Read Your Letters
(1 Thessalonians 5:27 KJV) "I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren."
The Bible contains both the Old Testament and the New Testament. The New Testament contains the four Gospels (Matthew through John), the book of Acts, the Letters to the Church (Romans through Jude) and the book of Revelation.
All the Bible is the inspired Word of God, and as such is an important message to us today. However, not until the resurrection of Jesus Christ did the New Covenant start, which changed everything.
God never changes, but His covenants (and thus His way of dealing with people) did change. There was an Old Covenant God had with the people of Israel. Now there is a New Covenant. And the New is not just a continuation or amplification of the Old, but is radically different.
The New Covenant did not begin until after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So everything said and done before the resurrection of Jesus was before the New Covenant started. (Even the four Gospels, although placed in the New Testament section of the Bible, are primarily a record of Jesus' ministry before His death, which means they mostly happened before the New Covenant started.)
God is now dealing with people based on the New Covenant. If we go back and read God's message to people who lived under the Old Covenant we cannot expect all that was said to them to apply exactly to us today.
You can learn something reading a letter written to someone else, but it is not nearly as instructive as reading a letter written directly to you.
So my top recommendation for Bible reading, especially for new believers, is to read the Letters to the Church. (Epistles is another word for Letters.) There are 21 Letters with 121 chapters. So by reading just one chapter each day, you can read all the New Testament Letters three times in a year.
If you are considering reading the Bible, this is an excellent way to start. If you are a new Christian, I strongly recommend that you start reading the Bible using this plan.
Although everyone should read the entire Bible, it is not best for you to do that until you are solidly grounded in the truths of the New Covenant, which are revealed in the Letters to the Church.
When a new Christian starts reading the whole Bible from the beginning by starting with the Old Testament, without having a clear understanding of what Jesus has provided for us with the New Covenant, confusion is likely to result.
(2 Corinthians 3:14-15 KJV) "But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart."
Reading the Old Covenant, also called the books of Moses -- without the knowledge of the New Covenant -- is like trying to see something with a veil over your eyes. You see glimpses of truth, but you can't clearly see the whole picture.
(John 1:17 KJV) "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."
Once a believer has a clear understanding of God's message to the Body of Christ, the Church, then we can read the rest of the Bible without as much chance of getting confused.
Some people recommend that a new Christian start their Bible reading with the Gospel of John. That is a good way to get acquainted with Jesus. But it still can cause confusion for someone who does not clearly understand what Jesus accomplished for them through His death and resurrection.
(1 Corinthians 15:14, 17 KJV) "And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. ... And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins."
Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ, there is no New Covenant, and we are all still lost in sin.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ, and thus the start of the New Covenant is a great dividing line in history. What Jesus accomplished for us changed everything.
(1 Thessalonians 5:27 KJV) "I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren."
The Bible contains both the Old Testament and the New Testament. The New Testament contains the four Gospels (Matthew through John), the book of Acts, the Letters to the Church (Romans through Jude) and the book of Revelation.
All the Bible is the inspired Word of God, and as such is an important message to us today. However, not until the resurrection of Jesus Christ did the New Covenant start, which changed everything.
God never changes, but His covenants (and thus His way of dealing with people) did change. There was an Old Covenant God had with the people of Israel. Now there is a New Covenant. And the New is not just a continuation or amplification of the Old, but is radically different.
The New Covenant did not begin until after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So everything said and done before the resurrection of Jesus was before the New Covenant started. (Even the four Gospels, although placed in the New Testament section of the Bible, are primarily a record of Jesus' ministry before His death, which means they mostly happened before the New Covenant started.)
God is now dealing with people based on the New Covenant. If we go back and read God's message to people who lived under the Old Covenant we cannot expect all that was said to them to apply exactly to us today.
You can learn something reading a letter written to someone else, but it is not nearly as instructive as reading a letter written directly to you.
So my top recommendation for Bible reading, especially for new believers, is to read the Letters to the Church. (Epistles is another word for Letters.) There are 21 Letters with 121 chapters. So by reading just one chapter each day, you can read all the New Testament Letters three times in a year.
If you are considering reading the Bible, this is an excellent way to start. If you are a new Christian, I strongly recommend that you start reading the Bible using this plan.
Although everyone should read the entire Bible, it is not best for you to do that until you are solidly grounded in the truths of the New Covenant, which are revealed in the Letters to the Church.
When a new Christian starts reading the whole Bible from the beginning by starting with the Old Testament, without having a clear understanding of what Jesus has provided for us with the New Covenant, confusion is likely to result.
(2 Corinthians 3:14-15 KJV) "But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart."
Reading the Old Covenant, also called the books of Moses -- without the knowledge of the New Covenant -- is like trying to see something with a veil over your eyes. You see glimpses of truth, but you can't clearly see the whole picture.
(John 1:17 KJV) "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."
Once a believer has a clear understanding of God's message to the Body of Christ, the Church, then we can read the rest of the Bible without as much chance of getting confused.
Some people recommend that a new Christian start their Bible reading with the Gospel of John. That is a good way to get acquainted with Jesus. But it still can cause confusion for someone who does not clearly understand what Jesus accomplished for them through His death and resurrection.
(1 Corinthians 15:14, 17 KJV) "And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. ... And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins."
Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ, there is no New Covenant, and we are all still lost in sin.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ, and thus the start of the New Covenant is a great dividing line in history. What Jesus accomplished for us changed everything.
โค2
So read your letters and find out what Jesus accomplished and what God has said directly to you!
SAY THIS: I will spend more time reading the Letters God sent to me.
SAY THIS: I will spend more time reading the Letters God sent to me.
๐2
Day 1: The LORD Keep You
Most of us equate the word keep with obedience. Most of us think of this word when it comes to keeping the commandments. In reality it carries the idea of guarding. A shepherd in the wilderness would build a coral to protect his sheep from predators. They would use stones to fashion a wall and then place thorn bushes on top to keep out predators, such as wolves.
YHWH (our heavenly Father) is saying that He will place a hedge of protection around us, hemming us in with thorns to keep the enemy (predators) from getting to us.
With the divine embrace of our heavenly Father through this Priestly Prayer of the Blessing we are delivered instantly from the enemyโs attacks, whether it be from others, or from spiritual harassment, oppression and in some cases possession.
It is His arms that are likened to a โthorny hedgeโ of protection. Satan and his demons can never penetrate the security of the arms of YHWH. You are protected from all things. Why? Because G-D sees us as His spiritual sons and daughters because of what Yeshua (Jesus) did on the cross for us.
(Romans 8:31-35 KJV) "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?"
(Numbers 6:24 KJV) "The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:"
Most of us equate the word keep with obedience. Most of us think of this word when it comes to keeping the commandments. In reality it carries the idea of guarding. A shepherd in the wilderness would build a coral to protect his sheep from predators. They would use stones to fashion a wall and then place thorn bushes on top to keep out predators, such as wolves.
YHWH (our heavenly Father) is saying that He will place a hedge of protection around us, hemming us in with thorns to keep the enemy (predators) from getting to us.
With the divine embrace of our heavenly Father through this Priestly Prayer of the Blessing we are delivered instantly from the enemyโs attacks, whether it be from others, or from spiritual harassment, oppression and in some cases possession.
It is His arms that are likened to a โthorny hedgeโ of protection. Satan and his demons can never penetrate the security of the arms of YHWH. You are protected from all things. Why? Because G-D sees us as His spiritual sons and daughters because of what Yeshua (Jesus) did on the cross for us.
(Romans 8:31-35 KJV) "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?"
(Numbers 6:24 KJV) "The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:"
โค1
No Worries
Philippians 4:6-7 (KJV) Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
The word and in this scripture verse adds another element to the message. It takes Godโs message beyond His declaration of how to react to focusing on the indescribable peace of God. A peace that is beyond comprehension from our limited viewpoint in this world. Godโs serenity is more significant than any expression used to describe it.
The peace of God is His prescription to enjoy life despite our circumstances through prayer and heartfelt passion for pleasing God.
Reading these passages and applying them help every genuine child of God resist anxiety and selfish ambition, set their heart and mind upon God, and enjoy His peace in the here and now and in eternity.
Philippians 4:6-7 (KJV) Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
The word and in this scripture verse adds another element to the message. It takes Godโs message beyond His declaration of how to react to focusing on the indescribable peace of God. A peace that is beyond comprehension from our limited viewpoint in this world. Godโs serenity is more significant than any expression used to describe it.
The peace of God is His prescription to enjoy life despite our circumstances through prayer and heartfelt passion for pleasing God.
Reading these passages and applying them help every genuine child of God resist anxiety and selfish ambition, set their heart and mind upon God, and enjoy His peace in the here and now and in eternity.
โค2
What does 1 Peter 3:3 Mean?
(1 Peter 3:3 KJV) "Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;"
In this passage, Peter has built up the picture of a believer whose life is honouring to God. We are to grow in grace through the nourishment of the Word of God and, as living stones, are to be built up into a holy nation, a spiritual house, and a holy priesthood that is honouring to God. Our lives are not to mimic the unruly behaviours of evil-doers but to be a light to glorify the Father and to point others to our Lord Jesus Christ.
In His life, Christ submitted to the leading of the Holy Spirit and did only those things that pleased and honoured the Father. In the same way, rulers and subjects, servants and masters, children and parents, husbands and wives, are all to conduct themselves in a manner that is well-pleasing to God in thought, word, and deed โ with patient endurance and a graciousness of spirit.
It is specifically to women that Peter exposes the dangers of an over-emphasis on external adornments, fancy hairstyles, expensive jewellery, or beautiful clothes โ greater attention should rather be placed on the inner clothing of humility, purity, gentleness, and grace, which is of far greater worth in the sight of God. But whether married or single, male or female, let us never forget that God looks on the heart. The man or woman that fears the Lord in quietness of spirit, reflecting His beauty, is the one that shall be praised.
The Lord Jesus is the most wonderful example of the Man that radiates the inner beauty of God and we are called, as members of His Body, to be clothed with His inner loveliness, to show forth a gentle and quiet spirit and to reflect His everlasting beauty, for such qualities can never fade and such graciousness of character will never perish.
My Prayer
Loving Father, let me not be swayed by the vanity of the world, but may I clothe myself in humility of heart and gentleness of spirit. May I reflect the beauty of the Lord Jesus in all I say and do, to His praise and glory. In Jesus' name I pray, AMEN.
(1 Peter 3:3 KJV) "Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;"
In this passage, Peter has built up the picture of a believer whose life is honouring to God. We are to grow in grace through the nourishment of the Word of God and, as living stones, are to be built up into a holy nation, a spiritual house, and a holy priesthood that is honouring to God. Our lives are not to mimic the unruly behaviours of evil-doers but to be a light to glorify the Father and to point others to our Lord Jesus Christ.
In His life, Christ submitted to the leading of the Holy Spirit and did only those things that pleased and honoured the Father. In the same way, rulers and subjects, servants and masters, children and parents, husbands and wives, are all to conduct themselves in a manner that is well-pleasing to God in thought, word, and deed โ with patient endurance and a graciousness of spirit.
It is specifically to women that Peter exposes the dangers of an over-emphasis on external adornments, fancy hairstyles, expensive jewellery, or beautiful clothes โ greater attention should rather be placed on the inner clothing of humility, purity, gentleness, and grace, which is of far greater worth in the sight of God. But whether married or single, male or female, let us never forget that God looks on the heart. The man or woman that fears the Lord in quietness of spirit, reflecting His beauty, is the one that shall be praised.
The Lord Jesus is the most wonderful example of the Man that radiates the inner beauty of God and we are called, as members of His Body, to be clothed with His inner loveliness, to show forth a gentle and quiet spirit and to reflect His everlasting beauty, for such qualities can never fade and such graciousness of character will never perish.
My Prayer
Loving Father, let me not be swayed by the vanity of the world, but may I clothe myself in humility of heart and gentleness of spirit. May I reflect the beauty of the Lord Jesus in all I say and do, to His praise and glory. In Jesus' name I pray, AMEN.
โค2