6 posts tagged “god”
Today's reading is from the 70th Psalm.
4 Let those on the hunt for you
sing and celebrate.
Let all who love your saving way
say over and over, "God is mighty!"
Today's reading also included some Ezekiel and Revelation, but I didn't really find a whole lot to comment on there. In fact, I'm having a hard time commenting on the verses I have quoted above, but they just stuck with me.
Today's reading is from John 12.
47-50"If anyone hears what I am saying and doesn't take it seriously, I don't reject him. I didn't come to reject the world; I came to save the world. But you need to know that whoever puts me off, refusing to take in what I'm saying, is willfully choosing rejection. The Word, the Word-made-flesh that I have spoken and that I am, that Word and no other is the last word. I'm not making any of this up on my own. The Father who sent me gave me orders, told me what to say and how to say it. And I know exactly what his command produces: real and eternal life. That's all I have to say. What the Father told me, I tell you."
O: The above is from Jesus. That first sentence just gets me. "I don't reject him." It's almost confusing to think our own salvation is in our hands. If someone knows of Jesus, and chooses not to follow him, they're rejecting him. He doesn't reject them.
I think this further proves the point that Jesus just waits for us to say, "I'm ready." Almost as if he's waiting with bated breath, just hoping and praying we say "take me." And, when we do, he flings the door open to his Kingdom and says, "what took you so long?"
But, following Jesus isn't just about getting to heaven. It's about taking Him to those who don't know Him. It's about taking care of the poor and outcast. It's about serving in His name.
A: How is the world to know about Jesus if we don't take Him to them? "A thorn, a nail, a cup of cold water," Chris Rice says. How true.
Today's reading is from John 11.
5-7Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, but oddly, when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed on where he was for two more days. After the two days, he said to his disciples, "Let's go back to Judea."
8They said, "Rabbi, you can't do that. The Jews are out to kill you, and you're going back?"
9-10Jesus replied, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in daylight doesn't stumble because there's plenty of light from the sun. Walking at night, he might very well stumble because he can't see where he's going."
11He said these things, and then announced, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. I'm going to wake him up."
12-13The disciples said, "Master, if he's gone to sleep, he'll get a good rest and wake up feeling fine." Jesus was talking about death, while his disciples thought he was talking about taking a nap.
14-15Then Jesus became explicit: "Lazarus died. And I am glad for your sakes that I wasn't there. You're about to be given new grounds for believing. Now let's go to him."
O: I'd like to focus on 14-15 here. Just for the sake of stating it, a majority of Chapter 11 of John is pretty dramatic, and a great read, especially via The Message. The phrase "You're about to be given new grounds for believing" makes me wish I were there to see Lazarus raised up. I can just imagine the disciples looking at each other after Jesus said that. Jesus has already done some pretty miraculous stuff, and to make a statement that, to me, says that they're about to see something pretty astounding, blows my mind.
A: Don't doubt that God can come through, even when the odds seem insurmountable.
P: God, thank you for the reminder today that nothing is impossible with you. The God that made the universe, the One that can melt mountain like wax, make seas boil, cause the heavens to shake and the earth to split. My soul is humble before your majesty.
I'm not sure what to say about this.
You see... to this guy, God is a sock. I agree with him. Look at his foot. It's blue from being cold and wet. All this guy needs is a sock. Well, let me rephrase that; I'm sure he needs alot more than that. Probably a hot shower, the same roof over his head, a warm filling meal a couple times a day.
I follow Christ. I follow him with my heart, with my whole heart. That being said, I agree with the guy in the picture. To this man, at this particular point in his life, God is a sock. If he had socks and shoes, but no jacket to keep him warm, God would be a jacket.
That's where the church comes in. The church (not the building, mind you, the people) should make sure this guy has a sock. Now, I don't want to hear any of this "who says he didn't have one and took it off because he's insane." In my opinion, you can take that crap elsewhere, cause I'm not interested in hearing it.
I follow Christ, and as part of the body of Christ, the church, it's my duty... yes, duty, to take care of people; people with real needs. People who need socks.
I should be a sock.
Today's reading is from John 10.
31-32Again the Jews picked up rocks to throw at him. Jesus said, "I have made a present to you from the Father of a great many good actions. For which of these acts do you stone me?"
33The Jews said, "We're not stoning you for anything good you did, but for what you said—this blasphemy of calling yourself God."
34-38Jesus said, "I'm only quoting your inspired Scriptures, where God said, 'I tell you—you are gods.' If God called your ancestors 'gods'—and Scripture doesn't lie—why do you yell, 'Blasphemer! Blasphemer!' at the unique One the Father consecrated and sent into the world, just because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? If I don't do the things my Father does, well and good; don't believe me. But if I am doing them, put aside for a moment what you hear me say about myself and just take the evidence of the actions that are right before your eyes. Then perhaps things will come together for you, and you'll see that not only are we doing the same thing, we are the same—Father and Son. He is in me; I am in him."
O: I want to focus on 34-38 for a moment. I included 31-33 for context purposes. I'm very interested in the text that says, "If I don't do the things my Father does, well and good; don't believe me. But if I am doing them, put aside for a moment what you hear me say about myself and just take the evidence of the actions that are right before your eyes." It's not that Jesus was speaking in opposition to God. Quite the contrary. But, how often have we heard someone say one thing, and do something else entirely?
I feel like Jesus is really pushing the point that if we hear someone speaking the right things and they're also backing those words up with deeds, then there's something to take away from that. There's something we can rely on and believe in. Jesus backs up his words with deeds. It's an example we need to emulate.
A: First, do the right thing. Then, if I need to talk about doing the right thing, I won't be making empty statements, because I'll have done those very things I talk of. Feed the poor, help the homeless, lift up the downtrodden.
P: LORD GOD, I praise you for your Word. Thank you for these examples of your son, doing what needs done. I pray that I can have the courage to do those right things as well. I know I'll fail, and there will be times where I cop out, and don't give my all. May I refocus my vision on your will, to know, see, and act on what you would do.
Today's reading is from John 9.
39Jesus then said, "I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day, making all the distinctions clear, so that those who have never seen will see, and those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind."
40Some Pharisees overheard him and said, "Does that mean you're calling us blind?"
41Jesus said, "If you were really blind, you would be blameless, but since you claim to see everything so well, you're accountable for every fault and failure."
O: Two things here that I really want to touch on. The first being Jesus saying "making all the distinctions clear". To me, that means he came to make it clear not only how much God loves us, but that the whole world could see that God sent his only son to die for our sins. He spilled his blood for us, that we could someday be with God in heaven forever. His presence on earth, and his working of miracles, was proof.
The other verse that intrigues me is 41, specifically "If you were really blind, you would be blameless". I wonder how this relates to natives in South America and Africa who die before ever hearing the word of God. Are they blameless also? Do they get a free pass to heaven because of our inability to get to them?
A: Use each breath to spread the love of Jesus in some way.
P: Lord God, change my heart. Change it, because the way it works now, I shy away from the hard stuff, and gravitate to the easy stuff. Give me courage to take those steps toward the difficult situations, the difficult relationships, just as you would.
