This past weekend was our annual clean up day at our church. I had signed up for hallways and stairs, and volunteered my sweet Baby Girl to help me.
Due to a grueling basketball schedule we weren't able to make it to the actual clean up day, but I told them I would do it during the week.
So, yesterday was the day. After I got off work, BG and I headed over to the church with our cleaning supplies and got directly to work.
Of course, while we were working we were talking about her day at school, and all the drama that high school holds for teens. And as the story began to unfold she started getting more and more agitated. The more aggravated she became the more aggravated I became.
Do teenagers ever stop complaining?
Anyway, standing there I said to her, I wonder if God gets as angry or aggravated with us, as we get with each other?
I am betting the answer is yes!
I am still reading about Moses and the Israelites, so I have read first hand about all the complaining they did and how if Moses had not intervened on their behalf, there were several times he would have destroyed them on the spot.
Do you ever wonder how God feels about all that is going on in the world today?
I wouldn't imagine he is very happy with us.
After thinking about it, I apologized to BG, and told her we should stop complaining. We should try to be a blessing to God.
So, maybe today we will try not to complain about things and to focus on Godly things and not worldly things.
More on the letters to the churches.
The letter to the church of Thyatira talked about Jezebel. Apparently she was a prophetess and was leading some of the church members astray. God tells them he has given her the opportunity to repent, and she does not want to change. So she will face judgement, and it won't be pretty.
But to the ones who stay true, he will give power over the nations to everyone who wins the victory and continues to obey him.
The church of Sardis seemed to have fallen asleep. He says "Wake up!", Make yourselves stronger before what you have left dies completely. Their spirituality was dieing, and God is trying to tell them to remember. Remember all that he has done, and all that they have heard and obey. Before it's too late.
Philadelphia received the kind of letter we all want to receive. All good!!! He knows they are weak but they are obedient. And they are loved. Because of their obedience he will keep you from time of trouble that is coming to the whole world.
Laodicea can be compared to people who won't make any kind of decision. Fence sitters. They aren't sure what side they are on. They may be wealthy, but it isn't they kind of wealth that will help them in eternity. So he tells them they will be punished, because he punishes those he loves. In the hopes that they will see the error of their ways and turn back to him.
In all of the letters, God is telling us that he wants us to change because he wants us to follow him. He is giving us the opportunity to change all we have to do is take it. I love how even though he may be scolding some of them, they are always given promises if they will just come back to him. I love that they all end with, all who have ears to hear, let them listen.
Really, he couldn't get any plainer. It's not easy to change. It can be hard for us to stop doing things that we do out of habit, good or bad. I think the more time we spend growing our relationship with the Lord, the more time we will want to spend with him. But we should make time. It may not always be convenient, or we may not feel very enthusiastic about it, but who do you think wants to keep you from growing in your relationship with the Lord?
In the letters to the church there are a lot of times where Satan is mentioned. He is just as alive today as he was 2000 years ago.
Until next time.
We have officially started our new bible study. We started it last week actually I just haven't had the time to tell you all about it yet, but it was fabulous!
So, I can't wait to tell you all about it. While we were reading over Chapter 1, the leader asked if we had read the whole book of Revelation, after most of us said no, he told us to have that done before the next meeting because as we read over it, he wants us to be able to look at what the whole book is saying and not just the chapter we happen to be reading. So, I read the whole thing!
When we started going over the letters to the seven churches, our leader gives us some background information on the areas of the churches and what is taking place in the towns. Makes the whole process that much more interesting to me, I love when he just makes it come to life for me.
Anyway, didn't mean to get carried away there, just got a little excited. One of the things we discussed was that in each letter, the author gives us a description of Christ, usually in the beginning and he always gives the churches a promise. Like in the letter to Ephesus, the promise is, "To those who win the victory I will give the right to eat fruit from the tree of life, which is in the garden of God." Revelation 2:7.
Not a bad promise, huh? If they will just straighten up and fly right, they get to eat from the tree of life. The warning to them was that they had left their first love, gotten away form what was most important, hmmmmm, sound familiar?
When we talked about the letters one thing we all agreed on was that there was each warning could be talking about all of us at some point in our faith journey. At some point don't we all forget what is really important? Don't we sometimes fall prey to the trappings of things/idols of this world? We all fall short. At least around here we do.
But it looked like the church of Smyrna, and the church of Philadelphia must have been on top of their game because he didn't really have anything bad to say about the way they were living. It kind of makes you stop and think, if God were going to write a letter to your church, what do you think it would say?
Are you reaching out to EVERYONE?
Are you helping the needy? Feeding the hungry?
Are we pleasing him?
I'm trying.
We just started a new bible study last week and we are reading Revelation. And because Revelation can be interpreted so many ways, we are reading it and just discussing it.
It's not really a teaching kind of study. Just something to get us thinking I guess. Last week he told us to read the whole Book, and if something really stood out to us, write it down and we would discuss it.
So that's what I've been doing, reading and writing.
What an amazing time that must have been for John, to see Heaven, and heavenly beings, and strange creatures sent to clear a path for Jesus' return. I would imaging it was hard to write it all down, surely some of it was beyond description. Sometimes as I'm reading I think of how awesome and powerful God really is, and we don't have a clue as to all that he can do. When I hear of natural disasters like the earthquake in Japan I think, even as large and devastating as that was, it doesn't compare to what he is capable of doing.
As John writes the letters to the churches he is pretty much saying OK, this is where you are lacking so fix it, get it right so you will be ready for his return.
Why is it so hard for us to do what is right? Is it because when we stand up for something considered "religious", we are labeled controversial.
And who wants that stigma, right?
Well, Jesus did, and he didn't mind saying it, I mean, look where it got him, straight to the cross.
Kind of makes you think doesn't it?
With Easter coming, for Lent I decided to do the 40 bags in 40 days challenge.
I don't know if you have heard of it but it's where you go through your "stuff" and get rid of things you may not have used in a long time or maybe you are just cleaning house, so to speak. But since I was doing it for Lent I decided that I wouldn't just use it as an opportunity to clean out, but as an opportunity to give something good.
Saying something good I mean something that I really like, but I know that someone else could use it more than me.
It's easy to go through my closets and give away the stuff I think is out of style or seems to have shrunk in the wash, but to really give something that means something to me, that is sacrifice.
I am at a point in my life where I am trying to stop caring so much about worldly things, and trying to simplify my life, which means focusing on the important things like relationships, caring for others, seeing a need someone has and trying to fulfill it.
So as I get my bags stuffed, I want to focus on the needs of others and what I am doing to help them meet their needs. Isn't that what it's really all about? Helping each other.
Do you ever feel like there is nothing but BAD things happening all around you?
The other day I was talking with a group of people and we were talking about what was going on with us, when I realized that almost everyone who was sitting there had some kind of crisis going on in their lives.
I think we have 4 church members who were hospitalized, several more who were sick. Many people who are in the caregiver role with their parents and it can be very hard to take that role on especially when they don't think they need it.
There are times when I think to myself when will things get better for them? Then I think of Job, and I realize that my God is the same today, yesterday and tomorrow.
PRAISE THE LORD!!!
What a comfort.
