Hi, to all of my prayer warriors! I want you to know that I am crying as I type this e-mail. So, forgive me if I babble or have a ton of misspelled words! This is just such amazing news and I am so excited to share it with you! I should have sent this last night, but it was my first night of real rest in over a week. I was exhausted, both physically and emotionally!
So, this whole week of drama began the last week when I had a CT scan @ duke. It was a routine scan, and I was feeling great. Therefore, I didn't expect anything but good news to come. As many of you know, good news did not come. We received a phone call from the doctor that night telling us that the cancer in my brain was growing larger and we were going to have to look at different treatment options to see if we could control it.
For some reason, I withdrew into a shell this time. I have to admit that I was scared, and all I wanted to do was spend time with my family and God. My heart was weary, and I felt overwhelmed by this fight. Brian stayed home with me all day Wednesday and held me as I cried. I have to say that I wasn't a soldier for God that day. I felt defeated! Each day, I dealt with it a little better. I listened to healing scriptures and started back on the more strict form of my healing diet. By the end of the week I was becoming a little stronger, but still only wanted to be with family. So, thank you for all of your prayers and love because I felt it as I grew stronger and dealt with all this through the week.
So, my oncologist (our beloved Dr. Peppercorn) made an appt for me to meet with Dr. Kirkpatrick at Duke. Dr. Kirkpatrick is the only Dr. that offers the surgery that I needed for the growth in my brain. The biggest obstacle we were facing was the amount of cancer that was there. If there were over six spots, I would not be a candidate for the surgery. Tuesday morning we went for my MRI at 6:30 in the morning....yuck! While we were in the waiting room, we met a man battling brain mets from melanoma. He was a patient of Dr, Kirkpatrick's and only had wonderful things to tell us about him. He told us that Dr. Kirkpatrick was a very humanistic doctor and believed in doing everything he could to save a life. So that really encouraged me! I went back for my MRI, and I wish I could describe the peace that came over me during that test. When she asked me to lie down, I began to cry. I usually recite the Lord's prayer over and over while I am in those scans. This time was different. As I put my head down, I just cried and said, "God I trust you, but I love you even more than I trust you. Your will be done." Can you believe I actually went to sleep in that scan?
After we left the scan, I kept reminding myself of Psalm 112: 7..."he will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord." I knew I had to come to a point where that verse represented my attitude as I walked into the doctors office. If I told you that I was completely "there", I would be lying to you. So, please be patient with my human side!!! We sat in that office for almost an hour before they came in...so you can imagine the tension!
Then God took over! Dr. Kirkpatrick has a resident working with him, and he came in to speak to us first. He explained that they had been looking over my scans. He did a physical on me and asked me a battery of questions. Are you experiencing headaches? Do you have blurry vision? Are you dizzy? Is your balance hindered? Every answer was no, no, no!!! He proceeded to say, well we are glad to hear that because we just cannot located the increase in size that the ct apparently suggests. He went on to explain that disease progression just wasn't something they felt like they were dealing with. He and Dr. Kirkpatrick just could not find any reason why I needed further treatment at this point. I looked at my mom and Brian and tears were just streaming down my mom's face. Brian looked puzzled and asked him to repeat what he just said. When he did, I wish you could have seen the joy that came over my husband's face as he began to cry. In that moment, I felt so loved by my mom and Brian. So, everything went great from that moment on. Dr. Kirkpatrick came in to talk to us, and he was truly as amazing as we heard he was. He was this precious man that just seemed full of joy as he shared his opinion with us. He told me that he had compared every scan I had from January to now and could only note a remarkable recovery. He explained that there are still three places in my brain (we thought we had gone down to one), but he doesn't know if the spots are residual scar tissue or if it is actually living cancer. He is having me come in December 8 for another MRI and if my cancer has grown....AT ALL....he is going to perform the surgery. He told me that I am definitely a candidate for the surgery....Praise God! He also told me that Duke has one of only ten of these machines in THE WORLD!!! I don't even want to see my bill after this! Here is the best news though. His nurse/direct assistant came in to talk to us about the surgery in case we need it next month. She explained to us that it will kill the cancer. She said the amazing thing is, now that I am under Dr. Kirkpatrick's care, he will keep a constant eye on my disease. This surgery can be done as many times as I need it because it does not harm any healthy brain tissue around the cancer. It only destroys the cancer. That is so much better than whole brain radiation! She actually told me that they consider it their job to keep my brain as healthy as they can, and they will do everything to make that happen.
I felt so encouraged about my overall prognosis when I left Duke yesterday! Honestly, I have been going to a chiropractor that has been working on my healing through my nervous system and spinal cord for several months now. He has told me over and over that God designed our bodies to heal on their own. We just have to give our body everything it needs to do that. So, far he has been right. I believe with all of my heart that yesterday's news came from God as answer to these prayers. I believe that I am going to be healed and I am going to raise my children. Sometimes God just has to reassure us when man confuses us! I honestly don't know how anyone could follow my story and not believe in God. God is alive and well! He is an active part of the world we are living in....it is our job to allow him to be an active part of our individual lives. If God were not part of this journey, I would not be here today sending this e-mail. We have all done this together through our belief in Him and our prayers. Let's continue to pray that I never need that surgery. I know that I serve a capable and willing God! I just have to learn how to really trust Him.
Thank you for standing in the gap for me this week. You will never know the purpose you are serving in all of this....but it is a mighty one!
I love you all
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
Day 5/Week 2 - Stepping Up
Praise the Lord
Psalm 124
If the Lord had not been on our side - let Israel say -
If the Lord had not been on our side when men attacked us,
then they would have swallowed us alive in their burning anger against us.
Then the waters would have engulfed us; the torrent would have swept over us.
the raging waters would have swept over us.
Praise the Lord,
who has not let us be ripped apart by their teeth.
We have escaped like a bird from the hunter's net; the net is torn, and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
We left off yesterday considering what our lives would be like if God were not fighting the powers of darkness on our behalf.
Now, lets consider how God is saving us from ourselves. When we allow God to save us from a pit of sin, we also avoid the outcome of
bitterness, coldness and mean-spiritedness.
Has satan effectively tempted you to oppose your own best interest? If so, did you get fed up with being your own worst enemy and decide
to let God bring you some healing?
In our introductory session, we talked about three historical associations with the Psalms of Ascent. What are they?
1. They are associated with the 15 steps of the temple
2. They were the songs sung on the pilgrimage to the Three Great Feasts
3. They were the songs sung by the exiles returning to Jerusalem from captivity
Psalm 124 focuses on a specific kind of help from God. Many of the Psalms center around help from God, but 124 is distinct.
Verse 2 states, "If the Lord had not been on our side..."
This Psalm is speaking of God's help in battle against the spiritual realm. He doesn't just promise us we will be conquerors. He promises we will be more than conquerors.
What does Joshua 23:10 say?
"One of you routs a thousand because the Lord your God fights for you just as He promised."
Beth states, "Regardless of how long we've been Christians and how deeply we've studied God's Word, most of us do not really believe down in the marrow of our bones that God is entirely, wholeheartedly, and unwaveringly on our side."
We spend much of our lives never believing that God really is on our side. We tend to think that God just tolerates us...our actions, anxieties, fears and insecurities prove that.
Estimate the position you tend to picture God taking with you
1. God is against me
2. God tolerates me
3. God is for me
Think back over your history with God. Regardless of where you estimated your relationship with God, name a couple of things that helped shape that conclusion.
Despite how we feel much of the time, can the rest of us think of a few times when we'd have to admit that God seemed to be on our side? Describe one of those times.
We tend to have a test for when we think God is for us or the other guy. For example, we say, "well, if God doesn't give me the raise I need then He doesn't want me to have this."
Please write John 13: 7:
Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand".
Beth suggests when things don't always go our way to think of this verse. Then think of your relationship with your children. When you make decisions for them, very often they tell you that you are the meanest person they know. You know why you made the decision, and it will benefit your children in the future. They are just to immature and inexperienced to see it for themselves. She goes further to say that God knows when something glorious in our future necessitates something difficult in our present. He is willing to risk being misunderstood in order to bring joy to our lives.
Read Romans 8: 28 - 39. Let God tell you what He will do for you.
God is on our side.
Psalm 124
If the Lord had not been on our side - let Israel say -
If the Lord had not been on our side when men attacked us,
then they would have swallowed us alive in their burning anger against us.
Then the waters would have engulfed us; the torrent would have swept over us.
the raging waters would have swept over us.
Praise the Lord,
who has not let us be ripped apart by their teeth.
We have escaped like a bird from the hunter's net; the net is torn, and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
We left off yesterday considering what our lives would be like if God were not fighting the powers of darkness on our behalf.
Now, lets consider how God is saving us from ourselves. When we allow God to save us from a pit of sin, we also avoid the outcome of
bitterness, coldness and mean-spiritedness.
Has satan effectively tempted you to oppose your own best interest? If so, did you get fed up with being your own worst enemy and decide
to let God bring you some healing?
In our introductory session, we talked about three historical associations with the Psalms of Ascent. What are they?
1. They are associated with the 15 steps of the temple
2. They were the songs sung on the pilgrimage to the Three Great Feasts
3. They were the songs sung by the exiles returning to Jerusalem from captivity
Psalm 124 focuses on a specific kind of help from God. Many of the Psalms center around help from God, but 124 is distinct.
Verse 2 states, "If the Lord had not been on our side..."
This Psalm is speaking of God's help in battle against the spiritual realm. He doesn't just promise us we will be conquerors. He promises we will be more than conquerors.
What does Joshua 23:10 say?
"One of you routs a thousand because the Lord your God fights for you just as He promised."
Beth states, "Regardless of how long we've been Christians and how deeply we've studied God's Word, most of us do not really believe down in the marrow of our bones that God is entirely, wholeheartedly, and unwaveringly on our side."
We spend much of our lives never believing that God really is on our side. We tend to think that God just tolerates us...our actions, anxieties, fears and insecurities prove that.
Estimate the position you tend to picture God taking with you
1. God is against me
2. God tolerates me
3. God is for me
Think back over your history with God. Regardless of where you estimated your relationship with God, name a couple of things that helped shape that conclusion.
Despite how we feel much of the time, can the rest of us think of a few times when we'd have to admit that God seemed to be on our side? Describe one of those times.
We tend to have a test for when we think God is for us or the other guy. For example, we say, "well, if God doesn't give me the raise I need then He doesn't want me to have this."
Please write John 13: 7:
Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand".
Beth suggests when things don't always go our way to think of this verse. Then think of your relationship with your children. When you make decisions for them, very often they tell you that you are the meanest person they know. You know why you made the decision, and it will benefit your children in the future. They are just to immature and inexperienced to see it for themselves. She goes further to say that God knows when something glorious in our future necessitates something difficult in our present. He is willing to risk being misunderstood in order to bring joy to our lives.
Read Romans 8: 28 - 39. Let God tell you what He will do for you.
God is on our side.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Day 4/ Week 2 - Stepping Up
I am trying to "catch up" to where our Bible study group is at this point in Stepping Up. So, please bear with me and just keep doing one day at a time. It is just easier for me if I can stay caught up. If you continue to do one day at a time, it will keep you for a little while during our Summer/Fall Bible study break!!!
If the Lord Had Not
Psalm 124: 1 - 8
If the Lord had not been on our side- let Israel say -
If the Lord had not been on our side when men attacked us,
then they would have swallowed us alive in their burning anger against us.
Then the waters would have engulfed us; the torrent would have swept over us;
the raging waters would have swept over us.
Praise the Lord, who has not let us be ripped apart by their teeth.
We have escaped like a bird from the hunters net;
the net is torn, and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Pay attention to the first verse. Can you sense the psalmist encouraging his people to sing with all of their hearts. Why is it that we have to be coaxed by our worship leaders to sing louder? Beth points out that we should praise with all of our hearts every opportunity we have. We should consider all of the times that God has been good to us and how often He has rescued us!
Psalm 124 has a two-fold meaning. It is a song of hazard and of help. Beth found this perspective for our study from Eugene Peterson. She wants to focus on the hazards today, and then we will focus on the help tomorrow!
Compare the metaphors in the following Scripture:
Psalm 124: 4 to Psalm 18: 16 - 17
Psalm 124: 6 to Psalm 57: 4
Psalm 124: 7 to Psalm 55: 6 - 8
The Psalmist describes the attacks of men to be like jaws that seek to swallow us, raging waters that seek to drown us and teeth that try to rip us to shreds.
When was the last time you felt like someone or something was going to eat you alive? Describe the situation without naming any names.
When was the last time you felt like a situation was honestly going to drown you?
Remember, we are not in battle with flesh and blood. We are in battle with the powers of darkness. Very often people can be our toughest challenges because it is more difficult to get over personal situations. Satan absolutely hates us, and he looks for any way he can tear us apart. He uses the people in our lives to hurt us and make us feel desperate.
Have you ever felt like another person despised you?
If so, describe some of your feelings when you realized it.
I am a person that loves people!!! I love being around people, and I take comfort in company. When I was little, we use to go to the beach a lot. We would stay in this home that was right on the beach that was somewhat of a boarding house. The owner had thirteen rooms, one central living room and one large dining room. Most of the rooms had their own bathroom, but some had to share a large bathroom in the center of the upstairs. The owners, my precious Willie and Margie Everhart, cooked homemade breakfast and dinner every single day and you came to meals by the sound of a dinner bell. Then, on Sundays, we had an amazing lunch that I could never describe to you in words. At any one time, there could be as many as seven or eight different families staying together. We all ate together, played games together and spent our time on the beach together. Over time, we all became a large family. If she didn't have room for us one week, we knew someone would be there that would let us bunk up with them. The owners charged 20.00 per night per person, including meals. Can you believe that? It is truly where I learned to experience life with people and learned to cherish relationships. I also started to expect everyone to be my friend. So, I didn't do very well in the "real world" when I came up against harsh people. If someone was not open to my friendship, it devastated me. At first I would allow it to just tear me apart, but then I learned to try to please the person to make them like me. I soon found out that you can be taken advantage of when you long for everyone to like you.
Now that I am older (and I feel a little wiser), I have learned that not all relationships in your life are healthy. Sometimes you become friends with people that just expect too much of you, and you can never meet their expectations. These relationships are dangerous to your self esteem when you begin to question what is "wrong" with you. Now, if you do not get along with someone, I definitely feel like you should question yourself and examine your attitude in the situation. If you are not behaving in a godly manner, it is your responsibility to "buck up" and try to make the relationship right. However, if you are constantly questioning yourself and feeling as though you just cannot make a friendship work no matter how hard you try, then you may need to reexamine the health of having that relationship in your life. If it causes you to spend more time doubting yourself than enjoying the friendship, then you need to consider how much time you spend with that person. I am not telling you to disrespect the person in any way. It is okay to agree that you make better friends from a distance than on a close, personal basis. You can honor one another and remain respectful!!!
Wow! I just chased a rabbit for about a mile!!! We need to get back on track!!!
When you feel attacked, how convinced are you that God is taking it personally and that you can trust Him to handle it as you seek and submit to Him?
Take a moment to think about this question. Consider all of the things that you may not realize God is saving you from and you don't even know could have happened. Satan is on a mission to destroy us at all times, and yet, we are sitting here doing a Bible study together. Do you think God is fighting him for you? Don't you think He is protecting you from way more than you could ever imagine?
Describe one time you were most aware of satan's harmful intent. As much as he may have stolen from you, think of something you believe in retrospect he wanted that he didn't get. This Psalm challenges you to consider some what if scenarios.
What might have been in your life if God had not rescued you and saved you? What would your life be like if Jesus Christ had not allowed Himself to be tortured and humiliated for your sin? Do you ever think about that?
What might have happened with your life "if the Lord had not been on your side"?
If you have chosen for God to be a part of your life, then you have given Him permission and invited Him into your life to intercede on your behalf. Isn't that reason to praise like the psalmist wants us to praise in the beginning of this Psalm? When you go to worship this weekend, consider all of these things and praise with all of your heart!!!
Love you all
Tiffany
If the Lord Had Not
Psalm 124: 1 - 8
If the Lord had not been on our side- let Israel say -
If the Lord had not been on our side when men attacked us,
then they would have swallowed us alive in their burning anger against us.
Then the waters would have engulfed us; the torrent would have swept over us;
the raging waters would have swept over us.
Praise the Lord, who has not let us be ripped apart by their teeth.
We have escaped like a bird from the hunters net;
the net is torn, and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Pay attention to the first verse. Can you sense the psalmist encouraging his people to sing with all of their hearts. Why is it that we have to be coaxed by our worship leaders to sing louder? Beth points out that we should praise with all of our hearts every opportunity we have. We should consider all of the times that God has been good to us and how often He has rescued us!
Psalm 124 has a two-fold meaning. It is a song of hazard and of help. Beth found this perspective for our study from Eugene Peterson. She wants to focus on the hazards today, and then we will focus on the help tomorrow!
Compare the metaphors in the following Scripture:
Psalm 124: 4 to Psalm 18: 16 - 17
Psalm 124: 6 to Psalm 57: 4
Psalm 124: 7 to Psalm 55: 6 - 8
The Psalmist describes the attacks of men to be like jaws that seek to swallow us, raging waters that seek to drown us and teeth that try to rip us to shreds.
When was the last time you felt like someone or something was going to eat you alive? Describe the situation without naming any names.
When was the last time you felt like a situation was honestly going to drown you?
Remember, we are not in battle with flesh and blood. We are in battle with the powers of darkness. Very often people can be our toughest challenges because it is more difficult to get over personal situations. Satan absolutely hates us, and he looks for any way he can tear us apart. He uses the people in our lives to hurt us and make us feel desperate.
Have you ever felt like another person despised you?
If so, describe some of your feelings when you realized it.
I am a person that loves people!!! I love being around people, and I take comfort in company. When I was little, we use to go to the beach a lot. We would stay in this home that was right on the beach that was somewhat of a boarding house. The owner had thirteen rooms, one central living room and one large dining room. Most of the rooms had their own bathroom, but some had to share a large bathroom in the center of the upstairs. The owners, my precious Willie and Margie Everhart, cooked homemade breakfast and dinner every single day and you came to meals by the sound of a dinner bell. Then, on Sundays, we had an amazing lunch that I could never describe to you in words. At any one time, there could be as many as seven or eight different families staying together. We all ate together, played games together and spent our time on the beach together. Over time, we all became a large family. If she didn't have room for us one week, we knew someone would be there that would let us bunk up with them. The owners charged 20.00 per night per person, including meals. Can you believe that? It is truly where I learned to experience life with people and learned to cherish relationships. I also started to expect everyone to be my friend. So, I didn't do very well in the "real world" when I came up against harsh people. If someone was not open to my friendship, it devastated me. At first I would allow it to just tear me apart, but then I learned to try to please the person to make them like me. I soon found out that you can be taken advantage of when you long for everyone to like you.
Now that I am older (and I feel a little wiser), I have learned that not all relationships in your life are healthy. Sometimes you become friends with people that just expect too much of you, and you can never meet their expectations. These relationships are dangerous to your self esteem when you begin to question what is "wrong" with you. Now, if you do not get along with someone, I definitely feel like you should question yourself and examine your attitude in the situation. If you are not behaving in a godly manner, it is your responsibility to "buck up" and try to make the relationship right. However, if you are constantly questioning yourself and feeling as though you just cannot make a friendship work no matter how hard you try, then you may need to reexamine the health of having that relationship in your life. If it causes you to spend more time doubting yourself than enjoying the friendship, then you need to consider how much time you spend with that person. I am not telling you to disrespect the person in any way. It is okay to agree that you make better friends from a distance than on a close, personal basis. You can honor one another and remain respectful!!!
Wow! I just chased a rabbit for about a mile!!! We need to get back on track!!!
When you feel attacked, how convinced are you that God is taking it personally and that you can trust Him to handle it as you seek and submit to Him?
Take a moment to think about this question. Consider all of the things that you may not realize God is saving you from and you don't even know could have happened. Satan is on a mission to destroy us at all times, and yet, we are sitting here doing a Bible study together. Do you think God is fighting him for you? Don't you think He is protecting you from way more than you could ever imagine?
Describe one time you were most aware of satan's harmful intent. As much as he may have stolen from you, think of something you believe in retrospect he wanted that he didn't get. This Psalm challenges you to consider some what if scenarios.
What might have been in your life if God had not rescued you and saved you? What would your life be like if Jesus Christ had not allowed Himself to be tortured and humiliated for your sin? Do you ever think about that?
What might have happened with your life "if the Lord had not been on your side"?
If you have chosen for God to be a part of your life, then you have given Him permission and invited Him into your life to intercede on your behalf. Isn't that reason to praise like the psalmist wants us to praise in the beginning of this Psalm? When you go to worship this weekend, consider all of these things and praise with all of your heart!!!
Love you all
Tiffany
Day 3/ Week 2 - Stepping Up
Psalm 123:
I lift my eyes to You, the One enthroned in heaven.
Like a servant's eyes on His master's hand, like a servant girl's eyes on her mistress's hand,
so our eyes are on the Lord our God until He show us favor.
Show us favor, Lord, show us favor, for we've had more than enough contempt
We've had more than enough scorn from the arrogant and contempt from the proud.
Day 3 - Much Contempt
As we zero in on the second half of the psalm, what specific reason did the psalmist give for requesting mercy?
They had endured much contempt
The Hebrew term translated "contempt" comes from a root that means "to disrespect". Everyone knows what it is like to be treated disrespectfully. Write a general definition of disrespect; then give two examples.
My definition is: To disregard the worthiness of another individual. I don't know if that is correct, but that is what I wrote.
My examples: My children - their disobedience - It portrays the attitude that I am not worthy of being their parent
My attitude towards service to God and allowing other things to have my focus/attention. God is truly worthy of my foremost attention and affection.
Disrespect devalues an individual. Think about how it makes you feel when you sense disrespect from individuals in your life. It is important to remember that disrespect does not mean the same thing as disagreement. You have to be careful to be able to disagree with someone but not disrespect them. Every person in our lives comes from different environments and different backgrounds. This, in turn, creates different perspectives!!! Three people can be in the same room, at the same time, witness the same situation and have three different perspectives. Consider that when you disagree with someone. We always need to remember that our opinions are ours. We cannot force them on anyone else. If someone disagrees with our opinions, it is important to respect that individual and listen to their side. Always keep in mind that you can show disrespect through the tone of your voice, the expressions on your face and your mannerism. As Christians, we should stand firm in our belief in Jesus Christ and all of the things He stands for; however, we are not to disrespect individuals when standing for what we believe. That is the fastest way to drive someone away!!!!
Ongoing disrespect can cause individuals to say, "We are up to here with it!" Do you ever feel that way?
That is basically what the psalmist is saying in the second portion of Psalm 123. He is saying, "I haven't just had enough...I have had more than enough"!
Disrespect and ridicule can become very oppressive. When individuals are oppressed by disrespect, it eventually wears on their self esteem.
Poor self esteem can lead to many problems, most of which are sinful. We actually discuss the sin that can come from poor self esteem in a future study. So, I don't want to dive into it today, but it is food for thought.
I have to be honest with you, this was a Bible study day that was kind of difficult for me. Disrespect is a pet peeve of mine, and I have made a conscious effort to treat others with respect so that my children will see me model that in life. However, I have to tell you that there are many days when I wonder if their eyes and ears are watching/listening. It is just the one thing I cannot tolerate from them, and it seems like the thing I am hit with the most. Brian and I deal with back talk and fit pitching more than we care to, and we feel like we are fighting a brick wall some days!!! We explain, we try to model, we discipline and we still deal with it. It's funny that when others have our children, they always compliment their behavior (unless my dear friends are lying to me!!!). So apparently, my children realize they need to respect the people they spend the least amount of time with!!! That makes sense doesn't it? While I want them to respect EVERYONE they come in contact with, I would also love a little when they are home. I am so proud of Landon in public (most of the time) because he often remembers to hold the door for people coming behind them and tends to show others a lot of consideration. Yet, I have had the door closed in my face numerous times. Who knows??? Maybe I am not a "person" to them...I am mom!!! Ridge is still kind of oblivious to the world around him. It's not that he is inconsiderate. I just don't think it has dawned on him yet. I just have to pray that one day I will see the fruits of my labor in the all that they do. Let's just pray that all of our children and grandchildren one day sense the Holy Spirit guiding them in their ways when dealing with others. I would definitely love to know that mine would choose to listen to the Holy Spirit over me anytime!!!
Okay...difficult subject for me...where is tomorrow's Bible study!!!
love you guys
tiff
I lift my eyes to You, the One enthroned in heaven.
Like a servant's eyes on His master's hand, like a servant girl's eyes on her mistress's hand,
so our eyes are on the Lord our God until He show us favor.
Show us favor, Lord, show us favor, for we've had more than enough contempt
We've had more than enough scorn from the arrogant and contempt from the proud.
Day 3 - Much Contempt
As we zero in on the second half of the psalm, what specific reason did the psalmist give for requesting mercy?
They had endured much contempt
The Hebrew term translated "contempt" comes from a root that means "to disrespect". Everyone knows what it is like to be treated disrespectfully. Write a general definition of disrespect; then give two examples.
My definition is: To disregard the worthiness of another individual. I don't know if that is correct, but that is what I wrote.
My examples: My children - their disobedience - It portrays the attitude that I am not worthy of being their parent
My attitude towards service to God and allowing other things to have my focus/attention. God is truly worthy of my foremost attention and affection.
Disrespect devalues an individual. Think about how it makes you feel when you sense disrespect from individuals in your life. It is important to remember that disrespect does not mean the same thing as disagreement. You have to be careful to be able to disagree with someone but not disrespect them. Every person in our lives comes from different environments and different backgrounds. This, in turn, creates different perspectives!!! Three people can be in the same room, at the same time, witness the same situation and have three different perspectives. Consider that when you disagree with someone. We always need to remember that our opinions are ours. We cannot force them on anyone else. If someone disagrees with our opinions, it is important to respect that individual and listen to their side. Always keep in mind that you can show disrespect through the tone of your voice, the expressions on your face and your mannerism. As Christians, we should stand firm in our belief in Jesus Christ and all of the things He stands for; however, we are not to disrespect individuals when standing for what we believe. That is the fastest way to drive someone away!!!!
Ongoing disrespect can cause individuals to say, "We are up to here with it!" Do you ever feel that way?
That is basically what the psalmist is saying in the second portion of Psalm 123. He is saying, "I haven't just had enough...I have had more than enough"!
Disrespect and ridicule can become very oppressive. When individuals are oppressed by disrespect, it eventually wears on their self esteem.
Poor self esteem can lead to many problems, most of which are sinful. We actually discuss the sin that can come from poor self esteem in a future study. So, I don't want to dive into it today, but it is food for thought.
I have to be honest with you, this was a Bible study day that was kind of difficult for me. Disrespect is a pet peeve of mine, and I have made a conscious effort to treat others with respect so that my children will see me model that in life. However, I have to tell you that there are many days when I wonder if their eyes and ears are watching/listening. It is just the one thing I cannot tolerate from them, and it seems like the thing I am hit with the most. Brian and I deal with back talk and fit pitching more than we care to, and we feel like we are fighting a brick wall some days!!! We explain, we try to model, we discipline and we still deal with it. It's funny that when others have our children, they always compliment their behavior (unless my dear friends are lying to me!!!). So apparently, my children realize they need to respect the people they spend the least amount of time with!!! That makes sense doesn't it? While I want them to respect EVERYONE they come in contact with, I would also love a little when they are home. I am so proud of Landon in public (most of the time) because he often remembers to hold the door for people coming behind them and tends to show others a lot of consideration. Yet, I have had the door closed in my face numerous times. Who knows??? Maybe I am not a "person" to them...I am mom!!! Ridge is still kind of oblivious to the world around him. It's not that he is inconsiderate. I just don't think it has dawned on him yet. I just have to pray that one day I will see the fruits of my labor in the all that they do. Let's just pray that all of our children and grandchildren one day sense the Holy Spirit guiding them in their ways when dealing with others. I would definitely love to know that mine would choose to listen to the Holy Spirit over me anytime!!!
Okay...difficult subject for me...where is tomorrow's Bible study!!!
love you guys
tiff
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Day 2/ Week 2 - Stepping Up
Psalm 123:
I lift my eyes to You, the One enthroned in heaven.
Like a servant's eyes on His master's hand, like a servant girl's eyes on her mistress's hand,
so our eyes are on the Lord our God until He shows us favor.
Show us favor, Lord, Show us favor
for we've had more than enough contempt
We've had more than enough scorn from the arrogant and contempt from the proud.
This is a Psalm of lament with the focus on God Himself. Are your attentions focused on God Himself? Who ultimately wins your focus when you have to stare at your circumstances face to face? That focus from your eyes begins a chain reaction that affects every part of your body: heart, soul and mind.
Have you discovered a strong relationship in the concept of the statement Where I look impacts How I feel? Be specific in your answer.
I have noticed that when I stay focused on God and all of the promises I find in His word, it is very difficult for me to become depressed about this cancer or any other
circumstance in my life. When my focus leaves God, I can feel myself becoming depressed, and I have to put my eyes back on God!!!
Read Acts 3: 1 - 7 and describe where the encounter between Peter, John and the beggar took place.
Inside the walls, but outside the Gate Beautiful
Now, look carefully at Acts 3: 4. What did Peter say to the beggar? He said, "Look at us!"
Complete Acts 3: 5
"So the man gave them his attention expecting to get something from them."
At first the man was looking at them with half of his attention and half of his heart. He had done this day in and day out. Until Peter demanded his full attention, he was just going along with his daily business of feeling invisible. Once he looked at them, he also listened to them. This changed his expectation of them because it affected his entire being. With this example, Beth wants us to realize that Where we look and What we hear impacts What we feel and What we expect.
If you stay focused on your circumstances, you cannot focus on the promises of God. You listen to yourself focus on your circumstances; therefore, you do not feel the expectations of His promises. If you stay focused on the promises of God rather than your circumstances and you listen to the promises of God, then you begin to hope for and expect the promises of God to be fulfilled in your life.
In Psalm 123: 1, God is described as the One Enthroned in Heaven. This is the chief reason we are to fix our eyes on Him and stay focused.
Psalm 22: 3 - 4 tells us that God is enthroned as the Holy One
Psalm 29: 10 tells us that the Lord is enthroned as King forever
Psalm 99: 1 tells us that He sits enthroned between the cherubim
Psalm 113: 4 - 6 says the Lord our God is enthroned on High
We will all bow down to the enthroned One some day and worship Him forever.
List your foremost concerns that trouble you in this moment. Now, complete the following sentence.
Lord, You are the Holy One and You are alertly and lovingly enthroned over (now, write your concerns in this space)
Doesn't that put them in perspective?
Eugene Peterson states:
"We are not presented with a functional god who will help us out of jams or an entertainment god who will lighten our tedious hours. We are presented
with the God of exodus and Easter, the God of Sinai and Calvary. If we want to understand God, we must do it on His terms. If we want to see God the
way He really is, we must look to the place of authority - to Scripture and to Jesus Christ.
And do we really want it any other way? I don't think so. We would very soon become contemptuous of a god whom we could figure out like a puzzle or learn
to use like a tool. No, if God is worth our attention at all, He must be a God we can look up to - a God we must look up to....The moment we look up to God
(and not over Him, or down on Him) we are in the posture of servitude."
God deserves our full attention and our entire focus. The joy is that when we give it to Him, we are the ones that receive the rewards!!! No, I do not want to serve
a God that I can figure out. I would much rather live my life in the security of knowing He has already figured it all out for us!!!!
Have a wonderful and blessed day
Tiff
I lift my eyes to You, the One enthroned in heaven.
Like a servant's eyes on His master's hand, like a servant girl's eyes on her mistress's hand,
so our eyes are on the Lord our God until He shows us favor.
Show us favor, Lord, Show us favor
for we've had more than enough contempt
We've had more than enough scorn from the arrogant and contempt from the proud.
This is a Psalm of lament with the focus on God Himself. Are your attentions focused on God Himself? Who ultimately wins your focus when you have to stare at your circumstances face to face? That focus from your eyes begins a chain reaction that affects every part of your body: heart, soul and mind.
Have you discovered a strong relationship in the concept of the statement Where I look impacts How I feel? Be specific in your answer.
I have noticed that when I stay focused on God and all of the promises I find in His word, it is very difficult for me to become depressed about this cancer or any other
circumstance in my life. When my focus leaves God, I can feel myself becoming depressed, and I have to put my eyes back on God!!!
Read Acts 3: 1 - 7 and describe where the encounter between Peter, John and the beggar took place.
Inside the walls, but outside the Gate Beautiful
Now, look carefully at Acts 3: 4. What did Peter say to the beggar? He said, "Look at us!"
Complete Acts 3: 5
"So the man gave them his attention expecting to get something from them."
At first the man was looking at them with half of his attention and half of his heart. He had done this day in and day out. Until Peter demanded his full attention, he was just going along with his daily business of feeling invisible. Once he looked at them, he also listened to them. This changed his expectation of them because it affected his entire being. With this example, Beth wants us to realize that Where we look and What we hear impacts What we feel and What we expect.
If you stay focused on your circumstances, you cannot focus on the promises of God. You listen to yourself focus on your circumstances; therefore, you do not feel the expectations of His promises. If you stay focused on the promises of God rather than your circumstances and you listen to the promises of God, then you begin to hope for and expect the promises of God to be fulfilled in your life.
In Psalm 123: 1, God is described as the One Enthroned in Heaven. This is the chief reason we are to fix our eyes on Him and stay focused.
Psalm 22: 3 - 4 tells us that God is enthroned as the Holy One
Psalm 29: 10 tells us that the Lord is enthroned as King forever
Psalm 99: 1 tells us that He sits enthroned between the cherubim
Psalm 113: 4 - 6 says the Lord our God is enthroned on High
We will all bow down to the enthroned One some day and worship Him forever.
List your foremost concerns that trouble you in this moment. Now, complete the following sentence.
Lord, You are the Holy One and You are alertly and lovingly enthroned over (now, write your concerns in this space)
Doesn't that put them in perspective?
Eugene Peterson states:
"We are not presented with a functional god who will help us out of jams or an entertainment god who will lighten our tedious hours. We are presented
with the God of exodus and Easter, the God of Sinai and Calvary. If we want to understand God, we must do it on His terms. If we want to see God the
way He really is, we must look to the place of authority - to Scripture and to Jesus Christ.
And do we really want it any other way? I don't think so. We would very soon become contemptuous of a god whom we could figure out like a puzzle or learn
to use like a tool. No, if God is worth our attention at all, He must be a God we can look up to - a God we must look up to....The moment we look up to God
(and not over Him, or down on Him) we are in the posture of servitude."
God deserves our full attention and our entire focus. The joy is that when we give it to Him, we are the ones that receive the rewards!!! No, I do not want to serve
a God that I can figure out. I would much rather live my life in the security of knowing He has already figured it all out for us!!!!
Have a wonderful and blessed day
Tiff
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Day 1/ Week 2 - Stepping Up
Hi, everyone! I hope you did not feel too overwhelmed when I sent seven days at one time!!! Carol is out of town for a month and is unable to send e-mails. So, they accumulated on me. Anyway, I was hoping they would last you throughout the week of the fourth until we could all get settled back into our routines....not that anything about summer is "routine". I don't know about you, but the chaos of summer can often be a little exhausting!!!
I ask you to pray for me today because I am struggling with a "parenting day". I am just having one of those days when I feel like the worst mother ever entrusted to raise children!!! After a lot of praying and soul searching, Brian and I had to come to the realization that Gaston Christian was becoming out of our reach financially and we needed to look at other options....talk about a breaking heart! We have loved Gaston Christian since the day we first set foot on the campus. With the reality of lifelong medical bills for me looming over us, there is only so much one man can do for his family. I have watched my husband work himself to death over the past nine years to give us a wonderful life that allowed me to stay home with our children. Then, it moved into me staying home with one in private school. I planned to go back to work when Ridge entered private school to help cover the cost. Yet, life planned otherwise and here we are. Watching Brian doing everything he could to make ends meet while staying paid up on medical bills and footing the bill for private school was just too much for me to bear. So, I asked him to pray about taking them out and making some changes in our lives. I have never felt that the education in public school was not up to par. As a matter of fact, I often found myself worrying about the opposite (which isn't true either). I just wanted our kids to be in a Christ centered environment when I couldn't be with them!!! Wow! The transition just seems to be hanging over me way more than I expected. The decision is made though, and it is time to move forward!!! God is good all of the time, and He will be good in this situation. My heart just aches for my boys and all of the adjustments they have had to make in their lives because of me. As a mom, I always expected it to be the other way around. I am watching two amazing little boys deal with their mom living with a chronic, life-threatening disease and now having to adjust to a new environment. Please, please, please keep them in your prayers!!! I know we will all be okay....it is just this transition period that is so tough!!!
Enough about me!!! Let's get on with our Bible study so we can be reminded of WHO is in control!!!
Believe it or not, today's lesson goes along with my dilemma of the moment!!! It is entitled, Our Own House, Our Own City. I loved it!!! We are still in Psalm 122, and the lesson draws parallels between this Psalm and our daily lives. Please read Psalm 122 over again, and imagine yourself of the trek to your church as the pilgrims are on a trek to Jerusalem.
Read Philipians 1: 3-8. What were Paul's feelings towards the believers in Philippi? He longed to be with them because he loved them and felt joy for them. This is exactly the way we should feel about the people we worship with. No fellowship of believers is perfect, but list a few things that you love about your church. Name some people that you look forward to seeing each time you go and explain why you look forward to seeing them. Describe a few relationships you have at church that you wouldn't have anywhere else.
While few people are enthusiastically anxious to roll out of bed every Sunday after an exhausting week, do you ordinarily look forward to going to church? Circle on of the following answers. Almost never, sometimes, usually, almost always
Church should be as important as any other place you spend your time. Note in this Psalm how the psalmist began with a focus on the temple or "house of the Lord". The bottom line is: Are you glad when someone says to you, "Let's go to the house of the Lord"?
Once you have taken care of your place of worship and your home, it is important to focus on what you can do for the community around you. As Christians, we should want to live out loud for our God.
Read Jeremiah 29: 4 - 7. What was God's essential point to the exiles in Babylon?
He wanted them to prosper in their new land even though it wasn't there home. He wanted them to be careful and not fall prey to the way they worshipped because He would be back for them.
We are in somewhat of an exile waiting here on earth until God returns for us. God wants us to prosper and show those around us what God is capable of in our lives.
How is God using your town or city to equip you to be a humble servant?
How is God using you in your town or city to speak to others?
I am reminded that this may be an opportunity to move outside of our "protected" gates and teach our children how to live for God in the real world. Gaston Christian has been such a blessing to us, and I am confident seeds have been planted in my children that are starting to take root in their lives. I will never know what lives they will touch because of the few years of preparation they had in a Christian school. My prayer is that they become godly boys that others who share the same beliefs will feel blessed to be around. Then, they can be examples to the children who do not necessarily share those beliefs. It is our responsibility as parents to teach our children the ways of the Lord. We must take care of focusing on the temple first. Now, I have to believe all that we have taught them in our home, in our churches and in their school will be a way for them to serve their town or city!
Isn't it amazing how God works...I began this e-mail with tears of sadness streaming down my face and now they are tears of hope!!!
love you all!!
Tiffany
I ask you to pray for me today because I am struggling with a "parenting day". I am just having one of those days when I feel like the worst mother ever entrusted to raise children!!! After a lot of praying and soul searching, Brian and I had to come to the realization that Gaston Christian was becoming out of our reach financially and we needed to look at other options....talk about a breaking heart! We have loved Gaston Christian since the day we first set foot on the campus. With the reality of lifelong medical bills for me looming over us, there is only so much one man can do for his family. I have watched my husband work himself to death over the past nine years to give us a wonderful life that allowed me to stay home with our children. Then, it moved into me staying home with one in private school. I planned to go back to work when Ridge entered private school to help cover the cost. Yet, life planned otherwise and here we are. Watching Brian doing everything he could to make ends meet while staying paid up on medical bills and footing the bill for private school was just too much for me to bear. So, I asked him to pray about taking them out and making some changes in our lives. I have never felt that the education in public school was not up to par. As a matter of fact, I often found myself worrying about the opposite (which isn't true either). I just wanted our kids to be in a Christ centered environment when I couldn't be with them!!! Wow! The transition just seems to be hanging over me way more than I expected. The decision is made though, and it is time to move forward!!! God is good all of the time, and He will be good in this situation. My heart just aches for my boys and all of the adjustments they have had to make in their lives because of me. As a mom, I always expected it to be the other way around. I am watching two amazing little boys deal with their mom living with a chronic, life-threatening disease and now having to adjust to a new environment. Please, please, please keep them in your prayers!!! I know we will all be okay....it is just this transition period that is so tough!!!
Enough about me!!! Let's get on with our Bible study so we can be reminded of WHO is in control!!!
Believe it or not, today's lesson goes along with my dilemma of the moment!!! It is entitled, Our Own House, Our Own City. I loved it!!! We are still in Psalm 122, and the lesson draws parallels between this Psalm and our daily lives. Please read Psalm 122 over again, and imagine yourself of the trek to your church as the pilgrims are on a trek to Jerusalem.
Read Philipians 1: 3-8. What were Paul's feelings towards the believers in Philippi? He longed to be with them because he loved them and felt joy for them. This is exactly the way we should feel about the people we worship with. No fellowship of believers is perfect, but list a few things that you love about your church. Name some people that you look forward to seeing each time you go and explain why you look forward to seeing them. Describe a few relationships you have at church that you wouldn't have anywhere else.
While few people are enthusiastically anxious to roll out of bed every Sunday after an exhausting week, do you ordinarily look forward to going to church? Circle on of the following answers. Almost never, sometimes, usually, almost always
Church should be as important as any other place you spend your time. Note in this Psalm how the psalmist began with a focus on the temple or "house of the Lord". The bottom line is: Are you glad when someone says to you, "Let's go to the house of the Lord"?
Once you have taken care of your place of worship and your home, it is important to focus on what you can do for the community around you. As Christians, we should want to live out loud for our God.
Read Jeremiah 29: 4 - 7. What was God's essential point to the exiles in Babylon?
He wanted them to prosper in their new land even though it wasn't there home. He wanted them to be careful and not fall prey to the way they worshipped because He would be back for them.
We are in somewhat of an exile waiting here on earth until God returns for us. God wants us to prosper and show those around us what God is capable of in our lives.
How is God using your town or city to equip you to be a humble servant?
How is God using you in your town or city to speak to others?
I am reminded that this may be an opportunity to move outside of our "protected" gates and teach our children how to live for God in the real world. Gaston Christian has been such a blessing to us, and I am confident seeds have been planted in my children that are starting to take root in their lives. I will never know what lives they will touch because of the few years of preparation they had in a Christian school. My prayer is that they become godly boys that others who share the same beliefs will feel blessed to be around. Then, they can be examples to the children who do not necessarily share those beliefs. It is our responsibility as parents to teach our children the ways of the Lord. We must take care of focusing on the temple first. Now, I have to believe all that we have taught them in our home, in our churches and in their school will be a way for them to serve their town or city!
Isn't it amazing how God works...I began this e-mail with tears of sadness streaming down my face and now they are tears of hope!!!
love you all!!
Tiffany
Monday, June 29, 2009
Day 1 of Week 2
June 27, 2009
Stepping Up – The Psalms of Ascent
Day 1 of Week 2
Our Own House, Our Own City
As we ended last week’s study, we focused on the literal meaning of the city of Jerusalem in Psalm 122. It is important to take note of the personal meaning of Scripture as well. Psalm 122 speaks to us as we take joy in where our feet are planted. For many of us, a trip to Israel is just not an option right now. So, does that mean that we cannot find the same joy the psalmist found as his feet were planted within the city’s gates? No, it does not.
As a matter of fact, Beth points out the fact that many exiles were taken to Babylon and died there. They never knew the joy of literally standing within the gates of the city of Jerusalem again. In Jeremiah 29, we find instructions that God gave the exiles while they were in Babylon. We, too, are much like those exiles. We are bound here on earth, while our hearts long to be in heaven. Use these Scriptures to encourage you as you make your journey through earth.
Jeremiah 29: 4 – 7
“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ‘Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because it prospers, you too will prosper.”
You may feel like you are stuck in Babylon at times, but there is a reason God has planted you where you are. He longs to prosper you, and when He does, it is our responsibility to be a witness to everyone watching us.
That is why it is so important to take these Scripture to heart. We are to be all that we can be within the gates of our own cities. We are to seek peace and prosperity.
How is God using your town or city to equip you to be a humble servant?
How is God using you in your own town or city?
It is so important that believers are part of a church where they can be encouraged to be all they can be to their community. It is as important, if not more so, for you to be in a great church where you feel you can serve as it is for you to be in a good neighborhood or work place.
In Psalm 122, you will notice that the psalmists’ first focus is on the temple then it moves out into the city. We are to take this as an example in our own lives. We are to first focus on the temple, our home churches and even our physical homes. When we find the peace of God within our temple, we are to share that joy with our “city”.
Accepting that no fellowship is perfect, what are a few things you really love about yours?
Name some people that you look forward to seeing each time you go to worship. Write down what you love about those people.
Describe a few relationships that you have at church that you wouldn’t have anywhere else.
I want to share my answer to this question. I am very funny about male companionship/friendship because I never want to disrespect my husband in any way or leave question to whether a relationship is what it should be. I love my husband and long to be faithful to him in all that I do. When I am around males, I almost always have my husband with me. Since I have been diagnosed, the Lord has brought several men to e witness to and encourage me. Each of these men has been so gracious in affording me the distance and trust that is appropriate when you are married and faithful to your commitment in Christ. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I could never have allowed myself to take comfort in the encouragement they have to offer me through their e-mails, cards and phone calls if they were not men of the church and very respectful. They have never made me feel uncomfortable or allowed any interaction that was not in an appropriate place or time. I know their intentions towards me is to be what God wants them to be in my life. If they were not men of the church, I know I would not have allowed those relationships to even form. I think more men need to be respectful of never visiting a wife/mother while she is alone in her home or calling her with information that cannot be fully disclosed to her spouse.
Are you happy when someone says to you, “let us go into the house of the Lord?”
If not, you should prayerfully consider moving to another ministry within the church or moving to another church if that is not an option. It is so very important that you stay alive and willing to serve in Christ.
Read through this Psalm and write a prayer to God to show your connection to Psalm 122!
Stepping Up – The Psalms of Ascent
Day 1 of Week 2
Our Own House, Our Own City
As we ended last week’s study, we focused on the literal meaning of the city of Jerusalem in Psalm 122. It is important to take note of the personal meaning of Scripture as well. Psalm 122 speaks to us as we take joy in where our feet are planted. For many of us, a trip to Israel is just not an option right now. So, does that mean that we cannot find the same joy the psalmist found as his feet were planted within the city’s gates? No, it does not.
As a matter of fact, Beth points out the fact that many exiles were taken to Babylon and died there. They never knew the joy of literally standing within the gates of the city of Jerusalem again. In Jeremiah 29, we find instructions that God gave the exiles while they were in Babylon. We, too, are much like those exiles. We are bound here on earth, while our hearts long to be in heaven. Use these Scriptures to encourage you as you make your journey through earth.
Jeremiah 29: 4 – 7
“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ‘Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because it prospers, you too will prosper.”
You may feel like you are stuck in Babylon at times, but there is a reason God has planted you where you are. He longs to prosper you, and when He does, it is our responsibility to be a witness to everyone watching us.
That is why it is so important to take these Scripture to heart. We are to be all that we can be within the gates of our own cities. We are to seek peace and prosperity.
How is God using your town or city to equip you to be a humble servant?
How is God using you in your own town or city?
It is so important that believers are part of a church where they can be encouraged to be all they can be to their community. It is as important, if not more so, for you to be in a great church where you feel you can serve as it is for you to be in a good neighborhood or work place.
In Psalm 122, you will notice that the psalmists’ first focus is on the temple then it moves out into the city. We are to take this as an example in our own lives. We are to first focus on the temple, our home churches and even our physical homes. When we find the peace of God within our temple, we are to share that joy with our “city”.
Accepting that no fellowship is perfect, what are a few things you really love about yours?
Name some people that you look forward to seeing each time you go to worship. Write down what you love about those people.
Describe a few relationships that you have at church that you wouldn’t have anywhere else.
I want to share my answer to this question. I am very funny about male companionship/friendship because I never want to disrespect my husband in any way or leave question to whether a relationship is what it should be. I love my husband and long to be faithful to him in all that I do. When I am around males, I almost always have my husband with me. Since I have been diagnosed, the Lord has brought several men to e witness to and encourage me. Each of these men has been so gracious in affording me the distance and trust that is appropriate when you are married and faithful to your commitment in Christ. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I could never have allowed myself to take comfort in the encouragement they have to offer me through their e-mails, cards and phone calls if they were not men of the church and very respectful. They have never made me feel uncomfortable or allowed any interaction that was not in an appropriate place or time. I know their intentions towards me is to be what God wants them to be in my life. If they were not men of the church, I know I would not have allowed those relationships to even form. I think more men need to be respectful of never visiting a wife/mother while she is alone in her home or calling her with information that cannot be fully disclosed to her spouse.
Are you happy when someone says to you, “let us go into the house of the Lord?”
If not, you should prayerfully consider moving to another ministry within the church or moving to another church if that is not an option. It is so very important that you stay alive and willing to serve in Christ.
Read through this Psalm and write a prayer to God to show your connection to Psalm 122!
Day 5 of Week 1
June 27, 2009
Stepping Up – The Psalms of Ascent
Day 5 of Week 1
The Peace of Jerusalem
Psalm 122
“I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’
Our feet are standing within your gates, Jerusalem –
Jerusalem, built as a city (should be), solidly joined together,
Where the tribes, the tribes of the Lord, go up to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
(This is an ordinance of Israel)
There, thrones for judgment are placed, thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May those who love you prosper;
May there be peace within your walls, prosperity within your fortresses.’
Because of my brothers and friends, I will say, ‘Peace be with you.’
Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.”
Please take time to read this Psalm aloud
Did you catch the progression of the pilgrimage? Where is the psalmist when these words fall from his lips?
In the first Psalm, the pilgrim is discouraged in an alien land.
In the second, he wonders where his help comes from and is reminded of how God protects.
Now, in this 3rd Psalm of Ascent, his feet are standing on his destination. He cries out to the Lord with joy.
Psalm 122 is about the city of Jerusalem itself. Jerusalem can be broken down to mean the city of peace. “jeru”/”yeru” means “city” and “salem” means “peace”.
How does the psalmist describe Jerusalem?
Beth says that the city of Jerusalem gives its visitors a sense of “home”, even if they are aliens there. She says that the more you go to Jerusalem, the more you want to go. It is a city that is “closely compacted together”.
The New Living Translation says that Jerusalem is “knit together as a single unit”.
Ironically, today, peace is a rarity in the “city of peace”. Jews, Muslims and Christians are closely compacted in a small area. The ancient words of the psalmist are haunting to us as he beckons us to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem!”
We have actually been doing the study, “What in the world is going on?” by David Jeremiah on Sunday evenings. That is one of the important focuses of this study…to pray for Jerusalem.
What is the ultimate reason peace eludes the holy city according to Luke 19: 41 – 44?
“As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, ‘if you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
What is Christ called in Ephesians 2: 14?
“For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.”
Write a prayer today for the peace of Jerusalem.
Remember, Psalm 122: 6
“May those who love you (Jerusalem) prosper.”
We will jump into Psalm 122 in our next week of study. For now, it is just important to understand the concept of the Psalm.
Stepping Up – The Psalms of Ascent
Day 5 of Week 1
The Peace of Jerusalem
Psalm 122
“I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’
Our feet are standing within your gates, Jerusalem –
Jerusalem, built as a city (should be), solidly joined together,
Where the tribes, the tribes of the Lord, go up to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
(This is an ordinance of Israel)
There, thrones for judgment are placed, thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May those who love you prosper;
May there be peace within your walls, prosperity within your fortresses.’
Because of my brothers and friends, I will say, ‘Peace be with you.’
Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.”
Please take time to read this Psalm aloud
Did you catch the progression of the pilgrimage? Where is the psalmist when these words fall from his lips?
In the first Psalm, the pilgrim is discouraged in an alien land.
In the second, he wonders where his help comes from and is reminded of how God protects.
Now, in this 3rd Psalm of Ascent, his feet are standing on his destination. He cries out to the Lord with joy.
Psalm 122 is about the city of Jerusalem itself. Jerusalem can be broken down to mean the city of peace. “jeru”/”yeru” means “city” and “salem” means “peace”.
How does the psalmist describe Jerusalem?
Beth says that the city of Jerusalem gives its visitors a sense of “home”, even if they are aliens there. She says that the more you go to Jerusalem, the more you want to go. It is a city that is “closely compacted together”.
The New Living Translation says that Jerusalem is “knit together as a single unit”.
Ironically, today, peace is a rarity in the “city of peace”. Jews, Muslims and Christians are closely compacted in a small area. The ancient words of the psalmist are haunting to us as he beckons us to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem!”
We have actually been doing the study, “What in the world is going on?” by David Jeremiah on Sunday evenings. That is one of the important focuses of this study…to pray for Jerusalem.
What is the ultimate reason peace eludes the holy city according to Luke 19: 41 – 44?
“As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, ‘if you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
What is Christ called in Ephesians 2: 14?
“For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.”
Write a prayer today for the peace of Jerusalem.
Remember, Psalm 122: 6
“May those who love you (Jerusalem) prosper.”
We will jump into Psalm 122 in our next week of study. For now, it is just important to understand the concept of the Psalm.
Day 4 of Week 1
June 27, 2009
Stepping Up – The Psalms of Ascent
Day 4 of Week 1
The Lord is Your Shelter
We will be focusing on Psalm 121, again, for today’s study. Please take a moment to read the Psalm aloud once more to refresh your mind.
Where does our help come from?
The Maker of heaven and earth
Now let’s think of help in terms of human help. We need to support one another as we are on this journey through earth. When the Jews would make their pilgrimage for the feasts, other Jews would travel with them. They knew they needed the help of their fellow believers to make the difficult journey. They ate together, bunked together and 1
What do the following Scriptures say about ways people can be of authentic help to one another?
Ecclesiastes 4: 9 – 10
“Two are better than one because they have good return for their work:
If one falls down, his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!”
2 Corinthians 1: 10 – 11
These verses refer to helping our fellow believers through prayer
Write down a few names of people who are a tremendous help to you in your journey.
Be sure to write them down so you focus on their importance. Maybe you should send them a card or note, reminding them of how important they are to you.
Now, name specific ways that God can help you that other people simply cannot.
Often things happen to us that cannot be helped by humans. Think of the Jews as they would journey. If an army rose up against them or the weather became too much to bear, their human companions were very limited in what they could do to help. Isn’t it nice to know that God is not limited AT ALL. He is capable of things that our fellow humans could never do.
Jude 1: 24 says:
“To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy…”
Our God will not slumber during our journey!!!
What did Elijah suggest Baal, the pagan god of the enemies of Israel, might have been doing rather than coming to their rescue?
Now all of you that did the Elijah study with me should know this one!!!
1 Kings 18: 27 –
“At noon Elijah began to taunt them. ‘Shout louder!’ he said. ‘Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened!’ “
Doesn’t it give you cold chills to think of worshiping a God that could be too busy to care for you? Ancient pagan people commonly held the notion that gods slept during the winter months. We are assured in Psalm 121 that our God does not slumber or sleep.
Psalm 121: 5 says, “the Lord is a shelter right by your side”. How does Psalm 91: 4 depict the closeness of God’s shelter?
“He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”
I love imagining myself snuggled up against the warm body of God with the feathers of His wings covering me in protection! Think about it for a moment! Wouldn’t you love to kiss all the cares of this world good-bye for just one minute for this kind of peace? It will be ours one day!!!
Now, imagine the biggest battle of your life! Imagine the size of God’s faithfulness to us! Imagine Him racing you through this battle with His faithfulness acting as your shield. Arrows are flying all around you. Bombs are exploding at the edge of your feet. You don’t know how you are going to survive, but you look up to see your God holding you behind His shield as He allows the arrows of this war to penetrate His flesh. That is what Christ did for us on the cross!!! That is what our God watched as His son took every battle for us!!! Take heart in these Scripture! Know that the battle was fought for you a long time ago. Any battle this world has to offer us is small in comparison to what He took for us!!!
With this in mind, write a prayer to God using Psalm 121 as your guide!
You will feel so amazing once you have done it! Read it to yourself over and over again as you need to be reminded of what God is capable of!!!
Stepping Up – The Psalms of Ascent
Day 4 of Week 1
The Lord is Your Shelter
We will be focusing on Psalm 121, again, for today’s study. Please take a moment to read the Psalm aloud once more to refresh your mind.
Where does our help come from?
The Maker of heaven and earth
Now let’s think of help in terms of human help. We need to support one another as we are on this journey through earth. When the Jews would make their pilgrimage for the feasts, other Jews would travel with them. They knew they needed the help of their fellow believers to make the difficult journey. They ate together, bunked together and 1
What do the following Scriptures say about ways people can be of authentic help to one another?
Ecclesiastes 4: 9 – 10
“Two are better than one because they have good return for their work:
If one falls down, his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!”
2 Corinthians 1: 10 – 11
These verses refer to helping our fellow believers through prayer
Write down a few names of people who are a tremendous help to you in your journey.
Be sure to write them down so you focus on their importance. Maybe you should send them a card or note, reminding them of how important they are to you.
Now, name specific ways that God can help you that other people simply cannot.
Often things happen to us that cannot be helped by humans. Think of the Jews as they would journey. If an army rose up against them or the weather became too much to bear, their human companions were very limited in what they could do to help. Isn’t it nice to know that God is not limited AT ALL. He is capable of things that our fellow humans could never do.
Jude 1: 24 says:
“To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy…”
Our God will not slumber during our journey!!!
What did Elijah suggest Baal, the pagan god of the enemies of Israel, might have been doing rather than coming to their rescue?
Now all of you that did the Elijah study with me should know this one!!!
1 Kings 18: 27 –
“At noon Elijah began to taunt them. ‘Shout louder!’ he said. ‘Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened!’ “
Doesn’t it give you cold chills to think of worshiping a God that could be too busy to care for you? Ancient pagan people commonly held the notion that gods slept during the winter months. We are assured in Psalm 121 that our God does not slumber or sleep.
Psalm 121: 5 says, “the Lord is a shelter right by your side”. How does Psalm 91: 4 depict the closeness of God’s shelter?
“He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”
I love imagining myself snuggled up against the warm body of God with the feathers of His wings covering me in protection! Think about it for a moment! Wouldn’t you love to kiss all the cares of this world good-bye for just one minute for this kind of peace? It will be ours one day!!!
Now, imagine the biggest battle of your life! Imagine the size of God’s faithfulness to us! Imagine Him racing you through this battle with His faithfulness acting as your shield. Arrows are flying all around you. Bombs are exploding at the edge of your feet. You don’t know how you are going to survive, but you look up to see your God holding you behind His shield as He allows the arrows of this war to penetrate His flesh. That is what Christ did for us on the cross!!! That is what our God watched as His son took every battle for us!!! Take heart in these Scripture! Know that the battle was fought for you a long time ago. Any battle this world has to offer us is small in comparison to what He took for us!!!
With this in mind, write a prayer to God using Psalm 121 as your guide!
You will feel so amazing once you have done it! Read it to yourself over and over again as you need to be reminded of what God is capable of!!!
Day 3 of Week 1
June 27, 2009
Stepping Up – The Psalms of Ascent
Day 3 of Week 1
The Lord is Your Keeper
Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip – He who watches over you will not slumber;
Indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber or sleep
The Lord watches over You – the Lord is your shade at your right hand
The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm – He will watch over your life;
The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Please read this Psalm aloud.
Now look over the verses and write each reference that suggests a literal journey.
Some scholars believe that the first two Psalms of Ascent depict the pilgrimage of the dispersed Jews back to Jerusalem, either from their conclusion of captivity or the pilgrimage they would make for the feasts. Psalms 120 represents their misery of still being in a remote location, longing to be near the house of God. Psalm 121 immediately follows with the traveler on his journey home, believing in the protection of God. It is also believed they used these Psalms to sing on their journey home.
In verse 2, what did the pilgrims call the Lord?
The Maker of heaven and earth
What connection do you see between making an uncertain journey and needing to be reminded that our Lord is the Maker of heaven and earth?
Go through these verses and circle all of the references to protection from God.
Do you have any current need to have those truths hammered into your head, whether concerning your own life or another of God’s children?
What is God saying to you through this Psalm today?
What two purposes did God give man in the garden of Eden, according to Genesis 2: 15?
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”
God made Adam the caretaker of the garden, but God was the caretaker of Adam. As carefully as Adam cared for the ground, God cares for the man he created with His own hands. He cares for us and watches over us. At no time does God abdicate your guardianship to an angel alone, regardless how mighty.
We are pilgrims on a journey with God. When we are afraid, we can use these verses to remind us that God is our protector.
Stepping Up – The Psalms of Ascent
Day 3 of Week 1
The Lord is Your Keeper
Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip – He who watches over you will not slumber;
Indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber or sleep
The Lord watches over You – the Lord is your shade at your right hand
The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm – He will watch over your life;
The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Please read this Psalm aloud.
Now look over the verses and write each reference that suggests a literal journey.
Some scholars believe that the first two Psalms of Ascent depict the pilgrimage of the dispersed Jews back to Jerusalem, either from their conclusion of captivity or the pilgrimage they would make for the feasts. Psalms 120 represents their misery of still being in a remote location, longing to be near the house of God. Psalm 121 immediately follows with the traveler on his journey home, believing in the protection of God. It is also believed they used these Psalms to sing on their journey home.
In verse 2, what did the pilgrims call the Lord?
The Maker of heaven and earth
What connection do you see between making an uncertain journey and needing to be reminded that our Lord is the Maker of heaven and earth?
Go through these verses and circle all of the references to protection from God.
Do you have any current need to have those truths hammered into your head, whether concerning your own life or another of God’s children?
What is God saying to you through this Psalm today?
What two purposes did God give man in the garden of Eden, according to Genesis 2: 15?
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”
God made Adam the caretaker of the garden, but God was the caretaker of Adam. As carefully as Adam cared for the ground, God cares for the man he created with His own hands. He cares for us and watches over us. At no time does God abdicate your guardianship to an angel alone, regardless how mighty.
We are pilgrims on a journey with God. When we are afraid, we can use these verses to remind us that God is our protector.
Day 2 of Week 1
June 27, 2009
Stepping Up – The Psalms of Ascent
Day 2 of Week 1
Woe to Me
During this study, we will use a study method suggested by Beth that uses three approaches to each Psalm.
1. Say It – Read the Psalm aloud to become aware of the rhythm and flow of the song
2. Work It –
a. Circle every reference to God or title given to God
b. Underline any word or phrase that stands out to you or speaks to you
c. Write in the margins when a psalm reminds you of an experience in your life
d. Compare writing styles in different translations
e. Share your own ideas with your small group
f. Do whatever it takes to increase your learning and comprehension
3. Pray It – You will write a rendition of each Psalm as a personal prayer to God
Let’s put this technique to practice.
Read all of Psalm 120 aloud:
“In my distress I called to the Lord, and He answered me:
‘The Lord delivers me from lying lips and a deceitful tongue.’
What will He give you, and what will He do to you, you deceitful tongue?
A warrior’s sharp arrows, with burning charcoal!
What misery that I have stayed in Meshech, that I have lived among the tents of Kedar!
I have lived too long with those who hate peace.
I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.
Psalm 120 includes,
“Misery to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar!”
The Psalmist began this Psalm with a “woe is me” attitude. The Psalmist is a long way away from home. He felt like an alien. Think of a situation in your life where you feel like an alien, you feel as though no one around you believes in or stands for the things you do.
You may have to deal with authentically difficult people on a regular basis. Do you tend to return difficult for difficult?
What does Psalm 142: 1 – 2 give you permission to do?
“I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble.”
Read through this Psalm over and over. Circle the references to God. Write in the margins how you have experienced these feelings in your own life.
Now, take some time to write your own personal version of Psalm 120. Use it as your prayer to God.
I will not make this an everyday practice, but I just want you to see how I did mine. I don’t know if it is right or wrong, but it’s the way this Psalm made me feel. These are very personal, and I do not think they are meant to be shared. So, please excuse this one time.
My God, I cry out to you!
I am saddened, Father, I reach for you!
This cancer is so deceptive.
It is of the earth, not of You!
You are pure, cancer is not!
It wants to fill my body with toxins
You can cleanse me
I believe in You and I count on You daily!
Praise You, Father
I will praise You as I dance through this storm!
Stepping Up – The Psalms of Ascent
Day 2 of Week 1
Woe to Me
During this study, we will use a study method suggested by Beth that uses three approaches to each Psalm.
1. Say It – Read the Psalm aloud to become aware of the rhythm and flow of the song
2. Work It –
a. Circle every reference to God or title given to God
b. Underline any word or phrase that stands out to you or speaks to you
c. Write in the margins when a psalm reminds you of an experience in your life
d. Compare writing styles in different translations
e. Share your own ideas with your small group
f. Do whatever it takes to increase your learning and comprehension
3. Pray It – You will write a rendition of each Psalm as a personal prayer to God
Let’s put this technique to practice.
Read all of Psalm 120 aloud:
“In my distress I called to the Lord, and He answered me:
‘The Lord delivers me from lying lips and a deceitful tongue.’
What will He give you, and what will He do to you, you deceitful tongue?
A warrior’s sharp arrows, with burning charcoal!
What misery that I have stayed in Meshech, that I have lived among the tents of Kedar!
I have lived too long with those who hate peace.
I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.
Psalm 120 includes,
“Misery to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar!”
The Psalmist began this Psalm with a “woe is me” attitude. The Psalmist is a long way away from home. He felt like an alien. Think of a situation in your life where you feel like an alien, you feel as though no one around you believes in or stands for the things you do.
You may have to deal with authentically difficult people on a regular basis. Do you tend to return difficult for difficult?
What does Psalm 142: 1 – 2 give you permission to do?
“I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble.”
Read through this Psalm over and over. Circle the references to God. Write in the margins how you have experienced these feelings in your own life.
Now, take some time to write your own personal version of Psalm 120. Use it as your prayer to God.
I will not make this an everyday practice, but I just want you to see how I did mine. I don’t know if it is right or wrong, but it’s the way this Psalm made me feel. These are very personal, and I do not think they are meant to be shared. So, please excuse this one time.
My God, I cry out to you!
I am saddened, Father, I reach for you!
This cancer is so deceptive.
It is of the earth, not of You!
You are pure, cancer is not!
It wants to fill my body with toxins
You can cleanse me
I believe in You and I count on You daily!
Praise You, Father
I will praise You as I dance through this storm!
Day one – week one
June 27, 2009
Stepping Up – The Psalms of Ascent
Day one – week one
Worship on the Way
The three goals for this Bible study:
1. To dramatically change our outlook on daily life
2. To be raised to a higher plain of worship and service by God
3. To move to the next step in our personal journey with God, even if we have to press through the thickest forest to get to it.
Beth would like for us to get into the habit of putting our faces to the floor on a daily basis in worship to our Lord. The idea of this is to demonstrate reverence and a surrendered attitude. It has a tremendous advantage to setting the tone for the day. The reason for this is because “the way up is down” in God’s economy.
Humility is the natural posture of anyone who grasps the greatness of God, according to Beth. This is a prayer example that Beth gives us:
“Lord, I thank You again this morning that You are still God upon the throne of all creation. You are holy. Mighty beyond comprehension. So worthy of my praise and the out pouring of my life’s energies. Today I gladly give myself to You. I am convinced that You are always for me. Obedience to You will always mean Your very best for me. I’m so grateful that I can come boldly and without shame before Your throne because I pray all these things in Jesus’ name.”
This prayer will probably take no more than a minute. It is not about the time, it is about your heart.
1 Peter 5: 6
“Humble yourselves; therefore, under God’s mighty hand so that He may lift you up in due time.”
In order to grow up in Christ, we must learn to get down in reverence to God. Sometimes it takes miles of a journey to know why we are on a certain road with God.
Take a moment to determine how you could benefit from a study like this.
About how long has your journey with God been thus far in your life?
How did it begin?
Based on all you have experienced with God, what excites you most about the next adventure you are going to have with Him?
What scares you the most about your next adventure with Him?
The Psalms of Ascent are made up of Psalms 120 – 134. That will be the basis of this study. However, here are some facts about the Psalms as a whole.
1. There are 150 Psalms
2. 73 of the Psalms were written by David
3. 12 are attributed to Asaph, a Levite musician David appointed to lead worship with singers under Asaph’s tutelage.
4. 10 are attributed to the sons of Korah who were also temple singers. The psalms designated by the names of Asaph or the sons of Korah could also refer to a hymnbook from which they commonly sang.
5. 2 are believed to be written by Solomon
6. 1 was written by Moses
7. 1 was written by another singer named Heman
8. 1 was written by a singer named Ethan
9. The remainder are anonymous. Many of the undesignated songs probably fell from the pen of David. The entire book of 150 Psalms is associated with him for good reason. Surely he more than any other person in Scripture is used of God to teach us how to materialize our worship.
The Psalms were divided into five books which are believed to correspond to the five books of Moses:
Book One: Psalms 1 – 41 (Genesis)
Book Two: Psalms 42 – 72 (Exodus)
Book Three: Psalms 73 – 89 (Leviticus)
Book Four: Psalms 90 – 106 (Numbers)
Book Five: Psalms 107 – 150 (Deuteronomy)
What do all of the Psalms have in common? Praise
The Psalms are a showing of true emotion where the Psalmist is able to be honest with God about his feelings. Therefore, we can say that honesty with God is consistent with worship.
Stepping Up – The Psalms of Ascent
Day one – week one
Worship on the Way
The three goals for this Bible study:
1. To dramatically change our outlook on daily life
2. To be raised to a higher plain of worship and service by God
3. To move to the next step in our personal journey with God, even if we have to press through the thickest forest to get to it.
Beth would like for us to get into the habit of putting our faces to the floor on a daily basis in worship to our Lord. The idea of this is to demonstrate reverence and a surrendered attitude. It has a tremendous advantage to setting the tone for the day. The reason for this is because “the way up is down” in God’s economy.
Humility is the natural posture of anyone who grasps the greatness of God, according to Beth. This is a prayer example that Beth gives us:
“Lord, I thank You again this morning that You are still God upon the throne of all creation. You are holy. Mighty beyond comprehension. So worthy of my praise and the out pouring of my life’s energies. Today I gladly give myself to You. I am convinced that You are always for me. Obedience to You will always mean Your very best for me. I’m so grateful that I can come boldly and without shame before Your throne because I pray all these things in Jesus’ name.”
This prayer will probably take no more than a minute. It is not about the time, it is about your heart.
1 Peter 5: 6
“Humble yourselves; therefore, under God’s mighty hand so that He may lift you up in due time.”
In order to grow up in Christ, we must learn to get down in reverence to God. Sometimes it takes miles of a journey to know why we are on a certain road with God.
Take a moment to determine how you could benefit from a study like this.
About how long has your journey with God been thus far in your life?
How did it begin?
Based on all you have experienced with God, what excites you most about the next adventure you are going to have with Him?
What scares you the most about your next adventure with Him?
The Psalms of Ascent are made up of Psalms 120 – 134. That will be the basis of this study. However, here are some facts about the Psalms as a whole.
1. There are 150 Psalms
2. 73 of the Psalms were written by David
3. 12 are attributed to Asaph, a Levite musician David appointed to lead worship with singers under Asaph’s tutelage.
4. 10 are attributed to the sons of Korah who were also temple singers. The psalms designated by the names of Asaph or the sons of Korah could also refer to a hymnbook from which they commonly sang.
5. 2 are believed to be written by Solomon
6. 1 was written by Moses
7. 1 was written by another singer named Heman
8. 1 was written by a singer named Ethan
9. The remainder are anonymous. Many of the undesignated songs probably fell from the pen of David. The entire book of 150 Psalms is associated with him for good reason. Surely he more than any other person in Scripture is used of God to teach us how to materialize our worship.
The Psalms were divided into five books which are believed to correspond to the five books of Moses:
Book One: Psalms 1 – 41 (Genesis)
Book Two: Psalms 42 – 72 (Exodus)
Book Three: Psalms 73 – 89 (Leviticus)
Book Four: Psalms 90 – 106 (Numbers)
Book Five: Psalms 107 – 150 (Deuteronomy)
What do all of the Psalms have in common? Praise
The Psalms are a showing of true emotion where the Psalmist is able to be honest with God about his feelings. Therefore, we can say that honesty with God is consistent with worship.
The Psalms of Ascent
June 27, 2009
Stepping Up by Beth Moore
The Psalms of Ascent
Session One
Why should we study the Psalms?
1. Song originated with God and accompanied creation
Job 38: 4 – 7 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone- while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy.”
2. Emotions and experiences can be expressed through songs in ways spoken words can never satisfy. A song can help us voice something that we dare not say otherwise. Think of how difficult it must have been for all the disciples after sharing the Lord’s Supper. They knew their Lord would be sacrificed. In Matthew 26: 30, it says they sang Psalms then went to the Mt. of Olives. It was tradition to sing the Psalms
together once the Passover Meal was completed. They knew, however, that this
would be no ordinary Passover Meal.
3. A song greatly enhances the ability of the human mind to memorize. Memorizing Scripture was an important part of Jewish heritage. At a very young age, young Jewish children would have memorized Scripture to a tune to make them easier to memorize. How many of us can still remember a song we sang in elementary school, but we cannot remember where we put our keys?
4. We can think a song is beautiful and memorize its words yet remain completely unaffected by what it says. Consider the relevance of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 14: 15 in our present context: “I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.”
When you sing praises to God, if you do not mean what you are singing, it is not worship. Ezekiel 33: 31 – 32
“My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice."
5. A song can change our entire perspective.
Acts 16: 24 – 26
“Upon receiving such orders, the guard put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet to their stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake, that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once, all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose.”
Can you imagine? We don’t have to literally be behind prison walls for this to speak to you. Everyone has some type of prison that we need to praise God through. He will break the chains of that prison if we just learn to praise Him in the bad times!!!
A song can also greatly affect the heart of God.
6. Revelation 5: 13
“Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
‘To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever!’ “
Robert Mounce describes this scene as “the adoration of the entire created world.” In ways beyond our comprehension, the gift of song is not limited to humans and angels.
Isaiah 55: 12
“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the fields will clap their hands.”
Stepping Up by Beth Moore
The Psalms of Ascent
Session One
Why should we study the Psalms?
1. Song originated with God and accompanied creation
Job 38: 4 – 7 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone- while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy.”
2. Emotions and experiences can be expressed through songs in ways spoken words can never satisfy. A song can help us voice something that we dare not say otherwise. Think of how difficult it must have been for all the disciples after sharing the Lord’s Supper. They knew their Lord would be sacrificed. In Matthew 26: 30, it says they sang Psalms then went to the Mt. of Olives. It was tradition to sing the Psalms
together once the Passover Meal was completed. They knew, however, that this
would be no ordinary Passover Meal.
3. A song greatly enhances the ability of the human mind to memorize. Memorizing Scripture was an important part of Jewish heritage. At a very young age, young Jewish children would have memorized Scripture to a tune to make them easier to memorize. How many of us can still remember a song we sang in elementary school, but we cannot remember where we put our keys?
4. We can think a song is beautiful and memorize its words yet remain completely unaffected by what it says. Consider the relevance of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 14: 15 in our present context: “I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.”
When you sing praises to God, if you do not mean what you are singing, it is not worship. Ezekiel 33: 31 – 32
“My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice."
5. A song can change our entire perspective.
Acts 16: 24 – 26
“Upon receiving such orders, the guard put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet to their stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake, that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once, all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose.”
Can you imagine? We don’t have to literally be behind prison walls for this to speak to you. Everyone has some type of prison that we need to praise God through. He will break the chains of that prison if we just learn to praise Him in the bad times!!!
A song can also greatly affect the heart of God.
6. Revelation 5: 13
“Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
‘To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever!’ “
Robert Mounce describes this scene as “the adoration of the entire created world.” In ways beyond our comprehension, the gift of song is not limited to humans and angels.
Isaiah 55: 12
“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the fields will clap their hands.”
Friday, June 12, 2009
Elijah - Chapter 10
Good morning! It is 6:30 in the morning, and I couldn't sleep any longer knowing we needed to finish this study before I go to the beach! I am the BIGGEST procrastinator you will ever meet. I don't do anything unless it is last minute!!! My sister has been packed for weeks and she even has all of her meals planned out for the week! I call her a big nerd to her face, but I really wish I were more like her!!! I am the one cleaning the house and packing three hours before we walk out the door! I try to never let anyone down, but things are always in the last minute!!! I hate the example I am being to my kids. My husband is also very organized, and I am praying he is the one that rubs off on them!!!
Anyway, enough about me! I don't want to ever make this about me. I just felt like if I didn't start my day off with God, things will probably go down hill all day. So, let's finish up our study on Elijah!!!
The author, Chuck Swindoll, begins his commentary on this Scripture with the recollection of his relationship with his grandfather. He was very close to his grandfather, and they spent a lot of time in conversation. One day, they began talking about death, and his grandfather told him that he wanted "the full load". He wanted to experience death so that he could experience resurrection. He did not want to think about his grandfather dying, but it helped him face his fears to know that resurrection would soon follow! When his grandfather died, he praised God by shouting back his grandfather 1 Thessalonians 4: 13 - 18
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another in these words!
God's plan for Elijah was completely different!!! God used Elijah in so many amazing ways! Elijah was heroic, humble and obedient beyond belief. Now God would bless him with the very ability to dodge death!!! He is one of only two men in the Bible that escaped the jaws of death. Enoch (Genesis 5: 21 - 24) was the first, and Elijah was the second. He was immediately ushered into the presence of God!!! Those who are alive when Christ comes will also bypass death! Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15: 51 - 54 :
Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not sleep, but we shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when the perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory!!!
Elijah must have been aware that he would be taken up in a whirlwind. He gives us a wonderful example of how we should live in anticipation of Christ's return. Please note that "the sons of the prophets" also knew of Elijah upcoming departure because they made it known to Elisha. God also revealed where Elijah would be taken up because we see Elijah moving swiftly in Scripture towards the Jordan. Yet, we wonder why Elijah didn't go directly to the Jordan, rather than traveling to Gilgal, Bethel and Jericho first. Remember, I sent the meaning these cities represent to you in last nights Scripture. These cities were also the locations of "seminaries" during this time. Samuel founded these places so that young men could learn how to live the disciplined life of a prophet. Many Historians believe that Elijah made the journey through these cities in order to meet one last time with "the sons of the prophets". Swindoll also believes that Elijah made this journey as a time of reflection over his life and interactions with God. He believes this is why Elisha tells "the sons of the prophets" to "be still or be quiet". He thinks Elisha was trying to protect Elijah from being bombarded with questions that would surely arise from these young prophets.
See, that tells you how much I know. I have always felt like Elisha was telling them to be quiet because he did not want to be reminded of the fact that his mentor would be leaving him soon. It just takes a little commentary to remind me that I still have so much to learn.
Over and over again, we see Elijah try to make the separation from Elisha that was necessary for his departure. Over and over, Elisha refused. Elisha was relentless. He was not going to leave his master....no matter what! Elijah could have been testing his commitment. I do not believe he was trying to get rid of Elisha. That can be one of our questions when we get to heaven!!! Either way, Elisha committed himself to standing by Elijah until he no longer could! If you have an Elisha in your life, take time to thank them for their commitment to you because these friends are a rare breed.
Now let's focus on Elisha request to Elijah to receive a double dose of Elijah's spirit! Wow! What a request, but we are reminded here to always seek bigger things in God. As long as our focus is on God and not our own glory, God wants us to strive for bigger things!!!
Then, it happens!
2 Kings 2: 11
As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind!!!
Wow, again!!! These two intimate friends were just walking together and probably trying to breathe in every ounce of their last moments together. Just like that, Elijah is brought up to heaven in a most powerful way!!! Elisha cried out to his companion and to our God. He saw him no more. Elisha immediately picked up is mantle of power and moved on to do God's work.
I love 2 Kings 2: 15
The company of prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, "The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha." And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.
Can you imagine how this must have felt for Elisha. He was ready to take on the work of God because he knew that when a man of God dies nothing of God dies (which I am referring to Elijah being gone...not physically dying).
Thank you all so much for bearing with me through this study!!! Please overlook any typos this morning...it is early!!!
I love you all, and I am starting a new study the Tuesday after I get back from the beach. It is "Stepping Up" by Beth Moore! I can't wait to share it with you!!!!
Tiff
Anyway, enough about me! I don't want to ever make this about me. I just felt like if I didn't start my day off with God, things will probably go down hill all day. So, let's finish up our study on Elijah!!!
The author, Chuck Swindoll, begins his commentary on this Scripture with the recollection of his relationship with his grandfather. He was very close to his grandfather, and they spent a lot of time in conversation. One day, they began talking about death, and his grandfather told him that he wanted "the full load". He wanted to experience death so that he could experience resurrection. He did not want to think about his grandfather dying, but it helped him face his fears to know that resurrection would soon follow! When his grandfather died, he praised God by shouting back his grandfather 1 Thessalonians 4: 13 - 18
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another in these words!
God's plan for Elijah was completely different!!! God used Elijah in so many amazing ways! Elijah was heroic, humble and obedient beyond belief. Now God would bless him with the very ability to dodge death!!! He is one of only two men in the Bible that escaped the jaws of death. Enoch (Genesis 5: 21 - 24) was the first, and Elijah was the second. He was immediately ushered into the presence of God!!! Those who are alive when Christ comes will also bypass death! Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15: 51 - 54 :
Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not sleep, but we shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when the perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory!!!
Elijah must have been aware that he would be taken up in a whirlwind. He gives us a wonderful example of how we should live in anticipation of Christ's return. Please note that "the sons of the prophets" also knew of Elijah upcoming departure because they made it known to Elisha. God also revealed where Elijah would be taken up because we see Elijah moving swiftly in Scripture towards the Jordan. Yet, we wonder why Elijah didn't go directly to the Jordan, rather than traveling to Gilgal, Bethel and Jericho first. Remember, I sent the meaning these cities represent to you in last nights Scripture. These cities were also the locations of "seminaries" during this time. Samuel founded these places so that young men could learn how to live the disciplined life of a prophet. Many Historians believe that Elijah made the journey through these cities in order to meet one last time with "the sons of the prophets". Swindoll also believes that Elijah made this journey as a time of reflection over his life and interactions with God. He believes this is why Elisha tells "the sons of the prophets" to "be still or be quiet". He thinks Elisha was trying to protect Elijah from being bombarded with questions that would surely arise from these young prophets.
See, that tells you how much I know. I have always felt like Elisha was telling them to be quiet because he did not want to be reminded of the fact that his mentor would be leaving him soon. It just takes a little commentary to remind me that I still have so much to learn.
Over and over again, we see Elijah try to make the separation from Elisha that was necessary for his departure. Over and over, Elisha refused. Elisha was relentless. He was not going to leave his master....no matter what! Elijah could have been testing his commitment. I do not believe he was trying to get rid of Elisha. That can be one of our questions when we get to heaven!!! Either way, Elisha committed himself to standing by Elijah until he no longer could! If you have an Elisha in your life, take time to thank them for their commitment to you because these friends are a rare breed.
Now let's focus on Elisha request to Elijah to receive a double dose of Elijah's spirit! Wow! What a request, but we are reminded here to always seek bigger things in God. As long as our focus is on God and not our own glory, God wants us to strive for bigger things!!!
Then, it happens!
2 Kings 2: 11
As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind!!!
Wow, again!!! These two intimate friends were just walking together and probably trying to breathe in every ounce of their last moments together. Just like that, Elijah is brought up to heaven in a most powerful way!!! Elisha cried out to his companion and to our God. He saw him no more. Elisha immediately picked up is mantle of power and moved on to do God's work.
I love 2 Kings 2: 15
The company of prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, "The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha." And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.
Can you imagine how this must have felt for Elisha. He was ready to take on the work of God because he knew that when a man of God dies nothing of God dies (which I am referring to Elijah being gone...not physically dying).
Thank you all so much for bearing with me through this study!!! Please overlook any typos this morning...it is early!!!
I love you all, and I am starting a new study the Tuesday after I get back from the beach. It is "Stepping Up" by Beth Moore! I can't wait to share it with you!!!!
Tiff
Elijah - Chapter 10 Scripture
Chapter 10 will be based on the following Scripture!
2 Kings 2: 1 - 14
And it came about when the Lord was about to take up Elijah by a whirlwind to heaven, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.
And Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here please, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So, they went down to Bethel.
Then the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, "Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?" And he said, "Yes, I know; be still."
And Elijah said to him, "Elisha, please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho." But he said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So, they came to Jericho.
And the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, "Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?" And he answered, "Yes, I know; be still."
Then Elijah said to him, "Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan." And he said, "As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on.
Now fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them as a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle and folded it together and struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground. Now it came about when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you."
And Elisha said, "Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me." And he said, "You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so."
Then it came about as they were going along and talking, that behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven. And Elisha saw it and cried out, "My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" And he saw him no more.
Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan. And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and struck the waters and said, "Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?" And when he also had struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over.
As you read these Scriptures, consider the meaning of each place mentioned:
1. Gilgal - It was a place of beginning. If you can recall, this is where the the children of Israel began their camp before invading enemy territory. They stood on the verge of battle. They were near the place of battle, but still in their safety net.
2. Bethel - It was the place of prayer - "Beth-el" means "House of God". It is where Abraham built an altar to meet with the Lord.
3. Jericho - It was the place of battle - Jericho represents the place where the children of Israel drove into the opposition. In Elijah's mind, it represented the battle at Mount Carmel and the numerous other battles he had with Ahab and Jezebel.
4. Jordan - It was the place of death - The Jordan didn't just represent physical death in this Scripture. It also represents how Elijah gave up his own life to live according to God's will.
Tomorrow we will discuss the other applications of this Scripture!!!
Have an Amazing Day!!!
Tiffany
2 Kings 2: 1 - 14
And it came about when the Lord was about to take up Elijah by a whirlwind to heaven, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.
And Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here please, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So, they went down to Bethel.
Then the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, "Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?" And he said, "Yes, I know; be still."
And Elijah said to him, "Elisha, please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho." But he said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So, they came to Jericho.
And the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, "Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?" And he answered, "Yes, I know; be still."
Then Elijah said to him, "Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan." And he said, "As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on.
Now fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them as a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle and folded it together and struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground. Now it came about when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you."
And Elisha said, "Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me." And he said, "You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so."
Then it came about as they were going along and talking, that behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven. And Elisha saw it and cried out, "My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" And he saw him no more.
Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan. And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and struck the waters and said, "Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?" And when he also had struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over.
As you read these Scriptures, consider the meaning of each place mentioned:
1. Gilgal - It was a place of beginning. If you can recall, this is where the the children of Israel began their camp before invading enemy territory. They stood on the verge of battle. They were near the place of battle, but still in their safety net.
2. Bethel - It was the place of prayer - "Beth-el" means "House of God". It is where Abraham built an altar to meet with the Lord.
3. Jericho - It was the place of battle - Jericho represents the place where the children of Israel drove into the opposition. In Elijah's mind, it represented the battle at Mount Carmel and the numerous other battles he had with Ahab and Jezebel.
4. Jordan - It was the place of death - The Jordan didn't just represent physical death in this Scripture. It also represents how Elijah gave up his own life to live according to God's will.
Tomorrow we will discuss the other applications of this Scripture!!!
Have an Amazing Day!!!
Tiffany
Elijah 6/11/09
I owe all of you an apology that I have not gotten this to you sooner! I am so sorry! It has been a crazy couple of days!!! Some of the craziness from today is amazing news though! We celebrated the birth of a new baby boy this morning @ 7:30 am!!! My cousin, Denise, (that is more like my sister) gave birth to this beautiful baby!!! His name is Camden Zane Norman, and he will go by "Zane". Please pray for Zane because they did a scan on him this morning because of a spot they located on his liver during ultrasound. The doctor feel that it is not necessarily an emergency right now. However, they are sending him to a specialist to help determine what the spot is. The expected it to go away before he was born, but it has not. The entire family has a peace that he is okay, but prayers always increase that peace!!!
We were also invited to go down to the beach a day early. So, we have to get moving if we are going to finish this book. Let's finish up chapter nine, and I am going to go ahead and send you the Scripture for chapter ten. Then, I am going to do my very best to finish up that chapter tomorrow before I go!!! If we don't get it finished....please forgive me!!! I am going to try!!!
Chapter 9 discussion:
Elijah lived most of his life right in the very center of a bulls eye. He became a household name throughout the land once he prophesied the drought and it occurred. His heroic showdown on Mt. Carmel only made things more tense for Elijah, and God delivered Elijah from many traps that were laid for him. In the last chapter, Ahab and Jezebel went too far, and God predicted Ahab's death. This did not mean, however, that everything was now okay. The next ruler, Ahaziah (probably Ahab's oldest son), was just like his father. All we know about him is that he had an accident from which he never recovered.
2 Kings 1:2
And Ahaziah fell through some lattice in his upper chamber which was in Samaria and became ill.
We have no more details of his accident. We just know that it was serious and it led to an interesting series of events. Here we are introduced to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron. Ekron was on of the five major Philistine cities, and this god was housed there. The meaning of the name in Hebrew is "god of the fly". We really do not know why he was called this. All we know is the god's location. We know the greek form of this word is "Beelzebul", and in Matthew 12: 22- 24 we are told that Beelzebul is the ruler of the demons. This could be a direct reference to Satan or it could be a reference to a prince of the demonic world. Either way, we know this is a pagan deity, and Baal-zebub was directly related to the satanic world of the demons.
Ahaziah didn't care who this god was related to. He just wanted to know his future and if he would recover.
God had to intervene, and he quickly sent Elijah to keep Ahaziah's men from making the journey to the god of Ekron. He immediately responded to Ahaziah through Elijah, his servant. He told Elijah to let Ahaziah know that the very act of consulting this false god would lead to his death. Ahaziah had to have known Elijah at this point in his life. He had to know what Elijah stood for. Yet, he sent his army to intimidate the prophet. Do you think Elijah was intimidated? NOOOOOO! God honored his refusal to be intimidated by casting fire down from heaven and destroying the first two messengers.
The third captain of the army took a different approach to Elijah. He fell before his knees and begged for mercy on his life. He acknowledged Elijah as a man of God. God must have been moved by this because he told Elijah to go to Ahaziah with the captain to tell him of his future.
Here we go again!!! How courageous can one person be? Elijah immediately followed the Lord's command and went to Ahaziah. He has faced these kings, fearlessly, with the word of God and God was faithful to fulfill the word each time.
Ahaziah had to die because of his mistrust in the one and only God and his failure to acknowledge His ways.
We must learn from this that God is not pleased with occult involvement. I know many of us think, "what's the harm in reading my horoscope for fun?" But you are treading on enemy territory, and that is not tolerated by God. God's word is very clear:
Leviticus 19:31
Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.
Leviticus 20: 6
I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people.
These things may seem harmless to you at first, but they open doors that should never be opened. It is so easy to become trapped by the dealings of demonic forces.
Rather than focusing on the things of this world, let's remember that God is delighted when we trust Him only. When we trust in only God, He will strengthen us. We must believe in this strength, or we can fall prey to the lure of demonic thinking.
We were also invited to go down to the beach a day early. So, we have to get moving if we are going to finish this book. Let's finish up chapter nine, and I am going to go ahead and send you the Scripture for chapter ten. Then, I am going to do my very best to finish up that chapter tomorrow before I go!!! If we don't get it finished....please forgive me!!! I am going to try!!!
Chapter 9 discussion:
Elijah lived most of his life right in the very center of a bulls eye. He became a household name throughout the land once he prophesied the drought and it occurred. His heroic showdown on Mt. Carmel only made things more tense for Elijah, and God delivered Elijah from many traps that were laid for him. In the last chapter, Ahab and Jezebel went too far, and God predicted Ahab's death. This did not mean, however, that everything was now okay. The next ruler, Ahaziah (probably Ahab's oldest son), was just like his father. All we know about him is that he had an accident from which he never recovered.
2 Kings 1:2
And Ahaziah fell through some lattice in his upper chamber which was in Samaria and became ill.
We have no more details of his accident. We just know that it was serious and it led to an interesting series of events. Here we are introduced to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron. Ekron was on of the five major Philistine cities, and this god was housed there. The meaning of the name in Hebrew is "god of the fly". We really do not know why he was called this. All we know is the god's location. We know the greek form of this word is "Beelzebul", and in Matthew 12: 22- 24 we are told that Beelzebul is the ruler of the demons. This could be a direct reference to Satan or it could be a reference to a prince of the demonic world. Either way, we know this is a pagan deity, and Baal-zebub was directly related to the satanic world of the demons.
Ahaziah didn't care who this god was related to. He just wanted to know his future and if he would recover.
God had to intervene, and he quickly sent Elijah to keep Ahaziah's men from making the journey to the god of Ekron. He immediately responded to Ahaziah through Elijah, his servant. He told Elijah to let Ahaziah know that the very act of consulting this false god would lead to his death. Ahaziah had to have known Elijah at this point in his life. He had to know what Elijah stood for. Yet, he sent his army to intimidate the prophet. Do you think Elijah was intimidated? NOOOOOO! God honored his refusal to be intimidated by casting fire down from heaven and destroying the first two messengers.
The third captain of the army took a different approach to Elijah. He fell before his knees and begged for mercy on his life. He acknowledged Elijah as a man of God. God must have been moved by this because he told Elijah to go to Ahaziah with the captain to tell him of his future.
Here we go again!!! How courageous can one person be? Elijah immediately followed the Lord's command and went to Ahaziah. He has faced these kings, fearlessly, with the word of God and God was faithful to fulfill the word each time.
Ahaziah had to die because of his mistrust in the one and only God and his failure to acknowledge His ways.
We must learn from this that God is not pleased with occult involvement. I know many of us think, "what's the harm in reading my horoscope for fun?" But you are treading on enemy territory, and that is not tolerated by God. God's word is very clear:
Leviticus 19:31
Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.
Leviticus 20: 6
I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people.
These things may seem harmless to you at first, but they open doors that should never be opened. It is so easy to become trapped by the dealings of demonic forces.
Rather than focusing on the things of this world, let's remember that God is delighted when we trust Him only. When we trust in only God, He will strengthen us. We must believe in this strength, or we can fall prey to the lure of demonic thinking.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Elijah - Chapter 9
Good Morning! We begin Chapter 9 today!!! I can't believe we only have one chapter left in this book!!! We are leaving for the beach on Saturday, and I want to finish before we leave!!! I have no internet access down there, Ugh!!! I may be able to send a few studies if we go get ice cream or something, but I am not counting on it. Sunset Beach has a hard time with internet. We'll see what happens!!!
As I said, we are beginning Chapter 9. There is a lot of Scripture again with this chapter. So, we will just do as we have done with the last two. We'll begin with the Scripture so we can think on it and discuss it tomorrow!!!
2 Kings 1: 1 - 18
After Ahab's death, Moab rebelled against Israel. Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers, saying to them, "Go and consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, to see if I will recover from this injury." But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, the Tishbite, "Go up and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?' Therefore this is what the Lord says: 'You will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!' " So Elijah went. When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, "Why have you come back?"
"A man came to meet us," they replied. "And he said to us, 'Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, "This is what the Lord says: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending men to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!" ' "
The king asked them, "What kind of man was it who came to meet you and told you this?"
They replied, "He was a man with a garment of hair and with a leather belt around his waist." The king said, "That was Elijah, the Tishbite."
Then he sent to Elijah a captain with his company of fifty men. The captain went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, "Man of God, the king says, 'Come down!' "
Elijah answered the captain, "If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!" Then fire fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men.
At this the king sent to Elijah another captain with his fifty men. The captain said to him, "Man of God, this is what the king says, 'Come down at once!' "
"If I am a man of God," Elijah replied, "may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!" Then the fire of God fell from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.
So the king sent a third captain with his fifty men. This third captain went up and fell on his knees before Elijah. "Man of God," he begged, "please have respect for my life and the lives of these fifty men, your servants! See, fire has fallen from heaven and consumed the first two captains and all their men. But now have respect for my life!"
The angel of the Lord said to Elijah, "Go down with him; do not be afraid of him." So Elijah got up and went down with him to the king.
He told the king, "This is what the Lord says: Is it because there is no God in Israel for you to consult that you have sent messengers to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!" So he died, according to the word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken.
Because Ahaziah had no son, Joram succeeded him as king in the second year of Jehoram so of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. As for all the other events of Ahaziah's reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?
Wow! I can't wait to study what the author, Chuck Swindoll, has to share with us on this Scripture! Could you imagine being Elijah? Could you imagine hearing from the Lord and actually seeing it all happen right before you? Could you imagine being able to speak fire down from heaven on your behalf in order to show everyone that God is the one true God. Man, God could not give me that much power!! I would have Gastonia burned down in one afternoon!!!
You guys have an wonderful day!!! I am spending the day with my little men at the pool! We went to Carowinds yesterday (in the heat). I am still trying to bounce back from a rough day on Sunday with my stomach. It is amazing what those puppy dog eyes can talk you in to!!!
love you all,
Tiffany
As I said, we are beginning Chapter 9. There is a lot of Scripture again with this chapter. So, we will just do as we have done with the last two. We'll begin with the Scripture so we can think on it and discuss it tomorrow!!!
2 Kings 1: 1 - 18
After Ahab's death, Moab rebelled against Israel. Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers, saying to them, "Go and consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, to see if I will recover from this injury." But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, the Tishbite, "Go up and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?' Therefore this is what the Lord says: 'You will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!' " So Elijah went. When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, "Why have you come back?"
"A man came to meet us," they replied. "And he said to us, 'Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, "This is what the Lord says: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending men to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!" ' "
The king asked them, "What kind of man was it who came to meet you and told you this?"
They replied, "He was a man with a garment of hair and with a leather belt around his waist." The king said, "That was Elijah, the Tishbite."
Then he sent to Elijah a captain with his company of fifty men. The captain went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, "Man of God, the king says, 'Come down!' "
Elijah answered the captain, "If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!" Then fire fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men.
At this the king sent to Elijah another captain with his fifty men. The captain said to him, "Man of God, this is what the king says, 'Come down at once!' "
"If I am a man of God," Elijah replied, "may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!" Then the fire of God fell from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.
So the king sent a third captain with his fifty men. This third captain went up and fell on his knees before Elijah. "Man of God," he begged, "please have respect for my life and the lives of these fifty men, your servants! See, fire has fallen from heaven and consumed the first two captains and all their men. But now have respect for my life!"
The angel of the Lord said to Elijah, "Go down with him; do not be afraid of him." So Elijah got up and went down with him to the king.
He told the king, "This is what the Lord says: Is it because there is no God in Israel for you to consult that you have sent messengers to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!" So he died, according to the word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken.
Because Ahaziah had no son, Joram succeeded him as king in the second year of Jehoram so of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. As for all the other events of Ahaziah's reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?
Wow! I can't wait to study what the author, Chuck Swindoll, has to share with us on this Scripture! Could you imagine being Elijah? Could you imagine hearing from the Lord and actually seeing it all happen right before you? Could you imagine being able to speak fire down from heaven on your behalf in order to show everyone that God is the one true God. Man, God could not give me that much power!! I would have Gastonia burned down in one afternoon!!!
You guys have an wonderful day!!! I am spending the day with my little men at the pool! We went to Carowinds yesterday (in the heat). I am still trying to bounce back from a rough day on Sunday with my stomach. It is amazing what those puppy dog eyes can talk you in to!!!
love you all,
Tiffany
Friday, June 5, 2009
Elijah - 6/3/09
Happy day to all!!! It is already Wednesday, and we are about to complete two and a half weeks of our summer vacation! I pray it slows down some or we'll be headed back to school before I know it!!! I am enjoying my boys being at home so much!!! They make me smile from my head to my toes, and I miss them so much when they aren't with me. I plan on enjoying each and every moment God gives me this summer to spend with them!! I hope you do the same!!
My family received some very happy news this week! My older sister, Beth, just found out that she may be adopting a baby in September! She and her husband have been trying for years to have one of their own, and it just hasn't worked out for them to conceive. They have been approached by a young mother about adopting the child she is carrying. If all goes well, they will be parents in a few short months!!! Please lift them up in prayer! My sister's name is Beth, and her husband is Rick. Also, pray for this young girl and the little boy she is carrying.
We are already on Chapter Eight of our study on Elijah!!! Two chapters to go!!! Isn't that exciting!!! I love getting to know God's people on such an intimate level! This study has allowed us to enter into the heart and mind of Elijah as he endured situations that I could never dream of!!! Praise God for individuals with the strength that Elijah displayed during his journey with God!!!
The Scripture for this chapter is long. So I am going to do as I did for the last chapter and just share the Scripture with you first. Then, we can discuss the author's views on the Scripture once you have a chance to read through and digest everything.
1 Kings 21: 1 - 29
Now it came about after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel beside the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria. And Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, "Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden because it is close beside my house, and I will give you a better vineyard than it in its place; if you like, I will give you the price of it in money." But Naboth said to Ahab, "The Lord forbid me that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers." So Ahab came into his house sullen and vexed because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he said, "I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers." And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and ate no food. But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, "How is it that your spirit is so sullen that you are not eating food?" So he said to her, "Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, "Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it pleases you, I will give you a vineyard in its place. But he said, 'I will not give you my vineyard.' " And Jezebel his wife said to him, "Do you now reign over Israel? Arise, eat bread, and let your heart be joyful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite." So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal, and sent letters to the elders and the nobles who were living with Naboth in his city. Now she wrote in the letters, saying, "Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth at the head of the people; and seat two worthless men before him, and let them testify against him saying, 'You cursed God and the king.' Then take him out and stone him to death." So the men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them, just as it was written in the letters which she had sent them. They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the people. Then the two worthless men came in and sat before him; and the worthless men testified against him, even against Naboth, before the people, saying, "Naboth cursed God and the king." So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones. Then they sent word to Jezebel, saying, "Naboth has been stoned, and is dead." And it came about when Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, "Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead." And it came about when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite, to take possession of it. Then, the word of the Lord came to Elijah, the Tishbite, saying, "Arise, go down to meet Ahab, king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth where he has gone down to take possession of it. And you shall speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the Lord, ..."In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, the dogs shall lick up your blood, even yours." ' " And Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you found me, O my enemy?" And he answered, "I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord. Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male, both bond and free in Israel; and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha, the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and because you have made Israel sin. And of Jezebel also has the Lord spoken, saying, 'The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the districe of Jezreel.' The one belonging to Ahab, who dies in the city, the dogs shall eat, and the one who dies in the field the bird of heaven shall eat." Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel, his wife, incited him. And he acted very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the sons of Israel. And it came about when Ahab heard these words, that he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about despondently. Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying "Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days, but I will bring the evil upon his house in his son's days."
You know, I don't even know how to respond to this Scripture because I am soooo human. I mean, I am thinking Ahab is just a spineless, spoiled little brat that went whining to his wife when he didn't get his way. If there is one thing I can't stand, it is a spineless, whiny man. So, then, this evil wife decides to take matters into her own hands, and she has a God fearing, innocent man killed over a piece of land because she can't bear to see her husband upset. I just think she was looking for an excuse to kill someone. Don't you wonder why Ahab didn't question Jezebel about this man's death. I mean, he was perfectly healthy just a few days ago. Wouldn't that just be toooooo big of a coincidence to you? This is a perfect example of why men should stand up and be the spiritual leaders in their households. Someone has to hold the people in their house accountable for their actions. There is a reason why God instructed men to love their wives as Christ loved the church and lead them in the way of the Lord. Come to think of it, didn't Adam act this way once? If he had stood up to Eve and been the spiritual leader in his home, maybe we would still be in the Garden of Eden!!! MEN!!! (Just kidding! All you men can write me on the scheming ways of women later.) Back to our stories from my human perspective!!
Does Ahab question her? NOOOO!!! He just runs down to claim his prize!!! But wait, who's that in the distance coming towards me? Yes, Ahab, it Elijah!!! Remember that man that kicked your behind on a mountain no too long ago!! If I were Ahab, I think I would have learned to run at the sight of Elijah by now. You can't tell me he wasn't shaking in his boots.
Now I have to give props to Elijah because he is one courageous man!!! (Kind of reminds me of my husband)!!! After being told the queen would have him killed, he still obeyed our God and went to Ahab! I have to say that I would have probably tucked tail and run in the other direction, but not Elijah!!! He was the faithful servant that God knew he would be. Could you imagine speaking these words to a king? Basically, he prophecied the death of Ahab and everyone in his house.
Ahab's response wasn't to lash out at Elijah! He became very mournful and clothed himself in sackcloth. Now, where was Jezebel? If she couldn't stand seeing her husband hurt, why wasn't she jumping to have God stoned to death? Not such a big girl now, are you Jezebel?
So, God is touched by Ahab's humble attitude and grants him mercy. I can't make light of this....let's say this again
SO, GOD IS TOUCHED BY AHAB"S HUMBLE ATTITUDE AND GRANTS HIM MERCY!!!!
See, my human nature wants to just fry Ahab and Jezebel!!! This is the reason why God doesn't trust me with justice. I am much better off if I just hand things to Him in prayer and let Him be the judge!!! I promise you He handles this situation....He always does.
Okay, so you have my take on this Scripture. Tomorrow I am going to share the spiritual and educated views of our author, Chuck Swindoll. I wouldn't take my opinions to the bank, but I can promise you his will be better!!!
Have a great day,
Tiff
My family received some very happy news this week! My older sister, Beth, just found out that she may be adopting a baby in September! She and her husband have been trying for years to have one of their own, and it just hasn't worked out for them to conceive. They have been approached by a young mother about adopting the child she is carrying. If all goes well, they will be parents in a few short months!!! Please lift them up in prayer! My sister's name is Beth, and her husband is Rick. Also, pray for this young girl and the little boy she is carrying.
We are already on Chapter Eight of our study on Elijah!!! Two chapters to go!!! Isn't that exciting!!! I love getting to know God's people on such an intimate level! This study has allowed us to enter into the heart and mind of Elijah as he endured situations that I could never dream of!!! Praise God for individuals with the strength that Elijah displayed during his journey with God!!!
The Scripture for this chapter is long. So I am going to do as I did for the last chapter and just share the Scripture with you first. Then, we can discuss the author's views on the Scripture once you have a chance to read through and digest everything.
1 Kings 21: 1 - 29
Now it came about after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel beside the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria. And Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, "Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden because it is close beside my house, and I will give you a better vineyard than it in its place; if you like, I will give you the price of it in money." But Naboth said to Ahab, "The Lord forbid me that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers." So Ahab came into his house sullen and vexed because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he said, "I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers." And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and ate no food. But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, "How is it that your spirit is so sullen that you are not eating food?" So he said to her, "Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, "Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it pleases you, I will give you a vineyard in its place. But he said, 'I will not give you my vineyard.' " And Jezebel his wife said to him, "Do you now reign over Israel? Arise, eat bread, and let your heart be joyful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite." So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal, and sent letters to the elders and the nobles who were living with Naboth in his city. Now she wrote in the letters, saying, "Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth at the head of the people; and seat two worthless men before him, and let them testify against him saying, 'You cursed God and the king.' Then take him out and stone him to death." So the men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them, just as it was written in the letters which she had sent them. They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the people. Then the two worthless men came in and sat before him; and the worthless men testified against him, even against Naboth, before the people, saying, "Naboth cursed God and the king." So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones. Then they sent word to Jezebel, saying, "Naboth has been stoned, and is dead." And it came about when Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, "Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead." And it came about when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite, to take possession of it. Then, the word of the Lord came to Elijah, the Tishbite, saying, "Arise, go down to meet Ahab, king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth where he has gone down to take possession of it. And you shall speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the Lord, ..."In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, the dogs shall lick up your blood, even yours." ' " And Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you found me, O my enemy?" And he answered, "I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord. Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male, both bond and free in Israel; and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha, the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and because you have made Israel sin. And of Jezebel also has the Lord spoken, saying, 'The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the districe of Jezreel.' The one belonging to Ahab, who dies in the city, the dogs shall eat, and the one who dies in the field the bird of heaven shall eat." Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel, his wife, incited him. And he acted very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the sons of Israel. And it came about when Ahab heard these words, that he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about despondently. Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying "Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days, but I will bring the evil upon his house in his son's days."
You know, I don't even know how to respond to this Scripture because I am soooo human. I mean, I am thinking Ahab is just a spineless, spoiled little brat that went whining to his wife when he didn't get his way. If there is one thing I can't stand, it is a spineless, whiny man. So, then, this evil wife decides to take matters into her own hands, and she has a God fearing, innocent man killed over a piece of land because she can't bear to see her husband upset. I just think she was looking for an excuse to kill someone. Don't you wonder why Ahab didn't question Jezebel about this man's death. I mean, he was perfectly healthy just a few days ago. Wouldn't that just be toooooo big of a coincidence to you? This is a perfect example of why men should stand up and be the spiritual leaders in their households. Someone has to hold the people in their house accountable for their actions. There is a reason why God instructed men to love their wives as Christ loved the church and lead them in the way of the Lord. Come to think of it, didn't Adam act this way once? If he had stood up to Eve and been the spiritual leader in his home, maybe we would still be in the Garden of Eden!!! MEN!!! (Just kidding! All you men can write me on the scheming ways of women later.) Back to our stories from my human perspective!!
Does Ahab question her? NOOOO!!! He just runs down to claim his prize!!! But wait, who's that in the distance coming towards me? Yes, Ahab, it Elijah!!! Remember that man that kicked your behind on a mountain no too long ago!! If I were Ahab, I think I would have learned to run at the sight of Elijah by now. You can't tell me he wasn't shaking in his boots.
Now I have to give props to Elijah because he is one courageous man!!! (Kind of reminds me of my husband)!!! After being told the queen would have him killed, he still obeyed our God and went to Ahab! I have to say that I would have probably tucked tail and run in the other direction, but not Elijah!!! He was the faithful servant that God knew he would be. Could you imagine speaking these words to a king? Basically, he prophecied the death of Ahab and everyone in his house.
Ahab's response wasn't to lash out at Elijah! He became very mournful and clothed himself in sackcloth. Now, where was Jezebel? If she couldn't stand seeing her husband hurt, why wasn't she jumping to have God stoned to death? Not such a big girl now, are you Jezebel?
So, God is touched by Ahab's humble attitude and grants him mercy. I can't make light of this....let's say this again
SO, GOD IS TOUCHED BY AHAB"S HUMBLE ATTITUDE AND GRANTS HIM MERCY!!!!
See, my human nature wants to just fry Ahab and Jezebel!!! This is the reason why God doesn't trust me with justice. I am much better off if I just hand things to Him in prayer and let Him be the judge!!! I promise you He handles this situation....He always does.
Okay, so you have my take on this Scripture. Tomorrow I am going to share the spiritual and educated views of our author, Chuck Swindoll. I wouldn't take my opinions to the bank, but I can promise you his will be better!!!
Have a great day,
Tiff
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Elijah 6/3/09
Good afternoon! It is a beautiful day, and I pray you are all having a wonderful time!
Today, we will discuss the other part of this Scripture...the good part!!!
God met Elijah in his discouragement at his most desperate hour! Let me repeat that...GOD MET Elijah in his discouragement at his most desperate hour! This is God's mercy at its best! Remember to refer back to the Scripture to refresh your memory! Let's see the ways Chuck Swindoll feels this is true:
1. God allowed Elijah a time of rest and refreshment
God didn't lay into Elijah with a thousand questions about why he would doubt. He didn't blame him or try to shame him. He didn't expect him to immediately jump back to his feet and get back to work. God told him to rest and provided a good meal for him. God knew that exhaustion could make Elijah believe a lie. He knew how important rest/food were to Elijah's body. The food was so amazing that it provided strength to Elijah for forty days and forty nights.
2. God communicated wisely with Elijah
Like I said before, God didn't begin his meeting with Elijah with a lecture. He simply asked him why he was there. Elijah replied to him in a whine that he believed to be true because of all he had been through. God knew he just needed to remind Elijah that He was still with him. He listened to Elijah. Then He asked Elijah to go out of the cave and stand before the Lord. God loved Elijah so much that He came to Elijah in a gentle blowing. Can you imagine how it feels to experience the God physically passing by you in a gentle blowing? God didn't make Himself known in the wind, earthquake or the fire. That's not the kind of God we serve. We serve a God that can come to us in a gentle blowing when our spirit is fragile. There are times when the wind, earthquake or fire may have worked for Elijah. However, this wasn't the time. Elijah needed God to be gentle. He needed God to love him, despite his frailty. Once God made Elijah aware of his presence, He reminded Elijah of the work that still needed to be done by him.
3. God gave Elijah a close, personal friend
Not only this, He also reminded Elijah that that there were still 7000 faithful servants that had not bowed to Baal. Elijah was not alone! God knew Elijah needed the knowledge of support to move beyond his depression. He reminded him of all the people that were depending on Elijah. God not only told him of this support, but He also gave him instruction to go anoint Elisha as a prophet. Elijah needed someone to be his companion, and God gave him Elisha. Elisha was not only a companion. He encouraged Elijah and ministered to him.
God has not designed us to live like hermits in a cave. He designed the church to be a source of encouragement for all of His Believers. If we didn't have others to encourage us, we could easily withdraw and begin living a life that was not effective to others. Elijah had to get his focus back on the Lord. Yet, the Lord didn't just sit back and wait on him to get his act together. He didn't leave him in Him. We just have to trust Him in the deepest part of our souls!!! Let's try to trust Him today and forever! That's all it takes!!!
Love to you all!!!
Tiffany
Today, we will discuss the other part of this Scripture...the good part!!!
God met Elijah in his discouragement at his most desperate hour! Let me repeat that...GOD MET Elijah in his discouragement at his most desperate hour! This is God's mercy at its best! Remember to refer back to the Scripture to refresh your memory! Let's see the ways Chuck Swindoll feels this is true:
1. God allowed Elijah a time of rest and refreshment
God didn't lay into Elijah with a thousand questions about why he would doubt. He didn't blame him or try to shame him. He didn't expect him to immediately jump back to his feet and get back to work. God told him to rest and provided a good meal for him. God knew that exhaustion could make Elijah believe a lie. He knew how important rest/food were to Elijah's body. The food was so amazing that it provided strength to Elijah for forty days and forty nights.
2. God communicated wisely with Elijah
Like I said before, God didn't begin his meeting with Elijah with a lecture. He simply asked him why he was there. Elijah replied to him in a whine that he believed to be true because of all he had been through. God knew he just needed to remind Elijah that He was still with him. He listened to Elijah. Then He asked Elijah to go out of the cave and stand before the Lord. God loved Elijah so much that He came to Elijah in a gentle blowing. Can you imagine how it feels to experience the God physically passing by you in a gentle blowing? God didn't make Himself known in the wind, earthquake or the fire. That's not the kind of God we serve. We serve a God that can come to us in a gentle blowing when our spirit is fragile. There are times when the wind, earthquake or fire may have worked for Elijah. However, this wasn't the time. Elijah needed God to be gentle. He needed God to love him, despite his frailty. Once God made Elijah aware of his presence, He reminded Elijah of the work that still needed to be done by him.
3. God gave Elijah a close, personal friend
Not only this, He also reminded Elijah that that there were still 7000 faithful servants that had not bowed to Baal. Elijah was not alone! God knew Elijah needed the knowledge of support to move beyond his depression. He reminded him of all the people that were depending on Elijah. God not only told him of this support, but He also gave him instruction to go anoint Elisha as a prophet. Elijah needed someone to be his companion, and God gave him Elisha. Elisha was not only a companion. He encouraged Elijah and ministered to him.
God has not designed us to live like hermits in a cave. He designed the church to be a source of encouragement for all of His Believers. If we didn't have others to encourage us, we could easily withdraw and begin living a life that was not effective to others. Elijah had to get his focus back on the Lord. Yet, the Lord didn't just sit back and wait on him to get his act together. He didn't leave him in Him. We just have to trust Him in the deepest part of our souls!!! Let's try to trust Him today and forever! That's all it takes!!!
Love to you all!!!
Tiffany
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Elijah - 6/2/09
Hi, everyone! I pray your day has been as amazing as mine has been!!! I accomplished a lot today, and it feels good to close my day with the feeling of a "job well done"!!
We basically just read Scripture yesterday. So, today I want to share a portion of Chuck Swindoll's views on this Scripture.
In this Scripture, we see a side of Elijah that we are not used to - the human side!!!
He has been such a super hero to us throughout his time with God, and it is strange to see him suffer from doubt and depression from his situation. However, it is so important that this Scripture is included in Elijah's story because we need to understand that even the most amazing people have their problems. We really shouldn't be shocked that Elijah was afraid of Jezebel. He was human....he had human emotions!!!
Elijah ran to Beersheba after his life was threatened! This was the southern limit of the land. He couldn't have run farther. Why did Jezebel's threat bother Elijah so much after all he had been through with God? Why did he run away from serving God and hide in fear?
1. Elijah was not thinking realistically or clearly
Instead of falling to his knees in prayer to God, Elijah ran first. He did not take time to stop and realize where the threat came from. Just recently this man stood before all the prophets of Baal (remember Jezebel brought the worship of Baal to Israel) and defeated them all. Yet, Elijah was so distraught by the threat on his life that he reacted before considering the source.
2. Elijah separated himself from the only strengthening relationship he had on earth
Scripture tells us that he "left his servant" and "he himself" went alone into the wilderness. When you are discouraged and you can feel yourself becoming depressed about a situation, being alone is not always the best thing to do. It is one thing to separate yourself for a time of prayer. It is completely another thing to just separate yourself so that you can embrace your self pity. If God is not in the center of your desire to be alone, more often than not, satan is going to use your isolation for his plan to conquer you.
3. Elijah was caught in the backwash of a great victory
The enemy is always aware that we are very vulnerable after a great victory, especially one like Elijah experienced on the mountaintop with God. Mr. Swindoll gives the example of a rock climber that thrives on the anticipation of conquering the mountain to get past all the obstacles the mountain has to offer. Once the climber has reached the top, the anticipation is gone. Descending the mountain is often much more difficult because the climber is deflated emotionally and a bit unguarded. I am sure Elijah was deflated emotionally. He didn't have a plan to deal with the backlash of what might happen after he ordered the slaughter of all the prophets of Baal. He was caught off guard and the anticipation of proving his God to be the one and only God was over. That job was done! What next?
4. Elijah was physically exhausted and emotionally spent
Please consider what the last three years of Elijah's life must have been like. Yes, God did provide for him! He saw many wonderful things happen! However, he wasn't at home! He was a wanted man, and he had a ferocious king/queen determined to kill him. He had to live his life "on guard" every second for three years! Can you imagine what that must have been like? After all this time, he then goes through the confrontation with all of the prophets of Baal on the top of the mountain! I can understand why Elijah must have been exhausted, physically and emotionally. Exhaustion can play games with your mind! I know after my radiation treatments, I was the most exhausted I have EVER been in my life. I truly felt as though I was never going to feel "normal" again! There were many days that I cannot even remember! I became so depressed after experiencing that exhaustion! I was convinced that I was dying! My desire to live was slowly fading during that time. Those of you who know me, know that is not the person that I really am! I try to be positive about everything, but being physically and emotionally drained can change your entire perspective. You don't think clearly (as mentioned in point #1). Now that the exhaustion has left my body, I am back to being encouraged and happy! As a matter of fact, today I spent hours in my back yard raking and bagging 15 bags of leaves! I felt so alive! I couldn't believe the same person that was lying on the couch for months was finally up living life as usual!!! Being tired is no laughing matter!!!
5. Elijah got lost in self pity
Self pity is the most horrible emotion! It cultivates a mentality that is not healthy to the human soul!!! The enemy uses it to lie to us and exaggerate everything around us. Think about your life experiences. When you start feeling sorry for yourself, don't you become very paranoid? You feel like the entire world is suddenly against you, and every situation you find yourself in is magnified my the thousands. You convince yourself that you know what others are saying about you. You determine the outcome of every interaction before it even takes place. Somehow, in your mind, you are always the victim! Many times we set a standard for ourselves that God never expected of us! Don't do that! Don't ever set standards for yourself that you cannot live up to. God would NEVER do that to us. Elijah wanted to die because he believed he was no better than his Fathers. Never did Elijah hear God tell him that he should be better than his Fathers. He just decided for himself that God expected it. Then, he used that to create a "victim" scenario for his situation.
The good news is that God stepped in and "saved the day". We will save that portion of the chapter for tomorrow. Study this time in Elijah's life. Use it to consider how you react to situations in your own life! God didn't include this in Scripture for no reason! Maybe we can learn something about stopping depression over things before it even starts! Trust me, this lesson was designed just for me! I intend to keep these pages readily available to remind me as I fall into these tendencies!!!
May tomorrow be as wonderful as today!
In Him,
Tiffany Pate
We basically just read Scripture yesterday. So, today I want to share a portion of Chuck Swindoll's views on this Scripture.
In this Scripture, we see a side of Elijah that we are not used to - the human side!!!
He has been such a super hero to us throughout his time with God, and it is strange to see him suffer from doubt and depression from his situation. However, it is so important that this Scripture is included in Elijah's story because we need to understand that even the most amazing people have their problems. We really shouldn't be shocked that Elijah was afraid of Jezebel. He was human....he had human emotions!!!
Elijah ran to Beersheba after his life was threatened! This was the southern limit of the land. He couldn't have run farther. Why did Jezebel's threat bother Elijah so much after all he had been through with God? Why did he run away from serving God and hide in fear?
1. Elijah was not thinking realistically or clearly
Instead of falling to his knees in prayer to God, Elijah ran first. He did not take time to stop and realize where the threat came from. Just recently this man stood before all the prophets of Baal (remember Jezebel brought the worship of Baal to Israel) and defeated them all. Yet, Elijah was so distraught by the threat on his life that he reacted before considering the source.
2. Elijah separated himself from the only strengthening relationship he had on earth
Scripture tells us that he "left his servant" and "he himself" went alone into the wilderness. When you are discouraged and you can feel yourself becoming depressed about a situation, being alone is not always the best thing to do. It is one thing to separate yourself for a time of prayer. It is completely another thing to just separate yourself so that you can embrace your self pity. If God is not in the center of your desire to be alone, more often than not, satan is going to use your isolation for his plan to conquer you.
3. Elijah was caught in the backwash of a great victory
The enemy is always aware that we are very vulnerable after a great victory, especially one like Elijah experienced on the mountaintop with God. Mr. Swindoll gives the example of a rock climber that thrives on the anticipation of conquering the mountain to get past all the obstacles the mountain has to offer. Once the climber has reached the top, the anticipation is gone. Descending the mountain is often much more difficult because the climber is deflated emotionally and a bit unguarded. I am sure Elijah was deflated emotionally. He didn't have a plan to deal with the backlash of what might happen after he ordered the slaughter of all the prophets of Baal. He was caught off guard and the anticipation of proving his God to be the one and only God was over. That job was done! What next?
4. Elijah was physically exhausted and emotionally spent
Please consider what the last three years of Elijah's life must have been like. Yes, God did provide for him! He saw many wonderful things happen! However, he wasn't at home! He was a wanted man, and he had a ferocious king/queen determined to kill him. He had to live his life "on guard" every second for three years! Can you imagine what that must have been like? After all this time, he then goes through the confrontation with all of the prophets of Baal on the top of the mountain! I can understand why Elijah must have been exhausted, physically and emotionally. Exhaustion can play games with your mind! I know after my radiation treatments, I was the most exhausted I have EVER been in my life. I truly felt as though I was never going to feel "normal" again! There were many days that I cannot even remember! I became so depressed after experiencing that exhaustion! I was convinced that I was dying! My desire to live was slowly fading during that time. Those of you who know me, know that is not the person that I really am! I try to be positive about everything, but being physically and emotionally drained can change your entire perspective. You don't think clearly (as mentioned in point #1). Now that the exhaustion has left my body, I am back to being encouraged and happy! As a matter of fact, today I spent hours in my back yard raking and bagging 15 bags of leaves! I felt so alive! I couldn't believe the same person that was lying on the couch for months was finally up living life as usual!!! Being tired is no laughing matter!!!
5. Elijah got lost in self pity
Self pity is the most horrible emotion! It cultivates a mentality that is not healthy to the human soul!!! The enemy uses it to lie to us and exaggerate everything around us. Think about your life experiences. When you start feeling sorry for yourself, don't you become very paranoid? You feel like the entire world is suddenly against you, and every situation you find yourself in is magnified my the thousands. You convince yourself that you know what others are saying about you. You determine the outcome of every interaction before it even takes place. Somehow, in your mind, you are always the victim! Many times we set a standard for ourselves that God never expected of us! Don't do that! Don't ever set standards for yourself that you cannot live up to. God would NEVER do that to us. Elijah wanted to die because he believed he was no better than his Fathers. Never did Elijah hear God tell him that he should be better than his Fathers. He just decided for himself that God expected it. Then, he used that to create a "victim" scenario for his situation.
The good news is that God stepped in and "saved the day". We will save that portion of the chapter for tomorrow. Study this time in Elijah's life. Use it to consider how you react to situations in your own life! God didn't include this in Scripture for no reason! Maybe we can learn something about stopping depression over things before it even starts! Trust me, this lesson was designed just for me! I intend to keep these pages readily available to remind me as I fall into these tendencies!!!
May tomorrow be as wonderful as today!
In Him,
Tiffany Pate
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