A few hours ago, I was sitting in a room with a group of other highschoolers. For the most part, the conversation was light-hearted and friendly. But at the same time, it wasn’t. The conversation was peppered with expressions that took the Lord’s name in vain. Whenever this happens, I start to get really upset–God’s name is holy; we shouldn’t use it flippantly! On the other hand, how are my friends supposed to know that it’s wrong to take the Lord’s name in vain if they don’t first know that He is holy? When we’re with Christian friends and they start talking wrongly, then we should lovingly remind them what the Bible says. If we’re with a group of people who don’t know or care much about God, we should first be telling them about who God is. He is holy, just, and good...a God of truth and without injustice...righteous and upright is He...how does anything else make sense until you first understand that? Creation, the Fall, the Law, Jesus’ Death and Resurrection–how can they understand any of that until they first know what it’s all built on? Before anything else, they need to know that God is holy, holy, holy a million times over, the Lord God Almighty, merciful, mighty, glorious...that He is God.
"No one is holy like the Lord, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any Rock like our God" (1 Samuel 2:2)
"Let them praise Your great and awesome name–He is holy" (Psalm 99:3)
"Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!" (Psalm 105:3)
"For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name" (Luke 1:49)
"Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested" (Revelation 15:4)
..."and they do not rest day or night, saying: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!’" (Revelation 4:8)
Could you please pray for me to be able to lovingly and wisely handle these situations? Have you been in a similar position before? How did you respond?
Showing posts with label Scripture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scripture. Show all posts
Monday, February 27, 2012
Monday, October 31, 2011
Looking forward to His coming
Several days ago, I was reading a blog and found this quote:
“To wait is not merely to remain impassive. It is to expect—to look for with patience, and also with submission. It is to long for, but not impatiently; to look for, but not to fret at the delay; to watch for, but not restlessly; to feel that if He does not come we will acquiesce, and yet to refuse to let the mind acquiesce in the feeling that He will not come.”
-Andrew Davidson
Doesn't that summarize 2 Peter 3 beautifully?
2 Peter 3:8-14--But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you.
Reading that quote made 2 Peter 3 come alive for me...that's what we're supposed to be doing! Our time on earth isn't supposed to be passively waiting--we need to look forward to it, diligently prepare for it, hasten His coming. Isn't that an exciting thought? The King of the universe is going to come again, and we get to see Him!
P.S. I never read anything else by Andrew Davidson, so I'm not sure if I agree with everything he's written...but I really liked that quote!
“To wait is not merely to remain impassive. It is to expect—to look for with patience, and also with submission. It is to long for, but not impatiently; to look for, but not to fret at the delay; to watch for, but not restlessly; to feel that if He does not come we will acquiesce, and yet to refuse to let the mind acquiesce in the feeling that He will not come.”
-Andrew Davidson
Doesn't that summarize 2 Peter 3 beautifully?
2 Peter 3:8-14--But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you.
Reading that quote made 2 Peter 3 come alive for me...that's what we're supposed to be doing! Our time on earth isn't supposed to be passively waiting--we need to look forward to it, diligently prepare for it, hasten His coming. Isn't that an exciting thought? The King of the universe is going to come again, and we get to see Him!
P.S. I never read anything else by Andrew Davidson, so I'm not sure if I agree with everything he's written...but I really liked that quote!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Just a few more days!!
Well, it’s almost time! In just five days, we’ll be participating all around America in local Bible Bees. We have five days left to finish perfecting verses and complete our study of 1 Peter. Are you getting nervous? I am! Every day I look at that stack of verses, marked over with a rainbow of colors to remind me of all my mistakes, and I start getting that awful butterfly feeling again. With less than one week left, the relaxed morning quiet time turns into an intense study session. The evening quiz time often ends in tears as we realize just how far we fall short.
If you look at the Bible Bee website, it says that there are 2717 families participating for a total of 5653 contestants. Of those 5653 contestants, only 300 will make it to Nationals. The other 5353 will be done with Bible Bee for the year. They will be done with the Bible Bee, but never done with the Bible. The last page of the Sword Study says something like, "Congratulations! You’re finished!" Then underneath that, it says, "Which book will you choose next?"
As we’re getting close to the competition, I was encouraged by re-reading Alex and Brett Harris’s comments from the 2009 Bible Bee (http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2009/12/our-remarks-at-the-national-bible-bee/). After the all the study time you’ve put in, it’s hard to have to stop. It doesn’t matter if you end after locals, national preliminaries, semi-finals, or finals...we all have to admit that it’s over sometime. I remember how hard it is to be one of the 240 (or 255 by the new rules). To make it so far and then stop–it hurts! I can’t remember too many times when I’ve felt more discouraged than after the 2010 semi-finalists were announced and I was not one of them. But then I hit me that it wasn’t about the competition. We say that all the time, but do we really know what it means? After the competition was over, I decided that I was not going to stop. It was one of the best, life-changing commitments I’ve ever made. Whether or not you make it to nationals this year, I challenge you to continue what your memory work! Make Bible study such a part of who you are that you can’t go a day without it!
Philippians 1:6–Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 4:7-8--I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
If you look at the Bible Bee website, it says that there are 2717 families participating for a total of 5653 contestants. Of those 5653 contestants, only 300 will make it to Nationals. The other 5353 will be done with Bible Bee for the year. They will be done with the Bible Bee, but never done with the Bible. The last page of the Sword Study says something like, "Congratulations! You’re finished!" Then underneath that, it says, "Which book will you choose next?"
As we’re getting close to the competition, I was encouraged by re-reading Alex and Brett Harris’s comments from the 2009 Bible Bee (http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2009/12/our-remarks-at-the-national-bible-bee/). After the all the study time you’ve put in, it’s hard to have to stop. It doesn’t matter if you end after locals, national preliminaries, semi-finals, or finals...we all have to admit that it’s over sometime. I remember how hard it is to be one of the 240 (or 255 by the new rules). To make it so far and then stop–it hurts! I can’t remember too many times when I’ve felt more discouraged than after the 2010 semi-finalists were announced and I was not one of them. But then I hit me that it wasn’t about the competition. We say that all the time, but do we really know what it means? After the competition was over, I decided that I was not going to stop. It was one of the best, life-changing commitments I’ve ever made. Whether or not you make it to nationals this year, I challenge you to continue what your memory work! Make Bible study such a part of who you are that you can’t go a day without it!
Philippians 1:6–Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 4:7-8--I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Book of Treasure
Here is a poem I composed about Bible reading and studying. It also applies to Scripture memory. I pray that each of you may learn to love the Word of God greatly through our time with the Bible Bee. The Bible is a Book full of treasures that God desires us to explore. By reading and studying and memorizing His word we are able to know Him better. This is my prayer for all of you, that you will gain treasure from His word abundantly.
Book of Treasure
How often when we read the Book,
Do we forget to take a look?
For Truth within the cover there,
Or words of Wisdom, pure and fair.
The Bible is God’s Word so pure,
It is divine, rooted and sure.
Trusting in others is absurd.
The Book of Treasure is God’s Word.
The key to unlock this Treasure:
His Word in our hearts with pleasure.
Searching for Wisdom so we find,
Jewels so rare, His Word divine.
The Bible is God’s Word so pure.
It is divine, rooted and sure.
Trusting in others is absurd.
The Book of Treasure is God’s Word.
So take a look within God’s Book,
Digging for a much deeper look,
Seeking the Lord with all your heart.
His Word has treasure to impart.
The Bible is God’s Word so pure.
It is divine, rooted and sure.
Trusting in others is absurd.
The Book of Treasure is God’s Word.
By Marie Morris
Book of Treasure
How often when we read the Book,
Do we forget to take a look?
For Truth within the cover there,
Or words of Wisdom, pure and fair.
The Bible is God’s Word so pure,
It is divine, rooted and sure.
Trusting in others is absurd.
The Book of Treasure is God’s Word.
The key to unlock this Treasure:
His Word in our hearts with pleasure.
Searching for Wisdom so we find,
Jewels so rare, His Word divine.
The Bible is God’s Word so pure.
It is divine, rooted and sure.
Trusting in others is absurd.
The Book of Treasure is God’s Word.
So take a look within God’s Book,
Digging for a much deeper look,
Seeking the Lord with all your heart.
His Word has treasure to impart.
The Bible is God’s Word so pure.
It is divine, rooted and sure.
Trusting in others is absurd.
The Book of Treasure is God’s Word.
By Marie Morris
Monday, August 1, 2011
Rejoice!
1 Samuel 2:1–And Hannah prayed and said:"My heart rejoices in the LORD; My horn is exalted in the LORD. I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation.
Psalm 16:11–You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 35:9–And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD; It shall rejoice in His salvation.
Habakuk 3:18--I will rejoice in the Lord; I will joy in the God of my salvation.
Philippians 4:4–Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, Rejoice!
Have you ever been reviewing a verse, and suddenly started smiling and laughing, rejoicing in the message of the verse? Some verses seem to demand that you stop for a moment and praise God. Psalm 139–You know my thought afar off..there is not a word on my tongue but, behold, O LORD, You know it altogether...Where can I go from You spirit, or where can I flee from your presence? Philippians 2–Christ humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. How can you read that without rejoicing? Our God is amazing!! And, in His perfect holiness and justice, He took our punishment and saved us from the death that we deserve. He knows our every thought, and yet He still saved us! What could give us greater joy than that? God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
My soul shall be joyful in the Lord; it shall rejoice in His salvation!
Psalm 16:11–You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 35:9–And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD; It shall rejoice in His salvation.
Habakuk 3:18--I will rejoice in the Lord; I will joy in the God of my salvation.
Philippians 4:4–Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, Rejoice!
Have you ever been reviewing a verse, and suddenly started smiling and laughing, rejoicing in the message of the verse? Some verses seem to demand that you stop for a moment and praise God. Psalm 139–You know my thought afar off..there is not a word on my tongue but, behold, O LORD, You know it altogether...Where can I go from You spirit, or where can I flee from your presence? Philippians 2–Christ humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. How can you read that without rejoicing? Our God is amazing!! And, in His perfect holiness and justice, He took our punishment and saved us from the death that we deserve. He knows our every thought, and yet He still saved us! What could give us greater joy than that? God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
My soul shall be joyful in the Lord; it shall rejoice in His salvation!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Is the Word in you?
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”(that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:8-9).
Does that passage excite you? We hear the second verse quite frequently, but what about the first verse–have you ever thought twice about it?
The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. That’s the reason we are doing Bible Bee! Why else bother memorizing hundreds of verses? If we simply wanted to exercise our brains over the summer, we could put together a challenging book list or take an extra course for school. The Bible would still be very accessible to us. All we have to do is enter a key word on http://biblegateway.com/ and come up with 273 answers, some of which are more relevant than others. As helpful as it is to have every verse reference of the word “love” come up with one click (there are 494 in the NKJV), I would rather have just one of those written in my heart.
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:10-11
Skimming over that verse and copying here didn’t change me. I want to have that verse near me; I want it in my heart! That verse is life-changing! God loves me, and He sent His Son to save me! Because of His love to me, I need to love others. I want to be able to answer yes to Paul–to say “Yes! The word is near me, it is in my mouth and in my heart!”
We are now officially past the 1/4 point in our Bible Bee studies. It’s about the time when that little voice in you head starts saying, “What?! Still 75% to go? Maybe next summer I’ll take a break from Bible memory and actually get my life back!” Please remember why we are studying! God’s Word has the power to change lives, but you must have it near you–in your heart–before it will change your life!
If you are getting discouraged and feel like you’re wasting time memorizing Bible verses, may I ask you a question? If Jesus died for you, don’t you think you ought to live every minute of your life to Him?
Does that passage excite you? We hear the second verse quite frequently, but what about the first verse–have you ever thought twice about it?
The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. That’s the reason we are doing Bible Bee! Why else bother memorizing hundreds of verses? If we simply wanted to exercise our brains over the summer, we could put together a challenging book list or take an extra course for school. The Bible would still be very accessible to us. All we have to do is enter a key word on http://biblegateway.com/ and come up with 273 answers, some of which are more relevant than others. As helpful as it is to have every verse reference of the word “love” come up with one click (there are 494 in the NKJV), I would rather have just one of those written in my heart.
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:10-11
Skimming over that verse and copying here didn’t change me. I want to have that verse near me; I want it in my heart! That verse is life-changing! God loves me, and He sent His Son to save me! Because of His love to me, I need to love others. I want to be able to answer yes to Paul–to say “Yes! The word is near me, it is in my mouth and in my heart!”
We are now officially past the 1/4 point in our Bible Bee studies. It’s about the time when that little voice in you head starts saying, “What?! Still 75% to go? Maybe next summer I’ll take a break from Bible memory and actually get my life back!” Please remember why we are studying! God’s Word has the power to change lives, but you must have it near you–in your heart–before it will change your life!
If you are getting discouraged and feel like you’re wasting time memorizing Bible verses, may I ask you a question? If Jesus died for you, don’t you think you ought to live every minute of your life to Him?
Monday, May 30, 2011
Ready, set, go!
The day after tomorrow, Bible Bee starts! We’ve counted down the days till we can study again. We’ve guessed which book they’ll use for the sword study. We’ve told all our friends and family ages 7-18 to sign up. And now, it’s almost time!
We are obviously preparing for the Bible Bee competition. Some people have critiqued Bible Bee as being a mercenary way to get kids to study the Bible; maybe that is partly true for some people. But once you’re in the Bee, you know that the real prize isn’t just a check or a trophy–it’s having the Bible hidden in your heart! We all know that is the real prize–don’t forget what we’re working towards!
While I think that it’s wrong if the only reason someone is doing the Bible Bee is for a prize, I think that making Bible memory a competition is a good thing. The Bible often compares the Christian life as someone working towards a prize. Beyond the level of a physical prize, the Christian runs for a spiritual prize...the “imperishable crown.” Whether or not we are recognized by the world as the winner of the Bible Bee, we can have confidence and joy in the competition because we all win when we learn the Bible.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27–Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
Hebrews12:1-3--Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.
2 Timothy 4:7–I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Let’s not loose focus of our goal. We all know what the prize is; I pray none of us are distracted from it by anything else! Use the Bible Bee competition as a starting place in the race. We’ll all have to keep running afterward, but we can use this summer study time as an opportunity to get a flying start. Finish the race!
We are obviously preparing for the Bible Bee competition. Some people have critiqued Bible Bee as being a mercenary way to get kids to study the Bible; maybe that is partly true for some people. But once you’re in the Bee, you know that the real prize isn’t just a check or a trophy–it’s having the Bible hidden in your heart! We all know that is the real prize–don’t forget what we’re working towards!
While I think that it’s wrong if the only reason someone is doing the Bible Bee is for a prize, I think that making Bible memory a competition is a good thing. The Bible often compares the Christian life as someone working towards a prize. Beyond the level of a physical prize, the Christian runs for a spiritual prize...the “imperishable crown.” Whether or not we are recognized by the world as the winner of the Bible Bee, we can have confidence and joy in the competition because we all win when we learn the Bible.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27–Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
Hebrews12:1-3--Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.
2 Timothy 4:7–I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Let’s not loose focus of our goal. We all know what the prize is; I pray none of us are distracted from it by anything else! Use the Bible Bee competition as a starting place in the race. We’ll all have to keep running afterward, but we can use this summer study time as an opportunity to get a flying start. Finish the race!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
He is Faithful
I've been mediating a lot about God's faithfulness recently. Here are just a few verses that have encouraged me:
1 Corinthians 10:13, "No temptation has over-taken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it."
2 Thessalonians 3:3, "But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one."
And finally this one, which I read today in my Bible time. It jumped right off the page at me!
2 Timothy 2:11-13, " This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself."
These passed few weeks, I've been reading through Paul's letters to the churches and individuals. He exhorts the people to stay strong in the faith, to root themselves in Christ, to do Christ's service wholeheartedly. He reminds them to fulfill the calling to which Christ called them. But Paul knows that we can't do this perfectly, although perfection is our standard. He knows that we will fall and sin. So, he puts in these wonderful encouragements to us; God is faithful. He will continue to work in us and continue to conform us into His image. He will always be faithful no matter how much we sin. He remains faithful. Isn't that just awesome?!
This truth about our God should inspire us to grow in our faithfulness to Him. It should motivate us to follow Him with all our hearts, souls, and minds.
"Through Lord's mercies we are not consumed because His compassion fails not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness!" Lamentations 3:22-23.
Blessings!
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