Tag: God

Posted in Bible study, Come, Lord Jesus, Come, From the Insideout, LGG Study

Commissioned

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Day 5, Week 6 of Come, Lord Jesus Come (A Love God Greatly Study) Disciples of All Nations

Scripture Reading: Matthew 28:16-20 (SOAP – Matthew 28:19-20)

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 NET

Observations and Application of the Great Commission:

Much like Paul gave Timothy his ‘charge’ or particular ‘ministry’ to do, Jesus gives His disciples a charge to carry out. He actually tasks them with much the same thing – the work of an evangelist, which is to spread the Gospel message. Like Timothy, we are to do the work of an evangelist, spreading the news that Jesus saves, discipling others, encouraging new believers to follow the Lord in baptism, and to obey everything that Christ commanded. We would also do well to remember to encourage others that Jesus is with us, even to the end of the age.

Prayer: Response to God’s Word

Father, You are good and Christ was good to walk with and transform the lives of so many disciples who followed Him. You continue to disciple and train us up today by Your Word and people. May we be faithful to Your commission, whether it is convenient or not – to be ready with an answer for the hope that is within us. Show us how to reach those here and in other countries. And as we go, open hearts and minds to the message of the cross and of our Christ!

more insight

https://lovegodgreatly.com/devotional-come-lord-jesus-come-w6d5/

Reflections: Your turn

Who in your life can you disciple?

Posted in Bible study, Come, Lord Jesus, Come, From the Insideout, LGG Study

The Work of an Evangelist

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Day 4, Week 6 of Come, Lord Jesus Come (A Love God Greatly Study) Do the Work God Has Called You To

Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 4:1-8 (SOAP – 2 Timothy 4:5)

You, however, be self-controlled in all things, endure hardship, do an evangelist’s work, fulfill your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:5 NET

Observations of Timothy’s Ministry:

  • Paul has outlined Timothy’s ministry for him, making sure Timothy understands the importance of what God has called him to do.
    • Preach the message, be ready whether it is convenient or not, reprove, rebuke, exhort with complete patience and instruction. (v2)
  • Paul makes sure Timothy knows that people will be harder to reach and some will need to be pulled back toward the truth.
    •  For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will reject the truth and chase after myths. (v3-4)
  • Timothy is then encouraged to stay faithful to his ministry, regardless of others turning away from the truth or even the temptation to turn away himself. (v5) He would need to …
    • be self-controlled
    • endure hardships
    • be faithful to spread the Gospel
    • fulfill what God had called him to do

Application: So What Does This Mean For Us?

Often when applying the Scriptures we have to see how a message to those in the New Testament church relates to us in the 21st century – but I believe this is one that applies across the centuries. Certainly we are living in a time like Paul described, where people no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They follow their own desires and look for teachers who tell them whatever they want to hear. They reject the truth and chase after myths. So as disciples of Christ, called to go and share the Gospel message and to make other disciples as we go, it seems we need the very same instructions Paul gave to Timothy. We must …

  • be self-controlled
  • endure hardships
  • be faithful to spread the Gospel
  • fulfill what God has called us to do

Prayer: Response to God’s Word

Father, help us to be faithful to Your calling on our lives. Let us not neglect sharing the Gospel message nor all that we might need to do and say to help others NOT fall away. And please guard us from turning away ourselves. Instead, help us to endure hardships, to be self-controlled and alert, remembering our enemy – the devil – prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Help us to be ready with the message whether it is inconvenient or not – and help us to be patient with those who need to be reached. May we boldly follow Jesus’ example and serve You as You lead. – In Jesus’ name I pray – amen!

Reflections: Your turn

What is the mission God has called you to? What do you need to do to fulfill this mission?

Posted in Bible study, Come, Lord Jesus, Come, From the Insideout, LGG Study

Children of the Light

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Day 3, Week 6 of Come, Lord Jesus Come (A Love God Greatly Study) Encourage Each Other

Scripture Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 (SOAP – 1 Thes. 5:9-11)

For God did not destine us for wrath but for gaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that whether we are alert or asleep we will come to life together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, just as you are in fact doing.. 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 NET

Observations of God’s Plan:

We, believers, are “children of the day, or light” not of the night, or darkness. (5)

Faith, hope, and love should be our adornment – which will help us to be alert to His coming. (8)

Wrath is what we deserved but that was not God’s plan for us. His plan was salvation through Jesus Christ. (9)

Whether we are already dead or still alive we will be united with Him. (10)

Application: So What Does This Mean For Us?

As “children of the light”, who will one day “come to life together with [Jesus], we are to “encourage one another and build each other up in the faith.”

In view of [our] exemption from the day of the Lord, believers ought to encourage and edify one another. (bibleref.com @ context summary verse 6)

Prayer: Response to God’s Word

Father, thank You for Jesus Christ, and for the salvation that is mine instead of the wrath I deserve. Help me to walk faithfully in the light, encourage others in the faith, and make Your gift of salvation known to the lost. – In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Reflections: Your turn

According to today’s passage, what did God destine Christians for? How does that encourage you today?

Posted in Bible study, Come, Lord Jesus, Come, From the Insideout, LGG Study

Being Intentional

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Day 1, Week 6 of Come, Lord Jesus Come (A Love God Greatly Study) Encourage as the Day Draws Near!

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 10:19-25 (SOAP – Hebrews 10:24-25)

24 And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works 25 not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25 NET

Observations:

With the exception of one trusted translation, which says “and so”, in all of the translations I study from, this passage (19-25) opens with the word “[having] therefore“. When we are studying the Scriptures this is one of many key words that should cause us to look back to see what came before. In this case, the author has been writing an explanation concerning the Covenant God had made with His people that ensured them that, by faith in the work of Jesus on the cross, they had been given the promise of entering into God’s presence with confidence. (You’ll find it below and it’s worth the read)

For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; 6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. 7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’” 8 When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. 15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, 16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” 17 then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” 18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. Hebrews 10:1-18

Our confidence, mentioned throughout the chapter, is explained best in verse 19, as coming from the blood of Jesus; and in verse 22, it is defined as belonging to those who by faith have assurance of salvation through the forgiveness of sins, once and for all, (11-18).

We can “hold unwaveringly to [this] hope” because God is trustworthy, (23).

It is important to understand these verses because they are the essence of why we can and should “spur one another on to love and good works”, which God created us in Christ1 Jesus to do2.

1So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17 NET

2For we are his creative work, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we can do them. Ephesians 2:10 NET

Our focus/SOAP passage (24-25) follows this promise of good news with instructions to think about, in other words be intentional in looking for ways to encourage “one another”, those belonging to the body of Christ, on to live out the love3 and good works God created us for. For this reason it is wise to not give up meeting together, especially as the day of Christ’s return draws closer. One side note on this observation is since we don’t know the day or hour we should make it a habit to encourage “one another” often, in a formal meeting or outside of a formal meeting, so that we will not stop living and loving3 as He created us to.

 3“I [Jesus] give you a new commandment—to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. John 13:34  

3Jesus answered, “The most important is: ‘Listen, [people of God], the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 13:29-31 NET

Application: So What Does This Mean For Us?

While this is a very familiar passage to me, as I’m sure it is to many who are reading this, I am convicted that this should be a passage we read often so that we don’t lose sight of why believers can and should have confidence in the work of Christ and the promised gift of salvation through our faith.

It is also a great reminder that we should be sharing the hope of our faith with others, but especially that we should encourage other believers often with this hope that is ours in Christ. Our salvation does not rest on our shoulders or our work but on the work of Jesus Christ4 and the grace of God5.

So, stand firm in the confidence that God has given us in Christ Jesus so that you do not stop showing love and doing good

(4) See Hebrews 10:1-18 above

(5) 8For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 it is not from works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 NET

Prayer: Response to God’s Word

Father, thank You so much for the confidence You have given us through Your grace and Your promises to those who have believed in Christ Jesus, Your Son! You are indeed a trustworthy God and we have the full assurance of Your forgiveness through our faith in Him. For You have said whoever believes is forgiven once and for all, and no longer being condemned we are saved through His blood and have both the confidence to draw near to You now and the guarantee of a place in Your presence – in Your kingdom yet to come. Help us to faithfully stand firm in this hope and encourage one another often with these truths that are ours through Christ. And may we not fail to share these truths with those who still have no hope until He comes again. – In Jesus’ powerful name – amen and amen!!

 For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him. John 3:16-17 NET

Reflections: Your turn

What are some ways you can encourage others in your life today?

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, LGG Study

What’s Next?

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The God Who Restores, a study by Love God Greatly

I invite you to join me for the journey through our upcoming study, The God Who Restores, which begins on November 28.

A perfect follow-up to Come, Lord Jesus, Come, The God Who Restores Bible study journal will lead us through the season of Advent, a season of waiting and great expectation of the coming back of our eternal King.

Advent[isn’t just] a season of waiting, but of remembering, and rejoicing. We wait for Christ’s return, celebrating His first coming even as we wait and long for His return. We remember the brokenness of our world and how He will bring restoration and wholeness when He comes. And we praise Him, remembering the joy we have as we place our hope in Christ.

You’ll find everything you need for the journey right here beginning November 28. Invite a friend along for the journey by sharing this post, or plan to do this one with your family to get the whole house celebrating the true meaning of Christmas. To make it extra special check out the journal details below and how your order potentially gives life to women around the world.

This study journal includes daily readings and SOAP verses, devotions to aid in understanding, as well as reflection questions and highlights from a global Love God Greatly branch. Perfect for personal or small group study, The God Who Restores will offer you encouragement in your walk of faith.

The God Who Restores Bible study journal includes:

– Four-week reading plan

– Daily Scripture readings

– SOAP journaling pages

– Daily devotionals

– Two-week Bridge reading plan

– Weekly challenges and reflection questions

– Global highlight: LGG Chinese Branch

– Beautiful full-color photography

Don’t forget! Your purchase reaches the nations!

By purchasing Love God Greatly Bible study journals, you are directly supporting the ministry of Love God Greatly, reaching thousands of women with God’s Word in their own native, heart languages! Thank you for your support!

Please note that all sales are final. We do not accept returns.

100% of your journal purchase goes back into the ministry, helping us translate each study into multiple languages as we reach more women around the world with God’s Word.

PURCHASE WOMEN’S JOURNAL

Posted in Bible study, Come, Lord Jesus, Come, From the Insideout, LGG Study

Be On Guard

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Day 5, Week 5 of Come, Lord Jesus Come (A Love God Greatly Study) Be Ready!

Scripture Reading: Luke 21 (SOAP – Luke 21:34-36)

“But be on your guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day close down upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will overtake all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that must happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Luke 21:34-36 NET

I work ahead on the study so that I can have it posted first thing of the morning – so when today (Thursday) became a day of bumps and bruises in my own life and heartache for a local family and school who lost a son and a classmate in a tragic accident – I knew my mind was not going to be able to focus on the passage well enough to write out my thoughts to share. However, as I looked over the few notes I had jotted down in the margin, this one phrase jumped out at me:

Don’t get caught up or weighed down by the cares of this life

Such a fitting message for me today – and everyday. A message that reminds me that those who trust in God, those who keep their thoughts fixed on Him will know His perfect peace. It’s a message that encourages me to keep hoping in the promise of eternity. So imagine my delight when I turned the page in my journal and found the following devotion by a member of the LGG Team. I share it in lieu of my own comments/devotion. Please check it out at the link below.

https://lovegodgreatly.com/devotional-come-lord-jesus-come-w5d5/

Reflections: Your turn

How can you keep your heart from being weighed down by the cares of this world?

Posted in Bible study, Come, Lord Jesus, Come, From the Insideout, LGG Study

The Wise and Foolish

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Day 4, Week 5 of Come, Lord Jesus, Come (A Love God Greatly Study) – I Do Not Know You

Scripture Reading: Matthew 25 (SOAP – Matthew 25:12)

 But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I do not know you!’

Matthew 25:12 NET

Observation of the Foolish and the Wise

A wise person thinks things out and takes the time to be prepared for the day, the hour, an event – or for whatever they know lies ahead of them. A foolish person, however, doesn’t. Even when they know what is coming they seem to have no concern about the matter or they lack the good sense or judgment to make the necessary preparations. So when the time comes, they are caught unprepared and they most likely miss the opportunity. Sometimes, as in the case of the 10 virgins, they miss the opportunity of a ‘life’time, while those who thought it out and got ready – went inside with the bridegroom.

Application: So What Does This Mean For Us?

I believe what this means is we don’t want to be caught unprepared. We need to be wise and not foolish, so that we are ready when Jesus, our bridegroom, arrives. I can’t help but believe it also means we need to share with others before it’s too late for them.

Prayer: Response to God’s Word

Father, thank You for salvation! Thank You for all that Jesus has done to prepare the way for us to enter in for the wedding feast. Thank You that we who are Yours do not have to worry about hearing You say, “I do not know you”. Help the “oil in our lamps” burn until You come, and may we share it with those in the dark while there is still time. – In Jesus’ name – and power, amen!

Reflections: Your Turn

How are some people fooled into thinking they are Christians when they actually are not?

Posted in Bible study, Come, Lord Jesus, Come, From the Insideout, LGG Study

Live As Though It Could Be Today

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Day 3, Week 5 of Come, Lord Jesus, Come (A Love God Greatly Study) – STAY ALERT

Scripture Reading: Matthew 24 (SOAP – Matthew 24:42-44)

 “Therefore stay alert, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have been alert and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

Matthew 24:42-44

Observation

I realize that our observations are all beginning to sound alike, “Stay alert”, “Be ready”, “He’s coming soon”, “He will come when we least expect it”, … which may make it tempting to skip over the repetitious passages or perhaps even look to see if I accidentally repeated a lesson (trust me, I looked this morning, just to make sure I wasn’t repeating one – lol). The fact of the matter is that Scripture repeats itself, in part because the Gospel writers tended to share similar events but in large part because God is making a point that is vitally important for us to hear and not forget. So as tempting as it is to skip over this long passage from Matthew, I encourage you to read it through from beginning to end. Soak in the details and take note of the warning to be found living in a way that the Master finds pleasing.

Application: So What Does This Mean For Us?

My take away observations from today are also my application or what this passage means for us …

  • The repeated phrase to – “Stay Alert”
  • Jesus will come when we DO NOT EXPECT HIM!
  • So – We must live as though He could return today!
  • And, just like Jesus and His disciples did, share the message with others so that they will also be prepared.

Prayer: Response to God’s Word

Father, the end times can seem both exciting and daunting. They can leave us wondering and wishing we knew when. Help us simply to keep our eyes on You and to carry out the mission that You gave to all of Your disciples – to take the Gospel, the story about Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and impending return to all the world. May we be the faithful and wise slave described in the passage today so that we do not have to shrink back in fear – but rejoice in Your good pleasure when You see that the thief did not break in and steal.

Reflection: Your Turn

What are some ways you are currently living on mission for our Lord while you wait for His return?

Posted in Bible study, Come, Lord Jesus, Come, From the Insideout, LGG Study

Faithful Followers

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Week 5, Day 2 of Come, Lord Jesus, Come (A Love God Greatly Study)When He Appears We May Have Confidence

Scripture Reading: 1 John 2:28-3:3 (SOAP – 1 John 2:28)

 And now, little children, remain in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink away from him in shame when he comes back.

1 John 2:28 NET

Observations

As believers, those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ, we are to be faithfully living as His followers. For John explains when our faith is proven genuine we will be able to stand before Jesus in confidence and not shame when He returns. For as Paul told the believers in Rome, “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are ‘in‘ Christ Jesus.” And, as John goes on to say, in today’s passage, we have been clothed in His righteousness and are being purified (sanctified) to be like Him.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:1 NET

Application: So What Does This Mean For Us?

If we have placed our faith in Jesus, we must not treat it as simply a “stay out of hell” card, but we are to “abide in” Him, meaning we are to faithfully follow in or imitate His ways. We are to live and love like Jesus. Jesus set these parameters when He told the believers that they were to love others just has He had loved them, John 13:34. This standard of living is also set by Paul in both deed and word throughout the New Testament – Col 3:1-17; Gal 2:20; Phil 2:1-11; 1 Cor 11:1; 2 Cor 5:17; Eph. 4:22-24 and 5:1-2 to name a few. However, John says it the clearest of all in 1 John 2:6, when he said, “Whoever claims to live in [Jesus] must live as Jesus did.”

If we read through the rest of today’s passage we see this explained a little more when John mentions practicing righteousness (2:29), which is to say – practice the ways of Jesus, for apart from Him no one is righteous – not even one of us.

“There is no one righteous, not even one,
11 there is no one who understands,
there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away,
together they have become worthless;
there is no one who shows kindness, not even one.”

Romans 3:10-12 NET

Prayer: Response To God’s Word

Father, help us to faithfully abide in Christ so that when He returns we will not shrink away in shame but stand in the confidence of His work on the cross for us. For You have promised that there is now no condemnation for those who have placed their faith in Him. Help us to imitate Him more and more so that others will see Him in us and You will be glorified. In His Name I pray – and trust – amen and amen!

Reflection: Your Turn

How are you choosing to abide in Christ today?

Posted in Bible study, Come, Lord Jesus, Come, From the Insideout, LGG Study

A Message For Everyone

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Week 5, Day 1 of Come, Lord Jesus, Come (A study by Love God Greatly)
Today’s Reading: Mark 13:32-37 (SOAP – Mark 13:37)

What I say to you I say to everyone: Stay alert!”

Mark 13:37

Observations

vs. 32 [But as for that day]: The time of Jesus’ return is going to come but only the Father knows when.

vs. 33 [Watch out! Stay alert!] Jesus is warning that there is not time for a leisurely faith. Paul says, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15–16). Like the faithful servants (Mark 13:34–36) or the bridal party waiting for the groom (Matthew 25:1–13), we can’t treat Jesus’ delay as permission to act ungodly (Matthew 24:48–51). (Bibleref.com on Mark 13:33)

vs. 35-36 [Stay alert … or else he might find you asleep when he returns]

“Jesus doesn’t just want His followers in the tribulation to be aware, He wants them to use that awareness to stay alive. During the tribulation, many, many Christ-followers will be hunted and killed by the Antichrist (Revelation 13:7; 17:6). But Jesus explains that they should still try to survive. In fact, they should pray for favorable conditions (Mark 13:18). He tells them to be aware of false teachers (Mark 13:5), run from impending violence (Mark 13:14), and keep a clear head (Mark 13:35). He also promises that the tribulation will not last long. If the tribulation saints can remember Jesus’ words, they will have a better chance of being “awake” when He returns.”

Bibleref.com on Mark 13:35-36

vs. 37 [to everyone] This conversation started with Peter, James, John, and Andrew privately asking Jesus a question on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple. They said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?” Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you” (Mark 13:3-5). Now, here in verse 37 Jesus is clarifying that His message to the four disciples, particularly about staying alert, was meant for everyone.

Application: So What Does This Mean For Us?

We are to be alert – awake to what is being said and what (prophecy) has been given – so that we don’t fall prey to false prophets of our day. This is not to say that we should be obsessed with the “end times” but simply alert to the messages and the events we here and see. Our efforts must not be in figuring out the day or hour but with sharing the message of the cross and the promise of eternity.

Prayer: Our Response to The Word

Father – the end times are a mystery. Clearly we are not meant to know the day or the hour of “that day” – but, we wait believing that it will come. Help us to be ready and to help others be ready by being alert to those around us who need the hope that is ours in Christ Jesus. I pray all of this in Jesus’ name and power and for Your glory! – Amen!