May 16, 2010 (Genesis 30-40)

I've had a couple of "bad" days with my attitude. And my "quiet time" hasn't been what it had been...hummm...wonder if there's any correlation? I think so. So, once again, time to get 'back on track'.

Boy, there's a lot of dysfunction in the Bible. Today's reading covered multiple wives with multiple births and jealousies to go along with that, one rape, murders, one hook up with a prostitute that resulted in a pregnancy, one son sleeping with one of his father's wives, brothers selling another brother into slavery, someone being unfairly imprisoned, etc., etc. But through all that is the phrase, "But God has seen....". God sees it all. Some of the pregnancies were actually an answer to prayer.

One of the stories was Jacob returning to his homeland, which meant returning to the area where Esau was. Esau was the one who sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew, and then Jacob stole the "blessing of the father" from him. So, needless to say, he was a little apprehensive about returning home. But he knew God had told him to, so here was his prayer:

^32:9 Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac—O Lord, you told me, ‘Return to your own land and to your relatives.’ And you promised me, ‘I will treat you kindly.’ ¹⁰ I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant. When I left home and crossed the Jordan River, I owned nothing except a walking stick. Now my household fills two large camps! ¹¹ O Lord, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children. ¹² But you promised me, ‘I will surely treat you kindly, and I will multiply your descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore—too many to count.’”

I was struck by the fact that he recounted to God all the promises He had given him. And then he recounted all the blessings of God,and praised Him. There is one request - please rescue me - along with a confession that he was afraid, ending with another promise of God. I want to remember this 'pattern' when I pray. I want to find some promises in Scripture that I can 'remind' God of. I want to recount to Him all the blessings He has already given, along with my requests, ending with a another reminder of His promises. I have been convicted lately of my prayers...God, please do this. God, I need that, etc. etc. God is not my "genie in the sky". He is worthy of praise and adoration. He is worthy of my love, regardless of what He 'gives' me. If I can just get my perspective of Him correct, things will go much better for me. As I write that, perhaps that's what God wants our children to learn. During childhood, we are their protectors, we provide for them, we take care of them. We want 'acknowledgement' from them. We want gratitude. We don't want to be seen as their 'genie in the home'. "I'm hungry - feed me" - doesn't sit nearly as well as "I love your food. Would you mind making me supper now?" I think there's something there for all of us to learn...

Then there was the story of Jacob wrestling with God. I think I take my Christianity too 'lightly'. God wants us to seek Him and His blessings. God wants us to put effort into our relationship. I think that is the message from this story:

^32:24 This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. ²⁵ When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. ²⁶ Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!”

But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

²⁷ “What is your name?” the man asked.

He replied, “Jacob.”

²⁸ “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”

And now, a verse that I liked:

^35:2 ".... God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”

Followed by a few snippets from Joseph's life:

^39:3 Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. ⁴ This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned. ⁵ From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the Lord began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake.

²³ The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.

And we see Joseph's integrity - when confronted with an opportunity to sin, here was his response:

^39:9 "How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.”

He realized that it would be a sin against God, and so he restrained himself. Which is why God blessed him. God blesses obedience.

May 11-14, 2010 (Genesis 12 - 29)

What in the world happened to my "new leaf" to blog daily. Looks like I'll turn over that new leaf again today. A trip to the emergency room didn't help, but that was only one day out of my life. There are four days listed up there.....

One of the things that struck me in this reading was the length of time it took for God to fulfill His promise to Abram (was renamed Abraham later...I'll just use Abraham). Abraham was 75 years old when God told him he would bless him and cause him to become the father of a great nation. Isaac was born to Abraham when he was 100 years old. But before that because God didn't act 'fast enough', Abraham took matters into his own hands and tried to "help" God by sleeping with his wife's servant (at his wife's insistence). Didn't turn out well, as you can imagine. Just as things never turn out well for us when we try to "help" God out.

We should never be surprised when either God allows testing (as He did in Job's case), or when He Himself tests us:

^22:1 Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called.

“Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.”

² “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”

If you know the story, Abraham obeyed, even to the point of tying Isaac up, placing him on the altar and raising the knife to kill him. He rationalized that God could bring Isaac back from the dead if necessary. This was the faith that God saw in Abraham. This was the faith that was willing to obey and do what God told him, even if it didn't make sense. And this is what God says about obedience:

¹⁶ “This is what the Lord says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that ¹⁷ I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. ¹⁸ And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.”

And later, we see that Abraham's obedience had long lasting effects:

^26:2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt, but do as I tell you. ³ Live here as a foreigner in this land, and I will be with you and bless you. I hereby confirm that I will give all these lands to you and your descendants, just as I solemnly promised Abraham, your father. ⁴ I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars of the sky, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed. ⁵ I will do this because Abraham listened to me and obeyed all my requirements, commands, decrees, and instructions.”

One of the other things that stands out is the symbology of Isaac living as a 'foreigner in this land'. That is exactly what the New Testament tells us to do - live as foreigners here on earth, looking for a 'better country'.

There were a lot of other great lessons in these chapters, but I will have to leave it at that. That's one of the main reasons I need to blog daily....

May 9-10, 2010 (Job 24-42)

Because I've read Job before and read the end of the story, I know that God rebukes those friends of Job that were giving him counsel. Because of that, even though they said a lot of stuff that makes sense, I'm primarily sticking with Job's comments. In chapter 28 he talks about wisdom and understanding. He asks if anyone can find them and says their value is much greater than gold and crystal and cannot be purchased with jewels mounted in fine gold. He again asks if anyone can find them and then makes this comment:

²³ “God alone understands the way to wisdom;
he knows where it can be found,
²⁴ for he looks throughout the whole earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
²⁵ He decided how hard the winds should blow
and how much rain should fall.
²⁶ He made the laws for the rain
and laid out a path for the lightning.
²⁷ Then he saw wisdom and evaluated it.
He set it in place and examined it thoroughly.
²⁸ And this is what he says to all humanity:
‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom;
to forsake evil is real understanding.’”

Then Job continues speaking:

^29:2 “I long for the years gone by
when God took care of me,
³ when he lit up the way before me
and I walked safely through the darkness.
⁴ When I was in my prime,
God’s friendship was felt in my home.
⁵ The Almighty was still with me,
and my children were around me.
⁶ My cows produced milk in abundance,
and my groves poured out streams of olive oil.

Job remembers what life was like before he felt the 'affliction' of God. He longs for those days when he felt God was 'for' him. I feel sorry for Job. He had to hold on to his faith, even when he didn't know the 'end of the story'. And even before he had the promises of God from the New Testament.

This next verse made me think of Cooper and how I need to respond to him:

^29:24 When they were discouraged, I smiled at them.
My look of approval was precious to them.

I need to smile at Cooper more. I need to be less frustrated and more loving. This is hard to do during those teen years when they have 'lost their brains'!

And then, after listening to all the talk between Job and his friends, God intervenes. He starts asking some questions of His own. I've listed some of them below:

^38:4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell me, if you know so much.
⁵ Who determined its dimensions
and stretched out the surveying line?
⁶ What supports its foundations,
and who laid its cornerstone
⁷ as the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?

⁸ “Who kept the sea inside its boundaries
as it burst from the womb,
⁹ and as I clothed it with clouds
and wrapped it in thick darkness?
¹⁰ For I locked it behind barred gates,
limiting its shores.
¹¹ I said, ‘This far and no farther will you come.
Here your proud waves must stop!’

¹² “Have you ever commanded the morning to appear
and caused the dawn to rise in the east?
¹³ Have you made daylight spread to the ends of the earth,
to bring an end to the night’s wickedness?
¹⁴ As the light approaches,
the earth takes shape like clay pressed beneath a seal;
it is robed in brilliant colors.
¹⁵ The light disturbs the wicked
and stops the arm that is raised in violence.

¹⁶ “Have you explored the springs from which the seas come?
Have you explored their depths?
¹⁷ Do you know where the gates of death are located?
Have you seen the gates of utter gloom?
¹⁸ Do you realize the extent of the earth?
Tell me about it if you know!

¹⁹ “Where does light come from,
and where does darkness go?
²⁰ Can you take each to its home?
Do you know how to get there?
²¹ But of course you know all this!
For you were born before it was all created,
and you are so very experienced!

²² “Have you visited the storehouses of the snow
or seen the storehouses of hail?
²³ (I have reserved them as weapons for the time of trouble,
for the day of battle and war.)
²⁴ Where is the path to the source of light?
Where is the home of the east wind?

²⁵ “Who created a channel for the torrents of rain?
Who laid out the path for the lightning?
²⁶ Who makes the rain fall on barren land,
in a desert where no one lives?
²⁷ Who sends rain to satisfy the parched ground
and make the tender grass spring up?

²⁸ “Does the rain have a father?
Who gives birth to the dew?
²⁹ Who is the mother of the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens?
³⁰ For the water turns to ice as hard as rock,
and the surface of the water freezes.

³¹ “Can you direct the movement of the stars—
binding the cluster of the Pleiades
or loosening the cords of Orion?
³² Can you direct the sequence of the seasons
or guide the Bear with her cubs across the heavens?
³³ Do you know the laws of the universe?
Can you use them to regulate the earth?

³⁴ “Can you shout to the clouds
and make it rain?
³⁵ Can you make lightning appear
and cause it to strike as you direct?
³⁶ Who gives intuition to the heart
and instinct to the mind?
³⁷ Who is wise enough to count all the clouds?
Who can tilt the water jars of heaven
³⁸ when the parched ground is dry
and the soil has hardened into clods?

³⁹ “Can you stalk prey for a lioness
and satisfy the young lions’ appetites
⁴⁰ as they lie in their dens
or crouch in the thicket?
⁴¹ Who provides food for the ravens
when their young cry out to God
and wander about in hunger?

That was just one chapter. He (God) went on for another before asking one final question:

^40:1 Then the Lord said to Job,

² “Do you still want to argue with the Almighty?
You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?”

³ Then Job replied to the Lord,

⁴ “I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers?
I will cover my mouth with my hand.
⁵ I have said too much already.
I have nothing more to say.”

But it doesn't end there. God tells Job to 'brace himself' and then He goes on to ask more questions through the remainder of that chapter and through one more. And here is Job's final response:

^42:1 Then Job replied to the Lord:

² “I know that you can do anything,
and no one can stop you.
³ You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’
It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about,
things far too wonderful for me.
⁴ You said, ‘Listen and I will speak!
I have some questions for you,
and you must answer them.’
⁵ I had only heard about you before,
but now I have seen you with my own eyes.
⁶ I take back everything I said,
and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”

God reminded Job of who He was - Job confessed that he had only heard of Him before, but now he had experienced Him for himself. And now he had nothing to say in his own defense. He could not justify himself in the prescence of Almighty God. And then God asked Job to pray for his friends, and God would accept his prayer on their behalf. And when Job prayed for his friends, God restored his fortunes. In fact, He gave him twice as much as he had before.

I don't know what to think of the book of Job. There are a lot of lessons in this book, probably the most important one being that of "The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding." I was also struck by the end. I think we underestimate how much God is pleased when we live for him and when we pray for others.

May 8, 2010 (Job 10-23)

Job continues to dialog with his friends about his situation. Because I know the "behind the scenes" story, I kind of dismiss what his friends say (they are saying it's because of his sins that he is being punished). So Job dialogs back and forth, lamenting the futility of life, but then makes the following statement:

²⁵ “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
and he will stand upon the earth at last.
²⁶ And after my body has decayed,
yet in my body I will see God!
²⁷ I will see him for myself.
Yes, I will see him with my own eyes.
I am overwhelmed at the thought!

Job goes on to talk of the seeming futility of living a godly life, when he looks at the lives of 'the wicked'.

^21:7 “Why do the wicked prosper,
growing old and powerful?
⁸ They live to see their children grow up and settle down,
and they enjoy their grandchildren.
⁹ Their homes are safe from every fear,
and God does not punish them.
¹⁰ Their bulls never fail to breed.
Their cows bear calves and never miscarry.
¹¹ They let their children frisk about like lambs.
Their little ones skip and dance.
¹² They sing with tambourine and harp.
They celebrate to the sound of the flute.
¹³ They spend their days in prosperity,
then go down to the grave in peace.
¹⁴ And yet they say to God, ‘Go away.
We want no part of you and your ways.
¹⁵ Who is the Almighty, and why should we obey him?
What good will it do us to pray?’
¹⁶ (They think their prosperity is of their own doing,
but I will have nothing to do with that kind of thinking.)

¹⁷ “Yet the light of the wicked never seems to be extinguished.
Do they ever have trouble?
Does God distribute sorrows to them in anger?
¹⁸ Are they driven before the wind like straw?
Are they carried away by the storm like chaff?
Not at all!

It reminds me of the Psalms and Asaph says basically the same thing:

^{Psalm 73:16} When I tried to understand all this,
it was oppressive to me

¹⁷ till I entered the sanctuary of God;

then I understood their final destiny.

But regardless of what Job knows to be true of God, it still did not mitigate the pain he was going through. Even a man with the integrity of Job succumbed to feelings of utter despair in his journey:

¹⁰ “But he knows where I am going.
And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.
¹¹ For I have stayed on God’s paths;
I have followed his ways and not turned aside.
¹² I have not departed from his commands,
but have treasured his words more than daily food.
¹³ But once he has made his decision, who can change his mind?
Whatever he wants to do, he does.
¹⁴ So he will do to me whatever he has planned.
He controls my destiny.
¹⁵ No wonder I am so terrified in his presence.
When I think of it, terror grips me.
¹⁶ God has made me sick at heart;
the Almighty has terrified me.
¹⁷ Darkness is all around me;
thick, impenetrable darkness is everywhere.

This is a good reminder that no matter what we go through, we must keep our eyes on Jesus. Job was begging for a mediator that would stand in the gap between him and God. He didn't have one - but we do.

May 7, 2010 (Job 1-9)

Job - this is one of those books that gives you a glimpse into things that happen in the spiritual realm. First of all though, we see that Job "was blameless, a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil." And to top that off, he had 10 children and was extremely rich. The first thing that caught my attention was that when Job's children had birthdays they had celebrations that lasted for days. When they were over Job would "purify his children". It says he would get up early in the morning and offer a burnt offering for each of them, just in case they sinned and cursed God in their hearts. It was a reminder to me of how important my prayers are for my son.

But here's where things get 'dicey'. This gives us a glimpse as to what happens in heaven:

1:⁶ One day the members of the heavenly court came to present themselves before the Lord, and the Accuser, Satan, came with them. ⁷ “Where have you come from?” the Lord asked Satan.

Satan answered the Lord, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.”

⁸ Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.”

⁹ Satan replied to the Lord, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. ¹⁰ You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! ¹¹But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!”

¹² “All right, you may test him,” the Lord said to Satan. “Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically.” So Satan left the Lord’s presence.

The thing that 'bothers' me is that God allowed Satan to wipe out everything Job had to 'test' him. God knew of his integrity, and knew He could trust him, but it still bothers me. And He was right. When Job lost everything, here is what he said:

^1:20 Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship. ²¹ He said,

“I came naked from my mother’s womb,
and I will be naked when I leave.
The Lord gave me what I had,
and the Lord has taken it away.
Praise the name of the Lord!”

²² In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.

Next, the same thing happens, only this time God allows Satan to harm Job physically with boils from head to foot. And this time we hear from Job's wonderful wife, the person that Satan didn't take. He probably knew that would be more of a blessing than a curse based upon how she responds:

^2:8 Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes. ⁹ His wife said to him, “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.”

¹⁰ But Job replied, “You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.

Next Job's friends try to console him, but they basically say that he must have sinned and is just getting what he deserves. It's so easy to sit in judgement over others.

¹⁴ “One should be kind to a fainting friend,
but you accuse me without the slightest fear of the Almighty.

Even though Job is struggling tremendously, he knows that God is God, as as such can do whatever He wants.

9:¹ Then Job spoke again:

² “Yes, I know all this is true in principle.
But how can a person be declared innocent in God’s sight?
³ If someone wanted to take God to court,
would it be possible to answer him even once in a thousand times?
⁴ For God is so wise and so mighty.
Who has ever challenged him successfully?

⁵ “Without warning, he moves the mountains,
overturning them in his anger.
⁶ He shakes the earth from its place,
and its foundations tremble.
⁷ If he commands it, the sun won’t rise
and the stars won’t shine.
⁸ He alone has spread out the heavens
and marches on the waves of the sea.
⁹ He made all the stars—the Bear and Orion,
the Pleiades and the constellations of the southern sky.
¹⁰ He does great things too marvelous to understand.
He performs countless miracles.

¹¹ “Yet when he comes near, I cannot see him.
When he moves by, I do not see him go.
¹² If he snatches someone in death, who can stop him?
Who dares to ask, ‘What are you doing?’
¹³ And God does not restrain his anger.
Even the monsters of the sea are crushed beneath his feet.

¹⁴ “So who am I, that I should try to answer God
or even reason with him?
¹⁵ Even if I were right, I would have no defense.
I could only plead for mercy.
¹⁶ And even if I summoned him and he responded,
I’m not sure he would listen to me.
¹⁷ For he attacks me with a storm
and repeatedly wounds me without cause.
¹⁸ He will not let me catch my breath,
but fills me instead with bitter sorrows.
¹⁹ If it’s a question of strength, he’s the strong one.
If it’s a matter of justice, who dares to summon him to court?
²⁰ Though I am innocent, my own mouth would pronounce me guilty.
Though I am blameless, it would prove me wicked.

And then Job asks for something that God would indeed give - a mediator - Jesus.

³² “God is not a mortal like me,
so I cannot argue with him or take him to trial.
³³ If only there were a mediator between us,
someone who could bring us together.
³⁴ The mediator could make God stop beating me,
and I would no longer live in terror of his punishment.
³⁵ Then I could speak to him without fear,
but I cannot do that in my own strength.

May 6, 2010 (Genesis 1-11)

Back to the beginning - and this is always a reminder that from the very beginning we blamed our sin on someone else. Adam blamed Eve AND God (it was the woman YOU gave me), and Eve blamed the serpent. It's much easier that way - to not assume responsibility. But healing only begins when we 'confess and forsake'. God's mercies are new every morning. We have the choice to accept those mercies, or live in the past.

And then, as part of the curse, we women will always struggle with 'being the boss of our husbands'. But he 'is to be our master'. But as Paul points out to us later, 'husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church'. How did Christ love the church? By sacrificing His life for her. So it all comes back to the fact that if we live as God intended us to, putting others before ourselves, allowing the Holy Spirit to control our lives, there will be unity. And apart from a daily submission to His will and His Spirit, we have nothing to look forward to but strife. Simple but hard.

As I read about the struggles of Cain and Able, I thought about the struggles of parenting. Our children make wrong choices and then get mad at us when we respond to those choices. Here is how God addressed Cain's "temper tantrum":

^4:6 “Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? ⁷ You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”

Obedience. It's a common theme throughout the Bible. If you do what is right, if you obey, you will be accepted. But if not, sin will control you. But we have a responsibility to 'subdue it and be it's master'. Again, Paul talks of this in Romans, saying we are a slave to whatever controls us. A slave of obedience unto righteousness, or a slave of sin unto death.

As I read this next section I thought of our day and age. It seems things have gone back to the way they were in the beginning:

^6:5 The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. ⁶ So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. ⁷ And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.” ⁸ But Noah found favor with the Lord.

And why did Noah find favor with God?

⁹ This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time. He consistently followed God's will and enjoyed a close relationship with him.

How do we find favor with God? By consistently following His will and walking in obedience to Him. In describing what Noah did in building the ark, three times it says "So Noah did exactly as the Lord had commanded him." Obedience. Listening to God and obeying Him. Noah must have had the privilege of hearing God speak to him personally, but today is no different for us. Even though we don't normally hear an "audible" voice, He truly speaks to us from His word. What do I want for my life? I want a close relationship with God. Which means the best I know how I need to closely follow His will and live in obedience to Him.

May 5, 2010 (Wrap up!)

Well, I looked at my last blog - April 29 and it was Hebrews. Today is May 5th and I've finished reading through the whole Bible in six months (read 2 Timothy, Jude, 2 Peter, 1, 2 3 John and Revelation since then....finished two days ahead of schedule..started November 7, 2009). Because I didn't blog daily, I'm not going to go back now. This is just a 'wake up' to blog daily from now on.

It seems the overarching message I got from these last books is to be ready for Christ's return. He IS coming back to judge the earth. These are His own words from Revelation:

^16:15 “Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their robes ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed.”

^22:7 “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.”

¹² “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star.”

And the book of Revelation ends this way:

²⁰ He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!”

Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

²¹ May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people.

And again, I am challenged and convicted by what I have read. I don't know if we are truly living in 'the last days', but regardless, we are responsible for the way we live. There are rewards for those who live in anticipation of His coming - whether that coming is in our lifetime or the next - it doesn't really matter. What He wants is faithfulness - faithfulness to Him and to His word. And how can we be faithful to Him and His word if we don't know Him? I am challenged to read through the Bible again in these next six months, but this time I am also going to work on memorizing. That does not come easy for me, but I will need to work on it. I can take a note card with me as I walk the dog and work on verses that way.

This is what will happen at the end of time:

The Final Judgment

^20:11 And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. ¹² I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. ¹³ The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. ¹⁴ Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. ¹⁵ And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Do I really believe that? I mean do I REALLY believe that? Then why am I so silent about my faith? God help me to be more bold for You.