Day 348 Bible Reading 

Revelation 5: 9 (ESV) 

“...Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” 

When I read this line from Revelation 5, it made me tear up. The subject of the line is the person who opened the scroll that was sealed with seven seals, who is “The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David.” There are several references in the Old Testament to the lamb that is slain for offering to God, and I always think of Jesus Christ when I see the word “lamb”. The writer of Revelation never says it is Jesus Christ who has opened the scrolls, but for me the similarities are unmistakable. 

Christ was slain and by his blood, we have been saved from the sins of our ancestors and are now part of his new kingdom. As followers of Christ, we are also priests for God. We need to take a priestly role in all of our relationships. Are we leading people to God by our behavior or leading people away from God? 

 I was thinking I might not have the right interpretation of this line, so I searched to see what others have said about this line from Revelation. It was comforting to know that they also saw the Lamb as Christ. I know you can’t always follow your heart, but whenever I read a line in the Bible that in any way references Christ’s crucifixion it makes me cry.

 Day 347 Bible Reading

Revelation 4: 11 (ESV)

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

When I think of the Book of Revelations, I usually think of the prophecies of how Jesus will return to the world. This line from Revelation 4 reminds me that there is also beautiful poetry in this book. Others have had this thought as well because I found a beautiful song based on Revelations 4. When I listened to the song, I knew I had heard it before. “Revelation Song” written by Jennie Lee Riddle is so amazing. Other singers and groups have covered this song, but I love Jennie’s version because she wrote the song.

For your listening pleasure -

 Day 346 Bible Reading (ESV) 

Esther 4: 14

“For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

I love this line from Esther 3! Mordecai is speaking to his sister Esther and tells her that if she keeps silent, God will send help from another person, but she will perish. But perhaps you have become queen of the land so you can help the Jews escape death.

I know sometimes when I think about doing something, the thought always occurs to me that I do nothing then someone else will surely say or something. But then guilt washes over me and I think, is that bad karma if I do nothing? Will is perish for not taking action or speaking? Then another thought comes into my head that says “maybe I was put into the position precisely because I was meant to do something about it. I have all this power and maybe I can put the power to good use.

It's such an interesting line “And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” I don’t think we can really know what our role is in life. We need to pray to God and wait for him to let us know or send a sign to guide our way. It is seductive to think I was born to be do something, but I think until one checks in with God, one has to cautious and always try to discern what role God wants us play in this world.

 Day 345 Bible Reading

I don’t have a specific bible passage today that struck me today, so I want to write about the Book of Esther since we started reading it today. There is no mention of God or God’s covenant in the Book of Esther, but it seems clear from the reading that the characters in the book never forgot about the Covenant God made with Moses and his people. Even though the characters in this story have been in exile from Jerusalem, they have held on to their faith and the expectation that God is watching over them and will rescue his people from harm.

Their faith is strong, and I envy their unwavering faith in God’s protection over their lives. The Book of Esther reminds me that to truly have faith in God, one must always expect and depend on God’s intervention in our lives. The Book of Esther seems to be an example of people with true faith in God.