THERE AREN'T ANY CHAPTER TO READ TODAY-- ENJOY!
Hopefully all of you know/are aware of my big goal I'm trying to reach this year. I'm trying to read the Bible, cover to cover, by December 31st. But no surprise-- that's a lot of words and a lot of stories that I'm going to have trouble remembering!
So, everyday, I blog about what I've read. You're welcome to join with me and read a few chapters a day, and comment on what you thought, right here at my blog page.
But for now, I thought I'd talk about WHY I keep posted stuff about this on Facebook, and WHY I tell others about it, and WHY I think that my "devotions" are important. Hopefully you'll be convinced and tell some people.
In the last couple of books of the Bible, all we've been talking about are kings. There are dozens of dozens of them, and they all have different opinions on how the land should be run, who they should put their faith in, blah blah blah.
And, sorry if the cheesy writer comes out in me-- but I think these could be a metaphor for all the weird beliefs there are today. How can a kingdom resemble a religion, you ask?
First off, they each have a "king." The kings in the past couple of books have all been a little different, and none of them have made a lasting impact on their people for more than a few decades. I guess I'm a little biased, but I'm very okay with that.
I think it's important to realize that back in the old testament, which is what we're reading now, there was no "Jesus," or "Savior." People were believing in God, which is still the same God, but there was no forgiveness that we have today with Jesus.
So all these kings were trying to rule the land the way THEY thought was best. One king might of been "good in God's eyes" and made a HUGE temple to show his appreciation for God. Then, this other guy came along and when HE was king, he decided that God didn't exist.
This guy tore down the temple, and built a bunch of poles and weirdo burning tools to worship a God that HE thought was better. Then he died, and another guy took over.
This guy was like the first one, and decided that the only way too get out of trouble was to believe in God, so he burnt all the poles and stuff and rebuilt the temple. And when he died, the cycle continued.
The fact here is that these Jews and these Pole-Worshippers were just----- wrong. I have nothing against people who follow these practices, but let's face it. There is a God who loves us for who we ARE, not what we build. He doesn't make us sacrifice 1,000 sheep just to be on good terms with Him.
He is forgiving, and He is worthy of every one's praise.
I don't know who's reading this, whoever you are. You might have been going to church your whole life. You might have never picked up a Bible-- ever. You might not even know what the Bible is.
But wherever you are, I'm here to tell you that there IS hope for everyone, and He doesn't take tons of sacrificed animals or fancy temples. He isn't some dead guy that we try to be like-- He's a living soul who can show us how to live.
Let's face it-- we're all horrible people deep down inside somewhere. And the only way we'll ever become a fraction of what we were meant to be is to do this:
Follow Jesus.
Please, don't hesitate to email me, or comment below. I will try my hardest to help you out, but you have to be open to Jesus and let His Holy Spirit be with you. It will change your life, and all you have to do is ask.
Peace out.
Hopefully all of you know/are aware of my big goal I'm trying to reach this year. I'm trying to read the Bible, cover to cover, by December 31st. But no surprise-- that's a lot of words and a lot of stories that I'm going to have trouble remembering!
So, everyday, I blog about what I've read. You're welcome to join with me and read a few chapters a day, and comment on what you thought, right here at my blog page.
But for now, I thought I'd talk about WHY I keep posted stuff about this on Facebook, and WHY I tell others about it, and WHY I think that my "devotions" are important. Hopefully you'll be convinced and tell some people.
In the last couple of books of the Bible, all we've been talking about are kings. There are dozens of dozens of them, and they all have different opinions on how the land should be run, who they should put their faith in, blah blah blah.
And, sorry if the cheesy writer comes out in me-- but I think these could be a metaphor for all the weird beliefs there are today. How can a kingdom resemble a religion, you ask?
First off, they each have a "king." The kings in the past couple of books have all been a little different, and none of them have made a lasting impact on their people for more than a few decades. I guess I'm a little biased, but I'm very okay with that.
I think it's important to realize that back in the old testament, which is what we're reading now, there was no "Jesus," or "Savior." People were believing in God, which is still the same God, but there was no forgiveness that we have today with Jesus.
So all these kings were trying to rule the land the way THEY thought was best. One king might of been "good in God's eyes" and made a HUGE temple to show his appreciation for God. Then, this other guy came along and when HE was king, he decided that God didn't exist.
This guy tore down the temple, and built a bunch of poles and weirdo burning tools to worship a God that HE thought was better. Then he died, and another guy took over.
This guy was like the first one, and decided that the only way too get out of trouble was to believe in God, so he burnt all the poles and stuff and rebuilt the temple. And when he died, the cycle continued.
The fact here is that these Jews and these Pole-Worshippers were just----- wrong. I have nothing against people who follow these practices, but let's face it. There is a God who loves us for who we ARE, not what we build. He doesn't make us sacrifice 1,000 sheep just to be on good terms with Him.
He is forgiving, and He is worthy of every one's praise.
I don't know who's reading this, whoever you are. You might have been going to church your whole life. You might have never picked up a Bible-- ever. You might not even know what the Bible is.
But wherever you are, I'm here to tell you that there IS hope for everyone, and He doesn't take tons of sacrificed animals or fancy temples. He isn't some dead guy that we try to be like-- He's a living soul who can show us how to live.
Let's face it-- we're all horrible people deep down inside somewhere. And the only way we'll ever become a fraction of what we were meant to be is to do this:
Follow Jesus.
Please, don't hesitate to email me, or comment below. I will try my hardest to help you out, but you have to be open to Jesus and let His Holy Spirit be with you. It will change your life, and all you have to do is ask.
Peace out.
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