The End of the Books/Our Faith, Our Hope--Day 365 Through the Bible

                                           Happy New Year from Mt. Celo Church Blog!

This will be the last post for our blog for this year through the Bible.  If you did not read the post for yesterday, I would encourage you to read it. At the end of the blog, the writer eloquently sums up the year and shares the areas God has impressed upon her heart during the past year.  As believers, God works with each of us as individuals through the Holy Spirit. I am always inspired by others' testimonies as I see how God is working in their lives and often I find that God is dealing with similar issues in my heart.

These are my thoughts and impressions on the final chapters of Malachi, Psalms, Proverbs, and the book of Revelation (not in that order).

The writings of the psalmists end in a most appropriate way.  The book closes with a round of tremendous praises for God!

"Praise the Lord!"--in His sanctuary and in His mighty firmament!
Praise Him for--His mighty acts, and according to His excellent greatness!
How to praise Him?---with the trumpet, the lute and harp, with timbrel and dance, with stringed instruments and flutes, with loud cymbals, with clashing cymbals!
And finally, "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!"
What a glorious celebration to look forward to when all God's people are gathered together in one place to praise our Father God with all our hearts for bringing each of us to that place that we may dwell with Him forever!  But, oh, we have the opportunity now to praise Him for this hope and for all He does for us in our fleshly dwellings!  For His deliverance from spiritual bondage, for tremendous mercies and grace toward us now!  Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!

We have read many instances in the Bible this year where women were connected with wickedness and evil. Eve, Jezebel, the seductress in Proverbs, Sapphira, the harlot drunken with the blood of the saints in Revelation, just to name a few. These are women without virtue--women separated from God!  The writer of Proverbs 31, and inspired by God, devotes an entire passage to the value and description of the virtuous woman. Her price is indeed "far above rubies"!  We unfortunately and too often see our young women today in settings that are degrading and without virtue. Yet, there may be more women listed in the Bible who were women of virtue than those who were not. It may pose a challenge today for women to be known for "strength and honor" in a worldly culture that encourages self-exaltation and crudeness. A challenge it is, yet godly women remain trustworthy and dedicated to God, their family and serving others in the community.  A virtuous woman is smart, has a good work ethic, and has substance beyond physical beauty. Her worth only increases with age.  She is for real and in her wake we find provision, inspiration, and encouragement left with those who have encountered her. I find it interesting that the wisdom of God in the book of Proverbs ends with praise for the virtuous woman. Women bear and rear the children. We read the biographies of many famous men and women with godly backgrounds whose mothers took responsiblity for setting them on the path of character and leadership.

God loves us greatly and without Him we are on a path of failure and self-destruction.  In Malachi 1:6, God asks, "If then I am the Father, where is My honor?  And if I am a Master, where is My reverence?"  If our eyes were open to who God really is, we would not be able to wait to get in line to eat at His table of goodness!  And, we would be more than happy to obey His instructions.  We would fall at His feet in worship, despising our sins, and begging for His mercy and forgiveness!  God says we must "take to heart" what He has told us (in His word--this year and in the coming new year.)  Or else--I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings.  Yes, I have cursed them already, because you do not take it to heart. (Malachi 2:2).  Am I reverent before God's name (2: 5)?  Is the law of truth in my mouth (v. 6)?  Is injustice found on my lips?  Do I walk with God in peace and equity?  Am I instrumental in turning others away from iniquity?  Do I see myself as a "messenger" of the Lord of hosts (v. 7)?  To what extent am I involved with the sins of the world?  Do I condone sexual immorality--the opposite of what God has established.  Am I entertained by adultery, violence and immorality in songs, movies, novels, etc?  Am I accepting of a gospel that condones sin and uses "grace" as a license?  God warns that "the day is coming" (4:1) "and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble"!  "But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings" (v. 2).  Malachi ends, however, with a warning: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse" (v. 5, 6)!

Our final reading in Revelation is the passage at the end of all "the holy books" that tells us how it will all end. It fills the believer with hope and offers peace that truly passes all understanding (see Philippians 4:7).  God's love, mercy, and compassion for us culminate in this final passage.  Read Revelation 21 & 22 for yourselves.  It is powerful.  It is awesome.  (Call to mind as you read it, the blessing that God pronounced on those who read the Book of Revelation (see Rev.1:3).  "Wonderful, Merciful Savior" is a song that has special meaning to me. I hope you will listen to it and that you will enter 2014, with a renewed desire to read through the Bible again.  God's word is not like any other book.  "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).  If we will allow it to do so, God through His word and the Holy Spirit will separate from us all those things that separate us from Him!

The Power of Truth---Day 361 Through the Bible

                          The path God takes us on may not always be as pleasant as this one.
                                     However, God will always takes us down the path of truth!

My thoughtful considerations regarding today's Scripture readings in Zechariah, Psalms, Proverbs, and Revelation. Key phrases and passages that stood out for me are as follows:

"Did you really fast for Me--for Me?" (Zechariah 1:5).  God poses this question to Zechariah in response to his original question--"Should I weep in the fifth month and fast as I have done for so many years?" (v. 3). The divine response cuts to the heart of ceremony and worship practices and God suggests that perhaps obedience during prosperous times ought to have been a consideration (v. 7).

These are the words of God to Zechariah.  Through them the heart of God is revealed and the heart of the believer is challenged:

"Execute true justice,
Show mercy and compassion everyone to his brother.
Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor.
Let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother" (v. 9). 

Israel's response to God's directive was to shrug their shoulders and stop their ears so they could not hear (v. 11).  Their response went beyond complacency--"they made their hearts like flint", refusing to hear God's words. God dealt with them in the same manner they responded to Him--"so they called out and I would not listen" (v. 13).  They were scattered "among all the nations which they had not known" (v. 14).

"Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth" (Zechariah 8:3).  Up until recently it may have been easy to just read over this verse. However, what hope and what a welcome contrast in light of the culture of lies and deceit that is continually unfolding in the world today.  Another reason to pray, "Thy kingdom come"!  And to live in such a time of simplicity when "The streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets!" (v. 5).  God promises to bring His people back from captivity, "and they shall be My people and I will be their God, in truth and righteousness" (v. 8).  Whatever our captivity, God holds out hope for us in a relationship with Him.

God says He is "determined to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Israel" (v. 15). In order to be able to accomplish this toward them God says this, "Do not fear (solutions to our problems today may seem impossible!).  These are the things you shall do: 

Speak each man the truth to his neighbor; 
give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace; 
let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor; 
and do not love a false oath.  
For all these are things that I hate, says the Lord" (v. 15, 16, 17).  

And in verse 21, the inhabitants of the cities will say to one another, "Let us continue to go and pray before the Lord, and seek the Lord of hosts".  Reading through the Bible, we have discovered the truth about other gods and the fact that the God of Israel is the only true God. This understanding helps put the following verse in perspective.  "In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'" (v. 23).

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! . . .Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey. . .He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be from sea to sea. And from the River to the ends of the earth." (Zechariah 9:9,10).  Verse 12, "Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope".  Verse 14, "Then the Lord will be seen over them. . .the Lord of hosts will defend them" (v. 15).  "The Lord their God will save them in that day, as the flock of His people, for they shall be like the jewels of a crown, lifted like a banner over His land--for how great is its goodness and how great its beauty" (v. 16, 17).  Beautiful words!  A beautiful hope and future!  The truth of God!

Psalm 148:7-14, is tremendously fitting here and ends with this,  "And He has exalted the horn of His people, the praise of all His saints--of the children of Israel, a people near to Him.  Praise the Lord!"  King Solomon continues with his contemplation of God's creation and creatures in Proverbs 30:29-31, considering three things that are "majestic in pace" and "four which are stately in walk".  In this passage he focuses attention on the lion, a greyhound, a male goat, and "a king whose troops are with him".  Taking time to think and consider was something the wisest man who ever lived engaged in. (There is certainly a lesson here for us readers.)

In Revelation 18, we read of the fall of Babylon--"the evil world system" (Dr. Charles Stanley).  Her sins are listed and God warns His people in verse 4, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.  For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities".  Verse 23, "For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth".
God's word is sobering, yet God never leaves us without hope!  God always tells us the truth!

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled--Day 8 Through the Bible

Mt. Mitchell State Park can be accessed from Hwy. 80 South via The Blue Ridge Parkway. Mt. Mitchell is the highest peak east of the Mississippi, with an elevation of 6,684 feet. It is a popular attraction in summer months for visitors to the area . The observation deck pictured here replaced the old observation tower.

                            

January 8

As I read Genesis 15:1, I am reminded of the many times God, Jesus, or an Angel told someone in the Bible not to be afraid. Fearfulness is listed as one of 8 sins in Revelation 21:8 that warrant the lake of fire (that really makes me fearful!). In the same verse, fearfulness is listed along with unbelief.

 In Genesis 15:1 the Lord explains to Abram the reason he doesn’t need to be fearful—“I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward”. Abram expressed concern because God had not given him an heir. God brought Abram outside and asked him to count the stars—if he could, and told him his descendants would be that numerous.

God always exceeds our expectations (in accordance with His will). Abram’s plan and desire included one heir while God’s plan for Abram involved an innumerable multitude. We just cannot comprehend what God is accomplishing! We cannot fathom His greatness and what He has in store for us. We cannot grasp the “exceedingly great reward” that God says is reason for us not to be afraid.

A shield serves as a source of protection—it comes between the bearer and the enemy. We usually think of it in the Bible in terms of battle. However today, we are familiar with personal protective equipment such as eye shields, face shields, leg shields, etc.  God says He is our “shield”. Shield can also mean to cover. In Psalms 91, God says He will cover us with His feathers and under His wings we shall trust. Today’s scripture in Proverbs 2:7 says, “He is a shield to those who walk uprightly”. The level of our despair would be greatly diminished if we could just grasp the truth that God is with us and provides for us--this includes His provision for our protection!

Although Abram believed God, he succumbed to his wife’s plan and fathered a son by Sarai’s handmaiden. Sarai despised Hagar to the point that Hagar left home. The Angel of the Lord found her and called her by name, then gave her God’s perspective on her situation. Hagar “called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, ‘Have I also here seen Him who sees me’?” 

If we are faithful in studying God’s Word, we are on our way to seeing “Him who sees me"! The more our knowledge of God increases, the more we realize God is aware of our situation, and—the more we see God’s perspective on our situation the more our fearfulness diminishes!

Our study wraps up in Matthew with Jesus telling us not to worry about what we need. Worry tends to cross over to fear. He tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added to us. In this passage He addresses His hearers as, “O you of little faith”. Yet, this faith deficit can be fixed and God even tells us how. He says in Romans 10:17 that faith comes by hearing the Word of God!  Daily Bible study evidently covers many bases!