Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life?"
2 Peter 3:11 (Msg)
2 Peter 3
In the Last Days
1My dear friends, this is now the second time I've written to you, both letters reminders to hold your minds in a state of undistracted attention. 2Keep in mind what the holy prophets said, and the command of our Master and Savior that was passed on by your apostles.
3First off, you need to know that in the last days, mockers are going to have a heyday. Reducing everything to the level of their puny feelings, 4they'll mock, "So what's happened to the promise of his Coming? Our ancestors are dead and buried, and everything's going on just as it has from the first day of creation. Nothing's changed."
5They conveniently forget that long ago all the galaxies and this very planet were brought into existence out of watery chaos by God's word. 6Then God's word brought the chaos back in a flood that destroyed the world. 7The current galaxies and earth are fuel for the final fire. God is poised, ready to speak his word again, ready to give the signal for the judgment and destruction of the desecrating skeptics.
The Day the Sky Will Collapse
8Don't overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. 9God isn't late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn't want anyone lost. He's giving everyone space and time to change.
10But when the Day of God's Judgment does come, it will be unannounced, like a thief. The sky will collapse with a thunderous bang, everything disintegrating in a huge conflagration, earth and all its works exposed to the scrutiny of Judgment.
11Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life? 12Daily expect the Day of God, eager for its arrival. The galaxies will burn up and the elements melt down that day-- 13but we'll hardly notice. We'll be looking the other way, ready for the promised new heavens and the promised new earth, all landscaped with righteousness. 14So, my dear friends, since this is what you have to look forward to, do your very best to be found living at your best, in purity and peace. 15Interpret our Master's patient restraint for what it is: salvation. Our good brother Paul, who was given much wisdom in these matters, 16refers to this in all his letters, and has written you essentially the same thing. Some things Paul writes are difficult to understand. Irresponsible people who don't know what they are talking about twist them every which way. They do it to the rest of the Scriptures, too, destroying themselves as they do it.
17But you, friends, are well-warned. Be on guard lest you lose your footing and get swept off your feet by these lawless and loose-talking teachers. 18Grow in grace and understanding of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Glory to the Master, now and forever! Yes!
What it means to me:
Darn Karyn Baker, chapter three does rock my socks off. So were've got to be ready to be mocked. woot persecution! Bring it Satan. My God word is with me and I shall not fall. The mockery will end, oh yes, it will. "God is poised, ready to speak his word again, ready to give the signal for the judgment and destruction of the desecrating skeptics." I love it, so true. But he is very merciful in giving everyone enough time to change, he wants to win back the world. He's God, he loves us so much, he bled and died for us. Now that is love. God isn't late with his promises, your just impatient, God's timing is God's timing, it's perfect, don't forget that. Your reward is coming, still, the day of judgement will come as a surprise, but to those who believe, it will be like nothing has changed, for if you've been living a Christ like life, you have a grasp of what is in store in heaven. Live for today, in the set that it will be your last, because it could be, the day of judegment could come tomorrow. If it does, this blog probably will go unread, but I'm prepared to face that fact. God is patient with his judgement, be glad and use that time to win another for Jesus.
Memory Verse:
"Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life?"
2 Peter 3:11 (Msg)
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Day Twelve and Thirteen
Scripture Read:
2 Peter 1
1I, Simon Peter, am a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. I write this to you whose experience with God is as life-changing as ours, all due to our God's straight dealing and the intervention of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 2Grace and peace to you many times over as you deepen in your experience with God and Jesus, our Master.
Don't Put It Off
3Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! 4We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you--your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust.
5So don't lose a minute in building on what you've been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, 6alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, 7warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. 8With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. 9Without these qualities you can't see what's right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books.
10So, friends, confirm God's invitation to you, his choice of you. Don't put it off; do it now. Do this, and you'll have your life on a firm footing, 11the streets paved and the way wide open into the eternal kingdom of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.
The One Light in a Dark Time
12Because the stakes are so high, even though you're up-to-date on all this truth and practice it inside and out, I'm not going to let up for a minute in calling you to attention before it. 13This is the post to which I've been assigned--keeping you alert with frequent reminders--and I'm sticking to it as long as I live. 14I know that I'm to die soon; the Master has made that quite clear to me. 15And so I am especially eager that you have all this down in black and white so that after I die, you'll have it for ready reference.
16We weren't, you know, just wishing on a star when we laid the facts out before you regarding the powerful return of our Master, Jesus Christ. We were there for the preview! We saw it with our own eyes: 17Jesus resplendent with light from God the Father as the voice of Majestic Glory spoke: "This is my Son, marked by my love, focus of all my delight." 18We were there on the holy mountain with him. We heard the voice out of heaven with our very own ears.
19We couldn't be more sure of what we saw and heard--God's glory, God's voice. The prophetic Word was confirmed to us. You'll do well to keep focusing on it. It's the one light you have in a dark time as you wait for daybreak and the rising of the Morning Star in your hearts. 20The main thing to keep in mind here is that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of private opinion. 21And why? Because it's not something concocted in the human heart. Prophecy resulted when the Holy Spirit prompted men and women to speak God's Word.
2 Peter 2
Lying Religious Leaders
1But there were also lying prophets among the people then, just as there will be lying religious teachers among you. They'll smuggle in destructive divisions, pitting you against each other--biting the hand of the One who gave them a chance to have their lives back! They've put themselves on a fast downhill slide to destruction, 2but not before they recruit a crowd of mixed-up followers who can't tell right from wrong.
They give the way of truth a bad name. 3They're only out for themselves. They'll say anything, anything, that sounds good to exploit you. They won't, of course, get by with it. They'll come to a bad end, for God has never just stood by and let that kind of thing go on.
4God didn't let the rebel angels off the hook, but jailed them in hell till Judgment Day. 5Neither did he let the ancient ungodly world off. He wiped it out with a flood, rescuing only eight people--Noah, the sole voice of righteousness, was one of them.
6God decreed destruction for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. A mound of ashes was all that was left--grim warning to anyone bent on an ungodly life. 7But that good man Lot, driven nearly out of his mind by the sexual filth and perversity, was rescued. 8Surrounded by moral rot day after day after day, that righteous man was in constant torment.
9So God knows how to rescue the godly from evil trials. And he knows how to hold the feet of the wicked to the fire until Judgment Day.
Predators on the Prowl
10God is especially incensed against these "teachers" who live by lust, addicted to a filthy existence. They despise interference from true authority, preferring to indulge in self-rule. Insolent egotists, they don't hesitate to speak evil against the most splendid of creatures. 11Even angels, their superiors in every way, wouldn't think of throwing their weight around like that, trying to slander others before God.
12These people are nothing but brute beasts, born in the wild, predators on the prowl. In the very act of bringing down others with their ignorant blasphemies, they themselves will be brought down, losers in the end. 13Their evil will boomerang on them. They're so despicable and addicted to pleasure that they indulge in wild parties, carousing in broad daylight. 14They're obsessed with adultery, compulsive in sin, seducing every vulnerable soul they come upon. Their specialty is greed, and they're experts at it. Dead souls!
15They've left the main road and are directionless, having taken the way of Balaam, son of Beor, the prophet who turned profiteer, a connoisseur of evil. 16But Balaam was stopped in his wayward tracks: A dumb animal spoke in a human voice and prevented the prophet's craziness.
17There's nothing to these people--they're dried-up fountains, storm-scattered clouds, headed for a black hole in hell. 18They are loudmouths, full of hot air, but still they're dangerous. Men and women who have recently escaped from a deviant life are most susceptible to their brand of seduction. 19They promise these newcomers freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption, for if they're addicted to corruption--and they are--they're enslaved.
20If they've escaped from the slum of sin by experiencing our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ, and then slid back into that same old life again, they're worse than if they had never left. 21Better not to have started out on the straight road to God than to start out and then turn back, repudiating the experience and the holy command. 22They prove the point of the proverbs, "A dog goes back to its own vomit," and, "A scrubbed-up pig heads for the mud."
What it means to me:
Don't procrastinate in developing the gifts God has given you. Peter lists a bunch of other stuff we can develop to have a stronger relationship with our Master. From faith, to sharing our wisdom to others through teaching, God wants to develop the skills we have been given not just for him, but also to help the body of believers. You will reap what you sow afterall. Look to Jesus in the darkest times and you will find peace. He will help you in times of trouble. I'm not saying he's going to make all your problems disappear, no in fact most of out circumstances are needed in order to shape us more like Christ. What I'm saying is, turn to Christ and he will show you how to succeed. The prophetic words you hear, and you will hear prophetic words, trust me, there an example of the first part of this chapter. Where we should teach others the wisdom we've been given, well the prophetic words you hear, can help other believers, don't be selfish, share what God has laid on your heart with your family. I love 1st and 2nd Peter, because it assures me of what waits in heaven, what I should look out for on earth, and what I should be doing while I wait for my reward.
Memory Verses:
"So, friends, confirm God's invitation to you, his choice of you. Don't put it off; do it now. Do this, and you'll have your life on a firm footing, "
2 Peter 1:10 (Msg)
"It would be better if they had never known the right way to live than to know it and then reject the holy commandments that were given to them."
2 Peter 2:21 (NLT)
2 Peter 1
1I, Simon Peter, am a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. I write this to you whose experience with God is as life-changing as ours, all due to our God's straight dealing and the intervention of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 2Grace and peace to you many times over as you deepen in your experience with God and Jesus, our Master.
Don't Put It Off
3Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! 4We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you--your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust.
5So don't lose a minute in building on what you've been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, 6alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, 7warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. 8With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. 9Without these qualities you can't see what's right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books.
10So, friends, confirm God's invitation to you, his choice of you. Don't put it off; do it now. Do this, and you'll have your life on a firm footing, 11the streets paved and the way wide open into the eternal kingdom of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.
The One Light in a Dark Time
12Because the stakes are so high, even though you're up-to-date on all this truth and practice it inside and out, I'm not going to let up for a minute in calling you to attention before it. 13This is the post to which I've been assigned--keeping you alert with frequent reminders--and I'm sticking to it as long as I live. 14I know that I'm to die soon; the Master has made that quite clear to me. 15And so I am especially eager that you have all this down in black and white so that after I die, you'll have it for ready reference.
16We weren't, you know, just wishing on a star when we laid the facts out before you regarding the powerful return of our Master, Jesus Christ. We were there for the preview! We saw it with our own eyes: 17Jesus resplendent with light from God the Father as the voice of Majestic Glory spoke: "This is my Son, marked by my love, focus of all my delight." 18We were there on the holy mountain with him. We heard the voice out of heaven with our very own ears.
19We couldn't be more sure of what we saw and heard--God's glory, God's voice. The prophetic Word was confirmed to us. You'll do well to keep focusing on it. It's the one light you have in a dark time as you wait for daybreak and the rising of the Morning Star in your hearts. 20The main thing to keep in mind here is that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of private opinion. 21And why? Because it's not something concocted in the human heart. Prophecy resulted when the Holy Spirit prompted men and women to speak God's Word.
2 Peter 2
Lying Religious Leaders
1But there were also lying prophets among the people then, just as there will be lying religious teachers among you. They'll smuggle in destructive divisions, pitting you against each other--biting the hand of the One who gave them a chance to have their lives back! They've put themselves on a fast downhill slide to destruction, 2but not before they recruit a crowd of mixed-up followers who can't tell right from wrong.
They give the way of truth a bad name. 3They're only out for themselves. They'll say anything, anything, that sounds good to exploit you. They won't, of course, get by with it. They'll come to a bad end, for God has never just stood by and let that kind of thing go on.
4God didn't let the rebel angels off the hook, but jailed them in hell till Judgment Day. 5Neither did he let the ancient ungodly world off. He wiped it out with a flood, rescuing only eight people--Noah, the sole voice of righteousness, was one of them.
6God decreed destruction for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. A mound of ashes was all that was left--grim warning to anyone bent on an ungodly life. 7But that good man Lot, driven nearly out of his mind by the sexual filth and perversity, was rescued. 8Surrounded by moral rot day after day after day, that righteous man was in constant torment.
9So God knows how to rescue the godly from evil trials. And he knows how to hold the feet of the wicked to the fire until Judgment Day.
Predators on the Prowl
10God is especially incensed against these "teachers" who live by lust, addicted to a filthy existence. They despise interference from true authority, preferring to indulge in self-rule. Insolent egotists, they don't hesitate to speak evil against the most splendid of creatures. 11Even angels, their superiors in every way, wouldn't think of throwing their weight around like that, trying to slander others before God.
12These people are nothing but brute beasts, born in the wild, predators on the prowl. In the very act of bringing down others with their ignorant blasphemies, they themselves will be brought down, losers in the end. 13Their evil will boomerang on them. They're so despicable and addicted to pleasure that they indulge in wild parties, carousing in broad daylight. 14They're obsessed with adultery, compulsive in sin, seducing every vulnerable soul they come upon. Their specialty is greed, and they're experts at it. Dead souls!
15They've left the main road and are directionless, having taken the way of Balaam, son of Beor, the prophet who turned profiteer, a connoisseur of evil. 16But Balaam was stopped in his wayward tracks: A dumb animal spoke in a human voice and prevented the prophet's craziness.
17There's nothing to these people--they're dried-up fountains, storm-scattered clouds, headed for a black hole in hell. 18They are loudmouths, full of hot air, but still they're dangerous. Men and women who have recently escaped from a deviant life are most susceptible to their brand of seduction. 19They promise these newcomers freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption, for if they're addicted to corruption--and they are--they're enslaved.
20If they've escaped from the slum of sin by experiencing our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ, and then slid back into that same old life again, they're worse than if they had never left. 21Better not to have started out on the straight road to God than to start out and then turn back, repudiating the experience and the holy command. 22They prove the point of the proverbs, "A dog goes back to its own vomit," and, "A scrubbed-up pig heads for the mud."
What it means to me:
Don't procrastinate in developing the gifts God has given you. Peter lists a bunch of other stuff we can develop to have a stronger relationship with our Master. From faith, to sharing our wisdom to others through teaching, God wants to develop the skills we have been given not just for him, but also to help the body of believers. You will reap what you sow afterall. Look to Jesus in the darkest times and you will find peace. He will help you in times of trouble. I'm not saying he's going to make all your problems disappear, no in fact most of out circumstances are needed in order to shape us more like Christ. What I'm saying is, turn to Christ and he will show you how to succeed. The prophetic words you hear, and you will hear prophetic words, trust me, there an example of the first part of this chapter. Where we should teach others the wisdom we've been given, well the prophetic words you hear, can help other believers, don't be selfish, share what God has laid on your heart with your family. I love 1st and 2nd Peter, because it assures me of what waits in heaven, what I should look out for on earth, and what I should be doing while I wait for my reward.
Memory Verses:
"So, friends, confirm God's invitation to you, his choice of you. Don't put it off; do it now. Do this, and you'll have your life on a firm footing, "
2 Peter 1:10 (Msg)
"It would be better if they had never known the right way to live than to know it and then reject the holy commandments that were given to them."
2 Peter 2:21 (NLT)
Day Eleven
Scripture Read:
1 Peter 5
He'll Promote You at the Right Time
1I have a special concern for you church leaders. I know what it's like to be a leader, in on Christ's sufferings as well as the coming glory. 2Here's my concern: that you care for God's flock with all the diligence of a shepherd. Not because you have to, but because you want to please God. Not calculating what you can get out of it, but acting spontaneously.[ 3Not bossily telling others what to do, but tenderly showing them the way.
4When God, who is the best shepherd of all, comes out in the open with his rule, he'll see that you've done it right and commend you lavishly. 5And you who are younger must follow your leaders. But all of you, leaders and followers alike, are to be down to earth with each other, for--
God has had it with the proud,
But takes delight in just plain people.
6So be content with who you are, and don't put on airs. God's strong hand is on you; he'll promote you at the right time. 7Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.
He Gets the Last Word
8Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. 9Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. 10The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ--eternal and glorious plans they are!-will have you put together and on your feet for good. 11He gets the last word; yes, he does.
12I'm sending this brief letter to you by Silas, a most dependable brother. I have the highest regard for him.
I've written as urgently and accurately as I know how. This is God's generous truth; embrace it with both arms!
13The church in exile here with me--but not for a moment forgotten by God--wants to be remembered to you. Mark, who is like a son to me, says hello. 14Give holy embraces all around! Peace to you--to all who walk in Christ's ways.
What it means to me:
To those who lead, lead not because of pride, but lead to bring God pleasure. To me leading involves not just leading others, but being able to be led by others. To be a strong leader you need both, not just one or the other. If you read the NIV translation of this passage, it talks about how the old are the leaders and the young are the followers, but I think the age is really applying to your growth in God. How wise you are. I mean some of the best leaders I know aren't even 20. Leaders don't lead because you have to ( you signed up to lead, and your just doing it every week due to routine) but do it for God. Also to those who are learning still, follow your leaders, it will prepare you for the future. Both thou, do not be proud, take delight in the ordinary people, for we are all sinners aren't we? Don't make your leaders idols, for then we are placing people above God. Nor should leaders boast in their skills, for without God, they would not have the wisdom they use in theire teaching. Be always on guard, remember to apply what your taught to your life, because the enemy attacks when we are most vulnerable. Don't be selfish when going through trials either, for you should know that your brothers and sisters are going through the same trials across the distant land.
Remember the suffering will end, so persevere through the trials and your reward in heaven will be great.
I noticed that through this book, perserverance comes up alot, b/c the trials we face shape us to become more like Christ, that is, if we perservere through them with a Christ like mind.
Memory Verse:
"Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you."
1 Peter 5:7 (Msg)
Sorry I took so long to update, I'll try to stop procrastinating these things. Also I had to seperate this from the other days, b/c it finishes off 1 Peter, and the other two go into my next scripture. I was busy on Thursday and time got away from me. I'm sorry to all those who read these, if there are any who actually do.
-Brent
1 Peter 5
He'll Promote You at the Right Time
1I have a special concern for you church leaders. I know what it's like to be a leader, in on Christ's sufferings as well as the coming glory. 2Here's my concern: that you care for God's flock with all the diligence of a shepherd. Not because you have to, but because you want to please God. Not calculating what you can get out of it, but acting spontaneously.[ 3Not bossily telling others what to do, but tenderly showing them the way.
4When God, who is the best shepherd of all, comes out in the open with his rule, he'll see that you've done it right and commend you lavishly. 5And you who are younger must follow your leaders. But all of you, leaders and followers alike, are to be down to earth with each other, for--
God has had it with the proud,
But takes delight in just plain people.
6So be content with who you are, and don't put on airs. God's strong hand is on you; he'll promote you at the right time. 7Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.
He Gets the Last Word
8Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. 9Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. 10The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ--eternal and glorious plans they are!-will have you put together and on your feet for good. 11He gets the last word; yes, he does.
12I'm sending this brief letter to you by Silas, a most dependable brother. I have the highest regard for him.
I've written as urgently and accurately as I know how. This is God's generous truth; embrace it with both arms!
13The church in exile here with me--but not for a moment forgotten by God--wants to be remembered to you. Mark, who is like a son to me, says hello. 14Give holy embraces all around! Peace to you--to all who walk in Christ's ways.
What it means to me:
To those who lead, lead not because of pride, but lead to bring God pleasure. To me leading involves not just leading others, but being able to be led by others. To be a strong leader you need both, not just one or the other. If you read the NIV translation of this passage, it talks about how the old are the leaders and the young are the followers, but I think the age is really applying to your growth in God. How wise you are. I mean some of the best leaders I know aren't even 20. Leaders don't lead because you have to ( you signed up to lead, and your just doing it every week due to routine) but do it for God. Also to those who are learning still, follow your leaders, it will prepare you for the future. Both thou, do not be proud, take delight in the ordinary people, for we are all sinners aren't we? Don't make your leaders idols, for then we are placing people above God. Nor should leaders boast in their skills, for without God, they would not have the wisdom they use in theire teaching. Be always on guard, remember to apply what your taught to your life, because the enemy attacks when we are most vulnerable. Don't be selfish when going through trials either, for you should know that your brothers and sisters are going through the same trials across the distant land.
Remember the suffering will end, so persevere through the trials and your reward in heaven will be great.
I noticed that through this book, perserverance comes up alot, b/c the trials we face shape us to become more like Christ, that is, if we perservere through them with a Christ like mind.
Memory Verse:
"Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you."
1 Peter 5:7 (Msg)
Sorry I took so long to update, I'll try to stop procrastinating these things. Also I had to seperate this from the other days, b/c it finishes off 1 Peter, and the other two go into my next scripture. I was busy on Thursday and time got away from me. I'm sorry to all those who read these, if there are any who actually do.
-Brent
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Day Eight, Nine and Ten
Scripture Read:
1 Peter 2
1So clean house! Make a clean sweep of malice and pretense, envy and hurtful talk. 2Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God's pure kindness. Then you'll grow up mature and whole in God.
3You've had a taste of God.
The Stone 4Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor. 5Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you'll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God. 6The Scriptures provide precedent:
Look! I'm setting a stone in Zion,
a cornerstone in the place of honor.
Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundation
will never have cause to regret it.
7To you who trust him, he's a Stone to be proud of, but to those who refuse to trust him,
The stone the workmen threw out
is now the chief foundation stone.
8For the untrusting it's
. . . a stone to trip over,
a boulder blocking the way.
They trip and fall because they refuse to obey, just as predicted.
9But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you-- 10from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted. 11Friends, this world is not your home, so don't make yourselves cozy in it. Don't indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. 12Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they'll be won over to God's side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives.
13Make the Master proud of you by being good citizens. Respect the authorities, whatever their level; 14they are God's emissaries for keeping order. 15It is God's will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you're a danger to society. 16Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. 17Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government.
The Kind of Life He Lived 18You who are servants, be good servants to your masters--not just to good masters, but also to bad ones. 19What counts is that you put up with it for God's sake when you're treated badly for no good reason. 20There's no particular virtue in accepting punishment that you well deserve. But if you're treated badly for good behavior and continue in spite of it to be a good servant, that is what counts with God.
21This is the kind of life you've been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step.
22He never did one thing wrong,
Not once said anything amiss.
23They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right. 24He used his servant body to carry our sins to the Cross so we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way. His wounds became your healing. 25You were lost sheep with no idea who you were or where you were going. Now you're named and kept for good by the Shepherd of your souls.
CULTIVATE INNER BEAUTY
1 Peter 3 1The same goes for you wives: Be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated 2by your life of holy beauty. 3What matters is not your outer appearance--the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes-- 4but your inner disposition.
Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. 5The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way, and were good, loyal wives to their husbands. 6Sarah, for instance, taking care of Abraham, would address him as "my dear husband." You'll be true daughters of Sarah if you do the same, unanxious and unintimidated.
7The same goes for you husbands: Be good husbands to your wives. Honor them, delight in them. As women they lack some of your advantages. But in the new life of God's grace, you're equals. Treat your wives, then, as equals so your prayers don't run aground.
Suffering for Doing Good 8Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. 9That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless--that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing.
10Whoever wants to embrace life
and see the day fill up with good,
Here's what you do:
Say nothing evil or hurtful;
11Snub evil and cultivate good;
run after peace for all you're worth.
12God looks on all this with approval,
listening and responding well to what he's asked;
But he turns his back
on those who do evil things.
13If with heart and soul you're doing good, do you think you can be stopped? 14Even if you suffer for it, you're still better off. Don't give the opposition a second thought. 15Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you're living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. 16Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They'll end up realizing that they're the ones who need a bath. 17It's better to suffer for doing good, if that's what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. 18That's what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others' sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all--was put to death and then made alive--to bring us to God.
19He went and proclaimed God's salvation to earlier generations who ended up in the prison of judgment 20because they wouldn't listen. You know, even though God waited patiently all the days that Noah built his ship, only a few were saved then, eight to be exact--saved from the water by the water. 21The waters of baptism do that for you, not by washing away dirt from your skin but by presenting you through Jesus' resurrection before God with a clear conscience. 22Jesus has the last word on everything and everyone, from angels to armies. He's standing right alongside God, and what he says goes.
1 Peter 4
Learn to Think Like Him 1Since Jesus went through everything you're going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. 2Then you'll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want.
3You've already put in your time in that God-ignorant way of life, partying night after night, a drunken and profligate life. Now it's time to be done with it for good. 4Of course, your old friends don't understand why you don't join in with the old gang anymore. But you don't have to give an account to them. 5They're the ones who will be called on the carpet--and before God himself.
6Listen to the Message. It was preached to those believers who are now dead, and yet even though they died (just as all people must), they will still get in on the life that God has given in Jesus.
7Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. 8Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. 9Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless--cheerfully. 10Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: 11if words, let it be God's words; if help, let it be God's hearty help. That way, God's bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he'll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything--encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!
Glory Just Around the Corner 12Friends, when life gets really difficult, don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job. 13Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.
14If you're abused because of Christ, count yourself fortunate. It's the Spirit of God and his glory in you that brought you to the notice of others. 15If they're on you because you broke the law or disturbed the peace, that's a different matter. 16But if it's because you're a Christian, don't give it a second thought. Be proud of the distinguished status reflected in that name!
17It's judgment time for Christians. We're first in line. If it starts with us, think what it's going to be like for those who refuse God's Message!
18If good people barely make it,
What's in store for the bad?
19So if you find life difficult because you're doing what God said, take it in stride. Trust him. He knows what he's doing, and he'll keep on doing it.
What it means to me:
1 Peter 2
1So clean house! Make a clean sweep of malice and pretense, envy and hurtful talk. 2Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God's pure kindness. Then you'll grow up mature and whole in God.
3You've had a taste of God.
The Stone 4Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor. 5Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you'll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God. 6The Scriptures provide precedent:
Look! I'm setting a stone in Zion,
a cornerstone in the place of honor.
Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundation
will never have cause to regret it.
7To you who trust him, he's a Stone to be proud of, but to those who refuse to trust him,
The stone the workmen threw out
is now the chief foundation stone.
8For the untrusting it's
. . . a stone to trip over,
a boulder blocking the way.
They trip and fall because they refuse to obey, just as predicted.
9But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you-- 10from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted. 11Friends, this world is not your home, so don't make yourselves cozy in it. Don't indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. 12Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they'll be won over to God's side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives.
13Make the Master proud of you by being good citizens. Respect the authorities, whatever their level; 14they are God's emissaries for keeping order. 15It is God's will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you're a danger to society. 16Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. 17Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government.
The Kind of Life He Lived 18You who are servants, be good servants to your masters--not just to good masters, but also to bad ones. 19What counts is that you put up with it for God's sake when you're treated badly for no good reason. 20There's no particular virtue in accepting punishment that you well deserve. But if you're treated badly for good behavior and continue in spite of it to be a good servant, that is what counts with God.
21This is the kind of life you've been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step.
22He never did one thing wrong,
Not once said anything amiss.
23They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right. 24He used his servant body to carry our sins to the Cross so we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way. His wounds became your healing. 25You were lost sheep with no idea who you were or where you were going. Now you're named and kept for good by the Shepherd of your souls.
CULTIVATE INNER BEAUTY
1 Peter 3 1The same goes for you wives: Be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated 2by your life of holy beauty. 3What matters is not your outer appearance--the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes-- 4but your inner disposition.
Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. 5The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way, and were good, loyal wives to their husbands. 6Sarah, for instance, taking care of Abraham, would address him as "my dear husband." You'll be true daughters of Sarah if you do the same, unanxious and unintimidated.
7The same goes for you husbands: Be good husbands to your wives. Honor them, delight in them. As women they lack some of your advantages. But in the new life of God's grace, you're equals. Treat your wives, then, as equals so your prayers don't run aground.
Suffering for Doing Good 8Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. 9That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless--that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing.
10Whoever wants to embrace life
and see the day fill up with good,
Here's what you do:
Say nothing evil or hurtful;
11Snub evil and cultivate good;
run after peace for all you're worth.
12God looks on all this with approval,
listening and responding well to what he's asked;
But he turns his back
on those who do evil things.
13If with heart and soul you're doing good, do you think you can be stopped? 14Even if you suffer for it, you're still better off. Don't give the opposition a second thought. 15Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you're living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. 16Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They'll end up realizing that they're the ones who need a bath. 17It's better to suffer for doing good, if that's what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. 18That's what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others' sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all--was put to death and then made alive--to bring us to God.
19He went and proclaimed God's salvation to earlier generations who ended up in the prison of judgment 20because they wouldn't listen. You know, even though God waited patiently all the days that Noah built his ship, only a few were saved then, eight to be exact--saved from the water by the water. 21The waters of baptism do that for you, not by washing away dirt from your skin but by presenting you through Jesus' resurrection before God with a clear conscience. 22Jesus has the last word on everything and everyone, from angels to armies. He's standing right alongside God, and what he says goes.
1 Peter 4
Learn to Think Like Him 1Since Jesus went through everything you're going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. 2Then you'll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want.
3You've already put in your time in that God-ignorant way of life, partying night after night, a drunken and profligate life. Now it's time to be done with it for good. 4Of course, your old friends don't understand why you don't join in with the old gang anymore. But you don't have to give an account to them. 5They're the ones who will be called on the carpet--and before God himself.
6Listen to the Message. It was preached to those believers who are now dead, and yet even though they died (just as all people must), they will still get in on the life that God has given in Jesus.
7Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. 8Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. 9Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless--cheerfully. 10Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: 11if words, let it be God's words; if help, let it be God's hearty help. That way, God's bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he'll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything--encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!
Glory Just Around the Corner 12Friends, when life gets really difficult, don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job. 13Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.
14If you're abused because of Christ, count yourself fortunate. It's the Spirit of God and his glory in you that brought you to the notice of others. 15If they're on you because you broke the law or disturbed the peace, that's a different matter. 16But if it's because you're a Christian, don't give it a second thought. Be proud of the distinguished status reflected in that name!
17It's judgment time for Christians. We're first in line. If it starts with us, think what it's going to be like for those who refuse God's Message!
18If good people barely make it,
What's in store for the bad?
19So if you find life difficult because you're doing what God said, take it in stride. Trust him. He knows what he's doing, and he'll keep on doing it.
What it means to me:
Man I love these passages, its kinda good that I put off this for three days so I could get the whole picture of these three chapters.
You have God, good for you, now clean out any unholy thing in his temple ( we are temples for God), and use it to glorify God. We won't stumble if we obey God's will, and that is the whole analogy behing the stone. Were chosen to preach the word of God, I mean who else is going to do it, certainatly not the buddhists. God will use us in many ways, don't get cozy to this world and God's use for you in it. You will die, it's a scientific fact is it not? Don't give into earthy desires for they just interfere with the high goal God has for you, preparing you for his kingdom. Instead we are suppose to live along side everyone in this world. We have to get along with them, even if they don't get along with us. Our lives can evanglise to them, so it is always important we are always doing everything for God, so he shines through us. Respect not just your heavenly master, but respect earthly authorities. God has put them there to keep order for the time being, if you obey you can cure the ignorance of the world who think your a danger to society. Excersise your freedom by serving God, not breaking the rules. I love that part. Love everyone, respect the governement. Perservere with love even to those who beat you, or treat you bad for no reason. Look at Jesus, he was killed with no just caused and he never raised a hand to his enemies, he never sinned through all the pain he endured, and for what, to reconnect us with our heavenly father, I think we should be doing all we can for this guy, and acting like him is a good way to start.
Get rid of your old habits that would make you attached to this world and live for God alone.
Memory Verses:
"Friends, this world is not your home, so don't make yourselves cozy in it. Don't indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. "
1 Peter 2:11(Msg)
"It's better to suffer for doing good, if that's what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad."
1 Peter 3:17(Msg)
"Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it:"
1 Peter 4:10(Msg)
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Day Seven
Passage Read:
1 Peter 1
1I, Peter, am an apostle on assignment by Jesus, the Messiah, writing to exiles scattered to the four winds. Not one is missing, not one forgotten. 2God the Father has his eye on each of you, and has determined by the work of the Spirit to keep you obedient through the sacrifice of Jesus. May everything good from God be yours!
A New Life 3What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, 4including a future in heaven--and the future starts now! 5God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you'll have it all--life healed and whole.
6I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. 7Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.
8You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don't see him, yet you trust him--with laughter and singing. 9Because you kept on believing, you'll get what you're looking forward to: total salvation.
10The prophets who told us this was coming asked a lot of questions about this gift of life God was preparing. 11The Messiah's Spirit let them in on some of it--that the Messiah would experience suffering, followed by glory. They clamored to know who and when. 12All they were told was that they were serving you, you who by orders from heaven have now heard for yourselves--through the Holy Spirit--the Message of those prophecies fulfilled. Do you realize how fortunate you are? Angels would have given anything to be in on this!
A Future in God 13So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that's coming when Jesus arrives. 14Don't lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn't know any better then; you do now. 15As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God's life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. 16God said, "I am holy; you be holy."
17You call out to God for help and he helps--he's a good Father that way. But don't forget, he's also a responsible Father, and won't let you get by with sloppy living.
Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. 18It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. 19He paid with Christ's sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. 20And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately--at the end of the ages--become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. 21It's because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God.
22Now that you've cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it. 23Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God's living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself! 24That's why the prophet said,
The old life is a grass life,
its beauty as short-lived as wildflowers;
Grass dries up, flowers droop,
25God's Word goes on and on forever.
This is the Word that conceived the new life in you.
1 Peter 1
1I, Peter, am an apostle on assignment by Jesus, the Messiah, writing to exiles scattered to the four winds. Not one is missing, not one forgotten. 2God the Father has his eye on each of you, and has determined by the work of the Spirit to keep you obedient through the sacrifice of Jesus. May everything good from God be yours!
A New Life 3What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, 4including a future in heaven--and the future starts now! 5God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you'll have it all--life healed and whole.
6I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. 7Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.
8You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don't see him, yet you trust him--with laughter and singing. 9Because you kept on believing, you'll get what you're looking forward to: total salvation.
10The prophets who told us this was coming asked a lot of questions about this gift of life God was preparing. 11The Messiah's Spirit let them in on some of it--that the Messiah would experience suffering, followed by glory. They clamored to know who and when. 12All they were told was that they were serving you, you who by orders from heaven have now heard for yourselves--through the Holy Spirit--the Message of those prophecies fulfilled. Do you realize how fortunate you are? Angels would have given anything to be in on this!
A Future in God 13So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that's coming when Jesus arrives. 14Don't lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn't know any better then; you do now. 15As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God's life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. 16God said, "I am holy; you be holy."
17You call out to God for help and he helps--he's a good Father that way. But don't forget, he's also a responsible Father, and won't let you get by with sloppy living.
Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. 18It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. 19He paid with Christ's sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. 20And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately--at the end of the ages--become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. 21It's because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God.
22Now that you've cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it. 23Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God's living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself! 24That's why the prophet said,
The old life is a grass life,
its beauty as short-lived as wildflowers;
Grass dries up, flowers droop,
25God's Word goes on and on forever.
This is the Word that conceived the new life in you.
What this means to me:
God's always watching us, which is a good thing isn't it, it means we can call out for help when in a difficult situtation and he'll be right there for us, sorta like when your having a nightmare and you wake up screaming your parents rush into your room to see what's wrong, even though they already know that you had a nightmare. So Paul acknowledges that God is so great for giving us this new life in Christ. He's 100% right you know, God could have given up on mankind as soon as we sinned, but he found a way to bring us back into his court. Through his son Christ Jesus. I can't wait until the day when I'm taking into heaven, we always think to the future about that day don't we? Well Paul address a really interesting point, the future is now. The day when you'll have your full reward is coming, but God is watching us in the here and now, and preparing us for heaven. We need to persevere for the trials to come. Most outside the body of Christ think, we have it all, that are lives are all rosey. While it's true that Christians in the western world arn't persecuted as much as those maytr's in some of the countries in the east and the middle eastern part of the world, we still face many problems. So we are told to perservere through them right? Ok good. You are blessed for believing with your faith. Do you ever question if you truely think God is real. Well I once prayed to God to ask him if I truely believed he was real and you know what he said? "If you had doubts I wasn't real, then would you be talking to me right now?" Ya, my God has a sense of humor but I've never forgot that lesson. You have faith in God when you pray, worship, and teach about him. Heck you have to have some faith to even stand learning about him and taking it to heart right? Paul commends those who believe what they have not witnessed, he was a witness and he had a hard time believing sometimes, and look you have never seen Jesus in flesh yet, you believe. Now that's faith. Paul warns us to be ready to recieve the gifts, don't make your heart like stone to Jesus. Instead surrender your life to God every moment of the day so his plan, his purpose for your life at that very moment can be fulfilled. Don't be lazy and conform to society and pretend everything is hunky dory, thats the easy way out. Live for God instead, you'll be doing it in heaven, you might as well practice now. Obey God's plan for your life instead of living for your own desires. 1 Peter 4:2 says, "As a result he no longer lives for evil human desires but for the will of God". Don't worry I memorized it, it doesn't count as my memory verse if I've already memorized it right? If you need help ask for and God will help, but remember God won't let you get away with sloppy work, if he provides you a way out of your problem he expects you to follow it 100% of the way, not call it quits at 85%. Remember how much God sacrificed to get you out of sin, don't you think all your time and effort is small favor to do for I guy who bled and died for your pain and suffering. He died, so you could Live. He knew in advance that you would screw up, so he planned for Jesus to fix your problem. Your life is changed, you can't ever go back to being obvious anymore, if you try your just ignoring the greatest sacrifice ever made. It's like someone buying you a new car because you desperatly needed one, and you selling it. No worse you trashed it and didn't even care. You want to embrace your new life? Good start by being in the word, and I mean everyday, heck if you can pull that off for a year, try once every 12 hours, then try once every single moment you can. Every other moment you can spend with the Master talking about what you've read or how his creation is doing with a great gift you were given at birth. Life, and how your going to work towards the greater gift to come, eternal life.
So I'm going to read all of 1 Peter in the coming days, I encourage you to read along with me. 5 minutes a day is all it takes to read a chapter in this book, and its a small favor you honestly owe to God for taking away your eternal death.
Memory verse:
"Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God's living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself!"
1 Peter 1:23
This one is going to be a doozy to remember.
-Brent
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Day Five and Six
Passage Read:
Psalm 119
91Your Word and truth are dependable as ever;
that's what you ordered--you set the earth going.
92If your revelation hadn't delighted me so,
I would have given up when the hard times came.
93But I'll never forget the advice you gave me;
you saved my life with those wise words.
94Save me! I'm all yours.
I look high and low for your words of wisdom.
95The wicked lie in ambush to destroy me,
but I'm only concerned with your plans for me.
96I see the limits to everything human,
but the horizons can't contain your commands! 97Oh, how I love all you've revealed;
I reverently ponder it all the day long.
98Your commands give me an edge on my enemies;
they never become obsolete.
99I've even become smarter than my teachers
since I've pondered and absorbed your counsel.
100I've become wiser than the wise old sages
simply by doing what you tell me.
101I watch my step, avoiding the ditches and ruts of evil
so I can spend all my time keeping your Word.
102I never make detours from the route you laid out;
you gave me such good directions.
103Your words are so choice, so tasty;
I prefer them to the best home cooking.
104With your instruction, I understand life;
that's why I hate false propaganda. 105By your words I can see where I'm going;
they throw a beam of light on my dark path.
106I've committed myself and I'll never turn back
from living by your righteous order.
107Everything's falling apart on me, GOD;
put me together again with your Word.
108Festoon me with your finest sayings, GOD;
teach me your holy rules.
109My life is as close as my own hands,
but I don't forget what you have revealed.
110The wicked do their best to throw me off track,
but I don't swerve an inch from your course.
111I inherited your book on living; it's mine forever--
what a gift! And how happy it makes me!
112I concentrate on doing exactly what you say--
I always have and always will. 113I hate the two-faced,
but I love your clear-cut revelation.
114You're my place of quiet retreat;
I wait for your Word to renew me.
115Get out of my life, evildoers,
so I can keep my God's commands.
116Take my side as you promised; I'll live then for sure.
Don't disappoint all my grand hopes.
117Stick with me and I'll be all right;
I'll give total allegiance to your definitions of life.
118Expose all who drift away from your sayings;
their casual idolatry is lethal.
119You reject earth's wicked as so much rubbish;
therefore I lovingly embrace everything you say.
120I shiver in awe before you;
your decisions leave me speechless with reverence. 121I stood up for justice and the right;
don't leave me to the mercy of my oppressors.
122Take the side of your servant, good God;
don't let the godless take advantage of me.
123I can't keep my eyes open any longer, waiting for you
to keep your promise to set everything right.
124Let your love dictate how you deal with me;
teach me from your textbook on life.
125I'm your servant--help me understand what that means,
the inner meaning of your instructions.
126It's time to act, GOD;
they've made a shambles of your revelation!
127Yea-Saying God, I love what you command,
I love it better than gold and gemstones;
128Yea-Saying God, I honor everything you tell me,
I despise every deceitful detour. 129Every word you give me is a miracle word--
how could I help but obey?
130Break open your words, let the light shine out,
let ordinary people see the meaning.
131Mouth open and panting,
I wanted your commands more than anything.
132Turn my way, look kindly on me,
as you always do to those who personally love you.
133Steady my steps with your Word of promise
so nothing malign gets the better of me.
134Rescue me from the grip of bad men and women
so I can live life your way.
135Smile on me, your servant;
teach me the right way to live.
136I cry rivers of tears
because nobody's living by your book! 137You are right and you do right, GOD;
your decisions are right on target.
138You rightly instruct us in how to live
ever faithful to you.
139My rivals nearly did me in,
they persistently ignored your commandments.
140Your promise has been tested through and through,
and I, your servant, love it dearly.
141I'm too young to be important,
but I don't forget what you tell me.
142Your righteousness is eternally right,
your revelation is the only truth.
143Even though troubles came down on me hard,
your commands always gave me delight.
144The way you tell me to live is always right;
help me understand it so I can live to the fullest. 145I call out at the top of my lungs,
"GOD! Answer! I'll do whatever you say."
146I called to you, "Save me
so I can carry out all your instructions."
147I was up before sunrise,
crying for help, hoping for a word from you.
148I stayed awake all night,
prayerfully pondering your promise.
149In your love, listen to me;
in your justice, GOD, keep me alive.
150As those out to get me come closer and closer,
they go farther and farther from the truth you reveal;
151But you're the closest of all to me, GOD,
and all your judgments true.
152I've known all along from the evidence of your words
that you meant them to last forever. 153Take a good look at my trouble, and help me--
I haven't forgotten your revelation.
154Take my side and get me out of this;
give me back my life, just as you promised.
155"Salvation" is only gibberish to the wicked
because they've never looked it up in your dictionary.
156Your mercies, GOD, run into the billions;
following your guidelines, revive me.
157My antagonists are too many to count,
but I don't swerve from the directions you gave.
158I took one look at the quitters and was filled with loathing;
they walked away from your promises so casually!
159Take note of how I love what you tell me;
out of your life of love, prolong my life.
160Your words all add up to the sum total: Truth.
Your righteous decisions are eternal. 161I've been slandered unmercifully by the politicians,
but my awe at your words keeps me stable.
162I'm ecstatic over what you say,
like one who strikes it rich.
163I hate lies--can't stand them!-
but I love what you have revealed.
164Seven times each day I stop and shout praises
for the way you keep everything running right.
165For those who love what you reveal, everything fits--
no stumbling around in the dark for them.
166I wait expectantly for your salvation;
GOD, I do what you tell me.
167My soul guards and keeps all your instructions--
oh, how much I love them!
168I follow your directions, abide by your counsel;
my life's an open book before you. 169Let my cry come right into your presence, GOD;
provide me with the insight that comes only from your Word.
170Give my request your personal attention,
rescue me on the terms of your promise.
171Let praise cascade off my lips;
after all, you've taught me the truth about life!
172And let your promises ring from my tongue;
every order you've given is right.
173Put your hand out and steady me
since I've chosen to live by your counsel.
174I'm homesick, GOD, for your salvation;
I love it when you show yourself!
175Invigorate my soul so I can praise you well,
use your decrees to put iron in my soul.
176And should I wander off like a lost sheep--seek me!
I'll recognize the sound of your voice.
Psalm 119
91Your Word and truth are dependable as ever;
that's what you ordered--you set the earth going.
92If your revelation hadn't delighted me so,
I would have given up when the hard times came.
93But I'll never forget the advice you gave me;
you saved my life with those wise words.
94Save me! I'm all yours.
I look high and low for your words of wisdom.
95The wicked lie in ambush to destroy me,
but I'm only concerned with your plans for me.
96I see the limits to everything human,
but the horizons can't contain your commands! 97Oh, how I love all you've revealed;
I reverently ponder it all the day long.
98Your commands give me an edge on my enemies;
they never become obsolete.
99I've even become smarter than my teachers
since I've pondered and absorbed your counsel.
100I've become wiser than the wise old sages
simply by doing what you tell me.
101I watch my step, avoiding the ditches and ruts of evil
so I can spend all my time keeping your Word.
102I never make detours from the route you laid out;
you gave me such good directions.
103Your words are so choice, so tasty;
I prefer them to the best home cooking.
104With your instruction, I understand life;
that's why I hate false propaganda. 105By your words I can see where I'm going;
they throw a beam of light on my dark path.
106I've committed myself and I'll never turn back
from living by your righteous order.
107Everything's falling apart on me, GOD;
put me together again with your Word.
108Festoon me with your finest sayings, GOD;
teach me your holy rules.
109My life is as close as my own hands,
but I don't forget what you have revealed.
110The wicked do their best to throw me off track,
but I don't swerve an inch from your course.
111I inherited your book on living; it's mine forever--
what a gift! And how happy it makes me!
112I concentrate on doing exactly what you say--
I always have and always will. 113I hate the two-faced,
but I love your clear-cut revelation.
114You're my place of quiet retreat;
I wait for your Word to renew me.
115Get out of my life, evildoers,
so I can keep my God's commands.
116Take my side as you promised; I'll live then for sure.
Don't disappoint all my grand hopes.
117Stick with me and I'll be all right;
I'll give total allegiance to your definitions of life.
118Expose all who drift away from your sayings;
their casual idolatry is lethal.
119You reject earth's wicked as so much rubbish;
therefore I lovingly embrace everything you say.
120I shiver in awe before you;
your decisions leave me speechless with reverence. 121I stood up for justice and the right;
don't leave me to the mercy of my oppressors.
122Take the side of your servant, good God;
don't let the godless take advantage of me.
123I can't keep my eyes open any longer, waiting for you
to keep your promise to set everything right.
124Let your love dictate how you deal with me;
teach me from your textbook on life.
125I'm your servant--help me understand what that means,
the inner meaning of your instructions.
126It's time to act, GOD;
they've made a shambles of your revelation!
127Yea-Saying God, I love what you command,
I love it better than gold and gemstones;
128Yea-Saying God, I honor everything you tell me,
I despise every deceitful detour. 129Every word you give me is a miracle word--
how could I help but obey?
130Break open your words, let the light shine out,
let ordinary people see the meaning.
131Mouth open and panting,
I wanted your commands more than anything.
132Turn my way, look kindly on me,
as you always do to those who personally love you.
133Steady my steps with your Word of promise
so nothing malign gets the better of me.
134Rescue me from the grip of bad men and women
so I can live life your way.
135Smile on me, your servant;
teach me the right way to live.
136I cry rivers of tears
because nobody's living by your book! 137You are right and you do right, GOD;
your decisions are right on target.
138You rightly instruct us in how to live
ever faithful to you.
139My rivals nearly did me in,
they persistently ignored your commandments.
140Your promise has been tested through and through,
and I, your servant, love it dearly.
141I'm too young to be important,
but I don't forget what you tell me.
142Your righteousness is eternally right,
your revelation is the only truth.
143Even though troubles came down on me hard,
your commands always gave me delight.
144The way you tell me to live is always right;
help me understand it so I can live to the fullest. 145I call out at the top of my lungs,
"GOD! Answer! I'll do whatever you say."
146I called to you, "Save me
so I can carry out all your instructions."
147I was up before sunrise,
crying for help, hoping for a word from you.
148I stayed awake all night,
prayerfully pondering your promise.
149In your love, listen to me;
in your justice, GOD, keep me alive.
150As those out to get me come closer and closer,
they go farther and farther from the truth you reveal;
151But you're the closest of all to me, GOD,
and all your judgments true.
152I've known all along from the evidence of your words
that you meant them to last forever. 153Take a good look at my trouble, and help me--
I haven't forgotten your revelation.
154Take my side and get me out of this;
give me back my life, just as you promised.
155"Salvation" is only gibberish to the wicked
because they've never looked it up in your dictionary.
156Your mercies, GOD, run into the billions;
following your guidelines, revive me.
157My antagonists are too many to count,
but I don't swerve from the directions you gave.
158I took one look at the quitters and was filled with loathing;
they walked away from your promises so casually!
159Take note of how I love what you tell me;
out of your life of love, prolong my life.
160Your words all add up to the sum total: Truth.
Your righteous decisions are eternal. 161I've been slandered unmercifully by the politicians,
but my awe at your words keeps me stable.
162I'm ecstatic over what you say,
like one who strikes it rich.
163I hate lies--can't stand them!-
but I love what you have revealed.
164Seven times each day I stop and shout praises
for the way you keep everything running right.
165For those who love what you reveal, everything fits--
no stumbling around in the dark for them.
166I wait expectantly for your salvation;
GOD, I do what you tell me.
167My soul guards and keeps all your instructions--
oh, how much I love them!
168I follow your directions, abide by your counsel;
my life's an open book before you. 169Let my cry come right into your presence, GOD;
provide me with the insight that comes only from your Word.
170Give my request your personal attention,
rescue me on the terms of your promise.
171Let praise cascade off my lips;
after all, you've taught me the truth about life!
172And let your promises ring from my tongue;
every order you've given is right.
173Put your hand out and steady me
since I've chosen to live by your counsel.
174I'm homesick, GOD, for your salvation;
I love it when you show yourself!
175Invigorate my soul so I can praise you well,
use your decrees to put iron in my soul.
176And should I wander off like a lost sheep--seek me!
I'll recognize the sound of your voice.
What it means to me:
To me, this is how my life would be if I were more into the word. It encourages me to pick up the bible and continue to read daily. The Psalmist is continually persecuted, but he turns to God instead of crumbling under pressure. I know of many situations in where I take the easy way out instead of standing firm for what I know is right. I love the line, your words add up to one thing, truth. It's so easy and basic, and yet why do we continue are day listening to lies, instead of taking the time to stop and listen, if even for a moment to hear the word of truth. Society lies, Satan will make sure to keep that up, but you can rely on the word of God to be true. Don't forget it. Ah, I encourage you all to keep reading and never crumble to the lies of society.
Memory Verse:
"Your commands give me an edge on my enemies;
they never become obsolete."
Psalm 119:98 (Msg)
"Get out of my life, evildoers,
so I can keep my God's commands."
Psalm 119:115 (Msg)
"Break open your words, let the light shine out,
let ordinary people see the meaning."
Psalm 119:130 (Msg)
I decided to memorize one extra because these three I really want to have with me, so I can meditate on them. There pretty simple but very important verses to have in my arsenal against the enemy.
-Brent
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