Patience and Perseverance June: Day 1

Welcome back fellow followers in Christ.  Doing God's will sometimes means waiting patiently.  That is why June is dedicated to Patience & Perseverance.  While we wait we can love God, serve others, and tell others about him.

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,

and he turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the pit of despair,

out of the mud and the mire.

He set my feet on solid ground

and steadied me as I walked along.

He has given me a new song to sing, 

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see what he has done and be amazed.

They will put their trust in the Lord.

Psalm 40:1-3

Waiting for God to help us is not easy, but David received four benefits from waiting: 1) God lifted him out of his despair, 2) God set his feet on solid ground, 3) God steadied him as he walked, and 4) God put a new song of praise in his mouth.  Often blessings can't be received unless we go through the trial of waiting.

Related:

Psalm 27:14

Scripture March Madnes!: Day 3

Verse: "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Matthew 11:28-30

     A yoke is a heavy wooden harness that fits over the shoulders of oxen.  It is attached to a piece of equipment that oxen are to pull.  A person may be carrying heavy burdens of 1) sin, 2) excessive demands of religious leaders (Matt 23:4, Acts 5:10), 3) oppression and persecution, or 4) weariness in the search for God.

    Jesus frees people from all these burdens.  The rest that Jesus  promises is love, healing, and peace with God, not the end of all labor.  A relationship with God changes meaningless, wearisome toil into spiritual productivity and purpose.

Related:

1 John 5:3

Jeremiah 6:16 

18th Day of Lent:

  Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and they came to him and asked "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" Jesus answered them, "The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they?  As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they can not fast.  The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them and then they will fast on that day.

    No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the whine is lost along with the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins."

Mark 2:18-22 

     John the Baptist had two goals: to lead people to repent of their sin, and to prepare them for Christ's coming.  John's message was sobering, so he and his followers fasted.  Fasting is both an outward sign of humility and regret for sin, and an inner discipline that clears the mind and keeps the spirit alert.  Fasting empties the body of food, repentance empties the life of sin.  Jesus' disciples didn't need to fast to prepare for his coming because he was with them.  Jesus didn't condemn fasting however.  He himself fasted for 40 days (Matt 4:2) Nevertheless, Jesus emphasized fasting with the right motives.  The Pharisees fasted twice a week to show others how holy they were. Jesus explained that if people fast only to impress others, they will be twisting the purpose of fasting.

    Jesus compared himself to a groom.  In the Bible, the image of a bride is often used for God's people and the image of a groom for the God who loves them (Isaiah 62:5, Matt 25:1-13, Rev 21:2)

Related:

Matt 9:14-17

Luke 5:33-38   

Scripture March Madness: Day 2

Verse:
    "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will wear.  Is note life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feed them.  Are you not of more value than they?  And can any of you, by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?
    And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you even Solomon in ALL his glory was not clothed like they.  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, alive today and tomorrow thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you - you of little faith?  Therefore, do not worry saying 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we wear?' For it is the Gentiles who strive for these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But strive first for the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  
    So, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today."

Matthew 6:25-34

    DO. NOT. WORRY.

    That is the theme for this month of March.  And these verses from Matthew is a classic go to for any pastor or preacher.  It reminds us that we are FAR more important to God than the birds in the air or the lilies of the field, yet our Father gives both all that is needed to survive.  Therefore, as long as we trust in Him, we do what we do and we'll be provided for. 
    Because of the ill effects of worry, Jesus tells us not worry about those needs that God promises to supply.  Worry may 1) damage your health, 2) disrupt your productivity, 3) negatively affect the way you treat others, and 4) reduce your ability to trust God.  How many ill effects of worry are you experiencing?  Here is the difference between worry and genuine concern - worry immobilizes, concern moves you to action!
  Planning for tomorrow is time well spent; worrying about tomorrow is time wasted.  Sometimes, it's difficult to tell the difference.  Careful planning is thinking ahead about goals, steps, and schedules, and trusting in God's guidance. When done well, planning can help alleviate worry.  Worriers, by contrast, are consumed by fear and find it difficult to trust God.  they let their plans interfere with their relationship with God.  Don't let worries about tomorrow affect your relationship with God today.

Related: 

Luke 12:22-31

Philippians 4:6 

1 Timothy 6:6-8

1 Peter 5:7

 

17th Day of Lent:

     "I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness.  I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world but to save the world.  The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge, for I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to speak.  And I know that his commandment is eternal life.  What I speak therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me."

John 12:46-50

     The purpose of Jesus' first mission on earth was NOT to judge people, but to show them the way to find salvation and eternal life.  When he comes again, one of his main purposes will be to judge people for how they lived on earth.  Christ's words that we would NOT accept and obey will condemn us.  On the day of judgement, those who accepted Jesus and lived his way will be raised to eternal life and those who rejected Jesus and lived any way they pleased will face eternal punishment.  Decide now which side you'll be on, for the consequences of your decision  last forever.

Related:

1 Corinthians 15:51-57

1 Thessalonians 4:15-18

Revelation 20:11-15, 21:1-7 

28 Days (Feb) of God's Love: Day 14th - Ash Wednesday

Happy Valentine's Day my Sisters in Christ!
This is indeed St. Valentine's Day.  It is also Ash Wednesday.  The day that starts the 40 days of Lent, the time that we as Christians observe the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness, tempted by Satan.  We Christians take this time to reflect what it means to be Christian.  As I reflect on the next 40 days, I will be posting two scriptures:  The Daily as well as a special Lenten scripture.

Daily Verse:
So now , O Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you?  Only to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and his decrees that I am commanding you today, for your own well being.  Although heaven and the heaven of heavens belong to the Lord, the earth with all that is in it, yet the Lord set his heart in love on your ancestors alone and chose you, their decendents after them, out of all people, as it is today.   Circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and do not be stubborn any longer.  For the Lord is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing.  You shall also love the strangers, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 10:12-19

LENT Verse-Day 1:

Ash Wednesday

  Yet even now, says the Lord,

return to me with all your with all your heart,

with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

rend your hearts and not your clothing.

Return to the Lord, your God,

for he is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, 

and relents from punishing.

Who knows whether he will not turn and relent

and leave a blessing behind him,

a grain offering and a drink offering

for the Lord.

Joel 2:12-14

 Know It!

Q: What 4 characteristics does Joel describe?

A:  Gracious, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love.

Think About It!

Q: How can you work toward being slow to anger?

A: We can pray to God for patience.  I also meditate on the words of Jesus every day.

 -Torn Hearts-

       In the Old Testament, men and women tore their robes as a sign of sorrow and mourning.  Some Middle Easterners still do.

Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Elijah, David, and Job all tore their  clothes as an expression of grief or anguish.  In Joel's day however, God looked for change on the inside, not just another outward show of remorse.  He sought broken hearts, not torn garments.

Related Lenten Verse:

 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple.  Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.  And one called to another and said:

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of host;

the whole earth is full of his glory."

The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke.  And I said: "Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!"

Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs.  The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: "Now that this had touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out."

Isaiah 6:1-7

New Word:

Seraph/Seraphim- A heavenly creature with multiple sets of wings

Another prophet with a flair for interesting visuals is Ezekiel. He saw heavenly creatures with four wings and faces.

-Message from God-

      Isaiah experienced a dramatic call from God to become a prophet.  The message was personally delivered by seraphs, a term that appears only here and means "something burning and dazzling"  Evidently, seraphs were angels who acted as spokesmen for God.

28 Days (Feb) of God's Love: Day 1st

Welcome back my fellow sisters and brothers in Christ.

A new month brings a new theme to the blog.  And as it's February, what better theme to talk about than....LOVE!

WHAT IS LOVE?

There are many different kinds of Love.  Three types are used throughout the New Testament.  

The Greeks have a name for each:

• Eros - Sexual Love
• Philia- Friendly Love
• Philaruria- Love of Money
• Agape- Unconditional Love 

The love Paul writes about he is talking of "Agape"

Verse:
One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he asked:
"Which commandment is the first of all?"
Jesus answered:
"The first is -You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.  The  second is this -  love your neighbor as yourself.  There is NO other commandment greater than these."

Mark 12:28-31 

 

January Bible Resolutions: Day 1st - New Year's Day

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
And I'm SO happy to still have my sisters (and maybe brothers?) in Christ following me.  If you're new to my Bible Studies Blog, welcome.  If you're new to the love of Christ, an even BIGGER welcome!  I hope to help you along in your new found faith.
As you know, a new year means changes.  No, no changes to this blog but rather a look at those resolutions we make as human beings. 
Most are given up within the month.  However, through God and his Son, anything can be accomplished!

Verse: 

Thus says the Lord,

who makes a way in the sea,

a path in the mighty waters,

who brings out a chariot and horse,

army and warrior;

they lie down, they can not rise,

they are extinguished, quenched like a wick.

Do not remember the former things, 

or consider the things of old.

I am about to do a new thing;

now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness

and rivers in the desert.

 Isaiah43:16-19

Know It!

Q:  What new thing will the Lord do? 

A: The Lord, according to Isaiah 43, will make a new way/path. 

December Scripture Reflection: Day 2nd

Welcome back brothers and sisters.

Verse:   

For a child has been born for us,

               a son given to us;

authority rests upon his shoulders; 

and he is named

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

His authority shall grow continually

But and there shall be endless peace

for the throne of David and his kingdom.

He will establish and uphold it

with justice and with righteousness

from this time onward and 

forevermore.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Isaiah 9:6-7

In a time of great darkness, God promised to send a light who would shine on everyone living in the shadow of death.  He is both "Wonderful Counselor" and "Mighty God".  This message of hope was fulfilled in the birth of Christ and the establishment of his eternal kingdom.  He came to deliver all people from their slavery to sin.

 

But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, 

who are one of the little clans of Judah, 

from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule Israel, 

whose origin is from of old,

from ancient days.

Therefore he shall give them up until the time

when she who is in labor has brought forth;

then the rest of his kindred shall return 

to the people of Israel.

And he shall stand and feed his flock in 

the strength of the Lord, 

in the majesty of the name of the

Lord his God.

and they shall live secure, for now he

shall be great

to the ends of the earth;

and he shall be one of peace.

Micah 5:2-5

This ruler is Jesus, the Messiah.  Micah accurately predicted Christ's birthplace hundreds of years before Jesus was born!  The promised eternal king in David's line, who would come to live as man, had been alive forever - "Whose origins are from the distant past".  Although eternal, Christ entered human history as the man, Jesus of Nazareth.

Know It!

Q: What will Israel be like when the new ruler comes?

A: Peaceful

Think About It!
Q:  What are some ways you can bring peace?
A:  I can bring peace simply by showing tolerance to those who are different from me.   I can further embrace this idea by being an example

 

December Scripture Reflection: Day 1st - Purpose of creating this blog

The purpose of this blog is so that I may become closer to Christ and understand The Message through reading, writing, and reflecting on The Word.
What I have planned is:

•  December-Advent/Christmas related verses
• January -  Focus on Scripture that talks about how to improve/(Resolutions)
• February -Focus on Love in all forms (starting Feb 14th, LENT related verses as that is Ash Wed.)
• March -Focus on Fear/Anxiety (continuing with Lent)
• April - Focus on making Happiness a Habit
•  May- Parenthood
• June -Patience and Perseverance
• July - Learn how to reach out to non-believers/new Christians.

December Scripture Writing: 12/1/17
Verse:  "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.  Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.  He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.  For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.  The Lord will bring on you and your people and on your ancestral house such days as have not come since that Ephraim departed from Judah - the king of Assyria."
                                                       Isaiah 7:14-17
 New Word: sign- an object or event that gets you to pay attention or see something new.

    "Virgin" is translated from a Hebrew word used for an unmarried woman who is old enough to be married, one who is sexually mature.  Some have compared this young woman to Isaiah's young wife and newborn son.  this isn't likely because she had a child, Shear-joshub, and her second child was not named Immanuel.  Some believe that Isaiah's first wife may have died , and so this is his second wife. It is more likely that this prophecy had a double fullfilment. A young woman from the house of Ahaz who was not married would marry and have a son.  Before three years passed, the two invading kings would be destroyed!
     Matthew 1:23 quotes Isaiah 7:14 to show further fulfillment of this prophecy in that a virgin named Mary conceived and bore a son, Immanuel, the Christ.

Know It!
Q: What will the woman name her child?
A: The name shall be Immanuel.

Think About It! (if you have a Bible group you are a part of, use this as a discussion question)

Q: What signs help you see God near you?
A: The number one sign I see that reminds me that God is near is my son.  He is my special gift from Him.  And to be able to watch him grow up in front of me is an amazing reminder that God is in my life.

Now as an interaction with my readers, whenever you see the "Know It" and "Think About It" sections, I will also add "Try It"  for any of my readers with either children or a Bible group of their own to try.  Let me know in comments for that day how you did (and answer the Think About It question yourself).
 Try It!
Make up two hand signs for "God loves you".  Teach them to others.