"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you" Philippians 1:3When I count my blessings, my friends, be assured that you are chief among them.
May God richly bless you and your loved ones today and always.
STT: Studying Extremes
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Something I've noticed in the course of reading and studying Scripture is how often God goes to extremes. By that I mean, when God says or does something, it is "all" or "none" or the "most" or the "least". Paying attention to those little words are tremendous food for the soul.Try it on familiar verses like Isaiah 53:6 – "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."
All of us are sinners. I cannot justify or excuse what I think or do. I am part of that 'all'. All of us have rebelled and God laid the guilt, the consequences and the judgment on Jesus Christ. Not some, or even most. Every last one of us. No one is beyond the reach of Christ's blood.
Psalm 23:4 "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."
No evil. None. Not even the most terrifying, threatening, stomach-churning, heart-pounding evil. I will not fear it. That's mighty big faith… but He's a mighty big God who is there with rod and staff to comfort.
And one of my personal favorites- Philippians 4:6 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;"
(Middle of a sentence, I know, but I'm trying to stay focused here.) Worry about NOTHING. Pray about EVERYTHING. There are no exclusions. Worry and anxiety is a sign that we don't believe God is in control. Of everything. Nothing has escaped His notice, and everything is part of His plan. But, none of our concerns are too small to bring Him. He is always ready and willing to hear our hearts.
So as you study and read, watch for extremes- all, nothing, everything, nothing, none, every… and be assured that God never does anything halfway.
(This is a repost -Fresh study tips return as soon as NaNoWriMo ends.)
Following and Becoming
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Our Wednesday morning Bible study group is working through Mark's gospel in our typical meandering pace- two weeks and we almost finished the first chapter. This morning we discussed what I believe is one of the most awesome statements Jesus makes in His ministry. Walking by the seaside in Galilee, He sees Peter and Andrew and He calls out, "Follow Me and I will make you become fishers of men." (Mark 1:17)It's not, "you guys already have it together."
It's not even, "Follow me and you will become…"
He said, "I will make you become…"
Jesus was asking for surrender, then HE would do the work.
So many times we… I… see the task Jesus has for me and I shy away. "Fisher of men? I don't even know what that means, exactly. How do I start? Has anybody else done this? Am I the only one? I'm not sure 'fishing' is my spiritual gift."
I will make you become… "He who began a good work in you, will complete it…" (Phil 1:6)
He stands ready to see that we accomplish the great things He has in mind. He's waiting for us (for me) to surrender and follow Him.
Best Laid Plans
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Monday was supposed to be a catch-up day. A holiday. No school. No commitments. I had a plan. Then circumstances conspired to ruin said plan. Day also ruined. (Accompanied by unsanctified speech and dog-kicking. Not really. I didn't kick the dog.) I finished the day further behind, and far more agitated than I started. Not a unique experience, I'm sure.When a day goes south that way, how should I respond?
1. Reaffirm the sovereignty of God. Even though I think I set my schedule for the day, God does. "We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps." Proverbs 16:9 NLT
2. Redeem the experience. Because He is in control, everything serves a purpose. Is that purpose always clear? Hardly ever. But God works in every experience and situation to make me more Christ-like. "For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him." Philippians 2:13 NLT
3. Respond with peace and humility. This is where the Christlikeness comes in. Responding to a bad day with frustration is typical, expected even. Choosing peace over aggravation requires letting go of that sense of injustice. (I was robbed of a free day. That's not fair.) Then it means an additional step of relinquishing control of my day and my schedule to God. Back to Proverbs 16:9. My control over my schedule is just an illusion anyway.
How do you respond to a bad day? What have you learned from them?
STT: What Interpretation Isn’t
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For our final look (for now) at how to interpret Scripture I'm gonna split some semantic hairs.Often times I've heard teachers or have seen study guide questions that ask what a particular passage "means" to you. Beware. While I believe the questions are asked innocently enough, there's a distinction worth making. The "meaning" doesn't change. No matter who reads it or when, God's word doesn't change.
What does change, what is personal, is how it applies to your life.
Let's look at some verses that we don't need much interpretation to understand. Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
Some applications might be:
- I need to give thanks more when I pray
- I need to ask God to meet my needs rather than trying to do everything myself
- I should quit worrying
- God gives peace when I give Him my worries
Whatever I "take away" from Bible study is application, not a new interpretation.
