Bible Memorization Project - The Sequel - Verse Five

Hello my darling fellow memorizer’s of Scripture!

I find myself wondering how each of you are doing with our Bible memorization project. By now the excitement of starting something fresh has waned and I bet staying on track has become a greater challenge. I imagine some of you might be wondering “Why am I even memorizing scripture? Does it really make a difference? Is this even important to God or just our Bible Study leader?” No doubt the enemy is only adding fuel to those flickering doubts and perhaps you find yourself wanting to abandon the project altogether. If that is you, then let me take a moment to bring some Holy Spirit inspired encouragement.

This past week I have been studying the Proverbs 31 woman in preparation for next weeks teaching. It has been a fascinating time in the word and God has prepared tremendous insight and encouragement for us next week. You won’t want to miss that. At any rate, what I learned is that this passage is arranged alphabetically in a pattern referred to as an “acrostic”. This pattern means that the first word of each line begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet in sequence. The Expositors Bible Commentary (Proverbs-Isaiah) remarks that “this type of arrangement made memorization easier” (p246). Other notable examples would include Psalm 25,34,37,119 and 145.

In studying the use of acrostics, I also learned that they were used in the practical sense as if covering the subject matter from a-z. But here is what brought me such great encouragement. If the Psalmist wrote in the acrostic format then one of his intentions was that it would be memorized. Since the scriptures were written by men as they were inspired by the Holy Spirit, then it would seem that memorization would be God’s intention as well.

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God; that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him.”

1 John 5:14-15

Since we have established that it would seem that it is God’s will that we memorize scripture as the use of the acrostic implies and the above scripture tells us that if we pray anything according to His will we get what we ask then the solution to our waning strength to continue in memorization, would naturally seem to be to PRAY!!!! Pray that He would sustain this project in you. Pray that He would put a fire in you to continue. Pray that He would revive you memory cells and help you to retain His words. Pray that He would make you passionate about all things concerning His Word. I am certain that these are prayers He will answer. Amen?

Ok Everyone, here is the part of the blog where you have the opportunity to leave verse 5. Let me see those scriptures. I will start with mine.

“Doesn’t force itself on others. Isn’t always ‘me first’. Doesn’t fly off the handle. Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others.”

1 Corinthians 13:5 MESSAGE

Love, love, love doing this with you!!!

31 in 31 - First Thursday

Good Morning Ladies!

Today marks the kickoff of “31 in 31 – Thirty-One Days to a Wiser You!”

Not only is today the official launch of our month long reading program but it also just happens to be “31 Thursday”. What that means is every Thursday we will be hopping on the blog or facebook or grabbing a friend and telling each other about what God is teaching us in our time with Him as we journey through Proverbs together. We will be seeking to answer the question “How has God made you smarter this week?” You can share an insight, understanding, direction or just the verse that brought ministry to you. This is all about you and God and we want to hear from you. It is kind of like taking what we do in our small groups but expanding it to a wider audience with those who follow us only on facebook and through the blog. You ladies have such great insights and I can wait to hear how God is speaking to you through His word. If you are one of those who only follow us on the blog or facebook we can’t wait to hear from you as well. You are absolutely welcome to join us in sharing. That is what this project is all about… “iron sharpening iron”.

Proverbs is a book that is rich in wisdom but there is something that sets this wisdom apart. It comes from God and it is meant to shape Godly character. There are all kinds of ways for wisdom to seep into our consciousness whether it be through books, magazine articles, newspapers, seminars and more. But what primarily sets this type of wisdom apart from what we find in this particular book in the Bible is that those offers of wisdom are generally centered on self while the wisdom we find in scripture is centered on God. Take the familiar adage “honesty is the best policy”. If you run a business and follow this mindset, you probably will develop a good reputation which will add to your success. However, that is wisdom set apart from God. The way that the wisdom from God differs is that I desire to run an honest business because I love God and it is what He says for me to do. It isn’t primarily to achieve success, although that could very well be the fruit of following His wisdom, but it is because we love and trust Him and His ways. To put it plainly, we don’t do things honestly because then we will be successful, we do it because it is Godly character and Godly character pleases God.

I am on the edge of my seat with anticipation as I await what new things God will be teaching me as I work through these next thirty-one days with you. Whenever there is this kind of response (at least 40 of us now) I know God is about to do something stunning. It is His drawing and our responding that activates this kind of enthusiasm. I can’t wait to hear your insights and what God is speaking to you. I believe He is all over this.

So here is your opportunity. Leave a comment below that answers the question “How has God made you smarter this week?” and if you like, there is a new feature that you can reply to each others comments as well. Let’s encourage one another as we dive into these next 31 days together. If you are new to Bible study, don’t be shy. You will never find a more gracious and encouraging group of women then in this group.

Thank you so much for participating in this program of study. Just love serving you in this venue. You make it such fun. You are truly the coolest bunch of women.

May God bless you abundantly as you study His wisdom.

"What's the Scoop on....Leah?"

On Tuesday in Bible Study Janet spoke about Leah.  Last month you might recall that Janet also taught about Rachel, Leah’s younger sister.  Both women were wives of Jacob.  Their story can be found in Genesis 29 and 30. (Click on this link to read the post on Rachel). http://mwcwbstudy.blogspot.com/2012/01/whats-scoop-onrachel.html.

 “Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful”. (Genesis 29:16-17 emphasis mine).

This past week something interesting about Leah was pointed out to me which will be the focus of this post.  Rather then looking at the rivalry between these two women, I’d like to  focus on the following phrase: ‘Leah had weak eyes’.  Is there a spiritual lesson we can draw from this description about Leah?.  We know from the text that physical eyes were weak, but what about her spiritual eyes?

Last week when we studied Hagar, we learned that God had promised Abraham that his descendants would be more numerous than the stars in the sky. We also learned that these descendants would come through his son Isaac.  Isaac in turn had two sons, Esau and Jacob.  Through a series of events Jacob must flee his home where he unexpectedly meets with God while in the desert.  "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring” (Gen. 28:13b-14, emphasis added). God affirmed that the promise made to Abraham would be fulfilled through Jacob rather then his brother Esau.

Jacob continues his journey towards his mother’s birthplace where he finds himself at the home of Laban, his uncle. As you may know, Jacob is tricked into marrying Leah one of Laban’s daughters. Shortly afterwards Jacob also marries Leah’s sister Rachel.  The rivalry between the sisters was intense. Leah longed to have the love of her husband by giving him children. Rachel had Jacob’s love yet desired children as well.  “When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren” (Gen. 29:31).   As Leah names her children it is evident that her focus is intent on securing Jacobs love, affection and respect.  It seems that her circumstances brought her much anguish.

“Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south.”

It is a wonder to me how God’s is always orchestrating His purposes even through our humanness.  Through their jealousy and competition for Jacob’s attention God was weaving His plan. Do you recall God’s promise to Jacob in Genesis 28:13- 14.  Something much bigger than sibling rivalry was going on here.  It was God’s intention that Jacob’s descendants would be too numerous to be counted. Not only did Jacob have children with first Leah and then Rachel, but he had children with the maids of his two wives as well.  The 12 children of these unions became the 12 tribes of Israel. At the time of the famine when Jacob joined his son Joseph in Egypt, his direct descendants numbered but 70.  At the Exodus, 430 years later, there were about 600,000 men, not counting women and children. Wow!

Long after Leah and Rachel’s lives had come to an end this is how they were memorialized in scripture “Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, “We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel.  May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem” (Ruth 4:11).  And if having a testimony of being one of the key women who built up the family of Israel wasn’t enough, God’s appointed son was to be born through the line of Judah who just happens to be Leah’s 4th son. Not only did Leah have the amazing privilege of building up the family of Israel but she is in the ancestry of the Messiah. 

But alas, Leah had weak eyes.

Good or poor, we all have physical sight.  Leah’s physical sight was weak. Based on what we know about her from the scriptures it seems her spiritual sight was also weak. Have you given much thought to your own spiritual sight?  Like Leah, we can have our eyes so intently focused on our present physical circumstances that we miss what God is doing on a larger scale. That’s why we need to keep our eyes focused on the promises of God. When we filter our lives through the truth of the Word, things look different. God’s Word gives us hope despite what we may see with our physical eyes. That’s why He tells us in 2 Cor. 5:7, “We live by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7).  I challenge you today, what circumstance in your life has your focus? Pick up God’s Word. He has something to say about it. What God has to say will bring you the peace that your physical sight never will.

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,  and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” (Ephesians 1:18-19a)

"What's the Scoop on.....Hagar?"

On Tuesday in Woman’s Bible Study, I taught about Hagar, Sarah’s maidservant.  As you know, Abraham and Sarah’s lives are detailed in the pages of scripture.  Hagar, however, is just a blip on the radar screen of their lives. Yet her inclusion in scriptures points us to an aspect of God’s character that is truly wonderful. Our God is a God of mercy!

Before continuing please read the following passages:  Genesis 16 and Genesis 21:1-21. Here is a concise recap of Hagar’s story:  God had promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations but ten years later the promise had not been fulfilled. Sarah convinces Abraham to take Hagar as his wife so that they could have a child, using Hagar as a surrogate.  After Hagar becomes pregnant, her relationship with Sarah rapidly deteriorates.  As a result, Hagar flees to the desert where she is met by the Lord where He tells Hagar to return to Abraham and Sarah, which she does.  Hagar and Abraham’s son is born a short time later and he is named Ishmael as The Angel directed. Ten years later God appears to Abraham again and promises that he and Sarah will have a child of their own in one year. After their son Isaac is born Sarah sees Ishmael taunting Isaac. She demands that Hagar and Ishmael be cast out. This command is confirmed by God to Abraham.  As Hagar and Ishmael are wandering hopelessly in the desert, near death, The Angel of the Lord once again appears to Hagar.

Because God is merciful, He will meet us where we are.

Hagar’s circumstances were beyond her control.  She was a slave with no rights of her own, no freewill. She was someone else’s property. She had no choice but to obey Sarah and Abraham’s wishes. We might find ourselves in negative circumstances that were not our doing. Like Hagar, we may make choices that cause the situation to become worse but God’s mercy is bigger. The Angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar and interrupted her flight as she was running away from her problem. God may allow us to wander in the desert as well, to come to a place where we are at the end of our own resources. When we come to this place then we are ready to meet with God, listen to Him, and obey what He says.

Because God is merciful, He asks us questions.

Although God knew her answers, He takes the time to ask Hagar some questions. He wants her to consider what she is doing and why.  The angel didn’t accuse her. He asked her with kindness. In Genesis God appeared to Adam & Eve after they ate the fruit. He asked them questions, not for His sake but for theirs. God does this with us as well. He does not see us through the eyes of condemnation to place blame on us or put us on the defensive but because of His love and his mercy.  When God asks us a question we have to articulate an answer. By putting words to our thoughts it helps us see things more clearly. God wants us to consider the choices we are making and the paths we are taking.  When we see our situation more clearly, through His eyes, we are in a better place to take direction from Him.

Because God is merciful, He Sees Us & He Hears Us.

Throughout God’s Word there are numerous examples of people calling out to God and God answering.  There is something really special about both of Hagar’s encounters with God. She never called to Him; in fact it doesn’t even seem that she was seeking Him. It says in Isaiah 65:1, “ I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me.”  This is exactly what happened with Hagar. In Genesis 16:7a it says “and the angel of the LORD found her“.  He told Hagar to name her unborn son Ishmael which means ‘God has heard of your misery’. “You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,” (Psalm 19:17).

In Genesis 16:13  God says “She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen  the One who sees me.” Can you really imagine what this must have been like for her?  Hagar wasn’t anyone special, in a situation she did not choose for herself, the victim of someone else’s choices, mistreated, abused, not one single resource of her own. She spoke to and was known by the God who created the universe. He saw her tears, her pain, her aloneness. In the same way God sees us and He hears us.

Because God is merciful, He can’t help not being who He is.

In the very beginning of the passage we are told Hagar was a foreigner and a slave.  We also know that she was contemptuous of Sarah, disobeyed her, and ran away. Yet God appeared to her, rescued her, and greatly blessed her. God’s mercy wasn’t something that she earned because of good behavior.  His mercy was not about who she was or what she had done or didn’t do. Mercy flowed from the very character of who God is. “For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all .” Romans 11:3. That is the heart of our God.

I am encouraging you, if you are in a place of pain where you think no one sees, no one understands, and no one cares, that is a lie from Satan.  As Hagar was suffering she had no idea that He was watching and that He had compassion on her until He appeared to her later. Yet He was there every step of the way. 

We have something that Hagar did not.  We know that we have an intimate relationship with God if we can call Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  His Word to us is easily accessible.  We don’t have to wait for Him to appear to us to display His mercy.  As God was merciful to Hagar, we can know through the authority of His word that He is and will be merciful to us too. 

"The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works"  Psalm 145:9

Bible Memorization Project - The Sequel - Verse Four

Hello my darling memorization buddies;

Just thrilled that we have made it to our fourth verse together.  I can't tell you how curious I am with how you are doing.  If you are still tracking with us, I know that God is richly blessing you as you commit His Word into your heart.  If you have fallen behind, no worries, just pick right back up where you left and I am sure that God will help you complete the goal. 

In case,you have been getting frustrated with finding time to work on Bible Memorization , I thought I would pass on some of the ways that I work this discipline into a somewhat overloaded and at times frantic schedule.

Opportunities to memorize verses.
- as you wash dishes
- fold laundry
- wait on lines (this works well at the DMV)
- vacuuming (2 cats plus one dog = a great deal of time spent on this mindless task)

As I thought about this, I wondered is there any time that it would be inappropriate to be memorizing verses.  Are there certain types of situations where it would be clearly wrong to be focused on memorization rather then the task at hand. 

Situations where it would be inappropriate to memorize verses.
- the internet tells me that air traffic controllers have the number one job that demands the most amount of concentration.  It seem that it takes a great deal of focus to keep track of several planes that are ready to land at the same time.  I for one, especially if I am in one of those planes, would prefer for them to direct their full attention to what they are doing. 
- I also have learned that when taking Tai Kwon Do belt tests, that it takes extreme concentration to break a board with you bare hands.  So I guess that would be ok.
- I generally like to watch crime scene types of shows, and I always notice that when they are diffusing bombs, that it demands all of their focused attention.  They also usually sweat alot.  I am thinking that if you are called to diffuse a bomb, that would be a good excuse for you to skip memorization for a bit.
- Then of course, if you are called to perform emergency microsurgery that would probably be a good reason to redirect your focus as well.

So other then these four instances, I think that we are good to go.  You know I am just kidding you guys.  Obviously there are many more times that it would be inappropriate to be memorizing your scriptures, but the point is to try to think of ways that you can fit this much needed yet abundantly fruitful discipline into your life.  I think if you were to give it some thought, you would probably come up with many more opportunites then you thought you had. 

So it is that time.  Leave your verse in the comment below and I will start with mine.
"Love never gives up.  Love cares more for others than for self.  Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.  Love doesn't strut.  Doesn't have a swelled head."  1 Corinthians 13:4 MESSAGE

Love you guys.  It is such a joy co-memorizing with you in this project.


 

31 in 31

Hello Everyone:

I just wanted to jump on the blog this morning to let you know about the exciting program that God has lain on my heart for the month of March. We will be implementing a reading program called 31 in 31. We fondly subtitle it “Thirty-one days to a wiser you!” Anyone interested? We will be reading one chapter from the book of proverbs each day in the month of March. Since there are thirty-one chapters in proverbs and March has 31 days, we thought it was the prefect way to blend a bit of spiritual discipline with a relevant and tangible schedule. We believe that not only is this goal attainable but also carries with it a bit of a challenge.

So why will this project make us wiser? My Bible has a great explanation for us. “A proverb is a brief statement of a moral truth. The purpose of Proverbs is not simply to give advice, although many proverbs are very practical in their application. The deeper intention of the book is to shape godly character with divine wisdom. Behind Proverbs is the only wise God, the source of true wisdom.” (The NIV Worship Bible p.826) As we work our way through the chapters of Proverbs we will be unfolding the wisdom of God, wisdom that He wants us to embrace as we walk out His calling in our lives. I believe if you invest fully in this program all the way to its finish, you will have become a wiser woman of God.

The launch date for this reading program will be March 1st. Every Thursday we will put up a post where it will be your turn to tell us what God is speaking to you personally as you read through proverbs. The proverbial question (no pun intended) will be “How has God made you smarter this week?” You can share an insight, understanding, direction or just the verse that brought ministry to you. If you prefer, you could also answer that same question on facebook or maybe with a good friend over a cup of coffee. If that is the case, find yourself a buddy who will keep you on track. We picked Thursday because of the Thirty-one emphasis. Silly but it will help you remember.

We are praying that God really meets you during this one month of commitment. We know that He has extraordinary wisdom He wants to speak to you. I hope you join us!

Love you all so much!

"What's the Scoop on....Michal?"

This week in Bible study Arlene taught on Michal, a woman who fell victim to bitterness. We, like Michal, face circumstance in life that can also result in bitterness. Using Michal as an example, Arlene walked us through the anatomy of bitterness and brought us to a place where we could go to the Lord for the healing that some of us desperately need.

We are first introduced to Michal in 1 Samuel 18. She was the daughter of King Saul. At this time, even though David had no political power, Saul feared him. He knew God’s hand was upon David. “And Michal Saul's daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him” (1 Sam. 18:20-21a). Saul planned to use his daughter to facilitate David’s downfall.

A short time after Michal’s marriage, Saul attempted to kill David. Because of her love for him, Michal risks her own life to help David escape. After David is gone Saul marries Michal off to a man named Paltiel. Fast forward a few years….Saul is now dead and there is political unrest in the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. David demands that Michal be returned to him, not out of love for her (at this point David has many other wives & children from these unions) but to help secure his place as king by marrying the daughter of the former king, Saul.

Life had not been easy for Michal. Both her father, and David the man that she loved, used her for their own selfish gain. It’s easy to imagine her heart in tatters. We see the fruit of this in 2 Sam. 6:16, “As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart”.

Arlene walked us through some questions about bitterness and used God’s word to address them:

How does the bible define bitterness?

“See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” (Heb 12:15)

“Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison.” (Deu. 29:18)

Arlene pointed out that the biblical bitterness is rooted in turning away for the Lord, God and turning to idols.

How does bitterness take root?

Learned behavior – Looking at Saul’s life we see that bitterness had taken hold of him. Michal would have seen this and learned it as a way of dealing with the pain of her circumstances.

Unmet expectations – This can happen primarily in three different ways.

1) Because of people – maybe we expected people to act a certain way or to fulfill a certain commitment and they let us down. We become bitter.

2) Because of circumstances – perhaps we have experienced a tough blow or setback in life where we have felt like if only that hadn’t happened our lives would be so much better and we get bitter.

3) Because of what we perceive about God – while God is true and faithful maybe we expected something from Him that He never promised for us and we feel like He let us down.

How does bitterness manifest itself? How do we recognize it?

It taints our perspective. Michal thought that the servant girls would see David’s behavior as she did.

Bitterness separates us from the family of God and from the joy of the Lord. We see this as Michael stayed upstairs as everyone else was downstairs celebrating.

It changes what we know about God. Michal was critical of the way that David experienced God.


Why do we need to address bitterness?

Bitterness will make its self known."Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." (Romans 3:14)

It defiles many. “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” (Heb. 12:15)

It grieves the Holy Spirit. “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” (Eph 4:30-31)

How do we deal with it?

Confess it. Looking back at Ephesians 4:31, it says ‘get rid’ of it. This isn’t something we can do apart from God. Arlene gave us an excellent visual of us holding on to bitterness with all we have as God tries to pry it from our fingers. Looking at Michal, in the natural she had every right to be bitter, as may we. But God knows this is going to hurt us and those around us. He needs us to offer it to Him with an open hand. Only then can He take it from us.

We need to ask for God’s grace. “Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah. So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?" Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.” (Ex. 15:22-25a). God can take what is bitter and make it sweet.

Time to wait for God’s perspective. “Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up” (Psalm 71:20).

From what we see in scripture, Michal’s heart never healed. It does not have to be the same for us. This past Tuesday was Valentine’s Day; Arlene’s message was entitled ‘How to mend a broken heart’. If your heart has been broken through the pain of unmet expectations, I ask you to prayerfully consider this message. Spend time with the Lord. Ask Him to reveal to you where bitterness has taken root. Confess it. Call out to the Lord for his grace. Allow God the time to work the healing. Don’t be discouraged if you feel it coming back – just keep giving it to God with an open hand. God is faithful. He will do it!.

“O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.“ (Psalm 130:7)