Yo, so as you can kinda tell from my last post, I have been doing stuff on my own recently, not spending time with God "because I am too busy", and that makes me a big idiot. I have been feeling really tempted and useless and not getting anything done really.
But God is faithful and really super awesome. Haha. So, even though I was going my own way and heading towards destruction, God stopped me and brought me out. I text a couple of my brothers in Christ, and as usual they suggested I go for a walk. Haha.
So I went. There's a park right across the street, like a couple blocks away. I left my phone at home and went.
Earlier, because I nearly failed, I went back online to SettingCaptivesFree.com, where I had been doing a 60 day course, and hadn't been for about a week. And starting from here I got to see how, like, the whole Bible is solid and the books all agree with one another even though written thousands of years apart.
First, at SCF, was a lesson on being a new creation in Christ referencing 2 Cor, and Rom, but the main focus of the lesson was on creation, back in Genesis. When the world was formless and empty and dark and the land submerged below the waters, God spoke light into the world and on the third day rose the land to life and fruition. In the same way, Jesus was put to death for our sins and on the third day rose to new life, also giving this new life to those who would trust in Him.
Then I went to the park and read a few chapters in Jeremiah. But the very first thing I read was Jer 3:22 "Return, faithless people, I will cure you of backsliding", which is exactly what had been happening to me without God. Convicted. Haha. Anyways, I prayed a lot and kept reading. Jer 4:22 "My people are fools; they do not know me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good." and verse 23 "I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty; and at the heavens, and their light was gone." and there was a whole lot more about destruction coming from the north, but a remnant being kept alive, and about sin being the reason for all this destruction, and that the people would be like branches of a grape vine, being cut off (like in John 15:5/6).
That's a whole lot to take in, and I don't always get application when it comes to Old Testament, especially prophets. Obviously step 1: Return to the Lord. But I felt I should read 1 Pet, where I had left off in my reading plan for the New Testament.
I read the first chapter. Haha. Verse 3 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead". "You may have had to suffer all kinds of trials" "be self-controlled" and Peter quoted Leviticus in verse 15/16 "But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."" "you were redeemed from the empty way of life ... with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect" (18/19). And it goes on to encourage us to love our brothers sincerely because we "have been born again" through the word of God that stands forever (then he quoted Isaiah 40:6-8).
Basically, even from Gen and Lev, to the prophets Jer and Isa, to the gospels such as John, or the Epistles of Paul and Peter, the Bible told one story of a faithless people whom God called out to again and again and foretold of His Son Jesus Christ coming to pay the price that we may be born again and come to know Him and have real life, not the emptiness we used to live in.
So, I'm a little in awe. Haha.
God is faithful to the end even when I'm an idiot. haha.
Ttyl.
D.Fa
No comments:
Post a Comment