Hello Ladies!
I am currently embarking upon a 3-week walk through the book of 1 Timothy. An amazing instruction book for standing firm in our faith, and being encouraged in our pursuit of godliness. Who would I rather invite to accompany me along this 3-week journey through this Awe-Inspired book, than you all?? I have broken the readings down into 3 weeks, which I have listed below. I am going to try to pull out several truths from each week's study and post them. Here is a suggested guideline for our Walk through 1 Timothy:
~Week One~
Day One: 1 Timothy 1:1-11
Day Two: 1 Timothy 1:12-20
Day Three: 1 Timothy 2:1-8
Day Four: 1 Timothy 2:9-15
Day Five: 1 Timothy 3:1-10
~Week Two~
Day One: 1 Timothy 3:11-16
Day Two: 1 Timothy 4:1-8
Day Three: 1 Timothy 4:9-16
Day Four: 1 Timothy 5:1-10
Day Five: 1 Timothy 5:11-25
~Week Three~
Day One: 1 Timothy 6:1-10
Day Two: 1 Timothy 6:11-16
Day Three: 1 Timothy 6:17-19
Day Four: 1 Timothy 6:20-21
One suggestion is to invest in a journal or notebook of some sort. I love reading Scripture, then going back and reading it a second time choosing a verse that stands out to me and challenges, convicts, or blesses me. We will call that our "Take-Away" verse. I encourage you to find your Take-Away, and expand upon that verse in your journal. Write your Take-Away down, followed by some thought-provoking questions such as these: (Feel free to use this as your model.)
I. What does this verse say? (State the facts of the verse.)
II. What does this verse mean? (State the spiritual application or meaning of the verse.)
III. What does this verse mean to me? (Make it personal. Ask yourself: Am I currently applying this verse to my life? If not, what can I do to implement this truth into your everyday life, or a particular situation I am facing?)
By the end of our walk through 1 Timothy, we will each have at least 14 Take-Aways, that will no doubt encourage us in our pursuit of faith and godliness. You will be amazed at how the reading and studying of the Word of God will usher you into a deeper and more effective prayer life with your God.
My favorite Take-Away from 1 Timothy so far: "The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith" (1 Timothy 1:5).
This is gonna be gooood, y'all. :)
Joining you in pursuit of His instruction,
Heather
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
A New Chapter
I never thought I would be a lover of Christian fiction until I started reading Karen Kingsbury. I am beginning the new Karen Kingsbury series today: Above the Line. The first book, Take One, is out in stores. It looks like the second book, Take Two, is being released next month.
For any of you girls who want a good summer read and have never read anything by Karen Kingsbury, my personal recommendation is to start with the Redemption Series. There are 5 books in this series, and I assure you that once you speed through these 5 books, you will be ready for the next 2 series: the Firstborn Series and Sunrise Series.
What I love about her books is that they are loaded with biblical principles for relationships, marriage, life, and trials. She incorporates Scripture throughout her books so beautifully, that you truly feel you have spent time with the Lord after reading. And what I love about the characters in her books more than anything, is that they inspire you to get in the Word!
So, just a suggestion. I'm off to my future husband's softball game (Oh my gosh, that sounds so weird! Ahh, I cannot wait to marry this man!) ... And then enjoying some leisurely reading!
Love Y'all!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Meeting our Needs
"And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
~ Isaiah 9:6b ~
I am learning more and more each day how our God cares enough to tend to the details of our lives. Friendships, relationships, marriages, work situations ... He wants to heal and bless His children. I was on my face over a particular difficulty a few days ago. Flipping open my Bible, my fingers stopped at Isaiah. The above passage is one we often here around Christmas time, preparing us for the celebration of Jesus' birth. Verse 6 begins this way: "For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders" (Isaiah 9:6a). How incredible this passage of Scripture is! The purpose of His coming! Scripture foretold His greatness. Scripture recognized our need for a Savior. God Almighty knew how desperate we were for help. Oh Lord, when we were in such great need ... You saved us.
God knew how in need we would be of some serious problem solving, so He sent the Wonderful Counselor. He knew how lax we would become in believing Him for the impossible, so He sent the Mighty God. He knew how incredibly desperate we would be for guidance and love, so He sent the Everlasting Father. And lastly, He knew what a sin-cursed and fallen world we would live within, so He sent us the Prince of Peace.
Are you relying on your Wonderful Counselor for your problem solving? Your Mighty God to do the impossible? Your Everlasting Father to wrap His loving arms around you and guide your steps? Your Prince of Peace to calm the storms of life?
For all of us result-oriented females, I have some good news. God implemented a solution to meet our deepest needs. It has already been accomplished. He thought of everything. Now in order to experience the fullness of all God has for us in the person of Jesus, we just have to tap into the source.
"And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
~ Philippians 4:19 ~
Friday, May 8, 2009
With All Our Might
At the beginning of 2009, I committed this year to the Lord, asking that He lead and guide my steps wherever He so desired. I prayed specifically that 2009 would be "The Year of the Lord" for me personally. I wanted to see Him act in ways I never thought or imagined. To sense His Presence in my everyday circumstances. An insatiable desire to experience my God.
As I sat across the table yesterday morning from a dear friend - her two little babies, as well as myself, all tugging for her attention - One wanting a sip of her coffee, the other to be fed, and then me (probably more needy than the 3 year old & the newborn combined) - desperately wanting to glean insight from this incredible godly woman on the intricacies of prioritizing her life as a wife and mother. I think she should go into business giving "wife lessons." In between soothing the whining baby and the pretending to be able to interpret 3-year old gibberish (how do moms play that off so well??), this woman whom I am privileged to call a friend, managed to fit in two incredibly profound pieces of advice. I had to share them with you all.
Her first piece of advice came from a sermon she had heard preached by our pastor several years ago. He spoke to a group of graduating seniors on starting their college experience. He encouraged and challenged them to "start strong in order to finish strong." 2009 started strong for me. The Lord had my full attention. And for great purpose. Psalm 4:3 says, "Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for Himself." God has great purpose in setting us apart for certain seasons of our lives. If you are currently experiencing a "set apart" season, can I give you a word of advice? Relish it, sweet sister. Take in every bit of Him you can. Spend as much time as possible in that sweet Word of Life. Commune with Him day and night. Apply the Truth to your everyday. Enjoy your spiritual journey. Run hard after Him, then run some more. Write down all the things He is teaching you. Relish your "set apart" season. Because when you start strong, you can finish strong. And I dare say, that if God currently has you in a "set apart" season ... It's about to get busy. Something else is right around the corner - a different kind of season. Which is all the more reason to start strong and stay focused. Because you want to be READY! Ready to experience that season to the fullest!
Her second piece of advice came directly from Scripture. She shared Ecclesiastes 9:10 with me: "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might." When she got engaged, she took a good look at the lovely engagement ring on her finger and after reading the above verse, committed to being fully engaged in the season God currently had placed her in. "It's time to be a wife. I'm going to do this with all my might ..." was her mentality. I am a thinker. My mind rarely slows down - always analyzing something, thinking through the pros and cons of a particular situation, etc. Frankly, it can be exhausting. Being newly engaged, it seems I have adopted a check-list of 1,000 items. So, 1,000 wedding-related items on my check-list ... And my mind all of a sudden steps into high gear and I begin frantically thinking about 1,000 ministry-related items on my check-list and 1,000 house-related items on my check-list ... (All of this on the way to eating sushi on Wednesday night! In the span of time it took us to park the car and walk to the restaurant!) Praise the Lord for my fiance who ever so frankly reminded me that there is a time for ALL of those things, but right now I have been given the task (and a great task it is) of planning a wedding.
Jim Elliot, a great hero of the faith put it so simply when he said: "Wherever you are, be all there." Similar to the Ecclesiastes passage listed above, he challenges us to give our all wherever it is we find ourselves, that we may experience the complete joy God has for us right there in that place.
So, I have committed to being all "here." Looking down at this beautiful ring on my finger, watching my future husband build a fence in the front yard of our soon-to-be home together, sharing special moments with my family and friends, and even getting all dirty and sweaty cleaning out the storage unit ... I want to experience everything that this season has for me.
As I sat across the table yesterday morning from a dear friend - her two little babies, as well as myself, all tugging for her attention - One wanting a sip of her coffee, the other to be fed, and then me (probably more needy than the 3 year old & the newborn combined) - desperately wanting to glean insight from this incredible godly woman on the intricacies of prioritizing her life as a wife and mother. I think she should go into business giving "wife lessons." In between soothing the whining baby and the pretending to be able to interpret 3-year old gibberish (how do moms play that off so well??), this woman whom I am privileged to call a friend, managed to fit in two incredibly profound pieces of advice. I had to share them with you all.
Her first piece of advice came from a sermon she had heard preached by our pastor several years ago. He spoke to a group of graduating seniors on starting their college experience. He encouraged and challenged them to "start strong in order to finish strong." 2009 started strong for me. The Lord had my full attention. And for great purpose. Psalm 4:3 says, "Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for Himself." God has great purpose in setting us apart for certain seasons of our lives. If you are currently experiencing a "set apart" season, can I give you a word of advice? Relish it, sweet sister. Take in every bit of Him you can. Spend as much time as possible in that sweet Word of Life. Commune with Him day and night. Apply the Truth to your everyday. Enjoy your spiritual journey. Run hard after Him, then run some more. Write down all the things He is teaching you. Relish your "set apart" season. Because when you start strong, you can finish strong. And I dare say, that if God currently has you in a "set apart" season ... It's about to get busy. Something else is right around the corner - a different kind of season. Which is all the more reason to start strong and stay focused. Because you want to be READY! Ready to experience that season to the fullest!
Her second piece of advice came directly from Scripture. She shared Ecclesiastes 9:10 with me: "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might." When she got engaged, she took a good look at the lovely engagement ring on her finger and after reading the above verse, committed to being fully engaged in the season God currently had placed her in. "It's time to be a wife. I'm going to do this with all my might ..." was her mentality. I am a thinker. My mind rarely slows down - always analyzing something, thinking through the pros and cons of a particular situation, etc. Frankly, it can be exhausting. Being newly engaged, it seems I have adopted a check-list of 1,000 items. So, 1,000 wedding-related items on my check-list ... And my mind all of a sudden steps into high gear and I begin frantically thinking about 1,000 ministry-related items on my check-list and 1,000 house-related items on my check-list ... (All of this on the way to eating sushi on Wednesday night! In the span of time it took us to park the car and walk to the restaurant!) Praise the Lord for my fiance who ever so frankly reminded me that there is a time for ALL of those things, but right now I have been given the task (and a great task it is) of planning a wedding.
Jim Elliot, a great hero of the faith put it so simply when he said: "Wherever you are, be all there." Similar to the Ecclesiastes passage listed above, he challenges us to give our all wherever it is we find ourselves, that we may experience the complete joy God has for us right there in that place.
So, I have committed to being all "here." Looking down at this beautiful ring on my finger, watching my future husband build a fence in the front yard of our soon-to-be home together, sharing special moments with my family and friends, and even getting all dirty and sweaty cleaning out the storage unit ... I want to experience everything that this season has for me.
The sweet moments.
The special moments.
The "going crazy" moments.
The silly moments.
The proud moments.
Start Strong ... And Work at it with all your might.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
A Call to Purity
"For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life." (1 Thessalonians 4:7)
Intentional Living
Oh boy, am I ever experiencing some conviction this evening. Some serious prayer has just taken place on this here bedroom floor ...
The enemy in his own old-as-dirt conniving ways, determined a way to wreak havoc on a perfectly fine evening. I hate him. Can I say that again? I just hate him. He knows where to attack, how to attack, and he will take extreme measures to attempt to have us at his mercy. One more time. I absolutely hate him. So, after spending at least 2 hours on edge over a particular overly dramatic and unnecessary situation, I have found myself exhausted, downhearted and regretful. One of those mulligan-things would sure come in handy right now. Yes, a life mulligan. Then again, I could assess the situation, think through everything I should have/could have done differently, and pray to Jesus that I will deal with future situations in a more worthy-of-the-Gospel manner. Ugh. Why do we put ourselves through such pain?
All of this got me thinking about the need for intentional living. To be intentioned means to be determined to act in a certain way. If that happens, I resolve to act like this. Pre-determined. We have all been around people who when conflict arises, they impulsively act like 5 year olds. Like they never have been in the midst of distress in all their adult lives. Then there are those who are as calm, cool and collective in the midst of a storm as they are in their moments of bliss. Do we think they were born naturally able to handle stressful situations? No, there is intention behind their actions. Pre-determined. Intentional living.
1 Thessalonians 4:11 says, "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business ..."
In a world of facebook status updates, blackberry's practically glued to our palms, and endless efforts to "be seen" all around town, the challenge in the verse above is probably one, if not the most foreign concept in our current society. Our generation has taken the idea of privacy and thrown it out the window.
The Bible on the other hand - the inherent and infallible Word of God - instructs us as believers to lead a quiet life and to mind our own business. Moreover, we are to pursue this type of lifestyle - to strive after it, to strongly desire it. To be ambitious is to have a strong desire to achieve a particular goal. Pre-determined. Intentional living.
The Word of God also instructs us to, "Avoid godless chatter" (2 Timothy 2:16). Now, I'm just going to be point blank: This is hard for us as women and you know it! The Bible is very clear that we must avoid this type of behavior - Meaning, we actually make an effort to prevent the occurrence of. We refrain from godless and mindless chatter. Again ... Pre-determined. Intentional living.
I have decided that I am going to perform a little test on myself. The Intentional Living Test. Making every effort to be pure in my words and actions, to lead a quiet life, to mind my own business, and to avoid godless chatter and gossip. Even when I feel it is well-deserving, almost asked for. How does the Word of God ask me to respond to this situation? NOT: What Facebook status update would really tick her off?
Let's try it God's way. 1 Thessalonians 4:12 closes out the following way: "So that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody." May we desire the respect of outsiders for the Kingdom of God ... and may our lives strive to be intentionally dependent on the Almighty and nothing or no one less.
The enemy in his own old-as-dirt conniving ways, determined a way to wreak havoc on a perfectly fine evening. I hate him. Can I say that again? I just hate him. He knows where to attack, how to attack, and he will take extreme measures to attempt to have us at his mercy. One more time. I absolutely hate him. So, after spending at least 2 hours on edge over a particular overly dramatic and unnecessary situation, I have found myself exhausted, downhearted and regretful. One of those mulligan-things would sure come in handy right now. Yes, a life mulligan. Then again, I could assess the situation, think through everything I should have/could have done differently, and pray to Jesus that I will deal with future situations in a more worthy-of-the-Gospel manner. Ugh. Why do we put ourselves through such pain?
All of this got me thinking about the need for intentional living. To be intentioned means to be determined to act in a certain way. If that happens, I resolve to act like this. Pre-determined. We have all been around people who when conflict arises, they impulsively act like 5 year olds. Like they never have been in the midst of distress in all their adult lives. Then there are those who are as calm, cool and collective in the midst of a storm as they are in their moments of bliss. Do we think they were born naturally able to handle stressful situations? No, there is intention behind their actions. Pre-determined. Intentional living.
1 Thessalonians 4:11 says, "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business ..."
In a world of facebook status updates, blackberry's practically glued to our palms, and endless efforts to "be seen" all around town, the challenge in the verse above is probably one, if not the most foreign concept in our current society. Our generation has taken the idea of privacy and thrown it out the window.
The Bible on the other hand - the inherent and infallible Word of God - instructs us as believers to lead a quiet life and to mind our own business. Moreover, we are to pursue this type of lifestyle - to strive after it, to strongly desire it. To be ambitious is to have a strong desire to achieve a particular goal. Pre-determined. Intentional living.
The Word of God also instructs us to, "Avoid godless chatter" (2 Timothy 2:16). Now, I'm just going to be point blank: This is hard for us as women and you know it! The Bible is very clear that we must avoid this type of behavior - Meaning, we actually make an effort to prevent the occurrence of. We refrain from godless and mindless chatter. Again ... Pre-determined. Intentional living.
I have decided that I am going to perform a little test on myself. The Intentional Living Test. Making every effort to be pure in my words and actions, to lead a quiet life, to mind my own business, and to avoid godless chatter and gossip. Even when I feel it is well-deserving, almost asked for. How does the Word of God ask me to respond to this situation? NOT: What Facebook status update would really tick her off?
Let's try it God's way. 1 Thessalonians 4:12 closes out the following way: "So that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody." May we desire the respect of outsiders for the Kingdom of God ... and may our lives strive to be intentionally dependent on the Almighty and nothing or no one less.
Intentional Living ...
Ambitious about God's Way.
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