by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Proverbs 1-4
Wisdom, wisdom, wisdom. That’s what we all want, don’t we? Wisdom to live happy, successful lives – to have close families, and to find productive paths to prosperity and peace?
Well, here it is! The keys to all of these things lie within the book of Proverbs.
The first four chapters reiterate this concept over and over, making it clear that God’s way is the best way. And God’s way is within His Word.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (3:5-6)
When we trust in the Lord, we trust in His Word – and we obey it. We follow the principles, and we allow the Word to penetrate our hearts for our own transformation.
It’s a process, but all of life is a process. There are paths which we choose to take that allow us to go His way or another way. The longer we stay on either path, the more we will benefit – or not.
So the beginning of wisdom is to fear the Lord and take His Word seriously. As we experience the many different challenges of life, we can always find wisdom in God’s Word.
Is your challenge pertaining to wealth? Your answers are in the Word. Do you have challenges related to health? Look at the Word. Are your challenges in your family? Once again – the Word is your source of wisdom. It’s all there.
“How blessed is the man who finds wisdom. And the man who gains understanding.For its profit is better than the profit of silver and its gain than fine gold.” (3:13-14) Long life, riches and honor are promised to those who pursue diligently God’s wisdom.
“Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” (4:23)
Do you believe it? I do!
Today, meditate on this one fact: God’s Word is true – and it is indeed the source of life for us. If we continue in His Word, we will find the keys to that abundant life we are all seeking.
II Corinthians 1-2
In the first two chapters of II Corinthians, we see one of the greatest principles of our faith.
Do you remember in Paul’s first letter how shocked and horrified he was concerning this man who had “taken his father’s wife?” Paul was adamant about separating him from the body of believers and showing him no mercy.
In these chapters, we see a different viewpoint. Why? The man had repented.
In this second letter the man had repented and was truly sorry for what he had done. Not only was he sorry, but he had changed his way and wanted to be back in fellowship with the others.
This time Paul rebukes those who are still treating the man with disrespect. They should “forgive and comfort” the man.
I have a hot news flash for you: we aren’t perfect. All of us fall short of God’s best from time to time. Hopefully we don’t commit gross sin, as this man did. But we sin. We hold unforgivenenss in our hearts. Or we gossip. Or we harm others with our unmerciful tongues. Or we are greedy. Or we judge others with a self-righteous attitude.
There are many ways that we can and do fall short, so all of us need God’s forgiveness – and all of us have it. That’s the beauty of the gospel, or at least one of the beauties. When we truly repent, we always have God’s forgiveness – and His restoration.
Just thinking about this makes me want to spend some time with Him and make sure that all of the vestiges of bitterness are removed from my heart.
That’s God’s way – and it has to be our way, if we live in the best He has for us.
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Psalm 147-150
Today we wind up the book of Psalms and, as one might expect, we wind up on a high note. A high note of praise.
Let everything and everyone praise the Lord. Everything in the earth or above it. Every angel, all His hosts, the sun the moon and the stars, all of His creation – I mean everything! I love it!
There is another important lesson, however, which is planted in the midst of all the praise. It comes in Psalm 147:15-20. From time to time, as we study the Bible, we come across the concept of God’s Word and its many ramifications. Sometimes it is called “logos,” and sometimes “rhema.” (Those are the Greek words for “word”).
“Logos” means the general Word of God – the Bible and the words on the page which everyone can read. However, “rhema” means something different. It means the spoken Word. It can be spoken out loud for all to hear, or it can be spoken to you personally. When the latter happens, the words leap off of the page and you see something you never saw before – or you are reminded of something you need to hear again right now. You understand the Word.
When I am teaching, I sometimes bring some ice cubes in a glass. In that form, though they are water, they have no ability to reach the roots of a plant. They are water locked up. However, as I teach, they begin to melt and then they can begin to be useful for the watering process.
Psalm 147:15-20 is a good illustration of this concept. God speaks his Word into the earth, but it is locked up. It is icy fragments; snow like wool. No one can understand what He is saying.
Then He speaks again and the ice is melted. The wind of the Holy Spirit blows and the waters begin to flow. This second speaking is “rhema.” He is declaring His Word to His people. Understanding comes to those who are His.
As we study the Bible, we need to pray for “rhema.” We want more than just to read the words on the page; we want to understand it so that we can apply it to our lives.
The “rhema” is what we are counting on from God. That understood Word is what guides our lives and brings us deliverance.
Ask Him for more of His speaking to you personally – opening up the great truths locked up in His Word.
I Corinthians 16
“Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” (V.13)
These are some of the words Paul leaves with the Corinthians in this letter. And these are words which we should take to heart everyday.
There is always an opposition to our walk with the Lord. There are disappointments and trials. There are also those who mock our faith and try to dissuade us.
We need to be strong – in Him and know that He is our answer in everything. His Word is true whether anyone believes it or not. His path is the right one, even if we see everyone around us going another way.
Be alert and stand strong. That’s how we obtain the good, abundant life He has promised.
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Psalm 143-146++
“I will extol Thee, my God, my King; and I will bless Thy name forever and ever.” (145:1)
The great praiser, David, concentrates on the many facets of God’s greatness. Besides being mighty and able to do anything, He is also gracious, merciful, great in lovingkindness, good to all. (145:8-9).
We walk with a God whose attributes are beyond human understanding. Most people – even unbelievers – know that our God is strong and mighty. His ability to perform is greater than anything we can know. Yet many – even Christians – don’t have David’s understanding of God’s mercy and lovingkindness.
It was His mercy that sent His Son to the earth to bring deliverance to us. To pay the price we owed for our sinful nature.
Then it was His mercy which took us to a new level with Him by giving us the gift of righteousness. He made us righteous and put His Holy Spirit within us.
How could we not praise Him for all of these works? How could we not praise Him for all of the kindness and mercy He has shown us personally?
So now we are to live our lives in that mercy. He has forgiven us? Okay, let’s forgive ourselves. If God, the Creator of the Universe has forgiven us, then we need to forgive ourselves.
Let’s live with our hearts free from the condemnation we used to carry. He set us free from that, if we will receive it.
His mercy, His grace, and His forgiveness are not just words. They are truths we are called to live in.
His mercy endures forever! And I receive it!
I Corinthians 15:29-58
The seed principle comes up again and again throughout scripture. This time it speaks of the earthly life as compared to the heavenly life after resurrection.
Just as a seed is sown and grows to produce the appointed crop, our natural bodies are sown into the ground and will be raised up supernatural, spiritual bodies. These new bodies are the eternal bodies we will have as we live forever with Jesus.
Paul is speaking of the resurrection. Some had contested that they didn’t believe in the resurrection, and Paul rebukes them boldly. That’s when he compares the perishable and the imperishable bodies.
After we are born again, we live as children of God. Our spirits become alive and we begin to transform our souls through prayer and the Word of God. Our bodies are the last to be changed, but they will be in the resurrection. We will be sown a perishable body and raised up an imperishable one.
“O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting?” (V.55) Death has neither victory nor sting for the Christian. The resurrection life overcomes death, and we live forever.
“Therefore be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” (V. 58)
Never give up. Never give up doing what God directs you to do. His grace is with you wherever you go and in whatever comes your way. His love never fails – and always causes you to overcome, when you are in His will.
I embrace His purpose in my life and I embrace His ability to do it!
