January 7
Old Testament 1
Genesis 8:20 - 9:29
Noah offered sacrifice to the Lord.
The Lord was pleased with the sacrifice and God blessed the land.
Remember God cursed the land because of Adam and Eve's disobedience (Genesis 3:17), the curse became stronger to Cain descendants after Cain's evil act. (Genesis 4:12)
Remember Noah's name & the meaning? (Genesis 5:29)
The Name is fulfilled here (Genesis 8:21 ...God said in His heart, I will never again curse the ground for man's sake...).
This shows the name we bear is very important.
God blessed Noah and his family and commanded them to "Be fruitful and multiply"
God made covenant not to destroy man and God said the rainbow would be the sign to remind Him of the covenant
There is something else to note in this passage;
God removed the curse from man and blessed Him and his descendant but Noah decided to place another curse on Ham the father of Canaan because he saw his nakedness. So the curse was back on Earth to another generation.
Old Testament 2
Job 11,12
This scripture is talking about the sovereignty of God and the mighty power of God.
God has the life of every human in His hand.
(Genesis 12:10 In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?)
Furthermore, Job 11:20 established the future of the wicked.
(But the eyes of the wicked will fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope-- loss of life)
New Testament
Matthew 2
Matthew 6:1-18
In this scripture, Jesus taught us the way we shouldn't pray and also how to pray.
He preached against eye-service when praying or fasting.
Many misconstrued this to literally not praying in public. That's wrong. Jesus was more concerned about your intentions when praying or working for God, are you doing it just to be seen or you are doing it with a pure act of service to God.
Also Jesus addresses unnecessary repetition during prayer. As Christian, we are to go straight to our points of prayer.
(For your God who is in heaven knows you have needs of this before you ask… -Matthew 6:8)
If God already knows our request, does it make sense to start explaining the prayer request to Him?
Furthermore, Jesus taught us how to pray, He taught us what is generally called "The Lord's prayer" today.
Contrary to popular belief, "The Lord's prayer" is not how we should pray literally, it's a template.
You start your prayer by thanking and glorifying God
Ask for forgiveness
Make your request known
And you end it with giving God glory
The rest of the scripture stresses the importance of forgiveness. As a Christian, you ought to forgive those who offend you as taught by Jesus.
Action Point
Be conscious of the name you give or call your children
Do you acknowledge God’s sovereignty over your life?
Make conscious effort to pray in the way Jesus has laid out and if you haven’t started fasting yet, make a conscious effort to start (it’s a spiritual exercise to help you build your faith) (we advise you take necessary precautions regarding fasting)
Are there people who offended you and you need to forgive? Forgive now
Quote
“I think the first step is to understand that forgiveness does not exonerate the perpetrator. Forgiveness liberates the victim. It’s a gift you give yourself” – T. D Jakes
Prayer Points
Thank God for His sovereignty
Ask God for mercy if you have not forgiven who offended you long time ago
Pray that Holy Spirit helps you to forgive who you need to forgive
#BibleInAYear
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