Day 63: The Big Picture

Reading: Psalm 30:1-7

David, as you know by now, faced many trials and hardships. Here he talks about the big picture though. He praises God for all those times he was rescued and he worships Him for what He has done in his life. David states that though God gets angry, He still loves us, so it only lasts for a moment. In the big picture of life, that anger and direction leads us down better paths to come. David also says that weeping only lasts for the night, but joy comes in the morning. We will all face trials and those hard periods of life throughout life. But when you look at your life as a whole, those moments were only there for awhile, and they formed you into the person you are now.
When we look at the big picture of life, those trials won't seem so harsh. Many can still be very painful, but you know you will get through them. Focus on God's big picture in your life. Take one day at a time, but don't dwell in the hardships for long.


Reading: Mark 12:13-27

Jesus had a view of eternity. He wasn't focused on the matters of this world and the things of it, but on what would please His Father. When the religious leaders attempt to trap Him again with the tax question, as we also read about in Matthew, we see Jesus' amazing answer that told them to give it to the one whose face was on the money. And give to God what is His. Clinging to the treasures of this earth won't get you into eternity, only Jesus can do that.
Again, the religious leaders try to trap Jesus with the marriage question and the laws Moses laid out. What they don't understand is that they don't know the scriptures or the power of God. The Sadducees didn't believe in the resurrection, so the mistake is on them. We need to focus on our individual hearts, and remember where our end goal is- in heaven. We can't live lives worrying about the family name and whose wife belongs to who (hopefully this issue has resolved itself anyway) but on God and His work in us and through us.


Reading: Leviticus 11:1-12:8

We need a big picture of history to fully understand the meaning of the cross. We've seen Leviticus as a book of tedious rituals, which reveals just how sacred and holy God is. Because of the way the people had to approach God, we should see just how meaningful and sacred it should be to us. But also through this, we can definitely see the significance of the cross in the big picture of history. To learn fully about holiness and the importance of it is a goal throughout the Old Testament. But once Jesus died for us, we have been made holy through Him. The importance of being set apart from this world is big in the Christian walk. We are in this world, not of it. The big picture lies within that thinking, and we still strive to be set apart for Christ.


The big picture is a good way to view things as we go through this world. We aren't to worry about tomorrow, but we are to remember what Christ did for us, and what our main purpose of being on this world is. Remember the big picture when you face trials and temptations in life.