My Journey Journal

A Bible study from me related to why I see God as jealous of His people (both those of Jewish heritage and those children of Abraham through faith).

Then Moses climbed up the mountain, and the cloud covered it. And the glory of the LORD settled down on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from inside the cloud. To the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, the glory of the LORD appeared at the summit like a consuming fire. – Exodus 24:15-17 NLT  Read more... (914 words, 1 image, estimated 3:39 mins reading time)

My mind understands manhood backwards. I’ve grown older thinking much of what I saw around me as “manly” was the definition of “being a man.” It isn’t necessarily.

Against what do you measure manliness?
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Jehovah, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, defines the characteristics and behaviors of men and His definition is unchanged in the face of my predecessors’ or my contemporaries’ thoughts, feelings on the matter or choices.

God gives examples of courage and steadfastness in Daniel as he went into the lions den or when Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach) & Azariah (Abednego) were thrown into the fiery furnace in Babylon.  Read more... (387 words, 1 image, estimated 1:33 mins reading time)

I’ve made the mistake of thinking my salvation is primarily about me.  To be sure, God’s love is for me but a deeper reason He saves is for His purposes and to bring glory to Himself.

In my myopic existence I don’t focus my attention on Jesus.  I often consider my benefits and blessings, which are truly benefits and blessings and I should recognize them as such and thank God for them but His purpose goes beyond just saving me; He saves me as a testimony to His faithfulness, His grace, His love, His patience and His sovereignty.  His desire is to see all people choose Him and enter into an eternal relationship with Him but in Paul’s case, specifically:  Read more... (475 words, 1 image, estimated 1:54 mins reading time)

God is loving and patient.  He sets times according to His purpose and we don’t know the specifics of when they are.

It appears that when God ordained Obadiah to pronounce His judgement against Edom He had endured all of Edom’s choices and His judgement against Edom would be complete with no mercy given them.

God starts the prophecy of Obadiah by telling us that a human coalition was formed to destroy Edom.  From there, the rest of the prophecy is focused on God and His promises to actively destroy Edom until there is nothing left of the nation.  He promises to destroy them five times, He tells them why and He finishes by promising that He will restore His people.  Read more... (1583 words, 5 images, estimated 6:20 mins reading time)

Reading through 2 Timothy this morning I ran across this which sounded so familiar.

“… God, 9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace ….”
2 Timothy 1:8-9 ESV

Also stated by Paul famously in

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV  Read more... (121 words, 1 image, estimated 29 secs reading time)