I MOVED - Come On Over!!

Just a little update!

It has become too time-consuming to juggle two blogs at this time - so, I am concentrating on my other blog for the time being:

SHARON SHARING GOD

I would love to have you come over and visit me there!

Perhaps someday I will come back to this blog - we'll see.

But, I encourage each and every one of you to keep reading the Bible, God's Word, as it will nourish you like nothing else in life!


GOD BLESS!


"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:14-16, NLT)


"When in doubt, search God out!"

THE BIBLE - Merry CHRISTmas!

In today's "Bible Pick 'Ems" the Word of God will speak for itself:

THE PREDICTION

Yet a ruler…will come.

And He will stand to lead His flock with the LORD'S strength, in the majesty of the name of His God.

He will be highly honored around the world.

And He will be the source of peace.

(From Micah 5)

For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us.

The government will rest on His shoulders.

And He will be called:

Wonderful

Counselor

Mighty God

Everlasting Father

Prince of Peace.

His government and its peace will never end.

(From Isaiah 9)

THE FULFILLMENT

Look!

The virgin will conceive a child!

She will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel, which means "God is with us."

(From Matthew 1)

"Don't be afraid, Mary…for you have found favor with God!

You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.

He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High.

And He will reign…forever; His Kingdom will never end!"

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.

She gave birth to her first child, a son.

Glory to God in highest heaven,

And peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.

(From Luke 1 and 2)

So the Word became human and made His home among us.

He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.

And we have seen His glory.

(From John 1)

THE ANTICIPATION

Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great power and glory.

And He will send out his angels to gather His chosen ones from all over the world – from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

(From Mark 13)

For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God.

Then we will be with the Lord forever.

(From 1 Thessalonians 4)

I am coming soon.

Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown.

(From Revelation 3)

Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

(From Revelation 22)

THE CULMINATION

Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!

And He who sits on the throne will give them shelter.

They will never again be hungry or thirsty.

For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd.

He will lead them to springs of life-giving water.

And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.

(From Revelation 7)

Praise the name of the Lord!

Praise Him, you who serve the Lord.

Praise the Lord, for He is good.

Your name, O Lord, endures forever!

(From Psalm 135)

AMEN! Come, Lord Jesus!

May the wonder of a starlit night,

The power of our Savior's might,

The glories of His merciful love,

Bring blessings to you from above.

Wishing each of you and yours a very Merry CHRISTmas!

"When in doubt, search God out!"

1 TIMOTHY - Let's Get Spiritual!

“The Hub” has always been an athlete.

Tall, muscular, coordinated – a natural.

I’ve known him since we were both nine years old, in fourth grade. He was awesome back then, too.

The biggest thing I remember about him is how he could run – he was FAST!

We would have all sorts of track and field events back then. And “The Hub” was almost always a winner in the sprints. He always ran “anchor” on relay teams.

It was very cool to watch him run. He had this style where his whole body leaned forward, his hair would fly in the wind, and every part of his being would strain toward that finish line. He reminded me of a thoroughbred stallion…really!

As he grew older, he was an all-star softball player. Still fast, still strong – a natural.

“The Hub” knows the value of staying in shape – the importance of physical training.

Our society places much emphasis on physical fitness. Billions of dollars are spent each year on health supplements, gym memberships, diet programs, workout equipment, and the like.

But our “Bible Pick ‘Ems” for today emphasizes a different kind of training. Spiritual training.

“…train yourself to be godly. Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come…This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God..”

(1 Timothy 4:7-8, 10)

What does it mean to train for godliness?

Well, what do we do for physical fitness?

1) We watch what we eat – Likewise, spiritual nourishment is essential.

What do we feed our souls? Do we regularly spend time in the Word? Are we hiding it in our hearts, committing it to memory? Are we applying its words to our lives?

“But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night.” (Psalm 1:2)

“I have hidden your word in my heart…” (Psalm 119:11)

2) We exercise, do weight training, to increase our strength – Likewise, it’s necessary to increase our faith muscles, too.

Are we developing our faith by using our God-given abilities in the service of the Church? Are we stepping out of our “comfort zone” to stretch ourselves into new areas of ministry? Do we rely on the Holy Spirit to give us His strength and power?

“Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received…” (1 Timothy 4:14)

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” (Acts 1:8)

3) We work on developing stamina and endurance – Likewise, we must learn to be patient, and persevere through hardships and suffering.

Are we leaning on God to sustain us through any circumstance? Do we trust His timing? Are we obeying Him with patience?

“For you know when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete.” (James 1:3)

“And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.” (Romans 5:4)

4) We get plenty of rest – Likewise, it’s important to learn to rest, to have peace in the Lord.

Are we learning the secret of peace? Do we search for it, strive for it, pray for it?

“Search for peace, and work to maintain it.” (Psalm 34:14)

“Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life…” (Hebrews 12:14)

5) We have trainers and coaches – Likewise, we should turn to the Holy Spirit, to God’s Word, and to other believers for instruction.

Are we allowing ourselves to be taught, or do we think we know it all? Do we study the Bible? Do we pray for guidance and insight? Are we learning God’s wisdom?

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you.”

(James 1:5)

Training for godliness.

The word ”train” implies daily, sustained effort.

It takes practice to be skilled in a particular sport. “The Hub” didn’t become a good athlete overnight. He worked at it…hard. In the same way, it takes practice to be skilled in living the Christian life.

We need to work at it.

God does not expect us to be perfect; He expects us to be growing. Our part in growing is exerting daily, sustained effort to apply His Word to our lives.

Highly skilled and talented athletes will lose their abilities if their muscles aren’t toned by constant use. Likewise, our faith will weaken if we don’t put it to work.

It’s so important…

We’re not just training for this life – we’re training ourselves for eternity.

“For God saved us and called us to live a holy life.” (2 Timothy 1:9)

Are you developing your spiritual muscles?

"When in doubt, search God out!"

NUMBERS - A Bit of Foreshadowing

Don’t you love the part in a book or a movie when something happens and you just know it’s pointing to something else that’s going to happen in the future?

That’s called “foreshadowing.”

“Foreshadowing is used in written art and film to give hints about things to come in later plot developments. It can be very broad and easily understood, or it may be complex use of symbols, that are then connected to later turns in the plot.” (From wisegeek.com)

Today’s “Bible Pick ‘Ems” is an example of Biblical foreshadowing.

It is about one year after the Israelites had departed from Egypt. They are camped out near Mount Sinai. Here they have received all the laws and regulations recorded in the book of Leviticus, and they are ready to go possess the Promised Land.

Now the LORD gives them specific directions for their lifestyle in the new land. His instructions are very precise, very detailed, as He begins to form the nation of His chosen people.

In Numbers, Chapter 3, God lays out His instructions for the Levites, the Israelites appointed for service in the Tabernacle and to minister to all the people.

And here’s the “foreshadowing” –

“And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Look, I have chosen the Levites from among the Israelites to serve as substitutes for all the firstborn sons of the people of Israel. The Levites belong to me, for all the firstborn males are mine.”

(Numbers 3:11-12)

YES, we know what’s coming, don’t we?!

We have the advantage of living on “this side” of Christ. We can see what God had planned all along. We know that many of His instructions to the Israelites were “foreshadowing” the Master Plan of Christ’s death on the cross.

There is quite a difference between the priesthood in the Old Testament, and the priesthood of Christ in the New Testament. However, the whole idea of “substitution” was a recurring theme in the old covenant.

God completed and fulfilled the “sacrificial system” when He sent His Son, Jesus, to die “in our place.” He became the ultimate substitute for us – our “once and for all” sacrifice. He is our High Priest, our intermediary with God – the One who died in our place.

Now all believers can come into God’s presence without fear.

Some may think that portions of the Old Testament are boring or dry. But make it a point to look for all the “foreshadowing” that’s there.

Everything points to Jesus – before He appeared on earth, while He was here...

...and to His future return to claim His Lordship over all!

“When in doubt, search God out!”

2 KINGS - My Word Will Not Fail!

You know, sometimes reading the Bible is like watching a good “soap opera” – (I know…good soap opera…oxymoron).

But the Bible isn’t a “tame” read!

It is chock-full of scoundrels, liars, idol worshipers, cheats, adulterers, murderers – in short, it’s full of REAL people!

Today’s “Bible Pick ‘Ems” comes from the book of 2 Kings.

WOW! Talk about kingdom intrigue!

The book of 2 Kings reads like a captivating novel, as king upon king, one after the other, enters and leaves the scene. Some good, some evil – all interesting.

At first I wasn’t sure how I was going to grab a “meaningful” verse out of what I was reading. But then it hit me. Listen to these verses from 2 Kings 10:10:

[King Jehu speaking] “You can be sure that the message of the LORD that was spoken concerning Ahab’s family will not fail. The LORD declared through his servant Elijah that this would happen.”

God’s prophecy CAME TRUE!

This verse, written about events that took place SO VERY LONG AGO, has a message for us TODAY!

God’s Word endures forever!

His Word and His promises can be trusted!

All that He says will happen!

He is faithful. He never changes. And all things will work out, just as He declared, just as He planned, just as He promised!

The message of the Lord WILL NOT FAIL!

“Everything you have heard and seen is trustworthy and true…Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me…I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Revelation 22:6, 12-13)

“When in doubt, search God out!”

BIBLE "PICK 'EMS"

Back when my sons lived at home, we had this “tradition” when we went out to eat. Everyone usually ordered something different, so we would kinda “share” our meals. Or if you were done eating, someone might reach over and “finish” your food. (Incidentally, I didn’t really understand the whole “doggie bag” concept until those boys got past puberty. For several years there, EVERYONE was a member of the “Clean Plate Club!”) Anyway, we called our little practice – “pick ‘ems.”

For a couple of months now, I’ve been doing a version of that – I call it, “Bible Pick ‘Ems.” I know it probably isn’t spiritually “PC” to randomly open the Bible and expect to find a meaningful verse – it opens the door to the whole “out of context” dilemma. And...you might just find yourself in Leviticus!! But, I decided that I wanted to do this, along with my regular reading through the Bible. The way I figured it, I wasn’t “testing” God – in other words, “prove something to me, Lord” – but I was “trusting” God – “show something to me, Lord.” After all, don’t we know that His Word is living, breathing, and powerful?!

So, from time to time, I will be sharing my “Bible Pick ‘Ems” with you.

Today’s verse is 1 Samuel 30:6b:
“But David found strength in the LORD his God.”

David was literally running for his life at this point. He was surrounded by enemies, afraid, doubtful, overwhelmed – certainly not feeling like that boy who killed Goliath. BUT…he found strength in God – HIS God. God wasn’t just a name to David, or an abstract concept – No, the Lord was his PERSONAL God, his friend, his ally, his EVERYTHING.

Can’t you identify with David? How often do we feel surrounded by our enemies – our personal struggles and trials? How often do we feel afraid, doubtful, overwhelmed – are you like me…MOST DAYS?! But…where is our REAL source of strength, our ONLY source of strength? Isn’t it truly in the Lord – the Lord who is our PERSONAL God, our friend, our ally, our EVERYTHING?

So, I read this verse like this: “But (in spite of all the surrounding circumstances, the struggles and trials, the feelings) Sharon found strength in the Lord HER GOD!”

Do you?

"When in doubt, search God out!"