Category Archives: Bible Studies

Bible Studies, Christian Growth

Catastrophic Loss

 

 

 

 

 

photo credit: prairiemomof2 <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/32326251@N00/6496631031″>Tornado. Washington, Kansas</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a&gt; <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/”>(license)</a&gt;

 

“One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord asked Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’

‘From roaming through the earth,’ Satan answered Him, ‘and walking around on it.’

‘Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job? No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil.’

Satan answered the Lord, ‘Does Job fear God for nothing?  Haven’t You placed a hedge around him, his household, and everything he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out Your hand and strike everything he owns, and he will surely curse You to Your face.’

‘Very well,’ the Lord told Satan, ‘everything he owns is in your power. However, you must not lay a hand on Job himself.’ So Satan left the Lord’s presence.

One day when Job’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,  a messenger came to Job and reported: ‘While the oxen were plowing and the donkeys grazing nearby,  the Sabeans swooped down and took them away. They struck down the servants with the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!’

He was still speaking when another messenger came and reported: ‘A lightning storm struck from heaven. It burned up the sheep and the servants and devoured them, and I alone have escaped to tell you!’

 That messenger was still speaking when yet another came and reported: ‘The Chaldeans formed three bands, made a raid on the camels, and took them away. They struck down the servants with the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!’

He was still speaking when another messenger came and reported: ‘Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house. Suddenly a powerful wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on the young people so that they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you!’

Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped, saying:

Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will leave this life.
The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away.
Praise the name of Yahweh.

Throughout all this Job did not sin or blame God for anything (Job 1:1-22 HCSB).”

 

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Bible Studies, Christian Growth, Devotionals

Awakening

photo credit: hang_in_there <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/59632563@N04/6480297645″>Sad man holding pillow</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/”>(license)</a> 

 

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV).”

Multitudes are seeking God. We sense our deep need for revival, a spiritual awakening!

“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee (Isaiah 60:1 KJV).”

The LORD is waking His people from spiritual slumber.

“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed (Romans 13:11 KJV).”

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Bible Studies, Christian Growth, Devotionals

Invisible

 

Dating myself again; I can remember The Invisible Man. I also recall invisible ink and those secret messages from school days.

 

Maybe you’ve seen the illusion of a bouquet of flowers appearing out of thin air.

We are entertained by illusions.

Children of God have experienced reality; we have placed our faith in the invisible.

“Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. For our ancestors won God’s approval by it.

By faith we understand that the universe was created by God’s command, so that what is seen has been made from things that are not visible (Hebrews 11:1-3 HCSB).”

God is Creator. As omnipotent LORD, He willed and spoke the earth into existence.

 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters (Genesis 1:1-2 HCSB).”

Jesus …We witness His glory.

“He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn over all creation.
For everything was created by Him,
in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions
or rulers or authorities—
all things have been created through Him and for Him.
 He is before all things,
and by Him all things hold together.
He is also the head of the body, the church;
He is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead,
so that He might come to have
first place in everything.
For God was pleased to have
all His fullness dwell in Him,
and through Him to reconcile
everything to Himself
by making peace
through the blood of His cross—
whether things on earth or things in heaven (Colossians 1:15-20 HCSB).”

 

 

 

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Bible Studies, Christian Growth, Devotionals, Salvation

Peace in the Pasture

800px-The_Sunday_at_Home_1880_-_Psalm_23{WIKIMEDIA}

Learning that I’m originally from New York State, most wrongly assume I’m a NY City girl.

I was born in the city of Syracuse but raised in the rural neighborhood of Mycenae. I was a country girl; with one cow pasture across the road and another right next to our home. There, a picturesque creek divided farmer May’s pasture property from ours.

We had no nearby sheep pastures; yet, I assume Mr. May protected his dairy cows in much the same way as a shepherd.

Seeking peace in the pasture…

“Bethlehem Ephrathah,
you are small among the clans of Judah;
One will come from you
to be ruler over Israel for Me.
His origin is from antiquity,
from eternity.
Therefore, He will abandon them until the time
when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of His brothers will return
to the people of Israel.
He will stand and shepherd them
in the strength of Yahweh,
in the majestic name of Yahweh His God.
They will live securely,
for then His greatness will extend
to the ends of the earth.
He will be their peace (Micah 5:2-5a HCSB).”

Trusting the Good Shepherd…

 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11 HCSB).”

 

 

 

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Bible Studies, Children, Christian Growth, Devotionals

Jesus Loves the Little Children

‘Jesus Loves the Little Children’   

[Clare H. Woolston/Public Domain]

Jesus calls the children dear,
“Come to Me and never fear,
For I love the little children of the world;
I will take you by the hand,
Lead you to the better land,
For I love the little children of the world.”

Refrain:
*Jesus loves the little children,
[*Jesus died for all the children,]
All the children of the world;
Red, brown, yellow, black and white,
All are precious in His sight,
*Jesus loves the little children of the world.
[*Jesus died for all the children of the world.]

Jesus is the Shepherd true,
And He’ll always stand by you,
For He loves the little children of the world;
He’s a Savior great and strong,
And He’ll shield you from the wrong,
For He loves the little children of the world.

I am coming, Lord, to Thee,
And Your soldier I will be,
For You love the little children of the world;
And Your cross I’ll always bear,
And for You I’ll do and dare,
For You love the little children of the world.

*alternate text for refrain

Jesus loves children.

 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea (Matthew 18:6 NKJV).”

He gave stern warnings to any who might shun or harm the children.

“Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.  For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost (Matthew 18:10-11 NKJV).”

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Bible Studies, Christian Growth, Devotionals

Idol Worship

 

 

 

 

{Image: etsy}

Found or forsaken?

Fate or faith?

“Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: ‘Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; but when in their trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them. And in those times there was no peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who came in, but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands. So nation was destroyed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every adversity. But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!’

And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had taken in the mountains of Ephraim; and he restored the altar of the Lord that was before the vestibule of the Lord (2 Chronicles 15:1-8 NKJV).”

 

 

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Bible Studies, Christian Growth, Devotionals

Feeling No Pain

Who?

“Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has conflicts? Who has complaints?
Who has wounds for no reason?
Who has red eyes?
Those who linger over wine,
those who go looking for mixed wine.
Don’t gaze at wine because it is red,
when it gleams in the cup
and goes down smoothly.
In the end it bites like a snake
and stings like a viper.
Your eyes will see strange things,
and you will say absurd things.
You’ll be like someone sleeping out at sea
or lying down on the top of a ship’s mast.
‘They struck me, but I feel no pain!
They beat me, but I didn’t know it!
When will I wake up?
I’ll look for another drink (Proverbs 23:29-35).”

We each have a choice…

“And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled by the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18 HCSB).”

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Bible Studies, Christian Growth, Devotionals, Salvation

Acting Out & Acting Up

Unclean & unruly, acting out and acting up.

“Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gerasenes. As soon as He got out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the tombs and met Him. He lived in the tombs. No one was able to restrain him anymore—even with chains— because he often had been bound with shackles and chains, but had snapped off the chains and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. And always, night and day, he was crying out among the tombs and in the mountains and cutting himself with stones.

When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and knelt down before Him (Mark 5:1-6 HCSB).”

The man was about to go through total transformation.

Legion to liberty…

“And he cried out with a loud voice, “What do You have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You before God, don’t torment me!’ For He had told him, ‘Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!’

‘What is your name?’ He asked him.

“My name is Legion,’ he answered Him, ‘because we are many.’ And he kept begging Him not to send them out of the region.

Now a large herd of pigs was there, feeding on the hillside. The demons begged Him, ‘Send us to the pigs, so we may enter them.’ And He gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs, and the herd of about 2,000 rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned there. The men who tended them ran off and reported it in the town and the countryside, and people went to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and saw the man who had been demon-possessed by the legion, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. The eyewitnesses described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and told about the pigs. Then they began to beg Him to leave their region.

As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed kept begging Him to be with Him. But He would not let him; instead, He told him, ‘Go back home to your own people, and report to them how much the Lord has done for you and how He has had mercy on you.’ So he went out and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and they were all amazed (Mark 5:7-20 HCSB).”

Tombs to testimony!

 

 

 

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Bible Studies, Christian Growth, Devotionals

Prancing for the Prince

{image:SnappyGoat.com/flickr}

The Prince of Peace lifts the downtrodden. He puts a spring in the step of the discouraged.

“He makes my feet like the feet of a deer
and sets me securely on the heights (Psalm 18:33 HCSB).”

Today, I was lifting my legs and feet while walking in place; prancing horses came to mind. They move across a track or circus ring with pageantry and precision. The imagery is exhilarating. 

A beggar found healing, lost his inhibitions and put his legs to the supreme test.

“But Peter said, ‘I don’t have silver or gold, but what I have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!’ Then, taking him by the right hand he raised him up, and at once his feet and ankles became strong. So he jumped up, stood, and started to walk, and he entered the temple complex with them—walking, leaping, and praising God (Acts 3:6-8 HCSB).”

Note the progression. The man was healed in the name of Jesus. With miraculous healing, his feet and ankles were instantaneously strengthened. He jumped up from his place of hopelessness, stood and walked. God transformed lame legs into legs of leaping. In response, he praised God!

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Bible Studies, Christian Growth, Devotionals, Prayer

In Uniform

{My Dad: Franklin F. Ford}

Do you have a family member serving in the military?

My Dad served in the Army before and during World War II.

Our Son-in-Law is retired career Air Force.

His youngest is now following in his father’s footsteps.

I have extended family in the military too.

I like to see a man or woman in uniform.

Some are basic duty uniforms, suitable for daily wear. Dress uniforms are for formal occasions and yes… there are combat uniforms.

We are in the LORD’s Army.

He gives us His Armor, our uniform. We need to wear it daily.

“Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. Stand, therefore,

with truth like a belt around your waist,
righteousness like armor on your chest,
and your feet sandaled with readiness
for the gospel of peace.
In every situation take the shield of faith,
and with it you will be able to extinguish
all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Take the helmet of salvation,
and the sword of the Spirit,
which is God’s word.

Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert in this with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints (Ephesians 6:10-18 HCSB).”

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