Bible Reflections breaks down into 50 weeks a year. This week is the second of two breaks in the year. This is a great time to reflect over what you have journaled or to journal some of those chapters you missed.
It is also a time to celebrate as we have journaled over 25% of the Bible. You are on your way to becoming more knowledgeable than maybe you ever imagined.
God Bless,
Pastor Charles
PS We begin again December 30th.
Monday, December 23, 2024
Friday, December 20, 2024
Isaiah 51
SATURDAY Reflections
God
here reminds Israel who made them and watches out for them. He promises that
His salvation is coming and will be eternal. Yes, God reminds them of the path
of punishment they have faced but now is giving them hope for a better future.
The
promise God makes is fulfilled in Jesus. He brings salvation which is eternal.
He is the one who will judge those who have done wrong to the righteous and
abused their authority. There is hope and happiness for those who can say,
"I am part of the Lord's people."
Isa 51:1-23
(1) Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.
(2) Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.
(3) For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
(4) Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.
(5) My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.
(6) Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.
(7) Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.
(8) For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.
(9) Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?
(10) Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?
(11) Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
(12) I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;
(13) And forgettest the LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?
(14) The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail.
(15) But I am the LORD thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The LORD of hosts is his name.
(16) And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.
(17) Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out.
(18) There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand of all the sons that she hath brought up.
(19) These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee? desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort thee?
(20) Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the LORD, the rebuke of thy God.
(21) Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine:
(22) Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:
(23) But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.
Leviticus 15
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| A bandaid, do we know how lucky we are to have modern medicine? |
FRIDAY Reflections
We
know today the dangers of bodily fluids especially blood. This chapter deals
with the problem of bleeding. The solution here is the same for any society
which doesn't have modern sanitation but wants to protect public health,
quarantine. For those who have all the modern conveniences it may seem extreme,
but with no medicines to speak of and no antibiotics these measures would save
lives. The one thing which stands out is the amount of washing which is to take
place, but again in modern times, it makes sense. God wasn't trying to make
their lives difficult he was giving people with primitive medicine the way to
stay healthy.
Lev 15:1-33
(1) And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying,
(2) Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When any man hath a running issue out of his flesh, because of his issue he is unclean.
(3) And this shall be his uncleanness in his issue: whether his flesh run with his issue, or his flesh be stopped from his issue, it is his uncleanness.
(4) Every bed, whereon he lieth that hath the issue, is unclean: and every thing, whereon he sitteth, shall be unclean.
(5) And whosoever toucheth his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
(6) And he that sitteth on any thing whereon he sat that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
(7) And he that toucheth the flesh of him that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
(8) And if he that hath the issue spit upon him that is clean; then he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
(9) And what saddle soever he rideth upon that hath the issue shall be unclean.
(10) And whosoever toucheth any thing that was under him shall be unclean until the even: and he that beareth any of those things shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
(11) And whomsoever he toucheth that hath the issue, and hath not rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
(12) And the vessel of earth, that he toucheth which hath the issue, shall be broken: and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water.
(13) And when he that hath an issue is cleansed of his issue; then he shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in running water, and shall be clean.
(14) And on the eighth day he shall take to him two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, and come before the LORD unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and give them unto the priest:
(15) And the priest shall offer them, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD for his issue.
(16) And if any man's seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even.
(17) And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the seed of copulation, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even.
(18) The woman also with whom man shall lie with seed of copulation, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the even.
(19) And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even.
(20) And every thing that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean.
(21) And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
(22) And whosoever toucheth any thing that she sat upon shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
(23) And if it be on her bed, or on any thing whereon she sitteth, when he toucheth it, he shall be unclean until the even.
(24) And if any man lie with her at all, and her flowers be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days; and all the bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean.
(25) And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation: she shall be unclean.
(26) Every bed whereon she lieth all the days of her issue shall be unto her as the bed of her separation: and whatsoever she sitteth upon shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her separation.
(27) And whosoever toucheth those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
(28) But if she be cleansed of her issue, then she shall number to herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean.
(29) And on the eighth day she shall take unto her two turtles, or two young pigeons, and bring them unto the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
(30) And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for her before the LORD for the issue of her uncleanness.
(31) Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them.
(32) This is the law of him that hath an issue, and of him whose seed goeth from him, and is defiled therewith;
(33) And of her that is sick of her flowers, and of him that hath an issue, of the man, and of the woman, and of him that lieth with her that is unclean.
Thursday, December 19, 2024
1 Thessalonians 5
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| Don't blow out what brings you life. |
THURSDAY Reflections
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in
all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not
quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all;
hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil" (1
Thessalonians 5:16-22). These two
Sentences (7 verses) may seem a little weird but when you consider how much is
in these two sentences it makes sense. There are seven entire messages a pastor
could preach on in these verses.
Here is my summary:
"Rejoice always,-- (Rejoice
in the Lord not in the circumstances because God never changes and not just on
Sunday)
pray continually,--
(This is an attitude of prayer and continually
means continually)
give thanks in all
circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. -- (Yes,
God wants you to give thanks because of Him not necessarily the circumstance)
Do not quench the Spirit.-- (Don’t
bite the hand that feeds you)
Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all;
hold on to what is good, -- (Don’t treat
preached messages with contempt, but do see if they line up with scripture if
they do apply them. Don’t dismiss what you don’t like)
reject every kind of evil." -- (Evil,
the word here is related to pain, thus reject things which cause pain in others
and yourself. Wrong actions always cause pain to you eventually so reject
them.)
1Th 5:1-28
(1) But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
(2) For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
(3) For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
(4) But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
(5) Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
(6) Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
(7) For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
(8) But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
(9) For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
(10) Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
(11) Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
(12) And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
(13) And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
(14) Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.
(15) See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
(16) Rejoice evermore.
(17) Pray without ceasing.
(18) In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
(19) Quench not the Spirit.
(20) Despise not prophesyings.
(21) Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
(22) Abstain from all appearance of evil.
(23) And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(24) Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
(25) Brethren, pray for us.
(26) Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.
(27) I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.
(28) The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. The first epistle to the Thessalonians was written from Athens.
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Psalm 41
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| How important is it to help others? |
Psalm 41
WEDNESDAY Reflections
What makes someone
poor? Depending on where you are this definition can change. According to many
standards, I currently am living in poverty (at the time of this writing).
According to most of the rest of the world, I am very wealthy.
So what makes
someone poor? I will define it as a lack of what is truly needed. In the movie,
It's a Wonderful Life, George Bailey is lacking in money to cover the money his
uncle lost (but he was rich in friends). Though he had lots of money, Scrooge
in A Christmas Carol was poor in charity and love. People around the world are
lacking proper nutrition or clean water. In Revelations 3:17, Jesus tells the
church of Laodicea they are spiritually lacking. They are all poor in different
ways and God cares about them all.
The Psalmist
starts off this psalm of repentance with the declaration the person who helps
the poor is blessed. In this chapter, this is the poor who cannot reward you in
any way. God cares for those who help people who can’t help them in return.
This care for the
poor is loosely tied with God giving mercy to the sinner. A person who isn't
willing to reach out to others may not be in a place to receive help from God.
Even in the Lord's prayer, we ask God to forgive us as we forgive others. I
might be stretching it a bit but perhaps having a heart that sees others' needs
is the first step in seeing our own.
Psa 41:1-13
(1) To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.
(2) The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.
(3) The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.
(4) I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.
(5) Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish?
(6) And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it.
(7) All that hate me whisper together against me: against me do they devise my hurt.
(8) An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him: and now that he lieth he shall rise up no more.
(9) Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.
(10) But thou, O LORD, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them.
(11) By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.
(12) And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before thy face for ever.
(13) Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.
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