Simply Study

Short-term Bible studies for busy people.

We are glad you are joining us for a week of Bible study. Down below is your Bible study work for this week. Each day consists of two links—one link is the daily scripture reading. The other link is a short Bible study or devotional reading.

We suggest you follow the  steps below:

1. Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you insight and wisdom
2. Read the scripture portion first
3. Do the Bible study or devotion
4. Comment on what you learned from your study time.

Finally, to deepen your experience, ask a couple of friends to join you. You can start a small Bible study group at your house or favorite cafe. God will bless you for the time you spend in Hid word.

In Christ,

Jane and Mary

Day 1: Simple Trust

Simple Trust Scripture

 Simple Trust Devotion

Day 2: Simple Sabbath

Simple Sabbath Scripture

Simple Sabbath Devotion

Day 3: Simple Peace

Simple Peace Scripture

Simple Peace Devotion

Day 4: Simple Rest

Simple Rest Scripture

Simple Rest Devotion:

Day 5: Simple Restoration

Simple Restoration Devotion

Simple Restoration Scripture

Click the play button below for a little study music.

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Copyright 2016

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

Luke 9:23

Anyone.

Anyone is welcome. Anyone can come. Any tribe, any tongue, any religion. No one is excluded. All have sinned, but all are welcome. Anyone can come to the foot of the Cross, take up his cross and follow Jesus.

I used to think only special people were really welcome in the kingdom of God. You know who I’m talking about. The pretty people … the smart people … the popular people. The people who’ve been Christians since they were able to talk. Perfect lives marked by wise choices, good decisions and smart moves.  They were the ones God really used.  A-list people with first-string capabilities. Everything I was not.

I barely made the cut. I flew in under the radar—allowed in heaven, but better seen and not heard. I had already messed up God’s perfect will for life, doomed to live on Plan B (or in my case plan Z) until God called me home.

But God says,

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

Forget Plan  A.  God says anyone is welcome.

Anyone. Broken people marked by sin and shame—welcome. Shattered people scarred by hurt and hardship—welcome. Plain people with common lives—welcome. Anyone may come.

But. we must deny ourselves … of what?

The right to live safe.

The right to stay small.

The right to live unforgiven.

The right to excuse ourselves from abundant life by focusing on our wounds instead of our Healing.

But when we deny ourselves, we indulge the Spirit.

With self out of the way, there is room for the Spirit. Blessing, power and energy flow unchecked from the hand of God to the heart of man. Any man, any woman, anyone who will  follow Him.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Cor. 5:17

Action Points:

1. Do you believe anyone is welcome in God’s kingdom? Do you believe you are welcome? How can you better live the truth anyone is welcome?
2. Is there any people group you avoid witnessing to, or praying for because you believe they don’t deserve God’s grace or love? What can you do to change this attitude?
3. Is there anyone, anytwo, anythree or four  in your life right now who need to hear they are welcome? How can you share the love of Jesus with them today?

Life is sweet. Anyone may come. Anyone.

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Copyright 2015

A Stronger You

6 If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. 7 But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. 8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. 9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. 10 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. 11 These things command and teach. 1 Timothy 6:6-11

Thank you for returning for another Take 5! Bible Study.

Before we begin our study time today, please take a moment to pray. Ask God to ready your heart, mind and spirit to receive from His Holy Word.

If you haven’t already, read the verses above.

Name two things from verse 6 which nourish us.

We are nourished by words of faith and good doctrine. The word nourish transliterates as entreph. Entreph and its derivatives mean “to nourish or fatten a person, to educate the mind, to bring up, to nurture.” The truth of God’s Word is the only thing we should feed our heart. It enriches the mind, body and spirit.

Two types of exercise are mentioned in verses 7 and 8, godly and bodily exercise.

While we are all very familiar with bodily exercise, what does exercise in godliness consist of?

Matthew Henry states exercising godliness is “ceasing to do evil and learning to do well.” We must stop living to gratify our own desires and learn what God wants us to do by studying, praying and meditating on His Word.

The Greek word for exercise is gymnazo. Gym—exercise. Very fitting. Its definition is rather … huh … interesting. Gymnaz0 means “to vigorously exercise the body or the mind, to exercise naked.” We come before God with souls uncovered (naked), admitting our sin and our need for Him. That’s exercising godliness in the raw.

Why is exercise in godliness more beneficial than bodily exercise?

Bodily exercise gives us life. Exercising godliness gives us life and eternal life. Life for the here and now and life for forever.

What words come to mind when you think of exercise?

Blood, sweat, tears, pain, perseverance — words that also speak of the Cross. The Cross is an exercise of love and grace. Like all exercise, exercise in godliness is painful, critical and beneficial. Without it we may exist, but we will never flourish.

What are we to do after we have suffered and labored to exercise godliness (verse 11)?

We turn and teach others what we have learned. Just as we love to exercise with a friend, we ask others to join us in the journey.

Thank you for studying with me today. Be strong in the Lord.

Please comment below and let me know how you will exercise godliness today.

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copyright 2015

And God called Abram.

He was living the good life in the land of Ur — never dreaming of doing a re-lo. Ur wasn’t any little old city. It was the center of commercial trade and political power, home to the temple of the moon god, and the largest city of the province of Shinar. But, Ur wasn’t big enough for what God had planned for Abram. Life in Ur was good, but sometimes what’s good gets in the way of what’s better — the land of Canaan, the future home to the Temple of the One True God.

God called Abram and he had a choice to make: stay in Ur, or follow God to the land of Canaan.

Ur or Canaan.

Ur or Or.

God does that some times.

He breaks into our everyday lives and calls us to come deeper, dream bigger and walk closer with Him. Like Abram, we’d stay in our land of Ur if God didn’t offer us an Or. I didn’t even realize I was living in Ur until God called into my darkness. Leaving Ur can be difficult and at times you may be tempted to stay. Friends will tell you you’re crazy to leave. Your family may pitch a fit about pitching a tent in a new land. It’s easier to stay in Ur. It’s familiar. Comfortable. Safe. Nothing new under the sun.

The land of Ur is characterized by:

• Living for self
• Following the crowd
• A false dependence on something besides God
• Barrenness (think of Sarai).

The land of Or is a very different place, marked by:

• Living for God
• Following Jesus
• Dependence on God
• Fruitfulness

We have the same choice: Same old, same old or follow God. Safe or faith. Ur or Or.

Ur or Or?

What will we do?

Action Points:

1. You’re holding back on something right now. God wants you to live large, but you’re tempted to stay small. Name one thing you need to do right now to leave Ur and head to Or.
2. Read today’s verse again. Ask God to show you what you need to leave behind to follow Him.
3. Maybe you’re already living close to God. What do you need to improve upon to live even closer … prayer, Bible study, church attendance, or silence and solitude?
4. What are you depending on to give you peace, love, joy, security and purpose? If it’s anything other than God you need to shift your focus to Him.

Life is sweet.

Short and Sweet Nourishment for the Soul

“8 He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts …” Mark 6:8

I looked at him; peaceful, confident. We left him at the bus station in South Bend, Indiana. I watched him as he climbed aboard a bus heading west. He was traveling to Yellowstone. Hired by Christian Ministries to the National Parks, our son would be gone for the summer serving the tourists and locals by leading worship and Bible study meetings. He was heading to Yellowstone … with nothing but a backpack and a guitar. Traveling light.

Freedom.

Freedom to serve Christ.

What ties you down?

What keeps you from really serving others and following Christ, from traveling light?  We say it, we sing it, we talk about it, but do we do it? Do we really follow Jesus and serve others? To be honest I am usually very enthusiastic about following Jesus and serving others until it costs me something.

I’ll give as long as I have enough money to eat my organic food.

I’ll sacrifice as long as I can still get my hair done each month.

I’ll serve as long as I have time to get a massage this week.

Money. Pride. Selfishness.

These attitudes tie me down. Hold me Back. Pull me under.

Traveling heavy.

To be painfully honest, the idea of going out to the bush and not being able to do my hair and makeup for for three weeks would be REALLY HARD. But just think, I could leave a whole suitcase behind if I didn’t take my flat iron, curling iron, shampoo, cream rinse, styling lotion, gel, hairspray, mascara, eyebrow pencil, four different face creams, cleanser, toner, etc. The list gets longer and heavier as I get older.

I think I need to lighten up.

Jesus wants to send us out.

Jesus told his disciples they would be traveling light. They could only take one thing. No bags. No organic food. No money. No makeup. Only a staff. Hmm …

My traveling plan: Stuff

God’s traveling plan: Staff

Staff vs. Stuff

Why? So they could focus on the mission. Stuff gets in the way of the mission. The more you own, the more it owns you. More stuff requires more energy. It gets in the way. A staff, on the other hand, is a walking stick which helps travelers hike faster, safer, more efficiently. In the Bible, staffs were used by shepherds and kings. They represent authority and guidance. Sounds like the Bible. Our staff.

Let’s get rid of some stuff (traveling light), pick up our staff (the Bible), and take the Gospel to our world today.

Action Points:

1. What is weighing you down and getting in the way of sharing God’s message with your world? Is it your appearance? Go without makeup for one day. Is it coffee? Commit to drinking only water today. Is it shopping? Go one day/one week/one month without spending anything except for groceries and bills.
2. Find a way to reach out to another today and share the truth of the Gospel. Be available. Ask God to show you how to serve another today.
3. Is there a habit, attitude, activity, or relationship (this is not a ticket to get out of your marriage because you aren’t happy) weighing you down? What step can you take today to begin traveling light?
4. Pray and ask God to show you what you need to let go so you can begin traveling light.

Please leave me a comment below on how you plan to begin traveling light!

Life is sweet. Travel light!

Try this new Bible study format from Sway! Be sure to toggle to the full screen mode!

P.S. If you’d like to print this out in a convenient form, choose the green Print/PDF icon at the bottom right of the post. It even gives you the option of printing without pictures.

For your listening pleasure: Traveling Light

To Do-ers List Bible Study: Back to School, New Clothes

They are everywhere. Adults love them. Children fear them. You can’t turn on the TV or the radio or pick up a newspaper lately without seeing or hearing about them. Back to School Sales. It’s time to get some new clothes.

Back to School Sales

As an omen of the coming season,  I always dreaded seeing the first back to school advertisement.  They seemed to come earlier and earlier with every passing year (sort of like Christmas advertising). While I dreaded going back to school, I did look forward to back-to-school shopping. New crayons. New notebooks. New shoes. New clothes. The worn dirty clothes of summer were replaced by crisp new school clothes. Out with the old and in with the new.

New Clothes

When we become Christians, Jesus also provides us with new clothes. We trade in our filthy rags for robes of righteousness.  A new outfit makes us feel better, look better, and act better. New clothes – new man. That’s exactly what the Bible says. We put on our new clothes, and then we need to put on a new man.

Put Off/Put On

” … see that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another…

… 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

Ephesians 4:22-24, 29-32

Below is a list of a few things we are to put off/put on.

You may have other items to add to the list.

Go up to the list and mentally circle or write down on your notes or prayer app one or two things you need to do today. Like baskets of laundry, we have some things we need to “put away” and some things we need to “put on.”

For today:

Choose one verse from above to do today. Pray and ask God to help you put off the old clothes of the old man and put on the new clothes of the new man.  As you wear you new clothes, the Holy Spirit will transform you so that you feel better, act better, and live better. Write down on a note card the portion of scripture you’re going to work on today. Look for opportunities to forgive, speak truth, encourage, and give to others.

School is in session. Put on your new clothes!

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Copyright 2020