Yesterday morning I was enjoying our praise & worship service and I had a sort of Freudian slip I guess you can say or was it the Holy Spirit? You make the call. I am not sure what the title of the song is but the words are as follows:
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Jesus is Lord
Lord of all my Heart
He is the Way
He is the Truth
He is the Life
I am singing the song with my eyes closed and hands raised when it came to the final line "He is the Life" I inadvertently said "He is my Life" and when I said that I believe my spirit leaped for joy within me. My heart started racing and even though I didn't really try all that hard I kept singing that line with "my" instead of "the", I felt this rush come over me that I needed others to sing it that way as well, but I also didn't want to disturb the service. As I was looking around everybody was lost in the moment so I kept it to myself and decided to tell Jock, our song leader, after church. Which I did and as I was telling it to him I saw him putting it together in his head and he liked it as well.
There is a little more to the story as well. As I was enjoying the message our pastor preached which was good as well, the Holy Spirit kept playing the song in my head and I believe also told me why the words were changed when I sang the song. Now I am not a mother, but I have been around a few and I am pretty sure most have said this at one time or another. That as soon as they held their child or children in their arms for the first time that child had their heart and became their life at the same time. And I believe that to have a true and meaningful life with Christ that has to happen to you as well. If you are going to give your heart over to him then you also have to give him your life too, the items are interlocked and you can't have one without the other. Like I said I am not a mother so I can't really speak from experience but when I decided to date and marry I couldn't exactly just be there, in order for my marriage and pretty much every marriage to work you have to put your heart and life into it. Yeah I can tell Daniel I love him but if I don't really mean it then I am not just cheating myself I am cheating him as well. And yeah I can go thru the motions of everyday life such as making dinner or laundry or even just watching TV but if I don't try and make the most of it then what is the point of even bothering and I will admit that I even get that attitude sometimes. But when I give my husband and our relationship all of myself, watch-out things start happening and I am not just talking in the physical sense either, even though that is much better too. hahaha
So in order for things to start happening in my life I need to start giving all of my heart to God and he will take care of the rest.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
April 29, 2009
Jealous Much?
Today I was reading Numbers 12-14. Now I know most bibles have headings for certain sections or maybe we should call them mini-titles. The mini-title for Chapter 12 in my bible is "The Complaints of Miriam and Aaron"
I actually had to read this chapter a couple of times and even in a different translation because after the first verse I got a little confused on the subject matter. It starts out with Miriam and Aaron, who are Moses' siblings, complaining to someone not sure if it was just each other or just in general, but in verse 1 it states, "...Miriam and Moses criticized Moses because he married a Cushite woman." But what they were saying had nothing to do with this woman. In verse 2 they said, "Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? hasn't he spoken through us too?" Verse 3 "But the Lord heard them." So that statement right there makes me think they obvioulsy weren't out in the open shouting that they didn't approve of this woman. They thought if they could just talk amongst themselves God would not hear them, but we know better. (By the way they don't mention the Cushite again)
My question to Miriam and Aaron is are you mad because Moses married the Cushite woman or the fact that God seemed to have favor on Moses and not them. Now in verses 4 thru 8 when the Lord spoke to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam he explains why he talks to everybody differently which you would think would be fine but noooooo the Lord has to go a step further to prove his point and he turns Miriam ashen white with Leprosy, which naturally freaked Miriam and Aaron out and they begged for Moses to talk to God to heal her.
Now for some reason at this point another story came to mind and that is of the prodigal son. In the beginning Miriam and Aaron were the brother who had stayed behind with the dad and was jealous when he saw what a big deal his father made of the prodigal's return but in the end they became the prodigal himself and repented of their foolish ways and came running back after dealing with the uncleanliness of the leprosy, much like how the prodigal came to his senses after he was eating with the pigs.
Ok this totally didn't go how I had it in my head but hopefully you can get something out of it at least go grab your bible and read it yourself, lol.
Oh yeah one last thing if I was the Israelites I would have been mad at Miriam because of her jealousy the whole tribe had to wait for seven days while she became clean again in the site of the Lord because of the leprosy. That is a whole seven more days that they didn't get to the Promise Land which yes I know in the whole grand scheme of things that really shouldn't matter because they still didn't enter the land of Canaan but they didn't know that at the time. So imagine getting to go to Hawaii but you have to wait because someone in your group screwed up, not sure about you but I think it might put a damper on the rest of the trip.
Today I was reading Numbers 12-14. Now I know most bibles have headings for certain sections or maybe we should call them mini-titles. The mini-title for Chapter 12 in my bible is "The Complaints of Miriam and Aaron"
I actually had to read this chapter a couple of times and even in a different translation because after the first verse I got a little confused on the subject matter. It starts out with Miriam and Aaron, who are Moses' siblings, complaining to someone not sure if it was just each other or just in general, but in verse 1 it states, "...Miriam and Moses criticized Moses because he married a Cushite woman." But what they were saying had nothing to do with this woman. In verse 2 they said, "Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? hasn't he spoken through us too?" Verse 3 "But the Lord heard them." So that statement right there makes me think they obvioulsy weren't out in the open shouting that they didn't approve of this woman. They thought if they could just talk amongst themselves God would not hear them, but we know better. (By the way they don't mention the Cushite again)
My question to Miriam and Aaron is are you mad because Moses married the Cushite woman or the fact that God seemed to have favor on Moses and not them. Now in verses 4 thru 8 when the Lord spoke to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam he explains why he talks to everybody differently which you would think would be fine but noooooo the Lord has to go a step further to prove his point and he turns Miriam ashen white with Leprosy, which naturally freaked Miriam and Aaron out and they begged for Moses to talk to God to heal her.
Now for some reason at this point another story came to mind and that is of the prodigal son. In the beginning Miriam and Aaron were the brother who had stayed behind with the dad and was jealous when he saw what a big deal his father made of the prodigal's return but in the end they became the prodigal himself and repented of their foolish ways and came running back after dealing with the uncleanliness of the leprosy, much like how the prodigal came to his senses after he was eating with the pigs.
Ok this totally didn't go how I had it in my head but hopefully you can get something out of it at least go grab your bible and read it yourself, lol.
Oh yeah one last thing if I was the Israelites I would have been mad at Miriam because of her jealousy the whole tribe had to wait for seven days while she became clean again in the site of the Lord because of the leprosy. That is a whole seven more days that they didn't get to the Promise Land which yes I know in the whole grand scheme of things that really shouldn't matter because they still didn't enter the land of Canaan but they didn't know that at the time. So imagine getting to go to Hawaii but you have to wait because someone in your group screwed up, not sure about you but I think it might put a damper on the rest of the trip.
Monday, March 30, 2009
March 30, 2009
"OK I get it"
Some people say that when God speaks they hear a voice of some kind either in their head or sometimes from somewhere they are not quite sure. Well this weekend I think God was speaking to me in probably the only way that I can understand and that is repetition. I may hear something or even read something but it doesn't always sink in until I see it again in a different way.
This Saturday I was reading Luke 12:22-34, in these scriptures Jesus is talking about money and worldly possessions. Like most people lately my husband and I have hit a little bump in the finance department. And I am a worrier in that when my mind isn't forced to think about anything else I will sit and worry and play bad situations in my head, such as losing the house, losing a job, or car, or what if something bad happens to myself or my husband can we survive.
(Now I am not saying either of those situations are happening, just giving an example of where my mind goes when it is left idle for to long.)
Well so I was reading the passage in Luke and of course I have read them many times in the other Gospels (Matt. 6:25-34)but because of my situation I wasn't truly hearing or paying attention to what I was reading. After I read a couple more chapters I was praying and happened to look at my bookcase (yeah I don't always close my eyes)and a book was kind of sticking out and caught my attention, so I got up and grabbed it. The book was "Battlefield of the Mind" by Joyce Meyers. I had started reading it a few months back but had got distracted at one point and never really picked it back up. But since it stuck out to me and I knew that my imagination was running away from me and that was why I was in a constant state of worry so I started reading where I had left off and wouldn't ya know the scripture references for the chapters I was reading in Joyce's book were the same ones that I had just got done reading in Luke. At first I didn't believe it so I had to compare and had to say "OK God I get it. You will not let me fail, you will take care of me just like you take care of the birds and beautiful flowers."
And then to drive the Word home as I looked out my front door a few moments later as I prepared to go outside a beautiful red cardinal came and perched on my archway leading up my front porch and we just kind of stared at each other. And when I went to reach for my camera to take a reminder picture he flew off. But the imagine is embedded in my memory so that when doubt starts to creep back in I will have a reminder that God will not let me fall.
Today's Reading:
Luke 12-15
Numbers 9-11
Some people say that when God speaks they hear a voice of some kind either in their head or sometimes from somewhere they are not quite sure. Well this weekend I think God was speaking to me in probably the only way that I can understand and that is repetition. I may hear something or even read something but it doesn't always sink in until I see it again in a different way.
This Saturday I was reading Luke 12:22-34, in these scriptures Jesus is talking about money and worldly possessions. Like most people lately my husband and I have hit a little bump in the finance department. And I am a worrier in that when my mind isn't forced to think about anything else I will sit and worry and play bad situations in my head, such as losing the house, losing a job, or car, or what if something bad happens to myself or my husband can we survive.
(Now I am not saying either of those situations are happening, just giving an example of where my mind goes when it is left idle for to long.)
Well so I was reading the passage in Luke and of course I have read them many times in the other Gospels (Matt. 6:25-34)but because of my situation I wasn't truly hearing or paying attention to what I was reading. After I read a couple more chapters I was praying and happened to look at my bookcase (yeah I don't always close my eyes)and a book was kind of sticking out and caught my attention, so I got up and grabbed it. The book was "Battlefield of the Mind" by Joyce Meyers. I had started reading it a few months back but had got distracted at one point and never really picked it back up. But since it stuck out to me and I knew that my imagination was running away from me and that was why I was in a constant state of worry so I started reading where I had left off and wouldn't ya know the scripture references for the chapters I was reading in Joyce's book were the same ones that I had just got done reading in Luke. At first I didn't believe it so I had to compare and had to say "OK God I get it. You will not let me fail, you will take care of me just like you take care of the birds and beautiful flowers."
And then to drive the Word home as I looked out my front door a few moments later as I prepared to go outside a beautiful red cardinal came and perched on my archway leading up my front porch and we just kind of stared at each other. And when I went to reach for my camera to take a reminder picture he flew off. But the imagine is embedded in my memory so that when doubt starts to creep back in I will have a reminder that God will not let me fall.
Today's Reading:
Luke 12-15
Numbers 9-11
Saturday, March 14, 2009
March 14
The Year of Jubilee
First I have to make a confession. I have fallen behind in my devotional time with the Lord and reading the Bible. I have no one or nothing to blame but myself. So I am saying I am sorry that I have not written in a while. But I have been thinking about my next entry the entire time I was away so hopefully it will be worth the wait.
Ok here goes....
I was reading in Leviticus 25 about the Year of Jubilee. The Year of Jubilee is a type of Sabbath year that takes place every 50 years and no one is allowed to plant or harvest during that year. Now God obviously provided for them in the years leading up to Jubilee and even after until the following crop was harvested.(Lev. 25:21-22)
Also if you sold land the price was based on the number of years til the next Jubilee.(Lev 25:14-17) So basically the price was higher in years 1-25 than 26-49. Because you were basing it on the number of harvests you would be getting out of the land.
Another interesting aspect of the Jubilean year is that everyone was to return to their ancestral homeland. Which to me would be kind of confusing. I mean how far back do you go back to your ancestors cause they moved around a lot. If I was to use it in the current days time since I am considered part of my husband's family. They would all return to Colorado since that is where they remember but do they go back farther than that to either when the family first moved to America from Europe or do we all pack up and take a trip over seas. Of course back in the days of Moses they didn't move around as much as we do now so they obviously already knew where they were going.
But another reason the Year of Jubilee is so fascinating to me at this moment is because in my family we just celebrated a 50th birthday. My mother-in-law just turned 50 this past Monday, but there was no Jubilee in her celebrating. Actually she didn't really want to celebrate it at all. Which is odd to me because I have never been one to really care about my age, shoot sometimes I forget that I am not 21 any more and am about to turn 30 in a little over a year and I really could careless. As a matter of fact when my mother turned 50 several years back she was rather excited about it because she gained lots of perks that she wasn't able to get before, like discounts and special shopping days at stores. Oh and my favorite a good excuse to forget things, hahahaha
I find it amazing how two women can see the same thing from different views like they do. But obviously it was probably how they were raised, I guess. Or even how they saw life in general. Both women viewed raising children as a blessing and loved and still love every minute of it. But my mother went out and worked for a living and taught my brother and I to be independent and you have to work for things you want, but know that God and church always comes first and family will be there if you need a hand. Now my mother-in-law did not work the moment that she was pregnant with my husband (he's the oldest), obviously there is nothing wrong with that but unfortunately my husband and his 2 siblings grew up with the knowledge that they could depend on mom first and not really have to be independent to a point. Now I am not saying she babied them but if I forgot something at home then I just had to deal with it when I was at school but if they forgot something they only needed to place a call to mom or in some weird cases she would show-up at school before they even knew. (I swear sometimes she is psychic but that is another story)
I could on and on about their difference I love them both and I know they did the best they could but what I am trying to say is that once all of their children grew up and moved out they began to view life differently. My mom saw more freedom, where as I believe my mother-in-law feels that she is not needed any more. And also I think because both ladies' mothers died at different stages in their lives they view each birthday differently. My Grandmother Peggy died when she was in her early 50s I think around 52 but my husband's Grandmother Pat died when she was in her 70s I don't think she was quite 80 yet. So naturally I think seeing Grandma Peggy die in her 50s my mom is taking more of a "Yeah another birthday and another year I am alive and I am going to take full advantage of it." But my mother-in-law and I kind of overheard her say this "Why celebrate it, its just another year closer to dieing."
But if you take the difference of these two women into context of Leviticus during the Year of Jubilee all debts were to be forgotten and all slaves were to be set free, (ok maybe only the ones who had been slaves for 50 years). But any way I know that if I had a debt or had been a slave and I hit that 50 year mark and it was wiped away I know I would be shouting. But I wonder how many people weren't that thrilled at the end of those 50 years because they had started to identify themselves as a slave and they were either afraid to do something new with their lives or just could not break-free of the bondage and ended up going thru another 50 years.
Well here is your next Jubilee year, if you have celebrated one already I hope you learned from the years before to do things a little different and if you have reached that milestone I wish you a blessed journey.
Oh yeah as a side note my dad is approaching his 50th in September so mark your calendars.
Today's Reading:
Leviticus 25-27
Luke 7:36 thru Ch 10
First I have to make a confession. I have fallen behind in my devotional time with the Lord and reading the Bible. I have no one or nothing to blame but myself. So I am saying I am sorry that I have not written in a while. But I have been thinking about my next entry the entire time I was away so hopefully it will be worth the wait.
Ok here goes....
I was reading in Leviticus 25 about the Year of Jubilee. The Year of Jubilee is a type of Sabbath year that takes place every 50 years and no one is allowed to plant or harvest during that year. Now God obviously provided for them in the years leading up to Jubilee and even after until the following crop was harvested.(Lev. 25:21-22)
Also if you sold land the price was based on the number of years til the next Jubilee.(Lev 25:14-17) So basically the price was higher in years 1-25 than 26-49. Because you were basing it on the number of harvests you would be getting out of the land.
Another interesting aspect of the Jubilean year is that everyone was to return to their ancestral homeland. Which to me would be kind of confusing. I mean how far back do you go back to your ancestors cause they moved around a lot. If I was to use it in the current days time since I am considered part of my husband's family. They would all return to Colorado since that is where they remember but do they go back farther than that to either when the family first moved to America from Europe or do we all pack up and take a trip over seas. Of course back in the days of Moses they didn't move around as much as we do now so they obviously already knew where they were going.
But another reason the Year of Jubilee is so fascinating to me at this moment is because in my family we just celebrated a 50th birthday. My mother-in-law just turned 50 this past Monday, but there was no Jubilee in her celebrating. Actually she didn't really want to celebrate it at all. Which is odd to me because I have never been one to really care about my age, shoot sometimes I forget that I am not 21 any more and am about to turn 30 in a little over a year and I really could careless. As a matter of fact when my mother turned 50 several years back she was rather excited about it because she gained lots of perks that she wasn't able to get before, like discounts and special shopping days at stores. Oh and my favorite a good excuse to forget things, hahahaha
I find it amazing how two women can see the same thing from different views like they do. But obviously it was probably how they were raised, I guess. Or even how they saw life in general. Both women viewed raising children as a blessing and loved and still love every minute of it. But my mother went out and worked for a living and taught my brother and I to be independent and you have to work for things you want, but know that God and church always comes first and family will be there if you need a hand. Now my mother-in-law did not work the moment that she was pregnant with my husband (he's the oldest), obviously there is nothing wrong with that but unfortunately my husband and his 2 siblings grew up with the knowledge that they could depend on mom first and not really have to be independent to a point. Now I am not saying she babied them but if I forgot something at home then I just had to deal with it when I was at school but if they forgot something they only needed to place a call to mom or in some weird cases she would show-up at school before they even knew. (I swear sometimes she is psychic but that is another story)
I could on and on about their difference I love them both and I know they did the best they could but what I am trying to say is that once all of their children grew up and moved out they began to view life differently. My mom saw more freedom, where as I believe my mother-in-law feels that she is not needed any more. And also I think because both ladies' mothers died at different stages in their lives they view each birthday differently. My Grandmother Peggy died when she was in her early 50s I think around 52 but my husband's Grandmother Pat died when she was in her 70s I don't think she was quite 80 yet. So naturally I think seeing Grandma Peggy die in her 50s my mom is taking more of a "Yeah another birthday and another year I am alive and I am going to take full advantage of it." But my mother-in-law and I kind of overheard her say this "Why celebrate it, its just another year closer to dieing."
But if you take the difference of these two women into context of Leviticus during the Year of Jubilee all debts were to be forgotten and all slaves were to be set free, (ok maybe only the ones who had been slaves for 50 years). But any way I know that if I had a debt or had been a slave and I hit that 50 year mark and it was wiped away I know I would be shouting. But I wonder how many people weren't that thrilled at the end of those 50 years because they had started to identify themselves as a slave and they were either afraid to do something new with their lives or just could not break-free of the bondage and ended up going thru another 50 years.
Well here is your next Jubilee year, if you have celebrated one already I hope you learned from the years before to do things a little different and if you have reached that milestone I wish you a blessed journey.
Oh yeah as a side note my dad is approaching his 50th in September so mark your calendars.
Today's Reading:
Leviticus 25-27
Luke 7:36 thru Ch 10
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Feb 26
Yesterday was the start of Lent for the Catholic community. As some of you know my husband and his family are Catholic. Don't get me wrong but sometimes I am not sure why they do the things they do because they don't even know why they do them. But hey I just humor them and play along.
In respect to this blog I have decided that for Lent instead of "giving up" something (its their form of fasting along with giving up meat on Fridays) I am going to try to do something else which actually is basically giving up more of my time so I guess I am sacrificing something. I have decided to try and read "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. As usual I am a little behind the trends, yes I know the book has been out for years but until I started diving deeper into the Bible (plus my Grandmother had the book and gave it to me) did I decide maybe it was time that I read the book and since it is a 40 day read and the Lental season is 40 days long then what better time than now. Which if you have read Warren's book or even the Bible for that matter you would know that anytime that God needed to change a person he did it in 40 days. So by Easter I will have read the book and maybe even come out a slightly better person or with more of a purpose about myself. But then again I do know that my purpose on this Earth was to please God so if anything the book will probably just cement those ideas better.
Ok on with the message. I had been doing some research about the purpose of Lent and why the Catholics take part in this ritual every year. I haven't exactly gotten my answer to that yet so I am still searching but I did find something that I didn't quite realize, I may have known it but for some reason this time when I read it I was a little more understanding.
No, Lent and the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter are not part of the Bible they are entirely a man made ritual but what I was not fully aware of was that it is to represent the 40 days that Jesus had spent in the wilderness being tempted by the devil after he was baptisted by John the Baptist.
Luke 4:1-13 talks about Jesus time in the wilderness. During the time of Lent a person is supposed to give up something of importance or that is some kind of sacrifice to them personally. Some people give up TV, sweets, smoking, or other bad habits. To me and maybe it is because I was taught that when you fast you are to pray as well, hence why I am reading the book, but also to some people those items they give up, like TV can help steer them away from God so I would hope that if you choose to give that particular item up you use the time that you would have spent staring at the screen to grab your Bible or even just a good Christian book to help you become a better person. Because like Jesus says in Luke 4:8 You must worship the Lord you God; serve only him." You may not think you are worshiping the TV but anything that takes your time and attention away from God is in part worshiping something other than him. As far as giving up sweets or other bad habits that maybe you do mindless, such as reaching for the candy dish while you are at work maybe you should instead find a few scriptures write them down and each time you think oh a candy bar would taste good about now, pull one of those scriptures out and quote it several times.
Today's Reading:
Luke 3-4
Leviticus 17-20
In respect to this blog I have decided that for Lent instead of "giving up" something (its their form of fasting along with giving up meat on Fridays) I am going to try to do something else which actually is basically giving up more of my time so I guess I am sacrificing something. I have decided to try and read "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. As usual I am a little behind the trends, yes I know the book has been out for years but until I started diving deeper into the Bible (plus my Grandmother had the book and gave it to me) did I decide maybe it was time that I read the book and since it is a 40 day read and the Lental season is 40 days long then what better time than now. Which if you have read Warren's book or even the Bible for that matter you would know that anytime that God needed to change a person he did it in 40 days. So by Easter I will have read the book and maybe even come out a slightly better person or with more of a purpose about myself. But then again I do know that my purpose on this Earth was to please God so if anything the book will probably just cement those ideas better.
Ok on with the message. I had been doing some research about the purpose of Lent and why the Catholics take part in this ritual every year. I haven't exactly gotten my answer to that yet so I am still searching but I did find something that I didn't quite realize, I may have known it but for some reason this time when I read it I was a little more understanding.
No, Lent and the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter are not part of the Bible they are entirely a man made ritual but what I was not fully aware of was that it is to represent the 40 days that Jesus had spent in the wilderness being tempted by the devil after he was baptisted by John the Baptist.
Luke 4:1-13 talks about Jesus time in the wilderness. During the time of Lent a person is supposed to give up something of importance or that is some kind of sacrifice to them personally. Some people give up TV, sweets, smoking, or other bad habits. To me and maybe it is because I was taught that when you fast you are to pray as well, hence why I am reading the book, but also to some people those items they give up, like TV can help steer them away from God so I would hope that if you choose to give that particular item up you use the time that you would have spent staring at the screen to grab your Bible or even just a good Christian book to help you become a better person. Because like Jesus says in Luke 4:8 You must worship the Lord you God; serve only him." You may not think you are worshiping the TV but anything that takes your time and attention away from God is in part worshiping something other than him. As far as giving up sweets or other bad habits that maybe you do mindless, such as reaching for the candy dish while you are at work maybe you should instead find a few scriptures write them down and each time you think oh a candy bar would taste good about now, pull one of those scriptures out and quote it several times.
Today's Reading:
Luke 3-4
Leviticus 17-20
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Feb 21 Part 2
Just to let some of you know this Wednesday is a holy day called Ash Wednesday and it is the offical start of Lent. My dear husband is Catholic and we will be par-taking in some of the rituals that go along with this holy season that leads up to Easter.
I myself am still learning about the reasoning behind Lent so bare with me and I will try to help get what I have learned out to you. But what I do know is that on Ash Wednesday and every Friday until Easter we are not allowed to consume meat other than seafood so if anybody has any ideas as far as meals to plan please please pass along to me cause a person can only eat so many grilled cheese sandwiches and PB&Js.
I myself am still learning about the reasoning behind Lent so bare with me and I will try to help get what I have learned out to you. But what I do know is that on Ash Wednesday and every Friday until Easter we are not allowed to consume meat other than seafood so if anybody has any ideas as far as meals to plan please please pass along to me cause a person can only eat so many grilled cheese sandwiches and PB&Js.
Feb 21 Part 1
I just finished reading the book of Mark and just like Matthew it ends with the telling of Jesus being crucified. But a thought came to me while I was rereading about Peter's denial (Mark 14:66-72 & Matthew 26:69-75). That the reason Peter denied Jesus was obviously part of God's great plan for Christianity after Jesus returned to Heaven.
(Maybe we have heard this before or not, I am not sure, but hear me out now as I try to explain it in my terms.)
Back in Mark 8:27 Jesus asks his disciples "Who do people say I am?" Some of the men replied, "John the Baptist, Elijah or other prophets." Then Jesus asked the men directly, "Who do you say I am?" (emphasis mine) and Peter replied "You are the Messiah." Well if you back up to Matthew 16:13 the same conversation is being spoken but from Matthew's perspective who I believe was there (remember Mark was not) after Peter's explamation Jesus proclaimed Peter to be blessed and at that point changed his name from Simon the doubter to Peter which means Rock and that he was going to use him to build his church. And that hell would not be able to conquer him or anything he did on earth. That he was granted the Keys to Heaven.
Well if we flashed forward to the point of Peter's denial if he had said "Yes, I know Jesus," like I am sure he would have if God had not blocked his mouth and tongue (no that is not in the Bible but we know God can do it) and speak the denial for Peter than Peter would have more than likely been right there with Jesus on the cross and who knows what might have happened to the Church that Peter built. Oh I am sure God would have found someone else but he didn't and for that I am very thankful that Peter denied knowing Jesus because to me that made his passion for spreading the Gospel of Jesus that much stronger. The fire that Peter had I think mostly came out of guilt for denying him but like Paul that guilt just fanned the flames.
On a side note upon further examination between the two books Matthew and Mark, I believe I did like Matthew better because it does go into more detail but if you are just looking for the facts then Mark is the way to go. And I am one of the believers that Mark used his conversations with Peter to write the book of Mark as they traveled. I think Peter was a very humble man and didn't want to have a lot of attention drawn to him. If you go back and compare passages especially like the one I just discussed Matthew will point out and name Peter as saying certain things or even doing certain action like trying to walk on water (Matt. 14:28-32), but Mark does not mention Peter at all when he writes about Jesus walking on water, it just says that Jesus walked out to the boat and calmed the storm. (Mark 6:50-51) So either Peter left that part out of his retelling to Mark or Mark had such a respect for Peter that he thought it might embarrass him and just decided to leave it out. I don't think the four men who wrote the gospels knew that others were writting the same thing, so Mark thought no one would be the wiser if he left it out. But the other men thought it was important.
Today's reading:
Mark 15-16
Leviticus 11-14
(Maybe we have heard this before or not, I am not sure, but hear me out now as I try to explain it in my terms.)
Back in Mark 8:27 Jesus asks his disciples "Who do people say I am?" Some of the men replied, "John the Baptist, Elijah or other prophets." Then Jesus asked the men directly, "Who do you say I am?" (emphasis mine) and Peter replied "You are the Messiah." Well if you back up to Matthew 16:13 the same conversation is being spoken but from Matthew's perspective who I believe was there (remember Mark was not) after Peter's explamation Jesus proclaimed Peter to be blessed and at that point changed his name from Simon the doubter to Peter which means Rock and that he was going to use him to build his church. And that hell would not be able to conquer him or anything he did on earth. That he was granted the Keys to Heaven.
Well if we flashed forward to the point of Peter's denial if he had said "Yes, I know Jesus," like I am sure he would have if God had not blocked his mouth and tongue (no that is not in the Bible but we know God can do it) and speak the denial for Peter than Peter would have more than likely been right there with Jesus on the cross and who knows what might have happened to the Church that Peter built. Oh I am sure God would have found someone else but he didn't and for that I am very thankful that Peter denied knowing Jesus because to me that made his passion for spreading the Gospel of Jesus that much stronger. The fire that Peter had I think mostly came out of guilt for denying him but like Paul that guilt just fanned the flames.
On a side note upon further examination between the two books Matthew and Mark, I believe I did like Matthew better because it does go into more detail but if you are just looking for the facts then Mark is the way to go. And I am one of the believers that Mark used his conversations with Peter to write the book of Mark as they traveled. I think Peter was a very humble man and didn't want to have a lot of attention drawn to him. If you go back and compare passages especially like the one I just discussed Matthew will point out and name Peter as saying certain things or even doing certain action like trying to walk on water (Matt. 14:28-32), but Mark does not mention Peter at all when he writes about Jesus walking on water, it just says that Jesus walked out to the boat and calmed the storm. (Mark 6:50-51) So either Peter left that part out of his retelling to Mark or Mark had such a respect for Peter that he thought it might embarrass him and just decided to leave it out. I don't think the four men who wrote the gospels knew that others were writting the same thing, so Mark thought no one would be the wiser if he left it out. But the other men thought it was important.
Today's reading:
Mark 15-16
Leviticus 11-14
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