Giving Faithfully
Exodus 36
Building a Community centered on Love
This blog is where I do a Bible Reading. I read a passage from the Bible and then I write down my own thoughts on what I read. I would love to know your thoughts as well!
Showing posts with label faithful. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faithful. Show all posts
Sunday, 10 April 2016
Bible Reading #169 - Giving Faithfully
Thursday, 12 November 2015
Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #53
Remain Faithful to God
Ezra 8
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| I pray blessings on you as you read. |
(v. 21) "There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions." (v. 31) "On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way."
My Thoughts
Ezra led many people back to Jerusalem after 70 years in captivity. Jerusalem needed to be rebuilt and the neighboring people to Jerusalem were hostile. If the rebuilding was going to succeed, Ezra and the Israelites needed the help of God and they would have to remain faithful to Him. That is exactly the reason Ezra proclaimed a fast. He was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers to protect them because he told the king that God's hand was upon them.
Ezra and those he was leading were faithful to God and God in turn was faithful to them. God is always faithful to us and no matter what, He will never leaves us or forsake us. However, even though God is always faithful to us, if we deliberately disobey Him and we are far from Him and our hearts are against Him, God is not going to answer our prayers. He will hear them, but He will not answer. God is not a genie to grant our every wish.
When we are faithful to God, He works in us and through us powerfully. God will not always answer our prayers the way we want because He has something better in mind. God is God and we're not and there may be times when you don't understand something that God is doing. That is totally fine, just don't lose faith in Him.
When your journey or task is hard, don't rely on only yourself to make it or get it done. Don't worry to much about the time things take. Rely on God and remain faithful to Him because through Him, the journey will be completed in the best way possible, even if it takes longer than you wanted. The task will be completed with great effort and a job well done, even if it takes longer than you wanted.
When it comes to being faithful to God, we cannot worry about time or speed. God is eternal and He is patient and He is timeless. God has been around longer than the creation of the universe. People very early on in the Bible lived to be hundreds of years old, some got close to living for a millennium! Don't you think that God can allow the same thing to happen again? He may not, but why assume that He will not when you can not worry about it and possibly be surprised? God can restore any amount of time that we 'lose' doing what it is He asks of us. That time, by the way, is most definitely not lost.
Remain faithful to God always so that you can bask in His glory and enjoy all the best that God has in store for you. Stay close to Him and do not stray. You will be amazed at how much more joy you will have in life, even through tough times. God knows best what needs to get done and when, all you have to do is trust Him.
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Ezra and those he was leading were faithful to God and God in turn was faithful to them. God is always faithful to us and no matter what, He will never leaves us or forsake us. However, even though God is always faithful to us, if we deliberately disobey Him and we are far from Him and our hearts are against Him, God is not going to answer our prayers. He will hear them, but He will not answer. God is not a genie to grant our every wish.
When we are faithful to God, He works in us and through us powerfully. God will not always answer our prayers the way we want because He has something better in mind. God is God and we're not and there may be times when you don't understand something that God is doing. That is totally fine, just don't lose faith in Him.
When your journey or task is hard, don't rely on only yourself to make it or get it done. Don't worry to much about the time things take. Rely on God and remain faithful to Him because through Him, the journey will be completed in the best way possible, even if it takes longer than you wanted. The task will be completed with great effort and a job well done, even if it takes longer than you wanted.
When it comes to being faithful to God, we cannot worry about time or speed. God is eternal and He is patient and He is timeless. God has been around longer than the creation of the universe. People very early on in the Bible lived to be hundreds of years old, some got close to living for a millennium! Don't you think that God can allow the same thing to happen again? He may not, but why assume that He will not when you can not worry about it and possibly be surprised? God can restore any amount of time that we 'lose' doing what it is He asks of us. That time, by the way, is most definitely not lost.
Remain faithful to God always so that you can bask in His glory and enjoy all the best that God has in store for you. Stay close to Him and do not stray. You will be amazed at how much more joy you will have in life, even through tough times. God knows best what needs to get done and when, all you have to do is trust Him.
Previous PostNext Post
Prayer Time
Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do.
Let me know your thoughts on this reading as well.
Thank you for taking the time to read, I pray that what you have read blesses and inspires you! Godbless!
Friday, 30 October 2015
Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #40
Prayer and Perseverance
James 5
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| I pray blessings on you as you read. |
(v. 8) "You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near." (v. 11-12) "As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. Above all, my brothers, do not swear--not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned." (v. 16) "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."
My Thoughts
James reminds us to be patient in the face of suffering. Take Job's example: Job literally lost everything. His children, his possessions, everything. God did not leave Job alone, He was with him the whole time and God restored Job in the end. Job's possessions were restored and he was blessed with even more children. Job very well could have cursed God, as his wife had suggested, but he did not. He persevered and stayed faithful to God and God stayed faithful to Job.
We should follow Job's example, as well as the other prophets of God who persevered in the face of their suffering for God. Do not let your circumstances overpower you. God is bigger than anything, and that includes bad situation you may be facing. Stay faithful to God and He will be faithful to you. He will restore you in the end and all will be well. Staying faithful to God means to trust in Him and not become angry with Him.
Speaking of not cursing God, that points me to something else that James says here: to not swear by anything. James says to let your "Yes" be yes and your "No," no. That means you don't say "I swear on my ______." Just be honest and say either "Yes," or "No." If you are honest and trustworthy, that is all you need, you don't need to swear on anything; you don't need to 'sweeten the deal.' You shouldn't anyway because that can be as binding as an oath. If you fail to keep it, you are not only jeopardizing whatever you swear on, but you are opening yourself up for a lot of spiritual and mental, and even physical stress.
We are also told to confess our sins to each other and to pray for each other so that we can be healed. I believe that James wants us to be willing to forgive each other and willing to accept forgiveness. As long as you have confessed your sins to God and you have forgiven yourself, I believe that God is happy with that. Also to pray for each other so that we may be healed. We should always be praying for each other, not just when bad things are happening, but even in joyful times and happiness. Prayer is such an amazing thing because it allows us to communicate with God and opens a way for Him to act.
So, remember to pray for each other always, not to swear on anything and to persevere through everything, staying faithful to God. Any time you are felling down or going through any kind of a hard time, persevere through it, trust and know that God will restore you in the end.
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We should follow Job's example, as well as the other prophets of God who persevered in the face of their suffering for God. Do not let your circumstances overpower you. God is bigger than anything, and that includes bad situation you may be facing. Stay faithful to God and He will be faithful to you. He will restore you in the end and all will be well. Staying faithful to God means to trust in Him and not become angry with Him.
Speaking of not cursing God, that points me to something else that James says here: to not swear by anything. James says to let your "Yes" be yes and your "No," no. That means you don't say "I swear on my ______." Just be honest and say either "Yes," or "No." If you are honest and trustworthy, that is all you need, you don't need to swear on anything; you don't need to 'sweeten the deal.' You shouldn't anyway because that can be as binding as an oath. If you fail to keep it, you are not only jeopardizing whatever you swear on, but you are opening yourself up for a lot of spiritual and mental, and even physical stress.
We are also told to confess our sins to each other and to pray for each other so that we can be healed. I believe that James wants us to be willing to forgive each other and willing to accept forgiveness. As long as you have confessed your sins to God and you have forgiven yourself, I believe that God is happy with that. Also to pray for each other so that we may be healed. We should always be praying for each other, not just when bad things are happening, but even in joyful times and happiness. Prayer is such an amazing thing because it allows us to communicate with God and opens a way for Him to act.
So, remember to pray for each other always, not to swear on anything and to persevere through everything, staying faithful to God. Any time you are felling down or going through any kind of a hard time, persevere through it, trust and know that God will restore you in the end.
Previous PostNext Post
Prayer Time
Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do.
Let me know your thoughts on this reading as well.
Thank you for taking the time to read, I pray that what you have read blesses and inspires you! Godbless!
