Romans 8:28. A recent theme in my life. Taught in church, brought up in Bible study and in conversation, a little tidbit that God has been working into my world in many areas of life.
It says, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
ALL things. The good, the bad and the ugly. The Lord promises that these events and circumstances in life will work together for good to those who love Him and to those who are called according to His purpose. ...Those who love Him. Every follower of Christ. ...Those who are called. Every follower of Christ.
Isn't it so encouraging to know that God can take even our greatest mistakes, our greatest hurts, our greatest struggles and turn them into something wonderous!
For example, Saul was the greatest threat to the early church. Single-handedly he pursued the destruction of Christians and killed many. Then in one moment, the Lord met him and changed his life forever. Saul became Paul shortly after his encounter with God, and is the author of many books in the new testament. God used Paul's education to give him an understanding of Jewish laws, traditions and beliefs. He used his standing as a Roman citizen to reach the Gentiles (non-Jews) for Christ. He used Paul's past experiences to understand his persecutors and have compassion for them. Through Paul's life and letters to his fellow Christians, the Lord used him to teach current-day Christians how to live as followers of Christ and how to understand much of what it means to be Christian.
Another example, the current day author, Lee Strobel who wrote The Case for Christ. Lee was a criminal reporter. He investigated stories to find the truth, his career taught him how to look for answers from all angles and from different views. His career and life as an atheist led him to write one of the more popular and powerful books investigating the validity of the Bible as a historical book and whether or not it could be what Christians claim it to be, and also to completely investigate the validity and possiblity that Jesus was the Messiah. I am reading this book now. As a Christian already, it is intriguing to learn about how the Bible came to be and the evidence for it and against it. For someone who questions the very essense of faith, this book does the dirty work for you, Lee Strobel interviews some of the most knowlegeable people in each field of question from biblical archaeology to historical fact of the authors of the new testament and also from secular evidence and facts about the stories and claims made in the Bible. Lee questions these claims and provides you with the evidence he has discovered. You are the jury. You choose whether the evidence is convincing or not.
Showing posts with label bible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bible. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Time with God Update
I am happy to share I have been able to keep up my bible reading twice a day (before bed and first thing when I wake up). I'm so grateful for my loving parents who gave me a Holman Christian Standard Bible for Christmas! I love that bible. It is easy to read and understand, plus it has a built in commentary to help me understand the culture, traditions, and use of the language from the author's time. I don't always agree with the commentary author's interpretations of the bible, but many times their insight brings so much more depth to my understanding of God's word!
I'm still reading through Psalms in the mornings. It is a more upbeat book of the bible and when I am praising God, it is so much easier to start my day out right! As a matter of fact, the other day I was having a dull day at work plugging along through my tedious paperwork. I have several youtube playlists of Christian music, but when I started listening to the Worship music, even without me singing along, I could just feel my office fill with the presence of the Holy Spirit! It really uplifted my mood and changed my attitude!
At night I have made it through Proverbs and Song of Solomon, and now I am going through Isaiah. Honestly, Isaiah is a hard read for me. It is full of prophecy. Some prophecies were already fulfilled, some are double prophecies (fulfilled at one time and to be fulfilled again). I don't always understand the prophecies, the commentary helps, but doesn't go into all the eschatology (study of end times) of it either. So as I'm reading, I am praying for God to teach me and give me insight to what he wants me to learn. Some passages touch me and others I take in for God to use at a later date in my life.
Proverbs 2:1-5 (actually the whole chapter is awesome if you want to read it) "My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; yes if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God."
I still feel a lack of communication with the Lord despite my time in the Word. I feel a desire, a need to talk with God more...more of what a relationship entails. To have a deeper more meaningful prayer life. That's a little more challenging and I know Satan likes to make me think that God's too far away or not listening, but I KNOW better and have to remind myself of God's promises to me:
Jeremiah 33:3 "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know."
1 John 5:14 "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us."
1 Corinthians 2:9-13 "But as it is written: 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.' But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual."
I'm still reading through Psalms in the mornings. It is a more upbeat book of the bible and when I am praising God, it is so much easier to start my day out right! As a matter of fact, the other day I was having a dull day at work plugging along through my tedious paperwork. I have several youtube playlists of Christian music, but when I started listening to the Worship music, even without me singing along, I could just feel my office fill with the presence of the Holy Spirit! It really uplifted my mood and changed my attitude!
At night I have made it through Proverbs and Song of Solomon, and now I am going through Isaiah. Honestly, Isaiah is a hard read for me. It is full of prophecy. Some prophecies were already fulfilled, some are double prophecies (fulfilled at one time and to be fulfilled again). I don't always understand the prophecies, the commentary helps, but doesn't go into all the eschatology (study of end times) of it either. So as I'm reading, I am praying for God to teach me and give me insight to what he wants me to learn. Some passages touch me and others I take in for God to use at a later date in my life.
Proverbs 2:1-5 (actually the whole chapter is awesome if you want to read it) "My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; yes if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God."
I still feel a lack of communication with the Lord despite my time in the Word. I feel a desire, a need to talk with God more...more of what a relationship entails. To have a deeper more meaningful prayer life. That's a little more challenging and I know Satan likes to make me think that God's too far away or not listening, but I KNOW better and have to remind myself of God's promises to me:
Jeremiah 33:3 "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know."
1 John 5:14 "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us."
1 Corinthians 2:9-13 "But as it is written: 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.' But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual."
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