Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
Another amazing weekend of going after God at our annual women's conference has come and gone; so much to process.
But I came away with a clear message for myself...it is time to step up the game, to put a demand on the anointing. To dare to dare.
While I'm not exactly sure what that is going to mean in the long run, I do know that it is time I turned a corner and quit just declaring that I'm just 'hanging on' to the blogging process and begin to pursue it like it is part of my call.
Because it is.
Back to the verse that started the whole Friday Faithful Faves series, Genesis 12:1...
The LORD had said to Abram,"Leave your country, your people and your
father's household and go to the land I will show you."
It's time for me to get out of my comfort zone and head out into whatever it is HE will show me.
Showing posts with label Faithful Friday Faves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Faithful Friday Faves. Show all posts
Monday, September 10, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
Faithful Friday Faves: The Summary
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
The journey actually started with Genesis on Sept. 3, 2010...take one book a week and look through it for one verse/passage that caught my eye or spoke to my spirit that week. I finished with Revelation last week and I thought it would be interesting to just do a summary post and list all the verses in one go. So here it is: the summary, without the commentary. Most of these are NIV; I'll try and note which ones are from other translations:
The LORD had said to Abram,"Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." - Gen. 12:1
Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock."- Ex. 33:21
You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own -- Lev. 20:26
'You must present as the LORD's portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.' - Numbers 18:29
'Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!' - Deut. 5:29
When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath. --Josh. 7:21
In those days, Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit. - Judges 21:25
But Ruth replied, 'Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.' - Ruth 1:16 - 17
Who can lay a hand on the LORD's anointed and be guiltless? - 1 Sam. 26:9b
'I will celebrate before the LORD. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.' - 2 Sam 6:21b - 22a
Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, 'The LORD, he is God! The LORD - he is God!' - 1 Kings 18:38 - 39
They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their fathers and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the LORD had ordered them, "Do not do as they do," and they did the things the LORD had forbidden them to do. - 2 Kings 17:15
It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the LORD our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him how to do it in the prescribed way. -- 1 Chron. 15:13
For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. - 2 Chron. 16:9a
"Now then, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and you, their fellow officials of that province, stay away from there. Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this house of God on its site.
Moreover, I hereby decree what you are to do for these elders of the Jews in the construction of this house of God:
The expenses of these men are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury, from the revenues of Trans- Euphrates, so that the work will not stop. Whatever is needed -- young bulls, rams, male lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem -- must be given them daily without fail, so that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the well- being of the king and his sons.
Furthermore, I decree that if anyone changes this edict, a beam is to be pulled from his house and he is to be lifted up and impaled on it. And for this crime his house is to be made a pile of rubble." - Ezra 6:6-11
...Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, [KJV: eat the fat and drink the sweet] and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength. -- Neh. 8:10
When the turn came for Esther (the girl Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king's eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her. - Est. 2:15
For I am full of words, and the spirit within me compels me; inside I am like bottled-up wine, like new wineskins ready to burst. - Job 32:18-19
Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. - Ps 127:1 KJV
Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you;
rebuke a wise man and he will love you.
Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still;
teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.
- Prov. 9:8 - 9
The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left. - Ecc. 10:2
Many waters cannot quench love, rivers cannot wash it away - Songs 8:7a
Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, this is the word the LORD has spoken against him:.... -Is. 38:21-22a
This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, 'We will not walk in it.'" - Jer 6:16
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself,"The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. -- Lam. 3:21 - 26
...the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. -Ez. 1:1b
Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!"
So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them. -- Dan. 3:26 - 27
Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you. - Hos. 10:12
And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions.
And so on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
-Joel 2:28-29
"I was neither a prophet nor a prophet's son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the LORD took me from tending the flock and said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'" - Amos 7:14-15
Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever. On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like them. - Obadiah v. 10 - 11
When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion upon them and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened. - Jon. 3:10
Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light. Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the LORD's wrath, until he pleads my case and establishes my right. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness - Mic. 7:8 - 9
The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him - Nahum 1:2
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,
Though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,
Though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign God is my strength;
He makes my feel like the feet of a deer,
He enables me to go on the heights.
-Hab. 3:17-19a
Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder. - Zeph 3:9
"You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the LORD Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house." - Hag. 1:9
This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Administer justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.' - Zech.7: 9 -10
But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. -Mal. 4:2
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." -- Matt 5:17-18
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. - Mk 1:35...Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." - Mk 6:31
"You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'"
"All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.
When Jesus heard this, he said to him , "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. - Lk 18: 20 - 23
Simon Peter asked him, "Lord, where are you going?"
Jesus replied, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later."
Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you."
Then Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows you will disown me three times!
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be where I am." - John 13:36 - 14:3
Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed that she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, 'Peter is at the door!'
'You're out of your mind,' they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, 'It must be his angel.'
But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. -- Acts 12:13 - 17a
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will. -- Rom. 12:2
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. - 1 Cor. 13: 4 - 8a
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. - 2 Cor. 10: 3 - 5
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. - Gal 5:15, NKJV
Be very careful, then, how you live -- not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. -- Eph. 5:15 - 17
for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure - Phil 2:13 NKJV
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form - Col. 2:9
For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. - 1 Thess. 4:7 - 8
But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good. - 2 Thess. 3:13 NKJV
Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love , in faith and in purity - 1 Tim. 4:12
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline - 2 Tim. 1: 6-7
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age - Titus 2:11-12
If he has done you any wrong or owes you any thing, charge it to me. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back - Philemon 18 - 19a
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. -- Heb. 4:12
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. - James 1:2-4
Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. ( 1 Peter 1:13)...The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. (1 Peter 4:7)...Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. - 2 Peter 1:3
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched -- this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you that we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. -- 1 Jn 1: 1 - 3
And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love - 2 John 5 - 6
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. - 3 Jn 4
But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear -- hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. -- Jude 20-23
This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints ( Rev. 13:8b)... This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. (Rev. 14:12 )
The journey actually started with Genesis on Sept. 3, 2010...take one book a week and look through it for one verse/passage that caught my eye or spoke to my spirit that week. I finished with Revelation last week and I thought it would be interesting to just do a summary post and list all the verses in one go. So here it is: the summary, without the commentary. Most of these are NIV; I'll try and note which ones are from other translations:
The LORD had said to Abram,"Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." - Gen. 12:1
Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock."- Ex. 33:21
You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own -- Lev. 20:26
'You must present as the LORD's portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.' - Numbers 18:29
'Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!' - Deut. 5:29
When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath. --Josh. 7:21
In those days, Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit. - Judges 21:25
But Ruth replied, 'Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.' - Ruth 1:16 - 17
Who can lay a hand on the LORD's anointed and be guiltless? - 1 Sam. 26:9b
'I will celebrate before the LORD. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.' - 2 Sam 6:21b - 22a
Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, 'The LORD, he is God! The LORD - he is God!' - 1 Kings 18:38 - 39
They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their fathers and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the LORD had ordered them, "Do not do as they do," and they did the things the LORD had forbidden them to do. - 2 Kings 17:15
It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the LORD our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him how to do it in the prescribed way. -- 1 Chron. 15:13
For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. - 2 Chron. 16:9a
"Now then, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and you, their fellow officials of that province, stay away from there. Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this house of God on its site.
Moreover, I hereby decree what you are to do for these elders of the Jews in the construction of this house of God:
The expenses of these men are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury, from the revenues of Trans- Euphrates, so that the work will not stop. Whatever is needed -- young bulls, rams, male lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem -- must be given them daily without fail, so that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the well- being of the king and his sons.
Furthermore, I decree that if anyone changes this edict, a beam is to be pulled from his house and he is to be lifted up and impaled on it. And for this crime his house is to be made a pile of rubble." - Ezra 6:6-11
...Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, [KJV: eat the fat and drink the sweet] and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength. -- Neh. 8:10
When the turn came for Esther (the girl Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king's eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her. - Est. 2:15
For I am full of words, and the spirit within me compels me; inside I am like bottled-up wine, like new wineskins ready to burst. - Job 32:18-19
Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. - Ps 127:1 KJV
Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you;
rebuke a wise man and he will love you.
Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still;
teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.
- Prov. 9:8 - 9
The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left. - Ecc. 10:2
Many waters cannot quench love, rivers cannot wash it away - Songs 8:7a
Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, this is the word the LORD has spoken against him:.... -Is. 38:21-22a
This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, 'We will not walk in it.'" - Jer 6:16
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself,"The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. -- Lam. 3:21 - 26
...the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. -Ez. 1:1b
Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!"
So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them. -- Dan. 3:26 - 27
Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you. - Hos. 10:12
And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions.
And so on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
-Joel 2:28-29
"I was neither a prophet nor a prophet's son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the LORD took me from tending the flock and said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'" - Amos 7:14-15
Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever. On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like them. - Obadiah v. 10 - 11
When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion upon them and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened. - Jon. 3:10
Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light. Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the LORD's wrath, until he pleads my case and establishes my right. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness - Mic. 7:8 - 9
The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him - Nahum 1:2
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,
Though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,
Though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign God is my strength;
He makes my feel like the feet of a deer,
He enables me to go on the heights.
-Hab. 3:17-19a
Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder. - Zeph 3:9
"You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the LORD Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house." - Hag. 1:9
This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Administer justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.' - Zech.7: 9 -10
But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. -Mal. 4:2
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." -- Matt 5:17-18
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. - Mk 1:35...Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." - Mk 6:31
"You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'"
"All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.
When Jesus heard this, he said to him , "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. - Lk 18: 20 - 23
Simon Peter asked him, "Lord, where are you going?"
Jesus replied, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later."
Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you."
Then Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows you will disown me three times!
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be where I am." - John 13:36 - 14:3
Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed that she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, 'Peter is at the door!'
'You're out of your mind,' they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, 'It must be his angel.'
But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. -- Acts 12:13 - 17a
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will. -- Rom. 12:2
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. - 1 Cor. 13: 4 - 8a
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. - 2 Cor. 10: 3 - 5
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. - Gal 5:15, NKJV
Be very careful, then, how you live -- not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. -- Eph. 5:15 - 17
for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure - Phil 2:13 NKJV
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form - Col. 2:9
For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. - 1 Thess. 4:7 - 8
But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good. - 2 Thess. 3:13 NKJV
Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love , in faith and in purity - 1 Tim. 4:12
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline - 2 Tim. 1: 6-7
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age - Titus 2:11-12
If he has done you any wrong or owes you any thing, charge it to me. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back - Philemon 18 - 19a
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. -- Heb. 4:12
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. - James 1:2-4
Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. ( 1 Peter 1:13)...The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. (1 Peter 4:7)...Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. - 2 Peter 1:3
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched -- this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you that we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. -- 1 Jn 1: 1 - 3
And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love - 2 John 5 - 6
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. - 3 Jn 4
But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear -- hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. -- Jude 20-23
This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints ( Rev. 13:8b)... This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. (Rev. 14:12 )
Friday, February 17, 2012
Faithful Friday Faves: Revelation
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi.
Ok. Wow. Nothing like a skim through the book of Revelation to shake up a quite Friday morning. I remember reading through it as a teen, thinking all that imagery was so wild.
But now, given the condition of the world and what is in the newspapers every day, much of it seems, well, not so far fetched. It doesn't take a great stretch of the imagination to see the possibilities of those things that John saw and wrote about in the vocabulary he had available to him at that time.
So, what to pick from the summation of things which were, which are, and which are to come? The encouragements to the saints, the promises of glory, the warnings to the unrepentant, the wonderful praises and poetic worship?
There is no one verse that can adequately convey the essence of Revelation; I'm very grateful that that wasn't my objective. Just one verse from the book that speaks to me at this moment. And what caught my eye this morning was a phrase that I hadn't even underlined yet...but it is stated and then repeated in short order:
This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints - Rev. 13:8b
This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. - Rev. 14:12
Both passages are discussing the time of judgement and distress. I'm not going to get into who exactly those saints will be at that moment; this isn't the forum to discuss the intricacies of pre-trib, post-trib, mid-trib, Rapture or no Rapture. It is enough to note that there WILL be faithful followers around when judgement is falling and life is unraveling and everything humans have considered safe and secure is shaking and crumbling.
For the saints of God, the instruction is patient endurance.
I don't think this is stick-your-head-in-the-sand endurance, or go-hide-in-the-hills endurance, it is maintaining your faith in God and not trusting the schemes of governments or charismatic leaders for deliverance. Which will likely go against the prevailing 'wisdom' of the day.
Don't. Give. Up.
Ok. Wow. Nothing like a skim through the book of Revelation to shake up a quite Friday morning. I remember reading through it as a teen, thinking all that imagery was so wild.
But now, given the condition of the world and what is in the newspapers every day, much of it seems, well, not so far fetched. It doesn't take a great stretch of the imagination to see the possibilities of those things that John saw and wrote about in the vocabulary he had available to him at that time.
So, what to pick from the summation of things which were, which are, and which are to come? The encouragements to the saints, the promises of glory, the warnings to the unrepentant, the wonderful praises and poetic worship?
There is no one verse that can adequately convey the essence of Revelation; I'm very grateful that that wasn't my objective. Just one verse from the book that speaks to me at this moment. And what caught my eye this morning was a phrase that I hadn't even underlined yet...but it is stated and then repeated in short order:
This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints - Rev. 13:8b
This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. - Rev. 14:12
Both passages are discussing the time of judgement and distress. I'm not going to get into who exactly those saints will be at that moment; this isn't the forum to discuss the intricacies of pre-trib, post-trib, mid-trib, Rapture or no Rapture. It is enough to note that there WILL be faithful followers around when judgement is falling and life is unraveling and everything humans have considered safe and secure is shaking and crumbling.
For the saints of God, the instruction is patient endurance.
I don't think this is stick-your-head-in-the-sand endurance, or go-hide-in-the-hills endurance, it is maintaining your faith in God and not trusting the schemes of governments or charismatic leaders for deliverance. Which will likely go against the prevailing 'wisdom' of the day.
Don't. Give. Up.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Faithful Friday Faves: Jude
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
Wow. Jude. The end is near. In more ways than one.
It's interesting that Jude speaks of the apostasy of the end times; observing the seeds of such apostasy even in his own day. From the beginning of the spread of the Gospel, there were those who wanted to twist it to suit their own agendas. He warns his readers to beware of such folks, who claim affinity with the followers of Christ but do not follow His teachings, even to the point of denying the unique sovereignty and lordship of Jesus.
Sounds pretty current, doesn't it? Jude's instructions to true believers dealing with such issues still holds for us today:
But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear -- hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. -- Jude 20-23
Wow. Jude. The end is near. In more ways than one.
It's interesting that Jude speaks of the apostasy of the end times; observing the seeds of such apostasy even in his own day. From the beginning of the spread of the Gospel, there were those who wanted to twist it to suit their own agendas. He warns his readers to beware of such folks, who claim affinity with the followers of Christ but do not follow His teachings, even to the point of denying the unique sovereignty and lordship of Jesus.
Sounds pretty current, doesn't it? Jude's instructions to true believers dealing with such issues still holds for us today:
But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear -- hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. -- Jude 20-23
Friday, February 3, 2012
Faithful Friday Faves - 3 John
Posted By Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
Continuing with our look at the writings of John the Beloved in his old age, he states clearly the heart of anyone who has parented kids, mentored kids, taught a Sunday School class or a Bible club or even just prayed for kids:
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. - 3 Jn 4
To which I can only add, 'Amen!'
Continuing with our look at the writings of John the Beloved in his old age, he states clearly the heart of anyone who has parented kids, mentored kids, taught a Sunday School class or a Bible club or even just prayed for kids:
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. - 3 Jn 4
To which I can only add, 'Amen!'
Friday, January 27, 2012
Faithful Friday Faves - 2 John
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
I confess to reading ahead last week and kind of pre-picking the verses for 2 and 3 John. It may sound weird, but I had a very poignant morning looking at the writings of John the Beloved, penned years and years after the events he recorded in his gospel. His heart and concern for those he ministered to just shimmered out of the text as I read. He warns and he encourages.
You can read the warnings for yourself; they are every bit as applicable to today's world as they were in the closing years of the first century. I'm going to look at his encouragement today:
And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love - 2 John 5 - 6
'Walking in love,' as John calls it, is often applied to how we treat our fellow man, and it is that. But I think this passage also indicates that we are to walk in love with God, by obeying Him from a position of trust.
Because isn't disobedience basically a lack of trust anyway? That God really doesn't know what's best for me, so I'm going to make my own choices?
If we really trust Him, if we really love Him, obedience follows.
And, if we're obeying Him, we'll be doing right by our fellow humans.
That's walking in love.
I confess to reading ahead last week and kind of pre-picking the verses for 2 and 3 John. It may sound weird, but I had a very poignant morning looking at the writings of John the Beloved, penned years and years after the events he recorded in his gospel. His heart and concern for those he ministered to just shimmered out of the text as I read. He warns and he encourages.
You can read the warnings for yourself; they are every bit as applicable to today's world as they were in the closing years of the first century. I'm going to look at his encouragement today:
And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love - 2 John 5 - 6
'Walking in love,' as John calls it, is often applied to how we treat our fellow man, and it is that. But I think this passage also indicates that we are to walk in love with God, by obeying Him from a position of trust.
Because isn't disobedience basically a lack of trust anyway? That God really doesn't know what's best for me, so I'm going to make my own choices?
If we really trust Him, if we really love Him, obedience follows.
And, if we're obeying Him, we'll be doing right by our fellow humans.
That's walking in love.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Friday Faithful Faves - 1 John
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
We are heading into the home stretch.
First John is when anyone reciting the books of the Bible knows they've got it and begins to pick up speed in the recitation....but it is a book to slow down and savor.
By the time John wrote his epistles and the book of Revelation, he was very likely the last of the twelve disciples still left on earth. It was somewhere in the neighborhood of sixty years after the death and resurrection of Jesus when he penned these writings, and he had seen much since then. John was a remarkably old man for the time in which he lived, which accounts for his frequent referral to those to whom he writes as 'dear children'. His top concerns for his readers are that they continue in right relationships with God and with one another, avoiding deceiving teachings that were not in compliance with what John had taught. He begins his letter by reminding them why they could have confidence in what he had shared with them:
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched -- this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you that we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. -- 1 Jn 1: 1 - 3 NIV
After sixtyish years, the immediacy of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus had turned into history; stories from grandpa's day. The majority of the people John ministered to probably weren't even alive when it happened. Jerusalem had been sacked and the Jews sent into exile twenty to twenty five years earlier; the world had changed. John reminds them that he was there with Jesus; he knew Jesus had been an actual human being, walking around and interacting with people. He was an eye witness to all of it.
You can imagine how pained he had to have been to hear the beginnings of false teachings of who Jesus was and what he did emerging. He knew the truth...and the passion of his heart was to share it and see it rooted and unshakeable in those who received it...as you'll see in the next two weeks as we look at Second and Third John.
We are heading into the home stretch.
First John is when anyone reciting the books of the Bible knows they've got it and begins to pick up speed in the recitation....but it is a book to slow down and savor.
By the time John wrote his epistles and the book of Revelation, he was very likely the last of the twelve disciples still left on earth. It was somewhere in the neighborhood of sixty years after the death and resurrection of Jesus when he penned these writings, and he had seen much since then. John was a remarkably old man for the time in which he lived, which accounts for his frequent referral to those to whom he writes as 'dear children'. His top concerns for his readers are that they continue in right relationships with God and with one another, avoiding deceiving teachings that were not in compliance with what John had taught. He begins his letter by reminding them why they could have confidence in what he had shared with them:
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched -- this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you that we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. -- 1 Jn 1: 1 - 3 NIV
After sixtyish years, the immediacy of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus had turned into history; stories from grandpa's day. The majority of the people John ministered to probably weren't even alive when it happened. Jerusalem had been sacked and the Jews sent into exile twenty to twenty five years earlier; the world had changed. John reminds them that he was there with Jesus; he knew Jesus had been an actual human being, walking around and interacting with people. He was an eye witness to all of it.
You can imagine how pained he had to have been to hear the beginnings of false teachings of who Jesus was and what he did emerging. He knew the truth...and the passion of his heart was to share it and see it rooted and unshakeable in those who received it...as you'll see in the next two weeks as we look at Second and Third John.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Faithful Friday Faves - 2 Peter
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
As I read through 2 Peter this time, I was really hit with the poignancy of the book; it is truly Peter's 'last words' to the church, as he knew his martyrdom was imminent. If you have time, read through it (it's only 3 chapters) with the mental picture of Peter sitting in a prison cell, knowing that when he left it would be to go to his death, pouring the burden of his heart to those he has discipled in the faith.
How incredible, then, are these words:
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. - 2 Peter 1:3
I think my prayer in response to this has got to be something like
Lord, let me be satisfied with those things that YOU say I need and not be pining for what I THINK I need...and give me discernment to know the difference.
As I read through 2 Peter this time, I was really hit with the poignancy of the book; it is truly Peter's 'last words' to the church, as he knew his martyrdom was imminent. If you have time, read through it (it's only 3 chapters) with the mental picture of Peter sitting in a prison cell, knowing that when he left it would be to go to his death, pouring the burden of his heart to those he has discipled in the faith.
How incredible, then, are these words:
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. - 2 Peter 1:3
I think my prayer in response to this has got to be something like
Lord, let me be satisfied with those things that YOU say I need and not be pining for what I THINK I need...and give me discernment to know the difference.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Faithful Friday Faves: 1 Peter
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
I have a lot of verses underlined in 1 Peter; there's a lot of solid teaching on a variety of subjects there.
But, maybe because it's the start of the year, there was a repeated phrase that stood out to me as I skimmed through; I hadn't noticed the repeat before. So I'm going to list all three verses in which that phrase appears:
Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1:13)
The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. (4:7)
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (5:8)
Seeing the verses together like that, I see another concept that is likewise repeated, having to do with the mind:
prepare your minds for action...be clear minded...alert
One of the purposes of the upcoming fast is to eliminate distractions; it will be a practice of self-control. This is not something to be endured, but something to be exercised.
It is not and end in itself, but a foundation for later.
I have a lot of verses underlined in 1 Peter; there's a lot of solid teaching on a variety of subjects there.
But, maybe because it's the start of the year, there was a repeated phrase that stood out to me as I skimmed through; I hadn't noticed the repeat before. So I'm going to list all three verses in which that phrase appears:
Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1:13)
The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. (4:7)
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (5:8)
Seeing the verses together like that, I see another concept that is likewise repeated, having to do with the mind:
prepare your minds for action...be clear minded...alert
One of the purposes of the upcoming fast is to eliminate distractions; it will be a practice of self-control. This is not something to be endured, but something to be exercised.
It is not and end in itself, but a foundation for later.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Faithful Friday Faves: James
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
Anyone who's hung around Beer Lahai Roi for while knows James is one of my favorite books. I taught a Bible study for the local Christian Women's Job Corps site (back when the local folks only had one site) for a couple of years, repeating James for each class (one class referred to me as 'The James Lady'), and it was one of the first Bible studies I did on BLR (see sidebar). So picking my favorite verse from James is...difficult.
So I am not going to claim today's verse is my absolute favorite from the book. It is, however, the one that has been repeating itself over and over in my head since I first contemplated picking a passage from James:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. - James 1:2-4, NIV
I picked up The Message last night and read that same passage; it reads like this:
Consider it a sheer gift, my friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
What hit me from The Message translation is the phrase 'don't try to get out of anything prematurely.'
Put that with the NIV phrase 'Perseverance must finish its work', and I begin to think that the concept I need to try and wrap my brain around is that bad things aren't always bad. There is a perspective that I cannot see from the midst of a crisis or trial that I have to trust is there; a perspective that shows there is a purpose in the trial.
What I have to do is not try to create a short cut to get out of the trial before that purpose is accomplished, but walk through it.
And be joyful, 'cause there's good coming out of it. Whether I see it or not.
Anyone who's hung around Beer Lahai Roi for while knows James is one of my favorite books. I taught a Bible study for the local Christian Women's Job Corps site (back when the local folks only had one site) for a couple of years, repeating James for each class (one class referred to me as 'The James Lady'), and it was one of the first Bible studies I did on BLR (see sidebar). So picking my favorite verse from James is...difficult.
So I am not going to claim today's verse is my absolute favorite from the book. It is, however, the one that has been repeating itself over and over in my head since I first contemplated picking a passage from James:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. - James 1:2-4, NIV
I picked up The Message last night and read that same passage; it reads like this:
Consider it a sheer gift, my friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
What hit me from The Message translation is the phrase 'don't try to get out of anything prematurely.'
Put that with the NIV phrase 'Perseverance must finish its work', and I begin to think that the concept I need to try and wrap my brain around is that bad things aren't always bad. There is a perspective that I cannot see from the midst of a crisis or trial that I have to trust is there; a perspective that shows there is a purpose in the trial.
What I have to do is not try to create a short cut to get out of the trial before that purpose is accomplished, but walk through it.
And be joyful, 'cause there's good coming out of it. Whether I see it or not.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Friday Faithful Faves - Hebrews
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
(No, I am not going to make the joke about men making coffee...but it's tempting!)
Hebrews is another one of those books that I could spend weeks in, mining nugget after nugget, but I thought I'd pick a verse that my Friends Club girls have to learn when we do the unit on Bible:
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. -- Heb. 4:12, NIV
As I skimmed through Hebrews, I noted how much Old Testament scripture was quoted, and I frowned a bit as I realized the author didn't always cite the source; sometimes he (she? I've heard a few opinions that offer Priscilla as a possible author, but, given the social norms of the day, that would be very surprising) doesn't even seem to remember much about the origin of the quote, using phrases like 'someone said' or 'in another place' to introduce the quotes.
But then it hit me...not only the author of Hebrews, but all the New Testament authors had to quote OT Scripture ENTIRELY from memory.
The only copies were kept locked up.
They didn't have a pocket Torah, or an online reference, or Strong's concordance to help them.
Every one of the Old Testament quotes in the New Testament was spoken/written from memory.
No wonder the author of Hebrews was less than absolutely precise...and no wonder there is some variation between the actual text in the OT and the quote in the NT.
Let's say you or I had to teach someone about our faith...and we could only use the verses we have committed to memory. How would we do?
I'm afraid I'd be rather pitiful; I've memorized the same verses in King James, NIV and New King James, due to differences in preferred texts over the years of belonging to different churches; most times a verse comes out a mishmash of all three. And the reference? I can usually remember what book it's in. Um, usually.
But look at the power of the word...and how the author of Hebrews builds his arguments from the word that was so obviously part of his very identity.
For some time, I've been feeling that I need to be more intentional about memorizing scripture; this really hammers that point home.
A discipline for 2012.
(No, I am not going to make the joke about men making coffee...but it's tempting!)
Hebrews is another one of those books that I could spend weeks in, mining nugget after nugget, but I thought I'd pick a verse that my Friends Club girls have to learn when we do the unit on Bible:
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. -- Heb. 4:12, NIV
As I skimmed through Hebrews, I noted how much Old Testament scripture was quoted, and I frowned a bit as I realized the author didn't always cite the source; sometimes he (she? I've heard a few opinions that offer Priscilla as a possible author, but, given the social norms of the day, that would be very surprising) doesn't even seem to remember much about the origin of the quote, using phrases like 'someone said' or 'in another place' to introduce the quotes.
But then it hit me...not only the author of Hebrews, but all the New Testament authors had to quote OT Scripture ENTIRELY from memory.
The only copies were kept locked up.
They didn't have a pocket Torah, or an online reference, or Strong's concordance to help them.
Every one of the Old Testament quotes in the New Testament was spoken/written from memory.
No wonder the author of Hebrews was less than absolutely precise...and no wonder there is some variation between the actual text in the OT and the quote in the NT.
Let's say you or I had to teach someone about our faith...and we could only use the verses we have committed to memory. How would we do?
I'm afraid I'd be rather pitiful; I've memorized the same verses in King James, NIV and New King James, due to differences in preferred texts over the years of belonging to different churches; most times a verse comes out a mishmash of all three. And the reference? I can usually remember what book it's in. Um, usually.
But look at the power of the word...and how the author of Hebrews builds his arguments from the word that was so obviously part of his very identity.
For some time, I've been feeling that I need to be more intentional about memorizing scripture; this really hammers that point home.
A discipline for 2012.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Faithful Friday Faves: Philemon
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
(Just curious...have you been taught to pronounce the name of this short, very personal letter Fie-LEE-mon or FILL-a-mon? I've heard it both ways... )
I'm tempted to just put the whole book down as my text for the week; it's only 25 verses; it barely runs over one page in my Scofield NIV. But I will pick one bit that stands out to me:
If he has done you any wrong or owes you any thing, charge it to me. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back - v. 18 - 19a
This was a risky undertaking for both Paul and his protegee, Onesimus. Moral issues of slavery aside, they were dealing with the law of the land. Both of them put personal safety/freedom/finances at risk to Do the Right Thing under that law. Paul goes on to exhort his friend Philemon to Do the Right Thing as a believer and follower of Christ...which he had just modeled in taking on Onesimus's debt.
Paul did not ask Philemon to do something costly before he himself set that example.
(Just curious...have you been taught to pronounce the name of this short, very personal letter Fie-LEE-mon or FILL-a-mon? I've heard it both ways... )
I'm tempted to just put the whole book down as my text for the week; it's only 25 verses; it barely runs over one page in my Scofield NIV. But I will pick one bit that stands out to me:
If he has done you any wrong or owes you any thing, charge it to me. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back - v. 18 - 19a
This was a risky undertaking for both Paul and his protegee, Onesimus. Moral issues of slavery aside, they were dealing with the law of the land. Both of them put personal safety/freedom/finances at risk to Do the Right Thing under that law. Paul goes on to exhort his friend Philemon to Do the Right Thing as a believer and follower of Christ...which he had just modeled in taking on Onesimus's debt.
Paul did not ask Philemon to do something costly before he himself set that example.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Faithful Friday Faves - Titus
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
Wow. Today's verse really grabbed me:
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age - Titus 2:11-12, NIV
In the midst of the not-ready-for-the-holiday chaos that I am finding myself in (and, despite the fact that I am not costuming a big production or working many hours on a big project at work, I am farther behind in my holiday preparations this year than I think I have ever been), I need to let the grace of God teach me to say 'No' to those things that are distractions.
And then I need to be self-controlled enough to stick to that.
Thank God for His grace...
Wow. Today's verse really grabbed me:
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age - Titus 2:11-12, NIV
In the midst of the not-ready-for-the-holiday chaos that I am finding myself in (and, despite the fact that I am not costuming a big production or working many hours on a big project at work, I am farther behind in my holiday preparations this year than I think I have ever been), I need to let the grace of God teach me to say 'No' to those things that are distractions.
And then I need to be self-controlled enough to stick to that.
Thank God for His grace...
Friday, November 25, 2011
Faithrul Friday Faves - 2 Timothy
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
I waffled back and forth between a couple of different verses, but I ultimately picked the one that was the most personally encouraging, as well as one of the most familiar verses from 2 Timothy.
However, I decided to put it together with the preceding verse, not only for context, but because it puts a slightly different slant on it:
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline - 2 Tim. 1: 6-7
We often see verse 7 quoted by itself as an encouragement that we should be brave, but verse 6 provides the purpose for such bravery: fanning into flame the gift of God that has been deposited in us.
I'm not going into what the 'gift of God' could mean at this point...what I'm going to focus on is 'fan into flame'...i.e., we have personal responsibility to grow and mature and implement what God has given us.
And that takes some pushing past things. I like the NIV translation 'timidity'...other versions use 'fear', which is sort of the same thing; the difference, to me, is one of degree. Timidity is not a huge paralyzing fear. It's a little fear, a hanging-back sort of fear, a let-someone-else-go-first sort of fear.
It is precisely the fear I find myself battling the most.
Lack of confidence, unsure...am I really hearing God here?
If I fan my gifting into flame...feed it, encourage it, through exercising the self-discipline with love always as my motive (not self-promotion! That Greek word is agape!), I will have power to break through that cowardice and put that gift to work for the kingdom.
(side note: I'll be chaperoning a school trip next Friday, so FFF will pick up in two weeks :-D )
I waffled back and forth between a couple of different verses, but I ultimately picked the one that was the most personally encouraging, as well as one of the most familiar verses from 2 Timothy.
However, I decided to put it together with the preceding verse, not only for context, but because it puts a slightly different slant on it:
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline - 2 Tim. 1: 6-7
We often see verse 7 quoted by itself as an encouragement that we should be brave, but verse 6 provides the purpose for such bravery: fanning into flame the gift of God that has been deposited in us.
I'm not going into what the 'gift of God' could mean at this point...what I'm going to focus on is 'fan into flame'...i.e., we have personal responsibility to grow and mature and implement what God has given us.
And that takes some pushing past things. I like the NIV translation 'timidity'...other versions use 'fear', which is sort of the same thing; the difference, to me, is one of degree. Timidity is not a huge paralyzing fear. It's a little fear, a hanging-back sort of fear, a let-someone-else-go-first sort of fear.
It is precisely the fear I find myself battling the most.
Lack of confidence, unsure...am I really hearing God here?
If I fan my gifting into flame...feed it, encourage it, through exercising the self-discipline with love always as my motive (not self-promotion! That Greek word is agape!), I will have power to break through that cowardice and put that gift to work for the kingdom.
(side note: I'll be chaperoning a school trip next Friday, so FFF will pick up in two weeks :-D )
Friday, November 18, 2011
Faithful Friday Faves - 1 Timothy
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
Today's pick is actually one of the memory verses that my Friends Club girls learn in the course of their three years:
Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love , in faith and in purity - 1 Tim. 4:12, NIV
As I read that this morning, it occurred to me that the word "young" could be replaced by about any adjective pertaining to people groups and the verse would still hold true. Timothy WAS young for the leadership roles that he had; but he had had Paul for a mentor and was well able to carry that responsibility.
He could not allow himself to be cowed or intimidated by the folks who wanted to discount his authority simply because he was young.
But...look at how he was to handle the situation. Paul didn't tell him to argue against the prejudices of others, or to take the situation before any type of judge to try and censor that wrong thinking, or to marginalize and belittle those who didn't respect him. No, Paul told him to set a godly example in all areas of his life regardless of what others thought/said/did.
All of us have things in our past that would, to some, be disqualifiers for working in the kingdom. Some of the things may be unavoidable; some may be temporary (Timothy wouldn't be young forever); some may be the result of bad choices or lack of opportunity.
But Paul's instruction is the same regardless of any of that: Don't let anyone put you down because you [are/have/were/ _______]. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity. (The Message)
It's not about being personally validated; it's about modeling the kingdom.
Today's pick is actually one of the memory verses that my Friends Club girls learn in the course of their three years:
Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love , in faith and in purity - 1 Tim. 4:12, NIV
As I read that this morning, it occurred to me that the word "young" could be replaced by about any adjective pertaining to people groups and the verse would still hold true. Timothy WAS young for the leadership roles that he had; but he had had Paul for a mentor and was well able to carry that responsibility.
He could not allow himself to be cowed or intimidated by the folks who wanted to discount his authority simply because he was young.
But...look at how he was to handle the situation. Paul didn't tell him to argue against the prejudices of others, or to take the situation before any type of judge to try and censor that wrong thinking, or to marginalize and belittle those who didn't respect him. No, Paul told him to set a godly example in all areas of his life regardless of what others thought/said/did.
All of us have things in our past that would, to some, be disqualifiers for working in the kingdom. Some of the things may be unavoidable; some may be temporary (Timothy wouldn't be young forever); some may be the result of bad choices or lack of opportunity.
But Paul's instruction is the same regardless of any of that: Don't let anyone put you down because you [are/have/were/ _______]. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity. (The Message)
It's not about being personally validated; it's about modeling the kingdom.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Faithful Friday Faves: 2 Thessalonians
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
Suffering. End times. Deception. Apostasy. Judgment. Retribution.
Ouch.
A rather prickly book.
And amid all the warnings to and about those who choose disobedience, we see an injunction to folks who are getting tired of fighting the battles.
But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good. - 2 Thess. 3:13 NKJV
There really isn' t any particular promise or reward associated with that instruction; just an acknowledgement that it is a struggle to maintain a believer's perspective and continuity in word and deed.
But sometimes that acknowledgement, "Don't give up...you're doing good," is enough to keep going.
I know I needed to hear that today.
Suffering. End times. Deception. Apostasy. Judgment. Retribution.
Ouch.
A rather prickly book.
And amid all the warnings to and about those who choose disobedience, we see an injunction to folks who are getting tired of fighting the battles.
But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good. - 2 Thess. 3:13 NKJV
There really isn' t any particular promise or reward associated with that instruction; just an acknowledgement that it is a struggle to maintain a believer's perspective and continuity in word and deed.
But sometimes that acknowledgement, "Don't give up...you're doing good," is enough to keep going.
I know I needed to hear that today.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Faithful Friday Faves - 1 Thessalonians
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
Can I be honest? I'm not entirely comfortable with the passage that stood out to me today as I skimmed 1 Thessalonians; it has such potential to come across so harsh. I wanted to wimp out and go with something a little safer, but I can't seem to get away with that today, so, well, here goes:
For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. - 1 Thess. 4:7 - 8
I mentioned last year that I read Corrie ten Boom's Tramp for the Lord and was so impressed with the story of her ministry. One of the things that has stuck with me from the book is that whenever she encountered someone who wanted to argue with her about her stand on moral issues, she'd simply reply that the individual wasn't disagreeing with her, but with God.
The plain truth is that God has given us some pretty clear standards on behavior. If I point out what God says (and I'm talking about things that are stated to bring judgement and/or to be inappropriate for God's people clearly and plainly in the Bible for all to see), I am not being judgmental. Judgment is what happens when you look at someone's behavior and make assumptions about their motives and/or intentions. Just repeating God's word about a particular moral issue is not passing judgment. If God says something is wrong, it is wrong. There's no point in getting angry at a human being for pointing that out.
Because, as 1 Thess. 4:8 shows us, and Corrie ten Boom pointed out, the disagreement isn't with man...it's with God. Scorning the messenger doesn't change the message, and marginalizing the message doesn't make it go away.
Can I be honest? I'm not entirely comfortable with the passage that stood out to me today as I skimmed 1 Thessalonians; it has such potential to come across so harsh. I wanted to wimp out and go with something a little safer, but I can't seem to get away with that today, so, well, here goes:
For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. - 1 Thess. 4:7 - 8
I mentioned last year that I read Corrie ten Boom's Tramp for the Lord and was so impressed with the story of her ministry. One of the things that has stuck with me from the book is that whenever she encountered someone who wanted to argue with her about her stand on moral issues, she'd simply reply that the individual wasn't disagreeing with her, but with God.
The plain truth is that God has given us some pretty clear standards on behavior. If I point out what God says (and I'm talking about things that are stated to bring judgement and/or to be inappropriate for God's people clearly and plainly in the Bible for all to see), I am not being judgmental. Judgment is what happens when you look at someone's behavior and make assumptions about their motives and/or intentions. Just repeating God's word about a particular moral issue is not passing judgment. If God says something is wrong, it is wrong. There's no point in getting angry at a human being for pointing that out.
Because, as 1 Thess. 4:8 shows us, and Corrie ten Boom pointed out, the disagreement isn't with man...it's with God. Scorning the messenger doesn't change the message, and marginalizing the message doesn't make it go away.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Faithful Friday Faves: Colossians
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
I've changed my mind on my Colossians selection a couple of times, and thought I had finally picked one and pulled up the New Post screen to elaborate.
And happened to turn the page, and my eyes lit on different verse, and it has become today's choice:
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form - Col. 2:9 NIV
That kinda settles it, doesn't it? 'All the fullness of the Deity' --- God Himself, in all His fullness, walking around as a human.
We can accept that or reject that, but it isn't a statement subject to relative interpretation. It's not something that can be partly, sortakinda true. He's fully God...or not.
But it's a basic thing to be settled; a foundation of faith. For someone to claim to follow Christ and disagree with Colossians 2:9 doesn't make sense.
Just sayin'.
I've changed my mind on my Colossians selection a couple of times, and thought I had finally picked one and pulled up the New Post screen to elaborate.
And happened to turn the page, and my eyes lit on different verse, and it has become today's choice:
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form - Col. 2:9 NIV
That kinda settles it, doesn't it? 'All the fullness of the Deity' --- God Himself, in all His fullness, walking around as a human.
We can accept that or reject that, but it isn't a statement subject to relative interpretation. It's not something that can be partly, sortakinda true. He's fully God...or not.
But it's a basic thing to be settled; a foundation of faith. For someone to claim to follow Christ and disagree with Colossians 2:9 doesn't make sense.
Just sayin'.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Faithful Friday Faves - Philippians
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
How funny is it that I posted a verse from Philippians yesterday?? I totally spaced that Philippians was this week's FFF book.
Good thing Philippians is chock-full of noteworthy nuggets, eh?
I actually memorized Phil. 2: 1- 11 a number of years ago just because it's one of my most favorite (as opposed to simply favorite, you know) scriptures. What a challenge to us...to have the same attitude as Jesus.
But I'm picking a different verse this morning...and, once more, the closest Bible happens to be a New King James, so that's the version I'm using:
for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure - Phil 2:13
I *love* this verse! It was years and years ago that it first hit me and I went back and re-read it to see if it said what I thought.
It did and it does.
See, we, as fallen humans, don't necessarily WANT to do what is good and right and in line with God's plan. But this verse encourages me so much, because it says that as I work out my salvation (that's from the previous verse, which I probably should've included in the quote but didn't), God works in me so that my WANT TO changes. He changes my self-centered WANT TO so that I start to WANT TO do the things that please Him, and then He also works in my life to enable me to do those very things.
God does not throw down a list of Do's and Don'ts and then stand over us to see if we'll live up to that; He is constantly and consistently working in us so that we not only do His pleasure, but find it satisfying as well...because it becomes the very thing we wanted all along.
How funny is it that I posted a verse from Philippians yesterday?? I totally spaced that Philippians was this week's FFF book.
Good thing Philippians is chock-full of noteworthy nuggets, eh?
I actually memorized Phil. 2: 1- 11 a number of years ago just because it's one of my most favorite (as opposed to simply favorite, you know) scriptures. What a challenge to us...to have the same attitude as Jesus.
But I'm picking a different verse this morning...and, once more, the closest Bible happens to be a New King James, so that's the version I'm using:
for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure - Phil 2:13
I *love* this verse! It was years and years ago that it first hit me and I went back and re-read it to see if it said what I thought.
It did and it does.
See, we, as fallen humans, don't necessarily WANT to do what is good and right and in line with God's plan. But this verse encourages me so much, because it says that as I work out my salvation (that's from the previous verse, which I probably should've included in the quote but didn't), God works in me so that my WANT TO changes. He changes my self-centered WANT TO so that I start to WANT TO do the things that please Him, and then He also works in my life to enable me to do those very things.
God does not throw down a list of Do's and Don'ts and then stand over us to see if we'll live up to that; He is constantly and consistently working in us so that we not only do His pleasure, but find it satisfying as well...because it becomes the very thing we wanted all along.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Faithful Friday Faves - Ephesians
I had a hard time making a selection this time! I read through Ephesians in my New King James, and saw several things that were worth discussing, but nothing that stood out exceptionally from the rest.
So I decided I'd go out of the box and read through Ephesians in the Message. Wow. Nothin' like the Message to make you see things just a little differently....but, still, I didn't find Today's Passage.
So I got my teaching Bible, the good ol' NIV. Maybe because I wasn't reading the whole book through at that moment, the first passage my eyes lit upon when I flipped to Ephesians gripped my spirit; this has been a recurring theme in my life this year and I still don't think I've made the proper adjustments:
Be very careful, then, how you live -- not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. -- Eph. 5:15 - 17
If no one else out there in bloggy-land needed that nudge, I did...
So I decided I'd go out of the box and read through Ephesians in the Message. Wow. Nothin' like the Message to make you see things just a little differently....but, still, I didn't find Today's Passage.
So I got my teaching Bible, the good ol' NIV. Maybe because I wasn't reading the whole book through at that moment, the first passage my eyes lit upon when I flipped to Ephesians gripped my spirit; this has been a recurring theme in my life this year and I still don't think I've made the proper adjustments:
Be very careful, then, how you live -- not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. -- Eph. 5:15 - 17
If no one else out there in bloggy-land needed that nudge, I did...
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