scriptureinsights

[scriptureinsights]

The Time is Now! 

"Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you." (Hosea 10:12)

This week in my Old Testament class, we studied some of the less quoted scriptures from the back of the Old Testament (Hosea, Joel, Amos, and Obadiah). I found these scriptures to be quite interesting and while there aren't as many "one verse wonders" as Psalms or Proverbs, the offered a lot of wisdom.

One of the primary themes of these scriptures was the importance of listening to prophets, who act as watchmen. As is said in Amos 3:7, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth His secrets unto His servants the prophets." We would be very wise to listen to them!

Overall the most inspiring scripture to me was the one at the top of this post. I am a firm believer that we should learn from the past, appreciate the present, and work for the future. This verse is a good demonstration of the latter. We must sow in righteousness so that we can reap mercy. A wise man once said that the best time to plant a cherry tree is 40 years ago, but the second best time is now.

Now is the time to seek the Lord!

[scriptureinsights]

God is Bigger than the Boogieman

Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the Lord: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand." (Jeremiah 42:11)

I love this verse which falls in the middle of a vast expense of Jeremiah's warnings and condemnation of Jerusalem. Even in the depths of their wickedness, God promises safety from the looming threat.

I grew up watching VeggieTales, because it was the only show my parents would allow us to watch on Sundays. Though the show is full of silliness and whimsy one song impacted me as a child. When confronted with a monster from a scary show, Junior Asparagus sings, "God is bigger than the Boogieman, He's bigger than Godzilla or the monsters on TV. God is bigger than the Boogieman and he's watching out for you and me."

Although most of us are not plagued with the powerful king of Babylon OR the Frankencelery, we all have earthly threats looming in our lives. Unemployment, prejudice, injustice, and abuse are just a few examples of some of the trials we encounter. Lucky for us, God is bigger and more powerful than them all, and just as he promised to Jerusalem, he promises us that he will save us if we turn to Him.

Best of luck to you, and may God help you overcome your challenges.

[scriptureinsights]

Publishing Peace

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! (Isaiah 52:7)

This week, as I studied the words of Isaiah I came across this verse which I found very applicable to today. We live in a very negative society. You probably couldn't survive 10 minutes on the internet without encountering negative comments. People are cruel and unkind. Even as I did missionary work, I would come across Christians who would speak unkindly because I am of a different denomination than them.

Jesus shows us differently. Bless you that publish peace! Bring good tidings of good! Negativity and opposition are plentiful. We don't need any more. There is never too much positivity and kindness. If this post reaches your eyes, I implore you to leave a positive comment on someone's post today, maybe even two or three. Spread a little love. Through acts and words of kindness, the Savior can be felt.

[scriptureinsights]

Axes Don't Cut Down Trees...

...People cut down trees!

"Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? As if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood." (Isaiah 10:15)

I love the imagery in the scriptures and this short description of an axe bragging about cutting down a tree is very applicable in the world today.

I live in the United States, which like most Western nations, is a very individualistic society. This is good in some ways, as it offers an opportunity for the individual to achieve what they want to achieve, but it also creates a culture centered on personal achievement. Social media is ridden with post upon post of "Look at me! Look at what I accomplished!"

From a spiritual standpoint, we understand that all opportunity is given by God and through him we can accomplish all things. He deserves a little credit, but I don't see anyone @ ing him!

Anyway, I just wanted to say I am grateful for the opportunities God has given me, and unlike the axe who boasts against the lumberjack, I give credit to God.

[scriptureinsights]

Job has terrible friends

When I read the story of Job, I am impressed with his faith and determination when everything is taken from him. When I read the story again more recently, my thoughts were drawn to Jobs three friends.

At first, the three seem like great friends. They even made an appointment to visit him and sit in silence for hours and hours. They even rent their clothes for him (which is bible talk for "I am very upset"). However, the silence doesn't last long, because these boys prepared sermons worth of knowledge. Their lectures had a common thing: "Job, clearly you did something to anger God. Maybe you should repent so He can give you your sheep back." (This is dramatic irony, because we, as the readers, know that Job was flawless).

So what can we learn?? All around us, people suffer. Terrible things happen to good people, and great fortune often befalls the worst humans imaginable. Justice is perfect in the next life, not this one. Perhaps if God hasn't judged yet, neither should we. When those around us are suffering, we must minister to them with empathy. It is not our job to speculate on sins.

God's love is perfect. Ours? not so much, but we should try to emulate Jesus in all our interactions with those around us.

Be the great and understanding friend that Job never had.

[scriptureinsights]

The Lord is a Still Small Voice

11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:

12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

Just like the fire and earthquake described in this scripture, life is full of loud, scary, and distracting things. I feel like when I wake up and check my phone, it takes like 2 minutes to see some terrible terrible thing that has happened. It is terrifying and discouraging, and during these moments it's easy to question whether a caring God is looking out for us, but the Lord isn't in the earthquake or the fire. The Lord is in a still small voice.

It is important for us to create quiet moments to listen for the voice of Jesus as He reaches out towards us. God can lead us, teach us, and comfort us.