Yay friends we are so happy that you are here! SO SO HAPPY!! 😀❤️😀

I have to be honest that this chapter has been SO challenging for me. Although I have really enjoyed reading it, studying it, listening to it, listening to podcasts about it, reading study notes about it. I HAVE REALLY LOVED IT!! BUT I’ve just had such a hard time putting it all together! I guess I just want to say so much, and there is so much history that I’ve been challenged with how to pull all my thoughts, what I’m learning, and what feels like is REALLY IMPORTANT theology together, and then trying to make it relevant for teenagers.

SO LET’S try something new!! LESS ABOUT ME, and Let’s talk about you! 😆

How do you feel about your time in God’s Word lately? Have you spent much time with God over the past couple weeks? What are you learning from Romans chapter 4?

And, I’m not asking you to judge you, as the reminder from Romans 8:1, that Lord-willing we will read together in a few weeks, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.“; but, I’m asking because I want to encourage you, and I too want to be encouraged too!

We have to encourage one another to pray against the stumbling blocks in our life. Maybe something is preventing you from getting into God’s Word and making time for Him. Maybe for others like myself this week, you are spending time with God, but are still having a hard time understand the things God’s Word is supposed to be teaching you, or maybe struggling putting those things into practice. And, maybe there are a bunch of other things going on with friends, health, school, depression, anxiety, stress, or all of this combined?!?!!

So for now let’s just give ALL of these “things” to the Lord.

Let’s call upon the one who sees us in our sin, in our sadness, in our joy, in our silliness, in our frustrations- and still loves us SO MUCH!

SO let’s PRAY!! And seek God and HIS WORD TOGETHER!! He is SO MUCH BIGGER THAN ALL OF OUR STRUGGLES AND SHORT COMINGS!!

Lord Jesus, please help us to seek You and Your Word with Your understanding. Open our eyes, heart, and mind to know You. Help us God to cast all of our sin and struggles to You. Thank you for ALL that You provide daily for us. AND THANK YOU GOD for your relentless love. Lord please reveal yourself to us through Your glorious Word. And, please God teach us how we can serve You and those around us better! In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

ROMANS CHAPTER 4: Abraham Justified by Faith.

For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. (3-5)

Romans 4:3-5 tells us that Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith and not because of HIS work, but because his FAITH IN GOD who forgives sinners!!

Praise God!

These 3 verses Romas 4:3, 4 & 5 MEAN SO MUCH – BUT THEY ARE ALSO SO SIMPLE!!

As we step into INVESTIGATING GOD’s Word, and as I’m going to attempt to try to explain some of the “MUCH” first, but then I really pray that the Lord will help me to focus on the simple.

1. Who is Abraham?

We first learn about Abraham, and actually his name was Abram at the time when we 1st meet him in Genesis 11: 26.

***And, this is the reminder that the entire BIBLE is the Word of God, which is Jesus, and that’s why Paul is talking about Abraham and about his faith in God, and Paul, through the Holy Spirit is explaining what this means for our relationship with Jesus Christ! The whole Bible goes together, and tells one story, and we cannot forgot that!***

So, in Genesis 11:31 we read that Terah is the father of Abram. Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there. Genesis 11:31

Then in Genesis 12 we read that God appears to Abram, “The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

“I will make you into a great nation,

and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

and you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you,

and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth

will be blessed through you.”

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.” Genesis 12:1-4

Oh praise God for this very important passage in Scripture. The John MacArthur study Bible says, “This passage is the promise whose fulfillment extends all through Scripture.” This is called the Abrahamic Covenant, and it’s an everlasting covenant that contains 4 elements. 1. seed (descendants) 2. land 3. nation 4. divine blessing and protection.

The NIV Life Application Study Bible says. “When God called him, Abram moved out in faith from Ur to Harran and finally to Canaan. God then established a covenant with Abram, telling him that he would found a great nation. Not only would this nation be blessed, God said, but the other nations of the earth would be blessed through Abram’s descendants. The people of Israel, the nation that would come from Abram, were to follow God and influence those whom they came in contact. But the greatest blessing of all is that through Abram’s family tree, Jesus Christ was born to save humanity. Through Christ, people can have a personal relationship with God and be blessed beyond measure.“

AMEN!!!

This is WHY all of this is so IMPORTANT!!!

Do you guys know the children’s church song, “Father Abraham, had many sons, many sons had Father Abraham. I am one of them, and so are you. So let’s just praise the Lord.” I loved learning this song in church serving in kids ministry.

Abraham is the father of faith, the Father of the nation of Israel, and in the Gospel of Matthew he is listed as the first father in the Genealogy of Jesus Christ!

If we go to Matthew 1:1-2 We can read The Genealogy of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior!

1  The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

2  Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.

Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, in Romans 4, is bringing it back to our Father Abraham, who is the great great great father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to show us now and the jews and christians at the time, that Faith was always the thing that counted people righteous, and not works.

And we first see this in Genesis 15:6 where Moses, inspired by God tells us that “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”

SO, I think this is why I feel the weight of this passage. Because not only through these verses do we see God’s promise of descendants, land, nation, and eternal blessings, which I don’t even feel equipped to unpack all of that at this time. (Although I can clearly see that many things that are happening in the world currently hinge on these passages in the Bible. Which is also why we TRULY NEED TO ENCOURAGE EACH OTHER to keep diving into GOD’s WORD, and truly become disciples/ leaners, because if we just keep sitting back and letting others tell us things instead of reading it for ourselves, and lazily sitting around scrolling just to be entertained we are going to miss what is clear before our eyes! THE BIBLE IS REAL, GOD’S HISTORY IS TRUE, AND HIS WORD WILL BE FULFILLED). So, I rightly feel the weight of this passage, because we are diving into the overall arching theme of the ENTIRE BIBLE!

But, praise God as I’m writing this now, the Lord reminds me of this:

But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:14

Jesus wants even little children to come to Him, So we don’t have to understand every part of History and even His Word to understand the heart of God.

As we look back at Romans 4, we see in verse 6, Paul talks about King David, another pillar in the Jewish faith.

Romans 4:6-8: “Just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered, blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

Paul is actually quoting what David wrote about in Psalm 32:1-2, and he wrote this after his awful episode of adultery, and murderous cover up found in 2 Samuel 11. This is truly awful stuff!

But, Paul is bringing it up here, because David is sharing that firsthand he knows true blessing come from being forgiven of sin, and having faith in the only God who can do so, Jesus Christ!

So you might say, wait? David didn’t know Jesus. That was before his time. Wait wasn’t David Jesus’s great-great grandfather?

Well,

1. We talked about this last time in Romans 3:25-26 “For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.” Because Jesus is part of our triune God, those who were looking ahead to the Messiah in faith, God included them in the forgiveness of sins when He died on the cross!
2. Jesus Himself points this out to the Pharisees in Matthew 22:41-46, and quoting David from Psalm 110:1: Then, surrounded by the Pharisees, Jesus asked them a question: “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They replied, “He is the son of David.” Jesus responded, “Then why does David, speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit, call the Messiah ‘my Lord’? For David said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies beneath your feet.’ Since David called the Messiah ‘my Lord,’ how can the Messiah be his son?”No one could answer him. And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.

So David had faith in His Messiah, that when he repented of the WORST of sins, that he was forgiven.

Abraham was counted righteous by his faith, not by works. Which is a great thing for him and for us, because we can read ahead to Genesis 16, to see how our father of faith Abraham also fell into the trap of sin and doubting God’s word:

“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said. So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.” Genesis 16:2-4

So this makes my heart so sad. How many times in our life do we in our impatience and fear turn to our own devices, our own control, our own comfort instead of turning to the Lord for His patience, His truth, and His timing? AND WE MESS IT ALL UP?

IS IT COMFORTING knowing that even our pillar of faith in God, Father Abraham, doubted God’s promise or maybe the means by which God would deliver His promise. And, this lack of faith/ trust in God’s word led to a TERRIBLE compromise in his marriage and this led to drastic consequences not only for their marriage but for generations!

YET, PRAISE GOD!! We are reminded that for Abraham, for David, and for ourselves nothing catches God by surprise. God’s plan continues to go on exactly how God has planned, despite our failures. And praise Jesus, we are counted righteous by our faith in the one who forgives our sin. Jesus Christ!

So I have to ask you another question. Have you yet realized that you need a Savior?

Jesus can’t save someone who doesn’t need to be saved!

Jesus himself pointed this out in Mark 2:17

And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus came to save SINNERS! Which our last session Romans 3:23 reminded us that we all are! For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God Romans 3:23

Okay there is still so MUCH to say, but I know we are running out of time. But, we have to quickly touch on this last point because, it’s so important!

CIRCUMCISiON. 😂 LOL. I’m actually not going to get into the details of that. You can ask your parents.

But, I will focus on what I think is the point of this very important piece of scripture.

Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith. Romans 4:11

Because of Abraham’s faith HE WALKED IN OBEDIENCE into the things God was calling him to do. (This is similar to baptism today!) This was definitely IMPERFECT obedience, as Abraham clearly messed up at times as we just read in Genesis 16, (and I want to quickly point out that things like seeking God and His word would have possibly prevented him from making those mistakes), but Abraham CLEARLY stepped out in obedience to his faith. He moved to a new land, He walked in obedience to have him and his household circumcised in Genesis 17, and we haven’t even touched on how He trusted God in taking his son to be sacrificed in Genesis 22 (and we definitely will have to unpack that more on another day). But the point is that FAITH by God’s grace, the gift of faith that counted him righteous, justified him before our Holy God, and this FAITH lead to Him walking in Obedience.

So, as we move into DWELL. We have to think how does our faith lead us to obedience?

So how does faith lead us to obedience?

Let’s go to God’s word! The connections in His Word are so amazing!

“So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.  So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.” James 2:17-24

TRUE FAITH leads to obedience to God’s WORD. These are our deeds!! Going back to Romans 4:3. We know we aren’t saved by our works, or saved by the law. But if we aren’t changed by our faith, there probably isn’t a TRUE FAITH AT ALL!

SO before we get into HOW our faith in JESUS should impact how we should and should not celebrate Halloween 🤣. I want to quickly share the connection of Martin Luther and Halloween. And this is the Martin Luther of the Reformation, not Martin Luther King Junior. Although he was named after him (and this would be another wonderful history lesson for another day!) But, October 31st is an important day, because that is the day that Martin Luther in 1517, in Wittenberg Germany posted his 95 theses against the Catholic church, you can read a great history lesson on it here, but I’d love to point out that Luther’s faith was completely changed when he finally read Romans 1:17, after a long period of the Bible being kept away from people. In Luther’s day, the Catholic religion hds become entrenched in believing they had to punish themselves, and do many works to earn God’s forgiveness, and righteousness. They were even being taught they could pay the church indulgences for forgiveness. So when Luther finally read these words from the Bible:

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17

HIS LIFE AND HEART WERE DRASTICALLY CHANGED. This is mostly likely the point when Martin Luther was saved! When he realized that the free gift of justification to have a right relationship with a Holy God was by God’s grace through faith and not by works!! Wow what a powerful thing God’s Word did! For Him, and for a generation of Believers! For us today!!

Praise God for these VERY important life changing words that we are studying today!! Who knows by YOU studying God’s word, how it will not only impact your life, can impact a generation of believers!!

I pray that we will not take God’s Word or even this study for granted. Because to have the opportunity to read God’s Word, and engage in a study together is A GIFT! And we truly should thank the Lord for gifting it to us!

“For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. 12And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 13while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. 14He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.” Titus 2:11-14

“Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. But—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.  He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone.” Titus 3:3-8

Let’s pray!

Dear Lord thank you for Your Word and for this study. Thank you for all these precious souls seeking You! Help us to know you better and that because of You grace and the gift of faith that we have in You that we can share Your love and hope to the World. Amen

🎃🎃🎃 🎃🎃🎃 HALLOWEEN 🎃🎃🎃 🎃🎃🎃

Halloween!! Yes, Halloween!! I know this can be a controversial topic in some Christian homes. Answers in Genesis does a good job in the this article here giving a brief Halloween history and asking us how as Christians we should handle it. So, I definitely recommend checking out this important history. Also, Allie Beth Stuckey did a great job sharing her thoughts on Halloween here (make sure you ask your parents permission before you checking out her video on YouTube.)

I won’t spend too much time on this, but I will quickly share that in the past, Halloween has been a holiday that our family has really enjoyed celebrating together. When the kids were younger, we loved dressing them up and taking them trick-or-treating. And, as they got older we thought of it as a great way to connect with friends, our community, and hoping to be a light for the Lord by doing fun things at our house on Halloween. And while, I still think there are certainly FUN and redeemable things to do on Halloween (like going to a Church Harvest party or gathering with friends depending on what you are doing). Something about Halloween HAS been shifting in my heart. I’m not sure if it’s that our culture seems to be getting darker so the decorations we see seem to be growing more violent, dark, demonic, and the celebration of death seems to be growing; or, if its purely something going on in my own heart, in addition to raising 3 teenagers, but likely it’s a combination of many things.

With that said I’d love to point out a few things that can speak to how as Christians we are supposed to live as a followers of Christ Jesus every day, which of course includes Halloween. And, let’s keep in mind ALL that we just learned that we are saved by WHAT?? GRACE THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS. Not by works. BUT that faith leads to WHAT? obedience to His word.

1. We are ALWAYS called to be holy!

• But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 1 Peter 1:15

So, in all that we do, whether it’s on the day of Halloween, or any random day, ALL we do should be for the Glory of God as we seek to be more like Him. So this is a great reminder for us to check ourselves in all the activities we engage in, outfits we wear, and conversations we have etc. (And, the reminder we will fall short of God’s standard over and over again- which is why we need to lean into Jesus through His word, prayer, and repentance daily! And also, not put ourselves in our minds better than others by the way we think we obey the law better.)

2. Jesus tells us to be a LIGHT in the darkness!

• For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. Ephesians 5:8

3. Don’t be like the world – Be transformed!

• Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

• Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 1 John 2:15

4. Don’t practice Witchy things.

And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord. Deuteronomy 18:10b-12a

5. Death shouldn’t be celebrated. Death is the enemy!

The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 1 Corinthians 15:26

Our lives as Christians are supposed to look differently than the world’s, we are supposed to be the aroma of Christ, and like our October discipleship question reminds us:

What are you holding on to that is preventing you from growing in your relationship with Jesus? And what are you willing to give up to follow Christ? 

There might be things that “we like doing” or “have done in the past” that CHRIST IS NOW CALLING US TO GIVE UP, to be more like Him. The parties we use to throw or go to, the outfits we wear or maybe want to wear, or even the decorations we have might need to change as we grow and seek Christ.

And, I’m not saying we have to give up Halloween, but maybe? But I am saying there might be things in the way that we celebrate that might need to change as we continue to pursue Jesus. And, this goes for ALL areas of our lives, not just Halloween. WE SHOULD BE CHANGING TO LOOK LESS LIKE OURSELVES AND MORE LIKE JESUS CHRIST.

Remember when the disciples started following Christ, Luke 5:11b tells us … they left everything and followed him.

SOOOOOO,

Is God calling us to give up skimpy costumes, or evil ones?

Is God calling us to take a look at HOW we are celebrating? Are we celebrating death? Is what we are doing dark, evil, or demonic in anyway?

Is God calling us to give up playing games like fortune telling or the ouija board, or watching horror movies?

What does God’s Word say?

As a Christian the way we celebrate Halloween or any activity SHOULD BE different than non-believers, because our aim in life should be to glorify and serve our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

It’s a reminder we are called to be a light always (but of course we are going to do this imperfectly. SO we should give ourselves grace, and certainly should hold this grace out towards others.) And I pray that as we seek the Lord through prayer and reading His Word, He will guide each of us in the steps we should take to look more like Him.

And lastly, I want to be clear. We are saved by God’s grace through faith! WE NEVER WANT TO ADD ANYTHING on to the GOSPEL message! So we also need to be careful in how we judge others and make sure we aren’t adding legalism to the Gospel message. Some people might have stronger convictions on what is imagination, theatrical, or entertainment. And, it’s very important that we are seeking God’s Word for our convictions, and also on how we love on others with truth and grace.

6. We are saved by Grace through faith not by works!

But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. Romans 4:5

Christianity is a matter of the heart not just a list of don’ts.

And, praise God for His TRUTH

“Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.” (Romans 4:7-8)

…Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. (Romans 4:13)

.. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God. (Romans 4:23-25)

Next up Romans 5!! Yay we got this!! 💪🏻🙏🏼📖

Family drama with loyalty, lies, and executions! A grieving mother, a wise woman, a troublemaker, a King & his sons, mighty warriors, an angel of death, tongues of fire, and Giants!

Wow! June 1-8 was such an amazing action-packed week with the Lord through The One Year Bible.

I hope you have been really enjoying your reading so far, but no worries if you have missed a few days. Feel free to jump in today! And, that’s what I love about The One Year Bible reading plan, you can jump in at any point, and you are never behind. Everyday is a new start, and if you continue you’ll get to it all! So, I encourage you to jump right in today! I’ll include the dates again at the end of this post.

Our first week was in The Old Testament in 2nd Samuel 13-24 and starting in Kings 1-4. We got to witness the final season of King David’s life. And, then in The New Testament, we began the next chapter of God’s amazing plan at the end of John 20-21 and in Acts 1-6 with the miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ! We watched the disciples receive the power of the Holy Spirit, and many others become saved by the amazing Good News of the Gospel. Such a wonderful week!

We were continuing our study of Proverbs 16 with verses 14-27. And, I was truly amazed at the entire Proverb; as, it miraculously summarized so much of everything we were reading!

Proverbs 16: The Lord works out everything to its proper end- even the wicked for a day of disaster 4, The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished 5. Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for: through fear of the Lord evil is avoided 6.… In their hearts humans plan their course but the LORD establishes their steps 9. Kings detest wrongdoing, for a throne is established through righteousness… 12 Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall 18… Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the Lord will be joyful 20… Discretion is a life-giving fountain to those who possess it, but discipline is wasted on fools 22… Kind words are like honey—sweet to the soul and healthy for the body 24…. There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death 25…. Proverbs 16 (NIV &NLT) 

That last verse really hits, as the “path” we take often SEEMS so right, but choosing a path from our “OWN” reasoning without seeking God’s will through His word and in prayer, can certainly lead to death!

This seems unfair! Why would I have to wait even longer when I have already endured enough? I know what is right, and I think God would want me to do it this way even though it goes against His word. That’s not really what He means… This feels right, so how can it be wrong? It’s okay to be rude to people who are rude to me!

That last thought is the hardest one for me. When someone is mean or rude, I know I want justice! But, I also know God’s word:

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Romans 12:19

So, I can choose to obey the Lord, and follow His word, or I can choose to take my “OWN” path. It’s definitely an area for me to keep praying about and asking for the Lord’s help in. What about you? What is an area that you need the Lord’s help in?

Did you happen to notice as we walked through the many trials of the Old Testament: June 1-8, that much of the drama that occurred with King David, his sons, and his advisors happened because they were not ACTUALLY seeking God. They TALKED a lot about things that “sounded” godly: calling people lords, talking about kings, and Israel; but, they were not ACTUALLY seeking God himself! And, unfortunately this is what we can do sometimes too.

We talk about God, but we are not actually SEEKING GOD!

This was a great reminder that when “we” plan and “do” things in our OWN arrogant thoughts and reasoning apart from seeking the wisdom of the Lord through His word and prayer, “our” plans tend to be disastrous. Yes, “godly” people, and even entire churches find themselves in terrible situations when they step out in their OWN reasoning apart from seeking God and His word!

This thought is said well in Proverbs 11:2:

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” (Boom! Can I say mic drop here, or is that too cringey? Haha, I think my kids will cringe at me saying this. LOL!)

Do we recognize that acting out in our own thoughts is the sin of PRIDE? Pride is when we think that we know better than the Creator of the universe! Do we actually think that WE know better than God? You know who thinks he knows better than God? It’s the devil, and he will use absolutely every scheme to trick you into thinking you know better than God too! Pride is at the root of practically every sin, and it’s the opposite of trusting in the Lord. I pray that as we continue to review this week, and our readings this summer, that we will see the pride in our own hearts, and ask the Lord to help us remove our pride, and humble ourselves to trust in Him.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

We need You Lord to help us stay humble! Through the power of Your Holy Spirit, we truly need You to help us constantly seek You, and not lean in our own understanding!

As we begin our review, this is such a great reminder to make sure we are taking the time to seek the Lord in ALL things, and especially when coming to Him and reading His Word. (Don’t make this into a check list or summer book club. This is to help you know your Messiah, in a REAL relationship with the God of the Universe!)

A is for Ask in prayer.

Thank you Lord for ALL of YOUR wisdom. Help us to seek You and Your Word with Your understanding. Help us Lord take Your Word and hide it in our hearts so that we might not sin against you. (Psalm 119:11) We love you Lord and we praise You for another week that we get to seek You. We love You Lord. Amen

I shared in the last post that Psalm 119 is one of my favorite chapters in the entire Bible. Psalm 119 happens to be the longest chapter in the Bible, and I love that it is filled with the most encouraging words that guide us in a heart that thirsts for God’s will and His word for our truth and understanding!

Psalm 119:160  “The very essence of your words is truth; all of your regulations will stand forever.”

Oh we praise You Lord for the Truth that You have written for us in Your Word. I am so thankful to You Lord that our Psalm study started here! And, I pray that this beautiful Psalm will impact those who read it in the same way.

Those who love your instructions have great peace, and do not stumble. I long for Your rescue, LORD, so I have obeyed your commands. I have obeyed your laws, for I love them very much. Yes, I obey your commandments and laws because you know everything I do. Psalm 119: 165-168

Okay, jumping into Day 2-8. We begin with Psalm 120-126, and we are getting ready to start one of the most incredible journeys that miraculously connects with our Old and New Testament readings. 

So, Buckle up, or better yet, strap on your sandals, because we are going to begin an AMAZING trek up to Jerusalem on Mt. Zion, singing Psalms the entire way!

“Psalms 120-134 are called pilgrim psalms or songs of ascents. They were sung by those who journeyed to the temple for the annual festivals (3 times a year). Each Psalm represents a “step” along the journey in a distant land in hostile surroundings, Psalm 122 pictures the pilgrims arriving in Jerusalem, and the rest of the Psalms move toward the temple, mentioning the various characteristics of God.” – Life application Study Bible, NIV

First, I want to point out that I absolutely LOVE that this is such an amazing reminder, in case you have forgotten that we are reading about REAL people, in REAL places, and in REAL history!

I always love the reminder that we are not just reading stories. You may have noticed that I try to say “the people in the account” verses “the people in the story.” Well, I have to give my husband credit for this. He shared this language with me while teaching Sunday school together, and it’s been a blessed reminder that we are NOT just reading stories or fairy tales in the Bible! We are reading REAL ACCOUNTS, that occurred IN REAL HISTORY, of events that REALLY happened just a few thousand years ago. (Yep, not millions of years ago, and can’t wait to talk more about that as we get back into Genesis, if Lord-willing we are still moving through this plan. 🙂 ) But, when you start seeing history, the world, and the Bible through the lens of “this is all REAL;” then, the most amazing connections and the most amazing miracles in your heart begin to happen. The world suddenly begins to make sense. Giants, YES! Tongues of Fire, YES! Genealogies with names of REAL people, with years, times, and actual dates. YES! And, the way God has orchestrated it all is so amazing! And, do I believe all of it? Absolutely, YES! 

This might seem like such a foreign concept to you, but before you move me into the “she’s crazy camp,” please stay with me awhile. Because, I truly believe that it’s these little leaps of faith to lay down our OWN reasoning and actually place our trust in our unseen God, and what He says in His Word is TRUE that will move mountains in our of faith and trust in Him.

How much do we actually trust Him? And, do we actually believe His word? Do we actually believe that He REALLY created the heavens, the mountains, and formed us in our mother’s womb? Do we really believe That God took the Son of God into heaven right before the disciples eyes? DO WE REALLY believe it?

Praise God, by His amazing grace that I actually DO BELIEVE, it truly is a miracle! And, praise God the devout Jews trekking up to Jerusalem singing these very Psalms really believed it too! And, the disciples that we met in John 20-Acts 6, also really believed it!

In fact, right before our very eyes, we miraculously witness the power of the Holy Spirt change these insecure, confused, and scared disciples into the bold, brave, and courageous men, that give their lives to share the 100% TRUTH of God’s word and what they believed!

So, we can imagine these devout Jewish pilgrims, traveling from distant lands, singing these 15 Psalms as they journeyed up to Mount Zion, also know as Jerusalem (the city of peace) to celebrate their 3 annual festivals. Jerusalem is 2,500 feet above sea level, so these travelers would face a very long up hill climb to participate in these festivals for God.

The pilgrims were journeying through very hostile surroundings, yet praise God, they knew their help came from Him, the maker of heaven and earth. And, despite their sin and fickle ways, we can see when their hearts, minds, and feet were seeking the way to Him, and they were comforted by Him and His understanding: 

I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to him, and He answered my prayer. Rescue me, O Lord, from liars and from all deceitful people. O deceptive tongue, what will God do to you… I am tired of living among people who hate peace. I search for peace, but when I speak of peace they want war. – Psalm 120:1-3, 6-7 NLT (Day 2)

‘I look up to the mountains—does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber.’ (Day 3’s highlighted verse) Psalm 121:1-3 A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. – Psalms 121:7 (Day 3)

Thank you Lord that we can take our troubles to you! We can cry out to You and You WILL answer our prayers. You Lord WILL rescue us from deceitful people. We are safe with You Jesus, and we find truth in Your Word. At times it’s painful to live in this broken world that seems so wicked and far from You, but we know that in You there is peace. Lord Jesus, please keep us on Your path, filling ourselves with your Truths so we will not depart from You!

B is for Bible.

Okay, ready to BE AMAZED by God’s word and His miraculous timing? June 5th is the day that everything came together for me! I am so always so amazed by God’s orchestration of it all!

I lift my eyes to you, O God, enthroned in heaven. We keep looking to the Lord our God for his mercy, just as servants keep their eyes on their master, as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy, for we have had our fill of contempt.  We have had more than our fill of the scoffing of the proud and the contempt of the arrogant. -Psalm 123: 1-5 (A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.)

It finally clicked for me that the jewish pilgrims making their way to Jerusalem, were traveling there for an annual Jewish festival called PENTECOST,

Okay, pay attention, we are going to do some math. Pentecost means 50 in Greek, and it is celebrated the 50th day after the Passover. In Acts 1:4, our resurrected Jesus just spent 40 days with His disciples, and He tells the disciples to not leave Jerusalem until the gift His Father has promised has come, and they will be baptized with the Holy Spirit,. And then, 10 days later, making it 50 days after Passover, we are now at the annual feast that our jewish pilgrims are traveling to, called PENTECOST!

“On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem.  When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers. They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!” Acts 2:1-11

So, here we have our devout Jewish pilgrims traveling from all different lands that speak all different languages, singing these very Psalms that we have been reading, Psalm 120-134. So, we know that these jewish pilgrims KNOW the Word of God, and many of them have hearts seeking HIM. And, from reading His word, they know that Lord has promised someone from King David’s throne to reign forever and ever (Psalm 134:12). So, this Pentecost around AD 63, in chapter 2 of Acts, they are arriving in Jerusalem, with their eyes looking to the Lord for His mercy, tired of the ridicule of the arrogant and the contempt from the proud (Psalm 123:2-4), and they are met with the most amazing miracle. As they are arriving, they hear a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and they hear the disciples begin to speak in all the different languages. (Acts 2:3-4,5)

The pilgrims are UTTERLY AMAZED when they hear their own native languages being spoken and declaring the wonders of God. (Acts 2:12)

And then, the disciple Peter, now empowered by the Holy Spirt, stands up and reminds them of what the Prophet Joel, King David, and Old testament prophecies said concerning the Messiah that were fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Isaiah 44:3). And finally, Peter lets them know that in God’s sovereign plan, they had actually KILLED the very Messiah they were looking for (Acts 2:5). They had nailed him to a cross! When the pilgrims heard this they were cut to the heart and they desperately wanted to know what could they do? (Acts 2:37)

Can you imagine, how desperate they felt? They just realized that the Lord that they were traveling to, searching for, and singing praises to, that they were actually responsible for his death! They themselves were perhaps the very arrogant and proud people they were singing about. The pilgrims were cut to the heart, and they desperately wanted to know what they could do.

Yet, the mercy they were looking for was here. Jesus Christ had planned this to be THE ONLY WAY to FORGIVE them of their terrible sins. And, Praise God, Peter knew the answer:

“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit… for all who’s the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:38-39)

And, praise the Lord, about 3,000 many who were our Psalm-singing, traveling-pilgrims, repented and believed! Praise God!! Our Jewish pilgrims were saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s gift of grace through faith, and they received the power of the Holy Spirit, as they were saved this very day!

Oh, praise You JESUS for this amazing miracle!!

I is for Investigate.

Our Old testament readings in 2 Samuel 19-1 Kings 4, tied together so perfectly with all of this as King David and King Solomon wrote some of these Psalms of ascent. (Psalm: 122, 124, 127, 131, 133). And they were written about them and for them! (Psalm 132)

And, wow were these chapters action-packed! Filled with warriors, lies, and even murder! We had more battles against giants, an angel of death, and thousands died of a plague caused by sin!

When investigating what the word is telling us about:

1. God.
2. The People in the account.
3. Ourselves.
4. How does this point us to Jesus Christ?
5. Other verses that come to mind?

I was reminded of a few things:

1. God really cares about people. There are so many unique people in the Bible and God knows their names, their jobs, their families, and He knows their heart! And, God takes the time to list each one of them.
2. God has orchestrated His amazing plan of redemption from Genesis to Moses, Ruth to David, David to Jesus, and all the way to you and me! We are all part of His amazing & wonderful plan, that awaits our Jesus to come back the same way the disciples saw Him go up into the clouds.
3. Yet, if at any moment if we let our pride sneak in, and forget that we are ALL desperate sinners, in desperate need of a Savior, then we are setting ourselves up for a mighty fall. And, also a reminder that our zeal must remain for God above all things! I was reminded by our Old Testament people, especially Joab, King Saul, King David, and the nation of Israel, when they cared more for their tribes, and their people over caring for God and His will, it was disastrous! Misplacing zeal for anything before God was completely tragic every time, and brought so much drama, including, murder, plagues and more death!
4. The Lord wants us to remain humble, and recognize it is by His grace alone! When we repent and believe, we are forgiven, by His wounds we are healed. And then, we become brand-spanking new saints, a new creation in Christ Jesus! As, born-again, believers in Christ, our identity is not in ourselves, but as children of God, Jesus our King!
5. Verses that come to mind:

• How much better to get wisdom than gold, and good judgment than silver! The path of the virtuous leads away from evil; whoever follows that path is safe. Proverbs 16:16-17 (Day 2)

• He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away. Revelation 21:4

• Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. John 14:6

• Then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name. Acts 4:10-11.

• Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Romans 12:11

We praise You Lord for Your wisdom and just judgement. You are the ONLY path that will leads us to Your heavenly Kingdom, and we are so thankful for YOU!

D is for Dwell.

In what ways do we misplace our zeal and loyalty?

Who do we put first? Ourselves, our thoughts, our people, our own will; or, do we strive to put God first?

Like we mentioned above, we noticed that the people in these chapters were often talking about God, but they weren’t actually SEEKING God. It’s a great reminder that if what we THINK God is “telling” us doesn’t line up with what scripture says, and even goes against His word, then it IS NOT from God! Period. Our own emotions, and desire to do what “we” want and think is right, will tell us all sorts of things. (See Genesis 3, Eve was tricked by the serpent to doubt the words of God, and she stepped out in her “own” reasoning against what God said, and let’s just say it didn’t go well for her and mankind ever since! )

In 2 Samuel 24, King David wanted to take a census, because He wanted to! He was leaning into his own pride and the strength of his army, instead of seeking the Lord. When he acted out in what He thought was right, without seeking God, it was disastrous. 70,000 people died because of His sin.

How much brokenness do we cause when we “do what we want to do” apart from obeying God?

How can we apply this to our lives? Submit and obey.

• Let our zeal be for God above all things.

• Let us not wait until disaster strikes before we seek after God.

• Let us stay humble, and not do things in our reasoning, but seek after God, His word, and His will.

In our readings on June 5th, King David’s conscience finally hit him (2 Samuel 24), and he realized that he had sinned greatly against the Lord. And praise God, when the Lord brought the opportunity to David to repent, and build an altar to the Lord for the forgiveness of his sins to stop the plagues, Araunah the Jebusite wanted to give him everything for free, but David knew that there was a cost for his sin:

“But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” 2 Samuel 24:24

And, King David was right! There is a cost for the forgiveness of our sins! Praise God, that in His great mercy, kindness, and love He sent His son Jesus Christ to die on the cross to pay the penalty for OUR SINS! We are the SAME as the traveling pilgrims! Our sins also nailed Jesus Christ to the cross, and His death is the COST. Jesus Christ is the sinless lamb that died, so we can receive the FREE gift of eternal life by placing our faith in him, by repenting of our sins and believing on Him as our Lord and Savior.

The Gibeonites in 2 Samuel 21:4, also knew that money could not settle the matter, and only blood could atone for the sins. Praise the Lord, that Jesus shed His blood for you and for me!

Are we willing to lay down our lives to follow and serve our King?

The cost for us could be giving up our pride in “our” thoughts and “our” way of life to follow our King Jesus. Not because it’s easy, and not because we are doing it by our own strength, but because of the power of the Holy Spirit that lives in the hearts of those who have truly repented and believe that Jesus is the only way! In our weakness, when things are hard, we turn to HIM. Where in the power of Jesus’ name the lame walk and our sins are forgiven.

We ALL killed the Author of life, but God had mercy on us by sending His Son Jesus to die. Jesus paid the price for our sin!

What’s the difference between King David, King Saul, Peter and Judas? They were all sinful, yet David and Peter repented of their sin and by God’s grace their hearts desired to seek after God. David and Peter did not die proud in their own sin.

Engage in Prayer.

Oh Lord Jesus, I pray that we would stay like pilgrims with our eyes lifted to You, asking for Your mercy. Lord Jesus I pray that we would remain humble, and repentant of our sins and not stubborn in our our arrogance and pride. Lord, we have had enough of the our own contempt, and I pray that we would seek to Honor You and follow Your word and Your will for our lives. We know that only You will bring refreshment in our lives (Acts 3:26), and only You will make our hearts new!

Oh, we praise you Lord that there is salvation in no one else like You! (Acts 4:12)

And we praise You Lord that in You, Your word, and by the power of Your Holy Spirit (Acts 4:13), we have all that we need,

Thank you Jesus, Amen

1. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11
2. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 1 John 3:16
3. Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23

Yay, Praise God, today is the day! We made it, June 1st is here! Our Summer Bible Reading Plan starts today! (For those of you still in school, or joining later feel free to hop in at any time! You are never behind. His mercies are new for us every morning!)

Okay, so here we go! Today in The One Year Bible, we are starting our reading in 2 Samuel 18:1-19:10, John 20:1-31, Psalm 119:153-176, Proverbs 16:14-15.

As we begin our time with the Lord, remember that we want to start in prayer! Reminding ourselves that this is not just a summer reading plan, but this is a time that we are going before The Creator of the universe, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And, we always want our time in the Word to be about God, and with God. So let’s begin by praying to Jesus that He would fill us with His Holy Spirit; and, that God would open our eyes, heart, and mind to understand and desire His Word.

We are going to follow the ABIDE method to help guide our daily quiet time with the Lord.

I love writing in a journal during my quiet time with the Lord. It’s another great tool that can help us keep track of our time spent with him, record our prayers, and can also help us hide His word in our hearts. So, I definitely recommend using one also.

Since, I love starting my quiet time praying through the Psalms, specifically Psalm 119, it’s totally a God thing that our reading plan is starting here! So, flip to Psalm 119:153-176, and begin by praying to the Lord.

A is for Ask in prayer:

Lord Jesus, we come to You this morning. We love you and pray that this morning and this entire summer will be fruitful as we seek You! Please bless this time and our hearts as we read Your Word. Help us discover You and Your will for our lives this summer. Help us to lay down our lives to truly be Your disciples. Thank you Lord for another day getting to seek You. Amen

Psalm 119:153-176. This is such a perfect Psalm to start our summer and cultivate our hearts in seeking The Lord through His Word.

“Lord, how great is your mercy; let me be revived by following your regulations.” Psalm 119:156

“Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble.” Psalm 119:163

And, the entire section from 169-176, is so amazing!

Wow so amazing, right? Have you ever felt like a lost sheep that has wandered away? (Verse 176) I know I have, but I am so thankful to the Lord that He sought after me and rescued me! The Lord is there to rescue you too! Praise the Lord that He is always there to give us a helping hand, and that His Word provides the instructions for our lives.

Lord, I pray that You would listen to our cries, and give us discerning minds! I pray that You would rescue us from our sins as You have promised. Let our tongues sing praises about Your Holy Word. Lord, let Your instruction be our delight. Thank you Lord that when we wander like lost sheep You come and find us. Help us to always seek You and not stray. Amen

B is for Bible. Open your Bible and read today’s passage. Select a verse that sticks out to you and write it down.

Yay! We are already done with the 1st section of our reading, Psalm 119:153-176. So we can now move on to today’s Proverb 16:14-15: “The anger of the king is a deadly threat; the wise will try to appease it. When the king smiles, there is life; his favor refreshes like a spring rain.”

Praise the Lord, that by His grace we are saved. When we give our life to Jesus as Lord by believing on Him alone to forgive our sins, we are saved! Our sins are washed clean when we repent to Him. And, our King smiles on us, because He sees Jesus as the forgiveness of our sins. We are saved from His wrath and brought into His favor forever. There is only life to the full in Christ, and as believers in Christ we have become new creations in Him from when we first believed and for eternity!

Okay, now we can begin the main readings of our plan: 2 Samuel 18:1-19:10 and John 20:1-31.

The One Year Bible, actually selects a daily highlighted passage, so you can write that passage down if you wish, or whatever verse speaks to your heart. Ask the Lord to help you memorize His word, and apply it to your life. Today’s highlighted verse is:

‘But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name. The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.’ John 20:30-31

You can see above that I wrote down part of our Proverbs verse 16:15, and John 20:30-31, but write down whatever the Lord puts on to your heart.

I is for Investigate.

This is the part of our time with the Lord where we want to spend a few minutes investigating the Word of God. Ask the Lord to help you discern what are these passages teaching you? Investigate what does this teach us about:

1. God?
2. The People in the Account?
3. Yourself?
4. How does this point to Jesus Christ?
5. Other verses that come to mind?

I love that these questions bring us back to focusing on God 1st! I’ll save the reasoning for each question for a later time, but for now, we will use them as a guide to understanding God and His word. We can answer each question individually, or use them as a guide to help summarize what today’s overall reading is teaching us.

2 Samuel 18:1-19:10. Absalom’s defeat and death. We are jumping right into learning about King David, and his son Absalom. This is the tragic end of David’s 3rd son, Absalom. Catching us up quickly, in 1 Samuel we learn that King David has an amazing heart for the Lord, and he often seeks to honor Him; however, David is still a desperate sinner, and his sin has drastic consequences. The prophet Nathan warns David in 2 Samuel 12:11 that his own sons would rebel against him, and we see this played out in Absalom’s life. Absalom was blessed with handsome looks, charm, and being a prince to the throne; yet, this wasn’t enough for him! Absalom craved more power, and sought the death of his own father, King David, so that he could be king! Absalom had everything going for Him, but we see that everything without the Lord, ends in nothing but despair. Absalom suffers a humiliating death as his hair gets caught in a tree, and despite a promise to keep the young prince alive, Absalom is murdered by Joab. King David is absolutely distraught over the death of his son, despite his son’s disobedience and attempts to have him killed. Joab, the leader of David’s army, urges David to pull himself together and get back out there and congratulate the troops for defeating the enemy. And, the fickle crowd of Israelites, that had broken their allegiance with King David to follow Absalom, end up wanting David to come back and be their king.

John 20:1-31. The Resurrection. We join in John 20 at almost the very end of the 4 Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). We find Mary Magdalene coming to see Jesus’ tomb in the early morning, and she finds that the stone had been rolled away! As Mary weeps, because not only has her Lord been murdered; but also, His body is now missing. She thinks a gardener asks her a question, “Who are you looking for?”; When she realize that she is actually speaking to a resurrected Jesus! Jesus tells her to go and find the disciples and tell them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” v17. Eight days later, when Thomas was with the other disciples, Jesus appeared again, and He said to Thomas. …“Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” v 27b-29

So, what does this teach us about God, the people, ourselves, point to Jesus Christ, and other verses that come to mind? There are SO many lessons here, and I pray that the Lord places exactly what He wants to teach us on our hearts. As I ask the Lord what He is teaching me about Himself, this is what I see:

Our King Jesus, unlike King David, is ALWAYS sinless. In fact, this is why He was able to pay the price for our sins. King David’s son died a sad death due to his own selfishness and vanity; but, our Heavenly Father’s Son died for us, selflessly, so that we could be freed from our sin and brought into an eternal inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade. (1 Peter 1:4). When we place our faith in the unseen God, we are not only blessed; but also, we are given eternal life, by the power of Jesus Christ’s name.

Other scripture that comes to mind:

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. – 1 Peter 2:9

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ”and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, -1 Peter 1:3-4

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. -2 Corinthians 4:18

What did today’s reading teach you?

D is for Dwell. How can we apply the truth from God’s word into our lives? It’s easy to see how a selfish life like Absalom’s ends in destruction. I pray that we would seek to honor God, and place our faith in Jesus Christ to experience the power of His name in our lives! And, praise the Lord that we ARE spending time in His Word. By reading His Word and giving our hearts a chance to meditate on it and pray to Him, we are giving the Lord an opportunity to speak to us. I pray that the Lord will reveal all the areas we need to submit to His Word and obey.

E is for Engage in prayer. I encourage you to end your time with the Lord in prayer. We can praise God for who He is, and all that we have learned about Him today. I am so thankful that the Lord fulfilled His promise to us through King David, to bring His son Jesus to rescue us for eternity. Use this time to confess your sins to the Lord, and bring any requests that you have to Him.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. -1 John 1:9

Lord Jesus, I pray that this time will be fruitful for whomever seeks You through this plan. I pray that You and Your Holy Spirit will lead us by reading Your Holy Word, and by our prayers to You. Thank you for Your life-giving Word. We love you Lord. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen