| Blogs > marbella3 > The Word For Life. |
|
The Full Reveal Bible in a Year: 1 Samuel 7–9 Luke 9:18–36 Immediately he spoke them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Mark 6:50 Mark 6:45–56 Moviegoers heard the beautiful voice of Emily Blunt as the starring role in Mary Poppins Returns. Amazingly, it was four years into their marriage before her husband discovered her vocal talent. In an interview, he revealed his surprise the first time he heard her sing, thinking, “When were you going to tell me this?” In relationships we often learn new, sometimes unexpected, details that surprise us. In Mark’s gospel, Christ’s disciples initially started with an incomplete picture of Jesus and struggled to grasp all of who He is. In an encounter on the Sea of Galilee, however, Jesus revealed more of Himself—this time the extent of His power over the forces of nature. After feeding a crowd numbering more than 5,000 people, Jesus sent His disciples out on the Sea of Galilee, where they were caught in a fierce storm. Just before dawn, the disciples were terrified to see someone walking on the water. Christ’s familiar voice spoke words of comfort, saying, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (Mark 6:50). Then He calmed the raging sea. Upon seeing such great power, the disciples were “completely amazed” (6:51) even as they struggled to fully comprehend this experience of Christ’s power. As we experience Jesus and His power over the storms of our lives, we gain a more complete picture of who He is. And we’re amazed. Reflect & Pray How does learning of Christ’s power help develop a fuller picture of who He is? What other stories in the Bible reveal His power? Jesus, You amaze us with Your power. Open our eyes and reveal to us more of who You are so that we might worship You. 1 Samuel 1–3 Luke 8:26–56 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” John : John :–18 He was called “one of the bravest persons alive,” but he wasn’t what others expected. Desmond was a soldier who declined carry a gun. As a medic, he single-handedly rescued seventy-five injured soldiers in one battle, including some who once called him a coward and ridiculed him for his faith. Running into heavy gunfire, Desmond prayed continually, “Lord, please help me get one more.” He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism. Scripture tells us that Jesus was greatly misunderstood. On a day foretold by the prophet Zechariah (9:9), Jesus entered Jerusalem and the crowd waved branches, shouting, “Hosanna!” (John  . Quoting Psalm 118:26, they cried: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (John . But the very next verse in that psalm refers bringing a sacrifice “with boughs in hand” (Psalm 118:27). While the crowd in John anticipated an earthly king save them from Rome, Jesus was much more. He was King of Kings and our sacrifice—God in the flesh, willingly embracing the cross save us from our sins—a purpose prophesied centuries earlier.“At first his disciples did not understand this,” John writes. Only later “did they realize that these things had been written about him” (John . Illumined by His Word, God’s eternal purposes became clear. See the link below view Grant Stevenson’s “In Pursuit of Jesus” video learn more about the One who saves.Reflect & Pray How has Jesus saved you? How can you express your grateful praise Him today? Risen Savior, I praise You for Your sacrifice for us at the cross. Help live serving and praising You, my eternal King! Our Deepest Longings Bible in a Year: Ruth 1–4 Luke 8:1–25 Whoever loves wealth is never satisfied. Ecclesiastes 5:10 Ecclesiastes 5:10– As a young man, Duncan had been afraid of not having enough money, so in his early twenties, he began ambitiously building his future. Climbing the ladder at a prestigious Silicon Valley company, Duncan achieved vast wealth. He had a bulging bank account, a luxury sports car, and a million-dollar California home. He had everything he desired; yet he was profoundly unhappy. “I felt anxious and dissatisfied,” Duncan said. “In fact, wealth can actually make life worse.” Piles of cash didn’t provide friendship, community, or joy—and often brought him only more heartache. Some people will expend immense energy attempting amass wealth in an effort secure their lives. It’s a fool’s game. “Whoever loves money never has enough,” Scripture insists (Ecclesiastes 5:10). Some will work themselves the bone. They’ll strive and push, comparing their possessions with others and straining achieve some economic status. And yet even if they gain supposed financial freedom, they’ll still be unsatisfied. It’s not enough. As the writer of Ecclesiastes states, “This too is meaningless” (v. 10). The truth is, striving to find fulfillment apart from God will prove futile. While Scripture calls us to work hard and use our gifts for the good of the world, we can never accumulate enough to satisfy our deepest longings. Jesus alone offers a real and satisfying life (John 10:10)—one based on a loving relationship that’s truly enough! Reflect & Pray What brings you true satisfaction and fulfillment? How can you more fully live out the fact that only God is enough? Gracious God, allow me to find my true fulfillment and joy in You. Keep me from a wrong view of work and material things. What Comes Next? Bible in a Year: Judges 19–21 Luke 7:31–50 There is in store for the crown of righteousness, which the Lord . . . will award that day. 2 Timothy 4:8 2 Timothy 4:1–8 the night of April 3, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King gave his final speech, “I’ve Been the Mountaintop.” In it, he hints that he believed he might not live long. He said, “We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. . . . [But] I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.” The next day, he was assassinated. The apostle Paul, shortly before his death, wrote to his protégé Timothy: “I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. . . . Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day” (2 Timothy 4:6, 8. Paul knew his time on earth was drawing to a close, as did Dr. King. Both men realized lives of incredible significance, yet never lost sight of the true life ahead. Both men welcomed what came next. Like them, may we “fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18. Reflect & Pray What is your understanding of this life’s temporary nature? How do you think it plays into the life that comes next? Heavenly Father, help us to keep our eyes on You and not on the troubles and trials of this life. Cheerful Givers Bible in a Year: Judges –18 Luke 7:1–30 God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9.7 2 Corinthians 9:6–9 Years ago, my wife received a small rebate from something she’d purchased. It wasn’t something she’d expected, it just showed in the . About the same time, a good friend shared with her the immense needs of women in another country, entrepreneurial-minded women trying better themselves by way of education and business. As is often the case, however, their first barrier was financial. My wife took that rebate and made a micro-loan to a ministry devoted to helping these women. When the loan was repaid, she simply loaned again, and again, and so far has made twenty-seven such investments. My wife enjoys many things, but there’s rarely a smile as big on her face as when she receives an update on the flourishing taking place in the lives of women she’s never met. We often hear emphasis on the last word in this phrase—“God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9.7)—and rightly so. But our giving has a specific quality about it—it shouldn’t be done “reluctantly or under compulsion,” and we’re called not to sow “sparingly” (vv. 6–7). In a word, our giving is to be “cheerful.” And while each of us will give a little differently, our faces are places for telling evidence of our cheer. Reflect & Pray When did you last “cheerfully” give? Why do you believe God loves a cheerful giver? Generous Father God, thank You for the joy that comes in giving from a cheer-filled heart. And thank You for the ways in which You provide abundantly for our needs. Praying Like Jesus Bible in a Year: Judges – Luke 6:27–49 Father, if you are willing, take this cup from ; yet not my will, but yours be done. Luke 22:42 Luke 22:39–44 Every coin has two sides. The front is called “heads” and, from early Roman times, usually depicts a country’s head of state. The back is called “tails,” a term possibly originating from the British ten pence depicting the raised tail of a heraldic lion. Like a coin, Christ’s prayer in the garden of Gethsemane possesses two sides. In the deepest hours of His life, on the night before He died on a cross, Jesus prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). When Christ says, “take this cup,” that’s the raw honesty of prayer. He reveals His personal desire, “This is what I want.” Then Jesus turns the coin, praying “not my will.” That’s the side of abandon. Abandoning ourselves God begins when we simply say, “But what do You want, God?” This two-sided prayer is also included in Matthew 26 and Mark and is mentioned in John 18. Jesus prayed both sides of prayer: take this cup (what I want, God), yet not My will (what do You want, God?), pivoting between them. Two sides of Jesus. Two sides of prayer. Reflect & Pray What might we learn if we prayed honestly and with complete abandon, as Jesus did? What situation are you facing right now where you can pray honestly yet with abandon God? Father, help follow the example of Your , who spent everything so that I might possess real life that includes experiencing intimate prayer with You. Inheritance Isn’t Earned Bible in a Year: Judges 11– Luke 6:1–26 He predestined us for adoption sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. Ephesians 1:5 Ephesians 1:3– “Thanks for dinner, Dad,” I said as I set my napkin the restaurant table. I was home a break from college and, after being gone for a while, it felt strange have my parents for . “You’re welcome, Julie,” my dad replied, “but you don’t have thank for everything the time. I know you’ve been off your own, but you’re still my and a part of the family.” I smiled. “Thanks, Dad.” In my family, I haven’t done anything earn my parents’ love or what they do for . But my dad’s comment reminds me that I haven’t done anything deserve be a part of God’s family either. In the book of Ephesians, Paul tells his readers that God chose them “ be holy and blameless in his sight” (1:4), or stand without blemish before Him (5:25–27). But this is only possible through Jesus, in whom “we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (1.7). We don’t have earn God’s grace, forgiveness, or entrance into His family. We simply accept His free gift. When we turn our lives over to Jesus, we become of God, which means we receive eternal life and have an inheritance waiting for us in heaven. Praise God for offering such a wonderful gift! Reflect & Pray In what ways do you feel or act as if you have to earn God’s love? How can you practice living in the freedom of His love? Faithful God, thank You for freely giving Your so I can be a part of Your family. Help me to honor You in You’ve done for . Blessed Bread Bible in a Year: Judges 9–10 Luke 5:–39 Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Matthew 26:26 nlt Matthew 26:26–29 When our oldest became a , my wife and I gave her a journal that we’d been writing in since her birth. We’d recorded her likes and dislikes, quirks and memorable one-liners. At some point the entries became more like letters, describing what we see in her and how we see God at work in her. When we gave it to her on her thirteenth birthday, she was mesmerized. She’d been given the gift of knowing a crucial part of the origins of her identity. In blessing something as common as bread, Jesus was revealing its identity. What it—along with creation—was made reflect: God’s glory. I believe Jesus was also pointing the future of the material world. creation will one day be filled with the glory of God. So in blessing bread (Matthew 26:26), Jesus was pointing the origin and the destiny of creation (Romans 8:21–22). Maybe the “beginning” of your story feels messed . Maybe you don’t think there’s much of a future. But there’s a bigger story. It’s a story of a God who made you on purpose and for a purpose, who took pleasure in you. It’s a story of God who came to rescue you (Matthew 26:28, a God who put His Spirit in you to renew you and recover your identity. It’s a story of a God who wants to bless you. Reflect & Pray How does seeing your true origin story as being made on purpose and for a purpose change the way you see yourself? What’s the bigger story than simply your situation right now? Dear Jesus, I place my life like bread in Your hands. Only You can return me to my origin. Only You can carry me to my destiny. Jesus, You are the author and the finisher of my faith. The Would-Be Woodcutter Bible in a Year: Judges 4–6 Luke 4:31–44 Cast your anxiety him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5.7 2 Kings 6:1–7 One year when I was in college, I cut, stacked, sold, and delivered firewood. It was a hard job, so I have empathy for the hapless logger in the 2 Kings 6 story. Elisha’s school for prophets had prospered, and their meeting place had become too small. Someone suggested they go into the woods, cut logs, and enlarge their facilities. Elisha agreed and accompanied the workers. Things were going remarkably well until someone’s axhead fell into the water (v. 5). Some have suggested that Elisha simply probed in the water with his stick until he located the axhead and dragged it into sight. That would hardly be worth mentioning, however. No, it was a miracle: The axhead was set in motion by God’s hand and began to float so the man could retrieve it (vv. 6–7). The simple miracle enshrines a profound truth: God cares about the small stuff of life—lost axheads, lost keys, lost glasses, lost phones—the little things that cause us to fret. He doesn’t always restore what’s lost, but He understands and comforts us in our distress. Next to the assurance of our salvation, the assurance of God’s care is essential. Without it we would feel alone in the world, exposed to innumerable worries. It’s good to know He cares and is moved by our losses—small as they may be. Our concerns are His concerns. Reflect & Pray What “little” things are troubling you that you can cast on God right now? How does it encourage you to know that you can be assured of His daily care for you? Loving God, here are my concerns. Please take them, provide as You see best, and give me Your peace. 
|
|||
|
Marbella, something is weird with your blog today.... it also contains the last several blogs. Every time I see and experience the power of God in a situation, it strengthens my faith in His ability to work in my life. Be a prism, spreading God's light and love, not a mirror reflecting the world's hatred.
| ||
|
Mrsjoe, God bless I hope ur doing fine. yes something wrong with my blog and I dont know what to do.
|
×
×