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.

all rights reserved.

copyright 2015

I must admit it.

I remember the days of lay-away shopping.

Green stamps and bubble gum wrappers.

S&H Green Stamps premiums, Bazooka Bubble Gum wrapper toys, and cereal proof of purchase box top prizes also required the discipline of waiting. For months we’d gather and save stamps, wrappers and proofs of purchase in order to earn prizes. Most of the fun of earning one of these gizmos was the anticipation of what it would be like when IT finally arrived. Perseverance, delayed gratification, earning something by the sweat of the brow. Lessons well learned.

The benefits of waiting.

1. It strengthens our faith. John 11:15
2. It helps us gain courage. Psalm 27:14
3. It brings blessings. Isaiah 30:18
4. It helps us receive direction and guidance. Proverbs 3:5-6

I also believe waiting helps to establish an attitude of thankfulness and humility in our heart. It helps us to live in the moment instead of wishing our lives away. To live simple. To rejoice when we have. To rejoice when we have not. Learning to wait a minute.

Action Points:

1. What are you trying to push through that you need to wait on God for?
2. Are you a habitual rusher? Do your kids constantly ask are we in a hurry again? When was the last time you actually savored something? …a kiss … a piece of chocolate … a good movie … a cozy time with a toddler and a book?
3. Take a half hour and linger with God in silence today. You won’t believe how He will refresh your soul and strengthen your heart.

Life is sweet when you wait a minute.

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.

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.

All rights reserved.

Copyright 2015

Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, Jehovah will be a light unto me. Micah 7:8

Feels like football weather!

is a common saying where I come from. I am a big football fan. I love everything about football season—from the excitement, the competition, the sweatshirts, the cool fall weather, to the big pot of chili bubbling on the back of the stove. Each Saturday, I celebrate when my favorite team marches onward to victory. I must admit there is a dark side to my celebrating — I rejoice when the rival team from across state loses (and loses big…in the Big House).

Satan does the same thing to us. Like a thug hidden in the shadows, he sets his evil traps and rejoices as we fall; however, his victory is short lived. Because in Christ Jesus, we get up.

Rejoice not my enemy.

In Hebrew rejoice means to leap, to be glad, to celebrate the destruction of another. Destruction—Satan’s calling card. Satan hopes our fall will destroy us, but he has forgotten God made provision for the fall in the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Gethsemane. The Cross of Calvary. We get up.

When I fall.

When I fall. When you fall. God knows we will fall. He has a plan. The word fall means to fall, to fall away, to lie, to throw down. But fall also means …

to fall in the hands of

To fall in the hands of…God. We sin and fall, and He catches us. We fall into the hands of God. Where can we run from his love? If we climb to the heavens, He is there. If we make our bed in Sheol, still He finds us there. Our wandering turns out to be His leading. One more life-changing definition for the word fall; it also means to fall on one’s knees.

Ponder this for a moment.

What do we usually do when we are on our knees?

Pray.

Let’s put this all together. Satan tempts us. Because of our own desires, we are drawn away and enticed. We sin and we fall. But we fall into the hands of God and we land on our knees. We pray. We confess. We get up.

I once heard a preacher say the definition of success is getting up one more time than you fall. I think God would agree. Getting up is the key.

What knocks you down?

Is it an attitude, a habit, your sin, the sin of others?

• When you have blown it, AGAIN, by yelling at the kids when they didn’t deserve it—get up.
• When you overhear a co-worker’s nasty comment concerning your project—get up.
• When your husband complains about a meal that took hours to prepare—get up.
• When no one notices your continual sacrifices at home, at work, at school. Your Father sees you—get up.
• When you’ve given gut-level deep and your efforts fall short—get up.
• When you’ve promised you wouldn’t curse/drink/smoke/gamble/sleep around ever again; confess. repent, and get up.

Action points:

1. What do you need to give up so you can get up?
2. Now that you got up, name something you will do in place of what you gave up.
3. Pray. Find scriptures that attack your problem and encourage growth. Pray these scriptures into your situation. Meditate on them and repeat them as often as necessary. Remember change takes time.

Life is sweet. Get up!

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!

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For your listening pleasure: Traveling Light