January 5 - The Great Puzzle

         Romans 16:25-26 - "Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings, by the command of the eternal God,......"

        The Bible is like a great, complicated jigsaw puzzle. It is obviously a huge book, written by many authors over a period of history approximately 1500 years in length, from c. 1400 BC to AD 90. Its "revelation", i.e., how God reveals himself to different persons and to what extent, is quite varied. That is why it is like a jigsaw puzzle. Some sections may be easy to figure out; some may take a long time.

        God himself kept some things hidden, through the years, from mankind, as the passage in Romans above (and others) states. However, Hebrews 1:1-3 clears up that mystery a good bit: "In the past, God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word....." Jesus claimed to be the ultimate revelation of God's nature and existence. That doesn't necessarily make everything clear to us humans, but it gives us enough to understand and enough in which to place our faith.

        After all, faith is putting our trust in something that is not quite a reality yet in its fullest measure. There will come a time when our "faith shall be made sight", as the old hymn has stated. I Corinthians 13:12 states, "Now we see only a poor reflection, as in a [ancient looking-glass] mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now, I understand partially; then I will know fully, as I am [already] fully known [by God].

January 6 - For Your Own Good

        Deuteronomy 10:12-13 - "Now, O Israel, what does Yahweh your God ask of you, except to revere him, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve him with all your heart and soul, and to observe his commands and decrees that I [Moses] am giving you today for your own good?"

         Many non-believers who give excuses for not wanting to follow God's rules do not realize the truth in the above verses. God has given us laws and rules to follow in order for our lives to be blessed, for things to go well, and in order to keep from being self-destructive. Isaiah 48:17-18 follows this theme, in that God is trying to teach us what is best for us. Isn't this exactly what a loving father does for his own children?

        Jesus re-iterates the need to keep the commandments in Matthew 19:16-22, but then gets to the heart of the young man in the story. The man did not have a problem with keeping the commandments or so he thought. Jesus told him specifically to sell his possessions and give to the poor; but he left Jesus in a sad state of mind, because he had great wealth. Perhaps he was unknowingly ranking his possessions in order of importance ahead of God. Perhaps he was keeping the commandments in deed only, but not in heart. Did he really love Yahweh his God with all his heart and soul (Matt. 22:37)? Did he really put God foremost in his life (Exodus 20:3)?

        Jesus also gets to the heart of the matter in Matthew 6:25-34 - which is that our heavenly Father loves us so much, that he will take care of us. So, don't worry. Surrender your life to him, and allow him to take care of you. All of these sets of verses are really tied to the nature of God - that he loves us and wants the best for us.