Understanding Scripture

Have you ever found parts of the Bible hard to understand? I know I have. I want to share something that might help you in this area found in John 6.

Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. - John 6:53-54

Of course we know Jesus was not talking about literally eating him, but partaking spiritually in His death that brought us life and His blood that brought us forgiveness. The disciples Jesus spoke to did not understand this and it says in verse 66:

From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. - John 6:66

Wow! These disciples didn’t understand Jesus’ words and it caused them to turn away from God himself. 

I hope no one will turn away from God because His word is hard to understand, but have we ever distanced ourself from God or turned away from parts of who He is because we don't understand certain scriptures? 

I want to be challenged myself, to not turn away from hard to understand scriptures. I don’t want it to stop me from following God in areas of my life. Instead the Bible says: 

Ask and it shall be given to you: seek and you shall find: knock and it shall be opened to you. - Luke 11:9

In the passage in John the disciples only saw what Jesus said on the surface, but there was a deeper meaning to Jesus' words. I encourage you to ask God to reveal challenging scriptures to you; ask Him to help you hear His word with spiritual ears, and in doing so He will draw you closer to Him and reveal new truths about who He is and the amazing love He has for you!

Who am I?

Who am I? Its an age old question that everyone must find out for theirself.

I believe our identity and who we are is found in Christ. When we accept Him into our lives He makes us a brand new creation and who we are is found in our spirits, making us co-heirs with Christ and sons and daughters of the King! (Rom 8:17)
"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God..." - 1 John 3:1

If every believers identity is found in christ does this make us all the same? Are we not all unique, with our own qualities that make us who we are?

I believe we are all the same in Christ, all being a new creation. But, I think that who we are individually, what makes us unique from other christians, is every good thing Christ has placed in us. Not our failures or short-comings. Whether it is a kind personality, or faithfullness, or God given tallents etc. all these things with first our righteousness in Christ make us unique individuals hidden in Christ.

What is love?

The dictionary describes love as "a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person." Whilst that may be true, it's not possible to guarantee these feeling towards someone all the time and to love them without fail; and its certainly true that we don't feel this kind of love towards everyone we meet.

The Bible describes love in this scripture:

"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends." John 15:13

If you believe the Bible, it states there is no greater love than the one found in this scripture. Jesus showed greater love by sacrificing his self in our place and holding us higher than His own life.

I believe we can do the same when we sacrifice ourselves for others, not litterally, but when we sacrifice our wants and desires and put others before ourselves we can show greater love. I'm pretty sure Jesus didn't have warm fuzzy feelings while he was being nailed to the cross, but yet He choose to love us by His actions. We too can show this greater kind of love, even if we don't "feel it" by choosing to operate in God's kind of love.

Receiving from God

I was reading in Acts 14 about a man who God healed through Paul. This man was crippled from birth so had never walked. Hearing Paul and Barnabus preach the gospel, faith arose in his heart.

"This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, stand upright on your feet." - Acts 14:9-10

Paul saw this faith and commanded the man to stand on his feet. At this point the man imediately leapt on his feet and began walking. Jesus provided everything for us at the cross and by His grace already healed us, prospered us, blessed us etc. (Ephesians 1:3) and we receive or " grab hold" of these blessings by faith.

There are many examples in the Bible where it talks about the individuals faith healing that person. Speaking to a previously blind man, Jeusus said in Luke 18:42 "Your faith has healed you." We may hear scriptures from the Bible and if we are honest they haven't changed us. We may hear but do we really hear? The crippled man heard a word from God through Paul and his faith was quickened to receive healing.

"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." - Romans 10:17

Let me encourage you to really hear a word from God that pertains to your situation. His Word has the solution to any need you may have and God wants to speak into your situation today!

Be still

Life can be so fast paced. In the age we live in we never seem to be still as we have so many things to do all the time. Most of us even have the internet in our pockets. With all this going on it can be hard to hear God, or sometimes we can even forget about God with all the things we are doing.

God loves us greatly (1 John 3:1) and there is nothing more fulfilling than knowing God and His love. I don't think we can fully experience God's fullness without spending time with Him away from the busyness of everyday life.

"Be still, and know that I am God..." - Psalm 46:10

I want to challange myself to spend less time on facebook, watching tv shows or whatever and spend that time with God, and know that He is God.

Can we earn righteousness?

With each blog I write I try to add a photo I have taken that relates to something written in my post. I think you'll be thankful I went with the grass cutting than anything else!

Anyway, I was cutting the grass today. It took a while so I stuck on my Bible app and listened to the Word. I came across some great truths in Romans 4.

"Now think: Was that declaration *of righteousness* made before or after he was marked by the covenant rite of circumcision? That's right, before he was marked. That means that he underwent circumcision as evidence and confirmation of what God had done long before to bring him into this acceptable standing with himself, an act of God he had embraced with his whole life." - Romans 4:10-11(MSG).

These verses explain that Abraham was accounted righteous before he was circumcised. This means that we can not obtain righteousness by any outward sign or by our outward sign of good works. Even one sin would disqualify us from being righteous by our own efforts.

So why was Abaham accounted righteous?

"For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. " Romans 4:3(KJV)

Abraham was accounted righteous because he believed God. As New Testament believers we too can believe or trust in Jesus who lived a sinless life because we couldn't. Jesus offers His perfect righteousness to us as a free gift. We can't earn it, but we can trust God in His grace for this awesome free gift!

Ephesians 1:11

"In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:" - Ephesians 1:11

After reading this verse I looked up inheritance in the dictionary, and came upon one definition that is something obtained after someone's death. Usually this would mean a house, money or a car etc. If a parent should die, all their inheritance would then belong to their child.

This makes me think of Jesus death. What did he own? He owned a perfect relationship with the Father, righteousness, perfect health, more than enough wealth during his ministry, joy, peace, happiness etc. He was God's Son.

When Jesus died we inherited all that Jesus was and is. This excites me! We are now sons of God!