Lessons from the Gym

"You going to the gym today?"  This was a frequent question around my parents' house this summer while we were vacationing in America.  For my husband's birthday, I bought him, my mom, and myself a one month gym membership. While exercising, I couldn't help but think of Paul's saying how "bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come" (I Timothy 4:8).  In I Corinthians he talks again about disciplining his body in order to lead the life that he should live (9:27).  I believe that one reason he uses this terminology in relation to our Christian walk is that it is easy to make parallels between the physical discipline of exercise and the spiritual disciplines.  Looking back on that month of exercise, I learned some lessons that apply to my Bible reading as well as to other areas of my spiritual life.

Acts 8:The Ethiopian

Have you ever been discouraged in your Bible reading because you just don't understand what you are reading?  If you are anything like me, you might be tempted to give up on your reading when you get to a section like this.  When I recently read Acts 8, I had a thought about these difficult sections.

In Acts 8, Luke introduces us to a man from Ethiopia.  This man is sitting in his chariot reading from the book of Isaiah.  He doesn't understand what he is reading.  Philip is lead by the Spirit to go up to  the man.  He asks him if he understands.  The man responds, that he can't understand if he doesn't have someone to explain it to him.  Even though he didn't have anybody to explain it to him, he kept reading (Acts 8:28-31).  

Sometimes I feel like the Ethiopian.  I think I need someone to explain things from the scriptures to me.  I need to be more like this man and persevere in my reading even when I don't understand.  I believe often when we do this the Spirit puts something or someone in our path to help us understand.  Even if this doesn't happen, we can still rest assured that what we are reading still comes from Him and is still profitable for us (2 Timothy 3:16).   What helps you persevere in your reading through the difficult places? Please share your thoughts below.

Jane

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), Copyright(c) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Thank You

Dear Readers, 

Thank you so much for your patience this last year as I shared my reading journey with you.  I can now say that I have read all the way through the Bible.  I agree with comments that Melissa has made before that there are many ways to read the Bible; being in the Word is what we need most. David says in Psalms 119:4-5: "You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.  Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees."  It was long past time for me to complete what I had begun many times.  I couldn't have done it without the encouragement and accountability that came from posting on here.   I know this because I have tried and failed in this more times than I can count.  

I would love to hear what you all have been reading in the Bible lately.  Perhaps this will help give me direction as to where to go from here.  For those of you that want to read through but never have been able to, don't give up.  Find a plan that you like, find an accountability buddy, and let us know on here how it is going.  Looking forward to hearing how the word is touching your lives.  

Sincerely, 

Jane

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), Copyright(c) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

The Prophets and Me

eturn

My reading recently took me through the prophets.  The prophets have never been my favorite material to peruse, and I must admit that there was more that I didn't understand than what I did. However, I did pull out a few pearls of truth and wisdom from these final books of the Old Testament.  This week I would like to share a few random thoughts from that reading before moving on to the New Testament next week.  These ideas come from several of the Lord's prophets.

First, Ezekiel got my attention by saying, "When they came to the nations where they went, they profaned My holy name, because it was said of them, 'These are the people of the Lord; yet they have come out of His land'" (Ezekiel 36:20).  As I read these words, I couldn't help but wonder how many times people look at my life and say, "if she is a Christian, why did she do that."  Every time this happens, I am guilty of making God look bad just as the Israelites were.  People are watching us to see if our actions match up with our words of love and faithfulness to the savior.  They notice every time they don't.  

Shepherding the Flock

<< Return

Normally when we consider what the Bible has to say about shepherds or elders we think of the New Testament.  Ezekiel is certainly not the first book that comes to most of our minds.  I was very surprised when reading Ezekiel chapter 34. Although this section of scripture is a prophecy against the shepherds of Israel, it not only reminded me of what a serious and difficult job today's elders have, but also of their humanity and the Good Shepherd's perfection.  

Mind the Gap

"Mind the gap".  This phrase first impressed me while riding the London subway on my first ever overseas-trip.  Mostly it stuck in my mind because I wondered why they didn't just say "watch your step."  Thanks to my recent reading of Ezekiel, when I ride the subway now and see a similar sign, I am struck by an entirely different thought.  

In the book of Ezekiel, the Lord warns of the impending judgment on Jerusalem.  In Chapter 22, He talks of all that He has against the city.  In verses 30 and 31, God says, "I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.  Thus I have poured out My indignation on them."  This verse broke my heart thinking of all the people around me that are falling into the gap. 

Just like in Ezekiel's day, we are told in Matthew 25 that Jesus will return one day to judge the world.  In Mark 16:15, Jesus commands His followers to, "Go into all the World and preach the gospel to all creation."  In essence, He is calling each one of us to stand in the gap between Him and the world.  He doesn't want any to perish (2 Peter 3:9), but so many don't know him.  If we refuse to "mind the gap" then they will suffer.  

Considering Helene's post yesterday, I won't ask you what you have done lately to "stand in the gap," but I ask you to think about it.  Perhaps as we seek this week to do good in secret we can all reach out to a neighbor and try and pull them from the gap. 

Jane

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), Copyright(c) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Questions

Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;

The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.

Proverbs 22:15

Making Vows

Have you ever read something and believed that it merited further thought, but the ideas in it were just too horrific for deeper consideration?  Earlier this year I read such a story in Judges 11 concerning a man named Jephthah who makes a rash vow.  I considered writing an article about it at that time, but just couldn't do it.  Recently I was reading Proverbs 20:25 which says, "It is a trap for a man to say rashly, 'It is holy!' And after the vows to make inquiry."  When I read these words, this story came back to haunt me, and I just couldn't let it go this time.  In this blog, I'll first briefly summarize this chapter then discuss how these ideas apply to us.

Someone Needs What You Have to Say

I am having trouble writing today's blog.  I feel that there is something that needs said, but what is alluding me.  I have started writing several times and nothing seems right today.  I looked back over at Psalms 139 and thought about how even when we feel so lost and alone that God knows us.  In a recent comment related to another Psalms post, Helene pointed out all of the verbs in the Psalm.  I thought about doing this here:  He has searched me, He knows when I do everything, He understands my thoughts, He scrutinizes my path, He is acquainted with my ways, He knows the words on my tongue, He encloses me behind and before, He lays His hand upon me, His hand leads me, His right hand lays hold of me, He formed me, He skillfully wrought me, His eyes have seen even my unformed substance.  I thought about talking about how we are never alone.  He is intimately acquainted with us.  I thought about pointing out how we might feel misunderstood by others, but God knows everything about us.  He knows us even better than we know ourselves.  

How Does God Work in the World Today?

How does God work in the world today?  People have very different opinions about this.  Of course the nonbeliever says He doesn't work at all, but even within the faith community there is tremendous variance to this question.  

Opening Our Ears

 Psalms 95

O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord,

Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.

 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving,

Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God

And a great King above all gods,

 In whose hand are the depths of the earth,

The peaks of the mountains are His also.

The sea is His, for it was He who made it,

And His hands formed the dry land.

 Come, let us worship and bow down,

Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

For He is our God,

And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.

Today, if you would hear His voice,

 Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,

As in the day of Massah in the wilderness,

 "When your fathers tested Me,

They tried Me, though they had seen My work.

 "For forty years I loathed that generation,

And said they are a people who err in their heart,

And they do not know My ways.

 "Therefore I swore in My anger,

Truly they shall not enter into My rest."

I have always loved this Psalm, or perhaps I should say I really like the song that goes with these verses.  Not only do I love the beat of the song, but I really appreciate the words that the psalmist penned.  There are so many great mental images represented here.  The chapter starts out with the idea that the Lord is the rock of our salvation.  I can't help but think of the wise man that built his house upon the rock and when the storms came his foundation stood firm (Matthew 7:23-25).  He truly is our unshakable foundation that stands firm through all of life's challenges.

The God Who Avenges

I have said before that the Psalms aren't my favorite reading; however, I have gotten more out of reading them this time than ever before.  As I have read this time, I have really been trying to keep in mind David's life.  This was particularly helpful when reading the 94th Psalm.  This is a prayer of David asking for the God of vengeance to shine forth.  

Hermeneutics 101

Welcome to Hermeneutics 101.  Come on in and take a seat.  Hermen who? you might ask.  Yeah, I think I know him.  This is not a person.  It is the art and science of how we approach our study of the Bible.  When I was recently reading Psalms 127, I was reminded of a very basic principle of hermeneutics.

Do Not Love the Vile

"He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight" (Ephesians 1:4).   

Often when we think about living holy and blameless lives, we think about what we should abstain from, sexual immorality and being drunk just to name a few.  When the Psalmist interpreted this idea for himself, and us, in the 101st chapter, he set the bar even higher.   In verse two he starts out by saying that he would "be careful to lead a blameless life."  In verse three he continues with one way in which he would fulfill this ideal for himself when he states, "I will not look with approval on anything that is vile."

Closer to Him

I assume that since you are reading this blog, you have a desire to be close to God. Sometimes we all struggle to know exactly how to do this. There are many places in the Bible that we can go in order to gain some insight into this question. I believe that the 90th Psalm is one such place.

A Plan and an Insight

Those of you who have been following my Tuesday reading journey know that ever since early fall, I have really been struggling with my daily Bible reading.  I started out in July on a schedule and at first did pretty well following it.  As I got further and further behind on that path, I began to get discouraged to the point of nearly giving up. At one point, I decided that I had to just quit trying to keep on a preset schedule and just read.  However, that hasn't been working well for me either.  I really need the discipline and accountability of a plan.

Short and Not So Sweet

In James 5:16 we are told, "therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another," and John adds that "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9).  I know that God wants me to draw near to Him (James 4:8) and that the best way to do this is through reading and prayer.  James also tells me that when I know the good that I ought to do and don't do it, this is sin (James 4:17).

I continue to struggle in my reading.  I did listen to I and II Peter a day or two after the last post but nothing grabbed me with which to write, and here I need to confess that I haven't read since then.  Tuesdays are about my journey and right now I need some encouragement on my path.  We are told in I Thessalonians to "encourage one another, and build up one another" (I Thessalonians 5:11).  This is your opportunity to do that.    Please post below what helps you stay on track with your reading, or get back on track when you are struggling.  Thanks for your assistance this week.    

Jane

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), Copyright(c) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. 

Is My Tongue a Fire?

During our Sunday worship time, we discussed the beginning of James.  Yesterday, I decided to listen to James on my new iPad.  Over and over again as James came back to different ideas related to the tongue, I just kept saying ouch, ouch, ouch.  James does a lot of contrasting between the way we should be using our mouths for good, and how many of us abuse the use of this part of our body.  

Accountability in Resolutions

Happy New Year.  Today I want to continue on the New Year's theme and build some on Helene's post from yesterday.  Whether talking about sin that needs repented of or a goal that we are resolving to accomplish, I believe that one reason that we fail in bringing about the desired change is our lack of accountability to each other.  

Making Substitutions

1 egg
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie