“16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

In everything give thanks. God has given us a tall order in 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Give thanks in everything? What about hard things, hurtful things, impossible things? How do we give thanks for losing a job, losing friends, losing a home, or a dream? 

I have learned to give thanks by faith, not because what has happened is good, but because God is good. He has promised to use all things for our good. Regardless of how bad, hard, painful or scary, He is the great I AM.

I AM able to use that pain.

I AM able to heal that hurt.

I AM able to bring you through this season of loss with gain.

With God, there is always more, always another, always healing. There is life after death, joy after sorrow, and light after dark. One day all things will be made right and we shall see Him as He is. So we give thanks in the now, in the pain and hurt, in the joy and in the peace.

Give thanks in everything.

By Mary Kane

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Take a minute to pray and ask God to open your heart to His Holy Word.

“9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” Romans 12:9-13

1. What three things are we to do (verse 9)?
2. How does verse 10 take the Golden Rule to a new level?
3. What should we never be, always be, and always do (verse 11)?
4. Of the three commands in verse 11, which is the most difficult for you and why?
5. What two social commands are we given in verse 13?

take another minute to pray and ask God to change your heart and help you act on what you learned today. Leave me a comment below in the comment section! I’d love to hear from you!

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All rights reserved.

By Mary Kay Kane

In the Book of James we learn we are to be quick to listen and slow to speak. We are also encouraged to be doers of the Word not hearers only, deceiving ourselves. What better way to listen to God’s word than through Bible study! In Chapter 2 of the Book of James God shows us that faith alone is not enough for a fruitful Christian life. Even the demons believe, and tremble. We must combine faith with works.

Simply Study Bible studies contain the following pieces:

• Simply read Repeated readings will help you meditate on truths of God’s word.
• Simply mark Let loose your creative side as you simply mark the daily scripture reading passage.
• Simply answer Look back in the scripture to answer questions about the text.
• Simply reflect Consider what God is speaking to your heart and record your thoughts.
• Simply act Become a doer of the word as you decide how to apply what you have learned.
• Simply pray Reflect on your learning and pray how God leads you.

Please view or print the pdf below for the James study today! Better yet, invite a few friends to join you! Start your own Simply Study Bible study in your own home or favorite coffee shop!

Focus deeply.
One book at a time.
One day at a time.
Simply Study.

Leave me a comments below! I’d love to hear about what you have learned while you simply study!

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So I was talking to an iron-sharpens-iron-friend at our ladies prayer
group last Friday. She told me how she admonishes her kids about their dot. She reminds them that in their dot, they have a dash. And this dash is all we get to affect the line God has given us. What you do with your dash in your dot affects the line. Your dot matters. Your dash matters.

The same thing applies to all of us. We only have one dot. Since we only have one dot, we must carefully choose how we will use our dash. We must hone our skills and pray for the Father to transform us into the image of His son so our dash will bear much fruit for the line.

• Dot: the time God has appointed for us to live upon this earth. God has specifically chosen where and when you live. You get to choose the how. This life, in this space and this time, is your dot. “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place.” Acts 17:26
• Dash: the time between your birth and death. Your dash is the dash that will be on your tombstone. Example 1963—1999. Your dash is your life. How did you spend it? How did your live it? How did you use your time, talent and treasure? Did your pour it all out? Did you hold back? Did your hoard it all for yourself? Your life and what you do with it is your dash. “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10
• Line:  this is God’s time, eternity. It’s the place where we live out our dot and dash. We each get a little dot on God’s line to use our dash. “In the beginning was the Word, and the word was God, and the Word was with God.” John 1:1

How effective we are with our dot and dash depends on how much we are in God’s Word. Are we doers of His Word and not hearers only? Are we obedient to His will? Are we sowing the seed of God’s Word into our situations and circumstances? “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

So let’s get busy with our dot and our dash and God’s line!

By Mary Kay Kane

All rights reserved.

Copyright 2019

Are you ready to simply study God’s Word?

Welcome to Simply Study: Colossians! We pray you have been blessed by the time you have simply studied God’s Word!  This week God calls us to use the gifts He has given us to minister to others. As we use our gifts, we help build His kingdom here on earth!

Simply Study daily Bible study contains the following simple pieces:

• Simply read Repeated readings will help you meditate on truths of God’s word.
• Simply mark Let loose your creative side as you simply mark the daily scripture reading passage.
• Simply answer Look back in the scripture to answer questions about the text.
• Simply reflect Consider what God is speaking to your heart and record your thoughts.
• Simply act Become a doer of the word as you decide how to apply what you have learned.

Please view or download the pdfs below for the book of Colossians. Better yet, invite a few friends to join you! Start your own Simply Study Bible study in your own home or favorite coffee shop!

Focus deeply.
One book at a time.
One day at a time.
Simply Study.

Leave me a comments below! I’d love to hear about what you have learned while you simply study!

all rights reserves. copyright 2018

In the book of James we learn we are to be quick to listen and slow to speak. We are also encouraged to be doers of the Word not hearers only, deceiving ourselves. What better way to listen to God’s word than through Bible study!

Simply Study Bible studies contain the following components:

• Simply read Repeated readings will help you meditate on truths of God’s word.
• Simply mark Let loose your creative side as you simply mark the daily scripture reading passage.
• Simply answer Look back in the scripture to answer questions about the text.
• Simply reflect Consider what God is speaking to your heart and record your thoughts.
• Simply act Become a doer of the word as you decide how to apply what you have learned.
• Simply pray Reflect on your learning and pray how God leads you.

Please view or print the pdf below James study today! Better yet, invite a few friends to join you! Start your own Simply Study Bible study in your own home or favorite coffee shop!

Focus deeply.
One book at a time.
One day at a time.
Simply Study.

Leave me a comments below! I’d love to hear about what you have learned while you simply study!

all rights reserves. copyright 2019