Searching the Scriptures

I have been busy studying the word in a bible study by Beth Moore.  I started it over the summer in an online group and joined with my church family to study it along with the videos this fall.  The study is on 1 and 2 Thessalonians.  

As I lean into the study of God's word, I want to keep in the forefront of my mind that "Too much Word and not enough Spirit you puff up. Too much Spirit and not enough Word you blow up. With the Word and the Spirit together, you grow up. - Anonymous"  So thankful for our leader sharing this quote with us on Monday night.

I believe I need to search the scripture to determine God's direction for me, so I will be able to discern lies from truth, and so I will know God's ways and will.  If something comes to me outside of the scripture, I need to be able to measure it against what I know about God's character, His word and Him. If it lines up with scripture, I can receive it, but God will not speak counter to His word.

I pray we all search the scriptures and burn with hunger for the word in the presence and fullness of the Holy Spirit.

I also pray that we search the word of God in an effort to become better aquainted with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  I pray that we will grow in our love for Him, grow in our knowledge of Him and grow in our desire for Him.

Amen

Learning the Art of Caring for the Temple

 

When a toddler is learning to walk, a good mom never spanks the child for falling. For every fall is teaching the toddler balance and building strength.   Just remember that this life isn't about getting things perfect. It is a marathon of learning and relying on God.   It is all about a relationship with Him through His Spirit by what His Son did on the cross   

Brothers and Sisters who are dearly loved by God, you have a divine purpose. 

Each of us need to care for the temple as an act of worship to our king. Not to worship our body or have others worship it, but as an act of worship.  Just as if Jesus were coming to your house for a visit, you would care for it because "COMPNY is COMIN'"  (hopefully you can read that with a southern accent -- misspelled on purpose)

We are more than conquerors.  We are children dearly loved by our Father and He has chosen us for a divine purpose.  We are called to bring Him much glory in this world.  The greatest privilege is to live a life that so reflects His image that we are practically transparent (see through) so that the world sees Jesus.  Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.  So let’s take care of the housekeeping and do it not for self but unto the Lord. 

When reaching for food out of habit or just because it is time, stop and think.  Grab you a glass or bottle of water.  Drink it all!  Now are you still hungry?  If so, eat a reasonable amount.  

Stay as close to the original food as possible.  The more processed a food is, the less it will truly satisfy the nutritional needs your body has.  When we look out at 3^rd world nations, we see malnutrition.  But if we truly understood what that means, we would see it here in this country as well.  When we strip the nutritional value from a food to extend its shelf life, we have eliminated its purpose for eating it.  Americans are overweight but malnourished.  The reason many overeat is that the body communicates to the brain what it needs through cravings.  But if those cravings are misread then we eat the wrong foods.  Our body may crave magnesium.  (most women crave this in the form of chocolate)  You can appease this by supplements or eating foods high in magnesium.  Even chocolate is not the problem.  But if I eat something else instead that has a long shelf life and that is manufactured until the magnesium is not even hardly a trace in the item I choose to eat; then I have consumed a high calorie item without meeting my nutritional need.  This means the craving for the magnesium was never met, the deficiency is still there and I will continue consuming or desiring to consume until the deficit is met.   Simple as that.  

Most isles in the center of the grocery store is all processed foods.  If you will start purchasing MOST of your groceries in the perimeter of the store, you will start to find that you will wean yourself off the bulk of your processed foods.  Does that mean you can never have another bowl of Mac N Cheese?  No,  It means that processed foods need to be reduced, and whole foods need to become more of a mainstream of your diet.   The main reason Americans over eat in my opinion is that they are starving themselves of nutrition, and the body is trying to preserve itself by sending signals to EAT!   But if we keep making choices that are of no value to the body, what’s a body to do?  The body is going to keep sending the signal of "I’M HUNGRY!!!!"

 

Regarding exercise, cardio at least 3/4 days per week for at least 20-30 minutes.  My preference is to do intervals of high intensity for 1/2 the time you recover.  (meaning jog for 1 minute, sprint 30 seconds, jog 1 minute continue)  Add weights to your week several times per week.  Park farther away from the entrance to make yourself walk farther, if you are in good health.  Take stairs when possible.  If you are sitting for long periods of time, get up and take a walk break.  Be a body in motion.   look for ways to be a BODY IN MOTION.  

Stay off the diet drinks.  They can have a reverse effect on your body and actually make you gain or make it harder to lose weight.  The artificial sweetener in them is known to cause migraines.  (among other possible negative side effects) 

Drink water throughout the day! 

Find an activity you enjoy.  Get you a hoola-hoop.  Jump rope.  Get a  small mini trampoline and just bounce on it.  Find something you love to do and get started doing it.

May God inspire you to endure as you take care of His temple, your body.  For I know, brothers and sisters who are loved by God, God has chosen you.  I also know that He will equip you and I pray that you will not grow weary in this endeavor.  Be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Have a great week!!!!!!!

Be blessed today. Remember GOD has chosen YOU. 

Broken Heart

In reflecting upon many things, I keep reminding myself that God is in control and not surprised by current events world wide, national, locally; and the things happening in our own personal lives, homes, churches and communities.  As world events seem to be getting darker, and evil seems to be gaining ground, I have to keep reminding myself that God is not taken by surprised.  Actually His Word demonstrates this very truth.  So if we will be in The Word and not consumed by being in the world, I believe we can be prepared and not be surprised by the events.  We will be prepared to offer the hope we have when others see these events and cannot make sense out of it and come to us inquiring of our hope.  

So today, prepare yourself.

The enemy has made sure each of us have grown cold and/or bitter from hurts we have experienced.  He has come against us through family, friends and yes even Christian friends or leaders.  All of these offenses can take us in two distinct directions.  One can be to our harm and one can be for our good, for the benefit of others and for God's glory.  We can hold onto our offense and allow it to make us bitter, colder toward others, lack compassion, and even hateful and harsh.  This path makes us a bad testimony to others.  On the other hand, we can take these offenses to God in prayer, ask for Him to help us as WE CHOOSE to forgive and release the offender.  What this does is free us from their offense.  To hold on to it doesn't punish them, it only punishes us.  The thing God showed me is that a broken heart can become very fertile ground for the Father to expand our heart's capacity for love and compassion if we offer our broken heart to Him.  We have to be willing and decide to forgive.  It is a choice of the will.  Then we have to walk out our forgiveness.  

No offense is beyond our capacity to forgive, no matter how bad it is.  I know pain, believe me I have experienced it in large supply.  I have suffered at the hands of many, but it is for my sake that I forgive.  So let it go, release the offender, and leave them in the hands of Jesus to deal with.  You will be set free as you do it.  

The picture that I saw as these thoughts were flooding my mind was that of a heart that was broken, but not destroyed.  The heart was now able to freely expand its capacity because of the fractures.  Can you see that image?  

So if you are a follower of Christ and your heart has been fractured, run to the Father and ask Him to lead you into forgiveness because you choose to forgive today.  Act lovingly toward them and allow the Lord to love the offender through you.  In the process, you will experience the expansion of your fractured heart and it will become stronger and you will be free!!!!

Pondering Proverbs 2

Wisdom's Worth

1 My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, 2 listening closely to wisdom and directing your heart to understanding; 3 furthermore, if you call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding, 4 if you seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasure, 5then you will understand the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7 He stores up success for the upright; He is a shield for those who live with integrity 8 so that He may guard the paths of justice and protect the way of His loyal followers. 9 Then you will understand righteousness, justice, and integrity-every good path. 10 For wisdom will enter your mind, and knowledge will delight your heart. 11 Discretion will watch over you, and understanding will guard you, 12 rescuing you from the way of evil- from the one who says perverse things, 13 [from] those who abandon the right paths to walk in ways of darkness, 14 [from] those who enjoy doing evil and celebrate perversity,15 whose paths are crooked, and whose ways are devious. 16 It will rescue you from a forbidden woman, from a stranger with her flattering talk, 17 who abandons the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God; 18 for her house sinks down to death and her ways to the land of the departed spirits. 19 None return who go to her; none reach the paths of life. 20 So follow the way of good people, and keep to the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright will inhabit the land, and those of integrity will remain in it; 22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous uprooted from it.

Interesting when I read this, the Proverb "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" came to my mind.  I looked it up to reference it and found that it is used in Proverbs 9:10, 111:10 and in 1:7 it is actually "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge."

When reading thru the Proverbs, it is so full of practical life advise that when followed and taken, can make our lives so much easier.  As I am reading thru the verses, I note that just hearing this advise is never enough.  Perhaps we all need to study them then life experiences prove them to be true.  It seems that only thru experience do we humans truly learn.  Of course, some of us learn quickly while others it takes a little more time in the field to actually learn the lesson.  The hope is that even if we veer of track, there is always a way back.  

So I pray that I will adhere to the sound advise and teaching found in this book.  I also pray that I will be able to take God at His word and just live it.  He has proven its reliability to me over and over.  However, I also know me.  I know I always tend to get the lesson better thru the exercise than from study alone.  UGH  I hate that about me, but it is just the hard cold fact.  

I pray for wisdom, understanding and knowledge that comes from the Lord for me today.  Would you join me and ask the Lord to enlighten you in your mind and heart to His true wisdom, knowledge and understanding.  I pray that you will.  I pray this for my family, friends and for all who will read this today.  I ask it in the name of our Lord Jesus.  Amen.

Valuable Proverbs From Walk in the Word Program (revised and corrected)

Proverbs for Parenting
19:18 (NIV) Discipline your children, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to their death.

22:15 (NIV) Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.

23:13-14 (NIV) Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish them with the rod, they will not die. Punish them with the rod and save them from death.

29:15 (NIV) A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom, but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother.

29:17 (NIV) Discipline your children, and they will give you peace; they will bring you the delights you desire.
1:8-9 (HCSB) Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and don’t reject your mother’s teaching, for they will be a garland of grace on your head and a gold chain around your neck.

2:1-2 (HCSB) My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,

listening closely to wisdom and directing your heart to understanding;
13:1 (HCSB) A wise son responds to his father’s discipline, but a mocker doesn’t listen to rebuke.

29:15-19 A rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a youth left to himself is a disgrace to his mother. When the wicked increase, rebellion increases, but the righteous will see their downfall. Discipline your son, and it will bring you peace of mind
and give you delight. Without revelation people run wild, but one who listens to instruction will be happy. A slave cannot be disciplined by words; though he understands, he doesn’t respond.

28:23 (HCSB) One who rebukes a person will later find more favor than one who flatters with his tongue.

13:24 (HCSB) The one who will not use the rod hates his son, but the one who loves him disciplines him diligently.

10:1 (HCSB) A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son, heartache to his mother.

17:25 (HCSB) A foolish son is grief to his father and bitterness to the one who bore him.

23:24-25 (HCSB) The father of a righteous son will rejoice greatly, and one who fathers a wise son will delight in him. Let your father and mother have joy, and let her who gave birth to you rejoice.

22:6 (HCSB) Teach a youth about the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

29:17 (HCSB) Discipline your son, and it will bring you peace of mind and give you delight.

Additional parenting scriptures

Ephesians 6:4 (NIV) Fathers do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Hebrews 12:7 (NIV) Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?

Teach your children:

1. To have a healthy fear of God (1:7; 9:10; 10:27; 14:26-27; 15:16; 16:6; 19:23)

2. To guard their minds (4:23; 23:7)

3. To obey you (1:8; 4:1-4; 6:20-23; 30:17)

4. To carefully select their companions (1:11-18; 2:10-15; 13:20)

5. To control their sinful desires (2:16-19; 5:3-5; 6:23-33; 7:6-27)

6. To enjoy sexual fidelity (5:15-20)

7. To watch their words (4:24; 10:11, 19-21, 32; 12:18, 22; 15:1-2; 16:23; 20:15)

8. To pursue their work (6:6-11; 10:4-5; 22:29)

9. To manage their money (3:9-10; 11:24-26; 19:17; 22:9)

10. To love their neighbors (3:27-29; 25:21-22)

Summer Activities

Our family; my husband, me and two teen daughters had the blessing of going to Casa Aleluya on a mission trip at the beginning of this summer.  Upon reflection of that trip, I couldn't help but contrast it with my mission trip to London.  This time serving with my family instead of leaving them behind gave me an undivided heart.  I had them with me so I was not as homesick.  Another stark contrast was the physical fertility of the ground in Guatemala.  We travelled to a small town, Patzun, which was very agricultural.  The ground was not the only thing fertile and prepared.  It appeared that the hearts were very open and ready for the gospel as well.  It seemed the hearts in London were drier. As with any ground, it needs to be prepared, softened and tilled to ready it for the planting season.

While both areas are in desperate need of Jesus Christ, the work of a Christian travelling to these areas needs to be prepared to serve those in all conditions.  All lands need to be worked so the ground is softened and same for the hearts.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to just love on the orphans.   One of the little girls called me Gringo Momma.  I just melted every time.  I love being loved by them as much as I loved loving them.  What a blessed trip.  Serving along side the full time missionaries was such a privilege.  Coming along side of them, encouraging them and lifting them up is really something that those coming for short stays should keep at the forefront of their thoughts and hearts.  I was blessed to be with a small group that represented 4 different local churches from our area.  We were all bonded together and now are a part of a special family as a result of serving together.

After we returned from the Guatemala trip, our family headed our separate ways.  My high school senior had a youth trip to Kentucky and my high school freshman had a soccer tournament in Baton Rouge that Marc and I travelled down to witness.  We came home to head out again to go white water rafting down the French Broad and Nantahala.  It was a wonderful time.  I have enjoyed every bit of it, but all this travel time gave me time to catch up on some reading.  I have been reading Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerich and The Daniel Plan by Rick Warren.

I was able to finish the "Love and Respect" book and just scratching the surface on the "Daniel Plan".  While it is my utmost recommendation to take care of your temple and I am always looking for ways to help advise you how to do that, I must say that everyone needs to read the Love and Respect book.  Although I had studied it before, this time really brought much more clarity.  The bottom line is this: Wives RESPECT your husband and Husbands LOVE your wives.  These are commands from the scripture not suggestions.  It actually explains how God didn't have to command wives to love because that comes natural to them, and He didn't have to command husbands to respect because that comes natural to them.  It talks about the Crazy Cycle of wives withholding respect to motivate the husband to show love, and husbands withholding love to motivate the wives to respect them; so no one's needs are getting met.  It only takes one to be the MORE MATURE one in order to break the crazy cycle, and start the energizing cycle where his love motivates her respect and her respect motivates his love.  So the question is: who will be the more mature one in the relationship.  I believe the argument that it takes two really does apply here.  

The summer is not over and I am sure we have more adventures ahead, but for now I am slowing down in order to take care of my senior whose 4 wisdom teeth were surgically removed yesterday.  At least it gave me time to sit down, study the word, and catch up on my blogging time.

Hope you all are finding the summer as fun, exciting and educational.  

Be blessed and may the love of the Lord fill you today.

Bev

Studies in Scripture

I spent time after teaching my exercise class digging into a summer study by Beth Moore, Children of the Day; a study of the 1 and 2 Thessalonians.  Also, on my way home, I listened to James McDonald on the radio talking about parenting and using Proverbs as the foundation.  I will not summarize these today but I am attaching websites if you are interested in digging deeper into these.

Walk in the Word by James McDonald  

Children of the Day by Beth Moore  and if you are interested in purchasing the book online. (click here)

Bad Days

Have you ever had one of those days where you just can't seem to get a grip.  A day where you feel you just lose your testimony and wish you could just hit the rewind button.  UGH!  Well maybe it is just me.  It is so humbling;... so I suppose it is a good thing.

I suppose it is always good to remember that we all fall short of the glory of God and that it is His glory in us that draws others to Him.  Not our own manufactured goodness or godliness.  That sort of humbling helps us be more forgiving, understanding and long suffering with others short comings.

Maybe we all need a day where we can't get a grip sometimes.

Let's just hope we don't do too much damage while we are losing our grip!  HAHA

Road Map to Freedom

God doesn't make us think like Jesus.  It is my responsibility to take all of my thoughts and make them obey (or line up with) Christ and what He says in the Word of God.

Jesus displayed in the Word a well laid out road map for life.  So if we study the Word of God and put it into action through our obeying the word (thoughts and actions); we will abide with Christ (Remain in Christ). We walk in the word or walk out the word.  We will do the will of God and not abide in our own fleshly desires, sin, and nature.  We will be free.  This will bring us peace with God!

We must be in the word to do this.  We also need to be studying the word so we will know the Father.  We need to know who He is, what He says He can do and what His will is.

When you have walked with God for a time, you find that the true evil that is overcome, is the evil within yourself.  The kingdom of God comes not through this world, but it comes within us, as we surrender to our heavenly Father.  Praise God!  I am ready to be set free from this body of sin and death.  (check out Romans chapter 7 and hear Paul's similar cry)

We cannot do the following list below in our own strength  (or if we can, it is only temporary)  We my allow God to do His work of Jesus Christ in us by surrendering to the leading of the Holy Spirit within us and by being in His word for guidance in obedience and surrender.  So we will recognize the Holy Spirit's leading and be able to test it.  The Holy Spirit will not lead you to act contrary to God's Word.

1. Walk in the light.
2. Love one another
3. Think Jesus' thoughts
4. Treat others as Jesus did
5. Embrace Jesus' desires
6. Depend on Jesus through the Holy Spirit.

Some of my thoughts are prompted by Oswald Chambers.

Simplicity of the Gospel

Gospel Simplified!?!?

According to the scripture, I am in right standing with God because I believe Him and accept what He says.  He is the creator, He made the rules, and He knows how His creation operates.  So if I believe Him, then I will obey Him by following His commands.  When I  follow His commands, I will be purified.  As I obey, I grow up, I mature in my spirit, and I love other believers; so that by that love, the world will know that I follow Christ.  As the body, we are joined together to become a place for the Lord to dwell in His Holy Temple.  This is true individually also.  We are able to go to war against the enemy of our soul.  We can even take our own thoughts captive and make those thoughts line up with what Christ says in the word.  We dress ourselves up in Christ with the full armor for our battle against the evil in this world, and we put on our shoes of peace so we can GO into the world that sees who we belong to by our love for each other, and draw them out of darkness(world) into the light(love/peace).  We then teach and immerse them in all that God is.  We teach them the commands and encourage them to obey them.  Then as they grow up in their faith, they will GO and draw others out of darkness to light and so on and so on….

See all the scriptures referenced below.

Belief >> Righteousness:  God decided to accept Abraham's belief as his righteousness. (Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Gen 15:6; Gal 3:6)

Belief >>  Salvation:  God decided even though we don't deserve it, to save us because we believe.  (We are saved by grace through faith. Eph 2:8)

• How can I let the word dwell in me?  By reading it. By obeying it, and obeying it is doing what it says. (Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. Col 3:16a; Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says. Jas 1:22 If you Love me, you will obey me.  Jn 14:15)

Obedience >> Purification: We are able to be purified when we obey the truth/word.  Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere...

When we obey the truth we will love one another.  ... Love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart...   We get rid of all the things that can hinder our purification.  Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.   And we are to grow up in our salvation.  Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.  1Peter 1:22-23; 2:1-2

The world will be able to see we belong to Christ by our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.  Jn 13:35

Christ is like the mortar that holds all the living stones together in a bond of unity.  In him, the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.  And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.  Eph 2:21-22

Remember that the weapons are spiritual.  We are able to conquer our thoughts that pretend to be bigger than God by making our thoughts line up with the what Christ says.  We need to make our thoughts obey Christ.  For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.  On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.  2 Cor 10:3-5

Scripture tells us to put on love, put on Christ and put on armor of God etc. If we just deal with getting rid of our sinful behavior, yet do not take the time to put on all we are commanded, we will stand naked before our enemy and be very vulnerable. Therefore put on the full armor of God... with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  Eph 6:13-17

As our feet are fitted and ready, we go to the world with our good news not just on our lips, but also demonstrated in our actions.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you... Matt 28:19-20

Abiding in the Temple

I have been reading several books that have been confirming my thoughts regarding abiding and the care of the temple of the Holy Spirit which is our body for those who belong to Christ. So do not grow weary in caring for God's temple for his Holy Spirit. Ask him to equip you, strengthen you, and lift you up. Be of good cheer for The Lord your God is with you.

According to Rick Warren in his book The Daniel Plan, the key to long lasting success is developing new positive habits. Consider that your body is not yours. Your the caretaker of God's property so ask Him to dwell with you/abide with you. Be motivated by that and by knowing you will give an account for how you cared for your body. This knowledge is not for your condemnation but for your motivation.
As for our own will power and shear determination, it is only good for about a month or two. BUT His power within you, sustains you and will help equip you. 

Notice a tree: The limbs and branches are not working and concentrating on producing leaves and fruit. As long as it remains attached to the trunk it just produces. He said we would be like might oaks of righteousness. Think of the many that could rest and seek refuge in our shade. So all we need to do is remain in connection with Him. Let's learn how to abide in His presence. Let's learn to be aware He is with us. Let's learn to be satisfied in our relationship with Him. Running our daily decisions before our counselor guide and friend. Just communing with him. As much as we lean into Him and remain with Him, we will abide. As much as we abide/remain in His love, we will be satisfied. As much as we are satisfied in Him, we will be able to succeed in caring for His temple.
Regarding abiding: You can be married and not feel connected to your spouse. You can be in a crowd and feel alone. Why? I think it is because we are not connected Think of a time when you felt in good fellowship or connection to another person What was it you were doing? And why did you connect. I believe that may help us transfer how to feel more connected to God. Being connected to Him is the key to everything.

Just look at the Old Testament pictures of the priest busy caring for the temple. It was the place where the "Great I Am" dwelt. If we spend time not worshipping our bodies, but taking care of our bodies in the best way we are able to, in order to be able to be an instrument useful to the Lord of our lives.