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

Welcome to Christmas To Do-ers List

Rush, rush, slush, slush. Sleigh bells ring, can you hear them? “Tis the season to get busy, right? This year how about we exchange rushing, stressing, and fretting for believing, seeking, and watching for Jesus? This blessed season of Advent let’s not just be doers, but doers of the Word.

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” James 1:22-25

How many times have you heard a portion of scripture, thought to yourself, Wow, I really need to do that, and then promptly forgot about the task at hand? The To Do-ers List Bible Study will help you move from being a hearer of the Word, to becoming a doer of the Word. Let’s work together to develop the godly habit of applying Scripture to our lives and circumstances by intensely focusing on one Scripture a day. It is our prayer you become a doer of the Word.

Some of the benefits of being do-ers of the Word.

1. Grow in righteousness  (2 Timothy 3:16)
2. Walk in wisdom (Psalm 19:7)
3. Live in freedom (John 8:32)
4. Enjoy the abundant life (John 6:68)
5. Act in strength (Joel 2:11)
6. Strengthen your faith (Romans 10:17)
7. Receive comfort, revival, and peace (Psalm 119:7-16)
8. Plus many, many other benefits.

We can be listeners, hearers, watchers, thinkers, and gatherers of His word, but there must be a point in time when we become doers of the Word.

Beginning Sunday, November 29th, and running through Wednesday, December 23,  check our website every Sunday morning and Wednesday morning starting at 5:00 a.m. to get your Christmas To Do-ers List Bible Study. Two lessons a week will give us time to study and apply. Read your lesson and pray for wisdom on how “to do” it. Throughout the week, feel free to check in at our private Facebook Christmas To Do-ers page to share insights, request prayer, and encourage others. Community sharing is one way to grow in faith, and we’d love to hear what God is teaching and how you’re being a do-er of His word.

We pray this study will set the tone for an Advent and Christmas season that is focused on Jesus. May He inspire you in ways you can’t yet imagine to be a do-er of His word. We’ll see you on the 29th! Please sign up below so we have an accurate list of the participants, and we can send you a list of  resources. But remember to check our website for the posts every Sunday and Wednesday, as we won’t be mailing the posts.

Have a blessed Advent and Christmas season!

Mary and Jane

//

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.

Hard times are just hard.

We can’t avoid them. As a matter of fact, the more I learn about suffering, the more I realize there is purpose to our suffering.

Even benefits.

Even blessing.

Only God can do that — give us beauty for ashes. New life from death. Healing from hurting. Often it takes a long time to reap the goodness from the suffering. But hold on. Don’t give up. There is an end to the season of suffering. God promises that we may weep in the night, but joy comes in the morning.

Please open the Sway Bible study below for encouragement and help when suffering.

He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. Psalm 91:15

Please comment below on what encouraged you the most from your study time.

Thank you.

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Copyright 2015.

Thy word I have hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee.

Psalm 119:11

Oh, no. NO! Rats.

My iPod lost power and shut down. I was sitting amid a crowd of about 3000 women at the Revive ’15 conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, listening to Dr. Eric Mason bring home his message about our purpose in Christ. He was pounding out his message on the podium as God was pounding it out on my heart.

I was tracking with him.

I was on it.

I was deep in the Scriptures when – my device went blank.

Dead. Dark.

My connection to the Word of God shut down. It was a sick desperate feeling. I felt as blank as my screen. I clenched my device and shook it in hopes of stirring up a few life-giving sparks of energy. I frantically eyed the screen again. Still blank. Bereft. Hopeless. Unconnected.

I was as powerless and empty as my iPod.

Unplugged. From my e-version Bible, yes, but not from the Word of God. My heart was still plugged in. For years and years I have been making regular deposits of God’s Word.  Verses, passages, and chapters of Scripture secreted away in the depths of my heart for an emergency, for such a time as this.

A hunger for the Word.

As I clutched my dead device in my hand, I thought of my brothers and sisters of every tribe and tongue, in towns and villages across the continents who have no iPods. Living without the Word of God at their fingertips is a daily experience. They would give their lives for a page or a scrap of Scripture. I was distraught after being deprived of my Bible for one minute. Imagine going months or years without a verse of the living Word.

What if all the Bible you had tomorrow is all the Bible you have today?

In other words, what if the only Scripture available to you is the Word you have hidden in your heart? Would it be enough to sustain you for days, weeks, and months? Would you be able to nourish your family and share with strangers?

The Ten Commandments have been removed from public forums, and fights over the Pledge of Allegiance ring throughout our land.  We may face the day when the Word of God is outlawed. Are you ready?

To hide, hid, hidden.

The Hebrew word for hid is tsaphan, which means “to hide, to treasure, to store up.” When we hide something, we are protecting it from harm, from theft. When I treasure something, I like to look at it, and think about it. My treasure gives me pleasure even when I can’t see it or touch it. Just knowing God’s Word is there brings joy.  When I store something, I’m making provision for a future need. I may not have a need right now for verses on healing, but I may need them next week, next month or next year. While our Bibles may be taken from our hands, the Word of God can never be taken from our hearts.

Action Points:

1. Post scripture around your house. Keep Bible verses by your bathroom mirror or by the kitchen sink. Run through your verses when you’re doing chores or getting ready for the day.
2. Think of a problem you are currently facing. Find some verses that deal with your issue. Write your verses on note cards and carry them with you where ever you go. Say your verses when you have a chance (stoplights, lines at the grocery stores, waiting for appointments, etc.).

Resources: Scripture memory apps and websites

1. Memverse: a Bible memory website
2. Remember Me: a Bible memory app
3. 10 Tips for Memorizing Scripture: Bible memory tips website

Life is sweet! Put the Word in your heart.

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Copyright 2015