Bible Reading Guide:
Saturday:
Beginning to End: Exodus 39-40
Old and New Testaments Together: Exodus 25-26 & Matthew 20:17-34
Historical: Exodus 39-40
Chronological: Exodus 4-6
Blended: Isaiah 26-27 & Mark 6:30-56
Sunday:
Beginning to End: Lev. 1-4
Old and New Testaments Together: Exodus 27-28 & Matthew 21:1-22
Historical: Lev. 1-4
Chronological: Exodus 7-9
Blended: Isaiah 28-29 & Mark 7:1-13
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Sea Glass
"As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last He will take His stand on the earth."
"He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry,"
Here's a tid-bit from my Streams in the Desert devotional this morning:
"A shattered and broken personality releases fragrance of Christ. Jacob was broken at Peniel when he wrestled with God. Mary was broken at Bethany when Lazarus was taken from her.
Why must it be a broken personality? Is it not wholeness of character that we have always heard about that gives off the perfume of holiness? The word wholeness is connected with holiness and health - spiritual health. We know that wholeness without God means danger and finally failure.
Charles Fox knew what it was to be broken. He wrote during a time of mending,
Dark waters blossom white in breaking,
High souls are made in the unmaking.
The dark waters in breaking have united with the unseen oxygen; that is why they can reflect the glory of the light."
As you know I am an ocean girl. I love the smell of it and above all I love the sound of crashing waves. When I was going to Bible School down in Cannon Beach, OR, it was the one thing that put me to sleep. While there I learned about living with the danger of Tsunamis. Every few days the city would test their sound system. Normally, it would be a loud drawn out siren but on testing days it was a cow mooing sound. And yes, we wise and mature Bible students would ALWAYS laugh EVERY time. Anyway, we were taught that if we heard that sound that we had to run to higher ground.
So here we have waves that lull me to sleep but that can also cause mass destruction. Waves on the surface of the ocean are called surface waves and only occur in the upper layer of the ocean usually resulting from wind. Wind speed, distance of the open water that the wind has blown over and the time it's blown over a given area all determine the size and shape of the wave. The greater each of these variables, the larger the waves. Breaking waves are waves whose base can no longer support it's top which causes it to collapse. It does this when it runs into shallow water, or when two wave systems oppose and combine forces.
Sometimes God causes waves to come into our lives. Sometimes they are small ripples that die as soon as the wind stops blowing. Other times He causes them to be breaking waves as He allows many different things to come colliding into our lives. Here we are tumbled to and fro and bit by bit we're broken. I think of sea glass. It's surface use to be slick and smooth and it's edges sharp. But when it gets tossed and scraped against the sand at the bottom of the ocean it is rubbed smooth. The edges become rounded and the texture changes and is marred. You can no longer see through it because it's scratched up. Yet, many people find these pieces valuable and beautiful and spend hours walking the beach collecting them.
We are like that sea glass. God has taken our too slick surfaces and sharp unloving edges and has tossed us within the waves. We are tumbled up and down gaining oxygen at the top as well as being roughed up by the sand below. It hurts as He transforms us. But then one day we ride that one last wave that brings us at last to the sea shore. Then God picks us up as His treasure. He knows you have been through some difficult times and because of it you are His transformed treasure that He places in His special collection. Here He will never loose you but cherish you. It's like that "Footprints" poem. There's only one set of footprints on the sand because you are in His arms being carried.
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away, behold, new things have come."
We are daily being changed into Christ's image. Our old life is being stripped away by the tossing of the waves and a new life is being formed.
Krista Jones
5.6.08
Bible Reading Guide:
Beginning to End: Exodus 36-38
Old and New Testaments Together: Exodus 23-24 & Matthew 20:1-16
Historical: Exodus 36-38
Chronological: Exodus 1-3
Blended: Isaiah 23-25 & Mark 6:1-29
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
"He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry,"
Here's a tid-bit from my Streams in the Desert devotional this morning:
"A shattered and broken personality releases fragrance of Christ. Jacob was broken at Peniel when he wrestled with God. Mary was broken at Bethany when Lazarus was taken from her.
Why must it be a broken personality? Is it not wholeness of character that we have always heard about that gives off the perfume of holiness? The word wholeness is connected with holiness and health - spiritual health. We know that wholeness without God means danger and finally failure.
Charles Fox knew what it was to be broken. He wrote during a time of mending,
Dark waters blossom white in breaking,
High souls are made in the unmaking.
The dark waters in breaking have united with the unseen oxygen; that is why they can reflect the glory of the light."
As you know I am an ocean girl. I love the smell of it and above all I love the sound of crashing waves. When I was going to Bible School down in Cannon Beach, OR, it was the one thing that put me to sleep. While there I learned about living with the danger of Tsunamis. Every few days the city would test their sound system. Normally, it would be a loud drawn out siren but on testing days it was a cow mooing sound. And yes, we wise and mature Bible students would ALWAYS laugh EVERY time. Anyway, we were taught that if we heard that sound that we had to run to higher ground.
So here we have waves that lull me to sleep but that can also cause mass destruction. Waves on the surface of the ocean are called surface waves and only occur in the upper layer of the ocean usually resulting from wind. Wind speed, distance of the open water that the wind has blown over and the time it's blown over a given area all determine the size and shape of the wave. The greater each of these variables, the larger the waves. Breaking waves are waves whose base can no longer support it's top which causes it to collapse. It does this when it runs into shallow water, or when two wave systems oppose and combine forces.
Sometimes God causes waves to come into our lives. Sometimes they are small ripples that die as soon as the wind stops blowing. Other times He causes them to be breaking waves as He allows many different things to come colliding into our lives. Here we are tumbled to and fro and bit by bit we're broken. I think of sea glass. It's surface use to be slick and smooth and it's edges sharp. But when it gets tossed and scraped against the sand at the bottom of the ocean it is rubbed smooth. The edges become rounded and the texture changes and is marred. You can no longer see through it because it's scratched up. Yet, many people find these pieces valuable and beautiful and spend hours walking the beach collecting them.
We are like that sea glass. God has taken our too slick surfaces and sharp unloving edges and has tossed us within the waves. We are tumbled up and down gaining oxygen at the top as well as being roughed up by the sand below. It hurts as He transforms us. But then one day we ride that one last wave that brings us at last to the sea shore. Then God picks us up as His treasure. He knows you have been through some difficult times and because of it you are His transformed treasure that He places in His special collection. Here He will never loose you but cherish you. It's like that "Footprints" poem. There's only one set of footprints on the sand because you are in His arms being carried.
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away, behold, new things have come."
We are daily being changed into Christ's image. Our old life is being stripped away by the tossing of the waves and a new life is being formed.
Krista Jones
5.6.08
Bible Reading Guide:
Beginning to End: Exodus 36-38
Old and New Testaments Together: Exodus 23-24 & Matthew 20:1-16
Historical: Exodus 36-38
Chronological: Exodus 1-3
Blended: Isaiah 23-25 & Mark 6:1-29
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Thursday, January 29, 2009
No Stranger in Heaven
"Thou shalt guide me with Thy Counsel, and afterward receive me to glory" (Psalm 73:24).
From day to day and from year to year my faith believes in the wisdom and love of God, and I know that I shall not believe in vain. No good word of His has ever failed, and I am sure that none shall ever fall to the ground. I put myself into His hand for guidance. I know not the way that I should choose: the LORD shall choose mine inheritance for me. I need counsel and advice; for my duties are intricate, and my condition is involved. . . The counsel of the infallible God I seek in preference to my own judgment or the advice of friends. . .Soon the end will come: a few more years and I must depart out of this world unto the Father. My LORD will be near my bed. He will meet me at heaven's gate: He will welcome me to the gloryland. I shall not be a stranger in heaven: my own God and Father will receive me to its endless bliss.
Glory be to Him who
Will guide me here,
And receive me hereafter. Amen.
By C.H. Spurgeon taken from "Faith's Checkbook"
Bible Reading Guide:
Beginning to End: Exodus 33-35
Old and New Testaments Together: Exodus 21-22 & Matthew 19
Historical: Exodus 33-35
Chronological: Genesis 48-50
Blended: Isaiah 20-22 & Mark 5:21-43
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
From day to day and from year to year my faith believes in the wisdom and love of God, and I know that I shall not believe in vain. No good word of His has ever failed, and I am sure that none shall ever fall to the ground. I put myself into His hand for guidance. I know not the way that I should choose: the LORD shall choose mine inheritance for me. I need counsel and advice; for my duties are intricate, and my condition is involved. . . The counsel of the infallible God I seek in preference to my own judgment or the advice of friends. . .Soon the end will come: a few more years and I must depart out of this world unto the Father. My LORD will be near my bed. He will meet me at heaven's gate: He will welcome me to the gloryland. I shall not be a stranger in heaven: my own God and Father will receive me to its endless bliss.
Glory be to Him who
Will guide me here,
And receive me hereafter. Amen.
By C.H. Spurgeon taken from "Faith's Checkbook"
Bible Reading Guide:
Beginning to End: Exodus 33-35
Old and New Testaments Together: Exodus 21-22 & Matthew 19
Historical: Exodus 33-35
Chronological: Genesis 48-50
Blended: Isaiah 20-22 & Mark 5:21-43
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Yesterday
"You shall not go out with haste, . . . for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard." Isaiah 52:12
Security from Yesterday. ". . . God requires an account of what is past" ( Ecclesiastes 3:15 ). At the end of the year we turn with eagerness to all that God has for the future, and yet anxiety is apt to arise when we remember our yesterdays. Our present enjoyment of God’s grace tends to be lessened by the memory of yesterday’s sins and blunders. But God is the God of our yesterdays, and He allows the memory of them to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual growth for our future. God reminds us of the past to protect us from a very shallow security in the present.
Security for Tomorrow. ". . . the Lord will go before you . . . ." This is a gracious revelation— that God will send His forces out where we have failed to do so. He will keep watch so that we will not be tripped up again by the same failures, as would undoubtedly happen if He were not our "rear guard." And God’s hand reaches back to the past, settling all the claims against our conscience.
Security for Today. "You shall not go out with haste . . . ." As we go forth into the coming year, let it not be in the haste of impetuous, forgetful delight, nor with the quickness of impulsive thoughtlessness. But let us go out with the patient power of knowing that the God of Israel will go before us. Our yesterdays hold broken and irreversible things for us. It is true that we have lost opportunities that will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ.
Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.
By Oswald Chambers taken from "My Utmost for His Highest"
Bible Reading Guide:
Beginning to End: Exodus 30-32
Old and New Testaments Together: Exodus 19-20 & Matthew 18:21-35
Historical: Exodus 30-32
Chronological: Genesis 46-47
Blended: Isaiah 17-19 & Mark 5:1-20
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Security from Yesterday. ". . . God requires an account of what is past" ( Ecclesiastes 3:15 ). At the end of the year we turn with eagerness to all that God has for the future, and yet anxiety is apt to arise when we remember our yesterdays. Our present enjoyment of God’s grace tends to be lessened by the memory of yesterday’s sins and blunders. But God is the God of our yesterdays, and He allows the memory of them to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual growth for our future. God reminds us of the past to protect us from a very shallow security in the present.
Security for Tomorrow. ". . . the Lord will go before you . . . ." This is a gracious revelation— that God will send His forces out where we have failed to do so. He will keep watch so that we will not be tripped up again by the same failures, as would undoubtedly happen if He were not our "rear guard." And God’s hand reaches back to the past, settling all the claims against our conscience.
Security for Today. "You shall not go out with haste . . . ." As we go forth into the coming year, let it not be in the haste of impetuous, forgetful delight, nor with the quickness of impulsive thoughtlessness. But let us go out with the patient power of knowing that the God of Israel will go before us. Our yesterdays hold broken and irreversible things for us. It is true that we have lost opportunities that will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ.
Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.
By Oswald Chambers taken from "My Utmost for His Highest"
Bible Reading Guide:
Beginning to End: Exodus 30-32
Old and New Testaments Together: Exodus 19-20 & Matthew 18:21-35
Historical: Exodus 30-32
Chronological: Genesis 46-47
Blended: Isaiah 17-19 & Mark 5:1-20
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Don’t Waste Your Breath
"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord." Psalm 150:6
If I were to scoop up a handful of dirt and blow into it, all I would get is a dirty face. When God did it, He got a living, breathing human being capable of thinking, feeling, dreaming, loving, reproducing, and living forever.
As one of these human beings, I speak of “catching” my breath, “holding” my breath, or “saving” my breath, but these are idioms of language. I cannot save my breath for use at a later time. If I don’t use the one I have now, I’ll lose it, and I may even lose consciousness.
When God breathed into Adam, He gave more than life; He gave a reason to live: Worship! As the psalmist said, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord” (Ps. 150:6).
This means that we waste our breath when we use it for something that doesn’t honor the One in whom “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
Although we cannot blow life into a handful of dirt, we can use our breath to speak words of comfort, to sing songs of praise, and to run to help the sick and oppressed. When we use our breath to honor our Creator with our unique combination of talents, abilities, and opportunities, we will never be wasting it. — Julie Ackerman Link
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love what Thou dost love,
And do what Thou wouldst do. —Hatch
All that I am and have I owe to Jesus.
Taken from "Our Daily Bread"
Bible Reading Guide:
Beginning to End: Exodus 28-29
Old and New Testaments Together: Exodus 16-18 & Matthew 18:1-20
Historical: Exodus 28-29
Chronological: Genesis 43-45
Blended: Isaiah 14-16 & Mark 4:21-41
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
If I were to scoop up a handful of dirt and blow into it, all I would get is a dirty face. When God did it, He got a living, breathing human being capable of thinking, feeling, dreaming, loving, reproducing, and living forever.
As one of these human beings, I speak of “catching” my breath, “holding” my breath, or “saving” my breath, but these are idioms of language. I cannot save my breath for use at a later time. If I don’t use the one I have now, I’ll lose it, and I may even lose consciousness.
When God breathed into Adam, He gave more than life; He gave a reason to live: Worship! As the psalmist said, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord” (Ps. 150:6).
This means that we waste our breath when we use it for something that doesn’t honor the One in whom “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
Although we cannot blow life into a handful of dirt, we can use our breath to speak words of comfort, to sing songs of praise, and to run to help the sick and oppressed. When we use our breath to honor our Creator with our unique combination of talents, abilities, and opportunities, we will never be wasting it. — Julie Ackerman Link
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love what Thou dost love,
And do what Thou wouldst do. —Hatch
All that I am and have I owe to Jesus.
Taken from "Our Daily Bread"
Bible Reading Guide:
Beginning to End: Exodus 28-29
Old and New Testaments Together: Exodus 16-18 & Matthew 18:1-20
Historical: Exodus 28-29
Chronological: Genesis 43-45
Blended: Isaiah 14-16 & Mark 4:21-41
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Monday, January 26, 2009
Being Who We Are
"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Galatians 6:14
This need for external support for our sagging faith accounts for the introduction into religious activities of that welter of shoddy claptrap that has become the characteristic mark of modern Christianity. . . .
To guarantee immunity to this disease of the heart, we must cultivate a spirit of faith and humility. This works as an antibody to destroy the moral bacteria that cause bloat and distention.
If we have faith, we will be concerned only with what God thinks of us. We can smile off man's opinion, whether it be favorable or unfavorable, and go our God-appointed way in complete confidence. The excited devotees of the twin gods Publicity and Reputation will race past us with no more than a pitying glance. The self-acknowledged Great of the kingdom, the Eminent, the Outstanding will ignore us or patronize us or perhaps seek to cultivate us for their ends. We in the meantime will step neither to the right hand nor to the left. We will honor all men, be courteous to everyone, love our Christian brothers, glorify God and fear nobody.
It takes a lot of courage and independence of mind to insist upon being just what we are, and no more. But when the Lord comes, we will not have cause to regret that we did.
Thought: Doing can never substitute for being. Worthwhile doing flows out of wholesome being.
By A.W. Tozer
Bible Reading Guide:
Beginning to End: Exodus 25-27
Old and New Testaments Together: Exodus 14-15 & Matthew 17
Historical: Exodus 25-27
Chronological: Genesis 41-42
Blended: Isaiah 11-13 & Mark 4:1-20
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
This need for external support for our sagging faith accounts for the introduction into religious activities of that welter of shoddy claptrap that has become the characteristic mark of modern Christianity. . . .
To guarantee immunity to this disease of the heart, we must cultivate a spirit of faith and humility. This works as an antibody to destroy the moral bacteria that cause bloat and distention.
If we have faith, we will be concerned only with what God thinks of us. We can smile off man's opinion, whether it be favorable or unfavorable, and go our God-appointed way in complete confidence. The excited devotees of the twin gods Publicity and Reputation will race past us with no more than a pitying glance. The self-acknowledged Great of the kingdom, the Eminent, the Outstanding will ignore us or patronize us or perhaps seek to cultivate us for their ends. We in the meantime will step neither to the right hand nor to the left. We will honor all men, be courteous to everyone, love our Christian brothers, glorify God and fear nobody.
It takes a lot of courage and independence of mind to insist upon being just what we are, and no more. But when the Lord comes, we will not have cause to regret that we did.
Thought: Doing can never substitute for being. Worthwhile doing flows out of wholesome being.
By A.W. Tozer
Bible Reading Guide:
Beginning to End: Exodus 25-27
Old and New Testaments Together: Exodus 14-15 & Matthew 17
Historical: Exodus 25-27
Chronological: Genesis 41-42
Blended: Isaiah 11-13 & Mark 4:1-20
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Accepting Christ as Savior and Lord
If you are considering accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and make a lifelong commitment to Him here are a few steps you can take.
Pray to God and ask Him to forgive your sins and to come into your life/heart.
Romans 3:23 - "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God..."
Romans 6:23a - "For the wages of sin is death..."
Romans 6:23b - "...but the gift of god is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Romans 5:8 - "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 10:13 - "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
Romans 10:9 - "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that god raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Romans 12:1 - "Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of god's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God..."
Romans 6:3-4 - "...We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead...we too may live a new life."
If you do accept Jesus as your Savior, here are some things you may need to do as you begin your walk with Christ:
• Tell a Christian friend of your desire to follow Jesus.
• Read through the gospel of Mark to get a quick view of the good news of Christ.
• Find a Bible-based church in your area and begin attending regularly.
• As a Christian friend about baptism and plan to be baptized soon.
• Find a Christian friend to help you begin a new life in Christ
• Make prayer and scripture reading a daily practice.
Taken from the Christian Women's Retreat at Warm Beach Christian Conference Center
Pray to God and ask Him to forgive your sins and to come into your life/heart.
Romans 3:23 - "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God..."
Romans 6:23a - "For the wages of sin is death..."
Romans 6:23b - "...but the gift of god is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Romans 5:8 - "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 10:13 - "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
Romans 10:9 - "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that god raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Romans 12:1 - "Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of god's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God..."
Romans 6:3-4 - "...We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead...we too may live a new life."
If you do accept Jesus as your Savior, here are some things you may need to do as you begin your walk with Christ:
• Tell a Christian friend of your desire to follow Jesus.
• Read through the gospel of Mark to get a quick view of the good news of Christ.
• Find a Bible-based church in your area and begin attending regularly.
• As a Christian friend about baptism and plan to be baptized soon.
• Find a Christian friend to help you begin a new life in Christ
• Make prayer and scripture reading a daily practice.
Taken from the Christian Women's Retreat at Warm Beach Christian Conference Center
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Weekend Bible Reading
Bible Reading Guide:
Saturday:
Beginning to End: Exodus 19-21
Old and New Testaments Together: Exodus 9-11 & Matthew 15:21-39
Historical: Exodus 19-21
Chronological: Genesis 35-37
Blended: Isaiah 7-8 & Mark 3:1-19
Sunday:
Beginning to End: Exodus 22-24
Old and New Testaments Together: Exodus 12-13 & Matthew 16
Historical: Exodus 22-24
Chronological: Genesis 38-40
Blended: Isaiah 9-19 & Mark 3:20-35
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Saturday:
Beginning to End: Exodus 19-21
Old and New Testaments Together: Exodus 9-11 & Matthew 15:21-39
Historical: Exodus 19-21
Chronological: Genesis 35-37
Blended: Isaiah 7-8 & Mark 3:1-19
Sunday:
Beginning to End: Exodus 22-24
Old and New Testaments Together: Exodus 12-13 & Matthew 16
Historical: Exodus 22-24
Chronological: Genesis 38-40
Blended: Isaiah 9-19 & Mark 3:20-35
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Friday, January 23, 2009
To be like an Olive Tree
This morning I came back again to Ezra in the book of Nehemiah. Here is the same story that I read in the book of Ezra about the restoration of the wall of Jerusalem, the exiles returning and being read to from the book of the Law by Ezra himself. As I read further I came across the account of the Feast of Booths being restored. The Feast of Booths was the last of the sacred festivals under the old covenant. It was during this time that the people lived in booths and tents to remind themselves of how their forefathers wondered in the wilderness and lived in booths.
Nehemiah 8:15 says, "So they proclaimed and circulated a proclamation in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, "Go out to the hills, and bring olive branches and wild olive branches, myrtle branches, palm branches and branches of other leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written."
For some reason the olive branches drew me to inquire of olive trees. My study notes say of olive trees that it takes 30 years to mature and cultivation requires peaceful conditions. It flourishes only near the sea. Olive trees not only supplied branches for the Feast of Booths but also supplied a family with fats and the oil was used to light the temple.
Isaiah 41:17-20 says, "The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none, and there tongue is parched with thirst; I, the Lord, will answer them Myself, as the God of Israel I will not forsake them. I will open rives on the bare heights and springs in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land fountains of water. I will put the cedar in the wilderness, the acacia and the myrtle and the olive tree; I will place the juniper in the desert together with the box tree and the cypress, that they may see and recognize, and consider and gain insight as well. That the hand of the Lord has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it."
I love verse 41:18, "I will open rivers on the bare heights and springs in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land fountains of water." I'm struck by the length and conditions of growing the olive tree. It seems that it has to be grown in very good conditions and near water. One would think if it is placed in the desert that it wouldn't be able to flourish. Yet in Isaiah I read that the Lord will put this tree in the desert and make it flourish just so that we will know that it is He who has done it and that He alone is the Holy One.
As I wonder in the desert I thirst for God's nourishing Word and strength. Nehemiah 8:10b, "Do not be grieved, for the joy of our Lord is your strength." If God can place a sensitive Olive Tree in the dry desert climate, provide it with the right conditions for it to grow by providing it with just the right amount of water and make it flourish then I know He is doing the same for me.
Oh Lord, fill my cup and quench my thirst!
Krista Jones
5.27.08
Bible Reading Guide:
Beginning to End: Exodus 16-18
Old and New Testaments Together: Exodus 7-8 & Matthew 15:1-20
Historical: Exodus 16-18
Chronological: Genesis 32-34
Blended: Isaiah 5-6 & Mark 2
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Nehemiah 8:15 says, "So they proclaimed and circulated a proclamation in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, "Go out to the hills, and bring olive branches and wild olive branches, myrtle branches, palm branches and branches of other leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written."
For some reason the olive branches drew me to inquire of olive trees. My study notes say of olive trees that it takes 30 years to mature and cultivation requires peaceful conditions. It flourishes only near the sea. Olive trees not only supplied branches for the Feast of Booths but also supplied a family with fats and the oil was used to light the temple.
Isaiah 41:17-20 says, "The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none, and there tongue is parched with thirst; I, the Lord, will answer them Myself, as the God of Israel I will not forsake them. I will open rives on the bare heights and springs in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land fountains of water. I will put the cedar in the wilderness, the acacia and the myrtle and the olive tree; I will place the juniper in the desert together with the box tree and the cypress, that they may see and recognize, and consider and gain insight as well. That the hand of the Lord has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it."
I love verse 41:18, "I will open rivers on the bare heights and springs in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land fountains of water." I'm struck by the length and conditions of growing the olive tree. It seems that it has to be grown in very good conditions and near water. One would think if it is placed in the desert that it wouldn't be able to flourish. Yet in Isaiah I read that the Lord will put this tree in the desert and make it flourish just so that we will know that it is He who has done it and that He alone is the Holy One.
As I wonder in the desert I thirst for God's nourishing Word and strength. Nehemiah 8:10b, "Do not be grieved, for the joy of our Lord is your strength." If God can place a sensitive Olive Tree in the dry desert climate, provide it with the right conditions for it to grow by providing it with just the right amount of water and make it flourish then I know He is doing the same for me.
Oh Lord, fill my cup and quench my thirst!
Krista Jones
5.27.08
Bible Reading Guide:
Beginning to End: Exodus 16-18
Old and New Testaments Together: Exodus 7-8 & Matthew 15:1-20
Historical: Exodus 16-18
Chronological: Genesis 32-34
Blended: Isaiah 5-6 & Mark 2
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Thursday, January 22, 2009
How Healthy is Your Root System?
During my Bible reading I came across a few verses that referred to trees. Job 10:7-9, "For there is hope for a tree. When it is cut down, that it will sprout again. And it's shoots will not fall. Though it's roots grow old in the ground and it's stump dies in the dry soil, at the scent of water it will flourish and put forth sprigs like a plant."
Now trees are amazing! In fact, there is much we can learn from them.
Take the roots for instance. They have three functions: support, storage and nutrient pick-up. Interestingly they don't necessarily grow very deep but stick to the top 18-25 inches of soil. They are the foundations of the tree but unlike a skyscraper which needs to have a deep foundation to keep it supported, roots support by extending out twice as far as the longest branch in all directions. This keeps it from falling over. They have to remain shallow because it's where the oxygen is.
The root system is amazing in itself. The fat roots are at the base of the trunk and store food kind of like a savings account. It provides food during stressful times like hot, dry conditions. Hair roots are the very tiny fuzzy roots that pick up nutrients and water.
Then we come to the trunk which has many important parts in itself:
The bark is the outside layer which protects the tree from insects, diseases and injuries. It can be smooth or rough. The inner bark is called Phloem. Phloem carries food from the leaves to other parts of the tree.
Next is the Cambium layer. It's an active layer of cells that change into either Phloem or will produce xylem. Phloem usually turns into bark and xylem into heartwood. Each year this layer grows new wood just inside the bark. It adds a new "annual ring" to the tree. Interestedly the distance between the annual rings are not the same because growing conditions change each year. The better the growing conditions, the greater the distance between the rings. Xylem is also called sapwood and carries oxygen and nutrients from the roots to the leaves.
Next comes the Heartwood. This is old xylem cells plugged up with chemical substances. It has no living cells and does not conduct food or water. It's important because it gives the tree structural support. Hallow trees tend to break during storms but trees with inner support will remain standing.
Now we come to the branches. Branches are the extensions of the trunk where the buds are formed. Buds are future leaves which in turn is future food for the tree. Leaves have a function called Photosynthesis which is the process of changing the raw materials and carbon dioxide and water in the presences of sunlight and chlorophyll which in turn changes into sugars or food for the tree. During this process leaves give off oxygen. Once the food is made it moves through the leaf's veins, through the stem, to the Phloem and transported to parts of the tree for growth or storage.
Tree growth can be controlled by wet and dry seasons and grow throughout all 4 seasons:
Winter - Trees look dormant but aren't. They are able to withstand the extreme temperatures and not get hurt.
Spring - The grow starts when it's still very cool.
Summer - Tree growth can be fast during this time. But it is often slowed down in dry and hot conditions.
Fall - Warm days and cool nights cause changes and leaves will fall off in preparation for winter where it will need what it grew to get it through the difficult weather.
I explain all this because we are like trees in the way we rely upon God. We grow or don't grow through different seasons of our lives. Sometimes we grow quickly and other times not. Conditions we experience can hamper our development. Good seasons strengthen us for the harsher seasons.
Our root system is vital to our existence. Our roots not only should be deep but far reaching. And we need to make sure we keep them healthy so they can support, store and feed us. If we don't have that support our branches will not bud and future food will not be provided. And that all comes from God and our relationship with Him. We have to strengthen our roots by reading God's Word, memorizing it and worshiping with other believers. How healthy is your root system?
Krista Jones
6.5.08
Bible Reading:
Beginning to End: Exodus 13-15
Old and New Testaments Together: Exodus 4-6 & Matthew 14:22-36
Historical: Exodus 13-15
Chronological: Genesis 30-31
Blended: Isaiah 3-4 & Mark 1:23-45
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Now trees are amazing! In fact, there is much we can learn from them.
Take the roots for instance. They have three functions: support, storage and nutrient pick-up. Interestingly they don't necessarily grow very deep but stick to the top 18-25 inches of soil. They are the foundations of the tree but unlike a skyscraper which needs to have a deep foundation to keep it supported, roots support by extending out twice as far as the longest branch in all directions. This keeps it from falling over. They have to remain shallow because it's where the oxygen is.
The root system is amazing in itself. The fat roots are at the base of the trunk and store food kind of like a savings account. It provides food during stressful times like hot, dry conditions. Hair roots are the very tiny fuzzy roots that pick up nutrients and water.
Then we come to the trunk which has many important parts in itself:
The bark is the outside layer which protects the tree from insects, diseases and injuries. It can be smooth or rough. The inner bark is called Phloem. Phloem carries food from the leaves to other parts of the tree.
Next is the Cambium layer. It's an active layer of cells that change into either Phloem or will produce xylem. Phloem usually turns into bark and xylem into heartwood. Each year this layer grows new wood just inside the bark. It adds a new "annual ring" to the tree. Interestedly the distance between the annual rings are not the same because growing conditions change each year. The better the growing conditions, the greater the distance between the rings. Xylem is also called sapwood and carries oxygen and nutrients from the roots to the leaves.
Next comes the Heartwood. This is old xylem cells plugged up with chemical substances. It has no living cells and does not conduct food or water. It's important because it gives the tree structural support. Hallow trees tend to break during storms but trees with inner support will remain standing.
Now we come to the branches. Branches are the extensions of the trunk where the buds are formed. Buds are future leaves which in turn is future food for the tree. Leaves have a function called Photosynthesis which is the process of changing the raw materials and carbon dioxide and water in the presences of sunlight and chlorophyll which in turn changes into sugars or food for the tree. During this process leaves give off oxygen. Once the food is made it moves through the leaf's veins, through the stem, to the Phloem and transported to parts of the tree for growth or storage.
Tree growth can be controlled by wet and dry seasons and grow throughout all 4 seasons:
Winter - Trees look dormant but aren't. They are able to withstand the extreme temperatures and not get hurt.
Spring - The grow starts when it's still very cool.
Summer - Tree growth can be fast during this time. But it is often slowed down in dry and hot conditions.
Fall - Warm days and cool nights cause changes and leaves will fall off in preparation for winter where it will need what it grew to get it through the difficult weather.
I explain all this because we are like trees in the way we rely upon God. We grow or don't grow through different seasons of our lives. Sometimes we grow quickly and other times not. Conditions we experience can hamper our development. Good seasons strengthen us for the harsher seasons.
Our root system is vital to our existence. Our roots not only should be deep but far reaching. And we need to make sure we keep them healthy so they can support, store and feed us. If we don't have that support our branches will not bud and future food will not be provided. And that all comes from God and our relationship with Him. We have to strengthen our roots by reading God's Word, memorizing it and worshiping with other believers. How healthy is your root system?
Krista Jones
6.5.08
Bible Reading:
Beginning to End: Exodus 13-15
Old and New Testaments Together: Exodus 4-6 & Matthew 14:22-36
Historical: Exodus 13-15
Chronological: Genesis 30-31
Blended: Isaiah 3-4 & Mark 1:23-45
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Times And Seasons
"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1
The Rev. Gardner Taylor has been called “the dean of American preaching.” Born in Louisiana in 1918, the grandson of slaves, he overcame the segregation of his youth to become the pastor of a large New York congregation and a leader in the struggle for racial equality. For 6 decades he traveled the world as a much sought-after preacher.
But at age 89, Rev. Taylor’s health gave way and he could no longer accept speaking engagements. He told Rachel Zoll of the Associated Press: “I at first felt rather crestfallen.” But then he spoke of his belief that “there are seasons and eras, and we have to see what they are as best as we can, and to find what is positive in them.”
In an effort to face the challenges of life, we often turn to Solomon’s words: “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven” (Eccl. 3:1). But we readily admit that we would rather laugh than weep, dance than mourn, and gain than lose (vv.4,6).
Yet we know that as we embrace the lessons and opportunities of every season that comes to us, we find that “God is our refuge and strength” (Ps. 46:1).
Whatever season we’re in, it’s always the season to trust in Him. — David C. McCasland
Just as the winter turns to spring,
Our lives have changing seasons too;
So when a gloomy forecast comes,
Remember—God has plans for you. —Sper
Whatever the season of life, attitude makes all the difference.
Taken from "Our Daily Bread"
Bible Reading:
Beginning to End: Exodus 10-12
Old and New Testaments Together: Exodus 1-3 & Matthew 14:1-21
Historical: Exodus 10-12
Chronological: Genesis 27-29
Blended: Isaiah 1-2 & Mark 1:1-22
The Rev. Gardner Taylor has been called “the dean of American preaching.” Born in Louisiana in 1918, the grandson of slaves, he overcame the segregation of his youth to become the pastor of a large New York congregation and a leader in the struggle for racial equality. For 6 decades he traveled the world as a much sought-after preacher.
But at age 89, Rev. Taylor’s health gave way and he could no longer accept speaking engagements. He told Rachel Zoll of the Associated Press: “I at first felt rather crestfallen.” But then he spoke of his belief that “there are seasons and eras, and we have to see what they are as best as we can, and to find what is positive in them.”
In an effort to face the challenges of life, we often turn to Solomon’s words: “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven” (Eccl. 3:1). But we readily admit that we would rather laugh than weep, dance than mourn, and gain than lose (vv.4,6).
Yet we know that as we embrace the lessons and opportunities of every season that comes to us, we find that “God is our refuge and strength” (Ps. 46:1).
Whatever season we’re in, it’s always the season to trust in Him. — David C. McCasland
Just as the winter turns to spring,
Our lives have changing seasons too;
So when a gloomy forecast comes,
Remember—God has plans for you. —Sper
Whatever the season of life, attitude makes all the difference.
Taken from "Our Daily Bread"
Bible Reading:
Beginning to End: Exodus 10-12
Old and New Testaments Together: Exodus 1-3 & Matthew 14:1-21
Historical: Exodus 10-12
Chronological: Genesis 27-29
Blended: Isaiah 1-2 & Mark 1:1-22
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Do All Things For Jesus' Sake
"Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him." COLOSSIANS 3:17
YEA, through life, death, through sorrow and through sinning,
He shall suffice me, for He hath sufficed:
Christ is the end, for Christ was the beginning;
Christ the beginning for the end is Christ.
F. W. H. MYERS
LET this be thy whole endeavor, this thy prayer, this thy desire,--that thou mayest be stripped of all selfishness, and with entire simplicity follow Jesus only. - THOMAS À. KEMPIS
Do what is pleasing to Jesus Christ, and neglect nothing which pleases Him. - LORENZO SCUPOLI
To "do all things in the name of Jesus" is the lesson of a life; do not be angry with yourselves, nor despair of ever learning it, because thou art slow to learn the first few syllables. When thou hast learned to do all things to Jesus, it will shed pleasure over all dull things, softness over all hard things, peace over all trial and woe and suspense. Then will life be glad, when thou livest to Jesus; and how sweet death, to die in Jesus; with Him, and to Him, and in Him, to live for evermore. - E. B. PUSEY
By Mary Wilder Tileston taken from "Joy & Strength"
Bible Reading:
Beginning to End: Exodus 7-9
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 49-50 & Matthew 13:31-58
Historical: Exodus 7-9
Chronological: Genesis 25-26
Blended: Genesis 49-50 & Romans 15:14-33
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
YEA, through life, death, through sorrow and through sinning,
He shall suffice me, for He hath sufficed:
Christ is the end, for Christ was the beginning;
Christ the beginning for the end is Christ.
F. W. H. MYERS
LET this be thy whole endeavor, this thy prayer, this thy desire,--that thou mayest be stripped of all selfishness, and with entire simplicity follow Jesus only. - THOMAS À. KEMPIS
Do what is pleasing to Jesus Christ, and neglect nothing which pleases Him. - LORENZO SCUPOLI
To "do all things in the name of Jesus" is the lesson of a life; do not be angry with yourselves, nor despair of ever learning it, because thou art slow to learn the first few syllables. When thou hast learned to do all things to Jesus, it will shed pleasure over all dull things, softness over all hard things, peace over all trial and woe and suspense. Then will life be glad, when thou livest to Jesus; and how sweet death, to die in Jesus; with Him, and to Him, and in Him, to live for evermore. - E. B. PUSEY
By Mary Wilder Tileston taken from "Joy & Strength"
Bible Reading:
Beginning to End: Exodus 7-9
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 49-50 & Matthew 13:31-58
Historical: Exodus 7-9
Chronological: Genesis 25-26
Blended: Genesis 49-50 & Romans 15:14-33
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Monday, January 19, 2009
Is Sorrow Your Time of Revelation?
This morning I started reading the book of Job. Job is an amazing man in the fact that everything was taken away from him and yet, he refused to blame God for his situation, "He said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God." Job 1:21-22. Even after his wife told him to "Curse God and die!" (vs. 2:9) Job still refused by saying, "Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity? In all this Job did not sin with his lips." Job 2:10b. My study notes say, "A key theme of the book: Trouble and suffering not merely punishment for sin; for God's people they may serve as a trial (as here) or as a discipline that culminates in spiritual gain."
My devotional today discussed the same thing:
Christ within makes an inner joy that all the darkness of earth's trials cannot quench. There are great diversities of experience in sorrow. Some when this world's lights are quenched and left in utter gloom, like a house without lamp or candle or flickering firelight when the sun goes down. Others, in similar darkness, stand radiant in the deep shadows: they have bright light within themselves. Christ dwells in them, and the beams from His blessed life turn night into day.
"It is in sorrow-darkened hearts where Christ truly dwells within. The light streaming from Him who is the Light of the World, in Whom is no darkness, illumines all the gloom of grief. Indeed, when Christ swells in the heart, sorrow is a blessing because it reveals beauties and joys which could not have been seen in the earthly light. It is one of the blessings fair of night, that without it we could never see the stars; it is on of the blessings of trial, that without it we could never see the precious comforts of God.
Were there no night, we could not read the stars,
The heavens would turn into blinding glare;
Freedom is best seen through prison bars,
And tough seas make the heaven passing fair;
We cannot measure joys but by their loss;
When blessing fade away, we see them then;
our richest clusters grow around the cross,
And in the night-time angels sing to men.
"When Christ is within us, sorrow is a time of revelation. It is like the cloud that crowned the summit of the holy mountain into which Moses climbed, and by which he as hidden so long from the eyes of this people. While folded in the clouds, he was looking upon God's face. Sorrow's cloud hides the world, and wraps the wondering one in thick darkness; but in the darkness, Christ Himself unveils the splendor and glory of His face. There are many who never saw the beauty of Christ, and never knew the intimacy of a personal friendship, till they saw Him , and learned to talk with Him as Friend with friend, in the hour of sorrow's darkness. When the lamps of earth when out, Christ's face appeared." - J. R. Miller (from Silent Times, 1886). - Streams in the Desert.
Krista Jones
6.1.08
Bible Reading:
Beginning to End: Exodus 4-6
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 46-48 & Matthew 13:1-30
Historical: Exodus 4-6
Chronological: Genesis 22-24
Blended: Genesis 46-48 & Romans 15:1-13
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
My devotional today discussed the same thing:
Christ within makes an inner joy that all the darkness of earth's trials cannot quench. There are great diversities of experience in sorrow. Some when this world's lights are quenched and left in utter gloom, like a house without lamp or candle or flickering firelight when the sun goes down. Others, in similar darkness, stand radiant in the deep shadows: they have bright light within themselves. Christ dwells in them, and the beams from His blessed life turn night into day.
"It is in sorrow-darkened hearts where Christ truly dwells within. The light streaming from Him who is the Light of the World, in Whom is no darkness, illumines all the gloom of grief. Indeed, when Christ swells in the heart, sorrow is a blessing because it reveals beauties and joys which could not have been seen in the earthly light. It is one of the blessings fair of night, that without it we could never see the stars; it is on of the blessings of trial, that without it we could never see the precious comforts of God.
Were there no night, we could not read the stars,
The heavens would turn into blinding glare;
Freedom is best seen through prison bars,
And tough seas make the heaven passing fair;
We cannot measure joys but by their loss;
When blessing fade away, we see them then;
our richest clusters grow around the cross,
And in the night-time angels sing to men.
"When Christ is within us, sorrow is a time of revelation. It is like the cloud that crowned the summit of the holy mountain into which Moses climbed, and by which he as hidden so long from the eyes of this people. While folded in the clouds, he was looking upon God's face. Sorrow's cloud hides the world, and wraps the wondering one in thick darkness; but in the darkness, Christ Himself unveils the splendor and glory of His face. There are many who never saw the beauty of Christ, and never knew the intimacy of a personal friendship, till they saw Him , and learned to talk with Him as Friend with friend, in the hour of sorrow's darkness. When the lamps of earth when out, Christ's face appeared." - J. R. Miller (from Silent Times, 1886). - Streams in the Desert.
Krista Jones
6.1.08
Bible Reading:
Beginning to End: Exodus 4-6
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 46-48 & Matthew 13:1-30
Historical: Exodus 4-6
Chronological: Genesis 22-24
Blended: Genesis 46-48 & Romans 15:1-13
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Weekend Bible Reading
Bible Reading Guide:
Saturday:
Beginning to End: Genesis 48-50
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 41-42 & Matthew 12:1-23
Historical: Genesis 48-50
Chronological: Genesis 16-18
Blended: Genesis 41-42 & Romans 14
Sunday:
Beginning to End: Exodus 1-3
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 43-45 & Matthew 12:24-50
Historical: Exodus 1-3
Chronological: Genesis 19-21
Blended: Genesis 43-45 & Romans 15:1-13
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Saturday:
Beginning to End: Genesis 48-50
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 41-42 & Matthew 12:1-23
Historical: Genesis 48-50
Chronological: Genesis 16-18
Blended: Genesis 41-42 & Romans 14
Sunday:
Beginning to End: Exodus 1-3
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 43-45 & Matthew 12:24-50
Historical: Exodus 1-3
Chronological: Genesis 19-21
Blended: Genesis 43-45 & Romans 15:1-13
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Friday, January 16, 2009
Just Call Me Ma!
"Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her." Proverbs 31:28
Fortunate woman!
My children usually arise and call me, "Ma!"
"Ma! Where are you?"
"Ma! Where is my blue shirt?"
"Ma! What's for supper?"
"Ma! Can you give me a ride to the football game?"
"Ma!!"
I wonder, does anyone know that my real namem is twice as long as the one I"m usually called? "Ma!"
My husband enters and calls me "Dear" or "Babe" or "Hon." Granted each name is longer than "Ma," but they don't reflect the real me.
Or do they? "Ma" is the one who can be depended on to provide the ride the money, the answer to the homework crisis and the meatloaf for supper. "Dear" provides the companionship, "Hon" provides the listening ear and "Babe" provides the back rub.
My children may never rise up and call me blessed. But I'll settle for "Ma!"
Dear Lord, help me to remember that who I am in my family is probably the most important who I am.
By Jean E. Syswerda taken from "Women's Devotional Bible"
Bible Reading:
Beginning to End: Genesis 46-47
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 39-40 & Matthew 11
Historical: Genesis 46-47
Chronological: Genesis 12-15
Blended: Genesis 39-40 & Romans 13
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Fortunate woman!
My children usually arise and call me, "Ma!"
"Ma! Where are you?"
"Ma! Where is my blue shirt?"
"Ma! What's for supper?"
"Ma! Can you give me a ride to the football game?"
"Ma!!"
I wonder, does anyone know that my real namem is twice as long as the one I"m usually called? "Ma!"
My husband enters and calls me "Dear" or "Babe" or "Hon." Granted each name is longer than "Ma," but they don't reflect the real me.
Or do they? "Ma" is the one who can be depended on to provide the ride the money, the answer to the homework crisis and the meatloaf for supper. "Dear" provides the companionship, "Hon" provides the listening ear and "Babe" provides the back rub.
My children may never rise up and call me blessed. But I'll settle for "Ma!"
Dear Lord, help me to remember that who I am in my family is probably the most important who I am.
By Jean E. Syswerda taken from "Women's Devotional Bible"
Bible Reading:
Beginning to End: Genesis 46-47
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 39-40 & Matthew 11
Historical: Genesis 46-47
Chronological: Genesis 12-15
Blended: Genesis 39-40 & Romans 13
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Loved to Perfection
"Having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end" (John 13:1).
This fact is essentially a promise; for what our LORD was He is, and what He was to those with whom He lived on earth, He will be to all His beloved so long as the moon endureth. "Having loved": here was the wonder! That He should ever have loved men at all is the marvel. What was there in His poor disciples that He should love them? What is there in me? But when He has once begun to love, it is His nature to continue to do so. Love made the saints "his own"--what a choice title! He purchased them with blood, and they became His treasure. Being His own, He will not lose them. Being His beloved, He will not cease to love them. My soul, He will not cease to love thee! The text is well as it stands: "to the end." Even till His death the ruling passion of love to His own reigned in His sacred bosom. It means also to the uttermost. He could not love them more: He gave Himself for them. Some read it, to perfection. Truly He lavished upon them a perfect love, in which there was no flaw nor failure, no unwisdom, no unfaithfulness. Such is the love of Jesus to each one of His people. Let us sing to our Well-beloved a song.
By C.H. Spurgeon taken from "Faith's Checkbook"
Bible Reading:
Beginning to End: Genesis 43-45
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 36-38 & Matthew 10:21-42
Historical: Genesis 43-45
Chronological: Job 40-42
Blended: Genesis 36-38 & Romans 12
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
This fact is essentially a promise; for what our LORD was He is, and what He was to those with whom He lived on earth, He will be to all His beloved so long as the moon endureth. "Having loved": here was the wonder! That He should ever have loved men at all is the marvel. What was there in His poor disciples that He should love them? What is there in me? But when He has once begun to love, it is His nature to continue to do so. Love made the saints "his own"--what a choice title! He purchased them with blood, and they became His treasure. Being His own, He will not lose them. Being His beloved, He will not cease to love them. My soul, He will not cease to love thee! The text is well as it stands: "to the end." Even till His death the ruling passion of love to His own reigned in His sacred bosom. It means also to the uttermost. He could not love them more: He gave Himself for them. Some read it, to perfection. Truly He lavished upon them a perfect love, in which there was no flaw nor failure, no unwisdom, no unfaithfulness. Such is the love of Jesus to each one of His people. Let us sing to our Well-beloved a song.
By C.H. Spurgeon taken from "Faith's Checkbook"
Bible Reading:
Beginning to End: Genesis 43-45
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 36-38 & Matthew 10:21-42
Historical: Genesis 43-45
Chronological: Job 40-42
Blended: Genesis 36-38 & Romans 12
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
God's Help Is Near
"The Lord is close to everyone who prays to Him, to all who truly pray to Him." Psalm 145:18
Healing begins when we do something. Healing begins when we reach out. Healing starts when we take a step.
God's help is near and always available, but it is only given to those who seek it. Nothing results from apathy . . . .
God honors radical, risk-taking faith.
When arks are built, lives are saved. When soldiers march, Jerichos tumble. When staffs are raised, seas still open. When a lunch is shared, thousands are fed. And when a garment is touched -whether by the hand of an anemic woman in Galilee or by the prayers of a beggar in Bangladesh - Jesus stops. He stops and responds. - He Still Moves Stones
By Max Lucado taken from "Grace for the Moment"
Bible Reading:
Beginning to End: Genesis 41-42
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 33-35 & Matthew 10:1-20
Historical: Genesis 41-42
Chronological: Job 38-39
Blended: Genesis 33-35 & Romans 11:19-36
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Healing begins when we do something. Healing begins when we reach out. Healing starts when we take a step.
God's help is near and always available, but it is only given to those who seek it. Nothing results from apathy . . . .
God honors radical, risk-taking faith.
When arks are built, lives are saved. When soldiers march, Jerichos tumble. When staffs are raised, seas still open. When a lunch is shared, thousands are fed. And when a garment is touched -whether by the hand of an anemic woman in Galilee or by the prayers of a beggar in Bangladesh - Jesus stops. He stops and responds. - He Still Moves Stones
By Max Lucado taken from "Grace for the Moment"
Bible Reading:
Beginning to End: Genesis 41-42
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 33-35 & Matthew 10:1-20
Historical: Genesis 41-42
Chronological: Job 38-39
Blended: Genesis 33-35 & Romans 11:19-36
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Thou Wilt Revive Me
"Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me" (Ps. 138:7).
The Hebrew rendering of the above is "go on in the center of trouble." What descriptive words! We have called on God in the day of trouble; we have pleaded His promise of deliverance but no deliverance has been given; the enemy has continued oppressing until we were in the very thick of the fight, in the center of trouble. Why then trouble the Master any further?
When Martha said, "Lord, if thou hadst been here my brother had not died," our Lord met her lack of hope with His further promise, "Thy brother shall rise again." And when we walk "in the center of trouble" and are tempted to think like Martha that the time of deliverance is past, He meets us too with a promise from His Word. "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me."
Though His answer has so long delayed, though we may still continue to "go on" in the midst of trouble, "the center of trouble" is the place where He revives, not the place where He fails us.
When in the hopeless place, the continued hopeless place, is the very time when He will stretch forth His hand against the wrath of our enemies and perfect that which concerneth us, the very time when He will make the attack to cease and fail and come to an end. What occasion is there then for fainting? --Aphra White
THE EYE OF THE STORM
"Fear not that the whirlwind shall carry thee hence,
Nor wait for its onslaught in breathless suspense,
Nor shrink from the whips of the terrible hail,
But pass through the edge to the heart of the gale,
For there is a shelter, sunlighted and warm,
And Faith sees her God through the eye of the storm.
"The passionate tempest with rush and wild roar
And threatenings of evil may beat on the shore,
The waves may be mountains, the fields battle plains,
And the earth be immersed in a deluge of rains,
Yet, the soul, stayed on God, may sing bravely its psalm,
For the heart of the storm is the center of calm.
"Let hope be not quenched in the blackness of night,
Though the cyclone awhile may have blotted the light,
For behind the great darkness the stars ever shine,
And the light of God's heavens, His love shall make thine,
Let no gloom dim thine eyes, but uplif t them on high
To the face of thy God and the blue of His sky.
"The storm is thy shelter from danger and sin,
And God Himself takes thee for safety within;
The tempest with Him passeth into deep calm,
And the roar of the winds is the sound of a psalm.
Be glad and serene when the tempest clouds form;
God smiles on His child in the eye of the Storm”.
Compiled by Mrs. Charles Cowman taken from "Streams in the Desert"
Bible Reading:
Beginning to End: Genesis 38-40
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 31-32 & Matthew 9:18-38
Historical: Genesis 38-40
Chronological: Job 35-37
Blended: Genesis 31-32 & Romans 11:1-18
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
The Hebrew rendering of the above is "go on in the center of trouble." What descriptive words! We have called on God in the day of trouble; we have pleaded His promise of deliverance but no deliverance has been given; the enemy has continued oppressing until we were in the very thick of the fight, in the center of trouble. Why then trouble the Master any further?
When Martha said, "Lord, if thou hadst been here my brother had not died," our Lord met her lack of hope with His further promise, "Thy brother shall rise again." And when we walk "in the center of trouble" and are tempted to think like Martha that the time of deliverance is past, He meets us too with a promise from His Word. "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me."
Though His answer has so long delayed, though we may still continue to "go on" in the midst of trouble, "the center of trouble" is the place where He revives, not the place where He fails us.
When in the hopeless place, the continued hopeless place, is the very time when He will stretch forth His hand against the wrath of our enemies and perfect that which concerneth us, the very time when He will make the attack to cease and fail and come to an end. What occasion is there then for fainting? --Aphra White
THE EYE OF THE STORM
"Fear not that the whirlwind shall carry thee hence,
Nor wait for its onslaught in breathless suspense,
Nor shrink from the whips of the terrible hail,
But pass through the edge to the heart of the gale,
For there is a shelter, sunlighted and warm,
And Faith sees her God through the eye of the storm.
"The passionate tempest with rush and wild roar
And threatenings of evil may beat on the shore,
The waves may be mountains, the fields battle plains,
And the earth be immersed in a deluge of rains,
Yet, the soul, stayed on God, may sing bravely its psalm,
For the heart of the storm is the center of calm.
"Let hope be not quenched in the blackness of night,
Though the cyclone awhile may have blotted the light,
For behind the great darkness the stars ever shine,
And the light of God's heavens, His love shall make thine,
Let no gloom dim thine eyes, but uplif t them on high
To the face of thy God and the blue of His sky.
"The storm is thy shelter from danger and sin,
And God Himself takes thee for safety within;
The tempest with Him passeth into deep calm,
And the roar of the winds is the sound of a psalm.
Be glad and serene when the tempest clouds form;
God smiles on His child in the eye of the Storm”.
Compiled by Mrs. Charles Cowman taken from "Streams in the Desert"
Bible Reading:
Beginning to End: Genesis 38-40
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 31-32 & Matthew 9:18-38
Historical: Genesis 38-40
Chronological: Job 35-37
Blended: Genesis 31-32 & Romans 11:1-18
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Monday, January 12, 2009
God is Bigger Still
Last week we took the girls to see, "Prince Caspian". I had read the book a few years ago and decided to reread it to see how closely the movie followed the book. I was captured by a scene that is played in both the book and movie. The scene is of Aslan calling to Lucy and she is reunited with him for the first time in a year.
As they are rejoicing in their meeting Lucy says, "Aslan, your bigger."
"That is because you are older, little one," answered he.
"Not because you are?"
"I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger."
Isn't it so true of God? The more we mature and grow in our faith the bigger He becomes. He reveals Himself to us in bite size pieces because if we saw Him in all His Holy Glory we wouldn't be able to handle it.
I like what Isaiah 43:1-2 says, "But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched. Nor will the flame burn you."
No matter what we're going through, God is bigger still. He will not let us pass through the deep waters or into the flame without His protection. It's interesting how we cannot escape the deep waters and fire and must experience it. He doesn't protect us from not going through them. But He does protect us from not getting damaged beyond repair. Difficult times equals strength and growth.
Krista Jones
5.30.08
Bible Reading:
Beginning to End: Genesis 35-37
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 29-30 & Matthew 9:1-17
Historical: Genesis 35-37
Chronological: Job 32-34
Blended: Genesis 29-30 & Romans 10
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
As they are rejoicing in their meeting Lucy says, "Aslan, your bigger."
"That is because you are older, little one," answered he.
"Not because you are?"
"I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger."
Isn't it so true of God? The more we mature and grow in our faith the bigger He becomes. He reveals Himself to us in bite size pieces because if we saw Him in all His Holy Glory we wouldn't be able to handle it.
I like what Isaiah 43:1-2 says, "But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched. Nor will the flame burn you."
No matter what we're going through, God is bigger still. He will not let us pass through the deep waters or into the flame without His protection. It's interesting how we cannot escape the deep waters and fire and must experience it. He doesn't protect us from not going through them. But He does protect us from not getting damaged beyond repair. Difficult times equals strength and growth.
Krista Jones
5.30.08
Bible Reading:
Beginning to End: Genesis 35-37
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 29-30 & Matthew 9:1-17
Historical: Genesis 35-37
Chronological: Job 32-34
Blended: Genesis 29-30 & Romans 10
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Weekend Bible Reading
Bible Reading Guide:
Saturday:
Beginning to End: Genesis 30-31
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 25-26 & Matthew 8:1-17
Historical: Genesis 30-31
Chronological: Job 24-28
Blended: Genesis 25-26 & Romans 9:1-15
Sunday:
Beginning to End: Genesis 32-34
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 27-28 & Matthew 8:18-24
Historical: Genesis 32-34
Chronological: Job 29-31
Blended: Genesis 27-28 & Romans 9:16-33
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Saturday:
Beginning to End: Genesis 30-31
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 25-26 & Matthew 8:1-17
Historical: Genesis 30-31
Chronological: Job 24-28
Blended: Genesis 25-26 & Romans 9:1-15
Sunday:
Beginning to End: Genesis 32-34
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 27-28 & Matthew 8:18-24
Historical: Genesis 32-34
Chronological: Job 29-31
Blended: Genesis 27-28 & Romans 9:16-33
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Friday, January 09, 2009
Your Day Is Coming
"Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown." Revelation 3:11
Some of you have never won a prize in your life. Oh, maybe you were quartermaster in your boy Scout troop or in charge of sodas at the homeroom Christmas party, but that's about it. You've never won much. You've watched the Mark McGwires of this world carry home the trophies and walk away with the ribbons. All you have are "almosts" and "what ifs."
If that hits home, then you'll cherish this promise: "And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away." (I Peter 5:4)
Your day is coming. What the world has overlooked, your Father has remembered, and sooner than you can imagine, you will be blessed by Him. - When Christ Comes
By Max Lucado taken from "Grace for the Moment"
Bible Reading:
Beginning to End: Genesis 27-29
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 23-24 & Matthew 7
Historical: Genesis 27-29
Chronological: Job 21-23
Blended: Genesis 23-24 & Romans 8:22-39
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Some of you have never won a prize in your life. Oh, maybe you were quartermaster in your boy Scout troop or in charge of sodas at the homeroom Christmas party, but that's about it. You've never won much. You've watched the Mark McGwires of this world carry home the trophies and walk away with the ribbons. All you have are "almosts" and "what ifs."
If that hits home, then you'll cherish this promise: "And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away." (I Peter 5:4)
Your day is coming. What the world has overlooked, your Father has remembered, and sooner than you can imagine, you will be blessed by Him. - When Christ Comes
By Max Lucado taken from "Grace for the Moment"
Bible Reading:
Beginning to End: Genesis 27-29
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 23-24 & Matthew 7
Historical: Genesis 27-29
Chronological: Job 21-23
Blended: Genesis 23-24 & Romans 8:22-39
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Thursday, January 08, 2009
"And Every Virtue We Possess"
". . . All my springs are in you." Psalm 87:7
Our Lord never "patches up" our natural virtues, that is, our natural traits, qualities, or characteristics. He completely remakes a person on the inside— ". . . put on the new man . . ." ( Ephesians 4:24 ). In other words, see that your natural human life is putting on all that is in keeping with the new life. The life God places within us develops its own new virtues, not the virtues of the seed of Adam, but of Jesus Christ. Once God has begun the process of sanctification in your life, watch and see how God causes your confidence in your own natural virtues and power to wither away. He will continue until you learn to draw your life from the reservoir of the resurrection life of Jesus. Thank God if you are going through this drying-up experience!
The sign that God is at work in us is that He is destroying our confidence in the natural virtues, because they are not promises of what we are going to be, but only a wasted reminder of what God created man to be. We want to cling to our natural virtues, while all the time God is trying to get us in contact with the life of Jesus Christ— a life that can never be described in terms of natural virtues. It is the saddest thing to see people who are trying to serve God depending on that which the grace of God never gave them. They are depending solely on what they have by virtue of heredity. God does not take our natural virtues and transform them, because our natural virtues could never even come close to what Jesus Christ wants. No natural love, no natural patience, no natural purity can ever come up to His demands. But as we bring every part of our natural bodily life into harmony with the new life God has placed within us, He will exhibit in us the virtues that were characteristic of the Lord Jesus.
And every virtue we possess
Is His alone.
By Oswald Chambers taken from "My Utmost for His Highest"
Bible Reading:
Beginning to End: Genesis 25-26
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 20-22 & Matthew 6:19-34
Historical: Genesis 25-26
Chronological: Job 17-20
Blended: Genesis 20-22 & Romans 8:1-21
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Our Lord never "patches up" our natural virtues, that is, our natural traits, qualities, or characteristics. He completely remakes a person on the inside— ". . . put on the new man . . ." ( Ephesians 4:24 ). In other words, see that your natural human life is putting on all that is in keeping with the new life. The life God places within us develops its own new virtues, not the virtues of the seed of Adam, but of Jesus Christ. Once God has begun the process of sanctification in your life, watch and see how God causes your confidence in your own natural virtues and power to wither away. He will continue until you learn to draw your life from the reservoir of the resurrection life of Jesus. Thank God if you are going through this drying-up experience!
The sign that God is at work in us is that He is destroying our confidence in the natural virtues, because they are not promises of what we are going to be, but only a wasted reminder of what God created man to be. We want to cling to our natural virtues, while all the time God is trying to get us in contact with the life of Jesus Christ— a life that can never be described in terms of natural virtues. It is the saddest thing to see people who are trying to serve God depending on that which the grace of God never gave them. They are depending solely on what they have by virtue of heredity. God does not take our natural virtues and transform them, because our natural virtues could never even come close to what Jesus Christ wants. No natural love, no natural patience, no natural purity can ever come up to His demands. But as we bring every part of our natural bodily life into harmony with the new life God has placed within us, He will exhibit in us the virtues that were characteristic of the Lord Jesus.
And every virtue we possess
Is His alone.
By Oswald Chambers taken from "My Utmost for His Highest"
Bible Reading:
Beginning to End: Genesis 25-26
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 20-22 & Matthew 6:19-34
Historical: Genesis 25-26
Chronological: Job 17-20
Blended: Genesis 20-22 & Romans 8:1-21
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Better Than Gold
"The judgements of the Lord . . . are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold." Psalm 19:9-10
We live in a world that has lost the value of God's Word. The Bible now plays second fiddle to many other things that have no lasting value attached to them.
But the problem is ours, not God's It's almost impossible to overstate the importance of His revelation. It's the inerrant (errorless) means by which He reveals Himself to us. God says to us, "You want to know Me? Devour My Book." Job understood that. God's Word was more vital to him than his daily food (Job 23:12).
In other words, what God had to say was more important to Job than his friend chicken, greens, and corn bread. That's serious! It was the fuel by which Job lived - by which he was sustained during severe trial. We're in a time of severe trial today. Our need for the Bible is critical, because we're watching a generation "perish for the lack of knowledge."
The Bible addresses our dilemma. It answers our desperate need for something stable, solid, and dependable to guide us. Psalm 19 gives at least four examples of what the Word of God can do for us: (1) It is so comprehensive that it can transform your whole person (v. 7a). (2) It teaches you how to live skillfully; it imparts wisdom (v. 7b). (3) The Word shows you the true path to follow as yo unwind through life's maze. In fact, you will never see life as it really is until you see it through the lens of the Bible (v. 8). (4) There are no impurities in the Word, no errors that will lead you into a ditch if you follow it (v. 9). God's Word is the enduring standard against which everything is to be judged.
Sounds great, doesn't it? So what should you do about the good things in God's Word? Today's verse tells you. Go after them like a miner with gold fever!
Want to know how much you value the Word? Answer this question: What's more important to you, your bible or your money? David was called a man after God's own heart because he valued God's Word more than his paycheck.
By Tony Evans taken from "Time to Get Serious"
Bible Reading:
Beginning to End: Genesis 22-24
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 18-19 & Matthew 6:1-18
Historical: Genesis 22-24
Chronological: Job 14-16
Blended: Genesis 18-19 & Romans 7
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
We live in a world that has lost the value of God's Word. The Bible now plays second fiddle to many other things that have no lasting value attached to them.
But the problem is ours, not God's It's almost impossible to overstate the importance of His revelation. It's the inerrant (errorless) means by which He reveals Himself to us. God says to us, "You want to know Me? Devour My Book." Job understood that. God's Word was more vital to him than his daily food (Job 23:12).
In other words, what God had to say was more important to Job than his friend chicken, greens, and corn bread. That's serious! It was the fuel by which Job lived - by which he was sustained during severe trial. We're in a time of severe trial today. Our need for the Bible is critical, because we're watching a generation "perish for the lack of knowledge."
The Bible addresses our dilemma. It answers our desperate need for something stable, solid, and dependable to guide us. Psalm 19 gives at least four examples of what the Word of God can do for us: (1) It is so comprehensive that it can transform your whole person (v. 7a). (2) It teaches you how to live skillfully; it imparts wisdom (v. 7b). (3) The Word shows you the true path to follow as yo unwind through life's maze. In fact, you will never see life as it really is until you see it through the lens of the Bible (v. 8). (4) There are no impurities in the Word, no errors that will lead you into a ditch if you follow it (v. 9). God's Word is the enduring standard against which everything is to be judged.
Sounds great, doesn't it? So what should you do about the good things in God's Word? Today's verse tells you. Go after them like a miner with gold fever!
Want to know how much you value the Word? Answer this question: What's more important to you, your bible or your money? David was called a man after God's own heart because he valued God's Word more than his paycheck.
By Tony Evans taken from "Time to Get Serious"
Bible Reading:
Beginning to End: Genesis 22-24
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 18-19 & Matthew 6:1-18
Historical: Genesis 22-24
Chronological: Job 14-16
Blended: Genesis 18-19 & Romans 7
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
No Fear In The New Year
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine." Isaiah 43:1
Hours before 2007 began, some friends of ours in the UK were aboard their boat, anticipating the arrival of the new year, when a violent storm struck. But they were able to send us this reassuring note: “John and Linda are sitting on board the good ship Norna, and happy to say that we are secure. . . . The wind is storm force ten [48-55 knots]. Hope that all of you have a happy and prosperous new year.”
Jesus’ disciples also encountered a stormy experience. They were on the Sea of Galilee when a windstorm whipped up (Mark 6:48). The storm was so violent that despite being experienced fishermen who knew the lake well, they feared for their lives. But Jesus walked out to them and saved them.
No one can predict with certainty how stormy the new year will be. We do know, though, that everyone will face storms. But we who have Jesus have our future securely moored to Him. Jesus, who did not fail us in the past, will not fail us in the future.
Lewis Edgar Jones aptly described our situation in his old hymn:
I’ve anchored in Jesus, the storms of life I’ll brave;
I’ve anchored in Jesus, I’ll fear no wind or wave.
I’ve anchored in Jesus, for He hath power to save;
I’ve anchored to the Rock of Ages!
How will you fare in the storms of the new year? If you’re anchored in Jesus, you have nothing to fear. — C. P. Hia
Faith in Christ will keep us steady in the stormy sea of change.
Taken from "Our Daily Bread"
Bible Reading:
Beginning to End: Genesis 19-21
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 16-17 & Matthew 5:27-48
Historical: Genesis 19-21
Chronological: Job 10-13
Blended: Genesis 16-17 & Romans 6
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Hours before 2007 began, some friends of ours in the UK were aboard their boat, anticipating the arrival of the new year, when a violent storm struck. But they were able to send us this reassuring note: “John and Linda are sitting on board the good ship Norna, and happy to say that we are secure. . . . The wind is storm force ten [48-55 knots]. Hope that all of you have a happy and prosperous new year.”
Jesus’ disciples also encountered a stormy experience. They were on the Sea of Galilee when a windstorm whipped up (Mark 6:48). The storm was so violent that despite being experienced fishermen who knew the lake well, they feared for their lives. But Jesus walked out to them and saved them.
No one can predict with certainty how stormy the new year will be. We do know, though, that everyone will face storms. But we who have Jesus have our future securely moored to Him. Jesus, who did not fail us in the past, will not fail us in the future.
Lewis Edgar Jones aptly described our situation in his old hymn:
I’ve anchored in Jesus, the storms of life I’ll brave;
I’ve anchored in Jesus, I’ll fear no wind or wave.
I’ve anchored in Jesus, for He hath power to save;
I’ve anchored to the Rock of Ages!
How will you fare in the storms of the new year? If you’re anchored in Jesus, you have nothing to fear. — C. P. Hia
Faith in Christ will keep us steady in the stormy sea of change.
Taken from "Our Daily Bread"
Bible Reading:
Beginning to End: Genesis 19-21
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 16-17 & Matthew 5:27-48
Historical: Genesis 19-21
Chronological: Job 10-13
Blended: Genesis 16-17 & Romans 6
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Monday, January 05, 2009
The Prayer of Jesus
"But dear friends, use your most holy faith to build yourselves up, praying in the Holy Spirit." Jude 1:20
When Jesus talks about prayer, He doesn't present it as an arduous task, he doesn't describe it as a requirement, He doesn't say that it's something you do and hopefully beautifully so that some divine audience will throw flowers to you. That's not what prayer is. It's the divine relationship that allows us to stand before god and express the deepest concerns of our hearts.
By Max Lucado taken from "Walking with the Savior"
Bible Reading Guide:
Beginning to End: Genesis 16-18
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 13-15 & Matthew 5:1-26
Historical: Genesis 16-18
Chronological: Job 6-9
Blended: Genesis 13-15 & Romans 5
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
When Jesus talks about prayer, He doesn't present it as an arduous task, he doesn't describe it as a requirement, He doesn't say that it's something you do and hopefully beautifully so that some divine audience will throw flowers to you. That's not what prayer is. It's the divine relationship that allows us to stand before god and express the deepest concerns of our hearts.
By Max Lucado taken from "Walking with the Savior"
Bible Reading Guide:
Beginning to End: Genesis 16-18
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 13-15 & Matthew 5:1-26
Historical: Genesis 16-18
Chronological: Job 6-9
Blended: Genesis 13-15 & Romans 5
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Weekend Bible Reading
Bible Reading Guide:
Saturday:
Beginning to End: Genesis 8-11
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 7-9 & Matthew 3
Historical: Genesis 8-11
Chronological: Genesis 8-11
Blended: Genesis 7-9 & Romans 3
Sunday:
Beginning to End: Genesis 12-15
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 10-12 & Matthew 4
Historical: Genesis 12-15
Chronological: Job 1-5
Blended: Genesis 10-12 & Romans 4
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Saturday:
Beginning to End: Genesis 8-11
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 7-9 & Matthew 3
Historical: Genesis 8-11
Chronological: Genesis 8-11
Blended: Genesis 7-9 & Romans 3
Sunday:
Beginning to End: Genesis 12-15
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 10-12 & Matthew 4
Historical: Genesis 12-15
Chronological: Job 1-5
Blended: Genesis 10-12 & Romans 4
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Friday, January 02, 2009
The New Year
"Forgetting the things which are behind." Phil. 3:13
"Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee." Deut. 8:2
Forgetting ills behind me, the sorrows past and gone,
Forgetting all my wanderings, too sad to swell upon,
Remembering God's great goodness, in times of stress and strain,
Remembering His restorings, I praise my God again.
We stand together at the gateway of another year. It may be a year of many blessed experiences. Follow Him who goes before - the One who went before His people of old - a guiding light, a constant protection, an unfailing Friend and Counselor, an almighty Saviour.
When shadows deepen, and fear rides on the moaning wind; when sorrow comes, and we wander in the misty vale of grief; when joy beckons, and our way is sunlit - "remember" His past leading and know that all is well. When spectres rise hauntingly from the past, when old heartaches and sorrows seem to weigh us down and blot out the sunshine forget "those things which are behind" and reach forward to the joys before us. Paul says, "I press toward the mark" - here is the urgency, and nothing must be allowed to hamper the runner's progress.
We make our own hindrances many times - our Master has done all He can to free us from every weight, giving us forgiveness for the past, help in the present, and assurance for the future. So, dear pilgrim, as we face the coming days of a new year, knowing that each one brings our Master's return nearer, let us "lay aside every weight . . . and press toward the mark," with singleness of heart "looking unto Jesus."
Forgetting all my doubtings, which dimmed faith's vision bright,
Forgetting all the earth-clouds, the darkness, gloom and night,
Remembering God's bright sunshine, and radiance of His face,
Remembering His long patience, I praise my God for grace.
Forgetting all unkindness which friends and foes have shown,
Forgetting and forgiving the wrongs that I have known,
Remembering God provided, unsought, each faithful friend,
Remembering love's devotion, I'll praise Him to the end.
Forgetting my repinings when disappointments come,
Forgetting all the murmurings, which filled my soul with shame,
Remembering God was ever true to His Holy Word,
Remembering He was faithful, I praise my sovereign Lord.
A.G.
Compiled by Mrs. Cowman, taken from "Streams in the Desert Volume 2"
Bible Reading Guide:
Beginning to End: Genesis 4-7
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 4-6 & Matthew 2
Historical: Genesis 4-7
Chronological: Genesis 4-7
Blended: Genesis 4-6 & Romans 2
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
"Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee." Deut. 8:2
Forgetting ills behind me, the sorrows past and gone,
Forgetting all my wanderings, too sad to swell upon,
Remembering God's great goodness, in times of stress and strain,
Remembering His restorings, I praise my God again.
We stand together at the gateway of another year. It may be a year of many blessed experiences. Follow Him who goes before - the One who went before His people of old - a guiding light, a constant protection, an unfailing Friend and Counselor, an almighty Saviour.
When shadows deepen, and fear rides on the moaning wind; when sorrow comes, and we wander in the misty vale of grief; when joy beckons, and our way is sunlit - "remember" His past leading and know that all is well. When spectres rise hauntingly from the past, when old heartaches and sorrows seem to weigh us down and blot out the sunshine forget "those things which are behind" and reach forward to the joys before us. Paul says, "I press toward the mark" - here is the urgency, and nothing must be allowed to hamper the runner's progress.
We make our own hindrances many times - our Master has done all He can to free us from every weight, giving us forgiveness for the past, help in the present, and assurance for the future. So, dear pilgrim, as we face the coming days of a new year, knowing that each one brings our Master's return nearer, let us "lay aside every weight . . . and press toward the mark," with singleness of heart "looking unto Jesus."
Forgetting all my doubtings, which dimmed faith's vision bright,
Forgetting all the earth-clouds, the darkness, gloom and night,
Remembering God's bright sunshine, and radiance of His face,
Remembering His long patience, I praise my God for grace.
Forgetting all unkindness which friends and foes have shown,
Forgetting and forgiving the wrongs that I have known,
Remembering God provided, unsought, each faithful friend,
Remembering love's devotion, I'll praise Him to the end.
Forgetting my repinings when disappointments come,
Forgetting all the murmurings, which filled my soul with shame,
Remembering God was ever true to His Holy Word,
Remembering He was faithful, I praise my sovereign Lord.
A.G.
Compiled by Mrs. Cowman, taken from "Streams in the Desert Volume 2"
Bible Reading Guide:
Beginning to End: Genesis 4-7
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 4-6 & Matthew 2
Historical: Genesis 4-7
Chronological: Genesis 4-7
Blended: Genesis 4-6 & Romans 2
The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible
Thursday, January 01, 2009
January's Memory Verse
January's Memory Verse:
Ephesians 3:20-21
"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen."
Ephesians 3:20-21 (NASB - New American Standard Bible)
December's Memory Verse: Lamentations 3:22-23
November's Memory Verse: 2 Timothy 2:15
October's Memory Verse: Proverbs 16:1-3
September's Memory Verse: Proverbs 17:9
Remember the key is to review review review. Always review the verses you've already memorized along with learning this month's verse.
Bible Reading Guide:
Beginning to End: Genesis 1-3
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 1-3 & Matthew 1
Historical: Genesis 1-3
Chronological: Genesis 1-3
Blended: Genesis 1-3 & Romans 1
Ephesians 3:20-21
"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen."
Ephesians 3:20-21 (NASB - New American Standard Bible)
December's Memory Verse: Lamentations 3:22-23
November's Memory Verse: 2 Timothy 2:15
October's Memory Verse: Proverbs 16:1-3
September's Memory Verse: Proverbs 17:9
Remember the key is to review review review. Always review the verses you've already memorized along with learning this month's verse.
Bible Reading Guide:
Beginning to End: Genesis 1-3
Old and New Testaments Together: Genesis 1-3 & Matthew 1
Historical: Genesis 1-3
Chronological: Genesis 1-3
Blended: Genesis 1-3 & Romans 1
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