The Parable of the Sower, Luke 8:4-15

    And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable: “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
    And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
(Luke 8:4-15 ESV)
         I have read this parable a couple of times but never fully understood what it meant, even after Jesus explanation. I always wondered what seed am I? Am I being choked out by the world? But today the Spirit really showed me something awesome! In the last sentence Jesus says those in good soil are those that "Hold Fast" the word of God "in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience." Holding fast meaning being tightly secured to Jesus! We don't need to worry about what soil we are in, but we do need to anchor ourselves to Jesus. It is so easy for us as Christians to be concerned with the world around us, and protecting ourselves from sin. But a seed can not keep weeds away, and seeds are not planted to reed the world of weeds! But seeds are planted for their planters pleasure! The planter cultivates the growth! Jesus cultivates our growth! Our purpose is not to defeat sin, but to cling to Jesus! Jesus defeated sin and death! And if we rely on Him with patience, then we will bear fruit. Stop asking what soil you are in, and start clinging to Jesus!

Romans 3:9-12

"What then?  Are we Jews any better off?  No, not at all.  For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin (Romans 3:9)."  This is pretty much telling us that everyone including the Jews are under sin.  No one is better off.  Well you may ask what about Romans 3:1-2?  Yes the Jews have an advantage over the gentiles, they were given the oracles of God.  So they know the law but yet still  are unfaithful to it.  So the Jews have an advantage over the Gentiles but are not better off because they all are under sin.

" None is righteous, no not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one (Romans 3:10-12)."  Once again Paul emphasizes that we are all under sin.  Paul also says something very interesting, no one seeks for God.  What does this mean?  It means that no one on his own seeks for God.  Now what is this part about no one does good?  What about that time I helped that old lady across the street or when that guy dropped his wallet and I gave it back to him instead of taking it?  Are those not good deeds?  The issue Paul is addressing here is that prior to salvation people do perform actions that resemble goodness, but these actions are still stained by evil, since they are not done for Gods glory and do not come from faith.

Proverbs 1:7

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction"

This started as the Proverbs Challenge of March for me but this kinda hit me right off the bat..
We too often forget that God is just and one to be feared in addition to being loved. We allow ourselves to focus on the blessings we feel we deserve. I can't help but think of Joel Osteen when I read this..always talking about how if God loves him, he will receive money and cars and houses, etc. He's choosing to ignore the righteous justice of God... We must always keep in mind that we are completely fallen, deserving nothing, and that without God's grace, we would be completely lost in our own right.

Fear God; Know God; Love God

Job 3

So this passage confused me the first time I read through it and I'm not sure I fully understand it just yet. In the preceding passage, Job is stricken with leprosy. His wife rebukes him, his friends confront him, yet he still will not give in to their temptation of just simply giving up... At this point, Job falls on his knees, cuts himself with a broken clay pot, and begins vehemently cursing the day of his birth.. What reason is there in cursing his existence? It is interesting to note that though he curses his birthday, he does not curse his God. It still is sinful what Job did because it was vain and he is later reproved by God for it, but I still am unsure as to why, of all things, Job chooses his birthday to swear off..

John 15:13

John 15:13 (HCSB)
No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.

Matthew 1:22-23

Matthew 1:22-23 (HCSB)


22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel, which is translated "God is with us."

How awesome is that. That His name means God is with us.  In Hebrews 13:5 the Bible says that God will never leave us nor forsake us.  Its very comforting to know that God will always be there for us.  Its nice to be reminded of that. Its something I think we take for granted sometimes.  But He will always be there for us.

Psalm 63:1

"O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water."-Psalm 63:1(ESV)
This verse is quite amazing, and brings up a very interesting thought at the same time. The author recognizes who God is, and also recognizes how dependent on God he is. His soul's satisfaction is totally dependent on God, and his entire flesh cannot function without God. So I must ask the question is this our relationship with God now? The Gospel teaches us that faith in Jesus Christ, and His work of dying upon the cross for the sins of the world bring us salvation, and it is this alone! It is through Jesus Christ's sacrifice that we may come to know God more intimately. So like the author of this Psalm, we first recognize and put our faith that Jesus is God. Then you see what comes next, our willingness or our desire becomes only to know God more. So brothers, where are you at in your relationship with God? Have we not found the kingdom of heaven? Jesus says "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."-(Matthew 13:44 (ESV)) Brothers what are we doing? I think we have been tricked into thinking that since we know that Jesus has saved us, then we are done learning more and experiencing more of God. But the truth is we settle on earthly things that do not last, on relationships that will eventually end, and on pleasures that will not satisfy. Is your soul thirsting for God? A.W. Tozer said this "The man who has God for his treasure has all things in one. Many ordinary treasures may be denied him, or if he is allowed to have them, the enjoyment of them will be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness. Or if he must see them go, one after one, he will scarcely feel a sense of loss, for having the Source of all things he has in one all satisfaction, all pleasure, all delight. Whatever he may lose he has actually lost nothing, for he now has it all in One, and he has it purely, legitimately and forever." Should we not be seeking this treasure? Is this not what our soul longs for? 

Matthew 1:21

Matthew 1:21 (HCSB)
21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because he will save His people from their sins. 
          What struck me when I read this was the part where it said, “He will save His people.” His people, not the people. His people. We are His people. Possessive. That’s very comforting to me, to he His. Normally I’d just skim right over this, but it just hit me with what it says. I can tell that God is with me when I’m reading His word. He helps me to understand it and actually get something out of it when I’m reading. Like my brother said below, I’m really getting into this, and looking forward to reading His word. It’s slowly but surely becoming a habit. Also, this verse says from their sins, which tells me that he was sinless. And He came to save us from our sins, because we are his, and he loves us that much!

Deuteronomy 6:5

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might!"-Deuteronomy 6:5(ESV)

God give me strength to love! Help me love your name above all others! God you created everything, and your power cannot be matched. You are good, and your mercies never cease! Father, help my weak flesh love thee with all heart, soul, strength, and mind! God I fail constantly, and at times forget thy glory. Forgive me, show me how to Love. Help me depend on your Grace, and point me to Jesus. God you are Holy, Holy, Holy! I am unworthy, and need your grace and mercy! Help me die to myself, and pick up my cross. Help me Follow Jesus, and fall more in love with your name! May obedience be my Joy and pleasure, and may all my satisfaction come from you God. God give me the boldness to tell others about Jesus, and Holy Spirit please give light to this world's darkened heart. God help me make much less of me, and make very much of You! God to you be all Glory!

Lamentations 3:1-26

"I am the man who seen affliction because of the rod of His wrath. He has Driven me and made me walk in darkness and not in light. Surely against me He has turned His hand repeatedly all the day. He has caused my flesh and my skin to waste away, He has broken my bones. He has besieged and encompassed me with bitterness and hardship. In dark places He has made me dwell, like those who have long been dead. He has walled me in so that I cannot go out; He has made my chain heavy. Even when I cry out and call for help, He shuts out my prayer. He has blocked my ways with hewn stone; He has made my paths crooked. He is to me like a bear lying in wait, Like a lion in secret places. He has turned aside my ways and torn me to pieces; He has made me desolate. He bent His bow and set me as a target for the arrow. He made the arrows of His quiver to enter into my inward parts. I have become a laughingstock to all my people, their mocking song all the day. He has filled me with bitterness, He has made me drunk with wormwood. He has broken my teeth with gravel; He has made me cower in the dust. My soul has been rejected from peace; I have forgotten happiness. So I say "My strength has perished, and so has my hope from the Lord." Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and bitterness. Surely my soul remembers and is bowed down within me. This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord's loving kindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him." The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the Lord."- Lamentations 3:1-26 (NASB)


I hope that you will read the scripture first before you read this.
This little bit of scripture is quite amazing! When I first started reading it, I could not help feel depressed/sad for this person. The person writing is most likely Jeremiah, who is sharing in Israel's punishment from God. Israel has rebelled against God and forgotten about God, and God was punishing them. Although I can't relate to some of the authors pain, I have definitely felt pain and depression before. I have had those moments in life where all the hope and happiness in the world have simply vanished. I have seen things happen and wondered why? Why God? These verses remind me that God is in control of all things! My joy and my pain. As humans, we experience pain and joy. As Christians, we experience pain and joy. Why pain? I'm not sure, I could say that because in our pain we really know joy and happiness. Or that in our pain, we recognize who God is and our dependency on Him. But like I said I don't know? But like the scripture says I know that God is in charge, and that his loving kindnesses never cease! So brother, whatever hard time you may be going through don't forget that God is still good. Remember that God has provided you with Jesus, and he is our soul's portion. Be patient, and continue to put your hope in God. Although there is pain now, Joy will come soon! Soon we will be with Jesus, and we will remember pain no more! As the scripture says "This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope." Recall God's grace, recall the gospel, recall the fact that Jesus has rescued you from the penalty of your sin, and is now rescuing you from sin's power. Recall that God has blessed you, God is allowing you breath, see, hear, touch! God is good! God is Great! Recall this brothers, and have hope!

John 1:19-28

 ¹⁹And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" ²⁰He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." ²¹And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." ²²So they said to him, "Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" ²³He said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said."

 ²⁴(Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) ²⁵They asked him, "Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" ²⁶John answered them, "I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, ²⁷even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie." ²⁸These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Here the story of John begins. John is introduced to us, and it is made very clear that John is neither Christ, Elijah, or the prophet. 

Next the priests and Levites, sent from the Pharisees, question John on why he was baptizing if he was neither Christ, Elijah, or the Prophet. His response was, ""I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, ²⁷even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie." This same event and response is accounted in Matthew 3:11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. I feel the account in Matthew explains it a bit better. This story is also acounted in many other places in the bible. But I take this to mean, John was just baptizing in almost a symbolic manner, and that the serious baptism, and what really counts, will come through Jesus, as "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." 

That is about all I got for today, but I am really getting into this. I look forward to reading about John each day. I am not just reading, without getting anything out of it. By writing my thoughts and taking one passage at a time, I am forced to actually take what I read to heart, and comprehend and analyze what I read. I am really benefiting from this Blog, and I encourage for the rest of yall to start and continue writing on our blog.


See ya.

Matthew 1:20

Matthew 1:20  (HCSB)

But after he had considered these things, an angel of the lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit.

       There are two ways that this could have gone, Joseph could have just brushed it off, and convinced him self that he was just dreaming this because he had been thinking about it, and that his mind was just playing tricks on him.  Or, he could have believed that this was a message from God, and that it was true.  And I’m glad he chose to believe that, the truth.  Could you imagine this happening to you?  Your fiancée becomes pregnant, but she is a virgin, at least to your knowledge, because you guys have never done anything.  I mean I’m not an Engineer or a math major, but something does not add up in this situation.  Chances are I’d freak out!  But Joseph didn’t he chose to believe what God was speaking to him.  He had faith that Mary was in fact a Virgin, and the Holy Spirit did do this.  So I’m taking from this is that we must always have faith in God, and listen to what He says.  We must always strive to do what he says, and what his plan is for our lives. 

Galatians 3:13-14

Galatians 3:13-14

“Christ redeemed us from the Law, having become a curse for us-for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE”- in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” (NASB)

Wow Christ redeemed me! The word redeemed during this time would commonly be used of buying a slave’s freedom. We were once slaves, slaves to a horrible master! Our master would always promise us so much, but would never deliver. He would also insist on us seeking momentary pleasures, telling us again and again that it would fulfill us. Fulfillment never came, only emptiness. This emptiness drove us to believe and continue to follow Sin. Then a miracle happens, the only one that could pay this high price for our bondage comes!  Jesus steps in, paying the full price for our Justification and freeing us from this bondage to Sin.  Making us clean with his blood, so that we could be righteous.

John MacArthur concerning the curse says this “Jesus did not become a curse because He was crucified but was crucified because he was cursed in taking the full sin of the world upon Himself. “ 1 Peter 2:24 “(Jesus) bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” Jesus took the curse for us, and we who put our faith in “the crucified Savior has had the curse borne for him.” It is by true faith in this that we are made clean from our sin, and any faith we did have in our own works are now gone. We now totally depend on God, who is an excellent mater! Who will lead us to the right places, and promises fulfillment! We will be fulfilled; we will one day be with Jesus! We now have the joy to God’s will, and find complete satisfaction in God! The Spirit assures us of this great blessing. Romans 8:14-17 (NASB) “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

Matthew 1:18-19

Matthew 1:18-19 (HCSB)

18 The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit.

19 So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.

            Whenever I read this it took me by surprise.  Why? You might ask.  Well The reason is because I’ve never seen or heard the part of this story where Joseph decides to divorce Mary.  I’ve always heard it being that the angel came to both of them and they both knew what was going on, and there wasn’t a time in my mind that they didn’t trust one another.  I’ve never heard of him wanting to divorce her.  I feel completely dumb at this point.  I should have read this before. I should have known about this.  To me this is like one of those life changing turning points, and all because of one sentence.  This teaches me that God does reveal new things in his word.  Also this is a lesson on how we need to read things first hand.  My youth pastors drilled into me all throughout high school that I should never take what they say to be the truth, and that I need to look it up for myself in the Bible.  I need to find out for myself what the Word says, this not only helps us learn, but it allows us to really know what the Bible says.  I guess I always heard that I should read things for myself, but did I ever do it? No. Their words are truly hitting home with me now.  I’d never heard that Joseph decided to divorce Mary.  I never bothered to read the story for myself.  I decided to trust the glossy Christmas pageants and colorful storybooks I’d been given as a child.  This HAS to change.  And that is what this blog is all about.  Digging deep into the Word, finding out for ourselves what it says, and praying and seeking God’s wisdom on what we read.  This is what I’ve decided to do with my life.  I hope you guys do too.  I know that there are way more things I could have gotten out of these verses, but this is what God spoke to me.  

Job 1:1-12

 ¹ In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. ² He had seven sons and three daughters, ³ and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.

 ⁴ His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵ When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom.

 ⁶ One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them.⁷ The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

   Satan answered the LORD, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”

 ⁸ Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

 ⁹ “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. ¹⁰ “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. ¹¹ But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

 ¹² The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”

   Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD."

Although this passage does not yet delve directly into Job's coming plight, we still see something extraordinary happening here. Verses 1-6 display Job's unyielding faith in God, even being called the greatest man of the East because of it! ..But why give Satan this amount of power over someone who is so whole heartedly following and pursuing God? It doesn't seem fair at all..

Job's faith in God is evident, but verse 12 displays that God has "faith" in Job. God has blessed Job all his life, with a large family, many cattle, and a vast amount of land and Satan does not believe that Job's faith will last under pressure. Essentially, a bet ensues, between God and Satan, on whether or not Job will curse God when his life is put under stress. As humans, fallen and sinful, we have a tendency to praise God when our lives are going well, but the second it gets tough, we draw away from God and often blame him for the problems we go through. This is wrong, very wrong. The correct response to strife is running to God! Only He can provide us with lasting peace when we need it most; anyone and anything else will let us down. 

John 1:6-18

 ⁶There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

 ⁹The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. ¹²But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

 ¹⁴And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵(John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'") ¹⁶And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

Oh John, you and your crazy words. haha. Why do they have to be so confusing.

 ⁶There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

John - man sent from God, not the light, but brought to show the light of God  to ALL.

John is just a straight up tool of God. And as we all should be, we are all meant to bear witness about the light, about God. We should constantly be displaying the light of God, and showing and sharing God's glory to others. We are all called to be tools of God. The purpose of a tool, is to benefit a higher purpose, to aid in a job. And without something using the tool and giving it power, a tool is useless. Just as we are. We should be, as children of God, His tools. I need to constantly be reminded, that I am nothing without God. But with God, I am called to glorify His name, the soul purpose of my life should be to bring Glory to God.

⁹The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. ¹²But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

The true light - Jesus!!! And believing in Him gives us the right to become CHILDREN OF GOD. This God, I have attempted describing from these past couple of verses, that I can not even attempt to fathom, this infinite and unexplainable God, WE ARE HIS CHILDREN. 


¹⁴And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵(John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'") ¹⁶And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.


The Word we were talking about yesterday, the Word that was in the beginning, the Word that was with God, and the Word that was God!! That Word became flesh, and came to live among us! Jesus, the only Son of the Father, FULL OF GRACE and Truth.  we have all received, GRACE UPON GRACE. How gracious a God we have, undeserving of anything, He gives us everything!!! 


This last verse is rather confusing, as it is referring to multiple things. We have God - the only God. Who is at the FATHER's side. Then we have a "HE has made HIM known." Who is who?? I'm not going to try to comprehend this, at least not in this moment,  but rather just let it add to the awe of GOD. 


I'm off to class, I will talk to yall tomorrow. 


Let us remember to bring GLORY TO GOD. 
And humble ourselves in knowing we are just tools, we are nothing without God. We are undeserving of the GRACE UPON GRACE, we have been given.

Galatians 3:10-12

Galatians 3:10-12

“For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them. Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’ But the law is not of faith, rather ‘The one does them shall live by them.’”

            In Romans 3:23, Paul says “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Here we see the same thing. Everyone is under this curse, because we have all rebelled against God.  We have all failed to meet God’s standards. Why are God’s standards important? Well because God created everything with a certain purpose. God did not create us because he needed us. He has always been complete within himself, and lacks nothing. He created us so that we would bring glory to His name, and find complete satisfaction in Him. But we all fail. No one can fulfill this requirement, so we are all cursed. Although we sin against God, God still makes a way for us to come glorify His name, and find rest in Him. God sends His only Son Jesus. Jesus who is God, becomes a man, lives on the earth for 33 years, living a perfectly obedient life, the life we were called to live. Then Jesus pays for our debt on the cross. Then is raised from the dead, showing that we are forgiven and will also be raised with Jesus. We are a people of faith! Remember Galatians 3:9, “….those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham…” Our faith is in Jesus! Jesus has provided us with salvation, and we put our faith in that alone! People who continue to try and obey the law are still cursed. John MacArthur in his commentary on Galatians says “A ship that is moored to a dock by a chain is only as secure as the weakest link in that chain. If a severe storm comes and causes even one link to break, the entire ship breaks away. So it is for those who try to come to God by their own perfection. They will be lost and forever wrecked.” Everyone needs Jesus for he is the only one that can save us.  We are righteous because Christ has given us righteousness, and we put our faith in this!

John 1:1-5

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was in the beginning with God. ³All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.⁴In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.


These first couple of verses are some tough ones to start out my blogging experience.


¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was in the beginning with God.


I've always heard this verse used to support and explain the Trinity and explain Jesus and God's relationship, but never really took the time to analyze that idea myself. But I think of it like this, Jesus = the Word. So my understanding becomes, Jesus was in the beginning, Jesus was with God, and with all this Jesus was God. Verse two goes along with all this. I know these verses go so much deeper, but I am not going to dwell on these first 2 verses to long, these are very complex verses, and while defiantly important, I feel like the next verses deserve my focus.  


³All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.


This verse is pretty straight forward, but so important. We need to always remember this. God is responsible for creating EVERYTHING around us, and without Him there would be nothing. This seems like a simple idea or concept, but when I really start to think about it, lets just say my head starts to hurt. Just try to think about how much is around you! Everything around us is so complex, and as humans we come no where close to grasping an understanding of everything around us. It is just amazing to observe all of God's creation, and we should constantly be reminded of God's grace, allowing us to experience his masterpiece of creation. We should constantly dwell on the fact that our existence depends on God, without Him we would be nothing.


⁴In him was life, and the life was the light of men.


These verses really hurt my head... I really have little idea what this really means. My attempt at it would be, kind of going along with the previous verse, God created us, and we were apart of God, life. We are able to display the "life" of God. We do so by believing in the word of God and living that out in our lifestyles. By living in a way that our lives become a light, attempting to illuminate the glory and magnificence of God.


⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.


This verse gives me affirmation, especially in the world we are living in. It seems at times, in our personal lives, and at a world level, that there is so much darkness. But with all this darkness, this verse reminds us, that God can vividly be seen, and we are called as men to display the light of God in a world of darkness. 


These 5 verses are rather confusing, and I am sure that I missed a lot. But as I continue to read the book of John, and further my studies in the Bible, and  my relationship with God, along with my relationship with each guy in my cell group, I hope to gain a better understanding of what exactly John was trying to convey in these verses.

Matthew 1:1-16

Matthew 1:1-16 (NIV)

1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:

 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, 
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 
 

3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 


 4 Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 
 

5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, 
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, 
 

6 and Jesse the father of King David.

   David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife, 
 

7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam, 
 Rehoboam the father of Abijah, 
 Abijah the father of Asa, 
 

8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, 
 

9 Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, 
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 
 

10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, 
 

11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

 12 After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 
 

13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 
 

14 Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Elihud, 
 

15 Elihud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob,

16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

        

        This genealogy starts with Abraham and goes all the way down the line to Joseph who married Mary, who gave birth to Jesus.  The fact that it starts with Abraham is important.  In Genesis 22:18 (HCSB) the Bible says, “And all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring because you have obeyed My command.”  This scripture is referring to when Abraham was going to follow through with what God commanded him to do, which was to sacrifice his only son Isaac, then the Angel of the Lord came and told him to stop, and to not hurt Isaac, but to sacrifice the ram which was caught in the bushes. So as I’ve prayed and thought about what this scripture means I believe the genealogy of Jesus is shown here in Matthew to show that God keeps his word, and his promises. He IS blessing the nations through Abraham’s offspring.  While Joseph isn’t Jesus’ real father, because Jesus was born of a virgin, Joseph is Jesus’ earthly father.  Jesus did bless and still does bless all the nations of the earth, for those that choose to accept him into their hearts.  While Jesus was here on earth he did many miracles and taught people many things.  I believe he still does miracles and he still teaches us things.  He is still a blessing to us.  So the reason I think this list of genealogy is in Matthew is because its meant to show us that God does what he says and keeps his word, and He is also a blessing to those that choose to accept him. I CHOOSE HIM! 

Galatians 3:7-9

Galatians 3:7-

“So understand that those who have faith are Abraham’s sons.” (HCSB)

            What an amazing truth! Faith alone in Jesus brings us salvation!  Jesus has rescued us from destruction, and gave us life! I would think that most of my heritage reflected Gentile belief prior to Jesus. The fact that Paul points out that being apart of God’s great promises comes by faith in them, not by rituals or blood lines, but by faith in THE GREAT KING JESUS! Oh how my soul rejoices, that nothing else is required from me to obtain salvation. For my flesh may fail, but Jesus never changes, he has and will continue to rescue me from sin! How do I respond to this amazing truth? I shall not respond by going back to old sinful ways, for I have been made new! Jesus has given me a great desire that must be quenched; I must glorify God with my life, and find satisfaction in him. Although my flesh may doubt in God’s goodness, I have faith that he will finish what he has started in me! And one day I finally get to be with Jesus, my Savior, King, Shepherded, High Priest, God, my treasure!

 Galatians 3:8-

“Now the Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and foretold the good news to Abraham, saying, ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.” (HCSB)

            How great is our God, to give us his word! Scripture that shows us God’s amazing power, and great love! The verse says scripture foresaw! Gentiles being saved were talked about in GENESIS! We need not doubt are Savior’s love for us, for he has cared and loved for us since the beginning. Oh how foolish am I to let my flesh trick me into sin, and making me feel alone! But rejoice, Jesus loves has been consistent always, and salvation is not a feeling, but a position that Christ has placed me in!

 Galatians 3:9-

“So those who have faith are blessed with Abraham, who had faith.”- (HCSB)

Romans 10:13 says “for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!” and Romans 3:26 says “He presented Him to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus.” We are blessed, saved, and righteous! Our God is great, and he is good!