Righteous Readings: December 2019


96lioness

QUEEN LIONESS!!!
Hello everyone!

Well, it’s finally here, the 12th month of the year! December has made its way to us, and we are so very happy to see it! We have 28 days left of 2019, and God’s amazing, sufficient, AND sustaining grace has allowed us to be here; ALL PRAISES TO GOD!

Right now, millions of people are preparing for the international celebration of the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ. For so many years, we see this holiday as a time to reflect on the birth of Jesus and what it meant and still means to the world, as we rightly should EVERY DAY! At the right time, Jesus came to us, bringing us joy, hope, and Salvation, the most precious gift we could ever receive. But I wanted to use this month to honor the Savior by taking an in-depth look at some powerfully profound Scriptures that testify why His birth was so important and how it is just as impactful today. So, for the next few days, we’ll look at “The ‘I AM’s” in the Gospel of John.

Before we begin, let’s go back to the Old Testament, the origin of ‘I AM’………….



13And Moses said unto God, ‘Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you’, and they shall say to me, ‘What is His name?’, what shall I say unto them?’ 14And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM! And He said, ‘Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, ‘I AM hath sent me unto you’”-Exodus 3 (KJV)
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tune in tomorrow as we look at the 1st "I AM"!
 
#1

I AM

The Bread of Life
John 6:35​



In the 16th chapter of Exodus, after the Great Exodus from Egypt, the children of Israel come upon the wilderness of Sin. It was here where, at the first hint of hunger and disaster, they began to “murmur” against Moses and Aaron, and even go on to say that it would’ve been better if God had allowed them to die in Egypt. To see whether or not Israel would trust and believe in Him and walk in faith and serve Him, God answers and tells Moses that He “will rain bread from Heaven” for them, this bread in the form of manna. Specific instructions are given; no manna is to be stored/kept overnight EXCEPT on the sixth day. God’s provision was enough for that day, and anyone in disobedience found maggots, worms, and a foul odor.

In the 6th chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus, while being subjected to inquiries as to Who He was, who sent Him, and what works He performed, told the Jews, I am the Bread of Life; he that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (verse 35).

The Old Testament constantly speaks of the anticipation of Christ, as we see how Exodus 16 preludes to Jesus Christ. Just as the children of Israel were in bondage at the hands of Egypt, we too were in bondage from our sins. Just as God sent Israel a deliverer, Moses, at the right time, we were sent The Deliverer, Jesus Christ. Just as God provided manna to His children for their physical nourishment, God provided us His Son Jesus, the Bread of Life, for our spiritual nourishment. Manna was enough only for one day, but Jesus Christ is eternally enough and everlasting fulfilling. Manna was not to be saved or stored up except on one day, but we can enjoy fullness and storage of Grace without fear of reaping foulness. And just as Israel murmured against Moses, their deliverer, the Jews murmured against The Deliverer, Jesus Christ (verse 41).

Jesus is to our soul what bread is to our bodies. He is the True Bread from Heaven that nourishes and supports our spiritual life. He was given to us by God, from God, and gave (and still gives) us spiritual and eternal life; this allowed/allows our soul to be in union and communion with God. The Old Testament bread (manna), while it did reserve life, it did NOT preserve and perpetuate it, much less restore life. But Jesus Christ gave us life while we were dead in our sins...........and He continues to give life today (John 10:10).

Let us remember this as we prepare for the international celebration of the birth of the Great I AM! God's blessings upon you all!
 
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#2


I AM
The Light of the World

(John 8:12)



In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth. And the Earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light’, and there was light. And God saw the light, that is was good, and God divided the from the darkness.
-Genesis 1:1-4(KJV)​



Light. The very first thing God created (Genesis 1:3). It is multifunctional, essential to all living things on this Earth. It is an integral component in the food we eat (photosynthesis), the source of energy (sunlight) for the planet, a vital factor in the water we drink (hydrological cycle of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation), imperative for the growth of all living things, and serves as a “body clock” to all living organisms (Circadian rhythm-the biological clock in plants, animals, and humans have more physiological activity occurring during the day, and more relaxation/less activity during the night). Our eyes were created for us to see things, but without light, our eyes are of no use, as they allow us to take in an object and send information to our brain, which comprehends the purpose of that object.

God, in His infinite wisdom, knew the many purposes light would serve. He knew these purposes would serve as beneficial to the world He would gone on to create, and to the inhabitants of the world (Genesis 1:4). But for prosperous life and growth to occur, God knew that it first had to be separated from darkness (Genesis 1:4).

God had barely created the world when darkness (sin) entered it (Genesis 3:1-7 KJV). The very second Eve and Adam bite into the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, their conscious “eyes” were opened. Their hearts were convicted, bringing them awareness of shame, grief, and guilt. They were aware of their sin, disobedience, against God. Now, their sin was before them, and it had separated them from the Creator. After, man would continue to sin, choosing to walk in darkness, and with each step, man’s sin separated him further and further from God; it was so bad that God stopped communion with man and for hundreds of years, God did not speak to Israel. But just before Israel’s “breakdown”, God sent the world the ultimate “Breakthrough”.


Please stay tuned for Part 2...…...
 
I AM

The Light of the World

(John 8:12)
Part 2



At the start of creation, God used light to separate the world from darkness. This time, not only did He use light, He became Light (Isaiah 60:1-2; 19-20), Jesus Christ, and again, sent Light into the world, that it may separate us from darkness.




Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life”-John 8:12 (KJV)


I mentioned earlier that one of the purposes of light is for our eyes to take in objects. Light allows our eyes to see objects. Our eyes capture the image of the object and sends this image to our brain. Our brain then receives the image and processes the information associated with the object, giving us the awareness of the object and its function(s). Our eyes are of no use to us without light, but our vision is no good if we do not walk in the truth of the purpose of light. Light was the first visible thing created, not that God might see, but that WE might see His works and His glory in them (Matthew 5:16). So, it is with Jesus Christ.

Just at the right time, when the world was steeped in the darkness of sin, Jesus Christ came to us. He is the true Light of the World, showing us the truth of who God is and the truth of His Word. As the Light of the world, Jesus shines truth, that we who accept and follow Him may not be ignorant of Spiritual matters but have the power of understanding of Spiritual truth. Furthermore, as we have now been called out of darkness and into His marvelous light, truth of who He is gives us the wisdom and understanding of His Word, which radiates our path in life. And just as light is essential to growth, Jesus as the Light of the world, brings us the nourishment needed for our Spiritual growth, maturation, and development. Because we have the Spiritual truth of the Light, we no longer walk in darkness of our sins and are no longer separated from God. We have this truth the brings forth eternal life.

As we prepare for the international celebration of the birth of the Savior, stop and consider a few things. Light Biblically symbolizes the presence of God with His people (the burning bush (Exodus 3:2-6), the pillar of fire (Exodus 13:21-22), the cloven tongues of fire on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-5). The prophet Isaiah foretold of the birth of the Savior, calling Him ‘Immanuel’, and the Gospel of Mathew records the fulfilling of the Scripture, interpreting ‘Emmanuel’ as “God with us”. The Light of the world was there at the beginning, and we rejoice because the great I AM is with us still today!


God's blessings upon you all!
 
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