worship – The Scriptural Truth

Thoughts on Good Friday?

Today is the 14th day of the Jewish month of Nisan, which is the exact day that the crucifixion of Jesus Christ occured in the year 30 AD. Of course it was not on a Friday, but a Wednesday in that year.

The truth is, the origin of what is called Easter has no Biblical basis whatsoever. The early New Testament church neither taught nor observed an Easter holiday. In order to move people away from celebrating the Biblical Passover, the Catholic Church adopted and Christianized a pagan holiday that celebrated the false goddess Ishtar (Astarte). The Babylonians and Assyrians worshipped this goddess. She symbolized fertility, love, war, and sex. The holiday in her honor occurred around the spring equinox.

According to the Bible, Jesus was crucified and died at 3 p.m. on a Wednesday (in 30 A.D.), spent three full days and nights in a tomb (72 hours total), then was resurrected back to life by God just before sunset Saturday. In order to fulfill prophecy Jesus could not have died on “Good Friday!”

Thoughts From 1 Chronicles 28:9

“And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the LORD sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.
1 Chronicles 28:9 NLT

Devotion is the word we use to describe participating in a short Bible study and discussion, like the one we are having now. But the word devotion also refers to the attitude that drives us to seek God.

Thoughts From Proverbs 28:13

“People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.”
Proverbs 28:13 NLT

We all know God sees everything, so, why do we try to hide our sin from Him by closing our eyes to it and pretending it does not exist? Why do we hide it from other people and assume God can not see it either? God sees everything. He knows the sin is there, and He knows it is keeping us away from Him.

Thoughts From 1 Chronicles 16:8-10

“Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! [9] Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! [10] Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!”
1 Chronicles 16:8 – 10

If you ever need a praise role model, you need to look to David. He was a shepherd, a giant-killer, a warrior, a musician and the most beloved king in Israel’s history. More important than all that, is the fact that David knew how to praise God.

Thoughts From James 4:10

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
James 4:10

God tells us in Psalm 46:10 to “Be still, and know that I am God.” Folks, have you ever sat quietly and just let God be God? Have you ever paused, even in the middle of a busy day and just spent a moment with Him? Have you ever tried to feel His presence, listen to His voice and open your heart and mind to Him? When you do this, it is easy to be humble. When you look for God, it becomes easy to see just how small you are.