Day 262: Not Just a Box to Check

Revelation 5; Nehemiah 7:4-8:12; Psalm 100

"EVERY tribe, language, nation, and race" and "ALL beings in heaven and on the earth." Who did God want to save? Who did Jesus die for? Who should sing praises? Who will worship Jesus at the end of days? Jesus came to save everyone, and according to John's vision, all people will one day sing praises to him. Why does Jesus deserve this? Two reasons as stated in scripture: first, he is God; second, he "has won the victory" over sin and death.

In Nehemiah, the people asked Ezra to read from the book of God's Law and "from early morning till noon, he read the Law of Moses to them and they listened carefully." They wanted to hear what God had to say to them, they paid attention to his word with open ears and hearts. They didn't just want to check off the church box or the read my Bible box. This was important to them! When God's word was opened, they even spent time bowed down in worship. God's word is powerful and these people understood that. Sometimes we get so used to having stuff, like our Bibles, our churches, that we take it for granted. These people, when they had heard the Law, they realized just how far they had fallen and were really upset. The leaders encouraged them that this wasn't a day to be sad about their past sins, but to celebrate God and their desire to be his people. They were to be glad about what God had accomplished in them, not dwell on their failures. It can be easy to see the Bible as a big list of rules or expectations, and in some ways it is. But Jesus came not to be a rule enforcer, but to be a life giver, and that is what we can focus on and celebrate and live for.

Psalm 100 reminds of how awesome the God we serve is. We do not need to be afraid, because his "love and faithfulness will last for ever."