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Studying the Word of God

If you are anything like me, then you feel the pressing need to dig deep into the word of God. God may be prodding you and nudging at your conscience, telling you you need to invest time in the study of His word. Then this is for you.

I love studying the word of God but initiating the process of taking my bible and reading is the greatest struggle I encounter on a daily basis. I can watch Netflix till the wee hours of the night but as soon as I pick up my bible, a wave of sleep washes over me and gently lulls me into this place of obtundation.

Recently, I heard a sermon by Pastor James MacDonald that has inspired this post. In his message, he outlined 3 things that will enable us deepen our commitment to God’s word:

Discipline

I will pursue your commands, for you expand my understanding. Psalm 119:32 NIV

We need to discipline ourselves to pursue the study of God’s word. This is not something God can do for us. I have learned that I need to make the commitment and initially it can be very difficult. To dare to go deeper with God, I need to move out of my comfort zone and take the leap and commit to reading my bible daily. This means I consciously set aside time in my day to do this. The truth is, reading the bible does not just happen and if you don’t carve time to do it, there will be 1000 other things that will occupy your time during the day. That is the process of self-discipline. The beauty of this process is that even though God cannot do it for you, He promises to help by His spirit:

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 NIV

Desire

Eventually, studying the word will become a part of you and it will no longer be a tedious task but a desire, a longing and you will start to look forward to your time in the Word of God. Like the psalmist, this will be your confession:

Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Psalm 119:97 NIV

And believe you me, this happens to everyone who goes through the process of discipline. The Word starts to come alive everyday and it draws you in until your desire is for more. And finally the most amazing thing happens:

Delight

You start to delight in the word of God.

How I delight in your commands! How I love them! Psalm 119:47 NLT

Direct me in the path of Your commandments, for there I find delight. Psalm 119:35 Berean Study Bible

What an amazing feeling! and if you were seeking to go deeper with God, at this point you will be like a tree with deep seated roots that are nourished by God Himself.

Blessed is the man… whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither– whatever they do prospers. Psalm 1:1-3 NIV

Wow! I want that!

So I leave you my dear readers with this: Be intentional in studying the Word of God. The command to us today is to

Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 King James 2000 Bible

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The Tracks of My Tears

The first day I heard this song, “The Track of My Tears” by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles I was instantly drawn to the lyrics. I’ll share with you for those who have never heard this song:

People say I’m the life of the party
Because I tell a joke or two
Although I might be laughing loud and hearty
Deep inside I’m blue

So take a good look at my face
You’ll see my smile looks out of place
If you look closer, it’s easy to trace
The tracks of my tears

As someone who has suffered from depression at various stages in my life, the words of this song ring true. Many times I have had to keep up appearances simply because it is easier than trying to explain to everyone why I am sad. For crying out loud half the time I do not even know why I am sad. And yet people who “know” me will never believe I have struggled with depression.

I think of all those times I have been in church, my heart so heavy, my mind spinning out of control because I have so much turmoil within me; barely holding on to my dignity for fear of breaking down and sobbing like a baby; part of me praying, hoping that God will use someone to speak a word of encouragement to me, that someone will discern that I was in distress and just give me a hug! The service ends and people greet me “how are you my sister?” “how’s the family?” while barely making eye contact. Sometimes even before I can respond, they have moved on to the next person saying their hellos as they make their way out of church. If only they looked closer, they would see the tracks of my tears behind the smile, the sorrow in my eye behind all that luscious mascara.

Being intentional about loving others means we take the time to STOP, look another in the eye and ask, “How are you doing?” and in that moment devote all attention to listening not just to words but to the heart of that person.

I think of the good Samaritan who helped the man bleeding and dying on the Jericho road. He did not just help; He did not just say, “how are you?” and keep walking.  He stopped,  and noticed the tears… the sorrow… the hunger…the nakedness (physical and spiritual)…the guilt… the shame…the deep seated need… He saw that the man was wounded and he bound up the wounds, pouring on oil and wine (Luke 10:25-29). and Jesus is saying to you today:

“Go and do likewise.” Like 10:37

God is calling us to pour oil and wine into the lives of our neighbors, our friends, our coworkers, our subordinates, our classmates, strangers; to bind up their wounds; to bring healing to every life we come into contact with; to build and not tear down each other. He is calling us to the highest place of love…

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and, Love your neighbor as yourself. Luke 10:27 NIV

P.S. if you are feeling a little down right now, Jesus wants you to know He knows all about your struggles and has wrapped you in his loving arms. And this is what He says to you right now: “I have loved you with an everlasting love” Jeremiah 31:3 NIV.

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The Evidence of Love

Have you ever found yourself saying, “I love you Lord” but deep down you are not really sure if you even know what that means? Well…that is me 99.9% of the time. However, today I discovered that I can finally put the question of whether I truly love God or not to rest with this simple test:

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. 2 John 1:6a NIV

Wow! this actually stopped me in my tracks!

The evidence of the love we have for God is found in our obedience. To rephrase, obedience is the inertia (the driving force) of our love. It is the vessel that carries out the intent of our love.  It is the donkey that carries a triumphant Jesus into Jerusalem.  A scripture comes to mind:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son… John 3:16 KJV

The intent of this love was that Jesus, would pay the ultimate sacrifice to redeem us back to God. However, if Jesus had not been obedient, the purpose for that love would have never been fulfilled.

He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Philippians 2:8 NLT

We sing wonderful songs of the love that motivated Christ to die for us and that is amazing. But let me tell you,  it was obedience that sealed the transaction of love the day an agonizing Jesus carried His old rugged cross up to Golgotha. Jesus had a choice (authority) to lay his life down and take it up again and that day, He was intentional in His obedience  to choose you and I (read John 10:18).

For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. Romans 5:19 NIV

The victory of salvation and redemption came through the obedience of Jesus. This is why you cannot speak of a victorious christian life outside of obedience. As one of my readers said, obedience is key. But I digress…

Jesus testified to His love for God in His obedience:

But I do exactly what the Father has commanded Me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. John 14:31 Berean Study Bible

So I leave you with this thought: To love is to obey and to obey is to love. Be intentional.

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The Intentionality of Obedience Part 1

via Why marry a Godly person? Part 1

A few days ago God taught me a valuable lesson on obedience through this post on “Why marry a godly person” referenced above. As I was reading and re-reading my post as I always do, my eye caught something I had written in the moment without much thought. This is what I wrote:

“So the question today is, “Why is it important to marry a Godly person?” The obvious answer is because the bible says we should not be equally yoked with unbelievers… and rightly so! But why? Two answers…

In part 1, I shared about foundation and then proceeded to share about God’s Spirit in us in part 2. As I pondered over the blogs again, I realized I had missed the more obvious and most important answer: BECAUSE GOD SAYS SO!

Wow! that simple…

I love to ask and answer the question of why…why this?…why that? In fact I’d have fit right in with the Berean Christians (Acts 17:11) back in the day! It is how I process life and my world, and it is part of my process with God. When I read a scripture and want to go deeper with it, I ask, “why?”. When my expectations for life fall short and the answers to prayer is not forthcoming, I ask God, “why?” Sometimes when my husband randomly says ” I love you”, I ask “why?”

I do not believe the statement, “God is unquestionable” in the sense that we should never ask God why. I am certain of the fact that God is interested in a passionate and open relationship with creation where we can ask Him anything. He is not a Father so far removed from His children; a Lover so distant and cold; that we only have a one-sided relationship with Him. I am sure that as much as God is interested in our business, He wants us to be curious and inquisitive about His. So dare to ask, “why?” (In the same breath I caution not to be arrogant. Do not ask questions in a manner that demands that the Creator justify His ways to His creation. Ask with the willingness to be content with His answer even if He does not give an answer at all).

When it comes to obedience, I am learning that God does not mind when we question His demands and His righteous laws in our quest to obey them. Many righteous men of old did same. We have examples in Moses, Gideon, David, Job, prophets of old, the disciples, and many others. However, God is more impressed when we obey without questioning… just trusting fully that He will never lead us astray.

Abraham, the patriarch of faith, is an exemplar of such obedience. He trusted God in the face of many difficult life decisions. And in every instance, even though he did not have all the pieces of the puzzle, he simply obeyed because… GOD SAID SO.

As much as I love to know the what, the why, the how, the when, the who,  and the where of every circumstance, I believe God is leading me to a place where I can step  outside of the confines of what I know to a place of absolute trust; A place where my trust is without borders and goes beyond the questions to the place of “because you say so”

Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” Luke 5:5 NIV

So as I start this journey into the intentionality of obedience, I encourage you to hop on this train with me and be open to saying, “I will obey…BECAUSE GOD SAID SO”

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior (Hillsong UNITED: Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)

 

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Why marry a Godly person? Part 2

So a couple of days ago, I started this series; “Why marry a Godly person” to share what God taught me about the topic and one of my readers requested I finish it. So here goes… The second reason why we must not be equally yoked with unbelievers is a lot more abstract than the first; which was to build your house (marriage) on the rock.

I’ll attempt to explain the second reason from the scripture:

Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? James 4:5 NIV

When you became born again, God’s Spirit took up residence in your heart with a promise never to leave you or forsake you. This Spirit gives you the right to have a father-son/daughter relationship with God Himself!

And he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us. 2 Corinthians 1:22 NLT

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15 NLT

God’s Holy Spirit in you is a guarantee that you will receive everything he has promised including eternal life (Read Ephesians 1:14). In other words, God does not take the deposition and disposition of his Spirit in us lightly. He jealously longs after his Spirit. Dare I say, He jealously guards and watches over his Spirit in you. Now what has this got to do with marriage?

Sex is a spiritual transaction that unites body, soul, and spirit. It is why two become one in marriage. Unfortunately, that equation works whether the union is between two married christians, or a one night stand, or a believer-unbeliever duo. The only force, strong enough to undo the transactions of sex, is the Word of God. Remember the Word of God divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow…. so if you have had multiple sexual partners, all is not lost… but I digress.

As I was saying, whenever there is a sexual union, there is an exchange that has the potential to contaminate your spirit; the new Spirit that God Himself has given you; the Spirit of Redemption, the Spirit that he jealously yearns for. And God does not like that. So now in the light of this, lets read the anchor scripture from which this discussion stems:

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. 2 Corinthians 6:14 – 7:1 NIV

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Why marry a Godly person? Part 1

When it comes to marriage, I consider myself a bit of a novice since I’ve only been married for a minute; so I generally tend to stay away from dishing out marriage advice. However, a few weeks ago, God taught me something I’d like to share.

So the question today is, “Why is it important to marry a Godly person?” The obvious answer is because the bible says we should not be equally yoked with unbelievers… and rightly so! But why? Two answers. The simpler answer: FOUNDATION

This brings to mind a parable: the parable of the wise and foolish builders. At the risk of oversimplification, it is said that the wise man built his house on rock and when the rain and wind beat upon the house it remained firmly planted. The foolish man, on the other hand, built his house on sand and that house could not withstand the forces of nature (Matthew 7:24-28).

Jesus is our firm and solid foundation; a foundation described as the rock on which we build our lives, our loves, our hopes, our dreams. A christian whose heart is sold out in obedience to the word of God brings a foundation that is solid rock to a marriage. The unbelieving partner brings sand.

But the wicked [ungodly, unbeliever] are like a surging sea that is unable to be quiet; its waves toss up mud and sand. Isaiah 57:20 NET

Here’s the simple mathematics:

Rock + Rock = a firm, sure, and solid foundation for a house (marriage) that will stand the test and trials of life.

Rock + Sand = a potentially unstable foundation for a house (marriage) with an uncertain future.

Let me tell you a parable of my own…

There was once a little piggy that built her house with sand and the big bad wolf came and huffed and puffed and blew her house down. But her sister was wiser. She built with rock so when the big bad wolf (satan) came, he huffed and puffed… and huffed and puffed.. and huffed and puffed… but could never blow the house (marriage) down. And I know this because…

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:11 NIV

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The Intentionality of Gracious Conversations

A couple of days ago, I spoke to a friend  who opened up to tell me she had been hurt by something I said over a year ago. I vividly remember walking away from that conversation a year ago thinking it was the most candid and the best conversation I have had with anyone in my social circle…so to find out that I had offended a dear friend.. boy did that crush me!

This morning, I woke up pondering how we could have had such differing perspectives to the same conversation and then this scripture came to mind:

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Colossians 4:6 ESV

So what does it mean to be gracious?

I found this definition online: Gracious people are kind and their behavior is characterized by tact.  A gracious person is a graceful person, someone who at least attempts to not hurt others’ feelings with clumsy words or thoughtless deeds.

Wow! I am truly humbled by this definition because that explains exactly how we offend people unbeknownst to us. The more I pondered over this scripture, I noticed a few more things:

Seasoned with salt: Salt flavors, salt preserves. So if I walk in and out of any conversation and I have not flavored the life of another with love, joy, peace, hope, faith… or if I have not preserved the dignity, the love, the peace, the joy, the hope, the faith of another then I have failed to be gracious.

Let your speech: It did not say God will let your speech…The onus is on me to be intentional about being gracious; about being tactful and purposeful about not offending anyone in my conversations.

Granted I am human; and sometimes regardless of how gracious I will try to be I will falter. But God encourages me that his Holy Spirit will help me if I am truly sincere and so I leave you all with this scripture:

Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Philippians 4:5 NLT

 

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