Using the Calendar to Help our Relationship with Christ.....

It has been over 6 years since I have posted anything to this blog page. Today, I hope to use this space to post ideas concerning a weekly memory verse and a daily Bible reading I will be using for the next 40 days leading up to Lent.  I will also use this page to begin working through some of my ideas about how our Christian walk should or could have an impact on our relationship with our personal community and the community of the world.  

Below please find my notes from the Reading for this first day of 40 leading to Advent.

The reading was from Revelations, a book that scares me like the first 11 chapter of Genesis scare me. They don’t seem to be steeped in science and history like I understand them. So I do not like reading them.  Today I let the ESV program read the passage for me.   As I listened to the reading, I was able to also look at the information provided by the study notes.  I was interested in the idea of the seven benedictions.  First I have never heard of the seven benedictions so I was interested in what are the seven benedictions and why are they so important. First what is a benediction?  It is a blessing given at the end of a religious service.  So these are the seven blessing Christ is giving to His church though out the book of Revelation: 

I can see each one of these benedictions or blessings being a source of a sermon or a teaching.  I am often challenged by the word blessing, thinking a this is something I can work to do and receive God blessing.  I am like Jacob in that way, I am always looking for a way to get God’s blessing. But I have already received God’s blessing.  So are these ways for me to see others who have received the blessing of God?