Tag: Observations

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

Jars of Clay

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based on the LGG study, Enduring Hope / w4d5

Today’s Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 / SOAP:7-10

But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that the extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. 8 We are experiencing trouble on every side, but are not crushed; we are perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 we are persecuted, but not abandoned; we are knocked down, but not destroyed, 10 always carrying around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our body.

2 Corinthians 4:7-10
Observations:

The first question that begs to be asked when ‘soaping’ this passage is – what is the “treasure” mentioned in verse seven? According to 2 Corinthians 4:6-7, the treasure is the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus. In other words, the Treasure is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

According to a commentary by Bibleref.com, “Paul has been defending himself from allegations of practicing falseness with the Corinthians. Some may have even accused him of being manipulative or a false apostle. To counter these arguments, Paul has emphasized his sole mission: to deliver the true gospel of Jesus and to proclaim that Christ is Lord. Paul insists that he and his friends see themselves as mere servants to the Corinthians for Christ’s sake. In his first letter to this church, Paul gave numerous indications that he was not interested in personal gain or fame” (1 Corinthians 1:10–17; 9:12–16).

BibleRef.com / 2 Corinthians 4:7-8

The next question then, is what, or who, are the clay jars? To Paul’s original audience, the clay jars would have represented something very fragile, and as Paul explained to the Corinthians – God used the fragile vessel “so that” everyone would understand, “the extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.” However, metaphorically speaking, Paul, in an effort to answer – or better yet – silence those accusing him and his team of “practicing falseness”, Paul was referencing himself and his team as the clay jars. Paul’s heart was the vessel that God had shown His light in. The same is true of everyone who names the name of Christ today, and according to Scripture, we too, have been given the mission to carry this Gospel message to the world.”

And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.

Mark 16:15

So often it seems we are bombarded with ‘trouble’. Even then – perhaps, especially then – we can, like Paul and his team,, be reflections of Jesus. We must remember though, it wasn’t because of their power or strength but because of God in them; and as we saw in our recent post, it was also the power of God through the prayers of others.

Paul’s illustration of suffering was meant to help the Corinthians see and understand that what others were seeing in and from him was all about God’s power and glory – as the “life of Jesus was made visible in them.” This should have been evident in the way they handled all of their ‘troubles’, for through it all, even in their weakness and struggle, they did not turn away from following Christ and making Him known to others. They knew He had not abandoned them and they endured with hope of the “eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (15-17) to what they were experiencing now.

Application

Do not let today’s trouble crush you or drive you to despair. If you are persecuted or suffering because of following Jesus, remember He has not abandoned you. If your troubles have knocked you down or simply knocked the wind out of your sail, don’t lose hope – for you belong to Jesus and to God the Father, and in them we cannot and will not be destroyed.

While it may not be easy to live for Jesus in this world – we must remember the goal set before us – and that is to make Him known. May all our troubles, and our responses to the troubles, make Him visible to the watching world.

Prayer: Response to God’s Word

Father, Paul’s words are challenging. I confess it is sometimes easy to lose hope or to despair. Yet they are equally encouraging to be reminded that You have not and will not abandon us. We belong to You and we will not be destroyed. These are the truths that help me to endure with hope. Guard us Father where we are vulnerable and strengthen us where we are weak – and in all these things grace us with Your protection. Through it all and above it all help us to make Jesus visible to the watching world. – In Jesus’ Name – Amen and amen –

Going Deeper

2 Corinthians 4:6

2 Corinthians 4:9

2 Corinthians 4:10

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

The Privilege of Prayer

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based on the LGG Study / Enduring Hope w5d4

Today’s Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:3-11; SOAP / 9-11

Indeed we felt as if the sentence of death had been passed against us, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead. He delivered us from so great a risk of death, and he will deliver us. We have set our hope on him that he will deliver us yet again, 11 as you also join in helping us by prayer, so that many people may give thanks to God on our behalf for the gracious gift given to us through the help of many.

2 Corinthians 1:9-11
Observations

So often in our suffering we are brought to the end of ourselves so that we remember to not trust in ourselves but rather in God – the One who is able to raise the dead.

Paul moves from talk of his suffering to a focus on God and how He delivered them from death and the confidence that God would continue to deliver them. –

Paul credits the Corinthians for their gift of prayer and the help it was to him and his team, urging them to give thanks to God on their behalf.

In reference to suffering – No one likes to suffer, but if Paul and his team had not suffered, people would not have prayed and seen or rejoiced in the answer. Sometimes our suffering is about more than us.

Application

Prayer is described in the Bible as seeking God’s favor (Exodus 32:11), pouring out one’s soul to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:15), crying out to heaven (2 Chronicles 32:20), drawing near to God (Psalm 73:28, KJV), and kneeling before the Father (Ephesians 3:14).

gotquestions.org / prayer

As noted by the underlined words in the above definition of prayer, by gotquestions.com, prayer should be an active part of every Christian’s life. It is thoughts and words, spoken or whispered, standing or sitting, or as Paul says – “kneeling”. It is born from a hope set in God and out of a desire to talk to Him, to seek His help or forgiveness in some matter – or to simply adore Him and praise Him for who He is and/or what He has done. It can be as simple as a sentence, a word, or a thought, or it can be detailed and involved and as long as it takes to pour your heart out to Him, as Hannah did (1 Samuel 1:8-15).

Prayer and the deliverance or answers it brings is a gift to both those who are praying and the ones they are praying for.

Praying offers us the opportunity to rejoice in what God does and allows us to be a part of His work. Let’s commit to being people who faithfully seek the Lord in prayer.

Another benefit of suffering is found here. When believers turn to God for help in suffering and see how He provides exactly what is needed, their faith is strengthened. They continue to rely on him and grow confident in God’s willingness and ability to save them.

Bibleref.com / 2 Corinthians 1:10
Prayer – Response to God’s Word

Father, this awesome privilege of prayer can so often be viewed and/or used selfishly to petition You only for our own needs, wants, fears, or complaints – but help us to remember that prayer is so much more than this. It is the privilege to fellowship with You or to give You praise or to pray for others in need, be it spiritual, physical, or material need. It is, above all, the privilege of drawing near to You and the window of opportunity to see You work, be it the sweetest, smallest answer, or the great and miraculous! There is great comfort in prayer, as well as peace, and joy, and rejoicing when we draw near to You and when we sense You drawing near to us, as is Your promise. And Father, as we are seeing in this study, it is through prayer that we find the strength and hope to endure. Help us, as Your children, to be faithful in drawing near to You in prayer – to embrace this opportunity and privilege to walk with You and talk with You through life. Let us live lives of prayer – keeping our eyes and our faith fixed on You – praying continually as Paul wrote – for in this alone will we have an enduring hope and a strengthened faith – Amen, in Jesus’ name!

Going Deeper

What is prayer?

What is the purpose of prayer?

Worship Through Song: The Prayer
Posted in Bible study, Enduring Hope, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time
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based on the LGG Study, Enduring Hope / w5d3

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-3 / SOAP: 1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.

Hebrews 12:1-3
Observations and applications

There are many lessons packed into these three small verses, like how Jesus is the pioneer of our faith, meaning He led the way or set the example for the life of faith He has called us to live. Perhaps the most beautiful lesson is the way the author wrote about what and how Jesus “endured”, namely the cross, “disregarding its shame”. This only sinless son of God took our sin and shame and we should , as Bibleref.com writes – “make every effort to ‘hold fast’ (Hebrews 3:6; 10:23), setting aside sin and selfishness as we pursue whatever path God has placed in front of us. This is the essence of godly faith: to trust God with our future, despite how hard it might be in the present.”

Jesus is the ultimate example of what it means to endure.

To run the race God has mapped out for us – we must get rid of things that hinder us – such as sin and things of earth that bind us or weigh us down. We must also keep our eyes on Jesus, the champion of our faith. Why? Because it is just too easy to give into fears and weariness when our eyes are not on Him. Remember, our battles are different than the typical earthly warfares. In Ephesians, chapter six, Paul explained that our battles are not against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world. Since we cannot see our enemy we must prepare our minds for the battle. This, at least in part, is why Scripture teaches, or warns us, to guard the mind and to keep our thoughts on Him. Actually, Paul shared his personal battle of the mind with the church at Rome. He told them that there was another power within him that was at war with his mind. The power made him a slave to the sin that was still in him and he wanted to help others who might also struggle with this. Because of this, it seems, Paul used letter after letter to drill the warning into New Testament believers and not just the warning but the ways to overcome the battle, whether it was of the mind or present and real earthly matters.

Because I have found them very helpful to my own battles many of the “how tos’ are referenced here with the hope that they will also help you.

  • Romans 12;2 … To avoid copying the customs and behaviors of this world we must let God change the way we think.
  • Colossians 3:2 … Think about the things of heaven not the things of earth
  • Philippians 2:5 … Think like Christ –  You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had…
  • Philippians 4:8 … Think on these things …
  • 1 Peter 1:13 … Prepare your mind for action
  • 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 … Take every thought captive.

 who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men,
and by sharing in human nature. He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death

Philippians 2:6-8

Jesus Himself made it known the importance of the mind in relation to His followers.According to Jesus’ teaching, both the focus and the allegiance of the mind were important to God.

 But [Jesus} turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, because you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but on man’s.” Matthew 16:23

 We even hear its importance in His infamous answer to the Pharisee in Matthew 22:37, where He replied – “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all of your mind.'”

Long before Jesus walked on the earth Isaiah told the people, “[God] will keep in perfect peace all who trust in Him, all whose thoughts are fixed on Him.”

The Bible is full of helpful tips, promises, and more when it comes to overcoming the enemy – which is key to our endurance – and why Scripture is the believer’s greatest weapon of warfare. Consider Paul’s words to the believers in Ephesus and, by extension, to believers today concerning the armor of God.

Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power. 11 Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. 13 For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm therefore, by fastening the belt of truth around your waist, by putting on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 by fitting your feet with the preparation that comes from the good news of peace, 16 and in all of this, by taking up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit (which is the word of God). 18 With every prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and to this end be alert, with all perseverance and petitions for all the saints. 

Ephesians 6:10-18

If we want to endure, and not just endure, but endure with hope we must be prepared to stand firm. However we cannot stand firm without the Word of God, which is specifically referred to by Paul as the Sword of the spirit. While the other pieces of armor may not specifically be referred to by Paul as the “Word of God”, almost all have some connection to the Word. Check out today’s, ‘Going Deeper’ for more details.

Going Deeper

The belt of Truth

The Good News/Gospel

The Shield of Faith

Today’s LGG Blog Post

Posted in Advent, Bible study, From the Insideout, Quiet Time, The God Who Restores

God Protects His People

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Week 2, Day 3 of The God Who Restores; A Love God Greatly Advents Study
Today’s Reading: Psalm 94
Today’s SOAP: Psalm 94:14-15

Lord, how happy is anyone you discipline
and teach from your law
13 to give him relief from troubled times
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 The Lord will not leave his people
or abandon his heritage,
15 for the administration of justice will again be righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.

Psalm 94:12-15 CSB
Observations: God’s People

I think most of us, myself included, prefer the loving, kind, long suffering descriptions of God rather than the passages that boast or cry out for the avenging God, the God who pays back the proud. The Psalmist cries out for that in today’s passage and yet he also sings God’s praises, boasting of how blessed we are to be taught of Him, how He instructs in order to protect us from times of trouble until the wicked are destroyed. Clearly, as the Psalmist clarifies, God understands that it is hard to live among the wicked who constantly seem to flourish and even celebrate, while those who follow God struggle through, what seems like, one trouble after another. So it was quite refreshing and encouraging to reach verse 12 and the verses that followed, specifically through verse 15. To read of the one who receives God’s instructions, the one who is taught by God from His law is blessed with His protection from times of trouble, until the wicked are destroyed.

However, I think the most encouraging words in the passage aside from knowing He will protect us come in verses 14 and 15 where the Psalmist insist that God will not forsake us, restating it and clarifying that God will not abandon His people – those who belong to Him. The writer goes on to explain that while it may not look like it now – justice for the righteous will prevail! Our God will clear us of any blame or suspicion, He will make right the wrongs for those who walk in His ways.

Application: What does this mean for me?

While in this world it may seem like the ‘wicked’ – the ‘evil doers’, the ‘morally corrupt prevail in all they do’ but the upright suffer for their righteous living – there will come a day when the tables will turn and the upright, those who walk in the way of the LORD, will be vindicated.

Are you following God but facing one trial after another while others who follow only the desires of their hearts seem to flourish? If so, take heart and rejoice in knowing that our God reigns! He will neither forsake or abandon you and will protect you in your times of trouble and use them for His glory and your good.

Prayer: Our Response to God’s Word

Father, thank You that You have adopted us into Your family – that You have by grace through faith made us – or a way for us – to be Your people. For as surely as this promise was true in the Psalmist day so it is in ours! You will never forsake Your people. You will not abandon us because we belong to You. And though we wait for Jesus in this world full of sin – we continually wait with hope in Your promise to one day vindicate the upright.

Your Turn: Reflections:
  • How do you handle waiting on God?
  • Are you impatient, doing all you can to ‘help’ God out?
  • How does Psalm 94 help you as you wait on Him?
Want More?

Visit https://lovegodgreatly.com/lgg-blog/

Posted in Advent, Bible study, From the Insideout, LGG Study, The God Who Restores

The Coming King

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Advent Day 3: The God Who Restores – An LGG Study

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 11-12; SOAP: Isaiah 11:10

At that time a root from Jesse will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance, and his residence will be majestic.

Isaiah 11:10 NET
Observations: The Root of Jesse and a signal flag
  • The root from Jesse represents the Messiah, Jesus Christ. He is the shoot, the bud, the root out of the stump of Jesse. (See verse 1 and Acts 13:22-23).
  • The Root, our Messiah, would be a banner or a “signal flag for the nations”.
  • He will be one who stands out and is sought after. (see: Luke 2:32; John 3:14-15, 12:32: Romans 15:12; and Revelation 5:5)
Application: How then should we live?

There are probably many more, but the applications that came to mind were –

  • Celebrate the birth, the life, and the death of Jesus, who came from the stump of Jesse.
  • Wait with confident expectation knowing that He will one day come again. In this we can trust and rejoice.
  • Keep the celebration for His first coming flowing and the anticipation growing for His second coming by staying grounded, rooted, and fixed on Him. This means faithfully dwelling in and living out His Word. Remember, it is living and active, a light to our feet, a weapon against sin and discouragement as we wait, and it is the power of God that leads to the salvation of all who believe!
Prayer: Response to God’s Word

Father, how great You are! Jesus what a beautiful gift You are, a signal flag of HOPE, assurance, and guidance as we wait for Your return. Holy Spirit, who rested upon Jesus and now lives in us, You fill us with POWER and HOPE as we wait for what is to come; and You stir us to celebrate and rejoice as we remember Bethlehem and the gift, Your gift, of the baby in the manger. Strengthen us as we wait, keep us faithfully living and loving like Jesus, and use us as salt and light in this dark world. Blessed be the name of the Lord, the God who restores! Thank You in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior – Amen!

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?