Welcome to Memory Monday on my Bible Study blog!! Memory Monday is hosted by Joanne at The Simple Wife.
In the last month I have not been in a very good place as it relates to Bible Study. I could list all the excuses, but that is just what they are - excuses. Time to get back on track - (for the millionth time!)
For Memory Monday I have been trying to memorize the Roman Road and have been working on (not diligently though) the first three steps. Let's see if my lack of diligence in Bible Study is effecting my memory...
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, all fall short of God's glorious standard.
Romans 5:8 But God showed his great love us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but god's gift the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Not too bad actually! Imagine what I could memorize if I showed a bit more diligence! I am going to continue with these three steps so that they are easier to quote and I will also add the 4th step, Romans 10:9 and I will add verse 10.
Romans 10:9-10 9For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with you mouth that you are saved.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Memory Monday - The Roman Road
Friday, September 4, 2009
Ways to worship
It always amazes me how God can bring so many things together.
The path that the study of Genesis 12 led me on earlier this week brought me to the question - How to worship. As I often do I 'googled' it! I simply typed in 'ways to worship' and the first one I clicked on was titled 10 WAYS TO WORSHIP WITHOUT MUSIC. Here are the 10 ways they list, click on the title to read more about each item.
As I was typing this very post I paused to go to the bathroom, not that you needed to know that, but... As I often do I take an extra minute or two to read a magazine article, and I so happen to keep all the magazines in the bathroom. Anyway! I am in the middle of a Good Housekeeping magazine right now and when I turned the page to get to the next article I found, "The 10% trick". The premise of the article is that a complete overhaul of something (such as a diet or exercise program) is too overwhelming and therefore very likely to fail. Instead we should focus on changing things in small ways, 10% at a time for example. Well what hit me hard today was the first point...
Lose 10% of your body weight. This immediately brought me to the Weight Watchers program where one of the first goals they suggest is losing 10% of your body weight. Several months ago I joined Weight Watchers online, but have been lazy and stubborn and have been ignoring it. Time to change that, and I have!! I have been putting in my points all week.
Then the article went on and point #8 was Can the Cola. I have generally allowed myself one Pepsi a day and even calculated it into Weigth Watcher points when I was tracking. The article made the point that just one 20 oz soft drink is 240 calories, which is more than 10% of a 2,000 calorie diet. Yeah, that was a big ole hard hit too!
The path that the study of Genesis 12 led me on earlier this week brought me to the question - How to worship. As I often do I 'googled' it! I simply typed in 'ways to worship' and the first one I clicked on was titled 10 WAYS TO WORSHIP WITHOUT MUSIC. Here are the 10 ways they list, click on the title to read more about each item.
- Worship through prayer
- Get in a regular habit of reading the Bible
- Obey God
- Tithe
- Build deep relationships with other Christians
- Share your faith
- Serve others
- Build into your life the attitude of thankfulness
- Begin turning over to God areas of your life that you have never committed to Him
- Live a life of purpose
As I was typing this very post I paused to go to the bathroom, not that you needed to know that, but... As I often do I take an extra minute or two to read a magazine article, and I so happen to keep all the magazines in the bathroom. Anyway! I am in the middle of a Good Housekeeping magazine right now and when I turned the page to get to the next article I found, "The 10% trick". The premise of the article is that a complete overhaul of something (such as a diet or exercise program) is too overwhelming and therefore very likely to fail. Instead we should focus on changing things in small ways, 10% at a time for example. Well what hit me hard today was the first point...
Lose 10% of your body weight. This immediately brought me to the Weight Watchers program where one of the first goals they suggest is losing 10% of your body weight. Several months ago I joined Weight Watchers online, but have been lazy and stubborn and have been ignoring it. Time to change that, and I have!! I have been putting in my points all week.
Then the article went on and point #8 was Can the Cola. I have generally allowed myself one Pepsi a day and even calculated it into Weigth Watcher points when I was tracking. The article made the point that just one 20 oz soft drink is 240 calories, which is more than 10% of a 2,000 calorie diet. Yeah, that was a big ole hard hit too!
It was September 1 when I started this post and the calendar verse for that day was 2Thessalonians 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels. I immediately focused on "to you who are troubled rest". I need to rest, I need to get up earlier so that I can do my bible study and have time with God. I need to do this so I can start each day on the right track. Even more important to do this, now that I have started my fast!
Yes, you read that correctly. I am doing a 40 day junk food fast. I grabbed the idea from Tyler's blog Titus 2:3-5. She called hers the 'fast food fast'. As much as I love fast food, my struggle lately is more with junk food - especially chips and Pepsi. I must say thank you to Tyler for the idea and encourage you to read her posts on this. It is so encouraging, it is more than just giving up junk food it is a study in obedience to God.
As I complete this post we (yep Hubby is doing it too), I am completing the 4th day of this junk food fast. Yep that is 4 whole days without a Pepsi - that in itself is amazing! But it is all God and he deserves all the glory.
Thank you God for leading me in this direction, through it I know I will grow closer to you. Please help me as I struggle to overcome the temptations of junk food and continue on the quest to lose weight. In Jesus name, Amen!
Genesis 14
Scripture
Verses 21, 18, 20b 21 The king of Sodom told him, "Give back my people who were captured. But you may keep for yourself all the goods you have recovered."
18 Then Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought him bread and wine.
20b Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered.
Observation
Verse 21 is a picture of what Satan wants. All he wants is the people and is willing to give us the of this world.
But we see in verses 18-20 that Abram resisted the evil king and instead spent time with the Lord through the priest Melchizedek who brought bread and wine. Abram paused for communion. After he received a blessing he gave the priest 10 percent, Abram tithed.
Application
We need to say no to the world and all its temptations. We do this by saying Yes to the Lord. First with Communion, by remembering what He did for us. Second through tithing, by giving back to the Lord what He demands of us. Tithing can be more than giving money, it can also be giving of yourself through time and service or using the spiritual gifts He gave us.
Prayer
Lord, please help us to know when we need to resist Satan and the things of this world. Give us the desire to be in your presence and to give back to you. In Jesus name, Amen!
Verses 21, 18, 20b 21 The king of Sodom told him, "Give back my people who were captured. But you may keep for yourself all the goods you have recovered."
18 Then Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought him bread and wine.
20b Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered.
Observation
Verse 21 is a picture of what Satan wants. All he wants is the people and is willing to give us the of this world.
But we see in verses 18-20 that Abram resisted the evil king and instead spent time with the Lord through the priest Melchizedek who brought bread and wine. Abram paused for communion. After he received a blessing he gave the priest 10 percent, Abram tithed.
Application
We need to say no to the world and all its temptations. We do this by saying Yes to the Lord. First with Communion, by remembering what He did for us. Second through tithing, by giving back to the Lord what He demands of us. Tithing can be more than giving money, it can also be giving of yourself through time and service or using the spiritual gifts He gave us.
Prayer
Lord, please help us to know when we need to resist Satan and the things of this world. Give us the desire to be in your presence and to give back to you. In Jesus name, Amen!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Genesis 13
Scripture
Genesis 13
Verse 3-4
3 Then they continued traveling by stages toward Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where they had camped before. 4 This was the place where Abram had built the altar, and there he again worshiped the Lord.
Observation
In the previous chapter, while they were in Egypt, Abram faltered in his faith by lying about his relationship with Sarai. Once Pharaoh sent them out of the country they returned to where they had been, returning to where God wanted him to be.
Application
No matter how many times we falter we can always go back to God and living for him.
Prayer
Lord, in those times when we falter in our faith please help us to return to you and change our ways so that we will not continue to falter.
Genesis 13
Verse 3-4
3 Then they continued traveling by stages toward Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where they had camped before. 4 This was the place where Abram had built the altar, and there he again worshiped the Lord.
Observation
In the previous chapter, while they were in Egypt, Abram faltered in his faith by lying about his relationship with Sarai. Once Pharaoh sent them out of the country they returned to where they had been, returning to where God wanted him to be.
Application
No matter how many times we falter we can always go back to God and living for him.
Prayer
Lord, in those times when we falter in our faith please help us to return to you and change our ways so that we will not continue to falter.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Genesis 12
Scripture
Genesis 12
Verse 3b All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.
Observation
God promised Abram that his family and all the generations after would be blessed. Abram's family tree is the Hebrew nation and what we know today as the Jewish nation. Also through Abram's descendants came the birth of Jesus.
Verses 2-3 is a promise that God has made, but it is through Jesus that God has fulfilled the promise to bless all families of the earth. The Word of God and Jesus are the blessings that God has given to the whole world. When we are saved and are able to have a relationship with God through Jesus we are blessed beyond our own understanding.
Application
In both verse 8 and verse 9 Abram built alters to the Lord. Abram had strong faith, even though he often faltered in his sin, and he worshipped the Lord. Do we worship the Lord. Worship brings us closer to God because it helps us to remember that God is at the center of our lives. What does it mean to worship? You are worshipping God anytime that you acknowledge that He is truly at the center of your life.
Prayer
Lord thank you for you promises and for the blessing of your Word. It truly amazes me that through your perfect plan, we can have a personal relationship with you because Jesus is the way to you! There are many ways to worship you and prayer is one of those ways, please help me with my prayers so that I can be more aware of you being in the center of my life. In Jesus name, Amen
Genesis 12
Verse 3b All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.
Observation
God promised Abram that his family and all the generations after would be blessed. Abram's family tree is the Hebrew nation and what we know today as the Jewish nation. Also through Abram's descendants came the birth of Jesus.
Verses 2-3 is a promise that God has made, but it is through Jesus that God has fulfilled the promise to bless all families of the earth. The Word of God and Jesus are the blessings that God has given to the whole world. When we are saved and are able to have a relationship with God through Jesus we are blessed beyond our own understanding.
Application
In both verse 8 and verse 9 Abram built alters to the Lord. Abram had strong faith, even though he often faltered in his sin, and he worshipped the Lord. Do we worship the Lord. Worship brings us closer to God because it helps us to remember that God is at the center of our lives. What does it mean to worship? You are worshipping God anytime that you acknowledge that He is truly at the center of your life.
Prayer
Lord thank you for you promises and for the blessing of your Word. It truly amazes me that through your perfect plan, we can have a personal relationship with you because Jesus is the way to you! There are many ways to worship you and prayer is one of those ways, please help me with my prayers so that I can be more aware of you being in the center of my life. In Jesus name, Amen
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