I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

Amos 7-9:15

     The high priest of the Northern Kingdom accused Amos of plotting against the king. He then told Amos to take his prophecies back to the Kingdom of Judah. Amos replies that he was not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet. The implication here is that the priest was implying that Amos was serving the interests of the Kingdom of Judah and his prophesies were meant to encourage the people of Israel to reunite with and submit to the rule of the king of Judah. That is, Amos’ prophesies were serving a political agenda. Amos’ reply was that he had no political agenda and was merely responding to the call of the Lord.
     Amos then prophesies once more about God’s judgment on those whose only interest in religious events is when they will end so that they can go back to taking advantage of the poor. He prophesies that the day is soon coming when the spiritual malnourishment that comes from worshiping something other than God will cause the people to starve spiritually and that starvation will be as devastating as physical starvation. This spiritual starvation will lead to destruction and death. Those who are true followers of God will not be lost, but those who wallow in sin will die by violence.
     This destruction will be followed by the day when God calls people from every nation to be His people. In that day He will build His kingdom with those who serve Him, no matter what their ancestry. The descendants of Jacob have a special place in God’s heart, but so do other peoples on the earth. God may have special plans for the descendants Jacob, but He loves all people.

Revelation 3:7-22

The next category of Christian group is that of the Church in Philadelphia. They did not have much strength. Their power was limited. However, they obeyed God’s word and would not deny Him in the face of opposition. As a result of their faithfulness, God has opened a door for them and what God has opened no one can close. God has given them an opportunity to serve Him and they took it. Let us be this group. Let us recognize that we do not have much strength and must rely on God to open doors for us. I will also recognize that no one can close the doors which God opens for me. No matter what the opposition my path to serving the Lord will NOT be blocked.
Finally we have the Church in Laodicea. They are neither hot nor cold, but merely lukewarm. I have seen different ways to interpret this. I think everyone understands the lukewarm part; they are the “go-along-to-get-along” sort. However, Christ says that He wishes they were either hot or cold. What does He mean by that? Which is which is a matter of little import, but I think He was saying that He wishes they were either those who are confrontational about their faith, “Are you Born Again?” Or those who are welcoming and gentle in their faith. The latter being those who are not judgmental about the sins of those who do not believe, but sacrifice to show them Christ’s love. God has a place in His kingdom for both sorts. For those who call out people for their sin and those who show His love to people despite their sin. I think that we are each called to sometimes be one and sometimes be the other. Further, this group is confident of their material possessions and think that this grants them security. Of the seven groups, this is the one furthest from serving the Lord. Christ tells us that even if we are here, He wants us to join Him. He is standing at the door and knocking. I pray that I am hearing Christ knock at my door and will open it to let Him in. Will you listen for His knock? Will you open the door to Him?

Psalm 131:1-3

I will not be proud. I will not demand that I understand all of God’s plans for me. I will calm myself and be satisfied that He has a plan. I will put my trust in God.

Proverbs 29:23

If we are proud, we will be humiliated. If we are humble, we will be honoured. Oh Lord, let me live in humility. I know that I am no one special. My only value is as someone who allows you to use me.

Daily Bible Study

December 11, 2013 Bible Study — Categories of Christian Groups (Part II)

December 10, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Amos 4-6:14

Amos speaks of those who oppress the poor and crush the needy while living in the lap of luxury. They offer sacrifices to idols, then make offerings to the Lord. They brag about all of the various volunteer offerings they make to God, but do nothing to help those in need. God has brought trouble and misfortune upon them, but they refuse to turn to Him and follow His will. They twist justice, hating honest judges and despising those who tell the truth. They claim to desire to help the poor while at the same time trampling them and stealing their food with taxes and unfair rents. They oppress good people by taking bribes and prevent the poor from receiving justice in the courts. Because of all of this God is preparing to send His judgment upon them, but there is still time to turn to God by doing what is good and running from evil.
I read this today and thought of our society. There are many today who proclaim all of the great things they are doing, yet if one looks closely one sees that all they are truly doing is satisfying their own desires at the expense of the poor and powerless. This passage is an indictment of many who claim to be Christian as well as others. Let us turn to God and seek justice for the poor. Rather than sacrifices for show, let us provide for those in need. God’s judgment will fall on those who continue to do evil.

Revelation 2:18-3:6

Today’s passage has the message to two more of the Churches, representing two more categories of Christian group. The next category is that of the Church in Thyatira. They have love and faith. They persevere in giving service. Not only have they maintained their love of the Lord and energy serving Him, they are doing even more than when they first believed. However, they tolerate teacher(s) who encourage sexual immorality and discrete worshiping of idols. Those who reject such teachings are commended and encouraged to hold onto what they have received. There is no secret teachings we need to learn, or hidden secrets of God to be revealed to us by special leaders. God’s Spirit is open and reveals God’s word to all who wish to see. Let us maintain our faith and reject those who seek “secret” knowledge and attempt to reveal to us things “never known” before.
The fifth category of Christian group (or group of Christians is perhaps a better way to phrase it) is that of the Church in Sardis. This is a group that has a reputation for being active and alive, but is not truly so. They have lost their love for Christ and the life which comes from the Spirit. They are going on on past accomplishments. They once did the things which God desired, but now they think that they have done enough. They must repent and return to God, return to doing the things they had done to serve God in the past. Despite their lack of life and vibrancy in serving God there remain among them a few who still love and serve Him. Every time I read this passage I think of my congregation. I look back over its history and wonder if we are like the Church in Sardis. The congregation was founded as an outreach to the children in the community who had no other exposure to Christian teaching, yet now I see little in the way of ministry to children (other than to the children of those who regularly attend). I do not know that my perception is accurate, there are aspects of the congregation’s ministry with which I am unfamiliar.

Psalm 130:1-8

From the deepest depths of my despair I will cry to the Lord. I will wait for Him and put my hope in Him. My hope so placed will not be placed in vain. He will redeem me and save me from my troubles.

Proverbs 29:21-22

Those who are pampered in their youth will become insolent when asked to serve others. Those who cannot control their temper start fights and let their anger lead them into all kinds of sin. I will learn to control my temper and serve the Lord as He desires.

Daily Bible Study

December 10, 2013 Bible Study — Categories of Christian Groups (Part I)

December 9, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Amos 1-3:15

     The first thing to take note of is that Amos was a shepherd when God called him to his ministry. He was not one of the elites, nor was he particularly well-educated. If God could call Amos to be one of the men who wrote part of the Bible, He could call you or me for a similar role. Certainly, He has a ministry in mind for us that is just as important to Him as Amos’ ministry was.
     First Amos prophesies against all of Israel’s and Judah’s near neighbors. He prophesies their destruction for their sins. Then he prophesies the destruction of Judah and Israel. He indicts them for selling the honourable and the poor. They trample the helpless and abuse the oppressed. They are immoral and corrupt. Then he comes to the worst of their sins, they forced those who had made vows to the Lord to serve Him break those vows and silenced the prophets whom God had sent to warn them of their sin. The people have forgotten how to do what is right and all of their wealth was acquired by deceit and violence.
     I read this and see that this indictment holds against our society today. Can God’s judgment be long in coming if we do not change our ways and turn back to Him?

Revelation 2:1-17

     In today’s passage we have the messages for the first three of the seven Churches. I believe that every Christian group falls into one of these seven categories. The first category is that of the Church of Ephesus. Those in this group work hard for God and are patient in waiting for Him to work His will in this world. They will not tolerate those who do evil in the name of God or Christ, who use religion as a cover for self-aggrandizement. They hate the practices of those who use the freedom we have through Christ as an excuse for immorality (the Nicolaitans, more of my thoughts on them later). However, they have lost their enthusiasm, their love, for Christ and doing God’s work. They continue to do God’s work, but it is out of obligation and duty, not out of love. Let us serve God, not because we are obligated to do so, but because our love for Him makes it a joy to do what He desires. If you have forgotten the joy of serving the Lord, search your heart and fall to your knees, asking the Spirit to bring it back to you.
     The second category of Christian group is the Church of Smyrna. They are poor and they are suffering persecution. They face opposition from groups who claim to serve God, but actually reject His commands. They face prison and martyrdom. However, they are rich in faith and the joy of serving the Lord. They are enthusiastic for Christ and give of what they have to help those in even greater need. Let us praise God if we find ourselves amongst such Christians.
     The third category is the Church of Pergamum. They remain loyal to Christ despite living among those who dedicated themselves to serving Satan (I do not think that this refers to Satanists per se). Despite the fact that they live among people who worship actions which are evil and immoral, they strive to follow God’s commands. However, they tolerate those who use the freedom we have in Christ and God’s grace in forgiving our sins as an excuse to justify sins of various kinds, but especially sexual immorality. There are two groups among these whom they tolerate. Those who seduce people away from God by encouraging their baser instincts and lusts and those who use these base instincts and lusts to gain power over people. Those who use people’s base instincts and lust to control them include people like David Koresh and Jim Jones, but there are others who are not as obvious. We are to reject such people from our fellowship, so that we, and our weaker brothers and sisters, will not be tempted by their evil. We must not have an attitude of “go along to get along” with such people.

Psalm 129:1-8

The Lord will free us from being bound to serve the ungodly. The psalmist instructs us to refrain from blessing those who hate the City of God and righteousness. I do not believe by this he means (or at least that God intends us to interpret it that way) that we should refuse to desire that good things happen to those who reject God and righteousness. Rather, my understanding is that we should not offer our support to efforts to work against righteousness and God’s will.

Proverbs 29:19-20

Sometimes it takes more than words to convince people to mend their ways. They may understand what you say, but if they suffer no consequences for their bad behavior, they will not change what they do. It is worse to say something without thinking about how it will be understood than it is to take ill-advised action.

Daily Bible Study

December 9, 2013 Bible Study — The One Who Is, Who Was, and Is Still to Come

December 8, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Joel 1-3:21

God does not need human armies to bring about a nation’s downfall. The prophet Joel discusses an army of locusts, but God can bring about the destruction of a nation in many ways. The time to turn to God is now. Our time will run out and then it will be too late. Let us turn to God with fasting and mourning, but not outward mourning that is all for show, rather let us turn with genuine mourning in our hearts. Let us call on everyone we know to turn to God. If we turn from our sins and confess them before God, He will have mercy on us and turn aside the destruction that is on its way.
God has done great things and we will see His glory. He will pour out His Spirit upon His people, those who call upon His name. People will dream dreams and see visions, young and old alike. Men and women will prophecy before the Lord. God will redeem and save those who call upon His name, but those who defy Him and take arms against those who love Him He will strike down and destroy.

Revelation 1:1-20

The book of Revelation is a troubling book, but it starts off with glory. John extends to us grace and peace from God, the One who is, and was, and is to come. Through all of history, past, present, and what is still to take place, God has been there and He has not changed. He was there at the beginning and He will be there at the end. In this passage, John tells us that Jesus is that never changing God. Jesus holds the keys to death and the grave, there is nothing over which He does not have power. He died, but now He lives and through Him we also may live.

Psalm 128:1-6

Those who fear the Lord and follow His ways will find joy. They will flourish and be satisfied. God will give them peace. Let me follow God’s ways and be satisfied by the peace which He gives me.

Proverbs 29:18

Those who refuse divine guidance have no restraint and their behavior is unpredictable, but those who follow God’s wise guidance will be blessed.

Daily Bible Study

December 8, 2013 Bible Study — Unless the Lord Builds the House…

December 7, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Hosea 10-14:9

     Hosea prophesied against Israel, but the contents of this passage apply to all peoples in all times. The richer people get, the more they turn to the worship of idols. People spout empty words and make promises they do not intend to keep (sound familiar?). The result of all of this is that injustice springs up among the people, getting continually worse. From time to time I have heard people justify lies and broken promises as necessary to fight against injustice. This passage reminds us that lying and making promises you do not intend to keep in order to fight injustice is like randomly shooting into a crowd to prevent the people in the crowd from being shot.
     The people fear that something bad may happen to their idols, the things they worship and rely on in place of God, more than they fear injustice or that their neighbor will suffer. People believe that a strong military will keep them safe, even if they commit injustices and sin against their fellow-man. They cheat and steal from their neighbor and think that such actions are the method by which they can acquire wealth. They fail to recognize that their wealth was a gift from God, given to them so that they may carry out God’s will.
     Hosea tells us what we must do if we want to avoid destruction. We must turn to God and confess our sins. Then God will heal us of our faithlessness. Let us stop worshiping things that are not God and turn to walk in His paths. Everything of value comes from God, I will trust in Him and strive to do His will.

Jude 1:1-25

     Jude warned us against those who claim that God’s grace leaves us free to live immoral lives, that we do not need to live righteous lives because of God’s grace. God rescued Israel from the land of Egypt but later destroyed those who did not remain faithful. The same is true for us, God rescued us from sin, but will destroy those who choose to return to that sin.
     There are people who claim to have received authority from their dreams, or some other source that cannot be confirmed by others. They use this imputed authority to justify living immoral lives, defy those whose authority derives from more traditional (and verifiable) sources, and scoff at the supernatural. The writer reminds us that we do not have power over supernatural beings, our power versus the devil is not our own. We merely have the authority to invoke Jesus’ power. Those who scoff at what they do not understand are blemishes on our fellowship gatherings. They are people who use others for their own aggrandizement and give nothing in return. They are a contamination of the body of Christ.
     Jude tells us how to recognize them. They do not produce the fruit of the Spirit (see Paul’s writing to know what that is). They grumble and complain, only interested in what satisfies their own desire. They spend their time telling others about all of the “wonderful things” they have done. They tell you what a wonderful person you are in order to get you to do what they want (if you dare to resist their desires, you suddenly become a pariah). I watch my behavior because these characteristics are a sign that I am drifting away from God’s will for my life (or have already moved away from it). It is these sorts of people who create division in the Church.
     Jude concludes by telling us the counter to such people, the way to live so as not to be like them (or be led astray by them). He tells us to build each other up in our faith in Christ, show mercy to those who struggle with doubts. Let us reprove those who are destroying themselves with their sin, but extend friendship and hospitality to those who are struggling. As we strive to show love to those who are struggling in sin we must be cautious not to allow their sin to become our own. In all of this, let us never forget that God is able to keep us from falling into sin, if we only trust and rely on Him.

Psalm 127:1-5

Today’s psalm is an important reminder that no matter how skilled we are, no matter how hard we work, all of our efforts will be wasted if we do not work within God’s will.

Proverbs 29:15-17

It is through being disciplined that children learn wisdom. It is only by the discipline instilled by our parents when we were young that we learned the skills we need to thrive in this world. It is only through the discipline instilled by God that we learn the skills we need to thrive in the next.

Daily Bible Study

December 7, 2013 Bible Study — The Lord Has Done Amazing Things For Us

December 6, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Hosea 6-9:17

God wants us to show love/mercy more than He wants us to offer sacrifices. He wants us to know Him more than He wants us to follow specific regulations. But we have broken His covenant and betrayed His trust…I have broken His covenant and betrayed His trust. Despite all of this God wants to heal us, to heal our land. Let us each one of us take the responsibility to turn from our sins and cry to God for help. Let us not follow the example of the people of the Kingdom of Israel, who looked everywhere, except to God, for help. Let us turn to God, and cry out for His help, now, before it is too late.

3 John 1:1-14

In this letter, John tells us of the importance of helping traveling teachers, those who go from place to place to bring the word of God. We should provide them with support because they will not accept aid from non-believers. John also warns us against church leaders who want to prevent anyone from hearing the teaching of anyone they do not control, leaders who are dictatorial and controlling. Let us follow only what is good. Those who do good prove that they are children of God, while those who do evil show that they do not even know God.

Psalm 126:1-6

I will have faith in God, even though I am facing difficult times. He will restore my fortunes and I will bless His name. Things may be difficult now, but I trust God to bring joy into my life.

Proverbs 29:12-14

Rulers who listen to liars will quickly end up with advisers who are all wicked. Those who think that it is acceptable for those in positions of authority to lie in order to accomplish “worthy” objectives will discover that those worthy objectives are not what they thought they were. Integrity is vitally important in order to accomplish anything of positive value.

Daily Bible Study

December 6, 2013 Bible Study — The Wicked Will Not Rule the Land of the Godly

December 5, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Hosea 4-5:15

Hosea proclaimed the reasons for God’s judgment against the Kingdom of Israel. The people have abandoned morality. He warns them to examine themselves, not to point the finger against someone else. The religious leaders profit from the sins of the people, so they encourage them to sin rather than encouraging them to be righteous. The people refuse to acknowledge God and reject any knowledge of Him. They turn to idols and superstitious nonsense to predict the future. The people offer sacrifices to all sorts of idols. As a result their young women lead lives of sexual debauchery, as do their young men. There are no morals in the land. They refuse to recognize the connection between their lack of morals and their problems, both economic and political. As I read this it reminds me of our society today. I will not point the finger at others. God is calling me to live a morally exemplary life and I have not done so. I will ask God to place His Spirit within me and transform me into the person He desires me to be.

2 John 1:1-13

Reading this, I believe that John wrote this letter to a specific person, but even so God meant his message for all of us. This letter contains the same theme(s) which John wrote in the one I finished yesterday. God commands us to love one another. John reminds us that God’s commands are about loving. We may not always understand the connection between God’s commands and loving each other, but nevertheless if we do not follow God’s commands about morality and integrity we are not acting out of love.
If you listen closely to those who say that we can love without following the God’s moral teachings you will soon realize that John’s secondary theme here is very appropriate. Those who teach such things also teach, often with great subtly and guile, that Jesus did not actually live as a man. John warns us to have nothing to do with those who teach that Jesus did not live, die, and rise from the dead. No matter how good the rest of what they teach sounds, it does not come from God.

Psalm 125:1-5

Those who trust in the Lord will be as secure as a mountain that cannot be shaken, even by earthquakes. God will surround His people and keep them from harm. This psalm addresses one of Hosea’s themes in a different way. The wicked will not rule the land of the godly, so if our rulers are wicked we need to look at ourselves. Let us turn from wickedness to God and call on God to banish those who will not turn from wickedness from among us.

Proverbs 29:9-11

Be careful if you find yourself in the presence of someone who hates those with integrity because they will seek the downfall of anyone who tries to live a righteous life. We have been told that it is bad to control our anger and bottle it up, yet a wise man does not allow himself to be controlled by anger.

Daily Bible Study

December 5, 2013 Bible Study — What If God Had Not Been On My Side?

December 4, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Hosea 1-3:5

God gave Hosea a difficult ministry. He started by instructing Hosea to marry a prostitute. Hosea’s wife had three children. One God told him to name for a valley where the power of the Kingdom of Israel would be broken. The second and third he was to name, “Not-loved” and “Not-my-people”. These names were a message to the people of the Northern Kingdom, the Kingdom of Israel. God was telling them that He would no longer love them above other peoples and that they were no longer His people. Yet despite all of this, Hosea prophesied that the people of Israel would multiply until they were like the sand on the seashore. Then, in God’s time, He would call them back and they would be called the children of the living God.
Hosea prophesied that the day would come when all of God’s people would be united under one ruler. Today we are the children of the living God and tremble in awe of the Lord and His goodness. I am in awe of the good things God has done. He has brought the people of Israel back to the land He gave to Abraham. He has called people of every tribe and nation to be His children. I will praise God every day.

1 John 5:1-21

If we believe that Jesus is God’s anointed One, we have become God’s children. If we truly love God, we will also love all of God’s children. If we truly love God’s children, we will love God and obey His commands. Jesus came by water (baptism) and blood (dying on the cross). In addition, God’s Spirit testifies to the truth of Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection. God Himself testifies about the pivotal role of Jesus in the salvation He is offering us. Those who believe in Jesus believe God. Those who claim that Jesus never lived, or was just a man, and/or did not rise from the dead are calling God a liar. If we accept Jesus as the Son of God, we will know in our hearts that this is all true. I cannot prove to you that God exists or that Jesus lived, died, and rose again. That is something you will have to accept on faith. However, if you do accept it on faith, before very long, you will not just believe it to be true, but you will KNOW it to be true.
John then tells us something about prayer similar to what James had said. He tells us that we can have confidence that if we ask God for something in order to fulfill God’s will, God will hear our prayer. And if God hears our prayer, He will give us what we ask for. The key here is that we cannot be asking in order to bring glory to ourselves or for our own pleasure. Rather we need to be asking in order to carry out God’s will. As we come to love God more and more, carrying out God’s will will bring greater pleasure to us than anything else we can imagine. Carrying out God’s will will bring greater pleasure to us than anything we could have experienced before we came to this understanding. John concludes this letter by reminding us to keep as much distance as possible between ourselves and anything that might take God’s place in our hearts.

Psalm 124:1-8

This psalm reminds me to look at my life and the difficulties I have faced and think about how bad they would have been if God had not been on my side. If God had not been on my side, my troubles would long since have overwhelmed me. To some degree my troubles were less than they could have been because of the personality traits which I have as a result of my faith in God, but to a significant degree, I was saved by divine intervention. I will praise God for all He has done for me and will remember how much worse my life would have been without God on my side.

Proverbs 29:5-8

Flattering someone is setting them up for failure (flattery is not just complimenting someone. It is telling them that they are better than they truly are). The wicked are trapped by sin and do not even know it. The righteous recognize sin for the trap it is and rejoice when they escape from it. Someone who lies, cheats, and in other ways shows that they have no morals is lying when they say that they care about justice for the poor because they care for nothing but themselves. On the other hand, those who value honesty and integrity above all else, will fight for justice for the poor because without justice for the poor, there is no justice for anyone. Mockers can get people angry and looking for change, but the wise calm people down and get them to work together to make things better.

Daily Bible Study

December 4, 2013 Bible Study — Love Drives Out Fear

December 3, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Daniel 11:36-12:13

Today’s passage continues the vision/prophecy that was in yesterday’s passage. Many people have attempted to take the times from this passage and tie them to specific events in order to calculate when Christ will return. However, I do not believe that the purpose of this passage is to tell us when some particular event is going to take place. Rather this passage is to remind us that a day of great anguish is coming and that those whose names are written in the book of life will be rescued when that day arrives. In that day, the wise will stand out and those who lead others to righteousness will be beacons.

1 John 4:1-21

John reminds us not to believe everyone who claims to speak with the Spirit of God. The first and most important test is whether or not they acknowledge that Jesus was a real, historical person. Anyone who claims to be a prophet but does not acknowledge to truth about Christ is not from God. John then returns to his main theme of this letter, that we are to love one another. He gives us God’s example of love for us to follow. God did not love us because we loved Him. God loved us and sent His Son to die for us when we were in open rebellion against Him. Let us follow His example and love those around us, even when they hate us and treat us badly. If God could love us when we were in our sin, how can we claim that we cannot love someone because of what they have done to us? God is love and if we allow His Spirit to live in us, He will show us how to love even those who seem the most unlovable.
If we are afraid the answer is to come to God and ask Him to fill us with love. Perhaps the reason we are afraid is because we have failed to love someone in our life in the way which God calls us to. We experience fear because we have not fully experienced God’s love for us. We cannot fully experience God’s love for us until we fully love God. We do not fully love God if we have negative feelings toward any of our fellow believers. My motivation to love is that God loved me. If God loved me, as unlovable as I can be, how can I find others unlovable? As we are filled with God’s love for one another and for God we will find that God’s love drives fear out of us.

Psalm 123:1-4

The proud may ridicule me and the arrogant may hold me in contempt, but I will trust in God and rely on His mercy. O Lord, let me keep my eyes focused on You, so that I may react to the smallest sign that You give me as to Your will. When You show me Your will, motivate me to eagerly do it.

Proverbs 29:2-4

The people of a nation will prosper and thrive when its rulers are godly and just. When the rulers are wicked and corrupt the people and the nation will suffer and fall. There is a direct correlation between government policies which encourage just and moral behavior and the economic health of a country.

Daily Bible Study

December 3, 2013 Bible Study — Love Is An Action

December 2, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Daniel 11:2-35

Many modern Bible scholars hold the opinion that the book of Daniel was written in the time of the Maccabees. Today’s passage helps one see why. In the vision of today’s passage, Daniel gives a fairly good synopsis of the events which will happen in world politics in that part of the world from the time of Cyrus to the time of Antiochus IV. Since this passage is written in the style of apocalyptic literature, I do not put much thought into when this passage was written. The purpose of apocalyptic literature is to communicate that God is in control of events. Political leaders will from time to time arise who convince religious leaders to distort God’s word to support a political agenda. At those times there will be wise leaders who remain faithful and teach others to be faithful to God’s word. However, those wise leaders will often suffer persecution.

1 John 3:7-24

John reminds us that, even though we have an intercessor with the Father for those times we do sin, if we continue to sin we belong to the devil, not to God. If we are truly children of God, we will be unable to make a practice of sinning because God’s Spirit is within us. There are two ways that we can tell that we are truly God’s children, we will do what is right and we will love all of our fellow believers. Chances are good that the reason one person will hate another is because that second person makes the first person aware of their sinfulness. If we hate our fellow believers we are no better than murderers.

Jesus showed us what real love was by giving up His life for us. This means that we should be willing to lay down our lives for our fellow believers. It is not enough to say that we love one another, we must show it by our actions. If we have enough and more than enough to meet our daily needs and do not help provide for our fellow believers in need, we do not truly love them. I ask God to help me to show my love whenever the opportunity arises for me to do so. If we do what God asks us to do, He will give us whatever we ask of Him. God asks of us that we love one another, not just in thoughts and words, but in deeds and actions.

Psalm 122:1-9

Am I truly glad to go to the house of the Lord, to gather with fellow believers to praise Him? This psalm encourages us to pray for peace in Jerusalem and what is best for Jerusalem and I believe that we should do so. However, in this psalm, Jerusalem is also a metaphor for the Church, the Temple of God which He has built out of those who follow and serve Christ. We should pray for peace in the Church and for what is best for the Church, as well.

Proverbs 29:1

Those who refuse to accept criticism, who refuse to change their ways after being repeatedly rebuked, will suddenly find destruction coming upon them, with no hope of escape.

Fact and Fantasy

Monthly Archives: December 2013

December 12, 2013 Bible Study — Categories of Christian Groups (Part III)

Like this:

December 11, 2013 Bible Study — Categories of Christian Groups (Part II)

Like this:

December 10, 2013 Bible Study — Categories of Christian Groups (Part I)

Like this:

December 9, 2013 Bible Study — The One Who Is, Who Was, and Is Still to Come

Like this:

December 8, 2013 Bible Study — Unless the Lord Builds the House…

Like this:

December 7, 2013 Bible Study — The Lord Has Done Amazing Things For Us

Like this:

December 6, 2013 Bible Study — The Wicked Will Not Rule the Land of the Godly

Like this:

December 5, 2013 Bible Study — What If God Had Not Been On My Side?

Like this:

December 4, 2013 Bible Study — Love Drives Out Fear

Like this:

December 3, 2013 Bible Study — Love Is An Action

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: