It’s friday and I’m reading the Bible

Posted on June 25th, 2004 by Jeremy.
Categories: Religion.

Hey there Hi there Ho there!

So I’m reading my Bible (ever heard it referred to as Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth?) this morning per usual, when I stumble upon this…
“Here are the men who served, together with their sons: From the Kohanthites…” Now get ready for this guys name….

“…HEman, the musician.” 1 Chronicles 6:51…wait I know what you are thinking…what? It’s probably Hemon (Heeemon..like monday). But wait it gets weirder…Next chapter 1 Chronicles 7:24 “…His daughter was Sheerah..” HAHAH…I HAVE THE POWER. Anyways I thought that was fun.

So other religous stuff. My church tonight will be holding a Godchicks conference. It’s a meeting of some awesome ladies so for those who pray, please do pray that all will go well and some lives are touched. Also patience and perseverance for those that have worked long and hard on the conference. I know some of them, the coolest women I have ever met.

Here’s a tidbit that I wrote a while back, and is something I needed to be reminded of today.

I was thinking this morning about some of my friends. A couple of them always tend to look at the darker side of life. You know the type “This trip is going to suck because I forgot my flashlight” or “I don’t know what I’m going to do, I’ll probably fail this test” “My car is garbage, how can I get anywhere in life?” and on and on. People in this day and age, especially those that don’t know about God or Jesus, just seem to have lost hope. Can you blame them? There are wars everywhere, evil seems to prosper and they don’t have a lifeline to hold onto. If I didn’t constantly dwell on a Savior that has it under control I’d get pretty depressed too.

This led to the question which was posed to me “Why are you so optimistic?” My reply after I thought about it a moment …” Because my God is”

God is the ultimate optimist. Even I am more pessimistic then him, and I’m usually amazingly cheery all the time. He has seen the Universe unfold, the ups and downs and still he puts up with us, shepherding us into his will. He has realized that his own creation at time disowns him and shies from his embrace. But he is telling us to not worry, it’ll be okay. No matter how bad it gets at times, it’ll be okay.

In Jeremiah 29:11 He says to Jeremiah….

29:11
I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out - plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

He knows the hardships, but he also knows that you have HIM. He looks on the bright side, constantly assuring us that it’ll be okay, no matter how our natural self wants to dwell on the bad. He has “plans for us”. That’s exciting. The God that created the Universe in less then a week has “plans for us”. What could they be? Well “plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for” What is it that you hope for in the future?

I know for me, that sometimes I look at the future as if it was today. Annoyed at my jobs or friends, or where I’m at. But Jesus said in Matthew

6:34
“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Optimism, plain and simple. Hey! Don’t worry. Tomorrow is in my hands or as a tshirt I wore once said “I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future”.
So I have to look at the passage from Jeremiah and reevaluate what my future might be. Start believing that your future is going to be wonderful, after all God has promised that he is going to give you what YOU hope for, so don’t be afraid to hope big. It’s God we are talking about he will surpass your expectations.

Phillipians 1:6
There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears

On a day to day basis I look in the mirror at myself, and I’m not that happy. I could be a little skinnier, my eyes could be smaller, I could have more hair (on my head, no where else please.).But when God looks at us, he sees a true love, someone that he is helping out on the inside, a work that he is confident will be finished at the time we see Jesus. He sees us as we are, not as WE think we are. But as Princes, millionaires, saints ( I just heard a pastor discuss how Credit card companies bank on the idea that you are a millionaire-cumulatively by the time you have died, and statistically they want you to have their credit card because of the money they think that you will make. How much more should we be seeing our future as one of prosperity?) the people that were chosen to carry his message to those that haven’t heard it. I leave you with this great passage of scripture as written through the “message bible” it is inspiring (IMHO).

The Message

2 Thessalonians 2: 1 - 17

1 Now, friends, read these next words carefully. Slow down and don’t go jumping to conclusions regarding the day when our Master, Jesus Christ, will come back and we assemble to welcome him. 2 Don’t let anyone shake you up or get you excited over some breathless report or rumored letter from me that the day of the Master’s arrival has come and gone.
3 Don’t fall for any line like that. 4 He’ll defy and then take over every so-called god or altar. Having cleared away the opposition, he’ll then set himself up in God’s Temple as “God Almighty.” 5 Don’t you remember me going over all this in detail when I was with you? Are your memories that short? 6 You’ll also remember that I told you the Anarchist is being held back until just the right time. 7 That doesn’t mean that the spirit of anarchy is not now at work. It is, secretly and underground. 8 But the time will come when the Anarchist will no longer be held back, but will be let loose. But don’t worry. The Master Jesus will be right on his heels and blow him away. The Master appears and - puff! - the Anarchist is out of there. 9 The Anarchist’s coming is all Satan’s work. All his power and signs and miracles are fake, 10 evil sleight of hand that plays to the gallery of those who hate the truth that could save them. 11 And since they’re so obsessed with evil, God rubs their noses in it - gives them what they want. 12 Since they refuse to trust truth, they’re banished to their chosen world of lies and illusions.
13 Meanwhile, we’ve got our hands full continually thanking God for you, our good friends - so loved by God! God picked you out as his from the very start. Think of it: included in God’s original plan of salvation by the bond of faith in the living truth. 14 This is the life of the Spirit he invited you to through the Message we delivered, in which you get in on the glory of our Master, Jesus Christ. 15 So, friends, take a firm stand, feet on the ground and head high. Keep a tight grip on what you were taught, whether in personal conversation or by our letter.
16 May Jesus himself and God our Father, who reached out in love and surprised you with gifts of unending help and confidence, 17 put a fresh heart in you, invigorate your work, enliven your speech.

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