Stream of Scripture

I have just been feeling this overwhelming sense of thankfulness and well-being the past couple of days.  It probably started when I spoke to my beautiful little sister yesterday and she reminded me how important it is to be thankful.  She told me a story of someone very dear to us experiencing extreme gratitude and knowing they are so loved by God despite much pain and very unhappy circumstances.  It really moved me that this individual is able to soak up these joys when it would be so easy to be bitter, complain and become overtaken with sadness.  I'm very proud of this person and so grateful that God has answered our prayers by being comforting and revealing himself.  I'm just bursting with excitement over this!

This reminds me of the fact that what we think about creates a reaction from our body, which directly influences how we feel.  I feel so much better when I am thinking about things I am happy about, things I enjoy, things I am thankful for, and things I'm looking forward to.  And there is a lot of that to go around in my little head!

Excuse my stream of consciousness, but the above answered prayer also reminds me that the Lord Jesus and our Father God are SO powerful and they care so much.  Which brings to mind some wonderful things from scripture...

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered.  Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Luke 12:6-7

That's some perspective, isn't it?  God cares even about silly little birds, of which there are zillions?  He must REALLY care about me :)

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock; and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
Matthew 7:7-8

We talked about this in fellowship last night - that when we pray, we can EXPECT and RELY on the fact that, if we are asking within the will of the Lord Jesus, he will answer!  But we can't just pray one time and give up.  The Word makes it clear that we have to PERSEVERE!  (See Luke 18, the parable of the persistent widow)

I love this passage also.  It, too, puts things in perspective for me.

15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Ephesians 1:15 - 23

Moral of the story: I want to know Christ for myself!

Bible Reading Strategies

I had really been having trouble getting myself to read the Bible for a while there, but I've come up with something that helps.  Maybe sharing it will inspire somebody else to try something new to make Bible reading more exciting, who knows?

Part of my problem was that I would sit down to read and not really know where in the Bible I should start.  So I would spend my whole time flipping around looking to see if anything would catch my eye, and I'd end up reading casually and quickly because I had run out of time to actually digest the word.  And that's the point, isn't it?  To be able to understand the Word of God and to know him and his son through it?  Even better, to be able to use that information about our God and Savior to make ourselves more like them and more pleasing to them.

So it occurred to me that I should try picking something ahead of time and focusing on it for a certain period of time.  For example, recently, for about a month, I spent my lunch hour reading about Kind David.  When I finished the chosen chunk, I started over.  I got a lot more out of that section than I ever have before because I was focused on it and re-read it a couple of times.

I've also been enjoying reading different versions of whatever section I choose because it catches my attention to see words that are different than what I'm accustomed to.  My favorite (when I have a little extra time, especially) has become the Companion Bible, because the side notes answer some of my questions or catch my eye and lead me to look into something I wasn't expecting to find in that specific passage.

Another thing that has made my Bible reading more enjoyable recently is trying to read it in the morning and when I get in bed at night.  It seems to give longer sections of Bible more continuity for me, or sometimes it is a chance to read a psalm or proverb before bed instead of "interrupting" or "taking away from" my morning routine of sticking to that one selected section to do so.

I'm so thankful we all have the Word - it is a light that cuts through the darkness.  It gives me so much to look forward to and so much to learn right now.

The Science of Rejoicing

I love reading books about the brain and body (i.e. the mind/body connection) because I always learn something about why God tells us to do what he does.  Look at this (see below for the reference to the book I'm quoting)...

"Any form of negative rumination - for example, worrying about your financial future or health - will stimulate the release of destructive neurochemicals." (p25)

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not 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 feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?... Matthew 6:25-34

"Human brains like to ruminate on negative fantasies, and they're also odd in another way: they respond to positive and negative fantasies as if they were real." (p27)

"There is mounting evidence that strongly negative terms can interrupt the normal expression of genes that regulate one of the most important language centers of the brain, Wernicke's area.  This is where we learn how to interpret the meaning of words.  Hostile language also appears to disrupt specific genes that are instrumental in the production of neurochemicals that protect us from physiological stress, and if we are exposed to it during childhood, it can undermine our ability to fend off anxiety, depression, and fear." (p33)

In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.  But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Colossians 3:7-8

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 1 John 4:18

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7

"But imagination is a two-way street. If you intensely focus on a word like "peace" or "love," the emotional centers in the brain calm down... This is the neurological power of positive thinking, and to date it has been supported by hundreds of well-designed studies." (p27)

"Certain words - like 'peace' and 'love' - may actually have the power to alter the expression of genes throughout the brain and body." (p28)

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in you hearts. to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Colossians 3:14

"According to Sonja Lyubomirsky, one of the world's leading researchers on happiness, if you want to develop lifelong satisfaction you should regularly engage in positive thinking about yourself, share your happiest events with others and savor every positive experience in your life." (p31)

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice... Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:4-7


"...Concentrating and meditating on positive thoughts, feelings, and outcomes can be more powerful than any drug in the world, especially when it comes to changing old habits, behaviors, and beliefs." (p35)

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Colossians 3:2


And, the definition of some of God's favorite words:

Rejoice - to feel joy or great delight
Delight - to take great pleasure
Joy - the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, or by the prospect of possessing what one desires

When I know the reason why something should be done, it is so much easier for me to carry it out(which is great motivation for me to try to dig down to find out WHY God wants me to conduct my life a certain way!).  After ingesting all of the above information, I realized that rejoicing is a lot easier than I have ever thought it was.  In this case, the reason God wants us to manage our thoughts is because of how they can so dramatically affect our entire life.  His wanting us to think positively and trust him instead of worrying is clear proof to me that he wants us to be peaceful and healthy.  

When we dwell on and enjoy the well being that we have (especially our spiritual well being, since that is more real and lasting than any other form of health), it changes our perspective and heals us, as scientific research is now able to spell out in black and white.  

It is easy to enjoy life if we choose to fixate on every good thing that happens to us, and every kind thing that God and Jesus Christ have done and will do for us.  In the past couple of months, I have been able to experience this joy first hand as have finally started learning how to focus on good things and let go of unpleasant events, and my personal need to be upset, worried, afraid, etc.

I love how good science proves God every time!

Excerpts from:
Words Can Change Your Brain 
by Andrew Newberg, M.D. and Mark Robert Waldman
Copyright 2012 Hudson Street Press

Who We Are & What We Have

A partial list of the blessings we have because of Christ.  Some of these are automatic, but many of them only impact us if we live in the truth of them.

We are justified through faith (declared innocent & guiltless) (Gal 2:16)

We are redeemed (bought back from Satan) (many Psalms, Galatians 3:13)

We are saved from death (Rom 10:13)

We are loved unconditionally (Rom 5:6)

We are more than conquerers through Christ (Rom 8)

We are friends of Christ (John 15)

We are heirs with Christ of eternal life (Rom 8:17)

We are ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20)

We are light to the world (Matt 5:14)

We have been given all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies (Eph 1:3)

We are free from sin & death (Rom 8:2)

We have been created in God's image (Gen 1:26)

We are citizens of heaven (Phil 3:20)

We are sons & daughters of God (Gal 4:6 & Heb 12:7)

We have peace with God through Christ (Eph 2:17)

We are a new creation (2 Cor 5:17)

We died with Christ (Rom 6:8)

We will live with Christ (Rom 6:8)

There is no condemnation for us (Rom 8:1)

We cannot be separated from Christ's love (Rom 8:35)

We will not be put to shame (Rom 10:11)

We are members of the body of Christ (Rom 12:4)

We each have unique gifts (1 Cor)

We are accepted (Rom 15:7)

We have grace from God (1 Cor 1:3)

We do not lack any psiritual gift (1 Cor 1:7)

We will stay strong & will be blameless through Christ (1 Cor 1:8)

We are called into fellowship with Jesus by God (1 Cor 1:9)

We have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16)

We are of Christ & Christ is of God (John 15 & 1 Cor 3:23)

We are washed & sanctified (1 Cor 6:11)

We are given the victory through Christ (over death) (1 Cor 15:57)

We have Christ's sufferings & his comfort in our lives (2 Cor 1:5)

We are established with Christ by God (2 Cor 1:21)

Heck yeah!  THIS is what I should be thinking about all day!

Jesus, My Hero

I think I have been seriously overlooking something very important.  Another moment of re-learning!  

My Lord Jesus is powerful!  If anything is standing between me and him, he is able to get rid of the obstacle, or help me to do it. He is able to help me with anything!  ...Anything!  

He cannot be treated like just a friend to vent to.  He can't be looked at as simply a comforter or a back-patter, sitting by sympathetically.  He rises up on behalf of us if we ask him to.  He fights for us in the heavenlies!  We don't have to helplessly wonder why our relationship with him is not what it could be.  We can just ask him to do what needs to be done to help us enjoy a hindrance-free relationship with him.  

He is bigger than the distractions that seem to constantly plague me, and I am asking him to bulldoze them.  I have tried and tried to do it myself, and it is painfully tiring and frustrating.  It has been like running repeatedly into a locked heavy metal door in an attempt to knock it down.  But what joy it gives me to imagine Jesus using his pinkie to effortlessly tear the door off it's hinges, toss it aside, and smile at me, now ready for intimate fellowship.

Please don't skip the scripture!  Try to read it like you have never seen it before:

16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,
18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might
20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

Ephesians 1:16-21 ESV (I added some emphasis!)


*

Beth Moore Simulcast - Salt & Certainty

Point #5: We can revel in the certainty of the things we have been taught.

The point of Bible study is to know God and have a relationship with him - it's not just about knowledge!  The people of the Bible, those who wrote the Bible, KNEW Jesus - they had proof.  What theses people wrote isn't a fond hope, it is their experience, it is reality.

John 20:29
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

That means WE are blessed!!
Here's a secret about Jesus:  The more you need him, the more you will see him.

God intends to be faithful to you.  Don't you ever think he's not there for you or that he's left you.  Go to him because he will help you and give you love that nobody else will ever be able to give you.

Acts 1:1-3
3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.


Imagine how trying it would have been to be with Jesus and for him to keep coming and going over this time period. It was obviously a time of testing, confirmed by the fact that it was a period of 40 days, which all over the Bible is a number that indicates testing. Here are some other 40 day testing periods of the Bible:

-The rains while Noah and his family were in the ark
-Moses' time on the mountain with God
-The spies' time scouting the land of Canaan
-Elijah's time without food
-Ninevah's time limit on repenting
-Jesus' period of tempting
-(and babies take 40 weeks to be born!)
The apostles had to live in faith and not by sight at this point as Jesus was no longer constantly with them.  BUT they had those many convincing proofs, and because they did, so do we.

I'm going to have to skip Beth's explanation of the Greek word sunalizo because I couldn't find the stuff in a concordance and I don't want to tell it wrong!  But this section was about communing with Christ constantly and spicing up life because we are intended to be "the salt of the earth."  Salt is a cleanser, a flavor-er, and a preservative.

Point #6: Jesus passed us the salt also.

It's time we become the flavor of Christ!  Let's enjoy life and be people that other people can be attracted to because of our excitement for and communion with Christ.

And finally, Point #7: We can ALSO be many convincing proofs that Jesus is alive.

Notice the reference to also??  I thought that was clever.

Think about and look for the things God has done in your life that prove him and Jesus Christ.  We, too, have proof of God because of the transformation he has worked in us, the miracles He's performed for us, His love for us that burns in our hearts and completes us.  The responsibility is now on us to show the Truth that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life and to tell everyone what he has done for us!

These were Paul's last penned words:

Acts 28:28-31
30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Although Paul was technically under house arrest, it says that he preached unhindered!  Do what you have to do to be unhindered to do what God has called you to do.

The last image Beth showed us was a photograph somebody had taken from the driver's seat of a truck.  It was two cowgirls galloping beside the truck on horses, but it also caught the view in the truck's side view mirror of a raging fire close behind (the simulcast took place during some really terrible fires in Texas).  Beth said it's time to get on our horses and ride to freedom with Jesus.  We don't have long on this earth, the women on the horses didn't have long until the fire caught up to them - we have to choose how we spend our time.  Let's choose to be unhindered - it is available through Christ!

The end!!!

Beth Moore Simulcast - Healing and Friendship

In Acts 1:1, Luke uses the word Theophilus, which means Theos = God, philos = friend, or friend of God.  Some scholars say this was a pseudonym for an actual person who it would have endangered to name in a letter.  Others say that it was a name for all readers.

In Luke 1:3, Luke adds "most excellent" to the front of that word, making it an "honorific":

(3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.) This is further evidence that Theophilus was a real person instead of a name for all readers. (I personally don't agree, but I'm no Bible scholar, so, you know).
Beth mentions that Luke focuses on friends and friendship more than anyone else in the Bible (or the New Testament or the Gospels... not sure which or if it matters).

Luke 7:31-39, and skip down to 47


31"To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,
"'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.'
33 For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' 35 Yet wisdom is justified by all her children."

36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume.38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

The pharisees accused Jesus of being a friend of sinners, and yet they were the ones who were truly sinners in this scenario because they were self righteous.  And yet, Jesus is a friend of sinners, so he was still a friend of the pharisees as well as a friend of the sinful woman.  In the realm of Christianity, outcasts become insiders.  Luke was an outcast before - he was a gentile.

Beth then spoke about Luke's viewpoint of Christ and that God used his physician perspective to emphasize all of the healing and to use doctor's language and really bring out that dimension of Christ's ministry.

In Luke 13:10-16
10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

14 But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, "There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day." 15 Then the Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?"

This section was especially powerful as Beth talked more about her past and how she "could not straighten up" no matter how hard she tried.  She needed Christ to put his hands on her and she needed to be under his authority (following his will, working with him rather than trying over and over to do what nobody can do alone).  This is where she says that memorizing scripture and using it when your struggle arises is the way to freedom.  Ask God what verse you need to combat your particular problem and then memorize it and bring it to mind when you see potential to encounter that problem.  Over time (or even immediately) this will purify your mind so you will no longer have the same struggles!

Also, you can ask God "what preceded my defeat?"  Try to find out your triggers so you can deal with them or avoid them.  You have to let God get to the root of things and show you in his timing how to overcome the problem.  It's not about treating symptoms, it's about getting complete healing.  Don't be like the pharisees and make up a bunch of rules around healing.  It can happen any time any place and to any degree, including miraculous, sudden healing.  But don't make it up to be a certain way in your head and don't restrict it, whatever you do.

And as far as our struggles go, we have to take them one day at a time.  God gives us grace for each day, and we are NOT to worry about the future.  (Matthew 6 has a good section about this that really helps me to stave off anxiety).

At this point, Beth showed a picture of a baby squirrel.  It was curled up in the palm of a woman's hand and it was naked and really ugly.  A cat dragged it in and the Beth's friend saved it.  Seeing the squirrel picture made a question come up for Beth:  "What did we look like?"  Then she read Ezekiel 16:4-7:

4 And as for your birth, on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. 5 No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you, but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, on the day that you were born.
6 "And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you in your blood, 'Live!' I said to you in your blood, 'Live!' 7 I made you flourish like a plant of the field. And you grew up and became tall and arrived at full adornment.

Point #4:  Jesus became a friend of sinners so we could become a friend of God.

And thank God he did!

Beth also made the point here that we need to make sure we aren't making ourselves bent over from bitterness and unforgiveness by withholding grace from other sinners.  The word forgive in the Greek means to "send something forth" - to let go.  If we don't do that then our unforgiveness becomes a lifestyle and eventually becomes who we are.  We have to give things up to God because he can and will deal with them in time.

Even more than that, we have been called to overcome through LOVE.  Don't you know that some people enjoy having power over you?  If you don't give in, it will make them furious and it will set you free.  Being kind to somebody who treats you badly is God's will and it will really throw that person off.

One last point Beth made for this section was that we shouldn't be afraid to be a little vulnerable.  She realized that it's so much easier to say "love you" or "love ya" than to say "I love you."  We are afraid of rejection, but it's ok if the love doesn't come back to us because God always always loves us and He is enough for us.  We were made to love.  Take ownership and don't do it casually!

Beth Moore Simulcast - Me's and We's

Point #2
An individual calling can only be fulfilled in a "we" context.

No matter what your ministry is, you can't do it alone. You have to have a godly support system. Note that this was true even for Luke and Paul - they were together and they were always working with other believers.

Beth has an acronym that reminded us during the simulcast to drop our pride and get into what she was saying (including looking at the person next to us and saying Point #2, and doing funny things). TCTBB.

Too
Cool
To
Be
Blessed

Don't do it. Or else all you'll have is your personal dignity and everyone else will have the blessing and joy God intended for them.

We have to get rid of our self-absorbed, self-centered view of the Bible. Go to God asking what he has to say. Period. What does HE have to say? Not "what do you have to tell ME, God?" Not that there's anything wrong with that sometimes, but we should be in it for him more than for ourselves.

In Bible classes you will learn the word hermeneutic - "a method or principle of interpretation." Don't let the her in your HERmeneutics be ME: HER-ME-neutics. Let the HE in your HE-rmeneutics be JESUS! We can't get caught up in studying the Bible just for knowledge, it has to be so we can know our Savior.

Beth used the esxample of the meatball man. There is a meatball parlor in her town by her office and the mascot stands on the median in the road. He started out at the beginning of the summer super enthusiastic and hugely round and red. As the summer (the hot, hot summer) went on, he began to shrivel up and lose his enthusiasm. Beth called her girlfriends and told them "Remember The meatball guy? He's a sundried tomato now!" Being in the spotlight was fun at first, but the heat of it and the pressure of it just shriveled up his meat-ball-y soul. That's what happens to us if we focus on us instead of Jesus.

That being said:

Point #3:
God never overlooks a single "me" in the bigger "we."

While Paul was under house arrest, he was "unhindered" (I can't find the verse for this!  But it's in there).  Luke was with him, and was apparently unhindered too because he wrote two books, totalling to more verses (2,157) than Paul even did (2,032).  Beth said it's not nice to compare numbers UNLESS you need reminding that you aren't a me that's been overlooked.

Luke 1:1-4 (other theme verses)
Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

ALSO.

We don't like being also's. We like to be Originals. But there's nothing wrong with being an also. Beth rattled off about 10 verses with also's in them, which I did not copy down (sadly). But maybe I can reproduce the effect:

Mark 3:14
And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach

Mark 15:41
When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.

Luke 12:8
And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God...

Luke 16:10
One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much...

Romans 6:8
Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

Romans 8:11
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Romans 8:32
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

2 Corinthians 1:21-22
And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

Ephesians 2:22
In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Colossians 3:4
When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

2 Timothy 4:8
Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

1 Peter 2:21
For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you...

"Oh blessed also!"

Another
Life
Snatched
Out

Another
Life
Standing
Out

Another
Life
Spilled
Out

Luke 1:2-4

2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you,most excellent Theophilus, 4that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

Sometimes doing things that seem good to us is the way God is working through us - he's not always going to thunder out commands for us, and in fact, it's much more common for us to do our ministry (and we all have one!) through just making the best choice we can.

Beth told a story of one of her friends staying in a hotel with her mother-in-law before an event. They had decided that the daughter-n-law would shower the night before so the mother-in-law could shower in the morning. The daughet-in-law was thinking in the shower about the things God had been teaching her recently. She got out and the mirror was all steamed up, so she used her finger to write out what God had been saying. Not thinking another thing about it, she went to bed. In the morning, she heard the shower turn off, the shower curtain open and a little shriek. Her mother in law came out in her towel saying "I think God is trying to tell me something!" And the daughter-in-law had to explain that maybe God was using her, who knows, but that she was the one who wrote the words on the mirror.

Beth hoped that God would steam up our image of ourselves in the mirror so that we can see ourselves through his eyes. That we could see our value.

Beth Moore Simulcast - Good Company

September 10, 2011
Living Proof Live Simulcast in Lubbock, Texas

Session 1

Whatever you're dealing with, somebody else is too.  Just like all temptation is common to man, so all struggles are common to man.  Let Jesus get into that business.

Luke 1:1-4 (Theme verses)
Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

2 Timothy 2:22
Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, in the company of those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Do your pursuing of God in the company of others! And make that good company.

2 Timothy 4:6-12
6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 9 Do your best to come to me quickly, 10 for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.

Only Luke was with Paul at this point.  All of his beloved friends (Luke and Demus mentioned as such in Colossians 4:14) had abandoned him and gone off.  So Luke had to be the one Paul was dictating to.  Imagine how Luke felt when Paul said "The time has come for my departure..." and then "Luke is the only one with me."  Do you think he paused for a minute as he wrote when Paul got to those parts?  Maybe his eyes filled with tears a little bit for the deepness of their friendship.  He and Paul were clearly best friends at that point.

Acts 16:6-13
Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. 11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. 13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.

You can see here where Luke (the writer of Acts) comes into the picture because of the change from they they they to we we we.

Beth spoke some about Paul and Luke meeting when Paul was in Galatia with an illness (Galatians 4:13) and that Luke, the Physician, basically gave up what he was doing and left to go with Paul. She said it was similar to a doctor these days just going home with a client because he loved him so much. She asked - how many of you love your doctor this way: "I *LOVE* my doctor... LOVE him" ? But how many of you, your doctor just loves you so much that "I just love you so much, I'm going to go ahead and come home with you and stay with you for years to take care of you" ? That's what it was like for Paul and Luke. "Luke put the 'company' back in 'accompanied.'"

Sidenote:
These days it's hard to actually be alone with somebody because of technology and the fact that we are constantly social-networking to the point that we don't pay attention to the people we are face to face with. I think Beth just wanted everyone to think about the implications of that.

The point of all of this is point #1:
We were created for good company.

2 Timothy 2 :22
Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

We have to also learn to be good company. This is how:

1 Peter 1:22
22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Don't just try to do obedience on your own, though. You will fall into a cycle of confession/destruction. Get Jesus involved - DO NOT separate the sinful part of your life out from the rest of what you share with him, do not hide it in the dark. Tell Christ what you need, shine his light on it, and ask him what to do. Memorize applicable scripture to combat whatever you are struggling with and it will REform your heart (disobedience DEforms the heart). (I myself can testify to the power of memorizing scripture and using it when I'm tempted to sin. Ask me if you want to know!!)

At this point, Beth gave a little bit of her testimony saying that she truly believes she would not be alive if it weren't for Christ. She was caught up in a really harmful cycle of looking for ways to self-destruct, and she said that it was not an exaggeration that out of the 180,000 women viewing the simulcast, NOBODY, including the women in the correctional facilities, had made as stupid of choices as she had. She was really transparent and said she couldn't ever look down on someone because she herself has most likely been that someone.

Back to point #1. Our closest fellowship, our best friends, must be people who have purified souls, who call on God, who practically live out God's will. The rest of the people in our lives, we should still love deeply, but we have to use the Philippians 1:9 principle

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment.

Use discernment and care with the other people in your life or you will get torn up.


Sidenote:
When you are trying to minister to someone who is really emotionally troubled ("wigged out" "I've been that woman"), you need to do that in a small group, not by yourself or it will turn you inside out.

To be continued...!

Fools and Love

Just thinking about how much God loves us.  What a healing thing it is.  He places so much value on us and is very thoughtful towards us.  Look at how well objects in nature suit us - they are beautiful to us, just the right size for our needs:

Trees are big enough to make things out of or climb in
Fruit is big enough for one serving or to share
The sun lights up the day so we can go about our business, but it goes away so we can sleep
We have animals to do things we can't do, or for companionship
And on
And on!

It makes me want to know God better so I can honor him and be thoughtful toward him in return.

I just read an article that mentions that it is ridiculous to claim we cannot know God because he is mysterious.  It quotes the verse "My people are fools; they do not know me." (Jeremiah 4:22) Ouch!  I don't want to be a fool, I think I'll go ahead and believe God when he says:

¹⁹For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Romans 1

All You Need is Love! Part 2

Starting in Matthew, I was looking for ways Jesus loved, whether himself or other people.

First, I came across Jesus' temptation after 40 days in the wilderness (starting in Matthew 4:1):

¹ Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ²And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."

Notice that the devil was questioning Christ's identity, and trying to make Jesus question it too.  How often does that happen to us?  I think it's a serious problem for us these days!!

⁴But he answered, "It is written,

    "'Man shall not live by bread alone,
   but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

Every time the enemy said "If you are the son of God..." instead of getting defensive or wondering if the devil might be right, Jesus told him what God said about himself.  He completely relied on God!  I usually feel threatened when someone questions if I'm genuine, and I usually wriggle in my skin feeling the need to prove myself and make sure they don't question me any more.  And if I follow through with that feeling, it ends up making me look and feel sort of dumb I think.

I think that Christ's response really showed that he was secure in God - that he didn't have to do anything special just to prove he was God's son or that he was good enough.  He just WAS good enough.  And we are, too.  If we know that then we're going to love ourselves and not feel like we don't quite measure up, which hopefully will keep us from doing foolish things in an attempt to make ourselves feel/look good enough for other people and God.

You and I are more than conquerers through Christ's love.  We are God's children.  We can come before him with absolute confidence that he will love us, care for us and answer us EVERY TIME no matter what we have done.  We do not have to put up with lies or ANYTHING from the devil because we are not subject any more to his dominion over us as part of the family of God.  Who we are has little to do with our behavior - it has to do with what God says about us.  So we should maybe love ourselves and take some time to look into what God does say about us!

Knowing our identity in Christ is probably the most loving thing we can do for ourselves and it will make our lives so much more peaceful.

And that reminds me of a sermon I recently listened to... it is highly recommended, and not too long.  Do yourself a favor (LOVE YOURSELF!) and listen to it!

http://whchurch.org/sermons-media/sermon/how-not-to-be-a-wuss

Or, if you prefer to read (and you're a woman...) read So Long Insecurity by Beth Moore.

TO BE CONTINUED (again)

All You Need is Love!

The Bible doesn't seem to talk much about loving yourself.  

But it does talk about love, and it does tell us to "love your neighbor as yourself. "  A lot.  Leviticus 19:18 & 34, Matthew 19:19 & 22:39, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:27, Romans 13:9, Galatians 5:14 and James 2:8 are all the places that phrase shows up.

To love my neighbor as myself, I have to first love myself!  I did not realize that until about a year ago.  I always thought I needed to trample myself in an effort to love and serve other people, but that just didn't seem to be working for me.  I had constant guilt issues and felt resentful because I never did the things I needed for myself.  So I am continuing the process that started at that realization, learning to love and tend to myself in order to have a well of mental health to reach into when it is time to serve other people.  In my search for answers about how to love myself, I am taking apart what godly love is and trying to see how to apply each of those parts to myself.

The Greek word for love that appears in all of the above verses containing the phrase "love your neighbor as yourself" is agapao (Strong's #25, if you care!).

AGAPAO

1. of persons: to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly

2. of things: to be well pleased, to be contented at or with a thing

So if I think about applying that definition to myself, I should welcome myself, entertain myself (I think this means "be hospitable" - not "go watch a lots of movies"), be fond of myself and love myself dearly.  And for the second part, even though it refers to objects, I think it is fitting to be well pleased and contented with myself!  Jesus didn't seem to have any trouble being pleased with himself or knowing that God was pleased with him, and we are new creations LIKE CHRIST!  We can be happy and content with ourselves even amidst our sins and failures because we are trying our best and we are the righteousness of Christ - we are just as good in God's eyes as Christ is - because of what he did for us.

Jesus' love perfectly reflects God's love.  So we now have concrete examples from Jesus of how to love!  And I really believe that we can and must take those examples and apply them to ourselves, to love and care for ourselves.  

So..... TO BE CONTINUED - with some specific ways we can love ourselves!  

Closer to God

This morning I was thinking about how my excitement for Christ goes in and out like a bad radio station... what's up with that?  I hate it!!  It's the worst feeling in the world for me these days, feeling disconnected from Jesus and God.  I suppose that is a good sign, but it makes me ask what lies behind my lack of fervor.

I think sometimes it has to be the fact that I get comfortable.  After I go through a rough time which I couldn't have survived without majorly clinging to God, then I feel ok again and that is good enough for me, apparently.  I forget how good it is to feel loved and to hear the words He has just for me.  I forget that the reason I started getting up early to read my Bible was a matter of survival, not just a thing I wanted to do for fun.  I don't feel like I need, for my own health, to do it, so I start to be aimless about it and become lazy again.

I decided two things about this subject:

A) Sometimes I should do things just BECAUSE, and even though, from time to time, they might bore my eyes out.  I'll admit it sometimes when I haven't shaken off the sleepies, I feel like I've already read it all and it just doesn't appeal to me.  God is one hundred million times worth boring my eyes out, and I feel like just doing it to prove that I love Him should be a good enough reason to read my Bible.  So now that I've said that, I have to swallow my own words and my own pride and DO IT!  Disclaimer: not that being religious is good at all, and not that God expects one to be perfect, and not that I will read it every day of my life without missing days, and not that reading my Bible will make God love me more or something... I'm just saying I'd like to be devoted because I think God deserves crazy devotion.  Plus reading the word plants seeds to actually act out deeds of devotion.

B) I have come to the tentative but pretty firm conclusion that in order to stay close to God, I need to be putting myself in situations that challenge the daylights out of me.  That way I will hopefully remember how frail and useless I am without Him.  Either that or I need some sort of big problems in my life... which I don't think God prefers (and He definitely would never CAUSE - see Romans 3:8) but definitely work as a means of driving me straight to Him.

These conclusions hit me as I was reading some archives from Beth Moore's blog.  I so appreciate her openness and honesty in sharing her emotions and her ups and downs with God and within herself.  She is not afraid to tell of her afflictions and how God has and always does pull her out of them.  She is the most fervent and needy (not in a bad way, I mean needy for God and Christ) woman in big ministry that I know of.  Because of her stories I can see that we must always know of our desperation for God and His word and His son so that we can live in their loving abundance.

It makes my heart fiery to hear people just being unafraid to admit their faults and their shortcomings and to acknowledge that God loves them so much and that that love heals their hearts.

What is Fruit?

¹⁵ “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

Matthew 7:15-17

Last night I was talking to my husband about the fruit of the spirit and he said something that I had never realized!

I had always thought "fruit" was something tangible that we as believers produce.  For example, fruit might be starting a ministry, whatever growth takes place for that ministry, or having a kid and training them up in Christ.  Last night my man mentioned the fruit of the spirit....

 ²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23

Which made me ask "Well, is the 'fruit of the spirit' fruit?" 

And he said something like "You mean is the fruit of the spirit fruit even though it's not an accolade?"
Me: "What's an accolade again?"
Him: "An accomplishment that is considered as a separate entity from the person who accomplished it, like a degree or a trophy."
Me: "Yeah, that's what I mean.  I thought fruit was something we PRODUCE that's pretty easy to see."
Him: "No, the fruit of the spirit is fruit, too."


Wow!  


It makes sense now!  Character is a product, and having all of those things within us is powerful.  I want to be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful and self controlled.  I have a long way to go, but I'll get there!  God is the one who does the hard work in stuff like this, really.  All I have to do is keep trying my best and know He is a miracle worker.

Life is Full

I started my new job (finally!) two weeks ago, and that's why I'm all incognito. I'm not used to having 0 flexibility during my day, and since I'm in one single place almost the whooole day, I feel very busy. I come home and it's dinnertime and bedtime. The house is a mess, and people are calling me wondering why I don't like them any more (ok, I exaggerated on that one, but the house seriously looks like a sty).

Because of the not-so-surprising transition, I've not been diving into my Word enough. I think I have gotten better about this in the years past, but I'm not sure if it's a problem because I'm feeling guilty or because I'm genuinely feeling disconnected and unfed. All I know is that I don't relish the feeling, whatever the cause. I lose my excitement and energy. Oh, the dilemmas of life! I have to find a way to spend some meaningful time hearing from my two biggest fans haha But let me tell you, 5:30 AM is not a great time to do that, and that's been the plan. I'm cranky and despicable. God probably wishes I would go back to bed just so He doesn't have to deal with my ceaseless squinting and grumbling.

In other news (my best friend says that all the time and it makes me happy), I love it when people are brave enough to be open and honest about their fears and their passions. I really wish I was like that sometimes, but since I'm really private and reserved with those things, then I can just appreciate them all the more in others. But I just get inspired, knowing that people have excitement that they're not afraid to go after, or at least talk about :) Plus, what are relationships based on if they don't have honesty sprinkled about them?

That's really been a wake-up call to me. One of my relational downfalls with friends can be that I don't ever blossom for them. I'm like a rose that just stays all bound up for fear of being too ugly when my petals unfurl. Anyway, just another thing on my little (haha) list of things to get help with. God is good, and I can practice being real with Him.

All this to say that life is rich, full of change, hope and possibility!

Selfless and Selfish Sharing

Another reason God wants us to talk to each other about our experience with Him:

I PRAY THAT YOU MAY BE ACTIVE IN SHARING YOUR FAITH, SO THAT YOU WILL HAVE A FULL UNDERSTANDING OF EVERY GOOD THING WE HAVE IN CHRIST. PHILEMON 1:6

God's Words are Life

More and more I realize that if I’m going to do anything more than hardly survive every day then I have to be digesting God’s Word. Digesting as in, so it becomes part of me, not so it makes me get sleepy while I try to read it.

So doing this, which is hard for me because I have to try not to be shy about people reading my writing, is my effort to absorb God’s love. And! I have incentive because I know that “thinking out loud” about what I need to do to be more like Christ might inspire others, too. I would argue that God wants us to be sharing our thoughts on such an important topic, even if it’s in the form of bad writing on a website! Haha!

MY DAUGHTER, BE ATTENTIVE TO MY WORDS; INCLINE YOUR EAR TO MY SAYINGS.  LET THEM NOT ESCAPE FROM YOUR SIGHT; KEEP THEM WITHIN YOUR HEART.  FOR THEY ARE LIFE TO THOSE WHO FIND THEM, AND HEALING TO ALL THEIR FLESH.
PROVERBS 4:20-22