Journey Through Scripture

We have small groups at our church, which we call Community Groups. This year I am very blessed and humbled to have the privilege of leading one of these groups! The focus of these groups is to build community - become Family with each other, and to study the Bible. It is about so much more than just Bible study -- it is about the relationships we have and how we glorify God through those and help each other in our Faith Walks.

My group - I call it my CG, short for Community Group -- has two verses as our sort-of purpose statements. The first one is 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up. If we miss the mark on this one, we have totally missed the mark. Our study of Scripture will mean NOTHING if we cannot fulfill this verse. Our second verse is Job 34:4b Let us learn together what is good. The focus of the 'study' part of our group will be to read through the Bible together in a year. We have a reading plan that we will follow which consists of 365 daily readings from both the Old and New Testaments. Tonight will be our first get-together and tomorrow we will begin with Day 1. I am super excited!

So, what does all this  have to do with the blog?? Well, I am afraid that I will have far too many words on my heart for sharing in our time together. (Believe it or not, I am a talker! LOL) I want to hear what the other ladies are getting out of their reading. So, I am going to use the blog as a place for sharing my thoughts as I read through - a place where the ladies in the CG can come, read and be encouraged. Each time that the post is designed for our CG, the title of the post will say Journey Through Scripture. I will list what 'Day' reading we are on and I will also list the verses so that you can follow along with us.

May you each be blessed as you seek to know Him better! And let me encourage you in this: if you have not read your Bible yet today -- GO DO IT :)

God Bless ~ Shannon

Are You Upset??

I have had the opportunity to talk with some people recently who, in my opinion (take it for what you paid for it!), are offended. Their life does not look like what they want it to and they are upset. And these things that they are upset about are all things that are out of their control. Only God can be in control of these things. When life is disappointing, we have the right to be upset, don't we?  hmmm...

Let me ask you this -- Have you ever thought any of the following to yourself:

• I want a husband. Why doesn't God give me a husband? I wish He would just give me a husband. Look at her over there. She has a great husband and she isn't even nice to him. If I had a husband, I would treat him so much better than that. I deserve to have a husband so God should give me one.
• I want a baby. We love children and we would be great parents so God should give us a baby of our own. Why are they having another baby? They already have 2 (or 4 or whatever) so why is God giving them another baby and I don't have one at all. It's not fair!
• This area is where I should be doing ministry. I really want to do this area of ministry. Why won't the pastor let me be in this area of ministry? I feel that I would be good at this ministry. If I don't get to do this ministry then I'm just going to be sour about the ministry and the people who are involved!

But we have the right to be upset, don't we? hmmm.....
When John the Baptist was in prison, he sent his followers to ask Jesus if He was the Messiah or if they should wait for someone else (Matthew 11 & Luke 7). This was the same John who was the forerunner to Jesus' own ministry and who proclaimed 'Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!' (John 1:29). Of course John knew Jesus was the Messiah! So, why did he ask that question?

Well you see, Jesus' ministry didn't look like what anyone expected. John the Baptist certainly didn't expect that he was going to end up in prison. And while he was in prison, Jesus was out continuing His own ministry. The Bible doesn't say that Jesus visited John in prison. Do you think John felt forgotten by Jesus? He was sitting there in a dark and damp prison while Jesus continued performing miracles, healing people and bringing them into a relationship with God. But the Jesus who had the power to heal the lepers, the blind, the deaf and the lame, the Jesus who had the power to raise the dead, apparently didn't have the power to get John out of prison. Or at least that's how it seemed to John.

Here is a prayer that I think John the Baptist may have felt while in prison:

"Dear God, I've got a couple of things I'd like to talk over with you. I've got a couple of questions. You see, I have spent my entire life working for your Kingdom. From before I was born, I was chosen by You for my life's work. I have done what You called me to do - I pointed people to Your Son. And now, I am sitting in a dark, damp, lonely prison cell and that same Son hasn't even come to visit me! I sit here hungry, tired, cold and sore and meanwhile, He is out healing people! Why doesn't He come get me out of this situation? I guess Lord, what it boils down to is this: My life doesn't look like what I thought it would, so are You the real deal? Or not?"      a possible prayer of John the Baptist while he was in prison

And do you know how Jesus answered John's disciples when they came and posed that question? He said 
'Blessed is he who is not offended because of me.' (Matthew 11:6) Yes, John the Baptist was offended. He wanted things to look like what he thought they should look like. But do we really have the right to be upset when things look different then what we think they should look like? We think to ourselves, 'I deserve to be upset about his'.

Jesus was beaten and tortured even though He was perfectly sinless. He never spoke up and demanded His own rights. He never spoke up and said, "I am upset AND I have the right to be!"

So I just wonder, are we trying to live the life we would choose or the life that God has chosen? 

Do we trust Him enough to let go of the offense and surrender to His plan?

His Way Or My Way?

What if you could get what you wanted but in order to do so, you would have to be out of God's will for your life? Would you do it? What would you do to get your own way? And would the sacrifice be worth it?

When we were on our vacation in New Hampshire we played a game called 'Would You Rather?' Essentially you are given two choices and you must pick one of the two. So, I'm going to give you my own version of 'Would You Rather?' today.

Would you rather:

Get Your Own Way

OR

Be In God's Will For Your Life?

You MUST choose one. You cannot always have it both ways. (Yes there will be times when these two choices line up with each other).

Is what we want really more important than what God wants? How near-sighted we are when we are upset and disappointed that things in this life aren't going the way we want. If the thing we wanted would accomplish God's will, then OF COURSE  He would give it to us!! Like a loving Father, He doesn't withhold ANY good thing from us.So why are we so bogged down with depression, sadness, wanting what other people have? Why is it that we have such a hard time with TRUST? Can't we see that God has our best interest at heart?


God's ways are so much higher than our ways. He sees the end from the beginning. He has promised me that He will NEVER leave me or forsake me (Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:5). He has promised that He has plans for me to prosper and to give me a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

Shouldn't I be trusting in that instead of doubting??

PS -  Here's a preview of this week's Week In Review post:

Sacrifice

Earlier this week I came to the end of reading 2 Samuel. At the very end of the book, David is making a sacrifice to atone for sin in his life. He is bringing his relationship with God back to where it should be. When David, as King of Israel, goes to purchase the land for building an alter to sacrifice on, the man who owns the field tries to give it to him, since he is the King. But David says to him,

"No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." 2 Samuel 24:24

 So, I wondered, is my sacrifice costing me something? David was speaking in financial terms but sometimes a sacrifice can be costly but not monetary. 

What has your offering to the Lord cost you? What is is costing you now? Maybe the price is:

• Not complaining.  (Philippians 2:14) What if we went through life with a cheerful attitude, even when it's difficult? What if we looked for the good in our circumstances, even when we don't want to.
• Contentment in any circumstances (Philippians 4:12) Instead of wishing for our lives to be different, why not look for ways to grow and be better people right where we are?
• Dying to yourself and living for God (Matthew 16:24-26) If you are going to live a life that matters for the Kingdom of God, He will ask you at some point to make a choice between Him and His path for your life and the path of your own choosing. Which will you choose? Which have you chosen?

Jesus paid a sacrifice that cost Him His life.

I want to challenge you to look at your life. Are you willing to take that challenge? Really look at it. And see if you are just giving 'lip-service' to being a Christian or are you really living like one. If you really want to live for God, if you really want to live by your Bible, you will be able to see the areas where you have sacrificed and the areas where you are working on it. I know that for me, dealing with my pride is a sacrifice that I work on making on a daily basis. I would in no way say that I am finished in this area, but I work daily at it. And it is a sacrifice for me!

I would like to share a story here with you about a woman that I know who made a great sacrifice. This woman is my sister Sarah. Here is a picture of the two of us together:

First off, she is one of the most Faithful people I know! She has an amazing testimony of physical sickness and of God's Faithfulness in healing her! To say that she greatly desires to have a child of her own, would be an understatement! About 10 years ago, she and her husband tried to adopt a little boy and it didn't turn out well for them in the end. But she is NOT bitter at God. She presses on! She still claims God's promises in His Word for her life. She is a woman of Praise and of Prayer! She is an inspiration to many people! I would love to have you 'hop' on over to her blog and read her story of letting go of her little boy. I pray that you are encouraged by it.

Saying Good-bye

God Bless ~ Shannon

PS - Joy Is Found In Him is now on Facebook! You can find us HERE.

Random Thoughts On Grace

 The photos in today's post are brought to you courtesy of: My Vacation To New Hampshire.

The post about God's grace being sufficient caused me to wonder what does it mean to have God's grace in/on your life. If someone were a new Christian, they might not understand what that post was about.

So I took down some notes about grace that came to mind. For me, it means having the Presence of God with me.  It means that I have His guidance for my daily decisions. I can draw on His peace and His forgiveness and fill my life with those and I can then pass those on to others. I receive God's blessings on my life and those too flow over to bless other people. I cannot pass something on to someone else that I do not have myself.

I can tell you this, if you knew me years ago and then knew me now, you would see an incredible change in me! I have let go of so much anger and bitterness, anxiety and worry and the need to be in control. I have so much peace now - God's peace - and there were many times in the past when I thought I would Never know what peace really was!! His peace is so amazing to me! It really does pass all understanding (Philippians 4:7). I have peace now when my circumstances say that I shouldn't. I am so grateful to Him for that!!

I would say that the definition of Grace is Unmerited Favor. I do not deserve God's forgiveness but He gives it to me anyway. I certainly did nothing to earn God's favor but that too, He freely gives to me. (Ephesians 2:8-9)  These two things, His forgiveness and His favor, should cover everything that I do. Receiving His grace also gives me a well of strength that I can draw from in any situation.  I know that in times of waiting, I need to draw out of this well. James 1:4 says: Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Waiting always has a purpose. I can also draw from this well when I am in need of giving forgiveness. Colossians 3:13 tells me to Forgive as the Lord forgave me. In my natural self, I am not patient and I do not forgive easily. These are two areas where I need His help. 

I also think that Grace means that I am not Condemned. Therefore, there is now NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 I was Completely Forgiven when I accepted Christ as my Savior. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross covers me for all time!! Yes, I still need to confess, but not because I need to alert God to the wrongs that I have done. He already knows what I have done, ans also what I will do in the future. Confession is to bring me into a closer, more intimate relationship with Him and so that I can let it go and not give the devil a foothold by which to try to convince me that I am condemned. God does not condemn me so I should not condemn myself. I also should not condemn others. When I allow other people to be forgiven as well, I am showing them God's Grace, through me. With His help, I can accomplish this.

This is by no means an exhaustive idea of grace. If you were to search the Bible for what it says about grace, I am sure you would get much more than this. (This entire post was actually written off the top of my head without doing any studying, so I apologize if it feels scatter-brained!) Hmm, could be a future blog post? So, what would you say that grace is? What does it look like in your life?

Is His Grace Really Enough?

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9

 Have you ever heard a song or watched a movie or read something that you have done many, many times before only to have it appear fresh to you on that particular day??

The other day I heard the song Your Grace Is Enough by Chris Tomlin. Now, I have heard this song probably hundreds of times. It is on my favorite Chris Tomlin CD (Arriving), we sing it in church, it's on my iPod. I know all the lyrics by heart. But this day somehow, the line that says Your grace is enough for me really stood out to me and I wondered -- Is it enough? Is it really enough?? I started to think of different circumstances where it might NOT be enough - things I have gone through and things that my friends and family are going through now. Is His grace REALLY enough to get us through those situations?? Who of us would answer that His grace is insufficient? I'm not sure that I know too many people who would answer that it is not. And yet, isn't that how we treat His grace by our behaviors? Don't we all have doubts - times where we lack a trust in His grace and His provision? Don't we doubt that the job will come through? Don't we fear when the bills come in? Do we trust when illness strikes? We struggle with depression, anxiety, addictions. All of these behaviors say that we don't believe that His grace is enough.

So, I wonder, if we truly recognized that His grace IS sufficient enough to carry us through anything:

•  would we have more peace?
• would we have more joy?
• would we be less stressed?
• would that be what it looks like to 'live by faith and not by sight'? (2 Corinthians 5:7)

I lived for many years with anxiety, fear and doubt. I didn't know how to trust God. It was scary to let go of that junk because I didn't know what I would have in place of it. I had absolutely no idea how wonderful His grace really was to receive!! How freeing it is to place my burdens at His feet and to trust that He will take care of them. I no longer need to worry! Praise God!!

And this whole wondering left me with an overwhelming sense that YES, IT IS ENOUGH!  My faith was strengthened by having followed that train of thought and realizing that there is not a situation on Earth where His grace would not be enough for me! There is absolutely NOTHING that could happen to me that He would not be there with me and for me. I am never abandoned, never alone! I am never left helpless and therefore I am NEVER HOPELESS!! What a comforting feeling that is!!

Another Visit From Mary & Martha

 Last night, the story of Mary and Martha came up again as I was doing the devotion with the kids.(If you are new to the blog or just want a refresher, you can read my previous post about Mary and Martha HERE.)  I have included the passage from Luke chapter 10 below for you to read for yourself:

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
   “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,  but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

I was seeing some Martha behavior at the dinner table and after we read the story together, they saw it too. I asked each of them to share what they saw in the story. Colin always has an interesting point of view. This wasn't a 'profound' insight but I guess what makes it interesting to me is that he doesn't want to have anything to do with reading the Bible and yet he will come out with some great insights. (He is 12, by the way). He said that Martha was only interested in work but Mary was interested in Jesus. I guess when you boil it down to it's basic story, this is true. I haven't seen Martha in that light in a long time. It's nice to see a story through fresh eyes! Zoe didn't really see anything in the story. I think really, what she saw was herself and she wasn't thrilled. But who of us has not looked in the mirror and seen Martha staring back at one time or another (Or in my case - DAILY!!)

Here's what I saw this time around. Mary had her focus on Jesus. He even said of her that she had chosen what was better. But Martha, her own sister, criticized her choice! She was criticized!! For choosing to worship!! By someone who also knew Jesus!! When I realized that, it kind of blew me away! And I wondered, how often are we on a path that we know, beyond the shadow of a doubt is the path that God has for us, and yet our choice draws out critics from every direction. It's true that sometimes it comes from acquaintances but more often then not, our biggest and toughest critics are those that are closest to us. And I was curious to note Mary's reaction to her critic - NOTHING! She didn't allow herself to get sidetracked by the feelings that the criticism must have evoked. She didn't allow herself to get sidetracked by defending her actions. She never said a word! AND JESUS PRAISED HER FOR IT!! He praised her actions but He was also praising that way that she handled the situation. 


How often are we the ones that are the critics? Are we supportive of someone who is on the path that God has for them or do we try to derail them? I know I have done it. And how often do we do it to other believers? I'm not talking about stopping someone from going down a self-destructive path here. I'm talking about people who are living for the Lord. Friends, let us not treat each other this way!


Or how often do we allow ourselves to get sidetracked? Mary wasn't sidetracked and SHE GOT PRAISED! I want that! I want His praise over my choices and my life!! I admit, I am very easily sidetracked. This is something that I have realized lately that I need to work harder on.


Gracious and Loving Heavenly Father, I came to You and confess that I am easily distracted by the cares and concerns of this life.  I ask for your power in my life today that I may be more focused on You and less susceptible to being distracted and sidetracked. I know I cannot do it own my own but I trust in Your guidance for my life. In Jesus Name, Amen

Thoughts On Deuteronomy 8

I was recently reading the book of Deuteronomy and several things in chapter 8 popped out at me. I thought I would share them with you :) 
Now, first off, remember the context in which these verses are written. The Israelites as a nation, are ending their 40 year period of wandering in the desert and are about to cross the Jordan River to take possession of the Promised Land. We will only look at the first 5 verses. 

verse 1: Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the LORD promised on oath to your forefathers.  
Obedience to God brings rewards from God - the fulfillment of promises. Like a loving Father, He rewards us when we heed His guidelines for our lives. 

verse 2: Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 
This is a caution to the Israelites not to forget what God has done for them in the past. Your past with God can be one of your biggest faith builders!! When I look back over the posts that I have written in the last month, my strength and my faith really amaze me! Honestly they do! You would think that I knew what my faith looks like since I live with it day in and day out, but in the midst of trials, your mind can be clouded by emotions. It has been wonderful for me to have this blog and to be able to go back and see how God has kept me in His care and in His safety!! 

verse 3: He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. 
God creates in you a need - a hunger - that only He can fulfill. And then when we come before Him and acknowledge that need, then He fills it. And all this is done to teach us something. It may be to teach us something about ourselves or something about God and His character. God uses our physical world to teach us Spiritual lessons. 

verse 4: Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.  Ok, that is just amazing, isn't it??
God provides for our every need - our material needs, our physical needs and our Spiritual needs! I think this verse is also a reminder for the Israelites not to forget how God had provided for them in the past and to assure them of His future provisions. 

verse 5: Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you. 
God allows circumstances to come into our lives to mold us to better reflect His character. This is part of how He cleanses us from our 'junk' - our sin. 

I pray that you are each reading your Bible on your own. You cannot expect to have a real relationship with God if your aren't reading His Word. I encourage each of you to get into the Word for yourselves and see what kind of treasures you discover there! And be sure to come back and share them with me!!

What Is Your Culture? --Numbers 33 - Part 2

This post is a continuation of the book of Numbers, chapter 33. If you have not yet read part 1, you can do so HERE.

Not only were the Israelites not allowed to have a *comfort zone* during these 40 years of wondering in the desert, I believe that God did not want them to get comfortable in any of the surrounding cultures. They had been very comfortable in Egyptian culture. They were so comfortable in it, in fact, that while Moses was on Mount Sinai, they, along with Aaron, their priest, melted down all of their gold and molded it into a golden calf and worshiped it! (See Exodus 32). This part of the story is always so fascinating to me!! They knew that they were God's chosen people. They had had front row seats to the miracles of God, including the parting of the Red Sea!! Can you even imagine crossing on the sea floor and having it be dry?! And then Pharaoh and his men, with all their horses and chariots, are washed over with the water and you have made it safe to the other side?? This must've been amazing to be a part of!! But not long after these events, they started back in with Egyptian culture - the customs and religious practices. I just feel like screaming at them 'WHY?? Why would you do that??' I think that that is one of those mysteries in the Bible that I may never know the answer to. Or maybe, every day, I have the opportunity to see the Hand of God at work and still everyday, I choose to worship something else. We all do it. It is part of being human. But I don't have to accept that. I can get up each morning when His mercies are new, and get a fresh start to try again. What an awesome God we serve!!

A while back at our youth group, we watched a video series about 6 or 8 teenagers. These teens traveled around the country and met different people who are doing big things for God. One of the places that they went was Atlanta. While there, they learned alot about Martin Luther King Jr. and his work and his belief that we could all be one people - without segregation. They met a man in Atlanta (sorry, I do not know his name) who asked them what their culture was. Some of the teens could answer very easily while others struggled to know how to define that. He explained that your culture is different than your nationality. Within America, we may all be the same nationality but we have many different cultures. I grew up in New England but I have friends from the South and they have a different way of viewing life. Someone from New York City would obviously have a very different culture than a farmer from Kansas or someone from Texas. So, at the end of challenging these teens to answer the question for themselves, he told them this: I am a Christian who happens to be a black man. I am not a black man who happens to be a Christian. Do you see the difference?? The culture he most closely identified himself with was The Kingdom of God. (Not to mention, that he didn't say anything about his nationality!) He said that we should all have a mindset of Kingdom Culture. Philippians 3:20 says that our citizenship is in heaven and we are eagerly awaiting a Savior from there. Are we acting like we are just visitors here? Do we view ourselves as having a citizenship in heaven and having a Kingdom culture?

So, let me ask you today? Who's culture are you following? Who's culture are you choosing to participate in?

Thank you for reading! If you enjoy the blog or know of someone who might, then please pass this on to them. And may the Lord bless you all as you seek to know Him better!

Are You In Your Comfort Zone? -- Numbers 33 - Part 1

First, a little background information: Israel, as a nation, as been lead out of Egypt by God. They are on their way to the Promised Land. God absolutely intends to bring that promise to fulfillment but because of their sin and their disobedience, they wander in the dessert for 40 years. For many years the whole wandering thing was very confusing to me. Why would God do that? It just didn't make any sense. But the more I read the Bible and build my relationship with God, the easier it is for me - I mean the sin and consequence part. But I think that may be another post for another time :)

The 33rd chapter of Numbers chronicles all the stops that the Israelites made during the 40 year period of wandering. The list begins at Ramses, which is in Egypt and ends with the death of Aaron, Moses' brother and the High Priest. During that time, the Israelites made 33 encampments in 40 years!! Just stop and think about that for a minute. WOW! They stopped and set up a *home* 33 times in 40 years! How did they know when to set up camp and when to set out from camp? This was a group of about 2 million people. How do you direct a group that size about when to move and when to stop?

Take a look at what I found back in chapter 9. Verses 17 - 19 say this:

Whenever the cloud lifted from above the tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. At the LORD’s command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the LORD’s order and did not set out. 

Isn't that interesting?? Only God could direct a group this large and have success. Can you imagine all the arguments that would have broken out if a mere man were trying to lead this group, even if that man was as well respected as Moses? That is an average *stop and rest* time of only 1 year and 2 1/2 months! How many of us have moved every year? Except some stops weren't even the length of a full year. So how long did each of these rest-stops last? Let's continue on in chapter 9, verses 20 - 23

Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the LORD’s command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. At the LORD’s command they encamped, and at the LORD’s command they set out. They obeyed the LORD’s order, in accordance with his command through Moses. 

Would you say that that is an interesting way to live? They never knew from one day to the next if they would be staying or packing up and going. I can imagine that it would feel very unsettling, the not knowing. I am way to much of a control person to live like this. I don't like surprises and I want to know the plans ahead of time. I can feel for them being in this situation! But in this way of life, God was showing them their need to be dependent on Him but He was also showing them that He was worthy of their dependence; that He would not let them down.

So what does all this have to do with us today you might ask. We are New Testament Believers. We don't live in tents. We don't have God directing us with clouds. So what can we learn from this passage?

• First, the Israelites were not allowed to get comfortable in any of their surroundings. The *comfort zone* is not a part of God's plan. I haven't found anyone yet in the Bible whom God was trying to use that He did not stretch beyond their comfort zone. I'm sorry if that's not what you wanted to hear but if you want to be used by God, you're probably going to have to get out of your Easy Chair. 

I can see back over the course of even the last year, that God has brought about circumstances in my life that I would never have predicted. He has given me opportunities to grow as a person that I simply would not have chosen on my own. Last winter, He moved the pastor of our church and his family from Maine to Alabama. No one saw that coming but I can see that because they were willing to head His calling, that many people in Maine and in Alabama have been blessed.

So, I guess if I want to be used by God (and I do) then I had better keep my *moving shoes* laced up and be ready! He could choose to move me out of my comfort zone at any time!

May He bless you all today as you seek to know Him better!

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How I Read The Bible (The First Time)

 The title of this post is past tense. It's how I read it, not how I'm reading it now :)

I have had a lot of people - ladies, really - ask me over the last year or so how do I read the Bible. I know this seems like an odd question, and at first it was a little weird for me, but when I started to just let people talk and ramble about it, I soon found out what it was that they were really trying to ask me. At first glance the answer seems simple. How do you read a book? You open it and read it, right? But the Bible isn't just any book, it is God letter to us. It needs to be read prayerfully and with commitment. So, I thought I would share with you my thoughts and experiences with how I read it the first time. I am hoping that you will be encouraged to read it too!

The one thing that I hear people say often when they talk about their struggle to read the Bible is:

It's confusing or hard to understand. Yes parts of it are confusing especially since it is set in a culture that is so different from our own. This is where the prayerful part is necessary. The Holy Spirit will give you understanding as you apply yourself to reading (John 14:26). Another thing that will help in your understanding is simply to continue reading it! I know this sounds odd. If I don't understand this part, how can I move onto the next part, right? But it all goes together. It is all one story and you will find as you go along that you will get answers and understanding in another part of the Bible. This is also why it is important to read it more than once.


 So, how did I do it? You can go online and find numerous Bible reading plans that are free. If you search on Google for 'Bible reading plan' then you will get a number of options. Please don't get overwhelmed by this and let it become a distraction for you!! You can also buy special Bibles that are set up with reading plans in them. But here is how I did it:

•  The first thing I did was to commit myself to it. This is a big undertaking and is not to be taken lightly. It will require commitment. I knew that there would be times when I just didn't feel like reading and this commitment would be the difference between this time and all the other times that I had tried and not succeeded.
• Then I prayed. Yes, perhaps prayer should have come first but I really needed to 'set my mind' on it first (Colossians 3:2). In this prayer, I first told God that I was committing myself to read it. Then I asked for the Holy Spirit to strengthen and enable me to keep that commitment. I knew I couldn't do it with His help. Each day I would pray before I read 'Lord, speak to me out of Your word today'.  This seemed to help alot.
• I didn't start with Genesis but rather I started with the New Testament. The Old Testament was intimidating to me so I started with the book of Matthew and then read through to Revelation. Many people believe that you need to start a book at the beginning but remember that the Bible isn't just any book. I felt that I needed some success under my belt before I attempted the Old Testament.
• We have a bookshelf at church with free Bibles on it. During my time reading the New Testament, I found a Chronological Bible on the shelf and took it home. I started to read this one as well my original one. I had a bookmark in each book. The Chronological Bible has devotional type insights that I thought would be helpful to me in understanding and also it condenses anything that is covered multiple times so that you only read it once. I felt that this would be especially helpful when reading all those Old Testament laws!!
• Then Pastor Chris said we would be reading the book of Proverbs together as a church. Ok cool! There are 31 chapters so we all read a chapter a day and found one verse that we felt was speaking to us and kept a journal of it. On Sundays we would share what spoke to us that week, in addition to Chris teaching us out of that week's readings. This is the point that I'll talk about something that some of you may be wondering about: What version of the Bible should I be reading? Well, I am not going to tell you what you should be reading. That is between you and God. Seek His answer for you, not mine. When I started in the New Testament, it was in the King James version. The Chronological one was the NIV. Then I purchased a devotional Bible that was the New King James. As a family, we did the Proverbs study in the NIV Study Bible. At this point I was about 4 months into my commitment to read the Bible. It was at this time that the Lord really started to speak to me. Almost everyday, I was seeing something in my Bible that popped off the page at me! It was so exciting!! And I also think that it was at this point that my addiction began. This was when I started to carry a Bible around with me and also began to make the pocket verse cards.
• Then I got stuck. Yup, it happened. I had finished the New Testament. In the Chronological Bible I was up to 1 Chronicles. I was still reading everyday, but I was not continuing in my journey through the Bible. This stuckness lasted a couple of months. I didn't let it get me upset and after a time, I started back in again. I decided to just read 1 chapter a day through the 'dry' stuff. Some days I read more and some days I didn't but I felt like I was making progress. (At this point I had abandoned the Chronological Bible and my King James and was exclusively reading the NIV Study Bible).
• Then as I started to come through books like Jeremiah (AWESOME by the way!!) and Ezekiel, I started to see that the end was in sight! Since I had started with Matthew, I would end with Malachi. I had started this journey of reading in March of 2010 and it was now February of 2011. My passion really started to ignite! God was really speaking to me no matter what page I was reading from! I even started to write a Bible Study. So, I just read and read and finally on April 26, 2011 I finished it!! It was such a great read!! I would highly recommend it to anyone!! I can't tell you how many verses that I came across that I already knew - like Jeremiah 29:11 'For I know that plans I have for you' declares the Lord. 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.' I have heard this verse so many times and have even used it for encouragement but I had never read it in context. Now it took on a whole new meaning to me!!

I just want to encourage each of you to make the commitment and to just start reading. Pray for guidance and understanding as you read. I promise, you will be blessed for your effort!!
May the Lord bless you all as you seek to know Him better!

My Birthday Message :)

The message that I want to share regarding the week-end will make more sense I think, if you understand how the Lord has been working on my heart over the last few weeks. My birthday was in May and the following is something that I wrote on the evening of my birthday.

I really felt this week that I needed to re-commit my life to Jesus today, to start my new year with a fresh commitment to Him! I just really wanted to share the verse that the Lord gave me this morning. I don't think it was a coincidence that it was my birthday when He gave this to me.


Exodus 29. The context: God is instructing Moses in the Consecration of the Priests - Aaron and his sons. The verse the Lord gave me is 18:
Then burn the entire ram on the alter. It is a burnt offering to the Lord, a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the Lord by fire.


Now, I know you must be like HUH?? When I shared it with Matt, he was very puzzled!


The first thing that struck me about this verse is that it is an offering made to the Lord by fire. Are the trials of my life like this offering? My life during trials could be an offering made to the Lord by fire. The fire refines us, purifies us. What if I viewed the struggles of my life, or rather, my life DURING trials as an offering to the Lord? My offering to Him is my life in the midst of the fire. This would be a life that is *under fire* so to speak. I think it's safe to say that we've all felt that way before.
Second - a burnt offering is a pleasing aroma to the Lord. What a great thought to know that as I am being refined in the fire, as my impurities are being burned away, that this is a pleasing aroma to God!! Do I resist the fire? Do I try to avoid trials and challenges? If the burning off of my junk is a pleasing aroma to the Lord, then I certainly shouldn't be running from it. I WANT my life to be a pleasing aroma to the Lord!! I want my offering made by fire to please Him!! Therefore, my life pleases Him as I am refined and my junk is stripped away!! Oh, I just love Him so much!!
The last thing that I noted in this verse was that the ENTIRE ram was burned on the alter, NONE of it was held back. The entire ram was dedicated to God! (In the context, 1 bull and 2 rams are sacrificed and this is the ONLY one that is entirely placed on the alter!) So, I wonder, am I holding back from God? Is my ENTIRE life placed on the alter? The fire cannot refine the parts that are not placed on the alter, yet it is the refining that is a pleasing aroma to the Lord! I want to live my life Completely Dedicated to Him, holding nothing back, placing it ALL on the alter!! I believe that this is what He wants, this is what pleases Him. I just love Him so much for the work that He has done in my life over the last few months! All I want to do is Worship Him!!

Thank you all for coming along side me on my journey of faith ♥ May God Bless each of you as you seek to know Him better ♥

The other thing that I did for my birthday was to choose a Theme Song for the year. It's Jeremy Camp's Completely Unrestrained. You can listen to it HERE.