Back to School,Obey the Rules

To Do-ers List Bible Study: Back to School, Obey the Rules

Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey — whether slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? Roman 6:16

Slave to Fear

When I was a little girl, I was embarrassed by something that happened in church one Sunday. It wasn’t a big deal, but in my mind, I blew it up to big proportions until I feared that it would happen again. The fear grew out of control until I dreaded going to church. Unfortunately, fear became my go-to emotion in my life. When I finally conquered the fear from the original occurrence, another one quickly replaced it. The process of how I dealt with difficulties in my life was broken, and it was making me a slave to fear, which is actually a sin!

Call It What It Is

I did not realize that this now-established pattern in my life was a sin. And I certainly didn’t realize that I was “obeying” it, but I was. It controlled many aspects of my life because I would go to great lengths to avoid the thing that created fear. And this was ever changing, ever growing; the talons of fear were firmly clasped around my throat, strangling the life out of me.

It wasn’t until I gave my life to Christ that I learned to be obedient to Him and the truth of His word, and that is what bought me my freedom. It was a slow process because I had years of learned wrong behaviors. But as the Holy Spirit got a hold of my life, I switched my allegiance to the Life Giver, and He set me free.

How did He do this? Here’s some of the things that helped.

  • Attending church and absorbing the sermons
  • Reading the Bible for myself
  • Memorizing scripture that applied to my situation and repeating them aloud many times, speaking them into the situation
  • Praying and identifying another trusted person to pray for me
  • Changing my thinking from focusing on lies to truth
  • Listening to biblical teaching on fear
  • Talking to those wiser than me

One thing I realized was that

in order to be obedient to the truth, we have to know the truth.
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As we have already mentioned previously in this study, spending time with Jesus studying his word are crucial elements to becoming doers of the word. Mary told me about a little book called A Gospel Primer for Christians, Learning to See the Glories of God’s Love by Milton Vincent that really helps the reader to rehearse who you are in Christ and the righteousness that is now yours. It may help you to firmly plant these truths in your mind and heart too. Here is a link to it on CBD. (OnlyByPrayer is an affiliate of CBD, so if you purchase this book from this link, we will receive a small profit from that).

904670: A Gospel Primer for Christians: Learning to See the Glories of God"s Love A Gospel Primer for Christians: Learning to See the Glories of God’s Love
By Milton Vincent / Focus PublishingTo the Christians in Rome, the Apostle Paul wrote, “I am eager to preach the gospel to you who are at Rome” (Romans 1:15). Evidently, Christians need to hear the gospel even after conversion. A Gospel Primer for Christians is designed to do just that. Use this book to preach the gospel to yourself on a daily basis, and be amazed at the difference it can make in your life!

For Today

Today let’s identify if there are any areas of our lives where we are not obeying Jesus. Is there something that you need to let go of or give up? Is there an area that you’ve been trying to retain control of? Perhaps you’re not even aware of it, as I was not. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to identify it and for the grace to hand it over. Then come up with a plan of how you will walk in freedom. List one or two things that you can do today to work for or maintain your freedom by obeying Jesus’ rules.

Resources:

To help you organize your daily study and record your experiences, please download and print the following PDF, or download the journal app to your favorite Apple device.

Don’t forget to comment on your experience in the comment section below! Choose your verse/s for today and be a Doer of the Word.

School is in session. Obey the rules!

Previous Sessions of To Do-ers List, Back to School:

Day 1: New Clothes

Day 2: The Book

Day 3: Pack a Lunch

Day 4: Listen to The Teacher

Day 5: Study!



Short & Sweet: Grow Up

Short Bible studies, quick devotions

Short and Sweet Nourishment for the Soul

41 “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Acts 2:41-42
On the wall in one of the bedrooms in  our house, is a series of hash marks. They start at about 3 feet high and continue to about six feet. Each hash mark contains a name and a date. These cryptic marks chronicle the growth of our two sons. The passage of time measured in feet and inches. How proud my sons were to see their growth from year to year. Physical growth is good, healthy, and normal. More important than physical growth, is spiritual growth. How can we grow up spiritually? With a good dose of Acts 2:42.

Spiritual Growth

Acts 2:42 lists four things the early church did to grow up in their faith:

1. continuous study of doctrine
2. fellowship
3. breaking of bread
4. prayers
Let’s take a quick look at each of the four items above.

1. ” … continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine …”

To us, this means Bible study. In order to grow up, we need to continually feed our souls with the truth of God’s Word.
Action Point:
  1. What can you do today to put more of God’s Word in your heart?
  2. Is anything growing in your heart (bitterness, jealousy, sketchy habits) taking up space needed for God’s Word?

2. Fellowship

The Greek word for fellowship means: 1) a gathering of like-minded Christians who encourage and teach each other, and 2) the works (sharing the gospel, helping the needy) of a group of like-minded people.
Action Point:
  1. Which type of fellowship do you need to grow your faith, teaching and encouragement or good works?
  2. Using your answer to point one, what will you do to start growing in fellowship?

3. Breaking of bread (a.k.a. communion)

Communion is a beautiful portrayal of the message of the Gospel; Christ sacrificing His life, giving His body, pouring out His blood, for you and for me.  At the Last Supper, when Jesus implemented communion, Jesus asked His disciples to “Do this in remembrance of Me.” What does Jesus want us to  remember? His sacrifice. True life is not about living for self. It’s about doing the will of God and sacrificing our lives for the sake of others.
Action Point:
  1. What can you sacrifice today to help someone else grow up in Christ … time … Starbucks … a plate of cookies … a personal note of encouragement?
  2. Name a certain area of life or character quality you need to improve. How can you more closely follow God’s will in this area?

4. Pray

The Greek word for prayers is proseuch, which simply means prayer addressed to God, to pray fervently. Blue Letter Bible adds the emphasis is not on the contents of the prayer, but its aim and its end. Don’t worry about impressing God with big intricate words, He knows your heart.
 
Action Points:
  1. Grow up and take a step of faith: I will lay aside my will and ask God to work His will concerning _____________________________.
  1. Thank God for how He will work His will for point 1..

 

Life is sweet! Grow up!

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7 Days of Freedom, Day 7: Serve

Flag 3 pngFor you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Galatians 5: 13

serve [surv]

verb

  1. to act as a servant
  2. to render assistance; be of use; help
  3. to have definite use
  4. to render active service to
  5. to perform the duties of (a position, an office, etc.)

Independence Day is the celebration of the birth of the United States of America. It marks the day our founding fathers declared the colonies to be a free and independent nation apart from the rule of England. Freed from service to England, the colonists could enjoy “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

As Americans, the freedoms bestowed upon us by our Constitution allow the opportunity to live and work as we choose. Freedom is what makes our country great. God has also given us freedom, but according to our verse, we haven’t been freed to live for ourselves. We have been freed from the tyranny of sin and self to serve God and others. Please read the verse above again and notice the connection between liberty and serve. What is the basis for the giving of self through service? Love.

In the Greek, serve means: to be a slave (a very unpopular term for Americans), to serve, to do service, to zealously advance the interests of anything; devoted to another to the disregard of one’s own interests.

As Christians, we need to devote ourselves to serve God and others, and to the advancement of His kingdom on earth.  How can I serve my family? How can I help my neighbors? How can I use my gifts to share the Gospel? How can I give to the hungry? By asking these questions, and praying for God to bring us opportunities, we can live a life of service.

Action Points:

  1. Take a walk through your neighborhood or town and ask God to open your eyes to the needs of others.
  2. Today, identify and act on a way to serve a family member, a coworker and a neighbor.
  3. Ask God to show what selfish attitudes or habits you need to be freed from so you can serve others.
  4. Please take several moments to pray for our service men and women who serve their country and put themselves in harm’s way that we may be free.

God Bless America.

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“serve.” Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 02 Jul. 2015. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/serve>.



7 Days of Freedom, Day 2: Liberty

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18 “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captive, and recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.
Luke 4:18-19

liberty [lib-er-tee]  Noun

  1. freedom from captivity, confinement, or physical restraint
  2. freedom or right to frequent or use a place
  3. freedom from arbitrary or despotic government or control

The Greek transliterations for liberty is aphesis. In the Greek, aphesis means “release from bondage or imprisonment; forgiveness or pardon, of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed), remission of the penalty.” Did  you notice the part in the parenthesis? God lets go our sins as if they had never been committed. Why does He allow this? Our sins have already been paid in full at the cross.  According to the Dictionary.com definition, liberty means we have the “right to frequent or use a place.” Because of the cross, we have the liberty to frequent the throne of grace and boldly ask God to meet our needs.

The cry of the American patriot Patrick Henry, in the face of the American Revolution was, “Give me liberty, or give me death!” How prophetic. As Christians we have the same options: liberty or death. We choose.

Christ sets us free from sin so we have the liberty not to live for self (we already tried that once), but for Him. We have liberty to do good works, serve others, and take the Gospel of freedom to every nation on earth.

As we draw near to Independence Day, remember to thank God for not only for the liberty of our nation, but of our souls as well.

Action Points:

  1. What is something you need to be set free from?
  2. Who needs to hear about the liberty we have in Christ? How can you share the Gospel with this person?
  3. Pray for nations that are closed to the Gospel. To see a list of countries in need of prayer, please click on the following link: Closed Countries

 

Please enjoy the music below.

 

 

God Bless America.

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“liberty.” Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 28 Jun. 2015. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/firm>.



1 Thessalonians, A Life of Faith, Part 16: The Quiet Life

DOve JPEG 10 edtI love the quiet. As a busy teacher, who spends much of the school year with noisy, energetic children, I long for peace and quiet. The quiet life. God also loves quiet and wants us to live the quiet life. In the stillness of the quiet life, we can hear God’s voice speak words of life and hope.

Even though God calls us to live the quiet life, that doesn’t mean we are to be silent. In season and out of season, we need to be ready to tell everyone we meet about the grace we have found in Jesus Christ.

Even though our lives are quiet, our character, words, and our actions should speak loudly of the Gospel.
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So how do you live the quiet life, and yet speak loudly of the kingdom of God? God’s Word contains the answer. To continue your study of 1 Thessalonians, A Life of Faith, please click on the link below.

1 Thessalonians Part 16: The Quiet Life



Short & Sweet: The Other Cheek by Mary Kane

Nourishment and Refreshment for your soul.

Nourishment and Refreshment for your soul.

29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.” Luke 6:29

I admit, I have struggled with this verse; it goes against what comes natural to my flesh.  If someone insults me, I want to insult in return … an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. When I was growing up, I quickly learned what happened to people who did not “defend themselves”; they were beaten, battered, and bullied.

Through the years, I have heard many different people speak and preach on this verse, but I think most missed the point. Luke 6:29 is not about defending or not defending oneself, it’s about deferring to a higher calling. It’s turning the cheek for the sake of the Gospel.

Over the weekend, I watched a great movie, “42.” (Yes, the movie contains strong language. Don’t judge me.) The story line revolves around a man who is asked to give up his right to retaliate; his right to justly defend himself against grave injustice … against cruel and ugly treatment … against racism and hatred. He is asked by his boss to “turn the other cheek.” Why? Because of a greater cause. Something bigger than personal dignity and respect, the destiny of all mankind.

As believers, Jesus asks us to do the same thing; turn the other cheek for the sake of mankind. Turning the other cheek does not mean living a life in the shadows, afraid of our own shadow. (Clearly there is a time to fight.) We are to live in the light, to live courageously, despite the opposition and to maybe even take a few beatings for the sake of the cross. What is more important, vindicating ourselves, or the cause of the Christ? Can we allow someone to take advantage of us and offer forgiveness for the sake of the Gospel?

What takes more effort, to let your temper flare or to rein it in for a greater cause? Turning the other cheek does not indicate weakness. It requires great strength and self control. There are two kinds of people – those who choose to fight, and those who choose the greater fight: the fight for the Gospel.

Turn the other cheek.

Action Points:

  1. When are you tempted not to turn the other cheek?
  2. When should you stand and fight?
  3. In your present challenge, is God calling you to stand or to turn the other cheek?

Life is sweet.

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