1. Attend a church on Sunday
2. Since we are headed into the Thanksgiving Season, let's look up references that have the word "thanksgiving" in our Bibles. I have counted over 20 verses in my New International Version (NIV) Bible. See how many you can find.
3. As you find them ask questions such as:
What am I to be thankful for?
Who am I supposed to be thankful to?
What personal benefits do I gain as I give thanks?
What things are similar in these verses?
What things are different in these verses?
Are there patterns that emerge as you go through them?
4. Look up the meaning of the word in the English dictionary.
Saturday, October 27, 2018
Saturday, October 6, 2018
Assignment for October 10, 2018
Assignment for next time is:
1. Read Psalm 119
2. Look for the words "desire" and "meditation" and note the verses where these are found.
3. Write down any thoughts that come to you.
To review from last time, we continued our discussion of Psalm 1 but focused on 2 words: "delight" and "meditation." Since we had defined "meditation" in an earlier study, we focused on "delight."
Delight is more than just being happy. It is deeper.
What things, in the natural realm, bring you delight?
People shared about children, grandchildren, a sunset, a special food, special music, etc.
Who delights in you? Who lights up when you enter a room? Who is delighted to see you?
People shared about grandchildren, dogs, etc.
These examples are from the natural world. When we move to the spiritual world we need to understand that God delights in us. Because He does this first we can, in return, delight in Him.
To delight in Him includes delighting in His Word. Delighting in His Word includes meditating upon it.
To review briefly what we discussed concerning a way to mediate day and night: Write down a small portion of the Bible that God directs you to. Carry it with you or put it on your refrigerator. Someplace where you will continually see it throughout the day. When you get a free moment read this verse. It will percolate in your spirit and minister to you. Also, read this verse as the the last thing you do before you go to sleep. It will be in your spirit while you sleep. This will take discipline but God will give you the ability to do it. Discipline will transform this process into delight, which is what God wants for us. So remember, we go from "Discipline to Delight!"
Here are some of the verses we looked at for you to review:
Psalm 35:27- double delight spoken of here- people and God.
1. The delight of people who believe in David and will rejoice when he is vindicated.
2. The delight of God in the well being of David.
Psalm 37:4- delighting in God will result in the desires of our hearts being realized.
How? We are delighting in the One who made our hearts and put Godly desires in them before we were even born. Delighting in Him releases these desires to come forth.
Psalm 43:4- delighting in the right thing delivers us from despair.
Isaiah 11:1-3- A prophecy of the coming Messiah- Jesus. Vs. 3- He will delight in the fear of the Lord. Fear means to reverence, to be awed by. He set the example for us.
Psalm 112:1- We are blessed when we delight in the fear of the Lord also
Zephaniah 3:17- A wonderful verse that shows just how much God delights in you.
The phrase "rejoice over you" means "to spin around under the influence of violent emotion."
He is mighty to save you.
He will quiet you with His love.
He will dance over you with reckless abandon because He delights in you.
1. Read Psalm 119
2. Look for the words "desire" and "meditation" and note the verses where these are found.
3. Write down any thoughts that come to you.
To review from last time, we continued our discussion of Psalm 1 but focused on 2 words: "delight" and "meditation." Since we had defined "meditation" in an earlier study, we focused on "delight."
Delight is more than just being happy. It is deeper.
What things, in the natural realm, bring you delight?
People shared about children, grandchildren, a sunset, a special food, special music, etc.
Who delights in you? Who lights up when you enter a room? Who is delighted to see you?
People shared about grandchildren, dogs, etc.
These examples are from the natural world. When we move to the spiritual world we need to understand that God delights in us. Because He does this first we can, in return, delight in Him.
To delight in Him includes delighting in His Word. Delighting in His Word includes meditating upon it.
To review briefly what we discussed concerning a way to mediate day and night: Write down a small portion of the Bible that God directs you to. Carry it with you or put it on your refrigerator. Someplace where you will continually see it throughout the day. When you get a free moment read this verse. It will percolate in your spirit and minister to you. Also, read this verse as the the last thing you do before you go to sleep. It will be in your spirit while you sleep. This will take discipline but God will give you the ability to do it. Discipline will transform this process into delight, which is what God wants for us. So remember, we go from "Discipline to Delight!"
Here are some of the verses we looked at for you to review:
Psalm 35:27- double delight spoken of here- people and God.
1. The delight of people who believe in David and will rejoice when he is vindicated.
2. The delight of God in the well being of David.
Psalm 37:4- delighting in God will result in the desires of our hearts being realized.
How? We are delighting in the One who made our hearts and put Godly desires in them before we were even born. Delighting in Him releases these desires to come forth.
Psalm 43:4- delighting in the right thing delivers us from despair.
Isaiah 11:1-3- A prophecy of the coming Messiah- Jesus. Vs. 3- He will delight in the fear of the Lord. Fear means to reverence, to be awed by. He set the example for us.
Psalm 112:1- We are blessed when we delight in the fear of the Lord also
Zephaniah 3:17- A wonderful verse that shows just how much God delights in you.
The phrase "rejoice over you" means "to spin around under the influence of violent emotion."
He is mighty to save you.
He will quiet you with His love.
He will dance over you with reckless abandon because He delights in you.
Sunday, September 30, 2018
Assignment for October 3, 2018
Psalm 1
vs. 1- the progression into evil: walk.... stand.... sit
What can these words stand for in everyday life?
What do they refer to in practical terms for you?
Notice the wording: Blessed is the one who does NOT do this
vs. 2- delight.
What does that word mean to you?
What are some of the things that you really delight in?
God wants to give us that same level of passion toward His Word.
meditate- to think about, ponder, chew on, reflect, consider, mull over.
The goal of Christian meditation is not empty ourselves but to fill ourselves up with the truth of God's Word. Meditation goes beyond merely knowing facts about the Bible. It is where the Bible becomes real to us personally. General knowledge is transformed into specific truth just for you and me. This will bring about spiritual growth.
day and night- How do we do this?
1. Day: Ask the Lord to give you a small portion (a verse or less) of scripture to meditate on throughout the day. Keep using this same verse each day until you have "squeezed all the juice" out of it. Expect there to be "windows of pause" in your day. Times when you have a few seconds to spare. They are always there but we don't always see them as opportunities. When you find one, seize the opportunity and reflect on this verse. It doesn't take much to keep a verse rolling around in our hearts all day.
2. Night: Make reflecting on that verse the last thing you do before you go to sleep. This not only sets the stage for a good nights' sleep with God in charge of your dreams, it will also help us to wake up with God clearly on our mind.
Joshua 1:6-9
Joshua was called to lead. To do so he had to be strong and courageous. How was he to do it? The key was to meditate on the Word day and night. Prosperity and success would naturally follow him if he did so.
It is the same with each of us. We have all been put here for a reason. The path to success is the same as Joshua's. If we meditate on the Word day and night, we will have the things we need to complete the work God gave us to do.
You don't have to be a monk to meditate "day and night." It is a mindset and a heart-set that God can help each of us obtain.
vs. 3- a fruitful tree planted by the water. This is God's desire for us.
Jeremiah 17:8
Saturday, September 15, 2018
Assignment for September 19th
1. We did not finish the last 2 points from the last lesson so we will begin with them. Look up the references and write down some thoughts.
How are we sanctified?
John 17:17
Ro. 15:16
Hebrews 13:12
Sanctification is both instantaneous and progressive. This will take some thought, prayer and reflection to understand but it is HUGELY important that we do understand it.
Hebrews 2:10-11
2. As we continue to explore our identity in Christ, we will look at our position as priests.
Look in the dictionary, Bible, study Bible and find the definition and duties of priests.
Hint: we did this when we studied Ezra. 😉
3. Lookup these scriptures and write down some thoughts:
1 Peter 2:4-10
Revelation 1:4-6
2. As we continue to explore our identity in Christ, we will look at our position as priests.
Look in the dictionary, Bible, study Bible and find the definition and duties of priests.
Hint: we did this when we studied Ezra. 😉
3. Lookup these scriptures and write down some thoughts:
1 Peter 2:4-10
Revelation 1:4-6
Saturday, September 1, 2018
Assignment for September 5, 2018
My Identity in Christ
We will discuss the scriptures listed below. Please look them
up and jot down some thoughts, ESPECIALLY if they speak personally to you.
It is very important for us as believers to have a clear
understanding of who we are in Christ. We must see ourselves as God sees us.
Once I have received Christ as my personal Savior I am
born-again. A great transformation has taken place. I was dead and now I am alive.
I was blind but now I see. I was a sinner but now I am a saint.
2 Cor. 5:17
In the NIV Bible, the word “saints” is used 45 times.
“Saints” are sanctified ones
The Greek word for the noun “saints” is hagios- (#40 in Strong’s concordance): the core meaning is
"different." The technical meaning is "different from the world
because like the Lord." It means to be set apart by God or for God, holy,
sacred. It means we have a "likeness of nature with the Lord."
Hagios is the word
used in “Holy” Spirit
The verb form of hagios
translated “sanctify” or “make holy”- hagiazo
(#37 in Strong’s Concordance) means "to make holy, consecrate,
sanctify; to dedicate, separate"
“Sanctify” is used 15 times in NIV and “made holy” 7 times.
All these English words come from the same Greek root word
so we must look at them as a group.
The Bible calls every believer a saint:
Eph. 1:1
1 Cor 1:2
Being a saint involves 2 parts:
Separation FROM something and dedication TO something else.
Separation FROM something and dedication TO something else.
Eph. 2:1-5
What is the difference between transgressions and sins?
How are we sanctified?
John 17:17
Ro. 15:16
Hebrews 13:12
Sanctification is both instantaneous and progressive. This
will take some thought, prayer and reflection to understand but it is HUGELY
important that we do understand it.
Hebrews 2:10-11
Saturday, August 25, 2018
Assignment for August 29, 2018
1. We will continue with our study of the word "perseverance." Refer back to the Assignment for August 15th to get some scriptures to start with.
2. We looked at a "kernel of wheat" to help transition us from the Parable of the Sower to the study of perseverance. Once the seed of God's Word has been sown in us our ultimate call is to become a seed ourselves by dying to self. We are following Jesus' example when we do this.
John 12:23-26- Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
There are 3 parts to a seed. After a seed is placed in the ground the germ begins to grow. It consumes the endosperm and eventually bursts through the outer bran shell.
We are like a seed in that we have 3 parts:
germ = spirit
endosperm = soul
bran = body
The process of Christian growth starts when we are born-again and God's Holy Spirit comes into our human spirit. As our spirit cooperates with God it begins to consume our soul (mind, will and emotions). Our thoughts change. Our feelings change. Our choices change. This is turn causes us to resist the temptations of the flesh so the life of God can burst forth from us.
3. Strong's Concordance can be used to look up the meanings of the original words in the Bible. An online Bible program that has Strong's Concordance is: https://biblehub.com/ You may need some help navigating the program but it is learn-able, more thorough and much quicker than using the book. Let me know if you need help.
4. A simple English dictionary is helpful to gain insight.
-perseverance: steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.
The translators of the Bible had a reason for choosing the particular English words they did. So, even if we don't know anything about the original languages, we can glean much by looking up the word in an English dictionary to gain different shades of meaning.
5. A "Prescription for Joy" was shared with us.
Each day for 21 days write down 3 things:
1. Something you are thankful for
2. Something that makes you happy
3. Something you are looking forward to
Please note: You cannot repeat an item. Each one must be new.
Then pick someone to share your list with each day. They will be part of the prescription.
2. We looked at a "kernel of wheat" to help transition us from the Parable of the Sower to the study of perseverance. Once the seed of God's Word has been sown in us our ultimate call is to become a seed ourselves by dying to self. We are following Jesus' example when we do this.
John 12:23-26- Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
There are 3 parts to a seed. After a seed is placed in the ground the germ begins to grow. It consumes the endosperm and eventually bursts through the outer bran shell.
We are like a seed in that we have 3 parts:
germ = spirit
endosperm = soul
bran = body
The process of Christian growth starts when we are born-again and God's Holy Spirit comes into our human spirit. As our spirit cooperates with God it begins to consume our soul (mind, will and emotions). Our thoughts change. Our feelings change. Our choices change. This is turn causes us to resist the temptations of the flesh so the life of God can burst forth from us.
3. Strong's Concordance can be used to look up the meanings of the original words in the Bible. An online Bible program that has Strong's Concordance is: https://biblehub.com/ You may need some help navigating the program but it is learn-able, more thorough and much quicker than using the book. Let me know if you need help.
4. A simple English dictionary is helpful to gain insight.
-perseverance: steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.
The translators of the Bible had a reason for choosing the particular English words they did. So, even if we don't know anything about the original languages, we can glean much by looking up the word in an English dictionary to gain different shades of meaning.
5. A "Prescription for Joy" was shared with us.
Each day for 21 days write down 3 things:
1. Something you are thankful for
2. Something that makes you happy
3. Something you are looking forward to
Please note: You cannot repeat an item. Each one must be new.
Then pick someone to share your list with each day. They will be part of the prescription.
Saturday, August 11, 2018
Assignment for August 15, 2018
1. Reread the assignment for August 8th particularly focusing on the blue parts.
2. Look up in your Bible references with the word "persevering." Also check other forms of this word: persevere, persevered. Also check for words that would be similar: like endurance or steadfastness.
3. Here are some examples to get you started:
Romans 5:3-4, 2 Peter 1:6, Hebrews 12:1, James 1:3-4
2. Look up in your Bible references with the word "persevering." Also check other forms of this word: persevere, persevered. Also check for words that would be similar: like endurance or steadfastness.
3. Here are some examples to get you started:
Romans 5:3-4, 2 Peter 1:6, Hebrews 12:1, James 1:3-4
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