Friday May 31st-Joshua 1:9-I Peter 1:13
Our salvation in Jesus is safe and secure. It cannot be taken away from us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
Phil. 2:12-13 tells us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling because it is God who is at work in us both to do and to work for His good pleasure.
Joshua was a godly man. He was one of the twelve spies who stood firm in following God. He lived through the forty years of wilderness experience. He was to be Moses' successor. He went into the promised land. Joshua was a man of great faith.
Read Joshua 1:1-9
:5- no man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Just as the Lord was with Joshua and promised never to fail him or forsake him we find in
Heb.13:5-6 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.
What will man do to me?
:6-Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Just as they were promised we have the promise of eternity with the Lord.
John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
:7-8-Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
Ps. 119:11-Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.
:9-Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
John 14:26-28-But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
I Peter 1:13-16
Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
As we journey into the next few months of spending time with Him, let's spend time in His Word with Him each day. Just you and Him teaching you from His Word. Ask Him to show you more of Himself and fall in love with Him. Ask Him to show you who you are in Him, believe it and live it.
As you know we won't be doing a particular study through the summer months but please do not let this deter you from spending time in His Word each day. Remember we can be strong and courageous just as Joshua was! We have the Holy Spirit living in us to be our helper, to teach us all things of Him. Treasure His Word in your hearts through memorizing and meditating on them. Be obedient to Him and Him only. He never leaves us nor forsakes us. Keep your eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. We are on a journey heavenward!
Please share with us what you are learning from His Word!
The early church lived in perilous times. They faced the very
real trials of potential persecution, imprisonment, and even death to live out
their beliefs. But, in Romans, they are encouraged to persevere through such
uncertain times and worship God by committing their very lives
wholeheartedly.
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to
present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is
your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed
by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will
of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (12:1-2)
To persevere in trying circumstances is no easy task but Paul
gives us 3 vital keys.
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in
prayer.” (12:12)
Our greatest witness to the world can be in how we respond to
difficulty and adversity. How we respond to others can be a great
opportunity to demonstrate the love of Christ. If Christ reached out to us in
our sin and despair, shouldn’t we extend His love to others who also
desperately need it? Our wounded human instincts may cause us to want to avoid others,
reject or retaliate against their behaviors, but each person we interact with
needs to see Jesus through our responses to them.
Persevering includes extending grace to others and representing
Christ in every opportunity.
“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live
in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.
Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought
to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends
on you, live peaceably with all. (12:15-18)
Not every person is easy to extend love to. Not every person is
easy to be kind to. We must be patient and pray for Gods help to love
others as He asks us to. When others “push our buttons”, “try our patience”,
and “get on our last nerve”, we must remember that there is a spiritual war at
stake. We must persevere to seek God’s wisdom in knowing how to respond. We
must not repay evil with evil.
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with
good.” (12:21)
Scripture Reading: Philippians 3:12-17
I don't think there is a believer alive today that has suffered for the gospel an much as Paul did two thousand years ago. I believe I would have been inclined to give up and turn back had I had to face even a small amount of all Paul faced in his lifetime; which is why his words here to the Philippian church inspire me:
"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:12-14)
The definition to persevere is to keep on, keep going, not give up, struggle on, hammer away, be persistent, be determined, see/follow something through, keep at it, show determination, press on/ahead, stay with something, not take no for an answer, be tenacious, be pertinacious, be patient, stand one's ground, stand fast/firm, hold on, hold out, go the distance, stay the course, plod on, plow on, grind away, stop at nothing,
What made Paul continue to persevere when most would have given up? I think finding the answer to this question will also help us to keep going the next time we're tempted to quit. Notice what Paul says, "...I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus"
Paul set a goal before him! Have you set a goal or goals for your life?
A life without any goals I believe would be like a ship without sails, a compass or map; just drifting aimlessly through life hoping to achieve something that would make your life worth living. Notice that not only had the apostle Paul set a goal, but he kept that goal constantly before him! He was pressing toward the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus!
I think it is safe to say that by setting a goal(s), we are making a decision to ACT. Our goal could be to be the best wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, teacher, nurse, doctor, etc.
I remember discovering my son had a learning disability in school and as time went on, he grew further behind his peers in reading, and he didn't seem to be receiving the help he needed to succeed!
I remember discovering my son had a learning disability in school and as time went on, he grew further behind his peers in reading, and he didn't seem to be receiving the help he needed to succeed!
I made a decision then that I needed to do all I could to get him the help he needed! That was my goal! Only, I'm not a very good confrontational person. In fact, I HATE confrontation and it turned out that I had to attend meeting after meeting after meeting until I went all the way up to board of education in our city; in front of the news media and everyone before I finally received what I was seeking!!
There were plenty of times I wanted to give up. More times than I can count when I cried out to The Lord to simply intervene! It was not only the goal, however, that kept me going, but the consequences that could have possibly happen if I failed. With God's help I reached my goal and my son received the help he needed, and not only my son, but others as well, and today my son is extremely successful at all he does. To God goes the glory!
One truth I learned during that time was that a goal is not merely a dream, wish etc. It's so much more than that! It's not, "Oh, I wish I could" or "I hope I can" it's declaring all we want to achieve for the Lord! It's a declaration of faith that cannot fail!
What do you plan to achieve for God, your family and yourself? Declare it! Commit it to Him and go....girl ! All for His glory!
1
Samuel (the entire chapter)
I
hope you all have been enjoying our topical study this year as much as I
have. Since we’ve decided to put our
writing on hold for the summer, ending with perseverance seem fitting. We have to persevere in our faith
journey. The Lord “drives our trials out
little by little, one by one, as He grows us to full stature in Christ" (“When God Makes You Wait”). Exodus 23:29-30
When
I started this post, it was only supposed to be on 1 Samuel 12. But the entire book is about perseverance. Hannah's Prayer and her response to the Lord’s
blessing is the kind of faith I desire.
Waiting – persevering through the wait.
Glorifying and praising God through the process of waiting. I could share my long list of things I’m waiting
for, but I won’t.
1 Samuel 16 is where we see young David anointed as
King, yet it was nearly 15 years before he actually became king. If you turn to the Psalms, you will see just
how often David praised God while he waited.
We
persevere with people like Jonathan in our lives.
We need people to strengthen us in God.
The
writers here at Women In The Word may be taking a break from writing, but we
are here for you and we will continue to encourage you throughout the summer.
This
is a good time for all of us to persevere – quietly waiting through a
trial. To thank the Lord for giving us
blind faith and knowing that He will work it together for our good. It’s a good time to practice continual prayer
AND worship. Perhaps as you relax in
your yard this summer, you pray the entire time for the opportunity to rest and
for the beautiful weather. Thank the
Lord for the time to sit at His feet.
Pray all summer for wisdom. I
know God will always grant us wisdom. Perhaps let this summer be
only for praise! Pray for wisdom and
praise the Lord in the process!
As
you take the time to read the entire book of 1 Samuel, you will discover that
David was on the run for nearly 8 years!
It was during this time that God taught David perseverance. But God also humbled David. Just think about being anointed so young or
slaying a giant as a kid! Or how his
musical abilities calmed the mad-man Saul.
Pride could have taken over. But
instead, God used this trial of waiting and suffering to keep David humble and
relying on God. This time of suffering
produced perseverance and it molded and shaped David to trust God completely!
That
long list of mine… I’m going to thank
the Lord for the list and sit back and trust where and how He brings me to the
end of each issue. Some may end quickly,
others may stay on the list for a few more years.
Monday, May 27
The Petoskey is the state stone of Michigan. As a child I would comb the beaches of many lakes for the perfect piece of this fossilized coral. Dull and pitted in its natural state, with repeated sanding and rinsing, the scratches and rough edges would wear away. And once the polishing cream was rubbed in, that stone was a treasure to behold; smooth to the touch with a shine like glass.
An Indian guru once said, “The stones of a river start out rough, but with the current continually bumping and polishing them, they end up being beautiful.” I couldn’t think of a more perfect description of the Christian life. Each of us are as river stones. Rough and jagged around the edges, tossed and turned in the raging current of life. And although no one looks forward to the grating friction brought on by tribulations, James tells us when trouble does come our way we are to, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials.” (vs. 2)
Why is there joy in trials? Because as James tells us, “the testing of your faith produces perseverance”. (vs. 3) And what is perseverance? A “steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.” (dictionary.com) Spiritual perseverance means never giving up no matter how hard our circumstance may be. It means trusting that God is using our situation not only to grow our faith, but to work all things together for our good. (Rom. 8:28) And there is great joy to be found in knowing that our Father does so in love, with the purpose of making us “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (vs. 4)
“The soul is placed in the body like a rough diamond, and must be polished, or the luster of it will never appear.”...Daniel Defoe
No one is exempt from the trials of life. And although painful, James tells there is much to be gained from the perseverance of weathering the storm. For just like a Roman philosopher once said, “A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.” In 1 Peter 2:4, Jesus is called a, “living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God.” We too are choice and precious stones to God. He lovingly refines and purifies us until we are smoothed by faith and polished by perseverance. There is no one who endured or persevered more than Christ. And as His followers it is our goal to each day become more like Him and to follow His example. Doing so not only deepens our relationship with God, to those who endure to the end James promises a great reward. “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him”. (vs. 12) And as for me, knowing that I will be spending eternity in paradise with the Lord, is worth any trial or tribulation, no matter how hard!
For more encouragement, follow the link! http://t2womenintheword.blogspot.com/2017/11/walking-in-diligent-perseverance-2.html
Crispy Cheddar Chicken
4 large chicken breasts
1 1/2 sleeves Ritz crackers
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup whole milk
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 tbsp. sour cream
2 tbsp. butter
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Crush crackers. Cut each chicken breast into 3 large pieces. Pour the milk, cheese and cracker crumbs into 3 separate small pans. Toss the salt and pepper into the cracker crumbs and stir the mixture around to combine. Dip each piece of chicken into the milk and then the cheese. Press the cheese into the chicken with your fingers. Then press the cheesy coated chicken into the cracker crumbs and press it in. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray and lay the chicken inside the pan. Sprinkle the dried parsley over the chicken. Cover the pan with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove the foil, bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken are golden brown and crispy. In a medium sized sauce pan combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream and butter with a whisk. Stir it over medium high heat until the sauce is nice and hot. Serve over the chicken. Sprinkle with additional parsley.
Saturday, May 25, 2019
Welcome to Scripture Saturday!
This coming week's memory verse is Isaiah 46:4...
Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. (NIV)
When Noah was building the ark in the middle of a desert, and was being ridiculed by the people around him, he did not give up or turn his back to God. He was given a task to complete, and he didn’t quit until it was. He showed tremendous perseverance! Perseverance is what we all need to be part of God’s Kingdom. This is God’s expectation of us…and He has given us His Helper to make sure we meet it!
We must be willing to follow His ways through our trials. We must be willing to stay strong in our faith and hope in Him. We must be willing to keep our focus on Him whatever troubles may come our way. And by live through our trials, we honor God and learn the lessons our trials may teach us. Our calling is work. This is perseverance.
“And perseverance is a blessing. We have hope. We have faith. We can stand up to things because of the greatness we can look forward to, because every trial is another test to strengthen and to purify our faith, and because at the end of it Jesus Christ is waiting to say, ‘Well done!’ to all ‘his faithful servants.’”(Pentlin)
Have a blessed day and week everyone!
Please read: Luke 10:38-42
As we read these verses from Luke we find two young
sisters, that although they had the same up-bringing they had very different
perspectives of life.
Martha wanted to serve and please Jesus, as she
diligently worked around the house preparing supper. To her, this was a
priority. But she became anxious and even irritable as she saw her sister
sitting at Jesus’ feet, criticizing her for not helping in her tasks. But Martha’s real problem wasn’t Mary;
it was Martha. She had become distracted and had taken her eyes off Jesus.
“Martha’s
frustration is typical of those who diligently serve with good intent, but
forget to also sit at Jesus’ feet. “The Martha spirit says, if the
work is done, is not that all? The Mary spirit asks whether Jesus is well pleased or
not? All must be done in
his name and by his Spirit, or nothing is done.” (Spurgeon)
Then Jesus said: “ …“Martha, Martha, you are worried and
bothered and anxious about so
many things; 42 but only one
thing is necessary,... .” (10:41-42a)
Yes, in this life only
one thing is necessary:
“One thing
have I desired of the Lord, that I will seek: that I may dwell in the house of
the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to
inquire in His temple.” (Psalm 27:4 emphasis mine)
“When Jesus heard these things, he said to him, “You
still lack one thing…come, follow
Me.” (Luke 18:22 emphasis mine).
When I first accepted Jesus as my personal Savior, I
was a single young woman about to graduate from the University. I had two part time
jobs, between my classes, so it was extremely difficult to “squeeze” in my
schedule my Bible classes! But you know what? I knew deep in my heart that as a child of God
I needed to know HIM…to nourish myself from His Word, that I could no longer live
my life without Him nor His Truths! The
more I learned about God and His Word, the more I needed of Him!
As we continue reading in verse 42, we find that Mary chose
the good part, which would not be
taken away from her (10:42b). I sadly have to confess that in one way or another I’ve
exchanged “the good part”, for life’s busyness which have distracted me and
made me anxious like Martha! There are times when my weary heart yearns for me to
sit at His feet like Mary in wholly surrender and focus on Jesus!
If you like me have been
in this situation, I invite you join me as we reflect on the following words
from Spurgeon, and choose the good part
at His feet:
“Imagine not that to sit at Jesus’ feet is a
very small, unmeaning thing.
- It means
peace, for they who submit to Jesus find peace through his precious, blood.
- It means
holiness, for those who learn of Jesus learn no sin, but are instructed in
things lovely and of good repute.
-It means
strength, for they that sit with Jesus, and feed upon him, are girded with his,
strength; the joy of the Lord is their strength.
- It means
wisdom, for they that learn of the Son of God understand more than the
ancients, because they keep his statutes.
-It means
zeal, for the love of Christ fires hearts that live upon it, and they that are
much with Jesus become like Jesus, so that the zeal of the Lord’s house eats
them up.” (Spurgeon)
Yes Lord, I always want to sit at your feet, may
nothing distract me from this ONE
precious thing!!
Blessings,
Mari
Perhaps you have heard the motto “ to know Him and make Him known”. That is a good summation of what should be a high priority in the life of a Christian. John begins this chapter reminding us that Christ is “the propitiation for our sins.” Propitiation means He is the One who covers our sins and restores us to a right standing with God. The whole purpose of having our sins atoned for is so that we can have a relationship with God. Accepting Christ as our Savior is the basis for that relationship but God wants us to know Him in an intimate way. How do we know Him?
“And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.” (V3)
He sent Jesus to this Earth to teach us, to be an example to us of His love and to guide us in how to live out the Christian life in the here and now. We are told numerous times in God’s Word to “ abide in “ Christ. What does that mean?
“whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” (V6)
Christ modeled to us what it means to express love, genuine concern, and devoted involvement in the life of others. Our relationship with Christ should impact our relationship with others. This is a dark world because of the impact of evil but Christ brings into this world the light of genuine love and truth. We are to shine that light into the lives of others by treating them as Christ would.
We can’t “abide in Christ” if we do not love each other. “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.” (V9-10)
I just attended the funeral of a loved one. After the service I was at his home where all of his “stuff” still filled the rooms and the yard. It reminded me that we truly do not take anything from this world with us. All that really matters when we draw our last breath is our standing with God, our relationship with Christ. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (V15-17)
There are many things that compete for our attention in this life. Our priority as Christians, however, should be on Christ and abiding in Him. “And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.” (V 28-29)
We came into this world enveloped in sin and selfishness, separated from God. We desperately needed a Savior which God provided to us through Jesus Christ. He freely offers us all that we need in Christ and He tells us that it is vital for us to abide in Christ. God wants to transform us through His Spirit at work in our lives to make us more and more Christlike. By making our relationship with Him a priority, we can be used to impact the world around us.
Bill Keynes, C.S. Lewis Institute
“Abiding in Christ is the essence of the promise of the New Covenant—the God who commands us from the outside in the Old Covenant now comes to live within us in the New. Christianity is not a self- help religion, but a relationship with God through Jesus Christ that brings new life by the Spirit. In our union with Christ we are forgiven and in that union we are regenerated. We now participate in Christ—he is in us by the Spirit, and, in Martin Luther’s words, Christ himself is “the basis, the cause, the source of all our own actual righteousness.” As we entrust ourselves to Christ and depend upon him, we are like branches that draw on the vitality of the vine to produce good fruit.””
