freedom – Be Still…

Revelation 1:4-8 – Who is Speaking?

Read Revelation 1:4-8

God is speaking to us through John. John would have known Jesus in person for a few years of his life. Those were probably the biggest, most incredible years of John’s life. Now with all of that love for Jesus, John was given this revelation. It helps for us to put ourselves as closely to John’s contagious awestruck wonder as we can. To be given responsibility for such a precious, yet crucial message or revelation from God and the Lamb.

We see who John was initially addressing. We’ll discover more about these seven churches and how they can resemble what we see today in our local churches. In this way, Jesus’ revelation is more relevant than ever in present day. Continue reading “Revelation 1:4-8 – Who is Speaking?”

Christmas 🆓 Galatians 4:4-7 – Freedom

Read Galatians 4:4-7

The Christmas season continues as we celebrate Jesus’ coming into this world. We have been reflecting on how this little baby brought truth, wisdom, and faith. Paul is describing for us how our inheritance of faith works in today’s reading. Paul had been talking about how until Jesus, people had been like slaves to the law. Jesus’ coming changed that for us when he brought freedom.

There are some great nuggets we don’t want to miss in this reading. The first one is that Jesus came at just the right time. God’s timing is always perfect. We may wish for things to happen on our timeline, but when we can let go and let God, that’s when the miracles happen. Is there something you need to let go of so God can step in without you being in the way?

Zechariah 7:11-14 – Implications

Read Zechariah 7:11-14

This third section of Zechariah centers around the “implications” of this new age of believers. Those returning from exile will be the remnant of God’s chosen to repopulate Jerusalem and Judah. But what does that look like?

Zechariah’s first audience kept the faith in God alive for us today. There were enough of them who listened to God’s message, warning them to not fall into the same traps their ancestors had. They say “history repeats itself,” and I suppose we see evidence of that in the Bible where patterns emerge in human behavior and motivations.

1 Peter 2:13-17 – Who is My Boss?

Read 1 Peter 2:13-17

Today, there are plenty of sources trying to control us. It may be our boss at work, the government, or the police officer who pulled us over for speeding. Even our own children “think” they are in a place of power when they try to manipulate us into doing what they want. All of these “authorities” play a role in our daily lives. How we respond is up to us. Peter suggests we “submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed.” Did you catch those final words? The ones God has appointed.

Does that mean all who serve in an official capacity as an “authority” are appointed by God? Or does that mean that we need to submit to the ones God has appointed and not all the other ones? If the latter, how do we know who is who?

Jeremiah 52:24-30 – A Prisoner’s Death

Read Jeremiah 52:24-30

If you got hauled off into exile, you’d certainly be hoping for them to spare your life. By the time this group of 74 people consisting of dignitaries, priests, and even poor folk were collected and taken to the king, many others were already hostage in Babylon. Would these people have knowledge of where they were headed from hearing word from those exiled or was it a total unknown?

No matter what these people knew or didn’t know, they endured emotional upheaval which led to the resolution of death. These prisoners would not be captive for long. Certainly they had seen death all around them when others had been taken or attacked. Now it was their turn. This was not a pleasant time to be in Jerusalem.