Tuesday Day 103 1-25-11
Revelation 1:12-16
When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven golden lamp stands. And standing in the middle of the lamp stands was One like the Son of Man (Jesus). He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across His chest. His head and His hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And His eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and His voice sounded like many might waters. He held seven stars in His right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from His mouth. And His face was like the sun in all its brilliance.
"And I know that Your eyes are like flames of fire,
And I know that Your head is white as wool,
I know that Your voice, it sounds like water,
Jesus You're beautiful!"
God keeps messing me up, in a good way. We had our Book of Revelation class today and the question "What is the Foundational Issue in the End Times?" was asked. The answer is who Jesus is.
We got an assignment in which we were to take 3 descriptions of Jesus and pray through them and ask for revelation of who He is. So I started reading through chapter 1, specifically this passage, and was thinking of ones I wanted to work on. The picture I get when I read verses 12-16 is very busy; there's a lot going on in my mind. But I read, asking God to show me something (I was already near tears at this point because I was so eager to learn) and suddenly I came to this realization.
Even with all the craziness in this passage, Jesus still had those scars on His wrists.
Woah.
I began to weep. All I could say was, "Jesus You're so beautiful!"
To me, those nail wounds are the prominent thing that makes Jesus so beautiful. For the first time ever, I actuallyscratched the surface of understanding of how beautiful Jesus truly is.
Wednesday Day 104 1-26-11
Deuteronomy 8:17-18
He did all those so you would never say to yourself "I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy". Remember the Lord your God. He is the One who gives you power to be successful.
Today in our financial class, we were talking about giving money. I have always had a fear of not having enough money. So it's hard for me to give sometimes (unless it's like, a friend who can't go out to lunch because they don't have money etc). But my teacher pointed something out today. Most people view themselves as a bucket. Earning and earning money, filling up the bucket without giving hardly any(the average tithe in America is 3%. The Bible clearly tells us to give 10%. That right there is an issue in and of itself) and saving most of it (but, some saving is not bad. Proverbs 13:22). But we need to see ourselves as an open-ended cylinder (almost like a pipe), receiving money, but giving it just as freely.
Honestly, all the money in the world belongs to God. Psalm 50 talks about how He owns cattle on a thousand hills. I don't know how that works with the money used for bad purposes, but that is a different subject. Bucket people tend to think "I worked hard for my money" while #1, God gave you the strength for the job that He also provided for you. And #2, the money doesn't belong to you anyways!
Giving generously can be really hard sometimes, I know. But I know that He will bless us for it in the future!
This is my essay I wrote for my class! :)
Revelation chapter one is one of my most favorite chapters in the entire Bible. The beauty of God is one of the most fascinating aspects of Him to me. I love learning about it, and I think Revelation 1 is a perfect example of His beauty in and through His Son Jesus Christ. In fact, the entire book of Revelation is full of His beauty by revealing Jesus. I think that they way God has given me a hunger for both this book, and for His beauty is no coincidence.
Jealousy. That's what I kept hearing as I asked the Holy Spirit about the eyes of Jesus. I know that's not a unique explanation of this description, but it really touches my heart. I remember when I was still with my ex-boyfriend, my heart always got excited when he showed jealousy for me. God used that memory to speak to me saying just how much more He is jealous for me. Somebody really does want me for me, because He loves me.
I love the sky at night. I love looking up and seeing all the stars in the sky. So the phrase "He held seven stars in His right hand" really stuck out to me. The immediate picture I get in my mind is a picture of the silver and gold five-sided stars we draw. But I thought about it and I remember that that's really not what stars look like. Real stars are burning hot balls of gas. I'm not fully clear on what the stars represent, but the fact hat Jesus can hold seven of them in His hand is incredible.
When I read "voice of many waters" the first thing that pops in my head is the sound of a waterfall. And I get a picture of a beautiful Hawaiian looking location. But when I see the waterfall, I also see the rainbow the water and light creates. And when I think rainbow, I don't necessarily think "God's promises" (although that is an obvious meaning). I always automatically think of God's beauty. So after thinking and praying this one through, I have come to the realization that from the mighty voice of God comes beautiful promises that will last an eternity.
The thing that hit me the most actually wasn't one of Jesus' descriptions in this chapter. To me, there is a lot going on in verses 13-16, so it's kind of hard to picture everything in my mind. But after class Tuesday, I began to weep as I realized that in the midst of all that craziness, He still has the wounds in His hands.
That, to me, is the most beautiful thing about Him.
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