Sometimes just one series can make you a fan of many other books, that was Legend with Marie Lu for me. I’ve read a few of her books now, so let’s see how they all hold up.
Fun ride. Basically like that movie “I Spy” but instead of a boxer, it’s a singer, and instead of a buddy cop drama it’s a romance… sort of. I actually really liked the story and how they folded in the characters together. Some of it had to suspend my disbelief, but what else is new 😂 There were parts that felt like even in the world of these characters wasn’t realistic or believable. For me, I also felt the flashback memories of the characters pulled me out of the story and slammed me back in just by saying “the memory faded” over and over. I would have liked maybe a smoother way to bring these across. It was quite witty and I did like the dynamic of the two main characters. I actually appreciated the ending (don’t come for me!) but there was also a bitter sweet feeling across the entire book. Lots of grief and traumatic background to propel the characters forward.
I LOVED Legend. (The only reason it even took so long to get through was because I was moving, and super busy – otherwise I would have finished it in a day!)
First – the premise. Loved it. Can’t wait to continue unraveling the mysteries and secrets in the next book. Second – the world. It was introduced to the reader in a seamless way. It felt natural, part of the story, no info dumps and was just beautifully done. Third – the characters. I found not only the main characters, but the secondary ones as well, so intriguing. I loved all of the interactions, the development, the exploration of each characters stories – just all of it.
The writing style flowed so well, and the story was filled with fascinating turns, dialogue and world building.
Overall, an amazing YA book, and I can’t wait to read more!
It’s interesting timing for me to pick this book up in 2020/2021… but I’m going to leave that thought right where it is and ignore it for the purposes of this review.
I loved the characters of June and Day in the first book Legend, and they didn’t disappoint in book 2! There was a beautiful depth to these guys this time around, and like in the first book, we got to see some of them together, and some of them apart.
Being able to see how these characters wrestled with the world shattering news of the first book was fantastic. The more they got to know about the world they thought they knew, the more we got introduced to new elements, characters, and an incredible world that spanned bigger than you ever thought.
I loved the way that Marie Lu went about sharing the world she has built for these characters. It all flowed so seamlessly, and was jam packed with action and adventure as the fight for these characters lives continued.
My mind, and what I thought I knew about this story, was blown over and over. Even though some things you may have suspected along the way, it didn’t matter. Some chapters, I couldn’t even turn the page fast enough.
I am so glad I have the next book ready to go, because I couldn’t imagine having to wait too long for the conclusion.
I am still a little shell shocked writing this review, but I’m going to try and find the right words.
The whole Legend trilogy has been fantastic. So well written, with characters so easy to connect with. The plot was fascinating, the world incredible and easy to be enveloped by. This final part of the story was the most exciting, dramatic, tense, and jam packed part!
It left me clutching my book until my fingers were white, crying into my pillows, and throwing things around my house!
This was a nice way to see some endings for the Legend story line and get an insight into the Antarctica world we saw a glimpse of in the trilogy. I liked it, but it did feel like an excuse to rewrite the ending of the original story to a more satisfying end. Overall, it was good, but not as satisfying as the books that came before.
I LOVED this book. It was nice to have a fantasy/dystopian that wasn’t all magic and superpowers, but technology based (that had subtle links to the Legend trilogy – supposedly set way in the future from Warcross). The characters were great, plot very interesting and unpredictable (for me) and I love Marie’s writing style.
Not as good as the first book, but still interesting. Not enough to read right after the first book, but months later. A bit more techno babble that was skin worthy. I didn’t mind the twists and where the story went. Characters were just as interesting. Pretty middle of the road.
Honestly so funny for a book about a death in a tea shop. Vera was hilarious and I know so many Aunties like this. She was great, and the perfect balance of nosy and caring. All our characters had interesting secret lives that unravelled so nicely. I wanted to know the tea (wink wink) and they spilled it on such a great progression. Getting sucked into Vera’s world was absolutely hilarious, and I actually just loved it. The mystery itself was really great. I did call the killer about halfway through HOWEVER another twist in there through the story was NOT foreseen so props for that.
This book was so utterly boring and forgettable which was quite confusing because normally I like this author. I don’t know if it was the Setting, characters, or plot, but it just didn’t work for me. I wasn’t invested and I don’t think there was enough setup for the characters for me to become invested. It felt a little all over the place in regards to the plot and how that unfolded and almost likely were thrown into the middle of something without enough context. The little posts from the anonymous site felt unusual and out of place, I don’t know why they were there in the first place we could have completely done without them. I don’t understand the flashback element whatsoever, it was completely unnecessary. If you were gonna do it, those scenes should have been longer and had more value to the story. The follow up books Is going to be a miss for me.
Characters were good. Wedding stuff was fun and interesting. Rivalry / enemies to lovers was great. Ending was rushed which meant less satisfying but all characters ended up pretty good. Main characters were really good and I enjoyed their banter and progressions.
Interesting blend of working holiday writing a cookbook answer grief of a parent death and very complex relationship. I liked our two main characters and thought their progression was good. The finding recipes and food in Italy for the cookbook was a really nice backdrop and plot, and was the best part. If two other characters were doing the same thing, it would have also been good. Might say something about these characters being interchangeable and pretty boring on their own, but they worked alongside the Setting and plot.
The Inheritance Games train keeps on going, and I’ve read every single one that’s been released so far… Plus a few other Jennifer Lynn-Barnes books, so let’s have a look at the wins and losses.
Intriguing puzzles and more complex personal dynamics than ever before. It’s been a while since I had read book 1, but I picked up where I left off pretty well. Short and sharp chapters, clever and always keeping you guessing.
Great conclusion to the trilogy. I wasn’t sure where some of the loose ends would wrap up, and if you can keep track of all the families and all the varying puzzles then it does weave together quite well. As always, the game was afoot and it was great with twists I didn’t see, and some I did. The journey was fun.
Interesting puzzles, and two concurrent stories to follow. New mysteries open and others come to a close. I liked the flow, and it was a nice change of pace to see the boys POV instead of Avery this time.
Interesting puzzles, but only small amounts of character reveals actually came through. Major cliff hanger so if you want answers you need to read another book. The few answers we got are unsatisfying as they’re only half the picture and it’s agitating that I have to wait for a new book to get rather large answers to questions – include the rest of the game. Some cliff hangers are fine, but the story is literally on pause and I am frustrated. I liked what we got of the game, great puzzles as always. Characters are interesting and basically secondary background characters getting their own focus – which was awesome.
I had basically forgotten everything that happened before this, so I was coming into it with almost no knowledge of what had already happened in the first part of the story. I am getting a little bit of fatigue reading these characters and the storyline, however for some reason I still bought the book. It was pretty good, The mystery and challenges took a backseat to the drama and interpersonal issues at play. I prefer the mysteries and the puzzles, so that was not necessarily the most preferable plot line that I was looking for. Having said that, I thought that things went pretty well, characters made sense and were pretty consistent. What people went through in the story made sense, and I understand what we were going for. Things are starting to feel a bit more convoluted than they used to, and even though they were complex and interpersonal mysteries mixed in with the puzzles in the first trilogy of this world, this one is starting to feel a bit flat. Things are so complex, intertwined so much with the first few books, and now with all this new information, that it’s almost impossible to try and keep track. I would have to have a pin board with strings tied to everything and going in different directions like a crazy person just to try and keep everything sorted in my brain. However, even with that, I managed to skip past some of those things and just enjoy the surface level of the story.
Mixed short stories following the characters we know from the inheritance games. Some were good, some were really interesting, and some only so so. A short story book is always a little challenging to review, because there are so many variables. But I will say, though, I did enjoy seeing the characters again and filling in some of the blanks that the main books didn’t flesh out. Stories I really enjoyed was Hannah and Toby, I also love Xander. He is such a fun character. Nash is actually my favourite after this short story, I really wish we had more Nash in the main series because he is such a funny character. Fun and really just for fans to get another little look into the characters that they like.
Pretty interesting look into the political “fixer” world in a side door kind of way. I liked the parallels with the high school version and real world version. Some very serious things going on with real world consequences, as well as personal dynamics going on.
Second book was a lot more exciting than the first. I actually enjoyed it a lot more, the steaks were higher, it was a lot more interesting to see unfold, the characters felt like they had more at stake even though you could debate that. The emotional beats hit harder, the mystery was way more interesting, and I just overall liked it better.
This book was so utterly boring and forgettable which was quite confusing because normally I like this author. I don’t know if it was the Setting, characters, or plot, but it just didn’t work for me. I wasn’t invested and I don’t think there was enough setup for the characters for me to become invested. It felt a little all over the place in regards to the plot and how that unfolded and almost likely were thrown into the middle of something without enough context. The little posts from the anonymous site felt unusual and out of place, I don’t know why they were there in the first place we could have completely done without them. I don’t understand the flashback element whatsoever, it was completely unnecessary. If you were gonna do it, those scenes should have been longer and had more value to the story. The follow up books Is going to be a miss for me.
I did not finish this one. I used to watch Criminal Minds, and this is basically that for teenagers/young adults. I knew that going in, but for some reason, I didn’t think it would go so dark and deep into things. Especially emotionally walking into someone else’s skin (creepy), and some pretty dark themes and content. It gave me creepy feels, so I decided to DNF.
Stories about heists are always a hit, just look at movies like Oceans 11 or The Sting… and books about heists are no exception. I LOVE a good heist story, so let’s look at some of the heist books I’ve read and enjoyed.
Having this many POV can sometimes be a bit messy, but I think this was really well done. It added such incredible drama to the story, I love to jump in and out of people’s perspectives, plus when everybody in a heist is in a different spot as part of the team layout like this is necessary. I liked everyone. All the characters in their own ways were fantastic, they interacted with each other really well, and the plot moved forward with these character dynamics in mind. The actual heist/prison break itself was really well done. I enjoyed the setup, the planning, the execution, and everything in between. The magic system was quite good, it was a bit of a spin on the normal type of abilities you can see in people. I like the way that this particular system spun things, and I would love to see more.
I’ll start this off by saying I liked this book. Not loved, but liked. I think the first half was my favourite and after looking up spoilers I don’t think I will continue the series. However, it was still a good story and interesting characters.
Here are my little observations: It was really hard to keep track of all the characters and who they all were (particularly with an audiobook format). I think there were just a bit too many for my personal preferences.
I’m not used to books that take place over such long periods of time but that are still interesting and flow well. I appreciated that from this book (it was also my first “high fantasy” that I made all the way through and I liked it quite a bit actually).
There was a huge amount of info dumping at times, but something about it didn’t feel that annoying like it can with other books. I was fully aware of it, and yet I didn’t mind.
The theme of discussing religion throughout was an unusual choice. While it doesn’t favour any one in particular, and seemingly makes some up (although who knows because more keep being made all the time), it was kind of….. odd. It felt strange that these people are talking about that in the middle of everything. I love a good Christian fiction book, so religion in books is not something I don’t like, it was more so that this seemed to acknowledge that religion exists but also that it doesn’t much matter which one you believe… and that’s something I disagree with so perhaps that’s why it felt so disjointed for me.
I love Brandon’s writing, and have enjoyed another series of his but I think the continuing of this one will not be something I’m interested in.
There were a lot of turns, once you thought you knew what was going on, it all changed again. I thought I was in for a painting heist, but what I got was a lot more than that. The way things flowed, fit together and unfolded was great. I was convinced of one thing, only to be proven wrong about others. Then again, some things I guessed and when I was proven right, it was really nice. There were a lot of moving parts, and it seems like everyone is a lot smarter than people in real life. Elaborate and intricate plans are not the norm with most people in the lives we all live in the real world. However, for a fictional story like this one, I don’t mind. The characters were pretty good, but I found it difficult to really connect properly what with all the twists and turns of the way things happened.
I really enjoyed the slow reveal of how everybody in the bank was a thief. They were multiple plot lines, things were happening slowly but also with the usual Ernest Cunningham way. It did get quite complex at points, and some things were a little bit far-fetched until they weren’t. We managed to have a meaning for everything, but because there was so much happening it was difficult at times to follow the thread. Having said that, it was wrapped up quite nicely. Everything made sense, and some things were surprising, some things weren’t. Ultimately it was funny, interesting, and very scientific… That was unexpected.
I wasn’t sure what to expect but I really liked this story. The element of being caught up in a heist, having an ex FBI agent, and how everything unfolds was great. High stakes, fast paced and corruption all within the span of a day. Nicely done, a good read.
I am not the target audience so keep that in mind for the review below.
Classic adults aren’t as smart as teenagers, they missed important details and we can not only be taken seriously but also help solve the crime whilst being in mortal danger kind of a story.
Cultural additions were really nice. I like a good art heist story and having a budding artist come at it was also an interesting twist. I did have to speed read a lot of it though because it didn’t seem to hold my attention well.
I had way more fun with this book then I thought I would. Even though I saw the ending coming 1,000,000 miles away, it was definitely a great way to end this – It made a great story, and it was a really good decision plot wise. I enjoyed the tension, I thought that the difficult background stories were woven in pretty well, and I enjoyed how the story progressed. It felt like a pretty natural progression given the circumstances, and I enjoyed the dynamics of the character characters and the plot. A little Insta love-ish, but I didn’t mind so much.
I was surprised at how much I actually loved this book. The entire plot centres around the elemental trials and life in this crazy dangerous prison. Our main characters are engaging, interesting and encircled by such an interesting world. The ending……. I went out and got the next two books on almost that alone. I GOTSTA know what happens next! Careful of content/trigger warnings (I will list below) but the author didn’t go tooooo far with those so just be aware.
Content warnings: violence (graphic), gore (moderate), self harm (moderate), sexual assault/harassment (moderate), Child abuse (moderate), torture (graphic), confinement (graphic)
I loved seeing Kiva outside of the Zalendov context in this story. Her battle between loyalties was interesting and played out quite well. I was punched in the gut several times in this book – especially at the end.
Moderate violence/gore Mild sexual content Moderate kidnapping Moderate drug use
Finally got some answers! Called some of it, didn’t call others. Rushed ending “big bad level” moment/s but ending was really satisfying. Characters were put through the ringer. I didn’t mind where we went and ended up. From a prison escape book, to a strategize overthrowing the throne book, to finally a quest book this series was really great and I’m almost sad to say goodbye to the characters.
Wowie. This was a way better executed and altered version of Shatter Me. Obsessed. I loved this one – the only thing I could have done without was some more specifically described torture type scenes. Characters were great, development of those characters and how especially the main character, figured things out as we went was amazing. Loved the power element, always fun. Can’t wait to see it a bit more in action in the second book. Plot wise it was great. Similarities like I said above to Shatter Me, but with a much better execution. Enough differences to be it’s own story, and taking place in Sydney (nice touch), different dynamics and way less characters to keep track of. All that and more made this an action packed, easy to follow, quick to pace through and thoroughly enjoyable story.
Continuation of the story was great. Blindsided but at the same time knew it in my bones! There was a lot of internal dialogue and processing (sometimes of things that had already occurred… like we were rehashing things we had already not just witnessed but thought about as the reader) which was frustrating at times. A good deal of this book could easily be skimmed unlike the first one where everything was essential and riveting. Happy with it overall though.
I really enjoyed the world, the characters, and the plot of this book. It was fantastic. I liked the sarcastic character of Alex, and the way that she discovered this parallel world where superpowers were super common. There was an overarching mystery, there were things that we got to figure out as we went along to the world and how things run, and I thought that it was laid out really well. I enjoyed this world, I thought it was really interesting interesting, and I can’t wait to read the rest of the books in this series to discover more of it. The library was a really really cool Element. I liked the idea of unlimited and unusual adventures that they could have, while also trying to figure out the overall mysteries of the library, the school and the world. Figuring it all out with Alex was a good way to discover things. I liked her friends, I thought they were really fun and very realistic guy friends. I also liked the way that other characters and their relationships to Alex developed across the book, I’m excited to see where all of that goes in further books.
Okay, I claim a lot that Ted Dekker is my favourite author, but I have actually only read a handful of his books. so, I decided to change that. Here is my experience as I went through some of Ted’s other books.
Oh my word. i am updating this post as i have just finished reading ‘black’ which is the official first book (i suppose, although that’s debatable) of the circle series. this began as a trilogy, but there was a further book that was released afterwards and an entire series of worlds that stemmed from this as well.
Dang, my brain is basically broken. what the heck even is reality anyway? would the fall have still happened even if humanity was given another brand new start. what would that mean if the humans were living like that for generations and someone from our world interacted with it. just some of the questions we explored.
while i did really enjoy it, i was left pretty shattered afterwards. i also think it was super intense – more so than pretty much any of his other books i’ve ready. some of the evil was evil. some of the good was good and it was all just such a crazy ride. i have to take a break before i read any more but it was still such an amazing story and look at various ideas of good v evil and how humanity fits into that. also, can i just say – the foreshadowing with a virus that swipes through the whole world…. how did so many books consider this for such a long time and we just never really paid attention?
For me, this book was slow to start, but once we got past the first third or so, that was when I started to get more interested. There was politics, family drama, amnesia, a lot more going on as well. I think the barebones of the story were interesting, however for me it was a bit too slow, and I was not invested in either the plot nor the characters. It was still pretty well written, there was some really interesting elements, and the last third was the best part
A really interesting concept of being able to see into the future but only a short time, and mostly concerning yourself and the circumstances around you. I found that really interesting, and the way that it was explored was great. Enough explanation for me to suspend my disbelief, but not so much that I got pulled away from the story. I liked the idea of being able to look at the future, free will, how things are changed when people make decisions, and how God fits into that. I thought the dynamic between a Muslim and a Jew/Christian/westernised viewpoint of agnostic tied in. There wasn’t too much of that, but enough that it was an interesting discussion. I understand that Dekker changed the book after 911, I have the physical copy of the old version and I listened to the audiobook of the new version. I wanted to tandem read, but ended up mostly just listening to the audiobook. I know somethings were changed, and maybe at some point I’ll go and look at it in more detail. I would be interested to see what he changed in light of those circumstances. I enjoyed the story okay, the running for your life, running away from oppression, it was very dynamic. I would’ve preferred maybe a different environment to explore the concept of the prophetic/future seeing concept. Just personally.
Umm… yep. The story drew me in, it did feel like it was in multiple parts though. First half or so of the story was very clear, it made sense, I understood the stakes, and then all of a sudden we changed. it went from something I understood to something quite different. I’m not mad at it, I actually I enjoyed both parts, however the tonal and plot shift was a little disjointed for me. I didn’t connect to many characters though they were interesting in their own ways. The ending came out of nowhere for me. The resolution was not something I even a little bit thought would happen. Not a single place in my brain expected how this story unfolded. I thought that part was clever but also that it didn’t have a ton of foundation to it. As a reader there was really only one or so moments that you could look back on and see a small amount of foreshadowing. Otherwise I was so in the dark about it that it was impossible to guess (at least for me). All my theories were wrong. All my assumptions were wrong. Again, not mad at it because I thought it was clever (or at least interesting), just confused.
I’m really of two minds with this story. On one hand, I see the deep theological concepts at work. On the other side though, I see a lot of what appears to be New Age understanding. I don’t know how to marry the two together. I always thought that the circle world looked a little too deeply into the demonic side, and this story Not only did that, but also really leaned into what appears to be more of “ spiritual” understandings. I’m not saying that there wasn’t Christian themes in the story, but a lot of what was explored felt less biblical/gospel related like the Circle series was originally, and a lot more spiritual. I think delving too far into the spiritual spaces can be very distracting, and can also be quite dangerous. Just as CS Lewis explored when he wrote the Screwtape letters, the same could be said for something like this. It depends, I suppose, on your perspective. I always feel a bit squirmy in some of the exploration of the darker side of these books. This was no exception, and I think that without the guiding gospel message that the original books had, it had a more disappointing feel. The story itself, I found to be quite interesting. I liked that Rachelle was trying to work through the idea of being blind both physically and spiritually. There were some very interesting themes that were explored and I liked the concept of the city of Eden. I was tossing up with the rating whether it would be higher or not, but I think that I was left with the feeling of unease more so than contemplation as is often the case with Dekker books. Having said that, there were moments that I was challenged in my own understanding, and my own situation. We can all be blind sometimes to things in our lives, but I think we need to weigh up a story like this with the Scriptures.
Mild spoiler-ish (I try to keep big things out though)
I read this when I was a teenager and now as an adult and while I remember liking it (primarily for the twist) I found myself really getting a lot of additional things I didn’t get when I first read it. It was quite a deep look into the nature of good and evil, and how humans deal with that. I really enjoyed that aspect of it. It was a clever twist and turned through someone’s mind, through abuse and how that looks, and how we come to terms with the good and the bad in ourselves and in the world. I liked the plot, and I thought it moved pretty well. Characters were good, and there were a lot of clues throughout if you know what to look for. I loved that I knew what to look for this time, and it didn’t ruin the ending for me. I actually enjoyed this more, knowing the twist and how it was going to work out. I thought the conclusion was good, however the aftermath I thought was not taken very seriously. The point of the book was looking at the deeper issue of good versus evil, but I also thought that we could’ve potentially wrapped up how things looked in the aftermath with a little bit more realism.
This time around, I actually also listen to the audiobook. The same narrator as the circle series, and he has a very interesting way to read the bad guy voices. Convincing is all I will say.
Writers writing books about writing is a little…. heavy handed at times. But, there’s just something about reading a behind the curtain story, and that’s what books about writers are. So, here are some books about writers that I’ve read!
I was invested from page one for this book and the increased unhinged mind of the main character grew until the very end of the story in a believable way without being too trite. The commentary on race wasn’t too in your face, and seemed quite natural in this story and setting.
Even without the reference to my favourite movie of all time, similarities to Friends (Neighbours.. I mean come on haha), and writer characters, I still would have loved this story. The tv show element was really fun, and Lavender was not what I was expecting from the description. The characters themselves were great, and I loved seeing them interact and react. Can I also say, no third act conflict or misunderstanding blah blah was so refreshing! I loved this. Things felt real and even though Lavender was a little push over ish, I know people like that so it still felt pretty authentic to the character. It was fun, engaging, witty, romantic without being sappy, just good times all around.
I didn’t care that this book was somewhat predictable, because I had so much fun reading it. The characters had great chemistry, they were flawed but willing to do something when they had a chance, and there was all the drama! I love books about readers and writers, so this was IT for me. Editors meeting in the margins over the course of a month and working on a book? Yes! There was a lot of really funny but genuine moments, and the BANTER was just so great. Melissa wrote this book with a great flow and it was easy to speed through and stay up way too late just to finish it!
Okay, Bethany Turner is now one of my favourite authors. This was hilarious, heart warming, swoon worthy and so beautifully written. The topic of sex before marriage for Christians has always and will always be a “hot topic” so to speak, and I think Bethany handled it so brilliantly. It isn’t an easy thing to strive for, and you can have romance in a relationship without that part and it still be steamy. It is also something that walks the line in books, movies and tv shows for a lot of Christians as well. This was absolutely a story that needed to be told and it was SO STINKING CUTE! Love, love, loved it
Funny, great hook and so much qwirky characteristics you almost roll your eyes (and forgive it right away). I enjoyed Noah and Lanie’s story, I liked seeing the editor and writer dynamics, but I would have enjoyed a longer ending that was a little more fleshed out and explored. I actually also would love to read Noa Calloway’s eleventh book, so thanks Lauren for dangling bait that I can’t ever eat in front of me 😛 It was a fun read.
Even though I don’t understand why the 6/7 hype is so hilarious, I decided that we should look at all the Chapter 6 Verse 7 verses in the Bible, and we’re up to the New Testament! You can check out the Old Testament Part One and Part Two posts as well, but let’s dive in, shall we!
As I went through this exercise, I realised that each 6:7 verse had a flow into the other, and the ultimate story of scripture. In light of that, I have posted the entire 6:7 journey as an uninterrupted section of reading for the New Testament, then the individual verses below with a little bit of context of what was happening in each section.
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Calling the twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. Phillip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. Anyone who has died has been set free from sin. The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? In truthful speech and in the power of God with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and the left. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing our of it. Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful tot hose for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!’
Estimated Reading Time of this Section: 8min
The Promised Messiah
Matthew 6:7
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day made a big ‘to do’ about praying – about everything spiritual really. Whenever they had a chance to show everyone how important they were, how “holy” they were and how much better than everyone else they were, they would. This was how the pagans of the day acted also. They said long prayers that didn’t have any real heart, and Jesus was not having it. When He modeled an example of how to pray, He wasn’t saying you had to say that word for word every time or it didn’t count. He was showing that your prayers could be simple, they could seek after God, and everyone could pray without the show.
Mark 6:7
Calling the twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.
When Jesus was doing His ministry, He gave the authority that He carried to His disciples, and sent them out to the neighbouring places to use it and heal people and share about Him. This is the moment. The one where Jesus, while still alive, gave them a taste into what they would be doing when He finally went back to be with the Father. When they returned, they got a chance to debrief with Him. What a special gift to prepare their ministry when He wasn’t with them any longer.
Luke 6:7
The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.
Jesus challenged the somewhat twisted version of the law and power and authority that the Pharisees had instituted in the days since God had stopped speaking at the end of the Old Testament to now. They had meant well, I’m sure, in keeping the law and traditions in tact, but had managed to become corrupted with how they went about enforcing things. When Jesus taught that they had missed the mark, they were pretty upset with Him for it. They kept watching and waiting for Jesus to trip up in such a way that they could then accuse Him legally (which was their whole thing.. the law). They were missing the point of the Sabbath, which was a gift from God to have a day without working, not a day without lifting a single finger, even to help someone in need.
John 6:7
Phillip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
We are smack dab in the middle of Jesus feeding the 5,000 (men, by the way, not counting women and children who would have been present – that jumps the number up to approximately 20,000 in all estimations). It was time for some food after a day of preaching, and the disciples didn’t know where they were going to get it. Then Jesus asked a question that might have seemed silly, and Philip sure thought so – “where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” Too many people to pay for food, and no place to get to easily to find any – but Jesus was preparing them for a miracle!
The Gospel Goes Out
Acts 6:7
So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
We often use the word ‘disciple’ and ‘apostle’ without remembering that the 12 original disciples became the apostles, but they weren’t the only followers of Jesus at the time. There were many others – and disciple just means an active learner and devoted follower. Jesus inspired many to follow Him and seek to learn more about what He had to say, even before His death and resurrection.
Faith in Action
Romans 6:7
Anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
Does Paul mean literal death? Sure. Is he also talking about spiritual death? Absolutely. When you accept Jesus as LORD and saviour over your life, and you want to follow Him and His ways, you die to the person you were – the one stuck in sin – and you are now a new creation that is no longer spiritually dead, and will spend eternity in life with God. How amazing is that!
1 Corinthians 6:7
The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?
Paul is pretty unhappy for a few reasons. One, God’s people were trying to take their disputes to the secular law courts instead of dealing with things properly amongst each other and Two, they were cheating each other in a manner that needed a law court/trial against each other. We shouldn’t be doing these things to each other in the first place, but to let it reach such a point where we then need to involve the courts instead of fixing it ourselves, is not the ideal situation to be in. We should be dealing with each other (and those outside the church too!) with love, compassion and equity – not cheating each other to where we then take it to a legal system that isn’t designed to keep God and His commandments in mind.
2 Corinthians 6:7
In truthful speech and in the power of God with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and the left
This time, we see Paul talking about not putting a stumbling block in front of another believer, and instead, living while keeping a list of things in mind. One of those things, is to be truthful in everything you say, holding onto righteousness (equity in the Greek) and using that as your weapon against injustice.
Galatians 6:7
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
God knows your heart. If you are trying to be ‘sneaky’ about something in front of God.. forget about it. It won’t work. God knows your motivations, and He won’t just let you get away with it because you were ‘just kidding’ or ‘didn’t realise’. He sees and knows the part of you that you may not even realise yet, and He knows the motives of your heart. He’ll let you do what you wish to do, but that doesn’t mean He is pretending along with you.
Ephesians 6:7
Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people
We should be working together, helping each other, and showing the servant heart that Jesus did as Christian believers today. It was relevant for God’s people in the early church, and it’s still relevant for us now. With our whole heart, not begrudgingly. If you were serving, helping, assisting God Himself, wouldn’t you do that with a joyful heart, glad to be part of everything? That’s the mindset and heart posture we should have while dealing with God’s people (even the ones that drive us nuts!).
1 Timothy 6:7
For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing our of it.
The things of this world can be great while we’re here. They can provide shelter, sustenance, comfort and support. That’s all they will be though – helpful here. You don’t get special props in heaven because you had lots of stuff down here. You don’t hold sway, or have any special positions. You aren’t given more respect or preference. You are the same as everyone else who comes to the feet of Jesus. If this is the case, why do we put so much time, effort and focus on storing those things up….?
The Coming King
Hebrews 6:7
Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful tot hose for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God.
While it seems unusually written, this sentence can hold a lot of weight if you look for it. The author of Hebrews is in the midst of talking about falling away from the truth of Jesus. When you have discovered the truth of Jesus, it is possible for you to still decide to turn away from Him again. We are all human, and all have the potential to be distracted, disheartened and disappointed… but to those who choose to leave it behind when they’ve known the truth, that is not a great place to be it. When you want to grow and learn, you are what’s listed above – good soil that gets fed by the rain and is good for harvest. As verse 8 continues on, however, if you aren’t, you are like land with thorny and unusable soil for producing crops. In the end, it is burned. Which do you want to be?
Revelation 6:7
When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!’
This part of Revelation is looking at some allegorical things. We are watching the opening of the scrolls and seals. Without delving too deeply into the study of Revelation (there are A LOT of things we could cover and go deep into), if we back up to Chapter 5, we see that nobody is worthy to open the scrolls and break the seals but Jesus Himself. The angels have just finished praising Jesus and the sacrifice that He made, and now we see what each seal unlocks. This one, is the fourth, and when it’s opened, the pale horse of death is revealed. Without Jesus, our eternity is death and separation from God forever. No rest, no more chances. I don’t want that to be what happens to me, so I am blessedly assured in my salvation. Are you?
Special reference to those that don’t have a Chapter 6, Verse 7: Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude.
This journey was so interesting, and I am so glad that I decided to go on it. It started as a bit of fun, but the discoveries in how the verses can smoothly move through each other, and the encouragement and reminders that we received, was worth the exercise. I hope you enjoyed seeing it, and that you keep discovering more of God’s love letter to us – His Word.
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