Category: Bible study

Posted in Bible study, Enduring Hope, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time

His Loyal Love Endures

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Enduring Hope, An LGG Study / Week 2 Hope In GOd’s Character
Today’s Reading /Psalm 136 / SOAP Psalm 136:23-26

to the one who remembered us when we were down,
for his loyal love endures,
24 and snatched us away from our enemies,
for his loyal love endures,
25 to the one who gives food to all living things,
for his loyal love endures.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his loyal love endures!

Psalm 136:23-26

How sweet and comforting it is to know God’s love is loyal and it endures. I can’t help but think how beneficial it would be for us to imitate the Psalmist and make a list of reasons to thank Him and to follow each reason with the phrase – for His loyal love endures – if for no other reason than to rehearse it in our minds so that when there doesn’t seem to be any miraculous deeds or creation seems to be crumbling rather than ‘awing’ us. Or when chaos and our needs are overwhelming us, or we find ourselves wandering in a desert or walking into battle, even then may we say – to God belongs all thanks and praise because His loyal love endures!

To endure is to abide … to last … to remain … to continue …
in other words … God’s love is forever

Me – from the Inside out 🦋

It’s also a healthy exercise to reverse the order of the Psalmist’s wording. For instance,

  • ‘Because your loyal love endures, God remembers us when we are down -‘
  • ‘Because His loyal love endures, God saved us from our enemies’ – or
  • ‘Because his loyal love endures, He provides our food.’

This is what I call a biblical perspective that impacts or changes everything! When this is our perspective we find strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow! And, we find countless reasons to praise the father.

Reflection Question

What’s something you have to thank Him for?

Posted in Bible study, Enduring Hope, From the Insideout, LGG Study, Quiet Time

The Goodness of God

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Enduring Hope, An LGG Study / Week 2 Hope In GOd’s Character
Today’s Reading /Ruth 1; 4:14-22; Matthew 7:7-11 / SOAP Matthew 7:11

If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Matthew 7:11

Borrowing from today’s LGG Journal/Devotional – “We serve a good God. He never changes. But sometimes, life doesn’t turn out the way we hoped it would. How do we reconcile our difficulties with God’s goodness in those times? How do we know that He really cares about us when we don’t feel like anything that’s happening to us [or those we love] could possibly be good?

Naomi had experienced incredible loss. She knew who God was, she was convinced of His character – that He was sovereign, ever-present, and good – but she had stopped believing He was good to her.”

If you didn’t read today’s passages from Ruth, I encourage you to do so. We may know the story from reading or hearing it before but let it fall fresh on you and watch for the ways God cared for Naomi – even in the midst of her loss and bitterness. In chapter one we see her forced to leave her homeland, friends, and all she knew for another land and people. Once there she lost her husband and her two sons, but not before gaining two daughters-in-law. One of which, Ruth, adopted Naomi’s God as her God and despite the fact that Naomi released her from her ‘obligation’ to live out her days with her – Ruth makes the declaration: “Stop urging me to abandon you! For wherever you go, I will go,. Wherever you live, I will live. Your people will become my people, and your God will become my God. Wherever you die, I will die – and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me severely if I do not keep my promise! Only death will be able to separate me from you!”

The rest of the story is a beautiful love story of God for His daughter and the longevity of His people. It is a wonderful testimony of His Great Faithfulness and evidence of the work of His hand! To miss it is to miss out on a visual piece of the rich history of God’s people.

It is also a wonderful example of today’s focus verse – in demonstrating how “[our] Father in heaven gives good gifts to those who ask him!”

If you’re wondering why the LGG Team combined the Ruth passage with the Matthew passage – note in Ruth 1:8-9 how Naomi had prayed in general for both Ruth and Orpah, but then she prays specifically for Boaz, who has recently shown interest in Ruth –

“And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, ‘May [Boaz] be blessed by the LORD, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!

Ruth 2:4-19

And then, the beautiful declaration of praise from the lips of the village women, when they saw how God had answered Ruth’s prayer –

“May the LORD be praised because he has not left you without a guardian today!”

Ruth 4:14

Consider this, not only had God provided Naomi with a guardian, He was continuing to carry out His plan to gift us with a Savior! – Oh the vast, immeasurable goodness of God!

Response to the Word

Oh God, how very good You are! You have gifted us with a Savior, with Your Spirit, with forgiveness, never-ending mercy and all sufficient grace. You hear and answer our prayers, You see us when we are hurting, and You provide for our needs. Yes, You allow hard and even tragic things to happen to us or around us but our hope will not be shaken for we know You are with us, You are for us, You are not against us. Help us to press into these truths and to cling to the HOPE that is ours in Christ Jesus! – Amen and amen!

Posted in Bible study, Enduring Hope, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time

This Is My Fate

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Enduring Hope, An LGG Study / Week 2 Hope In GOd’s Character
Today’s Reading /Psalm 77 / SOAP Psalm 77:9-13

Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has his anger stifled his compassion?” (Selah)

Then I said, “I am sickened by the thought
that the Most High might become inactive.
11 I will remember the works of the Lord.
Yes, I will remember the amazing things you did long ago.
12 I will think about all you have done;
I will reflect upon your deeds.”
13  O God, your deeds are extraordinary.

Psalm 77:10-13 NET

Note the ‘I wills’ of this Psalm. These are important resolves of the believer’s life and crucial to winning the battles of lies and doubts.

While God will never leave us or forsake us, there may be times when it seems that He has. It is in these times we must resolve to REMEMBER the works of His hands. If we don’t act quickly the enemy will gain a foothold with fiery darts of lies and doubt. I truly believe God-directed praise is an assault weapon against our enemy,(2 Chronicles 20:22), both in the physical and spiritual realms. For this reason, we must stop and give God praise – and remember His great faithfulness! We must count our blessings – the things God has done for us. I have found it truly helps, as the old hymn says, to “name the blessings one-by-one”. As I do this, I find myself – not only standing in awe of what God has done but I also notice that the enemy is silenced as my focus is redirected from the fears, concerns, and temptations of this world toward God.

Whether it is the enemy or the situations of our lives we must be careful not to allow them to distract us from the truths and blessings of God.

Me from the Inside out
A Comparison

Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    Has he slammed the door on his compassion? Interlude

10 And I said, “This is my fate;
    the Most High has turned his hand against me.”
11 But then I recall all you have done, O Lord;
    I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.
12 They are constantly in my thoughts.
    I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.

13 O God, your ways are holy.
    Is there any god as mighty as you?

Psalm 77:9-13 NLT

I wanted to make sure that I was correct in my understanding of the phrase, “I am sickened by the thought that the Most High might become inactive.” So, I checked out the passage in the NLT translation and I decided to share the comparison because I think it best describes the ‘fiery darts’ of lies and doubt and why we may fall prey to the enemy. You see, when we buy the lie that God treats us as we deserve we forget that “His compassions are new every morning and His faithfulness is great”, (Lamentations 3:19-24). We forget or bury the truth that we do deserve such “a fate” – but in His great mercy He saved us and does not treat us as we deserve! Psalm 103:10-14. Both translations of Psalm 77: 9-13 make it equally clear that our response to the thought or feeling that God has somehow turned against us or become inactive in our lives must be to fix our thoughts on God, to remember who He is, what He’s done, what He has said, and what He desires. Only when we do this will we have the hope of standing against the lies of the enemy.

A Song For Worship: We will remember
Going Further

2 Chronicles 20:1-24

Lamentations 3:19-24

Psalm 103:10-14

Joshua 6

Posted in Bible study, Enduring Hope, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Hope in the Lord

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Enduring Hope, An LGG Study / Week 2 Hope In God’s Character
Today’s Reading / Psalm 31 / SOAP Psalm 31:24

So be strong and courageous,
    all you who put your hope in the Lord!

Psalm 31:24

Sadly, we live in a fallen world. We live in a world where we have to call out to the Lord to vindicate us, to rescue us, to deliver us, and protect us. We need a refuge to run to and a stronghold to trust in. We are reminded in today’s passage and throughout the Bible that our God, the true and living God, is faithful. We can entrust our lives to Him because He is faithful; and we can rejoice in His faithfulness for He notices our pain and is aware when we are in distress. He hears our cry for mercy and He protects us from the enemy and enables us to stand even when we are weak.

Regardless of the things or people who come against us we can trust in the Lord our God, for He determines our destiny and rescues us from the power of our enemies, both earthly and spiritual. Your loyal followers find safe shelter in You, for You hide us under the shelter of Your wing where we are safe from the treacherous plots of the enemy and the slanderous words of men. When we are attacked from every angle we do not have to fear for we know You will hear us and come to our aid. We have tasted and seen Your goodness and Your faithfulness and have known Your rich mercies so that we can be strong and confident as we hope in You Lord.


Putting our hope in the Lord requires both strength and courage –

May this trust and the confidence that it instills in us, Your faithful followers, be a light that radiates to the world around us and draws all people to You.

Don’t forget to visit lovegodgreatly.com for todays blog

Going Further

Psalm 34:4-8

Joshua 1:9

Proverbs 16:9

Psalm 18:2

Posted in Bible study, Enduring Hope, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Made Like Christ

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Enduring Hope, An LGG Study / Week 1 The Nature of Hope
Today’s Reading / 1 john 3:1-3 / SOAP 1 john 3:3

Okay ladies, the day hasn’t been bad but it had its fair share of challenges and things to get done – and well – I’m so tired my mind is muddled. I’m borrowing the devo from the LGG journal that made so much more sense of the text than I could have. My favorite part is – “as we wait , we put our hope in Jesus. He has promised to save and sanctify us, and we trust His words. When we make the active choice to put our hope in Him and His saving work in us, we are purified because we are focused on Him. And as we are made more like Christ, we grow in our understanding of God’s character, including His love –

Trust in the key. Without TRUST there is no true hope.

LGG Team Member

And everyone who has this hope focused on him purifies himself, just as Jesus is pure).

Posted in Bible study, Enduring Hope, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Hope Deferred

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Enduring Hope, An LGG Study / Week 1 The Nature of Hope
Today’s Reading / proverbs 13:12 / SOAP verse 12

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
    but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

Proverbs 13:12

Such a tiny verse and such a great message. I found it helpful as I journaled to clarify a few things in order to unpack the meaning.

  • Hope is a feeling of expectation and desire or longing for a certain thing to happen.
    • examples include things like pregnancy, a much needed job, a loved one’s salvation, or the healing of a disease…
  • Deferred means to put off or postpone until a later time.
    • this is not always a controlled or chosen action (see examples above)
  • Heart, in this sentence, is not referring to our physical organ but rather to the spiritual part of us where the emotions and desires dwell.
  • Desire is another word for hope
  • Fulfilled is something accomplished or completed.
  • Tree of Life in the Scriptures signifies “renewal of life” or to be refreshed, a breath of fresh air, renewed strength or joy, encouragement …

These observations may not seem necessary since they are all familiar words or phrases; however I find them helpful in fully appreciating the warning and wisdom of this proverb. The warning being we can’t always control when or if we will receive what we desire – but we can control how we respond in the waiting. Do we allow our crushed hopes and disappointment to drive us to bitterness and anger or do we let it lead us closer to the Savior? Do we succumb to “heart sickness” – allowing ourselves to fall into despair, depression, anxiety, and even actual physical sickness? Or, do we endure the wait with our faith planted firmly in God? I believe the answer lies in whether we want our desire more than we want God’s will and His perfect timing.

When our hope is deferred, we can cling to the hope we have in Christ, the one hope that will never be deferred. –


An LGG Team Member

Father, when hope is deferred help us to trust in You, Your will and Your perfect timing – and to want these things more than the desire we seek. Help us to not give up! – Amen and amen

Posted in Bible study, Enduring Hope, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Hope Deferred

Posted on by
Enduring Hope, An LGG Study / Week 1 The Nature of Hope
Today’s Reading / proverbs 13:12 / SOAP verse 12

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
    but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

Proverbs 13:12

Such a tiny verse and such a great message. I found it helpful as I journaled to clarify a few things in order to unpack the meaning.

  • Hope is a feeling of expectation and desire or longing for a certain thing to happen.
    • examples include things like pregnancy, a much needed job, a loved one’s salvation, or the healing of a disease…
  • Deferred means to put off or postpone until a later time.
    • this is not always a controlled or chosen action (see examples above)
  • Heart, in this sentence, is not referring to our physical organ but rather to the spiritual part of us where the emotions and desires dwell.
  • Desire is another word for hope
  • Fulfilled is something accomplished or completed.
  • Tree of Life in the Scriptures signifies “renewal of life” or to be refreshed, a breath of fresh air, renewed strength or joy, encouragement …

These observations may not seem necessary since they are all familiar words or phrases; however I find them helpful in fully appreciating the warning and wisdom of this proverb. The warning being we can’t always control when or if we will receive what we desire – but we can control how we respond in the waiting. Do we allow our crushed hopes and disappointment to drive us to bitterness and anger or do we let it lead us closer to the Savior? Do we succumb to “heart sickness” – allowing ourselves to fall into despair, depression, anxiety, and even actual physical sickness? Or, do we endure the wait with our faith planted firmly in God? I believe the answer lies in whether we want our desire more than we want God’s will and His perfect timing.

When our hope is deferred, we can cling to the hope we have in Christ, the one hope that will never be deferred. –


An LGG Team Member

Father, when hope is deferred help us to trust in You, Your will and Your perfect timing – and to want these things more than the desire we seek. Help us to not give up! – Amen and amen

Posted in Bible study, Enduring Hope, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Sickened by Lies

Posted on by
Enduring Hope, An LGG Study / Week 2 Hope In GOd’s Character
Today’s Reading /Psalm 77 / SOAP Psalm 77:10-13

Then I said, “I am sickened by the thought
that the Most High might become inactive.
11 I will remember the works of the Lord.
Yes, I will remember the amazing things you did long ago.
12 I will think about all you have done;
I will reflect upon your deeds.”
13  O God, your deeds are extraordinary.

Psalm 77:10-13
Posted in Bible study, Enduring Hope, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Enduring Hope

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I cannot wait for this study to begin!!! I need the daily refreshment (the giving of fresh mental or spiritual/physical strength or energy) of this Hope in my life –

Check this out … and please share and invite a friend because everyone needs a hope that will not disappoint 💜❤️💙

A hope that allows us to live every day with joy and peace, no matter our circumstances.

“Hope is the confidence to wait on God when we cannot see the future.”

“Endurance is continuing to place our hope in the goodness of God when our circumstances tell us to give up.”

“And faith is the assurance that our hope will not disappoint us because the One who holds our hope is trustworthy.”

Join me here daily for links and blogs on the daily readings.

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Listen With More Than Your Ears

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Well, this has been a “full-disclosure” kind of week for me here on the blog. Sharing with you the struggle I have with listening and the love I have for words has been a bit humbling for me. So, it is good to end the study with the revelation, that as much as I enjoy words and talking, as I read through some of the words in today’s devotion, God allowed me see that I am equally comfortable to “sit in silence” and that while it is true that I love words and a good conversation, I do not feel the need to “fill every space with words,” That being said, it is obvious I still have much to work on in the listening department and have been blessed with the thoughts and instructions and Scriptures given with every point. I pray you have been as well. I hope you’ll take the time to read through this final point and truly consider that while “learning to really listen to others is hard work – for a Christ-follower, it’s vital to our mission as God’s ambassadors and ministers of reconciliation.” – Simply put, according to Gotquestions.org, “The ministry of reconciliation involves the proclamation of the gospel and its assurance that forgiveness of sin is available in Christ.” This is “the work believers have been given to do and the message they declare: ‘you can have a restored relationship with God through Jesus.” Me – from the Inside out

5. We Must Count the Cost of Remaining a Poor Listener

For some people, listening comes naturally as their personality is to be less verbal. Others may feel they have nothing to offer in a conversation, so they listen more than they speak. After all, God did give us two ears and only one mouth!

Whether we are quiet in nature or a person who is uncomfortable in silence and feels they must fill every space with words, learning to really listen to others is hard work. For a Christ-follower, however, it’s vital to our mission as God’s ambassadors and ministers of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 – “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

The way we listen can either draw people toward God or push them away. Even in our attempts to tell others about Jesus, we can talk too much in the uncomfortableness of a gospel presentation. Are we focused on downloading information and our beliefs without stopping to listen to the questions people are asking? Good listening skills can help us slow down and reduce our anxiety to win a convert. Instead of talking constantly, we need to hear what the other person is sharing about their own hearts and where they are in their spiritual journey, trusting Jesus’ promise that the Holy Spirit will give us the right words at the right time.

Listening well tells others they are valuable to us, and illustrates they are valuable to God. Just as God patiently listens to our prayers with His heart of compassion, we must learn to listen with more than our ears. Let us humble ourselves to close our mouths often, and when we do open them, make sure we speak timely words that produce life, hope, and peace in the hearts of the listener.

Proverbs 18:21 – “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”