#becauseicannibal

Hi there, again. 

After a lazy, chilly day here in Florida, I got some good God-time in. I feel like a majority of my posts are going to be really stream of conscious, which may or may not be a good thing. Haha. 

Regardless, here goes nothing. 

Verses for reference: 

Luke 2: 21–24

21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 

23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 

24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 

I've mentioned this study before, but I don't know if I went into too much detail on what I've learned yet. It's called, "Jesus: 90 Days with the One and Only" by Beth Moore. I don't know what I expected with it, but it's been a bit different than I had expected. 

I haven't had too much to share from it lately since it's taking us slowly through the birth of Christ. I started this devotional because I realized how much I didn't know about Christ himself—aside from the classic God qualities and whatnot that just seem to come naturally from being in faith—and that worried me. So I'm taking this step by step. 

At this point in the lessons, Jesus has just been circumcised and taken to the temple to be "redeemed". It's cool because Beth Moore talks about the Jewish traditions and whatnot—explaining what all of the rituals in these verses mean. 

After a Jewish child had been circumcised—or made physically set apart as a child of God—a mother had to wait thirty-three to "present her child" at the temple. So, it was basically a symbolic act of giving the child to God, and then purchasing it back through sacrifice. It's a crazy parallel since Mary and Joseph—being devout Jews—did all this to the man that would one day purchase them into the kingdom of God. 

I love how intentional God is—it's really very incredible! He just so carefully crafts the situations in our lives to fit together perfectly. I think that's so awesome and something to totally brag about—the glory of our God is just so mind-blowing.

So, as for that study, that's where I got today! I'm kind of surprised how slow the study is—although I'm thankful for that. Some studies are just so dense it makes for a heavy reading. But this is light and fulfilling all in the same. 

Some of the questions that she asked in her study were really good, I thought I would also share some of those and see what you guys thought!

1. What is the difference in being obedient to custom—merely tradition—or being faithful to do what God has commanded?

I liked this attention to the heart. I've grown up in a non-Christian home, so I've never been one to pray before meals or other "customs" like that, so it was interesting for me to think about that. I know family I breeze through the prayer before a meal and that always seemed to defeat the purpose to me.

2. Which religious customs carry the most meaning for you?

For me, I can appreciate the purpose of baptism. As a believer, I know that the simple act of being baptized will not secure me a place in Heaven, but I can appreciate the state of mind and heart that would compel a person to make a public "statement" such as that. 

Anyway, all good things to consider! Let me know what you guys think (: