READING: Genesis 29-30, John 12
There are so many good ideas to dive into for this reading, but I simply don't have all the words or time to pick through everything. I will focus on John 12, but first I want to share my excitement about the chapters in Genesis. In these chapters, God brings forth the new children of Jacob who will eventually become the 12 tribes of Israel! Not only are these tribes major focal points for the Bible, but also hold a deep place in the world's past and current history. How these kids came to be, through the envy and strife of two dueling sisters and a lot of back and forth with Jacob, is to me a questionable, mysterious, adulterated process. I am eager to dive further into the study of these tribes for that reason. But I hold fast to the truth that God is sovereign and knows exactly why he brought His people forward in such fashion. The next few weeks will be great reads!
Now onto John 12.
What a conviction of faith. How we view our faith. How we prioritize our faith. How we live our faith.
First, I am challenged in my solidity of faith by the plot to kill Lazarus. I've read time and time again that Jesus was always under fire and sought after to be killed. He always brought to light the truths of God, and these truths conflicted with the way religious and political leaders ran their world. They were threatened, and so they despised Jesus. But then we have Lazarus, a friend to Jesus, who was dead and was given a second chance at life through Jesus. His story went viral for his day. People started talking about Jesus and Lazarus. Lazarus was proof that Jesus was different. Lazarus had the ultimate story that Jesus could not be contained. This threatened the priests' establishment as ultimate authoritarians of the day, so they sought to nix Lazarus. If I were presented with threats of death because of my testimony for Jesus and how he has given me life, how would I respond? Would I remain bold? Would I remain faithful? This has weighed heavy on my heart as recent events with ISIS and Christian persecution has grown substantially around the globe.
Second, I am challenged to view the value of my life. Jesus tells me to lose my life so I can find it. He also tells me that if I love my life, I will lose it. What does this mean? There are two lives he's referring to. One of these lives is the limited, earthly life. The other is the eternal life, the one I do not fully understand yet but am eager to know through my faith. Jesus is asking me to lose the love for my earthly life because it is so limited. He is asking me, in contrast, to spend my energy and faith loving the eternal life, the one where I know God and learn to commune with him. In losing a limited mindset and limited faith, and instead taking on the heart and mind of God and his eternal life, I learn to live temporarily on earth leading myself and others to know God, and I accept the gift of God to live forever perfectly with him. For anyone that does not receive this eternal life, but limits himself to only earthly matters, he will not know God. He will only come to know death. What am I doing day in and day out to show that my heart is bent toward eternity and the eternal life of God? How does my job reflect this? How do my shopping habits, my home habits, my hobbies and my surroundings reflect this?
I wrote this prayer next to the chapter in the Bible as a summary of the conviction of my faith in these words. I hope this prayer gives you strength and encouragement to live faithfully and purposefully in today's time.
God,
If ever I fear to confess your name, convict my heart to know the depth and the truth and the eternity of your glory, rather than the fleeting, limited and false glory of man. Amen.
Now onto John 12.
What a conviction of faith. How we view our faith. How we prioritize our faith. How we live our faith.
First, I am challenged in my solidity of faith by the plot to kill Lazarus. I've read time and time again that Jesus was always under fire and sought after to be killed. He always brought to light the truths of God, and these truths conflicted with the way religious and political leaders ran their world. They were threatened, and so they despised Jesus. But then we have Lazarus, a friend to Jesus, who was dead and was given a second chance at life through Jesus. His story went viral for his day. People started talking about Jesus and Lazarus. Lazarus was proof that Jesus was different. Lazarus had the ultimate story that Jesus could not be contained. This threatened the priests' establishment as ultimate authoritarians of the day, so they sought to nix Lazarus. If I were presented with threats of death because of my testimony for Jesus and how he has given me life, how would I respond? Would I remain bold? Would I remain faithful? This has weighed heavy on my heart as recent events with ISIS and Christian persecution has grown substantially around the globe.
Second, I am challenged to view the value of my life. Jesus tells me to lose my life so I can find it. He also tells me that if I love my life, I will lose it. What does this mean? There are two lives he's referring to. One of these lives is the limited, earthly life. The other is the eternal life, the one I do not fully understand yet but am eager to know through my faith. Jesus is asking me to lose the love for my earthly life because it is so limited. He is asking me, in contrast, to spend my energy and faith loving the eternal life, the one where I know God and learn to commune with him. In losing a limited mindset and limited faith, and instead taking on the heart and mind of God and his eternal life, I learn to live temporarily on earth leading myself and others to know God, and I accept the gift of God to live forever perfectly with him. For anyone that does not receive this eternal life, but limits himself to only earthly matters, he will not know God. He will only come to know death. What am I doing day in and day out to show that my heart is bent toward eternity and the eternal life of God? How does my job reflect this? How do my shopping habits, my home habits, my hobbies and my surroundings reflect this?
I wrote this prayer next to the chapter in the Bible as a summary of the conviction of my faith in these words. I hope this prayer gives you strength and encouragement to live faithfully and purposefully in today's time.
God,
If ever I fear to confess your name, convict my heart to know the depth and the truth and the eternity of your glory, rather than the fleeting, limited and false glory of man. Amen.
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