Here are some of the verses that stood out to me in my reading last week:
What caused me to worship God more?
"So that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls." 1 Peter 1:7-9
It is through Jesus Christ that our souls can be saved. That is a treasure worth much more than gold or silver or any earthly thing. It is one of the many reasons that we need to worship our Creator and King.
What scripture touched me?
"Then He said to me, "Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day, I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children and you shall say to them, "Thus says the Lord God." As for them, whether they listen or not - for they are a rebellious house - they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, neither fear them nor fear their words, though thistles and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions; neither fear their words nor be dismayed at their presence, for they are a rebellious house, But you shall speak My words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious." Ezekiel 2:3-7
As I read through the Bible I have been seeing over and over and over again the admonition to not be afraid. To stand up and be courageous. I think this is a very important part of following God. We are also told that we are to fear God - to obey Him and do what He says no matter what the consequences are. When we do that we don't have to worry about the future at all. God has everything in His control. That doesn't mean that we never prepare for the future - God gives us instructions in His word to prepare often but it does mean that we never ever have to worry. Also we can be courageous to stand strong and share God's message because that is what He asks of us.
This message that God gave to Ezekiel also gives me strength. I am so thankful for the examples of following God that we can read about in His word.
What prompts me to action?
"At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. When I say to the wicked, "You will surely die," and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself. Again, when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I place an obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. However, if you have warned the righteous man that the righteous should not sin and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning; and you have delivered yourself." Ezekial 3:16-21
This is again a message given to Ezekiel but I think I can learn from it. When I choose to follow Jesus Christ I was given a great commission to go and tell others about the Good news that I had come to know and accept. That commission never goes away. All of our life as a Christian we need to be telling others. Whether we tell others or not can have eternal consequences. This is important!
What interesting fact did I find?
"If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God." 1 Peter 1:17-21
It is interesting to note that this passage says to conduct ourselves in fear - but this is a fear of God not of men.
The fact that I am relishing in here is that the inheritance that we are looking forward to receiving has nothing to do with how rich we are here but has everything to do with whether we have been covered with the blood of Jesus Christ. Have you?
What insight have you found in God's word in your Bible reading lately?
2 comments:
Dear Abbi, Of course you had no way of knowing what I am going through during a very crucial time in the life of my family and me, but your words here spoke straight to my heart tonight. I know, without a doubt, that God has spoken through His Word that you included here. So, thank you ever so much for being obedient and faithful to Him in sharing this! I am so grateful to Him and to you.
There is so much to learn as we read through scriptures, and we can see that distressing times have always abounded, but even greater still, our LORD is faithful through and in the midst of it all. He is faithful, and in Him, all is Well. Appreciated and enjoyed hearing how the Lord has been working in your heart. Blessings and hugs to you dear Abbi!
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