Liv
Extracts of Truth & Encouragement from a Growth Journey with God
Welcome, Peace!
“Welcome!” We see it everywhere we enter, from front door mats and entrances to shops…to emails we open after we’ve signed up for something. We talked last post about peace being near. You may be saying, “I don’t feel at peace.” So, let’s dig into why…and how we can welcome and experience this peace.
“And the peace of God, Who is greater than every mind, will keep your hearts and your minds by Yeshua The Messiah.”
Philippians 4:7 ABPE
This verse says that Jesus, the Messiah, is not only near, but He guards (or keeps) our hearts (the main location for what we think and what drives us) and our minds (including all that transpires from what we think). We have the peace of God, assuring us of His protection. If you have accepted Jesus as the payment for your sins, His sacrifice makes you at peace with God the Father. Once you’ve done this, He’s with you! “Check.” You’ve done this? So, why, then, does peace still feel so far away or non-existent?
When was the last time you welcomed this peace to rule your thought life…to drive you? If you’ve already invited Him into your heart, He IS near! Think of it like inviting someone into your home. He’s in there, but have you welcomed Him into the areas you may be a bit more reluctant for Him to see…the dirty areas, the unkept areas, the hoarding piles, the things you “need to do, but just haven’t.”
- In what areas of your life do you feel broken?
- Do you feel fragmented and desire wholeness?
- How do you even “invite” the Prince of Peace to rule over your brokenness or opposing thoughts…to guard you?
Let’s back up in Philippians 4, where we were a bit in the last post; it holds the prescription for wholeness and welcoming peace.
“Always be glad because of the Lord! I will say it again: Be glad.”
Philippians 4:4 CEV
- Always be glad because of the Lord! Experience and be glad for the approval and support (favor) the Lord God, the Ruler of the Universe, has freely given us, because He loves us and gave His Son for us. He owns this grace and is exercising His authority to give it to whom He pleases. He’s given it to YOU through His Son! That should be something, no matter what we’re going through, that we can be glad for! It was, obviously, important enough for Paul to repeat himself!
“Let your reasonableness be known to all men; the LORD [is] near;”
Philippians 4:5 ISV
- Let your fairness and impartiality be experienced by everyone, since the LORD is near you and wanting His character, which includes these attributes, to be shown through you (if you want to dig a little more into this one, check out the last post, “Peace is Near”).
“Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your requests known to God.“
Philippians 4:6 AB
- Don’t be anxious about anything. The original Greek word for “anxious,” here, will resonate with you, if you’re feeling fragmented. It literally means being pulled in opposing directions, where you’re divided into parts. Can you relate? Have you been so concerned about something that you can’t sleep or are constantly thinking about it, your heart feels shattered because of it, yet you know you shouldn’t be anxious? Being anxious is the complete opposite of the wholeness of peace that God gives! That’s literally the meaning of “peace,” here; He ties, or joins, all the pieces together into a whole!
- Pray about everything. We’re not supposed to be anxious about anything; in its place, we pray.
- Let God know your requests…your needs that you feel deep within, the ones that are personal and feel urgent.
- Communicate your wishes to Him and listen for His wishes that He communicates to you. Prayer, literally, means “exchange;” it’s not just one-sided!
- Be thankful for everything. I can’t say this one is always as easy as letting God know how I’m feeling, yet it’s commanded of me. I often stop my kids after a rant they’ve had and ask, “What can we be thankful for in/about this?” I wish my kids would stop me after a rant and ask the same! If I asked that question before my rant, I can guarantee my perspective would be different! And this isn’t just a command when things are going well, and you’re having a good day. “In everything” doesn’t leave any thing or situation out!
Gladness + Fairness and Impartiality + Prayer (Instead of Anxiety) + Communication with God about Wishes and Needs + Thankfulness = Peace of God, Guarding Your Heart AND Mind
These responses welcome the character of Christ to infuse us…to spread through us (even those deep, dark areas of us, where we would rather keep the door shut and not permit entrance); these ways also allow Him to be seen in every part of us. Jesus IS the Prince of Peace! If you have accepted His gift of salvation, He IS your helmet to protect your mind (your thoughts and the results of them)! He IS your breastplate to protect your heart (your emotions and what drives you)!
I have much welcoming to do! How about you? Ah, but the reward of protection and peace is great!
Peace is Near!
In a world that can feel filled with hate, self-absorption, and fear, does peace seem far out of reach? In a society of constant change, do you feel uncertain, maybe even anxious? You may be asking, “How can I feel at peace, when everything around me feels like it’s suspended in the air?” or saying, “My life, even those in it, seem so out of control!” Something the LORD kept bringing before me last week was “Peace is near.” Maybe it doesn’t feel like it, but it’s true! Think about when someone says something to you that hurts…someone you love very much, and you know they love you; it may not feel like they love you, but you know they do! Just because peace may not feel near, doesn’t mean it isn’t.
Peace isn’t something we can muster up ourselves, though; it’s only possible through the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:22), and the Spirit of God is accessible to us through the person of Jesus Christ.
“Because the Child is born to us, and the Son is given to us, and His authority was on His shoulder, and His Name was called The Wonder and The Counselor, God, the Mighty Man of Eternity, the Prince of Peace [and The Father of Eternity]. To increase His dominion and His peace, there is no end, on the throne of David and upon His kingdom, that He shall establish it, and He shall sustain it in judgment and in righteousness from now and unto eternity. The zeal of LORD JEHOVAH of Hosts does this.”
Isaiah 9:6-7 ABPE
I know this is a passage we hear a lot at Christmas, but it’s SO applicable now!! Christ Jesus, the Messiah, is on His throne! He has the responsibility of ruling and IS the Ruler Who brings Peace from War, which is, actually, His title as the Messiah. A lot of times, “peace from war” is read as wars between nations, but I’m convinced this includes the wars in the spiritual realm, which impact souls and are displayed through various wars and times of peace with each other.
The abundance of Christ’s control and peace has no end, and neither does His kingdom. These verses above tell us that He’s the King of His kingdom, and He supports that with judgment and righteousness. Since Christ IS the Judge (James 5:9, 2 Corinthians 5:10) and IS righteous (1 Corinthians 1:30), He upholds His kingdom with all that He IS…with WHO He is! In fact, what gets lost in the translation, at the end of Verse 7, is the LORD does all this through “Ithiel,” which translates “With me is God” (Jesus)!!
“’Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).”
Matthew 1:23 ESV
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10 ESV
“The LORD your God is in your midst, A Warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with joy; He will be quiet in His love [making no mention of your past sins], He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.“
Zephaniah 3:17 AB
I don’t know about you, but focusing on the truth that the King, Christ the Messiah, warrior, Ruler, Judge, our Righteousness, is near…with me…strengthens me greatly, and any circumstance shrinks to its appropriate size next to Him. He can conquer anything He chooses or use it for what He purposes in His kingdom!
“For God shows no partiality.”
Romans 2:11 ESV
“Let your reasonableness be known to all men; the LORD [is] near;”
Philippians 4:5 LSV
If God is near us…within us (which He is, if you’re a believer in Christ Jesus), then He shows Himself through us when we show His character to others. Fairness and impartiality, which is what Philippians 4:5 translates as “reasonableness” or “gentleness,” is part of God’s character, and He wants us to show it to all mankind. For me, it hits home a bit more when I hear “fairness” and “impartiality.” These are words that are talked about these days, but not really lived out well (the Spirit is telling me myself is included!). Think about how many wars between people could be defeated through peace, shown through fairness and impartiality.
“The things which you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things [in daily life], and the God [who is the source] of peace and well-being will be with you.”
Philippians 4:9 AB
What Paul was getting at, here, is that we’re able to show the God of peace to others in everything (what we teach, give, say, and do). It’s up to others to take the strong initiative to receive it, Paul says, but we can surely recognize His presence within us, allow His character to infuse us and our responses, and, therefore, show Him to all mankind through how we live.
This God of peace is the God Who joins; that’s what “peace” means here. He ties pieces and parts together into a whole! Is that like salve on your soul today?
Where…or from whom…are you fragmented today?
Need wholeness?
His peace is near; the God Who joins and makes things whole is with you! Rest there with me!
Follow the Leader
This morning looked a LOT different than I’d envisioned!! What I thought would be restful and peaceful turned into a morning of interruptions, attitude, and conflict. Been there? In the quiet of the bathroom (while not the most glamorous of spots, the LORD talks to me a LOT in there, where I’m alone), I was confronted with the truth that others were not the only ones in the wrong; I had returned evil for evil. Yup! A sock to the gut! Before much time had passed, I was apologizing (both to the LORD and another) for the way I’d reacted. It wasn’t a purposeful reply or response, but was exactly that–a reaction.
Then comes another attack…Does the devil ever put thoughts in your head…the ones about your faults or mess-ups; wondering how you can lead anyone, given the state of your heart…or home…on any given day? Well, contrary to what he wants us to focus on (our inabilities or infractions), God reminded me this morning that He works through those who follow Him. Sometimes, following Him well is us in the bathroom, having a heart to heart with Him, listening to Truth when He reveals it to us, and acting on it with repentance. Apologizing for behaviors that oppose the way God wants us to live IS leading, because it’s choosing to make an about face from our way to following hard after Him, and it doesn’t take long for others to see this.
When we choose to follow Christ well, we’ll find ourselves leading well, despite whatever the devil tries to get us to buy. Following is really what being a disciple of Christ is:
- Learning from the One Who has all knowledge and wisdom
- Supporting Him as the Messiah as well as in His ideas/truths and adhering to them
- Pursuing Him
Although “disciple” is a noun, it requires ACTION!
- To learn, we must listen, read, communicate (i.e., ask questions), and think on what we’re learning.
- By supporting Him, we assist Him in His Kingdom work. When we walk in His ways and align ourselves with Him and His purpose, we open ourselves up to being used by Him. We let Him act through us, showing His power and fruit, and strongly refuse to let ourselves and our interests run the show. Think of adhering as like glue; it’s an adhesive. When we adhere to Christ, we are sticking to Him, staying close to Him, serving Him in the way He wants us to with the intention of becoming more like Him.
- Pursuing Him involves following hard after Him to learn and resemble Him more and more.
So, if you thought being a disciple was a stagnant position, you’re sorely mistaken. Get your walking shoes on!! You’re in for a journey!
“Direct my footsteps according to Your word; let no sin rule over me.”
Psalm 119:133 NIV
“Go after LORD JEHOVAH your God and stand in awe of Him. Keep His commandments and listen to Him. Serve Him and cling to Him.”
Deuteronomy 13:4 ABPE
‘”So Jesus was saying to the Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word [continually obeying My teachings and living in accordance with them, then] you are truly My disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'”
John 8:31 AB and 32 GNT
“Jesus called the crowd together with His disciples and said to them, ‘If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me].'”
Mark 8:34 AB
“For you are called to this, for even The Messiah died for our sake and left us this example, that you would walk in His steps.”
1 Peter 2:21 ABPE
“I’ll place My Spirit within you, empowering you to live according to My regulations and to keep My just decrees.”
Ezekiel 36:27 ISV
God has given us, as believers in Christ, His Spirit inside of us as the seat of thought and emotion. He resides in that part of us to guide and support our feelings and thinking. Will we let Him?…I didn’t yield, at first, this morning when I reacted. I drove right into “traffic” without looking, which is a “great” way to cause an “accident!”
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'”
John 8:12 NIV
How is your “driving” today…so far this week? Are you yielding, being careful to follow where He is moving you…to follow His prescription for life (His Son, Who IS Life!), or are you following your own path and pushing yourself out into traffic without much of a look or thought?
Let the Spirit of God guide your thinking in this…By yielding to and following Christ, we lead others to do so, as well…no matter what lies Satan says to hold you back.
“Jesus said to them, “Come, follow Me! I will teach you how to catch people, instead of fish.”
Matthew 4:19 GWT
What is something God is teaching YOU, as YOU pursue Him?
Jesus Christ, the Ultimate Sacrifice: The Time Revealed
“It’s time to go!”
“My meeting is at that time.”
“It’s time to eat!”
“What time is it?”
Time: It’s what we measure our days by. In ancient days, people took that literally; the light of the day was how they measured and “told time.” Have you ever noticed, in different Scriptures, time was referred to as “the third hour, the seventh hour,” etc., and wondered, “What time is that?” Wonder no more! Their days were measured by the sunrise (6 a.m., with the first hour being 6-7 a.m.). The time the sun rose obviously changed, depending on the time of the year, but this gives us an idea of relatively what time it was in “our time.” Let’s look at some times we see in the texts about the crucifixion of Christ.
- Third hour = 8-9 a.m.
- Sixth hour = 11 a.m.-12 p.m. (noon)
- Ninth hour = 2-3 p.m.
These three, specific times were referred to in both the Old and New Testaments as “hours of prayer” and would be accompanied by whole burnt offerings and sacrifices (Isaiah 56:7). These whole burnt offerings would restore their communion and intimacy with the LORD, publicly approaching God and sharing with Him through prayer. Daniel, in the Old Testament, didn’t just pray before meals. When he prayed three times a day, he was observing these special hours of prayer. Since the Jews were in exile, they would face Jerusalem (the land the LORD gave their ancestors/the city the LORD chose for His temple to be built) at these times and pray to the LORD, admitting their sin, repenting, and begging for His favor and grace (1 Kings 8:46-48). It was a time to return to Him with all their heart…and with all their soul.
Here’s where we see these time frames:
“Now it was the third hour when they crucified Him.”
Mark 15:25 NASB
“And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.”
Mark 15:33 ERV
* You can read more about this in the last post, “Into Your Hands”…Christ’s Purpose Fulfilled.” *
“And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?’—which is translated, ‘MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?’”
Mark 15:34 AB
“Then [at the ninth hour], Jesus cried out in a loud voice and died.”
Mark 15:37 GWT (see Luke 23:46 for what He cried out)
“Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Father! In Your hands I place My spirit!’ He said this and died.”
Luke 23:46 GNT
I have written so many times about the LORD being so purposeful, but I never stop getting excited about it!!! These times of offering whole burnt offerings, sacrifices, and prayer ultimately were fulfilled and revealed even in the time of the day in which Christ, the ultimate sacrifice and whole burnt offering, approached God and died for us! Praise Him!
I hope this takes your mind somewhere different, when you look at a clock. Maybe you’ll decide to set aside time within those hours to interact with God (this may include confessing sin and repenting). Because of Christ, we’re able to approach the Throne at any time; these specific hours of prayer aren’t required. They just can be good reminders to faithfully present ourselves to the LORD as living sacrifices.
“So then, my friends, because of God’s great mercy to us, I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to His service and pleasing to Him. This is the true worship that you should offer.”
Romans 12:1 GNT
“Into Your Hands”…Christ’s Purpose Fulfilled
“Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father! In Your hands, I place My spirit!” He said this and died.”
Luke 23:46 GNT
No doubt, if you are familiar with the story of Christ’s death and resurrection, you have heard these words…probably, numerous times! However your translation of Scripture puts it (commit, commend, place, entrust), you, most likely, recognize that Jesus was on the cross when He said this. After this, He died. Commit, commend, place, entrust…It may not seem like a big deal which word is used in this verse, but I believe it is! It can give us so much more of a correct view of what happened. Let me show you why.
Commit: carry out [usually in a negative sense, like a crime or mistake], pledge or bind a person to a certain course, be dedicated to something, transfer something to a state or place
Oxford Languages
Entrust: assign the responsibility for doing something to someone, put something into someone’s care or protection
Oxford Languages
Place: put in a particular position (used to express the attitude someone has toward someone or something), find a home for, identify or classify as holding a specified position in hierarchy
Oxford Languages
Commend: praise formally or officially, present as suitable for approval or acceptance
Oxford Languages
While all of these words have portions of their meanings that could fit here, “commend” is my favorite to fully encapsulate the intended meaning, which is so much more than just handing over His spirit. The word for this action, in Greek, is paratithémi; pará means “right close beside” and títhēmi means “to place, put.” If the meaning, here, was merely to place His spirit in the Father’s hands, títhēmi would have been used here all by itself…but it wasn’t! The fact that paratithémi was used lets us know that His spirit was placed in the Father’s hands…right next to the Father!
“But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.”
Luke 22:69 ISV
“but He, when He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God;.
Hebrews 10:12 ASV
Another crucial ingredient to this is that in Hebrew, the hand is “the instrument a person uses to accomplish their purpose (their intention or plan).”
In Hebrew, the hand is “the instrument a person uses to accomplish their purpose (their intention or plan).”
HELPS Word-Studies
Jesus was the instrument that the Father used to accomplish His intention!
“For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God Who sent me, not to do My own will.”
John 6:38 NLT
Then Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment [to separate those who believe in Me from those who reject Me—to declare judgment on those who choose to be separated from God], so that the sightless would see, and those who see would become blind.”
John 9:39 AB
“For the Son of Man also did not come to be waited upon, but to wait on others, and to give His life as the redemption-price for a multitude of people.”
Mark 10:45 WNT
“When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor; those who are sick do. I’ve come to call sinners, not people who…have God’s approval.”
Mark 2:17 GWT
“Truly, I tell all of you emphatically, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it produces a lot of grain…Now, My soul is greatly distressed, and what should I say? ‘Father, deliver Me from this hour?’ No, but for this very reason I have come to this hour.”
John 12:24 ISV, 27 NETB
These are just some of the purposes Scripture reveals for why Jesus came. On the cross, after the sin of the world was put on Him, displayed through the darkness above the ground for three hours (see the post before this one for more on that), Christ, the ultimate sacrifice, had completed His purpose. Just like any sacrifice is offered, He offered Himself to His Father and thus, completed His Father’s purpose. His sacrifice was approved and accepted by God the Father!
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”
John 3:16-17 ESV
“He went once for all into the Holy Place [the Holy of Holies of heaven, into the presence of God], and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, having obtained and secured eternal redemption [that is, the salvation of all who personally believe in Him as Savior].”
Hebrew 9:12 AB
I don’t know about you, but this picture…the accomplishment of all He was sent here to do; placing Himself, His blood, His spirit in the hands of the Father for approval; basically saying, I’ve been Your hands, Your feet, Your voice; I’ve accomplished everything You sent me down to earth from heaven to do; “It’s finished!” and, having been approved, is sitting next to God the Father…stirs my soul so much more than merely acknowledging He was ready to die and, in displaying His dedication and submission, handing His spirit over to His Father’s care and protection. I hope, as you reflect on Christ’s death for you, it, too, stirs your soul and causes you to praise Him!!!
Emerging from the Darkness
He’d come to visit me when I was on my own and single. My little brother and I had planned ahead of time to take in a concert at a nearby college. The artists performing both professed to be believers. As the opening “act” began, the gym was pitch black. Deep red lights began to progressively fill the stage. I don’t remember every detail, but the posture of the lead singer, her motions, and wardrobe, amidst the darkness and red hues, left an impression on my soul: pure light was missing. A growing urge stirred within me that I could not dismiss. I remember turning to my brother and letting him know something was wrong; there was a dark presence that I didn’t want to be part of, and, even at his young age, he said he could feel it, too. We quickly left the gym together and sat for the entire set of that “performance” in the entrance area of the building. I remember gaining more than we were “missing.” Not only did we unite in our desire to flee the darkness, which still unites us today, but we solidified our relationship through good conversation, time spent together (which is a love language for us both), and a strong bond built through the action of following the leading of the Holy Spirit.
From the beginning of the earth, God divided the light from the darkness (Genesis 1:4). In Scripture, light resembles purity, holiness…God Himself.
“We write to you about the Word of life, which has existed from the very beginning. We have heard it, and we have seen it with our eyes; yes, we have seen it, and our hands have touched it. When this life became visible, we saw it; so we speak of it and tell you about the eternal life which was with the Father and was made known to us. What we have seen and heard we announce to you also, so that you will join with us in the fellowship that we have with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ…Now the message that we have heard from His Son and announce is this: God is light, and there is no darkness at all in Him.”
1 John 1:1-3, 5 GNT
Darkness is where there is no light, so it, logically, resembles sin, evil…Satan, the enemy and opposer of God.
As we remember Christ’s death for us and celebrate His resurrection, I want to marinate on something. Whether or not you’ve noticed it before, I hope you’ll take the time to reflect on the fact that God always has a purpose! Some people dismiss the Old Testament as “old,” but all of Scripture purposefully points to Jesus!!…
For instance, do you know how Moses told Pharoah to let the LORD God’s people go a three days’ journey into the wilderness to keep a pilgrim feast (Exodus 5:1) and sacrifice to Him (Exodus 3:18)? Do you remember how God brought 10 plagues on the land of Egypt, because Pharoah refused to do what the LORD God commanded in letting His people go? Let’s look at the ninth plague–darkness–and one of its purposes.
“So Moses lifted his hand to the sky, and a deep darkness covered the entire land of Egypt for three days.”
Exodus 10:22 NLT
“They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived.”
Exodus 10:23 ESV
We’re not talking the kind of darkness that seems dark, but is invaded by the light from the city around. We’re talking darkness, like the sun went down and is no longer in sight…like “I know you’re there, but I can’t see you” kind of darkness…so much so that the people of Egypt didn’t stand up from the place they were seated or laying for THREE days!
Take a look at another set of verses that took place while Jesus was dying on the cross…
“It was already about noon, and the whole land became dark until three in the afternoon.”
Luke 23:44 ISV
“The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle.”
Luke 23:45 NLT
“Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Father! In Your hands, I place My spirit!‘ He said this and died.”
Luke 23:46 GNT
It was about noon (Jewish time) when darkness filled all the space above the ground; this was the time when the sun would have been directly overhead, but the sun stopped giving light. It stayed that way for THREE HOURS! During this time, Jesus was alive, but our sins (pictured through the darkness) were placed on Him before His death.
“This was done late on Friday afternoon, the day of preparation, as the Sabbath was about to begin.”
Luke 23:54 NLT
“The women who had followed Jesus from Galilee went with Joseph and saw the tomb and how Jesus’ body was placed in it.”
Luke 23:55 GNT
“Then they went back and prepared spices and perfumes, and on the Sabbath, they rested, according to the commandment.”
Luke 23:56 ISV
“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women went to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared [to finish anointing the body].”
Luke 24:1 AB
“Full of fear, the women bowed down to the ground, as the men said to them, “Why are you looking among the dead for One Who is alive?”
Luke 24:5 GNT
“Jesus isn’t here! He has been raised from death…”
Luke 24:6a CEV
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,”
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 ESV
“Then Jesus, again, spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
John 8:12 NASB
Jesus, the Light, fulfilled the promises of God in Scripture! I hope you can see the connection throughout Scripture between darkness, sin, and opposing God as well as Light, forgiveness, and following God. God divided darkness and light in the beginning, and He is still dividing those who oppose Him and are in darkness from those who follow Him; I hope you have chosen to follow God today and experience walking with Him, because you have believed in Jesus, confessed your sin, and received forgiveness through Jesus, the Light of the world!
Digging for Gold
There’s a lot of negativity going around these days! Believe me; it’s in my home, too, as much as I hate it! It’s SO easy to focus on the negative of whatever the situation…how somebody else is treating you, what new policy is being enforced due to the pandemic, vacation or wedding plans getting postponed or canceled, health issues, being unable to have children, hearing news that riles you…It’s in these situations that our focus typically determines our perspective, whether we’re going to be optimistic or pessimistic. You and I both have a choice of where we set our eyes (and heart, for that matter).
Kelly Minter is an author, singer, songwriter, and speaker, whose Bible studies have been used greatly in my life, as I began to aspire to really digging into the Word like a spiritual archaeologist. Not only were there fascinating nuggets to find within the text, but there was also the process of researching the time period, the customs, etc., that brought the Word to life in a different way. Kelly recently began a new podcast that I’m super excited about! It’s, basically, a Bible study, one day a week, digging into the Word with her. Some episodes may look slightly different, adding in some fun, like recipes, gardening info, missions focuses, etc., that make up a lot of who Kelly is, but her focus on the Word is what I’m coming back for!
I know! A podcast can take some time to listen to, and time seems like a commodity. I haven’t been big into podcasts in the past, but this was an investment worth making, in my opinion! I happened to have some “mindless” paperwork I had to do this week, so I played the first episode of her Cultivate podcast while I got to “work.” The time went so quickly, but the dig and its “finds” were many! This first episode is worth sharing, so I’m passing it along to you all. Whether you’re taking a walk, doing dishes or cleaning, resting and listening, or sharing time together with family or friends, take this in! It’s about a half hour long, but I hope you, too, find nuggets that are worth your investment, as Hannah’s story reminds us of the focus of worship.
Step#1: Click on this link:
https://www.accessmore.com/pd/Cultivate-with-Kelly-Minter
Step #2: Click on the “Play” button (sideways triangle) to the left of “Ep 1: When God Turns Pain Into Blessing (Life of Hannah).”
* Don’t forget to come back and let me know what you thought!
Liv 