Day 6

Praise the Lord everyone and how are you doing on this fabulous day that the Lord has made? I am feeling much more rested than I was yesterday and even managed to wake up and read my verses a lot earlier than intended so I feel like this is going to be the start of a wonderful day. I pray that your day goes wonderful for you as well :)

Today's verses come from Genesis chapter 11 through chapter 12 stopping at the 20th verse in chapter 12, Psalm 5:1-6, Proverbs 1:15-16, and Matthew 5:13-32.

In chapter 12 of Genesis, God tells Abram take his wife and nephew and travel away from their home and relatives to a land where God will surely bless him (Genesis 12:1-3). Can you just imagine if God were to come to you and say pack up everything and leave your family and friends to go somewhere and you not have any clue as to where you are going?

When this story was often told in church, I recall that my dad would always say that if this were to happen to our family, how hard it would be for him to explain to us that we just had to up and leave, especially if we didn't know where we were going. I'm sure it would be human nature to wonder about that especially when we are naturally curious and just leaving behind everything we know and love with no real explanation other than God said so would be hard for us to comprehend.

But God had already promised Abram that He would provide him with blessings. This was a true test of faith because Abram could have easily said "my family is here and I don't want to leave them. What am I going to tell my wife? We can't just up and leave like this." But Abram was obedient to God and did as he was told.

So often we think that we know better than God and try to do things our way instead of having faith that He knows what he's doing. This, in turn, could make a situation worse because no matter how long we try to do it our way, God will ultimately have His way and we may just be delaying the blessings He has for us.

It like when road work is occurring and we must wait in traffic. We get so impatient that we try to find a way around it because we're in so big of a hurry or just don't feel like waiting. Sometimes us looking for another way around can cause us to end up waiting even longer than we would have if we had not just been patient and waited for the work to subside. I feel that God sometimes allows us to try and do things our way just so He can step in and show us just how much simpler it would have been if we just trusted Him in the first place. This is not to be cruel or anything but so that we will understand that we can call on Him whenever we need to and know that He will not lead us anywhere with the intent to hurt us or make us suffer and He will be standing right beside us. He won't leave us.

Psalm, Proverbs, and Matthew basically emphasize that God punishes sin accordingly and does not tolerate wickedness or sin and that you should not follow along with sinful acts because there is no way to get around the punishment that comes along with it. God does not do these things to keep us from having a good time but to protect us from His wrath. It may seem harsh but the Lord just cannot and will not tolerate sin.

In this day and age it seems so easy to forget God's law when it seems like everyone is doing their own thing and making their own rules. But just like you and me, everyone will one day be accountable for their actions and it is better to get them in order now than to suffer the ultimate fate of not reaching Heaven's gates. This isn't meant to scare anyone but to make you aware that the consequences of our earthly actions are real and we must be accountable and aware of the things we do and ask ourselves if they would be pleasing to God.

Now, no one is going to live a perfect life, it's impossible because we were born into sin. We will make mistakes and mess up from time to time, but that is why Jesus died for us in the first place, to erase all of our sins. Our debts are paid because of Him. However, this does not mean that we can continue to act just any kind of way without expecting consequences. God is a forgiving and loving God and will forgive us for what we have done if we truly mean it because despite all of our sins He wants us to be able to make Heaven our home.

Prayer

O Father, how serious and solemn is all this, but yet how true. Sin must ultimately be punished. I am grateful that in Christ my debt has been paid, and availing myself of Your offer I am eternally free. Blessed be your name forever. Amen.

Further Study

Zephaniah 3:1-5, Psalm 103:6, John 5:30, Romans 2:2

What does God do morning by morning?

What is God's judgment based on?

Have a great day everyone and be blessed :)

(Both the prayer and further study have come from the Everyday with Jesus Bible: A One-Year Reading Bible by Holman Bible Publishers with Devotions by Selwyn Hughes)

Day 5

Greetings lovers of Christ and others who have just stumbled upon this blog. Well it's only day 5 and I'm already having one of those days where I just don't feel like blogging. Yep, I knew I would have days like this but not so soon. I'm just really tired and sleepy for some reason and I struggled to get through my verses today so please pray that I get some of my energy back :)

Today's verses are Genesis 9:8-10:32; Psalm 4:1-8; Proverbs 1:10-14 and Matthew 4:21-5:12

In the Genesis verses it tells how whenever there is a rainbow in the sky it is a reminder of God's covenant with us that He would not destroy the world again with water. I always love seeing a rainbow after its rains too because it gives me hope. I think it's amazing that this promise is still in full effect even now. It just goes to show that God will never break His promises to us.

Also in the Genesis it spoke of how Noah was the first to plant a vineyard and from the wine it produced, Noah indulged himself a little too much and took his clothes off. Noah's son, Ham, went into Noah's tent, discovered he was naked and told his brothers. His brothers (Shem and Japheth) went and cover Noah but made sure they did not look at him while they did this. When Noah awoke the next day and learned what Ham had done and place a curse on Canaan (Ham's son).

When I read this I'll be honest, I had no clue why Noah cursed Canaan when he was the one who was drunk. I had to research some help on this one and found out that Ham was sort of gossiping about his father's state, perhaps he found humor in it and since he told his brothers that Noah was naked, then he probably told everyone else too. Shem and Japheth clearly found no joy in their father's condition and made sure they did not look upon when they covered him. Ham could have easily covered his father and no one else needed to know about what happened.

This just reminded me of how out of control gossip can get and when someone feels that they need to spread your business the backlash of it all can be devastating to all who are involved. In this instance Noah punished his son, Ham by punishing his child Canaan. It's a sad thing that had to happen but this is what happens when gossip gets around everyone can be hurt.

Psalm 4:1-8 is basically saying that God hears us when we call on Him and not to worry about those find joy in things that are worthless because God will always be there to protect us.

Proverbs 1:10-14 is generally saying yield not to temptation no matter how fun it may seem, don't be persuade to participate in sinful acts.

Matthew 4:21-5:12 are about the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) which tell of those who are blessed and what blessings they will receive and not to worry about the trivial things that occur and seem hard because for those who are blessed their rewards will be great.

Prayer

Blessed Lord Jesus, You who knew the hurt of being falsely accused, draw near in the power of Your Spirit and heal me now. I take---and You undertake. Thank You, Savior. Amen

Further Study

James 3; 1 Peter 3:16, 2:1; Luke 6:7

What is the hardest thing to tame?

For what should we use our tongues?

I know I didn't have too much to say today but I pray that God continues to bless each and everyone of you and your families. Be blessed :)

(Both the prayer and further study have come from the Everyday with Jesus Bible: A One-Year Reading Bible by Holman Bible Publishers with Devotions by Selwyn Hughes)

Day 4

Hello everyone. Hope you all had a blessed day :)

Today's verses are Genesis chapter 7, 8, 9:1-7; Psalm 3:1-8; Proverbs 1:8-9; and Matthew 4:1-20.

In Genesis they were talking about Noah's time on the ark and how it rained for 40 days and 40 nights. I suppose I'm a bit biased because I already know the story of Noah's Ark and it actually brought back a memory that I had from the 2nd grade when were learning our multiplication tables, so I thought I would share it with you all (know that this is just for entertainment purposes and in are not completely accurate accounts of what happened on Noah's Ark so please be sure to read the verses)

Now I really enjoyed reading Psalm 3:1-8. It basically stated how the Lord protects us from our enemies and how we shouldn't be afraid of them because we have God on our side. It also reminded me of how in this day and age people like to say they have "haters" :)

Proverbs 1:8-9 are basically some instructions on listening to your parents because their words of wisdom will help as you face similar situations.

Matthew 4:1-20 I enjoyed reading the most! It was when Jesus was in the wilderness fasting for 40 days and 40 nights and the Devil came to tempt him. Every attempt the Devil made to persuade Jesus, He came back at the Devil with a scripture...every time. However, the Devil was cunning and he too came back at Jesus quoting scriptures as well. I think this is very important because it shows how crafty the enemy is and how we must know for ourselves what God's word say because the enemy could throw some things that sound good towards you but in order to know the difference, we must study and learn for ourselves so will be able to face the enemy when the time comes and won't be fooled by their temptations.

After reading the verses there was a passage about how some people don't feel as if the Devil is an actual entity and feel that he is merely an influence that causes us to do sinful things. I found this very interesting because earlier in the day my friend and I were having a similar conversation along the lines of whether or not the Devil was an actual being or do we (as people) invent him ourselves to take the blame for when we do something wrong (i.e.-"the Devil made me do it"). This passage just confirm that he is indeed a being and we need to be prepared when it comes to dealing with him and know that he can come at us in any shape or form.

(Please note that when I refer to the Devil as a "he" don't take it to mean that as a male figure. As stated before the Devil may appear in any form that we may find pleasing)

Prayer

Father, help me see that the first step in spiritual warfare is to "know the enemy." For until I know and understand my enemy, I will not be able to defeat him. Deepen my knowledge of these important truths, I pray. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Further Study

1 John 3:1-8; Hebrews 2:14; John 12:30-31

Why was Jesus made manifest?

What did He declare?

I hope everyone continues to have a great week. Be blessed :)

(Both the prayer and further study have come from the Everyday with Jesus Bible: A One-Year Reading Bible by Holman Bible Publishers with Devotions by Selwyn Hughes)

Day 3

Blessings and abundance to everyone on this day!

Today's verses are Genesis chapters 5 & 6, Psalm 2:7-12, Proverbs 1:7, Matthew 3:1-17

In Genesis chapter 5 we learn were the expression "as old as Methuselah" comes from. Methuselah was 969 years old when he died (verse 27). As I was reading chapter 5 of Genesis I found it amazing that people could live for so long back then. Now if someone makes it be 100 years old we count that a major blessing.

My sister and I would often talk about why no one lives to be 500 and 600, etc anymore and we've often had the theory that's because there is so much sin in the world. Up until today I just thought it was a good guess on our part because we were pretty sure that was what the reason was. Between all the killings, gluttonous bad habits and unhealthy choices it just seemed like the logical explanation, but then Genesis 6:3 says "My Spirit will not remain with mankind forever, because they are corrupt. Their days will be 120 years." I honestly didn't know that the 120 years came from this verse, I had heard it before but it was never clearly explained to me why and now I know :)

One verse that just made me really sad was Genesis 6:6 "the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart." Talk about some serious serious disappointment. It reminded me of how you do something wrong and instead of punishment your parents tell you how disappointed they are in you...that was one of the worst feelings ever and when I read that God regretted even creating us, I had to stop for a second and try to imagine the hurt that He felt with all the nonsense that was going on especially since that was not the reason He created us. Even the worst thing I could think of probably didn't come close to the pain He was feeling and it just made me so ashamed of the things that I've done wrong. Thank goodness God is loving and forgiving and doesn't constantly pound guilty and criticism over our heads after we ask to be forgiveness and He just forgives us right there on the spot. Otherwise we would be in a whole mess of trouble, but thank God for 2nd chances.

And speaking of 2nd chances.....

Chapter 6 of Genesis tells how God just got so fed up with the corruptness that was on the earth that He decided destroy everything and instructed Noah to build an ark and he was to place his family and 2 of every animal on the ark. When I was little and read that God wanted to destroy everything on earth I thought it was very harsh to just wipe out everyone like that. Yet, as I study this now, I see what God did as a second chance in some ways. It's kind of like in life when you try to hold on to some things that just don't need to be in your life but you still try to make it work. I think that's what God did, He tried to make to hold on to the fact that these were His creations and He made them out of love and he really wanted it all to work out. But just like in life when you can't find any good left in some things you just have to wipe the slate clean, cut your ties and move on and that's just want God had to do.

I feel it was a second chance because he allow Noah to be a part of a world much better than the original one....but we haven't gotten to that part of the story yet but think of it as a promise of hope. In life when we go through bad things we feel like it's the end of the world and in Noah's case it was literally but God granted him and his family access to a better one. So when you feel like your world is caving in and being destroyed it's probably just God's way of building something even better for you. So don't feel like your life is being destroyed...how about we just think of it as remodeling :)

I'll stop here for a few minutes just to say how blessed I was from reading these two chapters and the message I received while reading them. I've heard the story of Noah's Ark plenty of times and never got this message out of it before and there's no way I would have come up with something like this on my own. I can take no credit for this revelation because this clearly came straight from God and He was using me to bring it across to someone out there (including myself). This is really cool because I've never actually felt personally used by God before, so right now I'm super excited! :) :) :)

Psalm 2:7-12 to me says that God is our Father and we are His children and because of this if you ask Him, He will make what you need yours and if you choose not to serve Him, He will be angry and "you will perish for you rebellion" (Psalm 2: 12b) and that "all those who take refuge in Him are happy" (Psalm 2:12d). So the wrath of God or serve Him and be happy.....I think I know what my choice is going to be :) I mean why not? As I've said before because we are all God's children there is nothing He won't do for us if we simply serve Him....sounds like a fair trade to me :)

Proverbs 1:7 is along the same lines saying "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." To me that says ignorance is not bliss and personally I would rather be able to learn something from the One that is fully of knowledge than to be a fool...this also reminds me of the saying "don't be a fool, stay in school" and I guess that kind of works here to considering we go to school to gain knowledge....but anywho lol....

Matthew 3:1-17 shares how John the Baptist prophesied about Jesus coming. John basically told everyone they needed to get their act together because He was coming soon and if you didn't get it together then you'll be taken out.

One thing I have learned so far is that plain and simple God just doesn't take any mess. I mean I knew that but never really found it relatable until now. I was watching Joel Osteen last night and his message was "Knowing God as a Father" as in a parent and like a light bulb it just finally all clicked for me between last night and now how literal it means to be a child of God. God does all the things for us that our earthly parents do: teach us right from wrong, are there when we need to talk and even when we mess up we can go running into His arms and ask Him to make things all better. We often see Him as this being that has all power in His hands and I'll be the first one the admit that can be a bit intimidating to think about sometimes but God is also loving, humble and comforting and any wrath He has is not aimed at us but at our sins.

In Matthew 3:13-15 Jesus comes to John the Baptist to be baptized in the Jordan River and John's like um you're asking me when I should be the one asking you to baptize me. But how cool is Jesus to say that "allow it for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15). I would have been so nervous if Jesus wanted me to baptize Him. Probably shaking and I might have even dropped Him but that's why John was there to do it and "better him than me." :) Jesus is humble enough to get on our level (i.e.-become human) to help us understand what He needs for us to do.

God is not this ominous being that we should be fearful of to the extent that we run away from Him but we should be fearful enough that we run to Him, if that makes any sense at all :) What I mean to say is all He wants is to love us if we just let Him.

Prayer

Blessed Trinity, Three in One and One in Three, my spirit joins with Your Spirit this day to worship You in spirit and in truth. Though sometimes darkness to my intellect, Your truth is nevertheless sunshine to my heart. Amen.

Further Study

Matthew 28:16-20, John 14:26-27 and 15:26-27

How were the disciples to baptize new converts?

How did Jesus confirm the truth of the Trinity?

I have added the prayer and further study verses and questions to this blog and the other ones as well so feel free to go back and look at those when you have the time.

I hope you all have a very good day. Be blessed everyone :)

(Both the prayer and further study have come from the Everyday with Jesus Bible: A One-Year Reading Bible by Holman Bible Publishers with Devotions by Selwyn Hughes)

Sunday Best

Greetings and salutations everyone! Hope your day/afternoon/evening/night is going well.

Today I want to talk about an issue that I personally have wondered about ever since I was little and growing up in the church and that is dressing in your Sunday best. Sorry to disappoint those who may have thought I was talking about the show on BET but honestly I never really watched that show so I couldn't tell you want was happening on it other than it is the Christian version of American Idol lol.

Now when I was little dressing up was one thing I just couldn't stand! I was a tomboy growing up and was all about being comfortable. Give me jeans and a t-shirt any day and I would be set to go. Yet, when it came to going to church on Sunday dressing up was a must and no amount of my being a tomboy would change that. Oh but I hated it! My dress would be poofy, my stockings would itch my legs and my dress shoes would make my feet hurt.

I never understood why I needed to be dressed to the nines every time we went to church. Being smaller and not fully understanding what was happening during church anyway, I thought it was boring and I just wanted to stretch out in the pews and take a nap. Now how was I supposed to be able to do that and get comfortable in an itchy outfit whose material could be doubled as a tablecloth? (there were a lot of floral print dresses in my closet) Even if I did understand what was going on I was too focused on being uncomfortable that I would have missed the good word anyway.

I just didn't get it and every now and then I would see some children in more casual clothes and would ask why I couldn't wear what they were wearing. But no matter how much I complained or whined it was the same thing every Sunday....I had to wear my Sunday best.

As I got older I began to hear the phrase "come just as you are." Finally the answers to my prayers! These were perfect words I had been waiting to hear for so long that would allow me to don jeans and a t-shirt to church....man was I wrong so so wrong. My parents were not having any part in that, saying that doesn't mean you can just come any kind of way to church, you still must be presentable....Boy did they burst my bubble quick :(

So Sunday after Sunday I was still made to wear the appropriate clothing to church which was definitely not my idea of a good time. However, I still continued to hear the phrase "come just as you are." In my little mind I was thinking "someone isn't telling me the truth. The pastor says come as you are but my parents are telling that I can't just wear any old thing to church...so who is right?" Internally, I fought with this question over and over and still couldn't come up with the proper solution, so I just accepted the fact that in my house I was always going to be expected to wear my Sunday best.

Eventually, I learned that the phrase is meant to be understood (or at least from my understanding) that God wants us to give ourselves over to Him no matter what our circumstances are. We can be broken down, hurt, feeling like no one cares about us, be broke, be rich, have the best or have nothing at all and God still wants us flaws and all. Now this is fantastic right? Someone who is willing to take on all our baggage and troubles no matter how big or small our troubles are....He will take us just as we are. What a wonderful thing to know.....

But here is where the controversy comes in.....or a bit of debate if you will :)

Although I hear what the phrase is saying (and I agree with it), why can't it also be applied to our attire when we go to church? For some people they take it both ways, come as you are inside and outside. What you have on shouldn't matter. For others it's strictly an internal thing....you can be broken up and messed up on the inside and yes, God will take you as is, but don't you dare stroll up in church looking as busted as you feel on the inside and if you do they be prepared for "church folk" (church folk and Christians are not always the same thing but that's a blog for another time :P) to stare at you and maybe even criticize your attire amongst other "church folk."

Now to me that just doesn't seem right. Maybe I'm a little bias because I wasn't one for being so dressed up when I was little. Even though I guess I understand it now, dressing up is not so bad (especially since I get to choose what I can wear now), but I don't feel that we as Christians should berate anyone for coming to church if we feel they aren't dressed appropriately. What we perceive as "unworthy" could very well be their Sunday best and while we get so caught up in what they have on or don't have on, we could be missing our blessing while they are steady receiving theirs.

I've been to some churches and you would think you've stepped into America's Next Top Model: Church Edition. It's like a fashion show and some of the outfits and elaborate hats are just ridiculous. Don't get me wrong sometimes putting on nice clothes can change your whole attitude and what better way to share such a happy attitude than by being in the house of the Lord. However, sometimes the people in the fancy outfits and hats could be the ones that need God the most and no matter how handsome or pretty you look in your best suit or dress, it still can't change how you feel on the inside.

I truly think my biggest problem when it comes to putting on your Sunday best is when people use it to make themselves seem like they're better than someone else. Aren't we all children of God? Aren't we all afforded the same privileges when it comes to being a child of God despite our situations and who we are, so why should what we wear matter?

I've often gone back and forth with many people about this subject and I see both sides of the viewpoint. I'm not saying any particular side is right or wrong because both sides have made valid points when we have discussed the issue. All I'm saying is behind all the clothes is you...just you and that's what God cares about. I just want people to realize and take the focus off of what people wear and keep the focus on their relationship with God.

If dressing to impress is how you feel most comfortable when going to church that's is great, but don't hold your head up high because you have on the best, hold it up because you are God's child and He loves you. If you feel like you come to church and your clothes are less than the best please, don't hold your head down, hold it high because you too are a child of God and He loves you.

Christians, the important thing is to welcome everyone as they enter the church. Giving someone a sincere smile, kind words or even a hug can make all the difference because looks can be deceiving and you never know what anyone is going through despite how they look and what they wear.

I guarantee you that if you have God in your heart on Sunday morning no matter what you have on you will be dressed in your Sunday best :)

Have a fantastic day/afternoon/evening/night everyone and be blessed :)

Day 2

Hello everyone. I hope you all had a blessed Sunday. Today's verses are Genesis chapters 3 and 4, Psalm 2:1-6, Proverbs 1:5-6 and Matthew 2:1-23.

I really don't have any individual comments about each book like I did yesterday because for the most part each of the verses dealt with the how God deals with sin. While reading this I felt kinda bad because it made me think about actions and consequences when we do something wrong. It made me think of when I was little and did something wrong and how my parents had to punish me. There were times when my parents would even say "this is gonna hurt me more than it hurts you," at the time I would be thinking "you must be out of your mind because there is no way that's possible."

I'm sure that God feels the same way when we sin and he has to punish us. I'm sure it hurts Him as well because He loves us but that is why He punishes us because of the sin. God cannot tolerate sin so in order to keep us safe, He does His best to eliminate the sin from our lives. Even though we may not understand it at the time God indeed is doing this for our own good.

Prayer

O Father, what a change comes over me when I realize Your wrath is not so much directed at persons as at the sin that demeans and destroys them. You are not against me for my sin, but for me against my sin. I am deeply grateful. Amen.

Further Study

Psalm 5:1-6, 11:5; Habakkuk 1: 12-13; Zechariah 8:16-17

How did the psalmist express God's great intolerance?

What does the Lord hate?

That's pretty much all I have for my thoughts on these verses. Please feel free to add more.

Be blessed everyone :)

(Both the prayer and further study have come from the Everyday with Jesus Bible: A One-Year Reading Bible by Holman Bible Publishers with Devotions by Selwyn Hughes)

Day 1

Happy New Year everyone! Although 2010 was rough year, I can truly say that I thank God for allowing me to see another year. I pray that God grants you with an abundance of blessings during 2011 and fills your heart with much joy. Today is the first day of my Everyday with Jesus Bible journey and I will tell you already that Satan has been trying to stop this already. There have been a few obstacles in the way and I wasn’t even sure if I was going to be able to post this blog today but by the grace of God I am able to J

The verses for January 1^st are Genesis chapters 1 & 2, Psalm 1:1-6, Proverbs 1:1-4 and Matthew 1:1-25. I had initially wanted to put the verses on here so that you all would be able to see them, but I feel that it is important that you all become used to finding the word yourselves and get into the habit of opening your Bibles and reading the scriptures for yourself.

Genesis chapters 1 & 2 are basically talking about how God created the Heavens and Earth in six days (He rested on the seventh day). Although I had read this story plenty of times before I couldn’t help but smile when I read it again. I loved how God seemed so pleased with His work, it reminded me of how proud we feel when we put such hard work into something and it comes out pleasantly well. For me, it just showed me that even the small things such as being happy with work that we have done, are traits of being God’s children and even though I knew this, it was more a comfort to me to receive more affirmation of that we are indeed children of God J

In chapter 2 verses 7 through 24, it discusses God’s creation of man and woman. Initially He just created man and surrounded him with the creatures but seeing that it wasn’t good for man to be alone God created woman. This part here spoke to me on a personal level because I am dealing with some issues of being lonely and knowing that God himself doesn’t want me to be alone was such a huge comfort. I can’t begin to tell how lonely I had been feeling lately and it was as though God was speaking to me personally when I read this and I knew that my lonely feelings would only be temporary.

Psalm 1:1-6 gave me the impression that we can get so wrapped up in being around those who partake in sinful activities such as gossip thinking that it is this behavior that will make us happy. But the verses state that man will be stronger and happier if they look for their happiness in the Lord. I feel that the ways of the world are ever-changing and while we tend to cling so hard to trying to figure out what the current trends are it can quickly change by the next day and if that is where we seek our joy, then it will be short-lived. Constantly chasing something that will come and go can make us weary and weak when we place ourselves in it whole-heartedly because once it is gone It may take a little piece of us with it. And if we place ourselves with so many Earthy things that are often scattered and brushed away, then so will we. Holding on to God will give us stability and much happiness because He will never change and will always be there for us. I enjoyed reading this especially going into a new year with unexpected things about to occur it is very good to know that there will be One that will always remain the same.

Now Proverbs 1:1-4 gave me the most difficulty and I had to read the verses over and over again. I don’t know if I was reading it wrong or what but I ended up asking my sister to help me understand what the verses were saying. The verses were saying that you need to read Proverbs to gain certain attributes that will aid in your Christian walk (my interpretation anyway). Just as the Bible is an instruction guide for Christians, I felt that these particular verses just gave a bit more special instructions…kind of like specific tools to further aid us as we become stronger in our walk with God. I could be totally off base with this one because as I said I wasn’t fully able to understand it so please feel free to give me your thoughts on the verses I would really appreciate it J

Ah! Good old Matthew 1:1-25. My sister and I joke about these verses a lot. Not because we don’t take what it says seriously but because of what it says. The majority of these verses (2-16) list the long lineage from Abraham all the way up to Jesus. You’re probably thinking what’s so funny about that but we find it a bit amusing and sometimes difficult because the names that are listed. Some are not easy to pronounce and it seems to just go on and on (perhaps this is just meant to be an inside joke). Anyway what I gained from reading verses 2-16 is that no matter what happens it all ends with Jesus. I may be reaching on this but this is what I felt: that no matter how hard the situation may be God will always be there in end to see us through it all. 14 generations and it ended with the birth of Jesus Christ. How amazing is that?! Verses 18-24 share the story of Joseph and Mary. When Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant he intended to secretly divorce her because if she were to be discovered pregnant outside of marriage then the penalty was death. I had to commend Joseph for want to protect Mary even though he wanted out of his commitment with her because I can just imagine how the human side of us would want to publically condemn someone that we find fault with just to save face. But once the angel spoke to Joseph and explained how she was blessed with the Holy Spirit he reconsidered and did what God wanted him to do.

We often hesitate and become fearful (or personally I have) when God wants us to do something but I am glad that Joseph stepped up and did as God asked otherwise he would have missed out on the best thing to ever happen in the world….literally! This made me think about how many blessings we could potentially be missing out on because God wants us to be placed out of our comfort zones to do what He asks because we think we know better when truthfully He has it all under control…just a thought.

Prayer

O Father, from this day help me determine to You my primary focus. And give me the grace and strength to maintain it, through all the vicissitudes and uncertainties of the days ahead. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen

Further Study

John 1:1-5, Colossians 1:15-20, Hebrews 12:2, Revelation 1:8

What did the Lord declare to John the revelator?

What did the apostle John declare?

I hope you all enjoyed your first day of the new year. I pray for miracles and blessings for you all. Be blessed everyone J

(Both the prayer and further study have come from the Everyday with Jesus Bible: A One-Year Reading Bible by Holman Bible Publishers with Devotions by Selwyn Hughes)