When I first began reading the bible, it was for religious purposes. But the more I removed religion and focused understanding, the bible began making sense to me.
Take for instance, Jonah 2:9
But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD."
In my religious mind I would look at sacrificing things for my sins and dedicating a certain day for religious activities. My actions would be more careful to make promises to God and know that God is a forgiving God.
I now see the thankfulness I can sing because I am blessed with another day in living. To break down the word sacrifice and say I surrender this sinful lifestyle in order to live in the reflective image of God. The promises I make to God, I now work to live up to those promises. From our God, our Creator we all have promise of deliverance out of difficult situations as long as our trust is in The Almighty One.
Reading the bible is no longer a religious practice it is now a life learning reference to improve how I live this life. Taking the examples within the scripture and utilizing them in my daily living helps me deal with life's unexpected situations. I now look at the Ten Commandments in two sections: how to love God and how to love people. Throughout this wonderful book I have found fulfilling messages that help me lead a successful and fulfilling life.
Friday, November 20, 2015
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Nahum 1:3
The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet.
We all understand the power of God is great but the anger of God is slow and the guilty will not go unpunished. This is a manner of character most of us don't have. If someone does something to us we don't agree with or if we witness the same, our responses are different. Most of us get angry and want to retaliate while the other half may let it slide and hold it in. There are a few that can let things go and at times most of us have found things that we can just let go. But have we ever tried the method spoke of in Nahum 1:3?
To be slow to anger allows one to analyze a situation to find better ways to handle it as such. Since we are all created in the image of God, the words we speak have great power. Someone can speak and change another person demeanor and attitude. With this in mind what we say to people can have a great effect on them. Secondly, punishing the guilty can happen in many ways and it's up to us to make sure who we are trying to punish is truly the one that needs punishment. In other words id the person deserving of retribution for an offense? Answering this question is what occurs in the first part of this passage of scripture, analyzing and being thoughtful of the words we speak.
Gods way is like a whirlwind and the storm, the clouds are the dust of his feet. Although the way of God is described in a destructive manner, has anyone look at the two examples closely. The whirlwind and the storm come after a build up of pressure in the atmosphere. When they hit, destructive appearance occurs on our part but what most don't see is the cleansing aspect. Gods way may seem destructive but in actuality it is a cleansing method. So within Gods way, cleansing is the main focus.
And last part, clouds are the dust of God's Feet. The trail left by Gods Passage maintains balance. Because of the clouds we have the atmospheric balance to inhale fresh air that gives us life. In all, since we are made in the Image of God, we all need to look clearly at ourselves to make sure we immolate our Creator.
We all understand the power of God is great but the anger of God is slow and the guilty will not go unpunished. This is a manner of character most of us don't have. If someone does something to us we don't agree with or if we witness the same, our responses are different. Most of us get angry and want to retaliate while the other half may let it slide and hold it in. There are a few that can let things go and at times most of us have found things that we can just let go. But have we ever tried the method spoke of in Nahum 1:3?
To be slow to anger allows one to analyze a situation to find better ways to handle it as such. Since we are all created in the image of God, the words we speak have great power. Someone can speak and change another person demeanor and attitude. With this in mind what we say to people can have a great effect on them. Secondly, punishing the guilty can happen in many ways and it's up to us to make sure who we are trying to punish is truly the one that needs punishment. In other words id the person deserving of retribution for an offense? Answering this question is what occurs in the first part of this passage of scripture, analyzing and being thoughtful of the words we speak.
Gods way is like a whirlwind and the storm, the clouds are the dust of his feet. Although the way of God is described in a destructive manner, has anyone look at the two examples closely. The whirlwind and the storm come after a build up of pressure in the atmosphere. When they hit, destructive appearance occurs on our part but what most don't see is the cleansing aspect. Gods way may seem destructive but in actuality it is a cleansing method. So within Gods way, cleansing is the main focus.
And last part, clouds are the dust of God's Feet. The trail left by Gods Passage maintains balance. Because of the clouds we have the atmospheric balance to inhale fresh air that gives us life. In all, since we are made in the Image of God, we all need to look clearly at ourselves to make sure we immolate our Creator.
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