Deuteronomy 10-14; Acts 26

I nearly highlighted all of Deuteronomy’s readings today, they are so good. They tell of the Lord’s love and provision. It’s a guideline for good–to love the Lord. A holy stewardship to pass along. Love the Lord and serve him. Write it down. Everywhere. On my heart. On my hands. On my doorpost. Teach and talk. Day and night.

²⁰ You shall fear the Lord your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear. ²¹ He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen. ²² Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.

11 “You shall therefore love the Lord your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always. ² And consider today (since I am not speaking to your children who have not known or seen it), consider the discipline of the Lord your God, his greatness, his mighty hand and his outstretched arm, ³ his signs and his deeds that he did in Egypt to Pharaoh the king of Egypt and to all his land, ⁴ and what he did to the army of Egypt, to their horses and to their chariots, how he made the water of the Red Sea flow over them as they pursued after you, and how the Lord has destroyed them to this day, ⁵ and what he did to you in the wilderness, until you came to this place, ⁶ and what he did to Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, son of Reuben, how the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households, their tents, and every living thing that followed them, in the midst of all Israel. ⁷ For your eyes have seen all the great work of the Lord that he did.

⁸ “You shall therefore keep the whole commandment that I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and take possession of the land that you are going over to possess, ⁹ and that you may live long in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give to them and to their offspring, a land flowing with milk and honey. ¹⁰ For the land that you are entering to take possession of it is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and irrigated it, like a garden of vegetables. ¹¹ But the land that you are going over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water by the rain from heaven, ¹² a land that the Lord your God cares for. The eyes of the Lord your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.

¹³ “And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹⁴ he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil. ¹⁵ And he will give grass in your fields for your livestock, and you shall eat and be full. ¹⁶ Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them; ¹⁷ then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you will perish quickly off the good land that the Lord is giving you.

¹⁸ “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ¹⁹ You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. ²⁰ You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, ²¹ that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth. ²² For if you will be careful to do all this commandment that I command you to do, loving the Lord your God, walking in all his ways, and holding fast to him, ²³ then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you.

Deuteronomy 10:20-22, 11:1-23, ESV

Lord, you know man’s heart. This is why you remind us (me!) to keep your word close, to speak of you daily, to love you. Paul took your charge to heart–to go and make the most of every opportunity to share the gospel–and the sharing of the gospel prompted more and more occasions to share the message far and wide. Help me to be vigilant and aware to share your love, Lord, and to make the most of the opportunities you give me.

Courtney (66books365)

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Revelation 19-22

Sometimes I look around me and wonder if I really believe there is a war taking place over the souls of people. When I read Revelation I am reminded not only that there is a war, the best side to be on in that war is with Jesus. Especially when I read portions of scripture like Revelation 19:11-21 that describe what the war looks like.

It is Jesus who is wearing the crown. Jesus’ honour is engaged in this war. There are others who follow Him and they must be honoured to be able to do so. The clothing of Jesus is described as if they were badges of honour that He has earned.

Jesus has paid the price for me with His own precious blood, and He calls me to live in a way that brings honour and glory to Him so that I will not be ashamed when I see Him.

Let us celebrate, let us rejoice,
    let us give him the glory!
The Marriage of the Lamb has come;
    his Wife has made herself ready. – Revelation 19:7 MSG

This is the honour I will be presenting to Jesus for the rest of eternity and I find it a joy to be able to do this today, everyday, until I do it when I arrive and be with Him forever. I read so much joy here and I am not alone. There are more followers of Jesus than I can imagine who have accepted the invitation to attend this marriage feast.

Conquerors inherit all this. I’ll be God to them, they’ll be sons and daughters to me. – Revelation 21:7 MSG

When the war is done, what a special honour to be called the sons and daughters of Jesus. To me it signifies the invitation to come into a special and intimate relationship with Him. The word “conquerors” brings me back to my original thoughts of war and it brings me back to another verse that describes me as “more than conquerors” as I actually do very little fighting. I stand faithful and Jesus fights for me. That just makes my relationship with Him even more meaningful.

Father, I know there is a war raging for the souls of people here on earth, These thoughts motivate me to participate by taking the side that You are on. It is in following You. loving You, serving You and being with You that gives me so much joy when I engage in the Marriage banquet. I want to be ready, I want to be more than a conqueror, and I want to be called Your son. Into your hands I commit my soul and my life that I may serve You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength. Amen.

Erwin (evanlaar1922)

Revelation 14:9-18:24

“They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings – and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers” (Rev. 17:14)(NIV).

“The Beginning and The End.”

I am struck by the humble intensity of this verse – a lamb overcoming the powers of evil. There is a meekness and a fire here that only God is capable of. He is sovereign. He will destroy every form of evil in His time. He will judge the living and the dead, and will make reparations for what has been lost. Revelation is full of fire and intensity. But the Lamb’s tender love for us motivates His actions throughout the Bible, and for all eternity. He is the same here, at the Bible’s end, as He was in the beginning, when He reached out from the cosmos to create us in His image.

I started this Biblical journey in Genesis: Christianity’s prologue, describing the downfall of mankind and his separation from God after the events in the Garden of Eden. I am ending it in Revelation: Christianity’s quixotic epilogue, in which God and man are reconciled through Christ. And so the beginning and the end reveal the Bible’s single, interminable thread: God loves us. He has pursued us for millennia, given us miracles and wonders, pillars of smoke and seas split open, His own Son, and the Holy Spirit as our counselor, because He loves us. Revelation is the marriage of the Church (us!) and it’s Creator. Ultimately, the Bible is a love story. And here, in Revelation, is our happily-ever-after.

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for your un-ending pursuit of me. Let me live my life worthy of Your love until that exalted day in which I meet you face to face.

“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen” (Rev. 22:20-21).

Sarah

From the archives. Originally posted December 29, 2009.

Revelation 9:12-14:8

Endurance is the ability to withstand hardship or adversity. It implies permanence or, at least, duration. It’s an act or an instance of enduring or suffering. It was my word for the year in 2022–mostly because I was focused on stamina, not so much the part about suffering. When I think of endurance, I think of physical and mental toughness. I apply it to training plans and finish lines. Endurance goes farther and deeper than that.

It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. ⁸ All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.

⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear.

¹⁰ “If anyone is to go into captivity,
    into captivity they will go.
If anyone is to be killed with the sword,
    with the sword they will be killed.”

This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.

Revelation 13:7-10, NIV, emphasis added

An enemy is given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And this familiar refrain from the gospels “whoever has ears, let them hear” tells me to pay attention. But it’s the word endurance that really grabs my attention.

This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.

It causes me to ponder endurance and faith when it comes to my walk with Christ, and how my example, effort, and attitude not only affect my ability to endure, but are seeds sown into future generations. I was 47 years old when I bought a pair of running shoes. I couldn’t even run .25 mile without stopping to catch my breath. Now, at 53, I run half marathons, and I’m signed up for my first triathlon in 2023. That progress took consistent, intentional effort. I factored in cross-training and rest days. Some days I was enthusiastic. Some days I went through the motions just to get started. But what it all taught me was that there was growth outside of my comfort zone–and that I was capable of way more than I ever imagined.

This year, an Advent study on 1 John sparked new intention in my Bible studies. I’m grateful and excited to read through the Bible on 66 Books again in 2023–and expectant of what God has in store. So grateful to have his words in my hands and in my heart. So grateful that he can do way more than I ever imagined.

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21, NIV)

Did you have a word of the year in 2022? Do you have one in mind for 2023? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

Courtney (66books365)

Revelation 5:1-9:11

Revelation 4:11

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they existed and were created.”

A simply stated truth about God; about His worthiness to receive glory, honor and power because of who He is – the creator of all things, and the power He possesses – He spoke the world, us and all that there is, into existence.

This knowledge of God’s worthiness ought to move us to worship Him as we recognize what has been true of Him since before time began. For us, His creations, it’s all about worship.

The question for me then becomes – How do I worship God?  What is the appropriate expression of worship through my unique personality? I’ve struggled with this for years because of my narrow view of worship… singing. Yes, I’m one of those! I love music but I’m not always moved by the worship music I sing. I’m left feeling guilty, even ashamed that I wasn’t able to “worship” the God I profess to love. For a non-singer, imagine the thought of spending eternity… singing!

I’ve had to expand my view of worship. I feel like I am honoring God and giving him worship when I…

– spend time quietly in His presence.

– talk about His goodness to those who are seeking.

– encourage fellow believers in their faith.

– when I admit my own struggles to trustworthy saints – entrusting myself to His care through the Body of Christ.

– reach out to the broken, hurting , lost souls that silently cry for help.

– pray and ask him to help me see people through His eyes.

– do the things I’d rather not do because in my heart I know He is calling me to step out in faith.

– use my gifts and talents in a way that brings glory to God and not myself.

Worship has become the essence of my personal relationship with the Living God. Sometimes I gaze in wonder, sometimes I’m anxiously excited, sometimes my heart aches and the tears well up, and sometimes I’m even moved to… sing.

At the end of the day, it is still all about worship.

Paul

From the archives. Originally published December 24, 2009.